As team reps and local civic officials discuss the use of the Coliseum as a temporary A’s home until a new Las Vegas ballpark opens, we’re seeing conflicting reports–while hearing directly from other insiders–about where the team ends up. Relax.
Last week we reported that MLB insiders had told us the preference was to keep the team at the Oakland Coliseum and that there was little enthusiasm within the industry for a move to Sacramento if a Coliseum deal was possible. Our reporting was later backed up in a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. (Also confirmed: our reporting that paying at Las Vegas Ballpark had been rejected as an option.) The Athletic, in a much less convincing story, says Sacramento is the front runner to land the A’s, resting on an assertion that there is too much history between the team and the city for the pair to make a deal on a temporary A’s home. (Money has a way of healing hurt feelings.) There are plenty of agendas at play here.
Yes, drama is part of the relocation process and the search for a temporary A’s home. And social media has a way of making things worse–anger drives engagement!–so our advice is to let the process play out. There’s been plenty of quiet work done on the new Las Vegas ballpark design (as we note often, big projects require big time), and the fact that discussions regarding an A’s lease extension at the Coliseum needs to be respected.
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