Issues with security at Major League Baseball ballparks, the return of Jose Canseco to professional baseball, random talk of contraction and new life for California ballparks. The top stories on Ballpark Digest this past week, as measured in page views. Pirates employee found dead near PNC Park Dodgers scrap half-price drink promotion Cansecos hits North […]
Tag Archives | oakland athletics
Oakland, Tampa Bay on cusp of contraction? Not so fast
Forbes Magazine continues to beat the drum for the possible of contraction of the Oakland A’s and Tampa Bay Rays by 2015, but Mike Ozanian may be proving to be a useful idiot for Major League Baseball, as baseball pulls out a familiar tool to push municipalities for new ballparks. In this video and this […]
New life for new California ballparks?
New ballparks in California for Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball teams are again economically feasible, as California legislators reject an attempt by Gov. Jerry Brown to divert city and county economic-redevelopment funds to fund basic services. We’re talking three ballparks here: a new Oakland Athletics ballpark either in San Jose or Oakland; a […]
Oakland minor-league spring scheds posted
Another sets of schedules for your perusal: Here are the spring-training schedules for the four Oakland Athletics farm teams, playing out of the team’s Papago Park training complex. The schedules are for the Sacramento River Cats (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), Midland Rock Hounds (Class AA; Texas League), Stockton Ports (Class A; California League) and […]
Wolff seeking upgrades to Phoenix Muni
Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff has been discussing with the city upgrades to Phoenix Municipal Stadium that would cost $30 million or so — “chump change” for what’s being spent on spring-training facilities in the area. That Phoenix Municipal Stadium needs some spiffing up is probably true: the latest upgrades nicely added a level of […]
San Jose rushing to acquire land for Athletics ballpark
The San Jose Redevelopment Agency is working to sell other city land and buildings to finance a purchase of the remaining parcels for a new Oakland Athletics ballpark, but initial bids came in lower than expected. The bids for the six properties fetched a total of $19.59 million in offers, below the $26 million the […]
The Week That Was: January 30
Ballpark intrigue in the Bay Area, beer dispensers of tomorrow and news about the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) all made headlines this week, as the baseball world ramps up for the 2011 season on both the college and pro ranks. Here are the most popular stories on Ballpark Digest for the past […]
Could Oakland bar A’s from moving?
An interesting legal theory is making its way through the Bay Area: that a clause in the Athletics’ lease for Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum could be used as a tool to keep the team in Oakland — at least long enough for a sale of the team or a San Jose deal to cool. Here’s the […]
Cal budget issues could alter San Jose, Oakland plans for A’s ballpark
A proposal by Gov. Jerry Brown to shut down California‘s 425 redevelopment agencies could have a huge impact on the Oakland Athletics, as both San Jose and Oakland are planning on using redevelopment funds to help pay for a new ballpark. Both cities are planning on using a redevelopment agency as a base for the […]
Beware folks peddling simple solutions to complex problems
Ken Rosenthal and Scott Boras say the solution to the financial issues faced by the Oakland A’s is simple: MLB should just let the team move to San Jose. But, alas, the solution isn’t all that simple, and the issue is considerably more complex than just appeasing Lew Wolff: it goes to the very financial […]
Oakland moves forward on environmental study of A’s ballpark site
The Oakland City Council is poised to spend $750,000 on an environmental study of a proposed Oakland A’s ballpark site in the city’s downtown Victory Court area, though there’s still no interest from the team in the location. The city’s City Council Community and Economic Development Agency approved the spending last night, and the full […]
Oakland may be in better financial shape to host new A’s ballpark
WINTER MEETINGS — Because Oakland’s redevelopment agency is in much better financial shape than San Jose‘s, the city may be in better shape to put together a deal for a new Oakland Athletics ballpark — or at least give cover to the MLB committee charged with recommending a location. Though San Jose officials have pooh-poohed […]
Oakland to discuss new ballpark proposal tonight
Despite a continuing lack of interest from Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff, Oakland officials will be discussing the specifics of a 39,000-seat ballpark near downtown’s Jack London Square at a public meeting of the cty planning commission. The discussion will center on the scope of the project (which for the moment also features 700 condominium […]