Are we getting close?

The Merc reports:

Has Major League Baseball cleared the way for the Oakland A's to move to San Jose?

Not yet, says a person close to the process in San Jose.

The denial comes as one Bay Area blogger claims a committee studying whether the A's can move to the South Bay is set to deliver the OK for such a move. The report, which is not attributed, says the committee will give its much-awaited report to Commissioner Bud Selig within three days.

Here is the blogger cited in the Merc story:

According to a source Monday evening, Major League Baseball (MLB) is set to report that their MLB Baseball Stadium Commission formed to evaluate the Oakland A's stadium situation is going to recommend to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig that the Oakland A's move to San Jose. 

The news came too late in the night Monday to check with appropriate key players for their reaction, but it's far to say one person who will not be pleased is Oakland City Attorney John Russo, who has openly said he's considering a lawsuit against both the Athletics and the City of San Jose. 

So, are we getting closer to a decision?  I think we are, however I don't think that the blogger cited above has verified information.  Check back later today as I contact some people who should be able to fill in details.

Play ball San Jose.

 

Forward Movement(?)

After meeting with the Athletics today, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig told reporters that:

"There is no question that the A's cannot compete (financially) in the venue they're in ... There still is information we are looking for. It is a complicated process with a lot of complex issues and is time-consuming. But we would still like to move as expeditiously as possible." (AP story here.)

Meanwhile, MLB.com reports:

San Jose wants an answer by June so it can place a measure on the fall ballot, but Selig said there is currently no timetable for when the panel will have its report ready ... "They're getting close to completing their work," Selig said, "but they have some work that needs to be done. The committee is hard at work, and I have faith in all three of them." (MLB.com story here.)

Good to know that the end may be near. Let's hope it's in time for San Jose's fall ballot deadline in June.

Still Pretty Quiet on the Western Front

Turns out MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is still awaiting a report from his stadium commission. MLB.com reports:

Commissioner Bud Selig had little to say Sunday about the simmering ballpark controversy involving the Giants and Oakland A's, noting that he's awaiting a report from the committee he appointed to study the situation ... Briefly visiting the Giants-Milwaukee Brewers exhibition game, Selig looked and sounded relaxed as he addressed the A's-Giants issue.

Read MLB.com's article here.

Meanwhile, Craig Calcaterra, over at NBC Sports' Hardball Talk is growing impatient over MLB's year-long study:

One year. The Allied powers figured out how the post-war partition of Europe was going to go down in less time. The Bretton Woods conference established the system that kept financial order for 60 years in less time. It didn't take too much more than a year to get a man in space after the formation of NASA. You'd think that a handful of people could figure out how to properly dispose of a baseball team in that time frame.

Read his post here.

In other news, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group has formally endorsed San Jose's quest for a stadium:

The board of directors of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group voted unanimously last week to support the San Jose City Council’s effort to bring a privately built and operated major league baseball stadium that is expected to create nearly 1,000 jobs and generate more than $5 million dollars a year of revenue for local governments.

Read more here.

Finally, a reminder that the San Jose Redevelopment Agnecy's next Diridon Good Neighbor Meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday, March 17th. Details can be found at the San Jose Redevelopment Agency.

What does the Tech Museum have to do with Baseball?

Hi all, it has been a while since I posted, not that I am ever at a loss for words, rather I have been busy and DH has been doing a great job of posting during my self imposed exile of sorts.

So, why the post today?  Because I read an article about the Tech Museum that was posted on the SJMerc today, and the last few paragraphs jumped out at me screaming for comment:

Friess said he's hopeful that the city will find more ways to help finance the exhibits. He said the blockbusters draw crowds that also spend money at local restaurants and hotels and generate a lot of sales tax revenue. So, what are the chances of that happening? "The possibility is close to zero," said Mayor Chuck Reed. "The city's general fund is looking at a gap of $100 million." Reed noted that he's a fan of the Tech, and believes it has a strong board that will find some creative solutions. Then there is the final disadvantage facing the Tech: San Jose. "I've never seen a city as empty as San Jose," Friess said. "It's a disaster. As a museum director, it takes a lot of effort to get people in the door." Right now, I don't see Friess getting the extra help from Silicon Valley that he needs to overcome the logistical and financial hurdles weighing the Tech down. And without that elusive support, the museum will continue to fade.

Our downtown can go one of two ways, it can continue to be empty (as Friess notes) or it can become a destination that draws people.   What brings people downtown?  Events.  And what happens when those people go downtown?  They spend money, for dinner, for parking, and that money they spend helps our city, creating jobs, adding to the tax base.

And what right now is one of the biggest draws downtown?  The Sharks.  Go downtown any night that the Sharks are playing and you see life, you see people, families, restaurants filled with people, you see a downtown that is anything but "dead."

To ensure that our downtown becomes a destination we need more events that will draw people, and we have very close at hand the very thing that can (and will) be the change our downtown needs: a new baseball stadium and home for the A's.

Simple, isn't it?  Oh, and this new stadium won't be dependent on tax payer funds, it won't draw money out of San Jose's General Fund, no, it will instead add to that General Fund, adding money that is now floating away to Oakland and San Francisco. 

It is time to bury the thought that San Jose is "dead," and it is time that MLB decides that our city is and will be the best place for the A's to call home.

Play ball San Jose.