This and That ...

With all eyes on the playoff race, it's been a bit quiet on the San Jose ballpark front. Still, a few interesting tidbits have emerged recently:

• Larry Stone, Santa Clara County Assessor, and major San Jose baseball booster, was just a guest on KCBS In Depth. Per usual, Stone pulls no punches in his fight to move the A's to the South Bay. Listen to Jane McMillan's conversation with Larry Stone here.
• Last week, The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal highlighted the Urban Land Institute's new report on downtown San Jose. Not surprisingly, their plan includes a ballpark at Diridon: "A panel of designers, architects and economists envisions a more densely developed downtown San Jose—with taller buildings, a baseball park and more housing and entertainment—once a huge high-speed rail station is built."
• Bob DuPuy will resign as MLB's president and COO effective at the end of next month. However, DuPuy "will become an adviser and work on special prospects, including the committee that is evaluating the Oakland A's possible move to San Jose."
• Finally, word comes from Pennsylvania that one JT. Ramsey has launched an effort to single-handedly bring the A's back to ... Philadelphia! He says, "Since the A's are moving again anyway, I figured why not get Philadelphia back in the mix?" Cute, no?

You're up to bat, San Jose!

Why Not the A's in San Jose?

For Good Measure: San Jose City Council Again Approves Resolution to Bring the A's to Town

Buoyed by the recent show of Silicon Valley corporate support, the City Council tonight passed another resolution in support of an A's move to San Jose. The vote was unanimous, though clearly, everyone is getting antsy. Councilman Liccardo, noting that Milwaukee recently erected a statute in honor of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, even jokingly offered to build him a replica in San Jose.

Still, the fact remains that San Jose is admirably positioned to land the A's. Certainly, no other location in the Bay Area can boast such an attractive offer.

You're up to bat, San Jose!

Why Do You Want To See Baseball In San Jose?

Dan explains why he wants to see baseball come to San Jose.

The Biz of Baseball: "Oakland's Relocation into the South Bay is an Inevitability"

This week, The Biz of Baseball re-ranked their Top Ten Markets for Relocation or Expansion. In it, they looked at those national and international markets most primed for a Major League Baseball team. In their 2008 analysis, San Jose didn't even rank. However, the story is different in 2010.

Here are their latest rankings:
10. Las Vegas, NV
9. Sacramento, CA
8. Nashville, TN
7. Montreal, QC
6. San Antonio, TX
5. Indianapolis, IN
4. Portland, OR
3. Metro New York City, NY
2. Charlotte, NC
1. San Jose, CA

Of an A's move to San Jose, they say:
The most obvious eventual home for the Oakland Athletics, San Jose is the ideal mix of fans and corporate interests. There is enough benefit for both the league and the club to make this deal a question of when, not if. Whether it is Cisco Field or some other iteration, Oakland's relocation into the South Bay is an inevitability.

You're up to bat, San Jose!

It's a Family Affair

In today's Mercury News, SunPower Corp.'s Tom Werner and Brocade's Mike Kleyko again highlight the broad support that exists in Silicon Valley for an A's move to San Jose:

In unprecedented fashion, business leaders including Cisco's John Chambers, Yahoo!'s Carol Bartz, eBay's John Donahoe, Adobe's Shantanu Narayen and Kleiner Perkins' John Doerr joined us, and 68 others, in signing the letter. While many of us are business competitors, we are community collaborators when it comes to improving the quality of life for our employees and neighbors.

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group's efforts on behalf of bringing MLB to the city should be commended, especially as they've brought together a strong coalition of diverse business interests. And don't forget that in 2009, South Bay cities similarly united behind San Jose's baseball quest. The cities of Mountain View, Gilroy, Cupertino, Los Altos Hills, Morgan Hill, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, and Saratoga each sent resolutions to MLB, urging them to relinquish the Giants' Santa Clara County territorial rights.

So, let there be no question ... Bringing the A's to San Jose, it's a family affair.

Actually, Larry Stone Begs to Differ

Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone has something he wants to get off his chest. He feels compelled to respond to a recent Mercury News article that furthers the myth that the fight for the A's is a horse race between San Jose and Oakland. Stone, an ardent supporter of MLB in San Jose, tells us exclusively just why he begs to differ:

Why are you folks trying to prop-up Oakland? Doug Boxer takes a map of Oakland, colors a couple of sites, and the Merc all but declares serious competition between Oakland and San Jose for the A’s. There is no competition, serious or otherwise, between Oakland and San Jose!

Oakland does not have the corporate or political leadership, financial resources, or fan base to compete. There is competition however, and I believe it is with the “consortium of East Coast lenders” that loaned the Giants $150 million to build Pac Bell Park which opened in April 2000.

Because Oakland has the team, their objective is to create “gridlock,” which means they win, without a viable site, corporate or political leadership, or the financial resources. It’s not unlike the political gridlock in Sacramento or DC.

Take baseball out of the equation. If you were going to open a business, any business, and the financial success of that business was dependent on population, family income, and corporate support. And your location choices were Oakland, Fremont and San Jose. Where would you locate your business?

Larry Stone,
Santa Clara County Assessor

Silicon Valley Heavyweights Come Out Swinging in Support of MLB in San Jose

On Wednesday, 75 area leaders, led by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, sent a letter to MLB Comissioner Bud Selig urging his organization to bring the A's to San Jose. The coalition ranges from CEOs to university presidents to newspaper publishers to city leaders; it's an impressive show of support.

Here is the letter in its entirety:

Downtown San Jose Farmers Market

Today Baseball San Jose was at the Downtown San Jose Farmers Market. It was another successful day signing up supporters, distributing window signs and answering questions. Baseball San Jose volunteers John and Gloria Flores brought a lot of energy and we couldn't have done it with out them. Look for us soon at a Farmers Market in your neighborhood.

John and Gloria talking to a supporter.

Gloria explains where the proposed ballpark would be built.

Gloria continues to explain why we need to bring the A's to San Jose.

BAM! GOTCHA! Another Baseball San Jose supporter signs up.