The latest
Mercury News editorial about the never-ending A's-to-San Jose saga, pretty much says it all:
| "Just Make a Decision, Selig—Any Decision"
September 18, 2011
In a stalemate, any kind of change can turn into an
opening for resolution. So with Pollyanna optimism, we hope the departure
of Bill Neukom as the San Francisco Giants' managing general partner
provides an opening for Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to
finally decide whether or not the A's can move from Oakland to San Jose.
Approving the move, contingent on a financial settlement
with the Giants, would be the right choice. It would turn the A's into
moneymakers instead of a financial drain on other team owners, and it would
directly benefit Major League Baseball: The other likely homes for the team
would be far less profitable than San Jose, and Selig's mission is to act
in the best interests of the game.
But at this point, any decision on the move is better
than no decision. If Selig can't bring himself to say yes to San Jose over
the Giants' objections, then he needs to say no. Period. The city, if not
A's owner Lew Wolff, needs to move on.
This wearying saga began in 2009, when Wolff gave up on
plans for a stadium in Fremont and turned to San Jose. City officials
scrambled to assemble land, work the ballpark into its downtown plan and
prepare to float a ballot measure, since voter approval would be required
for the project.
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But Major League Baseball first had to approve the move,
since the Giants had been granted territorial rights to the South Bay when they
explored building a stadium here in 1989. Selig clearly has been caught
between, on one side, the Giants, who are rolling in dough since their World
Series win last year and don't want South Bay competition; and on the other
side, along with Wolff, some other team owners who are tired of subsidizing the
low-attendance A's in their current, clunky baseball-football stadium in
Oakland.
So Selig named a task force to give him cover. Er, wait, we
mean to carefully analyze the facts and make a well-grounded decision. Yeah,
that's the ticket.
That was two and a half years ago. Either it's a task force
of snails, or Selig lacks the courage to act on the facts.
South Bay political leaders, a community coalition and some
captains of industry have been lobbying Selig to bring the A's here. But he is
beholden only to his board, which is made up of team owners, including the
Giants.
Neukom was a formidable board member, a dynamite litigator
who seemed to relish the prospect of a legal fight. Team president Larry Baer,
taking over for him, is as vocal an opponent of the San Jose A's, but some
think he might be more open to a deal.
If not, and Selig can't approve the move, then he might as
well just come out with it and say no.
Wolff most likely will sell the team, and a new owner will
move it outside the Bay Area. And cash-strapped San Jose can make other plans
for that downtown land.
It would be an unfortunate resolution, but it would be
better than none.
