estranged4life
11-07-2006, 02:21 PM
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15603729/
A's reportedly to build stadium in Fremont
36,000-seat, baseball-only facility would be located next to San Jose
MSNBC News Services
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland A's will announce their intention to build a 36,000-seat stadium in Fremont, south of the team's current location and much closer to rapidly growing San Jose, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday.
The A's, after several months of talks, will acquire the rights to a 143-acre site, currently leased to Cisco Systems, sources told the Chronicle.
The team plans to build the baseball-only facility without public financing.
The Chronicle said that A's managing partner Lew Wolff, and Cisco executives and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, will make the announcement Tuesday.
On Monday, Alameda County Supervisor Gail Steele and Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente said the A's haven't told them anything about plans to move the team to Fremont, NBC11's Christien Kafton reported.
Steele chairs the board that oversees the Oakland Coliseum's operations and De La Fuente has served on the board for many years.
They both said they were taken by surprise by news reports Monday that Selig will come to the Bay Area next week to join Wolff to make an announcement.
"I have no formal word from the A's at all," Steele said.
"I haven't heard anything from the A's, as usual," De La Fuente said.
A's and Major League Baseball officials weren't immediately available for comment.
Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman said he is confident announcement of the move will be made.
"I don't have an invitation in my hand, but I expect that. I expect there'll be a meeting and hopefully an announcement," Wasserman said.
The Oakland City Council voted unanimously last week to approve a lease extension that would keep the Oakland A's at McAfee Coliseum through at least 2010 and possibly longer.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors is expected to give final approval to the lease extension Tuesday.
De La Fuente said the timing of the announcement about the potential move to the 143-acre Fremont site is "very interesting" in the wake of the lease extension votes.
"That's the way it goes in this game," he said. "We'll be the last ones to know."
De La Fuente said of the A's, "Unfortunately, whatever they do is in their own best interests."
The A's previously have threatened to move to Fremont at some point in the future if a new stadium is built for them there, but nothing concrete has been announced thus far.
The lease extension would keep the baseball team at the Coliseum through 2010 and give them three one-year options, which would extend the lease through the 2013 baseball season.
Under the terms of the deal, the A's would be penalized for breaking the lease early unless the team moves to a ballpark inside Alameda County.
© 2006 MSNBC Interactive
A's reportedly to build stadium in Fremont
36,000-seat, baseball-only facility would be located next to San Jose
MSNBC News Services
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland A's will announce their intention to build a 36,000-seat stadium in Fremont, south of the team's current location and much closer to rapidly growing San Jose, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday.
The A's, after several months of talks, will acquire the rights to a 143-acre site, currently leased to Cisco Systems, sources told the Chronicle.
The team plans to build the baseball-only facility without public financing.
The Chronicle said that A's managing partner Lew Wolff, and Cisco executives and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, will make the announcement Tuesday.
On Monday, Alameda County Supervisor Gail Steele and Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente said the A's haven't told them anything about plans to move the team to Fremont, NBC11's Christien Kafton reported.
Steele chairs the board that oversees the Oakland Coliseum's operations and De La Fuente has served on the board for many years.
They both said they were taken by surprise by news reports Monday that Selig will come to the Bay Area next week to join Wolff to make an announcement.
"I have no formal word from the A's at all," Steele said.
"I haven't heard anything from the A's, as usual," De La Fuente said.
A's and Major League Baseball officials weren't immediately available for comment.
Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman said he is confident announcement of the move will be made.
"I don't have an invitation in my hand, but I expect that. I expect there'll be a meeting and hopefully an announcement," Wasserman said.
The Oakland City Council voted unanimously last week to approve a lease extension that would keep the Oakland A's at McAfee Coliseum through at least 2010 and possibly longer.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors is expected to give final approval to the lease extension Tuesday.
De La Fuente said the timing of the announcement about the potential move to the 143-acre Fremont site is "very interesting" in the wake of the lease extension votes.
"That's the way it goes in this game," he said. "We'll be the last ones to know."
De La Fuente said of the A's, "Unfortunately, whatever they do is in their own best interests."
The A's previously have threatened to move to Fremont at some point in the future if a new stadium is built for them there, but nothing concrete has been announced thus far.
The lease extension would keep the baseball team at the Coliseum through 2010 and give them three one-year options, which would extend the lease through the 2013 baseball season.
Under the terms of the deal, the A's would be penalized for breaking the lease early unless the team moves to a ballpark inside Alameda County.
© 2006 MSNBC Interactive