"I don't think in any way are the A's playing us against another community," said Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who represents Fremont and grew up there. "The Wolffs are genuine people. They're the most sincere people I have ever met."Wolff tried to quash the rumors as well:
The Mulcahy-DiNapoli connection was downplayed as well, simply as longtime business associates:"We don't have any hidden agenda," Wolff told The Daily Review last week. "Anyone who's a sports fan thinks everyone has a hidden agenda. Even if I wanted to go, I couldn't go."
Both Wolff and baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, a longtime friend and former college fraternity brother of Wolff's, also have said they have no intention of challenging the Giants' territorial rights in Santa Clara County. But supporters of bringing the A's to the South Bay point out that Wolff has several real estate holdings in San Jose.
Finally, Wolff issues a "firm" denial:... the day after meeting with Fremont leaders, television cameras showed Wolff at the A's-New York Yankees game in Oakland, sitting next to San Jose mayoral candidate Michael Mulcahy.
Mixed messages?
"There is no intention of that," Wolff said.
He said there was little significance to their visit during the game, adding that Mulcahy owns A's season tickets near Wolff's seats and the two have known each other for years. Mulcahy's cousins are John and Jason DiNapoli, who own a small interest in the A's and have partnered with Wolff in some San Jose real estate deals.
"I've been a friend and a business partner with Lew Wolff for 30 years," Mulcahy said. "He's a supporter of mine."
So are you satisfied with the responses? I know one thing: when this saga has finally played out and the A's have a new home, this blog will make for some interesting - and at times painful - retrospective reading."We really want to stay in California, in the Bay Area, in the East Bay," he said.
"I don't know how many times I have to say that."
Props to De Benedetti for tackling the rumor mill head-on.
10 comments:
Well, Wolff sounds very sincere, quite realistic and very much like any reasonable businessman.
That means only one thing: HE'S LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH, THAT CONNIVING SACK OF #%&$@ !
I just wanted to get that out before anyone else did :)
Rob-
When San Jose is brought up, Wolff says territorial right prevent them from moving there, but never rules it out as an option. I don't think it's unreasonable for some to think the A's will eventually move there. Didn't a mayoral candidate say a proposed move to Fremont was prerequisite to an eventual move to SJ? In the end, Fremont may end up being the destination for the A's new ballpark, but comments like that have got to raise some eyebrows.
Well, if the door has finally been shut on San Jose (sigh), then let's make Fremont happen! Enough said.
M.L.,
In regards to an A's possible move to Fremont; do you think that P. McGowan/Giants would still seek compensation ($) from MLB/A's, even if his "territory" isn't officially encroached on? Seems to me that the Giants will still lose their coveted Silicon Valley fan base/corporate support with the A's in Fremont.
jrbh, sticking up for the working man by taking his business to pac bell/sbc/at&t park to watch barry bonds!
you're bringing the laptop to the park?
obviously the wireless access was put in for the benefit of all the poor kids from hunters point that attend giants games due to the affordable tickets.
Magowan might raise a fuss, but what can he do? Selig has shown his support for a Fremont-based ballpark, so Magowan may be left out in the cold. That's the argument that Merc columnist Mark Purdy is using to get Magowan to give up SJ. I had argued with others over a year ago that using that card was entirely feasible. If I were Wolff I'd play it just for leverage.
jrbh, if you are taking a laptop to a game then you have no need to go to a game. I'm sure SF will need all the fans they can get once Bonds retires. I bet the A's can outdraw the Gnats (at McAfee) once Bonds is gone.
I share a lot of jrbh's unhappiness about the prospect of poor transportation access to a Fremont ballpark.
I've always liked the comparatively diverse demographics of the Oakland crowd. Plus, my A's-fan friends live in the Oakland area, and are less likely to attend games further south.
But this is the trap. It's a bit hard to justify switching teams solely on the basis of transporation access, or the extremely dubious notion that the notoriously corporate Giants crowd will be any sort of an improvement on the atmosphere in Fremont.
I became an A's fan because I moved from Cleveland as a child, and the A's were an American League team. At the time, I lived in the South Bay.
I later lived in the East Bay, so that gave me more to identify with. But that was never my main reason, aside from the ability to attend the games.
Others will make different choices, and I'm not going to criticize anyone whose interest in the A's plummets because of the owner's desire for a high-priced ballpark in the suburbs.
That said, it's not my choice. The A's will be my team as long as they are in the Bay Area. I'm still angry at Oakland's politicians for choosing the Raiders over the A's. That was a monumentally stupid decision, and it was all theirs.
bear88
Yea I agree with the above poster. People are under estimating the transportation factor in Fremont. I'm from Oakland, and I want to keep the A's out here. but I wouldn't even be for an A's ballpark if they built it at the Oak-to-Ninth project out here in Oakland. That isn't all that good of a site for transportation either and possibly has the 5 mile (or more) walk from Lake Merrit Bart to that site as does Fremont. So wherever the A's plan to build, whether it be in Oakland, Fremont or Jamaica, I hope they have a good transportation plan.
What was said, "I'll just take BART to SBC" "no Transportation options" in Fremont. I'm going to guess that the nearest BART station to SBC is about a mile. Coincidentally, just about the same distance the Warm Springs BART station will be from the proposed ball park site. BART owns the right of way, that plot of land is basically empty, and BART has said they are going to build to Warm Springs (it's about the money). Further, have you seen the 880 improvements happeneing around that area? The idea that "transportation" would be why you wouldn't like it is laughable. You don't want the A's leaving Oakland. That I understand. This whining, infantile foot stomping, I'll go somewhere else, is lame though. Getting to SBC park will be more difficult than getting to a Fremont Ball Park period. There are so many upsides to a Fremont location, if SJ is really out, it would take an hour to list. Suffice it to say your foot stomping, I'll go somewhere else ain't gonna change that. Why? Cause if they move to Fremont or SJ, they'll be too busy selling tickets to even notice you don't like the "transportation" options.
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