That's news. Silly me, I thought Santa Clara County was granted so that the Giants could move there.Neukom said "there is a misunderstanding about the facts" relating to baseball's territorial rights, adding that the Giants established their formal claim of rights to the five counties from Marin to Monterey, with Santa Clara County at the center of that territory, as long ago as 1994.
"We asked for those counties because those are the natural counties for our fan base," Neukom said. "And those are the counties that we intend to continue to engage as Giants fans. Nobody else asked for any of those counties. Oakland asked for Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and got them."
What's missing from the story? No threats. No mention of reprisals. It wouldn't sound so strange if it wasn't the same guy who legally reorganized the Giants ownership group as "San Francisco Baseball Associates L.P." Good lord, how much more legalese can it get than that?
Historically, the head Giant owner has deigned to grace the South Bay with his presence once or twice a year, but usually in a place like Los Altos or Palo Alto. Not that I expect Neukom and his bowtie to show up at the intersection of Tully and King, but why not hang out in San Jose for a lunch and talk to interested parties here? Nah, I suspect that as long as this continues Santa Clara County as a whole will be treated like a satellite, worthy of token outreach at best. Don't let the recent investment in the SJ Giants fool you. That's the baseball equivalent of setting up Vichy France. Vive le résistance!
