by Jerry Feitelberg

On Wednesday, September 13th, the A’s president Dave Kaval announced the location where the A’s baseball only facility will be built. The team has been looking for a new home for many years. Most people will agree that the Oakland Coliseum is not the best place to watch a ball game. The Coliseum is the last multi-purpose stadium used for two sports, ie football and baseball. Cities like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Houston all tore down the multi- use stadiums and built separate facilities for the teams. Even San Francisco built a baseball only stadium.

The A’s looked at locations in Fremont and San Jose. Nothing happened. The San Jose stadium search was hampered by the San Francisco Giants’ claim of territorial rights. The A’s finally decided to look for a place in Oakland to build the park. They looked at the Howard Terminal site but decided against it. They felt the weather would be like Candlestick Park. Cold and windy and no one wanted that. They looked at the Coliseum Complex. The Coliseum has parking and access from the 880 freeway and BART, but there is no baseball ambience surrounding the park.  There are tail gate parties, but there are no restaurants or bars in the surrounding area. People come to the game in cars and leave. The A’s looked t the game experience in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. There is not a lot of parking at these sites, but there is a lot to do before and after the game.

With that in mind, the A’ picked the thirteen-acre site at Laney College. They will have to move some administration offices, and they will have to build freeway exits, and the BART station at Lake Merritt is just a nine-minute walk. Dave Kaval said this about the location:”you’re right in the city, and having the walkable environment, where you can have bars and restaurants and a really vibrant kind of energy around the ballpark, kind of like Fenway or Wrigley.” Kaval also said that the building of the stadium is “bigger than baseball, it’s a gathering place to bring our community together.”

A’s manager Bob Melvin had these thoughts:” I think it’s something certainly for our fan base to look forward to, especially for the people that live in Oakland.”

There is a lot of work to do before ground is broken in 2021. The A’s expect the park to be ready for the 2023 season. They have to do an environmental impact study, get all the necessary permits, and get all the financing in order. The A’s are not planning to use public money to build the stadium. The park will seat 35,00 people. Everything will be better. They will have luxury suites, of course, and they will have better food. Their goal is to make the new park the best baseball experience possible. They are on the right track as they are not ignoring the fans. The A’s business model has to change. They cannot continue to develop talent and then trade them for prospects. The fans have to know that the A’s want to win championships. The club did it in the 70s and the 80s, but it’s been 27 years since the A’s have made it to the World Series. Oakland deserves a stadium and a winner.