The Oakland A’s hopes for 2022 is for the pathway to a new waterfront ballpark at Howard Terminal in downtown Oakland the A’s have jumped two vote hurdles towards the project. (Artists rendition of the Howard Terminal ballpark San Francisco Chronicle image)

2022 A’s: What does the Second Half means?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–The main news for the 2022 Oakland A’s will not be on the field during this second half of the season, but the news that many are anxiously waiting that they will indeed stay in Oakland and build a new park right next to downtown.

I know people that told me; “there is no way they stay in Oakland, they will move to Las Vegas” and some told me that in a gleeful way, like hoping they move to Las Vegas because they (like many others) are understandable frustrated and are sick and tired of this ‘novela’ of the A’s building their new park, that has been going now for decades.

The odds at this time seems to favor the possibility of the A’s staying in Oakland and even building Howard Terminal. The man that ended his career with more World Series rings that the A’s and Giants teams combined, with 10 rings, Yankees Hall of Fame catcher, Yogi Berra once said ‘It ain’t over till it’s over’. And this is the way I also feel. I am just going by the difficulty to build it has become in the Bay Area to build any sports facility for baseball. I will definitely believe it when the shovels are inserted into the ground by home plate of the new Howard Terminal.

Let us now refresh our collective memories. The San Francisco Giants current park, which inaugurated in 2000 was build for only $357 million dollars (probably what they would have to pay Juan Soto if they want to lure him to the bay) and as of 2002 was the only privately financed major league stadium in 40 years anywhere in the country. Mount Davis (the monstrosity of solid cement at the Oakland Coliseum) cost approximately $500 million to build, with the cost shared by Alameda County and the city of Oakland.

Sports Illustrated current issue reported that Warriors owner Joe Lacob had a deal in place to buy the A’s from former A’s owner Stephen Schott for $180 million, but the deal did not get the approval by Commissioner Bud Selig at that time, which approved the sale to Lew Wolff and John Fisher, who were fraternity brothers of Selig in college. It always pays to have friend in high places.

According to -Statista- The Oakland A’s today are worth $1 billion 180 million.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead Spanish play by play for the Oakland A’s on Le Grande 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com