Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Can A’s get past City of Oakland’s expansion demands for Coliseum use? The MLB clock is ticking

Major League Players Players Association Chief Tony Clark met with Oakland A’s players on Tue Feb 20, 2024 at Hohokam Park in Mesa AZ to discuss their interim Stadium situation for 2025. As players were concerned where they’ll end up. Some players may not opt to play in a minor league park if that’s where the A’s end up playing for the interim. (AP file photo)

On the Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, this week in Mesa AZ the A’s spring training facility A’s team president David Kaval said that there are three options available for 2025 Sacramento, Oakland or Salt Lake City. It was reported that Sacramento was the top contender of the three but an A’s source said that the A’s never said anything of the kind and the team is still trying to decide which venue they’ll choose after this season.

#2 To this date it’s still a mystery where the A’s will play for the 2025 season that’s an issue considering baseball wants to get that resolved as they want to have a schedule ready by July.

#3 Representatives from the Major League Baseball Players Union showed up at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa with Union Chief Tony Clark on Tuesday and the players had questions but Clark may not have had much on answers. The fact of the matter still remains the players if it came to a vote and it could will not elect to play in a minor league park.

#4 Not only do the A’s still have their interim location dates open for 2025 but as of today there has been no indication of when renderings and funding plans will be presented. Las Vegas MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle said he was shown three different designs for the next door Tropicana ballpark. Hornbuckle said in an Nevada Independent interview that he would like to start construction at the MGM and wanted to get the pedestrian bridge to the Tropicana ballpark situated and he needs to be on schedule for budget and construction purposes soon.

#5 Pressure is on concerning deadlines not only with the 2025 baseball schedule for July but also when the A’s have a location figured out for 2025 and how travel and budgets can be figured out. Daniel the City of Oakland and the Oakland Coliseum Joint Authority asking for a guarantee from MLB that Oakland will get an expansion team before they can play their interim games at the Coliseum. How big of an ask is that? And do you see things getting worked out between all three parties?

Join Daniel Dullum for the Oakland A’s podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Co-owner Billy Beane encouraging Fisher to continue talks with Coliseum Joint Authority for lease extension; plus more A’s news

Oakland A’s senior advisor to the managing partner Billy Beane (left) and A’s general manager David Forst (right) are seen here standing in the A’s dugout on Aug 28, 2020 at the Oakland Coliseum. Beane has recently advised according to reports owner John Fisher that the Oakland Coliseum would be the best place for the A’s interim years 2025-27 before moving to Las Vegas (AP file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Oakland A’s minority owner Billy Beane reportedly from Front Office Sports is encouraging owner John Fisher to continue talks with the Oakland Coliseum Joint Authority for a lease extension. Beane is also a senior advisor to Fisher.

#2 There had been talks that the A’s had the home of the Sacramento Rivercats and the San Francisco Giants minor league triple A team’s ballpark Sutter Health in West Sacramento that would house the A’s home games but some sources within the A’s organization said they didn’t know where those rumors came from and that Sacramento was not named by the A’s as the first choice for an interim site after the 2024 season.

#3 The Las Vegas Review Journal reported also that the A’s are trying to stay at the Oakland Coliseum as an interim site. A’s president David Kaval said this week that the A’s have narrowed their choices to three sites Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Oakland. Kaval is at the A’s spring training site in Mesa AZ. Talk has it that Oakland is the most logical choice because of the TV money they would get from NBC Sports California at some $70 million a year something they would not get in Salt Lake City or Sacramento.

#4 Kaval said that there is already a broadcast distribution now with the Sacramento Kings, San Jose Sharks, and A’s with NBC Sports California and that make Sacramento in the running. Still the players union would still have to sign off on playing in a minor league facility and three years at a minor league park might be an issue with the union.

#5 Kaval said he wants to be thoughtful and work with the league and that talks last Thursday went well and he had a positive feel. Kaval said the A’s are keeping their options open until they identify where they’ll play in the interim. It’s the hope of most fans and employees of the A’s that they would choose the Oakland Coliseum in the interim before moving to Las Vegas.

Jerry Feitelberg does the Oakland A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s relocation podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Commissioner Manfred says Bay Area needs only one team; How much influence do the Giants play in keeping an Oakland team out?

Does San Francisco Giants and team CEO Larry Baer play a influential role in encouraging MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to make sure Oakland never gets an expansion team so the Giants will have the East Bay as their territory as well? (AP News file photo)

On Oakland A’s relocation podcast:

#1 Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s Chief of Staff Leigh Hanson said on Friday after meeting with Oakland A’s team president David Kaval that in order for the A’s to get a three year lease at the Coliseum MLB has to agree that Oakland will get an expansion team. That decision rests with baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.

#2 Manfred said of any expansion team or any idea of another MLB team coming to Oakland “First of all we do have a major league team in the Bay Area.” Manfred was referring to the San Francisco Giants it’s been everyone’s understanding that Giants team CEO Larry Baer and the Giants who voted to have the A’s moved out of Oakland to Las Vegas during the owners vote on Dec 16th that the Giants would like to have the Bay Area including the East Bay as Giants territory and their market. Do they want the Commissioner not to allow any team to expand or move to Oakland and Oakland would become Giants territory.

#3 After the A’s announced and got confirmation from the Nevada State Legislature to the tune of $380 million for the Tropicana ballpark the A’s and MLB were confident that this was going to be smooth transition but the offering was rushed they left out where John Fisher A’s owner was going to get his share of the $1.5 billion for the construction costs and also where the A’s were going to play between 2025-27. Now Manfred is under pressure to find a place for the A’s to play for those remaining three years and Fisher doesn’t want to walk away from $70 million in TV money for those three years.

#4 Who will blink first. The City of Oakland and the Coliseum Joint Authority will lease out the Coliseum to the A’s only if Oakland is guaranteed an expansion team this boxes in Manfred who wants to get out of Oakland all together and is being counted on by the Giants to make sure that happens. The A’s must have a place to play decided by July. The Players Association will not sign off on playing in a minor league park and the Coliseum is the only practical viable place to go.

#5 Sharing a ballpark with another MLB team won’t especially if the A’s leave the Bay Area to play their home games and they lose the $70 million TV money.

Jerry Fetielberg is an Oakland A’s beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s relocation podcast Augie Mesenburg: Sacramento is A’s first choice for 2025 season; City of Oakland wants guarantee of expansion team

Oakland A’s team president David Kaval has met with the Oakland Coliseum Joint Powers regarding a lease extension beyond 2024. The A’s could play the remaining three years at the Coliseum 2025-27 before the Tropicana ballpark is ready in Las Vegas (photo by ABC Sky7 still photo)

On the Oakland A’s relocation podcast with Augie:

#1 The Oakland A’s brass met with the Oakland Coliseum Joynt Powers. Seeing that players’ union most likely will not sign off to play in a minor league ballpark and most importantly the A’s don’t want to miss out on that $67 million annual television money from NBC Bay Area Sports California contract.

#2 There has been no disclosure to how much a year and how long the A’s will be staying at the Coliseum as the new park in Las Vegas is supposed to be ready by 2028. It’s sounding like it might be the three years 2025-27 to finish up in Oakland similar to what the Raiders did before they left Oakland for Las Vegas.

#3 Some are asking could this lead to something being worked out with the Mayor of Oakland and the City of Oakland for a chance that the A’s brass could re-visit Howard Terminal again? It doesn’t seem likely on the surface but there are two law suits coming from Strong Public Schools and Schools over Stadiums that will challenge the Nevada public funding of the Tropicana ballpark and the A’s might be looking at a back up plan.

#4 Augie, the A’s try hard as they may have not nailed down a location to play their games after 2024. A’s owner John Fisher and team president David Kaval have looked at numerous sites Las Vegas Ballpark (home of the A’s minor league triple A team), Sutter Health Park (home of the Sacramento Rivercats), Salt Lake City (home of the minor league Bees), and Oracle Park in San Francisco. All of the parks didn’t work out either it was a minor league park or at Oracle Park they would have to share it with the Giants and the Giants were concerned about the turf being torn up. The latest from Thursday’s news is Sacramento’s Sutter Health Ballpark is a front runner for the A’s in 2025.

#5 This might be more than just a kick the tires meeting to see if it’s worth to come back to the Coliseum after 2024 the A’s who were rumored at one point considering just shutting down operations between 2025-28 have not much choice and no where to go but the Coliseum until the new park in Vegas is ready that is if the Vegas ballpark can withstand the lawsuits by Schools over Stadiums and Strong Public Schools in Las Vegas.

Augie Mesenburg filled in for Daniel Dullum for the Oakland A’s relocation podcasts heard Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com. Augie is also a reporter for KHAI FM 104.5 and AM 950 Honolulu.

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: A look at the NFL Playoffs; Salt Lake City offering A’s permanent home if Fisher can’t afford Vegas construction share

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh (left) and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid seen here before their game back Sun Sep 19, 2024 face each Sun Jan 28, 2024 for the AFC Championship at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie we open with the NFL and we’ll start with the AFC Championship The Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Baltimore Ravens. Two of the top quarterbacks in the NFL are going at it with Pat Mahomes for the Chiefs and LaMar Jackson for the Ravens.

#2 The Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers match up for the NFC Championship. The Lions Jerod Goff the former Cal Bear and Novato resident has led the Lions to this long awaited moment after many years of losing the Lions have been the surprise of the NFC to get here. The 49ers who have a Pro Bowl team and who are the favorites to win it with Brock Purdy under center.

#3 During Wednesday’s Las Vegas A’s Coming out party at the Fontainebleau Hotel and Casino grand ballroom. The Chamber of Commerce CEO/President Mary Beth Sewald opened with welcoming the A’s to Las Vegas only to a murmuring from the crowd present. There were many business leaders, business people and some local baseball fans who paid $100 a ticket and up to hear what Sewald and A’s owner John Fisher had to say. It would seem they didn’t come away impressed.

#4 The City of Salt Lake City is offering up their hospitality for the A’s to not only play all of their remaining home games until the Las Vegas ballpark is built but in the event that Fisher cannot pay his share of the construction costs in Las Vegas he could move the team to Salt Lake City and the City will work on paying for the entire ballpark with City tax dollars.

#5 We’ve ask a number of staff reporters if Fisher can’t get enough money for the ballpark construct will he have no other choice but to come back to Oakland and work something out with City Hall and he does own half of the Oakland Coliseum property?

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports on Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Jim on Bases: How City of Oakland will handle Ballers being denied use of Coliseum

Oakland Ballers manager Mitch Franklin speaks with the media upon introducing the Pioneer League team’s first year in Oakland (AP News photo)

#1 Jim, the Pioneer League Oakland Ballers were denied use of the Oakland Coliseum for one game on June 29th. The Ballers co-founder Paul Freedman was rather shocked about not being able to play at the Coliseum. The latest word is from inside sources the A’s are not budging from their decision to deny the Ballers to play at the Coliseum on June 29th.

#2 One of the discussed reasons for the denial by the A’s is they don’t want to have the Ballers come in and draw say 30,000 and making a statement that baseball isn’t dead in Oakland whereas the A’s are expected to draw no more on average 5,000 a game.

#3 The Ballers who are scheduled to play their games at Laney College in Oakland wanted to get their name out there and have a good start. The A’s don’t want to be embarrassed having a Pioneer League team come in and make them look bad in their marketing and attendance.

#4 The idea of the Ballers playing at the Coliseum didn’t come cheap as they would have to pay the Coliseum Authority to cover the grounds crew, security, concessions, engineers, technicians, and employees and also insurance costs and other miscellaneous departments working the Coliseum.

#5 The Ballers were planning to give tickets away to colleges, high schools and elementary schools and wanted to establish a relationship with Bay Area Schools and communities as a good will gesture. With the A’s denying the Ballers access to the Coliseum the Ballers will have to try and do this from Laney College.

Jim on Bases was filling in for Daniel Dullum who does the Oakland A’s Relocation podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com