A's turn back Oakland push; aiming for San Jose; Papa dilemma with Raiders broadcast

The A's organization has formally set their sights on San Jose as a permanent home for the future. How much so? To the point where they have refused overtures from high-ranking city officials interested in working with the MLB franchise to remain in Oakland.

"They're talking to San Jose," said one city official to me. "They have no interest in Oakland."

Within the past few weeks, the A's and front man Lew Wolff, (who owns about 10% of the team) have been in talks with San Jose city officials, including Mayor Chuck Reed and several members of the San Jose city council. The talks have been held behind closed doors and have not been made public. Discussions about a 32,000-seat baseball-only stadium in Downtown near the HP Pavilion are the focal point of the talks.

Several roadblocks in the A's plans are in existence, including the main hurdle of getting past the SF Giants and MLB's "territorial rights" granted to the Giants in 2000 as a means to protect them from any attempt, (the A's, obviously) to build a stadium in the heart of Silicon Valley. The Giants new managing partner Bill Neukom has maintained that they will fight any potential battle to protect those rights.

In spite of that stand, and in essence, telling Oakland officials "we're not interested", the A's talks with San Jose have not only taken place, but in fact have intensified.

Two independent sources close to the team have told me that the "focus is on San Jose, and San Jose only." Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity, due to the sensitivity of the subject.

The high-ranking Oakland official who spoke to me refused to go on the record, but did indicate the city was miffed at A's officials refusal to even sit down and try to work out a deal in the Eastbay city. The A's are on a year-to-year lease at the Oakland Coliseum. They have been in Oakland for 41 years.

Possible roadblocks exist along with the territorial rights issue with the Giants. Two key Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Barbara Boxer, (who has a home in Oakland's Jack London Square) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee said recently they might advance legislation taking away MLB's anti-trust exemption. Boxer's son, Doug, an Oakland developer, is the head of a blue-ribbon committee that is working to keep the team in the Eastbay's biggest city.

Wolff's pursuit of San Jose could be interesting for MLB Commish Bud Selig. Selig is a good buddy of Wolff and has openly stated that the A's need to get a new stadium. But Selig, and most all of the baseball owners, are sympathetic to the Giants protection of their corporate interests and sponsors in the Southbay.

EXCLUSIVE
RichLiebermanReport
10-27-2009 8: 54 PST

**Talk about a certifiable catch-22: How can an established broadcaster retain his credibility while describing the Oakland Raiders? Greg Papa, the team's play-by-play man has been ripped on the sports talk shows locally for his over-the-top excitement, in spite of the Raiders efforts this year.

In particular, Papa got heat for his enthusiastic tonsils during Oakland's routs from the hands of the NY Giants 44-7, and Sunday's 38-0 thrashing from the NY Jets. Papa works for the team and hosts the Raiders in-house weekly highlight show.

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