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Sunday, August 22, 2021

Athletics continue ballpark plans in Oakland and Las Vegas

The Athletics are proceeding with “parallel paths,” planning new ballparks in Oakland and Las Vegas. Club officials are determined to find the best fit and relocate if the organization can’t secure what it wants along the downtown waterfront Howard Terminal site.

Team president Dave Kaval is planning another trip to Las Vegas soon—traveling there every couple of weeks, he said—to evaluate the options with that potential spot. He spoke on the field Friday ahead of the A’s hosting the San Francisco Giants in the Bay Bridge Series at the Coliseum, a site he still insists is not right for baseball going forward.

“I think we’ve been really clear, I think the league’s been really clear that this site does not fit the 21st century vision for baseball in North America,” Kaval said. “You need a downtown urban location to be successful, especially in a two-team market where you have the Giants in a similar stadium on the waterfront, and we’re going to do everything we can to have a stadium that can be at the level or eclipse what they have at Oracle Park in San Francisco. And we have that vision down at Howard Terminal.”

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: August 22, 2021 at 07:42 PM | 16 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: athletics, las vegas

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1. The Duke Posted: August 22, 2021 at 08:06 PM (#6035622)

This one isn’t that hard to handicap. The Las Vegas Athletics sound ok to me. It’s not clear to me where you build a ballpark there but I’m sure they’ll figure that out. Great news for the SF Giants

2. The Honorable Ardo Posted: August 22, 2021 at 09:16 PM (#6035642)

A long way, physically and metaphorically, from Philadelphia where it all began.

3. The Honorable Ardo Posted: August 22, 2021 at 09:17 PM (#6035643)

Team president Dave Kaval is planning another trip to Las Vegas soon, traveling there every couple of weeks, he said

Lucky SOB, traveling to Vegas twice a month on "business trips".

4. Steve Parris, Je t'aime Posted: August 22, 2021 at 10:05 PM (#6035657)

Where in Las Vegas are they going to find a downtown urban location?

5. Slivers of Maranville descends into chaos (SdeB) Posted: August 22, 2021 at 10:20 PM (#6035660)

Just wait until they move in with the Las Vegas Raiders...

6. Brian C Posted: August 22, 2021 at 10:30 PM (#6035662)

"we’re going to do everything we can to have a stadium that can be at the level or eclipse what they have at Oracle Park in San Francisco. And we have that vision down at Howard Terminal.”

`
Always fun when someone makes an inferiority complex so explicit.

Of course they could say "we can do pretty much literally anything with our current site that we wanted to so let's do something new and unique" but instead it's "waaaahhh, we only want what they have or we'll run away, we swear to god we'll do it"

7. Doug Jones threw harder than me Posted: August 23, 2021 at 08:32 AM (#6035714)

One of the problems the A's have CONSISTENTLY had, going back a number of years, is that when they have a big, well attended game, e.g. the playoffs, or a big series with the Yankees, or Star Wars night, they often have BIG operational problems. A number of times I 've gone to such games at the Coliseum only to experience huge breakdowns in, for example, concessions operations. This last weekend they ran into similar issues:

Parking nightmare at Oakland Coliseum

It's not like the A's/Coliseum cannot handle a crowd of 40,000, that was the typical crowd for a Raiders game, for example, and not uncommon for a playoff game or even the glory years back in the Haas era. But their planning/ institutional memory is poor. Hence when they DO have a big crowd, folks they'd like to turn into repeat customers, they turn them off with poor management. These issues contribute to folks' perception of the Coliseum as a "dump". In reality, the Coliseum can be a nice place to watch a game, but often the A's stadium operations leave something to be desired.

8. Starring Bradley Scotchman as RMc Posted: August 23, 2021 at 08:36 AM (#6035715)

In reality, the Coliseum can be a nice place to watch a game

I was literally shocked at how nice the OC was when I attended a game there in 2019. (But then, I loves me some ballparks...)

9. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: August 23, 2021 at 09:46 AM (#6035730)

I was literally shocked

See, just like Doug Jones said. Operational problems with the electricity not being properly grounded.

10. Doug Jones threw harder than me Posted: August 24, 2021 at 01:45 AM (#6035957)

Just want to emphasize that, when the game isn't super crowded, the A's staff is the most pleasant one can imagine. I went to the A's/Mariners game tonight (tickets were incredibly inexpensive) and though the crowd was very light, had a great time, excepting of course Lou Trevino blowing the save in the 9th....

11. GregD Posted: August 24, 2021 at 12:02 PM (#6035997)

I was there Saturday and it was indeed a logistical nightmare. But it's the Giants! What did anybody expect? The 2019 Wild Card was a huge logistical f-up. All true but sort of what you expect when you know they're going from 5-15,000 to 35-54,000.

Agree totally with Doug Jones. The staff there are amazing. I totally want to retire as an usher. And of course Hal the hot dog guy. There's a lot of feeling of community on the regular--non-event game days.

Trivino is a tough place. Needs a good outing real bad. And the team needs a break or two, and some September call ups to contribute a little bit.

I'd guess today's afternoon game will be even tinier than last night. I'm going Thursday but expect some Yankees fans to already be in the stands.

12. Howie Menckel Posted: August 24, 2021 at 01:22 PM (#6036011)

the A's staff is the most pleasant one can imagine.

one of the best parts of visiting Citi Field is observing how unfailingly polite the staff is, from parking lot attendant to usher to vendor.

the entire has gone through the Disney training - which apparently, in addition to all the niceties about being nice, includes some sort of 'and if we get one single customer complaint, you're out on your ass!' segment.

I mean, you know that deep down inside, these New York-based employees are just DYING to go all-in sarcastic on customers. The Shea Stadium ushers used to try to extort everybody. even if you knew where your seat was, they'd insist on "cleaning" the seat for you with a filthy rag - then give you the hairy eyeball if you didn't tip them.

good times!

13. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: August 24, 2021 at 01:44 PM (#6036018)

The simplest way to avoid ushers with rags is to know in advance exactly where your seat is, and walk directly to it at a fast pace without making any eye contact with the rag bearers.

14. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: August 24, 2021 at 02:18 PM (#6036021)

I mean, you know that deep down inside, these New York-based employees are just DYING to go all-in sarcastic on customers. The Shea Stadium ushers used to try to extort everybody. even if you knew where your seat was, they'd insist on "cleaning" the seat for you with a filthy rag - then give you the hairy eyeball if you didn't tip them.

Yeah, but if you gave them a good tip, they'd usually move you down to a better seat in the 4th inning.

15. Howie Menckel Posted: August 24, 2021 at 02:37 PM (#6036024)

The simplest way to avoid ushers with rags is to know in advance exactly where your seat is, and walk directly to it at a fast pace without making any eye contact with the rag bearers.

you'd think that would have worked - but no.

true on the tips.

late 1980s, I had a girlfriend who went to the US Open tennis event next door to Shea every year without ever having a ticket. she and her parents went to the same "ticket taker" every year who would wave them in - with Dad's handshake containing the proper renumeration. they'd sit in his section, and if anyone ever showed up late and said those were their seats, he'd move them around to some unclaimed seats.

this was a very common practice back then. funny thing is, her family was loaded with dough. but I guess everybody likes to "stick it to the man" - or something.
:)

16. Starring Bradley Scotchman as RMc Posted: August 24, 2021 at 06:00 PM (#6036081)

VEGA'S, baby!

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Sunday, August 22, 2021

Athletics continue ballpark plans in Oakland and Las Vegas

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