A's Owner: Move To San Jose Unlikely

Aug. 31 - BCN -- The co-owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team told a meeting of the San Jose-Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Wednesday that the A's were unlikely to be relocating to downtown San Jose, according to a meeting attendee.

Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone said Wolff described several conversations he had with both Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, a former fraternity brother of Wolff's, and San Francisco Giants managing partner Peter Magowan about the territorial rights the Giants hold to Santa Clara County that are preventing an A's move south. Wolff offered, without success, to pay the Giants to allow the A's to move, according to Stone.

"The Commissioner was intractable. The Giants weren't interested," Stone said.

Wolff is now focusing on building a stadium for the A's in Fremont, near the Santa Clara County line. Stone believes when that happens the team will change its name to the San Jose Athletics and begin marketing itself to Silicon Valley residents and businesses.

"The Giants worst dream will come true. The A's will be marketing to Silicon Valley and San Jose and the Giants are not going to get a dime of compensation," Stone said.

A spokesman for San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales said the mayor is "disappointed" about Wolff's remarks. Mayoral spokesman David Vossbrink said Gonzales believes Downtown San Jose remains the best place for the A's to play.

"San Jose really is an attractive market and it really would be in the best interests of baseball," Vossbrink said.

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