Weighing Worst Case Scenarios and the Future of the Athletics

Early on in the day a report from NewBallPark.org was published that rumblings from within the Athletics and Giants organizations indicated a possible compensation deal between the two teams to allow the Athletics to build their new stadium in San Jose was in the works finally.  Citing an MLB Network appearance by Giants president Larry Baer, and other sources, word was that the Giants had changed their tune and that the main obstacle remaining was agreeing on a dollar amount that would appease the Giants.  Susan Slusser caught wind of the report and checked in with A’s owner Lew Wolff and a number of other sources who all indicated that nothing was afoot.  Whether NewBallPark or Slusser is correct remains to be seen, or if the truth is somewhere in between remains a possibility as well.  Nevertheless, the rumors got the discussion heating up once again about the future of the Athletics organization and what is ultimately best for it.  Needless to say it’s a touchy subject for some.

The tarps…(Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)

My very first article for Swingin’ A’s dealt with this issue.  In it I advocated the simple fact that we should all enjoy the upcoming 2012 season because soon enough things would never be the same.  That didn’t necessarily sit well with everyone, some thought I was advocating that we shouldn’t care about the A’s stadium situation, but I was simply stating we shouldn’t stop enjoying the team for all that it is because we’re too busy being angry at Lew Wolff.  Hopefully people did take time to enjoy the team because it was an incredible season.

As today’s rumors began to spread it was met with a lot of negative and positive reaction.  There are some who still hold strong that the A’s absolutely have to stay in Oakland or else they’ll have trouble continuing to root for them, then there are others who are in favor of a move to San Jose for the possible windfall it could bring the team and enhance its ability to build a consistent winner.  The latter is no guarantee though, as there are numerous unsuccessful teams around the league playing in brand new ballparks.

Personally, I will gladly take any scenario that keeps the A’s within driving distance.  If that means moving to San Jose and nearly doubling my drive time, that’s okay.  If it means shifting directions and heading east to Sacramento, that’s fine by me.  I whole heartedly agree that the ideal scenario would have the Athletics staying in Oakland, the city that they’ve come to embody.  Nothing would make me happier than perhaps a downtown stadium, or a waterfront ballpark, but something like that just might not be realistic.

Whether these rumors are just that, or if they are the smoke that will lead to the fire will not be known anytime soon.  We’ve all come to expect nothing from this process, Bud Selig has told us as much.  Until I hear otherwise, it’s all just talk.