Here is the opening to my Sunday column about the potential for an A’s ballpark in Oakland:
The man on the phone sounded earnest. He also sounded confident. He is a Sacramento developer named Rick Tripp and he wants the A’s and Raiders to stay in Oakland, and he has a plan that would cost taxpayers zero, as in zilch. That’s what he says.
He had contacted me after I wrote a column saying the A’s never will move to San Jose — Major League Baseball will not let that happen.
“I head up a development and finance team that is ready to deploy 100 percent private financing toward the construction of a new stadium for the A’s in Oakland,” he wrote to me. “We can launch our stadium development plan immediately.”
We arranged to speak on the phone. This column is based on that phone call. I present Tripp’s plan, which I have not vetted. I present it because it shows the existence of at least one developer who wants to build a stadium in Oakland — actually two stadiums, one for the A’s and another for the Raiders. Tripp is eager to deal with reality as opposed to dealing with daydreams, which summarizes the current approach of A’s ownership. My guess is several developers exist who would leap into an Oakland stadium deal if the A’s ever renounce their San Jose fantasy and mirage.
To read the full column, click here
