The ten-year lease that would have kept the Oakland Athletics playing in the Coliseum for at least a decade has not been made official. That’s because Oakland representatives and Alameda County representatives can’t decide whether they want to continue with the deal. The four Oakland officials failed to show up to Friday’s vote, boycotting the process. As a result, neither side is too pleased. Via Matthew Artz of the Oakland Tribune…
“We are constantly frustrated by the actions of our partners,” the Alameda County supervisor, Nate Miley, said. “Not being able to vote on this deal today, I think that sends a chilling message… to Major League Baseball that is very disappointing.”
Oakland representative Larry Reid responded:
“Nate shouldn’t be trying to run the [Joint Powers Authority] like a dictatorship.”
Meanwhile, A’s co-owner Lew Wolff remains optimistic:
“We understand the city will take one last look at the transaction early next week. And we would expect a formal vote by the JPA by the end of the week.”
The Raiders are certainly monitoring the entire situation. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the team only has a one-year lease and can move anywhere as soon as 2015.
Let’s check out some more Coliseum and Raiders news…
- Dr. David Chao, a former NFL head team physician with 17 years of experience, wrote a piece for the National Football Post detailing the injury risks associated with playing in the Coliseum. He particularly focused on the risks of playing on dirt, which could lead to leg injuries, risky skin abrasions and severe concussions. Furthermore, the 50-year-old stadium doesn’t cater to injured players, who have to climb three flights of stairs to reach the stadium’s x-ray room.
- Justin Tuck is enjoying his time in the Bay Area, but he admitted to Conor Orr of the Star-Ledger that he expected to be back with the Giants. “You spend nine years in one place. You have a lot of success there and a lot of great friends. So yeah, it’s going to be weird but I understand the business side of things and you need to move forward…To answer your question, I am still surprised I’m not a New York Giant.”
- The Raiders were very active this offseason, but ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez says the team still could have improved their wide receiver and tight end depth. The writer brings up an analogy from head coach Dennis Allen, who compared it to “sitting on Santa’s lap and not getting quite everything you asked for.”
- The Raiders’ lack of interest in Brandon Flowers indicates that the team is comfortable with D.J. Hayden and may not pursue a veteran cornerback, Gutierrez writes.