Could The Athletics Finally Move...???

((HT: KPIX-TV))

When MLB Commissioner Bud Selig jumps in and actually tells the Oakland Athletics that they can get up and move if there's no new deal put together with the Oakland Coliseum board- that's huge news...

And, of course, it's put in the headlines at the same time as the A's made a great deal for starting pitching and are off to one of the best starts in the season for all of Major League Baseball.

If a new 10-year deal isn't put on the table and agreed to, could the A's go to San Antonio or Montreal...???

That's the question posed by SFGate's Matier and Ross quoting City Council President Larry Reid as saying the A's "have options."

Here's the analysis for now as everyone wonders if the City Council are ready to play chicken with a major tenant...


If Oakland moved to Montreal, it would cause upheaval in the American League Division structure. It would make more sense, for preservation sake, if Tampa was the team to go after years of failing (and flailing) support.

Warren Cromartie and the Montreal Baseball Project have been shouting from the rooftops about a downtown, retractable roof stadium that would give the city a more tenable place to watch a sport and team the city could wrap themselves around- as they did with the Expos.

San Antonio is mentioned, but the Alamodome is only 280-feet down the right field line. Optimistically, the right field foul pole at Fenway is listed at one distance, but may be really 297 feet.

Vegas...??? Too hot... and the gambling influence may be too much.
Sacramento and Portland are both top-25 markets, but the stadium sizes may not meet MLB spec.

So, all that does is drop you out of top-35 market sizes for a new barn that is ready for play immediately.

And a 16-14 split if the A's were to move to the National League...

This is an official headache...

A-Rod's Public Play Vs. "The Man In Milwaukee"

((HT: Sportsnet/YES))

Alex Rodriguez decided to call his meeting with Major League Baseball a "farce..."

A lot of people would agree, but not for the reason he claims the meeting was a farce...

After not getting the commissioner to agree to answering questions in New York City, Rodriguez and his legal team stormed out of the MLB offices and decided to go on their (the HQ is fairly sure) "pre-planned" tour to defend themselves and their point-of-view...

Here's a snippet of the interview with his sympathetic ear in Francesa...
Everyone is sure that Rodriguez wants a court case... which will, probably, be dismissed... But, once you're all in, you're all in... Stick to your story... and A-Rod has... Lester Munson agrees... ((HT: ESPN))

A-Rod Suing MLB... Really...

This...

Well, the HQ doesn't know what the hell is going on...

But Alex Rodriguez is now suing Major League Baseball...just mere days after there were protesters supporting him in his quest telling folks he done got screwed and just...wants...to...play...the...sport...he...loves...

*sniff*

A-Rod claims MLB bought the cooperation of the chief witness against him- Anthony Bosch, the head of the Biogenesis clinic. The lawsuit claims that Bosch has been paid $5 million by MLB, according to the New York Times. Rodriguez's lawyers also claim that MLB promised to provide security for Bosch, cover his legal bills and keep him from being involved in any civil case that may evolve from the head-butting that MLB and Rodriguez are doing in arbitration right now.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig was also named a defendant in the suit, but the New York Yankees were not.

Steve Eder's article in the New York Times has all the details...

From Eder:

Rodriguez’s lawyers claim an investigator paid $150,000 in cash for records related to Rodriguez, which were apparently stolen. A portion of the cash “was handed off in a bag at a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area restaurant,” the lawsuit says.

Well, there you go...

The lawsuit is separate from any other legal action the parties are going through right now...

Here's the paperwork, if you're looking for a good laugh...

And here's A-Rod discussing his 200-plus game suspension and wanting to return last baseball season...
((HT: YES Network))

DEVELOPING: San Jose Suing MLB Over A's Move

Or, to be more accurate, a lack of a move...

The San Jose city council is suing Major League Baseball and taking them to court over the perception that MLB is dragging their feet over the team's proposed move to San Jose- and this weekend's sewer issue at the Oakland Coliseum can't be sitting well with the A's or MLB at present, either...

San Jose is maintaining that MLB is "conspiring to limit competition" by not allowing the team to move...

From KGO-TV:

Peninsula attorney Joe Cotchett to file a lawsuit. "This is all about economics. And, you have a city like San Jose, the tenth largest city in the United States, cannot get a baseball club. I can name you other cities that are pulling for San Jose for the same reason. They want the right and the chance to bring a baseball team to their city, their county, whatever it might be," he said.

The city has always wanted a team, knows that having a team will pump in nine figures of income, and will build a new ballpark to suit the A's. But San Jose has always deferred to A's owner Lew Wolff- a frat brother of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.

The only other issue is that San Jose is considered part of the geographic footprint of the San Francisco Giants...

Here's what the A's have been up to recently... when the sewage pipes worked...
((HT: MLB/YES))

NFL vs. MLB: Who Plays on Sept 5th and Who Doesn't?

Roger Goodell

((ht: baltimoresun.com))

Could it be? A no-holds barred, steel-cage , "I Quit" match between NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and MLB commissioner Bud Selig on the shore of the Baltimore Harbor?

That's what is shaping up as the NFL is desperately trying to get their defending Super Bowl champs the Baltimore Ravens to play their opening game at home, on Thursday night Sept. 5th. A 10-year NFL tradition: The champ kicks off the season--at home.

The problem:

The Baltimore Orioles, who 'Oh By The Way', play in Camden Yards directly across the street that very night. It's a typical regular season baseball matchup vs. the Chicago White Sox.

Read more from the Baltimore Sun RIGHT HERE

The potential ways to resolve this battle are mind-boggling. And, quite honestly, potentially very funny.

For their part, the 2 commish's have spoken about this and the Jolly Roger is trying to cajole Heir Selig to move the baseball game to the afternoon.

What complicates that: It's a series opener for the Orioles and White Sox, both of whom will be coming into town late the previous evening.

And we might add, the baseball game has been scheduled for some time.

We're guessing that one of 2 things will happen here. (1)- The Ravens end up opening on the road. Ending the NFL 'Tradition', but not inconveniencing MLB. Or (2), MLB caves and moves their game.

Option 3, playing on Wednesday isn't preferred by Goodell, because that is Rosh Hashanah a date.

In the meantime, please allow our minds to wander and think of this:

MLB: Frank McCourt "Looted" Dodgers

Frank McCourt

((ht: latimes.com))

And by "Looted", they meant he took hundreds of millions of dollars out of the team.

Major League Baseball says as a part of their ongoing court battle with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt that he took over $189 million out of the team to use for personal issues.

They also claim he's broken at least 10 Major League Baseball rules while owning the team and that alone should be enough to end his ownership of the once proud franchise.

McCourt says MLB approved his business structure and knew what was going on. They also say Commissioner Bud Selig acted in bad faith by saying he would reject any TV contract McCourt tried to get. Selig and MLB believe that any money he gets from that will immediately be diverted to pay off McCourts massive personal debt, including a $130 million payout to his now ex-wife Jamie.

Read the lengthy and interesting story from the LA Times RIGHT HERE

This story continues to get uglier as it goes. Apparently the seriously injured Bryan Stow will also become a key piece of this court case as both sides appear prepared to use what happened to him as an example of how Dodger stadium is run.

McCourt needs, at this point, to just shut up, allow his team to be sold, take whatever money he can get out of it and go away. And yet he won't.

In the meantime the Dodgers suffer. The brand continues to lose value and fans and players are turned off and want to just run away.

Hopefully the court case gets done sooner rather than later.

We seriously doubt that will happen.

McCourts reach settlement over Dodgers

Frank and Jamie McCourt

((ht: latimes))

And then there was another attempt at world peace. Not to be confused with "Metta World Peace". But that is a separate story...sorry.

Yes Los Angeles, the Frank McCourt vs. Jamie McCourt divorce has finally been settled. And yes, we know that unto itself isn't much of a "Sports" story. The reason it is: Frank will pay Jamie $130 million and she in turn will relinquish any claim to her share of the LA Dodgers.

You can read more on this from the LA Times RIGHT HERE

After what was reportedly a $20-plus million dollar expenditure on legal fees, it frees up Frank McCourt to focus on his battle with Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig.

Selig has moved to have MLB take over the Dodgers with hopes of selling them to an owner with the financial wherewithal to run the club effectively.

McCourt claims he can do that, but needs a bankruptcy judge to allow Dodgers TV rights to be auctioned to the highest bidder. That would enable McCourt to run the club for a longer period of time.

Needless to say, this is far from the end of this story. It's an honest to goodness travesty as to what's happened to the storied Dodger franchise. Hopefully, somehow this will work itself out.

DEVELOPING: Judge Rejects Dodgers Bankruptcy Plan

A Delaware judge has rejected the Dodgers proposed $150 million bankruptcy financing plan. The judge issued his eight-page decision which will, probably, mean the MLB plan could be the next step in the process.

The team had sought approval of its proposed arrangement with hedge fund Highbridge Capital, but the league's idea had better financing.

The Dodgers rejected MLB's offer thinking and proposing Commissioner Bud Selig was going to take over the team and force a sale to someone not linked directly to Frank McCourt.

More when we know more...

DEVELOPING: Dodgers file for bankruptcy--UPDATED

((ht: richard sandomir))

UPDATED:10:10 am est--Per L.A Times--McCourt has told the L.A Times he's lined up $150 million of interim financing to keep the team through bankruptcy proceedings.

You can read the teams entire statement via L.A Times by clicking on the link HERE

The battle between Frank McCourt and Major League Baseball has now been elevated. McCourt, the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has put in paperwork declaring the Dodgers bankrupt.

This is, for the most part, a legal tactic by McCourt to stave off the league from taking over and selling his team. Though that scenario is inevitable.

McCourt is trying to get Fox TV to complete the contract offered just a week or so ago and rejected by the MLB. That deal would've given McCourt enough money to slog through most, if not all of the season.

McCourt has been barely able to make payroll this season and MLB has already placed an advisor with the team to begin the transition to a new owner. But McCourt has fought it all the way saying he still wants the team. However, between his nasty, expensive divorce from now former wife Jamie and his other financial issues, McCourt just flat out doesn't have the financing to continue running a professional sports franchise.

Oh by the way, just Sunday, Steve Sobroff, an L.A civic leader, hired to help make Dodger Stadium a better place for fans and help the team in the community, quit after 2 months on the job.

More on Sobroff from KTLA.com RIGHT HERE

We suspect this will, in due time play itself out, but it make the once proud, standout, Major League Baseball franchise look awfully small. We feel for the players and staff, and the team has definitely suffered both on and off the field.

Brother Phil