As noted on Friday, the Oakland city council approved its final environmental impact report for an A’s stadium at Howard Terminal on Thursday, a necessary but not sufficient step toward actually getting the thing built. (Finding a billion dollars under the sofa cushions to rebuild all the roads leading to and from the terminal is the trickier part.) But it wasn’t until later in the day that word broke about A’s stadium czar Dave Kaval’s response to the vote, or should I say responses:
“We’re thrilled,” A’s President Dave Kaval said Friday. Like the mayor, he used the term “milestone” to describe the council’s action.
That was Kaval speaking to the San Jose Mercury News. And on Twitter, he emoted even more thrillingly:
https://twitter.com/DaveKaval/status/1494576836784787456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1494576836784787456%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mercurynews.com%2F2022%2F02%2F19%2Fafter-waterfront-ballpark-milestone-messaging-to-bay-area-las-vegas-differ
But as the Merc News noted, Kaval put it somewhat differently when speaking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Despite the favorable vote in Oakland, A’s President Dave Kaval said the process of scouting locations for a possible ballpark in Las Vegas is still ongoing…
“We’re going to continue with them on that effort while at the same continuing negotiation with the handful of sites that are remaining in Southern Nevada to try and have a finalist soon for a place for us in the desert, which would be really exciting,” Kaval said.
He also told a Las Vegas TV station that the team has “made some offers, big huge offers” on four Vegas properties that are “in exciting locations that I think would be good both for tourists as well as people who live in the valley.”
Kaval’s job, if you haven’t figured it out by now, is to be professionally excited by any stadium progress anywhere, the better to carry out one of those lucrative bidding wars. (Though right now it’s still only Oakland doing any bidding; Vegas remains silent on any offer it would make toward stadium funding at any of those sites that the A’s, uh, definitely made some kind of offers on that may or may not have been laughably low.) So while it’s definitely hilarious that he’s telling different suitors what they each want to hear, that’s what he’s there for, and he’s definitely getting a raise or a bonus or a free Gap gift certificate or something when this is all over.
Though right now it’s still only Oakland doing any bidding; Vegas remains silent on any offer it would make toward stadium funding at any of those sites that the A’s, uh, definitely made some kind of offers on that may or may not have been laughably low.)
Oh my God! you hit the nail on the head. When Washington was trying to get the Expos Mayor Willaims had big pressers (signing take me out to the ballgame with big wigs in Senator’s ballcaps) almost every month. Loria and Sampson didn’t even mention DC until I would say 6 months before the relocation agreement. Selig even talked about the need to keep the Baltimore franchise economically strong.
Here its the exact opposite. Go figure
Your chronology is a little off: The “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” photo op was the day that Williams and MLB announced the relocation agreement:
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2004-11-09-0411090332-story.html
Definitely there was lots of open bidding for the Expos before that, though, from D.C., Virginia, Portland, two random guys from Connecticut, etc.
Well, if Kaval says he made bigly and huge offers for sites in Oakland that’s good enough for me!!!
Where can I buy LV A’s tickets Dave? Huh?
Seems like Fisher didn’t just cheap out on roster players… some of his shills and henchmen don’t seem like they are high dollar talent either.
Lol. Are you saying Fisher got Kaval on the cheap? If Fisher can hire a Single or Double A President for even less, he’ll jettison Kaval!
Why not outsource baseball administration – really just another form of unskilled labor – to Bangladesh or Pakistan like most clothing manufacturers do?
Mr. Fisher, call from John Bladen, will you take the call?
Of course, Kaval is going to threaten. That’s standard procedure, especially that the City and the A’s are quite far apart on financing and community benefits.
But it’s an empty threat. I’m sure there’s some cheap desert land out there. Are they then going to put up their own $$ to build a stadium? Is there any kind of profitable real estate for them there? The answer to both is no.
I think Nevada/Las Vegas are a little gun shy to dole out another several hundred million for a sports team. They are not showing any signs of being willing to do so. Without this, the A’s wouldn’t even consider a move to LV.
I also have to laugh at the idea of trying to cool down a stadium in the 110 degree heat that has become the norm for LV. I’m sure it could be done but what a waste.