In summary, the A's want to move to San Jose, where a sweetheart land deal awaits them, and the Giants, who view San Jose as their territory, don't want them any closer to the disposable incomes of Silicon Valley. Both sides have traded accusations and dueling press releases, and the next step, if the A's have their way, is for owners to vote on the matter.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the A's hope to force a vote on their proposed relocation at next month's owners meetings in New York. Slusser notes that A's will need 75% support aong owners in order to proceed with relocation plans. If they don't get it, litigation will likely follow. Of course, these being high-level matters of business, litigation will probably follow no matter what.
If commissioner Bud Selig has any say in the matter (and he of course will), then it's possible he's inclined to see things the Athletics' way. “It is different because in 1990 when Bob Lurie wanted to move the Giants to San Jose, Walter Haas, the wonderful owner of the Oakland club, who did things in the best interest of baseball, granted permission," Selig recently told FOXSports.com's Tracy Ringolsby. "What got lost there is they didn’t feel it was permission in perpetuity. He gave Bob permission to go down there. Unfortunately or fortunately, it never got changed. We are dealing with a lot of history here.”
