Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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I had the Cisco Field press conference going on my computer at work this morning as I was trying to track down a particularly tricky bug in some software I'm writing. I reached a critical stage in my debugging just when Bud Selig got up to give his speech, and stopped paying attention. So if Selig said anything brilliant, I cannot comment on it.
What I did hear before and after Selig was not particularly surprising. But I'll just jot down a few reactions:
The only way I'll ever say the words "of Fremont" is if we can convince the other AL West teams to follow the same convention. Somethingorother Athletics of Fremont. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Texas Rangers of Arlington. Redmond Mariners of Seattle.
But if you look at the slideshow on the A's web site, the hills do appear to be visible, at least from the upper deck. So I'll hold out hope for this.
Beane's record with signing free agents has been spotty at best. Arthur Rhodes, anyone? But perhaps his record has been spotty because spotty players are all he can afford. Maybe with some more money, the A's can actually pursue players who are more of a sure bet. Can you imagine the A's signing a top-tier free agent? Seems impossible today.
How did he (Jim Grubb?) get to become a Chief Demonstration Officer? Was he so good at his job that Vice President of Demonstration just wasn't a big enough title to describe him?
Does anyone outside of the A's and Cisco organizations think that having a super-high-tech ballpark is a brilliant idea? The only way high tech is going to make fans happier at the ballpark is if the high techs helps make the lines shorter. They need to use the technology to provide real value, not just make things shinier.
Don't get me wrong. Cisco is a great company. They make great, solid, reliable hardware. I can't think of a single high-tech company I trust more to make a quality product.
But Cisco isn't sexy. They make the kind of technology you're only supposed to notice if it doesn't work. How do you showcase something that supposed to not be noticed?
You hire a Chief Demonstration Officer and slap your name on a ballpark, I guess.
Alameda County.
Alameda County.
Alameda County.
Alameda County.
OK, now this time, bend over backwards, and say:
Alameda County.
Alameda County.
Alameda County.
Alameda County.
I think they wanted to make a point about mentioning they were staying in Alameda County. They could hardly mention the words "Oakland" or "Fremont" in the press conference without also saying the words "Alameda County".
A reporter picked up on this, and asked about it. I think the conversation went like this (not by any means a direct quote):
Reporter: I understand why you have to deal with Fremont, but what does Alameda County have to do with this process?
Wolff: Um, nothing really. But did you notice we're staying in Alameda County?
i do like the wimbledon-style extra jumbotron screen facing outward towards a park though. that's pretty sweet.
but the name! oh, the horror.
1. I like the variable warning track width. Watching visiting outfielders knock themselves out for the first half of the season, then stop short on easily caught flies for fear of being knocked out during the second half, should be hilarious.
2. Dumping unused concessions on cars using the underpass should be a interesting way to pass the time during a dull game.
3. I think the over/under on how long it will take for some high school kids drive their car through the centerfield fence and drive around the bases should be three weeks from opening day.
Or maybe I'm the only one that found it humorous?
Anyways, Alameda Athletics sounds cool to me.
Just as the heading of this post:
The Cisco A's (of Fremont)!
And then, after several years and another book about the A's, Frank McCourt can do this:
The Farmer John Dodgers of Los Angeles.
Likewise, the A's should do everything they can to be simply the San Francisco Athletics. San Jose, Fremont, Alameda, and anything else small-time won't cut it. California Athletics will be acceptable. So will retaining Oakland as their name.
Heck, they could also go single-name on us, and be just the Athletics.
I predict many years of struggle will come if they A's do not follow the unwritten rule.
http://tinyurl.com/ygss4r
Could we see Bonds in green and gold?
14 That assumes that the measure of a city's size is population or square miles. The reality is that the area that surrounds the Bay is all one metroplis (much as the land between Valencia and Irvine is all one metropolis, too, hence I am accidentally justifying 13 -- and I say accidentally because I oppose the Angels' renaming and oppose the notion that Orange County is not distinct from Greater Los Angeles, but I'm making a point here). Unfortunately, governments and (especially) transit authorities ignore this reality and make decisions as if they didn't coexist in the midst of this metropolis, with people continually crossing through "their city" to get from home to work and back again.
15 Too local. How would a child growing up in North Dakota know which Bay they were talking about? At least with Golden State, you could guess California somewhere (though I must admit that growing up, I had no idea where the Warriors played).
Personally, I think they should remain the Oakland A's, if for no other reason than to attempt to lure Oakland residents down 880 to the games.
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