The A's may know the way to San Jose

[Swiss]

I've got the solution, my dear pals!!!

Just let the name as it: ___________ A's.

Everyone can write his/her favorite city over the line and that resolves all the naming stuff!!!

GO ___________ A's !!!

[LMU]

Stadium already has naming rights... right now it'll be known as Cisco Field, and will apparently be used to show off all sorts of Cisco technology.

Official: New A's ballpark would boast heavy Cisco tech

By JORDAN ROBERTSON, AP Business Writer

November 10, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- If Cisco Systems Inc. has its way, the Oakland Athletics' new ballpark in Fremont will be the stadium of the future.

Fans will swipe electronic tickets stored on cell phones. Bleacher bums will view instant replays at their seats with laptop computers. And digital advertising displays will be able to switch images based on the buying habits of the people walking by through data embedded in their cell phones.

That was the vision that A's owner Lew Wolff laid out to Fremont City Council members this week in a pitch for Cisco Field, a planned ballpark featuring the company's technology, Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman said Thursday.

"It's fabulous -- the technology is something else," Wasserman said. "It went over my head. It only takes about 10 seconds to go beyond me when you're talking about technology. I can't say I understand it all, but it's going to be quite a ballpark."

Wolff's pitch came just weeks after Cisco CEO John Chambers delivered a less-than-subtle presentation at Oracle OpenWorld about the advances that could be possible at a new ballpark in the San Francisco Bay area.

Chambers led a lively presentation last month demonstrating how Cisco technology and intelligent networks would enable fans at the hypothetical stadium to buy and upgrade tickets through smart cell phones, access real-time scorecards at their seats and buy pictures of themselves from crowd cameras and pay to show them on the Jumbotron.

The A's were the hypothetical team featured in all of the video and images in the demonstration.

Cisco and the A's both have declined to comment about the reported agreement, which would create a 32,000- to 35,000-seat ballpark surrounded by homes and shops on a 143-acre parcel currently held by Cisco.

Wasserman said a news conference is scheduled for Tuesday at the San Jose headquarters of Cisco, the world's largest networking equipment maker, to announce the partnership.

Wireless access is becoming an increasingly common feature at ballparks, but analysts said a park built with the reported features would be a big step forward.

However, while the ballpark could be the ultimate consumer showcase for a company that derives most of its sales from corporate customers, the strategy also could backfire if the entire system doesn't work properly or fans don't warm to the idea, said Sam Wilson, a communications equipment analyst with JMP Securities.

"These things work both ways," he said. "If everything works flawlessly, it's a great showcase. But if everything doesn't work flawlessly, it's the exact opposite. It's a laughingstock."

Cisco, which makes the routers, switches and other devices used to link networks and direct traffic on the Internet, is trying to shed its image as solely a maker of networking infrastructure gear.

The company also hopes to capitalize on products and services that utilize the network. One example is TelePresence, a technology similar to video conferencing that Cisco introduced last month that aims to deliver a three-dimensional feeling that the participants are all in the same room.

Earlier this year, Wolff confirmed that the A's, who share the Oakland Coliseum with the NFL's Oakland Raiders, were exploring a move to Fremont, about 25 miles south of Oakland on the east side of San Francisco Bay.

Wasserman said talks between the city and the A's are still at an early stage, and that the earliest the A's could begin playing there is 2011.

A's, Cisco reach deal to build ballpark in Fremont

November 9, 2006

FREMONT, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Athletics have reached a deal with Cisco Systems Inc. to build a ballpark in southern Fremont, according to city officials who met with the team's owner.

The agreement would create a 32,000- to 35,000-seat ballpark to be named Cisco Field on a 143-acre parcel held by the company. If the plan is approved by the city, the A's could begin playing there as soon as 2011.

A's owner Lew Wolff presented diagrams of the future stadium in meetings with four Fremont City Council members on Wednesday, but details of the deal were not discussed, Mayor Bob Wasserman said Thursday.

Wasserman said the city has not determined how much money it will ask for from the A's to pay for city services to support the ballpark.

"We have to get enough to make it feasible for us," he said, adding that the A's have not discussed with the city plans for financing. "It's going to require a lot of services, it's going to require a lot of things from the city ... I don't have a dollar figure, but it's the kind of thing I'll know when I see a good deal."

A formal announcement of the deal was planned for Tuesday at Cisco's San Jose headquarters, Wasserman said.

Wolff wouldn't speak to reporters Wednesday as he left the meetings. Team and Cisco officials declined to comment.

The deal is contingent on the city approving a large-scale development plan for the ballpark, which will be surrounded by homes and shops on the parcel west of Interstate 880, Wasserman said. Cisco holds a 34-year lease on the land, and has the option to buy the property in the next three years.

The A's, who share the Oakland Coliseum with the NFL's Oakland Raiders, have been searching for a suitable location and funding for a new stadium for several years. Last March, Wolff confirmed the A's interest in exploring a move to Fremont, about 25 miles south of Oakland on the east side of San Francisco Bay. The ballpark would be about 5.4 miles from the Fremont BART station.

Wolff did not indicate when he planned to submit an application to the city for development -- which would prompt a review process that could take two years -- although council members said they expected to receive one shortly after next week's planned announcement.

Some major issues facing the ballpark include traffic, parking and accessible public transportation.

The question of whether to rename the team also is in the air, although Wolff offered "Fremont A's" and "Silicon Valley A's" as possibilities, city officials said.

[Guest]

32,000 seats? I know the A's don't draw well at the Oakland Coliseum, but that's a mighty small park. That's barely major league capacity. I would hope that if this park is so freakin' awesome like the press release says, that they'd draw considerably more fans to watch the team that's won more games in the 21st century than anyone but the Yankees.

[Swiss]

they'd draw considerably more fans to watch the team that's won more games in the 21st century than anyone but the Yankees.

Where can I check the wins of every MLB team? Thank you.

[DrBear]

Today's radical thought - why not adapt the Japanese practice of dropping city names for corporate names? We're reaching that anyway with the Time Warner Braves, Tribune Cubs, Rogers Blue Jays, and so on.

Let Cisco Systems buy the A's, and rename them.

Go you Cisco Kids!

(and if you don't get the reference, lemme know).

[Guest]

I got the reference, but nobody calls them the Tribune Cubs except paranoid White Sox fans, and Time Warner sold the Braves. It was worth it for the reference, though!

[FiddySicks]

Today's radical thought - why not adapt the Japanese practice of dropping city names for corporate names? We're reaching that anyway with the Time Warner Braves, Tribune Cubs, Rogers Blue Jays, and so on.

Let Cisco Systems buy the A's, and rename them.

Go you Cisco Kids!

(and if you don't get the reference, lemme know).

Sure. Great idea. Untill you realize that Japanese ball clubs have names like the Nippon Ham Fighters.

[Guest]

I never got the Ham Fighters. Are they committed to vanquishing pork products, or are they just really bad actors?

[marlinfan]

I never got the Ham Fighters. Are they committed to vanquishing pork products, or are they just really bad actors?

It's a common mistake by most english speakers. The Hokkaido Fighters sold their naming rights to Nippon Ham, so they became the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Ham is not in the team's nickname.

Los Angeles Disneyland Angels of Anaheim, anyone? (Yeah I had to go there.)

[Guest]

I like mine better.

[mania]

Why, if you could claim one of the nicer, faster growing areas of California, would you not do so in favor of the ghetto that is Oakland?

[no97]

32,000 seats? I know the A's don't draw well at the Oakland Coliseum, but that's a mighty small park. That's barely major league capacity. I would hope that if this park is so freakin' awesome like the press release says, that they'd draw considerably more fans to watch the team that's won more games in the 21st century than anyone but the Yankees.

I read an article on this... It has to do with the small season ticket holder base that the A's have - which is part of the reason they closed the upper-deck this past year. Artificially creating ticket-demand (less seats = higher ticket prices, so, if there are folks worried about not getting a walk-up ticket, they will buy more season tickets... This translates to more guaranteed ticket revenue).

Remember that the A's wanted to keep that tarp on the upper deck even if they made the World Series? Same deal. They want controll of the product. Create some kind of "not everyone can get in" mentality... You can't do that if you're never sold out...

Moose

[evobost]

Not to bring up an old topic but, I was thinking the other day that I would like the Angels to go back to being the California Angels, but if that can't happen why not the California Athletics, since the A's are seemingly on their way to Fremont. I think this is a quality name. I know the Angels make the most sense since they were the first original team in the state of California. Is there a disadvantage to being named after the state? I know Moreno (I believe is his name) wanted to change the Angels from Anaheim to LA to tap into the bigger market. I don't know exactly what that means. Better TV deals? Better national publicity? Does this really mean a lot to the team.