San Jose A's

[Brian in Boston]

... like New York back in the 1930's when the different boroughs were different cities that all competed against each other and in many ways hated each other.

Except, the five boroughs that now comprise New York City weren't "different cities" in the 1930s. In 1898, the City (and County) of New York (then comprised of the borough of Manhattan and the western section of the Bronx), the City of Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens County, Richmond County, and the eastern section of the Bronx were consolidated into a single municipality.

[FiddySicks]

The A's will gain so many more fans than they'll lose when they move to San Jose it'll be totally worth it. The main reason why San Francisco is doing all they can to hang onto San Jose is because they know the untapped potential the area has. As of now, the A's aren't much competition to the Giants, but if they get the move to San Jose worked out, there's potential that they could really give the Giants a run for their money. Add in the potential BART extension (of course thats been talked about for 30 years, but still) and that just opens up the fanbase even more. Two teams in the northern half of the Bay Area just isn't feasable. But one in the north and one down south will really bring a competitive balance to the area (at least that's the thought). It'll be great for those who root for the bay area teams, but I can see why the Giants are worried.

Really, if this BART extension to San Jose ever actually comes to fruition I think it'll change the dynamics of the entire Bay Area. As of now, San Jose is somewhat isolated from San Francisco and Oakland. If public transportation to San Jose links as easily as it does with the rest of the bay area, it'll change the landscape of the whole area.

[bosrs1]

... like New York back in the 1930's when the different boroughs were different cities that all competed against each other and in many ways hated each other.

Except, the five boroughs that now comprise New York City weren't "different cities" in the 1930s. In 1898, the City (and County) of New York (then comprised of the borough of Manhattan and the western section of the Bronx), the City of Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens County, Richmond County, and the eastern section of the Bronx were consolidated into a single municipality.

Someone already pointed that out. I didn't remember the year but the point stands.

The A's will gain so many more fans than they'll lose when they move to San Jose it'll be totally worth it. The main reason why San Francisco is doing all they can to hang onto San Jose is because they know the untapped potential the area has. As of now, the A's aren't much competition to the Giants, but if they get the move to San Jose worked out, there's potential that they could really give the Giants a run for their money. Add in the potential BART extension (of course thats been talked about for 30 years, but still) and that just opens up the fanbase even more. Two teams in the northern half of the Bay Area just isn't feasable. But one in the north and one down south will really bring a competitive balance to the area (at least that's the thought). It'll be great for those who root for the bay area teams, but I can see why the Giants are worried.

Really, if this BART extension to San Jose ever actually comes to fruition I think it'll change the dynamics of the entire Bay Area. As of now, San Jose is somewhat isolated from San Francisco and Oakland. If public transportation to San Jose links as easily as it does with the rest of the bay area, it'll change the landscape of the whole area.

Don't know about that. SJ is linked in pretty well at this point with Caltrain's direct link to BART (and Caltrain is being electrified in the next 4 years). What San Jose isn't linked into is the east bay.

[Cody21]

Go San Jose!

[Gothamite]

Think of the Bay Area as like New York back in the 1930's when the different boroughs were different cities that all competed against each other and in many ways hated each other.

Quick historical note: all of the boroughs were already part of New York City by the 1930s. New York's current 5-borough arrangement dates from 1898, when New York City annexed the city of Brooklyn (encompassing all of Kings County), the western half of Queens County (which included the city of Long Island City as well as several towns -- the towns of Queens County's eastern half remained outside the City and became Nassau County the following year), and Richmond County. These became the boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, respectively. The Bronx had already been part of New York City and New York County, having been annexed from Westchester County over the previous decades; The Bronx remained part of New York County until 1914, when it gained its separate county status as Bronx County.

Now back to your regularly-scheduled program.

Damn, you beat me to it.

I'd just add that, to bosrs1's point, Brooklyn opposed the annexation out of civic pride. For the same reason, many Brooklynites opposed construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, as they knew it would lead to the consolidation of their city with New York across the river.

[kw11333]

Ok, currently which team is more popular in San Jose? Giants, or the A's? The Sharks played their first season in San Francisco, nobody seemed to care, and the bay area shares a basketball team.

I googled the driving time, and it's around 45min from San Jose to Oakland. It's around the same distance from Tacoma to Seattle, and I know there are a lot of Mariner, and Seahawk season ticket holders in Tacoma. This really is not THAT big of a deal, maybe calling them the "Bay Area Athletics", or "San Jose/Oakland Athletics" could make the move a little less hostile to existing A's fans? Yeah, those names are not that great, but it is just an idea.

[Anubis2051]

Ok, currently which team is more popular in San Jose? Giants, or the A's? The Sharks played their first season in San Francisco, nobody seemed to care, and the bay area shares a basketball team.

I googled the driving time, and it's around 45min from San Jose to Oakland. It's around the same distance from Tacoma to Seattle, and I know there are a lot of Mariner, and Seahawk season ticket holders in Tacoma. This really is not THAT big of a deal, maybe calling them the "Bay Area Athletics", or "San Jose/Oakland Athletics" could make the move a little less hostile to existing A's fans? Yeah, those names are not that great, but it is just an idea.

No.

[Quillz]

I think "Bay Area" would have worked had their been just one franchise in the region. It could work for the Warriors, I think, but then again, "Golden State" in general is a bad name.

As I mentioned before, you could always expand "San Francisco" to mean San Francisco [bay Area]. It would work for the 49ers if they move to Santa Clara, for example. It's a bit of a stretch, but it technically works.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with "San Jose Athletics" or "San Jose A's" at all. It only sounds weird because we haven't been saying it for the past 50 odd years. I'm sure "Oakland A's" sounded pretty weird back in the 1960s, too.

[kw11333]

Ok, currently which team is more popular in San Jose? Giants, or the A's? The Sharks played their first season in San Francisco, nobody seemed to care, and the bay area shares a basketball team.

I googled the driving time, and it's around 45min from San Jose to Oakland. It's around the same distance from Tacoma to Seattle, and I know there are a lot of Mariner, and Seahawk season ticket holders in Tacoma. This really is not THAT big of a deal, maybe calling them the "Bay Area Athletics", or "San Jose/Oakland Athletics" could make the move a little less hostile to existing A's fans? Yeah, those names are not that great, but it is just an idea.

No.

lol way to miss construe my point. I even said those named were bad. Was making the point, that an city name change (besides San Jose) could save a lot of the fan base.

[Chawls]

Ok, currently which team is more popular in San Jose? Giants, or the A's? The Sharks played their first season in San Francisco, nobody seemed to care, and the bay area shares a basketball team.

I googled the driving time, and it's around 45min from San Jose to Oakland. It's around the same distance from Tacoma to Seattle, and I know there are a lot of Mariner, and Seahawk season ticket holders in Tacoma. This really is not THAT big of a deal, maybe calling them the "Bay Area Athletics", or "San Jose/Oakland Athletics" could make the move a little less hostile to existing A's fans? Yeah, those names are not that great, but it is just an idea.

No.

San Jose Athletics of Oakland.

Amirite?

[waltere]

Surely it would be Oakland Athletics of San Jose?

Assuming you start with the area they're 'claiming' and tag on were they actually play.

[zpqmaowl]

2005 called, they want their joke back.

[kevinmets]

2005 called, they want their joke back.

2012's joke of 2005.

[tBBP]

San Jose A's...so redundantly redundant.

This whole reboot will fail if they don't reboot as the San JosA's.

[FiddySicks]

Ok, currently which team is more popular in San Jose? Giants, or the A's?

The Giants, by far. But that's true all throughout Northern California. It's hard to compete with a team like the Giants, with as well run they've been in the last decade and a half, when you're operating a sub .500 team on a shoestring budget in a stadium that most find to be absolutely awful (I don't see what's so bad about it personally, but it's definitely not on the level of AT&T Park). Historically though, the split has been pretty even, and at times has even favored the A's. It wasn't untill AT&T Park was built that the Giants really started to pull away. That's why I feel that building the A's a new park in San Jose would be such a good idea. It would create a whole lot more A's fans in the south bay area due to location but it wouldnt turn them against the Giants either due to their history with San Jose. But it would shift the competitive balance back to where it has been most often. It's not too often that you find a person who is a Giants or A's fan who doesn't consider the other team their next in line. It's not unheard of, but not terribly common. Lately though, it's hard to follow the A's. If they can get a new park in an area that they don't share with a neighbor so close that they can see their stadium from the upper decks, and can put out a competitive team, they'll be a lot of fun to watch again.

[kw11333]

Ok, currently which team is more popular in San Jose? Giants, or the A's?

The Giants, by far. But that's true all throughout Northern California. It's hard to compete with a team like the Giants, with as well run they've been in the last decade and a half, when you're operating a sub .500 team on a shoestring budget in a stadium that most find to be absolutely awful (I don't see what's so bad about it personally, but it's definitely not on the level of AT&T Park). Historically though, the split has been pretty even, and at times has even favored the A's. It wasn't untill AT&T Park was built that the Giants really started to pull away. That's why I feel that building the A's a new park in San Jose would be such a good idea. It would create a whole lot more A's fans in the south bay area due to location but it wouldnt turn them against the Giants either due to their history with San Jose. But it would shift the competitive balance back to where it has been most often. It's not too often that you find a person who is a Giants or A's fan who doesn't consider the other team their next in line. It's not unheard of, but not terribly common. Lately though, it's hard to follow the A's. If they can get a new park in an area that they don't share with a neighbor so close that they can see their stadium from the upper decks, and can put out a competitive team, they'll be a lot of fun to watch again.

Sports fans in general are REALLY loyal, there would have to be a hometown pride to it. Not only do they have to keep as many fans from Oakland as possible, they also have to make everyone in San Jose feel like it's their team.

Sucks to be in Oakland, as they also might lose the Raiders again soon. ONE new arena could easily keep both those teams.

On the other hand, it would really kill to be in San Jose right now, as 49ers have looked at putting a Stadium their as well.

[FiddySicks]

The Niners will be building a stadium in Santa Clara, which in a lot of ways can be considered a suburb of San Jose.

The Warriors have looked into building an arena right next to AT&T Park either just behind McCovey cove or even right on the Embacadero. There are some logistical and financial issues with this, but if they can pull it off it'll be hugely beneficial for them IMO.

The Raiders have supposedly looked into moving back to LA, but frankly, if the A's and Warriors both bail I don't see why they wouldn't at least consider staying. If they could get a new stadium built on their current site they would benefit a lot IMO. It would basically make the San Francisco area home to the Giants, Warriors, and the Raiders just across the bay, and would leave the San Jose region with the A's, 49ers, and Sharks. That, IMO, would be a great balance for the Bay Area.

[kw11333]

The Niners will be building a stadium in Santa Clara, which in a lot of ways can be considered a suburb of San Jose.

The Warriors have looked into building an arena right next to AT&T Park either just behind McCovey cove or even right on the Embacadero. There are some logistical and financial issues with this, but if they can pull it off it'll be hugely beneficial for them IMO.

The Raiders have supposedly looked into moving back to LA, but frankly, if the A's and Warriors both bail I don't see why they wouldn't at least consider staying. If they could get a new stadium built on their current site they would benefit a lot IMO. It would basically make the San Francisco area home to the Giants, Warriors, and the Raiders just across the bay, and would leave the San Jose region with the A's, 49ers, and Sharks. That, IMO, would be a great balance for the Bay Area.

The Raiders are probably the team, LA most wants too(Rams being number 2). Oakland is literally getting to the point where they might lose ALL their pro sports teams. Their politicians need to do something, really quick. That is a lot of business for a city to lose.

[sorcerer77]

I think "Bay Area" would have worked had their been just one franchise in the region. It could work for the Warriors, I think, but then again, "Golden State" in general is a bad name.

As I mentioned before, you could always expand "San Francisco" to mean San Francisco [bay Area]. It would work for the 49ers if they move to Santa Clara, for example. It's a bit of a stretch, but it technically works.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with "San Jose Athletics" or "San Jose A's" at all. It only sounds weird because we haven't been saying it for the past 50 odd years. I'm sure "Oakland A's" sounded pretty weird back in the 1960s, too.

Agreed, we'll all eventually get used to saying "San Jose A's". But this is a really big deal for anyone who is a fan of the Oakland A's, losing a major league baseball team hurts, whether they play 30 or 3000 miles away. Sure, some Oakland fans will make the drive, but it's not the same. All the history with the Oakland A's happened in Oakland, from the impressive number of world titles, to Hall of Fame players. While San Jose gets the franchise and the records carried over, it's obviously different. The A's will be starting brand new in this new city, and the challenge will be to start a new tradition in San Jose. It will be a tall order.

I think we need to remember there's a reason why city names are part of a club's name, including the appearance on many road uniforms. These teams aren't like McDonald's restaurants, which are virtually identical across the country. The history and tradition established in the cities in which they play is part of that inevitable link, so Oakland losing the A's is a sad story for those fans, regardless of how it went down.

[bosrs1]

Ok, currently which team is more popular in San Jose? Giants, or the A's? The Sharks played their first season in San Francisco, nobody seemed to care, and the bay area shares a basketball team.

I googled the driving time, and it's around 45min from San Jose to Oakland. It's around the same distance from Tacoma to Seattle, and I know there are a lot of Mariner, and Seahawk season ticket holders in Tacoma. This really is not THAT big of a deal, maybe calling them the "Bay Area Athletics", or "San Jose/Oakland Athletics" could make the move a little less hostile to existing A's fans? Yeah, those names are not that great, but it is just an idea.

Nope. It's San Jose A's (Athletics). They're contractually obligated to change per their contract with San Jose, and Wolff has now officially stated the name is going to be San Jose Athletics. No at's, of's, or other Anaheim style nonsense. And no Oakland A's (who really play in San Jose) garbage like the Giants, Jets, and soon the 49ers either.

And while I understand that might hurt a few militant Oakland fans, it's equally hurtful to me as a long time south bay A's fan who has made the drive to Oakland dozens of times a season for 25 years to hear things like, the team will change, the drive is too far, it's too hard without public transit, San Jose isn't the same area,... etc... I call BS on all of that. If you're a fan you'll find a way to get there since this move is no different than when the Angels moved from Chavez Ravine to Anaheim. It's no different than when the Yankees moved from Manhattan to the Bronx. It's no different than when the Marlins moved from Miami Gardens to Miami this year...