The Guardian has a good story about the sheer absurdity of the A’s–Vegas deal … and how there’s almost no question that it’s going up in smoke. The best estimate now — and I’ve heard this from others in the game — is that for this thing to go through, His Eminence John Fisher is going to have to come up with ONE BILLION DOLLARS. And as much of a genius as he has shown himself to be by being born into the family that started GAP, I’m just not sure, based on his recent maneuverings, that he’s got a plan to come up with that much money.
That ONE BILLION DOLLARS, by the way, is probably on the low side because of the way construction costs are rising. When it’s all said and done, it will probably be closer to TWO BILLION DOLLARS. Not that it matters. This is cartoon money. That Vegas stadium ain’t happening. I’m calling that right now.
It utterly amazes me that MLB has thrown its weight behind this guy. He’s a walking nightmare, nobody likes him, he has no plan, he’s never had a plan, and the one thing he’s managed to accomplish is to move to the one place in America where a Major League Baseball team can’t regularly sell out a minor league park. Not that I blame Sacramento. He made it clear how much disdain he holds for fans by refusing to call his team the Sacramento A’s. I guess that was easier than just walking around Arden Fair and randomly slapping people.
This ends with MLB forcing Fisher to sell the club, and the A’s relocating to a city that actually wants baseball. The sooner the better.
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