With the recent speculation that Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane may be thinking about a change of scenery, one of the main factors in his decision may be the team's need for a change of scenery as well. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle made that point on Friday, stating that the lack of options the A's have in regards to a new stadium may play a role in whether or not Beane stays in the East Bay.
"Give me $50 million more" was Beane's promise after the 2003 ALDS, stating that if he had more cash he could turn the A's into a real winner. Well, that $50 million is something we would undoubtedly get in Chicago with the Cubs, or even New York or L.A. depending on Ned Colletti and Brian Cashman's offseason decisions. A's owner Lew Wolff can not give that to Beane, but knows it is not his place to hold Billy back either:
"I would never inhibit anybody from bettering themselves because of a contract," said Wolff, who had lunch with Beane on Wednesday and said no team has called regarding his GM. "Billy is fantastic and, to me, indispensable. My hope is he will be here a long time. I did promise Billy and all the guys we would have a venue so they would be able to further execute their abilities, and I think that will happen."
Shea points out that commissioner Bud Selig's three-man committee to research and identify possible locations for the A's relocation has returned little to nothing in the 29 months it has been 'working,' leaving significant doubt that MLB (or even Wolff) is truly serous about getting them a new stadium in the Bay.
"I'm going to build a new stadium for the A's, and if I'm not, someone will," but he was quick to point out he didn't mean he'd move the club or sell to out-of-town interests, instead mentioning his son, Keith (vice president of venue development) as a possible baton receiver. "We're working every day. If it doesn't happen, we'll go to Plan B, which I don't have."
Plan B may include finding a new GM soon Mr. Wolff.
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