Major East Bay Corporations Go To Bat For New Oakland Ballpark
OAKLAND (CBS SF) - Putting their money where their rooting interest is, some major East Bay companies say they'll support building a new stadium to keep the A's from leaving Oakland. In fact, they're even willing to buy the team to keep its current owners from moving it to San Jose.
Clorox Field? Kaiser Permanente Park? Maybe Pandora's Box? One of those could be the future home of the Oakland A's, as a dozen of the East Bay's largest companies announced they'll pony up for naming rights and luxury boxes to keep the A's from leaving.
Clorox Chairman and CEO Don Knauss went so far as to say that if Lew Wolff and John Fisher want out, they should sell the team.
"If they don't want to commit to Oakland, we're confident we've identified another group of people who have the financial wherewithal to buy the team, is committed to keeping the team here, and is committed to building a new stadium," he declared.
The companies have gone so far as to put $1 Million into an escrow account as a sign of good faith.
Wolff says he's not selling the team and must relocate to San Jose, where the San Francisco Giants say they have territorial rights - an issue that has been the subject of a Major League Baseball study for almost three years.
KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:
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