Unstoppable? Not Likely.
So far, 2001 has been a highly unbelievable season for the Oakland Athletics. But how long will it last? Considering this year, even if lighting strikes twice and a championship is brought to Oakland, the future for the A's is quite grim.
Though the Athletics are loaded with unbelievable talent and a ridiculously inexpensive payroll, how long could such a thing last? Good players require good money. These players aren't fools. Jason Giambi was paid ,000,000 this year, but could potentially be worth over ,000,000 next season. If the A's sign Giambi, that would nearly double their team payroll. Or what about Tejada (2 million dollars), Chavez (625,000 dollars), or Zito (,000)? Can this hold up? Look for each of them to be offered possibly over ,000,000 elsewhere when they become free agents. If the A's were to sign all of their talent for fair market value, their payroll would skyrocket from about ,000,000 to nearly ,000,000 in the next few years. The A's can't afford 'em, but they can't survive without 'em. Free agency will hit the A's hard in the coming years.
The future of the location of the Athletics is uncertain. They're playing in one of the biggest trash heaps in Major League baseball. Tickets to get into the game are dirt cheap, but still games are rarely sold out unless there is a dollar hotdog and seat promotion. The few fans can barely make it into the stadium without being car-jacked or assaulted by a transient. Their best employee sells Red Ropes. The owners don't and will not have access to enough funds to sign their talent to long term contracts.
The A's can only longingly stare across at their neighbors across the bay in San Francisco. They can only dream of one day having sellout crowds nearly every night, funds from a brand new privately financed ballpark, the most Hall of Fame inductees of any other team in major league history, or the bright, certain future in a city that wants them. Though the A's history is rich, an ominous cloud of uncertainty and future financial difficulty hangs over the ghetto football stadium called the Network Associates Coliseum.
