http://blog.sfgate.com/matierandros...of-as-takes-over-stadium-hunt-from-lew-wolff/After more than a decade of going in circles, Oakland As managing partner Lew Wolff is taking a back seat in the drive to get the team a new stadium and handing the job over to largely silent majority owner John Fisher.
John is spending a little more time looking at the alternatives on the venue, Wolff told us. Having some fresh eyes relooking at Oakland is a good thing.
Fisher appears interested in a ballpark closer to the downtown. But Mayor Libby Schaafs push for a new ballpark at Howard Terminal north of Jack London Square looks like a dead end from the teams perspective because of poor BART and freeway access.
The team is still exploring a site at Laney College, which is within walking distance of the Lake Merritt BART station but that would mean buying the land from the community college district.
The other option, of course, is staying at the Coliseum site.
Team spokesman Ken Pries said Fisher is not willing to make statement or do an interview at this time.
With Major League Baseball breathing down their necks to try and get something done, the As are hoping to make a decision within the year.
As for the 80-year-old Wolff, he isnt saying how long he intends to stay on as managing partner but he is emphatic that he has no intention of selling his minority stake in the team.