Post by TheShadow on Feb 16, 2009 17:48:32 GMT -5
www.sfgate.com/
by Ray Ratto
When the Raiders announced that they were examining the notion of building a new stadium on the site of the current Coliseum, three things sprung to mind:
-- No they aren't.
-- Even if they are, they can't do it for years, and maybe ever.
-- And this is the cruncher: They just sent a message to the 49ers that read, "We're not as easy as you think we are."
Much was made of the 49ers' shared stadium plan, although none of the things being made had anything to do with any of the actual details. The 49ers merely were spit-balling an idea, assuming that the logic would be implied by the fact that they conceived the idea.
Al Davis offered a hint that the Raiders weren't rolling over when he said after the Tom Cable news conference, "We like this location, but we need a new stadium" - the important part being the phrase, "We like this location."
In other words, he was saying, "Yeah, we can share a stadium, but we don't want it to be in Santa Clara. How's about you drive up to Oakland?"
A suspicious sort would see that as a blow-off and a deal-breaker, a finger in the eye of the Raiders' good friends in Santa Clara. A more cynical sort would see that as the Raiders' way of saying, "We'll see your fictional stadium and raise you a fictional stadium of our own." And even someone who believed such a stadium could happen in this economic climate would see this as Al using his historically powerful gift for leverage.
Whatever the angle, it is a clear reminder to Jed "The Boy King" York and the general audience that one should not assume anything about the Raiders, the stadium, or anything else. This is the NFL, and there is no such thing as a detail too small, or an assumption that doesn't need verification.
In the meantime, don't the Coliseum and Candlestick Park keep looking lovelier with every passing day?
by Ray Ratto
When the Raiders announced that they were examining the notion of building a new stadium on the site of the current Coliseum, three things sprung to mind:
-- No they aren't.
-- Even if they are, they can't do it for years, and maybe ever.
-- And this is the cruncher: They just sent a message to the 49ers that read, "We're not as easy as you think we are."
Much was made of the 49ers' shared stadium plan, although none of the things being made had anything to do with any of the actual details. The 49ers merely were spit-balling an idea, assuming that the logic would be implied by the fact that they conceived the idea.
Al Davis offered a hint that the Raiders weren't rolling over when he said after the Tom Cable news conference, "We like this location, but we need a new stadium" - the important part being the phrase, "We like this location."
In other words, he was saying, "Yeah, we can share a stadium, but we don't want it to be in Santa Clara. How's about you drive up to Oakland?"
A suspicious sort would see that as a blow-off and a deal-breaker, a finger in the eye of the Raiders' good friends in Santa Clara. A more cynical sort would see that as the Raiders' way of saying, "We'll see your fictional stadium and raise you a fictional stadium of our own." And even someone who believed such a stadium could happen in this economic climate would see this as Al using his historically powerful gift for leverage.
Whatever the angle, it is a clear reminder to Jed "The Boy King" York and the general audience that one should not assume anything about the Raiders, the stadium, or anything else. This is the NFL, and there is no such thing as a detail too small, or an assumption that doesn't need verification.
In the meantime, don't the Coliseum and Candlestick Park keep looking lovelier with every passing day?