Oakland, California - In a special session, the Nevada legislature took up whether to commit $380 million in public funds in the form of a combination of Clark County bonds and tax credits. The Oakland A's say that's essential to build a stadium for the would-be Las Vegas A's.
But is it a done deal? "I am thinking that the door is still open for the team to stay in Oakland," said David Samson, former President of the Miami Marlins and host of the daily sports podcast, Nothing Personal with David Samson, who knows of what he speaks.
He says he used many of the A's tactics, including negotiation with other cities, to erect a new stadium that kept that the Marlins in Miami. "What I would say to fans of the Oakland A's is the deal in Vegas is not done yet even if this bill passes in the Nevada Legislature, said Samson.
Samson says that tax money is critical. "Even if the stadium is actually built with private funds, there still is public money involved in the form of public infrastructure," he said.
Add to that, another one billion dollars plus needed to build it, is still undecided and uncertain for Major League Baseball owners to permit the A's to move. "The owners aren't just gonna vote to move the A's to Las Vegas without understanding how the stadium is going to be built, how much it's really gonna cost, where it's really gonna be and what the projections are for the team to perform off the field in Vegas," said Samson.
Amazingly, the actual poor performance of the current team is not a factor. "The performance of the team, as putrid as it has been, is actually not relevant to whether the deal gets done either in Vegas or in Oakland," said Samson.
Right now, time is aplenty. Nevada legislators have as much as 20 days to make up their minds before the law requires the special session end.