Yesterday, I attended what many are calling a seminal event in the history of sports and business. At the headquarters of Cisco in north San Jose, most of the northern California media assembled with CEO, John Chambers, and the owner of the Oakland Athletics in the person of Lew Wolff. Also present were Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and A’s General Manager Billy Beane of “Money Ball” fame. It was a quartet that few reporters could resist. They didn’t and the cast did not disappoint.
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Bush Sends FEMA to Raider Nation
Football Fans Impressed With President’s Resolve
The weary and battered citizens of Raider Nation received their first hopeful news of the season earlier in the week when they learned President George W. Bush was sending in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to Oakland to rescue the ailing Raiders football team.
Single Gal and Sports Franchises
Will San Jose ever get a professional baseball team or are we holding onto a pipe dream? I would love nothing more than the Oakland A’s to call San Jose their home, but honestly, we need to talk about the fact that this probably will never happen in this city. Why do I bring this up now? Because a few of my friends, who are strongly leaning towards voting for Michael Mulcahy in the mayor’s race, said that the things that were “important to them are important to Mulcahy.” Amongst other things, this means they want a baseball team in San Jose (join the club) and they think Mulcahy is the man to get the deal done.
Dutch Hamann - Part Two
Let’s get back to the man in charge of change—A.P. “Dutch” Hamann. He graduated from the University of Santa Clara during the early stages of the great depression. Although his name was Anthony P. Hamann, everyone I’ve ever known called him “Dutch,” a nickname derived from his German heritage. Dutch was the alumni director of the University when I first knew him prior to World War II. When the war broke out, Santa Clara became practically deserted as the priests, students, faculty and administrators were called to military duty. Dutch joined the Navy where he rose to the rank of Lt. Commander. After the war he returned to Santa Clara as business manager, but after a few years he left to join General Motors as division manager in Oakland.
Open Thread
Happy Thanksgiving!
This week marked the 42nd anniversary of the assasination of President John F. Kennedy. I just looked at a photo of him at the San Jose Municipal Airport in 1960 and pulled down a copy of “Profiles in Courage” that he autographed to my Dad - another world. It is incredible to think of the America then - and how we have changed. How this Valley has changed from the small emerging garden city to the center of the high technology information age now. On today’s thread, let’s comment on the good and the bad of those monumental changes.
I’ll begin. We no longer have to drive to San Francisco or Oakland
for great entertainment, U2 and McCartney, Disney Ice shows,
Globetrotters, Sharks (hockey in our city: no way!) and music for
each and every ethnic group and taste in our region - that’s good!
Traffic: that’s not so good. It was easier to drive in our city when we had more canneries and fewer technology centers.
The Downtown: light years to the positive side, but it sure was nice to go to OJ’s, and a Santa Clara vs. San Jose State basketball game - and park right on the street for both.
The Single Gal and Live Music
One of my missions on SanJoseInside is to point out to our readers things that I think are missing in San Jose and provide ideas for ways to fill the gaps.
Presbyterians and Prostitutes
When Chinese men from Canton arrived during the gold rush as contract laborers, they never intended to stay here. If a man could manage to save $100, he could return to his village and live out the rest of his days, never having to work again. But very few accomplished this goal, as gambling and opium took their toll. In order to enter Chinese heaven their bones had to be buried in China, and shipping the remains of men whom died in California back to their home became big business.
Artist Andrew P. Hill
Over the years some great artists have lived and painted here. Of particular interest to me are A.D.M. Cooper (1856-1924), Charles Harmon (1859-1936) and Andrew P. Hill (1853-1922). Cooper was certainly the most prolific and he commanded the highest prices for his paintings. When he was still alive, one of his paintings sold for $60,000, the equivalent of more than $1 million today. In my opinion Charles Harmon was perhaps the most gifted, but my favorite is Andrew P. Hill and, while not well known today, he painted some wonderful local pieces. Of course his real fame is that of the “man who saved the redwoods.” His painting “California Redwood Park” was exhibited during the second year of the San Francisco Panama Pacific Exposition in 1916.
Lobbyist Ownership of Council Members Severely Curtailed
Move Seen as First Step in Winning Back City Hall
Following the successful city council vote in Oakland limiting the amount of dogs allowed in a household, the San Jose City Council sent a strong signal on Tuesday night when they voted unanimously to limit the number of elected officials that individual lobbyists could own.
Are We Having Fun Yet?
Forget all the chest thumping about being the tenth largest city in America, we’re the third most fun city in America. No kidding. This is according to Cranium, Inc. (link) They should know. They make board games and their CEO’s title is Grand Poobah. No kidding. Here’s the top ten:
Spare that Golden Goose and Scarlet Hussey
By Guest Blogger Eric Carlson
Like countless others before me, I have pondered the way to San Jose; specifically downtown San Jose where, one Sunday afternoon, tumbleweeds literally rolled over San Fernando Street as if in a dream. I saw them, and the only noise to break the dead calm was a whoop from way over at Wave’s Smokehouse and Saloon where the Oakland Raiders were temporarily winning. Downtown San Jose, on certain Sundays, can be the quietest retreat one can imagine. Good or bad?
Statue of Yore
By Guest Blogger Eric Carlsen
The recent blog-a-rama concerning statues and statue-worthy subjects failed to take note of Dr. Henry D. Cogswell. A man featured prominently in Plaza Park for many years, he stood near where the current fountain spouts geyser-lets.
A Second Downtown
In Development 101 we discussed the great growth area of Evergreen. There are three others: the virgin Coyote Valley, North First Street’s rich industrial base, and our downtown. What happens in each affects the other, but perhaps none so much as our spiritual, cultural and historic center of Downtown San Jose.
The Phoenix Press Conference On Bringing Baseball To San Jose
By Guest Blogger Larry Stone
The Mayor and the County Assessor (me) have been widely ridiculed by people posting on San Jose Inside and the San Jose Mercury editorial regarding the press conference at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium prior to a Giants vs. A’s game. I have to admit some of the commentary was very funny, like the good-natured ribbing I got from my old friend Jude. Some of it, however, was pretty rough.
Specifics Released For Gonzales Major League Baseball Plan
Temporary Stadium Proposed
During a press conference late Thursday night, a mere week after his State of the City Speech, Mayor Gonzales finally released details for his plan to bring Major League Baseball to San Jose.
Let’s Make a Deal
If we really want the A’s playing ball in San Jose, we should put the right people at the table – not Bud Selig, the Commissioner who counts votes before acting; not Peter Magowan, the Giants owner who thinks the Giants territory was part of the original Spanish land grants. Instead, we take the general managers, the A’s Billy Beane and the Giant’s Brian Sabean, and lock them in a room with enough food for 72 hours. If we’re nice, we give them bathroom breaks.
