Why We Love Victory Court

The Victory Court ballpark site, located just south of Jack London Square -- between 4th and 1st streets and Fallon Street and the Oakland Fire Department training facilty -- has the potential to be great for the A's, and also for the city of Oakland, too.

Here's why:

1. Excellent Public Transit Options: A ballpark at Victory Court would be served by all kinds of public transit. They include:

* Lake Merritt BART Station is just a handful of blocks away, and a five-minute walk, from the ballpark site.
* The Amtrak train station, where commuter trains also stop, would be just four blocks away.
* The Jack London Square ferry stop is nearby on the northern side of Jack London Square. And a new ferry stop could be added near the Jack London Acquatic Center, about one block from a Victory Court ballpark.
* The Broadway Shuttle, called the "B," is a free bus that runs every 10 minutes from 24th and Webster all the way down Broadway to Jack London Square. With a new ballpark, you can bet that the "B" will add a few more blocks down to serve all those fans headed to Fallon Street.
* There also is preliminary talk of a downtown Oakland street car that would stop at Victory Court.

2. Three Revenue-Generating Projects in One: Building a new A's ballpark at Victory Court will be part of a larger plan that includes office space, housing, and new retail space, such as restaurants, bars and a 4-star hotel. Even more, as Oakland Councilwoman Jane Brunner said last December, the Victory Court development will help kickstart two other projects -- the Oak-to-Ninth development just south of the stadium site, and Jack London Market, located just north of Victory Court.

So, the tax revenue generated from Victory Court wouldn't come from just one project, but rather, three projects in one if it's responsible for getting all three developments off the ground.

3. The Views: Fans in certain parts of the ballpark would have views alternately of the water of the Lake Merritt Channel, the white cranes of the Port of Oakland, the Oakland Hills (like the old Coliseum days), and of the downtown Oakland skyline (picture that iconic neon "Tribune" building at night). Right up there with Pittsburgh's PNC Park, it's going to have some of the best views in baseball, right here in Oakland.

4. Connecting Lake Merritt & Downtown to Jack London Square: Restaurants, bars, cafes and other new businesses are popping up all over the place around Lake Merritt, Jack London Square, and downtown and Uptown Oakland. But the area between those neighborhoods -- which includes Laney College and Victory Court -- is a donut hole where that burgeoning Oaktown vibrancy kind of hits a wall. Building a new ballpark and all the new subsequent businesses will generate foot traffic and energy that's currently missing in that specific area.

5. It Will Keep the A's in Oakland and the Bay Area: All the plans that A's owners have proposed for other cities have either died on the vine or have major roadblocks. So, the best chance for A's fans to keep their beloved A's in Oakland and the Bay Area is right there at Victory Court.

These are just some of the reasons why we love Victory Court. We can't wait until this Oakland baseball dream becomes a reality.