There are a few points you need to consider with the rumor, yes - it is a rumor, about Lewis Wolff buying the Oakland Athletics.

• The mere mention of a prospective buyer puts the franchise into play and can increase the asking price.
  
  
• Wolff had the option of a 15% buy-in of ownership of the Oakland A's last year; that expired in 2004.
  
  
• There are several minority owners (including the Haas Family) with a percentage of the ownership.
  
  
• The A's ownership using Portland and Las Vegas as bargaining chips for political capital.
  
  
• Wolff is playing the bad cop in this scenario; calling a prospective move to San Jose a move to a "major league city" (actually that's a move to a NHL city - and I don't hear any organ pipes playing for the boys on the ice right now L Dub).
  
  
• Schott y Hoffman are waffling in the print media about how much they are willing to "step aside" - in effect, Wolff would simply be buying a controlling interest in the franchise.
  
  
• New ownsership for the A's triggers a clause in Billy Beane's contract that ultimately voids his tenure as General Manager, should he wish to do so.

The question is clear; What is the worth of gaining the Oakland A's if you lose Billy Beane?

Beane is going to need to be offered a portion of ownership of the team with any new ownership in order to stay on as General Manager. Hell, Beane can pull a Selig and place his ownership in the hands of his daughter, Casey, ala Wendy Prieb-Selig's tenure with the Brewers.

In reality, the slow death dance of A's ownership change may have had very much to do with negotiating with Billy Beane on an exit strategy or a contract extension.

As an A's fan, new ownership doesn't mean a thing right now. There are other issues.

1. A new stadium.
   
   
2. Moving the team.
   
   

Here's an idea; move the Raiders. Or at least Al Davis. There would be a lot less issues if the Raiders had not raped Oakland and Alameda of $190 Million dollars over the past several years. Hmmm, $190 Million, sounds like the matching funds that it would have taken from the city and county to build a new baseball facitliy.

The most likely scenario is this;

1. Schott y Hoffman sell a majority of their stake in the Oakland A's to Lewis Wolff. Wolff becomes majority owner of the Oakland A's.
   
   
2. Schott y Hoffman and a third party use the funds from the sale of their ownership in the A's to build a baseball only facility somewhere in the Bay Area.
   
   
3. Lewis Wolff cuts a sweatheart deal to lease the new facility for the A's to pay play in.

No sale is ever the same with a MLB club, and you can bet that the State of California would try to block any move of a professional sports franchise to another state.

You don't have to worry until the A's announce a season schedule that has you buying tickets for home games anywhere other than Oakland. So, let's get back to the A's in uniform, shall we?