Big Day in Getting A's to San Jose

Will San Jose take the A's out to the ball game?

The time for talking is just about over for city leaders in the long time effort to bring professional baseball to the biggest city in the Bay Area.

Tuesday, the San Jose City Council will vote on guidelines that would govern any future negotiations to bring major league baseball to the city.

Council members, acting in their capacity as board members of the city's redevelopment agency, will establish negotiating terms and a formal  plan for engaging local businesses and residents, according to spokeswoman  Michelle McGurk.

City officials are also expected to dispatch a formal resolution expressing the city's desire to woo the Oakland Athletics if Major League  Baseball adjusts current territory restrictions.

"Should they decide the A's can come south, the City of San Jose is eager to work with them and we have a site," McGurk said.

Before the city can formally approach the A's, Major League Baseball would have to change current territory rights, which dictate San  Jose is still San Francisco Giants country.

The Giants have said publicaly they will not budge on that issue.

As far as public words from the mayor of San Jose, Chuck Reed has says the city would not pay to build a new stadium.

However the San Jose  Redevelopment Agency owns a 14-acre parcel of land at Park Avenue and the convergence of South Autumn and South Montgomery streets it could offer up as a stadium location.

"The land is really what we have that we can negotiate on," McGurk said. "The mayor has been very clear we have been in tough times."

McGurk said the redevelopment agency portion of Tuesday's city council meeting will likely begin around 3 p.m.

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