Tiffany, you really should reconsider your life choices if you are planning on remaining there so long," was written in a post on the Tribe.org message board, which many A's fans visit, although they are no longer on the team. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/24/B U131022.DTL Pitcher-friendly Oakland Park to host A's The San Francisco Chronicle Saturday, February 24, 2001 A's fans, rejoice: The Oakland Coliseum Authority board has voted to bring your favorite local nine back to the East Bay. Beginning in May, and continuing every other Sunday for the 2001 season, Oakland's spacious Oakland Park will be the scene of A's games as it was in the 1970s, the years when the A's played two games a year at the 66-year-old ballpark. The A's share of Oakland Park will be only seven years old, but it will have the retro feel that makes Coliseum faithfuls nostalgic. The A's will play on the original grass infield, which has never been replaced. The outfield fences are in good shape, but the bleachers, which once housed 24,000 fans, are in shambles, with 1,500 seats still available. The grandstand itself will be upgraded with bench seats, which were missing from the Coliseum's original design. The A's will also return to Oakland Park's original dimensions -- 325 feet to left and right and 400 to center field. A's coaches will marvel at the pitches that used to sail over the fence at the Coliseum, but still leave home plate relatively alone. The scoreboard, with its familiar mascot headaches, will return, and that's not all. A's fans will be treated to other reminders of the glory days: The park will be a replica of the former A's home at the Oakland Coliseum. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/24/M N166434.DTL Mets' fan base is still growing The San Francisco Chronicle Friday, February 23, 2001 Despite the team's lackluster play in 2000, New York has more fans than ever. More than 56,000 people showed up at Shea Stadium to watch the Mets' first home game of the new season. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/23/B U199289.DTL Bristol City council backs plan for new park The Bristol Evening Post Friday, February 23, 2001 P. Simpson@no.natstar.com or call 0117 923 6215 BRISTOL's 'unused' park could be transformed into a new sports centre, after Bristol City Council said they would provide a contribution towards its purchase. http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/Default.aspx?variant=1&dayspr=2131&pubdate=22 0120 Tribe's Martinez to miss start with blister Associated Press Friday, February 23, 2001 CLEVELAND - One of Cleveland's newest and most valuable players probably won't be in the starting lineup when his team opens a new downtown ballpark next weekend. Joe Martinez sprained his left big toe on Thursday when he slipped on the wet outfield grass of Cleveland's new Jacobs Field before hitting his second home run of the exhibition season. The injury could have cost Martinez and the Indians a spot in the starting lineup for their season opener Saturday night. Martinez was in the lineup as the designated hitter in the third game of the exhibition season Thursday. Cleveland opens the regular season Monday night at Seattle. "I didn't think anything of it when it happened and didn't even realize it at the time," Martinez said. "The swelling was coming up on me, and then it started to get a little tender." The team suspected the toe might be fractured, said trainer Nick Paparesta. He took an X-ray and then kept Martinez out of the starting lineup to give him a chance to rest and have the toe checked by a doctor on Friday morning. Martinez said he was confident the toe would be OK. Martinez said his next baseball activity will determine whether he's in the lineup on Saturday. "If I can go, then it's no big deal," he said. The Indians were using defensive-minded pitchers Rick Krivda and Dan Smythe to start the exhibition games, so the loss of Martinez wouldn't hurt them. He wasn't sure what he hopes to do with his broken toe on a day when he's usually up at 5 a.m. for a 6 a.m. game. "Maybe I'll just go to the movies and sit in the cold tub," he said. AP Photo Mets right fielder Todd Hundley celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Orioles in an exhibition game in Port St. Lucie, Fla. A's, Rays close in on stadium deal The Associated Press Friday, February 23, 2001 TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics are close to finalizing a deal that would place a retractable-roof ballpark on the downtown waterfront in St. Petersburg, a leading developer said Thursday. The team owner, Vince Naimoli, would pay $50 million for 50 acres of city land along the bay. His company would also contribute at least $35 million toward the ballpark. The Trop, as the park is nicknamed, is scheduled to open in time for the 2003 season. The Rays, who are considering Anaheim and Portland, Ore., for their new ballpark, would play about 20 home games a year at St. Petersburg's Florida Auto Exchange Park. St. Petersburg officials were preparing to seek state approval for the project on Thursday. If the city and the Rays agree on a lease for the ball park, the team would get a $3.5 million, 20-year base to build it. Naimoli said he hopes to have a signed lease with the city by July 4. "If we get it done, it'll be a good ballpark. I think it will be a good team and a good community," said Naimoli, who declined to say how much the team would pay him. The city would contribute about $10 million toward the stadium, and the rest would come from the Rays and the state. The deal, which has been in the making for about a year, was approved by St. Petersburg's City Council on Wednesday. While the Rays' prospective new home might be named for a vehicle used in car sales, the team's colors would be bright orange and teal. "It's an orange field with a teal roof," said Pat Courtney, vice president of the Rays. "What more can you ask for? It's Florida." Naimoli said he met with the developer of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' $192 million, 55,000-seat stadium, on Thursday to talk about development of the Trop. The Rays also are considering other stadium sites in St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs and Orlando, as well as Anaheim and Portland, for the team's home. Naimoli said he is talking to Orlando officials, but no deal is imminent. "At this point, I can't say there's an agreement," Naimoli said. Naimoli said he would not consider a stadium built on property owned by