THE OAKLAND A'S MAKE ONE MORE STEP TOWARDS A VEGAS MOVE

I've been following this saga of the Oakland A's future for s long time now. Almost two years ago I said OAKLAND NEEDS TO "PLAY BALL" SOMEWHERE ELSE - AND I KNOW THE PERFECT SPOT! and I still feel the same way. So does Rob Manfred, and baseball fans in general for that matter. It's a long process to move a team but Oakland may be one step closer.

There are a lot of different angles in the news this month about the A's and their possible relocation, but  Las Vegas Review-Journal had an interesting story this week, you can read that HERE. The A's have considered locations locally, and two close to the Vegas strip, and now a new one is on their radar.

The A's have serious interest in the Rio for a new MLB stadium as the Vegas entertainment capital continues to boom. The Rio's owner is open to the idea of adding a ballpark on and why shouldn't they be? We can all say KA-CHING and the Rio's owner knows Vegas is ready and raring to go for more sports teams to call their city home.

Football and hockey are thriving in Vegas, and so is the WNBA. It's time MLB cashes in and joins the party. Every sportsbook in town is ready and waiting. The A's have hired a team of lobbyists to lay the groundwork with state leaders to make it happen. Lobbyists will work to get as much public support as possible for a Vegas baseball team. When the Raiders moved to Vegas, they secured $750 million in public funding, paid for by way of a 0.88 percent room tax on hotel rooms in Clark County. The plan for the A's to achieve their own funding is unknown at this point, but newly elected Governor Joe Lombardo has already said he is not in favor of tax hikes to attract the A's or any other sports team to Vegas.

I really can't wait to see how this pans out. I think Vegas is the perfect spot to watch the biggest names in baseball play. The entertainment capital of the world is the perfect place to watch big stars like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani come to town and play. Manfred knows it too. It's the one thing Manfred and I agree on 100% right now. This is actually something that would be good for the game.

I'm ready to see he A's ditch Oakland and start calling Vegas home....and I think it's one step closer to happening.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj