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	Sunday, June 18
	Giants claim rights to Silicon Valley Associated Press
	OAKLAND, Calif. -- The San Francisco Giants say they have exclusive rights to the Silicon Valley market and they're not about to let the cross-bay Oakland Athletics move there. The A's have presented major league baseball with a preliminary proposal to move the team to Santa Clara. Team owners want tentative approval from commissioner Bud Selig before working further with a group that wants to build a privately financed stadium near Great America amusement park. The team's lease at Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland expires after next season. "It's not a formal bid, not a formal document," A's spokesman Jim Young said about the team's communication with Selig's office. "What they have in front of them are some very preliminary facts. I would categorize these as just being preliminary discussions." Giants owner Peter Magowan said his team would oppose any attempt by the A's to move. "I'd be very surprised if major league baseball didn't defend our territorial rights," he said. "Bud Selig has gone on the record as saying he supports the Giants' territorial rights, and according to information that I have, the A's know that." Larry Stone, a member of the Santa Clara Stadium Association, said the Giants' new downtown San Francisco ballpark changes the situation. Pacific Bell Park opened this season. "The reason the territorial rights were created was to move the Giants to Santa Clara County," said Stone, the county tax assessor. "That reason no longer exists." The Giants, who have territorial rights to San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, received rights to Santa Clara County in the early 1990s when there was discussion about moving the team. Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown said it's no secret the A's have wanted a baseball-only stadium. The A's currently share the Coliseum with the Oakland Raiders football team. But Brown added that the A's are having a great season and "if the fans turn out, the team will be here for years to come." Young said the team has been clear about wanting to stay in the San Francisco Bay area, which includes Santa Clara. And staying in Oakland remains an option. "One Oakland city official is on record saying the city should explore a baseball-only facility in Oakland," Young said. "We would welcome talks along those lines." A's players, meanwhile, weren't concerned with the behind-the-scenes maneuvering. The A's were in first place in the American League West on Saturday, a game up on the Seattle Mariners. "It's not as if it would be a huge blow for Oakland if we move 30 minutes down the road," outfielder Matt Stairs told The Oakland Tribune. "One, it would be a better stadium. Two, it would be in a better area and, three, maybe something good would come out of it. Maybe that's the way to reward all the fans from Oakland, to give them a better place to watch a game."		ALSO SEE Sunday in the NFL? Athletics pour it on Royals 21-3 Report: A's propose a move to Santa Clara