At his seventh annual State of the City speech on Feb. 9, Gonzales announced plans to bring a Major League Baseball team to San Jose. "Can we make this happen? I don't know, but I think it's worth trying. That's what dreams are all about," Gonzales said.

Only hours later, members of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association gathered for their monthly meeting to discuss proposed ballpark sites. To better clarify the situation, San Jose Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Harry Mavrogenes and Economic Development Director Paul Kutko attended the meeting.

According to Kutko, once the city decided that a professional or amateur sports team could beef up revenue, the city spent the last year looking to bring a major league baseball, football or basketball team to San Jose. With that plan in mind, the mayor and city council created a sports stadium task force created by Gonzales to review potential sites. Preferred sites include the Del Monte parcel currently slated for a KB Home condo and townhome development. The property is located on Auzerais Avenue west of Bird Avenue. Another possible location could be near Diridon Station bordering on Park Avenue.

"This is way, way, way early in the process," Kutko said. "[Looking at these sites] was very much an exploration."

The city wants to build a 42,000 seat urban ballpark on 12.5 to 15 acres, similar to SBC Park in San Francisco or Camden Yards in Baltimore. Being an urban setting, there would only be 900 on-site parking spaces, with a heavier reliance on public transit. And a ballpark close to downtown would help generate business in the immediate area, Kutko said.

Although Mavrogenes said the Diridon site is closer to downtown, the Del Monte site straddles the Caltrain line which could, theoretically, open a station close to Del Monte. Another added bonus to the Del Monte site is that the city could purchase the land from KB Home rather than assembling land from different owners in the Diridon area, Kutko said.

Kutko assured the crowd that there were still numerous obstacles to overcome before a ballpark could come to San Jose, including voter approval for the park. The city would also have to secure some private funding and convince the San Francisco Giants organization to give up its territorial-hold over San Jose.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig has told the media that seceding San Jose to another team may not be an option because the Giants have "territorial rights" to Santa Clara County. Kutko, however, mentioned that a 75 percent vote of baseball owners would allow San Jose to have a team of its own.

The city has its eye on the Oakland A's and is looking for a way to entice the team to San Jose.

"One of the reasons baseball is attractive in San Jose is because we would expand the fan base from Oakland to San Jose," Kutko said.

But not everyone is a fan of the idea.

"Is there any consideration for people in the Del Monte?" Del Monte neighborhood resident Gary Roberts asked at the meeting.

"Whatever happens there will be public participation projects along the way," Mavrogenes said. He pointed to the city's success in working out traffic signage and permit parking with the Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood Association when HP Pavilion was proposed.

Yet others, like Palm Haven resident Mike Borbely, were troubled by the lack of neighborhood advocacy on the sports stadium task force. The meetings are open to the public and Borbely suggested the neighborhood association have a member present at the meetings.

Borbely said he would also like to have San Jose District 6 Councilman Ken Yeager speak at the next neighborhood association meeting so the community could hear the councilman's position on his ballpark.