The city of Oakland held a press conference this past Friday afternoon, in order to talk about their proposed "Coliseum City." Not to announce it, mind you. Just to sort of make everyone aware that it's still a thing. In case you haven't heard about it, Coliseum City would be a multi-venue sports complex in the middle of Oakland, which would have three stadiums that would play host to the Oakland Raiders, Oakland Athletics and Golden State Warriors.

In case you further hadn't heard, all three of those teams are to some extent considering leaving Oakland forever, with two actively in the process of speaking with other cities in the Bay Area. So, while the press conference didn't really say a lot beyond the subtext of "SEE WE'RE NOT DESPERATE I SWEAR," the city did reveal some concept art, which was oddly telling.

via KQED

Okay, so: we can see the football stadium, all lit up and pretty. That circle just above the stadium would be the basketball arena, so that would mean that the baseball stadium where the A's would play is...

Wait, I had it just a minute ago.

Hm.

I think the baseball stadium is behind that high-rise to the right of the stadium. I believe that's a patch of right field I see peeking out there. So yeah, I guess that could be for baseball playing. But anyway, football.

I'm sure this sort of thing is typical of why the Athletics have been trying to escape the city of Oakland for years now like it's some sort of Snake Plissken scenario. Just a team of Snakes Plissken who keep trying to scramble over the outfield wall but their control collars force them back onto the field.

The city of Oakland has made it pretty clear for some time now that they kind of like having sports teams around. Hey, I get it. The city is cash-strapped. It's a tough time to be a big city in California. We've got this recession on. But if you're trying to get a baseball team to stick around and you're showing off some concept art of a new baseball stadium, wouldn't it be nice if you could, you know, see the stadium?

It's sad to think that in a few years, Oakland may not have a single sports team. But it's also kind of sad to think that the teams are tired of rotten stadiums and bureaucracy.

For more news and information regarding Oakland baseball, please visit Athletics Nation.