San Jose Trying to Lure A’s

The success of the NHL’s Sharks has prompted the San Jose Sports Authority to approach the Oakland Athletics about building the team a new stadium in the city, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in Thursday’s editions.

A’s owners Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann have a lease with the Oakland Coliseum that gives them the option of leaving after next season. They have hinted that they are prepared to move the team elsewhere because of tensions between the A’s and the Raiders at the Coliseum.

But any effort to build a ballpark could face numerous obstacles. Suitable land is scarce in San Jose and voters in the area twice have defeated efforts to use public money to build a stadium.

Meanwhile, the newspaper also said Sacramento is no longer a serious contender to host a relocated A’s franchise.

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A poll taken for baseball owners showed fans favor realignment by a 2-1 margin and that casual fans would go to games more often if the leagues were radically revamped.

The nationwide poll of 801 fans was taken July 20-21 by Penn, Schoen & Berland.

Owners are expected to try to decide the issue when they meet in Atlanta on Sept. 16-18.

Baseball Notes

New York Yankee second baseman Luis Sojo suffered a broken left wrist when he was hit by a pitch thrown by Kansas City’s Ricky Bones. He will be sidelined for about six weeks. . . . Darryl Strawberry, expected to be recalled by the Yankees today, had two homers and seven RBIs for the Columbus Clippers in Richmond, Va. . . . The Kansas City Royals reportedly have locked up one of their potential free agents by agreeing to terms with first baseman Jeff King on a two-year, $8-million contract, according to the Kansas City Star. . . . Infielders Jose Offerman (sprained left ankle) and David Howard (strained left shoulder) were put on the 15-day disabled list, giving the Royals eight players on the list.

The Chicago Cubs received infielder Manny Alexander from the New York Mets to complete the six-player deal the teams made last Friday in which the Cubs sent outfielder Brian McRae and pitchers Mel Rojas and Turk Wendell to New York for outfielder Lance Johnson and two players to be designated. The Cubs received right-hander Mark Clark on Monday. . . . Mark Davis, a former Cy Young winner, was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Arizona Diamondbacks for a player to be named. It was the first trade for the expansion Diamondbacks, who will begin play next year.

One of Cuba’s top players defected in Mexico and plans to play in the United States after a brief stint in an international winter league, sports agent Joe Cubas said in Miami. Cubas flew to Mexico to meet outfielder Osmani Santana, 21, who won Cuba’s equivalent of the Gold Glove in 1996.

The Atlanta Braves, needing a right-handed power hitter to come off the bench, acquired first baseman Greg Colbrunn from the Minnesota Twins for a player to be determined. Colbrunn, 28, was batting .281 with five home runs and 26 RBIs in 70 games for the Twins. . . . The Chicago White Sox traded veteran catcher Tony Pena, 40, to the Houston Astros for minor league pitcher Julien Tucker. Pena, a five-time all-star, ranks fourth on baseball’s games-caught list with 1,942.