A's know way to San Jose

The A's, who came to Oakland, California in 1968 from Kansas City, will build a privately-financed ballpark in Fremont, about 30 miles south of Oakland's McAfee Coliseum, a move that would put the team a short drive from San Jose.

San Jose sports fans have long urged city officials to lure the A's. San Jose's only professional sports franchise is the Sharks of the National Hockey League.

The A's owners said they were buying a 143-acre parcel of land in Fremont from San Jose-based network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc. for their new ballpark. Its cost is estimated to be between $400 million and $500 million, with land costs excluded.

The ballpark will seat 30,000 to 34,000 and will be known as Cisco Field. The company has entered into a 30-year naming rights agreement and will pay the A's $4 million annually.