"That information is 1,000 percent correct," Baer said. "Once you begin talking about negotiating a dollar figure, the horse is already out of the barn. The South Bay was a core piece of our business model when we bought this team. We based much of our entire business strategy on Santa Clara County being a piece of our territory, and I don't think it is overstating it to say that allowing another franchise into our territory would set a dangerous precedent and have a traumatic effect on this franchise.

"If we were to go down to 2.5 million [in attendance], we'd be in the [expletive]," Baer said. "This franchise would be completely destabilized. So, for me, the question is this: Is baseball willing to have two teams receiving money from the revenue-sharing pool or one that is so financially healthy that it paid $30 million into it?

"You see," Baer said. "It's a priceless thing."

Maybe it's just me, but I think he just put a price on it.