Forget the pros! We have Cal and the farm.

Dave Newhouse, columnist for the Oakland Tribune, had this to say concerning the latest announcements that the A's are moving from Oakland to Fremont (perhaps being called the "San Jose A's in Fremont") and the 49ers are moving from Candlestick to Santa Clara.

LET'S SEE, it's Wednesday, and no other local sports franchises have announced plans this week to move. So we needn't concern ourselves about the Malibu Sharks or the Watsonville Warriors.

Meanwhile, the Bay Area's two oldest sports programs haven't ever threatened to move.

Cal and Stanford have been in the athletic business through parts of three centuries, two world wars, one depression and a gigantic swing toward the pros, who dominate sports fanaticism locally.

Shamefully, it's overlooked hereabouts that Cal is selected annually as the nation's No.1 public university, and that Stanford is consistently rated among the top five private universities.

Also, Stanford is routinely awarded as the country's best all-around college sports program. And Cal, which often outdraws the Raiders and the 49ers, is playing Saturday for the Rose Bowl against USC.

Cause for celebration, you'd think. The Bay Area could care less. The only institutions it favors include John York University and Lew Wolff Tech.

Well, these two institutions are relocating, heartlessly. That's because there is little heart inside any sports owner regarding fan support. It's money, money, money, because it's, indeed, a rich man's world.

Thus loyalty and tradition be damned. The A's, who've won four World Series in Oakland since 1968, are heading to Fremont. And the San Francisco 49ers, who've won five Super Bowls since 1946, are targeting Santa Clara.

[snip]

One thing for certain about Cal and Stanford: They'll be here even if every local professional sports franchise moves away. Then, dreamily, they would have the Bay Area all to themselves, although USF, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara and San Jose State would benefit to a lesser degree.

So go ahead, you potentially abandoned pro sports nuts, and get all worked up over whether Baron Davis can stay healthy, Barry Bonds is coming back, or the Raiders will ever find an offense ... in Oakland or wherever.

For the otherwise sane local sports fans, let's hear it for the stable, sturdy Golden Bears and the homebody Cardinal.