OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Oakland city officials are asking for baseball commissioner Bud Selig's help in developing a plan to build a new stadium for the Athletics.

      Mayor Ron Dellums and City Council President Jane Brunner asked Selig in a letter Thursday to appoint a point person to a new committee working on building a ballpark in the city.

      The city leaders say the team boosts Oakland's economy and enjoys strong local support. They say they are ready to do everything "reasonably possible" to keep the A's.

      The A's, tired of sharing a rundown space with the NFL's Oakland Raiders, have been looking for a new stadium. Their efforts to find a site in Oakland have been unsuccessful, and they recently scrapped plans to move to Fremont.
     
      (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)