< The view from our seats, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum >
I'm not sure what you have heard about the city of Oakland, but I'm sorry to say that much of it is probably true. We arrived at the Coliseum a little rushed, just before game time, and instead of paying for the stadium parking, we opted to look for a place to park & walk. The nearest place we found was littered with broken glass and beer cans--not the most comforting sights--but, in broad daylight, we gave the surrounding sketchy community the benefit of the doubt.
Sad to say, the inside of the stadium was not much better than the outside of the stadium. Filthy, unsightly, and altogether not a place to take your young children. Carlin and I acknowledged that we are spoiled by our home stadiums (me - Safeco, Carlin - Chase), and should remember that not every team can have as beautiful a park as those.
The game itself was a laugher, with the home team bringing in an 11-0 victory (MLB recap here). I was pleased to see young A's starter Gio Gonzalez throw 7 scoreless (albeit against Cleveland's flaccid offense), and the pre-Iron Man Robert Downey, Jr. of MLB, Eric Chavez drive in 3 runs on 2 timely hits with RISP. Also encouraging was seeing young A's 2B Eric Patterson leg out a triple on his way to 3RBI. As the A's play in the AL West, we didn't love seeing them distance themselves further from the Mariners, but we were just happy to see the home team win and play well.
The stadium fare was sparse and low-key. Almost exclusively ballpark-only brands were represented, but that also does help the prices stay low.
Tickets:
$13 each
Parking:
Street Parking - Free
Stadium Fare consumed:
Chili Cheese Dog - $7.75
Coors Light (2) - $5 each
< Justin Masterson, on his way to giving up 7ER over only 4IP >
As I mentioned, the surroundings of the stadium were not pleasantly scenic. Check out what we saw as we walked away from the stadium and back to the car!
< Unattended barrel of fire in the pay-to-park Stadium parking lot >
< This is what you see as you cross the bridge away from the Stadium and back to the city >
When it's all said and done, I can't complain too much about an MLB park. They're home to a team, and they all have their own personalities. Like I said: my home park is Safeco, so I'm pretty spoiled.
But, the Coliseum is not a place I'll go out of my way to return to. As the home for the A's and the NFL's Raiders, the venue matches the teams--ugly, mediocre, in need of rebuilding, and maybe even total replacement. Thanks for the offensive display, A's--but I don't think I'll be returning for another home game.
< My 2 empty cups and Carlin texting his Wife, no doubt! :) >
< The only A's representation on the entire outside of the Coliseum >
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