Oakland A's vs. Detroit Tigers 5-11-12

The front of O.Co Coliseum, home of the Oakland A's

So much to blog and so little time. I am way behind here but I know I will catch up. On Friday, I took the kiddos to the A's game. Growing up in the East Bay I went to many games. When I was about 12 during the Billy Ball era, I started taking BART to games by myself. Well, 30 years later I am still going out there. I am one of the those rare Bay Area people, I root for both the A's and the Giants to do well.

A view from the third deck from behind home plate

I have a love/hate relationship with the O.CO Coliseum. As a kid I loved it. I thought it was the greatest place on earth. It stayed that way as a teen-ager and as I got older I still loved that place. In my senior year of high school (1987), Peter Gammons called it the best stadium in baseball. It was a great place and it had a beautiful view of the East Bay hills. Well, in 1995 the Raiders came back and they built what is called Mt. Al (after Raiders owner Al Davis) as you can see in the outfield (above) and ruined the place. I still think it is great that I am lucky enough to have a Major League Baseball team close by.

O.CO Coliseum before the A's game

Still the place is old and needs to go. With the Raiders return, the sight lines were killed and in the fall the field becomes all torn up with the football lines. But the one of the major problems with the place is that getting around is very difficult in the main concourse section of it. The A's crowds are not that big these days and it is difficult getting around (if you want a beer, food or to buy something), imagine if the A's got the crowds I was used to back in the day.

People trying to make their way around O.Co Coliseum

The good folks of the Coliseum have added a few modern touches for today's fan, there is a pub inside the stadium and they a nice East Club where one can dine in style while watching the game.

Inside The Field, the Irish Bar inside the Coliseum

People dining in the Club

But one thing about the A's, no matter where they are in the standings and no matter how outdated O.CO Coliseum is, there is a hard core group that will always come out to see them. As I said in the beginning I have a love/hate relationship with it. I hate it because the A's owners are horrible and will not do anything to upgrade the place and therefore leaving it outdated, I love it because I love Major League Baseball and feel honored to have a team close by,

Showing the A's colors