How has your experiences at the Coliseum affected you?
by Kimberly on May 19, 2007 12:15 PM PDT
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PrintI am writing a practice college application essay in my English class, and I know what I want to say but I can't seem to put my feelings about the home of my beloved A's into words. Here's the prompt:
How has a particular place influenced you? Don’t feel limited to places such as foreign countries. A room full of people speaking a different language, a science lab, a photo darkroom, your bedroom, a video arcade, or a stage may say something about you. What? Do not just describe the place. Show its affect on you.
Yes, the Coliseum isn't the prettiest place for a baseball team to play. And yes, it's not the greatest either. But when you're sitting in the stands rather than looking at it from afar, all those little details seem not to matter anymore, or at least to me. That's not part of my essay, but I can't seem to get past that. It's pretty frustrating to know exactly what you want to write, but you can't just find the words.
Sooo, I'm curious to know how you guys feel about the Coliseum and how it has affected you in any way. It could be a certain game or an experience sitting next to a memorable fan. Do you feel at home when you're at the Coliseum? Do you see other A's fans as family?
Hopefully, I'll get out of this writer's block by reading your guys' stories and getting some inspiration out of it. And of course, go A's :) See you guys at the Coliseum on Sunday!
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I've always enjoyed the Coliseum
granted, it's not as pretty as before Mt Davis. But the stadium is easy to get to, the grounds crew is one of the best, prices are reasonable (especially compared to other MLB ballparks), and there are certainly worse places to see a MLB game.
Man, so much to say,
so little time. Maybe more later. But for now, I'd say the Coli taught me how stark, sterile utilitarianism could still be the setting for profound beauty, and a catalyst for enlightenment.
Plus urinal trough pruno distilleries.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on May 19, 2007 1:06 PM PDT reply actions
Say, Princeton could use a guy like you.
by The Dogfather on May 19, 2007 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh, also
the Coliseum have affected my grammar. But that was bound to happen anyway.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on May 19, 2007 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions
The lions and blood thirsty
crowd crowd frightened me. Oh, wrong coliseum.
A Raiders vs. Lions game
is more likely to make the fans want to drink cyanide than blood.
by senork on May 20, 2007 11:29 PM PDT up reply actions
When I was Young
My Dad used to take me to A's games (starting in the 70's). We didn't have much money, so we bought cheap tickets, parked outside the gate, and brought our own food - but it was great.
As I grew up, and even as an adult, I still went to games at the Coliseum with my Dad. He passed away about 5 years ago, but the place is always special to me cos it holds many great memories of time I spent hangin' out with my old man
Cheers
by onlysaying on May 19, 2007 2:33 PM PDT reply actions
I love the Coliseum
Every time I get off the Bart, and start walking down the Ramp, as soon As I see the Huge A's and Raiders Symbols on the side of the Coliseum, I get goose bumps. There is no feeling in the whole world, like the feeling you get, when you smell the grass again for the first time, after a long off season of baseball. For me the Coliseum is the only place in the world where time ceases to exist. I can get swept away in the game and the crowd, and the beer, and for those 4 or 5 hours that i'm there on game day, It could easily be 20 or 30 hours. I hate the price that you have to pay $7.50 for a Coors light, which is easily $2.50 more than you would pay in even the most trendy bars. On the other hand $7.50 for a Guiness is not that bad of a price, when you compare it to the price you pay in bars. Isn't it weird that you pay the same price for a Coors Light and a Guiness? That point still blows my mind. I totally could do without the Troths in the Mens room, as I wait till I really gotta go before I tackle those bad boys, and never between innings... Have you noticed that there seems to be a lot of Single girls at A's games? I usually go to the games with dates alot, but sometimes I think to myself the Coliseum would be a hell of a place to get a date. What would be better than to date a cute girl who loves the A's? Well thats my take on it for what its worth...
Fans as Family for starters
I'm a part-time LF bleacher bum (134!), and it's like having the sitcomical bar where everybody knows your name. You cheer together, commiserate together, flag wave together, heckle the opposing players together and when the season ends, you know you'll be together again in 6 months or so.
As for other things, it's fun to see the stadium go through its 'cycle'. You know ahead of time when concessions behind the bleachers open because it's Opening Night or a big game, or the playoffs. You know that despite being the most popular food concession in the stadium, they'll never open up more than one stand selling the chicken strips and popcorn chicken (why, I ask, why?!?) You start recognizing the vendors, you tease them for selling Dibs and Ice Cream sandwiches during night games in April and May. The Coliseum is like a vacation home that fans of other teams can't appreciate. Yeah, it's kinda start and not pretty in any architectural sense, but it's also a place of many memories, good and bad ... improbable comebacks and walk-offs, even the losses, knowing that tomorrow's a new day.
It's the drummers, the flag-bearers, trumpet-guy, Stomper, the Voice of God, Dot-Racing, 3-Cap Monte with Dibs, the 'yeah-yeah-yeah' rally song, the crescendo for when we get runners on and the opposing pitcher gets a visit, Hip-Hop-Hooray after a clutch run-scoring hit, Huston's intro song, Celebration after each win.
So yeah, the Coliseum is sort of a home. There's memories and feelings associated with it. It's a place that's comforting to be, and even when it comes time to relocate, I'll look back fondly and think 'Coliseum - you make be ugly in a way only an A's fan can love, but we definitely had a good time together. I'll miss you.'
the Coliseum
Fantastic memories from the early/mid 70's thru the early 90's at the Coliseum. Haven't been back since Mt. Davis arrived but the way it was as i remember...
Smart and loyal fans in the early to mid 70's. As a youngster I learned a lot about the wonderful cadence of a big-league game and was spoiled with all the winning and hangin with dad. Catfish, Holtzmen, Blue, Fingers, Bando, Jackson, Rudi, Tenace, Green, Campy, Fosse, North... three World Series in a row...best team ever!!
Bleachers in the 80's was unbelievably fun and exciting at the Coliseum. Always hot looking woman roaming around. Park security looking the other way while much pot was smoked. Concession stand operators never carded underage alcohol purchasers. It was a different and increbible time and then on the field you had the best defensive infield you ever saw anchored by Weiss, Lansford, Phillips/Gallego and McGuire. Plus coolest centerfielder in the World - Dave Henderson, and the added bonus of a strong armed and powerful Canseco then later (again) the boundless energy of Rickey!
All this isn't even including the raucous parties in the parking lot pre and post games. I hope the A's never leave the wonderful city of Oakland!
Nice work j-dub...
Summer of 88, a 90 degree Saturday game against the Brew Crew. We end up parking next to the Sons and Daughters of Wisconsin in the northwest corner of the lot who were having a huge bash with a band, a couple of Miller Beer vans with taps on the side, huge roller grills loaded with brats and people wearing cheese lids over Molitor/Yount jerseys. Instead of looking at them like they were Martians we joined the party and ended up sitting with them deep in 330 and had a blast.
The old bleachers had a mix of coeds who took BART in from the current 925, Eastmont Pavillion crew, Sonny Barger's troops, Cal frat boys, Teamsters and straight up drifters getting along just fine on the open view Concourse. Canseco and Hendu would turn around and check out the action between batters since there wasn't much situational thinking to do with Stewart, Welch and Davis on the hill. WHIP was still an apple in the eye of Bill James and BB's sub .550 OPS was funded by the sale of blue jeans that were still made in USofA. The iceplant, Winston billboard, Amtrak whistle and quarry view might be long gone, but the Moat remains uncharted despite 40 years of human foot traffic letting their collective imagination figure out what lies beneath.
Good call on the pot tolerance as well. A cop in Eugene, OR once stated that he would rather work ten Grateful Dead shows than one UofO football game at Autzen Stadium. How is that for Behavioral Studies 101?
by southofcruiseamerica on May 20, 2007 4:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Driving that train, high on cocaine...
Jose Canseco you better, watch your speed.
you said it brother...
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