don't get me wrong, i like winning just as much as the next guy, but being raised on an a's team that was bad more often than good, i'm also a fan of paying for the cheap seats and sitting wherever I want. well folks, if the first weekend day game of the season, against last year's cy young winner who happens to be local, is an indication, those days have returned. with a group of 4, we got plaza reserved tixs today and spent most of the game in the plaza infield, until we followed the sun in the later innings. ushers were few and far between, and the general sense of "we're just glad you came" was in the air. the field level in the outfield ($30 bucks?) was totally empty.

I've definitely enjoyed watching billy bean turn this team into a winner, but i gotta admit, today made me realize how much i missed the a's of the mid-late 90's that fielded the best AAA team in the majors, and where you could pay as little as you wanted and sit just about wherever you wanted.

these days are limited guys. once the team leaves oakland there will be no $9 tix, even with obstructed views of all deep balls to the outfield. but right now there is cheap baseball to be seen in our home town. yes, when you share the coliseum with only abother 10,000 folks, you can't help but be reminded of how ugly it is since mount davis was erected, and sure, we're gonna lose a lot of games this year, but if today is indicative, this year will be a great opportunity to get a close view of some unproven players trying to prove themselves. Sound familiar? 1997? 1998?