Ditto

it will be sold out for a solid decade!

that’s what I’m talkin about. Sweeet.

It looks like a chain linked fence? Is it clear plexiglass? Regardless of what it is, is its purpose to keep fans dry or stop balls from leaving the stadium? Whatever the purpose, it’s God-awful and needs to go before it ever arrives.

Other than that (as well as the location), I approve. The surrounding area reminds me of Camden Yards, which is beautiful.

...do you mean “view of the rock quarry?” The stadium looks away from the bay and into the Oakland hills. Not the nicest part of the hills but, you’re right it was much, much better before the second coming of the Raiders.

Just wait ‘til Wolff converts to Statanism!

If one stays home and watches the game on TV, one can have a six pack of beer, a nicely grilled salmon filet and ice cream, all for less than you’d pay for a couple of beers and parking at the Coli; nevermind the price of the tickets.

And, you get instant replay.

I just don’t really enjoy going to the Coliseum any more.

The “seat quality per ticket dollar” curve got steep when Mt. Davis made the bleacher seats suck, it got a lot steeper when the upper deck was closed, then grew steeper still with the price hikes of the last two years. I think that’s the biggest part of the attendance drop: if a good clean view is a big part of why someone goes, they’re going less now.

Moreover, the savvy fan used to have lots of discount options to work around this. But the awesome old coupon sheets are now gone, kid tickets are proportionally pricier, and the various discounts have either been reduced (AAA) or changed to apply to only the more costly sections (like the ANG family packs and the Chevron BOGOs). On top of a capacity with like 60% fewer cheap seats than it used to have (the rest being tarped), the low-end really gets squeezed. I’d say that’s the second biggest cause of the attendance plunge.

(The third biggest cause I’d attribute to fan resentment of the relentless trashing of the Coliseum in and City of Oakland by ownership, but I’ll leave that aside now).

All this said: there are still really good values to be found at A’s games. I still go to lots of games. You just have to work for it, taking discounts where you can, going to $2 games, sniffing out freebies, never paying to park, eschewing all concessions, and finding your way to seats with good views (whether the exact ones printed on your ticket or not).

Don’t know if the team jacked-up prices for our benefit or for weekends generally, but that’s a lot of money for the bleachers.

I agree 100%. This was my primary reason for wanting Barry Bonds. Even with his excess baggage, he brought a certain level of excitement to the game. If we had him, we wouldn’t be here talking about attendance issues. And I would have found a way to renew my season ticket package.

Beane needs to sign Chuck Norris.

First of all, to draw a parallel to homegrown heroes like Hudson or Swisher – let alone MVP’s Giambi and Tejada – is downright unfair. From roughly 2000 through 2006, when the A’s were one of the most successful teams in baseball, fans were absolutely spoiled by an overachieving front office that produced more wins than its payroll ever suggested it should. To expect anything close to magical seasons like 2003 or 2006, with what we’re working with, is absurd. I realize you didn’t make a case-and-point comparison, but you drew a parallel to the elite-level talent, which I still feel is unrealistic, if not unfair.

You guys don’t know how good you have it. Stranded here in Buffalo, thousands of miles away from the team I’ve now supported for 20 of my 25 years, I get fired up when my neighbors internet reception comes in well enough to give me uninterrupted MLB Gameday radio feeds. I get a kick out of it when the operators of the A’s Extra Innings post-game show don’t believe me when I call in after a big, extra inning win, because they know it’s the middle of the night in New York, and guess what? I’m fired up over the 35-31 Oakland Athletics.

If you’re not as excited about this team as I am, here are 10 things, off the top of my head, about which you should be excited:

1) One of the five youngest players in the bigs, Carlos Gonzalez, is making his mark as a five-tool talent. Moving on.

2) Rich Harden is (knock on wood) healthy and as dominant as ever. Enough said.

3) Bobby Crosby, of all people is among the league leaders in not just doubles like pedoman said, but games played, and is at long last showing his promise.

4) Gold Gloves or not, Crosby and Mark Ellis constitute one of the best defensive middle infields in baseball, which I think is saying something.

5) Who could talk defense without talking about the six-time consecutive Gold Glover? I don’t care if he’s not .280/32/101, if he’s anything close to it, he’s the middle-of-the-lineup presence we’ve lacked for a good part of the year, and he’s still makes the most difficult plays look routine at the hot corner.

6) Huston Street, other than the past week, has been arguably as dominant as ever, regaining the velocity that made him Rookie of the Year.

7) I totally disagree on Raj Davis. Yes, he’s a reserve, but he impacts almost every close game the A’s play with the blinding speed we’ve lacked since Rickey in his prime.

8) Frank Thomas, prior to his injury, appeared to be regaining his form that made him again one of the most feared hitters in baseball in Oakland just two seasons ago, and I expect nothing less than for him to continue that pace upon his looming return.

9)
Buck
Crosby
Chavez
Thomas
Cust
Ellis
Barton/M. Sweeney
Gonzalez/R. Sweeney
Suzuki

While it’s a ways away, I’m excited to see what such a lineup could do over the bulk of the season.

10) The second youngest team in baseball and youngest in the AL having the fifth best record in the league. That says it all.

Lew is throwing all of his chips into the Fremont basket. He does not care about Oakland at all. True- he is making money in the short term. And after the Fremont thing fades away … the ownership group will sell to the next sucker who believes they can rip the A’s from Oakland’s clutches.

To be fair – the City of Oakland has done a piss-poor job of marketing the city, and revitalizing Oakland’s reputation. SF has its share of “problems”. But when you hear about them – its the “western addition”, the “fillmore” or “hunters-point”. Its never San Francisco. Because “they” protect the name brand. I have lived in Oakland for 40 years. I live in a wonderful neighborhood. Full of wonderful people, and we are so tired of all the negative hype about our city. Yes, there is crime. But definitely not everywhere.

The Coliseum is good enough to have hosted (4!) World Championship teams. I’ll take that and pass on “beautiful” AT&T or Wrigley field, that for some reason can’t seem to host any championship flags since before World War I.

I look forward to the day we bring in new ownership. Ownership commited to Oakland.

SIGN HIM UP BILLY!

Concessions: Aramark is the company running concessions and they can charge whatever they want for beer & hot dogs. The A’s can ask them to make a change, but have very little say so.

Parking: Controlled by the city of Oakland. They own the parking lot so they make the decision on price, deals, etc. Again the A’s can make a suggestion, but really have little control in the end.

I know you don’t mean that literally, but this is about the 4th comment I’ve seen in the last few weeks about Security’s pre-entry “searches.” I’ve never, ever, hundreds-of-games ever had Security do anything more than give a cursory glance into my bag or maybe briefly pat my blanket while I’m on my way into the stadium. Even in Fall 2001. Is it really just that I have such an innocent face, they’re giving me special “light treatment?” ;)