Greener Grass, Episode 6: It's All About Culture
by jeffro on Nov 17, 2009 6:15 PM PST
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PrintDoes a ballpark have a culture? If so is it an extension of the fanbase or is it somehow manufactured by the stadium atmosphere? Maybe a mix of both?
We have been to a few big league parks. We plan on adding a few to our list next season (see June trip to the Midwest inter-league style).
Before last season, when the frog in my pocket and I journeyed to Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, I was not really sure that a ballpark had a culture.
But we now know that there are definitely some characteristics we would like to see in a new Bay Area ballpark. And we think those characteristics would go a long way towards creating the best culture in the big leagues.
Below the fold, we shall bloviate on how a new stadium should look and feel (special thanks to cityplANner and vertig0 for their assistance, even if they didn't know they were giving it).
Some parks we have visited and some of those we plan to attend, well they have a real unique feel. Some things we like are the Milwaukee Brewer's fans and their proclivity for tailgating. Fans in Wrigleyville like to have a block party in support of their Cubs. Much like the Yawkey Way experience, where a city street is shut down and becomes an extension of the stadium, in Boston is like a Red Sox themed carnival with street vendors and booze a flowin'. In the capital of Yankeedom there is this bar that looks like doubles as a mechanics shop in the off hours.
These environments represent two distinct pregame atmospheres that many would argue are mutually exclusive. You can either have the large parking lot with barbecues (as exists here in Oaktown) or you have no "sea of asphalt" and bars where yuppies meet up and pretend to like baseball.
Additionally, in these places you have stadiums with quirky dimensions and interesting architecture. In some cases the quirky dimensions are the result of necessity due to the lot they were built on. In others, not so much. In all cases, cool architecture is welcome.
In our opinion, the pregame activities are not mutually exclusive. The architecture is important for setting the tone. And, the quirky dimensions should only be present when necessitated by the lot. These three aspects are central to our plan for creating the coolest culture in all of baseball.
First, how would we manage to capture tailgating and yuppie bardom in a single bound? For illustration purposes I have included a photo of the proposed development at Diridon:
This image is from Andrew Watkins, you can read more about him and his plan for Diridon here.
Admittedly, fellow A's fans, this will take some imagination on your part. The whole stadium will actually need to be moved to the right because there is a power substation under the left hand part of it and the current plan is to keep it there. Because of this, the weird looking pyramid I have crossed out will be non existent. Which is good cause it kind of looks like a futuristic pyramid inhabited by an evil race of faux Egyptians right out of a Tom Swift series 4 novel for young adults. Additionally, the stadium pictured is just a place holder. The repositioning would potentially create the need for some quirky dimensions.
The areas to focus on are the green oval behind left field and the red rectangle in the bottom. First, for the yuppies the green oval represents pregame snobville at it's best! A walkway between the back of the stands in left. If it is done right, the top floor of the building and the roof could peer over the bleachers down onto the emerald hued heaven we refer to as a baseball field. Incidentally, pregame snobville serves another purpose in my rambling fantasy of a new stadium... the Yankees are in town, 32,000 seats are sold rather easily. $4 dollar cover charge gets you into the roof top bar (if you are over 21) or the Skyline club on the top floor of the building (for all ages).
Now for the "blue collar barbecue crew." In the original plan that red rectangle would have been team offices. In the new and improved version that has taken shape in the Diridon Good Neighbor Meetings that will be a park. Why not "tailgate" on grass rather than a sea of asphalt? Sure you have to be able to park somewhere nearby to carry all the tailgating stuff and what not. It would be more like tailpicnicing, but does it not have a similar potential?
The green "future park" is the same as my red rectangle.
I understand these ideas are fairly specific to the Diridon plan. So not to hurt any of my Oakland Only friends feelings, let's pretend the City of Oakland's plan involved a site mentioned on Marine Layer's blog a while back. What about the Oakland Fire Department training site. The City owns a portion of it and it is zoned in a way that could be used to build a ballpark. An illustration:
From Oakland's City Zoning Map
So where would the tailpicnicing happen here? How about the yuppie zone/overflow seating? In the picture below the area outlined in red would be the park with barbecue pits and the area outlined in green would be for the ballpark/ancillary buildings. For this to happen it would require some existing business to move, which may or may not be a big deal. I imagine the roof top bar and top floor club over looking the outfield would be near 880 and the ballpark would have home plate in the general locale of the intersection of Oak and Embarcadero. Again this is just my concept to show a spot where it is feasible to build something like this in Oakland. I am not sure about infrastructure improvements/parking, but as you can see from that big ugly white box, Lake Merritt BART isn't that far of a walk down Oak.
OFD Training site and my highly technical rendering.
Slight detour time for me and the frog in my pocket. Who knows which franchise was the first to have a steel and concrete stadium? The kind everyone is trying to replicate these days with the funky looking short distances and high fences? Well, none other than our A's. I think the new stadium, any new A's stadium, should pay some homage to the historical precedent set by Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Look at it's splendor:
I love that tower looking thing and those arches.
So what is the appropriate way to pay homage to this place? Since we have other ideas for the outside of the stadium to discuss here in a minute, we think it has to be something inside the stadium. So what did the inside look like? Like this:
Picture courtesy of ballparksofbaseball.com
So what stands out to you? Besides the Alpo ad, I mean. And besides the cool upper deck and roof in Left Field which we already know can't be there if there is the roof top bar and such. How bout the whole Right Field wall? Scoreboard and all? It was 34 feet tall when the stadium eventually closed, while the scoreboard was 50 feet high, not counting the Ballantine Beer sign (wouldn't it be cool if that said Pyramid Ale instead?).
So what about the outside architecture? We have two ideas for that. First, let's assume the ballpark is being constructed at the OFD Training Site... Basically in Oakland and near the water. I say inspiration should then come from this:
East Brother Island Lighthouse
and this:
There is also a cool Maritime museum in Vallejo that could serve as inspiration. The general idea here is to pay homage to the Port of Oakland and the nautical environ of the stadium. Imagine that tower behind home plate of Shibe Park replaced with a light house. And when of the Green and Gold hits a bomb imagine a cannon firing as if it was on the Admiral's ship in a fleet hunting pirates in the old world. It sure as hell would beat that damn fog horn in San Francisco.
But what if the A's end up near Diridon?
I imagine something like this:
Or from another angle:
Maybe not with the crosses but one heck of a home plate gate, eh?
The idea here would be to pay homage to California's Missions from an architectural perspective. Think arches, adobe bricks and Spanish tile roofs.
So there it is in a large nutshell. A yuppie zone with a roof top bar peering over the outfield that doubles as overflow seating. A large park for "tailpicnicing." A right field fence and scoreboard that pay homage to the A's history as stadium pioneers. Architecture to pay homage to our port or the missions. All that is missing is strategically placed statues of Rickey Henderson, Dave Stewart, Catfish Hunter, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Walter Haas, Reggie Jackson, Jimmie Foxx, and Connie Mack.
That, my friends, would be the building blocks of the coolest fan culture in all of baseball. At least I think so. And so does the frog in my pocket. What ideas do you got?
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your posts are always so pretty
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
I'm really enjoying these posts jeffro
as far as the new stadium it sounds great just have the yuppie area clearly marked so I don’t catch anything from those scary people.
by sirbed on Nov 17, 2009 8:26 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
+1
"Flea Markets aren't just for blind dates anymore!"- The Reverend Billy Lard
by Gaijin_Suketto on Nov 18, 2009 2:50 PM PST up reply actions
Thanks Jeffro. Love the work.
So I’ve learned a few things from friends whom are more versed than I in the ins and outs of planning and Oakland Real Estate. There are three different Public Utilities Commission (PUC) rights of way going through the OFD site in Oakland. One going north/south at Embarcadero Road, one going north/south at 2nd street and one going north/south at 5th street. Putting in a stadium would require either some sort of undergrounding or moving them elsewhere. The PUC isn’t known for being generous.
Still, if you were able to get past that, OFD isn’t too bad a site when compared to the other Oakland options. Good freeway access, though the offramps would need a little work. Just outside of Jeffro’s screenshot is the Jack London Square Amtrak station. In fact, that station would be closer to the stadium than Caltrain is to Phone Book Park. Additionally, Amtrak has a huge multi-level parking structure that could be used for game-day parking. Laney College, on the other side of 880, also has a ton of parking. They could probably cut a deal with the A’s as well. Taking away some parking pressure leaves more room in the proposed area for Ballpark development/ballpark culture. It’s less than 1/4 mile from BART to 5th & Oak St. It creates another activity node along the Oakland waterfront – which would theoretically help spur development on the waterfront in general (the thinking being that a single activity node at the end of a thoroughfare – JLS – is just a dead end. Creating polycentric points of activity gives flow to the area and removes the dead-end status. Like the interplay between the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf). The Lake Merritt channel is due to receive a huge makeover, as Measure DD funds are supposed to daylight the whole channel, restore natural habitat, revitalize park land, and make it accessible to the Lake. The adjacent JLS loft district is a mixed-use neighborhood that has been able to fill up the condos, but has yet to take off as a viable restaurant/bar/business area. There are tons of empty storefronts in the bottom floors of these mixed use buildings. It’s a great, great opportunity to spur the kind of “baseball culture” Jeffro’s talking about. Our own version of Momo’s, if you will.
The city is also facing a $19 million deficit this year. One of the solutions they’re looking at is selling city property. Well, selling the OFD training site would go a long way towards filling up that hole. The other parcels would have to be bought from the individual owners, but you’re looking at maybe 8-10 property owners, not the 105 property owners that Lew was looking at when he pretended his “Coliseum North” concept was anything other than a flimsy justification to get out of Dodge.
This site, I’ve heard, is also favored by Doug Boxer, a member of the Oakland Planning Commission and one of the people behind the “Keep A’s in Oakland” Facebook group (snicker, if you must). Having at least some local political will behind the project can go a long way.
Thanks again
You went all deep dive on it. It will be interesting to see if this site is “the site” for Oakland. It definitely has more potential than any site that either replaces a Port Terminal or is buried amongst them.
If this is the site that Oakland builds it plan around, it will have plenty of hurdles for sure, but all sites do right?
You left out 1 key factor
Smell. Brother, you and i both know it took about 3 months at OS to get used to the Estuary smell. Hopefully the remodelling goes a long way towards reclaiming the area, but I think you’d have to get rid of that food distribution site that smelled so rank on thos 5AM runs.
It's just more exciting with Billy Beane running the team.
That food service place
Is one of the businesses that would have to move to make the grand vision work. It will be interesting to see if this is the site and if moving businesses is part of the plan.
You rowed for the Oakland Strokes too? Woah. Worlds collide.
And yes, de-chanelizing the Lake Merritt Chanel should help with the smell, as there will be more plant life to mitigate those effects.
I could definitely support re-locating the food distribution store on the other side of Embarcadero Road. That would give even more opportunity for parking/ballpark culture in the area. Embarcadero could also use a ‘road diet’(similar to what they did to it north of Oak St.), and you could use that reclaimed land for more development/landscaping.
dude, seriously - i stroked your boat.
sounds bad, but that’s the way it went down.
It's just more exciting with Billy Beane running the team.
I can't speak to the obstacles and practicality, but
I really like this location. In particular, I love the idea of revitalizing the area between Jack London Square and the Inner Harbor. I also love the idea of plenty of pedestrian overpass/underpass connecting the site to the Laney area as well as a complete pedestrian path all the way from Lake Merritt, down the channel, past the new ballpark, and to the estuary.
I’m agnostic on whether Oakland is good for the team. I think a lot of the complaints against the city are legitimate. I’m also relatively pessimistic about Oakland’s future, since I think many of the factors that led to it becoming increasingly marginalized as a suburb of San Francisco are irreversible. But at the same time, I love Oakland, and I’m a firm believer that the city’s decline is closely connected to its estrangement from its waterfront. And while I don’t think that damage can ever be completely repaired, I do think that reconnecting to the waterfront would be a great benefit to the city in a fundamental way that goes beyond just boosting activity in one neighborhood. So if that can be achieved, without a disproportionate expenditure from the city funds, then I think that’s good for the city (aside from whether it’s good for the team).
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
the pitfalls, as I see them, are (in order)
1. PUC rights of way
2. Purchasing enough of the private land around the OFD site to make it viable
3. Upgrading the freeway offramp infrastructure to accommodate a lot more traffic.
You’re not really dealing with nearly as strongly established NIMBY neighbors like the buzzsaw Lew ran into in Fremont. The JLS loft district is pretty residential, but it’s also new, mostly transplants. You could probably get a good amount of support from them, since their condo property values would skyrocket being next to a stadium.
If the A’s were able to include some really good waterfront access along the chanel/to the estuary and build the stadium in such a way that blocking views of the waterfront were minimized, they might actually get some good support from the squeeky-wheel political groups in Oakland that usually kamikaze big development projects (like Oak to 9th). Throw in some off-site historic preservation and they might have it in the bag.
Antioch.
The Mexican Mob.
"Flea Markets aren't just for blind dates anymore!"- The Reverend Billy Lard
by Gaijin_Suketto on Nov 19, 2009 2:16 PM PST up reply actions
Nice post, as always
I like the idea of two distinct “pregame” areas, and the notion of a grass tailgate is definitely intriguing (It doesn’t even necessarily have to be hike-in, I wouldn’t mind parking on the grass, and then there would be more open green space in the area during road trips and the off season). Some things I might add (obviously costs notwithstanding) would be to bury 880 in a “mini-dig” just behind the outfield to make the walk from BART more pleasant (i.e. not on a pedestrian walkway or underpass) and give a bit more space for bars/restaurants and residential development (even just a couple of added blocks and less reminder of how close 880 is would add tons of value to the redevelopment aspect of the project, which seems to be key to getting any momentum going in Oakland.
As far as inside goes, I definitely want a grass “batter’s eye” like at the old Coliseum (and at many of the new MLB parks, Arlington e.g.). I like the idea of some homage to Shibe, as the coli does not have as much to replicate in walls/field dimensions (I kind of like all the foul territory, but that is a non-starter in new stadiums) but I would definitely keep the bullpens down the foul lines (I think Wrigley, ATT, and the Coliseum are the only parks that still have those) as opposed to buried under the bleachers as in most new parks. Having the scoreboard as part of the RF wall (and a high wall in right) is an interesting possibility, and would give a new park something distinct from the “new-cookie” parks that have the massive HD scoreboards in center (I’m not a huge fan of those, but probably because I’m used to looking to left or right for the boards in Oakland).
Some things I hope stay out:
-a steakhouse or any sit-down restaurant (never got the appeal of the West Side Club, and would rather just have more seating)
-“Plaza Bleachers”
-WiFi (as much as I love AN, if I’m at the game I don’t need the internet, and could do without the distraction)
-gimmicks above the bleachers (no coke bottles, swimming pools, etc.)
A couple last things to bring over from the Coli:
-the original orange-colored seats (also probably a non-starter as everywhere seems to have green or navy blue now)
-bench-style bleachers
-the “shelves” above the out of town scoreboards in the power alleys (and, for that matter, the manual scoreboards)
-championship banners (sorry, Gnats)
So many good ideas
A couple that grip me immediately:
The mini dig of 880, but that should happen even without a ballpark. Open up downtown to the waterfront. Of course, how the heck does that get paid for… ugh.
In my mind’s eye, I saw Shibe in right and the original coli fence in left/center. But I like the idea of combining the shelf and original wall. Nothing pisses me off more than some dumbass leaning out over the fence and pulling the ball into the bleachers. The shelves would keep fans back far enough that it wouldn’t ever happen.
Bench style bleachers are a MUST!
One thing I was thinking, was having a statue for each World Series winner. Specifically, a statue of Connie Mack holding the 1910 banner perched atop the stadium down the first base line standing next to an Eddie Collins holding a 1911 pennant and so on and so forth all the way through Rickey Henderson Holding 1989’s flag… but that is probably way over the top. Maybe in the roof top bar? Still… a grand vision, ha!
Stuff I am on the fence about:
Bullpens on the field. I think those just open up the possibility to injury more than anything. Aside from that I don’t really care.
WiFi. I don’t mind it. I don’t use it. But I don’t mind it.
Restaurant and such. I think there would be no need for it if there was a roof top bar/top floor club behind left field.
Stuff I disagree with:
Slides etc. Having three young children, one of my biggest complaints about the coliseum is Stomper’s Fun Zone. They love it, I like them wanting to go to games with me. I just wish I could see the game from the playgroundish area.
Curse you for mentioning orange seats. Good grief those were ugly.
I'm pretty sure that MLB has decreed an end to on-field bullpens
One thing that MUST be any new ball park – TROUGH URINALS.
Hey Al, just go away, baby.
+1
preferably the ones like the old Stanford Stadium. They were more trough-like.
"The A's get some action but they do not score..." -Glen Kuiper
"Anyone who calls themselves the Angels Angels should have to start over and ride the short bus." -timmeh from McCovey Chronicles
I like the statue idea...
perhaps one for each retired number too (and Haas). I get your point about the play area, and others who want restaurants etc., all these will have to be part of the plan simply because they are important to certain constituencies while nobody is vehement in opposition, I just hope we can find an understated and unique way to incorporate them that feels distinctly Oakland.
by MaineAthletic on Nov 18, 2009 10:51 AM PST up reply actions
Hate the bench style bleachers
Horrible for the back.
CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."
by DMOAS on Nov 18, 2009 12:25 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
As anyone would guess from my prior comments,
I love the idea of the mini-dig. I sometimes wish the entire 880 could be made to disappear, which of course I realize is completely impractical, but burying that little bit of it would be a nice step in the right direction. And yes, I’d like to see that done regardless of whether there’s a new ballpark.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Me too.. I'd also like the 80 from Albany to the Bay Bridge to go underground
Pipedream, i know. But imagine the benefits..
Hi ho.
A few rationals
-I’m all for a tailgate park area. I think the field at the end of the JLAC would be an awesome place with the water’s edge thing – but it can be very windy so maybe not the best place for paper plates or match lit grills.
-The sit-down dinning is a must. I know us blue-collar fans love the open field and SAAGS, but those high-end seating/dining areas are what will draw corporate purchases. In D.C. the high end areas behind home plate have sold very well and include all the dining accomodations. They don’t really detract from the stadium as it involves a single tier w/ outdoor seating and the president’s club level has the dining area receeded into the stadium. If we want to get our seats for $10 a pop still, we’ll need them paying $130 for theirs.
- Only problem i can see with bleachers is drunken fans looking for a fight. You get into a shoving match over space and then you’ve got a big problem on your hands.
- I want the bullpens on the field!
It's just more exciting with Billy Beane running the team.
My Dad built a house for the Vice President (or someone position like that) of Saags Sasuages
and he got us tickets to the West Side club once. The food was good but about 5 or 6 innings into the game I asked my Dad if we could go sit outside. It definetly is better outside.
I’ve never sat in bench style bleacher seats but they sound uncomfortable. Maybe if they have a back to lean against but without that I would never sit on bench stlye bleachers on purpose.
Gotta have green seats, it’s the A’s colors! Maybe even green and gold every other seat.
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
Speaking as a parent
leave the coke bottle and as many other distractions as possible. Don’t like that crap fine, don’t use it, but the kids zaone at in oakland is a carney deathtrap, kids won’t leave it, may as well stay home.
Conspicuous kid areas = more people at the games.
This is a great post, and gives me a warm view of a potential future (though, that might be the porridge)
As for your mid-west summer baseball tour – that’s being talked about here at Nothing Towers, too; it’s going to be job dependant, but we’re certainly planning on going Chicago – St Louis (with possibly some Kane County thrown in there for good measure).
Anyone else thinking about this sort of thing?
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
I am thinking
Wirgley and a train ride to ST. Louis. Has Kane County released their schedule as of yet?
How fun would it be
if we could coordinate an AN train?
I never considered taking him out. I had a commitment to his heart. - Johnny King
omg.
OMG.
I love trains.
This would be an idea in which I would describe myself as ‘interested to very interested’
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
choo choo!
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
"Flea Markets aren't just for blind dates anymore!"- The Reverend Billy Lard
by Gaijin_Suketto on Nov 19, 2009 2:17 PM PST up reply actions
Let's bee friends
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
I'm a Big Fan of brining in the East Bay culture
I think this is the key to a new ballpark being successful in Oakland over the long haul.
I think some architectural history would be a fantastic way to create a unique brand that favors a region that is very concerned with artistic asthetics.
I would definitely higher a team that was very intuitive with melding Athletics history with Oaklands. I’m not sure how you could realistically incorporate the lighthouse ( i just can’t picture it in my head) without it drawing too much comparison to PhoneBooth Park’s clocktower.
It's just more exciting with Billy Beane running the team.
that's a good idea, and could play out in many ways
-an echo to the tribune tower somewhere (assuming BANG is onboard as an advertiser)
-oak trees in the outfield/public areas (kind of like what the Nats have done with cherry blossoms)
-use key system logos for various areas (simple, but a nice touch to use them for A,B, C gate etc. plus, I bet they’re not copyrighted)
-Try to do what the Mets did in bringing local businesses/restaurants in as vendors (casper’s hot dogs, nation’s burgers, everett & jones bbq, a Luka’s location, Zachary’s pizza, taquerias, etc.)
by MaineAthletic on Nov 18, 2009 10:41 AM PST up reply actions
local dining establishments a must
I think that having 3-4 local choices would be huge (perhaps by popularity polling) adds the charm factor.
Line the promenade outside the stadium with oak trees or do tiles of metal imprinted oak leaves.
The best factor is the end has to look out to the oakland hills. we get that back, everything is alirght.
It's just more exciting with Billy Beane running the team.
The area between the site and Jack London Square
would seem the obvious place for new restaurants, shops, etc. I mean roughly a rectangle bounded by 2nd, 5th, Oak, and Alice. What’s there now? It’s been so long since I’ve been there that I can’t picture it. Anything that would be easily converted and/or torn down?
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Great ideas,
Oak Trees and a Dan Fontes Mural (j/k)!
You could also have some local Vietnamese, Chinese, and Mexican finger food options as well- East Oakland burrito anyone?
Could anyone expect Zachery’s to realistically serve anything without an hour long wait though? ;)
there are TONS of new downtown/temescal restaurants
You could get them in on the local food stuff for the yuppies at the park. I’m talking Bakesale Betty’s or the awesome southernn-fusion food at Pican. Maybe an insanely delicious, upscale burger from Sidebar. Or what about a Le Cheval stand? Pho 84? Oh man, that could be amazing. The A’s could be known for having the most diverse food available at any ballpark, reflecting the rich racial and ethnic diversity of Oakland.
I would so eat Pho in April.
I never considered taking him out. I had a commitment to his heart. - Johnny King
+1
"Flea Markets aren't just for blind dates anymore!"- The Reverend Billy Lard
by Gaijin_Suketto on Nov 20, 2009 1:22 AM PST up reply actions
Bakesale Betty's would make out like gangbusters.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
I don't know if I'm using that right.
I didn’t look it up. It’s late.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
You probably meant "make out like bandits"
But I think the gangbusters still works. Sort of.
I love that you wanted to look it up.
Here’s the etymology dictionary:
To come on like gangbusters (c.1940) is from radio drama “Gangbusters” (1937-57) which always opened with a cacophony of sirens, screams, shots, and jarring music.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
So, I have been dreading posting this
Last night when I was trying to explain the concept to my wife she said, “draw it.” I am not an artist, but I freehanded something for both Oakland Lightouse Stadium (complete with lame looking Connie Mack statue holding a pennant) and San Jose Mission. Here is the Oaktown Lighthouse that I drew freehand while looking at a picture of Shibe Park (all laughs are appreciated, it does look like a 12 year old drew it at best):
<img src=“”http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f36/jeffaugust/?action=view¤t=freehand_oakland.jpg" target="_blank">
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so, if you made that bigger, so it overlooks the stadium
it could light up everytime the A’s hit a home run
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Nice
Slap that on Lew’s desk and we’ve got ourselves a new ballpark.
It's just more exciting with Billy Beane running the team.
I like the way you think.
Only had a chance to glance at it, and will look deeper later when I’m not at work, but my initial impression is very positive.
Every hitter likes fastballs, just like everybody likes ice cream. But you don't like it when someone's stuffing it into you by the gallon. That's what it feels like when Nolan Ryan's thrown balls by you. ~Reggie Jackson
This is really cool!
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
Excellent idea.
I’m afraid tailgating will die completely at the new ballpark, because the competition won’t be wanted, but the site, the Mission/Shibe inspiration, and the little details are all top-notch.
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
My thought on this
Why don’t the A’s sell disposable bar be cues and and tailgating supplies? That way they can take a curt of the coin.
Disposable barbecues??
I didn’t realize such a thing exists. I hope they aren’t as wasteful as they sound.
Maybe an alternative is to install a few of those permanent grills that you sometimes see in parks and campgrounds. You’re talking about tailgating on the grass, right? Why not just make it like a park and deck it out like you would any park where people might have a gathering, with picnic tables and stuff, too? That would be cool, and presumably people could use them for non-game-related gatherings other times of year, too.
Ooh, and an amphitheater. I love amphitheaters! <imagines Shakespeare in the park followed by baseball game> <swoons>
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
I'd love to see the Oedipal Cycle played at the Hollywood Bowl
that would rock.
by cityplANner on Nov 19, 2009 11:40 AM PST up reply actions
In the immortal words of Pete Rose
“Fuck You, Shakespeare!”
"Flea Markets aren't just for blind dates anymore!"- The Reverend Billy Lard
by Gaijin_Suketto on Nov 19, 2009 2:20 PM PST up reply actions
In the immortal words of Miguel Tejada,
“Motherfuckin’ bitch!”
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
iglew
You have spelled out exactly what I was thinking. Create a park like setting for people to pregame barbecue and sell the supplies they need. Need Saags? We got ’em. Need chicken? We got it? Need charcoal, lighter, anything else? We got ’em.
The disposable barbecues are things I have seen in hardware stores. Here is a company that sells them. I ahve never used one so I got no idea how useful/safe they are.
haha, that site
“useful in emergencies—like hurricanes”—Imagine trying to grill in a cardboard box during a hurricane, or for that matter grilling at all during a hurricane. I think I’ll plan on PB&J during my natural disasters, thank you very much. I like the idea of an “A’s Mart” that has grilling supplies, and Saag’s would probably be on-board to have some exclusive varieties.
by MaineAthletic on Nov 19, 2009 1:49 PM PST up reply actions
Hmm, those look more efficient than I imagined.
I was picturing some horribly environmentally incorrect monstrosity with lots of metal to throw away after one use.
This looks like it’s not too much worse than regular barbecuing (which admittedly isn’t a very green standard to start from….)
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Fun!
(not the Shakespeare part)
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
I began thinking of a BBQ park - like picnic area where the BBQ pits are in place. bring in coolers, tables, chairs, charcoal etc.
It might require some thought about who would get rid of the ashes……after all was said and done. it could work, right?
Nice post
Everybody's got a little light under the sun.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Nov 20, 2009 7:16 PM PST reply actions
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