Well, every A's fan knows it, and a whole lot don't like it. The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, formerly known as McAfee Coliseum and Network Associates Coliseum, is the home of the A's. It has been ever since the Athletics moved to Oakland back in 1968, and has seen 4 WS victories. Yet lately, the Coliseum has been desolate, with thousands of empty seats, and hasn't seen October baseball since 2006. It has come to be known as a pitcher's best friend - and a hitter's nightmare.

Let's begin with a bit of history. As mentioned before, Oakland Coliseum has been home to the A's for 42 years. It also houses the Oakland Raiders, since 1966. The stadium was built by a non-profit corporation, and cost 25 million dollars to build. It was opened on September 18, 1966, fitting in with the start of the NFL season. The A's played their first game April 17, 1968. On May 8, Catfish Hunter threw the 9th perfect game in MLB history in the Coliseum. During the '70's, the stadium was not well-maintained, and twice in 1979 attendance to and A's game was less then 1,000 fans. It became known as the "Oakland Mausoleum". From then on, the only real notable things were the numerous major concerts held at the Coliseum, as well as the naming of the "Bill King Broadcast Booth".

Now, why is the stadium disliked by A's fans? Because Oakland shares it with the Raiders. The foul territory is gigantic, allowing for lots of pop-outs. The stadium itself is mammoth-sized, making homers hard to hit. There is a huge tarp covering the third deck, that is almost never used for A's games. Thus much of the stadium looks empty, and the max attendance is only about 35,000 fans. Pitchers, however, love the park, as it allows for more outs and fewer hits.

Despite all this, Oakland's home-road splits are in favor of the Coliseum. They went 47-34 at home, but just 34-47 on the road. In a huge park, their pitchers have help from the field, and dominate. Away from home, the offense struggles badly, and the rotation just can't compensate. because it's easier for the opposing team to score and get on base. Of course, everyone knows that the A's have great pitching and weak offense, so that doesn't change many opinions.

Oakland politics may decide the future of the A's. I don't know much, but I believe the current frontrunner isn't ecstatic about keeping the A's, much less building a better, nicer stadium. The runner-up is all for building the A's a new stadium. 

  So, that's that. The Oakland Coliseum. Infamous. But in a good or bad way?