New A's Ballpark

by Tyler Bleszinski on Aug 12, 2005 10:01 PM PDT in News

As everyone already knows, Lewis Wolff presented the A's ownership's grand vision of a new ballpark in Oakland. It's the most concrete proof that Wolff is a man of his word, unlike many who were hesitant to believe he would try and build a new stadium in Oakland.

My first reaction when seeing the design of the new stadium was love at first sight. I think it's gorgeous and has character. I could almost see the flags waving from the triangle in the left field corner, the trumpeting dude sitting in the yellow section and the Banjo Guy lounging in the pool on top of the condos/hotel (sorry for THAT image).

Any way, the stadium has so many hurdles to clear, but the initial public reaction appears positive. It also tells me that Wolff was serious when he said that he wasn't talking about a cash handout when he discussed needing public help. The logistics of getting so many different people to sell their businesses will be daunting to say the least.

But at least this new proposal is a huge step in the right direction. And I like the fact that Wolff is talking about building out the neighborhood around it. Restaurants, bars and shops would make the area a destination. It would make it someplace to hang out before or after the game. Right now, the only place to do that that's within walking distance is the parking lot for tailgaters.

But A's fans now have something that there never seemed to be under the Schott regime...hope for a future in Oakland. Enjoy the view.

(Image courtesy of 360 ARCHITECTURE and GENSLER ARCHITECTURE)

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Oh

to be rich and able to afford one of those condos...

Mark Ellis---"this is the funnest team we've ever been on -- Little League, high school, whatever. This is great."

by Alien @ Athletics Nation on Aug 12, 2005 10:09 PM PDT reply actions

Are those seats coming out of the condos?

Imagine walking out your front door, and LOOK, wow, seats to the game!

by Melody on Aug 12, 2005 10:10 PM PDT reply actions

i believe that they are bleachers and not condos

the condos is the tower

"Some people pray to a totem pole, some people pray to a sun, some people pray to a god. It all works for them. It all comes back to what you think." ~ Zito

by burnone on Aug 12, 2005 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions

They're extended patios

The brilliant diamond-shaped bleachers, standing on the patios, are to the lower right.

I have no idea about pricing--poor A's fans would be frantically irrational to purchase the condo's anyway, lord knows what some shivering, quivering fan will do with their checkbook.

I could smoke salmon and telescope babes during baseball games. God--seven hundred and fifty grand. Without thinking, I'd pay. Likely they'll go for at least a million five.

by paradox on Aug 13, 2005 7:29 AM PDT up reply actions

I read

They'd sell for 2 million each.

by OaktownTribesman on Aug 13, 2005 9:04 AM PDT up reply actions

Okay, this isn't so bad.

I mean, we've got a few years til this gets built, right? We can all win the lottery by then, totally possible. This can be done. Yes.

MUST HAVE COLISEUM CONDO!

"While I was there, it didn't always seem perfect, but when I look back on it I just might think it was perfect." --Eric Byrnes

by Kyli on Aug 13, 2005 9:15 AM PDT up reply actions

me too!!

Please GOD, let me be rich in about 10 years!

Maybe a bunch of us could go in on it together. What's the seating capacity of that condo? We'll have it packed with ANers!

by LLawbug on Aug 13, 2005 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions

2 mil?

That actually sounds a little low.

Mark Ellis---"this is the funnest team we've ever been on -- Little League, high school, whatever. This is great."

by Alien @ Athletics Nation on Aug 13, 2005 9:27 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm thinking they'll be really cramped

At 2 million, look for half of them to be sold to A's players... :)

by OaktownTribesman on Aug 13, 2005 9:36 AM PDT up reply actions

Will the crowd be looking for some

"ACTION" like they do at the Skydome hotel...?

by Hit4TheCycle on Aug 12, 2005 10:13 PM PDT reply actions

I am open to change but......

i like it but I also kinda like our currant home.

tailgate partys
bart right there
sit in the sun with your feet up
always tickets avalible
die hard fans

Awsome Team

by beschrader on Aug 12, 2005 10:23 PM PDT reply actions

looks great!

My only fear of this design is the lower level. When I went to SD the lower level was really flat and it was hard to see everything including the scoreboard which was blocked by the level above us (we were sitting on the LF side). Of course it didn't make things better when the people in front of us got up no less than 74 times. It did help that they had TVs mounted on the ceiling, so we could catch the TV feed by looking up if we had to.

Other than that, I think the plan looks really cool. I wish they could build it by next year!

I was wondering if anyone knows what demensions they are looking to build? I sort of have a thing for symmetrical outfields hahaha

"huston would look so hot in a miniskirt. he has great legs." - leslie (the female barry zito)

by drmmerchk on Aug 12, 2005 10:25 PM PDT reply actions

I just back from SD too....

and I thought the stadium was a little too big for my taste, but besides the size, I though it was very very nice. Things I liked at Petco were:

o. The "park in the park" behind the bleachers for kids to play and for families to have a picnic and still have a nice view of the game. All for a $5 or $8 "Park pass" - standing room only ticket.

o. All seats angled to face home plate.

o. Ushers who actually make people wait until a Padres at bat is done before they let you go back to your seat.

o. Numerous concession stands so that over the course of 3 games I never had to wait more than 3 mintues for anything.

o. High-def widescreen TVs throughout the park.

o. Whenever there's a giveaway, EVERYBODY gets one, no matter how late you walk into the park. Nice touch.

I can't wait to see this thing get started. But what was mentioned previously is right, getting those businesses to sell will be tough. I hope that ownership is willing to shell out the dough. Then again, and not to get too political here, I can see eminent domain rearing its ugly head....

Other than that - I LOVE IT!

by Zeavran on Aug 12, 2005 11:48 PM PDT up reply actions

Season Ticket Holder in San Diego

The wife and I have part of a season ticket package and your comments about Petco Park are pretty much spot on.

THe "flatness" of the field level makes it near impossible for my wife (who's 4'8") to see if an average sized adult is sitting in front of her. Plus, the third base side seats are much worse than those on the first base side.

That seems to be a trend with the "mallparks", who get the seats point to home plate part right, but not much else. Hopefully, with the proposed size in Oakland, this won't be a problem.

by Aaron C on Aug 12, 2005 11:57 PM PDT up reply actions

seating in the park

A friend just complained about the same thing at pac bell park. He says the levels are too flat and you can't see easily through the person in front of you. In San Francisco this was done on purpose because there were height restrictions on the park. The other thing is that teams don't want the park to end up like Comiskey in Chicago where the top deck is so far away and steep that it is not a good place to sit.

On the layout, I'd actually like to have some foul territory and a terrible hitting background in center field. History has shown that playing in a park which favors pitchers is more conducive to winning than playing in a bandbox (note that Yankee Stadium was a pitchers park compared to other parks when the Yankees were winning from 1923 - 1964).

by skwid on Aug 13, 2005 7:58 AM PDT up reply actions

Foul territory

In the earlier thread it was pointed out there was a lack of foul territory. These new images of the model that have since popped up show we are keeping the foul territory in tact.

by casey. on Aug 12, 2005 10:28 PM PDT reply actions

I'm wondering where the bullpens would be

Maybe enclosed in center field? Or would they be in foul territory again?

by Tyler Bleszinski on Aug 12, 2005 10:33 PM PDT reply actions

hopefully they didn't forget them

they can't be in foul territory. There is a rule against that (at SBC, they actually did forget them and had to add them in later)

Maybe enclosed down the left-field line?

Mark Ellis---"this is the funnest team we've ever been on -- Little League, high school, whatever. This is great."

by Alien @ Athletics Nation on Aug 12, 2005 10:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Behind CF wall

You can see what appears to be screens or plexiglass along the CF wall. Behind those will be the bullpens, enclosed like at so many other parks.

by OaktownTribesman on Aug 13, 2005 6:52 AM PDT up reply actions

the players would rise up out of the ground

when they come out to pitch

"Some people pray to a totem pole, some people pray to a sun, some people pray to a god. It all works for them. It all comes back to what you think." ~ Zito

by burnone on Aug 13, 2005 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions

Location, Location, Location

Is that location more desireable than, say, Lake Merritt or Jack London Square? What about the area around the West Oakland Bart station?

by AlBowe on Aug 12, 2005 10:34 PM PDT reply actions

No

No it is not more desireable than Lake Merritt or JLS.

But where are we going to build if we wanted to build at JLS? It's all built up. The only remaining land (Howard Terminal) was bought up by Mattson. Lake Merritt doesn't have any areas that the A's could build a new stadium either. Laney College won't give up its fields and the OUSD site is probably too small. Furthermore, the Oak-to-Ninth area would've been a traffic nightmare.

by uci anteater on Aug 12, 2005 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes it's more desirable

Jack London Square and Lake Merritt are already great places on their own. No need for a ballpark. With a new ballpark just north of the Coliseum, that whole neighborhood could really be a cool place to hang out and live 20 years from now, instead of the industrial wasteland it is today.

by OaktownTribesman on Aug 13, 2005 6:54 AM PDT up reply actions

Land

What makes this location better for Wolff is the extra land he hopes to get with it. If he is able to develop all 90 acres, then the money made developing the other parts can help, or entirely, cover the costs of building the stadium.

The other locations that have been talked about were mainly ballpark only locations and if Oakland doesn't want to pay for the construction, then Wolff needs the ability to pay for it with other development opportunities.

by ImissHENDU on Aug 12, 2005 10:41 PM PDT reply actions

turn it around

knock down the condos in the outfield and you could watch the sun set under the Golden Gate. Lew Baby, I have a vision. give me a call.

I believe you Barry.

by mikedaviswhereareyou on Aug 12, 2005 10:42 PM PDT reply actions

actually you'd get a view of Alameda

by uci anteater on Aug 12, 2005 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Actually

You'd get a view of East Oakland.

by OaktownTribesman on Aug 13, 2005 6:55 AM PDT up reply actions

That would be terrible

Turning the stadium toward the bay would be the worst thing you could do. Originally the giants wanted to have their park oriented towards downtown (about 180 degrees from where it is now). They then sent the stadium design to an aeronautical professor at UC Davis and the word came back "hey this orientation will give you Candlestick park II with the nice setup for swirling winds". Jon Miller is alway bragging about the view of the east bay hills and the A's used to have that at the Coliseum. It would be nice to have the view again. I hope all the extra buildings don't block the view out.

On the bullpens, I'd like to see them on the field myself. I think it adds an extra dimension and all the fans can easily see what is going on. No hiding anything behind walls.

by skwid on Aug 13, 2005 8:03 AM PDT up reply actions

wow...

absolutely beautiful.

i love the oakland coliseum for all the good memories we've had there, but this is a new generation and they deserve a home of their own.

i really hope they get this ballpark built.

by joe m on Aug 12, 2005 10:45 PM PDT reply actions

... (-_-) ...

I think there should be like a little special spot right behind the pitcher's mound where K-Rod can squat at the end of each A's victory.

What is an A? 1st in the alphabet and 1st in the AL West.

by Edwinwinwin on Aug 12, 2005 11:14 PM PDT reply actions

LMAO

Good one!

by anomaly_kat on Aug 12, 2005 11:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Get ready for the lawsuits.............

Face it, at least half of Oakland's residents can't afford to go to games now, and certainly won't at the new venue. And trust me, there are attorneys and interest groups who will gladly step up to represent what they feel is a "disenfranchised group", even if it's through frivolous suits that have no chance of success.

In the end, the A's will prevail, but there's going to be a dedicated group out there that DO NOT WANT THIS BUILT, PERIOD.....

.....and many of them are regular AN posters, sad to say.

by Rob @ Athletics Nation on Aug 12, 2005 11:46 PM PDT reply actions

lawsuits

It really depends on how things are done as to wether lawsuits will have any merit. From my point of view if the A's really are going to pay for things and give the land onwers fair market value then the opportunity for a lawsuit goes way down. While it is true that you can sue about anything there needs to be some merit to the suit for it to be effective.

by skwid on Aug 13, 2005 8:07 AM PDT up reply actions

the triangle.

at first i thought it was ugly. now i see the whole picture. it is an upside down home plate.

"Some people pray to a totem pole, some people pray to a sun, some people pray to a god. It all works for them. It all comes back to what you think." ~ Zito

by burnone on Aug 12, 2005 11:56 PM PDT reply actions

nah, i'm trippin'

it's triangle. maybe i should go to bed. tonight was long. but good. haren got outdueled, barely. new stadium, maybe. wow. eck tommorrow. see u there

"Some people pray to a totem pole, some people pray to a sun, some people pray to a god. It all works for them. It all comes back to what you think." ~ Zito

by burnone on Aug 12, 2005 11:59 PM PDT up reply actions

It's an "A"

(the bleachers, that is).

by Brian in 317 on Aug 13, 2005 8:54 AM PDT up reply actions

what you can do to help this happen

if you live in oakland, as i proudly do, email your city councilman, and other officials to voice your support. unlike national politicians, local pols do not often get a lot of email or input from their constituents. if we all are the squeaky wheel behind the A's, maybe we can get just a little grease.. here is the link that will get you their emails..

http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/council/city-officials.html

to see what district you are in:
http://www.oaklandnet.com/oit/CDST/DistMain.cfm

any other ideas on what actions by us fans would be helpful?

by danh on Aug 13, 2005 12:04 AM PDT reply actions

if you live in Alameda, SL, SLZ or Fruitvale...

...you can try reaching your County Supervisor, Alice Lai-Bitker, BOSdist3@acgov.org
She also represents the area where this proposed venue is to be built. I don't know what kind of weight she has though.

by uci anteater on Aug 13, 2005 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions

We should have an AN letter-writing party

A lot of different groups hold these. I think that this would be a good idea.

by uci anteater on Aug 13, 2005 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions

Is it just me?

...or is it hard to tell where home-run terriory would be/is? Are these illustrations shown without outfield walls?

by Jonny Oklnd on Aug 13, 2005 12:11 AM PDT reply actions

That would be, bar none, the best modern stadium

in all of baseball.

Good lord it's beautiful. I get goosebumps just thinking of watching a game at that, in Oakland.

by walk off bunt on Aug 13, 2005 12:17 AM PDT reply actions

I love it.

Oakland's been dangling in the doldrums far too long and are in desperate need of an economic boost and revitalization of some kind.
I hope our new stadium can be the first step in elevating Oakland to loftier heights.

by sf drift king on Aug 13, 2005 12:24 AM PDT reply actions

Man

this is like a dream come true. and i live in the east coast. i'm just so happy that they are really trying to stay in oakland <tear>

ohio roots

by nickatt7 on Aug 13, 2005 2:37 AM PDT reply actions

Have Faith

IF LEWIS BUILDS IT THEY WILL COME.
If the collective comes together as a whole we create a positive force that cannot be matched anywhere. The fan base is finally starting to realize how special they really are. Lenin did not relinquish, Trotsky became the intellectual super power he was destined to be. And Billy Beane stabbed Stalin with and ice-pick through the temple. When (and not if) this park is constructed the San Francisco Giants do not exist.

THE BOURGEOIS PREVAIL

by joeytherat on Aug 13, 2005 2:46 AM PDT reply actions

Don't Forget Lew Wolfe also mentioned

that the stadium will cost $400 million and he will need city support. If he doesn't get the money from Oakland's tax payers he will be moving the team somewhere else.

And even if these pics are amazing it doesn't have a very good chance of happening in Oakland because Oakland's priorities aren't on a new stadium.

by paul75 on Aug 13, 2005 3:03 AM PDT reply actions

Where did Wolff

Say that he wanted money from the city? He needs the support of the Oakland policatians to get all the parcels of land. He has said he would pay for this land. Now wether he really means this is another matter entirely.

As I've said before, for any developement of this size you need the city behind you. Nothing like this can be done without the support of someone in city hall.

by skwid on Aug 13, 2005 8:10 AM PDT up reply actions

I think it is beautiful!

The design is very geometrical in my opinion. IT has a unique look for sure. It kinda has the look of a pitchers park.
I love the big triangular section of seats. I am certain that will get a nickname soon!

Everyone should want Larry Davis as their boss...there would never be a timetable on anything.

by Unuscione on Aug 13, 2005 3:42 AM PDT reply actions

I suggested

The Bermuda Triangle... get it? Black Hole? Bermuda Triangle? Things disappearing? Ah, I give up. :)

by OaktownTribesman on Aug 13, 2005 7:00 AM PDT up reply actions

Though

Watch it take on a some gimmicky corporate name, like the "Gap" at SBC... I'm thinking the "The Pyramid", with the logo of Pyramid Brewery slapped on top of it.

by OaktownTribesman on Aug 13, 2005 7:03 AM PDT up reply actions

If you're going to build a new park in Oakland....

Hope they have enough money to bribe and pay off that crooked bastard, Ignacio De La Fuente... He's been working for a payoff since Wolfe has been proposing a new ball park.

Good luck...

And by the way, I agree with the person that likes our current home. Great cheap seats and die hard fans. The new park is destined to be "THE place to go" and will be filled with ungrateful yuppies who are only there to be seen.

by AthleticsMojo on Aug 13, 2005 3:47 AM PDT reply actions

LMAO!

That would be hilarious....

by OaktownTribesman on Aug 13, 2005 6:57 AM PDT reply actions

great looking park;

and if the people (esp. the ball fans) of oakland actually get see this park built, they should thank their lucky stars. for the most part, the city of oakland except for about
12,000-14,000 hardcore fans really don't deserve it. as of right now, the a's are around 23rd in MLB attendance....thats a shame.

We're not dunderheads here...

by bigelephant on Aug 13, 2005 7:39 AM PDT reply actions

attendance for 2005

Actually the A's are currently 22nd in MLB attendance and climbing. Over the first four games of the current home stand the A's have averaged over 40,000/game. The average attendance has gone up about 1,500/game just because of this. After this home stand it is quite likely that the A's will be in 19th in MLB attendance after jumping ahead of Arizona, Detroit and Minnesota.

by skwid on Aug 13, 2005 8:15 AM PDT up reply actions

The Malt Liqour Bottle...

...could be inside a paper bag, and then, when the A's hit a dinger, it could emerge from the bag like the big apple at Shea.

by GreenNGoldSooner on Aug 13, 2005 7:42 AM PDT reply actions

LOL

Keep it coming!

by OaktownTribesman on Aug 13, 2005 9:05 AM PDT up reply actions

Possibility

"Let's all stand for the Colt 45 7th inning stretch!"

"Lou Gehrig... died of Lou Gehrig's disease. How the hell did he not see that coming?" - Denis Leary

by JLaff on Aug 13, 2005 7:49 AM PDT reply actions

this park

is dope to def. i'm more excited to see if he (wolfe) can follow through with his plans to "renovate" the area. wolfe is tight.

"SmartDumbCATS" - Pretty Tony aka Ghostface Killah

by ucla kid on Aug 13, 2005 9:13 AM PDT reply actions

stadium naming rights

from the Tribune
http://www.insidebayarea.com/tribune/localnews/ci_2940387
Wolff also suggested any naming rights for the park would not go to a company trying to hawk a consumer product.

from Dave Newhouse:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_2940502
As for naming rights, the scourge of quick-change stadium identities nowadays, Wolff has another source of naming rights revenue he's seeking. He's not at liberty to divulge his plan right now, but this is a man who thinks outside the box. As proof, his ballpark plan includes a hotel or condos.

-also-
...I saw Lew Wolff and Ignacio De La Fuente hug in Wolff's Coliseum complex office. That hug symbolized hope, that a new A's ballpark will be built in Oakland, and Wolff and De La Fuente are the two men who can make it happen.
___

I'm not a big De La Fuente fan, but if he can make this happen, I'll change my mind

Celebrate good times, come on!

by gojohn10 on Aug 13, 2005 9:15 AM PDT reply actions

Maybe

They'll do a raffle each season and whoever wins gets to put their full name on the ballpark. At $5 bucks for a raffle ticket, they could raise a nice ammount of cash, plus the publicity.

by OaktownTribesman on Aug 13, 2005 9:39 AM PDT up reply actions

here's a link to a similar idea

New York Yankee fan wanted to name Boston's Fleet Center the Derek Jeter Center

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bos/news/bos_news.jsp?ymd=20050225&content_id=950583& ;vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp

Celebrate good times, come on!

by gojohn10 on Aug 13, 2005 9:57 AM PDT up reply actions

Three Questions

1)Where is the hitter's backdrop?

2)What are the dimensions to Center, The Alleys, The Corners?

3)How the heck to you tell what's a homer in some spots out there in center?

There is a visible yellow line in the left field corner that would be the demarcation for a homer, but center looks confusing.

2nd favorite team: WHOEVER IS PLAYING THE GIANTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by ConcordFanSince1968 on Aug 13, 2005 10:06 AM PDT reply actions

True

The walls are weird and I would hate to see some crazy yellow lines running at weird angles all over the place.

I hope there are some subtle nuiances from the Coliseum like foul territory and on-field bullpens(where are they?).

It looks like possibly the yellow seating is the BBQ Plaza? In relatively the same spot, that's what I'm talking about, little things like that, that will make it feel like "home".

Athletic: Mighty slayer of Slegna

by Force on Aug 13, 2005 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions

Huh.

I'm really not sure what I think of this. On one hand... pretty. Shiny. Like the triangle of seats 'round the bleachers. Love the idea of remaking the whole area, breathing some life into it, since the 'village' idea will be a great thing, though eminent domain makes me absolutely ill.

But... I'm definitely in the 'I need more details' camp, since figuring out what the hell is going on in the outfield took me awhile. I would love a video screen to rival the one in Atlanta, and make sure there's video screens visible to everyone, but overall... I don't know. I'm not a big fan of the look, the integration of buildings into the design like that has never really been my style. The designation of home runs, like mentioned above, is something I'm curious about.

Personally, I'm a fan of the expansive foul territory and the on-the-field bullpens. I like the personal nature of having bullpens nearby, and being able to see who's warming up. It always creeps me out at parks where it looks like they're keeping the relief pitchers in a cage. The foul territory is quirky.

I guess I just want more details. I want an outline of what kind of different seating is available, and closer drawings of some of the stuff -- I have similar concerns about the seating being too low to see over people, and about sight lines. Just figuring out more about the specifics would be nice.

Given how early it is in the process, it's hard for me to get hugely excited since I know plenty of these details don't exist or will change. So I know I'll be dancing in about six months, when we'll undoubtedly see a clearer vision of Lew's plan.

But overall? I'm just damned happy to see a drawing, to see that Lew has a plan and it's directed at Oakland. The existence of these pictures is what makes me happy.

"While I was there, it didn't always seem perfect, but when I look back on it I just might think it was perfect." --Eric Byrnes

by Kyli on Aug 13, 2005 12:06 PM PDT reply actions

go back to the drawing board

1) a west oakland site would be better for the community. have you ever seen the stretch of road that occupies the land where the cypress freeway used to stand? beautiful, expensive and plopped right in the middle of urban blight.
now imagine crowds of people walking to the stadium ala fenway park. what a sense of community that would produce!!! talk about an improvement to the neighborhood.

36,000? try 42,000. too small and the corporations will fill that staduim every game. Ticket prices will be astronomical (they would have to be) and we'll never see a big game in person.
the statium needs more sunlight. geez...
open up the outfield. no one wants to see a hotel at a baseball game. how about the hills and downtown skyline.
why so angular? how unoriginal. since camden yards baseball parks have become cookie cutter-esque. If you want to copy a park why not copy the Royals stadium. smooth lines with grass, fountains and sunlight.

just my 2 cents....

by loobie on Aug 13, 2005 12:16 PM PDT reply actions

You payin'?

by FlynnSox on Aug 14, 2005 9:58 PM PDT up reply actions

Claustrophobic

I looked at the pictures again after a few hours since my first glance.

Something really struck me this time. The park is giving me claustrophobia.

The hotel in left. The Condos in center. The Jumbotron on top of the condos. It is as walled in as Mount Davis.

Maybe it would translate better in life than in the picture, but it feels a little busy to me.

2nd favorite team: WHOEVER IS PLAYING THE GIANTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by ConcordFanSince1968 on Aug 13, 2005 12:55 PM PDT reply actions

Oakland Hills / Downtown View

I posted this on another thread: but how about opening up one of the outfields to see either a view of Downtown Oakland or the Oakland Hills? This looks boxy and enclosed like the ballpark in Arlington, TX. We have a good view in several directions here in CA -- let's make use of it!

by Berkeley Steve on Aug 13, 2005 2:18 PM PDT reply actions

Agreed.

It'd be nice to have a real view again, I think it'd be lovely to do that.

"While I was there, it didn't always seem perfect, but when I look back on it I just might think it was perfect." --Eric Byrnes

by Kyli on Aug 13, 2005 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions

Is no one else worried about ticket price?

I did not like that qoute that Wolff gave in the other thread about how much lower the A's average ticket price is compared to the Giants. The colliseum may not be perfect, but I would take 8 dollar tickets at the Colliseum over 30 dollar tickets at this new place any day.

by maxnelson on Aug 13, 2005 3:30 PM PDT reply actions

You're misreading the situation, imho

It's not the Coliseum vs. a new stadium, it's Las Vegas/Portland vs. a new stadium.

The Coliseum is a dump. Admit it. Be one with it. Accept it. The place is a dump. Despite the Soxian suffix, I grew up out here and I've been going to games at the Coliseum since well before the renovation. The place sucks now. It'll be nice going to a new stadium with actual concourses so it doesn't take two innings to buy a hot dog. Without a monolith in CF like Mt. Davis.

Considering Wolff is not asking taxpayers to take a bath on this one, I don't know what more one can really ask for. There'll still be plenty of bleacher seats (probably more than Mt. Davis-edition) and enough low-priced seats for most nights. Yeah, the park is smaller. Cool, so the franchise can make more money by leveraging demand, playoff games will actually be sold out, and Billy Beane won't have to pull out the magic wand all the time. This is bad?

by FlynnSox on Aug 14, 2005 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions

It reminds me of....

Atlanta ...with the wearhouse built in.... but the neighborhood idea screams Wrigleyville...and that I like a lot. I would want elevation in all the seats so (like Wrigley field) everyone could see. Lots of technical stuff...big screens, both on field and in the concession (bathrooms) area. You would never miss a thing.

Does Wolfe want a great moneymaker.... raffle off a condo? Ten dollars a ticket and you can only buy just one. Someone who spent $10.00 would have a dream come true.

I hope with the new stadium/more money attitude we don't lose are "Billy Beane" mentality. We are doing what we are doing this season because of the fact our backs were against the wall and nobody thought we were worth anything. One sports writer rated us below Tampa Bay and Kansas City. Hello, here we are.

SO... I love the new field....BUT, does throwing more money at overpaid players mean that we will have a better team?

by Andy907 on Aug 13, 2005 5:52 PM PDT reply actions

Here is a picture i lifted from the paper-

Click it and it gets bigger.

by oaklandwhat on Aug 13, 2005 7:18 PM PDT reply actions

just back from san diego

I liked PETCO a lot for its integration with the urban neighborhood, nearby parking garages and those "Western Metal Supply Company" suites. The grassy knoll in right field was a nice touch too, a picnic area with a long-range view of the game and a better one from the video screen. Wolff's proposed park has a similar feel in left with the condos, but it's too built-up around right. Would prefer a grassy area there with a view of the hills. On the other hand, no stadium is perfect, and this one would be a lot better than the one we have now. The location is fine -- there's the same freeway access we have now, plenty of parking plus BART. If they cut a million out of the price of those condos, I might put a bid in!

by vk on Aug 14, 2005 5:25 PM PDT reply actions