Oakland A's

Oakland. The town of Jack London. There’s a man worthy of emulation. Writer, outdoorsman, adventurer….but probably not an A’s fan. Jack like beauty, aesthetics and being one with nature. None of which the O .com (which is short for Overstock .com) Stadium (and from here on out known as its traditional name as the Oakland
Coliseum) have. The Coliseum is one of the few remaining all concrete, multi-purpose stadiums designed for both football and baseball. The Oakland A’s currently share the stadium with a semi-pro football team in Oakland known as the Raiders.

These stadiums were also known as “cookie cutter” stadiums because most looked basically the same. They functioned ok, but there was one issue...they are uglier than the love child of Don Rickles and Lady Ga Ga. Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Atlanta and the New York Mets all played in similar ballparks. They blew them up long ago and built slick new baseball only digs. That should tell Oakland something.

But there are a few saving graces for the Coliseum. As is borne out in the ratings it has great accessibility. Using the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) one can get to the ballpark from nearly anywhere in the Oakland/SF region. This is huge. And as it was Tuesday it was free parking, as is every Tuesday. In addition a $15 ticket gets you a ticket and that includes a $6 concessions credit. It’s called the Value Deck and was enough to cover my seat and the $5.25 Coliseum Dog. What it did not cover was the tip for the Sherpa to escort me to my seat and the supplemental oxygen required to survive at that altitude. Still not a bad deal if you are accustomed to mountain climbing.

Dog:

Bun-stale.

The Coliseum Dog

Taste-the Miller’s frank was ok but not spectacular.

Price-$5.25 is a tad pricey but the frank was a decent size.

Toppings-good selection and only missing kraut.

Portability-a smallish cardboard boat that is too small for the dog. Expect to lose some toppings on the way to your seat.

It Factor-there are some interesting speciality dogs available. The Bay Bridge Dog for example, but nothing that is over the top.

Ballpark:

Location-not downtown but along the bay.

Access-excellent thanks to the BART.

Ambiance-I got one word to improve the A’s stadium: dynamite.

Fans-sparse crowd for a team that is in first place on a night with free parking. The ones that were there were into the game.

Cleanliness-not a bad job considering the age of the facility.

GA Ticket-the value ticket with the concessions credit is not a bad deal. For the same $15 you can get an outfield seat. That would be pricey. I split the difference on the score.

Dog		Ballpark		Total Dog/Game
Bun	2	Location	3
Taste	3	Access	5
Toppings	4	Cleanliness	4
Price	3	Ambiance	2
Portability	3	GA Ticket Price	4
It Factor	3	Fans	4
	18		22	40

I did read on someone else’s website that some fans love the Coliseum. He also stated that “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” True dat yo.