To Oakland. (Long post)

To be honest, I have tried to make this post several times in the past. I have typed it out over and over again, and typically end up deleting it. As the final week of the season closes in, so comes the end to baseball in Oakland. I really wish this wasn’t the case, I wish we could be going to Howard Terminal, as i’m sure many of us do. I wish we could have found new ownership that wanted to keep baseball in the East Bay. I never thought the last game I went to, would be the last game id ever see at Oakland Coliseum, or as I usually call it, O.Co. I wanted to take a second to reflect, and truth be told, this is going to be a long post, so if you choose not to read, I understand.

As a kid who grew up in the East Bay, I was fortunate enough to spend many summer afternoons at Oakland Coliseum, with friends, family, summer camps, youth groups, etc. It was always a staple of my summer, as the A’s have been my favorite team for as long as I remember. I have sat all over the place there, from the nosebleeds, all the way down to right behind home plate. I stand by the statement that there is no experience like riding BART to the game, walking over that bridge, with all the musicians, people selling merch, scalpers and of course, fellow A’s fans. The chants of “Lets Go Oakland!” All of it.

I know everyone says their fans are the “Best Fans in Sports” but nothing beats Oakland Fans. I stand by that. You see Oakland is a town of blue collar, hard working people, and its fans are no different. During my life, I have been fortunate enough to watch games with amazing people, and I think that was one part of the experience i’ll never forget. As a smaller market team, we may not have the following as say the Red Sox or Yankee’s, but Oaklands fans are different. When you would go to the store, out to eat, anywhere in the country, when you saw a fellow fan dawning their green and gold, it was almost like an unwritten code or message. I’ve lived all over the US now, but any time I see a fellow A’s fan, it’s like seeing a long lost friend, and getting to talk about our favorite A’s memories is something I always enjoyed.

During my 28 years, I have watched many iterations of this team jogging onto the field, some really good, and some not, but still, they were my team, and I was proud to represent them. I have had the opportunity to watch some really amazing players, World Series champions, future and current Hall of Famers, and some great games at the coliseum. I was there watching games, when Billy Beane’s first Money Ball team was causing Havok in baseball. It is impossible to share all of my memories, but some that stand out are:

• Watching the A’s sweep the Yankee’s back in 2012 (the year may be wrong) and getting to see the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Derrick Jeter.

• One hot summer afternoon against the Royals, when a fly ball was caught in left field, and Jonny Gomes made a huge throw to home plate, tumbling over himself, and got the runner out at home.

• Watching John Lester pitch at home, prior to him moving to Chicago and being a key contributor to ending the Cubs 108 year WS drought (i’m also a Cubs fan, but thats a story for another time).

• Seeing Matt Chapman walk it off in the 10th during (what would be) my last game in the Coliseum.

= At the same game Matt Chapman walked off, was the first and only time I got to take my then girlfriend, and now (in 7 days) wife to the place where I fell in love with baseball.

That list goes on. I could go on for hours about the amazing memories I have there. As this week comes and goes, I have so much more I want to say, but I don’t think I can put into words how much that place has had an impact on my life. As the end of this era closes, I just wanted to say, to the fans I’ve celebrated with, to the awesome staff who sold me anything from a hot dog to a jersey. To the countless number of players and coaches, for everything you have done, for all the memories, the good, the bad and the ugly, to everyone but John Fisher and Rob Manfraud, thank you for everything.

I love you, Oakland. Thank you for everything.

Sincerely,

• A Kid from the East Bay.