I don't know if this is the right place for this and I apologize if it's not. Has anyone ever been to a game in Oakland? I have tickets for the sox series out there in a few weeks when I'm out there for a wedding. I went to a patriots game a few years ago and got abused. So just curious if the A's are the same or any advice people may have? Again I apologize if this is the wrong place to post.
Away game at Oakland
- Thread starter jp9183
- Start date
I went to a game there back in 2003. Although I've never been to a Raiders game, from what I understand that experience to be it was nothing like that. Wasn't really harassed at all, maybe a few comments on the BART after the game when the Red Sox won, but that's it. I was shocked that they were selling "Fuck Boston" t-shirts because I didn't realize they viewed the rivalry that seriously, but that could have been some Patriots snow game carryover.
The information is a little dated, but I wouldn't worry about it.
You've been there for a Raiders game so you probably already know this, but the place is an epic dump. I'd put it right up there with Montreal and Miami's previous digs for worst MLB stadium I've been to.
The information is a little dated, but I wouldn't worry about it.
You've been there for a Raiders game so you probably already know this, but the place is an epic dump. I'd put it right up there with Montreal and Miami's previous digs for worst MLB stadium I've been to.
I've been going to games in Oakland for a long time always with a Sox cap and the worst I've come across is a few "Sox Suck" comments as you walk by someone, and that was just a couple times. There are unsavory characters there, but the atmosphere shouldn't be anything like a Raiders game. I wouldn't worry abou it, especially if you get tickets along the 1st bases side where it will be a 50/50 split of Sox and A's fans.
I went to the Coliseum last April and sat in section 228 on the third base side. Agreed that the A's fans were great - had people to talk to the whole night - one of them was rocking a Carney Lansford jersey 
. The place is a dump, but it's better than Olympic Stadium, and the food I had was good. Added bonus - you walk right into the second level from the main entrance.
Here's a picture I took with a view from Section 228:
. The place is a dump, but it's better than Olympic Stadium, and the food I had was good. Added bonus - you walk right into the second level from the main entrance.Here's a picture I took with a view from Section 228:
jp9183 said:
I lived in SF for years and used to looooooove going to games at the Coliseum. I probably went 15 times between 2005 and 2011.
The park is ugly, and you're not especially close to the action, but in other respects its a great place to watch a game. The transit situation is excellent. It's super easy to get to the game on BART or Amtrak Capital Corridor — the stadium has its own train station — although the first train leaving will likely be packed to the gills. You might want to wait a few minutes after the game for the rush to subside if public transit stresses you out. I've never gone by car, so I'm not sure how well the parking situation works.
I was in grad school, so the cheap tickets were a godsend, and they allow food into the stadium — the correct move IMO is to bring a burrito from your favorite of the Bay Area's many fine taquerías. I used to live in the Mission, so I'd stop and pick up dinner on the way to the train. You could get a decent seat for 20 bucks, bring a 7 dollar burrito, buy a couple beers and roundtrip BART ticket and see the Red Sox for $50 all told. (Try to do that in Fenway.)
I have found the fans to be knowledgable and engaged — you sort of have to understand more about the issues of service time, the CBA, etc., than the typical fan to follow the A's. I've also experienced my share of good-natured teasing about my Sox cap, but nothing that would begin to qualify as abuse like you're worried about.
The Bay Area climate means that it will likely cool down as soon as the sun goes down. A hooded sweatshirt or light jacket is advisable.
The bleachers in Oakland are really fun!
Admittedly, the one time I went they weren't playing the Sox, so it was a neutral game, but the fans there have routines, rituals, songs, chants, dances -- it's awesome.
Not sure what it would be like with enemy colors on though. YMMV.
Admittedly, the one time I went they weren't playing the Sox, so it was a neutral game, but the fans there have routines, rituals, songs, chants, dances -- it's awesome.
Not sure what it would be like with enemy colors on though. YMMV.
I'll be going to the Sunday afternoon game. The only time in 30+ years of going to the coliseum that was weird was last year for a Saturday night game vs. Cleveland. Someone was throwing cherry bombs or something in the parking lot after the game. Just kept moving quickly. Oh, there was also a car fire in the parking lot during the game that wafted some smoke over the third base stands. Maybe things are getting weirder there. Wearing Sox gear has never prompted any abuse though. The worst thing is that most games I got to there, we lose.
thanks for the info. My friend who grew up in Southern Cal and made treks there for Angels/As games warned me not to wear my Pedey/Papi jersey so i wanted a second opinionas it scared my girlfriend some. Wedding is in San Fran and we plan on taking the BART over. I'm a brave one as i've worn anti-Yankee apparel into Yankee stadium in the past but obviously with age i'm not going to open my mouth as i did back in my college days.
If you watch this Cubs/White Sox animation, you can just do a global replace of "Southsiders" with "A's".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ6drB95bBw
The bridge between the BART station and the Coloseum was an excellent place to stock up on crack pipes last time I was there (which was 10 years ago).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ6drB95bBw
The bridge between the BART station and the Coloseum was an excellent place to stock up on crack pipes last time I was there (which was 10 years ago).
Sunday's game in the series has a promotional Coco Crisp Gnome. I think Coco will fit in nicely with my Papi and Pedey bobble heads.
The only time I've been harassed was by dudes in Raiders gear so, you know, continue to be vigilant even if football is not played that day
Seems like it's been covered, but I'll just add one more voice.
I went to a bunch of A's/Sox games when I lived in the bay area and never had a problem. This year, with the A's doing so well, and the Sox not, people will probably feel even less passionate in their distaste for the Sox. I was sitting in the bleachers for the D. Lowe/Sox comeback division series win, and still not much shit from anyone.
Also, agreed on the sweatshirt/coat advice, and the 'local color' on the bridge over to the BART station.
Have fun!
I went to a bunch of A's/Sox games when I lived in the bay area and never had a problem. This year, with the A's doing so well, and the Sox not, people will probably feel even less passionate in their distaste for the Sox. I was sitting in the bleachers for the D. Lowe/Sox comeback division series win, and still not much shit from anyone.
Also, agreed on the sweatshirt/coat advice, and the 'local color' on the bridge over to the BART station.
Have fun!
You were at that game and didn't get shit? It was a fucking war zone that night.DaubachmanTurnerOD said:
It's pretty chill most of the time, but it was seriously hairy at Game 5.
Spacemans Bong said:
Yeah, I was at all three of the games in Oakland. For game five, we were in the right-center bleachers. We got a few comments and some menacing stares, but nothing really to speak of.
I've since moved, but the Coliseum used to be great, with dollar dog nights, and the four tickets, four dog and four beers for $25 nights. And "home" games for the Sox (as Barry Zito used to complain about).
Wear your jersey. I'll be wearing one of mine.
Taunting from A's fans usually isn't much more than "Red Sox suck," and "go back to Boston."
Taunting from A's fans usually isn't much more than "Red Sox suck," and "go back to Boston."
Piling on a bit here, but I've been to both Pats games and Red Sox games at the Coliseum, and it really is a completely different crowd. Even just wearing blue to a Raiders game will invite threats, maybe a drink or two thrown your way. Meanwhile when the A's play, you'll see little kids walking around with Red Sox hats on. Completely night and day.
Celtics/Warriors games are somewhere in the middle.
Celtics/Warriors games are somewhere in the middle.
I've been to a couple there but Thursday night game will my first time rooting for the Sox there. It's been quiet and civil in the past for me. Taking my kids so I doubt they'll be a problem.
If it's anything like last season, expect every Bay Area New England transplant to be there. Mausoleum was a good 60% Sox fans. Place is utter shite as a place to watch a baseball game, and you'll probably be walking in a few inches of raw sewage in the men's room, but the fans are fine, tickets / concessions are insanely cheap, and it's very easy to get to by subway.
DaubachmanTurnerOD said:
You're lucky. It's normally just some good natured jostling but the Raider contingent was out in force that night (after all, 60,000 people in the park...the A's can't get 60,000) and it was hairy. Got a few bottles thrown at my head - fortunately missed - and lots of people yelling "FUCK BOSTON!" in my face, spittle flying. All because I had a jersey on. Fortunately the only people behind our row in the park were Cubs fans, and they weren't gonna hurt nobody.
The $2 Wednesdays/$1 dog nights were a crazy steal. For a 95 win team! They still do those, right? It's a dump of a park, but it's perfectly serviceable if you like baseball. The seats/leg room is OK, the views aren't bad (although you can be a little far from the field down the lines), stuff is much cheaper than AT&T, and if you time your food purchases correctly, you don't have to wait too long for decent dogs.
I thought they were drawing much better with the good team and all the walkoffs and the pies, but I see they are 25th out of 30 for avg. home attendance right now. Worse than them are Miami, KC, CWS, TB and Cleveland. Cleveland is last by almost 3,000 people per game. Says more about Cleveland than the Indians, doesn't it?PseuFighter said:
Posted in the ticketswap forum but I suddenly have an extra ticket to tomorrow night's game if anyone wants it... right next to Sox bullpen Sec 106.
I put the A's game on after the Sox won as background noise while I cleaned my house. They must have mentioned the Red Sox 64,000 times during the broadcast.
Honestly, from the Red Sox walk off win today, to the anticipated influx of Red Sox Nation, to the struggling offense... I felt like I was listening to a NESN postgame. It was wild. Maybe as a fan I'm a big more likely to perk up when I hear the Sox mentioned than the average guy but it seemed odd. Do Don and Jerry talk about our upcoming opponents much?
Honestly, from the Red Sox walk off win today, to the anticipated influx of Red Sox Nation, to the struggling offense... I felt like I was listening to a NESN postgame. It was wild. Maybe as a fan I'm a big more likely to perk up when I hear the Sox mentioned than the average guy but it seemed odd. Do Don and Jerry talk about our upcoming opponents much?
I usually don't care for the A's TV announcers because they're always wishing out loud that the next A's batter hit a 5 run homer. However, they always speak well (respectfully?) of the Red Sox and Fenway Park. They really liked Tito when he was ours, for example. Oh, you said radio. The A's radio announcer, Ken Korach, is excellent, IMO.BosRedSox5 said:
Probably going to the weekend game(s) this May, staying in Union Square area in SF. Any new advice?
This isn't new advice, per se, but if you're staying in Union Square, you should know that:
a) the Mint Plaza Blue Bottle is a lovely place to get a morning coffee, just on the other side of Market St., and
b) there is an excellent cocktail bar called Rye a few blocks into the Tenderloin at Geary and Leavenworth.
Good to know. We stayed near Fisherman's Wharf a few years ago and then drove to see family in Orange County. This time we'll do the 2 days in SF, then rent a car and head for two days in Wine Country (suggestions?), then fly to OC this time to see the in laws
I lived for a year in graduate school on top of a mountain between Napa and Sonoma. My wife was abroad, I had a long list of books to read, very few appointments, and a friends' parents' vacation house in need of a house sitter to let in the workmen who were finishing some renovations. I would sometimes go days without seeing another human being, but I did see a bob cat. Weird year. As a result, I know my way around wine country some.
My single wine country rec: make an appointment at Neal Vineyard on Howell Mountain. It's sort of out of the way, up north of Angwin off of the Silverado Trail, so it doesn't get a ton of visitors, but the wine is fantastic, especially the cabernets, and the tasting I was at was conducted by both the owner and the main winemaker (I'm not sure that's a regular thing). I learned *a ton,* and I knew a moderate amount about wine going in. The tasting is free, but I think they asked me for a deposit in case we didn't show. It's probably expected that you'll buy a bottle or two, so price that out in advance ($25-75/bottle) to see if it's something you'd be comfortable with.
And, crucially, it's not one of the cheesy pseudo-Tuscan villas on 29. It didn't feel like tourist hell to me.
Oh, actually I have one more rec: for dinner, consider Cook St. Helena, a good little restaurant on Main St. in St. Helena. Very good Cal-Italian, not exorbitant.
I should have mentioned: I don't drink wine. My wife likes a few wines (Russian River Pinot Noirs, NZ Cabs, Argentine Merlot), so I'm not sure if we're planning to SEE Wine Country or to visit wineries. I think the former. This is the trade for 2 games at the Oakland Coliseum and I'd make that trade every day.
We have been getting some rain this year and last year's rain was pretty close to normal in Northern California. So, the hills are somewhat green up there. I know someone who was up there a month ago and she said they were. Where I'm going with this is I wouldn't have recommended Napa Valley two years ago, as the drought had all of California a parched brown. OTOH, Maybe the the ivy covered wineries and their huge oak barrels, etc. and the quaintness of Napa Valley are enough of a draw to one who's never been there anyway. Helps if the hills are green though.