Oakland Athletics

#29 - Tuesday, July 31st 2018 - First thing's first. Drive in to the enormous parking lot in Oakland, roll up to the attendant, FREE PARKING. How bout that. Why not though, The last shared baseball/football stadium in sports has more than enough room. Expectations for this going into this park were rock bottom and that proved to be the right approach, because we had a blast at this park. It's like the shitty dive bar that you absolutely love for it's shittiness. Concrete everywhere, I feel like it's the only stadium in baseball that you could still film the movie Major League in. The place was extremely empty, we actually walked through concourses that completely void of vendors (was very much an outdoor metrodome). There was a little band of super fans out in right field that had their chants and their drums which is probably what first drew my Major League comparison. We sat first row behind the visitors bullpen (one of 3 remaining 'in play' bullpens in baseball at the time of this post). This was highly strategic on my part in effort to get Vinny a ball from one of the pitchers. I tried really hard at first holding up the adorable 3 year old between innings hoping one of the players got the idea. After a few innings I had kind of given up, that's when the bullpen catcher came over and rolled a ball they'd just been tossing down the flimsy metal roof of the bullpen. He was thrilled (I was too). In one of the near empty concourses there was a lone vendor pedaling empanadas which I was blown away by given my Argentina connections. Dude was form Buenos Aires, I don't think he was being very successful with the stand. Not surprisingly as it was $6 for one and not nearly the quality of what I've had in the past. Prices were as cheap as you're going to see in baseball and that is a welcome thing in the incredibly over priced bay area. I know there is a major push to get the A's out of this concrete behemoth, and I'm sure they eventually will. It breaks every rule of a decent stadium, the visitor dugout actually face AWAY from home plate, you can't make it up. I very much enjoyed this place. The game you ask? A's beat the Blue Jays 6 - 2.