Category Archives: Coliseum

09.01.10
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Postseason Ticket Prices

Yesterday I got an envelope in the mail from the A’s regarding postseason tickets. As fans in the 2000’s, we got used to getting a bit of price gouging, with bleacher seats often going for as much as $35. Imagine my surprise, then, when I took a look at the pricing table and saw no change from existing season ticket prices. Keep in mind that the season ticket prices listed below are for non-premium games. Shocking, really.

Parking for all 10 games is $191. Broken down by round, that’s $17 per game for the ALDS and $20 per game for the ALCS and World Series.

A couple of conditions:

  • Deadline is September 15 to pay for tickets
  • If you buy a full game strip, credit for unplayed games can either be applied to 2011 season tickets or refunded. Those buying less than full strips must accept credit towards 2011 season tickets.

Would the pricing strategy be different if the A’s were in first place, instead of 8.5 games out as September begins? Who knows? Whatever the motivation, this is a great gesture towards fans.

08.25.10
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Rebecca Kaplan Sports in Oakland Chat

I was able to get to the Linden Street Brewery near JLS just a minute or two before mayoral candidate Rebecca Kaplan started her speech on sports in Oakland. Mike Davie, who is a fairly prominent Keep the A’s in Oakland figure, is volunteering on Kaplan’s campaign and introduced her. The speech lasted about 25 minutes, after which I had to leave. Here are some of the nuggets I got from it.

  • She’d like to keep the A’s in town, have a rebuilt Coli be the home for both NFL franchises, bring a WNBA team to town, and attract more international soccer matches.
  • Kaplan talked up the potential of TOD developments, citing the Coliseum as a distinct site with potential. She joked about the BART bridge being a “walkway of chain link doom.”
  • She did not say it specifically, but I inferred that she would push for a A’s ballpark solution at the Coliseum, with new ancillary development around it to make it feel like a proper urban ballpark feel.
  • She did not mention any of the JLS sites. She tried to make a distinction between what she called the “Possible Dream” (something that is feasible) and the “Impossible Dream” (something that people simply keep talking about in circles). Does this mean that she’s not a shill for the JLS-area developers that want/need the ballpark to boost their ROI?

That’s what I got from it. About 50 people attended. I felt like a media person, so as much as it pained me I didn’t partake in any beer (big fan of Linden’s version of steam beer) or freshly grilled hot dogs. We’ll see if any of the other candidates hold a similar forum.

06.15.10
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Odds and ends for June 13

Stadium news from all over.

  • For some reason there are lots of empty seats, even sections, at World Cup matches. It may be a distribution problem. Or no-shows.
  • Dave Newhouse reminisces about the Coliseum’s birth. Frank Deford’s piece from 40 years ago is more comprehensive.
  • SJ Mayor Chuck Reed is encouraged by the Santa Clara measure victory while Roger Noll considers trading the East Bay for the South Bay a wash (I agree).
  • The Merc’s editorial page continues its outlook of cautious optimism.
  • Worried about TV blackouts – in New York, no less – the Jets have cut some PSL prices.
  • Speaking of the Meadowlands, online adultery site AshleyMadison.com is offering $25 million for five years of naming rights for the new stadium. The company has been engaging in various kinds of publicity seeking activities recently, and this is obviously one of them.
  • With all of the big sports events happening over a the last month (World Cup, NBA/NHL finals), it may have been easy to overlook the Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman fight held at Yankee Stadium two Saturdays ago. The ring alignment was unusual as it was tucked into the rightfield corner, preserving the infield. The fight itself was also one of the better matches of the year so far, with a wholly unusual ending.
  • In case you’re wondering, the Coliseum is the worst ballpark in the bigs for home runs at exactly 1 HR per game. MLB ballparks usually average 2 HR/game. It doesn’t help that the A’s are 13th in the AL in the category.
  • 6/15: Ann Killion has an Inside Baseball article for SI.com. It attacks A’s ownership and praises the 49ers even though they are at different stages and have different business models. It also doesn’t provide a hint of a solution, though you could go with the “If only they hadn’t alienated/victimized Oakland angle.” Astute analysis? I think not.
  • 6/15: Dave Newhouse hails his old boss at the Trib, George Ross, who helped foster the sports scene in Oakland. Interestingly, they have different stances on the A’s moving south:

    Because Ross worked aggressively to get the A’s, is he upset by the idea of their moving?

    “Professionally, no,” he said. “Because when they built the Coliseum (in 1966), they didn’t built it for either occupant. Al Davis prevailed on them to convert it for his needs, and baseball is less at home there than it should be.

    “If the team moves and stays in the Bay Area — in Contra Costa County, Fremont or San Jose — it will still be part of the Oakland-area sports (scene).”

    This is one time I must disagree with the brainy boss who hired me in 1964. The A’s must remain in Oakland, which should make sure that they get first priority on a new place to play over the Raiders, who were rewarded with a renovated Coliseum, at the A’s expense, upon returning to Oakland in 1995.

    The Raiders left town; the A’s didn’t — not yet. Make sure they don’t, Oakland.

    The difference between the two men appears to be a matter of influence. George Ross could exercise it in a fledgling market with a still influential paper, Newhouse is basically left to plead for action while to some unknown hero while writing for the same paper, which 40 years later is a watered down version of its former self.

On a side note, it is a treat to be able to watch WC matches while I’m eating breakfast every morning. Then I can watch American sports in the evening. Totally rad.

06.11.10
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Overreaction Central

Having a big laugh over certain reactions to a piece about the 49ers and A’s and their owners in the NY Times. The A’s part comes at the end, in which famed protester/fan Jorge Leon has his long awaited meeting with Lew Wolff – this time in a suite.

For many fans, the teams’ search for new homes has become intensely personal.

On May 9, Lew Wolff , the 74-year-old A’s owner who also owns the San Jose Earthquakes, invited Jorge Leon, a fan, and his friends to watch an A’s game in a luxury box at the Coliseum. Mr. Wolff wanted to explain to them why he was trying to move the team to San Jose. Mr. Leon had been ejected from a game three weeks earlier for holding up a sign that read “Lew Wolff lied, he never tried,” a dig at the owner’s public statements that he had exhausted all efforts to get a stadium deal in Oakland.

That night, the owner told Mr. Leon, a San Leandro lab technician who had “Oakland A’s” tattooed on the inside of his left forearm, that he had wanted to build a stadium in Oakland, but that the city could not come up with the land.

Mr. Leon and his friends talked with the A’s owner from the third inning on, at first hardly noticing that Dallas Braden was on his way to pitching a perfect game. Mr. Wolff left in the seventh inning, pulling on an Earthquakes jacket as he walked out of the suite.

Mr. Leon said he came away from the evening unconvinced by Mr. Wolff.

“I want the A’s to stay in Oakland,” he said. “They bring so much pride to the city.”

Baseball Oakland went on AN and decided to jump on Wolff’s departure from the suite as a sign the he’s not a real baseball fan. Field of Schemes’ Neil de Mause considered it a sign that Wolff is one of the worst owners in baseball. When called out on the idea that Wolff left the suite, not the game, de Mause tried to backpedal and cited a third/fourth-hand report that Wolff left to go to a Quakes game – a game that was actually played the night before.

Now, I’ve been in the owner’s suite twice. I’ve also talked to Wolff about how he likes to attend ballgames. The fact is that he doesn’t like being in the suite unless he has to be there. He only goes there to entertain guests. He shows up in the 2nd or 3rd inning and leaves in the 7th, bidding the guests adieu and allowing the guests (who are generally there to party, game being secondary) to finish eating the free food and drink. I distinctly remember yelling out the suite window at Sean Gallagher, cursing his inability to throw strikes. At the other end, Wolff looked at me and smiled, surprised. I guess he doesn’t see too many bleacher creatures up in the hermetically sealed confines.

Anyway, Wolff would much rather sit behind the A’s dugout, though at times he might be in the Diamond Level or linger behind those seats. He may also head down to the clubhouse if he chooses. The idea that people took a fairly innocuous set of events (leaving in the 7th, putting on the Quakes jacket, everyone not paying attention to the budding no-no) is simply rich. Is that what this has come to? Such is the blogosphere, I guess.

On a tangentially related note, I should mention that among the World Cup hoopla that the Quakes are playing an exhibition against Chivas USA at Raley Field tomorrow. Should I run with that as being a trial balloon to move the Quakes to Sactown? Naw, that would be irresponsible. Oops, I already wrote it.

06.06.10
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A’s exercise 2011 Coliseum option

No drama here, as Eric Young of the SF Business Times reports the A’s decided to stay at the Coliseum through at least 2011 by exercising their year-to-year option in the stadium lease. Two additional yearly options remain in 2012 and 2013 before the lease runs out. Yet when asked, Lew Wolff focused instead on San Jose, a clear indicator of where he thinks the team’s future lies.

“They have been getting their ducks in a row,” said Lew Wolff, A’s managing general partner, said at the time. “I have to compliment them on what they are doing. They are spending money and making things happen,” said Wolff, who has said he is open to moving his team to San Jose.

It would seem as if things are coming together, wouldn’t it?

05.23.10
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Quick Note On Attendance

You’ll notice that today marks the first date this season in which the A’s attendance has surpassed last season’s attendance (thanks, Giants fans). The Green and Gold head out for a 10-game road trip and don’t return until June 4th for a 3-game weekend series against the Twins and a 4-game set vs. the Angels.

To stay ahead of last season’s pace, attendance would have to average 18,600 fans for that week’s worth of games. Here’s to a successful road trip, and to rally the troops when they come back…

(Yes, I know that Rob Schneider happens to be a Giants fan. He’s also half-Filipino. You take what you can get.)

05.10.10
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An Experiment in Value

Over Mother’s Day weekend, I decided to give my beautiful wife a day away from her four kids (our three daughters and me). I thought it would be fun to make this day away from Mom an economic experiment of sorts.

The question: Could we sit in the Value Deck, bring our lunch but still eat our fill of crap food, keep one Andrew Bailey Bobblehead and make the day a financial wash otherwise?

The  spend for us was $21.60 for three round trip BART fares (my youngest is not old enough to have to buy a ticket yet) from Pleasanton to the Coliseum and back. $48 for 4 tickets in the 3rd deck and absolutely nothing more. So, our total outlay was $69.60.

The $69.60 got us more than just tickets and a ride to the game. We brought our lunches but we had $24 bucks in food/merch credit to use. We used the credits for two packages of Dibs, two fairly large sodas, and a giant box o’ nachos. All of this on top of a great spot to watch the game from (Section 316) and a good conversation with the Lone Stranger (and almost a visit with LeAndre until we had a melt down).

The second half of the experiment is underway right now… Three bobbleheads on Ebay. Judging from the comparable products… We stand to sell the three for around 15 bucks a piece (after fees and what not). So if that holds true,  we will have spent a lazy Saturday eating dibs and watching Ben Sheets dissect the Rays for about $25 bucks total. And increased my already sizable Oakland A’s Bobblehead collection by a Rookie of the Year Closer. Not bad.

Now if only it had been Dallas Braden Bobblehead Day, we probably could have covered our outlay and then some. Especially today.

A few of other observations about the 3rd Deck based on my first visit to the section since Barry Zito Bobblehead Day in 2003:

  • In my 30 plus years of visiting the Coliseum for baseball games I have sat about everywhere. Section 316 is one of the better places to see the whole field, and though I tried to convince my 10 and 7 year old daughters to move down into the second deck and sit in the shade… They would have none of it. In the 5th inning my oldest said “That Triple wouldn’t have looked as cool if we were down in the shade, Dad.”  I ignored her followup comment about how handsome Ryan Sweeney is (10 going on 30).
  • The concession stand right behind the section is extremely easy to get to and buy what you want. With restrooms right next to it and a wide open concourse, it was easy to take the youngin’s for potty/junk food breaks in between innings and not miss a pitch.
  • The staff up there is awesome. After the infamous melt down that thwarted my attempt to go and see LeAndre the usher came over and, through a big,knowing smile, she said “Last time you take them somewhere without Momma” as she helped me clean up the hurricane of garbage my 3 year old kicked up. I appreciated the observation and the help 🙂
  • I read once, on this very website, a comment about tarping the plaza bleachers and opening more of the third deck. After this trip, I fully endorse the idea. We have taken our girls to games many times and, usually when it is some sort of group outing for school or what not, we get tickets in the Plaza Bleachers. I’d suggest opening Sections 314, 315, 319 and 320 and closing the Plaza Bleachers.

I wonder if any of our readers have done a similar experiment? If so, let us know the particulars and  how it turned out in the comments.

05.06.10
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The Future Is Dynamic

Now here’s something you won’t see given to A’s fans for a long time. It’s the Giants’ current ticket pricing list, with different prices set per series or even per game within a series. Don’t worry that the resolution of the table is too low to be legible, here’s the PDF.

ticket_prices

As complex as that is, it’s just the start. All unsold tickets are subject to market pricing, so that higher demand can lead to even higher prices. Here’s the Giants’ disclaimer:

Market pricing applies to all tickets.
Rates can fluctuate based on factors affecting supply and demand.
Lock in your price and location today!

Crazy? Well, it’s the future. Not every team will go to such extremes, but it’s still a way for any team to eek out as much revenue from ticket-buying fans as possible.

05.05.10
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I was there

A day later, there’s a bit of squawking from the media about the rather pitiful turnout Monday night, coupled with Jorge Leon’s mongoose to Lew Wolff’s snake. I didn’t know about the Leon-Wolff exchange until Tuesday morning, but yeah, I was there for the game.

I hadn’t noticed it previously, but this season the A’s have stopped the “Guess the Attendance” game, usually held in the middle of the 8th. Dick Callahan didn’t even give the figure with his postgame announcements. We’ve rehashed this enough, but if you want to have at it you know where to go.