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Game 02 | Orioles, 5 — A’s, 8 | June 20
Ballpark Summary
The Oakland Coliseum, currently the Network Associates Coliseum,
is located just south of Downtown Oakland right off the freeway.
The Coliseum has been altered in recent years, to accommodate the
ever-demanding Al Davis and his Raiders. Concrete Upper Deck bleachers
took the place of what once was a nice grassy knoll in center field.
Ballpark Perks
Although there is ample parking (great for tailgates) for drivers
willing to brave the Bay Area traffic, the real transportation perk
of the Coliseum is the BART station for the ballpark. It’s well
worth it to avoid traffic and go with a Park and Ride or make a
bus connection. The crowd was a pleasant surprise for a Tuesday
afternoon, and they got excited for all the right things at mostly
the right times.
Ballpark Downers
There are some grave visibility problems for baseball games at
the Coliseum. The center field bleachers (installed for Al Davis
and his Raiders) and the left field bleachers can’t see the last
15 ft of deep center field. We missed the Orioles CF rob a HR
from Randy Velarde because of the visual impairment. No specialty
foods here, and the stadium was basic and functional.
A little story about the food…
I ordered a hot dog and there were three kinds to choose from.
I chose the one in the middle thinking that it was the medium
sized dog. It was called the Bases Loaded Dog. I was expecting
a dog in a bun. What I got was a heaping pile of nacho cheese,
watery chili, and nasty peppers. Underneath was a tired old dog
that I ate with spoons; knives are considered weapons at the Oakland
Coliseum.
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