Stadium Name: Oakland Alameda County Stadium
Location: Oakland, CA
Team: Oakland Athletics
Stadium Rating: C
First Game: May 20, 2017, Athletics – 8, Red Sox – 3
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I have to admit, Oakland was probably one of the last stadiums I was looking forward to going to. I love baseball. I think that’s pretty clear. But nothing about Oakland – or the stadium – really jumped out to me.
Not to mention, the Golden State Warriors (housed right next door at Oracle Arena) happened to be taking on my San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs that same weekend.
As I walked into the old stadium, built in 1962, I wasn’t really surprised by anything. Not the best stadium I’ve been to by a longshot, though I still rank it ahead of one at this point. Oakland is the backdrop to one of my favorite movies – Moneyball – where the early 2000s upstart A’s win an improbable 20 games in a row and changed a lot of the way baseball is run from the front office.
So in a way, Oakland Alameda will always be a cool stadium to me – the history behind the common ground that the A’s share with the Raiders.
And I was very excited to go to California for the first time – where the sunny 75 was no joke. It was pretty darn great.
The stadium was as predicted for a 55 year old deteriorating structure. There’s no massive press box behind home plate – it’s in center field, which makes a lot more sense when you know the Raiders all play there for now. I sat in the bleachers and narrowly missed out on a few batting practice balls.
The game felt eerily similar to a minor league game, which I guess made it kind of its own. People are allowed to bring drums and noisemakers in, which I didn’t think was allowed at any stadium anymore. But the people in Oakland love their A’s, they love making noise, and they love having a good time.
Problem is, it wasn’t the most enjoyable place to watch a baseball game, which unfortunately is my top criteria for watching a game. The A’s won, I had a great time, but it’s not a park I’ll be itching to get back to anytime soon. For right now, stadium #14 is #13 on my list.
The good thing is – Oakland is pushing for a new stadium, and when that opens up, I’ll be more than happy for a return trip.
- Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs – Chicago, IL)
- SunTrust Park (Atlanta Braves – Atlanta, GA)
- PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates – Pittsburgh, PA)
- Target Field (Minneapolis Twins – Minneapolis, MN)
- Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros – Houston, TX)
- Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles – Baltimore, MD)
- Coors Field (Colorado Rockies – Denver, CO)
- Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies – Philadelphia, PA)
- Ballpark in Arlington (Texas Rangers – Arlington, TX)
- Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers – Milwaukee, WI)
- Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks – Phoenix, AZ)
- Busch Stadium (Saint Louis Cardinals – Saint Louis, Missouri)
- Oakland Alameda County Stadium (Oakland Athletics – Oakland, CA)
- Guaranteed Rate Stadium (Chicago White Sox, Chicago, IL)
Journey to 30 