The Recap Edition, 4/18

Date: Wednesday, 4/18/07
Time: 12:35p-3p? (I;m never good at end of game times)
Place: Oakland Coliseum (for the second yr in a row, presented by Mah-caffee, an Irish coffee from Boston?)
Game #: Oakland #8, JN #10? of 2007
Attendance: 17,322 for $2 Wednesday (1st of this yr)
Those Present: JN, Tommy
The Players: A's and Angels, gm 2 of 2 for the short series.
Final Score: A's 3-0 in systematic win.

The $2 Wednesdays inspire those of us who would otherwise go to work, or stay home and ponder working, to go see baseball at the Major League level. Also, it makes for good target practice for our good-section-sneaking skills, in a less-than challenging atmosphere. (The guards/ushers checked our tickets for the Plaza outfield $2 sections, but not the juicy Plaza infield secs, non $2 sections. but enough writing about trade secrets).

So it was freezing out there. Weather dot-com says it was 61 to 47 F in the area today. I know exactly what 47F feels like now- I was debating whether my red cheeks were from (I did not imbibe during the game) the decorative sunlight, or the tundra winds.

We got right-field deck seats, which are a steal at $2, as long as you don't mind not seeing the fences (you're sitting a deck above the fence), and as long as bleacher-creatures are not your friends (the bleachers are also a deck down below). We did see some flag-folks, but I did not see Duke-X, or the 510 jersey guy though. Maybe some people get day-jobs after all (look who's talking).

We did encounter creatures though. We sat by a group of adults, who we affectionately thought of as the "short bus group". It turned out though, that they were more like on a field trip from the Crazy L, as we used to call the half-way-house-type-resident-hotel down the street from where I used to live in Oakland.

Now, there is nothing wrong with resident-hotels. My Giants-fan-buddy lives in one, and he has a respectable job and is the greatest guy I know. These were not those kind of guys and women though. The ex-chopper-rider was yelling about "his" Angels, and the others would stand up against the guardrail fence at the front of the deck and stare, and stare. I was beginning to question my own sanity, which I have a weak grasp on to begin with.

Overheard:
Raspy Chopper Guy: "Whatta my gonna do with this fuggin' Bay Area?"
Guy behind us: "Leave!"

So I told Tommy that "WE should GO get some beers after this inning", and we snuck down to Plaza level, by first base. Plaza Level, when I was younger and only accustomed to Candlestick and Pac Bell, was the greatest non-lowerdeck level I had ever been to. The players seem bigger than action figures in view, and the action is bigger than on TV.

So they don't look as close as in the lower deck, but for the price, it is really awesome (a more mature perspective, I'm sure). Dan Haren pitched great, mixing speeds really well, and keeping the hitters off balance (some fell over as they swung through his changeup, 81-84. His heater was hitting 91 to 93 on the stadium gun.

The A's side was as much as we could ask for, especially if you saw or heard the A's/Yankees game on Saturday last (got a runner or 2 on in the 9th, 10th, 11th, none scored, and the Y's won, on a Giambino homer, yuck). Swisher up with the bases loaded, no outs. A freakin' double-play would score a run, and it almost did, as Swish grounded to second, and the relay was late/Shannon Stewart went for 2b Erick Aybar's legs. Chavez lined to a diving 3b Macy-er Is-Tourist's glove, but too hard for him to hold on, and another run scored.

We ran into a group of 3 guys, drunk, happy, and baseball fans. The eldest of the three was happy about the A's winning: "They should take Haren out before he gets tired. I like giving them standing ovations." The youngest guy was just happy to be there, about Tommy and my age. The middle guy was a Giants fan (maybe that's why he was so annoying), but a nice guy, who wasn't yet over the Giants' 8th inning upset to Colorado the day before. He had all kinds of funny things to say, and when the Ben&Jerry Bars guy came around yelled to the next section, and us 4, "Ice Cream?! Anyone want one?! I'm buying!" He had no takers- ice cream needs 40F to stay cold, which is what we had in the shade of the stands. Funny Guy!

Haren for seven, Duke-sher for one (the guy should announce it Number Fifty-eight, Jus-Tin, Duke-SHHHHHERRRRRRRRR, with every er-er-er in there. that would be coool), and Street for the final 3 batters (M says that Huston Street has the "sexiest intro music" ever, and he still does this year).

Speaking of which, Tom was thrilled when he saw the films of the 70's WORLD SERIES A's set to the theme of the Who's He's a real good lookin' boyyy! They brought it back this year, and I like it even more the second time around. Here's to less PR, and more value for your ticket, even though its only a two-dollah sneak-pass.

JN


...On the way out: scalpers selling caps: "get your souvenirs, only five dollahs!"; two sax players, the one skinny one with shades, that like playing "Elmo's song", and a new one, round with glasses, playing jazz tunes (Take Five, among others); guys selling knockoff "official" Oakland Athletics teeshirts, and jersey guy, with nice looking "The City" official looking bright blue Warriors caps. He always has good stuff, but not always at $5.