Piggybacking of of Juice’s last post, here is a post dedicated to my love of A’s baseball.
For me, being an A’s fan goes back a long time. We went to our first A’s game back in elementary school when we got free tickets for being good students. I remember that day vividly. My dad upgraded our tickets so that we were sitting field level just beyond 3rd base. I don’t remember the details of that game, but I remember it being great baseball weather, and a nice father, son and daughter outing.
For the next few years after that, our family got weekend and holiday season tickets. Every weekend the A’s were in town, my mom would pack up some Red Vines for my brother and I and we’d head to the park. This was my first taste of tailgating and boy are there some good memories. These were the days of Big Mac, Hendu, Stu, Eck, Canseco and the list goes on so they were some exciting times, including some playoffs and the World Series where we swept the Giants.
After that, there was a period of time when other interests in life took precedence and my love for A’s baseball got buried, but a few years ago it was reignited when I took Juice to his first baseball game. It had been such a long time, but I was reminded why I love the A’s.
- The enthusiasm the players have for the game. I love that they go out there every day to play the best baseball they can and go for it no matter how the stats may be stacked up against them. It makes for exciting baseball and make you believe that they always have a chance to win the game because they are not going to give up. It is just so refreshing to see among all the primadonnas in the sport.
- The Coliseum is such a great, family friendly venue. We may not have the best food in all of the MLB, it’s a place you can feel comfortable to bring your families and have a good time. While you may run into your occasional punk or heckler here and there, they are few and far between and the population of these types is much smaller than my experiences in other parks. Not that A’s fans aren’t loyal to their team, but there is a friendly commraderie and for the most part, people are just there to have a good time and root for the A’s.
- Same as number 5 for Juice. It’s great to cheer for a team that is not expected to win, but always has the potential to do so. I also like the unpredictability of the A’s. You never know who will be on the roster at the beginning of the season and you never know what they will bring to the park on any given day. I also kind of like that our team isn’t the most popular team in the Bay or even all of baseball. It makes being an A’s fan through thick and thin even that more unique.
Family, baseball
When we heard that the A’s were gonna host a FanFest for their last pre-season workout on April 5th, we were excited to say the least. Whenever people pick up on my Oakland Athletics fanaticism, I try to edify new people to the goodness that is baseball. I’m always preaching: “Now’s a good time to be an A’s fan.” Why so?
- We picked up some entertainers this year. Jason Giambi came back to the A’s. Matt Holliday is a bona fide professional hitter. Not only that, we’ve rented a few time-tested players for some entertaining baseball in Nomar ‘Nomahhhh’ Garciaparra & Orlando Cabrera. For the casual fan, catch a game or two at the Coliseum; possibility of a home-run derby may be likely this year.
- Tickets are still (relatively) cheap. The A’s were supposed to move to Fremont, but that plan didn’t come to fruition. The Coliseum is aging & AT&T Park’s ticket prices are pricey by comparison. If you wanna check out a game for cheap, Craigslist tickets are extremely affordable if you search on the same day as the game. Chances are great for to score good tickets for views like this:
Seats so close, you can smell the camaraderie!
- The competition is tolerable. Last year’s winners of the division—the LA Angels—isn’t as menacing this year. The A’s are also competing with the Texas Rangers & the Seattle Mariners. The American League West is highly attainable.
- The A’s are setting up to win for years to come. Of course, all teams feel a need to say that, but most teams don’t have a stacked Minor League farm system in waiting. If we don’t win it this year, sit tight. You can count on some entertaining baseball for years to come.
- It’s always fun to cheer for the underdog! The New York Yankees invested $201 million in their players. The A’s can only afford $62 (although this year has been an anomaly—they’ve been spending a bit more than usual). Isn’t it more rewarding to see a scrappy small market team make it to the top? Hey, it happened with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008!
I hope this post won me some new fans. We can always fit more people in our cheering section! For now, geek out with my short informal photo documentary:
baseball
It was supposed to start as a chilly day like yesterday, but someone up above knew it was a special someone’s birthday. We were blessed with the perfect tailgate weather, as well as good friends who threw her our first official tailgate of the season. The A’s gave her a nice birthday present: a Matt Holliday jersey.
The birthday ends with a family dinner at Paulo’s in Downtown San Jose with Cindy’s parents. There were some dinner mix-ups, but kudos to them for recovering so quickly.
No birthday cake, but this humbling cupcake will do. Happy birthday!
Cindy's humble birthday cupcake
Family
Cindy has been quite the Yelper. She’s even been to those wild Yelp events. She’s even built herself up to the become one of the Yelp Elite. Our good ol’ friend Tetsu—Cindy’s fellow Yelp Eliter—hosted a party at his house in Dublin, CA & invited a few other Yelpers to come enjoy his backyard & beautiful weather.
If you’ve never been to a Yelp event, try it out. You can meet some of the friendliest people in the world. Not only did I get to meet some, but we enjoyed some good BBQ as well. Some photos for proof:
The rest of this album is on my Flickr account »
Bay Area, Lifestyle
Last year, our group of friends was hit with some shocking news. One of our dear college friends was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. We were all rocked to the core when we heard this news, but thankfully with all the advances that have been made in breast cancer research Angela is well on her way to recovery. Though we’ve told her over and over again, I don’t think she realizes how much of an inspiration she has been to all of us with the way she has bravely faced her diagnosis, treatment and all the other stuff along the way.
Angela's Angels. Show your support for these ladies!
As a sign of support for Ange and for everyone else who have battled this disease, a group of our friends have decided to join the Avon 2-day Walk this July. While I am unable to join them on the actual walk, I am doing everything I can to show them support.
To those of you who think a walk is no big thing, I can say only one thing: try it. Last weekend, I went on an 8 mile walk with two of my friends who will be participating in the event and it was no cake walk. Our legs were aching and we were beat. I couldn’t even make it out to dinner; for those of you who know me, that’s a really big deal.
Walking is not so different from running 8 miles. In fact I think walking may have been harder. I don’t know what it is, but it takes a lot of discipline to keep moving at a steady pace. Never thought I’d say that running might be easier than walking!
For the Walk, my friends have committed to walking 39 miles over 2 days (that’s a marathon the first day and a half the second day!) and raising $1800 each. I know times are tough, but if this is a cause that you believe in and want to support, please check out the team site for Angela’s Angels.
I can’t say enough about how great I think it is that they’re doing this and I am really proud of all of them for doing such a wonderful thing.
Health, Lifestyle
