A's Decide to stay in Oakland

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So after enduring all the whining from A's fans about how "Freemont sucks", and "The OAKLAND A's need to stay in Oakland", it appears that now they will get their wish. The A's will continue to play in that piece of crap stadium that Al Davis ruined.

Don't get me wrong, the Coliseum has a special place in my life. I saw my first ever live professional baseball game there: Dave Stewart pitching against the lowly Royals. I've seen division crowns come down to a 3 game series in the Coliseum vs the hated Angels. I've seen Marco Scutaro hit a walk-off home run against Mariano Rivera. Oh, yes, some fantastic times at the Coliseum. But it's time for us as A's fans to view the sad truth.

The A's have one of the top 3 worst facilities in Major League Baseball. Other candidates for the list include: The Metrodome, Tropicana Stadium and Dodger Stadium. That's right, Dodger stadium. I hate Dodger Stadium and everything that it represents. When you go to an A's game, aside from being greeted by half empty bleachers and fantastic food, you can't help but notice the monstrosity that has been erected in center field. It's hard to believe that this is what the Coliseum used to look like.

The advent of the Raiders doomed the Coliseum's hopes of continuing to be a legitimate MLB ballpark. Here is my solution. Raiders: go away. Go share your stadium with the 49ers, go play in LA, do whatever. Just take that terrible brand of football elsewhere and give a good baseball team its stadium back. The part about the Oakland Coliseum that infuriates me the most is that when football season starts is right when baseball season is entering its stretch run. In September penants are being decided and games are at their most exciting. What's a great way to ruin a baseball game? Have the players play on a field that is marked up with yard lines and numbers. The football/baseball field is not only visually displeasing, it's also terrible for both sports. While football players have to deal with getting tackled on infield dirt, baseball players have to deal with a torn up outfield and uneven infield surface. The situation is beneficial to no one, especially not fans and players.

All this being said, I do understand the money issue. Especially in this economy it is hard to move a team to a new stadium and maintain the fan base. I couldn't care less about the Raiders. But I just want the A's to be in Northern California for the rest of my life. I would tolerate a slightly longer drive to a slightly more whack location if it means I'm seeing a better game environment and better baseball.

-Bryce B