4/3/13 at the Oakland Coliseum
More Baseball! This was my 2nd A’s game in 3 days, and this was going to be just me and my mom! If you can remember, the last time it was just the two of us, I snagged a Fenway Park 100th Anniversary Commemorative Ball. The time before that, I snagged 6 balls. This was looking to be a very positive day!
Fromt the time that we left our house to the time we got to the Coliseum, to my lap around the ballpark, I filmed nonstop. I also filmed us getting out of the Coliseum. It was an ADVENTURE! I compiled it all into an 11 and 1/2 minute video for you to enjoy! After watching it, you can continue with your regularly scheduled blog entry.
My dad took my mom and I to the BART Station, and we left the house at 3:40, getting there at 3:54, catching the 3:58 train to Oakland.
Once we got to the Coliseum at around 4:25, we set our stuff down at gate MM, which is the quickest route to the bleachers.
Towards the BART Plaza, this was the scene.
It was very quiet, calm, and peaceful. I LOVED it!
At this point, I took the camera and documented my fifteen-minute trip around the Coliseum. Again, just watch the video to check it all out!
About 10 minutes before the gates were supposed to open at 5:35, the line wasn’t very long.
Beyond what you see, that was it!
Around 5:33, they checked our bags, which made the process SOOOO much easier. This gave me time to zip up my backpack and put it pack on. Otherwise, I would have to do this in a rush between running and scanning my ticket.
Usually, Will MacNeil (click his name to follow him on Twitter) will run in with all of the bleacher crew’s flags and banners. I actually sprinted ahead of him, but then let him lead the way, as this was my first time going this way.
Once in the bleachers (Where I WAS NOT wrist banded, which made everything so much simpler), I set my stuff down, put on my glove, and was ready to go. Less than 10 minutes into BP, a ball was hit to Mariner reliever Tom Wilhelmsen. He turned around and just tossed it to me. I didn’t even ask. Cool!
10 or so minutes later, a ball was hit off the wall that Mariner pitcher Stephen Pryor fielded and tossed up to me after I ask him for it.
After that, BP was more or less dead. Wilhelmsen and Pryor were fielding almost every ball hit to RF, so I didn’t bother asking either of them again, knowing that it was very unlikely I would get another toss-up from either of them.
Why did I not go to Left Field might you ask? Not a single ball was hit into the left field seats during BP. NOT EVEN WHEN MICHAEL MORSE WAS HITTING. There were not toss-ups into the LF bleachers either.
Around 6:10 or so, there still had not been a single ball hit into the outfield stands, however there had been many hit over the fence.
At 6:15, BP picked up, when Kendrys Morales stepped to the cage. The second pitch he saw was a bomb to RF, but I was on the opposite side, as he had almost just hit it out. As I was on my way in that direction, Morales hit another bomb in the same area, caught by the SAME guy. However, it was this guy.
Then, while I was over there, expecting him to hit another, on the LAST pitch of BP, he hit it around where I had just been standing. AWESOME…
I ended BP with 2 balls.
After BP came to a close, I went off in search of food and decided on a sandwich from the Westside Club.
When I got back to my seat, it was around 6:30, and players had started to take the field to warm up.
I looked into the dugout and saw Yoenis Cespedes with his hat backwards just walking around in the dugout.
Tommy Milone was tossing in the bullpen. I considered going down there to try and get a ball, but considering the fact that there were at least 5 ushers within 50 feet of him, I decided against it.
There was this group of people behind home plate, who looked like they would be singing the national anthem.
Scott Sizemore would be playing in his first game since 2011. If you remember, on the FIRST day of spring training in 2012 he tore his ACL.
The Mariners would have offseason acquisition Joe Saunders on the mound.
Newly acquired first baseman Nate Freiman was making his major league debut in this game.
About 10 minutes before the A’s took the field, Yoenis Cespedes had a nice, long conversation with Kendrys Morales, in the middle of the outfield. My guess is that they were debating who can hit the ball farther. My money would be on Yoenis.
The bleachers were quite crowded for this game, more than I had expected.
Tommy Milone finished up his warm up tosses…
… Josh Donaldson did some last-minute stretching …
… Stomper rode around the warning track in the Smiling Chevron Car…
… And we were all ready to go!
Offseason acquisition Chris Young was in the lineup, playing center field, making his debut in the green and gold!
Right before the first pitch, I went to the last row of the bleachers and took this picture
Then I took a panoramic shot on my phone. GORGEOUS.
As they announced the A’s line up, the right field guys all wave their flags.
I just thought those were two cool pictures.
Well you know how the bleachers were crowded? Guess what wasn’t?
Yep! How nuts is that? I would have tried to go down there, but the ushers in that area specifically have always been very strict about checking tickets.
Chris Young was playing center in his Oakland debut
With Josh Reddick playing right field
And Tommy Milone on the bump for the A’s.
Since both pitchers were lefties, both lineups were packed with righty hitters, which meant fewer balls to right field. Since I knew there was a slimmer chance of snagging a home run, I focused on taking some pictures, as did my mom. Pictures like this one.
And this one of Nate Freiman making his MLB Debut at first base.
Yoenis Cespedes was the A’s starting left fielder.
Jed Lowrie was in the game at shortstop
And Josh Donaldson was playing third
Tye Waller, who has tossed me two balls before, is the A’s first base coach.
Coco Crisp had been hitting the ball far so far, and he showed that, with a deep fly to center that unfortunately stayed in the yard.
Nate Freiman was hitting 8th in his MLB Debut
And on the 5th pitch of the at bat from Joe Saunders,
He singled into center for not only his first MLB hit, but his first MLB run batted in as well!
Since Josh Reddick was playing closest to me, and the lighting was just right, I tried taking some “artsy photos” like these.
I liked this shot of the Oakland sky at night.
During the inning break, I took a look up to the CSN booth to see that Scott Hatteberg was in the booth instead of Ray Fosse. I love Scott as a player and person, but he is not cut out for TV…
Mike Morse, the Mariners RF, was heckled plenty throughout the game.
Jed Lowrie had a BIG day at the plate.
Coco Crisp doubled in the 3rd inning.
Then after Jed Lowrie and Chris Young walks, Yoenis Cespedes flied out, however Coco Crisp came home to score, giving Yoenis a sac fly.
Like I just mentioned, Jed Lowrie was on second…
But Derek Norris struck out to end the inning…
I was enjoying taking pictures, so I got a few like this one of Josh Reddick
Or this one of Yoenis Cespedes.
Ot this one of Chris Young.
Around the 4th inning or so, I decided to try my luck with foul balls and headed up to sections 223 and 222. No foul balls for Nick.
I then headed over to 224, where I got this amazing panoramic shot!
I decided to head back to the bleachers in the 5th or 6th inning, as I was having no luck whatsoever with foul balls.
Tommy Milone was pitching a great game!
I enjoyed taking pictures like this one.
And this one…
Jorge, one of the members of the bleacher crew had brought balloons to the game. Here he is with one of them…
Everyone was having fun with them, including Tom Bentley, who put one in his King Felix foam crown.
The 7th inning was a very interesting inning for me personally. Here is Josh Reddick jogging off the field after the top of the 7th.
LOOK AT THAT HAIR!!!
Ready for the exciting story? Here it is… I was sitting on the end of the row, on the asile, giving me more mobility in the event of a home run. Well in this case, sitting ont the asile hurt me. In the bottom of the 7th, on the 3rd pitch of the At Bat, Jed Lowrie smashed the ball to right field. At first, I didn’t think it would end up in the bleachers. I was expecting it to clank off the bleacher railing or the tip of the out-of-town scoreboard and get back onto the field. I would then politely call out to Michael Morse for the ball. Click HERE to watch the home run.
So I first figured that nobody in my row had a glove, so it would make it harder for them to catch the home run. Keep in mind that my row was completely full, no room for me to move. Take a look at this screenshot that I drew on…
As you can see, I was on the end of the row, on the asile, while the guy that caught the ball (With His Glove, might I add) was smack dab in the middle of the row. He also reached over the railing a good 2 feet to make the catch.
Oh the frustrations. I couldn’t really beat myself up about this, as I am NOT about to push past a row of people, including my own mother to make the catch. It’s just one of those things that frustrates you…
Here is A’s bullpen coach Darren Bush answering the bullpen phone.
If you remember, I was the ONLY person that recognized him in the clubhouse at A’s FanFest.
In the middle of the 8th inning las year, the A’s played Call Me Maybe. Everyone hated it. Guess what song they played this year? I will give you four hints…
Yep. Call Me Maybe. And don’t worry, Ross is not the only one who hates it. Everyone to his left was doing the same thing, but I couldn’t get a good picture of any of them.
Oh, hey look who was back! It was @Shakabrodie! AKA, Benjamin Christensen.
In the 8th inning, Josh Reddick was hit by a pitch.
But the A’s didn’t score. Then, in the top of the 9th, Chris Resop came in and had a 1-2-3 inning to seal the win for the Green and Gold!
I got another picture with my 2 BP balls.
And we said goodbye to the Coliseum.
Like I’ve said before, I made a video that showed not only what it was like to get from BART to the Coliseum and to walk around the Coliseum, but in that video, I showed what it was like to get from our seats to BART. Check it out here and skip ahead to the 7:37 mark and that will put you right where you need to be!
In a day or two, I should have up an entry about the Stockton Ports game I attended a few days ago at Banner Island Ballpark. In the mean time, Check out my entries about the World Baseball Classic game I attended, the High School Game Baseball game I attended at Banner Island Ballpark, or you can read the entry I wrote up about Opening Day in Oakland. Enjoy!
Thanks everyone for reading!
- 3rd Game of the Year
- 2 Balls at this Game
- 3 balls in 3 Games this season = 1 Ball Per Game
- 2 Consecutive Games with at least 1 Ball
- 31 Lifetime Major League baseballs
- 46 total balls
Nick Badders is a unofficial reporter for MLB.com. He writes the blog, 7000 Coliseum Way, and you can follow him on Twitter @nickbatters or his blog @7000ColiseumWay. You can also LIKE his blog on Facebook or follow him @nickbatters or his blog @7000ColiseumWay on Instagram. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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