Stadiums: Crossing #30 Off the List

I’ve attended more baseball games (over 400 MLB, plus spring training and MiLB) than most people will see in any format over their lifetime. Including retired stadiums, I’ve been to games in 29 MLB stadiums. So, when I got the chance to cross #30 off my list, I took it. I got to attend a very exciting Bay Bridge Series game between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum last Saturday.

When attending a baseball game, the experience is driven by much more than just the action on the field, and while this game had plenty, it was the fan experience that really stood out. To get an idea of how this experience compared to others, I want to first run through some of my favorite ballpark experiences:

Wrigley Field is my favorite place to watch a game, the left field bleacher experience is unlike any other in the game and I wouldn’t sit anywhere else. In fact, when my wife and I first started dating, I took her to a Cubs vs Cardinals 4-game series and had her sit with all the Bums for all four games. I wanted her to experience something that was special to me.

Whatever they’re now calling the stadium in San Francisco has been my next favorite behind Wrigley for years. The sightlines, atmosphere, before and after game options, amenities, all add up to a wonderful experience time in and out. I’ve sat in most every area, but the bleacher bum in me can’t help but love it in left field.

Camden Yards comes in a close third for all the same reasons, but the area around the ballpark isn’t quite as packed as SF with things to do. However, my favorite place to sit here is along the third base line.

My experiences in the new Busch stadium haven’t been as great, such as poorly angled seats along the first baseline (angled more to the skyline than the ballfield), the food options at the club level, or the general engagement of the fans in the crowd that left me preferring the fan experience of the old Busch stadium more.

That said, this game experience in Oakland started with us getting slightly lost in our attempt to park, ending up in the lot of tailgaters, having parking attendants and security trying to escort us out as we weaved through the grills and games filling the thruways and parking spots… Only to give up on guiding us through and just clearing the cornhole game out of a parking spot right near the stadium entrance and letting us park there for free. The fans tailgating asked us how much we paid for that to happen.

We bought the cheapest (Mt. Davis) general admission tickets and got there roughly an hour before game time. Even for a game that had an announced attendance of just under 55,000 we were able to sit in the 3rd row of the right field bleachers with a large contingent of very dedicated A’s fans that brought their drums and flags and attend nearly every game (including spring training and even some road games).

I was also attending this game with coworkers, one of whom had never attended a game before and wore a Giants hat in this A’s fan section. This was a fantastic first experience for them; and between the garlic fries, the fan engagement, the game excitement, and the beer selection, we’ve continued to talk about this whole experience for an entire week.

I would need to attend a few more games here before cementing the Oakland experience in a rank in my list, but this initial experience has it squarely in the top few for me, and if future experiences hold this level, then it would likely displace San Fran at number two.