Farewell to Oakland

[Michael W]

The Tigers won in Oakland for the final time yesterday as the A's will move to Las Vegas next season.

I lived in the East Bay for 9 years, and went to many games at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, most of them against the Tigers. That included the 2006 ALCS, one of the few post-season series I've been to.

The stadium, one of the last of the 1970's cookie-cutter dual-sports stadiums, never got much love.  But I enjoyed going to games there.  There was a BART station right at the stadium, so you didn't have to mess around with parking.  The local fans were friendly and never gave me much grief for my Tigers' colors.  

One uniqueness was that the A's rarely came close to selling out the large stadium, so there were usually whole empty sections near the top.  I would sometimes climb up there with one of my kids and we would watch the game with nobody within 100ft or more.  A very peaceful way to watch a game, with a sense that they were playing just for us.

Farewell to the Coliseum and to the Oakland A's.  I will miss you both.

Best,

Michael

[Rob Hawks]

Aren't the A's playing in Sacremento next season? I didn't think the stadium in Las Vegas would be ready in time for next season.

Rob

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[Roger King]

Yes, one season in Sacramento and then Vegas after that.

Of course, my one visit to the Coliseum was with none other than you, Rob Hawks, watching Verlander pitch :-)

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[Mike Coveyou]

I'm not 100% sure of this, but I thought the A's are slated to play in Sacramento for three years while Las Vegas works on a stadium.  And does Vegas actually have a path to building a stadium yet? 

Mike Coveyou

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[Shawn Parker]

So the next year they will be the Sacramento A's from Las Vegas? Or will they be just the Sacramento A's?

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[Paul Meloche]

Mike C’s correct about the Sacramento and Vegas time frames. 

I don’t know what they’ll be called while playing Sacramento. 

Paul M.

On Sep 9, 2024, at 8:42 PM, Shawn Parker <sdpark...@gmail.com> wrote:

 So the next year they will be the Sacramento A's from Las Vegas? Or will they be just the Sacramento A's?

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[Peter Welch]

Doesn't the Sacramento ballpark only hold something like 10,000?  That's crazy small for a MLB park.

I would root for the A's as big underdogs next year, but I won't because the A's ownership are scumbags for screwing over the Oakland fans.  They don't deserve a dime (their players and employees deserve to be paid, but the owners deserve nothing). They have great fans when the ownership actually cared about the product on the field.

I'm sure the Sacremanto park is a bandbox as well.  There could be some inflated hitting numbers there next year.

When the A's move to Vegas, the new ballpark will likely be hitter-friendly (higher altitude).  The Las Vegas AAA team has the highest team SLG in baseball at .486 and highest OPS in baseball at .849.  It's going to make Coor's Field look like Comerica Park.

I've always kind of rooted for the A's over the years, except when they've been beating up on the Tigers in the past decade or so (even when the A's had bad teams), although the Tigers did beat them in the playoffs twice in the past 15 years.

Peter

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From: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Mike Coveyou <mcov...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, September 9, 2024 11:33 PM
To: Roger King <pnag...@pnagency.com>
Cc: Rob Hawks <rob....@gmail.com>; Michael W <miw...@gmail.com>; Detroit Tigers e-mail list <detroit...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Farewell to Oakland

 

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[Paul Meloche]

I’ve been to “Sutter Health Park”, albeit many years ago. It seats around 15,000. It’s a nice venue but definitely minor league. I thought I read they’d have to put up some temporary bleachers (there’s almost no OF seating in its current configuration) to make it ML-suitable but I’m not sure if/when that’s happening.

I remember the dimensions being pretty standard, fwiw. 

The summer heat is what will be bad. It’s regularly over 100 degrees in Sac in the summer months and the last few years it’s had days of around 110. It’s a dry heat so I suppose it’s comparable in misery to the Midwest and mid-Atlantic days of low 90s and humidity. 

Paul M.

On Sep 9, 2024, at 9:00 PM, Peter Welch <pw...@hotmail.com> wrote:



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[Peter Welch]

The Sacremento AAA team (Giants affiliate) has a .733 OPS and .390 SLG at home this season.  That's 2nd-lowest in the Pacific Coast League.  Sacramento has the lowest home ERA in the PCL at 3.64.  So it looks like that park isn't particularly hitter-friendly, and might be more pitcher-friendly.  Does it get humid in Sacramento, or just a dry heat?  It's almost at sea-level so, compared to many of the other parks in the PCL, the ball won't travel as fast and far.  The A's should sign a couple of decent pitchers, they'd probably dominate in Sacramento (as if the A's are going to spend any money...).

The Las Vegas AAA team in the PCL, which is the A's AAA team, has a home ERA of 6.07.  Vegas definitely is more of a hitter-friendly environment with a higher altitude and drier air.  Even crazier in the PCL is Albuquerque, which has a 7.17 ERA at home.  They have one of the highest altitude parks in the country.  That's a pitcher's nightmare.

Peter

---

From: Paul Meloche <meloc...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2024 12:53 AM
To: Peter Welch <pw...@hotmail.com>
Cc: Detroit Tigers e-mail list <detroit...@googlegroups.com>

[Glenn Codere]

That Hawks guy gets around. He was there for my only visit to Oakland too!!

Glenn

Yahoo Mail: Search, organise, conquer

On Tue, 10 Sept 2024 at 4:21, Roger King

<pnag...@pnagency.com> wrote:

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[Tanvir Shaikh]

I've met Rob too.  He taught me the correct way to eat a burrito, if I recall.

Who here has met the most listers?

-Tapu

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[Roger King]

He even shows up at London pubs from time to time.

[Rob Hawks]

Is it time again for another first pub on the right side of the street meet up again? I just retired on Friday, so I have plenty of time now.

Rob

[Paul Meloche]

I looked up the dimensions. 325 down one line, 330 down the other, and 403 to CF. Not sure about the alleys.

 

Yes, Sacramento is a dry heat and it's not at any significant elevation.

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[Glenn Codere]

If our travel schedules ever were ever to be as serendipitous again, I'd love to share a pint or two again!

And there are several new advantages. I'm much more familiar with London these days so can recommend several excellent pubs rather than a random "first on the right". I also won't have to run to catch a flight back to Glasgow, which if you recall I ultimately missed thanks to getting on the tube going in the wrong direction. The 5 or 6 pints that we had in just a couple hours had absolutely nothing to do with that. (......did it?).

On Tapu's question, off the top of my head I can recall meeting:

Roger King

Rob Hawks

Peter Welch

John The Elder

Tom Curtis

Paul Colbert

George Moore

Steve Bielawski

Dave Strauss

Jeff Withey

David Panian

I'm sure there are others, so my apologies if I've missed you out!

On that note, has anyone heard from JtE lately?

Glenn

ps Is there some way for group members to access a full list of subscribers?

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[Rob Hawks]

Oh boy, my memory is not what it was, so I'll need help from the list with info and corrections:

Glenn twice: London and Richmond/Oakland

Roger twice: London and Oakland

Brad Smith: Washington DC

David P twice: Detroit and San Francisco

Tapu: will need help here, was it Emereyville and Berkeley?

Jeremy Pulcifer: Emeryville

Mike(?) Fisher: Detroit (who remembers the Fisher King thread on the list?

There was a meet up at a game in SF when the ballpark was still called Pac Bell Park. David P, you were there. There was another lister and his wife, I think from Ann Arbor, and I think his name was Dave (drat, I can't pull that one from memory). There were others there too, right?

Near misses:

Paul M.: went to a Tigers game in Oakland with friends and sat high up on the third base side, about as high up as one can get. We compared notes later and realized that Paul sat 2 rows behind me.

Back in the 90s, I was in Eugene, OR for a bicycle related event. Another lister lived there and we arranged to meet up at the minor league ball park for a game. Unfortunately the game we chose turned out to be the one game a year when all of Eugene went to the ball park. There wasn't even standing room left. Unbeknownst to me, this lister left me a ticket at the ticket booth. Argh. If only there were portable, handheld devices then where people could just call someone any time they wanted!

About 25+ years ago I spoke to Peter W on the phone. Not the same as meeting in person, but not just email either.

I'm sure I am forgetting someone. Please remind me!!!!

Rob

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[Tanvir Shaikh]

On Tue, Sep 10, 2024 at 5:30 PM Rob Hawks <rob....@gmail.com> wrote:

Tapu: will need help here, was it Emereyville and Berkeley?

Your memory is quite good!  I was staying in Emeryville, and I think we met up in Berkeley.  

I'll try to produce my list of listers when I have some time to think.

-Tapu

 

[Roger King]

In addition to Rob & Glenn below (2 times for both), I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several listers over the years. These either take the form of a game in Detroit or a visit from someone to Toronto.

Dave Strauss & his wife Candy joined me and my wife for Tigers-Jays opening day back in 2009. And I have met them several times in Detroit, including the Ordonez walk off pennant winning game in 2006 and the Tram number retirement ceremony game in 2018. Whitaker’s number retirement ceremony game too (pre-game drinks).

Have raised many a glass with Jeff Withey and his wife, Jill in Detroit as well as their visit to Toronto several years ago.

Met my fellow Canadian resident Jason Rice at a Jays-Tigers game a few years ago. 

In the last year, two listers we don’t hear very much from have been to Toronto, and I’ve sat down for a beverage with both of them:

Dan Compora and Tony Turner. 

There was a Comerica meet up game many, many years ago, which included the (by Rob) aforementioned Mike Fisher. David Panian was also there before the game started and I believe Steve Bielawski too.  

I also met Tony Matt in Boston, when he was kind enough to attend the screening of my documentary there.

I feel like I know a few others of you pretty well, despite never meeting in person. Through Facebook… And off-line correspondence.

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[Rob Hawks]

> There was a Comerica meet up game many, many years ago, which included the (by Rob) aforementioned Mike Fisher. David Panian was also there before the game started and I believe Steve Bielawski too.  

I met David and Mike at *Tiger Stadium*. It was a game during the last series (though not the last game) at TS. That time, I don't think the stars aligned to get the Fisher-King duo both there. (BTW, for those who might be puzzled by this 'Fisher-King' reference, a year or so before the thread on our list, there was a Robin Williams/Jeff Bridges movie called 'The Fisher King'.)

rob

[David Panian]

I don't remember who all was at the list meet-up at Pizza Papalis in Greektown after one of the last games at Tiger Stadium. And, yes, some of us met up in Tiger Plaza before that game. I do remember it was nice to actually meet everyone in person. I was able to get Mickey Lolich's autograph before the last game and gave it to MIke Fischer, who was at the game, too.

I've met up with Dave Strauss from Ann Arbor (or is it Chelsea?) once or twice at Comerica Park. I recall one time was before a playoff game. Roger and I probably met up there before, too, or at least talked about trying to do so.

Tapu and I met up in Lakeland in 2004. We went out to dinner, with a friend of mine, at a Carrabba's Italian Grill, which I remember wanting to try because I had heard about them but we didn't have any around here. Despite being in Lakeland, I think I missed meeting Tom Curtis.

Glenn and Maureen were kind enough to open their home to me when I visited the UK in 2008. I had an aunt and uncle who were living in Harrogate (kind of near Manchester) then, so I took advantage of that to do a whirlwind tour from there, down to London, then up to Glasgow for a day and to York for a few hours before going back to Harrogate. I definitely plan to go back someday, probably more than once.

There was that West Coast list meet-up at a Tigers-Giants game — I'm pretty sure it was in 2003. I have cousins who live in the Bay Area, so that's how I ended up at that one. I've been to a couple of other Giants-Tigers games out there since then. Those were in 2008. Marcus Thames hit a bomb out to center field in the night game. He was on a tear right around then.

I'm bummed that I didn't get to the Oakland Coliseum while the A's were there, just like I didn't get to the Rangers' stadium with its Tiger Stadium-like right field grandstand or to Turner Field in Atlanta. I guess I didn't see the A's leaving the West Bay or at least being able to play at the Coliseum until a new stadium was ready.

David

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[Paul Meloche]

I’ve met no listers (came close once as Rob H mentioned). 

Guess I’m anti-social! lol

Paul M.

On Sep 10, 2024, at 5:13 PM, David Panian <dpa...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Cal Lord]

Paul, I believe it was you who I bought a helmet signed by George Kell from a Rotary auction. We never met in person though.

Cal

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 10, 2024, at 8:18 PM, Paul Meloche <meloc...@gmail.com> wrote:

I’ve met no listers (came close once as Rob H mentioned). 

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[Paul Meloche]

That might have been Paul Colbert. I have never owned any George Kell memorabilia. 

Paul M.

On Sep 10, 2024, at 6:11 PM, Cal Lord <calst...@gmail.com> wrote:

Paul, I believe it was you who I bought a helmet signed by George Kell from a Rotary auction. We never met in person though.

[Mike Coveyou]

There was a panel about Major League Baseball in the Bay Area at this year's SABR annual meeting.  One historical point that was made was that the Giants gave up control over the East Bay to the Athletics in exchange for perpetual control of the area south of San Francisco, notably including San Jose.  That was viewed at the time as a win for the A's.  But San Jose has grown more quickly than any other city in the Bay Area (and may be the largest Bay Area city now, I'm not sure of this), so the A's relocating to San Jose might be a very attractive option, if it were available.  It is not, as the Giants control that area.

Mike Coveyou

[Jeffrey Withey]

As I remember, the A’s are already the team that has changed host cities the most (Philadelphia to KC to Oakland) so it sort of makes sense they would move again. Has any other team played in 3 different cities?

Jeff

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From: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Mike Coveyou <mcov...@gmail.com>

Sent: Monday, September 9, 2024 11:26:21 PM
To: Michael W <miw...@gmail.com>
Cc: Detroit Tigers e-mail list <detroit...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: Farewell to Oakland

 

[EXTERNAL]

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[Jason Rice]

There is. The current Atlanta Braves got their start in Boston in 1876. They lasted under several names and moved to Milwaukee for the 1953 season. The Milwaukee Braves lasted 13 seasons before moving to Atlanta for the 1966 season.

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[Glenn Codere]

I think the Orioles franchise has been in Milwaukee, St Louis and Baltimore.

Glenn

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[Jason Rice]

You are correct sir. Milwaukee Brewers (1894-1901), St Louis Browns (1902-1953), Baltimore (1954-present)

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[Rob Hawks]

The Braves? (boston, milwaukee and Atlanta?)

rob

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[Jeffrey Withey]

Yes I stupidly forgot the Braves. Were the Browns ever in Milwaukee?

Jeff

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From: Rob Hawks <rob....@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, September 13, 2024 7:32:46 PM
To: Jeffrey Withey <jwi...@med.wayne.edu>
Cc: Mike Coveyou <mcov...@gmail.com>; Michael W <miw...@gmail.com>; Detroit Tigers e-mail list <detroit...@googlegroups.com>

[Paul Meloche]

I believe Mike C is correct in that San Jose now has a greater population than San Francisco.

Living out here, I can tell you it seems that wherever you are in the Bay Area (and include far reaching not technically Bay Area areas like Monterey and Sacramento), the Giants are way more popular. Even when the A's were doing well. Kinda like a Cubs/White Sox in Chicago thing. Again, even when the Sox weren't historically bad.

Maybe Rob has a different take on it since I believe he actually lives in the "East Bay"/A's territory.

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[David Panian]

Yes, 1901 as the Brewers:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/

David

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[Rob Hawks]

A's ownership has more than once been held by someone the fans could not stand. In the East Bay, I have always seen plenty of Giants hats on people on the streets. I think I'd agree that the Giants are more popular.

As for me, I was a Giants fan since the 1960s, even when living in the Detroit area. I'd stay up late, pretending to be asleep in bed and then sneak out at 11:25 to listen the sports report on TV. On my honeymoon, we went to two games, the first in SF as the Giants beat Nolan Ryan at Candlestick, then up in Seattle we saw the Tigers beat the Mariners in the King Dome (weirdly, over 10 years later when visiting a friend in Seattle, we ended up in the exact same seats for another Tiger game in Seattle).

rob

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