McAFEE COLISEUM

McAfee Coliseum is one of the few multi-purpose facilities still in use in baseball. It is located in the middle of industrial Oakland, surrounded by very little other than parking lots. However, the park is convenient to get to, located right beside highway as well as the BART transit system. A one-way ticket costs $2.75 from downtown San Francisco, so if you are going with two or more people, parking is the more economical option. With the relatively small crowds, it is fairly easy to get out after the game.

For those of you who take BART, there is a short pedestrian walkway that takes you to the stadium. As you get to the stadium, you will notice two giant banners, one for the A's, and one for the Raiders, the other tenant of the Net. There are also banners listing some of the players in Oakland's Hall of Fame. You are now at the back of the stadium, and will need to walk around to the front to the main ticket office and team store. There is not much of a selection in the store, but that can be good or bad depending on your point of view. By the way, advance tickets booths are located in the team stores inside the stadium.

On the outside all you see is a big concrete bowl, so there is no point to walk around the whole thing. But once you get inside, it isn't that bad. If you enter at the back, you will notice the East Side Club which runs the entire length of the outfield. The field is in very good condition, but we will see if that holds up once football season starts.  As well, there are a lot of food choices, which really surprised us. In fact, the A's provide a food and beverage guide which lists each food item and at which concession stands you can buy it. Some items are only sold at one stand, so pick up this guide before purchasing your food, and try one of the specialty items; the hot dogs were only average.

The stadium was originally built in 1966, and renovated in 1995-96, at which time the outfield bleachers were removed and a new football-friendly seating configuration installed in the outfield. This leads to two very different seating sections. The infield and down-the-line seating is similar to other cookie-cutter ballparks, and although there are 4 levels, the ticket prices on the lower level are so cheap that you shouldn't have to sit upstairs. The lower level (100) is divided by a walkway - the first 20 rows are below the walkway and cost $25 between the bases. All other lower level seats are only $19. Given the quality of the Athletics, this must be the best bargain in baseball. We recommend trying to get the $19 seats between the bases - however remember that the second deck overhang will cover the last few rows of the field level seats. The main problem with the lower seats is the foul territory - it is the largest in the majors, and seats that are close to the field are not really as close to the action as they would be at other, newer parks.

The 200 level is the plaza level, and it contains two sections that are West Side Club sections - at $30 the cheapest club seats we have seen. Avoid this level otherwise, however, as ticket prices are only a couple of dollars cheaper. Section 229 is the alcohol-free section. The third level is the suite level, although there are some seats at each end - again they are $18 and should be avoided. Finally there is the Upper Reserved (300) level at $8. 

In the outfield sections, the bleachers are set for football and thus don't curve around with the fence. This gives them an interesting perspective. At $6 for both field and plaza level bleachers, these are the cheapest seats in the park. There are also televisions for the people in the last few rows of the lower deck, who can't see the action because of the overhang. These TV's even had the volume on before the game, but there was no remote control provided.

Although you can walk around the inside of the stadium, there isn't anything to see. The concourses are somewhat dark, although they weren't crowded, but there are no interesting attractions and no scenic views from anywhere in this park. 

There are two jumbotron scoreboards which show the same thing. The on-deck hitter is displayed as well as the current batter; this is the only park that does this. The out-of-town scoreboards (above the left and right field fence) are updated before the game, which is another interesting feature. A good place to get autographs is down by home plate - it is where the players come out from the clubhouse.

Scoreboard at game end

Overall, this is an average park when compared to AT&T Park and other newer parks, but I think that fans in the Bay Area should make sure to see a game here as well. On a sunny day, it is quite a nice place - the cheap tickets, entertaining team, and easy access make this a worthwhile place for any ball fan.