Baseball in the Bay Area

I've had the opportunity to go to several baseball games since I've come to California - living such a short distance from two ball parks means that nearly every day during the season, one can go to a baseball game. About as good as it can get!

There's a definite contrast between games in Oakland and games in San Francisco. The Giants get much more attention, mostly because of Bonds and the more beautiful ball park, AT&T Park. However, I like the A's games much better. Sure, McAfee Coliseum is an ugly, 1960's ballpark built purely for efficiency, not aesthetics. Instead of having bars and restaurants around it, there are freight yards and warehouses. However, the fans are there for the baseball, not for the beautiful ballpark or just to see Barry Bonds hit. They discuss the penant race, not their investments or what's happening on American Idol (which they seem to do at AT&T Park.) To give one example, at the Giants-Braves game pictured below, Barry Bonds came to bat in the 8th inning of a 4-2 game, with the Braves leading. Bonds hit a single, and Ryan Klesko, who is an aging slugger, came to the plate. He could have tied the game. Instead, a large percentage of the fans left. True, the Giants are one of the worst teams in baseball this year, but I thought that summed up a lot of what going to a Giants game is all about for most people.

Here are some pictures I took with my camera. They aren't terribly impressive, compared to many you will see in Sports Illustrated and the like, but when you consider the size and tiny zoom lens on that camera, they really aren't too bad.