Baseball Returns for the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s
You don’t need to be a huge fan of sports to enjoy going to a baseball game. As American as endless highways, Winnebagos, and Cliff Bars, baseball has been lodged into the psyche of our nation even before Kevin Costner decided to mow down his cornfield in order to play catch with his dead dad. Ever since the regular season ended last September, millions of people around the country have been watching their calendars, waiting for that beautiful spring day when the dugouts will disgorge teams prepared to battle one another over the course of the next six months for that enviable prize of the World Series title.
Anyone who has spent even the smallest amount of time in San Francisco will tell you that the hearts of the Bay Area are almost exclusively divided between two teams: the Giants and the Athletics (also known as the Oakland A’s), and if you are in the Bay Area during opening day, you may want to get yourself to a ball field in order to experience the passion for yourself.
Unfortunately for fans of the Giants, their first regular season game will be against the LA Dodgers in the Dodgers home stadium. If you’re in San Francisco but don’t want to miss the big day, you’re in for a 10+ drive. HOWEVER: If the A’s are more of your thing, have we got a treat for you. Not only are the A’s playing their first game at the Coliseum, their home stadium, and not only is this home game only the second time in 41 long years that they will start off their season by playing at their own stadium: this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the A’s being an MLB team.
Festivities? I should think so.
The A’s are using this landmark moment to, among other things, pay homage to the 50 most influential and memorable players to ever slip into an Athletics outfit. Most importantly, they are also using this time to give back to their dedicated fans. While the opening day game, scheduled for 1:05 pm on March 29th, will be a normal ticketed event, the game that the A’s play on April 17th against the Chicago White Sox will be—no joke—absolutely free.
Has this ever been done before? No, it has not.
So oil your glove, buy me some peanuts, and come to the game!