Future A's Ballpark News
Oakland, California
Formerly, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, UMAX Coliseum and Network Associates Coliseum
Groundbreaking: April 15, 1964
First AFL game: September 18, 1966 (KC 32, Oak 10)
First American League game: April 17, 1968 (Balt 4, Oak 1)
Architect: Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (1966); HNTB (1996 expansion)
Construction: Guy F. Atkinson Co. (1966); Tutor-Saliba (1996 expansion)
Owner: City of Oakland and Alameda County.
Cost: $25.5 million (1966); $200 million (1996 expansion)
Seating capacity: 44,073 (2005); 34,179* (2006); 63,026 (football)
Playing surface: Natural Grass
*This official capacity does not include the 10,000 upper deck seats previously used for baseball that have been decommisioned for the 2006 season.
Baseball dimensions:
Foul lines: 330'
Power alleys: 385' (1968); 375' (1969); 372' (1981); 375' (1983); 362' (1996)
Center field: 410' (1968); 400' (1969); 397' (1981); 400' (1983)
Fences:
8' (1968); 10' (1981); 8' (1986); 15' in the power alleys, 8' in left, right and center (1996)
Hosted World Series: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1988, 1989, 1990
Hosted All-Star Game: 1987
The Coliseum's original design (1966-1995) had some unique twists on the "multi-use" stadium. First, unlike many "cookie-cutter" stadiums of that era, Oakland's Coliseum grandstand wasn't completely enclosed - having only bleacher seats in the outfield. While these outfield bleachers expanded into a much bigger sideline seating in its football configuration, they were tucked away for baseball leaving a more traditional look. The Coliseum also had no roof over the upper deck, ala Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. In addition, the upper deck was much smaller than normal - about the same depth as the Loge level.
Perhaps the most unique feature of the Coliseum was its appearance from the outside - the result of digging a huge crater and constructing the stadium inside of it. Only the stadium's upper deck is above ground level giving the Coliseum an extremely low profile. Unfortunately, this feature also made its exterior appearance quite bland and non-descript.
In 1995 Al Davis agreed to return to Oakland, after 12 seasons in Los Angeles, providing the Coliseum added tons of luxury suites, club seats and extra grandstand seating for his Raiders. Alameda County agreed and began the expansion project in November of 1995 that continued though the '96 baseball season. The $200 million endevor removed the outfield bleachers and in its place constructed a huge (taller than the stadium's original grandstand) 5-tier tower spanning the entire outfield containing among other things, 22,000 seats, two 40,000-square-foot clubs, and 125 suites. Unfortunately, most baseball fans scorned the new design for destroying the centerfield view of baseball bleachers, landscaped slope and Oakland hills beyond - degrading the baseball-park esthetics that were now gone forever from the stadium. For A's games, the Coliseum now has a distinctly unappealing, even claustrophobic ambience.
Iconic Moment: The Heidi Game. With 65 seconds remaining in the 1968 Jets-Raiders game, the Jets kicked a field goal to take 32-29 lead. The Raiders returned the ensuing kickoff to their 23-yard line. NBC, the network televising the game, then went to commercial -- and never came back.
It was 7:00 PM on the east coast as the commercial break concluded. NBC was scheduled to air the children's movie Heidi at 7:00. Rather than show the end of the game, NBC Broadcast Operations Supervisor DICK CLINE followed the network's predetermined plan and switched to Heidi. The Raiders got 2 touchdowns in 9 seconds to win the game 43-32 - all of which the TV audience missed. NBC was flooded with calls and the concept of program delay was instituted immediately by the networks.
The Good: Reasonable ticket prices and a very nice food selection.
The Bad: Because of the circular design, grandstand seats along the bases, especially in the upper level, are among the furthest distance from the action as any park in baseball.
The Ugly: Besides the battleship docked in center field, the exterior of the Coliseum is as non-descript as an old strip mall.
Oakland Athletics
7000 Coliseum Way
Oakland, California 94621
(510) 638-4900
Plaza Club $40
MVP Infield $38
Field Level $30
Plaza Level Infield $30
Loge Seats $30
Plaza Level Outfield $14
View Level - N.A.
Bleachers $10
Plaza Bleachers $10
Seating Chart
Purchase A's Tickets
TV: FSN, KICU-36
In-park dining choices: West Side Club, RoundTable Pizza
Consessions include fish and chips, chipotle chicken salad, burritos, tacos, deli sandwiches, garlic fries, BBQ sandwiches, Italian, Polish, Linguica, and Louisiana Beef sausages, and Sweet potato pie.
Bay Area Local Dining Guide - Best Bets
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Ballpark Tour & Vacation Packages
McAfee Coliseum's upper deck to be eliminated for 2006
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
It'll be empty for the second and third games of the three-game series, too -- and for the 78 home dates that follow. Along with announcing their schedule for the upcoming season, the A's announced that they're closing the third deck, thus reducing the listed baseball capacity of the multi-use stadium the club shares with the NFL's Raiders from 44,073 to 34,179.
The new baseball capacity is the lowest in the Major Leagues -- Pittsburgh's PNC Park, which holds 38,496, is now the second-lowest -- and, said A's public relations director Jim Young, "more in line with the seating capacity that has been proposed for our new ballpark."
On Aug. 14, new A's owner Lew Wolff presented his proposal for a 35,000-seat, baseball-only stadium at a meeting of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority.
"As we continue our efforts to secure a new ballpark in Oakland, we will take every measure to make the Coliseum a comfortable and fan-friendly facility," A's president Michael Crowley said in a release Wednesday. "Our goal is to create a more intimate ballpark atmosphere and bring our seating capacity in line to what we have proposed for our new venue."
According to Young, 144 fans held some sort of a season ticket plan in the third deck for the 2005 season -- six of those were full-season plans at $8 per seat -- and 90 percent of those fans have been relocated to second-deck seats.
"From various surveys that have been conducted over the years, the view of the action from the third deck was among the worst in baseball," Young noted. "The demand for those seats, whether on a game-by-game basis or part of a season ticket package, did not justify making that inventory available any longer."
Only 19 of the A's 81 home dates last year necessitated making third-deck seating available, and 15 of those were for traditionally popular dates: Opening Night, Yankees, Red Sox and Giants games, "Double Play Wednesdays," and fireworks games.
"Double Play Wednesdays," for which fans can purchase $2 tickets and $1 hot dogs, will remain, but in the Plaza Level Outfield and Plaza Level Bleacher sections instead of the third deck.
"Even though we've eliminated the seating in the third deck, we have created other seating options at the ballpark that we feel offer a better view at an affordable price," Crowley said.
To that end, the A's will offer approximately 2,300 Plaza Level Outfield seats, previously priced at $18, for $14. In addition, 3,009 Plaza Level Bleacher seats will be available every game for $10.
"A's Baseball remains one of the most affordable entertainment values in all of sports," Young said. "The average ticket price in 2006 will be $25.48, which still ranks in the lower third in all of baseball. And the average ticket-price increase from 2005 to 2006 will be 7.24 percent, which is the second-lowest increase over the last six seasons and lower than the last two seasons."
Ticket prices increased 9.84 percent from 2004 to 2005, and 7.34 percent from 2003 to 2004.
Eliminating seating in MLB stadiums is not unprecedented; Minnesota and Florida, along with St. Louis and San Diego -- in their old ballparks -- closed sections to create more intimacy. And the White Sox recently underwent an extensive ballpark renovation that included the removal of 6,600 upper-deck seats.
The Twins, Marlins and Padres also operated in multi-purpose stadiums.
The affected seating areas at McAfee Coliseum, as well as the upper-level seating area in the football structure, will be covered with a tarpaulin. Young said the tarp will be decorated to "reflect the team's rich history and take advantage of marketing opportunities."
NOTES, FACTS AND FEATURES
The A's played their first few home games of the 1996 season in Las Vegas while work crews installed new seats in the Coliseum.
"The Wave" made its first known appearance in baseball on October 15, 1981.
Unflatteringly known as "the Mausoleum"
Five minutes from downtown Oakland and Oakland International Airport, The Net is connected to a local Bay Area Rapid Transit station, (B.A.R.T.). Interstate 880 runs north and south on the west side of The Net to deliver full access to all bay area transit routes. Hotels, restaurants, and entertainment are just minutes away in every direction. San Francisco and all its amenities can be visited by cab, car or B.A.R.T.
Parking: 9,600 car and 300 bus parking spots.
Playing field is 22 ft. below sea level.
Although the renovations were projected to cost $100 million, the cost eventually ballooned to $200 million.
In September 1997 UMAX Technologies, a tiny Bay Area subsidiary of a Taiwanese computer hardware maker, bought the naming rights to the Coliseum. The deal would have given Oakland, Alameda County and the Raiders NFL franchise more than $17 million over 10 years. However, a dispute arose and a 1998 court decision reinstated the stadium's original name. Later that year, Network Associates agreed to pay $5.8 million to put their name on the stadium for 5 years.
Expansive foul territory reduces batting average by roughly five to seven points.
Rapper MC Hammer was discovered dancing in the parking lots before a game by Finley. He held several jobs with the A's and was eventually promoted to a team vice president.
Governor Ronald Reagan threw out the first pitch on opening day, April 17, 1968.
For the first two months of tyhe 1968 season there was no comprehensive scoreboard. Charlie Finley's $1 million scoreboard wasn't installed until June, and the left field message board made its debut in '69.
More Memorable Moments:
May 1, 1991 - Ricky Henderson steals the 939th base of his career breaking Brock's major league record.
Catfish Hunter's Perfect Game on May 8, 1968.
Other No-hitters at the Coliseum:
Vida Blue on 9-21-1970
Jim Bibby on 7-30-1973
Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers on 9-28-1975*
Blue Moon Odom and Francisco Barrios on 7-28-1976*
Mike Warren on 9-29-1983
Nolan Ryan on 6-11-1990
Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson and Gregg Olson on 7-13-1991*
*Combined No-Hitter
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Click titles for more info
Champions
by Glenn Dickey, Vida Blue (Foreword), Joe Morgan
A Baseball Dynasty: Charlie Finley's Swingin' A's
by Bruce Markusen
Three Weeks in October: Three Weeks in the Life of the Bay Area, the 1989 World Series, and the Loma Prieta Earthquake
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"Lady in the Locker Room"/Uncovering the Oakland Athletics
by Susan Fornoff
Ballparks of North America: A Comprehensive Historical Reference to Baseball Grounds, Yards and Stadiums, 1845 to Present
by Michael Benson
Storied Stadiums: Baseball's History Through Its Ballparks
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