Do the Oakland A’s ever lose?

Posted on June 23, 2014

Kyle Blanks #88, Eric Sogard #28, and Sonny Gray #54 of the Oakland Athletics hang out in the dugout before the game against the Boston Red Sox at O.co Coliseum on Sunday, June 22, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

 

The Oakland A’s just wrapped up another successful home stand yesterday at the Coliseum, and even though they lost a 7-6 thriller to the Red Sox in 10 innings it still seems like they won. Why is that? It’s because they are a terrific ball club. They can have all three of their catchers in the lineup at the same time and make it all seem cool.

Every year it is the same deal. No one thinks the A’s can keep up their pace of being consistent winners. The Angels and Rangers have payrolls that dwarf the peanuts A’s general manager Billy Beane is dishing out to his team. New players come and old players go. The sweet vibe in the clubhouse never vanishes. They seem to win every day, and on this day they have the best record in all of baseball at 47-29.

Front line starting pitchers go down. No sweat. The farm system is full of arms. Their big money closer acquired over the winter ends up being a disaster. No big deal. They got a converted first baseman who throws hard from the left side who can do the job. The ballpark sucks. No problem. It is THEIR dump and they love playing at the Coliseum in front of the adoring fans who cheer for them every day.

As a photographer I am very lucky to have two teams to shoot here in the Bay Area. Across the bay the San Francisco Giants are having a terrific season. It is always fun to shoot games over there in one of the most beautiful parks in baseball. However, there is something special about shooting the A’s in Oakland. This team in this park in this city (Oakland) make for a nutty marriage that somehow works. Take this team and put them in a shiny new park in downtown San Jose and it would all change. For the worse.

The A’s work so well in Oakland. The tiny, smelly, dark home clubhouse brings them closer together. Put this team in a huge, clean, bright and shiny clubhouse and they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. It is all part of the equation, sewage problems be damned.

This team will never get a new park in San Jose, and that is a good thing. Imagine all the rich silicon valley types rolling around in brand new green and gold gear filling up all of the expensive field level seats. The great east bay fans would be priced out and the great vibe would be gone. My hope is that they continue to keep it real by playing at the Coliseum till the awful ownership group gives up and sells to a local outfit who would make a new park happen in Oakland. This fan base deserves it. They have been shit on by the current owners for far too long.

The A’s will be back in town for the 4th of July weekend, and I will be back out there enjoying that special thing they got going on in Oakland. Who knows? This could finally be their year. It would be cool to see them get past the first round of the playoffs and get those damned tarps off the upper deck. The team deserves it. The fans deserve it, and the city of Oakland deserves it.