My first game in the bay area was actually across in the East Bay where the Angels were visiting the Athletics. Having seen Baltimore a few days earlier, this was my chance to see the other co-leader in the AL wildcard race, as well as getting an opportunity to see Mike Trout, the almost-certain AL rookie of the year, and the long-term Cardinal player Albert Pujols, pictured here.
I had an excellent view of the game from my seat that was only a few rows back in the second tier, but still quite low down. The only issue with being behind the plate is that the safety netting obstructs the view for really good pictures, but the combination of my camera, that is capable of 20x optical zoom, and can go to 40x with its other processing, means that I can get really good close-up pictures of players, without necessarily needing to be right at the front.
The Angels scored early in this game and in the end won it comfortably, without any real scares. It was a little surprising to see a team that is leading the wildcard race performing so poorly at home. Sadly, like Baltimore, the attendance was poor. If they were out of the races and just trying new players to see who's the best to keep for next year, then fair enough, but really it was disappointing.
It's possible that it's related to the state of the stadium, of course. It's in much the same condition as RFK Stadium when I first saw the Nationals play there a few years ago: rusty bolts, peeling paint, failing concrete, warning stickers to cover the most dangerous parts. The Athletics will always be the poor cousins of the Oakland Raiders NFL team in this stadium. Both teams would probably like a new stadium, but can they get one (two) built in Oakland?
I had an excellent view of the game from my seat that was only a few rows back in the second tier, but still quite low down. The only issue with being behind the plate is that the safety netting obstructs the view for really good pictures, but the combination of my camera, that is capable of 20x optical zoom, and can go to 40x with its other processing, means that I can get really good close-up pictures of players, without necessarily needing to be right at the front.
The Angels scored early in this game and in the end won it comfortably, without any real scares. It was a little surprising to see a team that is leading the wildcard race performing so poorly at home. Sadly, like Baltimore, the attendance was poor. If they were out of the races and just trying new players to see who's the best to keep for next year, then fair enough, but really it was disappointing.
It's possible that it's related to the state of the stadium, of course. It's in much the same condition as RFK Stadium when I first saw the Nationals play there a few years ago: rusty bolts, peeling paint, failing concrete, warning stickers to cover the most dangerous parts. The Athletics will always be the poor cousins of the Oakland Raiders NFL team in this stadium. Both teams would probably like a new stadium, but can they get one (two) built in Oakland?
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