The Oakland Coliseum: A Father & Son's Memories & Field of Dreams by Mark Stackpole

When I was a kid, my father took me to my first baseball game. It was to the Oakland Coliseum to see the hometown Oakland A’s take on my favorite team, the Boston Red Sox. I distinctly remember my baseball hero, Carl Yastrzemski, hitting two homers in batting practice, only to ground out weakly in his only appearance in the game as a designated hitter.

It turned out to be the first, last and only game that my father and I ever attended together. Our relationship soured soon after and never quite recovered. But another relationship of sorts began on that day and has continued to this day for me and my family: one with the Coliseum, where across more than 40 years, I have attended more baseball games than in any other stadium. (I should note that I remain a steadfast Red Sox fan, though I do root for the A’s when they are not playing my guys. There should be a distinction between a guy who sees games at the Coliseum and A’s fans, a long-suffering fan base that has been treated poorly by recent team ownership.)

All three of my children experienced their first games there, and thankfully, we have attended many more games there than the sole game that I enjoyed with my dad. We have seen All-Stars and guys who were only in The Show for a cup of coffee. Good wins and bad losses. Playoff games. Even a no-hitter against my Red Sox. A packed house, and a nearly empty stadium. Basically, we have seen just about everything there that a baseball game has to offer.

A few weeks ago, my older son, Lucas, was preparing to head back to college in New York. We enjoyed a fun summer with the whole family, but we could also tell that he was eager to get back to school and his burgeoning independence. It would be months before I saw him again, and even then, I knew that his visits would likely get shorter and be fewer and farther between. The next transition in our lives was underway.

As it happened, the Oakland A’s were also undergoing a transition – a heartbreaking one as the team prepared to leave town for Las Vegas. After more than 60 years in the Coliseum, the A’s would have a new home after this season. I wanted to take Lucas to one last game before both he and the team departed. I knew that he was busy with his girlfriend, his buddies and just generally taking care of any last-minute business, but I hoped that he might have an open summer night to grab a baseball game with his old man.

Over burgers and fries, I was getting ready to ask him about it when he surprised me with a question of his own: “Dad, do you want to go to a baseball game before I leave? I want to go to the Coliseum one more time.” By the end of our lunch, we had tickets to see the A’s versus the Tampa Bay Rays. The game was not likely to be particularly good, as both teams were struggling, but that didn’t matter in the least.

Most recent publicity for the Coliseum has been negative. Even before city politics and team ownership collided and drove the team away, it had been a bit of a laughingstock of the league: old, empty, failing facilities and even possums living in the walls that once chased a team of visiting announcers out of their broadcast booth. (I’m not joking.) But the history here is a proud one: championships, All-Stars, Hall of Famers and the legacy of a great fanbase that stuck around to soak it all in. Of course, those days are in the past, as the Oakland A’s and the Coliseum soon will be.

As it turned out, our game was a quick one, and while not a particularly memorable game, it made for an emotional nine innings, nonetheless. We took deep breaths, taking in the smell of nachos and popcorn. Our frequent looks at the Coliseum itself lingered on the bright lights, the outfield walls, the empty seats. It was hard not to feel the sadness and frustration of the fans clad in their green and gold. Lucas and I hugged knowing that we were lucky enough to have been able to make this final trip.

But more than being the last visit to the Coliseum, it was also the end of this particular era in our lives. His march towards adulthood continues, and I am so proud of him, but I also know that I will miss that kid. I will miss this place. And I will miss the times that we spent here together.

"Baseball has marked the time." – Terence Mann ("Field of Dreams")

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