Bruce Jenkins, who wrote a few months back that Juan Uribe's signing with the Dodgers was "disturbing", devoted his entire column Saturday morning, (SFGate, paywall) to ripping the Oakland Coliseum on the A's opening night.
Jenkins called the place a dump and referred to a sewage problem that emits odors at the field level. Gees, Bruce, thanks, as if we already didn't know that the Coliseum was hardly Fenway Park.
Jenkins spends about 500 words to tell us the stadium smells to high heaven and quotes an A's employee that indeed the facility is...what it is. How thought-provoking.
Jenkins neglects to mention that, according to Forbes, the A's made $23 million last year. Seems the "dump" was rather profitable. Poor Lew Wolff.
This is not new ground for Jenkins, who loves the rather lazy method of knocking Oakland. He's the typical provincial SF scribbler who relishes the Herb Caen handbook of repeating the "no-there-there" crap.
That Jenkins would pen this on the A's opening night is a perfect illustration of his tone. How disturbing, indeed.
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I have to wonder if Jenkins isnt confusing the fact the bay itself is a few feet away..and thats what the bay smells like when its a bog.I think the city of Oakland has said its that the coloseum is below sea level. Also,real plumber problems that the A's have complained about were never followed by "We did something about it" No,just millionaires complaining that Al.Co. taxpayers werent forced to jump.
ReplyDeleteAs a lifelong A's fan,who remembers Charlie O Finley,the mule,and the rabbit that came out of the ground to give the umps there balls pregame, The Lew Wolff-Fisher family and Beanes smarmy,slick ways..just make the whole Org unlikeable. And why as a taxpayer would I want to help who I don't like?
Couldn't agree with you more Rich! Jenkins is a huge homer for the Giants, always has been and he clearly gives himself away with his Saturday column.
ReplyDeleteHe's the type of guy who bad mouths the Coliseum to the whole bay area, basically saying, 'you don't want to go there' and then after that openly wonders why attendance isn't great.
The fact is the A's will probably draw decently this year which is much better than Wolf and Fisher deserve.
Low payroll + revenue sharing = profit. That formula works for the Tampa Bay Rays too.
ReplyDeletecome on, you make $23 mil profit then you should at least be fixing the sewer system. it used to be a beautiful ballpark before Mt. Davis. if there are obvious problems then its the media's job to point them out.
ReplyDeleteand i read elsewhere that Bruce Jenkins is supposed to be a Padres fan so maybe he has everyone bamboozled.
Jenkins writes for the San Francisco Chronicle, but he also Knocks Candlestick too...So is he homer? He also wants the 49ers to relocate to Santa Clara...So is he a Homer?
ReplyDeleteFor my money I don't think he is a homer, if Jenkins was a Homer he would want the 49ers to remain in SF...Maybe Jenkins just has a personal Bias towards the Oakland Coliseum, and San Francisco's Candlestick. He basically wants both the A's & the 49ers to move to the South Bay...I say "NO" to both moves!
I think the A's profitability with losing teams and low attendance would be duplicated in the South Bay. Why wouldn't it be? If the South Bay wants the A's, they should only go for it if Lew sells the team to some owners that actually care about baseball.
ReplyDeleteHey, Anonymous 1, thanks for remembering the rabbit behind home plate delivering the baseballs! I was just a little kid when the A's came out to Oakland and my family brought me to my first baseball game. I remember them pointing out the rabbit, but I couldn't see it that well from where we were sitting.
Bruce Jenkins is a piece of shit who deserves to be blasted in the face.
ReplyDeleteBruce Jenkins should know alot about sewage. The guy is pathetic. It's both sad and funny.
ReplyDelete