Which team is the better story? A's or Giants? Depends on where you're coming from.
(Full disclosure: I'm an A's fan and grew up in Oakland splitting time from metal shop going gaga over Captain Sal and Reggie Jackson)
I'm going out on a limb and will tell you the Bay Area sports media says the A's are sexier than the Giants. The A's are cardiac kids and the Giants are down home taking care of business.
I hate the split cap up above. You're either Giants or A's--can't be both. But I sense the Coliseum has tarped the imagination of even non-sports fans. Have you seen what the A's did? I know, the Giants are fun too. Speaking of fun, this area is on full-throttle mode. Adrenaline and fumes in Oakland, complete with pies and tarps. Business as usual in San Francisco.
Game 5.
Giants-Reds.
Athletics-Tigers.
Ken Korach, I envision a few more screaming calls tonight. Jon Miller, Kruk and Kuip: Are you ready for all this? (Giants fans, I have no idea what will happen in Cincinnati, but all this excitement in the Bay Area is good.)
Another Bay Bridge series? Why the hell not.
I am a sports fan in general and enjoy both teams and attend games at both parks. Don't think I will have to choose unless they meet in the World Series. I think the A's are the better story at this point. I can't recall the excitemnt that surrounds this team right now. The atmosphere at the Coliseum is unreal. It is the most exciting and improbable story this year!
ReplyDeleteRich, I've been an A's fan since the 70's. I have drifted over the years and found myself rooting for the Giants once Bonds came to town. Watching yesterday's games boy it's hard not to jump on board the A's train, these kids are having way 2 much fun! I'll be wearing both my caps today, rooting for the home teams.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Berkeley as a Giants fan, but man Oakland fans are awesome. Last night, going in to the 9th down 3 to 1 the fans were on their feet, waving the hankies as the As came to bat. What an unbelievable comeback! Let's hope both teams win tonight. I doubt anybody in the Bay Area will be watching Ryan vs Biden!
ReplyDeleteI'm more of a Giants fan, but it's obvious that the A's are a better story.
ReplyDeleteThe A's, a franchise with a miniscule payroll, a team no one cared about, with a bunch of players no one ever heard of, with an owner who wanted lousy attendance to facilitate a move to San Jose, never in sole possession of first place in their own division until the final game of the season, now stands at the precipice of the American League Championship series, and just 5 wins away from the World Series.
I'm OK with almost all of the local broadcasters. Ken Korach is solid. All the other A's guys are a little dull.
For the Giants, Miller, Fleming, Duane are all good. Krukow is becoming a little hard to take. He beats you over the head with his Giants booster-ism and has lost credibility with his incessant Giants Pollyanna perspective. Behind his "funny" facade, he seems like a bit of a grouch and a little tightly wound.
I root for both teams. We're lucky to have two teams here, so I support them both.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of both the Giants and the As since childhood.
ReplyDeleteNurses usually freak out when they draw blood from me because I bleed green and gold.
ReplyDeleteGo A's!
@ Napa Joe: Amen, brother!
ReplyDeleteI *love* the split cap -- it is unique; it would not exist in Chicago, LA or (especially) NY. I grew up in NYC and you are not allowed to root for both teams -- indeed, if you love one you are REQUIRED to hate the other. And that's why I love living in the Bay Area, because smarts and sanity rule... most of the time.
the better story is the unexpected one, the one that seems to unfold and happen by itself. that is truly the A's story this year! i'm an old New York/SF Giant fan but have enjoyed many games at O.Co this year. as i write this i'm in my Giants gear. after the game i'll switch to my A's threads. this is truly a baseball fans dream, a most wonderful October so far!
ReplyDeleteI'm a Giants Fan, because I am a SF Native. I think tboth Baseball Teams are a great & Wonderful story, but I do give an edge to the Oakland A's. Don't get me wrong, the SF Giants have "awesome" fans...But the A's Fans are "also "TOP DRAWER." I've got my finger crossed that the A's will remain in Oaktown, & get themselves a new Stadium built.
ReplyDeleteIf the Citizens of SF would have demonstrated half the energy that the A's fans have to Keep their team in Oakland with the 49ers, the 49ers would have "still" been located in SF! But then again the 9ers have the Yorks as owners, & they play it fast, and loose with the truth...
leave it to dusty to screw things up - tries to steal 3rd in the 7th and his guy is thrown out. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Thanks Dusty - the giants are in good hands.
ReplyDeletethe team that doesn't have to face Justin Verlander, and instead, the other team's 2nd best pitcher.
ReplyDeleteThe Athletics are the better story because they're the blue-collar underdogs. They don't have a ball park. They keep changing their team because of $$$. The only reason the media has to care is because of their wonderful story. They're the black sheep of the Bay Area. The Giants have strong armed everyone to like them. They've brainwashed the media, sponsors, you name it. Be damned if you say anything bad about them or they'll ban you from the ball park. But they're also expected to win. They have a lot riding on themselves every playoff game. All this means is at least four more times people will be subjected to that group circle jerk known as the "Baseball Rap" on KNBR.
ReplyDeleteThe A's need to move to the CITY...San Jose
ReplyDeleteI don't understand people who say "I like both teams" Fuck the Giants! forever and always.
ReplyDeletePerhaps is because there are people out there that aren't full of such negativity... "Fuck the Giants... forever and always"
DeleteBest part of all the Giants is not having to endure Barbieri and his platitudes.
ReplyDeleteYou can be fans of both the Giants and A's.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I live closer to AT&T Park and go to more Giants games, the A's games I've gone to this year have been an absolute blast. Right now, I'm more excited about the A's.
Fuck the Giants, their greedy cocksucker owners, and their arrogant piece of shit fans. The Giants organization would like nothing better than the A's to move out of state so they can have the Bay area all to themselves.Fuck KNBR, Mark Ibanez, Tim Kawakami, and all the other giants media shills.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughtful comments!
DeleteI disagree with the premise that you can't be a fan of both teams. I do believe, however, that everyone has to have a favorite, and when they play each other, you have to go with your favorite. I'm a Giants fan, but I'll always root for the A's, except, of course, when they play the Giants.
ReplyDeleteThis year, the A's are definitely the better story. Being the Giants fan that I am, I hope we beat them in the World Series.
I saw my first Oakland A's game when I was just seven years old (1971). I spent many a Saturday watching the A's play from the 3rd Deck of the Oakland Coliseum. Tickets in those days were only $3. I also remember something called the "knothole gang days" where you were admitted free but you could only sit in the right or left field corner of the 3rd deck (we'd move downstairs about the 5th inning when we knew we wouldn't get chased from the seats). I remember the lean years in '76 and '77 when we could show up less than a half-hour before game time, pay $5 and get a reserved seat just behind the dugout. I saw a fair share of games at Candlestick, but it just wasn't as convenient to get to. Once BART came on the scene, it made it so easy to get to Oakland A's games. Candlestick Park was a longer drive although I saw a fair share of games there (did you know it gets cold there at night?). My one and only all star game that I saw was at Candlestick. I'm hoping for a Bay Area world series this year, only without the earthquake.
ReplyDeleteAfter the Giant's lost the first two games..Radnich went on how the Reds had better hitters,better pitchers,better manager..HA-HA-HA!..ONLY ONE PERSON said the Giants would sweep the Reds in Cincy-Stan.
ReplyDeleteThis is why he's a nut..after 2010 when Radnich made a fool of himself as an "expert" by proclaiming that San Diego would win the west in June-and Tim Kawakami agreed- he then proceeded later to say..Atlanta was better,Philly would win ..he was wrong all the way down the line,playoff after playoff.
DeleteTwo years later..like a lemming,he's off the cliff again.
Also-even after the other blogs get pressure(from the Giants,Beane,49ERS,I'm sure) to not allow my posts-I'm getting censored more and more..Rich hangs in there. SALUTE RICH!
Stan.
Stan, as numerous people have repeatedly suggested at the various web sites you haunt, GET HELP!
DeleteYou are correct correct about other blogs trying to censor your tiresome posts but it's not because of complaints from "from the Giants,Beane,49ERS", etc. It's because of complaints from other posters who are fed-up with your endless ranting about Radnich, racism, and nutty self-promotion.
Stan, if you actually did predict that the Giants would sweep the Reds in Cincy, please provide a link. Otherwise it sounds like all your other unsubstantiated boasts.
Yes,and the facebook pages of "the public" on that blog has good people..and the NRA,Military,kill'em all blog people too. THOSE are the biggest whiners,site hackers and all the rest.
DeleteAnd let me point out-your post doesn't point out where I'm wrong..its just a newer tactic to get around that. One dope even found a quote he said I didn't make!..then,only quoted half of it to prove "I hadn't made a prediction"..lol.
Help? eh,After Radnich first..
The A's are a better story, but this whole thing about their 'fans' being so loyal cracks me up. I understand why for the better part of five years they stayed away, but until mid season and even beyond at times into August and September, they didn't have a great group of loyal fans. Those that did show up were dedicated, but they were averaging only about 18-20 thousand a game, second worst in the league until August.
ReplyDeleteIt's clear some of them that just 'jumped on the bandwagon,' much as Giants' fans did when their new ballpark opened in 2000, or 49er fans did when the team finally started to consistently win in the early 1980s.
Bay Area fans, generally speaking, are loyal when their teams are doing well. When they aren't? They find better ways to spend their discretionary income.
Remember, the Giants almost moved to the south bay (two failed ballot measures for new ballparks in the 1980s and 90s,) to Toronto
(in 1976) and to Tampa in 1992. The A's were all but gone to Denver in 1978, but MLB didn't allow the sale from Charlie Finley to Marvin Davis, and the team stayed around and had it's worst season in west coast history in 1979 at the gate with less than
400,000 paid fans (less than 5,000 a game).
giants fans are so much better than A's fans. They wear panda hats, giraffe hats, and all sorts of other cool stuff to show their support.They even know some of the players' names. They make sure to only spend 45 minutes getting food so they can pay attention to the game.They do the wave(so cool).The giants even have the hilarious ball dudes who are old people.Who wants to see half naked women chasing balls? Not me.The giants are the best.
ReplyDelete