Thursday, October 10, 2013

About My City and My Team--A Shout For Oakland and The A's

 We don't have an inferiority complex over in Oakland but we do like to take time out every now and then to describe our great and gritty town, the 510 express; its gritty baseball team, the Athletics, who will fight the fight against the vaunted Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS Thursday Night at the Coliseum.

Yeah, that Coliseum. It doesn't have majestic views or splash hits; it lacks the lavish waterfront palace on the other side of the bay, but it's
 HOME--our home. The home to 4 World Series Titles; a 3-time Super Bowl winner and Mick Jagger's 35th birthday back on July 26, 1978.

The historic edifice just off the Nimitz Freeway --what the late NBC Sports broadcaster, Curt Gowdy called the "House of Thrills" and the place that was home away from home for one of the greatest broadcasters in the sports biz: Bill KingGo A's!  And...

Holy Toledo!

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20 comments:

  1. ♥ tuff, gritty and hard working!

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  2. Gritty town?

    I've always wondered if people who lift up in the lofty Piedmont area of Oakland even venture into the "gritty" part of town. Or is it more of a NIMBY situation?

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    1. Oakland's dirty little secret is that they are never embraced by the residents of Piedmont.
      Piedmont treats Oakland with disdain and sees them as second class citizens.

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  3. Good luck to As and Tigers, both solid teams with their post-season future on-the-line starting tonight at 5:07PDT/8:07EDT. It might as well be game 7 of the World Series, it's going to be that good!

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  4. Go Green and Yellow!!

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    1. That would be Green and Gold...

      Go A's!!!

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  5. As a life-long Giants fan, I can only hope that the Dogs lose the NLCS, and I must wish the A's good luck tonight, just for Bay Area props.

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  6. A little music dedication here- how about Elvis's "It's now or Never" ?

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  7. Would love it if those gritty A's would REMAIN in Oakland, for many, many years to come! Ditto the Raiders and W's.

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  8. Maybe next year, folks...

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  9. The late, great sportswriter Wells Twombly, who covered those amazing Oakland teams in the 1970s on a regular basis once referred to Oakland as a city "with beer on its breath, a stubble on its chin, and a cigarette in its hand."

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  10. There must be an ancient Indian burial ground under there for the A's to be losing another Game #5. Time to blow it up

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  11. As a proud LF Bleacher Creature, we can also toot our own horn about the size of the cockroaches at O.co~they are the largest I've seen in all of the ballparks I've visited across this great land. Only the Expo's stadium was in a league below our beloved Coliseum!

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  12. That is one depressing video Rich.

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    1. Why do you think it was depressing?
      I thought it was a very good retrospect of good times in a building that has stood for 47 years. Despite politicians and owners, one constant has survived all that time. Incredible fans from the City of Oakland, Alameda County, Contra Costa County and the entire bay area!

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  13. Too many great memories at both the Coliseum and the next door Arena to put into words: 'The Sea of Hands,' the 'Heidi Game,' Catfish Hunter's perfect game in 1968, the World Series Title celebrations in Oakland in 1973 and 74, the Raiders winning the AFC Crown in a resounding 24-7 rout of the rival Steelers following the 1976 season, and of course the Warriors winning game seven of the Western Finals in incredible fashion over the Bulls when Rick Barry hit several key shots in the final minutes, on the way to their first and only west coast NBA Title. Too many more great memories to chronicle. And some of us were lucky to see many of them in person!

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  14. wasn't one of those Super Bowl champions the Los Angeles Raiders?

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  15. The A's fans were great - even after the loss. Le's Go Oakland!

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  16. The Oakland won two Superbowls after 1976 and 1980 season. The LA Raiders won one Superbowl after the 1983 season. The Raiders were also in two other Superbowls,(after the 1967 and 2002 seasons, but lost them both, to the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Bucs) while they played in Oakland.

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  17. Rich...The Stick is just as Legendary, and look, the Yorks have kicked aside, like yesterdays garbage...A Legendary Head Coach, & Owner walked the sidelines of Candlestick, the Catch I & II were made there by a Legendary QB, and don't forget the HOF football players that roamed the field at the Stick.

    The Beatles played their last concert at the Stick, & Pope John Paul held Mass at the Stick. I can only hope that the City does not tear the place down to the ground, but renovates it. But if they must tear down the old Park, at least I hope they put a plaque down, noting the Historic events that occurred at Candlestick.

    Btw...The A's belong in Oaktown!!!

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