Oakland Coliseum, or O.co as it's referred to, is rarely on anyone's must see 
list unless you're either a diehard A's fan or visiting all 30 stadiums on your quest to complete your bucket list.
Local fans will tell you that visiting the Coliseum before the addition of "Mount Davis" was much more enjoyable. They're referring to the offices, suites and seating all along the outfield fence and visible in this picture. It gets its name from former Raiders owner, Al Davis, who had this addition made for the football season.
The complaint is that the ginormous wall cuts off the view that was once enjoyed of the community and the rolling hills in the distance. I personally hadn't visited the ballpark prior to the remodel so can't speak from experience.
I will say, though, that A's fans are great. They're not there for gimmicks or ulterior motives. It's about baseball. This made visiting the Coliseum fun even though I didn't have a dog in the hunt, so to speak. Everyone was into the game and having a great time. Maybe it's because they were thumping the Red Sox? Whatever the reason, our group had a great time in Oakland.
Here's the Game Summary on MLB.com.
Vida Blue - Following his Major League debut the summer of 1969, Vida was the 1971 American League Cy
Young Award winner and Most Valuable Player. As part of the Oakland A's, he won three World Series Championships in 1972, 1973 and 1974. He appeared in six All Star Games and was the first pitcher to start an All Star game for both leagues.
Blue played for three teams - the A’s, Giants, Royals. He was traded to Giants in 1978 for 8 players and $390K and promptly won 18 games that year. The Mansfield, Louisiana native resides near San Francisco and actively promotes the game of baseball. You can see more of Blue's statistics on the MLB.com site.
We're very excited about the returning of Vida Blue as part of our Big League Player Experiences on our West Coast and Bay Area Tours. Vida has made a couple of appearances for us (appearance in 2006 at Chop House above and in 2008 below at AT&T Park during Giants batting practice) and is always a fan favorite.
About the Big League Player Experiences - Get inside the game like never before when you meet up with Big League ballplayers on each of our baseball road trips. Players like Vida Blue, Bill Lee, Dave Parker and Tom Browning have joined us on our tours. Join us on a Big League Tours and you'll see what our guests tell us is the favorite part of their experience. See more about the Player Experiences.
May 11, 2010 - Excitement is
mounted here at Big League Tours about our upcoming baseball road trips as today we received word that Cy Young Award winner and Oakland A's great, Vida Blue, will be taking time to meet and chat with all of us while in the 'City By the Bay'!
Blue, one of the most storied left-handed pitchers of all time will be joining the Big League Tours group on June 25th - fielding questions, signing autographs and taking photos with fans. No stranger to BLT, Blue has regaled our group with classic stories surrounding his days in the league as well as winning an MVP award and an insider look at winning the World Series.
Vida Blue is just the first of many baseball greats (former and current) who will join the tour to give us all more insight into the game and help us deliver the complete fan experience to make your sports travel or sports tour the ultimate trip.