March 2010
We Heart Tuesdays
Tuesday. It’s a day of the week that sort of gets lost in the middle. It doesn’t get the cheeky moniker like Wednesday “Hump Day,” nor is it a precursor to Friday. Yup, Tuesdays can be pretty ordinary…unless you’re an A’s fan!
Here’s why: During select Tuesday home games this year (and there will be close to a dozen of them), Chevy is presenting FREE PARKING in the Coliseum lot. That’s a savings of almost $20…and admit it, sometimes parking is the make-it-or-break-it factor when deciding to go to a game.
The deal gets even better for Chevy drivers. Bring your keys to the box office and you’ll score a nice savings on Field Level tickets. 
Here’s a video that explains a bit more.
And here’s a photo from my birthday tailgate last August to show how fun the Oakland Coliseum parking lot can be for a party! Green and yellow balloons, flowers and yummy treats was the best way to kick off the pre-game celebration!
Whether for the Mariners, Angels or Rangers, we’ll see you out here at the Coliseum for free parking, a sweet tailgate and of course, and A’s win!!
Let the one-week countdown begin…
For me as a fan, this is the time when I really start to analyze the schedule and the opponents in the early weeks of the season and to see if a game falls on my birthday this year (it doesn’t, unfortunately!).
As the team’s in-game host, this is the time of year to start shopping for sensible footwear to huff up and down the stairs of the Coliseum (although you’ll still find me in 3-inch heels!), to start coordinating my green and gold outfits and to really familiarize myself with the new guys on the team.
Speaking of… As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, while the Diamond Vision crew was at Spring Training, we interviewed several of the players and coaches. I wanted to share a couple of the videos of the newer members of the roster. Find out what exactly makes me blush in my interview with the ever-charming Michael Taylor or how Kevin Kouzmanoff relaxes on a day off.
Enjoy these two videos — more to come as we count down to Opening Day on Monday, April 5. I’m looking forward to seeing you at the ballpark, fans! Let’s Go Oakland!
Go Green (and Gold) !!
Hey A’s fans, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! None of you have an excuse for
getting pinched today since I know your closets are filled with green
(and gold) clothes! Really, this is the perfect holiday for A’s fans.
In case you find yourself shamrock-deficient or would like to spice up
your wardrobe with more cute Oakland A’s gear, check out this video for some ideas.
And even better, if you’re at the Phoenix Muni right now for Spring
Training, you have to visit the team store — there’s a great display
of A’s / St. Patty’s gear on sale.
Here are some fun behind-the-scenes photos from our St. Patty’s day gear shoot down in AZ:
Spring Training Miscellany
Hi fans, Kara here with some more fun tidbits from Spring Training. Before we get to the photos, I’m proud to introduce my very first video post to this blog. Check it out by clicking right here. The fantastic Diamond Vision team, Troy, David, Jon and Jeff work so hard to create awesome multimedia content, so thanks to them for posting this link so quickly. More to come in future blog posts!
Fans visiting the Muni during the second week of Spring Training were lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet some of Oakland’s greats: Vida Blue and Bert Campaneris (Rollie Fingers was also there, but I didn’t see him when I took this photo). In typical ST fashion, these guys were so casual, signing autographs and joking and chatting it up with fans. You can really tell that both of these two guys still love to be around the game of baseball and are committed to giving back through the sport where they made their names and established their legacies. Both Vida and Bert are also avid golfers, so I very much look forward to seeing them at the next A’s Community Fund Golf Tournament later on this Spring.
For all you gamers out there, I know the fun of playing MLB games is the startling accuracy of the way the video game players look compared to the real ones. In this photo to the left, you can see some of the technology at work. During the early days of Spring Training, players (in this case, Kevin Kouzmanoff) would visit a corner of Phoenix Muni and sit in a special chair that can lift and lower and rotate. While they were moving around, tilting in different angles, a dozen or more cameras would capture their every facial detail. The whole process would take fifteen minutes or less — can’t wait to start playing with my 2010 Oakland team!
Be sure to keep an eye out for the new series of Oakland A’s television commercials running this season. In typical A’s fashion, they’re hilarious, some with more subtle, dry humor and some that hit you over the head with silliness. The photo to the right is from a shoot the Diamond Vision team did with Bob Geren. In this picture, Jeff is holding the boom mic while Troy feeds Bob lines to — you can see what a production just a short scene can be!
Fans, enjoy the rest of Spring Training — soak up that Arizona sun while you can! And have fun at the Phoenix Muni — here’s one last photo of me at the fastball contest in the breezeway behind the seats. Pay a dollar, get three throws. Yikes! I was horrible. My fastball came in at 38 miles per hour. I have a whole new respect for our starting rotation…
Going Beyond the Hot Dogs and Peanuts…
- The Breakfast Club:
A’s fans need a hearty breakfast to root on the home team, and this is
the place to load up. If you have a sweet tooth, go for the chocolate
chip pancakes. Interested in a twist on a classic? The
southwest-inspired biscuits and gravy is a huge hit. Planning on hiking
Camelback later in the day? The low calorie, but still filling,
eggwhite, steamed veggie and cottage cheese plate is ideal. As an added
bonus, the coffee is decent too.
- Pizzeria Bianco:
Spectacular. And that word goes for the wait time and the food. On
average expect a three hour wait; ours was closer to four. I know,
absolutely absurd and ridiculous, but the food is superlative and it
was well worth it. Truthfully, it’s like a little piece of the Bay Area
dining scene in the desert: gourmet pizza, locally sourced ingredients and reasonably
priced (and occasionally biodynamic) wine. Here’s a tip: put down your
name and number, go about your business, run some errands, see a movie
and then come back in a few hours time and wait out the remainder over
some antipasti at the wine bar next door.
- Kazimierz World Wine Bar:
Don’t be discouraged by its hard to find location and dim lighting,
this bar is a hidden gem. The wine list comes in a 3-ring binder and
easily lists more than 3000 bottles! And they’re not just from California and
France; you’ll find goodies from Bulgaria, China, India and beyond.
After flipping through a dozen pages and feeling overwhelmed, I gave my
price point and described what I was looking for to the waitress and she definitely delivered. And speaking of price points, bottles here
range from as little as $13 all the way up to thousands and thousands.
Cheers!
- Cowboy Ciao: I was never expecting to find such tasty vegetarian food at a restaurant with Cowboy in its name, but lucky me. I started with the chopped salad which is a bizarr-o, but tasty combination of smoked salmon, cous cous, pumpkin seeds, arugula and much more that is tossed together table-side. While the menu is predominantly meaty, the signature dish of sauteed mushrooms over polenta was delicious and veggie-friendly. I never got around to trying the “meat and potatoes” martini (potato vodka in the drink with a slice of deep-fried bacon for garnish), so please let me know how it was!
Some other ideas:
- Oregano: super-size portions of pizza, pasta and other Italian-inspired dishes
- Four Peak Brewery: better than average pub food with grew local brews
- Cafe Carumba: brunch and lunch with tasty pre-game bloody marys
- Dos Gringos: decent Mexican bar food with great drink specials until 7pm
Spring Training, Minus the Baseball…
While driving to breakfast this morning, we heard on the radio that
there was a 100% chance of rain in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area, and as
if on cue, the drops started hitting the windshield. By game time,
Phoenix felt like Portland and Scottsdale more like Seattle: it was
cold and pouring! No baseball today. So, what to do?
Here’s a short list of favorites that I can vouch for, whether for a
rainy day or before or after a ballgame.
TO DO:
- Hike Camelback Mountain. This is definitely not an activity for a rainy day, but at only 2700 feet tall, this hike makes for a great workout either before or after a ballgame. Plan on three hours roundtrip to tackle the steep sections while still admiring the killer views of the city. It may be hard to miss this looming peak, straddling the border between Phoenix and Scottsdale, but it can be a bit tricky to find the parking areas for the trailheads. This website, PhoenixASAP, has some good directions and descriptions of the routes. Don’t forget to wear sunscreen and bring bottled water!
- Visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West. If you have even a fleeting interest in architecture or design, you will delight in exploring FLW’s winter home and school of architecture. A 90-minute tour takes you around the grounds and inside this spectacular structure.
- Shop. Ok, that’s pretty obvious in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area, but if you’re looking for some great deals, I have to recommend Last Chance. There are only two of these stores in the entire country, Phoenix and Miami, and believe it or not, they’re part
of the Nordstrom family. Basically, where clothes and shoes that don’t
sell at Nordstrom Rack go to die. But that doesn’t mean that it’s all
garbage! I stocked up on great summer tank-tops for $1 each and a
stunning pair of Diane Von Furstenberg heels for a fraction of the
price. Expect a mess, avoid the weekends and bring some patience.
- Explore the Phoenix art scene. In past years, anything arty or related
to art may not have even crossed your mind when planning your Spring
Training itinerary. But that’s precisely why now’s the time and so
worth checking out! From more formal, established venues like the Phoenix Art Museum
and the countless galleries in Scottsdale to more up-and-coming spots
and street murals on Roosevelt Street, there’s a wide variety of styles
to suit all tastes. If you get lucky and your visit coincides with one
of the many free events like First Friday or Art Detour, be sure to go and you’ll be in for a local treat.
Since
this is my first Spring Training, and I’ve only been in town a week,
this list is far from complete. I want to hear from you! In the
comments section, let me know your ideas for spending a free day. Coming up next, my list of must-visit Phoenix-Scottsdale restaurants.
A’s Spring Training opener vs. Cubbies
I arranged tickets through the A’s and was seated in a section with the other A’s fans in stadium. Even though we were outnumbered by the Cubs fans, it hardly mattered…everyone was decked out in their green and gold and cheered loudly for a Trevor Cahill strikeout or an awesome play at third by newcomer Jake Fox. And of course, Adam Rosales’ solo homerun in the fifth really got us going!
Part of the fun of today’s game was seeing some familiar fan faces. After all, when you spend nearly 300 hours with some of these people during the regular season, they become good friends, fast. Six months between ballgames also starts to feel like a long time after the seasonal routine of day in, day out… These fingernails (photo to the right) belong to Heidi, one of the A’s most dedicated season ticket holders. When I ran into her behind the A’s bullpen, she told me the start time to her roadtrip down to AZ was delayed by a few hours yesterday just to get her nails painted. Well worth it, I’d say! A green and gold French manicure? Now that’s dedication!
Greetings from Spring Training!
A’s and the people who love them!
This inaugural blog
entry comes from Phoenix Muni, the home of the A’s in Arizona during
Spring Training. Our Diamond Vision crew
arrived on Sunday to film three days worth of interviews with the
players and coaches and new videos with me about fun new stuff in the Coliseum this year.
But before I get into any of that detail, I have to admit, this is my very first time here at Spring Training. Sort of embarrassing to admit for such a longtime, dedicated fan! Of course, it’s always been on my radar, but for
whatever reason, the scheduling, budgeting and prioritizing has never
worked out in the past. After this superlative experience, Arizona ball will be in my regular rotation of yearly
vacations.
So first impressions thus far… The stadium, Phoenix Municipal, is
darling. I know, that’s not the adjective you would normally use for a
ballpark, but when it comes to the Muni, it truly applies. If you’re
familiar with the Rivercats’ Stadium in Sac, picture something even more
intimate with the most spectacular desert bluffs looming over left
field.
A
cozy stadium is exactly the place to find relaxed ballplayers,
especially before the games actually begin. The goal for our crew in Phoenix was to capture material for the Oakland A’s website, our in-stadium entertainment and television commercials. And let me tell you, these guys delivered! For me, the most fun part was developing our in-game entertainment like the answers to all those pop quizzes we play with fans during the inning breaks.
Nearly two dozen players and coaches visited us in our “studio”
(really, an office we rearranged and built a makeshift set) to answer a
number of fun, fill-in-the blank questions like, “My dream vacationspot is…” or “My teammates give me the hardest time for…”
As you can imagine with our collection of characters, the answers were
hilarious!! Dallas Braden had us laughing out loud
and newcomer Michael Taylor wowed us with his charm and thoughtfulness.
One of the sweeter moments during the three days of interviews was with Rajai Davis, a true fan-favorite. New for sale in the team store this season is his player t-shirt…you know, the ones that have his name and number on the back. When he saw them for the first time, his eyes lit up, his grin spread even wider than usual and he couldn’t help but express his pride and excitement of reaching this poignant moment in his big league career. He realized that people actually want to wear his name and his number! A lot of players would probably take it for granted and not even care or maybe they would, but would never admit it. That’s just part of what makes Rajai so special…
Thanks for stopping by, fans. Stay tuned for
some fun, new Spring Training-related videos and longer interviews to be posted on this
site in the near future. Maybe I’ll be able to convince the Diamond Vision crew to cut an outtake video, because that’s where the really good player moments live on…
I’m looking forward to seeing some of you down here in Scottsdale, and the rest of you, at home in Oakland in one short month. I’m so excited to get my
green and gold back on in 2010 (although I’m just
enjoying these games as a fan) — Let’s Go Oakland!
mlblogskara1
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