The A’s wrapped up a fantastic homestand yesterday, beating the Sox off the boys from both Boston and Chicago. We began both series with losses and then came from behind twice to win the next two consecutive games. Great pitching and awesome bursts of hitting!

Sadly, one of the losses had to come vs. Chicago on Friday night, Dog Day with the A’s. With a final score of 1-5, the action on the field wasn’t nearly as interesting as the fans we had sitting in the Plaza Reserved section of the outfield.

If you’ve been reading my blog or following me on Facebook and Twitter, you know that I had very much been looking forward to this event for the entire season and that it ranks up there in my Top 5 games of the season. Despite the loss, I can happily say that the 2010 Dog Day didn’t disappoint!!

The event began in the Northeast parking lot with a costume contest and mingling session (basically, a chance for the pups — all 600 of them! — to meet each other and get a feel for the craziness ahead). As a judge for the contest, I helped award Enzo, the “Poochador” (above left) win for “Best Overall Dog.” Very deserved.

The pre-game festivities also gave the dogs a chance to sniff out the biggest animal in attendance: Stomper. I’d say it was 50-50 for dogs who responded well to him and those who didn’t. Luckily, my parents’ dog, Lucy, was mellow enough to pose for a family photo with the big fellow! I can only imagine what was running through her mind…

After the pre-game contest, dogs and their owners got the chance to parade around the Coliseum field. This photo to the left is one of my favorite of the night as it represents such unbridled doggie instinct to roll around on that pristine field! Such a happy time!

From a dog’s perspective, the only good thing about a low-scoring game and a loss meant the nine innings flew by so fast on Friday night. Those 54 outs officially clocked in at 2 hours, 16 minutes. For me and my Diamond Vision crew, that meant we had to run around in warp speed, trying to capture all the dogs and their costumes on camera.

Most of the fans I spoke with agreed that Dog Day could be held every month during the season and no one would tire of it. I couldn’t agree more. The event is so novel, so entertaining and such a fantastic combination of people’s passions: baseball and their pets. What do you think, Avoderm Natural? Want to sponsor another one?!?

Thank you to all the fans and their four-legged friends who helped make another Dog Day with the A’s so memorable. When you get your schedule for the 2011 Oakland Athletics season and start planning your summer, be sure to save Dog Day on your calendar. Win or lose, it’s going to be another not-to-be-missed game!

Photo credit (for just about all of the photos I’m in): My mother and o
wner of Lucy Tsuboi, the cutest and sweetest Springer Spaniel around. She didn’t seem to mind wearing the A’s shirt, but the cap was another story… Fans, if you’ve got Dog Day photos to share, send then to me and maybe I’ll use them in my blog post next year! Email: kara@oaklandathletics.com