A rest day with the Oakland A's

I took Labor Day off from training and spent it watching the Oakland A's.  They defeated the Houston Astros in a thriller. The Astros got off to an early lead, but the A's had a big inning and took over the lead for good. The Astros rallied, but it wasn't enough. Sean Doolittle recorded the final outs for the save. He was out with a shoulder injury, so it was good to see him back to form.

My seats were in the value deck. If your not familiar with the seating in the coliseum, its in the upper most level. The tickets have a $6 food voucher on them, so that's why they call it the value deck. I used my credit to buy a hotdog during the fifth. The food at sporting events is like the food at movie theaters, its ridiculously expensive. That's why I stopped of at the grocery store for snacks beforehand. I saved so much money and I was able to eat healthier snacks by doing that. 

I don't mind sitting that high up in the coliseum. I had a great view of all of the field. However, I was too high up to make out the players without the help of their numbers on their jerseys. Not a big deal to me. They upgraded the scoreboard this year, so I was able to watch the replays on it for the close plays that I had trouble seeing on the field. I do miss the view of the Oakland hills. Before they built Mt. Davis (the upper deck portion of centerfield in the photo below), you could see the hills from those seats. I miss them. Oh well.

I got there early because it was the striped backpack giveaway. I waited in the hot sun for an hour before the gates were open. There were games in the past that I barely missed getting the giveaway because I didn't get there soon enough. I was 10 people away from getting a bobble head last year. Ughhh!!!! Today, I was determined to get that backpack. I was on a mission. So, I got up early to get to the O.co Coliseum before they ran out of them. 

I was surprised by the quality of the backpack. It's a full size pack with a large front pocket and padded straps. It'll be perfect for the next time I go to a game. Nice job promo department.

A little bit on the warm side, but it was a beautiful day at the park.

Here is the reason why I didn't sleep in today.