Oakland Athletics’ Game Delayed By Broken Fence – Because They Need a New Stadium
Monday night’s Oakland Athletics game experienced a short delay, but it wasn’t due to rain, or squirrels, or any of the other usual suspects. Instead, the delay was caused by a section of fence that broke when Angels outfielder Shane Victorino crashed into it on a routine play – proving that it’s time for a new stadium.
CSN made a joke out of the break in play, changing the usual “Rain Delay” text on the screen to read “Broken Fence Delay”. The Angels’ players may have smirked and shook their heads, but they’ve had to stop play at their stadium for bees, so it’s probably not the weirdest delay they’ve ever experienced. All in all, it was a fairly harmless event. But the panel that fell was symbolic of a much bigger issue, and that is the desperate need for a new home for the Oakland Athletics.
More from White Cleat Beat
- Zach Logue yet another disappointing Oakland A’s trade return
- Luis Barrera heading to familiar foe in Los Angeles Angels
- Looking back at Ruben Sierra with the Oakland A’s
- San Francisco Giants showing Oakland A’s offseason could be worse
- Lucas Luetge what Oakland A’s need in bullpen
It’s August, which means the o.Co Coliseum is no longer the home of just the A’s. The Raiders have moved back in, and it shows. The infield is hideous, with bright, white yardline markings all over the grass. The outfield is no longer the lush green color that baseball fans are familiar with – the grass is yellowing, and there are dips in the ground that cause the ball to take unusual paths when it bounces.
As we saw on Monday night, the fences are an issue, too. All of the outfield panels much be removed for Raiders games, and reinstalled before baseball games begin. While it wasn’t nearly as long as a rain delay would have been, the break caused by the damaged fence was enough to send the Angels’ reliever to the showers, forcing the team to go to their bullpen again much sooner than expected.
That’s all well and good when the pitcher is an opponent, but what if it had had that same impact on the Athletics? Certainly, no one wants to see the A’s go to their bullpen more often than they need to. Delays are bad for the game, and when they’re entirely preventable, there isn’t any excuse to have them.
No other team has to spend the final months of the season – and potentially even the playoffs – counting on a football team and its fans to keep their stadium in good shape. The late-season struggles that the A’s grounds crew must go through are completely unnecessary.
Please, Oakland. Do the right thing and let the Athletics build their own stadium. It’s embarrassing to the organization and the city when ESPN gets to play highlights of opposing players and ballpark staff trying to put the stadium back together again. Is that really what the team wants to be known for?