A's support O.co Coliseum despite postponement
OAKLAND -- A day after Friday night's contest against the Mariners was postponed due to wet field conditions, the O.co Coliseum was soaked in sun for a matinee.
The cancellation was still a hot topic of discussion on Saturday in what's been an eventful week for the A's. Last Saturday's Spring Training finale against the Giants was rained out and featured the latest bout of plumbing problems for the Coliseum, while Tuesday's game against the Indians was canceled due to rain and forced a doubleheader on Wednesday.
Friday's postponement was the result of an organizational decision to leave the field uncovered overnight on Thursday, when the playing surface was covered by about one-third of an inch of rain. Despite last-ditch efforts by the grounds crew and a stop in rainfall about an hour before the game, the infield dirt was deemed unplayable.
At least A's reliever Sean Doolittle has a sense of humor about the situation.
"Isn't that the weirdest part about it? We lead the league in tarps. We could tarp so many things," Doolittle said, referring to the dozens of tarps that cover the third deck of seats in the Coliseum.
By late Saturday morning, the infield was in shape for Daric Barton to take ground balls at first base during batting practice.
"Yeah, it feels good," Barton said when running off the field.
Meanwhile, manager Bob Melvin didn't sound completely convinced that the field was 100 percent ready.
"It's playable," Melvin said. "We're used to an absolutely perfect field here, probably the best in the league. Where it came from yesterday to where it is today is pretty miraculous. So we're comfortable with it."
In recent years, Oakland's old stadium has made headlines for all the wrong reasons, including sewage backups and flooded clubhouses. Not to mention the A's are the only MLB team to share their facility, opened in 1966, with another professional team, the NFL's Oakland Raiders.
Doolittle has been one of the team's most vocal supporters of Oakland and the O.co Coliseum, but even he has to shake his head at the comedy of errors that has taken place at his home ballpark.
"Love playing here and I love the atmosphere that we have during the game, but it's one of those things where you never know what to expect," Doolittle said. "When something like yesterday happens, you're incredibly frustrated. But you're so frustrated past the point of being angry, you just have to laugh at it.
"The same thing for when the sewage backs up for the third or fourth time. Like, what are you going to do? Get mad again? You have to take in stride, because it's amazing. You never know what's going to happen next."