Who would have guessed we would witness the best come out of the worst at an Oakland A’s game Saturday. It was either divine providence or just the most amazing coincidence that played out in front of us in section 209.
The world’s No. 1 A’s fan – my wife Mary Lou – a retired school principal and I went to see the Seattle Mariners pretty much whip Oakland in their evening matchup. We got there pretty early because we were concerned about heavy traffic as there was another event scheduled at the adjacent arena at the same time.
We even received an email from the A’s front office suggesting that we should probably take BART to the game because of an expected traffic gridlock near the stadium – which didn’t materialize.
Hey, it was super early we got there – to the point my wife went shopping for gifts downstairs and I stayed in our seats watching the teams take batting practice on the field. We were the only ones in our section and up fairly high above first base.
I had gotten a small cheese pizza and she came back with a couple of chicken tacos – just enough to remove the hunger pains. We settled down and did some “people watching” as others slowly entered the stadium. The section to our right was nearly empty as well with maybe seven fans in total sitting about 13 rows above the beginning of the section.
Sitting on the aisle, we noticed a couple climb the stairs that looked to be in their mid to late 40s. Obviously married and seeming to really enjoy each other’s company. She was using a cane – giving it her all – and they made it to the third row where they claimed two seats on the opposite side of the aisle. Now there were a total of maybe nine people in that entire section – but as it turned out their tickets would later see them be made climb farther up those stairs to a couple seats right behind the two of us.
At that points the A’s “guest services” official with his green jacket entered the picture to take control of his section. With less than a dozen who were already seated getting ready to watch the game, he decided to check tickets to make sure everyone was sitting in their assigned seats. Reminding me of a train conductor, he made contact with everyone on his watch. He soon reached the far side of his section where he held out his hand asking Laura and Klaus from Santa Clara for their tickets.
The Santa Clara couple with season tickets explained it would be difficult to climb the some 15 steps to where they were supposed to be sitting. We learned later that Laura has Muscular Sclerosis (MS) and because of her condition, she moves rather slowly but always with her husband at her side. The official – probably in his early 80s – said he would help them move to the right seats, but they had to move. They declined his offer for help.
Well, they moved – by themselves. It was fortunate for us as we made a couple of friends at that Saturday night game. But, what was yet to come was a complete surprise.
As the four of us were sitting there chatting before the start of the game, we noticed two well-dressed men, wearing gray and black A’s jackets, eyeing us from the railing below as well as looking at the empty seats around us. They made something of a b-line up the stairs and introduced themselves. They were ambassadors from the A’s front office on a public relations mission.
It was Joel Jacques and Ray Herrera, with four tickets in hand, wanting to move us all to the field level just above the Mariner’s bull pen. It was a simple public relations effort by the A’s management. We were soon seated on the aisle in the third row way down from the second level – what a treat for us and our new-found friends.
Joel told me there were about 10 ambassadors like himself and Herrera in the stadium just trying to make a difference where they could find a need. It was a great move – a gift of sorts – on the A’s part and these guys were outstanding representatives of the ball team trying to make a positive difference for their fans.
Come to find out Klaus and Laura had been to the game the night before as well when the stadium was sold out. Sadly the A’s had lost both games only to come back on Sunday afternoon with a big win over Seattle.
We both felt good about what the A’s had done for us all, but more importantly about meeting a woman and her husband who were making the best out of a challenging health issue they had to deal with on a daily basis. They both made a huge impression on us by taking the initial mandated move with smiles on their faces. Its people like Laura and her husband – all the while fighting MS – who can set the stage for the rest of us by keeping their happy demeanor despite the curve balls that might be thrown their way.
Laura and Klaus: it was a pleasure meeting you both.
Godspeed.
The world’s No. 1 A’s fan – my wife Mary Lou – a retired school principal and I went to see the Seattle Mariners pretty much whip Oakland in their evening matchup. We got there pretty early because we were concerned about heavy traffic as there was another event scheduled at the adjacent arena at the same time.
We even received an email from the A’s front office suggesting that we should probably take BART to the game because of an expected traffic gridlock near the stadium – which didn’t materialize.
Hey, it was super early we got there – to the point my wife went shopping for gifts downstairs and I stayed in our seats watching the teams take batting practice on the field. We were the only ones in our section and up fairly high above first base.
I had gotten a small cheese pizza and she came back with a couple of chicken tacos – just enough to remove the hunger pains. We settled down and did some “people watching” as others slowly entered the stadium. The section to our right was nearly empty as well with maybe seven fans in total sitting about 13 rows above the beginning of the section.
Sitting on the aisle, we noticed a couple climb the stairs that looked to be in their mid to late 40s. Obviously married and seeming to really enjoy each other’s company. She was using a cane – giving it her all – and they made it to the third row where they claimed two seats on the opposite side of the aisle. Now there were a total of maybe nine people in that entire section – but as it turned out their tickets would later see them be made climb farther up those stairs to a couple seats right behind the two of us.
At that points the A’s “guest services” official with his green jacket entered the picture to take control of his section. With less than a dozen who were already seated getting ready to watch the game, he decided to check tickets to make sure everyone was sitting in their assigned seats. Reminding me of a train conductor, he made contact with everyone on his watch. He soon reached the far side of his section where he held out his hand asking Laura and Klaus from Santa Clara for their tickets.
The Santa Clara couple with season tickets explained it would be difficult to climb the some 15 steps to where they were supposed to be sitting. We learned later that Laura has Muscular Sclerosis (MS) and because of her condition, she moves rather slowly but always with her husband at her side. The official – probably in his early 80s – said he would help them move to the right seats, but they had to move. They declined his offer for help.
Well, they moved – by themselves. It was fortunate for us as we made a couple of friends at that Saturday night game. But, what was yet to come was a complete surprise.
As the four of us were sitting there chatting before the start of the game, we noticed two well-dressed men, wearing gray and black A’s jackets, eyeing us from the railing below as well as looking at the empty seats around us. They made something of a b-line up the stairs and introduced themselves. They were ambassadors from the A’s front office on a public relations mission.
It was Joel Jacques and Ray Herrera, with four tickets in hand, wanting to move us all to the field level just above the Mariner’s bull pen. It was a simple public relations effort by the A’s management. We were soon seated on the aisle in the third row way down from the second level – what a treat for us and our new-found friends.
Joel told me there were about 10 ambassadors like himself and Herrera in the stadium just trying to make a difference where they could find a need. It was a great move – a gift of sorts – on the A’s part and these guys were outstanding representatives of the ball team trying to make a positive difference for their fans.
Come to find out Klaus and Laura had been to the game the night before as well when the stadium was sold out. Sadly the A’s had lost both games only to come back on Sunday afternoon with a big win over Seattle.
We both felt good about what the A’s had done for us all, but more importantly about meeting a woman and her husband who were making the best out of a challenging health issue they had to deal with on a daily basis. They both made a huge impression on us by taking the initial mandated move with smiles on their faces. Its people like Laura and her husband – all the while fighting MS – who can set the stage for the rest of us by keeping their happy demeanor despite the curve balls that might be thrown their way.
Laura and Klaus: it was a pleasure meeting you both.
Godspeed.
