Play Ball! This Time With Fans in the Stands
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- It looks like it's almost time to play ball with fans in the stands once again. While baseball fans are excited about the possibility of seeing a game in person, they are not the only ones.
To say it's been quiet around Oracle Park would be an understatement. Foot traffic has come to a crawl during the pandemic and it's had a huge impact on nearby businesses but things are starting to look up.
"It's like Christmas come early. We've been waiting so long for some kind of good news," said Scott Morton, owner of Momo's Bar & Grill.
Morton is ready for business to pick up again. He's managed to stay open through the pandemic -- unlike many of his neighbors.
"Man this is a shot in the arm that the city needs but this area in particular, being so close to the ballpark, that we're really excited for the future," Morton said.
The A's welcomed fans back to the Coliseum in a tweet and put tickets up for sale for opening day on April 1.
"It's what the game is all about. We all do it for the fans, for their energy and excitement and passion and when I was talking to our players, they were fired up," Athletics president Dave Kaval said.
The Giants are still in the on-deck circle. The team issued a statement saying "The Giants are very encouraged by Gov. Newsom's announcement today updating state guidelines that would permit fans to attend baseball games at Oracle Park."
If San Francisco can at least stay in the red tier, ballpark capacity would be set at 20 percent which could mean roughly 8000 fans at Oracle Park.
"The game is not fully the game without our fans around," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said.
The Giants still need to submit an operational plan and have it approved by San Francisco Department of Public Health. Across the bay, there is a curveball in the plan to open up the Coliseum. Alameda County is still in the purple tier and it needs to move into the red tier before the A's can welcome a maximum of 11,000 fans.
Dave Kaval though says he is optimistic that will happen by opening day.
