Field of Dreams by Jorge Leon

One of our good friends Jorge Leon put down on paper why he loves the A's and why he very much wants them to stay in Oakland. We liked it so much, we wanted to post it here at Baseball Oakland. Thanks, Jorge. Here it is:

Field of Dreams

By Jorge Leon

I guess it all started when I was 7 years old. I remember walking through the big BART concrete bridge that had fencing all around it, as if you were in a metal tube. The cool wind blew in off the bay. It was a chilly April night. I was so excited walking through that bridge with my dad, never realizing how much this walk was going to change my whole life. I don't remember everything, but the most important thing I remember is walking up to the Oakland Coliseum, where to me it looked like a church, a magical place, where the sun shined its brightest. I can remember walking up to the green fence and poking my nose and eyes through and watching all the great players warm up. To me, it was like a place where the players were out of this world; they were heroes!

My dad handed me a golden ticket, but instead of the chocolate factory, it was the great game of baseball I was about to indulge. As I walked in, I saw paintings of the 1989 Oakland A's ball club. But at that time, of course, the ballplayers from that championship squad were only amazing colorful pictures to me, they were just a part of this great building I had entered. So as we walked to our seats, I can remember my head was looking all around, taking in all the sights and sounds: the bright green grass and the chocolate-malt-looking infield, the white uniforms worn by what would soon to be my lifetime home team, the concession stands with the most friendly people, the Amtrak sign that whistled every time the bright white jerseys scored a run, the nine World Series titles painted on the walls near the concession stands and another 15 AL pennants painted on the other side. As we reached our seats, I can still remember standing up and and taking a big glance again, saying to myself, 'How can any other place be this beautiful, this amazing, this loud, this happy when some guy steals a base or when some side-arm pitcher is throwing a strike? How, when and where can there be a better place then this one?' I know that, since then, I welcomed another member to my family, or maybe this new family welcomed a new kid to theirs. The Green and Gold, the white elephants, I knew now I was one of them.

I love my Oakland A's, and like anybody else in my family I wish them great success. All these years later, now I'm a grown man and I understand the business side of baseball. But never once will I understand the greedy side of the game. To me baseball is art, a way of living, a place where a true fan can relax. The game is rich with tradition and history, pain and agony, from the dead-ball period to the steroids era, and it creates a true sense of community among fans where we are all family, no matter what, without necessarily knowing or understanding why. We have gone through ups and downs, from feeling joy to shedding tears, always thinking we're one win away, one out away, and one owner away. I love my Oakland A's and I will forever remember that April night. I hope one day when I pass away, I will be in my field of dreams.

Please don't take them away.