OAKLAND -- When the Giants team bus rolled into the Coliseum parking lot at 9:45 on Sunday morning, there was already a long line of cars waiting outside the gates. But manager Bob Melvin didn't get stuck in any traffic.
Melvin arrived at 7:15 to soak in all that he could on his final day at a ballpark where he managed for 11 seasons. He ran the steps, which he used to do twice a series when he was Oakland's manager, looking out at the Hall of Fame numbers on the tarp in center field. He wore white spikes, a nod to an A's tradition. Before the first pitch, he'll take the lineup card out, something he rarely does at other stops.
A Bay Area native who went to college just a few miles up the road at Cal, Melvin expected the day to bring back a lot of memories.
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"It's sad, first of all, because it's going to be the last game that I'll be here, but there's just a lot to it today," he said. "There are a lot of emotions to it today. I'll probably have a better idea when the game is over, but I've been on this field or over at the Warriors' place (a lot). I've spent a lot of my life here."
For Melvin, the connection goes back to 1979, when he took part in a Baltimore Orioles workout at the Coliseum. He won 853 games with the A's and three division titles, but he's not alone in saying goodbye Sunday.
Matt Chapman and Mark Canha were both in the lineup at a ballpark where they broke into the big leagues. Others like Logan Webb and Kyle Harrison spent plenty of time in the seats growing up, and some long-time Giants employees made the short trip for a road game this weekend to see the park one last time.
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The Giants are 31-42 all-time at the Coliseum in the regular season and didn't do any better when they visited in the World Series 35 years ago. Even in their down years, the A's have always played them tough, and Melvin was thinking about that Sunday as he tried to sum it all up.
He didn't plan to take any mementos home or scoop up any dirt. He simply wanted to experience as much as he could and check in with vendors, ushers and security guards he befriended, many of whom will be out of a job in six weeks. But more than anything, Melvin wanted to try and keep his focus between the lines, at least for nine innings.
The Giants are back below .500 and desperately need to string wins together. Melvin figured all of the emotions would sink in after the game.
"My guess is it's going to be pretty spirited again today," he said. "We'd like to be on the other side of it."
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