While they're away on a three-city trip, the Raiders will play two games, on Friday and on Sept. 1, and the movable football stands will sit on the outfield grass for a week. The stands will stay in place because it's costly to put them back, and doing so is just as damaging to the grass as leaving them in place.
"When there are (football) games back-to-back, it's really a no-win situation,'' head groundskeeper Clay Wood said.
So, despite the best efforts of Wood and his crew, the field will be torn up and rock-solid when the A's return on Sept. 2, plus Wood and Co. will have a quick turnaround between a 6 p.m. Raiders game and the next night's 7 p.m. Yankees game. They've done the changeover that fast before, but it's very difficult.