East Bay Times

Oakland accepts new payment method for full-season suites — one bitcoin

- Wy Shayna Rubin srubin@ bayareanew­sgroup.com

MISA, ARIZ. >> Suites for Oakland A’s games at the Coliseum are on sale, and the team added another method of payment: One bitcoin.

With the Coliseum now open to a select number of fans for games during the 2021 season, six-person private suites for individual games are also on sale for $594 for select April games.

The A’s are now selling suites for a full season for one bitcoin. Other teams, such as the NBA’s Dallas

Mavericks, have accepted Bitcoin payment. The A’s are pricing tickets in cryptocurr­ency. As of Saturday, the cost for a full-season suite would be around $60,000.

“We invite our fans to become the first Bitcoin suite holders in sports, A’s president Dave Kaval said in a statement. “We’re excited to be one of a handful of teams to accept cryptocurr­ency for payment and the first to price tickets in crypto instead of U.S. currency. The price of a season suite may fluctuate depending on when it’s purchased, which adds to the excitement! Suites are the perfect way for groups who want to safely socially distance themselves from other fans

to enjoy A’s baseball this season.”

Until April 1, fans can purchase a full season sixperson suite for one bitcoin.

The A’s are selling singlegame tickets in pods of two, four, and six at 20% capacity for the 2021 season. All suites, bought with Bitcoin or not, include six tickets. MONTAS SHARP IN DEBUT >> Frankie Montas had a late start to spring training as he recuperate­d from COVID-19. Cleared a week into camp, Montas was slow-rolled into his first spring start on Sunday. He looked wound up and ready to rock.

Montas threw three shutout innings in a 1-0 A’s loss to the White Sox, striking out two batters, including MVP Jose Abreu. His sinker hovered around 95-97 mph, going as high as 99 mph at points.

“Velo was there, breaking stuff was there,” manager Bob Melvin said. “After a slow start getting here it was nice to see.”

The splitter has been,

and will be, a key pitch for Montas as he tries to rediscover the pitcher he was in 2019 when he accumulate­d a 2.70 ERA up until his 80game suspension for performanc­e enhancing drugs that year. Montas shied away from it in 2020, relying primarily on his sinker and slider in a roller-coaster season that began strong but bogged down due to injuries and inconsiste­ncy.

• Closer Trevor Rosenthal, who missed time with a groin injury, is also expected to pitch Wednesday.

• Mike Fiers (back discomfort) had an MRI on Sunday, but there were no immediate updates from the A’s on the results. Meanwhile, A.J. Puk, battling back after a shoulder injury last season, threw to hitters on Saturday and is scheduled to pitch Wednesday.

ACROSS

1 What a regular often orders, with “the”

6 First of a cereal

box trio

10 Box score

number

14 See 5-Down 15 Dorothy’s dog 16 Distinctiv­e vibe 17 Sauce with basil 18 Like many cars

sold online 19 “Jurassic Park”

predator 20 Youngster,

metaphoric­ally 23 Antlered Yellowston­e beast

24 Lao Tzu’s “way” 25 __City: computer

game

28 Stick a stake in,

as a vampire 32 Dry-eyes solution 34 Manual filing

target? 35 Toddler’s monster

deterrent 39 Brings on board 41 Luau neckwear 42 He played Grant

on “Lou Grant” 43 Morning

awakener

46 Poi source

47 One of four in five 48 Theater

walkways 50 Before, in poems 51 “__ Misérables” 53 Hesitant

utterances 54 Behind-thescenes money source ... and a hint to the start of 20-, 35- and 43-Across 61 Elton or Lennon 63 Boxer’s foursome 64 Garlicky mayo 65 CNN anchor

Burnett

66 Great Lake with the shortest name

67 King of rock ’n’ roll 68 Spinning toys 69 Apt word found in

“accident” 70 Tenant’s contract

DOWN

1 Officials calling

strikes

2 Trickle

3 Cold War initials 4 Italian wine region 5 With 14-Across, soccer’s GOAT, to many 6 Experienci­ng writer’s block, say

7 Light snack

8 Bit the dust 9 Online talk show 10 Fill until full 11 Car’s blinker 12 “Roses __ red

... ”

13 Collectors’ item? 21 Secluded valley 22 Eucalyptus eater 26 Response from

the next room 27 Urban transit

systems

28 Take a breath 29 “The Naked and the Dead” author Norman 30 Hook’s vessel 31 Wide awake 33 Grocery

shoppers’ aids 36 Sick

37 Cable TV’s Nat

__ Wild 38 Hyphenated fruit

drink brand 40 Incense-sensing

sense

44 Scared, with “out” 45 Hindu god of

desire

49 Tel Aviv’s land 52 Drum type 53 Underdog’s

victory

55 Roadside

lodgings 56 Mary-Kate, to

Ashley 57 Mah-jongg

piece

58 PBS science

series

59 Yale students 60 Heed a bailiff’s

order

61 Hot tub feature 62 Spanish gold

 ?? NHAT V. MEYER — STAFF FILE PHOTO ?? The Athletics are now accepting cryptocurr­ency for people wishing to purchase full-season suites at the Coliseum.
NHAT V. MEYER — STAFF FILE PHOTO The Athletics are now accepting cryptocurr­ency for people wishing to purchase full-season suites at the Coliseum.
 ??  ?? Rosenthal
Rosenthal
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Montas
 ?? By Michael Lieberman ?? 3/15/21
By Michael Lieberman 3/15/21

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