"Playing in front of empty seats at the Oakland Coliseum is as commonplace for A's players as taking batting practice. The team's attendance woes have drawn increased attention recently, particularly after the A's drew just 8,874 to Monday's game against the Texas Rangers, their smallest announced crowd since 2003. For those who have been with the team a while, the sparse turnouts are a fact of life. But the A's imported several new players this season, some of whom came from the National League and didn't have much exposure to the Coliseum before this year. What's been their reaction? "It didn't really catch me off-guard," said third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, who spent the past three seasons with the Padres. "Some of the guys said in spring training that we didn't draw too well. I didn't expect too many fans. In San Diego, we didn't draw too well. I just looked up (in the stands earlier this season) and said, 'Well, that's the way it is.' "" http://www.contracostatimes.com/athletics/ci_15035313?nclick_check=1
