OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Miguel Tejada’s eyes filled with tears as he drove into the Coliseum parking lot Monday for the first time in more than 10 months.

Then, he had to find his way in a clubhouse he’d never set foot in before.

Back in Oakland with the Baltimore Orioles, it sure seemed strange for Tejada to no longer be with the Athletics, the team that signed him at 17 out of the Dominican Republic and helped him develop into a superstar.

“When I saw the Coliseum, I kind of cried a little bit. I said, “Wow, unbelievable,”‘ Tejada said, sitting in the visitors’ dugout before the opener of a four-game series.

“I was thinking, ‘I’m coming back today and I’m going to just try to play the team I should have been playing for my whole career.’ It’s hard for me, but at the same time I was happy to come back here and see my old friends.”

Tejada, the 2002 AL MVP, signed a $72 million, six-year contract with Baltimore last offseason – after Oakland owner Steve Schott told him last spring training that the A’s couldn’t afford to re-sign him to the longterm contract he wanted.

Monday’s game marked the 716th straight Tejada has played, matching Ernie Banks for the 14th-longest consecutive games streak in major league history. The All-Star shortstop entered the game batting .318 with 24 homers and an AL-leading 113 RBIs.

Rookie Bobby Crosby, Tejada’s replacement at shortstop for the A’s, was hoping to get a photo with Tejada this week to put in his house. Crosby, who’s working out of a slump, also received some hitting advice from Tejada last week in Baltimore.

“He said, “Hey, just relax, play your game. It looks like you’re trying too hard,”‘ Crosby said.

It seemed to help, too – Crosby homered twice during the weekend at Tampa Bay.

Before Monday’s game, fans leaned over the Orioles’ dugout, some wearing green A’s T-shirts with Tejada’s old No. 4 on the back.

“All right, Miggy!” one female hollered as he signed autographs after taking batting practice.

Last season, one fan held a sign for a nationally televised reading “Keep Tejada, Sell Crosby.”

Former teammates expected Tejada to receive a warm welcome.

“Of course!” Erubiel Durazo said. “He didn’t want to leave.”

A’s manager Ken Macha recalled many memorable Tejada moments, especially when Tejada tossed his bats in frustration over the dugout roof and into the front row of seats during a slump last season – and members of Schott’s family were sitting there.

It sparked a hitting streak, Tejada said.

“I’m hoping they give him a good ovation,” Macha said. “He was part of the fabric of this organization for a bunch of years. He loved the fans and the fans loved him. Sometimes it’s the way it works out. I appreciated the way he played here. He hasn’t changed.”

The A’s also lost closer Keith Foulke to the Red Sox in free agency last season. Tejada was the second former MVP to leave in three years.

Jason Giambi joined the New York Yankees after the 2001 season. Giambi was shocked to be booed when he returned to the Bay Area for the first time.

Tejada, who expected about 20 family and friends for the game, was prepared for whatever happened.

“Even if they boo me, I’m happy to come back here,” he said. “I’m totally happy with the way I’m playing, and I’m putting up big numbers because I’m happy.”

Tejada was thrilled when the A’s re-signed Gold Glove third baseman Eric Chavez during spring training to a six-year contract extension worth $66 million – the biggest deal in franchise history.

Chavez misses Tejada’s personality the most.

“He has one of the best in baseball,” Chavez. “It’s not even about the baseball, he’s just a great guy – even though he’s one of the best shortstops in baseball today.”

Mikey Thalblum, the A’s visiting clubhouse manager, gave Tejada special treatment – two lockers so he’d have extra space. Thalblum and others on his staff marked this series on their calendars as soon as the schedule came out.

“With Miggy, it wasn’t his choice to leave,” Thalblum said. “The fans should be loving toward him.”

AP-ES-08-23-04 2159EDT