Baseball is often said to be America’s past time and with the smell of garlic fries, the harmonious roars and chants of the crowd, and the ducking under a blanket as a swarm of seagulls circle over head aiming at any sad spectator who dares to raise their head, why wouldn’t it be. Yes baseball season is back and all those glorious memories were present on opening night at AT&T park.
The San Francisco Giants faced off against second seated division rival the San Diego Padres in their second game of a three game series. The game was set to tee off at 7:15 p.m. but for my motley crew we thought that to make sure we would get a parking spot and not get stuck in a collaborated conjunction of rush hour traffic as well as Giants fandemonium we would leave at 5.
Well the good news was that there was no traffic but the bad news was that there was no traffic. We wound up waiting for approximately an hour and forty five minutes for the game to start. Also our pockets were now thirty dollars lighter as they have raised the price of parking by 50% from last year. So far, so good.
We walked into the stadium, after being thoroughly frisked, and immediately sought off to find our seats. We were seated halfway between third base and the left field chevron cars down on field level, which provided an excellent view of the field as well as the jumbo-tron.
Since we had arrived so early we had the great fortune of seeing both the Giants and the Padres warm up. The Outfielders threw balls into the stands, usually to children, and signed memorabilia for any who had them. Also whatever balls were hit next to the outfield wall crafty fans would use their homemade rigs to try and scoop, vacuum, and fling up. One was a long extended grabber as another was a mini helmet with a suction tube attached to the top.
Fans slowly started to gather as the time grew on and the chatter on what will happen this baseball season as well as the hopes and shortcomings of the Giants started to become more feverish. As we stood up and removed our hats for the national anthem, sung by San Francisco’s Beach Blanket Babylon star Kimberly Jensen. Myself, my friends, and the whole gang of the Giants fans who were at attendance, felt a wave of anxiousness crash down as we let out hoots and hollers as the starting line up was announced. The game had begun.
The game was exciting as Giant’s starting Pitcher, Tim Lincecum, threw a great game pitching for 6 innings, with 7 strike outs, 1 walk, 7 hits, and giving up only 1 run. Unfortunately for Padre fans out their Randy Wolf was not as big. In the second inning he gave up a home run to catcher, Bengie Molina, and in the third inning another run.
The game continued with its ups and downs, street car races, double plays, and a fly ball coming straight at me that I just nearly missed as it was caught by the guy behind me. (I was on T.V.!!!) Overall just your usual Giant’s game spattered with tasty foods and women wearing sports bras only with Giants spelled across their abdomens. (It was a cold night).
Then the top of ninth came and our slim lead vanished as our closer, Brian Wilson, gave up a run to tie the game. It was a very stress filled atmosphere (as well as seagull filled) as the Giant’s, who are nationally viewed as Major League Baseball’s worse team, might lose what would be their second win of the year.
The bottom of the ninth passed, as well as the tenth, as we pushed through extra innings. There was a few close calls but so far the giants had managed to hold down defensively and prevent any runs. The bottom of the eleventh came and Bengie Molina was up.
People were standing, screaming, and some even cursing as he stood at the plate. A pitch went by than another and than on a low sinker he swung. The swing looked so forced and so off balance that I didn’t think the ball had a chance, but it kept going and going, just like the energizer bunny, and cleared the left field wall.
The crowd erupted with joy. People were high-fiving, hugging, and body bumping with ecstasy, (I myself might have taken it a little too far as I gave my friend a thorough shaking, knocking him over slightly). The Giant’s had won, the Giant’s had won!
The fireworks shot up out of the boats docked in the harbor, and the music from theatrical movies such as Star Wars, Chariots of Fire, and The Godfather were played softly threw the cold night air. It was a joyous and awe aspiring spectacle that was a perfect ending for a joyous and awe aspiring game.
Getting there:- Public transportation is the best way to go. Caltrain lets you off right there, and Bart let’s you off at Pier 1 were you can take MUNI over. Trust me it’s the best way to go.- If you do wind up driving take the Ceasar Chavez exit off 101. Take it east down Army St., till you hit Third St. then take a left and you’ll come up on either parking lot A or lot B and you are there. Leave at least an hour early.
What to bring:- Drinks in plastic/paper containers- Baseball glove- Sunscreen (If a day game)- Blanket- Mints/Gum/Sunflower Seeds/Nuts- MONEY!!!
What to eat:- Fried dough with your choice of toppings, (chocolate, nutella, jam, cinnamon, strawberries, banana, etc…) located underneath the bleacher seats.- Crab sandwiches, salad, and just good old crab, located behind the bleachers.- BBQ slab of ribs, potato salad, greens, just basically great tasting soul food, located behind bleachers.- And of course GARLIC FRIES, located pretty much anywhere.
What to watch for:- The “K”s located on the right field wall. They represent strikeouts and they place them right next to each other. (They should really find a new way of organizing the “K”s when their’s 3 strikeouts)- The team warm ups a little over an hour before the game.- The smile/air guitar camera.- Yourself on the Jumbo-Tron/T.V. (Make sure you record the game at home)- Foul balls- Seagull Excrement (Yuck!)
