Take Me Out to The Ball Game

http://youtu.be/qscED3psy_U

Tuesday was the San Francisco Giant's Baseball Game extravaganza when the kids were here.  During the morning we all just relaxed and played and enjoyed each other.  The main event was a night game but the family was taking BART (the train) into San Francisco.  So that meant leaving around 4:30 PM. 

I was planning on going to work around 2:00 as I was doing a lesson and I didn't feel comfortable being gone for many many hours on public transportation with my b/p acting up.  Jim's mom was able to go with them so that was nice for the family. 

So we all headed out in different directions in the afternoon.  Here is our true confession.  Our family is not really that into sports.  It has been decades since Jim and I went to a Giants game.  We use to love to go to Candlestick Park when we lived in San Francisco as newlyweds.  I think we went on my birthday for the first few years, huddled under a blanket and ate hots dogs.  It was a fun event then and we usually also went out to dinner before the game at a place called Tad's Steak House downtown.  Living in SF was thrilling all the time.  I'd go back there in a minute to a flat if we could keep our cottage as an alternate country home.  Now that is dreaming big!

At the ball game in the old days, you chatted with those around you and enjoyed the experience.  We knew all the players and had the sense they were "Our Team"  That was back in the Willie Mays days.  Since then we kind of lost track of all of that in the mix of life.  So Jim was excited to go back again.  Of course now there is the new ATandT stadium.

 Google Image

I  have not been inside the stadium but Jim relayed it is very nice.  I think I would just love to be able to sit out there in the middle of San Francisco like that.  I love how they have incorporated it right into the hub and heart The City by demolishing old structures and making the space useful again.  In a few generations it will seem like it was always there like many of the other professional sports arenas and stadiums throughout the country.

The family taking BART to the game.  It was not crowded going over but coming home they had to stand most of the way.  BART is fun to ride on if you don't linger on the idea that it tunnels under a mountain and passes underwater across the bay in a  tube from Oakland to San Francisco.  It is less expensive than driving and parking and more convenient and no traffic jams.  So hey, it all good!  They have replaced the old seats recently and it looks nicer than it use to so that is great to see.

These giant sculptures are SF's take on cool art and my brother assures me they are pretty spectacular as I sit here trying to write this post alone in the house, about a place I have never been and an event I didn't attend.  Steve reports that these are out near a really nice play area that have constructed for kids.  He said the coke bottle is undoubtedly a sponsorship contribution and the mitt is just old looking and funky and makes the park that much better.  They can be seen from everywhere in the park.  And if you are seated in the bleaches they are behind you. 

Here are the eager spectators, early and ready for the festivities.  Baseball games are not just baseball games anymore but multimedia extravaganzas.  A lot of time and money goes into making sure there is never a dull moment as there often can be if you are just left dependent upon the game itself.  You know the routine...three up three down at the top and bottom of many innings.

This game was not won by the Giants but Jim assured me there were some very exciting moments.  They were playing the Mets and there has always been some natural rivalry with them because the San Fransisco Giants use to be NewYork Giants back in the day.  But alas, they didn't play like the World Champions they are currently....so they lost!

Chris and Missy just two of the 41,000

 in attendance which is considered a sell out crowd.

I think they were happy they had

 selected this activity for their vacation.

They all seemed to have had a great time and didn't

 arrive back home until way past midnight.  

There was one really historic thing that happened in this game which you can see in the video link below.

The Giants have a brand new Japanese rookie on the team and that night was his first ever game in the big leagues.  That night is one he will never forget for a lot of reasons...check it out...After the moment in the video he got up to bat and got a hit his first time up.  He got a standing ovation from the crowd!  You don't see that very often...41,000 people unified in thought and honoring one individual for an exemplary first game in the major leagues.

This is all about Kensuke Tanaka, an up and coming baseball phenomenon it seems from day one!  Just listening to and watching this 31 second video clip brings back so many memories of my Dad who loved baseball and often listened to it on the radio and on TV.

The sounds of baseball never changes even though most of the other things have.  It is not just peanuts and popcorn and Cracker Jacks and beer anymore.  There are gourmet restaurants and concessions and even the hot dogs got fancy with a price tag of $7:00!

But if I had been there I would have gotten one because the only place hot dogs rock is in a ball park at a night game!  Then they are worth every cent of whatever they charge.  Somethings are just so American, Mom and Apple Pie and all the rest of it...and that is simply one of them!  See if this 31 seconds brings you back to the good ole days!  Be patient it takes awhile to load...enjoy!

http://youtu.be/aRchwB2qarU