SF Giants 2010 Opening Day!

The Opening Day for the Giants in San Francisco is as much about fashion and food as baseball. In orange and black outfits, and panda costumes aka Pablo 'Panda' Sandoval, it's a day for fans to dress as sporting glitterati.

And while the city have just named every Monday 'Vegetarian Day,' they might just as well call this 'Giants' Sick Day!' Alongside the ballpark, with just under two hours to go to the Opening Pitch, fans crowded onto outside tables at the newly-opened Mejita restaurant. There, the first request for a pic set the scene, being met with concerned and hasty denial.

'No! 'I'm playing hooky and I don't want anyone to see me!' said a lady, as she tucked into a plate of Mexican food with three friends.

Around the corner, people were streaming onto the Willie Mays Plaza, and staff were doing a great job in ushering what would be almost 43,000 fans through the massive, dark-green gates, including carrying out bag searches. Free calendars were being handed out, too, at the entrances.

Inside the teeming ballpark, Sara, though, had no such qualms of 'sick day!' as she sported a panda hat and number 48 shirt of Pablo Sandoval.

'I'm partial to his number. We sit just past third base so we get to see him close up,' she said. But she's also a huge fan of him apart from his number. 'He's a great guy! We've spoken to him and he's signed autographs for us,' she said.

A born and bred San Franciscan, she's a third generation Giants' fan.

On John's head was a shiny history of the Giants encapsulated in the badges pinned to his cap. Covering the years from 1988, they are mostly of opening days, but two specials are Barry Bonds' 500th home run and the 2002 World Series.

'I love it, this is my 24th consecutive opening day,' he said. A fan since 1951, and living 70 miles south of the city, he has high hopes.

'I think we may see a play-off for this year,' he said.

Such was Michelle's enthusiasm to be there, she had    flown in overnight from Indiana, leaving at 3.30 am ET and half-an-hour past midnight, San Francisco time.

'I had heard about the 10th Anniversary and I'm going to all three games in the series,' she said.

Strings of orange beads matched her carefully-teamed outfit. 'I'm a huge fan, ever since this ballpark opened up,' she said.

Ken has been a fan for much longer, with memories going back to Candlestick Park from where the Giants moved ten years ago.

'I remember when I was younger and in school and summer school, and we would go on trips to the ballpark,' he said.

The difference between the AT & T Park and Candlestick?

'Less windy!' he said.

The official celebrations for the 10th Anniversary of the opening of the AT & T Park take place on Sunday with a reunion with some of the 2000 National League West Division Championship team, including Barry Bonds - pic of team displayed on jumbotron

Bobby, from San Francisco, was orange and black from head to toe.  On his seventh Opening Day extravaganza, he had brought his four-year-old son with him for his first!

Confident about the Giants making the play-offs, he was hopeful of a place in the World Series and his favourite player is Tim Lincecum.

Will he be buying a newly-designed Lincecum wig with its trademark long black hair?

He will. His orange and black wig is soon to be consigned to history.
'This one is three years old and I'm going to update it!' he said.

SF Giants Celebrate 10th Anniversary of Move to AT & T Park from Candlestick Park - One Lifelong Fan's Nostalgia

When the San Francisco Giants play their opening game of the season in Houston this afternoon, it will mark the tenth anniversary of their move to their home at the AT & T Park, south of the centre of the city.

David is a lifelong Giants fan who has nostalgic memories of the old Candlestick Park, the good and the bad, and their move in 2000.

'I have four brothers and my dad used to take us out to Candlestick Park, take us out to the bleachers, and back then they were bleachers, wooden benches all the way across!' he recalled.

It was probably 1968, he thought, when his dad first took him along. 'We still had Willie Mays out there, Willie McCovey, the Alou brothers, Matty, Felipe, Jesus, all three of them played the field for us, left, center, right,' he said.

'We had Juan Marichal,' he said, adding to the list. 'He completed half of the games he started, which is unheard of now.'

His memories of Candlestick Park are chilly and windy. 'I remember any time we went out there, it was time to get out your heavy coats and your blankets.' The stadium, now the home of the 49ers football team, is on the bay south of the city.

The wind not only affected temperatures but play. 'My dad said if it wasn't for that wind blowing, Willie Mays would have broken the Home Run record.' A view that was shared by many people, added David.

And then the amazing stadium, with its address of 24 Willie Mays Plaza, south of the centre of the city opened up. David was there on Opening Day. 'It was so different compared to Candlestick. It was an event just to walk around the shops and the food stalls. At Candlestick, the vendors came to you!' he said. 'There was great excitement. Everybody was happy, it was a hopeful feeling,' he recalled.

He remembers boats sailing up the creek - pictured behind him - to sit in McCovey Cove and wait for the 'splash downs,' and also remembers there being one in the very first game that was held there!

The players that stand out in David's mind during the move to the AT & T Park were Barry Bonds, one of the greatest-ever baseball players, Jeff Kent and Kevin Mitchell, both winners of the National League's Most Valuable Player award, and 'Matt the Bat' Matt Williams.

The stadium - only named AT & T Park in 2006 and originally called Pacific Bell Park, then SBC Park - arguably has the most stunning views of a baseball stadium. On a sunny day, it's an experience just to sit high up in the stands and gaze out across San Francisco Bay.

Not surprisingly, with such a smart stadium, new fans were attracted to the game. 'There were much more family, much more novice kind of fans,' said David.

Candlestick Park was for hardcore fans, much more so when the seasons were lean and the team was on hard times. David and his family were among them. 'We were out there at least 20 times a season,' he said.

However, Candlestick Park days might have been bleak weather-wise, but David looks back to a warmth of camaraderie with the players. 'It seemed the players were much more in touch with their fans at Candlestick. After the games the players would be out in the carpark signing autographs. Now you have to pay for their autographs or its only on special days,' he said.

David"s Best Player?

'It would have to be Willie Mays. He was just an all-round player. There was never a dull moment with him.'

Best Season?

'I would have to say the World Series with the Angels. That was a beautiful season. (The Anaheim Angels defeated the Giants by four games to three in 2002)

'And the playoff against the Pittsburgh Pirates. That was incredible to see Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays, they were the two titans of the time.'

Was he at Candlestick Park when the huge 1989 Loma Prieta quake struck as the World Series, a Bay Area battle between the Giants and Oakland Athletics, was about to start?

'No, but I remember that day I was working in Brisbane (opposite). It was exactly 5.04 pm and we were watching the game on TV. I remember the announcer saying the stadium was shaking...and just after they said it, we felt it.'

The quake was so severe, David and his colleagues were sent home, and, stopping off at a gas station on the way, he bumped into Oakland Athletics player Jose Cansenco. 'I said "hello" and he signed a couple of autographs and then he said he had to go. Probably because we were all Giants fans!' laughed David.

Hopes for this year?

'There's a good feeling for this year. It's rare when you get that good feeling without there being named players. I'm looking to see Andres Torres and Travis Ishikawa come alive.'

And what of the girls' heartthrob, two-time Cy Young Award winner, Tim Lincecum?

'He brings the game a sense of "regular-guy", he's not a prima donna.'

David's family tradition with the Giants is continuing. His son, Joseph, is a fan, and his six-year-old grandson, Julian, playing in his first year in the Little League, will be going along with his grandpa.

Unfortunately, David is working today and so won't be at the free jumbotron viewing in the ballpark that will be showing the Giants opening game being played away against the Houston Astros.

The game is at 4.05 pm but the ballpark gates open at 3 pm with free hotdogs for the first 5,000 fans. Sponsored by the Giants, and Comcast SportsNet who also have giveaways for the first 2,000 fans, there will be a chance to visit the field and dugouts, and have autograph signings from Giants alumni.

Said David, 'But I'll be there in spirit and hear all the cheering as I pass by!'

San Francisco Giants

It is one of the best days of the year for thousands of San Franciscans - the much-awaited opening home game of the season for baseball team San Francisco Giants!

In team colours of black and orange, over 40,000 people were there to cheer on their beloved Giants who this year celebrate the 50th anniversary of their presence in the city.

To mark the occasion, there was a flypast of two F18 fighter jets. They swooped in over the Bay and soared over the stadium with impeccable timing as the last strains of the national anthem faded away.

There was also a trip down memory lane with an appearance of some of the original players from 1958. Riding in open-topped cars of the fifties, they did a circuit of the grounds. The Giants, like the LA Dodgers, had begun life in New York but moved to California to bring baseball to the West Coast.

'It's a great day - the best day of the season,' enthused one fan as he walked to the game wearing the signature black and orange sweatshirt and baseball hat. 'Whether we win or lose, I'm rooting for them!'

The team this season is facing a big change, the equivalent of Man United kicking off without Becks for the first time. Their star player for 15 seasons, Barry Bonds, has been dropped.

'It's a powerful loss', said the fan. He shrugged, 'When we lose, we lose, but when we win, it's a great feeling!'

'We're so excited! said a lady who had travelled all the way from Monterey to watch the game with her friend. 'This is my first opening day! We're happy fans!' she said. Her friend, dressed in smart orange 'crops' and black top, agreed.

'I've been a fan since I was born, and my father before me,' she recalled. ' We used to listen to them on the radio in the back yard.'

The stadium is south of the city alongside part of the bay known as McCovey Cove, named after a famous player.

How do you think the Giants will get on this season? I asked a group queuing by the water.

"I'm hoping we'll win at least 50 per cent of the games,' said one man, and then laughed at himself for what was possibly a hopelessly optimistic statement!

How much will you miss Barry Bonds?

'It was time for him to go,' ventured a lady and with an eye on the future added, 'I'm looking forward to seeing the youngsters today.'

In front of them stood a long crocodile of Giants crew people holding yards and yards of a rolled up American flag ready to carry in for the official opening ceremony.

Alongside a ferry boat pulled up with passengers for the game and a flotilla of small boats and kayaks began to fill the cove. They were Giants fans happy to sit on the water and listen to the commentary of the game as it was relayed outside the stadium.

One of the hopes, no doubt, is that a boater might just have an opportunity to catch a ball that flies out of the stadium and heads for the water! Known as 'Splash Hits' - the Giants have only been in this stadium since 2000 - Bonds holds an outstanding record of 35 Splash Hits out of a total team count of 45, as well as the record for home runs.

One of the excellent features of the Giants is that they give fans who perhaps can't afford tickets for every game, a few innings of free viewing per match. There is open fencing beneath the stadium by the cove where fans can stand and watch.

I stood next to a Nicaraguan lady who has lived in San Fran for 50 years, and has been a fan for the same time. Her face glowed with anticipation. 'I love it!' she said.

'I watched Barry Bonds' father play,' she added.

'Barry Bonds' father?' I said.

'Yes, Barry Bonds' father!' she affirmed, amused at my astonished tone.

With Barry Bonds, there is an unresolved legal matter that has stunned fans. Last year he was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice regarding steroid use. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

But even with Bonds the Giants sadly have not been noted for their winning streak in recent years. And this brief season so far is not looking too hopeful. Whilst today is the opening home match for San Franciscans, the official start of the season was last week and the Giants have already lost 5 out of 6 away games.

But that's not what fans were focussing on today. As the opening ceremony ended with the flypast and a burst of coloured smoke, boats in the cove tooted and a fireboat sprayed jets of water high into the air.

For now, the future was what counted!

PS The Giants lost to San Diego Padres, but beat them the following night in a glorious nail-biting finale. After which there was a dazzling firework display that turned the sky into a supercharged sparkle that rivalled many a city's New Year's extravaganza.

Happy New Year, Giants!!!

Click for pics. Click to enlarge.