The Freak was Freaky

Greetings from the City by the Bay!

After a very long day of travel, I'm pumping out this blog post before turning in for the night.

My parents and I woke up at 4am and were on the road shortly thereafter. We didn't make any stops until getting into San Francisco. We were all very hungry, so I got a hold of my old roommate and we met up with him and our mutual friend at the famous Crissy Field beach for some lunch.

When packing for this trip, I remember what happened the last time I came to San Francisco for a game. I froze my bottom off. As a result, for this trip, I packed long sleeve shirts, jeans, and my big, thick Letterman's jacket. Well, today in San Francisco, it was eighty degrees with brilliant sunshine. The weather here is so unpredictable. In the times I've come, it's been hot, cold, hot. All I know is I was getting really tired of dragging around my big jacket and jeans around the city.

I took the opportunity to go swimming on the beautiful beach with my friends at Crissy Field. It is a white sandy beach that is in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. Surprisingly, I found the bay water to be pretty warm, but very, very salty. I'm not used to swimming in the ocean, so when I first jumped in and the salt hit my lips it was kind of a shock.

The beach was incredibly crowded with adults, children, dogs, and the occasional sea lion venturing into the shallows. It also attracted the thieves. While Bret, Andrew, and myself were swimming, my parents uncovered three men trying to break into a car right in the middle of the main parking lot in broad daylight. My parents phoned in the police and we got to see the SFPD spring into action.

Then it was off to the park. I had been to AT&T Park numerous times before, and I must say that I really do like it. It is set on the water and the view is incredible, especially from the upper deck. The criss-crossing of container ships and the beautiful setting of the bare, brown hills is very pristine. I do have one complaint, and it is not about the park. It is about the fans.

At all levels of the Giants organization, I have found their fans to exude a seemingly heir of superiority over everyone else. Let me explain...I was seated in a section amidst a lot of season ticket holders. I'm usually very giddy with this type of situation as I am usually showered with lots of attention and praise for my concepts of the Baseball Roadtrips. Season ticket holders are usually the first ones to boast about their park, their team, and why they hold season tickets. The stories you here from these people are very interesting, to say the least. The fans I sat next to were very nice, but they seemed very preoccupied with themselves and you kind of got the vibe that they were better than you. When I realized where I was sitting, I introduced myself, told them what I was doing in San Francisco, and what I thought of their park, but it seemed like they didn't really care. It made for an almost awkward evening.

This series I am going to has a "playoff-like" feel to it. The fans are super into the games, as well as the players. This is my first exposure to this type of play since last year's failed pennant run that the Emeralds put together. It, also, had the effect of creating a lot of drunk and obnoxious fans. Couple that with the arrogance of the season ticket holders, it, again, kinda made for a sour experience through no fault of the park.

As for the game, it was quite a show. I was eagerly looking forward to seeing Tim Lincecum pitch, and he didn't disappoint. Lincecum went 8 complete innings of shutout ball while striking out 8 as the Giants took game one of the series 2-0. He was simply dominant through the entire game. The Rockies simply didn't have a shot of scoring against him as 6 of his 8 strikeouts were swinging. It was the most brilliant pitching performance I had ever seen. I can see why he has been dubbed the nickname "The Freak".

Tomorrow, we are all waking up early and driving back into San Francisco to see my mom do the famous "Swim from Alcatraz". Here is how it works: the participants will board a ferry at 9am and sail to within 100 yards of the island. From there, they open up the doors, everyone jumps in, and starts to swim back to the city. It is a 1.25 mile swim that has variable currents, cold water temperatures, and interesting wildlife. My mom is a little freaked out about the whole thing, but I think they call those the jitters. I know she'll do fine, and, in fact, I am very interested in possibly doing the swim myself next year. I'm going to see what she has to say about it before I make any decisions.

After the swim, I'm meeting up with Bret and we're gonna tour San Francisco. To tell you the truth, I kind of just want to ride the Cable Cars. They look like a ton of fun and I just absolutely love them! I'll chill in the city until the game starts later that evening.

Talk to you all tomorrow!

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)