With a rally rag on my right shoulder, the Giants are World Series Champions

WOW. My head's a little fuzzy from the champagne my best friend and I popped after the second out at the bottom of the ninth inning. I was hesitant to purchase the bottle of bubbly tonight because as many of you know, it's not that easy. You can't predict the win let alone a hit or even a 5 run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. But the cast of characters, also known as the San Francisco Giants have done it. Maybe not like the pretty boys of the NY Yankees or civilized like the Atlanta Braves, but the only way San Franciscans could - in their own unique San Francisco way.

The start of this season leading up to the All Star break was dismal. But, as a Giant fan, you keep the faith and hope they just finish in the top 3. We focus on the Dodgers coming to AT&T, enjoy the little rivalry with our AL friends accross the Bay, and LOVE, LOVE all the great giveaways the Giants promote throughout the 6 month season; Giant's Snuggie giveaway, bobblehead day or what's better than a Giants singles night!? I know! how 'bout a team that's been absolutely AMAZING to watch throughout 2010.


I'm probably more calm about the win because first of all it hasn't really sunk in. Much like going to game 1 of the World Series series with my mom, where if someone asks' me about it, I get choked up and can't really talk about it. It's really odd being such a fan of one team. You get to know the guys, even if you don't really know them. You see a majority of them for 162 regular season games, not to mention in spring training, then (thank goodness) post season games, and you get used to the every day grind and miss them on their off days. It's hard to explain, but you get attached and if they're not winning, you're not winning. If they are winning, there's no better feeling. But here they are, world champs and representing our city and our Bay Area, the underdogs, in front of a bunch of Red, White and Blue wearing Texas Ranger Fans and not to mention, the oblivious FOX sports analyists. So now that they're the World Champions of 2010, it's kind of like DUH to the rest of the world cause I've been there through the thick and thin of it all leading up to tonight. Unbelievable.



I've always been proud to be a SF Giants fan and to be honest, this year was the first year I got back into the game. It's been hard to watch them since my dad passed away because we watched, discussed, and argued about the Giants for a steady 22 years. When you have a buddy that looks forward to the season as much as you do and don't have them around anymore, it's hard to get excited about it. But this, for some reason, was the season that peaked my interest. Things clicked. Friends clicked. I even turned some people into fans (lucky them.) It was just THE year and I'm so glad I paid attention and that the boys made it fun again.



Tonight's World Series win was poetic. I wasn't in a huge crowd down at Civic Center Plaza or down by the ballpark or even at Yancy's Saloon out in the avenues. I was where I was supposed to be; with my best friend of 23 years, enjoying the game through every out and inning; every hit and pitch and just enjoying one of the best teams in baseball. I realize this year was really about bringing people together and it just so happened that the San Francisco Giants pulled that off - throughout the city, the bay and in my own little baseball life.

So many thanks to you 2010 San Francisco Giants. You will probably be the best Giants team that I rallied for in my lifetime.



GO GIANTS!

Chills, Cheers, Rally Rag and a Flask for Good Measure

I had never been to a World Series Game before last night, Wednesday, October 27, 2010. I was serious that the baseball gods aligned and I was given two tickets to Game 1 of the World Series. So here’s my account:

Hopped on the bus round 2:30 p.m., don’t have the tix yet and still don’t believe that I’m really going, but had faith.

My stop was up, and headed down 3rd Street to the park

There’s that feeling…..after you cross Mission St. when heading to a game, you start joining fellow Giants fans as they start pouring in from other streets, parking garages, buses, etc. There’s just an unsaid unity as you walk to the ballpark.

A gentlemen on my left caught up with me, turned to me and said “You heading to the game?” with the enthusiasm of a 10-year-old but the face of a 46-year-old. “ Yes,” I said…….he replies “This is so exciting!” I replied “ It’s gonna be great!”……although I was still not sure if I was ultimately getting in.

I’m truckin’ along down 3rd street with intense focus and dodging casual walkers, ticket scalpers, and merchant vendors. I’m on a mission, don’t get in my way.

“Nice boots” I hear passing up a dude on my right. “Thanks” I say. Even compliments won’t slow me down.

Congested isn’t the word that does justice to what Willie Mays Plaza looked like an hour and a half prior to first pitch. It was a sea of beards, born again Christians, “Let Timmy Smoke” supporters, clowns, hippies, Ranger fans, cops, cameramen, reporters, and ME looking for my mom. Eeeek!

Walking all over looking for ma’……Found Her!!!! Thank god for the bright green backpack she decided to bring along. I had two requests for her and she came through; 1 bag of peanuts and some binoculars. Score…..she brought that and some other treats! Oh, and thank goodness she brought her camera because guess what, I whipped mine out to start taking photo’s and the battery died. GAME OVER.

We’re supposed to do the ticket hand off at 3:45…..it’s 3:40 and no word. I’m a little nervous.

3:47 – no word…….a little sweaty.

3:50 – There’s my Giant’s Fairy Godmother………and there are the two tickets! We’re in!

I’ve walked up the ramp from the Willie Mays gate a million times, and probably over a dozen times this season, but this time was completely different. It finally hit me as we passed up the first level, then Club level, that my mom and I were walking into a new element. This is the World Series. Holy Sh*&!

We finally get to our seats and the field is a mad house. Tons of media, lights, camera’s and there’s this funky camera they’ve anchored above the seats that’s basically on a zip line kind of apparatus. Fully controlled somewhere else in this madhouse.

I turn to my mom and ask “I wonder who’s singing the National Anthem?” She looks at me with a bit of a blank stare and says “Oh, I think I heard it’s John Legend.” WHAT!!?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW??????? JOHN LEGEND….THAT’S MY FUTURE BABIES DADDY. As soon as I heard this, someone could have thrown me off the View Reserved deck. I really could have skipped the game, watched Legend and died. WHA????!!!!!!!


The boys are filtering into the dugout and there’s Sergio Romo, or as my Giant’s homie and I call him, Garden Knomo (cause duh, he looks like a Garden Knome) is totally getting down in the dugout to whatever song is blaring over the PA system @ AT&T. These guys are ready to rock. I see Pablo, the Giants biggest cheerleader slappin’ high fives to his teammates. AWESOME! These guys are feelin’ it!!!!!!!!

And here it is, pre-game festivities, intro. of the WHOLE team, down to the locker room attendents, one of which has been a friend since I worked with the Giants back in 1999, National Anthem, courtesy of JOHN LEGEND, field length/width American Flag unveiling, fly over, fireworks – It was the first time I had real chills and it was AMAZING.

I’m not going to re-cap the game….you all watched it, but I will say that after the Bad News Bears first inning and then dragging Tony Bennett onto the field screwed with my emotions. My brain was trying to wrap itself around the fact that Lincecum couldn’t figure out where to throw the ball and get an out and that we couldn’t score any runs that first inning, my heart had sunk. Then I’m supposed to get all sentimental when Tony sang “I Left My Heart in SF” (which he sang beautifully for an 84-year-old, I’m serious folks.) I was really confused. I know people said it was the turning point of the game, but I’m still perplexed of the timing of it all.

I want to give a shout out to the dudes sitting next to my mom and I. One of the reasons I started Urban Baseball Chick was because I know a lot about baseball and the Giants. I love it. It’s mostly useless information that I spew or impart to friends, family, bar buddies and newbies when it’s warranted. Jason and David who were sitting next to me, Hawaiian natives, living in the Bay for about 3 years were jawing with me about the game and were asking me a ton of questions about the players and who was who which was fun. Totally re-confirmed why Urban Baseball Chick must exist. In return, they shared their flask of booze and offered to take photo’s of my mom and I with our camera. They were good guys havin’ a blast at the game and it was fun to impart Giants baseball wisdom to them. Good times.

Back on the bus ride home, several people were getting on board talking about the game, me included, chatting up about how GREAT Freddy Sanchez played! Love Freddy!! One of the stops along the way is right in front of the St. Francis which is where the Rangers are staying. As we approached, their team bus was parked in front of us and the guys and their families were walking off, heads down. I felt a tinge of sadness for them. But then I remembered that it’s only 1 game out of 7 and we have a lot more work to do and oh yeah, I’M A GIANTS FAN!!!! Suck it Rangers!!!!!

Smells Like Team Spirit

A funny thing happened to me during the years of 1999 up until early 2001 - I worked for the San Francisco Giants. I was determined to work for the team, but was too late to apply for an internship in 1998, so I called up a year later and was hired in the Promotions department. A season later, Community Relations.

Those years were truly magical and the team was great on and off the field. I loved working with Dusty and made some lasting friends in the front office. (Side note, the people that work for the Giants organization work extremely HARD. I don’t think people realize what a grind it is every season to work for a professional sports team. I know they do it because they love it, but give them some props. They’re not sitting around just watching games for shits and giggles, it’s a full-time job with the team being at home as well as away and in the off season. It never stops.) Ok, off my soap box and back to biznass…..

During my two seasons with the G-Men, I was around everyone’s favorite player, Barry Bonds. Yep, #25 graced my presence as we rushed around the dugout prior to games. Did he say hi? Nope. Did you look him in the eye? Hell no, he may crush you. Did his teammates respect him?In my opinion, nadda. Did the media respect him? Hmmmmmmmmm….jury’s still out. I was one of it felt like -1000 that disliked the whole Barry Bonds era. He was arrogant, self-absorbed and definitely someone that was not at all a team player. His “area” in the clubhouse had a leather recliner. He also had a television set-up complete with a play station from what I can remember. He pretty much had a whole row of lockers to himself, whereas the other guys were fine with the standard ONE locker. On top of the whole Barry trance that somehow grabbed a certain amount of people that just wanted to believe in something, Barry was chasing a record with some obvious help. ** That fact **was the icing on the cake for Barry who clearly lived a life not grounded in any kind of reality. It was nothing but the Barry show which lasted for years and it was pretty disheartening. It really had nothing to do with the team, it was all about Barry and home runs. I truly feel that era dampened the spirits of true Giants fans and the Giants.

Since his departure, the team has gone through changes and it seems like the 2010 season has had the right mojo. You’ve got a band of brothers who don’t quit. It’s not about one guy on the team and what he’s going to do the next time he’s at bat. It’s about supporting your pitching staff and your fellow team members. Check out Pablo Sandoval the next time you’re watching the game. That guy is the biggest cheerleader the Giants have down in the dugout. Or watch the way Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell talk to each other before at bats. They are clearly in a bromance that I’ve loved watching over the past few months. Buster Posey, please, that guy plays catcher and first base and if Bochy asked him to, would probably pitch and be a great shortstop if we needed him. Andres Torres money. Freddy Sanchez who clearly has a case of A.D.D., runs the hardest after each hit no matter the outcome.

What I’m saying here is that we finally have a TEAM, not just a number to watch. We have guys that love this game and show it every time they play. Guys that don’t take advantage of the fact that they’re making millions because they’re out there 162 regular season games hungry to win. It’s a team that I’m finally proud of because this is what baseball and even what life is all about. It’s not about the hero, it’s about the little guys rallying together for a greater cause.

This has been a season of hard work. Every game has seemed to be a fight to win and to support the pitching staff. It's an exciting time for Giants fans because this is a team that only comes around once in a blue or rather orange moon. So wherever you are Barry, I hope you’re taking notes on how a real team works.

Who's On First? What's on Second? Why is a GIRL writing about baseball???

First of all, thank you for reading this! I just came up with the concept of Urban Baseball Chick about a month ago and wanted to get something going before the regular baseball season ends. Second, yeah, I'm an early thirties chick who absolutely loves baseball, the history that goes along with it and of course all of it's characters. Day in and day out, I'm watching baseball, exclusively the San Francisco Giants because, well that's the team I grew up with.

My first memories of going to a game back at the Stick (Candlestick Park for those of you not from 'round these parts) was going with my Dad and Grandpa. I was the only girl going with the guys to a game. (Wow, how my life has not changed that drastically from 26 years ago....) My Grandpa Danny had season tickets right between homeplate and the Giants dugout and those were the good ol' days of #22, William Nuschler Clark, or Will "the Thrill" as the media and his teammates called him. As a little pup, I think around 7, my Dad or Mom would first take me to 7-11, let me pick out some Big League Chew for Will and then, once I got to the park would run down to the area around the dugout and give it to him. Sometimes his other teammates would grab it from me, like catcher Bob Brenly for instance and walk it over to Will, but that's what I remember and it was good times.

Since then, I've steadily watched the team, it's managers and home change. I've gone from catch phrases like "Humm-Baby "to "It's Magic Inside". Players like Bob Brenly, Matt Williams, Robby Thompson, Will Clark and Jeffrey Leonard to Bill Mueller, Jeff Kent, Barry Bonds (does anyone remember Bobby Estalella, or as the ladies called him Bobby Chestalella???) Shawn Estes, J.T. Snow and now Buster Posey, Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell. And how could I forget managers like Roger Craig, Dusty Baker (my favorite) and now Bochy. It's been a wild ride, full of heart break and sheer excitement as well as unmentionable, rowdy nights and days at Spring Training in Scottsdale AZ, but all for the love of the game.

But why, why is Urban Baseball Chick so into baseball? Well, it's pretty simple. Baseball is my dad. You see, my Dad and I didn't always agree on a lot, but we always had baseball and the Giants. We went to games, we watched games in the comfort of the family living room, we listened to it on the radio in his car, it was one of the things in life that brought us together and sparked some heated debates. So, to continue the memory of my father, baseball lives in me and around me and I dedicate Urban Baseball Chick to him cause I think he'd dig it.