42

I just came from a special screening of the film 42. It was a screening for the front office employees that work for the two-time World Series champs, The San Francisco Giants. The screening was in one of the oldest movie theaters in the world (which I learned this afternoon.) The Vogue theater built in 1910. After a couple of bus loads of arrivals and a wonderful introduction and background about the days in which Jackie Robinson was born into major league baseball by the legendary Marty Lurie, 42 began.

Overall, 42 is a good film. I wasn't sure how any filmmaker can  tell the story of Jackie Robinson in 128 minutes but director and screenplay writer Brian Helgeland does. I'm glad he didn't try to tell the complete biography of Mr. Robinson in one film, instead he's concentrated on the how and why Jackie Robinson was picked from the stacks and stacks of  accomplished players that were a part of the Negro league system. It was a pleasant surprise that Brian Helgeland decided to concentrate on the relationships that Robinson had with not only Brooklyn Dodgers owner, Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford) and sports writer Wendell Smith but  also with his wife Rachel Robinson. It was refreshing to see a strong romantic relationship portrayed in a sports film. It's not in your face or sappy, but felt real and you get to see that Mrs. Robinson was a huge support for her husband who was facing severe adversity at every turn. 

There was some great acting in the smaller roles throughout the film. Pay attention to John C. McGinley as the Brooklyn Dodgers famed announcer Red Barber. You have to really listen to his commentary during the film and when you do his impersonation and turn of phrase leaves you chuckling.  Seeing Max Gail on the big screen was a complete treat. He's a part of television history and a part of my childhood as a cast member of the Barney Miller show.

42 can also be Hollywood. I could have done without a few of the scenes showing how Robinson stole bases. It was a scene that was a little overdone. I also found it took me a little time to get through Harrison Ford's imitation of Branch Rickey. Once I was able to suspend disbelief and get wrapped up in the story, I bought his impersonation. 

Even if you're not a baseball fan, the history of baseball and how Jackie Robinson quietly fought segregation in the 1940's and broke through racial boundaries should be enough for you to go out and see the film. I hope that 42 breaks the box office this weekend and ends up in the #1 slot. It's a film for everyone and a great piece of cinema for anyone that isn't  familiar with the story of Jackie Robinson. 

*Don't forget to bring the Kleenex*

And Now It's Do or Die - Game 5 NLCS

I know, I know.....where have I been you ask? Well, I'm going to blame it on my job. It's a bit consuming and leaves me just wanting the couch and a bottle of Jameson at the end of the day. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I've become complacent about writing about baseball. I had wanted to try and include some Oakland A's coverage this season  (I'm still kicking myself about missing that boat) but obviously NEVER got to that. So here we are, the Giants are still  in the post season....barely making it by the hairs of their chinny chin chin. Has it been exciting? Yes! Has it been downright frustrating and embarrassing? Yes. But, hey, they're still in it and I haven't heard the fat lady yet.


What Needs to Happen....STAT:

Tonight's game is yet again, a must win situation. We've got Zito on the mound, which could be the best thing ever or saddest thing yet. I'm going with the best thing ever. Zito's season has been fabulous and has almost shut up all the haters out there. He's a yoga zen master and maybe it's finally benefited him this year....in a positive way. I'm sure that yoga zen master thing has helped him all along when he was sub par and not even a starter in the 2010 post season, but this year he kicked ass.......all with his head down, focused and ZENing out. Per the usual, the team needs to support their pitcher with runs and not all in the 9th inning with the other team ahead by 7 runs. They'll need to get on base early and need to play a little small ball. (IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT THE HOMERUNS PABLO!) Bunting, stealing, sacrificing and walks. Let's get on base the smartest way possible and not leave guys on first and third kicking at the dirt and staring at their cleats.

Maybe for tonight's game they should change the juju and elect Buster as the team captain cause I'm not sure how this Pence thing is working out. Let's face facts, Buster is an all around baseball player. He tackles anything given to him with tact, respect and hard work. His perseverance should be held in high regard by his teammates and with this evenings game hanging in the balance of playing another day, well another day and AT HOME lets all look to Buster as motivation.

Arias. Yes, Arias at third please. I can't think of one bad play or hit that Arias has had this season. Take the Panda out and put in Arias. Panda swings at everything. In the past week I started calling him Hit or Miss. It's a crapshoot. Have Arias in the starting lineup and see what happens.

Please, please Boch, do not have Brian Wilson pitch. I know he really wants to and he's been growing that beard since 2010 and now he's painting his nails, but I'm enjoying him down in the dugout and I like that Romo has been the closer. Believe me, I miss having Wilson as the regular closer but let's just save him for the World Series....maybe even game 1 of the WS. Tonight is too important for Wilson to have his debut. True it could be grand and what baseball history is made of, but we're on shaky ground as it is and would hate for Wilson to appear and it completely backfires on the team.

Timmy needs to stay as a middle reliever. Period.

Finally, I'd like to see the team play with the same heart and exuberance as the 2012 Oakland Athletics did. That overall team spirit was infections and it reflected the 2010 Giants season. Playing kinda scrappy baseball, winning at the end and just being stoked to be playing in the post season. I need excitement and heart folks!


Whatever happens tonight, I know Bay Area baseball is alive and kicking and that there will be bars, living rooms, gyms and even Trader Joe's stores rooting for the home team. It's Eye Of The Tiger Gigantes....go out and get 'em.

Heading In The Right Direction

    I must apologize readers. I've been in a slump. Sorta like Emmanuel Burris. I've been looking for inspiration to write about the team and haven't had much of it. It's been a month and a few weeks of yelling at the television, yelling in the stands, banging my head against the wood of a bar wondering what the F*&^% is wrong with these guys. Pitching has been great (thank goodness) although I'm a little weary of when Timmy takes the mound. Maybe he's just getting older and trying to figure out his groove. Not as easy as when you were the young rook and no one knew your pitching style or couldn't get over the fact you look like you just graduated from the 8th grade. The offense had been dreadful. Couldn't get a hit to save our lives or our pitchers for gods sake. Leaving guys on base, hitting into double plays or just popping out when you got guys on the corners = YIKES! I was counting on the pitchers to get runs for themselves. Seriously.

Here we are though, end of May, the month of Melky and his Melkmen, and we're looking like a contender! How friggin' exciting compared to last season. Yeah, we're still riddled with some major injuries to some of our favorites (WHERE'S FREDDY!!!!??????) but the guys that have been asked to fill in those shoes have really stepped it up. Arias on third base has been a blessing. His speed alone around the bases has made up for Burris's lack of anything. Don't get me wrong, when Burris can get on base, he's a force, but at this point we can't hold our breath to see when he can get on base. TRADE HIM!  Our outfield right now is outstanding. Cabrera, Pagan and Blanco. Yes please! Evey lineup please. Theriot and Pill.....they still need to prove themselves as well as Crawford, Belt and Huff Daddy. Don't even get me started on the whole Huff issue. Puh-lease. I've got theories. Our two consistent, hard working, humble catchers, Posey and Sanchez are so in tune with our pitching it's ridiculous. It's like they're Yoda down there in their squats during the games. RE-DIC!

**Speaking of Posey, please let me geek out a bit about him. Never have I seen a baseball player as popular as he is be as humble and cool as a cucumber on and off the field. His focus on the game and his team is inspiring. He's the epitome of a team player and he worked his ass off to be back in the game and with the team this year. I know he gets a lot of credit for his work ethic, but the guy seems to be a real gentlemen through and through and I'm just glad he's a San Francisco Giant.**


So, where does this leave us? I'm happy as a clam right now. Aren't you? The game they played against the Diamondbacks last night smelled of playoff hopes. It was a succinct effort. Guys were laying off pitches and taking their time. Melky was running for his life around those bases. Pagan was saluting his fellow teammate across the diamond to let him know he appreciated his efforts. Oh, and Cassila. Yeah, his at bats or shall I say his one at bat was horrific, but the guy can close a game like a champ. It seems like the magic has been trickling back into the park and now we've got a new batch of characters to talk about and I'm digging it. LET'S! GO! GI-ANTS!

The Season That Never Was

I've been heartbroken more than I'd like to admit. You? It's that viceral kick to the stomach. It's the relationship that you know is going south, but you don't want to acknowlede it because you are blinded by that four letter word: HOPE. Yep, this is how I'm feeling about our 2011 Giants.

It started with Buster Posey. I was at that game, possibly the darkest day of the season. Thank goodness he was okay and able to "walk" off that field, but in that moment, we all knew it wasn't good. Then Freddy Sanchez. Good ol' utility Freddy. Good for a hit just about everytime he walked up to bat. And then, well, you know the rest of the DL story.

The expectations for the 2011 season were massive. Here are the 2010 world champs and they had a lot to live up to, not to mention a Showtime crew constantly at their heels. A lot came with winning a championship since 1954 and I'm not sure the team could handle it all. I mean, we're not the fancy pants Yankees for gods sakes.

Let's face it, last year was magic. I would never want it repeated and I don't think it ever could be. There was an electricity that ran through that team towards the last few months of the 2010 season that was palpable. That magic is not there this year, how could it be with ALL of the injuries the team has endured. It's not all their fault, they're athletes, getting hurt is part of the job, just not the whole team in one season (with the exception of Huff....how in the hell is that guy still healthy?) The upside of this season has been seeing players we may not have been able to see on the regular. Belt, Crawford, Pill, Keppinger, Stewart, Vogelsong, Ford, Burriss and then the aquisition of Beltran (I'm not going to mention Cabrera and you know why.)

The other positive of this challenging season is that the Giants didn't roll over once the majority of the team went down. Bochy did a nice job of playing his healthy players as well as seeing where the rookies could shine. The team has done what they could with what they had and they've kept it interesting. I mean winning five consecutive games in September is saying something. Last year we weren't in it until the very last game of the season, and with 12 left to go, who knows what's in store.  This Giants team is still playing with a ton of heart and soul and that's why I'm still watching (with my fingers crossed.)


GO GIANTS!

The Birds

It's a constant. You've done your 7th inning stretch and then they start swooping in. First it's one or two circling the top of the park and then by the middle of the 8th inning it's flocks of those scavengers just parking themselves at the top of the stadium. They're aimlessy looking down at the loyal orange and black....waiting for us to gather our belongings and head home. Their timing is impeccable.  I've always wondered if they send one feathered friend out to the stadium to survey the game... see if the Giant's are up, tied or losing, see if its a crowd worth flying in for, what inning the team is in, then go back to the dumps (where I'm pretty sure that crowd of gulls are from, well that or Pier 39) have a round table discussion, vote on who's going, then fly back. 

I know...I have an active imagination, but it's sorta funny to think about. I mean how DO they know? Well, looking up some seagull facts I learned that they are highly intelligent. In fact, the trustworthy Wikipedia site states that seagulls "are resourceful, inquisitive and intelligent birds, demonstrating complex methods of communication and a highly developed social structure. For example, many gull colonies display mobbing behaviour, attacking and harassing would-be predators and other intruders."

Upon further Seagull research, a little article written in San Francisco's 7X7 Magazine earlier this year explains "that the 7th inning stretch is what cues the gulls to prepare for a feast.  The commotion of 40,000 people simultaneously standing and singing is the tip off. Gulls are very good at recognizing predictors for when food is going to become available. They have learned that the 7th inning stretch means that people will soon be clearing out of the stadium, leaving behind a plethora of half eaten, (and luckily in our ballpark) gourmet food." 

This 2011 season  I've noticed that these flying pirates are not too afraid of humans. They really don't care if you're still in your seat after the last out of the game. They will start pacing up and down the stairs and aisles in search of food scraps. At some point, they're going to just go for it, right? You're chomping down on your Sheboygan, savoring the carefully chosen toppings hugging your dog and here it comes, a big ol' 21 inch gull stealing your last bite and possibly taking some of your face with it. Oy.

So what are the Giants doing about this if anything? As of late July, early August they were looking into a Falcon domination if you will. According to a few news reports the Giants were going to bring a falcon to nest around the ballpark. Apparently this will intimidate the gulls from hanging around the park. At the time of this blog, I have no idea if they hired that Falcon yet, but by the looks of last night's game it didn't seem so.

SO my orange and black faithful, the next time you're at the park remember;  Heads up, Sheboygans down until Falcon domination is officially confirmed.

Random thought: wouldn't it be great if the actual Giant's team had a Falcon that would dominate all the scavenger teams that have been picking us apart? Then I wouldn't have to write about the seagull problem and more about our AWESOME team........ :/

GO GIANTS!

Brian Wilson: A Character Study

I'd like to say that the following observation about Brian Wilson has nothing to do with his ability on the field.

I have a love/hate relationship with Brian Wilson, aka The Beard, aka BWeezy. It's probably been a good two to three year, conflicted relationship. When he first came into the organization I dug him. He wasn't the cookie cutter looking baseball player and I liked that. Tat's on his arms, a faux hawk, intense eyes and a bad ass 1, 2, 3 inning - he piqued my interest. Then 2010 came around. I think it started with those orange shoes. It wasn't my thang. I didn't get it and I just thought he was trying to be an attention hog. So I sorta went on my own little private anti-Wilson soap box every time he came up. I just thought he was a show boater and I really wasn't into it because of our little miSFit team. He was drawing attention to himself and I didn't like it. We'd been there done that and I liked that the whole team was gaining recognition, not just one dude.

Then the beard started to grow (literally.) When I saw that thing starting to come in, I was a little offended. Ok, not personally offended because I didn't have a beard, but offended because his beard was getting attention and no one was mentioning Sergio Romo's real black beard. He's the original bearded one and no one noticed. Next came the one liners and weirdo talk. I was skeptical. I wasn't sure, was this a case of someone just doing it for the individual attention or was it because the Giants were under the microscope because of their scrappy, nail biting wins? Hmmmmm....?

The next thing I knew I was getting a video forwarded to me by my work husband that had an interview of Wilson. I believe the title of the interview was "Check this out, Wilson is nuts." It was the now classic video of Wilson being interviewed by Chris Rose and the "Machine" walked in frame during the interview. What the hell was this? What's this guy proving? Is he gay? Is he outwardly saying he's into S&M? Was that Zito in the whole leather getup? I had a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. From this smallish interview, Brian Wilson now had all eyes on him and his eccentric personality.

So, what does a girl do when she's studying the character of Brian Wilson? She gets the call to work an event with him. Ok, so as I have mentioned in a previous UBC blog, I volunteer with the Giants Community Fund and have been for at least the last 6 years give or take. Because of my previous work experience with the Giants and also in my current work life, the Fund has been giving me the job of Celebrity wrangler (which means I'm the bad gal who has to tell kids, adults and the elderly that they can only get one autograph and that there is no time for photographs.......yep, that's me.) Tonight was no different but I didn't know  until I got to the event.

I actually have worked this specific event in the past. About two years ago the Community Fund partnered with the Irish Cultural Center and had an event with Brian Wilson and Giants third base coach Tim Flannery. That year Mr. Wilson had NO beard, was pretty quiet and we were still selling tickets at the door. This year was a 180. When I arrived at the Irish Cultural Center there were two of San Francisco's finest hanging out at the front door and a lot of "who are you" kinda eyes. Yes, it's confirmed, this isn't 2009 anymore.

I was running a little late and ran upstairs quickly and made my way to the registration table to see what my job was for the night. I figured I was working the front door and checking in my Irish comrades as I did back in '09. As I was trying to figure out my job, the woman running the show came up to me, asked my name and then replied "Oh good, you're Erin, you're going to be handling Brian and Tim when they get here.............." this kind of floated up and over my head and I thought she was just kidding....hahahhaha, yeah, I'm going to be wrangling the Beard and Flannery.......yeah, ok, sure. But then came the confirmation in black and white on the night's itinerary, clear as could be: Celebrity Handler: Erin. Wait, what?????

So, that's what I did. Here I was......writing this character study for the past few weeks, trying to think of what the rest of this particular blog was going to be, and here it was right in front of me....tatted up, full beard, beanie, a television crew and lot's of character - GO! We anticipated Wilson and Flannery arriving around the same time so there I was with a Giants employee who regularly wrangles these guys waiting near the parking lot for arrival. Employees of the Irish Cultural Center, a few local newspaper writers and photographers and the Showtime crew were also waiting. Yeah, the Showtime crew was there, never even occurred to me that they would be here....good thing I actually "dressed" up for this. Oy Vey.....is this happening? Um, yes, it is and baton down the hatches Urban Baseball Chick cause you're in it to win it.

A few minutes later he rolls up in his high-end luxury vehicle, driving himself and pulls the old UBC move, pullin' it in backwards to be able to escape quickly after the event. Bright turquoise v-neck t-shirt, big black beard, and a grey loose beanie hanging off the back of his dome, classic. He quickly mic's up for the Showtime folks and then runs over to sign autographs for the fans outside the parking lot yelling to him just wanting to shake his hand, tell him "He's the Man" and getting quick shots of him on their Smartphones to share with their friends on Facebook or Twitter. He runs back over and there we were, briefing him on what was going on and shuffling him up the stairs for his interview with the Chronicle.

Easy part is over, now we gotta get him inside, where there are about 300 Irishmen, women and children anxiously waiting for him. We found the best way to get him in quickly and I tell him where we're going and to follow me. Open the door to the room and boom, it's GO time. Bring him and the lovely Tim Flannery over to their autograph table. Well, little did I know the rest of the room was right behind us ready for their autographs. This wasn't the plan. I look at the two gentlemen and ask if they needed anything from the bar, cause that's what I do. Gotta make sure these guys are taken care of. Run to the bar, get some waters and the chaos starts.

Here come the parade of kids, parents, the elderly with all of their paraphernalia to be signed. Baseballs, jersey's, photo's, iPads, a box of sugar (inside joke that involved the above mentioned "Machine" interview), posters, bottles of "Fear the Beard" wine, scarves and even a forearm. Yes, a forearm, completely attached of course. And here I am, saying no to posed photo's and telling the fans "One item per person, Thank You!" all the while having the Showtime camera in my face and a boom mic hovering over my head. Wilson and Flannery are great with the crowd and the kids. One kid actually asked Wilson if he could touch his beard and Wilson said yes. It was a pretty funny moment cause the kid was freaking out when he was handling Wilson's beard. I was a little weirded out by the request, but Wilson took it in stride. The kid actually shrieked after the awkward episode and his father couldn't have been any prouder. Hysterical.

It was hot and I was so happy that I am not claustrophobic. I had people trying to sneak behind Wilson and Flannery to get a quick pic and in front of the table it was about two to three people deep just snapping photo's. Controlled chaos was what it was and I was in the middle of it trying to regulate. We had agreed earlier that we needed to put a time limit on the autograph session and we were quickly nearing the time for the rest of the event to unfold. We still had a Q&A session with the audience and some music was to be played by Flannery (who is a pretty good musician/singer) and Wilson who plays the harmonica......of course he does.

I ended up being Wilson's assistant....when I say assistant, I mean that I took the items fans were giving him and holding onto them until it was time to get him out of there. Done with autographs we get him on the stage for the rest of the event. I take a load off 'cause my dogs were barking and sit in the back and chat with some new friends. In the meantime, we're figuring out what our strategy is for getting Wilson outta this room without it being a cluster........(fill in the blank.) I look at the time and it's showtime again (no pun intended.) Me and my Giants friend make our way up to the front again to make sure we escort him out the door without too much commotion. The Irish band that was there takes photo's with him as well as gets autographs, the Irish dancers come over to take a group shot with the Closer and then he looks at me and I ask him if it's time to jet.

The Showtime crew takes his mic and we start heading out the door. I hand him the items I was entrusted with, neatly bundled for easy transport and he's off, back down the stairs to a bunch of waiting fans and Smartphones in the parking lot.

So, who is this guy? He's a famous athlete who has a huge beard and piercing blue eyes. He's a version of himself that is making a good living off this guy named Brian Wilson and/or BWeezy. He's a guy who has a wine named after him, a guy who has thousands of t-shirt's with his bearded portrait on them. He's found his niche and he's sticking to it cause it works, but is it the real Brian Patrick Wilson? Nah, cause I saw that guy back in 2009 sans beard and character and he was a pretty "normal" dude. But that doesn't get you national attention or any kind of endorsements or a Showtime crew following you, right?

Cheers to you Mr. Wilson, you're Winning.

Battle of the Bay.............really?

I grew up in the East Bay, and by default I probably should have grown up an A’s fan. I did go to games since it was only a couple of BART stops away from home and thought that the Bash Brothers and Ricky Henderson were pretty cool cats. I did enjoy the story of MC Hammer being a bat boy for the A’s and loved, well still love that you can really sit anywhere @ the Coliseum because of their ticket prices and attendance (think Candlestick days.)

So when the Giants and A’s engage in a Battle of the Bay (like this past weekend) it’s always a little bittersweet for me. After the Giants got their new beautiful shiny ballpark the fans changed a bit. They felt entitled and special. “Look what we’ve got over here! Bigger, better and beautiful views of the Bay Area! WE even have sushi and Cha-Cha bowls if you’re sick of the good ol’ Hot Dog.” It was as if Giants baseball were in a “classier” league of its own. Meanwhile across the Bay, you had the Oakland A’s playing at the coliseum which Al Davis had made a concrete monstrosity out of, but ironically the A’s play more games out of there than the Raiders ever do.

I bring this up because I don't really understand the hateful rivalry attitude between some of the A's and Giants fans.  We're not in the same league and the only time we'd ever be at odds would be in a post season show down. In my heart of hearts both teams represent the beautiful Bay Area. The only difference is that the Giants were given a beautiful, shiny black Porshe-type stadium to play in 10 years ago and the A's have been handed an old gray beater to try and attract fans. When I attended two of the three games over at AT&T I witnessed some gross behavior. Most of it was because of an over consumption of liquor, but nevertheless it was gross. I heard some anti-East Bay talk and got a bit offended. Who cares if the A's are outta Oakland. Have any of you been to Oakland lately? They've got a great food culture cultivating over there as well as warmer weather, the Fox and Paramount theater (also the fabulous New Parish, if you're into New York style music clubs) as well as a Trader Joe's, Piedmont Avenue, Brown Sugar Kitchen and Lake Merritt! 

San Francisco is great. I reside in the City. I also know we're not the only city that hugs the Bay. The Oakland A's are the ugly red-headed step-child of Bay Area baseball. If you think I'm wrong, please correct me, but I know how they're looked at. I've felt bad for the A's organization for years because they've consistently had a good team, but have always seemed to be a major league farm system for the rest of baseball. I was hoping that they would be successful at getting the votes they needed to start building a beautiful ballpark down by Jack London Square. I think it's just the boost that Oakland needs to draw in more of the public and to let everyone know how great of a city it is. How wonderful would it be to have two diamonds sparkling on opposite sides of the San Francisco Bay?

Honestly, I think it would be good for the Giants to have a little competition across the Bay. They need it. Giant's fans have become complacent about heading to games and getting into the game versus the ambiance of it. In the interim of the A's getting their new stadium (either in Fremont or even moving up to Sacto) you can at least enjoy what the Coliseum has to offer: 1) It's still affordable to head to an A's game, which is a relief to anyone living in the Bay Area 2) BART actually drops you off right in front of the Coliseum 3) You can jump seats and upgrade yourself without any hassle (not advocating, just sayin....) 4) There's an amazing nacho stand on the ground floor right behind third base that you can't find at AT&T 5) Going to an A's game is about the team and not about a glass of Chardonnay or a pre-made plastic flat of sushi.