Part II. Bay Area Double-Dip
*Sac State Hornets taking on ASU today in San Luis Opispo (CA)--Feel the Sting!
*Bron Bron in the finals--again! Looking back, he called it!
*Who will face the New York Rangers? Chicago or LA? Hey I am a NORCAL guy, plus
NYC and Chitown both cold weather puck and stick kind of cities!
*Speaking of a buzz, Chrome worked out on the track today. A week to go, "and they're off."
*More of a murmur surrounding the Cup Del Mundo--the biggest stir so far, was the news of
who didn't make the team. Oh well, it's a start!
*When did the Indy 500 cease to run on Memorial Day--Did I miss something?
*The Visalia Rawhide with a textbook come-from-behind 4-3 win last night, decked out in
teal aqua jerseys. Similar to their park, and overall vibe, very cool man, very cool!
May 28, the Double-Dip, part 2:
The 10-under demographic loves the Golden Arches, therefore we began the day with their Cinnamon Melts. Pure gas (sugar) as I often say--tasty, very tasty, and the kid, actually both of my offspring, LOVE them in a lick the box dry kind of way!
Heading East on Highway 152, near Los Banos, it's windy. I mean Rio Vista CA hills kind of windy! (Extremely windy--Wizard of Oz style!) Dirt is flying across the road, the car is bouncing, even dirt is flying. This won't be the first time today I think of my childhood today.
Next on the itinerary, a visit to the "Train Shop" in San Jose. Located just off of freeways 280 and 17 in San Jose (near the SJ airport and Santa Clara U, and just up the street from the Winchester Mystery House), this shop is a must visit for all train enthusiasts. I am in over my head here, so the natural thing to do is to overspend. The box was so long, it barely fit into the trunk of our Volkswagen Passat! The Bachman, HO scale, "Overland Limited" set a big hit to start the day. Memories here people, trying to create and etch everlasting memories.
Onto SF, the is kid in the back beaming. (Did I mention the locomotive pumps out real steam? A real bonus--of course I knew this beforehand!) Sailing along 280, on a gorgeous sunny afternoon, we make good time. We are going to make the second inning, hopefully?!? I am a tad nervous about the traffic in the city--however the stars are aligned as we sail in off of third street, right near the park. I expected to pay a few bones, and I was right $35 big ones. Wow! The budget again takes a hit!
As any kill-joy Giant fan will tell you, AT&T a joyous spectacle. True. The water, the statues, the humm baby of the crowd....very hip. Noah gets his picture taken with a cutie of Cubs fan--hey it is the kid's birthday remember--and we are feeling good. I see a gentlemen wearing an old SF Seals jersey, and it reminds Sal Taromina, a friend of my dad's, and longtime coach at Santa Clara U who played in the original coast league. Sal used to come pheasant hunting with my father years ago. It seems like this day meant for fathers and sons.
We had in our possession club level outfield tickets. Not necessarily expensive, but not necessarily the cheap seats. My children have grown up often times sitting near Bob Ueker in the "not-so-front row", so Noah is juiced. He enjoys the escalator rides, especially the one with containing the neon lighting, creating a nightclub feel. The club level is spiffy, including all kinds of food and drink, and statues of Lucy, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy. We love the Peanuts. Good times! (Die-hard Giants fans, lots of great artifacts to check out in the Club Level. The Ghilardeli ice cream stand a must!)
Our seats are good. Second row in the second level, down the left field line. The view is better. Looking west, the bay is off in the horizon behind the wonderfully aesthetic-looking yard. The company, nails. The only issue, we are in direct sunlight, and with a sugar-hyped 9 year old early in a long day, I am on alert. Popcorn, H2O, pizza, H20, ice cream, and what do you know, we survive.
Around the 5th inning I realize there is a game being played. Linecum has a no-no through 5! The Cubs, with their B-Listers, are perfect fodder! I have never seen a no-hitter live, any where, any place. Shoot, now I am getting excited. Then the Big Fella, and I do mean BIG FELLA, takes Lincecum out. Are you kidding me? His pitch count was over 90, apparently, so the Abe Lincoln looking-like manager pulls Timmy. Nooooooooooo. Oh well, it was only a matter of time, and in the seventh the Cubs scratch out a hit--AARRGHH! The Giants eventually pull away for a crisp, clean, oh what could have been kind of day. Thanks Boch, thanks a lot. It is no wonder--with Captain Kill Joy as the their leader--The Giants haven's signed the lovable, personable Panda. I digress....
The Giants have the mojo. You could just feel it. They are playing well, and they ooze a confident, "we have got it" type of vibe. Kill-joys are in for a fun summer. The size of the Jumbo Screens JUMP out at you. The screen in center, it is Bochy like, HUGE. AT&T is indeed a destination attraction, and an enjoyable place to spend an afternoon.
Final thought from the afternoon--the replay situation has to be modified. The Giants were up 4-0 and on a bang bang play at third, the umps proceed to review. Snooze. Double Snooze. We should have left then, and beat the traffic, but that's another story.
My big brother and sister in-law who wisely rode BART, join us for the sojourn over to Oaktown. They are good sports.
Two tips for would be Double Dippers:
1. Stay the night ahead of time in a Bay Area hotel. I also am in favor of a pool--you just never know!
2. Take BART trains (Bay Area Rapid Transit); now I had a 9-year old hunkered down in the back seat, with some serious cargo in the back, so from our point of view, everything was just fine. (Our guests, well, like I said, they were good sports!) Nice afternoon, and down the backstretch to Oakland here we go!
We are going extra innings....Part III. to come in the next 48 hours!
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