As an army clad in orange and black swarmed AT
&
amp;T Park Thursday evening, John Cunnie sat on the ledge of the
bronze Juan Marichal statue and reflected on how he was about to
witness another chapter in storied but long-suffering San Francisco
Giants history.
SAN FRANCISCO
As an army clad in orange and black swarmed AT&T Park Thursday evening, John Cunnie sat on the ledge of the bronze Juan Marichal statue and reflected on how he was about to witness another chapter in storied but long-suffering San Francisco Giants history.
The native San Franciscan, wearing a faded corduroy Giants hat from the 1989 World Series, said the environment at the ballpark this week has been unlike anything he has seen since the team moved West in 1958. As Cunnie talked about legendary moments of years passed and the heartbreaks he’s witnessed, shouting vendors selling $50 World Series edition hats and random chants of “Let’s Go Giants” from fans donning fake beards, Halloween masks and Panda hoodies drowned him out.
“It’s electric,” he said. “The last few days have been fabulous.”
The last few days have featured people showing up eight hours before the first pitch to stake out a spot where they can possibly watch the game for free.
Despite the beefed up security, the atmosphere is still lively and festive.
And although police officers with bomb-sniffing dogs are seen every 200 feet, fans strolled King Street drinking tall cans of Coors Light from paper bags. The smell of marijuana in the air outside the park was as common as the aromas of sauerkraut, bratwurst and Churros being sold.
McCovey Cove, the body of water outside the park named for Hall of Fame Giant Willie McCovey, was filled with kayaks, rafts, yachts and virtually anything else that could float. It was as if a person could walk across the cove without touching water. Meanwhile, joggers trotted along, seemingly oblivious to the party breaking out around them.
As San Francisco police officers on jet skis slowly patrolled the waters, flags hanging from the masts of boats whipped in the chilly October winds under the gloomy gray sky. Classic rock and hip-hop blared from the vessels as a man with a ripped green jacket and long blond hair strummed an acoustic guitar on the pier. He was one of hundreds of street musicians playing for the assembled crowd of thousands.
Music students from the International Studies Academy, the middle school closest to the stadium, showed up five hours before the first pitch to play songs like “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” for the hoards of passersby.
“It’s their first time out at the stadium,” said music instructor Marcella Guzman. “We just wanted to be part of it.”
‘It’s like the Super Bowl’
They share thoughts with the tens of thousands who didn’t have tickets but lingered outside the park Thursday evening: They want to see the San Francisco Giants win its first World Series title since the team played in New York. They want to be part of the party.
For fans like Cunnie, it’s something to celebrate. He was a young man sitting in Candlestick Park when the Giants fell to the Yankees in game seven of the 1962 World Series. The Giants lost the contest, 1-0, and the final play was an excruciating experience, he said.
McCovey hit a line drive to Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson to end the game and the series. Had McCovey’s smash gained a little more height, the Giants would have won the series because the winning runs were on base, he said.
“That ball almost knocked Richardson over,” he said. “I remember I was on my feet because it sounded so good coming off the bat and then I just sat down silent when he caught it.”
As Cunnie paused to think about the swing in emotions he experienced that day, laughter and screaming was breaking out around Downtown San Francisco as fans eagerly awaited the opening ceremonies.
Across the cove in Parking Lot A, Steve Darrindinger of Tracy was savoring a hot link with spicy mustard and potato salad while talking about how the atmosphere this week has been a unique experience.
“The energy level is amazing,” he said. “It’s like the Super Bowl.”
Seagulls circled overhead and unleashed dogs feasted on discarded French fries as Darrindinger talked.
While AT&T Park was the epicenter of the festivities, bars within walking distance were cashing in as well.
Normally three workers would be handling a Thursday evening shift at O’Neill’s Irish Pub on Third Street. But with the Giants in the World Series, the staff was increased to 25, said the pub’s public relations director Darren Fanelli.
“People are showing up at noon when we open,” he said.
The opposition’s fans
The crowd is highly partisan, but fans of the opposing Texas Rangers proudly wear their colors as well.
Sarah McMillon of Abilene, Texas, won a trip for four to the World Series when she nominated a Rangers player for the Roberto Clemente Award. The award is given to players who personify Clemente’s reputation as a stellar player and humanitarian. She was automatically entered in a raffle to win the tickets when she nominated third baseman Michael Young.
It was McMillon’s first time at the stadium and said she was impressed by its layout and design. She and her family hadn’t received too much harassment from Giants fans, but she admitted the night was young.
“We heard we can expect some abuse,” she said. “We’re ready for it.”
Pregame ceremonies
Lady Antebellum sang the national anthem and four military jets screamed over the stadium immediately after the last note. The roaring jet engines momentarily silenced the crowd, which then erupted into an eardrum-rattling roar.
Cassandra Tomasello of San Bruno was in a boisterous crowd of Giants fans outside the right field wall waiting for their chance to watch an inning for free through the “Knothole.” Tomasello showed up at 11 a.m. to save her spot and said she passed the time by playing with the noisemakers they were given and chatting with the other people in line.
“We’re a neighborhood now,” said San Franciscan Ed Babcock, who was standing next to Tomasello in line.
Across the aisle from those waiting for the “Knothole” were those watching the game on television through the metal bars in the fence. When a worker turned off the four televisions carrying the game late in the first inning, she was showered with a chorus of boos and profanity.
Fans followed the game on a variety of portable devices. Some held radios to their ear while others regularly checked their Smartphones. Several people were walking around with large radios blaring broadcast of the game.
Ultimate satisfaction
The festive atmosphere was something fans like Cunnie have waited years for. The Giants winning the World Series would exorcise decades of demons, he said.
While he knows the series is far from over and the Giants have stumbled when they’ve had a chance to win it all before, he said there is a different feeling about this year he can’t put his finger on. The excitement he feels wasn’t as intense when the park opened in 2000 or even when it hosted the All-Star Game in 2007.
“I’m confident but cautious,” he said. “But if they win it would be the ultimate satisfaction.”
— Story by Jordan Guinn, Lodi News-Sentinel.
