Giant Hesitation

A statue of Willie Mays greets the fans at the entrance to SBC Park.

The local preacher likes to organize outings to Giants baseball games, and so it was that I found myself in the left-field bleachers of SBC (formerly Pac Bell) park last Friday night. Despite the poor vantage from the cheap seats ($21), we did get a good look at Barry Bonds, who is by consensus one of the three or four greatest players who ever lived. Although number 25 didn’t do anything notable that night, at least someday I’ll be able to tell my grandchildren and the other guys at the rest home that I saw him play.


Number 25 did not get a hit today, though the Giants scored 12 runs.

The Giants were hosting the World Champion Florida Marlins and started the game in a fashion that reminded me of the Giants in the 70’s and early 80’s. The Marlins had the bases loaded with two out in the top of the first inning. A high fly ball was launched to right-center field, but the outfielders miscommunicated, and the ball was dropped. Because everyone was running on two outs, three runs scored easily. Somehow the scorer perceived a windblown double while everyone else in the Park saw an error, but in any case the damage was done. Hope flickered as the Giants rallied in the bottom of the first and trailed only 4 – 2.

The youngster and I got up to buy hot dogs. As we stood in line, we watched on the monitors as the Marlins used the Giants pitchers for batting practice. It was 9 – 2 as we returned to our seats $28 poorer (two hot dogs, sodas, and fried calamari for a certain high-maintenance individual seated next to me and the kid), but who’s counting when we’re having so much fun. Incredibly, the Giants rallied to tie the score 9 – 9 at the bottom of the second, the big blow was a grand slam home run by Brian Dallimore, the rookie third baseman. The grandslam was Dallimore’s first major league hit, a feat matched by only four other players, including Barry Bonds’ father, the late Bobby Bonds.


The score is 9 - 9 at the bottom of the 2nd inning.

The game settled down, and the Giants came away with a 12 – 9 victory. During the course of the evening, and despite the game’s excitement, I soured on the SBC experience: 1) the wind blew right through my light jacket, and the sub-50 temperatures seemed to double the pressure on my bladder—memories of frigid Candlestick Park arose involuntarily; 2) the lines to the men’s restroom were at least 30-deep before one even got to the entrance (I can’t imagine how women endure their circumstances); 3) the price of food and drink is beyond outrageous.

The preacher is talking about seeing a couple of more games this year. The youngster’s pleading eyes light up. I’ll get back to them when it’s warmer. © 2004 Stephen Yuen