Baseball, All-Stars, and Even a Touch of Football (but in brief).

I’m going to put it out there quite simply:  when it comes to big events and my favorite professional sports team, the San Francisco Giants, I am simply bad luck.

To wit: on Thursday evening, I turned on the tube and saw Tim Lincecum with a no-hitter going in the 7th inning.  The next batter who came up, as I was watching, gets a solid base hit. I walked out of the living room briefly to get a snack, only to come back shortly thereafter with Padres having scored 3 runs.  So much for the no-hitter AND the shutout.

The next night, I was at my kids’ play…they performed in a kids-only cast production of “Pinocchio”.  After we got home, I was sidetracked with assorted other activities, so when my wife turned the channel to the 10 pm newscast, I was stunned to see that a 33 year drought in-between no-hitters pitched by the Giants had ended when Jonathan Sanchez pitched the season’s first no-hitter, and the Giants’ first since 1976.

Thank the Lord for small miracles.  Had I turned on the game in the 8th inning, there is no doubt in my mind that the long drive hit to centerfield would have gone over the outstretched arms of Giants CF Aaron Rowand, blowing the no-hitter.  Then Sanchez would have given up a couple more hits, walked a few, and before I knew it, not only the no-hitter would have been gone, but suddenly the victory might be placed at risk.

Such is the power I hold over the destiny of my favorite baseball team.

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On the eve of the All-Star festivities in St. Louis (I hope you have had a chance to check out the Fan Fest, Randall) I am reminded of the All-Star game festivities in San Francisco two years ago, whereupon yours truly and my T-Ball team (along with another local T-Ball team)  received an invite to play a T-Ball game at the big indoor diamond at the All-Star Fan Fest on the Monday preceding the All-Star Game.  It was an excellent time, with free admission for our families and players, and our kids played a 3 inning game in front of a sizable crowd.  See pics below (and click on each for a larger version)…

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And on a final note…I’m quite tired of the complaining around these parts regarding the proposed “move” of the San Francisco 49ers south to Santa Clara.  As far as I’m concerned, it isn’t really a move.  The team plays 10 games in San Francisco, but has its team headquarters in Santa Clara.  Is the team playing in the greater San Francisco Bay Area?  Yes.  Has it moved to (gasp) Los Angeles?  No.

Some interesting stats: less than 10% of the season ticket base of the team resides within the city limits of San Francisco.  In fact, more season ticket holders come from Sacramento than from San Francisco.  The majority of season ticket holders reside south of San Francisco.

Let’s not forget many teams play outside the cities for which the team is named – in some cases, they play in another state (see NY Giants and Jets, both of whom play in New Jersey).

Honestly, San Franciscans need to get over it…this coming from a native son.  To quote San Jose Mercury News sports columnist Mark Purdy in Sunday’s paper, “Over the years, that is one thing I have discovered about San Francisco folks: They are always stunned to learn that their city is no longer the only one that matters in the Bay Area.”

BAM!

If that Santa Clara stadium proposal passes (which I hope it does), I certainly plan on making the drive to watch the occasional game there.  At least the team will be playing near its headquarters, and most importantly, it will NOT have left the greater San Francisco Bay Area.  The greater shame would be to lose the team from this area entirely and see it relocated to some other city, like Los Angeles.

Of course, I can at least hope, in the short term, that the product on the field will be watchable this fall…