Giants Baseball at SBC Park

Note: if you want to start at the beginning of this 3-day weekend, go to Day 1.

After touring the USS Pampanito on Day1 we walked back to the Sheraton hotel for an hour's rest and then returned to Fisherman's Grotto 9 for dinner (great red snapper, and again a light crowd so we got a primo window table). The next morning we walked in drizzling rain to the IHOP across the street from the Sheraton for a leisurely breakfast, returned to the hotel to read the paper, and then walked two blocks to the Number 10 bus stop. Ten minutes later we were on our way to SBC Park.

We got off the bus at the northeast (left field) side of the park and walked two blocks along 2nd Street and into the park. Inside the park we walked up one flight to the promenade level so we could walk clockwise all around the outfield and on to our seats in back of home plate. The sky was still overcast and the cities across the bay were hidden by low clouds. I snapped a series of photos all around the park, but the story here begins with a photo looking in from center field toward the still-empty grandstands (the fans cut their timing close -- we arrived to these empty stands less than an hour before the 12:35 p.m. game time). I give this picture partly to show the camera location for all the photos taken just before and during the game.

Mary and I sat 11 rows up in Section 317, behind home plate on the third base side
(way up high on the aisle, indicated by a tiny red balloon).

The next thing I saw as we continued around the outfield was this beer stand.
I was struck by the price of a small cup of beer so I snapped a picture.
(The bartender thought I was snapping her).

We continued to right field, and below are looking across toward the famous coke bottle and fielder's glove in left field. I zoomed in partially, to frame the visible part of the Bay Bridge and the coke bottle and baseball glove.

Left field coke bottle and fielder's glove, with Bay Bridge and low clouds in the background.

Same photograph, with less size reduction (but still reduced to 70%) to give some detail.
Had I zoomed all the way and not reduced, the picture would be 2.25 times larger than this. Love this lens!

Then we continued on to Section 317 and climbed up to our seats. I was concerned about getting nose bleed from the altitude as we trudged up the stairs, but when at our seats we were close enough to the field to see the action without binoculars, and even take some action shots (I give one later). Since our main interest was in seeing the park and the bay beyond it, our seats were perfect. You'll see some awesome views later.

Third-base-side grandstands, still nearly empty 40 minutes before
the 12:30 p.m. game time. The scene is still overcast and dark
but the Berkeley shoreline across the bay is now visible.

The same grandstand 70 minutes later is now nearly filled,
30 minutes into the game. The sun has come out, the stadium is warm,
and the Berkeley hills and shoreline are clearly visible.

Right field stands taken about the same time.
The announced attendance was 38,956.
Willy Mays Park and Pier 48 are in the near background
and Alameda is in the far background.

A full-out 17-mm wide-angle view of the ball field,
lower grandstands, and San Francisco bay -- a sight to behold!
Sail boats, personal yachts, ferry boats, and massive freighters
wandered the bay throughout the game.

Partially zoomed view of left field bleachers with
Berkeley shipping docks and skyline in the background.

Half-size crop of Berkeley hills, shipping docks and skyline in fully-zoomed photo of same area (85 mm focal length).

Niekro gets a hit with men on second and third during our 8-run fifth- and sixth-inning surge.

Crop into the pitcher and batter in the above photo.

A two-masted schooner passes between the ball park and Willy Mays Park.

Crop into the same photo for a closer view of the schooner and Willy Mays statue.

Fully cropped to the Willy Mays statue.

It is clear that after the cold, drizzly morning, our afternoon of Giants baseball and awesome views of SBC Park and the San Francisco Bay behind it was absolutely glorious. I hope you feel some of the beauty and excitement from these photos. Oh, by the way, the Giants beat the Royals 9 to 7 (a rare win among our many losses, including the previous two games to the Royals. Rooting for the Giants is like my younger days rooting for the Chicago Cubs -- losing is part of the tradition).