Landmark in the City - Tour of AT&T Park

Last week, the company I currently work for held a summer celebration at AT&T Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants.

The highlight of the day for me was the quick tour of the park. We were assigned a group tour guide and showed us around the park with out the ball game crowd. Thank you AT&T Park and my employer.

Baseball in the City - The San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies

I love my employer. After almost two years that I haven't gotten tickets to a baseball game, the gods of free tickets granted my wish and allowed me another chance to two really good tickets.

The last time we were at AT&T, we were in the Premium Lower Box. This time it got better. We were in the Premium Field Club. Just two rows directly behind the Giants dugout!

Baseball in the City - SF Giants are World Series champions again!

I heard someone said that winning the World Series is an experience for a generation.  You'd believe that wholeheartedly if you are a fan of baseball. 

And the San Francisco Giants have won twice in a span of only three years! And the way they won during the playoff season was super torture but showbiz worthy as if someone has written a script for them.

Congratulations SF Giants and welcome to the best party in baseball.

Everyday Wine in the City - Beringer 2003 Merlot Napa Valley

The bottles of wines we paired with our home meals in the past weeks were forgettable except for this one - 2003 Beringer Merlot. Claudia, Mijo's sister, brought this bottle a few years ago.

We opened this bottle on the evening of World Series Game 1.

I sort of knew that this bottle was going to be a good one. Plus, I think we also got lucky with the food that we paired with this bottle that evening. On top of good wine, good take-out food and the best companion in the entire world Mijo, the SF Giants won that evening!

Baseball in the City - Field Club seating

I received another pair of Giants tickets from a raffle draw in the office.  This has been the best baseball tickets I have received for free so far.

Not only it was the Giants hosting the Dodgers, not only it was Field Club seating (our first time in that section, by the way), the Giants won the game that night 4-0.  And here's one more, the seats were just two rows behind the Giants dugout! Go Giants!

Baseball in the City

I took Wednesday off from work to see the Giants parade. I figured, how often does a local team win a World Series? It turned out, over a million people had the same thing in mind.

I've never been part of anything this big in my entire life. Imagine what it felt like for a guy like me, originally from a small town outside Manila, standing in the middle of what could be over a million crowd waiting to welcome the heroes of his adopted city? It was an overwhelming feeling of pride and joy. Everyone was happy, talking and sharing their excitement with people next to them, hugging strangers, and smiling while wearing clothes of black and orange in color.

I got to the corner of Montgomery and Clay Sts after Mijo and I had coffee together, around 7:30a. It is close to where the parade was supposed to start. There were already masses of people who have claimed the strategic locations where the view is the best during the parade.

Since the parade was not going to start until 11am, and D and H, who were supposed to meet up with me haven't shown up, I did a who has the best slogan among the crowd contest . Here's the top 3 that made my wait a fun one.

"Yes Tim (Lincecum), I will marry you!!!"

- by a young lady in her office outfit wearing an orange scarf.

"Fear the Beard"

- referring to beard of 3 of the Giants' Pitchers

"Let Tim smoke!"

- referring to the Giants' pitcher's misdemeanor pot charges

For the others, they've waited a lifetime to see the San Francisco Giants clinch the World Series title. For me, the wait was only 10 years. My wait started when they moved the franchise from the city's Candlestick park into the AT&T park in 2000.

When the Giants won, their fans won as well. Congratulations SF Giants!

~rl

(The photo above was taken on Montgomery St in San Francisco during the World Series champions parade of the Giants)