Woulda, coulda, shoulda. In 1985, Giants owner Bob Lurie, fed up with the situation at dismal Candlestick park, coupled with the city's apathy in finding a ballpark solution, announced that the Giants would not play at Candlestick in 1986. Whether this meant moving the team to another city far away, or playing in Oakland until a permanent stadium solution could be had, nobody knew.
What it did mean is that the last scheduled game of the year, October 6 vs. Atlanta, would be the last game ever at the 'Stick. (So much for threats.) The Giants had lost 99 games to that point, and were the last of the 16 original teams (since 1900) to not lose 100 games in a season. What a fight it would be. Down 6-0, the Giants scored 7 in the bottom of the 6th, on only 2 hits. Only to have the Braves score 2 in the 7th for the final coffin nail.
As the game ended, my friends and I decided to stay until we were kicked out. I went up to the concession stands and as the metal door was rolling down on the last open window, I yelled in to see if I could get one last hot dog. The vendor was gracious in selling one to me. This was the last hot dog ever sold at Candlestick, or so I thought. I never ate it.
To this day it is still in its original foil wrapping in my mom's freezer. Now, red wine and single malt scotch get better with age...... but a 20 year old hot dog?
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Saturday, January 7, 2006
Baseball Is the Most Exciting Sport
A few days ago on LewRockwell.com a linked heading titled "Soccer Is the Most Exciting Sport" took me to a BBC article claiming that scientists had determined, with objective evidence, that [English] soccer was the most exciting sport:
As if "unpredictability" via upsets constitutes the lone basis for excitement. But what both the BBC and Lew Rockwell missed was the current state of affairs in their conclusion:
I coulda told you that!
"Scientists analysed results from more than 300,000 games played over the past century. They reviewed five sports: ice hockey, football, baseball and basketball in the US, and English football.
"The team decided to make unpredictability - how often a leading team is overcome by an opponent with a worse record - the best measure of how exciting a league is...
The results of the analysis showed that the "upset frequency" was highest for soccer, followed by baseball, hockey, and basketball. American football came last on the list, and so was labelled the least exciting sport."
As if "unpredictability" via upsets constitutes the lone basis for excitement. But what both the BBC and Lew Rockwell missed was the current state of affairs in their conclusion:
"When the scientists looked only at data from the past 10 years, English Premiership football and baseball swapped places."
I coulda told you that!
Thursday, January 5, 2006
"The Giants Win The Pennant!"
Very famous quote: "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" - Russ Hodges, October 3, 1951
Not so famous quote: "Twenty seven years of waiting has finally come to an end; the Giants have won the pennant!" - Hank Greenwald, October 9, 1989
Well, I know they said something because I have the pennant winner on tape. - Jon Miller and Mike Krukow, October 14, 2002
Why not win the World Series?
Not so famous quote: "Twenty seven years of waiting has finally come to an end; the Giants have won the pennant!" - Hank Greenwald, October 9, 1989
Well, I know they said something because I have the pennant winner on tape. - Jon Miller and Mike Krukow, October 14, 2002
Why not win the World Series?
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