Pac Bell Park, as it was originally known, is right on an inlet in the harbor.
The walkway between right field and the Old Navy Splash-yard.
By 2008 the Old Navy Splash Yard was re-named Levi’s Landing.
3rd baseman Bill Mueller in 2000. In 2003 with the Red Sox he was the AL Batting Champion and he was on the 2004 World Series Champion Red Sox. Also lived in our home town of Wellesley, MA.
View of the Giants bullpen down the left field line. The scoreboard in the distance looks like it says “Boston 1”…actually it’s Ball 0, Strike 1.
In case the kids get bored they have a playground in center–under the big glove and the Coke bottle.
By 2008 the cartoon Chevron ad in the left field wall was much bigger. It blocked the view of rows 1-4.
As with many new ballparks, the fans only cheer when the scoreboard tells you to.
David Ortiz hit his 13th home run that day. Not in this game, but I caught it on the scoreboard.
Kara and I went following the 2008 NCAA Division I Rowing Championships in Sacramento.
First two games: September 20-21, 2000. I was in San Francisco for the NAB Convention, so it was yet another ballpark trip I didn’t have to pay for. On Wednesday night I skipped the opening cocktail party (mostly it would have been people saying, “Hey, whenja get in?” or “Where’ya stayin’?) and went to what was then called Pacific Bell Park and saw the Reds v. the Giants.
I had a club level ticket that I bought on the internet. In the Giants lineup were future Red Sox 3b Bill Mueller l (spelled the same as the future Russian Election Interference Special Counsel Robert Mueller but Bill pronounces it like “Miller”), former and future Red Sox outfielder Ellis Burks and future short-lived Sox 1B JT Snow. The Reds lineup included future Sox players Pokey Reese and Sean Casey, who was MVP in the 2018 World Series Red Sox win over the Dodgers. Barry Bonds homered and nobody booed because we were in the City by the Bay, where his steroid use probably originated and was overlooked. The Giants won, 4-2.
The next night I went again with Harry “Bud” Nelson from WROR and a group from ABC. They had a whole section of terrace box seats on the right field side. A box dinner of Dungeness Crab was served at the seats. Way better than standard ballpark food anywhere. Great game, great night. The Giants beat the Diamondbacks 8-7 and clinched the NL West. The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Baja Men sang the Star Spangled Banner – then did their hit song, “Who Let The Dogs Out?” at the end of the game. Barry Bonds homered again that night and again nobody booed. But boy, if you ever saw him at an away game…. Ellis Burks also went deep. Juan Gonzales of the D’Backs hit a homer into the Old Navy Splash Yard beyond the right field wall. A fan in a kayak threw it all the way back into the park. Pac Bell is a wonderful ballpark. As good as they get.
Third game: June 1, 2008. My daughter Kara was rowing for Harvard in the NCAA Division I Championships held in Sacramento and I went to cheer her on. The team had flown into San Francisco and took a bus up to Sacramento, so I did the same. After the races I drove her back to San Francisco where we had time to catch a ballgame before the redeye flight back to Boston.
Because of telephone company mergers the ballpark had changed names twice since it open3d in 2000. First it was Pacific Bell Park, then in 2004 became SBC Park, then AT&T Park in 2006. Many locals called it Telephone Park or The Phone Booth. In 2019 the phone line was disconnected and it became Oracle Park. The Old Navy Splashyard was renamed the Levi’s Landing. I liked Splashyard better, but I wasn’t paying for naming rights and Levi’s was.
We saw the Giants and Padres play an extra-inning game. The Giants starting pitcher, Tim Lincecum (who played for Harwich in the Cape Cod League) was the NL Cy Young winner that year and again the following year. But in this game he had a no-decision. San Francisco was leading 1-0 when he gave up the tying run in the 7th. It was 1-1 going into the 9th when reliever Alex Hinshaw gave up a 2-run homer to future Red Sox 1st baseman Adrian “The Cooler” Gonzalez (later traded to LA in the chicken-and-beer house cleaning and salary dump) and the Padres went up, 3-1. In the 10th, San Diego brought in Trevor Hoffman, the all-time MLB leader in saves, who proceeded to give up four hits and a walk and the Giants won, 4-3 in a walkoff. So we saw the Cy Young winner give up the lead and the all-time saves leader blow a save in the same game.
On the way back to the car we passed a bum on the sidewalk holding a cup and a cardboard sign that said, “I won’t lie. It’s for beer.” I flipped him $5 for being honest.
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