Yeah, so, I have a lot of questions about the entertainment at the ballpark, specifically the things they show on the big screen.
Who decides what is played at the ballpark on those big screens? Were a bunch of baseball executives in a meeting and someone said, “All ballparks should play the theme from ‘The Addams Family’ during games?” Did they take a vote on it?
Why do they play “Day O” by Harry Belafonte?
At AT&T Park in San Francisco they do something called the Carlton Cam. They play footage of Carlton dancing from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and then everyone dances like Carlton in the hopes of getting on the big screen. Who thought of that? Do all the ballparks have that?
Who thought the “Jersey Shore”-themed Fist Bump Cam was a good fit for San Francisco? I went to a game a few weeks ago, and there was no fist-bump cam so maybe they finally stopped doing it, but they were still doing it last season. It was awful.
Why do they have the pre-made races on the big screen (dots, cable cars, whatever), when they could be having awesome mascot races like they do in Milwaukee?
Final question: Do you think I’m giving up hope that my beloved San Francisco Giants will win their division because are 6.5 games back? NEVER!
Yeah, so, we went to a Halloween party on Saturday. I wore a costume: A costume that people found difficult to believe that I have never worn before.
I don’t know why it took me so long to dress up as Princess Leia, but for some reason I decided this was the year. I think I look more like Liz Lemon trying to get our of jury duty than Princess Leia, but the costume was a hit.
As for the Spawn, we only have another year or so before he starts telling us what he wants to be for Halloween. For now, we decide, and we decided for this party he would be Hobbes, and mighty, mighty good man David would be Calvin. I know, right? Clever.
Of course, the party didn’t really get started until after Game 3 of the World Series was over. Can you see how excited Calvin is that the Giants won Game 3?
Everyone was cheering and jumping up and down around him, and he couldn’t have been more bored. Actually, he was really tired. We are awful parents for keeping him up past his bedtime so we could watch a baseball game at a Halloween party.
On Sunday night, my beloved Giants swept the Tigers (Wooooooooooooooo!), and then “fans” decided to celebrate by setting the city on fire.
Oh, San Francisco, don’t ever change.
I’m not surprised. This is a town that protests when the cops kill an armed man wanted in connection with murdering a pregnant lady. True story. So, setting mattresses on fire when their team wins the World Series sounds about right to me. I debated go out to the fires myself. I have a lot of junk I need to get rid of.
What everyone is going to burn on Halloween? Hopefully, they didn’t set fire to all their mattresses.
I have been wearing my Giants gear all week at work.
I have been superstitiously drinking my Anchor Porter and Sierra Nevada Tumbler during every game, and it’s totally working, because the Giants are up two games. You’re welcome, everybody!
So, I watched Game 1 with the Spawn. Mighty, mighty good man David went out, so The Boy and I snuggled up on the couch to watch Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs. Amazing!
Apparently, Game 1 was dedicated to Stand Up 2 Cancer. Everyone in the ballpark was given a sign to hold up. They wrote the name of someone in their life who has/had cancer.
I cannot tell a lie on this blog: I cried during this moment. More than 45,000 people holding up signs with names of people who had/have cancer. Some of the signs said, “My Mom,” and some of the signs said, “Me.” I’m not made of stone. It was a special moment, and as a breast cancer survivor I was very touched.
While a little part of me was bummed to not be at the game, because I love baseball and because I would have loved to participated in that moment, I was so happy to be sitting on the couch, cancer free, with my little guy. I gave him a little hug with tears streaming down my face, and then he reached out for Homer and said, “Dog.”
This playoff series has turned me into a superstitious fool.
“When I wear my lucky orange scarf, the Giants win. Oh shit! They lost. It’s the scarf. Stupid scarf!”
“When I stand behind the couch, the Giants get on base.”
“When I drink a Sierra Nevada Tumbler or an Anchor Porter, the Giants win.”
Well, whatever works. I’m very proud of my San Francisco Giants tonight.
Two years ago, mighty, mighty good man David and I went to the World Series.
We had an amazing time, but the tickets were expensive. We justified it like this: “Well, when the Giants get to the World Series again, we will probably have a baby and we won’t be able to afford it.”
Fact.
In fact, the Spawn was born during the last game of the regular season last year. I’m not sure we can justify dropping more than $1,000 on tickets (that’s money that could be spent on Anchor Porter); however, I assure you, we will be all decked out in our Giants gear in the house and chanting, “Let’s go, Giants!”
I will also be wearing my Giants gear at work when the series starts, too, because – like I said – I’m superstitious now.
Oh, and readers of this blog or Twitter followers who don’t like sports, I will be insufferable this week. My apologies.
Yeah, so, when I’m not watching San Francisco Giants baseball, I’m trying to watch the first season of “Homeland.”
Unfortunately for me, the second season has already started, which means I have to be vigilant in avoiding spoilers. Any magazine or website that mentions “Homeland” doesn’t get read, and any friends’ Facebook statuses that mentions “Homeland” gets skipped over. Anyone who talks about it in front of me watches me cover my ears and sing, “La la la. I am not listening to you, but you are still talking. I’m not listening to you!”
Of course, if it does get spoiled for me, it’s my own fault. I was slow to get on the bandwagon.
I have been watching “The Mindy Project.” I think it’s pretty OK. It’s doesn’t make me laugh like “Parks & Recreation,” which I am convinced is the funniest show on TV right now, but I do chuckle a few times when I watch it. I have a question about “The Mindy Project.” Mindy’s character is completely obsessed with romantic comedies, so wouldn’t she know that her coworker that she doesn’t really get along with is the man for her? That’s always true in romantic comedies. Sure, it’s usually not true in the real world. The man who is a jerk to you, he’s probably a jerk and doesn’t like you.
So anyway, here are a few other things I’m watching: “The Simpsons,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “South Park,” “30 Rock,” “The Walking Dead” and movies on TCM. Mighty, mighty good man David loves old haunted house movies, so we’ve been recording a lot of movies off TCM lately.
Let’s see, what else can I tell you?
Oh, I can’t stop shopping at ModCloth.com. It’s turning into a problem.
I’m all about drinking Anchor Porter these days. It might turn into a problem, but I will never admit that.
The Spawn is a crawling machine. He is getting really fast, and we still haven’t really baby proofed. The only baby proofing we have done is putting a baby gate up that keeps The Boy away from David’s massive collection of board games, and we moved Homer’s food bowl to a less high-traffic area. Homer’s food and water bowl was an obsession for Calvin. He would immediately crawl to it the first chance he got, and then Homer would immediately run over there and slam his face in the bowl, like he’s teaching Calvin what to do. “You eat the kibble like this …” With the bowls moved, The Spawn can now focus all his attention on crawling after Homer all over the house. Lucky Homer.
Oh, and continuing to remind me why I refer to him as my mighty, mighty good man, David got me a Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Month gift. David is the best husband ever!
Yeah, so, the San Francisco Giants are playing Game 3 in the playoffs this afternoon.
In order to advance, they have to win the next three games against the Cincinnati Reds. Sure, the chances of that happening are pretty slim, but I remain ignorantly positive.
Why?
Well, because the only good thing connected to Cincinnati is WKRP in Cincinnati. And I’m not ready for Giants baseball to be over. That’s why. The San Francisco Giants have to win. They just have to. I believe in you, San Francisco Giants!
I know. I sound like Linus waiting for The Great Pumpkin.
Oh, good grief.
UPDATE: Wooooo-hooooooooo! I knew they could do it. I always believed in you, San Francisco Giants.
While we both love the San Francisco Giants (obviously), but we also both like the Oakland A’s. In fact, I would go so far as to say that mighty, mighty good man doesn’t just like the A’s; he loves the A’s.
I think it’s fine to root for the local teams. They are not in the same division, and when they play each other, I root for the Giants (obviously). David, however, feels too conflicted when they are playing each other and can barely watch the game.
I’m writing about this because when the A’s and the Giants were playing each other a few weeks ago, I posted this photo on Facebook:
I had dressed The Boy in orange for Orange Friday (it’s a San Francisco Giants thing, for those of you that don’t give a shit about sports), but when I went to take him to the nanny David had dressed him in an Oakland A’s jacket. Well played, sir.
After some back and forth comments about how I’m not raising the Spawn right, I posted a question on Facebook: “Is it OK to be a Giants fan and an A’s fan? Are we allowed to root for both local teams (when they are not playing each other, of course)?”
The answers were rather surprising. While A’s fans said, “Sure you can root for both,” most Giants fans said, “Oh hell no!” Then they questioned my loyalty to the Giants, which – quite frankly – pissed me off. One of the people who said “Oh hell no” is someone who roots for the Giants and the Yankees. THE YANKEES! That’s fucked up. I would rather die than root for the Yankees.
I watch almost every single San Francisco Giants game. When I can’t watch it, I listen on the radio. When I can’t listen on the radio, I follow the game on Twitter. I wear orange every Friday. The Giants are all my family talks about when we get together. The day I gave birth to the Spawn was the final regular season game for the Giants last year. At some point in all the madness of pushing a human being out of my vagina, I asked for the Giants score. Seriously. How dare you question my loyalty to the Giants!
But here’s a confession for you. I wasn’t always a San Francisco Giants fan. I used to be an Oakland A’s fan.
I grew up in the East Bay, and I didn’t give a crap about baseball when I was a kid. I didn’t go to my first baseball game until I was 19 or so. Some guys I worked with at the movie theater in Walnut Creek were going to an A’s game and asked if I wanted to come along. After that, I became an A’s fan. I read the sports page and learned the players’ names. In college, I was often spotting wearing my A’s hat (because I was too lazy busy to do anything with my hair).
Eventually my interest waned. I became more concerned with important things such as “The X-Files,” tequila and guys that weren’t into me. Then in 1997, I got a job at a San Francisco newspaper. I got to know this city, and I got to know its baseball team. I worked for San Francisco newspapers for 10 years. I usually sat next to the Sports Department, which meant I listened to baseball talk all day long. It was awesome. I moved to San Francisco in 2008. I love it, and I love the San Francisco Giants.
When I met David in 2008, he took my love of watching baseball to the next level. He was more than willing to watch games on TV with me, and he loved going to games. Our first apartment together was in the Dogpatch, meaning we were walking distance to the ballpark. Our favorite walk in San Francisco is to walk along the Embarcadero. We just like to be near the ballpark. We went to the first game of the World Series together, and we took our baby to a Giants game opening weekend this season.
Most nights, we put the Spawn to bed by 7:30 p.m. We make dinner. We crack open a beer, and we watch the Giants game. I feel truly happy when I’m watching a Giants game while sipping a beer and sitting next to my mighty, mighty good man.
I have got nothing but love the San Francisco Giants.
Yeah, so, mighty, mighty good man David and I went to the Giants vs. Dodgers game on Tuesday night. While we were walking to ballpark, a woman rode by on a motorcycle. She wasn’t wearing any pants, only a g-string and a jacket. [UPDATE: David says he is pretty sure she wasn’t even wearing a G-string.]
Me: “I can’t believe she’s not wearing a helmet. That’s illegal.”
At the game, we were sitting next to a Dodgers fan. Luckily for us, he wasn’t an obnoxious Dodgers fan. However, he was chewing tobacco AND drinking a Coors Light. I know, right? Ew and ewwwww.
Here’s a photo of us at the game having a good time at the game, even though I was sharing an arm rest with a Dodgers fan.
This photo was taken before we spent a ton of money on beer, crab sandwiches and ice cream sundaes.
So anyway, I was listening to some morning radio show yesterday, because I hate myself.
The entire show seems to involve these morning “personalities” watching YouTube videos and laughing. They know they are on the radio, right? We can’t see the videos. It’s just one of the many reasons I don’t like morning radio shows. I need to remember to charge my iPod more often or listen to the news.
I forgot to share this little story about the Alameda County Fair in yesterday’s post. I was waiting in line to use the restroom when that song “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5 started playing. There were probably 10 women ahead of me in the line and all 10 women started grooving. I turned around and all the women behind me were dancing, too. I’m not making it up. All of the women in line for the restroom were dancing to “Moves Like Jagger.” I don’t really have anything clever to say about it, except I guess I should be grateful it wasn’t “Hey Soul Sister” by Train.
Oh, and one more thing, David thinks this little girl bitching out the other kids about how good they have it in the AT&T U-Verse commercial is me back in the day.
Yeah, so, we took The Boy to his first San Francisco Giants game on Sunday.
Sadly, the Giants didn’t win, but perhaps that is for the best. It is important that Calvin learn early what it’s really like to be a Giants fan. You win some, and you lose some because all of the Giants players are on the DL with major injuries that require surgery and/or a case of scurvy. I’m almost positive someone was on the DL last season because they had polio or herpes. I always get those two mixed up.
So anyway, even though they didn’t win, it was a beautiful day at Phone Company Park. The weather was gorgeous, and our seats were pretty terrific.
When we got to the ballpark, we went straight to Guest Services, where they printed out a little certificate to commemorate The Boy’s first baseball game. It’s not fancy. We could have printed out one ourselves, but still … It’s pretty cool of them to do that for kids.
Going to a baseball game with a baby in tow is a whole new experience. Maneuvering through the crowds with a ginormous diaper bag, and David with The Boy in a Baby Bjorn, was much more difficult. At one point, Calvin got overwhelmed and his bottom lip started to quiver. It’s a lot of people and a lot of noise for a 6 1/2 month old to deal with. After a few minutes, he pulled it together, and we went to our seats. And once we were in our seats, all was well.
The Boy shows his support for Brandon Belt, aka Baby Giraffe.
Second-inning nap.
Me and The Spawn. (Not pictured: My $9.75 beer)
During Sunday’s game, the Giants were honoring Jackie Robinson, the first African American player in Major League Baseball. All the players on both teams were wearing his number, the #42. There was a man sitting a few rows of ahead of us that was pretty drunk. He was heckling the other team’s players, which I love because I’m a jerk who thinks that shit is funny. He kept yelling, “You suck, #42!” to every Pirates player that came near us. I’m not quite sure if he knew that every player was #42, and he was trying to be funny; or if he was really that drunk. I suspect he was really that drunk. I’ve been that drunk, so no judgment here.
Calvin was all decked out in his Giants gear: a fleece hat, a “Fear the Beard” onesie, black pants and an orange hoodie. He did awesome at the game. He is one mellow kid. We’re super lucky, and we know it. We took turns holding him so we could eat hot dogs and drink beer. He even took a nap. He was all smiles for everyone sitting around us. By the 8th inning, he started to fuss a little; not much, but enough that we decided to walk around the park instead of making the fine folks sitting around us listen to us try to entertain our baby for another inning.
Crazy Crab is still the mascot ... of my heart.
We strolled around. I photobombed a few people. We checked out the new Anchor Steam Brewery area. There were tables filled with people. I’m not sure why people would pay money for tickets to a baseball game just to sit in an outside drinking area and watch the game on TV, but hey, to each their own.
Throughout my pregnancy I watched the Giants (soberly, thank you very much). I like to think that the sounds of baseball are kinda comforting to Calvin. I’m sure this will be the first of many games we go to this season and seasons to come. You’re welcome, San Francisco Giants, for the lifelong fan/future Cy Young-award winning pitcher I’m raising for you.
The Sonia Show 