It’s hard to get back into the swing of things when one has been out-of-town on an extended vacation…especially an enjoyable one. But here I am, back, mentally refreshed (almost) and back on my feet after a being under the weather shortly after returning.
Today’s photo is from the Green Bay Packers/San Francisco 49ers game I attended a couple of weeks ago. Undoubtedly, this was my last visit to Candlestick Park as it will be imploded after the end of the 49er season. I’ve been coming to this place since it opened in 1960 to see the Giants and the 49ers (I missed the final Beatles concert here). And while I have some nice memories of time spent here, I will not miss the stadium. It is an old ballpark by today’s standards and it shows.
Over the years, I spent as much time in traffic trying to get in and out of the park as I spent actually inside. That was true again on this visit…thank God I rode a Muni bus to and from the stadium.
In fact, the stadium should have never been built. It was one of those political deals where friends and money overruled common sense. The stadium is situated at Candlestick Point on the western shore of the San Francisco Bay, a few miles south of downtown San Francisco. Due to its location next to the bay, strong winds often swirl down into the stadium, creating unusual playing conditions (that is a nice way of saying it could be miserable for fans and players).
Once during an All Star game, I saw a pitcher get blown of the mound (he was charged with a balk). Two years later, wind picked up the entire batting cage and dropped it 60 feet away on the pitcher’s mound while the New York Mets were taking batting practice.
And remember the big earthquake of 1989 a few minutes before the start of a World Series game. The stadium, to its credit, withstood Mother Nature’s onslaught, but I will never forget the sight of players leaving the stadium in their uniforms to drive home.
My own memories go back to my 40th birthday when friends treated me to a champagne tailgate party in the parking lot before a 49er win over the Philadelphia Eagles. I also remember one year in the 60’s when I went to a Giants doubleheader game (remember when they played those?). I could not take enough clothes off in the first game and did not have enough clothes to protect me from the wind in the second.
As I said, the memories are varied, but the stadium can go the way of the Dodo bird for all I care. I wish they would sell name tags to put on the dynamite that will be used for the demolition. I would buy one.
The Giants left in the year 2,000 and moved into beautiful new AT&T park in downtown SF, right on the bay. It may be the most beautiful park in all of baseball. Next year, the 49ers will play in their new stadium now under construction in Santa Clara…right next to their offices and practice fields…and Great America Park.
As for the game pictured in the photo, it was a fun, nerve wrenching game that was still in doubt with only a couple of minutes left…but the 49ers pulled out a 6 point win and most of us fans left the park happy. As you can see from the photo, I had a darn good seat and was lucky enough to have a large portion of the game played right in front of me. It was also a good chance to try out my new Sony NEX 6 DSLR camera using a telephoto lens for most of the shots. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.
I have a few more shots from the game that you see by clicking on this link.
