The Rally Malt

Many "fans" hated Candlestick Park because it was cold, damp, and seriously hardcore. But there was a certain breed of people that absolutely loved Candlestick - a hardy stock known as Giant's Fans. Basically, no matter how much you claimed to love the Giants, if you didn't love the Stick, you weren't a real fan.

Which isn't to take away anything from the new crown jewel of all baseball stadiums - Pacbell/SBC/AT&T/TELCOMDLESTICK Park at Willie Mays Plaza. This stadium is comfortable, easy to access, and has provided some thrilling moments in its 8 year history. Its just not Candlestick. There's no separating the wheat from the chaff. It just sort of clumps together in an unsightly mess. And as a result, you get people watching games while working on their laptops. And yahoos standing up every ten seconds to wave to their cell buddies across the park while talking on the phone. There are no hardcore fans at this park unless you talk about the guys who go all game without eating a single garlic fry in what has to be pure Guantanamo type torture.

I was reminded of all this the other night as Andy invited me to come along in place of his wife to watch the Giants Opening Night game. For a change, the park was frigid. Seriously, if someone had thrown a beer at a Dodger Fan it would have frozen in mid-air. People were dressed in layers like tiny Nanooks and blankets were everywhere. It was gloriously cold and, except for the wind, deliciously Stick-like. Andy and I both opined that the crowd had a decidedly old school feel to it as all the Yup's were probably at home with their Starbuck's Lattes and stairmasters watching the game on TV. Only true fans stuck it out against that cold.

Of course, there's a limit. And after 8 years of soft comfort and too many incredibly scrumptious brats with grilled onions, I have to admit to having lost a certain edge in my tough Stick loving nature. When it was starting to look bad for the Giants, I suggested to Andy that, just like in the frigid days of Candlestick, it was time for our 9th Inning Frozen Chocolate Rally Malt, he simply declined, and I didn't press the issue. Something about frozen ice cream on a frozen night had lost its appeal in the previous 8 years. The Padres ended up tying the game in the 9th and after the Gigantes failed to win the game in the bottom of the 9th, we actually left the park for warmer climes. (The Giants did end up winning in the 11th, but only the true die-hards were there to see it - the rest of us had kids to put to bed and work to go to in the morning. I lament the loss of my baseball innocence.)

Either way, the first game of this new season that I attended, was the best experience I've had in years. There were no big stars hogging the limelight. There was no talk of contracts or labor issues or off-the-field legal troubles. It was just baseball, frigid cold, and good times - like the old days.

But Andy had better be on notice - next time we're getting the Rally Malt!