A Day At the Park - Pic
An amazing day at the park last week, been offline for a few days, otherwise I would have had this up sooner. Nice to see the Giants on a tear for a change. In this shot Aaron Rowand is attempting to pwn John Maine. Enjoy!
Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category
Re-indicted, and it’s understood
In November, Barry Bonds was indicted for lying to a grand jury; in February, a judge sent prosecutors back to try again, saying the original indictment was too vague or something. Today, the feds took their second at-bat, unveiling a new indictment charging the former player with 15 felony counts including obstruction of justice.
Meanwhile, the team is six or seven games under .500, but the atmosphere at the ballpark is curiously relieved, and balls hit to left field, which speedy Fred Lewis patrols nowadays, no longer drop unmolested.
SF Giants Heritage Nights
The San Francisco Giants have started to host Heritage Nights, bringing a taste of ethnic culture to a few special nights of baseball. Heritage Nights include pre-game and in-game cultural entertainment, and a commemorative t-shirt.
Upcoming Dates:
- 5/09 Mexican Heritage Night
- 5/12 Chinese Heritage Night
- 5/13 Korean Heritage Night
- 5/14 Filipino Heritage Night (pictured)
- 5/16 Japanese Heritage Night
Later this summer, the Giants will host Irish, Italian, African-American, Jewish and Latino Heritage nights!
For more info, check the Giants’ special event calendar.
Shark Kills SF Resident
According to CNN.com a SF resident was killed in Mexico late yesterday by a GrayTiger Shark Attack. Somewhere in the vicinity of Acapulco/Ixtapa region. The attack itself was another bite and release it seems and the man bled to death from the wounds. Sincere condolences to the family.
h/t to Surfpulse.
UPDATE: The name of the victim was released this morning, Adrian Ruiz. A well liked bartender with stints at Holy Cow, The Blue Light and Nova. More details as they come. Sad day for his family and surfers in SF.
Related:
Good Tidings for the Dogpatch
After breakfast with fellow Metblogger Richard Ault at Just For You on 22nd, I found this shiny, bouncy new basketball court on Minnesota Street.
Olympic torch route now shrouded in mystery?
Things got kind of crazy in Paris last week, and San Francisco is certainly bracing for tomorrows run. Will we get a chance to see the Torch on it’s only pass through the US? Hard to tell, as the Mayor announced that the published route for the Torch run “may” change. The intent seems to be to “adapt” the route as protests may interfere with the planned route.
“Newsom said the planned 6-mile torch route along the central waterfront and around Fisherman’s Wharf could change up to and even during the relay. Police said security plans would include having officers run alongside torchbearers to protect them and the flame from any protesters who might try to disrupt the run.”
Note that the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee sent out a team of 30 flame attendants selected from the People’s Armed Police to escort the flame throughout its journey. Which means that it may be hard to see the Torch at all behind the massive throngs of security officials from the SFPD and Chinese government.
It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyways, be careful if you are going to watch or protest this event. It’s looking like things may get a little crazy.
Details…
The current published route has the Torch ceremony beginning at 1 P.M., in McCovey Cove and wrapping up at Justin Herman Plaza. (SFGate Map of Run Route)
There was a Tibet Rally and Peace March today (h/t to SFist). There will be music, speeches and a candlelight vigil tonight at U.N. Plaza Downtown. On hand will be Richard Gere and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. (h/t to Pacifica Riptide)
Related:
Goddesses of Victory invade Union Square
That column in the middle of Union Square, it’s topped with the goddess of Victory on top. Well her Greek name is Nike, and this weekend below her a whole tent city has been set up for thousands of athletic women from all over the country that are in town to participate in the 2007 Nike Women’s Marathon.
There’s an “expotique” built up around the concepts of fun & fitness, and Nike’s offering runners free manicures, massages, and a heads up on all sorts of Nike related whatnot. This popular and completely sold out annual event has brought in heap loads of dough for Luekemia & Lymphoma related causes, an estimated some $40 million in the first three years. This year, the event’s 4th, is expected to pull in over 18 million alone, from the efforts of some 20,000 participants, up from 15,000 last year, registered from 11 countries & all 50 states. All the slots were filled in just 3 and a half days, and I even saw registration spots being auctioned on Ebay.
Like the sneakers, this isn’t a one size fits all race, so there’s also a half marathon for those who don’t feel up to the whole 26 mile challenge.
On Sunday, the runners leave Union Square at 7 am and head through the downtown financial district past the TransAmerica tower, along the Embarcadero past the Wharf, and Marina Green into the Presidio and out to the Great Highway, through Golden Gate Park and south along Lake Merced, finishing just north of the Great Highway along the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, event organizers have even set up randomly placed DJ stations, and live entertainment options to keep the runners entertained all the way to the sea. If you’d like to see the 26 mile course breeze by in about 11 high speed minutes via streaming video, click on the windows media file link below the jump:
All Star Hub Bub All Over SOMA
If the ubiquitous banners weren’t enough, anyone lingering anywhere along the route to the ballpark would be blind not to notice the All Star Hub Bub. I wish I had brought my camera to capture the sights:
The capsized wooden boat in McCovey Cove, and the distraught guys from Boston and dozens of others who’d brought their own rubber rafts but were denied launch by the Coast Guard.
Michael Baron’s pic sourced via Flickr
The mini carnival of sponsor tents & inflatable nightclubs etc set up across the water with their silly games & prizes and the kids & adults alike clamoring for free fruit flavored sample bottles of Phenylalanine laced “wellness” water and bite sized candy bars.
There were the abundance of cops, lingering at every intersection, and even some lounging at Phil’z Coffee, and the cheering crowds for Vlad, who impaled balls into the stands, but never once near the water, and had to do his interviews through a translator.
“Bezbol Been Barry Barry Good To Frisco… “at least this week.
That’s even if Barry decided to abuse his hometown fans by sitting out the Home Run Derby while supposedly taking up Jay Z’s offer to hang out a few blocks away at a 3 level nightclub party at Roe. When I went by a bit ago there was no sign of Barry or Jay Z out front, but a sizable contingent of glamour junkies in front of a well lit entry backdrop featuring various logos. Those who strutted by included former sportscasters and b-list rappers..hardly an H to the izzo Hollywood affair, but it’ll do on a Monday night in a sleepy little fishing village like ours I suppose.
I believe this All Star phenomenon has mostly peaked, as I write with smoke from tonight’s 11 pm fireworks show still fading in the air above the waterfront. It’s all over tonight but the paddy wagon rides from a scattered few drunken brawls & the sound of the can collectors.
By 5 pm Tuesday the ceremonial joust between visiting millionaires will be almost underway and the merchants can count the proceeds, no doubt including the Giants who’ve set up two additional Dug Out souvenir retail outlets across from the ballpark to reap the benefit of America’s never ending obsession with crap. Post yer fave “ALL STAR WEEK ” experience, sighting or whatnot in the comments…
Sunday Run Down : Aids Life Cycle, Alcatraz Triathalon, Union St Fest & Mamma Jamma
At the Cow Palace on Sunday, hundreds of bicyclists will head off on 7 day 575 mile journey to LA to raise money for AIDS charities.
The Escape From Alcatraz Triathalon starts on Sunday morn, drawing 2000 competitors from all over who start the event swimming from Alcatraz bright & early at 7am. There’s also a Fitness Festival expo open to the public near the finish line at Marina Green all day as well.
For the less athletic looking for things to do, the Union Street Festival is a short walk up from Marina Green, which will be winding up as well.
If yer out and about strolling through North Beach, consider Sunday’s Mamma Jamma “East Side Stories” at Rosewood Lounge which kicks off at 2 pm. It’s the first event of the summer for this crew who promise to highlight artists, revolutionaries and producers within 50’s, 60’s soul, 70’s RareGroove and funk, Latin jazz, afro cuban, bossa nova, samba, reggae, rocksteady, dub, nu jazz, broken beat and doo wop scenes.
Further down from Broadway at 750 Kearney, the Chinese Cultural Center will be showing Chinese made documentary films beginning at 1 pm.
More Info on the films, Sunday’s Union Street Festival entertainment schedule after the jump, and info on the seriously skilled selectors who will be dropping the needle on some ol school grooves at Mamma Jamma’s “East Side Stories” event.
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The Warriors Phenomenon
I’m not much of a professional sports fan, and when I am, I’m usually a baseball fan. However, above all, I’m an underdog fan, which explains why I like the Twins (that and the fact that I grew up in Minnesota) and hate the Yankees (the consummate overdogs of all sport). I don’t know much of anything about basketball, but even though I’m in the middle of finals, I’ve been hearing about the Warriors’ playoff run (as has everyone who doesn’t live in a cave on Angel Island, I deem).
Indeed, even if I hadn’t seen today’s Chronicle story on the Warriors’ hair or their blog about the playoff run, I’d have heard the people walking down McAllister Street (where I live) today chanting “LET’S GO WARRIORS!” and the loud but unintelligible PA system broadcasting what I can only assume is a play-by-play.
And so, like another (former) denizen of the Civic Center area, I will jump on the bandwagon to support our local underdogs in a sport of which I know little. Let’s go, Warriors!
