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Travelog and Photos
 Friday, April 8:
On my most recent trip to San Francisco I was able to see four
Giants games including their home opener against the St. Louis
Cardinals. By pulling a few strings I managed
to obtain a seat only three rows in back of home plate. That meant
being behind the mesh screen which is death for a photographer, but
I wasn't complaining. This was perhaps a once in a lifetime event
and I was smack dab in the middle of it.
 The team ran onto the field through the maintenance doors in the
outfield as fireworks shot high into the windy afternoon sky. Once
the Giants reached the diamond, the presentations and speeches
began. Hosted by the voice of the San Francisco Giants Jon Miller,
many players and coaches were honored as was Giants' GM Brian Sabean.
People were crying all around me. It was an amazing scene. When the
game finally began, Los Gigantes picked up where they left off in
2010, winning dramatically in extra innings. The place went
nuts and I couldn't believe how fortunate I was to be there, in the
center of so much action, emotion and history.
Monday, April 11:
One of the other games that I attended that week happened to be the
Los Angeles Dodger's first 2011 visit to AT&T Park. Earlier that month, a Giants fan named Bryan Stow was attacked
in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. He was wearing Giants gear and was
severely beaten by two, still at-large assailants, simply for being
a Giants fan. Stow remains in a coma and there's a $200,000 reward
for information leading to the arrest of his attackers. Before the
first pitch, both teams met on the mound and a representative from
each club spoke out against fan violence. Later during the game,
Stow's wife and two young children were honored between innings.
They were only two rows behind me.
I sat next to a retired couple who have season tickets. The
gentleman had been the statistician for the Giants for almost 40
years, beginning in the early 60's. I mentioned a Giants-Mets game
that I saw at Shea Stadium when I was very young. I recalled Juan
Marichal making a rare relief appearance. Not only did he remember
the game, he was also at Shea Stadium that day, compiling stats for
The Giants. We probably walked right by each other on that warm,
sunny Saturday so very long ago.
 Thursday, May 5:
The Giants headed east to play the New York Mets the following month
and I drove to Citi Field in Queens for the Thursday matinee. Even though the Giants were the reigning world champions, there
were only about 20,000 fans in attendance. Many of them were wearing
Giants gear. Risky business these days but Mets fans are by and
large very polite and civilized.
 Scoring
a seat behind the Giants' dugout was a cinch. This time I was very
close to the Giants without a screen messing up my shots. Mets stars
David Wright and Jose Reyes were basically standing right in front
of me all afternoon too. No one knew it at the time but David Wright
was playing with a stress fracture in his lower back. He went on the
DL several days later.
Story and Photos by Rick Bedrosian
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