Play Ball !

@alex centrella: Back in 1999, I made the only trip of my life with Fresno as the specific destination. Giants pitcher, Julian Tavarez was sent down to triple A Fresno (they were then The Fresno Giants) on a re-hab assignment. He'd been scheduled to pitch that night. I took the train (naturally). I'll never forget the train doors opening and the air-conditioning giving way to a blast wall of triple-degree heat.

The Internet was in the dark ages back then. The Fresno Giants' website said the stadium was downtown - desipte the fact that it hadn't been built yet. I checked-in to my hotel and found that the team was playing out at the State College. I grabbed a cab and made first pitch. The biggest surprise of the night was seeing the old Candlestick (San Francisco) scoreboard out in centerfield. I'd been looking at that old thing for more than two decades - and there it was.

The Giants lost that night. Julian Tavarez took the loss and earned it. It would be his last season as a Giant. He's still in the big show though - pitching for Milwaulkee. And so it goes...

@dj.tigersprout: Actually - it was most pleasant. A 7:30 PM start - the breeze had kicked up off the river and it was probably in the low-mid eighties by game time. It is really nice to sit all the way through a game in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. The Rivercats feature Saturday night after-game fireworks on every home stand through their season as an added bonus.

@Observing: Thanks, Mike - I do feel it incumbent upon me to remind you that pursuing rugby just isn't cricket! Sorry.

@Margie: Cue the Sinatra: ( "...and I get a kick - out of you!" ) - - - thanks, Margie.

@hugo poon: Mister Poon - welcome, greetings, thank you, - - - and where have you been? It is good to hear and see from you, my friend. Very good, indeed.

@Anthony Lambert: You sir - are asking for trouble.