Anyway, after all your waiting, I will at long last reveal the dramatic conclusion to our San Francisco vacation.
There has been much speculation about the cliffhanger from last week's post. Granted, it was all speculation from a single reader, but I will take any interest in our blog that I can get. To answer the questions, no we weren't checking clams for pearls (not to mention that if you're checking clams for pearls, you'll spend your whole life looking and never find one). No, we would not go to San Francisco, of all places, to buy real estate. And no, we were not starting a YFZ-style ranch to keep ourselves sheltered from the world. I think we are a peculiar enough people already. The true reason was guessed, though, and it is definitely the best reason of all of them to take a trip.
Yes, we trekked to San Francisco to see the Cubs. As you are undoubtedly aware (unless you're some kind of anti-American, baseball-hating Commie), at the midpoint of the Major League season, the Cubs had the best record in baseball. This is significant because my beloved Cubs have been cursed, and have not won a World Series since 1908. Yes, that means this year is the magical 100th anniversary of their last World Championship. So it goes without saying that a winning record for the Cubs is indeed a rare thing. But this is their year, I tell you! So we had to make a trip to see them play, so I can tell my grandkids that I saw them play during the year that they break the curse!
We made it to two games at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. The ballpark is beautiful, as it sits right on the ocean with gorgeous views of the bay and the Bay Bridge. Home runs occasionally sail over the right field fence and plop into the sea. We were actually lucky enough to see such a home run, which is a rare feat. Only 12 homers by Giants not named Barry Bonds have ever reached the bay since the park's construction in 2000. 
The first game the Cubs won in dramatic fashion, 6-5. They struck out the last batter with the tying run 90 feet away from home on third base. It was a very exciting game. After the game, the Giants put on a fireworks show. The good: the fireworks were sent up from a barge floating on the bay, which was cool.
The bad: Fog rolled into the stadium during the last inning of the game. 
The ugly: Most of the fireworks were obscured by the mist, making each explosion just a murky, indistinguishable haze of red, white, and blue. The music was stirring, though, which was good because it was about the only part of the fireworks show that we could enjoy. Lesson learned; don't go to San Francisco for fireworks!
The following morning, we slept in a bit and then drove up to Muir Woods, a smallish copse of redwood trees on the north of the bay. I don't know if anyone else is aware of this, but those tress are BIG. Here are a couple of pictures, but it's hard to convey their sheer immensity through photos.
Here Clint and Ben make the classic MTC Map o' the World pose with a cross-section of a tree.
We went to our second Cubs game that afternoon, but the outcome was not so good. The Giants' sole All-Star was pitching, and he really took it to the poor Cubbies. Our pitcher was not so good, and as a result, he has since been traded away to the A's. The most exciting part of the game, though, was getting to sit next to a real San Francisco giant!
In this picture, you can see her (in orange) sitting in the row behind us. I am signaling the quantity of hot dogs she had eaten per inning (five). She and two similarly-sized friends were sitting next to us, and spilling over the armrests into my Dad's neighboring seat. Luckily, after some awkward rubbing-up-againsts, they got the hint and took some vacant seats behind us to spread out in. OK, we're mean, but they were about the only thing funny about a game in which the Cubs never really had a chance to win.
I caught a flight home the next morning on the 4th of July, and thus ended my mini-vacation. I had a really good time hanging out with my brothers, and now I totally owe Jenny one for letting me ditch her with the girls for two whole days. I would like to think that since I took her clothes shopping the next day, I have made it up to her. But given her basic distaste for shopping, I think that's not going to cut it. You are all welcome to give me ideas on how to make it up to her (under $200, please) . . .
2 comments:
Now that you have Harden, and Soriano back, things are looking up. But you once again have underestimated that wrath of the billy goat. May he unleash his fury soon (and send some bullpen help to the Red Sox while he's at it)
Oh Matty, I so enjoy your blogging.
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