I went to see the San Francisco Giants play the Yankees at Yankee Stadium last Friday with my dad as a belated Father’s Day gift. It was hot as hell out but luckily the sun was going down and there was water, so all was well. 

The Giants lost by 1 run (sad face) but as I watched the players of each time wind up to pitch or watching the pitcher so he could swing, I started thinking about meditation and how beneficial meditation would be to the MLB. 

I found myself thinking, “How do they block out the noise?” Seriously, between the chanting and boo’ing, I found it hard to concentrate on the action myself. How do they do it?? 

Well, a quick Google search told me that they do. A player named Shawn Green even wrote a book about it. Maybe I’ll read it. I’m glad meditation has permeated this game and it’s players because as you know, I think everyone everywhere should meditate. So, let’s take this shit mainstream and the MLB is a good place to start.

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Friday Night Lights

Last Friday, J and I went to Citifield to see the Mets vs. the San Francisco Giants who were in town for a few games. Our seats were awesome, but it was rainy and cold. We were under an overhang, but it was still freezing.

Sometime during the 3rd inning, the Giants forgot they were playing a game and the Mets remembered how to play baseball and they scored 12 runs. In a single inning. The Giants managed to score one run in a later inning, but that was about it.

I’ve never left a baseball game early but we left after the 7th inning since it was freezing anyways. 

You know, I’ve never seen the Giants play a game at Citifield and lose, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. Such a bummer. They finally broke out Bumgarner for their last game on Sunday and beat the Mets 6-1. 

Win some, lose some, I guess. 

I have been wearing orange and black for the past 2 or so weeks nonstop as the San Francisco Giants played in the playoffs and then the World Series. I made an instant friend at the new job (he loves theatre AND the Giants) and we held each other’s proverbial hand through this series. Crying (inside) together (via text) as they lost 10-0 in the second to last game, being excited as fuck when they won the game before that 11-4, and last night the Giants finally won the World Series – for the third time in five years! We’ll both be sporting orange and black today in the office. (My supervisor, who is from Missouri, most likely won’t!)

The photo above was sent to me by my friend Ryan who I met at the bar Finnerty’s in the East Village last year watching one of the games. He’s from San Francisco and just happened to be going to Kansas City for work yesterday and he got into the game. No idea what he paid, but he was an outsider there to say the least.

While the Series was fun, I’m glad to have my evenings back for a year now. Other sports? What other sports? Come on. 

The San Francisco Giants were in town this weekend (through tomorrow afternoon!) playing the Mets so that meant I spent some time down at Finnerty’s in the East Village. 

Kristen obliged my request on Friday after we had coffee (Ground Central) and dinner (Dig Inn) and we went down to watch the game and watch some frat boys get thrown out after trying to start a “Giants suck! Giants suck!” chant. They won. Woot! 

On Saturday I went to the game with my family at Citifield and they lost – I was very sad. 

And today, Sunday, I put on my last clean orange shirt and made my way back to Finnerty’s to watch the game. They massacred the Mets, 8-0. It almost made up for last night’s loss. 

Next to me were sitting two Mets fans. I believe my first question to them was you couldn’t find a Mets bar to watch the game in? and they said they just wanted to watch the game somewhere where people would care about what was going on because there really are no “Mets bars” in the city. I kept telling them in the bottom of the 9th, “There’s still a chance that they can really even this thing up!” And despite my giving them a hard time, the one sitting closest to me asked for my number (and I MISTAKENLY gave him my mother’s number – it’s one digit different. OMG I was mortified. He’s laughed it off and we’re getting a drink later this week. Keeper?). 

One last game tomorrow. Go Giants!

Sometimes awesome stuff happens.

Like when my friend texted me at 6pm last night and asked if I was free because he had an extra ticket in one of the suites at Yankee Stadium. He knows I am repulsed by the Yankees beyond words, and they’re weren’t playing a team I’d actually root for instead (Texas Rangers). But once he says there’s free food involved and air conditioning, I turned my computer off and peaced out of the office. 

Side note: I stopped at home first to change into my team’s shirt (San Francisco Giants – I don’t care if they weren’t play in the stadium, they were playing somewhere that night!) and then headed up. I took a B uptown to my apartment but 15 minutes later, there were no more B trains to be found. This has happened to me more than once. So I took the C to 145th and then cabbed it over to the stadium (I directed the driver via Apple Maps on my phone – seriously, what cab driver in Manhattan doesn’t know how to get to Yankee Stadium??). 

The Yankees were up, then the Rangers were up and stayed up. I gorged on salad, roasted brussel sprouts, shrimp, brocoli rabe, and a couple slices of steak, with chocolate mousse for dessert. 

We were also watching the scores that were on the board from the other games being played that night and man, Boston massacred Toronto (14-1) and the Giants beat (I forget who) 7-4. 

My friend took the above photo right after Derek Jeter was struck out (after my friend emphasized how super-duper-awesomesauce he was). I also got to catch up with my friend, who I don’t see nearly as often as we’d both like. 

My team won, the Red Sox won, the Yankees lost, and I ate on the Yankees’ dime. It was a good night.

San Francisco Giants World Series Trophy Viewing, Pt. 2

I went to see the San Francisco Giants World Series trophy two years ago when they won in 2010 at Finnerty’s in the East Village. Today I went back [to Finnerty’s] with my parents to see their newest trophy after their 2012 win. The line was long, the fans were crazy, and there was lots of orange and black. 

The hat I’m wearing in this photo is about twenty years old. I recently found it on a shelf in my brother’s room. I reclaimed it because I got it when I was probably six or seven. (Also: my brother is a Mets fan, so he probably didn’t notice or care.)

So this is the result of today’s line waiting (it’s my dad and I, my parents took another one after sans me). Go Giants!

And the Giants win the World Series!!!  

Two of my favorites above: Brian Wilson and Tim Lincecum.

(photo via)

the courtyard at Berkeley Rep

their make-shift wall

there was a talk-back after

One year ago today I flew in San Francisco-SFO and that night I saw American Idiot at Berkeley for the first time.  I was so exhausted that I couldn’t take it in fully, but I was still in love.  I saw it again a few days later from the front row, and that time I was 100% awake and enthralled from the moment it started.  Green Day, as well as theatre, mean the world to me and there was no Broadway transfer in the works (for sure) so I had to make it out to see it.  I’d also never been to San Francisco so that was a good excuse.  I could only have ever dreamed of meeting Billie Joe Armstrong, and here I am, one year later, having met Billie Joe three times and his bandmates once.  I’ve stopped keeping count of how many times I’ve seen American Idiot on Broadway (so don’t ask :), because it really doesn’t matter. 

Enjoy these few pictures from Berkeley.