My day at AT&T: A Sweeping Generalization

by OaktownIn06 on Jun 26, 2006 9:51 PM PDT Comment 36 comments

I try not to dislike the Giants. I try not to disagree with Giants fans. When I am offered to go to a Giants game, I wish I had a team to root for, and I wish that the games were more about baseball and less about cell phones. As a baseball fan, I wish that I could watch an entire Giants game without spacing out and gazing to the bay, or getting bored and leaving the game early. I really do. Unfortunatley I can not. Unless the Giants are playing my A's, it is simply a different brand of baseball. These differences became clear in many ways yesterday.

I get to the park early for batting practice, and decide to go to that little cage area in the right field wall, simply because I never had before. The moment I get "in the wall", I see Haren, Halsey, and Saarloos fielding BP. The view is actually pretty good, and since it is on field level, you are pretty close the players. Haren decides to have a little fun, and throws a BP ball over the fence into the bay. I turn and watch a fan rip off his clothes, jump off his boat, and swim 20 feet to retrieve the ball. Saarloos thought this was hillarious and comes over to the wall to ask the fans exactly what happened. Halsey and Haren follow. It is amazing to engage in a conversation with all three pitchers. Saarloos dares Haren to throw another ball, and I am actually in charge of directing his throw. There is an A in amazing... Saarloos is the man.

After they leave, I spend five minutes explaining to the Giants "fans" who Haren, Saarloos, and Halsey are, and what position they play. One guy, decked out in Giants gear, tells me that Halsey has a good arm, and should move from 1b to 3b. WHAT?! He is actually serious, so I tell him that the Giants could do the same Accardo. He agrees and we go our separate ways. I guess he doesn't really know his "team" all that well.

After I get to my seat, the awards show begins. This was pretty much absurd. I can understand honering Finley for 300/300, and Bonds for 716, but they hand out an award for Schmidt striking out 16, and Alou hitting 300 HR's. Cmon, is this really worth a pregame award? How many Hr's/Sb's did Alou/Finley actually hit/steal with the Giants? And yeah, I heart Slashes! I guess the Giants just need something to fill up that empty trophy case.

Right before the game begins, a drunk Giants fan in a wife beater tells the surroundomg A's fans to fuck off and to have fun in Las Vegas. I respond by telling him that maybe if his team moved to Las Vegas, they could win a world series, cause they sure as hell were not doing anything worth while in SF. He tells me to get out of the first round of the playoffs for once, blah blah blah. I then put him to the test and ask what he thinks of Alfonzo catching, since Matheny is out, and he just sits there, baffled. I tell him that it's too bad Barry can not catch and play left, and then sit back down. I guess this fan doesn't know anyone not named Barry Bonds. LET'S GO GIGANTES!!

The game begins and I am pretty excited. The Giants fans boo Loaiza on every ball he throws to Barry, which is rediculous since there are no outs in the 2nd inning. Once Barry walks, a couple of Giants fans get up to food in the middle of the inning. I had never really seen this before, but if Barry is not batting, then whats the point of watching, right?
In about the fourth inning the Giants fans in the bleachers start a "Whats the matter with Swisher, he's a bumb" chant. I do not care who Swisher plays for. He is god. Anyone that makes fun of Swisher is either uneducated or just plain stupid.

The rest of the game goes by smoothly, we win, and I am swelling with pride. As I make my way back to the bart station I overhear a conversation among 4 or 5 Giants fans:

Lady 1: "Wow that stadium is amazing, I have never been down to the lower levels before"
Lady 2: "Yeah, isn't that great? You can just eat and drink and hang out the whole time"
Guy 1:"Yeah, a great place to meet new people"
Lady 1:"It's is almost like there is not a baseball game going on at all!"

Excuse me, but give me a moment to swallow the vomit in my mouth. If you wanna go to a bar, then go to a damn bar, not a baseball game. Thank god it is a different story in Oakland.

In conclusion, A's fans are just plain better fans than our cross bay rivals'. We don't go to games soley for the social aspect, and we know our team. We bleed green and gold, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't wait to see my A's play in Oakland again!

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Similar experiences

Just different locations.

I watched Haren throw that ball over and watched them chatting with fans behind the fence in right. I was over by the "bull pen" watching BP! I thought it was all very amusing!

Then when the Giants fans started chanting at Swisher, I was in the bleachers a few rows in front of the guy who started it. Swish just kinda turned around, and looked up at them. Then he turned back to the game and kinda shook his head. When they were done with the chant, my friend and I started yelling, "WE LOVE YOU SWISH!!"

It was so stupid. I have heard that chant before at the Coliseum, but 90% of the time, the guy really is a bumb! We don't do the chant just cause the guy was responsible for beating us!

Anyway, yeah, if they want to go to a bar and talk on their cell phones, go to a freaking bar! I don't know how many times I would say, "Um, there is a GAME going on! Can we all just sit and watch PLEASE!"

"This is the best hug in the major leagues, right here!" - Swisher Pics

by BobbyCrosbysGirl on Jun 26, 2006 10:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

"what's the matter with swisher?"

"HE'S THE BOMB!" was our response when the giants fans were doing that stupid chant!

by gotgreen on Jun 27, 2006 8:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Overheard at A's vs. White Sox in '04 or '05:

"What's wrong with Tadahito?"

"He's Japanese!!!!!!"

that's pushing it a little bit.

"I've got a bat and I've got some hands, and I run into one every now and then," Chavez said.

by gimpy989 on Jun 27, 2006 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

HELL YEAH

Damn straight. Agree with ya completely. Cept i hate the gigante losers. LET'S GO A'S!!!!!!!!!!

Joe Morgan smells bad and has poor english skills. Wait, so do I.

by sublimeguyjohn on Jun 26, 2006 10:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

You guys do mean 'bum' right? ;)

This is the best personal-experience-with-Giants-fans diary ever. And it's so true. They don't know anything except, "Barry Bonds is the man and I don't care if he takes steroids, he's still the best player in baseball. Oh yeah, and your owner is cheap and the Coliseum sucks."

But can you really blame them? When I'm at SBC it's like, "Oh... baseball... pretty bricks.... I like the Arcade! LOOK, LIGHTS! Oh yeah what's the score?" For as much as people can hate on the Coliseum, I just love the place because I'm so comfortable with it and it feels like home, and people are actually there to watch a game. (Except for the 'groupies' but that's a whole other story.)

The sad part is, real Giants fans (that I know of) all talk about missing Candlestick and actually going to a baseball game where fans are knowledgeable. They talk about the swirling winds and the unberable cold and wish that the stupid fake fans at AT&T would go away and stop giving their team such a bad image.

Oh well. Thanks for sharing your story, I love the part about Haren tossing the ball into the bay. What happened to ball two? :)

PS. Even my mom thought the awards ceremony was lame.

"The rain soaked patrons reveled in thier victory and the shortest man on the field stood taller than Randy Johnson." - Saint

by Melody on Jun 26, 2006 10:41 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Ay, there's the rub!

"real Giants fans...all talk about missing Candlestick...and wish that the stupid fake fans at AT&T would go away and stop giving their team such a bad image."

There are quite possibly hundreds of thousands of Giants fans just like that. But instead of 10 or 30 games a year, they now make only three or four. And to the rest of us the face of the Giants fans becomes the new ballpark crowd, with all the trimmings.

To think that this will assuredly also happen to some degree to us and our team when it builds in Fremont, SJ, or even in Oakland, is to die a little bit.

Better luck is just a standard deviation away.

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Jun 26, 2006 11:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah, I'm dreading the A's new park price-out

My sister had about a 30-game season ticket mini-plan at Candlestick. She can only go to about a dozen games each season at Phone Co., and most of those are because her boss sometimes gives her his tickets (he barely pays any attention to the Giants or baseball in general, but has full season tickets).

Putting the "fun" in "perfunctory"

by Poppy on Jun 26, 2006 11:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I had almost the identical experience...

...in Anaheim, except for the time when I sat next to the most adorable Angels' couple (in their 70s) who had been fans for 50+ years. (Yeah, I had nothing to say to that.)

We watched both Zito and Colon throw complete games, and chatted about players the whole time. But aside from them and the Rev (whatever else you say about him, he does know the Angels), I think a ballgame is just "something to do on a Friday night" for a lot of people. So sad. Don't waste the tickets, peeps. So many new fans to convert, so many old fans just want to see their teams.

"Let's face it, some pitchers have upside or downside---Blanton has backside." ~Buck18

by baseballgirl on Jun 26, 2006 10:56 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

our cross bay counterparts

I was at all 3 games and had a great time (with the exception of a certain 9th inning). I sat right near the left field fair pole just a few rows back. I was surrounded by a lot of A's fans but, of course, most people were Giants fans. On Saturday, there were 3 A's fans sitting together. . .all wearing Crosby tee-shirts. I had a terrific conversation with one Giants season ticket holder and he was very knowledgable about his team. No issues, no arguments, no fights. Good natured rivalry was certainly present. I was also happy that the ladies sitting in the seats where Swisher made the great catch did not interfer. . .they did a good "duck and cover" routine actually. Wish we could have made it 3/3 but I'll take the 2//3. I also got a lot of good pics and if I could figure out how to upload them (yes, I know, the instructions have been posted about a zillion times) I will.

Baseball is life. . . at least that is what my sweatshirt says.

by 0R0H0E on Jun 26, 2006 11:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

"fair pole"

I respect that much more appropriate term. On a somewhat related note, on SportsCenter today I was dumbfounded when Linda Cohn used the home run call "No doubt!" for a highlight of a home run that hit the fair pole...actually Linda, there was quite a bit of doubt there. Unless she had information at her disposal that the winds were gusting at hurricane-like force towards left-center. In that case, I apologize for my ignorance.

Where I step a weed dies.

by Cutthemullet on Jun 27, 2006 12:27 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

hey!

the three crosby tee A's fans in left field were probably me and my friend ... and this other lady next to us that was also wearing a crosby tee! :)

by gotgreen on Jun 27, 2006 8:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Awesome

man this is absolutely THE best diary I have read in a long time.

Highly recommended

Bill Stoneman is about to be offered three seasons of a right-handed version of Vladimir Guerrero - Rev Halofan

by pickinmachine on Jun 26, 2006 11:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Tucker Max-esque

you must read his site (not a command to read it, an observation that you have already read it; I see the influence):

"The rest of the game goes by smoothly, we win, and I am swelling with pride. As I make my way back to the bart station I overhear a conversation among 4 or 5 Giants fans:

Lady 1: 'Wow that stadium is amazing, I have never been down to the lower levels before'
Lady 2: 'Yeah, isn't that great? You can just eat and drink and hang out the whole time'
Guy 1:'Yeah, a great place to meet new people'
Lady 1:'It's is almost like there is not a baseball game going on at all!'

Excuse me, but give me a moment to swallow the vomit in my mouth. If you wanna go to a bar, then go to a damn bar, not a baseball game. Thank god it is a different story in Oakland."

Good stuff.

Where I step a weed dies.

by Cutthemullet on Jun 27, 2006 12:21 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

EXACTLY!

Except when I went, some weird Giants fan got mad at me for putting a sunflower seed shell on the floor because "it makes the place look dirty."

I was in shock.

Street in the 9th is like the American Government when it comes to war: automatic!

by Boonee on Jun 27, 2006 12:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Ditto experience with Gnats fans...

..at the Bay Bridge exhibition games pre-season.

Giants fans turn up 6th inning, watch Bonds strike out, go for food in the 7th, come back in the 8th, watch Bonds swing and miss to lead-off the 9th, go home.

They saw a total of 4 outs that didn't include Bonds. And they talked through each of them. All unrelated to baseball.

Dodger fans do similar stuff. And don't even get me started with Yankee fans or Rally Monkey Retards. But the Giants fans are no doubt the worst.

"I smell like a meadow." - Yuniesky Betancourt

by Ozzz on Jun 27, 2006 2:50 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I learn something new from Giants fan.

I was wearing my Reggie Jackons jersey and a Giants fan yelled out Bo Jackson retired a Yankee. Wow, that's great Bo made it to the hall!!!

Another Giants fan kept on yelling out to every A's fan that when pass him, "Go home A's fans!!", while he was waiting for the rest of the people from his "tour bus".

"Hold it down for the bay, reppin Oakland"

by What Would Rickey Do on Jun 27, 2006 6:29 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Opp

The Giants fan said "Bo Jackson went in the hall a Yankee".

"Hold it down for the bay, reppin Oakland"

by What Would Rickey Do on Jun 27, 2006 6:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You would have enjoyed

listening to Damon Bruce last night who was
complaining that the A's fans took over the park last weekend, and how ashamed he was of the Giants fans who did nothing, didn't cheer, didn't care etc.
He said he was there, and the A's fans dominated the cheering "Let's go Oakland". He was very impressed.

by china bob on Jun 27, 2006 7:27 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah. It can be bad.

We sat in the same section we always sit in for these PhoneCo games, and ALWAYS, the guy WHO WORKS AT THE PARK, holding up the little "batter in the box" sign, gives us crap. Stuff like:

"This is how it is when you have a new ballpark."

"When you fall out of the first round four years in a row, blah blah blah."

Insert Fremont/LV/Portland comment here.

When we won on Friday, as we were walking out, I said to him, "Oh, don't be sad."

He retorted: "Why should I be sad? We took two from you at your house and we're gonna do the same thing here!"

I thought of him, gleefully, on Sunday.

I dunno. It just seems to me that while many of the people who work at the parks are also fans, they need to be professional while they are doing their jobs, and be respectful of the guests in their ballpark, no matter what gear they are wearing. Not act like a self-satisfied prickazoid and jib on fans of visiting teams all while holding a "no walking batter in the box" sign even when there isn't a batter in the box, just to be some Napoleanic megalomaniacal jerk-off.

Ron Washington: Thinking outside of the three-sided box since 1977

by tankerraid on Jun 27, 2006 8:14 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Luckily I wasn't sittign where you were sitting...

If he said "this is how it is when you have a new ballpark" I would have said "this is how it is when I'm not today." Or when he said "when you drop out of the first round 4 years in a row...." I would have said when you drop out of school you get a job like yours." The Portland,LV,Fremont A's comment...I would have said "if you get usher of the year does that mean you can tranfer there?" I need to sit there next time!!

"Hold it down for the bay, reppin Oakland"

by What Would Rickey Do on Jun 27, 2006 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

correction...

"this is how it is when I'm not working today."

"Hold it down for the bay, reppin Oakland"

by What Would Rickey Do on Jun 27, 2006 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hate the "Batter in Box" guys

Mostly because they either need to change their signs or actually follow what's written on them. Most of the time they make you wait until the current at-bat is over. I remember when I was trying to get back to my seat after picking up some food, and the batter hits a foul ball that rattled around near the bullpen. It was out of play for a good 45 seconds or so, and he just stood there holding up his sign, not letting us pass (by this time there were a good ten people waiting to get back to their seats). Even my friend who took me to the game (season tickets) was a little shocked that we weren't allowed to go.

Vegetable medley!

by senork on Jun 28, 2006 1:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

how does this make you any better?

by generalizing the fans.

I went to all 3 games of the series and sat in a different location every time (view reserved, bleachers, club box) and had some very intelligent conversations with Giants fans.

They're bigger realists than most people here and I admire that. They know that next year is highly up in the air and all they really have to grasp onto this year is getting their last glances at one of the greatest hitters (statistically) to ever play.

Who didn't go out to the Coliseum to see McGwire's last ABs as an Athletic? Who during those miserable teams would not trade a chance to see one of the last McGwire HRs for a pointless A's victory?

Keep your generalizations up about them, and I'm sure they'll do the same about us. Of course this is probably the wrong place to even bring this up because what regular on AN doesn't think they're better than the average fan?

by fadedash on Jun 27, 2006 8:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure

that pointing out negative interactions that were had at the games nullifies the fact that many of us had and have intelligent thoughtful conversations about baseball with Giants fans. Nor do I think it means that anyone here REALLY believes that ALL G fans are sucky. Just that, due to the current atmosphere and crowd drawn at the park, there are an inordinate number of less-than-knowledgeable fans who are more than ready to trash all other teams without expending the effort to get to know their own.

I wrote about my experience at the ballpark because it bothered me, and talking about it here allows me to vent. I think everyone understands that the whole charged atmosphere at these games leads to conflict, especially when over 40K different personalities are involved.

I also think that going to another ballpark and getting yelled at just because you are rooting for another team (I also got "Fuck Oakland! That place is a shithole!"--personal comments) sucks. I've seen it happen at the Coliseum before and it sucks and makes me ashamed. When it happened, I told the offending A's fans to shut up. They flipped me off, but they stopped. I would give alot to have seen any self-respecting Giants fan do the same for me when they heard such crap being thrown around, but they didn't. That, to me, reflects alot more on all of the fans than anything else.

Ron Washington: Thinking outside of the three-sided box since 1977

by tankerraid on Jun 27, 2006 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry if I confused anyone but....

the point of the diary is not to glorify all A's fans, although there is deffinetly going to be a bias at Athletics Nation. The point was to share an experience, and using the factors from specific events, make a general inference. That is what a sweeping generalization is. Obviously, this is not how all Giants fans are, but this style of writing is meant to bring out memories and feelings, not to be taken so literally. On that note:
;)A'S FANS ARE BETTER THAN GIANTS FANS ;)

by OaktownIn06 on Jun 27, 2006 3:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Same thing on the KNBR morning show....

Brian Murphy was bemoaning the fact that A's fans took over Saturday and our chants drowned out the Giants fans. He admitted to being emberassed about the passivity of Giants fans, getting in a beef with an A's fan who was chanting BALCO, and he actually endorsed the bleacher brawl.

by BleacherDave on Jun 27, 2006 9:10 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

yup....

On Sunday I had primo seats behind home plate and all I heard all day from Giants fans was, "All the A's fans are making the ballgame totally lame. I wish they would stop cheering so loud!" Pathetic, just pathetic...........

Like, seriously, every time the A's did something good it was, "Oh my God, A's fans are the collective anti-Christ!"

Shitheads...........of course I was surrounded mostly by the dipshits who show up to be seen by their friends on t.v. and it makes the real Giants fansookad.

by mrod on Jun 27, 2006 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can't talk on my cellphone with

all of this noise! Tacky Oaklanders!

Ron Washington: Thinking outside of the three-sided box since 1977

by tankerraid on Jun 28, 2006 7:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The best ballparks were always the hidden gems

Not the splashy new parks, nor the famous old ones (Fenway, Wrigley, etc.), but the relatively unknown (and too often unloved) parks, where the fans went to watch baseball.

I loved the Coliseum before Mt. Davis (though it wasn't exactly old).

But maybe best of all, in my opinion, was old Tiger Stadium. Full of character, great fans, and just a wonderful place to watch a ball game. I only went there twice -- both during the Trammell-Whitaker years. But I can't remember having a better time at a ball game that didn't involve the A's.

Bad Bud Selig ideas of the last decade: accepting steroids, contraction, interleague play. We've abandoned the first two. Let's ditch the third.

by GreenNGoldSooner on Jun 27, 2006 12:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I went there once.

It was an absolutely outstanding ballpark.

"The first night, we were right there," Bradley said. "All we needed was a couple of touchdowns, and we would have had them."

by jeepers on Jun 27, 2006 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

ditto

Great, creaking old baseball cathedral. The top-most deck seats were preposterously close to the field. Felt as if you could drop your gum on the third baseman's cap.

Don't make me bring the Scrabble board to the locker room. I will bring it. -- Jonathan Papelbon @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jun 27, 2006 4:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Detroit still has great fans....

was there 2 weeks ago. Went to Kauffman on the same trip - that was our favorite of the trip.

by BleacherDave on Jun 27, 2006 9:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

the prototypical Gnats fan:

After the victory on Friday, I tuned into KNBR in between A's radio broadcast. I was stunned to hear a Giants fan call in and say the following:

"I want to let all the A's fan know that Barry Bonds stole a base on you...hahahhaha!"

Damon Bruce then said something to the effect," you know the A's won right?" To which, the Giants fan replied:

"Ya but Barry still stole a base!"

I was laughing my ass off afterwards...on 1) Our victory nevertheless 2) Risking Barry, there only real offensive tool and #1 draw on a steal and 3) the knowledge (or lack thereof) of the Gnats fan...

"I find A's-Mariners games a lot more tolerable if I become a temporary A's fan." by Deanna (LL)

by ST on Jun 27, 2006 3:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Interesting point

but on the flip side of that coin, I have heard some doosies from callers into EI! There are some where you can hear Robert's voice crack from trying to hold back laughter. All teams have their boneheads and chances are, they call into the radio shows!

But I do have to say Robert deals with all his callers (good and bad) very well. I am very glad he is on our broadcast team!

"This is the best hug in the major leagues, right here!" - Swisher Pics

by BobbyCrosbysGirl on Jun 27, 2006 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bonds is an offensive tool, all right...

Oh, wait. Maybe you meant it in the "good hitting" sense...

Putting the "fun" in "perfunctory"

by Poppy on Jun 28, 2006 6:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

As far as the Giants fan thing...

I guess to have a big park that pays the bills it takes all kinds. If we did get a big park we would get the casual fans that are there for dates etc and don't care about the game. If that meant we could keep a team local I would gladly welcome that.

I do like the family friendly atmosphere at AT*T. I took a bunch of family to the labor day game against Seattle last year in Oakland. I was rather embarrassed by some of my fellow Oakland fans who were cursing,and screaming other obscenities. I had a couple of Sr.citizens with me as well as a friend with a 6 year old and a 3 year old. The six year old kept saying " I hear bad words !"

by IM4Oakgal on Jun 28, 2006 8:17 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs