I missed it. I was in class, or on BART, or heading to my car. I don’t know. But when I heard the wrap up I screamed for joy mixed with sorrow.

The suicide squeeze. There is no greater thing of beauty in baseball. A split second of carefully orchestrated chaos. Grand slams happen weekly. Perfect games are rare but long and drawn out, and are for the most part an individual effort. The sqeeze requires everyone on the bases and in the box to be focused, and perform. It says ‘we can score at will,’ it throws a defense into a panic.

So not only did they pull the squeeze off, they did it without an out at first. Better than textbook. Oh yah, the back to back to back homers were pretty special too - 10th time in Giants history. You know, this could be the turning point.

Little Kruk texts it best, “they’re going to win the freakin’ world series!”

Well two things I noticed.

I’ll Start by saying that I take classes at night in the city. They start at 7pm and I ususally roll in to town with a train full of folks heading to the game. Only, I never know they are heaed to the game until we all get off and this great mass of blue-ish grey, white t-shirt wearing people, head over to pick up MUNI tranfers to the stadium. And then I get just a little sick inside.

What makes me feel better is pulling up to the house just in time to catch the last couple of innings. Tonight was especially nice. Running in the house just in time to see Benitez take the mound.

It was a surreal feeling for me. I wasn’t worried. Ever since Benitez nearly took off Lofton’s left ankle two weeks ago, he’s been a different pitcher. He’s been a closer. Look at his face. Gone is the ‘mom just said he doesn’t get desert’ expression. There is somthing else there. Something that looks more like, ‘you, mister late inning rally hopeful, intend to make me look bad. And that pisses me off.’

That swing through strike three third out is the highlight of my week. Things are looking good.

I watched the game on Television today. I had to watch it with the audio muted. I couldn’t stand hearing a Diamondbacks announcer pull for the Phillies for more than 2 innings. And I’m pretty sure everyone knows that Davis Bell played for Penella in Seattle, at least now they do. All of this irritation aside, it was nothing compared to the thorn in my side that is the occupation of seats by mere spectators.

Today was a sellout day at AT&T Park. Sold out and yet so empty. There were green seats everywhere. And while it’s hard to look at green seats directly behind home plate at a ball game. I saw a miriad of colors today. I saw folks wearing pink, purple, white, grey and black. But what is just intollerable to see is more blue than orange, ice cream than pennants, more cell phones than baseball gloves. Blue shirts people? Blue shirts?

Giants fans. . . where are you?

The first series of posters is done. Feel free to print them up and paste them all over your personal space. The Revolution begins with you.

I’m currently sitting in my parents front room writing from a 6 year old laptop, trying not to notice my mothers attempts at cardio kick boxing. All of this because an order I placed with a certain phone company is getting screwed up real bad. I tell you what, as good as ATT’s rates are on DSL, it really isn’t worth the pain in the patookus that dealing with their customer service can be.

–Giants Related–

So why write this here? why on a sports blog? because the experience I’m having here and now with this company parallels some of the complaints and issues I’ve heard about the park. A major brand that wants you to pay your fee, sit down and shut up.

Once again, I would like to emphasize that this certainly isn’t a decision that comes from the board room on a memo in plainly stated laser printed type. No, it’s a breakdown somewhere in the system. A failure to instill the brand in the institution as a whole.
In the case of ATT customer service. In the case of Giants Baseball, the fan.

The face of your company isn’t always the man you hire to represent your company. It’s often the lowest man on the payroll. Customer service isn’t exaclty a high paying position, but it actually costs a fan quite a bit of pocket change to stay with the company. So something has to be instilled at a deeper level, deeper than profits or wins and losses. Your constituancy, if you will, needs to catch the vision.

I am a Giants fan because my father is a Giants fan and he taught me to love that team. We went to more A’s games as a child, but that was about group outings with sports teams and church, it wasn’t for love of that team.

My first day at the stick was something different, something special. My father came alive with memories there, things he told me about baseball and his father. Watching Mays and McCovey and screaming “hit the ball Willie!” and loving it. I found out at Candlestick that my Grandfather was recruited by the Cardinals shortly after WWII. He turned them down to raise his family. And while I often wonder what his carreer would have been like had he played profesional ball, I can’t imagine ever rooting for the Cardinals.

My feelings for this team run deep. Deeper than the boxs, deep enough to turn down employment in LA, deep enough to kick my wife out of the house when she wanted me to turn off game 7 in 2002. So when I say I feel betrayed by the brand, I’d like to think it means something.

I’d like to see the park named after the team or something germane to the city or baseball. I’d like to see the corperate sponsorship buy in to Giants baseball, not have Giants baseball prostitute it’s crown jewel to the highest bidders. Our park wreaks of sponsor-mongoring. I wouldn’t care so much if I saw an ad every 36 inches if it were at least orange and black.

Develope a style guide for crying out loud. Let those guys know that it means somthing ot be a part of the organization. If you want to be a part of the team, you’ve got to do your part. Look like a team player, wear the uniform. From the top to the bottom, take some pride in being a Giant.

–End Giants Related–
As for ATT, Could we at least be Cingular park? That way our park isn’t being sponsored by the big blue and white. Heck you could totaly buy into the whole everyone is on there cellphone here at Cingular Park. At least then it would make somekind of sense.

BTW I want my DSL up and I want it now. Why does a technician from my old provider have to call you guys up and kick yer butts, just so you can get snippety and hang up on him. If you need great customer service for broadband check out SpeakEasy.They can be a little pricey, but the Customer Service is top shelf. This Giants fan is not a fan of ATT.