Salon.com > World Series 2010

Obama congratulates Giants on winning World Series

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:29:00 +0000

President Barack Obama is looking forward to congratulating the San Francisco Giants in person at the White House for winning their first World Series in more than a half century.

The White House says Obama telephoned those in the baseball organization Tuesday and recalled the excitement he felt when his beloved White Sox broke their World Series drought.

Obama said he enjoyed watching Monday night's winning game and mentioned that he wanted to find out if there really was magic in the beard of closer Brian Wilson. Wilson has a black lumberjack beard and he's been credited with helping the Giants return to the playoffs after a six-year absence.

The Giants also invited Obama to a home game.

At least 5 arrested in San Francisco celebrations

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:30:30 +0000

San Francisco police say at least five people were arrested when celebrations following the Giants' World Series victory turned rowdy.

Revelers were seen jumping on cars, rocking buses and tossing toilet paper Monday night after the Giants captured their first World Series title since they moved from New York more than a half century ago.

Video from KTVU-TV showed crowds swarming and attacking the occupants of a car in the city's Mission District before police intervened. A window at the Dugout Store at AT&T Park was also broken, and several fires were started nearby.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom says the vast majority of people celebrated peacefully and police did a good job of keeping order.

Giants fans cheer San Francisco’s first Series win

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:03:27 +0000

Thousands of orange and black-clad Giants fans hugged and high-fived one other Monday night as the club clinched its first World Series title since moving west more than a half century ago.

As the final out of the 3-1 win was recorded, the thousands watching on a big-screen TV at San Francisco's Civic Center plaza leapt for joy as City Hall glowed bright orange in the background.

"I have a permanent smile on my face," said Valerie Nicklas of Berkeley, who partied at another large street gathering near the Giants' AT&T Park. "This makes all the years of suffering worth it."

Fans waving Giants flags and rally towels danced in the downtown streets near the Civic Center as car horns blared. A lone accordion player played a tune as fans swirled around him. Others surrounded a drum corps as it pounded out a rhythm.

Amy Anderson Giugliano shot a bottle of champagne into the air, dousing those nearby.

"I never thought this would happen!" the 42-year-old from San Carlos said. "I'm going to celebrate all night!"

The club last won the Series in 1954 when they were the New York Giants. They moved west four years later, but suffered World Series losses in 1962, 1989 and 2002.

What do opium dens have to do with the World Series?

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:28:00 +0000

If Bloomberg specifically intended the headline "World Series Gives Giants Chance to Renew City's Opium-Den 'Last Frontier'" to work as click-bait, well, what can I say but that the strategy sure worked on me. Out here in the San Francisco Bay Area, Giants fervor has almost overshadowed the fact that a big election is just around the corner and the economy still sucks. Mix in some opium dens, and you've got a winner!

But tut tut, Bloomberg. The term "opium dens" can't actually be found in the story, which turns out to be primarily focused on the potential for additional urban redevelopment in the neighborhood near AT&T Park known as "China Basin." What is now called Willie McCovey Cove was once a major trans-shipment point for goods from the Far East.

The ballpark itself sits where the Pacific Mail Steamship Company unloaded silk, tea, rice and opium from Asia in the early 20th century. That commerce, and the large number of Chinese workers on those docks, led to the area being called China Basin.

The Giants would be lovable even with Barry Bonds

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:05:00 +0000

I was sitting at the thrilling last game of the 2010 San Francisco Giants season when a friend texted me an impossible question: "Have you decided on your favorite Giants team? Is it 2010? 2002? 1997?" Inexplicably, she left out the great 2000 National League West division winners, as well as what was probably my real favorite -- if I had one, and I don't -- the 103-win second-place team in 1993, the first year of the glorious Dusty Baker/Barry Bonds era.

The question threw me. I'd never given any thought to my favorite Giants team. I've loved most of them, even the losers. The bitter 2002 departure of manager Baker left me cold, but these 2010 desperadoes won me back, and the seduction started last year, when they played tough, exciting baseball late into September.