Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large. 

I should have drove

Yesterday evening I got invited to attend a Giants game at Oracle Park. For once, I decided to take public transport instead of driving. I live two blocks from a light-rail stop, on a line - with a brief transfer at a later station - that takes me directly to the ballpark. It doesn’t get any more door-to-door service than this. It sure beats getting stuck in rush hour traffic driving, only to park many blocks away from Oracle Park (because free parking), necessitating a lengthy walk.

That is, if the light-rail is actually functioning normally. I got on the first train yesterday, only to encounter a completely shut tunnel system. No trains of any line were able to go underground towards downtown. We had to instead get off at West Portal - just before the tunnel - and take a surface shuttle bus. It doesn’t take a genius to realize a street bus is far slower than an underground metro train that’s unimpeded by car traffic. Worse, the bus shuttle got me only to downtown - it didn’t extended beyond towards the ballpark. So I walked the rest of the way.

A trip that at most should have taken about an hour, instead took two. And you wonder why public transportation ridership hasn’t recovered fully from the pandemic. It’s a really bad look to have a major section of the light-rail system closed off during evening rush hour. Folks have already suffered the nine hours at work already! Adding to their already lengthy commute time is kind of unconscionable. It’s a bad deal for the people with responsibilities waiting at home. I at least had the luxury of not being in a hurry (I’ve been to enough baseball games to not care about missing the opening few innings).

Silver lining to everything: it was an enjoyable walk along the Embarcadero towards Oracle Park. The summer evening sun provided a great ambiance. Crisp air and excellent views will make anyone forget about the unscheduled delay.

Will o’ the wisp.

Day game after a night game

On Saturday I went to an afternoon baseball game. The first time doing so with this season’s new pace-of-play rules (namely, the pitch clock). Awhile back I attended a night game, and I have to say it is nice to have a nine inning game be done in about two and a half hours. You can get home in a reasonable time and not be too effected for the work day following (unless you’re a complete night owl.) So how does the pitch clock affect going to a day game on a leisurely weekend afternoon?

Much like the night game, it still feels bizarre that a baseball match can go by so quickly. You sit down, eat your food, and boom, it’s the fourth inning already. We use to be able to fit in whole conversations in between pitches. With the new rules, you miss a whole lot of action when your attention is occupied away just for a few moments. Keep that smartphone in your pocket because there isn’t time to go on social media.

I have to say, for a day game on a weekend, I actually wouldn’t mind sitting at the (beautiful) ballpark for a little longer. The particular game we went to was completed in two hours and 16 minutes. It definitely felt rushed because we were in no hurry to get home. Obviously, MLB isn’t going to adjust the pace-of-play rules for games played on different days of the week. For now, my short verdict is: great for weekday night games, not so great for weekend afternoon.

With the shortened game times, I bet the food vendors are making less money than last season (controlling for attendance). Fans are less inclined to go for a second round of food when by that time the match is already over. When games are shortening by half an hour (let’s say), there’s that half hour less opportunity to sell food. Basic, right? Though, perhaps I’m underestimating the gluttony of the typical American baseball fan.

Sound of leisure.

First of the 2023 season

Yesterday I attended my first Giants baseball game of the season. It’s been a while since I’ve stepped foot in Oracle Park for baseball-related activities. The last time I was there was for the annual 10K run last, I want to say, September? Coming out of the pandemic, attending baseball games is so far down the list of favored activities that it may as well have disappeared entirely. Of course it doesn’t help the Giants hasn’t been doing well. Who wants to sit in the San Francisco cold for three hours watching a mediocre product? Not a lot of people.

But when your friend is in town from New York City and asks if you’re free at short notice to go to a game, I had to oblige. Besides, this season the league have implemented a pitch clock (and various rule changes to promote a faster game). Basically the pitcher have a limited amount of time to throw the next pitch. The batter likewise have to be ready in the box to receive. Games that used take more than three hours to play the full nine innings have now been finishing in just two and a half. We can now go to an evening game and still get home before 10:00 PM!

And indeed the game last night felt like it went by super quickly. I was actually surprised when the 7th inning stretch arrived. The game that started at 6:45 PM was over well before 9:30 PM. Say what you want about putting a clock on the game without a clock, but on first experience, I quite like the new rules. The game felt natural to watch as it did before. Hitters and pitchers have obviously adjusted to the new speedier pace. Those of us watching can no longer fit in whole conversations in between each pitch.

It was a sparse crowd for a Tuesday evening game against the St. Louis Cardinals. So sparse that they didn’t even bother announcing the attendance figure. That said, heading to the park on 280 northbound is as congested as it ever was once you get near the ballpark. I did the usual and parked near the Hall of Justice (free street parking, naturally), then walked the 10 minutes to Oracle Park on 3rd and King. That part of the Giants baseball experience has not changed in a decade plus.

Still magic inside.

The Giant Race 2022

Yesterday I ran a 10K for the first time in six years. The annual Giant Race was once again held at Oracle Park. Coming out of the socially slumbering pandemic, I wanted to participate in the race again to get the joy of running with thousands of other people. Also, one of my good friends have never done any sort of long distance running event, so I wanted to be along with her for the challenge.

It was a typical mild Sunday morning in San Francisco, though unlike the previous years that I’ve done the race, this year the sun was completely out. No cloud or fog cover whatsoever. It was definitely a struggle through the sections where there were no shade coverage. I am far too used to training in the dense fog of the western side of San Francisco.

Also unlike in previous years, there were not a half marathon category. The longest distance is the 10K. Because of this, the organizers only cordoned off the streets from the ballpark northward up the Embarcadero, and turning around just past the Ferry Building. Two loops of this make the 10K. Back in 2016, we’d run all the way up towards Pier 39 before turning back. One loop of that would be the 10K.

Doing two loops definitely threw me off psychologically. Having to immediately repeat the route I just did created a mental burden which I’m pretty sure affected my overall performance. The second time around was more challenging and not as enjoyable.

With all those excuses fully baked in, I can now say I ran the 10K in about 58 minutes. That’s almost 10 minutes longer than my 2016 effort. Honestly, I probably did not train as hard as I should. Nonetheless I’m quite happy with that time, as getting it in under one hour was my goal. Of course, the runner’s high afterwards is the absolute best feeling in the world. That’s why we all run, right? And also for the big meal afterwards. Because “A victory should be honored with revels!”

Much revels can be had here.