The Second Trophy Tour

Was it just two years ago that thousands of San Francisco Giants fans up and down California got a chance to see something they never saw up close before: a World Series trophy?

Well, we're getting another chance, like this fan:



The 2013 World Series Trophy Tour started in Sacramento this past January 8th, Unlike two years ago, it made only one stop at Sacramento City Hall. Last time, the team had two showings: the State Capitol in the morning and City Hall in the afternoon.

The tour started here:



The line started forming well before noon.



Most wore Giants memorabilia, including jerseys of their favorite players...



This woman wore a big Giants blanket, as if she was prepared for a home game back in the Candlestick days...



In fact the line literally went around the block when the doors opened at around 2:30. Thanks to my ability to wait, developed when I waited HOURS to get an autograph of Quentin Tarantino at Comic-Con, it wasn't that bad.



Even Mayor Kevin Johnson was there to welcome the fans who waited for this chance.



This time, I was not allowed to get a personal photo of myself with the trophies. I can order one through the team's website, like I did when I was at the Browncoats Cruise a few years back. So, here's a blast from my past in 2010...



Notice back then, I had a piece of the 1989 World Series, plus the ticket stub to the last Candlestick game. This time, I wore an San Jose Giants jacket plus a World Series cap.

If you'd like to see both World Series trophies up close, click this link for the entire schedule.

The Giants Start Their Victory Lap

I'm sure the World Series trophy has had its share of tours in recent years. The team that wins the Commissioner's Trophy usually arranges a tour so that all fans can take a look at the trophy, up close.
The Phillies did it, and the Yankees, the Red Sox, even the Chicago White Sox.
Now, it's the Giants' turn.



The last time I got close to any championship trophy was the Stanley Cup, and that was when San Jose hosted the NHL All-Star Game.
At least the Gants think that they should bring the trophy to the fans. Sure beats trying to get to AT&T Park, although that is possible, too.

There were two ways to see the trophy. Many decided to wait in line for a very long time to see the trophy. This is how long...











Until at least you see this sign...



and room 211 on the State Senate side....



It was a pretty long line, but at least people got out of the cold that morning.

Later that afternoon, the trophy was placed in the big lobby at Sacramento City Hall. I had expected the line to stretch out to the Downtown Plaza. It didn't, but the line was still long...





These fans were officially the last in line, according to the police department.



Otherwise, it would have gone on all night. After all, it may take another 56 years to bring the trophy back. At least with the Sacramento Rivercats, they have a couple of Pacific Coast League trophies and a Triple A World Series title. You can see those anytime at Raley Field.

And for those who forgot the World Series Trophy was in town, I took these pictures to symbolize the envy of those who wished they came sooner....





However, it's not too later. The Giants website says the trophy's tour has just begun. It'll stay within Northern California for the most part, except for stops in New York, Scottsdale and Medford. It's supposed to tour the city before the home opener on April 8th.
Still it was quite a thrill to see the World Series Trophy up close.

So What Kind Of Old Year Did I Have?

There's nothing more depressing that January 2nd.
The excitement of a New Year is over, even though there are still a few football games to be seen, the biggest one coming in a week. You have to either put away those holiday decorations, and toss those dried out trees that looked so festive a week before.
Then you look back to see if you really accomplished anything in the previous year. Either you star into space, thinking about all the things you could have done, or you adopt Felicia Day's style of reviewing the year. I suggest the latter. It reminded me that while I failed to get published in a book of essays on Dollhouse, I wrote a much shorter sketch on what should have happened to the MST3K crew at the end of the series...and got a free ticket to a Cinematic Titanic show. It showed me that small victories can actually be pretty big after a while.

I also realized that many of my stories for Whedonopolis could be considered world exclusives...only because I just happened to be the only guy who thought to show up. Thus, my interview with Juliet Landau in San Francisco, coverage of Jewel Staite and Amber Benson's appearances in Sacramento, and recap of the Whedonverse CreationCon at LAX could be considered world exclusives. Technically. Because I was there. Just me.
Well, it's SOMETHING!
I can also claim to be one of the first people to take a picture of someone buying an iPad, since its debut happened the same day as Wondercon in San Francisco.

However, I have to claim two events that were the highlight of 2010 for me:

Attending a World Series Game....sort of:





This happened as a fluke. I had October 27th off for a Rifftrax event, but then the Giants suddenly found itself in a World Series. I found out I could be at AT&T Park on that date, and maybe get to see the game in the "Knothole" section for three innings. I made it in the middle of the game, then went to see Rifftrax. It got even better when we finally won the Series.
The trophy is coming to Sacramento this week. Of course, I plan to be there, and maybe for the FanFest, too. It should have even more people than usual. Winning a World Series will do that.

Getting Into Conan O'Brien's 2nd TBS Show:



The last time I tried to get tickets before dawn was to see Inglorious Basterds at Comic-Con. That paid off.
So did this. After my request for a ticket to see Ellen DeGeneres didn't work out (as in they didn't even tell me they already had enough people and try again next time), I gambled on getting a standby ticket for the second show. For one thing, it had Tom Hanks.
I just barely made it, and I have a souvenir to the real start of Conan's cable days. The first show was basically a hero's return. With the second show, you have to get back to work..and Conan certainly did.

So, my goals for 2011?
Well, I will try again to ask the Emmys if I could be a seat-filler again, or go back to the bleachers. I skipped 2010 only because it happened in late August. I prefer to come to September, so I can combine it with other events.
I may go back to the Paley Festival, although there's a lack of shows I'd like to see honored. It wasn't like the old days when there was Dr. Horrible, Pushing Daisies, How I Met Your Mother or Dollhouse. I would hope V gets to be part of the PaleyFest...if it's still on the air. Ditto for The Cape.
Yes, I'm mainly interested in shows that have Whedon Alumni. I might even see a Castle panel, if there is one.
As for wild wishes, the one right on top would be to go to London. I have a passport, and I'd like to use it before it expires in six and a half years. Second place would be Canada, tied with New York.
I also hope that somehow, my Whedonopolis stories will eventually lead to new opportunities. Even though I am 51, and write as if I'm 20 years younger (maybe 15), I would like to think I can write stories that would appeal to fans out there. I know my blogs won't inspire movies, much less webisodes. I would just hope someone would have me do something special. Until then, of course, these blogs will keep coming.

Already, 2011 will start with a bang: the new old Governor, Jerry Brown, will host a free lunch at the State Capitol, and the Giants World Series trophy is coming to town.
Then, Drones will be On Demand well before it comes to theaters. Gotta review that. What's interesting is that Amber Benson fans in New York and L-A will be upset this sneak preview won't be available. Other major markets, like San Francisco, Philly and Chicago, will be luckier.

World Series: View From the Knothole

It's not too often that San Francisco has had a chance to set the baseball world on its ear. That accomplishment was done by Oakland in the 1970's and 80's, because it has the cooler ball park that's also near a BART train stop.
1962. 1989. 2002. Those were the three chances the Giants had to bring a World Series win to the Golden Gate. In order, they came within a line drive of beating the Yankees, got swept after an earthquake, and was beaten by a rally monkey from Anaheim.
I never even got the chance to get close to a World Series because I was too far away, or I had to work. I finally got lucky when a day off on October 28th, which I requested to see a Rifftrax movie, got turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I got to see the middle innings of game 2 through the famous right field Knothole. About 450 people got that rare chance to step inside and see a very important game, or part of it, for free.



Sure, people could have gone to the Public House to see it on HDTV, or at several nearby bars, restaurants and small grocery stores. Still, being just a few feet away from Edger Renteria's homer in the fifth is still something special, even under the bleachers separated by a fence.
In fact, people waited for hours to get a wrist band to get in for three innings.



Thanks to my Comic-Con training, and a filled iPod, I managed to get a writsband to see the game in the middle innings after waiting two hours. People who wanted to get into the first game waited since two a-m for their wristbands.
Looking back, I should have gotten some kind of World Series souvenir, but I bet one will be in my hands sooner than later.

Here's another view from inside the Knothole....



For those who could not get in, that didn't matter...



As long as got a glimpse somehow of the action, that was enough....because this was the World Series, and it's only the third time it's come to San Francisco since 1962. At AT&T Park, it's a very special atmosphere. Even if you couldn't get inside, being around the place, and watching the game at the bar outside the park is good enough.
Otherwise, just sail on McCovey Bay, and hope a home run ball comes your way, like these guys...



Since the game came just before Halloween, a lot of people came in costume, from kids whose faces dressed like Brian Wilson to a guy named the Rally Pumpkin....





Here's a link to the entire set of photos I took. I might add more from a sports bar in Sacramento, but that depends on what happens this weekend.

Why Being A Giants Fan Is Blissful Torture

It was a difficult Saturday night for me, wondering if I was actually going to check off something from my ever-changing Bucket List: being near a World Series.
C'mon, you know how much tickets costs? You need to win Fantasy 5 at least twice.

Anyway, while the Giants were battling the Phillies in Game 6, I watching many things besides that game.
Why? Well, I kind of blame Marcos Breton of the Sacramento Bee.
When PBS aired Baseball: The 10th Inning last month, he was a featured commentator. He talked about how he waited for years to see the Giants get back to the World Series and win it all, and that Barry Bonds would lead the way. He also recalled how the Giants were six outs away from doing just that in the 2002 World Series.
Of course, the Angels and that Rally Monkey ruined that.
Then there was a column he wrote last week after the Giants lost game 5 at home. He talked about how the Giants failed to win the 1986 NLCS and 2002 Series after leading three games to two. He sounded very worried...in print.
AND...the Phillies were practically expected to dismantle Texas when the Series starts Wednesday. These were the Phillies of the 21st Century, far more advanced than their ancestors.

So, I wound up watching the NFL Network, seeing a show about why there are a handful (literally) of left-handed quarterbacks that had good careers. I saw a Ken Burns documentary about radio. I kept checking on the Oklahoma-Missouri football game.
Occasionally, I watched the Giants and Phillies, fearing the worst.
I also started working on my Whedonopolis story about Amber Benson doing a book signing at Borders in Sacramento the night before.

Finally, I committed to watching the game around the sixth inning. I wondered what happened to Johnathan Sanchez, but that was before I heard about him hitting a guy with a pitch, and how that sparked a near-riot. The Giants bullpen kept the Phillies at bay, and it stayed tied at two.
Then came Juan Uribe's homer in the 8th. I was hopeful, but not confident.

Torture. Giants fans were feeling it again.
That included Breton, whose comments in the Baseball documentary suggested that the Giants were the West Coast version of the Red Sox. Every few years, they get to the World Series, yet fail to bring a world title to Northern California.
The A's did it several times, even against the Giants in 1989.
Not the Giants. Six outs away, then looking forlorn as the Angels celebrated in 2002. So similar to what the Red Sox felt in 2003 against the Yankees, or 1976 and 1986.
Sure, Boston finally got that World Series title in 2004, then another in 2007.
But the Giants are not the Red Sox. They were not supposed to be pennant winners in 2010. The Phillies would come back, then win game seven the next night, and clobber the Texas Rangers a week later.
It all came to this: Brian Wilson against Ryan Howard, who was due to drive in some runs and end this silly idea of the Giants beating the Phillies.
3-2 pitch. Howard didn't swing.
He should have.
The Giants won the pennant. The Giants won the pennant!
THE! GIANTS!! WON!!! THE!!!! PENNANT!!!!!
Breton, of course, wrote a much happier column, and an even happier one will likely follow that.

Wonderful news for Northern California fans, but not so much for Fox TV executives who were hoping for a Yankees-Phillies rematch. Even a few web reporters are predicting a Giants-Rangers World Series will attract fewer viewers than Lone Star, the show that lasted all of three weeks against Dancing With The Stars.

Well, so what? People wondering whose these guys are will attract enough interest and fans.

This also changes by plans for this week. A while ago, I asked to have this coming Thursday off so I can see the annual Rifftrax (or MST3K 2.0...Cinematic Titanic is MST3K 2.1) Halloween Movie Barbecue. Mike Nelson and the guys were going to riff on the original House on Haunted Hill, which would be colorized.
My request was granted, mainly because I was piling up some vacation time anyway.
Now, with the Giants playing on Thursday at home, should I choose between Rifftrax and the Series?
Let's see...Rifftrax is 12 bucks, and they're likely going to do another holiday spectacular in December. The World Series is five zillion dollars a ticket, and that's in the bleachers.
Well, naturally, I'd go to Rifftrax, but it doesn't cost that much to stand outside AT&T Park while the Series is being played. There's also bound to be a lot of activity before the game itself. That's reason enough to go.
I'll hang around until about seven p-m, then I'll head to the Century Theater at Market, and see Vincent Price's mustache be mocked.

Of course, if for some reason, I actually get a real ticket...welll.....
I doubt it, naturally. I was at the Citywalk outside the MTV Music Awards last year, and was glad about that after the fact since Twilight swept everything.

So, we'll see what happens. I'm glad this blog got published at all, since heavy rain and some blown transformers cut off power twice in 30 minutes. Thank goodness for auto-save,