There is nothing like a day at the ballpark. I can tell you that from experience.
I've been taking in Giants games - day games, in particular - at Oracle Park regularly for the past decade or so. There is something magical about watching a game from the stands, and I miss spending an afternoon at the ballpark.
My friend Evan Stuart of San Francisco agrees. He’s a lifelong baseball fan, and the excitement of going to the ballpark begins for him well before the first pitch.
"Literally, just walking through town in that good mood, in anticipation of a ballgame is a special experience," Stuart said. "It’s a unique experience, for sure."
Major League Baseball officials have begun discussions with the Major League Baseball Players Association about the possibility of a shortened season that would begin as early as July. Giants CEO Larry Baer told KCBS Radio he thinks it could happen if it can be done within public health department safety guidelines.
Great insight from @SFGiants CEO Larry Baer on the future of baseball with @BungerKCBSRadio @SteveBitker @KCBSRadio Listen to this moment from KCBS Radio Morning News on https://t.co/SRBt419BiX. https://t.co/KQw0KM355u
— KCBS 106.9 FM/740 AM (@KCBSRadio) May 14, 2020"There really is an opportunity to provide enjoyment and lift up the communities, all our communities who have been so ravaged physically and psychologically with (the COVID-19 pandemic)," Baer said.
Baer said this is all in the planning stages at this point and that access to testing and public health protocols have to be in pace for it to happen.
"In essence, that’s sports role, right, is to try to elevate communities," Baer said.
The camaraderie of the ballpark is a draw for my friend Andrew Sullivan of San Francisco.
"The thing that I really miss is being with the crowd," Sullivan said. "Being with fans from all over the Bay, and sometimes all over the country, who’ve come to see the Giants."
Games likely would be played without fans at ballparks, at least at first.
