| | SAN FRANCISCO -- The boaters on McCovey Cove didn't mind that they couldn't see the action on the field at Pacific Bell Park. They were more interested in their catch.
"I'm hoping to catch a milestone!" Mike West shouted from his boat.
|  | | Fans in McCovey Cove thought they had a home run ball at one point, but they were mistaken. |
West's "catacraft" was among about four dozen boats of all shapes and sizes crowded in McCovey Cove, just beyond the brick right-field wall at the San Francisco Giants' new ballpark.
The milestone? The boaters were hoping to fish out the first regular-season home run to clear the wall and splash into the cove, nicknamed after Hall of Famer Willie McCovey, the Giants' celebrated first baseman.
The Giants opened their first season at the bayside ballpark under sunny skies Tuesday with a 6-5 loss to the Dodgers. And, alas, none of the home runs made it to the waters of the San Francisco Bay -- although the Giants' J.T. Snow came close in the ninth with a homer to right that was caught by a lucky fan positioned in the seats atop the wall.
Pacific Bell Park had a dress rehearsal two weekends ago when the Giants hosted a pair of exhibition games. Against the New York Yankees, Barry Bonds hit a homer that cleared the wall, bounced on
an outside walkway and then into the cove -- where it was fished out by a lucky fan in a motorized inflatable dinghy.
The ballpark's first official home run went to left field -- not right -- off the bat of Dodgers shortstop Kevin Elster in the third inning. It was one of three homers Elster hit, all to left.
The 25-foot-high right-field wall has five portholes for passersby on the walkway to watch the game for free. The right-field foul pole is just 309 feet from home plate, and balls hit high enough and far enough over the wall can reach the water -- which is exactly what the Giants hope.
The team had the ballpark designed with the bay in mind.
"I think the view of the bay is the coolest sight in all of major league baseball," said architect Joe Spear of HOK Sport.
Brett Nantz, playing catch with a friend on the walkway, hoped the first right-field homer didn't make it to the bay.
"See that X?" asked Nantz, pointing to an `X' he taped on the cement. "That's where the first one is gonna land!"
Nantz said he almost had a hand on Bonds' exhibition homer, but it took a bad bounce.
Would he jump in if the ball splashed down just past his dry spot on the walkway? "Nah," he said, smiling. "Not unless I have to."
Signs posted along the walkway read "No swimming, diving or wading. Violation of Port Code 3.2"
Most boats were equipped with nets on long poles, just right for scooping balls from the water. One fan came prepared for the home-opening media frenzy: He taped a large sign reading "Hi Mom! Go Giants!" on the windshield of his boat. Others stripped down to shorts and swimwear, enjoying the spring sunshine.
West got up early to drive from his home in San Jose for a prime spot on the water.
"I collect home run balls and I'm an avid whitewater rafter," he said. "So I guess I'm combining both my passions." | |
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