As the Sun Went Down on the City...

After the Great Game

Travis Ishikawa almost quit baseball earlier this season after being cut by the Pirates, and signed to the minor leagues by the Giants, where he was benched. He called a friend in tears, asking whether it was time for him to retire.

Luckily for all baseball fans, he didn't quit. He hung in and was called up to the big leagues late in the season.

Now he has become a post-season hero for the ages. Like Bobby Thompson 63 years ago, he has hit a walk-off home run to send the Giants to the World Series.

After the game, I shot this video of the crowd walking down the long series of ramps leading from the upper deck, where I was sitting, to the streets below. In a spontaneous act of love, the crowd started a brand new chant -- one no doubt never heard before.

Enjoy.

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Five in a Row

Over to San Pablo in the East Bay I drove today to watch Julia's team, Athena White, win its fifth game in a row, 2-0. It was the fourth straight shutout, which says something about their defense. Julia is part of that defense, and played 40 minutes of good soccer today.

She has a hurt ankle, which we were icing Friday night and yesterday. She wrapped it before the game. She got hit in the back of the head by the ball in the second half and then had to come out after having trouble breathing.

I think it was a combination of the heat and a turf field that caused that.

her team is in second place, and is the best team she's played on since the palominos coached by Aidan. That team only lost one game and finished in second place.

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