Me. Giants. Weekday.

Believe me, being unemployed stinks. But, every once in a while, there are benefits. Like you can decide at the last minute on a Thursday that you want to go to a ballgame in San Francisco that afternoon. But being unemployed, you must go on the cheap or it might seem a bit indulgent.

I started on Stubhub--who knew you could buy tickets for $5 and get a pretty good seat. I really don't mind the bleachers, especially when I was able to score an aisle seat. Gotta watch out for the fees though--$4.75 to print your ticket at home (?!?) and a $5 service fee ( !?!). But I was pretty happy.

I thought I would take the train, but I would have to catch the 10:33 train to get there in time for a 12:45 first pitch. Not great for a last minute decision. I would love to use public transit, but it is just not practical here in the Bay Area. Give me the NYC subway anytime.

So off I go on my little adventure. Driving up the freeway, I cranked up the music and appreciated the freedom that I have right now. I even rolled down the window a bit to enjoy the cool breeze and fog.

Now, find cheap parking! Much to my surprise, parking is more expensive for a weekday game. I just don't get that as I would think the demand would be much higher on the weekend. So after cruising around a little, I went to our normal place that is conveniently located on Stanford Street (we never will forget where our car is!) and paid $25 (yikes!). However, I felt pretty smug when I walked out and they were changing the sign to $30. And smugger yet when I went back postgame and the sign was up to $40!

AT&T is such a special place to be. The sightlines are wonderful, even from my left field vantage point.

Unfortunately, going to a day game in May means that almost every school in San Francisco is having their yearly outing for graduating students. We used to go to the beach in my day, but I guess that is passe. And 9.5 out of 10 kids could care less about being there for baseball. As they filed in, there began a constant, high pitched buzz that lasted the whole game. Good thing I had my radio over my ears!

There is nothing like an AT&T crowd--always something to keep you interested.

I think this guy is really Oski, the Cal Bear!

The Giants are cold, cold, cold against the Padres this year and this day is not exception. Having been a Giants fan for so much of my life, it would be a dream come true to see a perfect game-- as long as the Giants pitch it. On this day, they were just one infield hit away from being the victim of a perfect game--not exactly what I had in mind. Despite only giving up three hits, the Giants lost, 1-0.

A day ruined? It could have been better for sure. The Giants could have won 10-0, Jonathan Sanchez could have pitched that perfect game, I could have caught a home run ball hit by Pablo Sandoval, the kids could have actually watched the game and the hot dogs, peanuts and beer could have been free.

But one thing I have come to realize is that, while there might be not so good days at the ballpark, there are never really bad days when you are taking part in the great American game. A day in the sun, watching your favorite team is just a little slice of heaven.