That East Coast edginess that has been so evident in recent baseball postseasons was missing Tuesday afternoon in this laid-back and beautiful city.
You could tell that on a pregame stroll through handsome AT&T Park.
You knew you were in San Francisco because where else could you find:
A home team whose best offensive player was named Posey.
Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, a Dungeness crab sandwich, or a California roll from Mashi's Sushi Bar.
Yachts, motorized and masted, beyond the right-field wall.
A Norcal cheesesteak - grilled zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms on an Amoroso roll? Fast-food blasphemy.
Among the baseball-themed quotes that grace the concourse walls, one from Giants owner Peter Macgowan that begins with the word "Thus."
A Chinese food stand called Edsel Ford Fong's.
A glazy-eyed refugee from the Summer of Love with a ponytail, two-foot-long gray beard, shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and no shoes.
A fan wearing an orange Giants shirt that, across its front, carried this inexplicable message: "Grab some fine, meat."
A female fan exiting an elevator on the club level carrying two ski poles.
Stop, thief
If Philadelphians needed an extra reason to root against the Giants, consider that this area is home to two of your city's former sports franchises.
The Philadelphia Warriors, two-time NBA champions in Philly, relocated to San Francisco in 1962, bringing Wilt Chamberlain with them.
And in 1967, the Athletics, who moved from Philly to Kansas City in 1954, moved again, to Oakland.
Watch out, Union.
An un-clever twist
C'mon, Comcast SportsNet Philly, you can do better than Super Pretzels.
In one of those silly intercity wagers that marks every postseason, Philly's Comcast network has made a wager with its counterparts here.
If the Phillies lose, Comcast San Francisco gets a case of Super Pretzels.
Oooh!
