Tag Archives: San Francisco 49’ers

Missing St Francis At Candlestick Park

12 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by in 49ers, Baseball, Candlestick Park, Canon, Football, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, Lost Ballpark, niners, Remembering Candlestick Park, Saint Francis of Assisi Statue, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants, St Francis of Assisi Statue, tell it goodbye, the stick

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The St Francis of Assisi Statue lit up with the setting sun at Candlestick Park in 1988 when the stadium and statue were still there. Now, they are both gone from this location. When the sun shone thru the halo around the head of the statue, it was truly magnificent.

Old SF Gate Article about St Francis of Assisi Statue

This statue was at Candlestick Park for 40 years. Does anyone know where this statue is now? According to this article, there were plans to build a shopping mall to replace Candlestick Park. This statue was created by the artist – Ruth Wakefield Cravath. It was installed in 1973. This statue was the guard to watch over all the sporting events at Candlestick Park.

During these pandemic times, there has been a lot of loss – lives, jobs, income, money, and daily livelihoods. Whenever we should gather again, there will be people we saw before the pandemic who are gone now. When Candlestick Park was demolished, many old fans went out to watch the different phases of the work. Fans lost an iconic stadium where they spent a significant amount of time enjoying sports while building close relationships. 

Significant loss is difficult to handle in normal times. But during this pandemic life, loss is harder due to our lack of physical interaction with people outside our bubble. Looking at old pictures and remembering the people and this old statute at Candlestick Park gives me comfort. Old photographs allow me to reflect on the good old times and the people who made the memories great. 

Just as the St Francis of Assisi statue guarded the sports events at Candlestick Park, we also need to keep guard of the precious people and events in our life – past and present. We can remember the people we miss during these pandemic times thru photos and think about their wonderful character to mimic in our life.

Photos remind us of what and who we miss!

 

Setting Sun on Candlestick Park

30 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by in 49ers, Baseball, Candlestick Park, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, Lost Ballpark, Remembering Candlestick Park, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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This is the late afternoon before a game at Candlestick Park. I shot this at the south west portion of the stadium. Notice the souvenir and concession stands on the left.

Have you ever noticed the shadows of objects as the sun sets? The shadows of objects become elongated. See the man with the orange jacket walking away from me with a long shadow. It can give an eerie feel to a picture.

Shadows can add an interesting dimension to a photograph. The contrast of the light and dark make shadows interesting.

The sun’s rays are radiating out in the upper portion and provide a nice contrast in this photo.

Showing the contrast with light and dark shades are a nice effect in a photograph.

In life, we need to understand the balance of light and dark in our perspective. We need the light to recognize and understand things in the dark.

We are faced with a critical crisis in our world today. We receive constant updates of this deadly COVID-19 Virus infecting many individuals. We are to remain inside to stay safe. These are dark times with many infected people. Those in the front lines of this battle are working with tremendous difficulties and challenges. We thank all of these people very much who work in the Medical Field, First Responders, Police and Fire Personnel, Grocery and Shop Clerks, Mail and Delivery People, Restaurants Providing Take out orders, and the many other essential people who are working and sacrificing their health and safety. 

We appreciate those who are seeking to find the solutions in the proper “light” to bring about healing.

My wife and I are praying for God’s light to reveal the answers to stop this dark virus and it’s spreading. Just as there is this darkness, there is light to provide hope.

Jesus Christ said in John 12:46 – I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Photos Teach!

Cool Afternoon before a Night Game at Candlestick Park

04 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, Lost Ballpark, niners, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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I took some pictures down at the Field Level Box seats near Home Plate at batting practice before a night SF Giants game. This was a typical cool evening at “The Stick”. The night games in the summer were a good way to test out your cold winter jackets or parkas.

It is pretty amusing to see Bay Area folks wearing a ski cap and a heavy jacket in the middle of our summer. San Franciscans typically can wear a thick warm jacket all year round.  Candlestick Park was also quite cold being near the water. It was usually foggy and damp during a typical evening game.

I love the San Francisco foggy weather, since I am naturally warm. So I never feel too hot with our natural fog air conditioning.  I mostly wear short sleeves, since I would be too warm with long sleeves.

It is funny when we see tourists visiting expecting the myth of California sunshine. They are dressed in their summer shorts with no jacket and are freezing during their vacation in San Francisco.

A True San Franciscan needs to own a down jacket to survive the fog. In the photograph, you can see how these SF Giants fans are prepared for a cold evening as they watch the baseball game.

A good photograph reminds us about the details of that moment. We remember the good times shared even though we were freezing sitting at Candlestick Park. Oracle Park was built to be warmer to improve the fans’ night time experiences watching the SF Giants. Our love for the SF Giants allowed us to endure the cold of Candlestick Park.

What are we willing to endure for “LOVE”? Enduring the cold damp weather at Candlestick Park, because many of us loved to watch the SF Giants, was a willing sacrifice.

Are you willing to sacrifice time and effort to pursue a dream? Facing a risk and the challenge of working to achieve a goal is scary. It takes dedication to pursue a dream!

Are you willing to sacrifice time and effort to care for a loved one? It’s amazing how some move away from home and neglect the parents they left. It is easy to be caught up in your own life and be oblivious about the condition of an aging parent.

Are you willing to sacrifice time and effort to help someone you do not know? This is something we all are challenged with.

It is easy to sacrifice to do something fun – i.e. attend a SF Giants game in the cold. But it is harder to sacrifice when it involves hard work and lots of time.

Hard Work and Sacrifice results in future blessings. So consider what you should sacrifice for someone else or for a worthy goal.

Photos Teach!

Candlestick Park Red Chair Flare

08 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Football, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, Lost Ballpark, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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This Candlestick Park Red Chairs photograph was shot in the later afternoon before a night game. These chairs are the best memorabilia to remember the Stick! Maybe one day my wife will allow me to own an actual chair. I did buy an orange seat to use as a background for shooting my photo products.

Notice the light flare on the upper right corner. As per 2nd previous post where I mention about most of the time, a photographer will avoid this light flare in a picture. Well this is an example where I wanted the flare to show the light rays over the rows of chairs. The flare also reflects a nice glow on the bright red chairs.

A photograph should show off the best features of the subject. This light accentuates and highlights the good attributes for these chairs at the Stick. The natural flare also gave a great glow to these classic red stadium chairs.

Natural lighting is an important ingredient for a good picture.

My mother-in-law (who is only 99 years old) has a habit of wanting to save money and close the lights. If she gets up in the middle of the night, she will not turn on the light. She already does not have perfect sight, and light will illumine her path to prevent an accident. I have tried to help by putting night and motion lights to help her.

Just like my mother-in-law – we forget how important light is and how much we need it.

Practice shooting pictures with different degrees of natural lighting to see the reflection, flare, and glow in your results.

As always – my photos are not altered via software to give the “glow”.

Get the glow on in your photos!

 

 

What was on the Southside of Candlestick Park?

26 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Football, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, niners, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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Do you remember the southern part of Candlestick Park. I took this shot in 1988.

I love looking at the design of the red pattern of the support beams circling the outside of the stadium.

The vintage cars in the parking lot remind us of this eta in the 80’s.

Notice the ramp which leads to other parking lot areas. It provided a safe ok walkway away from the moving cars.

Candlestick Park was a welcoming stadium. Tickets were affordable. I did not have to plan ahead to go to a game. I could spontaneously go to a game and just buy tickets to attend a SF Giants game.

Can we also learn to welcome people into our life? Are we accessible to people? Do we have walls preventing people into our lives? Do we share our experiences with others to encourage or help someone?

We can all learn from the legacy of Candlestick Park.

The Phone to the Bullpen at Candlestick Park

02 Thursday May 2019

Posted by in 49ers, Baseball, Candlestick Park, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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This was the scope of the technology for the phone to the bullpen at Candlestick Park. When the manager or pitching coach wanted to call down to the bullpen so a relief pitcher could start warming up, this wall telephone was it. This photograph was taken in the late 1980’s.

I’m sure there are some younger folks or children who never saw one of these old phones. It is interesting to contemplate the evolution of the telephones. At least, this one had push buttons instead of the old dial.

Now practically everyone is carrying some sort of smart phone with the ability to surf the internet, call folks, text contacts, stream media, listen to music and whatever functionality an app can provide.

It is nice to reminisce about the old fashioned phone – when a phone was just a phone. Candlestick Park represents a simpler time. We could enjoy a baseball or football game and just focus on the game. We could enjoy a good time with those who attended the game with us. We did not look at our cellphones to see our emails, look up something on the internet or text other friends.

What is our lesson from Candlestick Park? Maybe we should try to focus a little more on the primary task at hand. Can we just focus to watch the SF Giants play baseball now without looking at other distractions?

Let’s try it and see what it is like to focus only on the SF Giants play baseball.

What is the Glow behind the double doors?

30 Tuesday Apr 2019

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Football, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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This place does not exist anymore in physical form. It does exist in our memories and pictures.

The Glow is back-lit sunlight streaming through the door windows and cracks of a set of double doors to a lost ballpark that was demolished in 2015.

This is the entrance to the lower reserve and lower box section behind home plate at Candlestick Park. This was about two hours before game time for a SF Giants game.

My wife said this photo reminds her of something from the “The Twilight Zone”. It makes you curious and a little afraid to find out what is on the other side of the double doors. The glow makes you fearful to discover the cause for the glow.

A good photograph causes people to think and use their imagination when contemplating the meaning of the image. It should make people think beyond what they physically see in the image.


Massive Scoreboard in Candlestick Park in 1988.

27 Saturday Apr 2019

Posted by in Candlestick Park, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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Here’s 2 views of the same scoreboard with the welcome to Candlestick Park.

I shot the scoreboard as I was walking behind the general admission section. The second shot occurred right in front of the scoreboard .

It is interesting how the old scoreboard had many bulbs embedded on the sign. It was about 30 to 40 ft wide. I can imagine there were lots of bulbs to give the different lettering, numbers, and patterns for the scoreboard.

It is always a good idea to shoot an object from different positions as I did with the scoreboard. The different shots of the same scoreboard show the dimensions for the bulbs when looking up versus looking from the side. From the side, the scoreboard shows a little bit of wavy texture due to the bulbs. Looking up, lining up the bulbs gives a polka dot effect.

Next time you see something interesting you want to take a picture of, take a few photos from different angles to see all the perspectives of the object.

Who was the biggest Free Agent to sign with the SF Giants?

08 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by in 49ers, AT&T Park, Baseball, Candlestick Park, Football, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, niners, Pacific Bell Park, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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The answer is one of baseball’s all time great, Barry Bonds. I took this photograph at Pacific Bell Park during Fuji Photo Day.

Barry Bonds signed with the Giants in 1992. The Giants were still playing at Candlestick Park. He was playing with the Pittsburg Pirates before becoming a free agent. He was the most sought after free agent available in 1992. He signed a record 6 year $43.75 million deal. The deal was orchestrated by Peter Magowan. He became the highest-paid player in baseball history. Barry Bonds played for the Giants for 15 years.

Barry Bonds played left field at Candlestick Park. Al Michaels, the ABC broadcaster for Monday night football, stated left field at Candlestick Park was one of the most expensive piece of real estate in any sports stadium during a 49’ers game in 1992. Al was referencing the large contract paid to Barry Bonds who would play in left field (the north end zone) of Candlestick Park for the 1993 season.

Here’s info about Barry Bond’s deal with the Giants

I was thinking about the Barry Bonds deal as the Giants are contemplating signing huge free agent Bryce Harper. Let’s see where Bryce Harper signs.

What Lights and Sounds do you Remember from Candlestick Park?

03 Sunday Feb 2019

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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  • SF Giants Night Baseball Game
  • Game 4 of the NLCS game with SF Giants vs the Cubs on 10/8/89 at Candlestick Park
  • SF Giants vs Montreal Expos on 5/20/88 taken from Left Field General Admission area
  • SF Giants vs Montreal Expos on 5/20/88 taken from the Upper Deck
  • Demolition of Candlestick Park in 2015 with Stadium Lights behind the fence
  • Stadium Lights taken down from the towers sitting in the parking lot
  • Zoomed in Photographs of the Stadium Lights

I remember going to SF Giants night games and being impressed by the bright stadium lights that turn the darkness into the light of day to a certain extent at Candlestick Park. When I arrived early before the game started and before the crowd and stadium music were in full affect, I could hear the buzzing sounds created by the stadium lights. It was a pretty cool sound. It was not too loud, but was noticeable. The buzzing sound of the bright lights is one of my significant good memories of Candlestick Park.

I am not sure how many fans noticed this sound from the bright lights. During a game, you could not notice this sound because of the cheering crowds and the stadium music.

I love the photograph with all these old lights group together behind the gate. I spotted these lights as Candlestick Park was being demolished. I wish I knew if they kept these lights in storage or were they all disposed.

Why did I love this buzzing noise of the lights? As a photographer, I have always enjoyed lights. I photographed images from night lights throughout the city for a college project. I am a stickler for having enough lights throughout our home. I guess I associate the buzzing with the brilliance and spotlight effect of these lights. It reminds me these lights were powerful and could show us the details of the evening games.

Bright lights reveal what is going on in the darkness. The right lighting makes all the difference in a good or bad photo. We need more light in our life to see more clearly our weaknesses and to reveal how we can do things better. I would like to hear that buzzing again to signify the revealing lights are on again. What sound would you like to hear to remind you of a significant part of you life?