Flex Appeal

SUN 9/21

Island flora, check. Sweeping bay views, check. Hundreds of fine-physiqued queers gleefully involved in their athletic passions, check. Are we on Lesbos? Fire Island? Oh yes, the chill ocean breeze reminds us -- we're working out at Lesbigay Angel Island Sports Day. Launched 22 years ago by a group of gym bunnies interested in providing a sporty celebration for their brawny brethren, this party attracts a cadre of active types seizing upon a chance to pursue their own brand of physical fitness in friendly company. Local sports clubs lead rounds of group volleyball, softball, football, and Frisbee, while solo jocks can hike, bike, run, walk, or swim. Everyone takes a break at noon to catch his/her breath and fuel up on potluck picnic fare. The frolic begins at 9 a.m. at Angel Island State Park. Admission is free, but participants must pay for ferry service to and from the island, available from Tiburon, San Francisco, Alameda, and Oakland for $8-13 per adult, round trip; call 435-1915 or visit www.teamsf.org.
-- Joyce Slaton

Mess, Redressed

SAT 9/20

Generations of trash-strewing beachgoers have transformed our waterline from pristine to littered. Help combat the trend on California Coastal Cleanup Day, starting at noon in S.F.'s Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Call (707) 224-0404 for a tidying assignment.
-- Joyce Slaton

Inside the A's

THURS 9/18

"I wanted to know if creating a winning, ill-paid team from a roster of unproven young players who made the first round of the playoffs three years in a row and then chronicling the odyssey in a tell-all biography was an effective tool in maintaining a solid franchise. So I asked him." You'll get your chance too, as Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane and Michael Lewis (author of Beane biography Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game) discuss the business of success on a shoestring budget. The yakking begins at noon at the Commonwealth Club, 595 Market (at Second Street), S.F. Admission is $9-15; call 597-6701 or visit www.commonwealthclub.org.
-- Kevin Chanel

Get Lost (and Found)

SUN 9/21

Mankind once found its way from here to there using natural clues and a compass, a pastime so compelling some modern adventurers still prefer to navigate with old-fashioned tools and a bit of know-how. During National Orienteering Day 2003 newcomers can try their hand at the time-honored hobby, using a map, a compass, and a set of clues to find off-trail spots. The bumbling begins at 9 a.m. at the Presidio's Fort Scott, Lincoln & Storey, S.F. Admission is free; call (408) 255-8018 or visit www.baoc.org.
-- Joyce Slaton