Philadelphia Phillies

San Francisco And The Culture Of Waiting

Tobacco Chewing Ballplayer Turned Stock Market Guru Turned Lawsuit Magnet Lenny Dykstra Sued in S.F.

Stealing bases? Here comes another lawsuit.Lenny "Nails" Dykstra, the former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder renowned for tobacco stains and hard-nosed play shocked the world when he transformed himself into a stock market ace and luxury magazine publisher. Sadly, it appears he's ... More >>

Another One Bites the Dust: Esoteric, Independent S.F. Bookstore Succumbs to Crap Economy

Small book-sellers have weathered tougher times -- but not manyDuring the height of the Philadelphia Phillies' 80 years of futility, the joke going around the City of Brotherly Love was that the local papers kept in standing type -- this was the days before laser printers -- the headline "KLEIN HITS ... More >>

Say-It-Ain't-So Joe

Why does Joe Morgan -- the best second baseman in history and a prominent TV broadcaster -- hate Moneyball? And Billy Beane and his Oakland A's? And you, too, if you think the statistical revolution that's overwhelmed Major League Baseball has any

Longtime Companions

Exhibit gives props to pigeons

Basebrawl: Denver Rapscallions Bid Adieu to San Francisco With Questionable Taste -- and Accuracy

​The other day, we noted that, once again, Giants fans will have the unenviable task of determining which other teams they detest least in the postseason. It's a difficult and unpleasant task akin to deciding which kidney you'd rather part with or which non-Alec Baldwin brother you'd want to sit n ... More >>

Philadelphia Phillies Do Giants Fans a Favor. When Will Giants Do the Same?

​The other day, your humble narrator had a sporting experience that flummoxed him. After Bay Area local Jimmy Rollins doubled home the tying and winning runs for the Philadelphia Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers with two outs in the ninth, a clatch of L.A. fans in the corner actually booed an ... More >>

Philly Woman's Alleged Sex-For-World Series Tix Offer Recalls S.F. Incident Involving ... Bananas

FacebookNormally it'll at least take NLCS tickets to earn a smooch like this, you lucky dog​Susan Finkelstein may soon have the most traversed Facebook page since the brief heyday of Ashley Alexandra Dupre. For those unfamiliar with the former, she's the 43-year-old, self-described "gorgeous tall ... More >>

It's Your 2010 Women's Pro Soccer Fashion Show!

Last season, we channeled our inner Mr. Blackwells and critiqued the uniforms worn during the initial year of the San Francisco-based Women's Professional Soccer league. This year, the league asked us to do it again -- no joke. So, what the hell. We're getting the band back together! Everybody ... More >>

The rise and fall of an Internet sensation

Last season, we channeled our inner Mr. Blackwells and critiqued the uniforms worn during the initial year of the San Francisco-based Women's Professional Soccer league. This year, the league asked us to do it again -- no joke. So, what the hell. We're getting the band back together! Everybody ... More >>

Perfect Games -- Even Imperfect Ones -- Occurring Eerily Often

But for an umpire's imperfect call with two outs in the ninth, Detroit's Armando Galarraga would have had a perfect game today. Roy Halladay of Philadelphia tossed one just last month, as did the Oakland Athletics' Dallas Braden. Two in a month! Mark Buehrle hurled one last year, and, tragically, if ... More >>

AT&T Named Second-Best Vegetarian-Friendly Ballpark in the Majors

Thomas Hawk/Flickr​People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released its ranking of top-10 veggie-friendly Major League ballparks yesterday. San Francisco's AT&T Park came in second, after the Phillies' Citizens Bank Park in Philly, home of the cheesesteak. PETA cited AT&T's "new mixed-vege ... More >>

Brian Wilson's Orange Shoes, and Baseball's Worst Fashion Faux-Pas

Brian -- you shouldn't have! ​Yesterday, San Francisco Giants pitcher Brian Wilson -- a man with about three pounds worth of tattoo ink coursing through his veins and a haircut befitting a Blink-182 roadie -- came under fire from the league office. The objection: Wilson's traffic cone-orange shoes ... More >>

Is Giants Baseball Really Torture? What Does John Yoo Think?

​John Yoo weighs in on whether Giants baseball is, indeed, tortureWith a win this afternoon in Atlanta, the San Francisco Giants can actually succeed without making life as difficult as it possibly can be -- a step back from their well-worn motto, Giants Baseball: Torture. While this low-scoring, ... More >>

Giants-Phillies Championship Series a Treat for Torture Professor

​Yesterday, we decided to put the San Francisco Giants slogan, Giants Baseball: Torture, to the ultimate test. We contacted Professor John Yoo, primary author of the infamous 2003 "torture memos." When it comes to defining torture -- or explaining it away -- he ought to know. Yoo returned our mess ... More >>

Message to Gavin Newsom: Don't Make Flag Bet With Philly

Philly bound?​The cleverer version of the old saying goes just so: It's not whether you win or lose, but whether you win. Gavin Newsom won -- and thank goodness for it, because his little wager was indexed to the San Francisco Giants winning, too. Per his bet with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Newsom ... More >>

Will Underdog Card Be Giants' Trump?

​Serious men and women self-applying the term baseball expert -- whose asses aren't affixed to bar stools -- have, near unanimously, counted the Giants out. You can tell a living, breathing "expert" to get stuffed -- but computers don't have feelings. And even computers are siding against the Gian ... More >>

City Hall Meeting 'Torture' For Giants-Loving Supe

SeanElsbernd.comThis is a happy baseball fan. Really.​The Board of Supervisors held their least productive meeting in recent history Tuesday, with Supervisor Sean Elsbernd -- the West of Twin Peaks representative known for his fiscal conservatism and no-nonsense manner -- absent from his seat for ... More >>

Barack Obama *NOT* Coming to SF. Blame the Chronicle

FlickrPraise him. Somewhere else.​SF Chronicle scoopmeisters Matier & Ross bring us this big steaming hot one today: President Barack Obama, who planned to attend a Democratic Party fundraiser at the Four Seasons in San Francisco tomorrow, will skip The City That Knows How instead visit Palo A ... More >>

Giants Cocktails Are Popping Up All Over Town. Here Are Four We Like

AmeAme's Giants Sweet Finish: White rum, orange juice, lime juice, black strap rum.​A few local restaurants and bars are helping patrons get into the Giants vs. Phillies spirit this week. Among the many being shaken up all over town is Ame's optimistic Giants Sweet Finish blends white rum, ora ... More >>

How to Piss Off Phillies Fans: With a Cheesesteak from Gorilla Barbeque

Alex HochmanSmoked brisket gives Gorilla's cheesesteaks rare flavor.​Tastykakes suck. Remind any Phillies fans of that fact and any Game Five elation could quickly turn to bitter rage. Want to really make them get all Phanatic on you? Head down to Pacifica's Gorilla Barbeque. For starters, the ... More >>

World Series: Fans' Celebrations Didn't Tie Up Cops, Hospital

Cops and hospital workers haven't seen many 'torture victims'​Whatever method San Francisco Giants fans used to exude joy at the team's postseason success this weekend, they did so in a manner that didn't induce a noticeable uptick at General Hospital or police stations. They may have fired off gu ... More >>

Best Coast Gives Voice to Real California Girls at Great American Music Hall

​Best Coast Sonny and the Sunsets October 26, 2010 @ Great American Music Hall Better than: The Philadelphia Phillies, California Phillies being of the undeniable, unforgettable, fine, fresh, fierce sort. Call Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino the anti-Katy Perry, or rather t ... More >>

Giants To Be Honored -- By Congress?

Sadly, the Congressional bill congratulating the Giants does not make mention of 'The Machine'​Congressional Bill: "Whereas the rest of the country learned to 'fear the beard'" Rep. Nancy Pelosi -- you've heard of her -- yesterday introduced a Congressional bill "Congratulating the San Francisco G ... More >>

The Franchise Episode 2 Recap: Hey Now, You're an All-Star

​I've written before that "The Franchise" is not really a show for Giants fans. In theory, it's a way for Major League Baseball to introduce some of the game's personalities to a broader audience at a time when they're finding it difficult to market most of their players. In its basic conception, ... More >>

The Franchise Recap Episode 4: Carlos Beltran Is a Giant

Tedkerwin via flickr​Last week, I said that The Franchise had finally found the right balance between broader storylines and behind-the-scenes intrigue. It turns out that I was in the minority: many non-San Francisco reviewers, including Claire Zulkey of the AV Club, thought it was an episode tha ... More >>

The Franchise Episode Five Recap: The Agony of Defeat

jkorn//Flickr​The Franchise has been on a nice run lately, alternating Cliff's Notes of the team season with human-interest stories in the right balance. However, for all its successes, the producers have had a relatively easy time drumming up content. The Giants have been an absolutely stellar te ... More >>

The Franchise Episode Six Recap: Searching for Answers

SD Dirk/Flickr​In conception, The Franchise is not a very complicated show -- it tells human interests stories in the context of the Giants season with a healthy dose of insider access. It's built for a large audience, and as such is at its best when it's largely positive. The Giants need to be go ... More >>

Bowling For Chumps: How the Bowl System Robs U.S. Schools

SD Dirk/Flickr​In conception, The Franchise is not a very complicated show -- it tells human interests stories in the context of the Giants season with a healthy dose of insider access. It's built for a large audience, and as such is at its best when it's largely positive. The Giants need to be go ... More >>