Happy Halloween!  Go Giants!  Yay gourds!

(photo by Marin Voth)

Local wordsmith Dave Eggers was at AT&T Park yesterday, where he conducted a uniquely San Francisco interpretation of 'World Series coverage' for the Bay Citizen.  Armed with a sketch book, Eggers captured the experience of game one by turning his pen on the fans in and around the park.  The full set can be seen at Bay Citizen. 

It didn't take long for the media to turn the World Series into a referendum on red states vs. blue states / rich libural Jews and Berkeley educated communists vs. Joe the Plumber.  Just read how Steve Blow (sounds like a porn name) kicked off his column in yesterday's Dallas Morning News:

Frankly, I'm surprised they still play baseball in San Francisco.

I figured that by now someone here would have decided that baseball chalk isn't Earth-kind or that the game is overtly sexist or gender-role confining or some such claptrap.

San Francisco doesn't deserve to win the World Series . Maybe every resident deserves a Nobel Prize for being so dang enlightened. But, please, save baseball's highest achievement for a bunch of Regular Joes who earned it.

Ohhhhhh snap.  I think it's adorable that fans of a team of “Regular Joes” that has never been to the World Series want to win, but is The City's collective intelligence the only reason we don't deserve to win?  GO ON:

Here's a classic example of our differences. The mayor of San Francisco is a guy named Gavin Newsom. Yes, Gavin Newsom. And if the name isn't debonair enough, you should see him. He looks like a movie star or male model. He reeks of San Francisco effete.

Meanwhile, Arlington has a mayor named Robert Cluck. Cluck! And as for his looks, I think we can all agree that he has a great personality.

Mr. Blow, let me let you in on a little secret: even San Franciscans don't like Newsom and laugh at his looks.  Hell, Newsom's hair even has its own Twitter account.  Yeah, he pushed through gay marriage, and we respect him for doing that, but he's terrible at running the economy and bends over to business interests just like your Ranger In Chief.  You're going to have to do better than that.

[Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck] is a Regular Joe. Just like Regular Joe Barton , who represents Arlington in Congress.

Wait, Joe Barton, the Congressman who apologized to BP this summer?  Are you even trying?

But there are other differences in the cities, too. Like climate.

In San Francisco, Giants fans sip hot chocolate and wear coats and jackets to games all summer long. They're not purified into a higher state of baseball consciousness by enduring games at the Ballpark/Sweat Lodge in Arlington.

Then there are the team colors. The Giants are all decked out in Halloween black and orange – the only holiday devoted to evil spirits. What are the Rangers' colors? Let's say 'em together. Red, white and blue.

It's obvious who should win this thing.

Sigh.

(link)

Last night sure was one of the better parades I've seen along Mission St.  Muni buses were honking, a fire truck ringing bells and blowing its horn, a civic blew some donuts on the intersection of 22nd, then out of no where this gang of costumed fans comes down the street with a marching band to have an impromptu dance party in front of Doc's Clock.

Compared to the insanity I saw back in 2004, it was nice to just be outside and get drunk and yell.