Along with her 8-year-old daughter, Associated Press Writer Lisa Leff camped out, but did not slumber, at AT&T Park on June 21.
By LISA LEFF
Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -My family of four does not worship at the Church of Baseball. A few seasons of Little League, semi-regular rounds of catch and a handful of major league games each summer make up the extent of our collective fandom.
So when I heard that AT&T Park was hosting a slumber party, it was the novelty - the chance to put another notch in the "been there, done that" belt - that appealed to me and my 8-year-old daughter more than the idea of unfurling a sleeping bag on the hallowed ground where Barry Bonds and other Giants roam.
Following the lead of the Chicago White Sox, the Giants once a year open the outfield grass to fans with tents - no stakes, of course. Yosemite it's not, but for those with faith in the sport and its heroes, the ballpark for one night literally becomes a field of dreams.
This year's sleepover came on the longest day of the year. The timing fit since we were told in advance that the stadium lights wouldn't go off until 2 a.m. - following back-to-back movies on the giant video screen - while cleaning crews would start work at 6:45 a.m.
"Ooooh, cool!" my wee lass chimed from the back of the minivan as she surveyed a 21-hour schedule of events that included a Giants-Angels matinee, player appearances, a Kodak moment captured by an official team photographer and access to tot-sized batting cages.
And, even more important to an 8-year-old, there's the new stadium store where people who don't sweat paying $7 for a hot dog can buy an orange teddy bear for $20 and outfit it in an impressively authentic uniform for another $15.
With tickets costing $180 each (a substantial discount from the $300-plus the Giants charged in previous years), I'll admit the price of entry colored my experience. I showed up expecting club seat treatment, only to encounter conditions that felt decidedly more like the bleachers.
Or, in the words of a colleague who is even less of a diehard fan: "For $180, you too can sleep where Barry Bonds spits and scratches."
Maybe it was finding that the only route to the fan deck, with its Coca-Cola slide, batting cages and teddy bear store, was still littered with peanut shells, squashed cups and other debris from the game, which the Angels won 6-3.
Maybe it was discovering that the infield was off limits, carefully enshrined behind cones and a temporary fence. There would be no timed races around the bases or feeble throws from the mound.
