Gameday Friday the 13th of April

[Nat]

Let's hope this is the last time a Giants link is ever posted on this board

The Official Site of The San Francisco Giants: Ballpark: Splash Hits

[RobDogBucky]

Nat;

My investigation continues into the first splash hit. Your link is nice but I don't think it tells the whole story. I know I said splash hit. I also recall that the Brewers were in for the first game. I also remember that it was the Yankees in that weekend too. I distinctly recall Posada hitting the first one into the bay.

I read your list on your link and found this one on another PacBell link, citing the first homerun, first splash hit, etc. and then citing the Dodger game. What it says in my link is a qualifier, first "official," splash hit, etc. and cites Bonds doing it in May.

"The Dodgers' Kevin Elster hit the first official home run on Opening Day, April 11, 2000. He went on to hit three home runs that day.
Barry Bonds hit the first official Giants home run on Opening Day, April 11, 2000 and the first official home run into China Basin (McCovey's Cove) over the right field fence on May 1, 2000."

Needless to say, I do not trust anything about the Gigantes, especially their marketing. The site this can be found is "AT&T Park," formerly SBC Park and PacBell Ballpark.

I also note that the Yankees began their 2000 season in Anaheim. I believe they played at least one game on the weekend, that same weekend the Brewers were in for the very first game, and I recall at the time thinking, how are the Gigantes going to sell this fact? Jorge Posada the first one to hit one in the water. I recall laughing at the time about it. Upstaging Barroids, ha!

I cannot find any pre-season data on the Yanks, and have not found similar info on the rest of the weekend. I don't think the two teams played a traditional Bay Bridge Series that year, and at the new ballpark, I recall thinking this is typical Gigantes, trying to force the A's out of the Bay Area, and this snubbing them with the new park was the way it went that first weekend over in the amusement park with many names.

I am still researching this. I trust you can bear with me, as I do not have brain damage, excessive memory loss, or anything else that would impair my fairly clear recollection of this event. Does anyone out there have a record of the Bay Bridge Series and the fact that they might not have played it that first year it was open, and who was that other team that came in to play the second game ever in PacBell. My memory is it was the Yankees, as they were opening on Monday in Anaheim.

Still looking,

Later,
RDB