We watched three out of the four World Series games at the Double Play, the historic bar located at 16th & Bryant, across from the old location of Seals Stadium. The Giants played there for two years while Candlestick Park was being built, and now there’s a Safeway, and an Office depot on the site, though the actual stadium was probably closer to the 24-Hour Fitness. I’m the hatless guy clapping in the above photo (taken from the SF Chronicle’s article). The pretty girls to my left were strangers who stopped by and shared our table, though after two games, we’re well on our way to becoming lifelong pals.
The Double Play is a great old San Francisco bar, with a huge back dining room that has a giant mural of Seals. It was a raucous, fun time, and enabled a lot of superstitions and rally traditions - rally whiskey, my sister’s Panda dance (eat bamboo, climb tree, hibernate), wearing rally rags as bandit masks, coordinated clapping, and a spontaneous, heartwarming “HO-LY SHI-IT!” chant after Posey’s Game Four home run.
So thanks to the Giants for the wonderful playoff run, and thanks to Wayne and Courtney at Double Play for tolerating all of our nonsense and facilitating such a magical time. I know it almost certainly doesn’t matter what you wear, or drink, or eat during a baseball game that’s happening thousands of miles away, but why chance it? And I don’t think it was a coincidence that nearly every time a Giants pitcher got in trouble, the infield came through with a double play.
(Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle / SF)
