Giants Fans Rally Ahead Of Weekend Playoff Games
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Giants fever reached a breaking point at a noon rally outside AT&T Park in San Francisco Friday in anticipation of playoff games starting this weekend.
Hundreds of fans crowded Willie Mays Plaza for an Orange Friday rally, waving rally rags and carrying signs, while cheering, "Let's go Giants!" as baseball announcer Mike Krukow pumped up the crowd and introduced Giants players and special guests.
Standing on a stage with Giants mascot Lou Seal, Krukow told the growing group of fans, "This place is humming."
Pitcher Sergio Romo made a stage appearance and told his fans, "The energy, we feed off you guys. Together we really are Giant."
Across the plaza, Supercuts stylists were offering free orange hair painting, which Fresno resident Paul Ortega, 54, gladly sported on his beard and mustache.
The longtime Giants fan said he and his wife drove up from Fresno for the rally and will attend Sunday's game against the Reds. He said attending a playoff game is on his wife's bucket list.
Eight-year-old Christian, attending the rally with his sister, parents, aunt, uncle and 2-year-old cousin, was also sporting a Giants hair-do with streaks of orange and white in his dark hair.
The Concord third-grader said his favorite Giants player is pitcher Tim Lincecum.
San Francisco native Valerie Blueford, 50, was wearing a head-to-toe Giants outfit, including a bright orange hat and neon orange sneakers.
The Bayview District resident said she's been cheering for the Giants for decades and attends games weekly. She has tickets for Saturday's playoff game.
Her 27-year-old son also stopped by the rally, decked out in Giants gear and colors. Blueford pointed to her son and said she even came to games when she was pregnant with him, making him a true lifetime fan.
With the Giants' post-season set to begin with Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, the National League Central champs, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has wagered a friendly bet against Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory.
The losing playoff team will host a chili cook-off fundraiser at a local firehouse benefiting the winning city's youth programs.
Living up to its name of "Orange October," the city has been bathed in Giants orange each night to show support for its baseball team.
Earlier this week City Hall and Coit Tower started glowing in an orange hue each night, while the Embarcadero Center will shine orange starting today at 4 p.m.
The Giants game begins at 6:37 p.m. at AT&T Park on Saturday as part of the first-round of the best-of-five playoff series against the Reds.
Meanwhile, across the Bay, the Oakland Athletics clinched the American League West title on Wednesday. The A's will take on the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the American League Division Series Saturday evening in Detroit.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
