"Take Me Out To The Ball Game!"

The crowd goes wild as Barry Bonds, whose achievements include 7 MVP’s and ‘Player of the Decade’ (1990’s), slams his 735th home-run during the first inning. Unfortunately, the Giants 1-0 lead did not last for long, as opponent’s the San Diego Padres slipped by for a 5-3 victory over the Giants, in their 'opening night' game.

Win or lose, rain or shine—sometimes it just doesn’t matter, plus the Giants have a 163 game season (regular season games, not including spring training or wild card) to redeem themselves. But wait, lets zoom out for a minute…

There is just something about the atmosphere and ambiance of being at a baseball game that is unparalleled. Hot dogs, cold beer, baseball hats and gloves, rowdy fans, legendary players—it’s just so…American. On April 4th (Opening Night), I walked hesitantly into AT&T Park and my stomach dropped a little, as I have been a die hard Chicago White Sox fan my entire life, and was suddenly surrounded by thousands of San Francisco Giants fans (there was even one holding my hand). Why was I even here? Who would I cheer for? Would I even cheer at all? Would my boyfriend be mad if I talked sh*t about his team? Just as these questions of uncertainty started to overwhelm me, I saw the perfect white lines and flawless green grass that framed the most beautiful diamond on the earth—the baseball diamond!

Baseball has become known as “the national pastime” of the USA, and people of every age enjoy watching the game as much as they love to play it. Just like gardens, baseball is another one of those words that instantly sparks childhood memories, but the memories do not stop there. A four-year-old struggles to even make contact with a stationary ball placed on-top of a ‘stick’ (Tee-ball); while time after time, major league players like Barry Bonds and Frank Thomas smack 100 mph pitches out of the park. Smiles plaster the faces of toddlers perched on daddy’s shoulders and sheer joy can be seen on that 85 year old mans face as he watches the home-run, that finally put his team in the World Series after being a season ticket holder for 65 years, soar over the wall in left field.

Our seats were in the Field Club Level, a mere 10 feet from the Padres (Visitors) dugout, and I was pleasantly surprised by the various types of people in the nearby rows. The people included, an Oakland A’s fan in front, four die hard season ticket holders to the right, an out of place overdressed wine-sipping couple to the left, and a family of seven (with five sons, who were absolutely ecstatic) filled the row behind me. Michael Linzy, father of the enthusiastic family, said, “ Our family loves baseball, the four older boys all play, as will the baby. We come to ‘opening night’ every year, this is Jack’s first game it’s so exciting!” Michael later told me that this game was he and his wife’s 23rd ‘opening night’ game; the first one was the couple’s first date.

Baseball is special, there is no better place to be on a hot summer day than at a baseball ball game (OK, or a garden); regardless of if you're at a little league game or game seven of the MLB World Series. “I have been a season ticket holder for 19 years,” said Matt Stapleton (from the right), “and AT&T becomes my second home from April through September.” Die-hard fans and families with four (soon to be five) sons who play are unfair examples of how amazing baseball and the types of people it draws in. However, do not forget the snooty couple to my left, who refused to be ‘interviewed’ for USFBlogtastic, but I know I saw them both crack a smile or two throughout the game. Why you might be wondering? Well, because baseball Rocks!

The Invisible Hand

Strawberries, lettuce, mustard greens, strap peas, fava beans, potatoes, green onions, and one ‘unidentified’ lonely little tree! This array of fruit and vegetables can be found at the bustling corner of Fulton and Stanyan, on the fringe of world renowned Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Ca. The garden is a mere 90 x 20 ft, smashed between apartment buildings and polluted city streets, as a result it is no surprise that after four months this ‘community garden’ does not exactly jump out at you.

San Francisco, which is located in the Pacific Northwest, challenges any kind of growth with its marine air. Marine air that once ate away the $39,000 tin roof of USF’s St. Ignatius church in less than one year. However, our ‘community gardeners’ clearly did their research on the “What Do I Plant, Where Do I Plant It” question, and as a result choose a pack of resilient seeds to plant.

The question of the ‘unidentified’ little tree remains unanswered right along with basic questions about the plant selection process. Questions that could have easily been answered by the gardeners themselves. However, after nearly 48 hours, an unanswered note, and about 15 ‘drive-bys’, I began to really wonder! Either A. These alleged gardeners were nocturnal, invisible, or possibly nonexistent, or B. The volunteer gardeners and I had polar opposite schedules. As a rational being I will assume the latter; however, unfortunately because of this I was unable to speak with the green thumbs themselves.

After doing a bit of online research I found a few basic gardening tips for the unknowing:
1. Garden Essentials- water, nutrients, good soil, good drainage, and Sun!
2. Vegetables need to be planted where they can recieve at least 6 hours of sunlight each day!
3. Lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, ect. are best grown from February-March! ( Each of the aforementioned vegetables can be found in our very own Fulton & Stanyan garden)

Although, the gardeners were a bit M.I.A. a ‘community garden’ is a fabulous idea, and something that every person that walks, drives, or rides by can enjoy!

Community Garden

Along the busy intersection of Fulton and Stanyan Street, a block from USF, lies a 4-month old garden teeming with rows of fruits and vegetables. Green onions, strawberries, mustard greens, lettuce, snap peas, and potatoes are just some of the produce one can find planted there. Amidst the bustling cars, tall buildings, and fast paced life of the city, the garden, although only taking up a small space, has become a place where city dwellers with a green thumb can use their talent, as well as eat healthier. With the carefully laid out rows and walkways, one can assume that the residents who contribute to this small “garden of eden,” treasure it. This can be seen when a male resident of the building adjacent to the garden yells out of his window to a dog walker, whose dog is lurking among the crop, “That’s there to eat!”

Gardens are minimal in a place where space is limited. Two major gardens that can be found in San Francisco are located at Yerba Buena and the Golden Gate Park, which boasts a botanical garden and a Japanese tea garden.

Paint the City in Green

From renowned gardens like the Japanese Tea Garden and The San Francisco Botanical Garden to humble backyard plantings, gardens have a long and influential history in San Francisco. One of the most inspiring aspects of the city’s botanical history is the legacy of Victory gardens in San Francisco.

Jesse Drew writes about the significance of these gardens in his article Call Any Vegetable: The Politics of Food in San Francisco in the Reclaiming San Francisco anthology by City Lights Books. According to Drew, “World War II caused a momentary lapse in corporate food production for the consumer market, leading to the popularization of Victory gardens, small home vegetable plots intended to aid the war effort. In San Francisco alone, there were as many a 70,000 such home gardens.” Drew illustrates in his article that the Victory gardens were just one integral piece of a long-term sustainable food production movement in the Bay Area that continues to this day.

After the war, the popularity of these gardens diminished. But, the appetite for organic and locally grown produce has sustained. Drew writes, “San Francisco takes its food seriously. After all, this is the city that has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States. In the quest for nutritious food and equitable distribution, thousands of San Franciscans have mobilized to develop creative and alternative ways of procuring this most basic human need.”

One San Francisco Artist/Activist believes that Victory gardens are an alternative we she seriously reconsider. Amy Franceschini, is the winner of the (SFMOMA) San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s 2006 (SECA) Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art, for her garden renewal project, which is on view at the SFMOMA until April 22.

In a recent article on SFGate.com, Franceshini talked about her idea of reinstating the thousands of private and public Victory gardens that were once found in the city. Franceshini added, “that 8 billion tons of food were produced in Victory gardens around the country.” In San Francisco, Victory Gardens were such a success they were even found in places like the front lawn of City Hall and the Strybing Arboretum.
Franceshini is not alone in her quest. Recently, in an unused plot next to the apartment complex on the corner of Stanyan and Fulton Street, residents and citizens have reclaimed the dirt and planted a Victory garden. The 20 by 90ft. plot, has potatoes, fava beans, snap peas, garlic, mustard greens, strawberries, and more. According to the SFGate.com article, “All the open space in San Francisco, including backyards, amounts to a sizable 1,823 acres.” This is one less backyard Franceshini has to worry about.