Being a born-and-raised-San Franciscan, I grew up a Giants fan in the Candlestick Park era, learning how to “wait till next year.”     I remember astroturf looking like painted concrete.   I’ve seen hot dog wrappers and garbage whip around baffled players.   I have a treasured Croix de Candlestick pin, given after the end of extra-inning night games to the hardy souls that stayed till the final out.

But after seeing the Giants win the World Series three times in five years,  the howling, chilling winds of my youth don’t seem so cold anymore.  Back then,  the crowds were so small you felt like you had your own personal vendors in the stands,   and the marketing slogans verged on the ironic (e.g. “You Gotta Like These Kids,” which came after the franchise’s only 100-loss season in history).   The past was fun, but I’m glad we’re here now.

My favorite souvenir of the championship run?   The Marco Scutaro Rain Globe,  an only-in-San Francisco kind of thing.