Farewell Candlestick

This is my goodbye to Candlestick Park post.

The Niners are playing the Falcons tonight.  It's the last game ever at Candlestick Park.  The over/under is 46.5.  I took the over because the Niners are going to light it up.

I'd like to start with my most favorite Niners of all-time.  In no particular order, they are Bill Walsh, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Dwight Clark, Terrell Owens, Deion Sanders, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Ronnie Lott, Steve Young, Ken Norton Jr., and Mike Singletary.

This is it for me with the Niners.  Yes, I did leave them to go to the Super Bowl with Jerry Rice and the Raiders, but even so, the Niners remained my second favorite (or tied for first favorite team with the Raiders).  After tonight's game, the Niners are going to be like the Cowboys and the Giants.  A new stadium should have been built in San Francisco, not Santa Clara.  The Niners are no longer the San Francisco Forty Niners, rather, they are the Santa Clara Forty Niners.  Just like the Giants are (or should be officially named) the New Jersey Giants and the Cowboys are (or should be officially named) the Arlington Cowboys.  If I was the NFL commissioner, every team would be named after the city they actually play in, or be forced to stay and play in the city the team represents.  I'll never go to Santa Clara for a Niners game.  I'm not spending gas, lodging, parking, food, tickets, etc. Santa Clara is soooooo far away.  If I want to go to Santa Clara for anything, it would be Great America.  I think the seat licensing for the new stadium is ridiculous too.    

I'll end with my most favorite Candlestick memories (again, in no particular order):

1) Niners v. Raiders pre-season.  August 20, 2011.  Yes, I wore my Warren Sapp Raiders away jersey and my friend and SF native, Ronnie, wore a Terrell Owens Niners home jersey.  Even though there were fights and gunfire, we had a great time!  I saw Frank Gore give a kid his gloves in the third quarter.

2) Niners v. Rams.  October 6, 2002.  Niners win 37-13.  Best tailgate ever, ate what turned out to be a "bad burger" with my friend Peaches on the BBQ.

3) Giants v. Diamondbacks.  May 29, 2001.  My friends and I sat in the bleachers.  The tickets were $8.  Even though the Giants lost in the 18th inning, we were happy because we basically got two games for the price of one.  There was also a red-headed streaker who got pretty far in his attempt to run across the field.  Late in the game someone in the bleachers yelled, "Kids run the bases after the game!"

Some of my best memories of my life were at Giants night games, wearing my Giants beanies at Candlestick.  I never left a game early.  A Giant's night game at Candlestick was always the best time ever.

Goodbye Candlestick.  Thanks for the memories.  The Oakland Coliseum is where I'll make the rest of mine w/ the Raiders, Warriors and A's, exactly how and where major league sports teams play.