San Francisco Giants Unveil Plans for 2008 MLB Season

03/26/2008 -- During its annual Media Open House today, the San Francisco Giants announced plans for the 2008 50th Anniversary season with a preview of the ballpark's new group suites and enhanced View Level amenities.

The San Francisco Giants also announced that for the first time ever, it will open the ballpark for fans to watch the season opener on the scoreboard on March 31. The Giants and FSN Bay Area will open the ballpark and invite fans to come out and watch the season opener of the San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers from Los Angeles on the scoreboard to celebrate the season opener and the re-launch of the network as Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

The party begins at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 31 and features a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans to take batting practice on the field, enjoy free hot dogs for the first 5,000 people and watch, live and in-person, Hall of Famer Willie Mays and PA announcer Renel Brooks-Moon officially unveil the network's new outfield sign.

On Monday, April 7, the San Francisco Giants will open its 50th Anniversary season against the San Diego Padres with a tribute to the very first team to wear the orange and black in San Francisco - the 1958 Giants. Alumni from that team scheduled to attend include Felipe Alou, John Antonelli, Eddie Bressoud, Orlando Cepeda, Jim Davenport, Whitey Lockman, Willie Mays, Mike McCormick, Stu Miller, Daryl Spencer, Don Taussig and Al Worthington.

The Giants will continue to highlight and celebrate their 50th Anniversary with special events, promotions and giveaways. This includes Forever Giant Fridays, which will welcome a "mystery alumnus" from the past 50 years back to San Francisco on each of the 13 Friday's that the Giants are home. On Tuesday, April 15, the actual date when the first Major League pitch was thrown on the West Coast, the Giants will unveil a bronze plaque at the site where Seal Stadium once stood at 16th and Bryant Streets.

The Giants will hold three 50th Anniversary reunions, organized by position, throughout the summer featuring infielders (Saturday, June 14), pitchers and catchers (Saturday, July 19) and outfielders (Saturday, Aug. 9). There will be a number of 50th-themed giveaways, including Crazy Crab Bobblehead night (July 18), commemorative Croix de Candlestick Night (May 9) and Humm-Baby T-Shirts presented by Toshiba Business Solutions. The team is also releasing a 50th Anniversary commemorative book, titled, San Francisco Giants: 50 Years, which chronicles the team's rich history and features firsthand memories and anecdotes from Giants alumni, broadcasters, executives and staff.

For fans looking for large private, party spaces at the ballpark, the Giants will open The Legends Club and McCovey Cove Loft this season. The Legends Club is the first and only, all-inclusive, high-end entertainment space, located above left field on the Club Level. It can accommodate up to 120 people in one space or can be divided into two spaces to accommodate two separate groups of up to 60 people. The Club features contemporary styling though a series of fully retractable folding glass partitions that open onto a terraced patio.

The McCovey Cove Loft is likely to be the most unique seating area in the ballpark. It is conceived as an urban loft nestled inside the brick archways of the right field wall, just above the western-most porthole and can accommodate up to 40 people. It features a terraced, exterior patio with outdoor seating, which juts off the wall, approximately 10 feet above the playing field, creating the illusion that fans are actually sitting on top of the grass.

Fans who sit on the View Level will find a number of new amenities this season, including a new Food Court that will feature an Orlando's Caribbean Barbecue, the California Cookout, the Mission Street Carvery and Compadres. The skyline views of downtown San Francisco, Twin Peaks and the Bay Bridge can now be more comfortably enjoyed with the addition of a solid, glass structure to mitigate the wind and a drink rail running along the outer wall of the view concourse.

AT&T Park will continue to lead the way in technological offerings, with the Giants becoming the first professional sports team to deliver instant replays to fans' wireless devices with AT&T Wi-Fi Replay. Fans who bring a Wi-Fi device to the ballpark will have the ability to review replays moments after they occur, via AT&T Wi-Fi Replay on the Giants Digital Dugout.

The Giants and MLB have partnered with Stub Hub! to offer a more robust and comprehensive secondary ticket marketplace. Formerly known as Giants Double Play Ticket Window, for both sellers and buyers of Giants tickets, the new partnership with Stub Hub! will allow sellers of tickets more freedom in pricing, number of postings and the ability to reach a broader audience.

The Media Open House also featured the traditional sampling of the new and unique food offerings at AT&T Park. Working in partnership with McCovey's Restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek, two of the Hall of Famers favorites will now be served at AT&T Park - McCovey's Pulled Pork Sandwich and McCovey's Catfish Po boy. Other new food and beverage items include a pork adobado bowl, a chile verde bowl, grilled Mediterranean vegetable naan sandwich, Irish quesadillas, portabello mushroom sandwich and pomegranate margaritas.

Source: MLB