Paint it Black

In October 1989, the Rolling Stones crossed the pond and landed in the colonies. The Stones performed at Shea Stadium, home of the NY Mets. A baseball team. I'm curious to know what the Brits' baseball knowledge was at the time. Anyway it doesn't matter because they came with microphones and not baseball gloves. The eighteenth song on the set list was Paint it, Black.

I see a red door and I want it painted black

No one who attended that concert could have guessed that the venue wouldn't even exist 22 years later. I bet the Stones couldn't name too many major venues that they played in that are now dust. Out from underneath Shea's ashes rose controversially named Citi Field.

No colors anymore I want them to turn black

The 2010 World Series champions made there first post World Series visit to Citi Field. Watching the Giants travel on the road has been surreal. Giants fans have come out of the wood works and are no longer afraid to don the orange and black at away stadiums. Or are they fair weather friends/front runners/band wagoners/new fans/beard fans? Was there a diaspora of Giant fans so much so that there are thousands in every baseball city?

I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes

All of a sudden everyone seems to be a Giants fan. Last year when the Giants were playing really well, I had a feeling they were going to make the playoffs. It was a Field of Dreamsesque instinct. Moonlight Graham appeared in my a dreams and told me . . . . no just kidding. I wanted to go to a couple of games and combine it with my surfing vacation. I think I broke most of my right toes in Pacific Beach, I can't bend them as far as my left toes anymore. I saw the last two games of the huge four game series in San Diego in the middle of last September. Posey hit a home run ten rows away from me.

I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

San Diego was chill. It was so relaxed that you would never even know that there was a race for the pennant. There were plenty of empty seats and no hostility between the fans. It was the anti-NY. It was a nice break from the usual chaos. The Padre was pretending he was flashing people in the crowd, which I enjoyed as well. You don't always get a mascot displaying dirty humor. A religious mascot!

I see a line of cars and they're all painted black

Where were the fans in 2010? And that was the end of the season where the Giants were fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot. To be honest that wouldn't happen in NY but I guess that's a moot point now. After the San Diego series I flew up with the Giants ("with" is used loosely here) back to SF to see the three games series against the Dodgers. I went to every game and was at the game that they raised the Giants banner up the flag pole to take first place.

With flowers and my love, both never to come back

Again not sold out, there were seats but not too many.  There were midair tornadoes of fog during one game, never thought I would prefer NY September weather. I loved every second. There are now entire sections at away stadiums filled with Giants fans who are out cheering the home team fans. The attendance of some of these teams is bad but you know it's really bad when you are being out cheered by the visiting team's fans.

I see people turn their heads and quickly look away

Twenty two years after the Rolling Stones took the stage and requested a red door be painted black, their request was granted. Sort of. No doors but rather the stands are now painted black (and orange). The Giants have become a national team, not confined to a single municipality. A team everyone can root for. The underdog.