JEFF HUNT We acknowledge and respect the first humans of the unceded land we call San Francisco, the Ramaytush Ohlone. We condemn the genocide of these and other tribes across the Western Hemisphere. We honor their legacy and history and we support rematriation and sovereignty efforts. The Giants haven't exactly had the kind of season we wanted, especially after their success last year. Nevertheless, going to a game at the ballpark is a special experience. Our day recording for this episode was the first time Michelle and I had spent a Giants game on the water in McCovey Cove. Turns out it was made even more special that day by something that happened in the third inning. [CROWD AND WATER SOUNDS] As we learned in Part 1, McCovey Cove Dave, who was in the water that day, nabs around half of all baseballs hit into the cove. But this day, it was the underdog who came out on top. JOHN TEAGUE I'm John Teague. JEFF And this is this your first? JOHN This, my first splash hit home run. I’ve got two foul balls. JEFF Can you tell folks who aren't here what happened? JOHN You gotta be in the right spot at the right time and go for it, you know? I waited a few other days, whole games, and nothing happens, you know? It's really nice. I can't believe it. JEFF That must have been, I mean, the thrill of going for it and then getting it must have been amazing. JOHN Yeah. And it's a Giants guy, you know, (number) 95 and … yeah, I'm stoked. JEFF Just some quick context around how rare splash hits are. 2022 is the Giants 23rd season in this ballpark. They play 81 games here each year, plus more when they reach the playoffs. That's more than 1,600 games played, with at least three batters coming up to the plate in each of the nine (or possibly a few more) innings of every game. Of those total number of Giants at-bats, on that day in July, we witnessed only the 95th time a home run has landed in the water. The good news, if you will, is that they've hit two more since Lamont Wade Jr.'s blast. And as of this recording, the total number of Giants splash hits sits at 97. Now let's meet a few more of the colorful, vibrant, happy crowd in McCovey Cove that day. Could you just tell, tell us your name and, and, uh, FORREST Yeah, my name's Forrest. JEFF How long have you been coming out here, Forrest? FORREST Oh, man, this is only my second time. JEFF Second game ever? FORREST No, second in McCovey Cove. But the second in the water during a Giants game. JEFF Cause you look the part. FORREST Oh, thank you. Thank you. JEFF And that is a compliment. FORREST Thank you. No, I rented a kayak this time. I have my own. But I thought, you know, this time I'm here with my buddies. I thought it'd be easier if I just rented with them. JEFF What can you tell us about experiencing a Giants game from McCovey Cove? FORREST Oh, man. It's a lot of fun. I like the energy out here. Everyone out here is really friendly. Definitely, it's the more economical way to go to. Let's be real. I got my own lunch, brought some beverages for myself and, you know, just came out here versus if you go in the ballpark, everything's like $20+. So it's fun. I got my waterproof radio, so I can listen to the radio broadcast. JEFF You're kind of a pro. I'm gonna call you a pro. You said this is only your second game? And we just experienced the splash hit. Is that your first splash hit? FORREST No, the first time I came out here, my friends and I, we thought a little more deeply. So we looked at which team was hitting and the most home runs that year. I can't remember what year it was, but it was around the year when the Astros won the World Series. At the time, they we're hitting the most home runs. So we circled that on the calendar. Like, we're going to an Astros game here at Oracle Park. We came out here for that and I think, yeah, they hit quite a few balls in the water. I can't remember how many of them were actual home run. Some of them were fair. Some of 'em were foul. Some of them might have even bounced. But yeah, some of the balls hit the water that game too. JEFF Are you a splash hit purist like McCovey Dave over here? FORREST Yeah, Dave, he's my spirit animal. I wanna be like him when I retire. JEFF He's got a lot of … information in his head. FORREST I'm sure he does. It's really impressive. I was watching him earlier and he was very stoic, the way he was sitting in the water. He had his headphones on. I can only assume he is listening to the radio broadcast JEFF You probably noticed that depending on the batter, he'll like move around, he'll position himself differently. If it's somebody who's probably gonna hit one over here, he gets ready for it at specific places in the water. FORREST He's intense. JEFF Well, you say it's the teams that hit the most home runs, but if you're two for two I partly give you credit. FORREST We should tell Gabe Kaler that, you know, I should come out often. (WATER AND STADIUM ORGAN SOUNDS) JEN I'm Jen. I'm from San Diego. JEFF Is this your first time out here? JEN Yeah JEFF Because you look the part. You guys have your Giants gear on JEN We're Giants fans. I grew up in the Bay Area. So we've been to lots of games, but this is our first time out in the cove. JEFF That's kind of exciting. Why did you choose today? JEN Well, we're just on vacation. We're going to Tahoe later this week. So this was the last game before All Star break. And we saw a splash hit! JEFF How was that for you? JEN That was awesome. We're sad we didn't get it, but right. JEFF Still cool to see, right? JEN Yes, totally. Totally cool. JEFF Do you think you'll do this again? JEN Absolutely. Yeah. It's super fun. We have our own kayaks and stuff. JEFF Can you tell folks about your kayak? JEN They’re inflatable. We have a paddle board and two inflatable kayaks. We got them during quarantine. And there was nothing else to do, so. JEFF We were curious to know what it was like out here in the water during the COVID-shortened season back in 2020. Here's our captain again, Jay Broemmel, to describe that. JAY It was such a nice thing to just be able to get out of the house and be kind of like part of the game because there was no other fans. It was just so quiet. It was the weirdest thing. JEFF Didn't they do the cutouts that they'd put in seats? I think people, fans,would pay to get their own likeness out there. JAY Yeah. JEFF But there were no actual human fans, right? What was the cove like that shortened year? Like, was it crowded out here? JAY It was, when the weather was nice. Because everybody was just pent up and wanted something to do. And this was like a safe thing you could do outdoors with, you know, you could keep six feet away from that other guy's boat. And if he got too close, you could put your mask on and it was cool. JEFF It kind of reminds me of right after 9/11, when baseball came back and they're like, now, now we're back. Did it have that feeling of like, OK, now life is kind of … JAY It was kinda weird. It was like it was starting to turn in the right direction, and we can all go out of the house and be outside. JEFF And it's some resemblance of the before times. Cuz I would argue that we're still not back, but yeah. JAY There was the play-in game, but it was more like a playoff game if the Giants won. And there was like 150 people out here. And we were making so much noise. We're like banging the side of the boat and screaming and yelling. And I don't know if the players could hear us or not, but at the end of the broadcast, Jon Miller was like, “And you know, I walked over to the portwalk and there were so many fans out in the cove and they really were like trying to make a difference on the game.” And it was like, yeah, Jon Miller noticed us! JEFF That's so cool. I love it. JAY But yeah, it was just such a relief to just be able to get out and be around people again. But you know, it was kind of safe cuz we were outside. It was like one of the few highlights of the lockdown for me, for sure. JEFF Was it strange not hearing the crowd noise? JAY It was really strange. Yeah. JEFF Did you come out more than once? JAY Oh yeah, we came out a lot. You could hear the bat crack and it was crazy. JEFF Wow. So did you kind of get used to that type of experience? JAY Yeah. And then I guess in 2021, they had just like regular opening day with fans. Iit was limited capacity at the beginning of the season, and then they kept gradually knocking it back up to full strength. JEFF Would you say it's crowded out here today? JAY Yeah, this is a little bigger than average for a Sunday. If the weather was better, there would be a few more people. If it was a Dodgers game, maybe. A lot of times, Dodgers people will drive up and bring their kayaks. But it's nice out here. It's like, there's not all the animosity that you get on the land, you know. Out here, it's like, “Oh, you came all the way up here and you wanna hang out in the cove and you're a Dodgers fan and you didn't bring any beer? Here, have a beer, you know? It's not like eff you, eff the Dodgers. JEFF It’s another version of Northern California being like, “Hey, Southern California. Here's, here's some water … JAY Exactly. JEFF And here's McCovey Cove Dave. DAVE I've been doing it over 20 years, but really as a regular, since late 2005. And I'm hoping to go as long as I can go, you know? I'm 66 now, but I aspire for 75. I don't know if it's possible, but yeah, but that's my goal. And I'd like to play more games in the cove than any Giant plays inside. I'm in fourth place now. It'll be a tough goal for me. But growing up, my favorite player was Willie McCovey and he played 1,100 games at Candlestick and I went to a number of 'em. Right now, (Brandon) Belt is just above me, but he's getting toward the end of his career. And (Buster) Posey is ahead of me, but he's not moving any. He's stuck at 690. JEFF What's your number? DAVE I'm about 620 today. I think it's actually 619 today. Right now, Belt and (Brandon) Crawford are in their final year or two, then they'll stop. And then I can start gaining ground. The hard one is Crawford. He's the only person above 700 games. He has about 750 total games. It'll be tough. It'll be very tough for me, but if I can get to 900, I think I got him. JEFF Where's the party when you reach that? DAVE Oh, it'll be a big party. It'll be a big party if I get there. So, that's one of my goals. You asked about like Barry (Bonds). So Barry hit 35 home runs that were full splash and three bouncing. So I got to 39, one more than him … in 10 fewer games. I'm just saying … I'm just saying … JEFF So you're saying you should be in the Hall of Fame as well. DAVE I don't know. Well, you know, there is actually a chance. It's kind of crazy, but my name has been brought up. They have like a bathroom-size room for fans. And so if you go in there now, it's actually people who have been to like 35, 45 straight years and they made every game. And so, I'm different than that. I'm kind of a participant, so I'm not gonna make the number of games they did, but I may have more games than any player at the park. If I did get in invited to join, I would donate my balls to them. I actually know someone there and my name got brought up as an early mention, so you never know JEFF We'll make sure that the Hall of Fame hears this podcast. DAVE But also if the Giants create a Hall of Fame and invite me, I would donate my stuff to them, too. That's the only reason I'm saving my special home run balls and lots of pictures. I'd be proud. JEFF Absolutely. I just remembered a question. I was curious about, with any you all out here … for me, this is sort of an analog of those folks in Chicago at Wrigley across the way. Are you in touch with any of those people? DAVE Yes. JEFF Am I right? That's kind of a similar experience. DAVE It’s the same thing. We call ourselves are ball hawks. Like the bird. And there's a nationwide thing. I talk to the ball hawks from other parks and congratulate them on their catches. JEFF What are some other examples besides Wrigley? DAVE The people that I talk to are in the stands. Today, there's some guys in the stands here who are trying. And also some of the guys up here on the arcade wall are people trying to catch home runs just like me, but they're trying to catch 'em on the fly. They basically do the same thing, but not in a kayak. They're trying to catch 'em in the air, but most of 'em, probably 90 percent, bounce a couple times before they get 'em. We even have a website where you log in. I'm fifth all-time for the most home runs on there. But people have been doing this since they were really young. I started really as a 50-year-old. JEFF Is this website for all of MLB or just here? DAVE It’s for all MLB. It's mygameballs.com. And we talk, I congratulate people when they make a great catch. I go to maybe 15 games at different parks. In 2017, I made the fan catch of the year. They evaluate them for difficulty. But I made that inside on dry land with with a glove. It almost looked like I was gonna go over the edge of the bleachers in left field, but I hung on. It was scary for others. It wasn't as scary for me. I felt like I could do it. JEFF So I was wondering, Dave, what is it that makes you get in the water? DAVE It's mainly what are the conditions. So let's say the ball lands between me and some other kayakers and they're coming directly on. Every once in a while, our kayaks … we hit perfectly smack! Most of my competition will not get in the water. So if the ball is at the front, at that point when I hit, I just jump in. I'm a good swimmer. My son says, “Dad, it makes better TV.” So far, I am nine for 11 in swimming, about 80 percent. JEFF San Francisco Bay has drawn humans to this area for thousands of years. It’s a huge part of the present-day charm and attraction. If you haven’t been out on the water, hop on one of the many ferries and soak in the magic. For us, being aboard the Canoecycle, slowly paddling toward the cove from the Mission Creek houseboats, and opening up to the expanse where Oracle Park sits, was transformative. Once the humans started making their way toward the cove in kayaks and other floating vessels, a true spontaneous community developed right before our eyes. And perhaps the best of it all—going to Giants games in McCovey Cove doesn’t cost a dime. Music for Storied: San Francisco was produced, performed, and curated by Otis McDonald. Michelle Kilfeather does original photography for us. Erin Lim of Bitch Talk Podcast is our contributing producer. And the show is produced and hosted by me, Jeff Hunt. Now in our fifth season, we have more than 190 episodes available on our website, storiedsf.com, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're able to, please rate and review the show. And drop us a line at storiedSF@gmail.com. Thanks for listening. Stay strong, weird, and healthy, and we'll see you next time on Storied: San Francisco. This podcast is a proud member of the BFF.fm Podcast Network. Learn more at podcasts.bff.fm.