San Francisco-August 22, 2012-San
Francisco Forty-Niner victories are sweet and sometimes bittersweet,
mostly sweet as in the sweet smell of success. Being a San Francisco
native and a Niners fan dating back to when my father took me told Kezar
Stadium, watching John Brodie throw the winning Alley-Oop pass to R.C.
"Alley -Oop" Owens, Abe Woodson; Jimmy Johnson and Hugh McElhenney and
the rest of the "Gold Rush," putting the smack-down on their opponents.
It was
thrilling and some of my best memories of my Dad, who would have been
100 years young on 11-11-11 had he survived, were at Kezar. God bless
his soul and let his spirit fly high. Sometimes I take my son, Alex to
Kezar and we throw the football around, however it is not the same.
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Forty Niners Pre-Season Opener-August 2012-Will They Make It All the Way? |
The
49ers are planning to move. This time out of our "fair city."
Candlestick Park where they play now was built for the Giants, who moved
sometime ago to Pacbell, now AT& T Park. Candlestick has undergone
many makeovers bringing it to a "B" Class stadium at best. Many
suggestions about what to do with the "Stick" after the 49ers relocate.
At the top of the list must be the idea that brings revenue-cash-money
to the Bay View Hunters Point area; as we said in the beginning "Sweet,
Bittersweet."
Covering
the Forty Niners for the last couple of years has been a roller
coaster, and then watching them go 13 and 3 last year, after a decade
without a playoff appearance, was extremely gratifying. With five Super
Bowls without a defeat, the Niner fans were somewhat spoiled by the
team's success of the Eighties and Nineties; so what? That's the way the
fans of the Yankees feel, that's the way the fans of the Steelers feel,
that's the way the fans of the Celtics and Lakers feel. Mike Nolan,
then Mike Singletary, procured the ingredients to this cake. Jim
Harbaugh has taken those ingredients and baked a champion team. The
veterans are relaxed and new additions are confident, skilled, and
exciting, harking back to those years when one season it was Hall of
Famer Ronnie Lott and a year or two later, Hall of Famer Jerry Rice
leading the way to 49er glory. Indeed it was a sweet time to be a Niner
fan.
There
have been more shootings in the Bay View Hunter's Point community. Youth
violence is at an all time high, with rampant unemployment, no
recreational facilities or planned activities for our youth, the long
summer days are an open invitation to the guns and drugs that plaque
most inner cities. The phrase "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop has
never been more appropriate. We can't help but ask the question, "where
are the drugs and guns coming from?"
On some levels, there are some positive answers that come from the Niners, who have been there and done that.
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49er Legend Bryant Young Speaks to Youth |
Winning
brings in the bucks: ticket prices tripled, as did the Niner gear, and
TV ad revenue as the Niners made their resurgence into the post season
in 2011 for the first time since 2002. All this means very little to the
residents: The Bay View Hunters Point/Double Rock Area are the lowest
income communities in San Francisco.
The York's' are a class act, as I have observed, having interviewed both Dr. John York and Jed, over the years mostly at charity events. An old adage comes to mind: "Give a man a fish; you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; and you feed him for a lifetime."
It's
obvious that the Bay view needs an "economic stimulus package. Of course
the Naval Shipyard Hunter's Point provides economic stimulus for some
people and will continue to grow like the Presidio. On the 3rd Street
Corridor, Sam Jordan's, Bay View Plaza, Ruth Williams Opera House, Monte
Carlo and the Jazz Room among others, all they need is more patronage.
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49ers vs Seahawks: 9/11, peace, the NFL & SF Filmmaker Kevin Epps Speaks Up.
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The San
Francisco Bay View and LaHitz Sports are starting a "Great Kids in the
Bay View" writing contest. Each contestant will write about his or her
favorite 49er (offensive and defensive players) to win tickets to a game
and get their photo in the paper with the players.
The
recent Mayor's conference at Calvary Hill Community Church stressed the
need to reach out to young people before it's too late.
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Mayor Ed Lee "Stop and Frisk" News Conference focused on young people. |
Encourage
the young people in your community to enter the contest. Write about
your favorite 49er in fifty words or less. Email: LaHitznews@yahoo.com with subject line: My Favorite 49er. Good luck!