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The San Francisco FlameThrowers, a professional ultimate team playing in the San Francisco Bay Area, play their next home game on June 4, against the Los Angeles Aviators at 1  p.m. All FlameThrowers home games are played at the  Laney College Football Field   in Oakland.  For information and tickets,  click here.
AAAndy
5-22-17 - Giants - Rich Yee
Giants left fielder Justin Ruggiano is framed by rally lights in the bottom of the eighth inning at AT&T Park on the evening  of May 16. Ruggiano would go 1-for-4 and the Giants would defeat their SoCal rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1.  Photo by Rich Yee.

Andy Dolich -- 2015
 

City of Lights

By Andy Dolich
Feature writer Sam Whiting, in the San Francisco Chronicle, on April 25:

"From his perch in the right-field arcade at AT&T Park, he scanned the upper deck for a signal and then it came. A single flicker became two flickers, causing Roberts to whip out his phone, punch up the flashlight app and hold it high. Instantaneously, fans on all levels did the same and it looked as if fireflies had replaced the customary late-inning seagulls."

The flashlight rally was on.

"A trend," said Roberts, before upgrading it to "a new tradition."

"No one knows how it started, but this much is known for sure -- in a month in which not much else has worked for the Giants, the flashlight rally has gotten the job done."

"I've only seen that at a rock concert, never a baseball game," said San Francisco Giants announcer Jon Miller, who had been doing the telecast that Friday night.

Comments ranged from "beautiful" to "magical," though one follower with an Orange County handle commented that the flash has been a tradition with the Los Angeles Angels for years. Another mentioned that they do it during night games at the University of Wisconsin.

In the late 1980s the Oakland A's were looking for a different type of giveaway item for their fans to build on their sponsor relationship with Budweiser for their Bud Lite brand. A marketing nitwit (me) decided that a Bud Lite Flashlight would be a perfect idea for a fan giveaway during a night game at the Coliseum.
 
This was well before everyone had a cell phone with a flashlight. In the late 1980s social media had fans screaming, not streaming.

First question that came up in our discussions was: Unless you give away batteries with the flashlight, the idea wouldn't be a shining promotional concept.

"Simple," I said. "We'll just give away batteries with the flashlights."

"Not so fast," said our operations director. "Those batteries could be used as projectiles tossed on the field." (See Dave Winfield or Dave Parker).

The marketing moron (me) was able to convince all parties that it would be Okay to include the batteries. Big Mistake!

As soon as When the Lights Go Down in the City started playing, the flashlights went on, many of them directed at the eyes of the opposing team's batters. The home plate umpire called time and pointed up to the operations box.

His message was simple: If you can't control your fans, I may call this game, causing a massive fine from the league, after a small riot.

Lucky for us that we had the Voice of God, Roy Steele, as our public address announcer. Roy quickly read a plea to our fans. Something like: "The shining of the flashlight toward the faces of batters can cause serious injury. We ask that you use your lights only between innings!"

Our fans listened to Roy and the game proceeded.

It would have taken a few decades for me to have paid off the $250,000 fine. I am eternally grateful to VOG, aka Roy Steele.
 
Andy Dolich has worked as an executive in all four major sports leagues, including the Oakland A's, Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers. He is the managing director and head of U.S. Sports Practice for Odgers Berndstson, the UK's leading executive search firm, and director of Career Development for the University of San Francisco's online master's program in the Business of Collegiate Athletics.   
 
Pops
3-6-17 - Pops

Michael King (left), with an associate from USF (center), and Karla Granadino-King, are pictured at the Olympic Club in San Francisco,  proudly sharing with the world their  Pops Premium Rumpopo. A King family secret, Pops Premium Rumpopo is a  delicious rum cream liqueur recipe brewed in the family tradition.  The award winning recipe is a Belizean family favorite and now available at all Total Wine & More stores in California and Bay Area retailers.
For more information, visit https://www.bzecheers.com/rumpopo

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