SAN FRANCISCO–The 2016 Giants Fanfest took place on Saturday February 13 at ATT Park, and according to the Giants, between 35,000 to 40,000/ fans got a chance to see some of the regular Giants players as well as some of the  recent additions this winter. Many waited up to four hours to get an autograph. Fans were allowed to visit areas that are usually “of limits”during the regular season, like the press box and other places, during a nice sunny and rather warm day. This was a free event and parking was $10.

The doors opened to the fans at 9AM but there were lines even before that by the corner and main entrance to the park by the Willie Mays statue. Sacramento Rivercats and San Jose Giants mascots mingle with the people and posed with pictures with kids from 9 to 94. The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum is celebrating 18 years as a non profit organization. During the years more and more people are interested in the Hispanic players, and other tournaments  like the recent Caribbean Series that took place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, which Mexico won, and now have four titles since 2011.  Close to 33% of all players in the major leagues are of Hispanic descent, you can increase that by another 10%(at least) in the minor league. A very proud San Jose Giants manager, Lipso Nava, 48 years old born in Maracaibo, Venezuela was there very proudly wearing his 2015 SF Giants World Series ring.We spoke for a few minutes at the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame booth, he is a very enterprising bilingual baseball manager with major league aspirations, but  says he is concentrating in this 2016 season as his team will open the campaign on the 7th of April at home against the Lancaster Jayhawks.

Tito Fuentes made a brief stop at the booth, we reminisced from years past. Tito, now a Spanish broadcaster for the Giants, and a very good friend of the museum since it was founded in 1999,  started his career behind the microphone with this reporter back in 1980 with the Oakland Athletics, after he retired in 1978 from a 13 year career in the major leagues. The great Vida Blue, a Cy Young Award winner and a man that pitched with both Bay Area teas,, Athletics and Giants briefly also stopped at the booth to greet us. Vida is a Bay Area fixture in the world of baseball and still involved with the game, as an analyst for the Giants on their pre and post game shows on television. In 1971 Vida Blue won both the MVP and the Cy Young in the American League with the Oakland Athletics, and he was selected to 6 All Star games, one of the most dominant pitchers during the 1970’s.

Although it was in the middle of February the weather made this day feel inside and outside ATT Park as a regular baseball game during the summer. The typical streets performers and vendors that make part of the unique fabric of this city were playing their music, selling souvenirs, even a few blocks past the Letty O’Doul draw bridge, two or three blocks south of the park on the way to the parking lots.

Now the Giants pack their trucks on the way to Spring Training in Scottsdale, Arizona, which they will open this week with pitchers and catchers first reporting. We wish the very best to the San Francisco Giants on this upcoming 2016 season. The Fanfest is always the first stop for fans to remind them, the season is just around the corner. See you in Arizona!

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish TV voice for the Angels and the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com