Giants World Series Trophy Visits NYC

Today I had the opportunity to see the 2012 Giants World Series trophy up close and personal. The trophy made a special visit to New York this weekend and stopped at Finnerty's bar in the lower east side. As I mentioned in a previous post, Finnerty's is the designated spot to watch Bay Area sports in Manhattan. I arrived at the bar at 10:15 AM to wait in line to get my ticket, which were not being distributed until noon.  There were about 12 people that were ahead of me when I got there, and the line steadily grew as time passed. Only 300 tickets were being distributed, so I had wanted to ensure I was going to see it. I had gone by myself, but quickly made friends with other fans waiting in line with me.

Once inside, fans were able to order drinks and warm up for a bit (it was freezing this morning!!!). The bar was selling t-shirts with the Finnerty logo on the front and the phrase "Only 2567.76 Miles to Home Plate" on the back. The shirt is black with white and orange lettering. I definitely picked on up and super excited to wear it this summer. When they trophy arrived, it was paraded through the bar. Fans were cheering and taking pictures; those close enough reached out to touch it.

The process of seeing the trophy was pretty streamlined. Fans filed back outside and got in line (again). Small groups were let inside to take their picture with the trophy. A professional photographer took the photo (studio lights and all) and it was instantly printed on an 8x10" glossy for fans to purchase. Although it was a long day of standing mostly in the cold, it was really fun to spend it with other Giants fans, celebrating another World Series win. It was also refreshing to talk Bay Area sports with people who actually know what I'm talking about. I made some new friends and hope we can meet up to watch baseball come this season.

MLB was there today to cover the event. I can't believe I made it into the video. See this link, I'm at 2:16.

Because I got there so early, I was pretty far up in the front of the line to receive a ticket.

This was the line behind me, which stretched around the block.

The back room of the bar was set up to usher fans in and out as they got their picture taken.

Peter McGowan and Larry Baer were there to talk with fans and take pictures.

Me and Mr. Trophy! Due to packing limitations traveling back to NYC, I didn't bring my 2012 World Series shirt. So the pennant had to do.