SBC Park Stadium

Known as “baseball's perfect address”, SBC Park , formerly known as Pac Bell Park , is located in San Francisco , California . The park is home to the San Francisco Giants and has the seating capacity of 41,059. SBC Park is the first privately funded ballpark built for Major League Baseball since Dodger Stadium opened in 1962. Built at the cost of $357 million, $170 million was raised from Chase Manhattan Bank, $70 million from the sale of charter seat licenses, $102 million from the sale of naming rights, sponsorships and other sources, and $15 million in tax increase financing by the city's redevelopment agency. No new taxes and no money from San Francisco 's general fund were used to promote the construction of the ballpark. It an open-air baseball facility it promptly became a landmark in a city of landmarks when opened. The XFL San Francisco Demons were the tenants of the stadium in 2001. Since 2002, college football's Emerald Bowl is also the feature of the stadium. The stadium is scheduled to host the Shrine Bowl (until 2006).

Numerous concerts are also held at the park. The stadium hosted 2002 World Series and is scheduled to host Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2007. Barry Bonds blasted his 500th homerun in 2001, 600th homerun on August 9, 2002 , and 700th homerun on September 18, 2004 in SBC Park driving the crowd crazy when he achieved these feats. The planning and building of the ballpark materialized after the Giants threatened to move to a new city . In 1993, in order to keep the team in San Francisco a local ownership purchased the team. Giants' former home, Candlestick Park , a multi-purpose stadium in southern San Francisco had given the fans chill blains and goose bumps due to its windy and cold location. Fans had shivered through 40 seasons at "The Stick". In 1995, the Giants announced the plans to build the first privately financed stadium. Construction of the new steel, concrete, and brick ballpark began on December 11, 1997 . This new ballpark was built in a sheltered and relatively warm area of the city's topography. The ballpark opened on March 31, 2000 . The first Major League Baseball game took place on April 11, 2000 , when San Francisco Giants hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The ballpark opened with a seating capacity of 40,800 and was a smash hit when opened due to its sweeping views of the city and bay, modern amenities, a top rated event management team, and a virtually unlimited array of creative options. Pacific Bell, a local telephone company in the San Francisco Bay Area, bought the naming rights for the park for $50 million over 24 years when the park opened. After the 2003 season, Pacific Bell Park was renamed SBC Park after Pacific Bell's parent SBC Communications reached an agreement with the Giants to change the park's name on January 1, 2004 . There are two concourses that encircle the park -- one at field level, and the other at a more traditional mezzanine level. The stadium has 68 luxury suites and 5,200 club seats which feature waiter service, a private club and private concession and concourse areas. Extra-wide concourses allow the fans to view the action without any interruption while at the concession stands or while on the way to the bathroom. 1,500 special field seats are located at ground-level behind home plate and between the dugouts. At the main gateway, an awesome nine-foot statue of America 's greatest living ballplayer, Willie Mays has been put up to commemorate his contributions. The King Street clock towers are also a part of the exterior architecture.

There are no seats behind the right field wall because of McCovey Cove (named after another Hall of Fame Willie) part of the San Francisco Bay . The left-field outfield contains the huge 80-foot Coca-Cola bottle with childrens' slides and miniature SBC Park ; a raised platform that attracts the kids of all of ages. When a Giant player hits a homerun, bubbles appear to float from the bottle's mouth, and green and white lights twinkle up and down the neon tubes running along its ribs. The main three tier grandstand extends from behind homeplate to both the foul poles. Bleachers are located behind the left field fence. Kentucky Bluegrass Blend with crushed volcanic rock infield and rubberized tartan-surface warning track forms the surface of the playing ground. The main scoreboard is located behind the centerfield fence. A unique public walkway has been developed along the waterfront from right field to center field. Fro here the fans can watch the game in action through a fence without spending a single penny. SBC Park is served by public transportation Muni Metro streetcars and trolley busses, BART CalTrain, buses and ferries. Bay Bridge also provides an easy access to the stadium for those who choose to drive to the ballpark. 6,500 parking spaces are available within a 5-10 minute walk of the ballpark site.