Supporting former MLB pitcher and cancer survivor Dave Dravecky's outreach ministry, on Friday we played in San Francisco's Pac Bell (now Oracle) Park during the new ballpark's inaugural season. Local fans booed us as we prepared to enter, not appreciating the various NL Western Division rival uniforms we were wearing. Guys dressed as Dodgers got it the worst.

Saturday we crossed over to East Bay and played in the venerable Oakland Coliseum following an afternoon A's game that went into extra innings and seemed to go on forever but enabled us to play part of our games under the lights. A's manager Art Howe stuck around to shoot the breeze with Dravecky and take in the No Bats action. The A's said to have fun. The Giants were a bit tighter about things, and asked that we not step on the grass unless we had to.

San Francisco financial services mogul Steve Mayer set things up but had to walk a wobbly logistical tightrope and cut a check to save the day. Mayer never said a word about going out-of-pocket to look out for the boys and save our Saturday. In 1968 our good friend Jim "Catfish" Hunter pitched a perfect game from that Oakland A's mound and drove in three runs, which was a great memory for us to share. Hunter also stood on the hill during Catfish Hunter Day with Reggie Jackson, when Jim and Helen Hunter announced the formation of his ALS foundation, which led No Bats to Hertford and the Hunters that fall. When Reggie took the microphone and promised a big donation, Jimmy whispered to Helen, "You'll never see it." After a while Reggie coughed up half, made good on the rest, and has continued to loyally support the Jim "Catfish" Hunter A.L.S. Foundation and the memory of his friend throughout the years.

Former Giant All-Star Atlee Hammaker showed up and played ball with us that weekend in support of Dravecky, his close friend and former Giants teammate, as well as No Bats buddy Eric Brown, a United Airlines pilot. Atlee joined the Tax Police for a late-night ice water hit, nailing Hunter's buddy and fellow North Carolina farmer Tommy Harrell when Tommy made the tactical error of turning in early.