Remembering crusty ol' Kezar Stadium
Old-time 49ers fans – and we do mean old – chuckle at the notion Candlestick Park is a worn-out old barn.
Sure, by modern standards it is, but it's not the poorest facility the franchise has used, according to Max Lambert, who has attended 49ers games since the 1950s. Lambert recalled games a generation ago at relic Kezar Stadium, with bad sight lines, painfully narrow 15-inch-wide seats, and fans who hurled obscenities and beer bottles at players and each other.
"Really unruly," Lambert said. "Very tough crowd, blue-collar. The 49ers had to put a wire netting over the tunnels so players wouldn't get hit in the head from bottles."
Tailgating woes
Bob and Brenda Wood of Los Gatos braved the elements to tailgate – it's been a tradition for 35 years, they said – but the rain made for some soggy burgers and damp chips. No worries.
"We still savor the taste of a great season," Bob said, as his wife rolled her eyes.
Head game
Matt Lewis of San Jose sports a bald head, but the painted-on 49ers helmet look was impressive: logo above the ears, face mask, colors and all. He just needed a mouthpiece.
Said his wife, Sara: "Personally, I think he looks ridiculous, and he wanted to go to church like this."
Dry patrol
Two slow-rollers – think hockey's Zamboni machines – worked the Candlestick Park field well before kickoff, and sucked up hundreds of gallons of moisture. When full, the machines unloaded the water at the base of the end zone stands. Why not wait a bit and super-soak some Giants fans?
"Oh, tempting, trust me," said one driver, who identified himself only as Mark. "It's some nasty, green wet stuff in there. Couldn't do it to them."
Uh, No. 1?
The 49ers and media shared the same hotel, 12 miles south of Candlestick Park. California Highway Patrol provided an escort through the gridlocked traffic.
Star-struck fans wearing 49ers colors and with their car antenna flags whipping, honked, snapped cellphone pictures and waved. When a media member flashed his credential, he was greeted with a middle finger and a look of, "CHP is slowing us down for you?"
Bradshaw signs
Terry Bradshaw knows a thing or two about championship games – he won four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers – and he was the most sought-out member of the Fox television crew (former Cowboy Troy Aikman was booed). Bradshaw gladly signed autographs for those in military uniform or fatigues. Said one recipient, "I followed the Raiders but loved your game, TB."
It's Harbaugh-focus
So what was 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh doing during the final, frantic minutes of the AFC Championship Game in New England, where his brother John was trying to get his Ravens into position for a tying field goal (and then agonizing when it was wide left)?
Ignoring the Candlestick video screen and watching his kicker David Akers boom a warmup 60-yard field goal.
– Joe Davidson
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