SAN FRANCISCO — I used to love being in empty ballparks. The thousands of unfilled seats used to stir my imagination. I loved juxtaposing that calmness, that silence, with the raucousness of a full house at full throat.
The early or late access to these cathedrals of sports — and yes, I even include the Oakland Coliseum in that class — also served as a personal reminder to never take my job for granted. Not many people have the ability to walk on the floor before and after an NBA Finals game or h. . .