It has been more than 30 years since I surveyed my first proposed ballpark site. It was at Seventh and Townsend in San Francisco, a charmless lot bounded by elevated freeways and train tracks. Giants owner Bob Lurie was desperate to move his team there from Candlestick Park.
There wasn’t anything remotely inviting about the property, save for a clapboard eatery called Walt’s Diner — “Breakfast, Lunch, Beer” read the sign. I chatted up a woman behind the counter, asking about the weather. It seemed relevant given Candlestick’s reputation as a frigid, blustery bowl of misery.
“See that?