SAN FRANCISCO -- The intimate function held on Thursday night at AT&T Park to honor the late broadcaster Lon Simmons was a celebration, not a memorial.
Certainly, Simmons' death at age 91 on Easter Sunday remained fresh in the minds of the relatives, friends and colleagues who gathered in a corner of the ballpark's club level to remember the man who had an enduring impact on Bay Area baseball. But any tears that were shed came between bouts of laughter -- because, as speaker after speaker recalled, Simmons' sense of humor was as rich and deep as his familiar baritone, which conveyed the exploits of both the Giants (1958-73, '76-78, '96-2002) and A's (1981-95).