CINCINNATI – Somehow Joe Burrow’s press conferences have become more known for reactions to coughs these days than the actual answers he gives.

For people who actually care about the content of his thoughts instead of viral reactions, an important line snuck into the conversation this week.

He was asked about this stretch of Atlanta, at Cleveland on Monday Night Football and Carolina coming up leading into the bye.

“The three games stretch,” Burrow said, “I think will determine how our season goes.”

From the same producer who brought you, “let’s all just take a deep breath and relax,” and “nobody is panicking” we have this midseason run determining the direction of the year.

Yeah, that’s notable.

Every week feels like it means more in the moment. That’s just the nature of the intense scrutiny on the league. Consider the tone around these parts last week compared to this one: Pitchforks to praises.

In this particular case, it’s tough to argue with Burrow’s assessment.

The failures of the first quarter of the season have put the Bengals in this position. Anything worse than 5-4 at the bye (which would be the same as last year) would offer legitimate reason to wonder if they took on too much early water to bubble back up against a much tougher schedule on the horizon.

Through the first nine games the Bengals will have faced just one quarterback higher than Tier 4 in Mike Sando’s preseason QB tiers. That’s Lamar Jackson.

Burrow was one of six Tier 1 QBs in the league.

After Kenny Pickett or whoever ends up starting for Pittsburgh in Week 11 finishes off the run of unheralded QBs, the final seven games of the year expect to feature every quarterback in Tier 3 or higher.

A hiccup or two over this current stretch and the team will spend much time bemoaning the need to beat Allen and wondering how they lost to Cooper Rush, Mitch Trubisky and, say, Marcus Mariota.

That brings us to Sunday. The Falcons and Bengals looked like very different teams on paper before the season started. On the field through six weeks, you can find striking similarities. Both have won three of four. Both could easily have been better than 3-3. The three Falcons’ losses are by a total of 11 points. The Bengals are by eight.

The primary difference is the expectations the football world placed upon them. Atlanta clearly has deficiencies. The Bengals should be able to tear up a secondary that is both beat up and understaffed. This should be the type of game Burrow puts up monster numbers as you saw last week in New Orleans or during his hot stretch in the second half of last year.

Tradition suggests in this league, that should be enough. Yet, the league is shifting this year. The rise of these power running teams asserting their style back into the winning conversation has been the trend of the year. Atlanta is at the head of that with a line that can run block as well as anyone and diverse run scheme capable of taking over a game.

The number to determine a win or loss will be the Falcons’ rushing yards. Allow them to pound Paycor for 150 or more on the ground and the Bengals will be in jeopardy. Keep it under and this could be one where the Bengals breathe easy in the final minutes for a change.

Attrition up the defensive spine and recent results suggest this will be easier said than done.

I still think the Bengals and Burrow do it. Cincinnati’s red zone defense feels like the determining factor again.

Prediction: Bengals 27, Falcons 23

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) calls a play at the line against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Stephen Lew-USA Today Sports

On Tap

The Bengals host the Falcons this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Paycor Stadium — the first 1 p.m. Sunday home game since the opener against Pittsburgh. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The game will air on Fox with Brandon Gaudin and Robert Smith in the booth and Jennifer Hale on the sideline. Will be a treat to see Devon and Leah Still back in Cincinnati as Rulers of the Jungle. Leah is cancer-free and it’s such a joy to see a success story that started in such a difficult place come full circle. The way this city and the Bengals’ organization rallied around Devon and Leah in 2014 was one of the greatest storylines involving the team in 13 years I’ve been covering the club.

This Week in Burrow

I wrote extensively about Burrow on third downs and high-leverage situations this year, a major talking point around him as the Bengals offense starts to find its footing.

So, I’ll just say that this section has already been checked off.

I will, however, offer a bit of a deleted scene from the story.

I wanted to dive a little into the importance of Burrow’s knowledge of protections in the piece, but it ended up being one thing too many. But it was pointed out how important his relationship with the gregarious captain Ted Karras has been.

Karras and Burrow have really connected. Partly because of how much Karras just absolutely loves football and line play. That prompted this anecdote from head coach Zac Taylor when asked about it.

“We finished a walkthrough and I heard him talk about ‘Okey Double Bugs’ with passion,” Taylor said of a unique protection call. “That’s the highest level of passion you could imagine about ‘Okey Double Bugs’ and different looks he saw. He wanted to make sure he got his points across. I walked away, those are player moments where he clearly wanted to take it over. He made me feel really good about how we would handle those looks the next day. The (offensive line) meeting ended. It was over. He decided to have another meeting. It’s 8:39 p.m. probably, right before the team meeting Saturday night.”

Quotable

There was an otherwise forgettable play in Sunday’s game at New Orleans that stuck out to me all week. Joe Mixon caught a checkdown midway through the second quarter. As he pushed up the sideline cornerback Paulson Adebo made a flailing attack of Mixon’s legs trying to take him down.

Mixon snapped off a nasty jump cut to the outside that made the entire dome crowd go, “oooh,” in unison. The electric and loud nature of the crowd made it an even more noticeable reaction and Mixon deserved it.

I asked him about it this week and his answer was great.

“I’ll be real, I was running, and I tune everything out,” he said. “It’s literally me focused. I hear nothing. That was one play where I could really hear the whole crowd like, ‘ooooh.’ Then after the play, I was like, ‘Did the whole crowd just say oooh?’ It was a cool thing.”

Sure was. Cool to hear. Cool to watch. And for the Bengals, cool to see coming from Mixon, who struggled to make plays in space the first four weeks of the season. Against Baltimore and New Orleans, some of the old Mixon energy and playmaking has started to show up. He enjoyed his two best games for yards after contact. After only two rushes of more than 10 yards through the first four games, Mixon had four such rushes the last two weeks.

“That’s what I can do,” he said. “If I get the opportunity like that in space, I got to make them pay. When given that opportunity in those one-on-one situations, I got to make it count, no matter what.

“I’ll be honest, if I can get in space where it’s clear as daylight one on one, there’s no question I’ll win 10 out of 10 times. I’m supposed to feel like I’ll win 10 out of 10 times. That’s the type of player I’m capable of being.”

Quotable, Part II

Offensive line coach Frank Pollack is always one for quotability. He offered another on Thursday in reference to left tackle Jonah Williams.

Williams, notably, dislocated his kneecap just before halftime against the Ravens. He played through that pain, only missing six snaps in the “Sunday Night Football” game. Not only that, in Pollack’s eyes he played incredibly well.

“He hurt his knee in Baltimore and he had probably the best half I’ve seen him play,” Pollack said. “He went out and played with a bum knee this last week and played great. I told him I’ll take a bat to your knee every week if I need to.”

No word on the Bengals hiring offensive line consultant Jeff Gillooly anytime soon.

Twitter Question of the Week

@pauldehnerjr I must have missed it, when will Reader be back? They miss him in the worst way

— Doug (@doug_c_67) October 16, 2022

For one, Doug, you are spot on. The Bengals do miss Reader in the worst way. Jay Morrison detailed that well in his story on the struggling rush defense this week. He pointed out the Bengals gave up an average of 86 yards per game the first three weeks at 3.7 yards per carry. In the last three weeks, it’s 156 yards per game and 5.6 per rush.

Does it all direct back to Reader? No. They’ve played more talented rush offenses the last three weeks, but his absence represents a big slice of the pie.

As for when he will be back, his presence on the rehab field and the sideline this past week suggest he’s tracking in the right direction. He couldn’t even travel with the team to Baltimore because they don’t want players lacking in mobility on the sideline in case they need to move to avoid a play spilling out of bounds.

As for a more specific timeline, the probabilities still shade toward a post-bye return. He’s first eligible to come back for “Monday Night Football” against the Browns and the Bengals and Reader are obviously hopeful, not closing the door on it. However, understanding the big picture of the season with an extremely winnable game against Carolina then a bye after, it means Nov. 21 at Pittsburgh is a realistic aiming point.

Stories from the inside

There are two ping-pong tables inside the Bengals’ locker room. There’s an ‘A’ table and a ‘B’ table. When we are in there — typically during the Bengals’ lunch break — there are always games happening on them. Anybody hearing the sound of the balls hitting paddles in the background of our interviews posted on the podcast is well aware.

The two best players on the team are Mitchell Wilcox and Trent Taylor. They are regulars on the ‘A’ table. Their battles are wild. Both standing far back from the table, ripping shots from deep as you might see in Olympics highlights. An idea struck me while watching this and discussing how every team seems to have ping-pong tables in the locker room (that inevitably become some kind of storyline about a loose team when it arrives or a return of discipline when it’s removed).

It’s time to replace the coin toss before games.

Instead, each team sends its best ping pong player to the 50-yard line, where a table and two paddles await. They play a quick game to seven to determine who gets to decide to defer or receive. It’s like when the XFL tried rolling out the football in a fumble recovery drill to determine the winner, just without the injuries.

You’re welcome.

This will be submitted to the competition committee in March.

Degenerate corner

This game presents a spread rarity. This year Atlanta is 6-0 against the spread. Nobody expected them to be as feisty as they’ve been, and it’s shown in the final scores.

The Falcons come to Cincinnati as 6.5-point underdogs.

Considering Atlanta covering every game, the Bengals’ penchant to playing in close contests and neither team losing by more than a score, 6.5 feels like a generous number.

However, there’s not much history to suggest the Falcons’ momentum will continue the trend.

There are eight teams — including Atlanta — that started the season 6-0 against the spread since the turn of the century. Four of them covered the spread again in their seventh games, three did not. Winners include the 2021 Cowboys, 2018 Chiefs, 2007 Patriots and 2008 Titans.

There’s little reason to believe the Bengals would be taking Atlanta lightly considering how the Falcons dismantled San Francisco last week, 28-14. Still an interesting trend to ponder.

Overly researched stat of the week

The Bengals’ red zone defense continues to be among the best in the NFL, currently ranking third allowing a touchdown 35.3 percent of the time. It saved them in New Orleans. The Saints entered that game boasting the second-best red zone offense in football (80 percent) but left just 1 for 5. In a matchup of strength on strength with the game in the balance, the Bengals prevailed.

Meanwhile, Atlanta now comes to town riding similar red-zone success. The Falcons rank fifth in the league with a 66.7 percent touchdown rate.

The difference between the two would be the approach to pushing it over the goal line.

New Orleans threw the ball in the red zone 62 percent of the time prior to last week, ninth most.

Meanwhile, Atlanta has the second-highest run rate among all teams in the red zone at 69 percent.

When those crucial downs take place, look for extra linebackers to end up part of three-down alignment to play tendencies.

Either way, it does play into what has also been a strength of this defense. Of the 40 plays run against Cincinnati in the red zone this year, 15 have been runs. Only one went for a touchdown (a 1-yard plunge by Tony Pollard in Dallas) and only a six-yard sweep by CeeDee Lamb went for more than four yards.

The Bengals rank second in the league in yards allowed per carry in the red zone.

More strength on the strength coming Sunday.

Bengals post of the week

Fans might not think much about the investment in the content team that’s been made by the Cincinnati front office, but for somebody who has been close to that world for a long time, I can tell you it’s a mind-boggling shift.

That’s the NFL world we live in now. Behind-the-scenes video, extra content, documentaries, you name it. In-house content has become valuable to the league, teams, fan bases and the NFL has its arms hugged tightly around its rights.

The Bengals have piled resources of all varieties into that world in recent years and the perfect example was the 15-minute look at Ja’Marr Chase and his family returning home that Marisa Contipelli and Shea Stephenson put together. They were even able to convince NFL Films to help out by dropping a mic on Chase during that game that has turned out to be a treasure trove of incredible content.

Chase was breaking ankles thanks to the return of his grill @Real10jayy__ | @Bengals pic.twitter.com/tcoYa7qcZj

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) October 20, 2022

Contipelli and Stephenson went to New Orleans earlier this season for background content then were all over the place this past Sunday capturing the sights and sounds of a special moment for one of the premier personalities on the team and in this league.

Just excellent work, impressive hustle, an efficient plan and a perfect example of what hiring great people and supporting them can do for connecting a fan base to its players.

Highly recommend watching the full-length feature (the trailer was awesome, too).

Watch the full feature here: https://t.co/VZs2byry5r

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 20, 2022

Opponent

Atlanta (3-3): Josh Kendall joined HTPG this week with fantastic insight on Atlanta. He also wrote why the Bengals are a bad matchup for the Falcons.

Around the division

Steelers (2-4): Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and halftime altercations, all the fun is happening in Pittsburgh.

Browns (2-4): Cleveland is ‘headed nowhere soon’ according to Zac Jackson. A man very familiar with teams heading nowhere.

Ravens (3-3): Baltimore’s running game is coming together just in time for a critical stretch.

The Athletic Wormhole

The Christian McCaffery trade to the 49ers was a fascinating one from both sides. First, the latest cautionary tale about paying running backs. As the Panthers basically paid $27 million for six games of an extension. The Bengals will be contemplating this situation with Mixon contract in coming years. These things rarely work out well. In fact, Mixon might be one of the most successful examples and his contract hasn’t exactly been a jewel of the Bengals salary cap situation.

These backs nearly always start to break down and see health situations ruin them. This has been known and discussed at length for nearly a decade now. Yet, teams still keep piling money into the position instead of picks. Joe Person wrote about how that is essentially the legacy of McCaffery in Carolina.

On the flip side, the Rams’ “F— them picks” model shows back up. This time in San Francisco. I’m actually stunned the 49ers would give up the 2023 2,3,4 and 2024 5th for McCaffery. The guy can play. He’s a star, no question. But that is a significant ransom to turn over for any running back, particularly one with injury history. Those are the types of trades that eat at the core of your future. Tim Kawakami wrote an enlightening piece about how this was the 49ers showing their hand about this season.

Dad Life

The first draft of my story about Burrow and his third-down magic this week included multiple Frozen (and Frozen II) references, including an ideal analogy involving an ice palace on the North Mountain.

I eventually decided they all needed to be edited out. As a girl dad, it was a deep cut.

I’ve developed a real appreciation for Frozen and Frozen II in watching it 94 times over the last few years. A Disney tale where two sisters stand up for each other is great messaging compared to “You better get a man and become a princess or you will be cleaning chimneys and organizing the attic the rest of your life” from the Cinderella days.

Equally, Encanto has become the new house favorite around here. My girls are obsessed with it. Again, another new Disney movie with a significantly better message than the early days. The concept that it’s OK not to be perfect and being yourself is all you need is a far cry from, ‘Hey look at this cute deer, bang, she’s dead.’

Unbelievably, found a Disney on Ice Show about Frozen and Encanto together is coming to Heritage Bank Arena. It’s almost as if my girls were in charge of planning this year’s tour. The excitement level will be at its peak come March.

This has also prompted me to go on record with my top five ranking of songs from those three movies because I’ve had way too much time to think about this over the past few years.

1. Let it Go, Frozen: There’s a reason it’s so popular. One of the best individual songs from any Disney song in history.
2. Lost in the Woods, Frozen II: Let’s be honest, this one was for the parents. When all the reindeer show up in true 80s style is a top three moment in the entire Frozen series.
3. Surface Pressure, Encanto: The chorus is incredible. Lin Manuel-Miranda’s style showing up in a big way. Sometimes after dropping the girls off somewhere the phone will revert back to when Encanto was playing before. If it’s Surface Pressure, I let it finish before switching back.
4. All of You, Encanto: Perfectly pulls all the themes of the movie together and the line, “OK, so …. we gonna talk about Bruno?” is one of my favorites.
5. In Summer, Frozen: More Josh Gad in our lives, please.

OK, I feel better getting that off my chest. Hopefully, it makes up for axing my line about Grand Pabbie explaining the inherent danger of magic.

(Top photo of Joe Burrow: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)

The post This Week in Bengals: Sunday prediction, D.J. Reader’s return and Okey Double Bugs appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO — When Paul Pelosi returned to the family’s San Francisco home, he paused at the doorway where he was violently attacked and injured in a hammer attack by a politically motivated intruder.

In a lengthy interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talked about the extent of her husband’s injuries and long journey to recovering both physically and emotionally.

With her voice filled with emotion during the interview, Pelosi said she has not talked about the Oct. 28 assault with her husband.

“We haven’t quite had that conversation, because any revisiting of it is really traumatizing,” she said. “It was hard, and one of the hardest things all week was to go back into the house for him – in the entrance, which is of course where he was hit.”

“The doctors had said, you know, we don’t want him to watch the news,” she continued. “We don’t want him to be revisiting a lot of this, at least not now, because it will add to the trauma. And the operation was a success, but it’s only one part of the recovery. The dramatic, drastic head injury . It takes some time.”

David DePape is charged with six counts relating to the attack, including attempted murder, burglary, assault, false imprisonment and threatening the family member of a public official. He has pleaded not guilty to all state charges.

Federal prosecutors have charged him with attempted kidnapping and assault.

Revisiting the attack also brings a great deal of emotional pain for Nancy Pelosi, herself.

“For me, this is really the hard part because Paul wasn’t the target,” she told Cooper. “And he’s the one who’s paying the price, I mean we all are, but he’s the one who’s really paying the price. But it really – it’s really sad, because it is a flame that was fueled by misinformation and all the rest of that , which is most unfortunate.”

DePape confronted Paul Pelosi in a bedroom, asking repeated, ‘Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?’ Still groggy from being suddenly awoken, Pelosi responded, ‘She’s not here.’

When Pelosi asked DePape why he wanted to see his wife, the suspect answered according to court documents:

“‘Well, she’s number two in line for the presidency, right?'” When Mr. Pelosi agreed, Defendant responded that they are all corrupt and ‘we’ve got to take them all out.'”

San Francisco police said officers responded to the 2600 block of Broadway for a 911 call of a home break-in at approximately 2:27 am

When San Francisco police officers arrived, Pelosi and DePape were wrestling over a hammer.

“When officers arrived on scene, they encountered an adult male and Mrs. Pelosi’s husband, Paul,” SFPD Chief Bill Scott told reporters. “Our officers observed Mr. Pelosi and the suspect both holding a hammer. The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it.”

“Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody, requested emergency backup and rendered medical aid,” he added.

The assault left Paul Pelosi with severe head and arm injuries.

“(The head injury was) on the top in two places,” Nancy Pelosi said of the skull fracture. “And that’s pretty awful. That’s pretty awful. But the good news was when he came – when he had the operation, and we were blessed by the health care professionals at San Francisco General. They told us it had not pierced his brain, which is what could be deadly or worse.”

“What they had to do was they had to take off the skull, reshape it, put it back so it didn’t scratch or pierce the brain. It’s pretty – it’s a pretty serious operation… Always concern, the hematomas, all the rest of that.”

Then came a short-lived light moment in the early hours.

“My son Paul told me that when he – see, I got on the plane right away to go, to come to California, but he was now out of the operation,” Nancy Pelosi said. “And Paul [Jr.] said, ‘Mommy’s on her way here,’ and Paul said – the first thing he said, ‘Oh your mother is going to be very happy, because the Ravens won last night.'”

Nancy Pelosi was born and raised in Baltimore.

When asked how her husband was doing, Nancy Pelosi answered:

“He’s doing okay. He is – it’s a long haul. But he knows he has to pace himself. He’s, he’s such a gentleman that he’s not complaining. But he’s also knowing that it’s a long haul. He’s so concerned about the traumatic effect on our children and our grandchildren. And we’re concerned about the traumatic effect on him.”

The post Nancy Pelosi reveals extent of husband Paul’s accidents; Traumatizing return to San Francisco dwelling appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Wildfires and COVID — both of which can threaten the quality of indoor office building air — are triggering demand for better ways to filter out contaminants such as smoke which according to the Centers for Disease Control can irritate the lungs, cause inflammation, alter immune function and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.

“Our company has seen 35% growth in demand for air quality solutions, evidenced by increasing sales of air scrubbers, HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters and MERV 13-plus filtration products, ultraviolet light systems and related solutions for businesses, residences , schools and hospitals,” said Nick Hartman, HVAC division manager for Ongaro & Sons in Santa Rosa.

The heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems contractor serving Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties installed updated devices in its 7,500-square-foot main location at 2995 Dutton Ave. in Santa Rosa.

“We believe this decision convinced most of our people to come back to the workplace after the lockdown,” Hartman said. “We continue to install a range of healthy air options in several Sonoma and Marin County schools, private homes and for large commercial customers.”

High tech solutions

There are small business or home electrostatic air filtration systems that contain several multifold, 5-inch-wide air filters on racks, They can capture particles as small as 0.1 micron in size (700 times narrower than a human hair).

Hartman said this system is up to 100 times more effective than the standard 1-inch filter and captures up to 99.98% of allergens from filtered air. That performance level has been independently verified by experts at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Also available are ozone-free air scrubbers that incorporate high-intensity UV-C light and produce negatively charged ions that inactivate airborne contaminants.

“This innovation can be installed in existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system ductwork to eliminate up to 99.96% of common flu and DNA or RNA viruses, mold and bacteria while also lowering indoor air quality index (AQI) values ​​to maintain green levels of less than 50, where pollutants cause little or no risk,” Hartman added.

The AQI index runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution. A good AQI level is between 0 and 50. Levels during the North Bay wildfires shot up above 300 — the hazardous level — in some areas.

Mark Hagarty, with Simpson Sheet Metal Inc. in Santa Rosa, said his firm has also seen a rise in residential customer demand for HVAC air-quality improvements and has several new installation projects underground.

“Bringing fresh air outside indoors is important. This has become a high priority for a variety of health reasons, but more can be done to enhance air quality by upgrading or replacing existing systems,” Hagarty said.

He said California’s Building Standards Code Title 24 contain “robust” regulations that contribute to achieving the state’s climate and air quality goals. In addition, The California Green Building Standard promotes healthy indoor and outdoor air quality by addressing issues of adequate ventilation, air exchange and indoor air pollution.

School air quality grants

California Air Resources Board Supervisor Pat Wong said building code revisions in 2020 addressed air-quality standards for new buildings, the construction of multifamily housing and for major upgrades to existing structures.

That year a research study at the University of California Davis and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that only 15% of public-school classrooms studied met the state’s ventilation standard. That means 85% of schools were likely “woefully under-ventilated.” The study arrived at the time the COVID-19 respiratory coronavirus was being spread by close human interaction.

As a prelude to reopening schools after mandatory COVID closures, the California Legislature passed AB 841 (The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing and Energy (CalSHAPE) Ventilation Program). It provides up to $600 million through two grant programs for energy upgrades and to test, adjust and repair HVAC systems in schools.

Governor Newsom signed this bill into law Oct. 1, 2020. The round 2 application deadline for both ventilation and plumbing program funds is May 31.

Demand for increasing system MERV ratings

Zach Brandner, vice president for construction with Peterson Mechanical Inc. in Sonoma, said a trend toward widespread adoption of air quality improvements during the pandemic “began slowly and did not take hold as fast as I thought it would be among all sectors of the economy due to cost and maintenance issues.”

The post Indoor air high quality attracts new consideration as workers return to San Francisco North Bay workplaces appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

After two years of participating in mostly virtual events due to the pandemic, UC San Francisco is rallying its community to come together in Golden Gate Park for AIDS Walk San Francisco on July 17 to raise funds for programs and services that benefit people of the Bay Area .

As an institution dedicated exclusively to health, UCSF has participated in AIDS Walk San Francisco since it started in 1987 as part of its longstanding commitment to the health and wellbeing of the community.

Proceeds raised in the annual 10K fundraising trek this year will go toward the POP-UP program (Positive-health Onsite Program for Unstably Housed Populations). Image by Noah Berger

For the past 35 years, members of the UCSF community have joined thousands of Bay Area residents who have walked, donated funds, and volunteered in AIDS Walk San Francisco in the ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS, raising more than $90 million for organizations across seven Bay Area counties.

This year, Francesca Vega, vice chancellor of Community & Government Relations, is leading the charge for the UCSF coalition of teams that has set a fundraising goal of $50,000.

“As a world leader in providing pioneering patient-centered care and ongoing research to find a cure, we understand the importance of raising funds that support these efforts in the community we call home,” Vega says. “I encourage faculty, staff, students and their friends and families to join our UCSF team in AIDS Walk San Francisco.”

At UCSF, about a half a dozen teams have formed that are raising money in a friendly competition to see which team brings in the most money. The team with the highest total of donations wins the coveted AIDS Walk Trophy presented by UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood.

Helping Those Living With HIV

Proceeds raised in the annual 10K fundraising trek this year will go toward the POP-UP program at Ward 86 – one of the nation’s first dedicated HIV outpatient clinics – at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and UCSF 360 Wellness Center, which has offered cutting-edge care since 1984, among other Bay Area AIDS-related programs and services.

Launched in 2019, POP-UP (Positive-health Onsite Program for Unstably Housed Populations) aims to reduce health disparities among homeless and unstably housed individuals living with HIV in San Francisco.

AIDS Walk San Francisco funding will be instrumental to assisting Ward 86 achieve its goals of helping patients with HIV and homelessness become healthier and receive tailored HIV care.

Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH

“We are honored here at Ward 86 to be a recipient of AIDS Walk San Francisco funding,” says Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and medical director of Ward 86. “Funds raised will be applied to those living with HIV and homelessness, especially to offer long-acting antiretroviral therapy (ART) to these patients.

“POP-UP has enrolled over 150 of our most vulnerable patients and our low-barrier drop-in care program has managed to increase virologic suppression rates in this population from 0% to 50%, but we still have a way to go to help this population. AIDS Walk San Francisco funding will be instrumental to assisting Ward 86 achieve its goals of helping patients with HIV and homelessness become healthier and receive tailored HIV care.”

Establishing a Model of HIV Care

UCSF’s legacy of leadership in AIDS over the past 40 years began with the emergence of the unknown virus in the early 1980s when San Francisco was the epicenter of the epidemic. At that time, UCSF physicians and allied health professionals and staff rose to the challenge of this public health crisis by working with the partners and patients in the San Francisco community to develop a standard of practice that became known as “the San Francisco Model” of care .

This model of interdisciplinary collaboration among doctors, nurses, social workers, case managers, psychiatrists, addiction specialists, nutritionists and others has yielded innovations in HIV and infectious disease care and served as a model for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, UCSF’s HIV-focused practices and programs, continue to build on the innovative research and clinical care that furthers understanding of the disease and enables HIV-positive patients to thrive.

The post UCSF to Return to Golden Gate Park to Increase Funds in AIDS Stroll San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Wildfires and COVID — both of which can threaten the quality of indoor office building air — are triggering demand for better ways to filter out contaminants such as smoke which according to the Centers for Disease Control can irritate the lungs, cause inflammation, alter immune function and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.

“Our company has seen 35% growth in demand for air quality solutions, evidenced by increasing sales of air scrubbers, HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters and MERV 13-plus filtration products, ultraviolet light systems and related solutions for businesses, residences , schools and hospitals,” said Nick Hartman, HVAC division manager for Ongaro & Sons in Santa Rosa.

The heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems contractor serving Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties installed updated devices in its 7,500-square-foot main location at 2995 Dutton Ave. in Santa Rosa.

“We believe this decision convinced most of our people to come back to the workplace after the lockdown,” Hartman said. “We continue to install a range of healthy air options in several Sonoma and Marin County schools, private homes and for large commercial customers.”

High tech solutions

There are small business or home electrostatic air filtration systems that contain several multifold, 5-inch-wide air filters on racks, They can capture particles as small as 0.1 micron in size (700 times narrower than a human hair).

Hartman said this system is up to 100 times more effective than the standard 1-inch filter and captures up to 99.98% of allergens from filtered air. That performance level has been independently verified by experts at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Also available are ozone-free air scrubbers that incorporate high-intensity UV-C light and produce negatively charged ions that inactivate airborne contaminants.

“This innovation can be installed in existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system ductwork to eliminate up to 99.96% of common flu and DNA or RNA viruses, mold and bacteria while also lowering indoor air quality index (AQI) values ​​to maintain green levels of less than 50, where pollutants cause little or no risk,” Hartman added.

The AQI index runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution. A good AQI level is between 0 and 50. Levels during the North Bay wildfires shot up above 300 — the hazardous level — in some areas.

Mark Hagarty, with Simpson Sheet Metal Inc. in Santa Rosa, said his firm has also seen a rise in residential customer demand for HVAC air-quality improvements and has several new installation projects underground.

“Bringing fresh outside air indoors is important. This has become a high priority for a variety of health reasons, but more can be done to enhance air quality by upgrading or replacing existing systems,” Hagarty said.

He said California’s Building Standards Code Title 24 contain “robust” regulations that contribute to achieving the state’s climate and air quality goals. In addition, The California Green Building Standard promotes healthy indoor and outdoor air quality by addressing issues of adequate ventilation, air exchange and indoor air pollution.

School air quality grants

California Air Resources Board Supervisor Pat Wong said building code revisions in 2020 addressed air-quality standards for new buildings, the construction of multifamily housing and for major upgrades to existing structures.

That year a research study at the University of California Davis and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that only 15% of public-school classrooms studied met the state’s ventilation standard. That means 85% of schools were likely “woefully under-ventilated.” The study arrived at the time the COVID-19 respiratory coronavirus was being spread by close human interaction.

As a prelude to reopening schools after mandatory COVID closures, the California Legislature passed AB 841 (The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing and Energy (CalSHAPE) Ventilation Program). It provides up to $600 million through two grant programs for energy upgrades and to test, adjust and repair HVAC systems in schools.

Governor Newsom signed this bill into law Oct. 1, 2020. The round 2 application deadline for both ventilation and plumbing program funds is May 31.

Demand for increasing system MERV ratings

Zach Brandner, vice president for construction with Peterson Mechanical Inc. in Sonoma, said a trend toward widespread adoption of air quality improvements during the pandemic “began slowly and did not take hold as fast as I thought it would be among all sectors of the economy due to cost and maintenance issues.”

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Wildfires and COVID — both of which can threaten the quality of indoor office building air – are triggering demand for better ways to filter out contaminants such as smoke which according to the Centers for Disease Control can irritate the lungs, cause inflammation, alter immune function and increase susceptibility to respiratory infections.

“Our company has seen 35% growth in demand for air quality solutions, evidenced by increasing sales of air scrubbers, HEPA (high-efficiency aarticulate air) filters and MERV 13-plus filtration products, ultraviolet light systems and related solutions for businesses, residences , schools and hospitals,” said Nick Hartman, HVAC division manager for Ongaro & Sons in Santa Rosa.

The heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems contractor serving Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties installed updated devices in its 7,500-square-foot main location at 2995 Dutton Ave. in Santa Rosa.

“We believe this decision convinced most of our people to come back to the workplace after the lockdown,” Hartman said. “We continue to install a range of healthy air options in several Sonoma and Marin County schools, private homes and for large commercial customers.”

High tech solutions

There are small business or home electrostatic air filtration systems that contain several multifold, 5-inch-wide air filters on racks, They can capture particles as small as 0.1 micron in size (700 times narrower than a human hair).

Hartman said this system is up to 100 times more effective than the standard 1-inch filter and captures up to 99.98% of allergens from filtered air. That performance level has been independently verified by experts at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Also available are ozone-free air scrubbers that incorporate high-intensity UV-C light and produce negatively charged ions that inactivate airborne contaminants.

“This innovation can be installed in existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system ductwork to eliminate up to 99.96% of common flu and DNA or RNA viruses, mold and bacteria while also lowering indoor air quality index (AQI) values ​​to maintain green levels of less than 50, where pollutants cause little or no risk,” Hartman added.

The AQI index runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution. A good AQI level is between 0 and 50. Levels during the North Bay wildfires shot up above 300 — the hazardous level — in some areas.

Mark Hagarty, with Simpson Sheet Metal, Inc. in Santa Rosa, said his firm has also seen a rise in residential customer demand for HVAC air-quality improvements and has several new installation projects underground.

“Bringing fresh outside air indoors is important. This has become a high priority for a variety of health reasons, but more can be done to enhance air quality by upgrading or replacing existing systems,” Hagarty said.

He said California’s Building Standards Code Title 24 contain “robust” regulations that contribute to achieving the state’s climate and air quality goals. In addition, The California Green Building Standard promotes healthy indoor and outdoor air quality by addressing issues of adequate ventilation, air exchange and indoor air pollution.

School air quality grants

California Air Resources Board Supervisor Pat Wong said building code revisions in 2020 addressed air-quality standards for new buildings, the construction of multifamily housing and for major upgrades to existing structures.

That year a research study at the University of California Davis and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that only 15% of public-school classrooms studied met the state’s ventilation standard. That means 85% of schools were likely “woefully under-ventilated.” The study arrived at the time the COVID-19 respiratory coronavirus was being spread by close human interaction.

As a prelude to reopening schools after mandatory COVID closures, the California Legislature passed AB 841 (The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing and Energy (CalSHAPE) Ventilation Program). It provides up to $600 million through two grant programs for energy upgrades and to test, adjust and repair HVAC systems in schools.

Governor Newsom signed this bill into law Oct. 1, 2020. The round 2 application deadline for both ventilation and plumbing program funds is May 31.

Demand for increasing system MERV ratings

Zach Brandner, vice president for construction with Peterson Mechanical Inc. in Sonoma, said a trend toward widespread adoption of air quality improvements during the pandemic “began slowly and did not take hold as fast as I thought it would be among all sectors of the economy due to cost and maintenance issues.”

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SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors are playing postseason games in San Francisco for the first time in 58 years, but it’s no surprise the new memories rekindle those from their old home across the bay.

After all, if it weren’t for the frenzied Oracle Arena crowds in Oakland that helped fuel the Warriors to five straight NBA Finals appearances, the team might not be playing at its state-of-the-art downtown digs at Chase Center.

The Warriors came away with a decisive 142-112 win over the Grizzlies Saturday night to grab a 2-1 lead in the playoff series.

Steph Curry led the way with 30 points. Jordan Poole scored 27 points and Klay Thompson added 21.

Ja Morant had 34 for Memphis but left the game early with an injury.

“I think of them both very fondly, and I have great memories of the other and I hope to create good memories here,” team owner Joe Lacob said recently. “But I really appreciate all the great new things this has and I think this is going to be one of the great arenas.”

When the Warriors moved three seasons ago to their new venue across the bay, many lamented the decision, questioning how the fancy new $1.6 billion super-stadium would compare to the exuberant environment of its old home. For years, the Oakland arena was considered one of the biggest home-court advantages in the NBA because of the rollicking atmosphere and energetic fan base.

After two seasons in which the Warriors failed to qualify for the playoffs, Chase Center finally is getting his shot as a postseason stage.

Warriors superstar Steph Curry commemorated the occasion by wearing special shoes for Game 1 of the team’s first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. Black sneakers, bearing the Oakland name, were a nod to Oracle.

“We hadn’t been in a playoff series since Oracle so it was kind of a passing of the torch,” Curry said.

The Warriors won the series in five games, chants of MVP ringing throughout Chase as Curry stepped to the foul line in the final moments, yellow-and-blue streamers falling from the rafters at the final horn.

“There were some great moments,” Curry said, assessing the atmosphere for the first series. “It’s still a young building and environment and trying to find its identity, but it was loud at times . . . . It’s only going to continue to get better as the stakes get higher and higher.”

To compare Chase and Oracle at this early stage is like “comparing apples and oranges,” said Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, an Oakland native.

“It’s two totally different venues, two totally different demographics,” he said. “All good things come to an end, and so I mean Oracle came and gone, it was what it was and so now onto bigger and better things.”

Bigger and better, at least in terms of atmosphere, is about to happen. The Warriors host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night in Game 3 of what has been a raucous series.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr is anticipating Chase Center to be “the loudest it’s ever been” these next two games. Game 4 is Monday night.

At Oracle, the crowd could generate an extraordinary level of noise, helped in part by a concave ceiling that reverberated the arena’s sound. It would get so loud that spectators couldn’t hear their own thoughts and some would bring ear protection to games even during the regular season. Thus, it came to be known as “Roaracle.”

Longtime Warriors broadcaster Jim Barnett loved the way that calling the game from courtside allowed him to “feel the vibrations” when Oracle roared, and the connection he was able to make with fans from there.

“You got to know people,” Barnett said. “You could look around and get eye contact, even during the game while it’s going on. And that kind of feeds you. You feel a part of it and they feel a part of it. There’s a connection there and it’s kind of magical.”

Still, Barnett said, “If I were a player I’d rather play at Chase Center. If I were a fan, I’d rather go to Chase Center. It’s a marvelous place.”

The team’s departure from Oakland still ranks some East Bay folks, politicians and fans alike

“Honestly, I have mixed emotions,” said Larry Schonbrun, a retired attorney from Berkeley who had season tickets at Oracle for 20 years. “In a way, I want to be a part of that excitement that they’ve still got. But, in a way, I’m angry at the team that they’ve denied me that opportunity to go to the games by moving. ”

Schonbrun had prime seats in Oakland. three rows behind the warriors’ bench. Now in his 70s, Schonbrun said getting to San Francisco for games on a regular basis would have been too much. So were the ticket prices.

Schonbrun said his three seats, roughly $750 a piece at Oracle, would have been about $1,200 a piece at Chase. Each carried an additional licensing fee of $75,000, he said.

Oracle Arena will be a special chapter in Warriors Bay Area history. It is what fans knew and loved for 47 years. It’s where fans supported and cheered on a team that struggled for most of that period – a true community and a rarity across sports.

It’s where the team won four championships, including three in the last decade, and where Curry emerged as one of the best shooters in NBA history.

Lacob said he still has a lot of love for what’s now known as the Oakland Arena. It’s more of a music venue now. This weekend, while Chase is hosting the Warriors, the old Oracle will be hosting Paul McCartney.

“Look,” said Lacob, addressing the old and the new, “five (NBA) Finals experiences, that’s a lot of memories – for me too, and I loved every minute of it, but I think this is a new place that needs his own memories created, hopefully this year will be one of those.”

Saturday night looms large, If the Denver series was the soft opening, this weekend is the grand opening of Chase Center.

“This could be frankly an epic series,” Lacob said of Warriors-Memphis. “This one and the next one, We [could] play the two teams with the best records in the NBA: Memphis and, if we get by, Phoenix. So this is going to be quite the run.”

Related

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Atlanta government employee union leader raises concerns over work conditions

The Professional Association of City Employees of Atlanta President Gina Pagnottas says the working conditions at Atlanta’s 911 call center are “horrible.”

ATLANTA – Workers at Atlanta’s 911 call center are back in their facility on Friday just days after it had to be evacuated.

AN HVAC failure stemming from crews trying to repair an ongoing issue with the facility’s generator. That generator has caused problems on its own in the past.

The staff had to make do in a tiny space next to the Fulton County communications office.

A Union leader said up to a dozen employees were packed “almost on top of each other” making it difficult to hear the calls coming in.

They said moving back into their rightful facility will help as the weekends are the busiest time of the week for 911 calls.

WATCH: FOX 5 NEWS LIVE COVERAGE

_____

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Passengers waited in long lines Monday as they eagerly waited their turn to board the iconic cable cars in San Francisco.

According to the Associated Press, “25 million tourists visited San Francisco annually before the pandemic, with many of them riding the cable cars. About 17,000 riders packed onto the cable cars daily before they were parked in March 2020 as the city locked down and sheltered in place. It was the longest shutdown since the 1980s, when the system was fully reconstructed, according to the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency.”

“Our cable cars are part of what makes San Francisco a world-class destination, and their return is just the latest sign that our city is bouncing back,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

Visitors from cities such as Houston and Washington boarded the Powell-Hyde line and rode the cars all the way to the end of the line. The cable cars currently are free to ride and are on limited service. However, starting in September, they will return to full service from 7 am to 10 pm on all three cable car lines; the fare is $8.

A San Francisco cable car on the Powell-Hyde line is turned around near Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco on Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. The world-famous cars returned to service after a 16-month shutdown because of the pandemic. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Passengers hold on tight while riding a cable car on the Powell-Hyde line Monday in San Francisco. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Lisa Abrams, of Los Angeles, points to a landmark to her daughter Rose, 6, as they ride a cable car on the Powell-Hyde line Monday in San Francisco. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Francis Givens, a cable car gripman, rings the bell while during a trip along the Powell-Hyde line Monday in San Francisco. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Lafayette Allen, 15, of Houston, rides a cable car on the Powell-Hyde line Monday in San Francisco. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Passengers huddle close as they ride a cable car Monday on the Powell-Hyde line in San Francisco. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Hundreds of passengers line up as they wait to board the cable cars Monday on Powell Street in San Francisco. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

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San Francisco has been waiting for this day. For two long years, we wanted normalcy. We’ve suffered through mandates and lockdowns, sheltering and shuttering. The whole thing pretty much sucked.

There were fits and starts, signaling a possible return. A reopening here, a return there. But no matter how hard we tried, it never felt like the before times. There was always the specter of fear hanging over us. Another variant. The subsequent surge. What is it safe to believe? What is OK to venture out?

Well, we still don’t really know. But it’s clear we’re ready to try. The Giants’ Opening Day Friday at Oracle Park was a coming out party for The City. A recognition of where we’ve been and a celebration of where we’re going.

From foul pole to foul pole, bleachers and beyond, anyone who could fake a dentist appointment, ditch work and muster a ticket to the ballpark looked up to the sunny skies above and thanked the baseball gods for delivering. Simply put, it was a glorious day. The Miracle on Third Street.

It was also the Giants’ first season opener at home since 2009, a remarkable stretch considering. It took a dozen years, but it was worth the wait. Two years ago, the crowd consisted of cardboard cutouts. Last year, the limit on fans was 8,000.

This year? No COVID related mandates or requirements for fans. Whatsoever. And a sell-out crowd of 40,853 packed the place.

After a spirited and thoughtful pregame routine, in which the team honored local members of the sports world who had passed in 2021, along with victims of war in Ukraine, the US Navy Leap Frog’s Parachute Team dropped in from the sky, setting up a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by brian McKnight. Prior to that jenn johns delivered an inspirational version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and many people did.

The team hoisted its 2021 National League West pennant, and unveiled a plaque honoring last season’s record 107 wins. It was a proud day to be a Giants fan, whichever way you cut it.

When Brandon Belt rode in from the left field tunnel in a boat wearing his “captain” hat, the crowd celebrated the inanity. Belt threw out the first pitch to manager Gabe Kapler and it was time to “Play Ball!”

Then they did. And it was a doozy. The Miami Marlins were in town and it looked like they’d flop on the dock for the Giants, putting up minimal resistance for most of the game. The Giants were cruising behind six innings of solid pitching fromn starters logan Webbwho gave up one run on five hits. Joey Bart and Belt both homered, and it looked like the Giants would cruise to a 4-2 victory. Until the ninth, when the Marlins exploded for three runs and took the lead, 5-4. Last year’s phenom reliever Camilo Doval pretty much imploded there, giving up a soul-crushing, two-run home run to someone named jazz Chisolm, the Marlins’ second baseman … who bats ninth. The Giants countered in the bottom of the frame, when their own second baseman, Thairo Estrada, hit a ball deep into the left field bleachers. Off to the tenth we went. Remember, teams start a runner at second base in extra innings. The Marlins failed to get their man home in the top of the 10th. And so did the Giants, foiled by the boneheaded baserunning of mauricio dubon. But the Giants didn’t quit. There reputation drew a walk, and then Austin Slater drove the big fella home, all the way from first, to create the perfect finish. A play at the plate for the win. Safe! Giants 6, Marlins 5. The players rushed the field and the fans rejoiced. Disaster averted.

All in all, the Giants looked sloppy all day. Errors in the field. Bad base running. Generally funky. Who needs spring training, right? I blame the owners. For everything.

Whatever the reason. It sure felt like Giants baseball alright. Sweet torture.

All the expected swells were on hand, hobnobbing in an adjacent courtyard before the game. in one corner Barry Bonds was deep in conversation with Mayor London breed. supervisor Matt Haney was on hand with his father. They’ve been season ticket holders for over 30 years. Giants President and CEO Larry Bear was holding court in the center of it all, greeting friends and customers while basking in the moment.

I couldn’t quite hear what Bonds and Breed were discussing, but the mayor was happy to talk about this day. For a public official who supported many of the lockdowns and mandates that helped San Francisco survive the pandemic, it was a special day.

“We’ve not been able to come together like this in a really long time,” she told The Examiner. “And you see all the orange and the black … people of all ages, of all races, of all walks of life. That’s what San Francisco is about. Bringing a lot of different people together to celebrate a common goal.”

But what about the baseball Your Honor?

“Let’s make sure that the Giants win on Opening Day! We want another World Series, and we want another parade.”

Well, whadaya say Mr. Baer? Can the Giants do it again? The mayor’s asking. Last year’s record-setting season is a hard act to follow. Especially without busters Posey.

“We feel good about the season. You never know. Every year is a new movie,” Baer told me. “So we’re just trying to figure out what movie. The good news in sports, as opposed to movies, is you can change the cast in the middle of the season.” That’s gotta make the players feel good. But it’s true.

And “Traders Faran” (Zaidi), the team’s president of baseball operations, is known for mixing and matching his roster as much as anyone in the game. He doesn’t hesitate to make moves, and does not stand on sentimentality in doing so. The media had the chance to sit with Zaidi, and Kapler, on Thursday and hear them out on the upcoming season. They sounded enthusiastic, prepared, analytical and focused. You can’t help but feel their confidence, even if the Dodgers have a clearly better roster.

Said Kapler: “Yeah, I mean, last year was an extremely exciting year on so many fronts, and we had players have extraordinary years. So everybody’s looking to build on that success. And I don’t think that means like winning a certain number of games. But I think (it means) continuing to improve our processes and our practices. And so it’s kind of every time we go out on the field, every time we’re doing a drill, we’re doing a team fundamental, a simulated game, we’re trying to find the value at the margins or trying to ask ourselves, ‘Is that the best way we can prepare? Is that the best way we can practice?’”

The man should be a venture capitalist. Maybe he is.

Zaidi is even more no-nonsense, if that’s imaginable. His team is projected to win something like 85 games, by most prediction services. Doesn’t bother Zaidi: “It’s hard to get mad at an algorithm.”

His offseason was severely hampered by the misguided owners’ lockout, which restricted contact with players. But he took it in stride, binge-watching “Squid Games” to pass the time, among other pursuits. After a successful spring, with not too many injuries, Zaidi lauded the Giants’ starting rotation, which may be the best in the big leagues. It’s all very practical in Farhan’s world.

But even for Mr. Analytics, the opener meant something special.

“As far as Opening Day goes, a year ago feels like 10 years ago in some ways. We had really limited capacity and attendance at the time. So to have a big crowd on Opening Day. …It’s pretty exciting for everyone.”

We’ll give the last word to Mr. Haney, San Francisco’s would-be state assemblyman.

“People have been saying for a few months now that The City feels like it’s coming back. And I’ve always said to them, ‘Just wait till the Giants return,’” said Haney, wearing a Giants gamer. “We couldn’t ask for a better day. To me, this is not only the Giants coming back, but The City coming back. That’s what we’re celebrating today.”

The Arena, a column from The Examiner’s Al Saracevic, explores San Francisco’s playing field, from politics and technology to sports and culture. Send your tips, quips and quotes to asaracevic@sfexaminer.com.

Mayor London Breed and former Giants slugger Barry Bonds chat at a pregame party outside Oracle Park before the Giants 2022 season opener against the Miami Marlins. (Al Saracevic/The Examiner)

From left: Rafael Rodriguez, center, of Hillsborough embraces his son Rafael III, 10, as they ready to head into Oracle Park to watch the Giants on Opening Day alongside older son Santana, left, daughter Raquel, 8, and his wife, Raquel . (Craig Lee/The Examiner)

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