San Francisco's most famous bike commuter? This Giants broadcaster

San Francisco Chronicle​

5 hours ago

Dave Flemming calling a San Francisco Giants game is an exercise in composure, maintaining control through home runs that will be remembered forever, the seventh game of a World Series and every broken bat and unexpected bounce in between.
But as we crest a hill on bikes in the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge comes into sight, I'm hearing something different from the veteran broadcaster: Dave Flemming the fan.
'Can you believe this view?' he marvels, sounding overwhelmed at the sunny postcard scene, with just a wisp of cinematic fog passing over the bridge. 'I don't think there's a more beautiful place in the world.'
The Giants play-by-play announcer since 2003, who also calls college football, basketball and golf on ESPN, may be the most famous bicycle commuter in San Francisco. After rediscovering his bike during the COVID shutdown in 2020, he's been pedaling full-time between his Richmond District home and Oracle Park, including after night games — winding through empty city streets long after the ballpark has cleared out and many Giants fans have gone to sleep.
'I mean this sounds so corny, but I've fallen in love with San Francisco again by riding my bike,' Flemming says. 'I think this is such an incredible walking and biking city. The character of San Francisco is it's small, it's compact, the neighborhoods change. You go five blocks and it feels like a totally different place. And that's hard to notice when you're in your car.'
One day in April or May 2020, when he was bored and looking for exercise, he hopped on a barely-used bicycle and pedaled randomly through Golden Gate Park.
'I absolutely loved it,' Flemming remembers. 'I'd go down to the beach and get a cup of coffee and ride back home or whatever. I thought, 'Man, this is such a cool way to see the city.''
When the Giants returned to the field that same July, with temperature checks and cardboard fans replacing crowds, Flemming started biking to 24 Willie Mays Plaza. Before games he'd race like Evel Knievel around the empty ballpark concourses, then pedal into the media elevator, rolling right to the broadcast booth.
'I'm probably not supposed to admit that, but I did it,' Flemming remembers. 'At some point (they said), 'You're not allowed to bring your bike inside.''
Along the way he upgraded to an electric bike and began taking more scenic routes along the northern shoreline. Even with that detour he can make it to the ballpark in 17 minutes — faster, he notes, than he got there by car.
I arrive at Flemming's home and immediately feel outmatched. His sleek black e-bike looks ready to conquer any San Francisco hill. With his motorcycle-style helmet and reflective face shield, he's giving off 'Tron' light cycle vibes.
But I'm charmed to realize that Flemming's bike riding style mirrors his detailed, genuine, Vin Scully-by-way-of-Ron Howard broadcasting style. He's observant of his surroundings. He's a rule follower on a bike. He's having a good time.
Our path takes us past a highlight reel of San Francisco landmarks, with ace views of both bridges, Transmerica Pyramid and the Ferry Building. ('If you pull out my iPhone, I probably have 1,000 pictures of Alcratraz, and 10,000 pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge.')
But he also makes regular stops at Graffeo in North Beach for coffee beans and Molinari Delicatessen for canned tuna and dried pasta to cook at home. When there's a Ferry Building farmers market on game days, chilaquiles are a must.
We pull into Liguria Bakery on Stockton Street — on the same corner since 1914 — where a paper bag filled with olive focaccia is waiting. Flemming takes his first bite on the street.
'This is my favorite thing about San Francisco,' he says of the city's small businesses.
While his colleagues look incredulously at his bike, parked leaning against the NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast truck, Flemming says the ride, even on cold and windy San Francisco nights, is the perfect comedown after an adrenaline-filled job. In the ballpark just about anything can happen, from a perfect game to a once-in-a-generation earthquake.
Flemming isn't the only Giants staffer to skip the car trip to work. Hunter Pence famously took a motorized scooter to games, and former Giants manager Gabe Kapler often biked to the ballpark from his North Beach home.
Joshua Karlin-Resnick, Giants vice president of experience strategy, said more than 55% of Giants fans now travel to the ballpark without a car, up from 50% in 2019. The team averages 120 bicycles per game checked into its free valet behind right field.
Flemming emphasizes that he's not anti-automobile. But as a pro-bike ambassador, he's happy to lead the way to Oracle Park.
We cruise into the promenade along McCovey Cove, one last iconic San Francisco stop before Flemming's workday starts. The regulars are lining up and I hear 'Have a good call Dave!'— the first of several fans who recognize their bicycling broadcaster.
'I feel like, man, this is why we live here,' Flemming says. 'It's such a cool place, and now I get to see it the way that really it's meant to be seen.'