As the 49ers prepare for what is expected to be the final game at Candlestick Park Monday night against the Falcons, there’s a strong waft of nostalgia around the outdated stadium that has housed baseball, football and even pop culture history. It’s always the answer to the music trivia question: Where did the Beatles play their final concert? 
The perception to Bay Area outsiders is that the ‘Stick fan-base mostly eats brie and sips Pinot, but if you’ve ever spent any time in the bleachers like me, you know it’s all about the insults and suds. Case in point in the early 90’s when Reds reliever Rob Dibble was warming up in the bullpen. As he was getting verbally pounded, he stopped, looked directly at our section and shook his head in disgust.
The cascading boos clearly got to him because a minute later, Dibble flashed us half the peace sign! I also vividly remember fans in the bleachers during Game 4 of the 1989 World Series serenading the Chemical Brothers, er Bash Brothers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire with chants of “STER-OIDS!” We were a rowdy bunch fiercely protecting our turf on Jamestown Avenue, but that shared sentiment is now likely faded away with an updated, shimmering new home south of San Francisco. Gonna miss that big ‘ole monolithic lug.