When Devon Errington picked Mother’s Day to make her maiden voyage into McCovey Cove during a Giants game, she arrived with one simple goal: Get on TV while flashing a homemade sign that proclaimed her love for dear mom.
Never did the San Carlos resident expect a home run ball to come her way.
But, OMG, there it was: high in the clear-blue sky above Oracle Park and speeding downward like a missile. … Right. At. Her.
BAM!
The ball, swatted by Jake Cronenworth of the San Diego Padres, smacked off the nose of her kayak and splashed into the emerald waters just a few feet away. Errington, rocking her Giants jersey, barely had to stretch to pluck it from the cove and proudly hold it aloft in ultimate triumph.
“I can’t believe it!” she exclaimed to other boaters in the vicinity. “It’s beginner’s luck, I guess.”
Among the first to congratulate her was Dave Edlund, who has fished more baseballs out of McCovey Cove than anyone. Was he bummed that Errington beat him out for this one? Nope. Not at all.
“I’m very proud and happy for her,” he gushed. “I come to the cove with a big heart.”
Since 2000, when the Giants moved into their ballpark palace by the bay, people have come in droves to the small body of water named in honor of beloved franchise legend Willie McCovey. Some turn out simply to enjoy a floating party, or be part of the scene or cop some TV time during games.
Others, like Edlund, are regulars, seriously intent on tracking down soggy baseballs or “splash hits.”
Known by fans and on social media as “McCovey Cove Dave,” the retired Oakland resident claims to have nabbed 42 balls over the years. That would make him the Barry Bonds of his craft. No one else has more than 10.
Why is he so dang good? Anticipation for one. He fanatically studies players’ tendencies like a scout and positions himself in the water like an outfielder, all while listening to the radio play-by-play.
Oh, and he’s a super-fast kayak paddler.
“I estimate that I get to the ball (before others) 70 percent of the time,” he boasts. “I love the thrill of the chase.”
And Edlund, 65, isn’t above abandoning his watercraft to get what he wants. During a game last July, he nabbed not one, but two home run balls clubbed by Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski — the second sent him plunging into the cove to secure his prize.
Footage of his feat wound up on ESPN as the cable network’s “Play of the Day.”
Mark Busch, a friend and rival of Edlund, is another McCovey Cove regular who attends nearly 20 games a year. He claims “you have to be a certain kind of weirdo” to do what they do.
“I’m the only normal guy in the cove,” he says with a laugh. “All these other guys have issues.”
Busch, a San Jose resident, actually owns Giants season tickets, but prefers to be out in the cove to being inside the park.
“The view of the bay you get from a kayak or boat is amazing,” he says. “It’s so much fun. And to see that ball drop from the sky — it’s a feeling you just can’t explain.”
Edlund agrees with his fellow mariner.
“It’s free. You don’t need a ticket,” he says. “So it’s a really cheap date. And the vibe in the cove is friendly and communal.”
Indeed, the handful of cove veterans have been known to come to the aid of drunken fans who tumble into the drink. And they’ll occasionally hand over baseballs snared during batting practice to the party-boat folks in exchange for a beer or a hamburger.
But once a home run ball splashes down, all bets are off.
“Sometimes there’s a big battle,” says Edlund. “And there’s whitewater everywhere.”
Edlund, who has achieved quasi-celebrity status during his years patrolling McCovey Cove, loves to play up the theatrical aspect of the skirmish, referring to his rival ball hawks as “the bad guys” or “piranhas.” He revels in the cheers from fans along the waterfront promenade. He proudly points out that he uses his bare hand, rather than a net, to procure his baseball pearls.
And he takes sinister delight in the fact that other kayakers have adopted a concessionary mantra when they’re plotting their sea-faring strategy:
“Go when Dave’s not there.”
“Dave has spanked me many times,” Busch admits with an air of resignation. “But he makes it fun and exciting, and I credit him for bringing people out to the cove to experience it.”
As for his future McCovey Cove endeavors, Edlund thinks like an athlete. He knows he’s getting older, and his reflexes aren’t what they used to be. And he realizes that someday, he’ll be supplanted as king of the cove. Still, he hopes to run up his “games played” total for another 10 years or so.
And what does he plan to do with all those baseballs?
“It sounds crazy, but I’m taking them with me,” he says. “I want them in my casket.”
IF YOU GO
You don’t have to be a fanatical ball hawk to enjoy the vibe of McCovey Cove during Giants games. Many first-timers rent kayaks from retailers like Ted Choi’s City Kayak, a 10- to 15-minute paddle from the waters behind Oracle Park. Choi, who has run the business for 17 years, offers some tips:
— Start early (before the game) and “come back in before it gets too windy.” He says winds regularly kick up in the area around 2 or 3 p.m.
— Single-person kayaks “are more fun,” but if you’re going with small kids or older parents, it might be better to have them accompany you in a two-person craft.
— Make sure to bring sun screen. “Many people never think about that when it’s kind of chilly early in the day,” Choi says. “But later on, it can get baking hot.”
— Bring a radio to listen to the game as you float. But consider encasing it in a water-proof container.
