Tag: sports

Painting the Merrill Madness mural downtown!

San Diego artist Christopher Konecki was working on painting the new Merrill Madness mural in downtown this morning. The artwork will depict Padres baseball star Jackson Merrill, and will greet fans coming west down Market Street at Eighth Avenue.

The grassroots, fan-funded mural is a collaboration that includes the Merrill Madness Foundation and artist team Christopher Konecki (@konecki_art) and Carly Ealey (@carlyealey). Amazing murals by these artists appear throughout the city. You might recall how they painted two cool Padres murals in North Park. See those photos here and here.

Chris told me this is the fourth day of working on the Merrill Madness mural. It’s huge: four stories high! The mural should be done in a couple of weeks or so.

I’ll provide an update when the artwork is completed.

Looks like it’s gonna be awesome!

UPDATE!

Three days later, much progress has been made!

ANOTHER UPDATE!

And in another three days…

AND FOUR DAYS AFTER THAT…

ONE MORE UPDATE!

It was finally completed!

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Savannah Bananas arrive in San Diego!

The Savannah Bananas have arrived in San Diego. They will be playing their wacky Banana Ball today and tomorrow at Petco Park. I’m told the wildly popular event is sold out!

A crew was setting up a row of canopies north of Petco Park’s Gallagher Square, where there will be fun activities for fans. I see there will be loads of yellow Savannah Banana merchandise for sale.

I happened to walk this morning down J Street. I took these photos. Lots of smiles!

So, what, you wonder is Banana Ball and how is it different than baseball? Check out the website here.

Among a bunch of strange rules are: batters can steal first base, batters are out if a fan catches a foul ball in the stands, no walks are allowed, no bunts are allowed, there’s a two hour time limit . . . and other peculiar, exciting stuff.

I hear players at Savannah Banana games do choreographed dances and engage in trick plays.

The Savannah Bananas are sort of like the Harlem Globetrotters–but baseball.

Get ready to Go Bananas!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Pickleball on the streets of San Diego!

Perhaps you’ve seen stickball on the streets of Little Italy in downtown San Diego–but pickleball in the middle of the Gaslamp Quarter?

Yes!

Gaslamp Urban Pickleball is a new multi-week event where anyone can play pickleball on two blocks of Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter!

As the event website says: Be Part of History — San Diego’s First-Ever Urban Pickleball Courts!

Every Thursday until September 25th, after 4 pm and until sunset, you can play this super popular sport with friends and neighbors, while people cheer you on from the sidewalk, nearby restaurants and bars. Win a prize, too! This cool event has been brought to downtown San Diego by the Gaslamp Quarter Association.

Interested?

To learn all you need to know, and to register, check out the Gaslamp Urban Pickleball website!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Upcoming activities for seniors in San Diego!

When I poked my nose into Balboa Park’s Senior Lounge the other day, I learned that all sorts of great activities are coming up in San Diego for seniors!

The first event I learned about was the AgeWell Services’ 2025 Intergenerational Senior Prom. It’s not a high school prom. It’s a formal or semiformal attire event for all ages, which includes foxtrot and west coast swing dance lessons, lunch, a raffle, and of course, dancing! A glam room will allow participants to have their hair and nails done. The ticket price for all of it is a mere 5 dollars! You can call 619-235-1191 for more information.

Also underway right now is the San Diego Senior Games. Seniors can compete in a wide variety of sports, including basketball, badminton, golf, soccer, table tennis and much more! You can register here. The games take place in August and September.

I also learned the AgeWell Services Craft Sale at Balboa Park is coming up on November 15th and 16th. Are you crafty? Sell the crafts you’ve made by hand at this annual sale that takes place at the Casa del Prado. Find out more by calling 619-525-8247.

You can find additional information about these activities and many more by reading the Fall issue of the AgeWell Newsletter by clicking here.

The pages of the Fall Newsletter are full of offerings for seniors in San Diego, from dances, to trips, to educational opportunities, to social events… Click the above link and check it out!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Unexpected paragliders beside Mission Bay!

One expects to see paragliders in La Jolla high above the beach at the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Not on the grass beside Mission Bay!

That’s exactly what I encountered during a long walk today!

Several people were testing their colorful paragliders in a steady wind. The large fabrics opened like bright flowers suddenly blooming.

At first glance, I thought they might be kiteboarders. But the equipment indicated otherwise.

I didn’t intrude to ask, but I concluded this was practice. With trees all around and no serious updraft, it wasn’t surprising that no paragliders lifted off.

I stepped off the path and took a few photographs…

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

2025 California Firefighter Summer Games in San Diego!

Fourteen basketball teams from around California are competing in San Diego. It’s the 2025 Firefighter Summer Games, and the hoops action is taking place in Balboa Park at the Municipal Gymnasium!

There are teams from San Diego, Oakland, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco, Bakersfield, Redding, Fresno, Orange County and elsewhere in California.

I’m pleased to report that today San Diego in their first game beat Orange County Fire Authority 45-41. That was the situation when I peeked into the gymnasium during my Balboa Park walk.

The Firefighter Summer Games are being held in venues around San Diego. See the event website here.

Thank you to all firefighting heroes. You are very much appreciated by everyone.

May you also be heroes on the basketball court!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Star Wars photos outside Petco Park!

May the Force be with the San Diego Padres!

No doubt the Force will come into play, considering it’s Star Wars Day at Petco Park as the Padres face the Royals in a home day game.

Many fans were converging on the ballpark in downtown San Diego, and fun Star Wars shirts and costumes and signs could be spotted in the crowd.

I took photographs!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

U. S. Police & Fire Championships in San Diego!

The 2025 United States Police & Fire Championships are now underway in and around San Diego!

As their website explains: The USPFC is an Olympic-style competition for athletes representing Law Enforcement, Firefighters, and officers from Corrections, Probation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection from across the country.

There are 38 different sports in which participants can compete. There’s everything from tennis to soccer to bowling to cornhole, and, as I discovered this afternoon, basketball!

Walking through Balboa Park, I noticed spirited basketball play inside the Municipal Gymnasium. The athletes I observed are skilled and very serious about winning!

To learn more about the United States Police & Fire Championships and the various sports being played in venues around San Diego, check out this webpage.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Fun at San Diego FC home game FanFest!

San Diego FC is playing LA Galaxy at Snapdragon Stadium this afternoon. At half-time the score is tied 1-1.

Before the start of every home game, San Diego FC hosts a very popular FanFest on the grass east of the stadium. Today the festival was packed with soccer fans, families and fun!

I walked around FanFest for my first time just for the experience. There are loads of activities. It’s an absolute party! Here are some photos…

Heading toward Snapdragon Stadium from the nearby trolley station.
DIRECTV is a major partner of San Diego Football Club.
Kids kick a soccer ball around on the grass.
This smiling lady was creating soap bubbles earlier!
Fans were posing for photos all over the place.
Big crowd ahead!
Many fans were in line for the team Meet & Greet.
The FanFest includes food trucks and picnic tables.
I think this guy is supposed to be SDFC Forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano!
Kids find out what it’s like to be a firefighter.
Many fans were getting SDFC haircuts!
These guys will look very stylish.
Dedicated SDFC fans could also have their hair colored.
Chrome and azul are San Diego FC’s team colors.
Just “kicking it” at the pre-game party!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson in Logan Heights!

The other day I took photos of a cool mural in Logan Heights that shows legendary boxers Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. It’s painted at the corner of Imperial Avenue and 27th Street.

Ali’s famous quote “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” is written above the boxers. Tyson’s quote “I’m a dreamer. I have to dream and reach for the stars…” appears, too, along with an image of one of his tigers.

I didn’t realize it until I did some searching on the internet, but San Diego’s own Archie Moore boxed Muhammad Ali (when he was known as Cassius Clay) back in 1962. You can read a Wikipedia article about the event here.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!