San Francisco author shares thoughts on The World Series win for the Giants

San Francisco author Joe Sutton has written another book, "The Year The Giants Won the Series." It highlights his feelings and recollections of the 2010 season. During that season the San Francisco Giants triumphed and created a cause for celebration for the entire City.

An avid sports fan, Sutton had dreams of being an "All-American" when he played college football at the University of Oregon in 1960. But a knee injury changed that goal and Sutton frustrated with being on the sidelines knew he had to figure out what direction to take.

After obtaining his degree he joined the Coast Guard reserve and it was during this time that Sutton as the writer emerged. As a young college football player in 1960, the mood and atmosphere of the nation and the world then was much different.

The 1960´s began as a very optimistic but rather conservative era. Yet with the assignation of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, and the growing social unrest, the social climate changed dramatically. In less than six years the nation and the world changed drastically. By 1968 the nation was facing tremendous social change.

This is when Sutton began to write. He wrote down his feelings, especially about the assignation of JFK which had a traumatic effect upon the entire nation.

It was also at that time that Sutton decided to become a teacher which inspired a novel called, "A Class of Leaders." The material for the novel is based upon his real life experiences teaching at Fremont High School in South Central Los Angeles in the late 1960s.

As the 60´s ended and the 1970´s unfolded, Sutton wanted to move to San Francisco which he had visited during his tour of duty in the Coast Guard. San Francisco is where he met his wife Joan.

Sutton lives in the Parkside District of the city. It is like a little village unto itself, with Taraval as its main street. Often times Parkside is thought to be part of the adjacent Sunset District which is next to Golden Gate Park.

But that is not so. Local historians like Woody Labounty, point out that many people think Parkside got its name because of proximity to Golden Gate Park. Yet he pointed out that most likely the district was so named because "it may have referred to were the eucalyptus trees around today's Pine Lake Park and Stern Grove are," LaBounty said.

Regardless of how Parkside District got its name ask any resident like Sutton and they will tell you the distinctions. It is in such areas that one gets a much more down-to-earth sense of San Francisco.

Sutton with wife Joan has lived in the Parkside for decades. He taught classes, coached sport teams and did retail/wholesale sales. Yet his desire to be a writer continued, despite obstacles. Since 1991 Sutton has made writing his full-time endeavor.

Living San Francisco´s Parkside District is very conducive to writing. The diverse mix of people amid a busy working middle-class neighborhood in one of the nation´s most popular cities provides lots of material for a writer like Sutton.

Sutton frequents spots along Taraval Street like the Tennessee Grill. There he catches up on the latest news of the day or has a chat with fellow residents.

Sutton was in high spirits on May 22, as Marty Laurie a sports commentator of KNBR Radio interviewed him on the air live, that Sunday morning. Laurie praised Sutton´s book saying, "I commend you for this; it´s really succinct I did not put it down."

The 97-pages, written in diary form, express Sutton´s observations and sentiments during the Giants winning season from June to Nov. of 2010.

"As a writer I keep a journal and since I work at home, I listened to on the radio or watch most of the games on TV," said Sutton. "I could see the Giants potential and grit," said Sutton.

Ironically, Sutton was originally an LA Dodgers fan. Growing up in the Southern California sunshine of Hollywood Sutton had no indication a turn of events would take him to San Francisco.

To go from dreams of being an All-American running back to a fourth string football player who saw sporadic action because of a knee injury was humbling. Yet his love of sports continued, especially for baseball.

When Sutton resettled in San Francisco in 1977, he began to "root, root, root for the home team," as the old baseball song goes. "I firm believer in supporting the teams where you reside," Sutton told this reporter.

The idea for the book was from Sutton´s editor and publisher Don Ellis at Mad Dog Publishing. Sutton mixes recollections about baseball history and his experiences as father and coach.

In addition to the season´s observations, "I used the many notes I kept from over 20 years ago about my baseball relationship with my son Ray – a Giants fan," Sutton said. Ray Sutton grew up in the Parkside District and went to local schools; a graduate of St. Ignatius High School.

Sutton noted that he considers Ellis´ idea valuable because a great number of fathers and sons will be able to identify with the father and son baseball bond," he said.

To learn more about author Joe Sutton his literary work and his book "The Year The Giants Won the Series" check out his web site at: http://www.joesutt.com