Beating casts pall over West Coast rivalry

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

Nearly seven weeks after a Giants fan was severely beaten at Dodger Stadium on opening day, San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy can’t believe the culprits haven’t been caught.

Before the Giants opened a two-game series against Los Angeles on Wednesday in the defending champions’ first visit to the venerable stadium since the beating, Bochy shared the bewilderment felt by both teams, most fans and even the police since the brutal postgame attack on Bryan Stow in a parking lot.

“I am surprised, because there were a number of witnesses,” Bochy said. “In this time, with the video equipment and the availability of telephones and cameras and the information that you’d think we can get, I am very surprised that they haven’t caught them.”

Stow, a 42-year-old paramedic and father of two, transferred Monday to a San Francisco hospital. He has opened his eyes after coming out of a coma, but still faces a lengthy, uncertain recovery.

Before their clubs’ brief series began in a half-empty stadium, Bochy and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said the beating has cast an undeniable pall over the West Coast’s liveliest baseball rivalry.

“It affected us, to have one of our fans have this happen to him,” Bochy said. “He’s a father with a family, and he comes out to watch a ballgame. It’s tough to see that happen at a ballpark. This is a game. I’m not going to lie. It bothered everybody, and not just us.”