http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/giants-pence-rides-2-wheels-to-the-park/
Life has been a blur for Hunter Pence since he was traded to the Giants from the Philadelphia Phillies in July. If not for his daily commute to AT&T Park during homestands, he would never have a chance to slow down and enjoy his new vistas.
On Monday, in the Giants’ National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Pence wound up somewhere he has never been before: in a Game 7, a spot he said “you dream about as a kid.”
Pence rides a motorized scooter with a top speed of 20 miles per hour, perfect for his five-minute commute along the sidewalks of the Embarcadero. If it is not too crowded, he said, he allows himself to drink in the views of the Bay Bridge.
It is not easy to draw double takes in a city where eccentricity is celebrated, but at 6 feet 4 inches and more than 200 pounds, Pence tends to stand out on his scooter. Some pedestrians even recognize him as the Giants’ starting right fielder. “They’ll say, ‘Hey, that’s Hunter Pence,’ ” he said.
Pence, who bears a passing resemblance to the actor Woody Harrelson, hopes people understand he is not being rude if he does not acknowledge their greetings with a wave; he does not want to loosen his grip on the handlebars lest he lose his balance.
Does he worry about wiping out, like the Belgian golfer Nicolas Colsaerts did on a scooter the week of the 2011 British Open, forcing him to withdraw from the tournament with an elbow injury?
Uh, no, Pence said, adding, “Thanks for telling me that.”
The scooter, he said, was custom-made by the team’s clubhouse chef, Joe Day, and is painted orange and black. He parks it in the clubhouse.
Manager Bruce Bochy said, “These guys are going to live their lives, and you want them to have fun, as long as it’s under control. I think he should be able to handle that.”