SAN FRANCISCO -- Quarterback Alex Smith toured his new city
Monday, met the mayor, and even pushed back his flight home once he
realized his beloved San Diego Padres were in town.
Smith, the top pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL draft
Saturday out of Utah, attended the Padres game against the San
Francisco Giants at SBC Park. That followed a jam-packed day that
included stops at Candlestick Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, the
office of mayor Gavin Newsom, and a trip down the city's famous
crooked Lombard Street.
"It was a great day," said Smith, a Heisman Trophy finalist
who grew up admiring Steve Young and John Elway. "It got me even
more excited."
While he was out on the town, his parents were searching the
Santa Clara area near the 49ers' training complex for some
temporary living quarters for their son. He planned to head home to
San Diego on Monday night, then return to the Bay Area this weekend
in preparation for the team's first minicamp the following week.
"It's still very surreal," Smith said. "It'll probably feel
good to get back in a uniform doing football stuff. I'm glad the
draft stuff is over. I got really tired of it."
Smith, wearing a gray hooded 49ers sweat shirt, is a lifelong
Padres fan and used to play baseball himself. His brother, Josh,
has season tickets at Petco Park.
Smith stood behind the cage chatting with manager Bruce Bochy
during batting practice and met several players -- the first time
the football star had been on the field with his favorite team. He
signed autographs and even wrote a personal message on a football
for Giants reliever Scott Eyre, a former Utah resident and a
college football fan.
The Giants gave him a jersey with his name on it, and while he
appreciated the gesture, he acknowledged it's going to be tough to
change his baseball allegiances at this stage. He spent his
childhood days cheering for Tony Gwynn and company.
"I'm a huge Padres fan. It's going to be hard to wear Giants
stuff," he said, smiling.
Smith will compete for the starting job this season with Tim
Rattay and will be counted upon to rebuild a storied franchise that
matched the worst record in team history at 2-14 under then-coach
Dennis Erickson and general manager Terry Donahue.