Anyone who has ever attended a game at San Francisco's AT&T Park knows that it's one of the jewels of the MLB stadium circuit, except for one teensy problem: THE HORRIFIC TRASH-EATING BIRDS THAT COME OUT AT NIGHT AND STEAL YOUR $7 GARLIC FRIES.


OK, they usually wait until the game's over to swoop down and have their way with your concessional leftovers, but the Giants' front office is doing something about it this year. (Seriously, though, it's a big problem.)

Meet Bruce Lee, the red-tailed hawk who took up residence high up above third base some time last November. Various Giants employees have already seen his bird-killing prowess in action, and his team-approved mission this year will be to eat the invading pigeons and sea gulls that come into AT&T Park's friendly confines.


Evidently, things got so bad last season that the team started negotiating with a professional falconer to see if he could address the sea gull issue. Giants operations director Jorge Costa told the Bay Citizen how that effort went:

But the costs of hiring the falconer turned out to be "prohibitive," according to Costa, who said the team might use remote-controlled aircraft disguised as falcons to scare away the gulls if Bruce Lee fails to perform. "We just hope that it works out," Costa said. "We'll see." The hawk generally visits the ballpark for a few days and then disappears for a few days, according to Costa. He said the team built a box for it to nest in on one of its favorite light towers along the third base line.

Giants fans, at least you know where your Matt Cain extension money is going.

Giants' New Left Fielder Only Catches Fowls [The Bay Citizen]