--Local photog Thomas Hawk gets assaulted for taking pictures -- again. [Thomas Hawk's Digital Connection, via the SFist tips line. update: From last year! Sorry! Keep those tips fresh, folks!] --C.W. Nevius didn't start the fire. [The Chron.] --Republicans busted by SF State for stomping on Muslim flags with the word "Allah" written on them are now suing. Oh, that's rich. [CBS 5.] --You thought Ed Jew Borderline was awesome? If that was Madonna,......

For the past few seasons, the Warriors primary marketing slogan has been, "A Great Time Out". Brimming with hope after Tuesday's trade, SFist decided to catch a game at the O-rena to find out for ourselves.

Since the Merc's Tim Kawakami couldn't make it, we figured we'd step in for Saturday's game against the Cavaliers. This team now has new hope, and SFist was eager to see if there was a new buzz to go with it.

Our audit considered 11 different categories: parking, Oraclelization, concessions, personnel, entertainment, the crowd, new players, visuals/lighting, the seats, music/sound, and the game itself. Each category was ranked from 1 to 10, with 10 being Pac Bell/SBC/ATT park and 1 being, well, Candlestick.

It's been a year of farewells for the Giants and after saying goodbye to Marquis, Woody, and J.T., the Giants officially bid adieu to another Giant of the early aught era, Rusty. Rusty was a bell and whistle in the bells and whistle laden Pac Bell Park when it opened. He was a mechanical robot stationed in right field who was supposed to come out during various parts of the game and do, well, we don't know what he was supposed to do because he never actually did do. Once the 2000 season started, Rusty was felled by mechanical issues and rarely made an appearance, although some would say "mechanical issues" really meant "sucked ass." Rusty was pretty much looked at with disdain since his announcement, kind of like Edgardo Alfonzo, and his loss will probably be mourned by no one. Also like Alfonzo. ...

Shirley Jackson, put down that rock! At 7:30 a.m. yesterday, the SF Redevelopment Agency hosted a low-income housing lottery that attracted over 4300 applicants. The SF Redevelopment Agency, along with Centurion Real Estate, are offering 20 condos right by Pac Bell SBC AT&T Park at crazy prices -- studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms with market values between $500,000 to $1.3 mill are going for between $85-233K. They're offering 7 houses to low-income residents (about $46,500 for a single person, and $66,500 for a family of four) and 13 to moderate-income residents ($73,150 single, $104,500 family of four), with preference going to people who were previously displaced from low-income housing. There's also a cap on the equity you can build up in the house (the Redevelopment Agency will set your resale price when you move, so other low- or moderate-income families can move in). But you certainly can't beat the view in that neighborhood! 150 names were drawn, but pretty much everyone expects that the first 20 people are going to snap up their houses, if they can qualify for fixed-rate mortgages. Don't worry, though, SF expects to make more such opportunities available in the Mission Bay area, the Western Addition, and Bayview/Hunters' Point. ...

SFist went to last Sunday's Giants game against the Marlins and discovered a few things. Like the unknown gem of Giants' food fare, the Sheboygan, a grease drenched, grilled to perfection brat that's totally unhealthy, totally greasy, and totally yum. We also realized that in the midst of the dreariness of this season, all the hand-wringing about attendance might just not be necessary. Because on a beautiful, sunny, warm day, the ballpark was still packed......

Oh, woe is the Giant fan. This week we were taunted at by our resident A's scribe and all we could come up with as a retort was "at least we got a stadium." My, how the mighty have fallen. What else could we come up with? Our DL list could crush your DL list? Our GM has a better mullet? There's only one thing it appears that can save our season: Crazy Crab. What else do we have to look forward too? You've seen the Web site, you've heard the stories, you've bought the baby t's, now rally for the cause. This Saturday before the inevitable botched pitching job against the Cardinals, the Crustacean Liberation Coalition is calling for a rally to help bring back Crazy Crab-- Crustacean Commotion. Join the fun, drink some beer, wear crab hats, and fight injustice. The fun starts at noon in front of Pac Bell SBC Park and afterwards, everyone will continue fight crab discrimination at the Park Bar & Grill. As Triumph once sang, "Fight the good fight every moment/It's your only way."...

Making official something that's been talked about for months, Major League Baseball today announced that the 2007 All-Star Game will be held at the Stadium Formerly Known as Pac Bell Park. Isn't it nice to have some news about Bay Area baseball that doesn't involve injecting things in people's asses? The Giants last hosted the Midsummer Classic in 1984 and also held one in 1961, a game remembered primarily for pitcher Stu Miller getting blown off the mound by the Candlestick wind....

We're sure there are some people out there who are all interested in the AT&T/SBC merger because of what it means to the stock market. And we're sure there are some of you out there who are interested in the merger because of what it means for your job. But we here at SFist are interested in it for only reason -- what name will the Giants now call home? While the people behind......