Robert De Niro made a movie about the SF Giants. The team wishes he hadn't.

Thirty years ago, Pat Gallagher traveled to Los Angeles for a preview of The Fan, a Robert De Niro thriller about an obsessive Giants supporter. As a Giants executive and marketing head, he saw potential publicity from the film’s star power, Candlestick Park exteriors, and Giants-related casting and consulting. The team initially considered a premier screening with KNBR to raise money for the Giants Community Fund, but those plans were dropped. After watching the movie, Gallagher felt horrified. The film centers on Gil Renard, an out-of-work knife salesman who becomes obsessed with and stalks a Giants star player, creating a negative association for the team.

"During those Candlestick days, we would do almost anything to get attention,” Gallagher, who is now retired, told SFGATE in a call. “And so the thought of having a movie, and having Robert De Niro in it, and having it be at Candlestick and having a player that was sort of like our left fielder, [Barry] Bonds - it was pretty exciting.”"

"On paper, everything about “The Fan” screamed good publicity for the team. Tony Scott, the filmmaker behind “Top Gun,” was the director, and the film shot exteriors at Candlestick Park. Benicio Del Toro played a minor role, fresh off of his performance in “The Usual Suspects.” Wesley Snipes co-starred alongside De Niro, playing a Giants outfielder and star hitter. Cal Ripken Jr. was the sports consultant."

"Prior to that fateful LA screening, the Giants intended to help promote the film. Gallagher mentioned the idea of hosting a premier screening, in conjunction with KNBR, to raise money for the Giants Community Fund. Those plans were quickly scrapped. “I watched it, and I was horrified,” Gallagher, now 77, recalled."

"Based on a 1995 novel of the same name, it tells the story of Gil Renard (De Niro), an out-of-work knife salesman. After his ex-wife files a restraining order against him, Gil grows obsessed with, and eventually stalks, the team's star player, Bobby Rayburn (Snipes). In the novel, Gil is a Red Sox fan. But for reasons Gallagher doesn't recall, the film adaptation s"

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