Archive for the Q&A category.
Posted on January 3rd, 2012 by admin in
Q&A 
The San Francisco Giants have recently signed pitcher Boof Bonser to a minor league deal. Bonser was drafted by the Giants in the 1st round of the 2000 draft. He was later traded away to the Twins in a package deal. Boof has been kind enough to do a short Q&A with SF Giants Rumors.
Steven: It’s got to feel like your career has come full circle since you were drafted by the Giants and have signed back with the Giants organization. Giants fans remember the big trade that sent you as part of a package deal with Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano to the Twins for A.J. Pierzynski. What is your relationship like with Nathan and Liriano since you guys were all Giants prospects?
Boof: I have a good friendship with Nathan and Liriano.
Steven: Do you have any personal goals this upcoming season?
Boof: My goals are to get back in the big leagues and to stay healthy.
Steven: Are you hoping to try and crack the starting rotation or be a long man in relief?
Boof: It doesn’t matter if I start or in relief, I will do whatever they want me to do.
Steven: What has your typical offseason day been like?
Boof: I have been just rehabbing trying to get ready for the season, and when I get home I play with my kids.
Steven: If you weren’t a baseball player. What would you be doing?
Boof: I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t in baseball, hopefully I could coach or something. As long as I’m in baseball, I’m ok.
Steven: Is there any teams that you follow as a fan in other sports?
Boof: Man, it is tough to say but I’m a Tampa Bay Bucs fan. It’s been a rough year.
Steven: Any message you want to send to Giants fans?
Boof: To my Giants fans, I’m very excited to be back, and you can follow me on twitter @boofbonser1.
Thank you Boof for taking the time out of your day to answer these questions for all the Giants fans. I would like to wish you the best of luck on this upcoming season!
~King of Cali (Steven)
Technorati Tags: A.J. Pierzynski, Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, Joe Nathan, Q&A With Boof Bonser, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Rumors
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Posted on September 2nd, 2011 by admin in
Q&A 
Giants GM Brian Sabean has recently announced that Gary Brown will not be a September call up. Giants fans are still excited to see Brown in a Giants uniform. He’s done nothing but capture all Giants fans attention thus far. SF Giants Rumors was lucky enough to sit down in the San Jose Giants dugout with Brown a while back. This is the Q&A that Brown did with me.
Steven: What kind of music is on your iPod?
Gary Brown: My iPod has everything… Ranging from Taylor Swift to Lil Wayne (laughing).
Steven: What’s your favorite baseball movie?
Gary Brown: Has to be The Sandlot.
Steven: What is something you love to do other than playing baseball?
Gary Brown: I like to go out with my friends and movies obviously is a big one. I went to a movie after church every Sunday with my family. I would say movies and hanging out with friends.
Steven: Are you a Netflix subscriber?
Gary Brown: No, I’m thinking about doing it though.
Steven: If you weren’t playing baseball, what profession would you be in?
Gary Brown: I don’t know (he laughs), teaching, I have no idea.
Steven: On an off day, where are fans likely to spot you?
Gary Brown: In bed (laughing).
Steven: Since you’re a California guy. Who was your favorite team growing up, and if you say the Dodgers then we might have to end this interview right now.
Gary Brown: (laughing) No, it was the Angels. I was closer to Angels stadium. I do like Vin Scully though. I think everyone appreciates Vin. But it was the Angels.
Steven: So you were rooting for the Angels in the 2002 World Series then?
Gary Brown: Uhhhh… Yeah I was (laughing).
Steven: Who was your favorite player as a kid growing up, and who do you think was the greatest player of all time in a Giants uniform?
Gary Brown: I think the last part is a easy question, Willie Mays. Growing up, I don’t know. I liked a lot of guys, but I do still look up to Derrek Jeter and the way he carries himself.
Steven: What was your first reaction when you were drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 draft?
Gary Brown: I couldn’t stop smiling (laughs), and obviously thinking about my family…. I was at the field cause we had a game that night, so I was at the field with my team. I just couldn’t stop smiling. It was a great, great feeling. Probably the best I have felt in baseball up to this point.
Steven: Prior to the draft what other teams besides the Giants were showing interest in you?
Gary Brown: Oh shoot, I don’t know. I had talk to a lot of them. At this point it doesn’t matter. It’s all about the Giants now (laughing).
Steven: Good answer! (laughing)
Gary Brown: (laughing)
Steven: At what age did you realize that you can make a career out of playing baseball?
Gary Brown: I always wanted too. You know, you hear that typical story. When you’re growing up, you write what you want to be when you grow up on the paper in class like in 2nd grade or whatever. The teacher kind of looks at you like you can’t do that really. I’ve always wanted to do it and a lot of people said I couldn’t do it growing up. It just pushed me more. I was always the little guy playing with bigger dudes. That’s kind of where my mentality for the game comes from.
Steven: In the Giants Media Guide it says you’re tabbed by Baseball America as the Giants fastest base runner in the farm system.
Gary Brown: How did I know, something about Ford (laughing)?
Steven: Do you think you can beat Darren Ford in a foot race, or have you guys already raced?
Gary Brown: We got a lot of crap amongst each other. Manny Burriss kept instigating. We never did race, but I think Ford’s got me (laughing).
Steven: I know Giants fans are excited to see you as a spark plug in their lineup and tracking balls down at AT&T Park. What do you continue to work on to get yourself up to the next level?
Gary Brown: Right now it’s to quit getting thrown out. I hate getting thrown out, and I think I got thrown out like 10 times. For me is unacceptable, and that’s what I’m here working on. Little things like that and my defense. I think those are two things that i really pride myself on because you can’t control how many hits you get. You can control your defense and hustle plays. I shouldn’t be getting thrown out that much so I’ll be working on that.
Steven: Thank you to Gary Brown and the San Jose Giants for allowing me to do this interview. SF Giants Rumors wishes Gary the best of luck and we look forward to following your career!
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Brian Sabean, Darren Ford, Derrek Jeter, Gary Brown, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, King of Cali, NL West, Q&A With Gary Brown, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Giants, SF Giants Rumors, Steven Robles, Vin Scully, Willie Mays
Posted on July 12th, 2011 by admin in
Q&A 
Ever since the San Francisco Giants have called up Brandon Crawford. SF Giants Rumors has been receiving a lot of emails from fans asking for any updates on Crawford. I was also able to do a Q&A with Brandon Crawford. If you haven’t read it, I suggest you check it out!
I recently was able to ask Brandon the following questions…
Steven: Where were you and what were you doing when you received the call that you were going to the show (San Francisco Giants)?
Brandon: I was in my hotel room in Bakersfield when I got the call from Bobby Evans. I was playing for San Jose and we had just finished a game down in Bakersfield. I had heard that Buster, and Font had gotten hurt and I thought there was a decent chance I’d be going to Fresno. When Bobby told me I was going to San Francisco I was shocked/excited/nervous, but I felt I was ready.
Steven: How has this ride been from your first game in the big leagues till now?
Brandon: Since the first game its been a little bit of a roller coaster for me. Obviously, the first game was one of the biggest thrills of my life. I’ve been pretty up and down since then, but I still feel confident and have been having good at bats. If a few more line drives have been a few feet another direction. I could easily have a few more hits. But that’s baseball. Its been awesome being up here and I hope I can stick here for a long time.
Steven: Thank you Brandon for taking the time out to answer these questions for me and your fans!
~King of Cali (Steven)
Technorati Tags: Bobby Evans, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Crawford Q&A, Buster Posey, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, King of Cali, Mike Fontenot, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Giants
Posted on February 4th, 2011 by admin in
Q&A 
Baseball America has recently listed Brandon Crawford as the San Francisco Giants #6 Top Prospect. Brandon grew up in the Bay Area (Pleasanton, Ca), and also grew up a Giants fan. Crawford went to Foothill High School and then went on to UCLA before getting drafted by the San Francisco Giants. Bay Area fans have been able to see Crawford in action for the San Jose Giants in 2009 (25 games) and 2010 (5 games).
Getting To Know Brandon Crawford
SF Giants Rumors: What kind of music is on your iPod?
Brandon: You name it… Lil Wayne, Ke$ha, Taylor Swift, Usher, Justin Bieber… everything. My favorites are probably Lil Wayne, Eminem, Tupac, Drake, The Dream, & Avant. But I really do like all kinds of music.
SF Giants Rumors: What’s your favorite baseball movie?
Brandon: The Sandlot… Major League is a classic though too.
SF Giants Rumors: Your dad was a long time season ticket holder at Candlestick Park, so I’m sure you attended a lot of games. Is there any game that you were at that stands out in your memory?
Brandon: I don’t remember specific games at Candlestick. I do remember the second to last game ever played there because everyone got to walk down on the field after the game. I thought that was pretty cool. I also remember how cold and windy it was.
I was at the playoff game against the Mets in 2000 when J.T. Snow hit a home run late in the game down the right field line. That was a really exciting game. I was also at Game 3, I think, of the 2002 World Series. Neither of those series ended up so well for the Giants though.
SF Giants Rumors: Since you grew up a Giants fan, what would be your All Star Giants team?
Brandon: Good question, I’ll just put guys that I saw play…
C- Buster Posey (my current favorite player)
1B- J.T. Snow
2B- Robby Thompson
3B- Matt Williams
SS- Royce Clayton (he was my favorite player for a while when I was younger)
LF- Barry Bonds
CF- Darren Lewis
RF- Willie McGee
DH- (if necessary) Will Clark
SP- Tim Lincecum
SP- Matt Cain
SP- John Burkett
SP- Russ Ortiz
SP- Kirk Rueter
RP- Brian Wilson
RP- Rod Beck
SF Giants Rumors: What is something you love to do other than playing baseball?
Brandon: I play a good amount of video games, have a decent sized movie collection, and listen to music. When I’m not playing, I like to relax.
SF Giants Rumors: If you weren’t playing baseball, what profession would you be in?
Brandon: I’ve always thought being an architect would be fun.
SF Giants Rumors: Since you’re from the Bay Area, where are fans likely to spot you when you’re in town?
Brandon: San Francisco is a great city, there are lots of places to go there. If I’m at home, like I said I like to relax, so I’m probably hanging with my family.
SF Giants Rumors: Is there a player that you played with on the San Jose Giants that you think will someday be an impact player for the San Francisco Giants?
Brandon: I don’t know if you’ve heard of him yet, but his name is Buster Posey. Haha.. Really though, that team had quite a few guys that have already or will eventually make an impact, it’s hard to pick just one. Buster and Bum (Madison Bumgarner) obviously already have made their presence felt, and I think there’s a good chance others may do the same.
SF Giants Rumors: Who was your favorite player as a kid growing up, and who do you think was the greatest player of all time in a Giants uniform?
Brandon: I always liked Royce Clayton, like I said, But my favorite player from about 1995-2005 was Alex Rodriguez. I apologize Giants fans, but to my defense, I did start liking him when he was still a rookie.
The best player for the Giants that I watched was Barry Bonds. It would be hard to not say Willie Mays was the best ever though.
Now On To The Baseball Questions
SF Giants Rumors: Congratulations on your 2nd Big League Spring Training invite. How are you feeling this second time around?
Brandon: Thank you, I’m excited. I can’t wait to get started; I feel ready to go. This is a big spring for me personally and I think it’s a good chance for me to show what I can do.
SF Giants Rumors: Which player at Spring Training would you be most interested in picking their brain and why?
Brandon: I think it would be good to talk with Miguel Tejada because he’s been in the game for a long time and has lot of experience. I talked with Renteria a decent amount last year and picked up a few things and I’m sure I can do the same with Tejada. I want to talk to Buster about his approach at the plate last year as a rookie. I’d like to talk about how pitchers he’s never seen before pitched him and how he handled them.
SF Giants Rumors: What has your typical offseason day been like?
Brandon: Wake up about 10:30… eat breakfast… hit/take groundballs/throw… lunch… work out/ run… video games… dinner… watch How I met Your Mother or Two and A Half Men.
SF Giants Rumors: When you were drafted by the Giants in the 4th round of the 2008 draft, you said that day was bittersweet. You were excited to be drafted by your favorite team, but you expected to be picked higher in the draft. Has that been a motivation to push yourself harder to show other teams what they passed up on?
Brandon: I’m glad I went with the Giants and happy with the position I’m in with the organization right now. I doubt I’d be with the Giants if I went in the first round. The draft is behind me. There are a lot of reasons I push myself. I’m very competitive, so I always try to prove I’m better than the player the other team has at shortstop.
SF Giants Rumors: Do you have and Pre-game rituals or superstitions?
Brandon: Not really. Sometimes when I’m hitting well I guess I try to eat the same thing before every game, or put my bat in a specific spot in the bat rack, but those things never really stick. I’ll do it for a few games and then have a 0-4 game and scrap it.
SF Giants Rumors: In 2010 you hit .236 between San Jose and Richmond. What have you been doing this offseason to work on getting your stroke back?
Brandon: I’ve really worked on making my swing shorter and more direct to the ball. In 2010, I had kind of a long swing with a lot of moving parts. I actually think I had better at bats last year than in 2009, the numbers just didn’t show it. I’m continually working on my approach and making consistent contact.
SF Giants Rumors: Which part of your game are you really going to focus on while at Spring Training, and what drills do you think will help most?
Brandon: I’m going to continue to work on my swing because that is the part that needs the most work. I will be working on all facets of my game though because they can always improve.
SF Giants Rumors: What personal goals have you set for yourself this year?
Brandon: I’d like to continue having better at bats and making consistent contact. If I keep improving on those things I think I will get to where I want to be.
SF Giants Rumors: Is there anything you would like to say to Giants fans?
Brandon: Can’t wait to see you guys in San Francisco. I appreciate all the support you all continually show. Thank you Brandon for taking the time to do this Q&A. SF Giants Rumors would like to wish you the best of luck, and we look forward to seeing you make your Major League debut in San Francisco soon!
~King of Cali
Technorati Tags: 2010 World Series Champions, Barry Bonds, Brandon Crawford, Brian Wilson, Buster Posey, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Prospect, King of Cali, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Matt Williams, NL West, Robby Thompson, Rod Beck, Royce Clayton, Russ Ortiz, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Giants, SF Giants Rumors, sfgiants, SFGiants Rumors, Spring Training, Tim Lincecum, Will Clark
Posted on January 19th, 2011 by admin in
Q&A
Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval has also taken time between workouts to do a short Q&A with SF Giants Rumors.
SF Giants Rumors: Who was your favorite baseball player as a kid growing up?
Pablo: Omar Vizquel
SF Giants Rumors: What kind of music is on your iPod?
Pablo: Reggaeton and Hip hop
SF Giants Rumors: Other than AT&T Park, what is your favorite stadium to play in?
Pablo: Arizona
SF Giants Rumors: What’s your typical offseason day like?
Pablo: Workout, if I am on an off day I like to go to the beach.
SF Giants Rumors: If you weren’t a baseball player. What would you be doing?
Pablo: I would be a lawyer.
SF Giants Rumors: Do you have any personal goals for this upcoming season?
Pablo: Win the World Series and post numbers like .300/30/100
SF Giants Rumors: Is there any teams that you follow as a fan in other sports?
Pablo: Miami Heat and Kerri Walsh’s beach volleyball team.
SF Giants Rumors: Any message you want to send to Giants fans?
Pablo: A New Panda will be back to help his team win another World Series in 2011.
This was just a short Q&A with Pablo, so fans can get to know a little more about the Kung Fu Panda. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to answer these questions for all the Giants fans. We look forward to more Q&A’s, and SF Giants Rumors would like to wish you the best of luck on this up coming season!
~King of Cali
Technorati Tags: 2010 World Series Champions, 2011 Spring Training, Giants Hot Stove, King of Cali, Kung Fu Panda, NL West, Pablo Sandoval, Pablo Sandoval Rumors, Q&A With Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Rumors
Posted on June 25th, 2010 by admin in
Q&A 
For those of you that have seen the website FireSabean.com. I thought I would try to give Giants fans a little more insight on the man behind the site. He’s 23 year old Eric Shackelford who was born in southern California and parents are actually Dodger fans. Eric lived down south for his first 3 years. He became a Junior Giants member and the rest is history! Eric decided to start a site online cause there is a lot of Giants fans online with opinions so it makes talking Giants a lot more fun.
Eric says “I just don’t get our front office, and that’s why I’m here. To represent an entire nation of fans who are tired of this management and I hope others choose to engage with me or continue preaching the truth!”.
King: The first question I must ask you about is your parents being Dodger fans. You must have a really bad relationship with them right?
Eric: I burned down our house when I was four years old. Hah, but seriously, I remember going through a closet one day and seeing a stuffed bear with Dodgers gear on. I took it out front and ripped it’s head off and threw it away. They are good people, just a little misdirected when it comes to sports (I was born in Ventura so I guess they felt obligated to like the pathetic Dodgers).
King: What is your favorite Giants memory?
Eric: Oh man, that’s a tough one. I’ll have to say the 1997 Giants vs. Dodgers. Giants were a game back with 9 to play. The game was so intense and back-and-forth, then Rod Beck takes the mound in the 10th inning with the bases loaded and no one out. He gets a strike out then a home-to-first double play. Then the 12th inning… Brian Johnson’s walk off. I remember running up and down the stairs screaming as loud as I could. Giants won the West that year. Good times..
King: Who’s your two favorite past & present Giants players and why?
Eric: Currently I am a huge fan of Brian Wilson. He is the carbon copy of what a closer should be. Cocky, Mohawk, tattoos, hilarious and a flame-thrower. He will be on par with Rod Beck when it’s all said and done. The attitude of this guy is amazing. I’ve always liked closers, from Beck to Rob Nen to Joe Nathan now Weez. Pretty good following.
Past – The obvious answers would be Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal etc. I am 23 years old and I grew up watching Barry Bonds. Go past the steroid drama because that was the era (as seen in the inflation of stats), you can’t take away the mystique and raw talent that man had. He transcended the team and made McCovey Cove what it is. I can’t say enough about him, I remember going to the Stick (Candlestick Park) and being in awe of every single at-bat. He is the home run champion and I was able to witness it — That’s pretty cool.
King: Do you think Barry Bonds will be voted into the Hall of Fame, or do you think he will be on the blacklist?
Eric: I don’t see it happening right now, but in about 10 years there may be a chance. Think about it, if you don’t let Bonds in you can’t let guys like Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire in either. They did the same thing and I don’t know exactly how those voters will feel in 10 years, but right now there is no chance. Pete Rose was never forgiven, and if you leave names like this off the ballot then I think baseball would have committed a huge mistake. I guarantee you at least 75% of players did it for quite some time, it’s sad, but it was part of the game. That’s just my opinion, though.
King: What was your initial reaction when you heard Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean were coming back in 2010?
Eric: I rolled my eyes. I knew it was going to happen so I wasn’t too surprised. Where Sabes is Bochy will soon follow — the two are attached at the hip. On any other team if a GM doesn’t produce a World Series title in 10 years max they are gone, yet Sabean keeps hanging around which is pretty disgusting. I think Magowan and Baer are stuck on the fact that he took the team to the Series in ‘02 (with Bonds) and that he has the ability to take them there again. They have goggles on, they have to.
King: Since you think Sabean isn’t doing a great job as the GM. If you had his job. Who would you pursue at the trading deadline, and who would you part with to make that trade happen?
Eric: Prince Fielder. This would be the smartest. Or even Adrian Gonzalez. Then Posey can catch and Huff can play the outfield. There’s a lot of talk about a bunch of different guys but I’m still stuck in Prince. Obviously, they want someone like Cain — which we cannot do. Honestly, I have no idea where we can go for Prince, maybe a Jonathan Sanchez/Madison Bumgarner. Stick with me. Prince is an everyday player, pitchers affect 1 out of 5 games a week. Wouldn’t you be willing to part with a top prospect and a good pitcher for a power hitter who’s 26 years old?
King: If and when Sabean is no longer the Giants GM. Will you keep your FireSabean.com site, start a new site or stop blogging all together?
Eric: I have thought about that before. The site has picked up pace recently and I’ve received pretty good feedback. If people are still following the blog when Sabean is fired then I’ll probably buy a new domain (not sure yet of what) and just have people who type in firesabean.com get redirected to the new blog. I love writing and want to do that for the rest of my life (not blogging, but just writing in general) so this is a lot of fun. Hopefully people like it too.
King: Is there anything you want to let Giants fans know about you that they might not know?
Eric: I may come off pessimistic a lot of the time, but that’s where I get the humor. I have been a lifelong Giants fan and those who know me know how much I love watching this team. It’s kind of a catch 22 with Sabean at the helm, if we do well this year that’s awesome but then Sabean will surely get another extension. Would I take a World Series win even if it means Sabean will get a lifelong contract? Hell yeah, that’s what our goal as a fan is: To witness the ultimate triumph — and whether it comes with him as the GM or Jon Doe, it doesn’t matter. We’re all in this together and one World Series in 14 years of torture? Maybe I’ll purchase IveAlwaysLovedSabean.com next.
King: Thank you very much Eric for taking the time to do this Q&A with SF Giants Rumors. Keep up the great work with your site. It’s always fun to read your posts. It’s nice to see that we both have the same passion for the San Francisco Giants!
~King of Cali
Technorati Tags: Adrian Gonzalez, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Brian Johnson, Brian Sabean, Brian Wilson, Bruce Bochy, Candlestick Park, Giants, Giants Baseball Rumors, Giants Gear, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Sanchez, Juan Marichal, Junior Giants, King of Cali, Madison Bumgarner, Mark McGwire, McCovey Cove, net, NL West, Pete Rose, Prince Fielder, Rob Nen, Rod Beck, Roger Clemens, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants, SF Giants Rumors, sfgiantsbaseball, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, World Series
Posted on June 22nd, 2010 by admin in
Q&A 
I have recently been asked to do an interview with Regie from plantTHESPEAR.com. They cover all things FSU (Florida State University). For those of you that don’t know. Buster Posey went to FSU which is the reason Regie wanted to interview me. They like to follow all of their FSU alumni to see how they are doing. Here is a link to check out the interview “Buster Posey Exceeding Expectations”.
~King of Cali
Technorati Tags: Buster Posey, Buster Posey Q&A, Buster Posey Rumors, Florida State Baseball, Florida State University, FSU, Giants Baseball, Giants Baseball Rumors, King of Cali, San Francisco Giants Baseball, SF Giants Rumors
Posted on April 22nd, 2010 by admin in
Q&A
Dan Fost the author of Giants Past & Present has picked a winner from the comments that were submitted on the “Q&A With Dan Fost – Author Of Giants Past & Present, Wing A Copy!” post. Dan liked all the comments and was torn between a few different comments. He did however decide to go with Dan Pera. He said let’s give Robb Nen his due. A lot of fans have been down on him after 2002 World Series, but I think Pera hits the nail on the head, and I like that he appreciates the sacrifice Nen made for the team. Dan Pera’s winning comment will be at the bottom of this post.
Just because you didn’t win the Giants Past & Present book. Doesn’t mean you can’t still purchase it. I’m telling you it’s a must have for Giants fans. You can purchase the book at Giants Past & Present. I’m sure you know some Giants fans who’s birthday is coming up or you want to get them the book for Fathers Day.
Winning Comment
Dan Pera,
Despite the fact I love Will Clark and Barry Bonds, I have to say that the guy I’ll always love and respect the most is Robb Nen.
He wasn’t a longtime Giant, but the years he was with us, he gave us a dominant presence at the end of the bullpen. His insane slider was like 92 mph. Just absolute pure filth. Plus, his theme song, “Smoke on the Water” is just too epic for words.
I’ll never forget how he pitched himself into an early career grave by giving up his shoulder in 2002. He gave everything he had, and never pitched again as a result. Love Robb Nen.
~King of Cali
Technorati Tags: Barry Bonds, Dan Fost, Giants Baseball, Giants Past & Present, King of Cali, Q&A, Robb Nen, San Francisco Giants Baseball, SF Giants Blog, SF Giants Gear, SF Giants Rumors, Will Clark
Posted on April 9th, 2010 by admin in
Q&A
Dan Fost the author of Giants Past & Present has taken the time to do a Q&A with me. He also would love to give an autographed Giants Past & Present book to a lucky Giants fan. All you have to do is leave a comment. Tell us who was your favorite Giant player of the past and why? Then you can have a chance to win an autographed book. It’s as simple as that. If you don’t win. You can still purchase the book at www.giantspastandpresent.com. I have read the book, and it’s a must have for all Giants fans!
When moving to San Francisco in 1989 who was your favorite Giants player that year? I loved Robby Thompson. He was a hard-nosed, hard-working second baseman, a great player who exemplified the working class nature of that team, and someone I loved rooting for.
Since you grew up a Yankees fan and became a Giants fan in 1989, would you say you’re more of a Giants or Yankees fan?
You never give up on your boyhood team, and I did enjoy it last year when the Yankees won the World Series. But in recent years, I have given the matter a lot of thought, and am sure I would root for the Giants if they played the Yankees in the Fall Classic. The Giants are my hometown team now, and the drought has been so long – and the Yankees have such an embarrassment of riches, both in titles and in big money players – that I would much rather see a trophy come to San Francisco.
The Giants haven’t won a World Series Championship since moving to San Francisco. Do you think the curse will end soon?
I wish I could say that it will. I do think this Giants team has a good chance of going all the way. That is, they should contend for a playoff spot, and if they can make it to the post-season, their pitching could carry them pretty far. But to beat the Yankees, or Phillies, or Cardinals, I’d love to see the Giants have at least one or two big bats.
I really like how you broke up every position in your book and you talked about past players to the current ones. What would your All Star Giants team be?
In my research, I gained a real appreciation for the players of the dead ball era, and probably include a few more of them than many modern fans might. Catcher: Buck Ewing. Possibly the greatest ballplayer of the 19th century. 1B: Willie McCovey. Tough not to pick Bill Terry, but Stretch was such a fearsome hitter. 2B: Frankie Frisch: A winner all the way. 3B: Freddie Lindstrom, another Hall of Famer. I’d love to see Pablo Sandoval supplant him; Matt Williams almost did it, and the Panda has potential. SS: John Montgomery Ward was a jack-of-all trades, someone who could play nearly any position and pitch, and started the first players’ rights movement as well. LF: Barry Bonds. I never saw anyone better. CF: Willie Mays. Nobody ever saw anyone better. RF: Mel Ott. Nice when the guy with the fewest home runs in your outfield hit 511. RHP: Christy Mathewson. Sorry, Juan Marichal, but I think Matty is the greatest of all time. LHP: Carl Hubbell. The Meal Ticket was an amazing talent, and a lifelong Giant – even serving as pitching coach in San Francisco. Closer: Robb Nen. I loved Rod Beck, but he lived on the edge, and had us fans perched there too many times as well.
With all the records and achievements that Barry Bonds has achieved. Do you believe he’s Hall of Fame worthy?
Absolutely. I don’t like the idea of pinning a morals clause on players. Plenty of scoundrels did plenty of bad things and still made it into the Hall. If Bonds is so bad, then put Balco on his plaque – but how can you keep all those home runs, all those MVP awards, out of the Hall as if they never happened?
I’m sure you have met a lot of Giants players over the years. Who is your favorite Giants player off the field?
Omar Vizquel. He is a class act, funny, friendly, made time for me when he had no idea who I was. He is also quite intelligent and well-versed in art and music. He’s also one of my favorites on the field; I watched in awe of some of the plays he made at shortstop, and really appreciated his contributions when he was in San Francisco.
Is there any Giants books that you may possibly be writing in the future?
I don’t have any plans to do so. I am most interested in exploring the little-known aspect of the Giants (at least little known in the rest of baseball, beyond the die-hard Giants fans), that the team suffers from the same hard-luck propensity that once plagued the Red Sox and still afflicts the Cubs and Indians. You don’t think of the Giants in the same breath as those teams, but where is the World Series trophy for San Francisco? It still hasn’t happened.
How do you feel about the Giants chances this year? What do you believe are their strengths and weaknesses?
I am more optimistic this year than I have been at any time since Bonds’ heyday. Even last year, it didn’t seem the Giants had the horses for a winning record, and yet they racked up 88 wins and contended for the wild card. This year the secret is out: The pitching keeps getting better, and now they have even better hitters. I hope Meulens can get his boys from Fresno – Bowker, Schierholtz, Velez – to show some pop at the plate. I hope Bochy doesn’t stick with Renteria or Rowand too long if they don’t show signs of a comeback from last year’s dismal performance. The weakness is the lack of a big bat, but I see a team rich in potential. I pick them to win the division.
I know you’re a freelance writer. How can Dan Fost fans look for your material on the Giants? What are you doing now aside from writing books?
I am blogging at www.giantspastandpresent.com, and have started a channel of videos at www.youtube.com/giantsbook. You can also be a fan of the book at www.facebook.com/giantsbook, and follow me at www.twitter.com/giantsbook. I once wrote a story on John Bowker for Giants magazine, and hope to do some more work for them this year. In addition, I have a Web site at www.danfost.com where you can see my other writing. I have covered Silicon Valley for the past 13 years, mostly as a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, but more recently as a freelancer for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and San Francisco magazine, and I will continue to do so.
What is something that you would like to tell the readers about yourself that they might not know about you?
I was once held in contempt of court for invoking a journalist’s right to refuse to answer a prosecutor’s questions under cross-examination in a murder case that I had covered as a reporter. The contempt citation was overturned, and Fost v. Superior Court remains a significant precedent in California media law.
Thank you very much Dan for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this. Everyone that I know that has seen your book loves it!
Hey Giants fans don’t forget to leave a comment and tell us who was your favorite Giant player of the past and why? Dan will pick one winner to get an autographed Giants Past & Present book!
You can follow Dan
~King of Cali
Technorati Tags: Barry Bonds, Dan Fost, Giants, Giants Past & Present, King of Cali, New York Giants, Q&A, Robb Nen, Robby Thompson, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Blog, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey
Posted on December 31st, 2009 by admin in
Q&A
King: We all know Sabean is usually pretty active when it comes to the offseason. He said this year they were going to take it slow. We all didn’t think it would be this slow. What are your thoughts on the Giants taking the slow approach this offseason to make some moves?
Tim K: You know, the way this off-season has set up, I don’t know that Giants fans should’ve wanted Sabean to move too swiftly. Unless you’re throwing around huge money for Holliday or Bay–and we know the Giants aren’t doing that–then there wasn’t a lot of the Big Deal kind of player available this time around.
So the pick-up of Mark DeRosa this week was certainly not franchise-altering, but better than, say, last December’s Edgar Renteria signing, right? Or Zito, Dave Roberts and Klesko two Decembers ago.
Now, this is not going to stir up the Giants populace, nor should it. They have GOT to add 50 to100 runs or else they risk wasting another year of Lincecum-Cain.
I just don’t see how this administration–which, the last time they had large money to blow, spent it on Aaron Rowand–can do it, given this set of circumstances, unless they were suddenly willing to trade Cain, which I don’t think will happen.
The Giants just aren’t going to go over 100M in payroll. You can be upset about that, fairly. But if that’s the ceiling, with Zito and Rowand choking up the space and Lincecum’s deal to come… well, they’re sort of stuck trying to scour the bargain bin. That’s DeRosa. Maybe Jermaine Dye, etc.
King: I’m sure you’re not going to sugarcoat this answer. What do you think of Bill Neukom so far? Do you think he will open up the wallet and let Sabean get some good players?
Tim K: I’ve been fine with Neukom so far–he’s definitely analytical, which means he’s a lot less apt to go hog-wild on impulse for somebody like Zito. I think that’s a plus. Again, fans want the Zito-like deal (well, not ZITO, but many did love the Zito signing at the time,if I remember correctly), the magic fix.
Neukom’s not a magic-fix guy. Is he being stingy? Well, that’s for the bankers and ticket-buyers to decide. If the Giants remain a top-15 payroll team, which I think they will, and if they’re still loaded down by Zito, Rowand, Renteria… I’m not sure how much Neukom is going to let the money flow for anything new.
He’s counting on Posey and the next wave, if it comes, and maybe a new GM and manager in 2011 or 2012. Does that sound drastic? I think that’s where this is headed. Sabean and Bochy only got two-year deals, remember.
King: If you were the Giants GM. What would moves would you be trying to make this offseason?
Tim K: I’d buy a time machine and go back and prevent myself from ever signing Zito or Rowand. Barring that… I sure would start trying to short-sell Rowand and maybe throw in Brian Wilson if that’s what it took.
I know Wilson’s a fan favorite, TV show, all that. But unless you’re Mariano, closers don’t usually have long shelf-life. Plus Wilson is a closer coming up on arbitration who has a history of high ERAs and WHIPs. If I was the GM–and thank God I’m not–and I knew I couldn’t get a Bay or a Holliday (or trade for Adrian Gonzalez–ain’t happening), then I’d try to be forward-thinking and plan to clean my salary roll into 2011.
That means dumping Rowand, who really isn’t any good and will get increasingly less good, and if it takes sacrificing Wilson or Jonathan Sanchez to do it… Again, sounds drastic. Giants fans won’t like it. But how else is this team going to get the money to really go after the top-level hitters?
King: There is reports that the Giants have offered Mark DeRosa a two year, $12 million contract. Do you see this as a good move for the Giants if he accepts?
Tim K: Obviously, you sent this to me before the DeRosa deal came down. Not a terrible deal, but again, certainly DeRosa, at 34, coming off of wrist problems, is not going to be scaring NL pitchers or adding 50 runs to the Giants offense. He’s OK. He can play third, first, left, right… But is he a huge improvement over Randy Winn? Not really. I was not a Winn fan, but… If this offense is going to get better, the upgrade has to be more than DeRosa for Winn (or for Lewis, or Ishikawa, or whoever).
So you have Freddy Sanchez for the whole season, if his knee lets him be there for the whole season. I thought Uribe was just as good or better than Sanchez last year, and the Giants line-up stunk. Where’s the upgrade? Lose Bengie, and have nobody at center. Where’s the upgrade?
They need a thumper. I just don’t think a thumper’s out there for them. Same old, same old. But at least DeRosa’s only 34. A bit younger than Sabean’s normal free-agent signee.
King: I just wanted to say thanks again to Tim Kawakami for taking the time out of his busy life to do this Q&A for us.
~King of Cali
Technorati Tags: Aaron Rowand, Barry Zito, Buster Posey, Edgar Renteria, Free Agents, Giants, King of Cali, Mark DeRosa, Matt Cain, MLB Hot Stove, NL West, Pablo Sandoval, Q&A, Randy Winn, San Francisco Giants Baseball, SF Giants Blog, SF Giants Rumors, Tim Kawakami, Tim Lincecum
The San Francisco Giants have recently signed pitcher Boof Bonser to a minor league deal. Bonser was drafted by the Giants in the 1st round of the 2000 draft. He was later traded away to the Twins in a package deal. Boof has been kind enough to do a short Q&A with SF Giants Rumors.
It’s been a busy week with all the latest 
