Another Testimony

Here is a great story from my Uncle, Sars. He shares some great memories from his first baseball game, and shares a bit about why he loves the game. Enjoy...

Baseball- the game

It was a sunny, but cool day I was excited! Not just because I was going to see a real baseball game. It was 1958, and the New york Giants are now the San Francisco Giants and Willie Mays...Willie Mays, oh man!! Willie!!

But I was going alone with MY dad..now thats a treat!

I remember the walk thru the green grassy park, the trees tall willowly. We walked me and my dad and some of his friends( uninimportant to me! ) to this day I could only speculate who they/ them were. Walking towards the gate of Seals Stadiumn, I can still feel the energy and excitement of the crowd, it was opening day and the Giants were in town!!

It was 1958 I was 10 years old, i was living the dream,, here i am walking into the ball park with my hero Willie Mays in centerfield, and we sre playing the Dodgers, Woa can it get any better than that? We walked and walked excitment and anticipation stiring inside me,. As we began to enter the park I could see other boys high up in the trees, ready from their afforadable perchs to see there heros play too! Secretely I was envious, i wanted to be high in those eucluptas trees myself. But my adventure continued as we msde our way into the  ballpark... ( pinch me!)
We were shown our seats, good ones I know now... Some 54 years later. Box seats.. Real boxes! Not a metal divider! Real wood, green in color. But wow! Theres Willie!, Right then it all became a blissful blur of noise, and smells (hotdogs!!!, peanuts). Red white and blue bunting draped the field adding to that first wonderful day in the middle of april of 1958!

Imagine it... Willie mays! Orlando Cepeda, Willie Kirkland, Jimmy Davenport... I can go on and on but there they were playing baseball! Is that not every mans dream?? And I was 10!!! Hello!!

The game played on , about 4th inning I was on my second hotdog, with Willie to bat, he fouled a ball back to the left of the home plate screen, the crowd around jumped,my dad  MY dad grabbed the ball... Willies ball! Looking  at me, he handed it my way.. The crowd applauding my dad, and me for being the lucky kid to be holding that prized souvineir.
Now today.. So many many years later.. Baseball is so much more than a game. I know that deeply as i touch the ball and feel its crisp seams,  im living again every boys dream...
Play Ball!

This is for you Tommy and Kanan , tonights game was and will remain  a treasure.

I love you guys...

Poppie




Sars

Finding Your Place in a Man's Sport

When I started this post, my idea was to explore the patricentric aspects of the game of baseball.  Baseball, like many sports, is and always has been a boys club; a strict no girls allowed sport.  But I realized that along with lack of acceptance for women, the MLB has an obvious lack of acceptance for homosexuals, and this became my focus and purpose of the post.  There are 30 major league baseball teams, all with a 25 man roster, that makes for 750 major league baseball players.  Most studies say that one out of every ten men are gay; yet there is not one single "out" player currently in the league.  It makes me wonder why this is, I don't feel there could be any possible way that there is not a single gay player in the entire sport, right?  My wonder is why players decide not to put their true self forward.  Are players afraid of the reaction they might get from fellow players, coaches, and fans?  Professional sports in general have always leaned more toward the masculine side.  But why is this?  Especially in our day and age, when we have seemed to have made huge strides to progressed beyond stereotypes and judgments.  A disappointing fact that I learned from my research for this post, is that baseball has not seemed to have progressed in the area of homophobia.  I was able to find a few articles on only two stories of homosexuals coming out as professional players in baseball.

First off, during my research, I found the story of Billy Bean.  Bean was a player with an average career, playing eight years in the Major Leagues from 1987-1995.  Bean came out as homosexual to the public in 1999, years after his baseball career had ended.  He is currently the only openly gay player that is alive today, and is only one of two in baseball history.  In 2003, Bean wrote the book Going the Other Way.  The book is a memoir of Bean's struggle with his secret life; the book was written in the hope that others players would not have to face their hardship alone.  Billy Bean walked away from his career in baseball due to his personal torment of holding his secret; he faced the death of a lover in silence, even playing the day after his passing because he was too afraid to ask for a leave.  Bean's is an inspirational story; he found his happiness, but he could not do it while playing Major League baseball.  This is a sad and discouraging fact.  Billy Bean could have had a much longer career in baseball, opening the door for other players to feel comfortable in their own cleats.

Along with Billy Bean being an openly gay baseball player is Glenn Burke.  Burke was the first ever player to be out to his fellow players and his team owners.  Although Burke was sure that his fellow teammates did not care about his personal life, he received an offer from Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Al Campanis who would pay for a honeymoon if Burke agreed to get married, hiding his homosexuality.  Later, Burke would anger manager Tommy Lasorda by becoming friends with his estranged son, who was also a homosexual.  The Dodgers would eventual trade Burke to the Oakland Athletics, where manager Billy Martin would call him a "faggot" in front of the rest of his teammates.  The A's would go on to later send him back to the minors, ending his contract in 1979.  Glenn Burke felt that his career was forced to fall short, but he felt that he had changed the game forever.  The rest of Burkes life would be filled with drug addiction and eventual homelessness, leading to his death in 1995 due to AIDS complications.  Who knows, maybe if Burkes sexuality had been more widely accepted, he also could have had a much longer and productive career.  Maybe his life would not have been so awful?

Although Burkes story ended in a tragic way, he left us with these inspiring words:

“They can't ever say now that a gay man can't play in the majors, because I'm a gay man and I made it." - Glenn Burke

You can learn more about the story of Glenn Burke through the film "Out: The Glenn Burke Story"

Sadly, these are the only stories that I was able to search out about gay players in baseball.  Out of every player to ever play the game on a professional level, Burke and Bean are the only two to tell their truths, to share their secrets, to try and live in their own skin.  Unfortunately, there is still a misogynistic aspect that is attached to the game of baseball; there is still the "manly" aspect of this sport.  From the outcome of my research, it has become apparent to me that players obviously still do not feel comfortable with making their sexual preference known.  Perhaps the issue of sexuality is not a top priority for many players?  But I really don't think that that is the case.  Being someone who grew up playing the game of baseball, I know first hand that there is little tolerance for anyone who does not fit the "norm".  The pressure starts at the early age; this pressure to act like a man, play like a man, become a "real" man.  It is no wonder that homosexual players are not comfortable with being who they really are.  In sports, boys are told to "man up", and if they can't cope; they are told they won't make it in the majors.  Someone like Glen Burke struggled through out his whole life, and obviously faced many demons, then he was practically forced out of the League.  What kind of message does this send to young players?  It seems to me like a message that says: "If you are different, you are not welcome."

For me, it all comes down to what type of sport you would like to support.  A sport where players are judged strictly on performance; or a sport where players are judged on sexual preference.  I think we need to remember that there was a time when blacks were not allowed to play in the Major Leagues.  We need to remember to embrace change.  We need to remember that in the end, this is just a game.  There is no room for racism and homophobia in this great sport.  This is entertainment, plain and simple.

Plagued By Injures, Again

Recently closer Brian Wilson has made the headlines, again.  Bit this time it has nothing to do with his beard or his outlandish behavior -- both of which is is well know for.  This time, it is for a serious year ending injury.  Wilson will soon undergo his second "Tommy John" elbow surgery.  This is a surgery that can take up to thirteen months to recover from, and being that this is the closers second go, it might take even longer.

Although Brian Wilson was said to have shown up to Spring Training in great shape, he is still susceptible to injury just like any player out there.  Unfortunately, injuries have been an on going problem for the San Francisco Giants.  Injures were the nail in their coffin last year, and they are creeping into the year as well.  Wilson is major force in the Giants bullpen.  He is an intimidating presence, and he has the talent to back it up.  There is no doubt that the Giants will feel the impact of this lose.

But, as they do in baseball, the politics are slowing coming into view.  The 2013 season will be the last for Wilson before he is up for arbitration.  This presents a big decision for the Giants management, there are a few options they can take.  First, they could try and offer him a 20% pay cut, which is the max allowed, bring his salary down to $6.4 million.  Keep in mind that Wilson will still be recovering at the beginning of the 2013 season and he will most likely be limited in the number of innings and pitches he will be able to throw.  Or, they could set Wilson out as a free agent, and then try and bring him back in at a much lower salary.  This is a risky choice, being that they might lose Wilson completely, but that is a risk I think they could live with.

Let's say they send Wilson out into the land of the free agents, and he gets picked up by someone else for a nice long term high money contract.  The Giants still have the option of bringing back Santiago Casilla and Jeremy Affeldt for around the same price that they would pay for Wilson.  Let's not forget that we still have plenty of depth in our bull pen.

But letting a player go in this fashion does not show any loyalty on the Giants part.  It is funny how this can work both ways, how a game can come down to politics.  And, it will not be a pleaser for us fans.  Giants fans and non-fans alike enjoy watching Wilson take the mound to do what he does best; strike people out!  We always want to see our favorite players stay with our team, but this is not always the case.  So only time will tell with what will happen to Brian Wilson over the coarse of the next year.  I for one just hope that he is able to come back from this surgery and still throw well.  And weather he is doing it n a Giants jersey or not, I'm sure we will all still be fearing the beard.

Rules: For Fans?!

So, for those of you who don't know, AT&T Park has a few more rules than your typical ball park.  Some of which I can understand, some of which are just a little ridiculous.  I came across this "Park Etiquette" list on SFist.com.

Now, some of these "rules" I can understand.  Don't scream profanities in front of kids; check.  Smoke your weed outside of the stadium; sound advise that many people need to take into consideration.  But no WAVE!  That is just unacceptable, the wave was my favorite part of the game when I was a kid.  You are waiting in anticipation, hoping that your timing is just right -- then -- you nail it, and you are part of something that each and every fan of baseball experiences.

Now I know this is San Francisco, and you can find Sushi at AT&T Park just as easily as you can find a hot dog, but there comes a point when too many rules can take away the enthusiasm of the fans.  I truly believe that it is every fans right to have a good time in at the game and to do so in a safe environment.  The violence between fans that sometimes comes with a baseball game is purely unacceptable.  I think that there could be more strict rules about the distribution of alcohol.  If someone appears to have had enough to drink, don't serve them anymore, or hire a few more security guards to monitor the hallways. But there is a fine line between monitoring and keeping the peace, and telling the crowd just exactly how they should behave while at the game.

I understand that there are many adults out there that just can't seem to pull it together and act like adults, there will always be a few bad apples.  But in the end, people need to be reminded that this is just a game, it is just a game!  And though I love to see my team win, my life still goes on either way.  I think this article could really be summed up in a few sentences; Don't be an asshole, come on down to the game, have fun with the rest of us, and if you can't handle that, just stay home!! 

Rules can be good, they are there for a reason, but let's not get too carried away.  I would hate to lose some of the wonderful traditions that come with watching a live baseball game.  And one of those is cheering loud and clear, and often.  So let's keep the golf claps, for well, golf, and let us keep our wave!

Here is the article for those who wish to read.  Baseball is about being outside with friends and family in an open friendly environment.  Be kind to other fans.  But be careful what you ask for, pretty soon we will be having a mandatory 7th inning yoga stretch, instead of just trying to get one more beer before last call.

http://sfist.com/2012/04/23/att_etiquette_for_new_giants_fans.php

5 more years of Bumgarner

Once again, the Giants have brought out the big bucks to keep there bullpen stacked.  The very young (22) and very talented Madison Bumgarner was given a $35 million, five-year extension.  The deal includes the option of a two year extension which could keep Bumgarner as a Giant through 2019.  After that, Bumgarner may become a free agent at the age of 30, leaving him plenty of good years left in his career.

     To me, this seems like a no brainer.  Bumgarner has been a strong force for the Giants in his short two years with the team.  His calm and cool attitude has brought his success on the mound, and has played a key role in our bullpen.  These are just a few reasons why Bumgarner has been offered the most lucrative extension given to a player with only two years of pitching in the majors.

     His career 21-20 record has been even with his year record of 1-1.  But he is built like a pitcher that will have a long and lucrative career.  Let's hope that he is not plagued by the Giants curse of injury, and that he keeps throwing great and winning games.

Tailgating

     There is an entire part of baseball (most sports for that matter) that is separate from the game it self; tailgating.  Tailgating consists of BBQ, drinks, and friends all gathered in the stadium parking lot.  It is a way for fans to prepare for the upcoming game, and a chance to get nice and buzzed before you have to spend $8 on a beer inside the stadium.  But tailgating is more than just standing around in a parking lot chugging beer bong after beer bong.  It takes preparation...

So here are some simple things that you need to have a successful tailgate party...

• Find a good spot in the parking lot.  Make sure that everyone in your group knows where the general meeting area is otherwise, you might never find each other.

• Bring a grill and plenty of food to cook.  I would recommend going with the most essential food of baseball, the hot dog.  

• Bring plenty of beverages as you will be out in the sun on acres of hot asphalt, and you will get thirsty.  I would recommend beer, it quenches your thirst and it's made with water so you will stay hydrated.  And just in case it gets cold, I also bring plenty of whiskey which will help keep you warm.  

     Now, the only thing left for you to do is eat and drink and hangout with friends.  Talk about the upcoming game, or your favorite player, or just stand in a circle and shotgun beers.  The choice is yours.  But, make sure that you have a flask to fill up with the left over whiskey that you can sneak into the game.  I would suggest you hide it somewhere the security will not check, any more details would ruin the integrity of this family oriented blog.

And we are off...

Normally, it would be a total let down that we got swept in our first series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  But, you really have to look at the bright side here...  In the first three games, the Giants scored a total of 14 runs.  This is an average of 4.7 runs per game which is a huge improvement from last year 3.5.  The main focus for the Giants this year is to improve base running -- offense in general -- and most of all runs scored per game.  So, not all was lost in our first series against the 2011 National League West champions D-Backs, they are a tough team to beat and we will have plenty more games against them.  The first few weeks is all about looking toward the future and focusing on the positive.

One of those positives is that Buster Posey proved that he is back in his top performing shape with his first home run of the regular 2012 season.  This has fans in high hopes for our team this year, it was an epic lose last year when Posey was taken out at the plate by Cousins, cutting his year short and facing him with a long and difficult recovery.  But he is already proving that he took the necessary steps to heal well, and heal right.  Now along with the bats of Pablo Sandoval and new comer Melky Cabrera, Giants fans can hopefully look forward to some excitement from the offense.  Let's hope that it no longer lays dormant like it did last season.  Keep your eye on Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt for some big swinging improvements, i think they will be a huge key in our success.

So, even though we might be off to a slow start, the Giants are still looking good.  Plus, there are still 159 games left to play!  The key for the Giants this year will be to stay injury free, the amount of injuries was just too much to keep us on top last year.  Head coach Bruce Bochy and his staff have always made great decisions on keeping players healthy and performing in top condition.  Let's just hope that the world is turning with us, and that we can stay strong until the end of September... and beyond!