Showing posts with label Barry Bonds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barry Bonds. Show all posts

Friday, March 9, 2018

What I Am Thankful For As A San Francisco Giants Fan

The easy answer is 2010, 2012 and 2014. And to some degree, those are certainly three of the things I am most thankful for, especially 2010. However, what I am truly thankful for is the fandom itself.

I am thankful for 1983. That was the year of my first game at Candlestick Park. My father took me to the game. I don’t remember what game it was. I don’t remember if the Giants won or lost. The Giants won 53% of their home games that season, so I had roughly a 50/50 chance of seeing a win. I am much more thankful of my father taking me to the game in the first place. I am thankful for the love of the game he had and the love for the game he instilled in me.

Candlestick Park, Home of the San Francisco Giants 1960-1999
I am thankful for 1987. My first pennant race. I am thankful for being seven years old and beginning to live and die with my team. I am thankful for the young homegrown stars like Will Clark, Robby Thompson, and Chili Davis and new players traded to the team like Jeffrey Leonard, Jose Uribe, Kevin Mitchell, Mike Krukow, Don Robinson, and Dave Dravecky. I was heartbroken when they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, but I was excited for the future.

I am thankful for 1989. My first World Series. I am thankful for seeing some of my favorite players evolve like Clark, Mitchell, Robinson and more. I am thankful for new additions like Steve Bedrosian and Brett Butler playing key roles. I am also thankful for the first responders and everyone that came to the aid of the victims of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Despite the loss to the Oakland Athletics, that reality hit home harder than any loss could ever do.

My father and I were in the car heading home to watch Game 3 when the earthquake began. We were listening to the pregame on the radio when it felt like all four tires went flat at the same time. But then you look around and every other car is stopped on the freeway as well. I am thankful that we weren’t on the Bay Bridge that day or on 880. I am thankful that so many survived.

Barry Bonds waves to the crowd after a home run, 1993.
I am thankful for 1993. I am thankful for Barry Bonds agreeing to sign with my favorite team and the 15 years of entertainment he provided my family. My grandfather was near the end of his life as Bonds was beginning his career in San Francisco and he would watch every game. He would call my dad to comment on the fact that Barry Bonds had homered in the exact same spot as he did the day before.

[Sidenote: My grandfather would watch the replays of the game on SportsChannel Bay Area and not realize they were replays.]

I am thankful for the excitement Bonds, Dusty Baker, Rod Beck, Matt Williams and so many more brought my grandfather, my father and me.

I am thankful for 1997. I am thankful for Brian Sabean and the team he built. I am thankful for Williams and all he did for the Giants in his time in San Francisco. I am thankful for Jeff Kent, J.T. Snow, Rich Aurilia, Russ Ortiz, Shawn Estes and Kirk Rueter. I am thankful for the era that began that season.

Kirk Rueter's first pitch at AT&T Park on April 11, 2000
I am thankful for 2000. I am thankful for the most beautiful baseball park I have ever set foot in. I am thankful for Ellis Burks, Robb Nen, and Mark Gardner. I am thankful for the first time I was able to take my dad to a game. I am thankful for sitting at Pacific Bell Park with my father, driving the two of us to the park to enjoy the game I had loved for the past 17 years.

I am thankful for 2001. I am thankful for Bonds and the season he had. With every home run, I felt like I was home instead of being away at college, 1,646.2 miles away. I am thankful for home runs 71 and 72 as I shared baseball history with my roommates and felt a connection to my team despite being so far away.

I am thankful for 2002. I am thankful for my second trip to the World Series as a fan. I am thankful for how close we got. It was gut wrenching and heart breaking and still feels raw to this day, but it was such a special season. I am thankful for all of the players that were a part of that team. I am thankful for Kenny Lofton, Benito Santiago, David Bell, Reggie Sanders, and Jason Schmidt. I am also thankful for the team’s first round draft pick that season.

Matt Cain's Debut Start
I am thankful for 2005. I am thankful for the debut of Matt Cain. I am thankful for the first move towards an eventual championship. I am thankful for the front office changing their philosophy on how they would build the Giants in the future. I am thankful for future draft picks like Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, and Joe Panik.

I am thankful for 2008. I am thankful for taking my future wife on dates to San Jose Giants games and seeing those homegrown draft picks up close. I am thankful for watching Posey and Bumgarner with her and watching them get to the big leagues. I am thankful that my wife was a Los Angeles Dodgers fan before we met which meant she already loved baseball. I am thankful that because of those San Jose Giants games, she fell in love with the Giants. I am thankful for her family, despite their love for the Dodgers, were happy for me and my team when they made the playoffs. I am thankful that she fell in love with them organically. I am thankful that when they won it all in 2010, she was the first person I hugged.

And yes, of course I am thankful for 2010. I am thankful for every torturous moment. I am thankful for every thrilling moment. I am thankful for every Bruce Bochy decision, every Cain pitch, every Posey at bat, and every Lincecum strikeout.



I am most thankful for November 1, 2010 about 30 minutes after Brian Wilson struck out Nelson Cruz in Game 5. About 30 minutes after that last strike, I showed up on my father’s doorstep and knocked on the door. When he answered the door, I hugged him and cried. It was one of the most special moments a son could have with his father as it relates to sports. It is why we care so much about the game itself. Losing happens. No team goes undefeated. The people you share those moments with and the shared joy you feel when your team wins the final game of the season is indescribable. Had the Giants won all the time, 2010 wouldn't be as special as it was. Had the Giants continued to win the World Series every other year like some “Even Year Magic,” 2010 wouldn’t be as special as it was.

I truly loved seeing San Francisco win the World Series in 2012 and 2014. But the moment i embraced my father on the night of November 1, 2010 is the best moment I have ever shared with him when it comes to our Giants.

Aaron Saltzman, the next great Giants fan

And now my son, Aaron, who is two years old, will be the next generation to be a part of this fandom. I look forward to introducing the Giants to him and rooting for new players that come along and become his favorites. This is bigger than any win or loss the team can have. This is more special to me than whether the Giants sign the next Barry or draft the next Buster. This is what I am thankful for, this is what baseball is all about, and this is what the San Francisco Giants mean to me and my family.
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Monday, November 21, 2016

Barry Bonds Should Be in Cooperstown


The San Francisco Giants have not had a player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame since Orlando Cepeda in 1999. Barry Bonds, who retired in 2007, has been eligible for Cooperstown since 2013. At the time he received only 36% of the vote. In the most recent Hall of Fame balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America, he received 44%. A player needs 75% of the vote to be enshrined.

Bonds finished his career with the second highest Wins Above Replacement (162.4) in history behind Babe Ruth (163.1). To put that number into perspective: Ken Griffey Jr. (83.4) and Brooks Robinson (78.4) are both first ballot hall of famers and their combined WAR doesn’t equal Bonds.

The Giants slugger is the all-time leader in Home Runs (762), Walks (2558), Intentional Walks (688), and fourth in OPS (1.051.) However, there is also plenty of evidence that shows Bonds took performance enhancing drugs while playing for the San Francisco Giants. Despite never being found guilty in court, between grand jury testimony, books written and the court of public opinion, Bonds has become the poster boy for PED’s.



This is why the greatest hitter in most voter’s lifetimes is not in the Hall of Fame. Despite the numbers that are clear and without flaw, there is clearly flaws in the perception and reality of how Bonds earned those numbers. Before anyone suspected Bonds of using anything illegal substance, the former Pittsburgh Pirate was winning Most Valuable Player awards, going to All-Star games and winning Gold Gloves routinely.


After signing as a free agent in 1993 with the Giants, Bonds continued to win MVP’s and go to All-Star games. Bonds retired with seven MVP’s 14 All-Star games, 12 Silver Sluggers and eight Gold Gloves. Despite all the on the field success, his attitude towards the same media that votes for him as well as his suspected drug use has led nearly 60% of the BBWAA to keep him out of the Hall of Fame.




But it’s not just Bonds that is being kept out. Part of the problem with the current system is you have to get 75% of nearly 600 voters to agree on anyone. On top of that, you have a maximum of 10 players you can include on your ballot. Those two factors have led some voters to leave players off they feel are deserving for others they feel may not get enough votes.

Tim Raines and Edgar Martinez are two players eligible for the Hall of Fame this year. Raines is in his final year of eligibility and Martinez is getting closer to reaching the end as well. Both players are not only deserving of the Hall, but should have been added years ago. The fact they are still on the ballot creates an unnecessary logjam.

The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) was created by Howard Cole to swat the vote and create a Hall of Fame where more writers have a voice. One of the rule differences is allowing for 15 on the ballot instead of 10. That becomes important as players are added to the ballot each year. For example, heading into the 2017 election, Vladimir Guerrero, Jorge Posada, Manny Ramirez and Ivan Rodriguez are leading the list of first time eligibles. Here are the players I plan on voting for in 2017.




Jeff Bagwell, Raines and Martinez are already in their Hall of Fame, which is why they aren’t on my ballot, but the other 15 that are could all be at risk of being bumped from the ballot altogether. One of the BBWAA rules is that a player must earn a minimum of 5% of the vote. Theoretically, if every voter voted for the 10 most deserving players, at least five of the players I voted for would be removed from the ballot. I wrote about how the Hall of Fame is a museum, not a shrine last January because we have made it far too difficult for a player who doesn’t gain entrance on the first ballot to ever get in.

One of the main reasons is the misconception we have about who should be voted in on the first ballot. We have made first ballot Hall of Famers an even more exclusive club than any in sports and the fact we have made an elite list of players even more elite has blurred the lines of who is and isn’t a Hall of Famer.

In 1936, five legendary players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson. Many voters have referenced this group as a Mount Rushmore of sorts for baseball, and because none of them were unanimous, nobody should ever be unanimous. The major flaw in this logic is that this was the first ever ballot for the Hall of Fame. There were literally hundreds of names to choose from on the ballot. Legendary players like Cy Young and Tris Speaker and legendary managers like Connie Mack and John McGraw weren’t elected in 1936, and neither were so many other deserving candidates. There was also no set ballot initially. For quite some time, writers simply submitted their own list of names.




As we wait to see how Barry Bonds does in his fifth year of eligibility, we can expect more of the same from the establishment. Instead of just simply looking at who is best, we seem to want to try to make a statement about what the Hall of Fame should be.

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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

#SFGiantsMadness 2016 Thread

#SFGiantsMadness Championship




#SFGiantsMadness Final Four






"Stretch" Bracket: Elite 8



"Dominican Dandy" Bracket: Elite 8



"BARRY! BARRY!" Bracket: Elite 8



"Say Hey" Bracket: Elite 8



"Stretch" Bracket: Sweet 16





"Dominican Dandy" Bracket: Sweet 16








"BARRY! BARRY!" Bracket: Sweet Sixteen








"Say Hey" Bracket: Sweet Sixteen








"Stretch" Bracket: Round 2












"Dominican Dandy" Bracket: Round 2












"BARRY! BARRY!" Bracket: Round 2












"Say Hey" Bracket: Round 2












"Stretch" Bracket: Round 1




















"Dominican Dandy" Bracket: Round 1




















"BARRY! BARRY!" Bracket: Round 1




















"Say Hey" Bracket: Round 1




















Play in Games








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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

The Hall of Fame is a Museum, Not a Shrine

With the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2016 set to be announced tomorrow, there are many questions surrounding the announcement.

1. Will Ken Griffey Jr. be a unanimous vote and will he break Tom Seaver's record for highest percentage of 98.8%?

2. Will anybody else get in? Mike Piazza or Jeff Bagwell? How about Tim Raines?

3. Will Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens gain support?

4. Will players like Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield, Billy Wagner and Larry Walker even get the 5% needed to stay on the ballot?

There are so many questions, and with nearly 500 voters across the country, many people are answering those questions all sorts of different ways.

Thanks to @NotMrTibbs Baseball Hall of Fame Tracker, we do know how players have fared on 163 ballots so far.
One of the problems with the voting process is the shear nature of voting in general. If I am given a vote, I can essentially vote however I want. The Baseball Hall of Fame gives every voter guidelines, but those guidelines are looked at differently by each person.

Players are not viewed based simply on statistics. We cannot just look at a players Wins Above Replacement and determine whether or not they are above the Hall of Fame line. If that were the case, deserving players like Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell would have been elected long ago, and Bill Mazeroski, Roy Campanella and Lloyd Waner among others wouldn't have plaques. That's not how it works.

So let's look at these questions to figure out why we have more Hall of Fame worthy players than we have spots for them on a 10 man ballot.

First, we look at a player like Griffey. He's going to be elected on his first ballot. Just like many great players before him. For a ballot filled with question marks, there is no question Griffey was an all-time elite player.

More importantly, his skinny and frail looking frame that consistently got banged up and injured in the latter stages in his career proved to voters that he couldn't possibly have taken performance enhancing drugs. That's a much bigger reason for his 1st ballot status than any accomplishment. In the world we live in right now, players like Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, Sheffield and others are losing votes because of reports of their cheating baseball by taking PED's.

So why would someone still leave Griffey off a ballot? Well, for one, no player in baseball history has ever been voted unanimously. Second, some voters feel that because nobody ever has, nobody ever should. Third, some voters have sent in blank ballots to protest the cheaters of the "Steroid Era." And finally, some have left obvious Hall of Famers off their lists in the past to try and help a player they feel deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but would be their 11th choice on a 10 man ballot.

In 1936, five legendary players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson, Walter Johnson. Many voters have referenced this group as a Mount Rushmore of sorts for baseball, and because none of them were unanimous, nobody should ever be unanimous. The major flaw in this logic is that this was the first ever ballot for the Hall of Fame. There were literally hundreds of names to choose from on the ballot. Legendary players like Cy Young and Tris Speaker and legendary managers like Connie Mack and John McGraw weren't elected in 1936 and neither were so many other deserving candidates. That's what happens with a first ballot for any sport. The fact that players have suffered from this logic makes no sense to me. And this is also why Seaver has the highest voting percentage in baseball history despite not being the best player in baseball history.

So will Griffey be the only one elected? Maybe. Piazza, Bagwell and Raines all have a legitimate shot at election. Piazza has the best shot, having received nearly 70% last year and only needing 75% for induction. The question remains though whether or not any of the three will join Griffey in 2016.

The knock of Piazza and Bagwell, from some voters, is simply they were power hitters during the steroid era which makes them subject to PED accusations. Whether they used drugs or not, the fact that they are connected to them by hearsay has hurt them almost as much as if they had come out and said they used drugs. The court of public opinion may finally lose the case of Mike Piazza and soon after the case of Jeff Bagwell. It is possible we will see both sent to Cooperstown tomorrow.

As for Raines, the biggest knock on him is he wasn't Rickey Henderson. This is what Trammell has dealt with among others. In his case, it was for not being Cal Ripken Jr. or Robin Yount. Raines was one of the greatest leadoff hitters of all-time, one of the games greatest base stealers and his numbers stack up better than many Hall of Famers, including Lou Brock, who is considered the greatest base stealer not named Henderson. Although, as Baseball statistician @theaceofspader points out, "Rock" is better than Brock in several key categories.
So what about Bonds and Clemens? The seven time Most Valuable Player and the seven time Cy Young Award winner are both on the outside looking in despite multiple years on the ballot. Arguably the greatest hitter and pitcher to ever play the game and certainly of their generation and so far, they are both several votes short. Nearly every voter has either voted for neither or both, as if they are the same person.



Ultimately, they may never get in. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote today that if and when Piazza gets in, he could see other voters decide to start voting for Bonds and Clemens. Because none of these players were ever suspended during their careers for any PED use, the argument could be made that since Piazza has rumors surrounding him, how can we deny the greatest hitter and pitcher of a generation anymore? Will that convince 75% of the voters? That answer might take a few years.

And finally, will deserving players like Wagner, Walker, Sheffield and Sosa even be on the ballot next year? With so much of a log jam on the ballot because voters were hesitant to elect players they suspected could have done steroids or other PED's, the ballot has been crowded.

Rafael Palmeiro, despite being one of only four players in baseball history with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, was removed from the ballot for not receiving the minimum 5% of the vote. Carlos Delgado, despite 473 home runs and eleven 30 home run seasons, is also no longer on the ballot. There are many other examples of great players being removed from the ballot altogether for not receiving the minimum. What is so frustrating about this 5% rule is that many voters have changed their minds over the years on players. Jim Rice, Bert Blyleven and Goose Gossage are some of the most recent examples of players who had to wait many years, but finally earned induction.

Despite not hitting a single home run or striking out a single batter during their retirement from the game, voters continued to change their minds on these players. Ultimately, after 15 years on the ballot, more than 75% of the voters finally agreed that they were Hall of Famers. So what changed? Why did voters say no for so long, and then suddenly decide they were worthy of the Hall of Fame?

Ultimately, this takes me back to the 5% rule. Would any of the players who have been removed from the ballot in the past because of this rule have had a similar fate as Rice, Blyleven or Gossage? There needs to be two major changes to the rules as far as I'm concerned.

Rule #1: No limit. Vote for however many players you choose to. We have seen several voters not vote for 10 despite the 10 limit rule. And we have also seen many voters say they would have voted for more than 10 had they been given the chance to. So why is there a limit? Either a guy is a Hall of Famer or he isn't. Despite the changes in opinions of voters throughout the years, the same question is asked of them: Is this player a Hall of Famer? If the answer is yes, there shouldn't be any other barriers for that particular voter.

Rule #2: No 5% rule. If a player receives a vote, a player gets to stay on the ballot. It seems to me that the only reason for the 5% rule as far as I can tell is to limit the ballot to one sheet of paper. I really can't see how it would hurt the voting process to keep players on the ballot who voters deem worthy of election. Yes, we have seen ridiculous voting in the past of average players getting a single vote, but that same voter may not vote for that player the following year. Players like Whitaker, Palmeiro, Delgado and others who have been removed from the ballot may never get in to the Hall of Fame. I don't see any reason why keeping them off the ballot is necessary.

As a life long baseball fan, I grew up watching every player on the current 2016 ballot. I want to be able to take my son to Cooperstown someday and show him the plaque of the greatest swing I ever saw in person in Bonds or one of the greatest pitchers I ever saw live in Clemens. And that despite mistakes Bonds or Clemens made, that they were still two of the greatest players this game has ever seen. After all, the Hall is a museum, not a shrine and I want to be able to teach my son about the greatest sport there is and everything about it.  
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Monday, October 19, 2015

#SFGiantsMadness down to the Sweet 16

Jeremy Affeldt & Ryan Vogelsong are both still alive in #SFGiantsMadness


After a week of voting on Twitter, we are down to the Sweet 16, and this year we had some incredible upsets. Top seeds went down as fans clearly voted for this current group of Giants over past legends. Last year, the voting was pretty consistent and many top seeds advanced. There were some upsets last year as well, as fan favorites such as Mike Krukow and Hunter Pence made it to the sweet 16 last year. This year, they were joined by some other unlikely winners.







#16 seed Jeremy Affeldt and #2 seed Ryan Vogelsong took out Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Orlando Cepeda respectively. Affeldt announced his retirement this season, and Vogelsong may have also thrown his last pitch in orange and black, so fans certainly wanted to show these men some love in the voting. However, it is still a shocker to see them dethrone legends like Marichal and Cepeda. Not only are they Hall of Famers, but they also are well known to the fan base as the Giants consistently have them be a part of every ceremony and championship parade and event. Current fans know who these legends are, even if they were too young to see them play. It just goes to show that voting is always going to be based on fan preference and sometimes that means upsets happen.

Also in the 2nd round, Sergio Romo defeated Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in a #10 vs #2 matchup. Romo took an early lead and never relinquished it, despite a last ditch effort by fans to send more votes to Perry.


In 2014, Krukow and Pence won in the 1st round despite being #11 and #14 seeds. Only Pence made it to the 2nd round, however, because they just so happen to be in the same bracket.


This season, both were #11 seeds and both are cruising into the Sweet 16 with 2nd round victories. Krukow taking down former teammate Robby Thompson and Pence taking down Matt Williams.





Three #1 seeds remain, with Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Barry Bonds. Only two #2 seeds remain, with Will Clark and Buster Posey. Matt Cain is also the only #3 seed left standing, as #6 seed J.T. Snow took down Bobby Bonds, along with Krukow and Pence.

The champion may still end up being the defending champion Mays, and it's possible that 7 of the 8 winners in round 3 could be a top 3 seed. However, if the previous two rounds are any indication, this is going to be madness.
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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

#SFGiantsMadness is BACK and it's New and Improved!


Willie Mays won #SFGiantsMadness last season. Will he win it again in 2015?

Last off-season, thanks to Twitter follower @RedSox_Stuff, I began putting together a March Madness style bracket to celebrate all the great players in San Francisco Giants history. I decided to rank players based solely on their contributions to the Giants since their move from New York in 1958. This allowed fans to have much more knowledge of the players being seeded and also allowed for more current players to make the cut. Both of these factors made it a much more popular game.

The highlight from last year came when Giants legend Rich Aurilia chimed in on the bracket he was placed in, where he had to face off against Willie McCovey.



Ultimately, there were some close calls where some legendary players of yesteryear faced off against current World Series heroes. This 3rd round matchup was epic:



The seeding last year was also limited to Wins Above Replacement (WAR) rankings. This worked well for the most part, but short changed players who had tremendous individual seasons in short lived careers with the team and crippled relief pitchers the most.

However, at the end of the tournament last off-season, the Championship did come down to the two greatest Giants of all-time:


This year, I have added some factors that should make the rankings more true to where players fall in fans eyes.

1. Wins Above Replacement
2. World Series Rings
3. Playoff Seasons
4. Most Valuable Player Awards (2)
5. Rookie of the Year (2)
6. Cy Young Awards (2)
7. Willie Mac Award
8. All-Star Appearances
9. Gold Gloves
10. Player of the Month

Ryan Vogelsong has been with the team from 2011-2015 and has earned a 3.7 WAR in that time. He has also been to the playoffs twice, won two World Series rings, and has won the Willie Mac Award and made the All-Star team. That brings his total "value" to 9.7.

Ellis Burks, in his three seasons in San Francisco, earned a WAR of 8.8, with 1 post season appearance and winning the Willie Mac Award as well. His "value" was 10.8.

As fans look back on the careers of several key Giants, it's important to look at many factors, and because of the success of the recent teams, players on those teams are looked at more favorably. At the same time, there is so much value in what Sabermetrics has done for baseball in giving us a more true value of on field performance.

For whatever flaws may be in the new seeding format I created, one thing is certain. Whether people vote with their heart or their minds, fans get to decide for themselves.

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Friday, March 20, 2015

It's March Madness: Time to Re-Visit the #SFGiantsMadness

During the off-season, I decided to purchase a subscription to Baseball Reference and with that subscription, I found out so much more about why Matt Cain is one of the most underrated pitchers of the last 10 years. Their site allows you to organize career stats in many different ways very easily, such as how many games has Matt Cain pitched in his career where he went at least 7 innings and gave up 3 runs or less. (The number is 125 by the way.)

That gave me an idea. Who are the best San Francisco Giants of All-Time? Not in the history of the franchise, but just since 1958. Since WAR (Wins Above Replacement) has been widely viewed as a good barometer of who the best players are, I decided to make an NCAA style bracket of San Francisco Giants based on WAR.

Not surprisingly, the top four were obvious: Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal. These four would become the #1 seeds and the names of my brackets. The "Say Hey Kid" bracket, the "GOAT" bracket, the "Stretch" bracket, and the "Dominican Dandy" bracket.

It was great seeing that current players like Cain, Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, and Madison Bumgarner were already good enough to make the cut. It was also interesting to see some of the fans most popular former and current players right on the cusp of 64. This made it very easy to include the "Play in Games" just like the NCAA has recently. This included matchups like this:







As we approached the 1st round, their were some interesting match ups and one particular flaw with WAR. Closers. Two of the greatest closers in team history were also two of the fans most loved players. The late Rod Beck and Robb Nen. Both left a mark on the fanbase, yet, because WAR doesn't equate closers in the same way as other pitchers, they had a tough road in the tourney. That being said, the tournament had started and fans on Twitter were having a great time. Some of the highlights from the 1st round:



Hunter Pence's complete beatdown of Jeff Kent.



Pablo Sandoval losing to Ray Durham, mostly because fans were sad Pablo left for Boston. (Sidenote: This was done before Panda's comments about not missing the Giants at all)



An epic battle between Matt Cain and Mike Krukow.



And getting some love from Sports Illustrated photographer Brad Mangin for using his Ed Halicki photo.



As we approached the round of 32, matchups became even tougher and players were pitted against one another making it nearly impossible for Giants fans to decide. Some of highlights included:


Willie Mays barely beating World Series phenom Madison Bumgarner.



Kirk Rueter upsetting Gaylord Perry.



Having to put my childhood favorite, Kevin Mitchell, against my all-time favorite Cain.



Rich Aurilia being a great sport about an impossible battle.



The round of 16 had some matchups that really showed the age of Giants fans. Were they going to fight to keep current players like Cain, Lincecum, Posey and Bumgarner in the tournament? Were they going to fight for Bonds, Mays, McCovey and Marichal. Let's take a look at the two closest match ups:


Willie Mays and Buster Posey receiving 98 total votes, splitting right down the middle. However, at the time I cut off the voting, Mays had a 1 vote lead.


Tim Lincecum's mustache and ability to make baseballs float in mid air beating the greatest pitcher in San Francisco Giants history.




Now it was down to the Elite 8, and there would be no sugarcoating anymore. These were match ups fans were dreading. Time to rip off the band-aid and show you:


Willie Mays defeated Orlando Cepeda in the only blowout.



Tim Lincecum pulling away in the 2nd half to defeat Matt Cain.



J.T. Snow had fan support early, but ultimately was no match for Barry Bonds.



Willie McCovey defeating Will Clark.





So we had reached the Final Four and the #4 seed Tim Lincecum joined #1 seeds Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and Willie McCovey. Fans had spoken and it was clear that despite several upsets throughout the tournament, the greatest of all-time couldn't be denied.


Willie Mays defeated Tim Lincecum to reach the championship game.




Barry Bonds squeaked by Willie McCovey at the buzzer to reach the championship game.



I was happy to see that the two greatest Giants of all-time survived to the championship game. Despite the popularity of players such as Pence, Rueter, Snow, Lincecum and others, the Giants fans retweeted and favorited just enough to ensure the championship would be the two greatest living baseball players in team history and maybe baseball history.


And the Winner and STILL champion...The Greatest of All-Time, The Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays




Can't wait until next off-season to do this again and see who upsets who and to see if Willie can defend his title. A huge thank you to all who participated and voted on Twitter back in December.
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