55 Reasons to Hate The Giants
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2009 8:32 PM PDT
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via www.tireball.com
One of the saddest periods of my sports fandom was the year 1998, when 39-year old Orel Hershiser crushed my dreams and signed with the Giants. How in the hell could one of my childhood Dodger heroes join the enemy? His number will probably never be retired with the Dodgers -- unless perhaps Russell Martin builds on the good start to his career -- but in honor of Hershiser's uniform number, I want to build a list of 55 reasons why the Giants are so hated. I'll get the list started:
1) The aforementioned signing of Orel Hershiser
2) Juan Marichal going batty on John Roseboro's head:
via baseballislife.mlblogs.com
3) Joe Morgan breaking the Dodgers' hearts with a homer off Terry Forster in the final game of the 1982 season.
4) The Shot Heard Round The World, followed by Russ Hodges uterring one of the most annoying calls in history.
6) Wind. Stu Miller, pitching in the 1961 All-Star Game at Candlestick Park, was blown off the mound by a gust of wind. Nice weather, San Francisco.
7) Fred Breining, who hit three Dodgers with a pitch in a July 1983 game.
8) Mark Sweeney. On August 9, 2007, the Dodgers sent Travis Denker to the Giants to acquire the veteran pinch-hitter. Over parts of two seasons with the Dodgers, Sweeney hit .168/.261/.200. His OPS+ of 23 was lower than Andruw Jones had with the Dodgers. To top it all off, the veteran Sweeney ended a 2007 game by getting doubled off first base on a foul popup to the catcher.
9) Juan Pierre. Before 2007, the Giants were rumored to be interested in the light-hitting centerfielder. The Giants' interest led the Dodgers to increase their offer and eventually sign him to a five-year deal. Thanks, Brian Sabean.
10) One Flap Down
11) The Fan. My God, what an awful movie. The 1996 film portrayed a rather prickly superstar who signed as a free agent with the Giants. Where did they ever get that idea? And the final parts of the movie unrealistically revolved around a baseball game played in San Francisco in near monsoon conditions.
12) In little league, I played on the Giants for two straight years. In a similar vein, my nephew also had to play little league for the Giants a few years back. My brother was a coach and one time my uncle, a lifelong Dodger fan, came out to visit. Before the game, my uncle and brother were playing catch off to the side, then my brother put on his Giants cap, mandatory issue for the coaching staff. My uncle, rather than tossing the ball back to his nephew, simply dropped his glove and ball and walked away, refusing to be associated with such a disgusting spectacle. I love my uncle.
13) Jack Clark was drafted by and played ten years for the Giants.
14) The Grateful Dead, an abomination if there ever was one, were a group of Giants fans.
15) This jersey:
via giants.mlb.com
That's my list. It's up to you to come up with the remaining 40 reasons.
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Reason to hate Giants
I’ve got a reason: Baroid Bonds. Need I say more?
by Freedom Fighter on Apr 14, 2009 7:58 PM PDT reply actions
Bobby Bonds hitting a grand slam in his debut as they beat us 9 – 0.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/montejo01.shtml
Have to agree the rivalry list is not very tense. Mainly because the Giants have many more reasons for hating the Dodgers then the Dodgers have for hating the Giants. They are the ones who kept finishing 2nd to us other then the once a generation event. We are the ones with all the world championships and half the heartbreak that is the Giant legacy.
Growing up my rivalry was really with the Big Red Machine until they changed the division layouts. Barry Bonds reignited the rivalry but it is not a big deal to me. I think Eric is going to have a hard time coming up with 55 reasons without a bit of filler.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
I remember playing
little league ball where we had the generic jersey shirts with the league logo on it and the sponsor on the back. It was that orange color as seen in that Zito pic. The coaches suggested that we be called the Giants and about half the team and their parents revolted to the point where we eventually had to rename our team to the Tigers and went out and bought some Detroit gear which is pretty tough to do over in central California.
Orel Hershiser is still one of my favorite Dodgers of all time. I think the number should be retired with Martin being grandfathered in.
Well back to the list:
For Playing Baseball in Candlestick Park.
For making me have to cheer for the Angels for anything.
One Flap Down
I am old enough to remember Jeffery Leonard, circa 1987. However, I didn’t realize that he was originally drafted by the Dodgers and then later was part of a trade to bring Joe Ferguson back to LA.
Heh
That would be funny.
Seriously, though, their farm blows pretty much. Of course, we’re not getting any of the elite guys (McCutchen, Alvarez, etc). How about Daniel Moskos, LHP? He’s been pretty poor in the minors so far, but was a 1st round pick.
Gagne vs Tucker
Man, I hate the Giants….http://www.dodgerblues.com/images/gagne-tucker.jpg
Can't believe I forgot about that one
Good addition.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2009 9:40 PM PDT up reply actions
how about this?
http://www.dodgerblues.com/content/features_fights.html#marshall-sf
I don’t remember it (I was two), but my mom remembers that game vividly since Mike Marshall was one of her favorite players back then, so much so that I was named after him. From what she tells me, she was pissed when they intentionally walked Guerrero when Marshall was in that slump, and was equally elated when Marshall hit it out.
I can still remember
Marshall rounding the bases pointing into the Giants dugout. Then again, that’s kind of a jerk move by General Soreness, but oh well.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 15, 2009 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions
Orel
I have literally blanked out from my memory the fact that Orel pitched for the Giants. It doesn’t exist in my brain, therefore it never happened. So, sorry, you can remove that one now.
I could add the Denys Baez blown save game that I witnessed in person as another reason to hate the Giants but mostly I just end up hating Baez for that one.
Excellent
that clearly needs to be on the list.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2009 10:59 PM PDT up reply actions
That's a vintage Plaschke column
79 sentences.
56 paragraphs.
It’s hard to beat that 1.41 sentence/paragraph ratio.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2009 11:04 PM PDT up reply actions
May I humbly suggest
Dusty Baker telling Russ Ortiz to keep the ball
by Bob Timmermann on Apr 14, 2009 11:06 PM PDT reply actions
You may!
I believe we are up to 23…We need 32 more.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2009 11:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Is there space for...
Candy Maldonado on this list somewhere? I feel like he belongs for multiple reasons.
Trevor Wilson
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN199110050.shtml
’nuff said
Matt Williams
for calling out Orel after the Giants got knocked out in ’93, for that stupid thing he did with his mouth whenever he came up to bat, and for looking like a cross between an overgrown infant and a white supremacist. I mean just look at him:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1136/766243481_71f1d56c83.jpg?v=0
God I hated him
Darryl Strawberry
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/hd3qdc3nWUA/Sbne9lhhxtI/AAAAAAAAK4/0r9nsle-Hk4/s1600/ds%2Bhap.jpg
for smiling in a Giants uniform while the Dodgers were paying his salary
I believe that makes 27
almost halfway done with the list.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 15, 2009 12:02 AM PDT up reply actions
And now we're over the halfway mark
28 down
27 to go
by Eric Stephen on Apr 15, 2009 12:05 AM PDT up reply actions
Also more on Strawberry
a quote from Straw’s new book from Randy Harvey in the LA Times:
“On the professional level, playing in L.A. was a huge letdown after a decade in New York,‘’ he wrote. "The sports atmosphere in New York was insane and intense and that was what I was used to. Lunatic fans screaming at you when you lost and tearing the joint up when you won. In Dodger Stadium, fans were much more, you know, Californian. Laid back. Drifted into the park late, filtered out early. They had no fire, no passion. When you got a hit, they gave you a smattering of polite applause. When you struck out, they were like, ’Oh, bummer, man. Better luck next time.’
“It was, to be honest, boring…’’
by Eric Stephen on Apr 15, 2009 12:05 AM PDT up reply actions
thanks .... for the walk down memory lane.
but apparently things are changing
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/man-stabbed-after-dodger-stadium-home-opener.html
Strawberry
He says that Dodger fans are boring. Well, Mr. Strawberry, had you of given us something to cheer about maybe we would not of been so, how did you put it, laid back. The Dodgers signing you was as bad as the Raiders coming to LA.
by Livebythebluediebytheblue on Apr 15, 2009 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions
One more before I go to bed
Chris Berman
wore a Giants cap during the HR derby a few years back and would always have an anti-Dodger bias whenever ESPN would call Dodger games …but more importantly, his “back Back BACK!” calls during HR derbies ought to be considered a form of corporal punishment that even “enemy combatants” should be spared from.
Reasons to hate the Giants
The worst thing about the Giants is their home city — “The City”, as they call it, is the most provincial and degenerate place I’ve ever lived. I couldn’t wait to get out of that leftist and elitist hell hole. And they hate L.A. and Dodgers so much that I can’t help but hate back.
Gosh
I kind of like it here. Huge Dodger fan growing up in SoCal but have lived happily in SF for almost 20 years, minus 2 years in LA. So, to each their own, but I personally hope something as divisive as this doesn’t place SF itself on the list. BUT I totally agree with you about calling it “The City” – that always annoyed me too. Though it’s not the only big city to call itself that in comparison to other places in the area.
September 17th, 2002
With the Dodgers in a heated battle with the Giants for the pennant – LoDuca makes one of the all-time great plays; he slides through the 3rd base line warning track, into the Dodger dugout and some how manages to snag the popfoul from Bill Mueller. Dodgers quell the fire on the bases and move onto the 8th with a one-run lead. Andy Ashby pitches to Bonds with two on, and gives up a double that clears the bases – and entirely takes the wind out of their sales as the Dodgers get taken down in order in the 9th by Rob Nenn, and then go on to lose several more to the Giants.
The only good ending is the Giants went on to lose to the Angels in the Series.
I’ve always hated the Giants, but never so much as in this game, where Benito Santiago made them pay for walking Bonds – then later, Bonds makes them pay for pitching to him. I wanted the man dead – for real – after that game.
Tim Worrell killing Gagne's chance at settingthe save record
September 27, 2003, Edwin Jackson went 6, gave up 2 hits and walked 8. With a 2-0 lead heading into the 9th, Tim Worrell was called upon to keep it close for the Giants. Eric Gagne, with the save here and the next day could tie the single-season save record. Worrell proceeds to give up 3 runs, making it a 5-0 game, and taking the save opportunity away from Gagne.
Giants Broadcasters Kruk and Kipe
if their names are spelled wrong WHO CARES! For any Dodger fan living in the enemies territory, sometimes the only way to catch a Dodger game on TV is when they are playing the giAINTS. These two couldn’t hold the jock of the guy holding Scully’s jock! They are horrible, their home run calls are horrible and they are the reason the MUTE button was invented.
by viva los dodgers on Apr 15, 2009 10:55 AM PDT reply actions
If we're holding them to the Scully standard
nobody can live up to that.
I like Krukow and Kuiper. They do a good job of presenting the game, and have a pretty good sense of humor. They are definitely in the top third of MLB TV announcing crews.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 15, 2009 11:19 AM PDT up reply actions
More Reasons
1. The “Croix de Candlestick” pins that they gave fans for sticking through extra inning games at that dump of a ballpark. I have been to a dozen major league parks but thankfully I was never at the mistake by the bay. What a stupid gimmick.
2. Alvin Dark watering down the infield around first base to prevent Maury Wills from getting a good jump. Dark was supposedly a “very religious” man; I love it when guys like that show their true color.
3. My all time favorite reason: Jackie Robinson retiring rather than reporting to the Giants after the Dodgers traded him. Very un-Orel, and very, very cool. They should have retired his number for that act alone!
(Speaking of Orel, let’s not give Duke Snyder too much of a free pass, although he was traded and obviously wasn’t a free agent.)
3 more reasons
-“Hum Baby”
-“Grab some Pine, meat”
-and Danny Tanner’s Jacket…
Just leave Heidi Androl alone!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Apr 15, 2009 12:40 PM PDT reply actions
Reasons to hate the Giants
How about they just deserve to be hated. I will follow in my mothers foot steps. You live by the blue and you die by the blue. Once a Dodger fan always a Dodger fan. Plain and simple——the Giants SUCK……………………………………..
by Livebythebluediebytheblue on Apr 15, 2009 1:11 PM PDT reply actions
"[Blank] Sucks" statements or chants
well, suck.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 15, 2009 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions
...more reasons ??
Eric, Didn’t they start this “Beat LA” chant stuff. (That is kind of obnoxious, imo.) Also, their disrespect of Tommy was sort of mean too.
No...it was Celtics fans
It started in the 1982 NBA playoffs. As the 76ers were beating the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, towards the end of the game the Celtic fans started chanting “Beat LA” to encourage the 76ers. I hate the Celtics (almost as much as the Dodgers), but in my opinion this was actually a very clever and heartfelt chant at the time. I hate it now, but the first time was pretty classy. (Wow…“classy” and “Celtics fans” in the same paragraph; never happened before.)
by KellyStephen on Apr 15, 2009 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Beaten to the punch
by my own flesh and blood.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 15, 2009 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions
"Beat LA" is tired
but it wasn’t started by the Giants.
The origin of the chant is actually great, but it the chant has outlived it’s usefulness.
In the 1981 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, the 76ers led the Celtics 3-1, but Boston stormed back to take the next three games, and the series.
The following year, Philadelphia held another 3-1 series lead in the ECF, and again lost both games 5 and 6, and were facing the tall task of a game 7 in the Boston Garden. The 76ers had a lead, and in the 4th quarter when it became clear they would win and move on to face the Lakers in the Finals, the Boston fans began chanting “Beat LA” as encouragement for the 76ers.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 15, 2009 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions
Ugh, I hate that chant
Every time the Dodgers or Lakers are on the road and I hear it, I think, “Wow, you are so orignial.”
by bruinbabe2000 on Apr 15, 2009 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Friends of mine in Portland
were text messaging me that “chant” the other night because they knew I was going to the Clippers/Blazers game… I was not amused.
by Michael White on Apr 15, 2009 3:38 PM PDT up reply actions
At least my response didn't have a typo!
I hate the Celtics (almost as much as the Dodgers)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 15, 2009 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions
The 55th Reason has gotta be:
Trading 41-year-old Willie Mays to the New York Mets for Charlie Williams and $50,000… on the other hand, maybe they should hate themselves, too.
I Got Some For You!
I HATED seeing fat bearded, drunken guys walking around in these shirts at Candlestick!
And stuff like this is another reason:
Hershiser was also my childhood hero (Out of the Blue) and I probably have more Hershiser cards than any one else out there. And I thought that I had successfully blocked the memories of his giant days TOTALLY out of my mind and then you have to go and do a post like this! Well thank you sir and good night.
by Dodgers News Guy on Apr 15, 2009 3:47 PM PDT reply actions
I don't need a reason
I don’t need a reason to hate the Giants. It’s just the right thing to do!
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