On Sunday I was really pissed off when I heard Madison Bumgarner had agreed to a relatively paltry $85 million five year deal with the Diamondbacks. Why couldn’t the Giants have beaten that offer and kept MadBum here, where he belongs? My policy is not to post anything on here when I’m angry. After letting the news marinate for 72 hours, here’s my measured opinion.
At age 20 I cried real tears when I heard the news that my idol, Willie Mays, had been traded to the Mets in May 1972! Six months before I had been outraged when Gaylord Perry was dealt to the Cleveland Indians. Six years before in 1966, at age 14, I had also cried over the trade of Orlando Cepeda to the Cardinals. The next few years would see two more of my childhood Giants idols, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal, unceremoniously traded and sold in a massive salary dump by Giants owner Horace Stoneham in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to save his ownership.
All five of the San Francisco era Giants Hall of Famers were traded or sold! It was extremely painful for me to see these childhood idols of mine in a different uniform playing against my Giants. But, if I could see the likes of Mays, McCovey, Marichal, Cepeda and Perry in different uniforms, I can certainly survive seeing Bumgarner in a Diamondbacks uniform.
Undoubtedly, it will be excruciating to see MadBum on the mound pitching and blowing snot rockets against my Giants! Yet, despite my pain I will faithfully root for the Giants! I don’t understand these bandwagon fans who give up their tickets or claim they will cheer for Madison over our Giants. Not me! Just as I have for 62 years I will wholeheartedly cheer for my Giants. Let Madison beat the other teams, especially the Dodgers. I bleed Giants Orange and will always remain loyal to my Giants.
Farhan Zaidi is a smart dude and Giants Nation should be open-minded while he rebuilds our Giants. My faith in Farhan remains strong. It’s a different time with the revered Boch no longer presiding over our Giants from his dugout perch. No one misses Boch more than I do. Let us Giants fans be patient with Farhan, Rome wasn’t built in a day! I’ll be the first one to criticize, when the time is right.
I will never forget and be forever thankful for what Madison accomplished for my Giants! He played a key role in our first two championships and took the Giants on his Paul Bunyanesque back for the thrilling third championship in 2014! While doing those amazing things he etched his name in baseball history alongside Koufax and Ruth as one of the most dominant pitchers in the postseason. There were also his gargantuan home runs that awed us Giants fans. MadBum was THE Giants enforcer both on the mound and in the dugout. He epitomizes the term … FOREVER GIANTS!! Good luck MadBum!
You and my heart are connected, as you know. I didn’t bring this up on Sunday, because I knew how much you were angry about it. I believe we will survive this just like we have survived all the other leavings! And lifelong, true Giants fans will remain.
Thanks for not mentioning this on Sunday. It’s always difficult to see our favorite players move on. It was very painful to see Will Clark and Matt Williams in different uniforms. But, I will forever be loyal to my Giants!! I wish MadBum the best of luck … But NOT against my Giants!!
Farhan is doing exactly what he was hired to do and that is to get the Giants back as a playoff team. The last 3 or 4 years have been UGLY! Aging, fading stars have under-performed and a rebuild is long overdue. Madbum, Posey, Belt, Crawford — they’ve all struggled. Do you want nostalgia or a competitive team? We badly need some new blood and Farhan was just the beginning. Go Giants!
Totally agree! Giants Nation needs to give Farhan at least three years before jumping to conclusions. Remember how the fans crucified Sabean when he traded Matt Williams? That worked out great in the end. Give Farhan time!
Thank you for the ‘oh yeah’ moment! I feel better (I think?) already. It is truth. Our best eventually get traded. I’ll get over it…as soon as the season starts. Also a GIANTS FOREVER FAN —AUTHENTIC FAN?⚾️?
Your post worked! Thanks for commenting.
Go Giants!!
That’s well said. I understand that the MadBum situation was complicated and that the seeds of what’s happened this week were planted several years ago. I’m still very sad to see him go and am really going to miss him. Root for him against the Giants, though? That’s a big Hell No.
I don’t share your faith in Zaidi at this point. I wouldn’t say I’ve lost all confidence in him but rather that he’s done some things that have made me question his judgment, in particular hiring Kapler. I’m skeptical until shown otherwise, but I hope you’re the one who’s right here because like you, they’re my Giants all the way.
Lefty, I understand your doubts about Farhan and his decision to hire Kapler. Like Zaidi and Harris, I’m keeping an open mind about Kapler. We met him twice recently and he’s certainly an engaging personable guy! My only questions, is how his personality will play in a MLB clubhouse and his in-game decisions? He certainly made some bizarre decisions in Philly! He’s openly admitted that he could’ve handled the sexual incidents much better. I think he learns quickly from his mistakes. Let’s give him, Farhan and Harris a chance!
Terrific well balanced post Mavo! Stop by TWG more often.
Thanks Max! I’ll try to stop by TWG more often.
Great post, Mavo. Balanced and measured. Our beloved blog has been assaulted with virulent anti-Zaidi and anti-Kapler for most of the past week. Here’s hoping this too shall pass. It’s good to hear from you, brother. GO GIANTS!!
Thanks John!
Happy Holidays!
Well said and well written we all will miss Madison I will never forget the championships he brought to us hes a great player and a hellva of a man I wish him nothing but the best I will be a GIANTS fan 4 ever
Thanks Robert!
I hope Madison has a great 5 years with the D Backs, I just hope the Giants beat them when they play each other. He can beat everyone else. Farhan is doing what he thinks will make the Giants better, not to try and save money. Its always hard to see a good player, and a good person and teammate, leave. But just like when Madison was younger and first came up, Farhan will get that same young player to take Madison’s place to join the Giants and make us better.
Totally agree!
Well said Chris, my thoughts exactly! The rebuilding of a team is never easy because we are losing so much of what we love, but unfortunately, it is necessary to remain competitive. I wish Bumgarner all the best in his next chapter with the Diamondbacks, but my heart is and always will be with the Giants, my team, our team!! ??
Right on Sabrina! Let him beat the hell outta other teams … NOT THE OUR GIANTS! I’ll cheer him heartily BEFORE the game. Once the game starts with the Giants it’s game on MadBum!!
Chris, very wise of you to wait before writing. Anger adds nothing! I have been a Giants fan since 1950; many more bad years than good. However, 3 WS titles in 5 years makes Bumgarner a Giants saint! Yet, he isn’t the pitcher he was. It is not the time to hold onto questionable performers and spend maybe $100 million to keep him into his baseball senility. He took the money and left; good luck to him, but move on. Mays wasn’t “Mays” when he joined the Mets and flopped. The jury is out on Kapler; I would have chosen the Houston bench coach from what I read. But these guys are professionals. They know much, much more than we fans so give them their chance. Zaidi certainly helped build the Dodgers. Perhaps the Giants should have shopped Bumgarner in the summer instead of building unrealistic hope around their short surge. Today they would have had something to show for that effort. Yet they were loyal to him. Done! It will take a while, but they’ll be back.
Jerry,
Good points all! It will be difficult to see Bumgarner in a Diamondbacks uniform. I’ll give him a nice warm reception. But, after that it’s game on MadBum!
Yes, Mays was a shell of his former superstar self when he was dealt to the Mets. Yet, he hit a home run to beat the Giants in his first game against his former team! The Say Hey Kid always had a flair for the dramatic! It was sad to see him struggle in centerfield in the 1973 World Series against the A’s. Time yields to no one, not even superstars!