San Francisco Giants Decor – Turn your home or office into a ‘Giants’ shrine

Fans of the San Francisco Giants now have another reason to celebrate. Great home decor is now available that can help you to convert your home into your very own ‘Giants’ shrine. Impressive looking office decor is also available that helps you remember your favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) in your office as well.

The San Francisco Giants – Now in your home!

A passionate fan of the San Francisco Giants wants to be surrounded by the San Francisco Giants merchandise of his favorite team, day in and day out. Even while sitting in their living rooms, fans of the team, want to immerse themselves in that San Francisco Giants feeling. Choosing from the diverse range of home decor options will help you decorate your home in a manner that calls out to everybody loudly and clearly that – ‘You are a San Francisco Giants fan”. Home decor like carpet tiles, rugs, door mats and art glass frames amongst other sporty looking options will take the home decor to another level altogether.

The San Francisco Giants – Your office colleague!

You can now take your favorite team to the office, as well. The office is at times stressful, at times boring and many a times a lonely place. Though you are surrounded by your co-workers, you sometimes do feel as if you do not have a friend in the world. No more! The San Francisco Giants office decor will be that one true friend in your office that you can always count on. Say things are not going right for you in the office, one look at your own little piece of San Francisco Giants decor sitting pretty on your table, will soon put things to right. Desk clocks, desk lamps etc not only enhance the office decor but give you the satisfaction of knowing that, no matter what, the team is with you and vice versa.

San Francisco Giants Furniture

The range of San Francisco Giants Decor is immense. You can also choose from a diverse selection of furniture pieces that have been designed keeping the San Francisco Giants as its central theme. The pub sofa, recliners, video chairs, and various other types of other unique furniture, fight for your attention. The San Francisco Giants Decor range is the proven word in tremendous visual appeal and functionality. Choosing this decor is definitely going to make you a very happy San Francisco Giants fan.

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Headwear – The hottest selling San Francisco Giants merchandise

The San Francisco Giants are a fantastic MLB team that belongs to the National League West Division. The team is renowned for winning more games than any other baseball team in the entire history of baseball. No wonder, the Giants have an overwhelming fan following as well. They hold the record for the largest number of ticket sales, with 70,000 fans filling their home stadium in their first ever season match against the Chicago Bears. The passionate fans of the team also go overboard when it comes to showing support for their favorite team through San Francisco Giants merchandise. Every year during the game season, online MLB sports merchandise stores record overwhelming sales of the San Francisco Giants merchandise.

One of the hottest selling items of merchandise is San Francisco Giants headwear which includes stylish caps and beanies. The San Francisco Giants headwear is a must wear for any diehard Giants fan. A unique advantage of the San Francisco Giants caps is that they make you stand out as a supporter of the Giants even in a crowd. On a sunny match day, San Francisco Giants caps also protect you from the sun’s rays while the snug San Francisco Giants beanies are ideal for matches on a cold day.

Embossed with the Giants logo, the official San Francisco Giants headwear looks terrifically stylish. The diehard Giants fan can sport them as a style statement all throughout the year. Made of top quality material, the San Francisco Giants headwear can be worn by both male and female fans of the team.

During the winter season, choose to sport a warm San Francisco Giants beanie while indulging in your favorite outdoor activities like hiking, jogging, biking or simply working to keep yourself toasty warm. As most body heat is lost through the head it is essential that you wear a warm San Francisco Giants beanies especially when chilly winds are blowing.

On a hot sunny day, choose to stand out as an ultra-cool Giants fan by sporting a designer San Francisco Giants cap. They are lightweight, durable and weather resistant whilst also being fashionable and stylish, the San Francisco Giants caps are definitely a must buy for any diehard Giants fan. In addition, the San Francisco Giants caps make a great gift idea. If you wish to delight a fellow Giants fan or wish to give something special to your brother or dad, then do browse through the extensive range of San Francisco Giants merchandise online. Trusted online stores offer a wide-collection of San Francisco Giants headwear in various sizes and styles.

Popular San Francisco Giants merchandise

The fans of the San Francisco Giants baseball team are popularly called diehardfans because they show their support for the team by sporting the official San Francisco Giants Merchandise that is available in the form of Giants accessories, apparel accessories and tags and key rings.

The San Francisco Giants are based in San Francisco which is an attractive tourist destination. Sporting the San Francisco Giants Merchandise like Giants accessories and apparel accessories is one of the ways to feel associated with this great place and its winning team.

San Francisco Giants accessories

The Giants accessories are available in many sports stores that sell San Francisco Giants merchandise, in a number of different ranges to suit the demands and tastes of every fan. These Giants accessories can range from apparel accessories, bags, purses, belts, buckles, to money clips, wallets, stationary, sunglasses, and tags and key rings. You can also buy these Giants accessories and other San Francisco Giants merchandise online.

San Francisco Giants Apparel accessories

Apparel accessories are liked by all as they’re an easy way to incorporate Giants Merchandise into everyday wear. Some apparel accessories are personalized with the Giants Logo such as the Giants Logo Jersey Headband, Giants Woven Tie, Giants Polyester Woven Tie, Giants Tie, and Giants Nostalgia Tie. You can choose any of these apparel accessories from any store that sells San Francisco Giants merchandise. You can also buy Giants apparel accessories online here at diehardfans.

San Francisco Giants Tags & key rings

If you are looking for something more than apparel accessories, you should take a look at another collection of Giants accessories like the tags and key rings. Some of the choices in the tags and key rings category are the Giants Team Logo Key Ring, Giants Zing Team Logo Key Ring, Giants White Round Key Ring, Giants Football Key Tag, Giants Schlage Key, and many more tags and key rings. These tags and key rings can also be found online at a store that sells San Francisco Giants merchandise.

Giants accessories such as tags and key rings can be ideal gift items. You can buy these tags and key rings either for yourself or your friends or loved ones who are also fans of the San Francisco Giants team. There are many more Giants accessories and apparel accessories that can be found at an online sports store that sells San Francisco Giants Merchandise. Sporting any of these San Francisco Giants Merchandise or Giants accessories can make you the ultimate diehard fan of this popular baseball team.

How to get high quality San Francisco Giants merchandise online?

For top quality merchandise, you needn’t look any further than diehardfans. It is a well established sports website that offers every kind of sports item a fan needs. From sports based accessories to furniture and gifts, you can get thousands of merchandise items her and all complete with team logos.

Supporters of the San Francisco Giants fans can get everything from a small beanie cap to a Giants ‘Tim Lincecum’ 2008 N.L. CY Young 24KT Gold & Infield Dirt Coin Photo Mint. We offer many awesome products, complete with San Francisco Giants logos.

Each of our products has been officially licensed, from a Giants authentic blackout ‘MLB logo’ 59fifty cap to Giants Business card holder, through to our kitchen accessories.
Headwear is important to a real fan so use your head and use DHF for all your sports headwear needs. Buy San Francisco Giants merchandise online, with a huge range including small caps. Some of the best selling caps and headwear online is Giants pinwheel white/orange 59fifty cap, Giants green pinestripe white 59fifty cap, Giants army camo brady 59fifty cap and Giants alt trace dogear brown/white 59fifty cap. There are over 100 of caps, beanies and other headwear options here, so that you can be in tune with changing fashion always.

Some San Francisco Giants fans buy caps for their girlfriends too, so that they both can wear identical caps at the game. Some of the other gifts that men buy for their wives or girlfriends are Giants Laser Etched Ornament, Giants Replica Mini Pink Helmet with Clear Stand and Left Ear Flap and San Francisco Giants Silver Coin Ornament. If you want variety of options for headwear like caps and beanies or you want San Francisco Giants merchandise items that can be kept in your game room or given as gifts, you will find it online!

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Gift a loved one with a host of San Francisco Giants Jewelry

When looking at any jewelry section on a sports page, chances are it is for one of three reasons, the first is that your and old romantic, looking for San Francisco Giants jewelry to treat the love of your life. You have missed the game for her, taken her for a meal and asked permission before you catch the highlights on the box. Perhaps you would like to choose from any of our Giants necklaces, logo bracelets, logo pendants, and logo pins. However, once we have returned to reality and established that you are in fact a Die Hard fan we will acknowledge that is far more likely that you need to make up for missing a an appointment or a date, in favor of the one and only San Francisco Giants!. This is where The San Francisco Giants Team shop comes in, and more specifically, the San Francisco Giants jewelry section.

If this is the case then you are in the dog house, but treat her to something gorgeous, and something developed with the best quality materials available. Our San Francisco Giants Jewelry are perhaps your best bet. Take a glance at our heart shaped pendants, complete with a variety of official team logos or our gorgeous logo pendants. Time it right though, gift her, tell her how much you will miss her, then swiftly vacate to meet your buddies for some hard core tail-gating action!.

Show your support; adorn any of our official San Francisco Giants Jerseys

Chose from our range of official, replica and authentic jerseys and wear your shirt with pride. Wearing San Francisco Giants jerseys is a standard protocol come match day! In addition, our San Francisco Giants Jerseys come in a range of youth, large San Francisco Giants jerseys, and replica home jerseys. They are also developed with the best possible materials, and feature the official Giants logo, and all of which are top quality San Francisco Giants Jerseys. For more San Francisco Giants Merchandise, visit our online MLB shop Diehardfans.com.

Outstanding San Francisco Giants merchandise for ultimate die-hard fans

San Francisco Giants are one of the oldest and the strongest teams of Major League Baseball। Established in the New York City in 1883, the team relocated to San Francisco in 1958. In its long sporting history San Francisco Giants have won five World Series title but ever since the team moved to San Francisco it has not won any World Series title. However, the team continues to win pennants and division titles and its loyal fans are quite confident that a World Series title is on the cards. San Francisco Giants hold the outstanding record of having won the most games in the history of baseball. The legendary baseball team also has most number of players in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It boasts of records that are hard to beat for any other team!

Giants represent the National League West Division and play their home games at the AT&T Park in San Francisco. A very well known fact of San Francisco Giants is their traditional rivalry with Los Angeles Dodgers. It is said to be the longest running contention in the baseball history. It started way back when these two National League clubs played in New York City. Once they moved over to California in 1958, their rift only intensified since the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco are historically hostile towards each other and keep competing in the economic, cultural and political arenas.

San Francisco Giants merchandise

The much-loved San Francisco Giants are known by several nicknames such as the Jints, Los Gigantes, the G-Men and the Orange and Black. Owing to the team’s long sporting history and the laurels it has won, the team has millions of fans spread across the United States. Famous online sports merchandise outlets receive plethora of orders each year before the game season. Baseball fans love sports merchandise for various reasons – to show support for the team, to encourage San Francisco Giants players and of course to exude style and sophistication! Here we have discussed some of the most sought after San Francisco Giants merchandise.

San Francisco Giants tailgating and outdoors

Since the tailgating parties have become a huge affair in the United States, there is perpetual high demand for San Francisco Giants tailgating and outdoor merchandise. The rivalry between the Giants and the LA Dodgers further boosts the sales as the fans compete to show support for their beloved team. If you are going to host or go to a stylish San Francisco Giants tailgating party, you would want to consider visiting online sports stores. These stores feature a host of San Francisco Giants tailgating and outdoor merchandise such as garden accessories, barbeque accessories, eating and drinking, coolers and items needed when going to the game.

San Francisco Giants headwear

For any passionate fan, San Francisco Giants caps and beanies are must have accessories. At reputed online MLB sports merchandise outlet, you will find some really hot designer San Francisco Giants headwear like caps and knitted beanies, ideal for cold weather. Embossed with the official logo of the team, the San Francisco Giants headwear will make you stand out as a dedicated and loyal Giants fan during the match and encourage the players to perform their best.

San Francisco Giants jewelry and gifts

Fans who seek to accessorize themselves with exciting San Francisco Giants jewelry will be glad to stop over at online sports shops. The fantastic range of jewelry including state-of-the-art wrist watches for men and women, besides chains and necklaces, bracelets, rings and toe rings, earrings, pins and pendants in silver, gold and other metals will leave you dazzled. The best part of the collection is that the products are of superb quality and extremely affordable.

Fans who wish to send San Francisco Giants gifts can choose from an immensely attractive range of gift ideas such as wall clocks, coin sets, card box, wallets, tankard sets, photo mints and neckties adorned with official logo of the team. You can send San Francisco Giants gifts to fellow fans anywhere in the US with the help of online sports stores!

Why The San Francisco Giants Should Pick Up John Smoltz

by Andy Bensch

Let's face it, when a 42-year-old pitcher attempts to rehab what should be a career ending injury and come back to the Major Leagues, the American League East is not the place to do it.

Trying to make his comeback as a member of the Red Sox, Smoltz had to face lethal AL East hitters such as Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts, Luke Scott, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, and Matt Weiters.

Four of his eight starts came against the aforementioned hitters, as Smoltz faced the Orioles three times and the Yankees once, in his final start before being released.

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San Francisco Giants Can't Kick The Road Funk

by Danny Penza

Great pitching and non-existent hitting—that's what sums up the Giants' road performances as the 2009 season as gone on.

How bad has it been this year with the sticks? Let's play a little compare and contrast.

Home: 4.38 runs per game in 59 games (39-20 record)

Road: 3.51 runs per game in 58 games (24-34 record)

Even with the best pitching staff in the game, those kind of run numbers on the road aren't going to get it done and the record reflects just that.

The beginning of the current season-high 11-game road trip has produced more of the same frustrations that we all saw to begin the season, to begin the second half, and basically every road trip in between.

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Underrated Infielder Rich Aurilia One of the Best Giants to Ever Play by the Bay

by Evan Aczon

NO.

SLEEP.

TILL BROOKLYN.

When Rich Aurilia steps out of the dugout, every Giants fan knows what his walk-up music is.

That one clip from the Beastie Boys is indicative of Aurilia’s career, one that may soon be coming to a close.

Aurilia went on the disabled list again before Wednesday’s game, diagnosed with “ankle tendinitis.”

This marked the second time in less than two weeks that the San Francisco Giants put their veteran infielder on the DL with arguably a phantom ailment, putting him on the shelf on July 21 with a “big toe infection.”

If it were anyone else on the Giants roster, like a Dave Roberts or Keiichi Yabu, he would have been designated for assignment and released. But Brian Sabean, and the rest of the Giants organization, just can’t let that happen.

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San Francisco Giants Mess with the Johan—The Umpires Do Not

by Andrew Nuschler

Fresh off a contentious series against the hated Los Angeles Dodgers that saw every single close play go the Bums' way (and some not so close ones), the San Francisco Giants landed in New York City to take on the Metropolitans. No natural animosity there so we thought maybe things would calm down—both on the fracas detail and the umpiring front.

Two games into the four-game set, it appears that might not be the case.

The judgment of the blues has been good so far, nothing egregious as I've seen it. Even so, the umpires still find ways to shaft the Gents.

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Purchase Your San Francisco Giants memorabilia online

As a Die Hard Fan, by now your collections of San Francisco Giants accessories will have reached bursting point. However, with the Giants always finding room in the trophy cabinet, so can you. We have an awesome range of exclusive San Francisco Giants accessories, including San Francisco Giants Memorabilia, and a host of San Francisco Giants Gifts. If you are a fan of the many San Francisco Giants sports teams, you will benefit from our generous range of San Francisco Giants Gifts.

Perhaps you are looking for a gift for a family member or fellow sports fan, in which case, you may wish to take a look at our Giants Lil Fan Logo Player, Giants Acrylic Striped Home Run Snowman, Giants Logo Baseball Hat, Giants Glass Batter, Giants Animated Snowman, and many more products from their store.

However, in terms of our San Francisco Giants Memorabilia, you can browse through our online store for products such as the Giants Replica Mimi Helmet with Clear stand and left ear flap, Giants 24kt Gold and Infield Dirt 3 Coin set, San Francisco Giants team pride photo mint, Giants gift box, and the Giants Large Collector’s box, all of which are generously priced and comprise of top quality materials.

Any Die Hard Fan who is perhaps looking for "San Francisco Giants accessories" for the home will jump at the chance of browsing our Giants Caucasian Slugger, Giants African American Slugger, Giants Fiber optic snowman, Giants crystal Ornament, Giants Baseball Cap ornament, Giants laser etched ornament, Giants 3D logo ornament, and a host of additional home and décor products.

Browse our San Francisco Giants accessories, ideal for San Francisco Giants gifts

When you browse our officially licensed San Francisco memorabilia store, you will be met with a host of cool San Francisco Giants accessories and San Francisco Giants gifts. Anybody looking for San Francisco Giants wallets need not look nay further. Take a look at these San Francisco Giants Wallets today, as well as the Giants pencil holder, Giants photo album, and Giants football key tag, all of which are ideal as small San Francisco Giants Gifts. In addition to our range of San Francisco Giants wallets, we have some cool San Francisco Giants gifts.

Our Money is on the San Francisco Giants Wallets

And if you browse our awesome range, so will yours. Take a look at our cool Giants Tri-fold wallet, Giants boxed Tri-fold wallet, Giants Sox Boxed Bi-fold Wallet, and Giants Bi-fold Wallet in a tin, all of which are extremely sought after and comprised of top quality materials. Visit: San Francisco Giants Merchandise Store

San Francisco Giants return home, start three-game series versus Pirates

The San Francisco Giants hold the second-best home record (31-15) in the Majors behind the Boston Red Sox and they are hoping to continue their success in AT&T Park. The Giants’ next 13 games will be played in San Francisco, so now’s the time for the team to turn things around.

Returning from their 10-game road trip with a 3-7 record, the Giants take on the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games. The Pirates took the previous series 2-1 and have won seven of their last nine games in AT&T Park.

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Fate of the Franchise

by Evan Aczon

With the San Francisco Giants barely off the All-Star Break and seemingly poised for a playoff push, a lot of fans are overlooking the fact that this team wasn't expected to contend until 2010, as was envisioned by general manager Brian Sabean, former team president Peter Magowan, and his successor Bill Neukom.

In light of that, last week's piece about the future of Tim Lincecum will now be the first in a series of articles that looks at each position for the Giants and assesses the situation for next season. Each player on the roster will be looked at, weighing their contract situation, performance, and their overall fit into the puzzle of the "Giants Way."

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The San Francisco Giants Will Make Playoffs, the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs Will Not

by Mark Strotman

Heading into tonight’s action in the National League, it has become apparent that just six teams in the league are left that have a shot at competing for the playoffs and the NL pennant.

The Pirates, Reds, Brewers, and Astros really have no shot at winning the Central this year. The Astros and Brewers are within reaching distance, but trends say they are out of it.

In the East, the Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves are both inside seven games of the Philadelphia Phillies, but with the acquisition of Cliff Lee to the pitching staff, I will go ahead and say the Phillies will roll into the playoffs.

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Take a look at our San Francisco Giants Team Shop

Among the most established teams in MLB to date, San Francisco is a prosperous team with a number of championships under its belt. Any true fan will look to incorporate any number of San Francisco Giants jerseys for match day from an established San Francisco Giants Team shop. They will look to grab some "San Francisco Giants Furniture" for the home, San Francisco jewelry for that extra special something, and all of which are readily available at the click of a button from the San Francisco Giants Merchandise Shop.

In terms of our officially licensed San Francisco Giants Furniture, make your home is a sporting fortress. Take a look at our cool series of MLB sofas, perfect for the replacement of that worn out and beaten up old sofa that your Grandpa/Dad has taken up residence for some years. In addition, have a look at our San Francisco Giants Furniture in the form of logo chairs, cube ottomans, pub chairs, video chairs, recliners, and officially licensed logo chairs, all of which are top quality items of San Francisco Giants Furniture.

The San Francisco Giants All-Star Break Awards: "Entourage" Edition!

by Kevin O'Brien

With the first half of the season officially over and the Giants getting ready to battle for a playoff spot in the second half, I think it is a good idea to look over some of the highs, lows, and everything in between of the Giants' surprising 49-39 first half.

In addition, with season six of Entourage premiering last Sunday, I thought it would be a good idea to give these awards an Entourage-esque spin.

If you like Entourage, I hope you enjoy these awards.

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San Francisco Giants Involvement With Roy Halladay Could Work

by Zack Farmer

Roy Halladay is the American League's best pitcher and the Toronto Blue Jays have every right to ask for everybody's top prospect in return. Furthermore, now that the Jays are falling out of the race they have decided to

So, where do the rancisco San FGiants fit into all of this?

They have a wealth of talent in the farm system and have a legitimate shot at making noise in the playoffs. A move needs to be made but is Halladay the right move?

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San Francisco Giants Need To Step Up the Plate

by Ronald Michie

The San Francisco Giants can no longer fall back on the Cinderella story line. They have the third best record in the league, and lead the wild card chase by two games.

They are fourth in the league in hitting and first in pitching.

They have one of the best young hitters in the league in Pablo Sandoval, and two of the best starters in Lincecum and Cain. Their closer is tied for the league lead in saves and their bullpen has been excellent of late.

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The Future of Baseball: The San Francisco Giants' Rotation

by Kyle Vos

Heading into this season, pretty much everyone would have put the San Francisco Giants near the bottom of the standings. A year removed from a 90-loss season, the only noteworthy addition the team made was the signing of 45-year old starting pitcher Randy Johnson.

Fast forward to the All-Star break, and the Giants are a surprising 10 games over .500 with a two game lead in the Wild Card race. The somewhat premature emergence of the portly power hitting Pablo Sandoval has helped, but the main reason this Giants team is succeeding is their pitching staff.

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Midseason Progress Report: San Francisco Giants Exceeding Expectations

by Eric Jolivette

As we near the mid-point of the 2009 season, Giants fans should be on cloud nine. After a lengthy hibernation in the cave of mediocrity, these bears are awake -- and they’re starting to look like contenders.

Whether or not Giants fans are excited, Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean surely are. San Francisco’s manager and GM both began the season on seats that were hotter than a car stereo at a swap meet.

It was easy to see from the beginning that pitching would be the Giants’ strength this season. Tim Lincecum and company have definitely not disappointed.

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San Francisco Giants showing rare power of late

By Chris Haft

Though home runs remain a rarity for the Giants, they've proven lately that slugging is not a completely foreign skill to them.

They entered Tuesday night's rematch against the St. Louis Cardinals having homered in five consecutive games, tying a season-high. Of San Francisco's eight homers in this span, Pablo Sandoval and Nate Schierholtz hit three and two, respectively. Matt Downs, Travis Ishikawa and Juan Uribe hit the others.

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San Francisco Giants' pitcher hit by liner working his way back to the big leagues

By Brian VanderBeek

San Francisco Giants' fans have seen the replay a thousand times, from every conceivable angle at every speed.

So has Joe Martinez.

But while we wince every time that April 9 Mike Cameron line drive cracks into Martinez's forehead, Martinez doesn't.

"They replay stuff and show it on ESPN a million times," Martinez said. "And it's tough to watch. It's tough on my parents. It doesn't bother me to watch because it didn't hurt. I just didn't feel it. Maybe it's for lack of brain.

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The 2009 San Francisco Giants - Unexpected Success

by Raymond Mullan

With 14 games remaining for the San Francisco Giants before the All-Star break, they are in position to be the biggest surprise of 2009.

Before the season began, it would have been essentially impossible to find an analyst, expert, or common baseball fan who would predict the Giants would be a .500 team. Conversations of a playoff berth were nonexistent.

All of that has changed.

San Francisco has a record of 40 wins to 34 losses. They are in second place in the National League West and trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by seven games.

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San Francisco Giants' 2009 Season Already a Success

by Andrew Nuschler

That might sound a little premature.

Actually, it might sound a lot premature.

After all, the San Francisco Giants have only played 74 of the 162-game slate. They sit a mere six games over .500, and, while they're in a cluttered group of leaders hunting for the National League Wildcard, their company in contention features some intimidating teams.

The St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs are all within hailing distance of Los Gigantes.

On paper, that doesn't bode well for our guys.

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San Francisco Giants' secret weapon

Jim Welte

THERE ARE DAYS when John Yee has more than 40,000 screaming fanatics outside his office, drinking beer and yelling constantly, seemingly all at once. There is loud music, an MC that seems amplified from the heavens, and nary a peaceful moment. For a guy crunching numbers and making complex financial projections for a multi-million dollar organization, an active construction site would be less disruptive.

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How San Francisco Became Contenders Again :Life After Barry

by chris falite

The San Francisco Giants, now without Barry, will need to find a new way to fill the seats and, in doing so, fast. Along with one of the league's worst offenses, San Fran hasn't played in October since 2003—not much of a selling point to fans. But with some exceptional homegrown talent and a few key veterans, now, in 2009, the San Francisco Giants are ready to contend again.

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UA closer leads off Day 2 of Giants Draft

One day after the Giants made their first three selections in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, they immediately selected another player initially expected to go on the first day, too. San Francisco made University of Arizona relief pitcher Jason Stoffel its fourth-round pick to start Wednesday's portion of the three-day Draft.

UA's all-time saves leader (29) had a down year last season, posting a 4.67 ERA in 54 innings pitched. But as a freshman and sophomore he closed out the Wildcats' games ahead of 2008 first-round picks Ryan Perry and Daniel Schlereth, going a combined 9-2 and collecting 18 saves in 60 appearances.

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Riverview's Gus Benusa drafted by San Francisco Giants

Riverview senior baseball standout Gus Benusa was drafted in the eighth round today by the San Francisco Giants. He was the 237th player taken overall in the three-day Major League Baseball First-year Player Draft. Read more

The San Francisco Giants' Draft: Day One Review

It’s hard, but I can forget about my newfound Matzekamania. Zack Wheeler isn’t a consolation prize – he was one of the top high school arms in the draft, and one who compared favorably to top-ten prep picks from previous drafts. When Tyler Matzek was asked about his new organization, the Rockies, he said something like, "Oh, they’re swell, but Oregon’s going to let me play first base, too." Oops, pow, surprise: You just got a glass full of negotiation in your face, Colorado.Read more

Recapping the 2009 MLB Draft's First Round

by Adam Bernacchio

Other than Bud Selig being the worst public speaker of all-time and the awkward Zack Wheeler interview where he admitted he knows nothing about the San Francisco Giants, I thought the MLB Network did a very good job of producing the 2009 MLB Draft.

Here is a recap of the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft...

1. Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg, RHP

If this guy doesn’t pan out, he will be the biggest bust of all time.

2. Seattle Mariners: Dustin Ackley, 1B

Ackley will play the OF for the Mariners, and in my opinion, he will be the best player in this draft.

3. San Diego Padres: Donavan Tate, OF

Super athletic. Has a full ride to UNC to play football.

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Giant Killers: Dr. Journeymen/Mr. All-Stars

The San Francisco Giants cannot be the only goliath that suffers such a frustrating curse.

If your favorite franchise falls victim to one, then you already know where I'm heading. If not (damn you) I'll explain: A Dr. Journeyman/Mr. All-Star is a phenomenon where an otherwise nondescript athlete sees the object of your affection coming and it changes him/her.

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San Francisco Giants' Pitching Analysis

by Simon Balin

Among the 102 pitchers with over 50 innings pitched, I ranked 19 guys who are ready to dramatically improve their stats. There is some correlation between throwing hard and having a high BABIP, but it’s not overwhelming.

Name: BABIP, Worst Defensive Efficiency, K/9 = Bust-Out Number

John Lester: .375 (1), 1st (1), 10.19 (4) = 6

Tim Lincecum: .359 (2), 4th (3), 11.43 (2) = 7

Manny Para: .356 (3), 2nd (2), 8.01 (12) = 17

Aaron Harang: .341 (8), 6th (5), 8.00 (13) = 26

Gil Meche: .344 (6), 5th (4), 6.93 (17) = 27

Javier Vasquez, .333 (13), 14th (11), 11.00 (3) = 27

Justin Verlander: .331 (15), 15th (12), 11.68 (1) = 28

Cliff Lee: .353 (5), 8th (6), 6.57 (18) = 29

Carl Pavano, .342 (7), 9th (7), 7.14 (16) = 30

Jorge De La Rosa: .336 (11), 17th (14), 9.38 (5) = 30

Kevin Slowey: .354 (4), 11th (8), 6.49 (19) = 31

John Danks: .333 (13), 12th (9), 8.28 (9) = 31

Felix Hernandez: .328 (17), 13th (10), 9.08 (7) = 34

Randy Johnson: .336 (11), 25th (19), 9.35 (6) = 36

Joe Blanton: .331 (15), 16th (13), 8.18 (11) = 39

Francisco Liriano: .341(8), 20th (16), 7.67 (15) = 39

Ubaldo Jiminez: .341 (8), 23rd (17), 7.81 (14) = 39

Josh Beckett: .322 (19), 18th (15), 8.47 (8) = 44

Wandy Rodriguez: .328 (17), 24th (18), 8.25 (10) = 45

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Tucson Toros Sell Contract of RHP Andrew Romo to the San Francisco Giants

The Golden Baseball League announced today that the Tucson Toros have sold the contract of RHP Andrew Romo to the San Francisco Giants. The hard-throwing righty from Brawley, CA had an outstanding 3 inning appearance for Tucson in his first appearance of the 2009 season after coming over from the Yuma Scorpions and was immediately acquired by the Giants.

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10-Game Road Trip Could Reveal a Lot about the San Francisco Giants

by Danny Penza

The last time the San Francisco Giants racked up some frequent flyer miles it resulted in one of the worst and most frustrating road trips in recent history.

The Giants went 1-5 along the West Coast swing that took them to San Diego and Seattle and in the process, they scored two runs or less in four of the six games.

After the dismal six-game showing, I didn't have any kind words to say, and rightfully so. Any observer of this team would have written, maybe not with the same kind of tone as yours truly, but it certainly was not a time to be optimistic.

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San Francisco Rotation to Provide a Giant Task

By Chico Harlan

In consecutive nights at Nationals Park, the visiting San Francisco Giants will deploy, as their starting pitchers, the reigning Cy Young winner, one of the most dominant left-handed power pitchers of all time, and a 24-year-old who's having a better season than either of them.

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Giants May Prospect Report: Bumgarner and Alderson Dominating Double-A

by Danny Penza

April showers usually bring May flowers, and in the case of the San Francisco Giants’ top two pitching prospects, it also meant an inevitable promotion to Double-A Connecticut, once the flowers began to bloom.

Talk to any scout around and they will tell you the best way to gauge a legitimate prospect is to see how they handle the jump from High Class A to Double-A.

Don’t tell that to Madison Bumgarner, Tim Alderson, or Brandon Crawford.

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Outreach of Hope: The Dave Dravecky Story—The Relay for Life Pt. 2

by Blaine Spence

Dave Dravecky made his major-league debut with the San Diego Padres on June 15, 1982.

The left-handed Dravecky pitched 105 innings his rookie year, posting an ERA of 2.57.

In Dravecky’s sophomore year, he was named to Major League Baseball’s All-Star game and pitched two scoreless innings while striking out George Brett and Fred Lynn.

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Randy Johnson is the Newest Member Of The 300 Club, But Not The Last

by John Cate

On June 18, 1986, the California Angels’ Don Sutton became the last 300-game winner in the history of Major League Baseball when he threw a complete game three-hitter to beat the Texas Rangers, 5-1.

Or at least that’s what they said at the time…

Unfortunately, I don’t have the article anymore, but there was a piece that ran in Baseball Digest right about this time, in which the author claimed that Sutton would be the last pitcher to ever achieve this feat. Other articles appeared in print right after it happened, making similar statements.

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With Manny Ramirez Gone, the Giants Must Close the Gap

by Andrew Nuschler

Much has been made of Manny Ramirez's suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs, and rightfully so. When one of Major League Baseball's most prominent stars embroils himself in the game's biggest scandal, it figures to get a lot of run in the media.

If you listen closely to the static, somewhere in all the volume are whispers about how the revelation benefits no team more than our beloved San Francisco Giants—about how the 50-game hiatus for Manny has saved the Orange and Black season.

To a degree, the whispers are appropriate.

The Bay Area's favorite franchise has assembled a supremely flawed unit for the 2009 campaign. If the Gents were a sprinter in training, the pitching staff would be the legs and the hitters would be the damn parachute creating drag.

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Blog Offers Gear and Accessories to Enhance Your Experience When Watching MLB Games

MLB fans all over the country love their MLB teams so much that they virtually fund a whole sub-industry over and above supporting the game of MLB – that is of course the retail of MLB Shop, related merchandise. MLB memorabilia, gear, and accessories is a billion dollar a year industry – that’s a lot of money for a game to generate.

When fans watch MLB games, it’s obvious that people enjoy the experience quite a lot. What’s there not to like? There are hotdogs, soda, peanuts, candy, beer, pretzels, and a whole lot more treats to be had. Then of course there’s the MLB game itself, the players, the action, the adrenaline rush of watching your favourite team and cheering yourself hoarse to try and will them to victory. All those things are enough reason to love going to MLB games, but of course, there’s more out there that can enhance the experience for you as a fan. That is where MLB merchandise comes in.

MLB merchandise’s sole purpose is to enhance the fan’s feeling of connection with the game, most especially their favourite team. Good thing there’s a place online, like diehardfans.com that can provide you with accessories, gift items, and even jewelry, that is dedicated to MLB.

MLB Accessories

What makes MLB accessories fun for people? For one, it makes fans feel like part of a group, a community. It gives them a sense of camaraderie when they are together with fellow fans. And nothing makes a fan happier than displaying their team allegiances for everyone to see. Fortunately, you can get a whole range of MLB accessories from the site.

Here are a few samples:

You can add a dash of team spirit when you come to the office wearing a tie that features your favourite club. Why not drive down to the office wearing officially licensed team sunglasses with matching soft carry case? If you’re more on the techie side, there are even team color-coordinated iPod and mobile phone protectors available. And for the ladies, there are nice little velvet pouches with team logos where you can organize and carry all your girly stuff, and then safely tuck it into your bag.

To complete your ensemble, there are all sorts of cool MLB accessories such as belt buckles, key chains, lighters, and even stationery such as pads and penholders. Not only will you be getting quality accessories, you’ll be showing everyone just how much you love the game and your team.

MLB gifts

MLB related items are great as gifts too. For a Die Hard Fan, nothing beats getting MLB gifts, no matter what the occasion is. Imagine this, a team themed holiday tree, with MLB game related presents!

For the kids, there is back-to-school gifts such as lunch boxes with their favourite ball club or favourite player displayed up front. For the MLB fan with a flair for interior decorating, there are some nice decorative items available such as 3D tabletop ornaments of team logos, bobble-head dolls of your favourite players, and even some nice and sparkling fiber-optic laser ornaments. And of course, for the MLB fan who loves collecting memorabilia and collectibles, there are a host of choices that will make you salivate with glee. You can have everything you can possibly think of, from mini replica helmets to trinket boxes with logos. For more serious collectors who would like to invest in high value memorabilia, there’s a fine collection of minted items such as commemorative coins, championship coins, and photo mints of your favourite players. These last items come in limited editions that will surely be more valuable after a few years.

MLB jewelry

If all that is not enough, then maybe you’d like to take a gander at the available jewelry – yes there is a jewelry section on the site and it offers a rich assortment of items that can be used to accent most anything you can find in your wardrobe. You’ll be surprised to find our MLB jewelry encompasses toe rings, bracelets, necklaces, and even classy leather and silver watches for both men and women.

If you want to impress your girl, who you know is also an avid MLB fan, a pair of earrings that bears her favorite team’s logo is sure to impress. You can even tell her that in fact, the pair you gave is made from authentic jewelry grade silver (in some cases at least). Or better yet, get a complete set - everything from toe ring, bracelet, necklace, and watch to complete her team look when you go to that next game you have planned for the weekend. There’s also a great selection of watches for the guys, in almost all styles imaginable.

With Great Pitching Comes Bad Offense: The Problem with the San Francisco Giants

by Michael Botar

Following the Giants for decades now seems like they either have the pitching or offense. On the thing that always lacked the Giants was great pitching to get them to the promise land. Now it seems they have one if not the best rotations in baseball but have no offense.

This lineup is mediocre at best. The bright spots have been Benji Molina and rookie sensation or should say veteran Pablo Sandoval.

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Giants eat smarter, not harder

by Andrew Baggarly

SAN FRANCISCO -- It's a major league tradition: When an angry manager wants to grab his players' attention, he makes a mess of the postgame dinner buffet.

If Giants manager Bruce Bochy tips the spread this season, fruit and organic vegetables will take flight.

Nutrition was among the many areas Giants trainers, coaches and front-office executives re-evaluated over the winter. As a result, players are ordering from the light menu this season.

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San Francisco Giants: A MLB Low 102 Runs Scored, Yet Record Over .500

by Andy Bensch

Despite being over .500 (15-14) coming into today's series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, much has been stated about the San Francisco Giants' anemic offense.

Granted the Orange & Black are 26th in average, 29th in slugging, 29th in on base percentage, 28th in doubles, 29th in hits, and last in both home runs and runs scored, they are still one game over .500 and in second place in the wide open National League West.

Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games and the Giants have a chance to take two-out-of-three in their only series against their hated rivals while Ramirez serves his suspension.

Now, San Francisco is still without a round tripper from their first-base position, which is primarily a power position in most big league lineups. Travis Ishikawa who has manned the first base position for 22 of the Giants' 29 games this season has hit just .191 with no home runs, only three extra base hits and is slugging an atrocious .250.

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Why Giants Fans Need to Be Patient

by Cole Marchetti

Whenever someone mentions the phrase "rebuilding year," bad memories from the Niners' and Raiders' almost decade long stints at rebuilding are what come to mind, but fans must realize that that is what this year is for the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants have a roster full of players fresh out of the farm system for the first time in a long time, some with no more than a full seasons' worth of experience (see Emmanuel Burriss and Pablo Sandoval).

It is a new era for the Giants, one that is long-past due. No more is the team made of veterans past their prime (see Moises Alou and Armando Benitez), or veterans on the cusp of their prime making a quick pit-stop with the team (see Jose Cruz Jr. and Kenny Lofton).

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San Francisco Giants Top 30 Prospects

‘Tis as good a time as any, I suppose:

Top 30 Prospects, Wild Overreaction to Early Samples Edition:

I had an early list here, but why go on that when we have 60 at-bats and 20 innings pitched on which to make a value judgment?

1. Buster Posey

This was where I had him at the start of the season, and his crazy .361/.452/.625 start isn’t going to change my mind.

2. Madison Bumgarner

This was where I had him at the start of the season, and he’s given up one earned run in three starts. I think that means his career ERA went up.

3. Angel Villalona

Four walks! By Jove, I’ll take that. The strikeout rate is still a little high, but the dude’s a zygote.

4. Tim Alderson

Rough outing last time, but his control has been good at the start of the year.

5. Nick Noonan

I’ve seen him play a couple of times now, and he always impresses. The strikeout rate is high, but his splits make me think that Municipal Stadium is part of the problem for a lot of these young hitters.

6. Conor Gillaspie

I hope he starts hitting for any sort of power, as his eye is nice (14 walks, 67 at-bats). I’m a little discouraged by the total lack of power, though, even if it’s still early.

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Is Barry Bonds Going To Play For The Giants Again?

Last night's Giants game had one pretty prominent visitor that I'm sure you all know (or are trying hard to forget): Barry Bonds.

Interestingly, Bonds was in town to meet with the Dalai Lama as a guest of Christopher Laub, a young boy he befriended several years ago. Laub, who has battled cancer, was one of 49 recipients of the Unsung Heroes of Compassion award that the Dalai Lama bestowed on people from 13 different countries Sunday. Bonds then decided to stick around for Monday's Giants/Dodgers game.

Naturally, he was peppered with questions by a few reporters on Monday night. One of the questions was pretty direct: Still thinking of playing? What’s your status?

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Giants closer also closes Twitter account

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Loss is just a matter

By Tony Jackson

SAN FRANCISCO - During a casual moment about an hour before game time, just after explaining why his own starting pitcher was batting eighth, Dodgers manager Joe Torre started to sound like a man walking past a graveyard at midnight.

Asked about Tim Lincecum, the baby-faced assassin and reigning National League Cy Young Award winner who was about to take the mound for the San Francisco Giants, Torre said he hoped his hitters would exhibit their usual degree of patience and drive up his pitch count early, a clear acknowledgment that such a strategy was really the Dodgers' only hope of beating him.

By the end of the top of the first inning, a point at which Lincecum had thrown a grand total of five pitches, it was pretty clear where this one was headed.

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Lincecum shuts down Dodgers in Giants win

April 29 (Reuters) - Tim Lincecum struck out eight batters to carry the San Francisco Giants to a 9-4 win over West Coast rival the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old right-hander took a shutout into the eighth inning before running into trouble, but threw 103 pitches and allowed three runs in his second straight win.

"Everything felt fine," the National League Cy Young recipient told reporters. "Pitches were moving the way they were supposed to. You always want to try to do the same things."

Bengie Molina led the offense with four RBIs and Edgar Renteria finished 4-for-5 for the Giants (10-10), who scratched out 15 hits in winning the series rubber match.

The NL West leading Dodgers (14-8) lost for the third time in four games.

Starting pitcher Eric Stults had a poor outing and lasted just 2 2/3 innings after previously pitching well in place of Hiroki Kuroda, who was injured on opening day.

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Loney held out against Giants nemesis

Loretta starts at first base for Dodgers

By Ken Gurnick

Manny Ramirez returned to the lineup Monday night after a day off, but the hottest of the Dodgers hitters currently, James Loney, was on the bench to open the series with the Giants.

Manager Joe Torre went with the percentage matchups and sat down Loney, who against San Francisco left-handed starter Barry Zito is an amazing 1-for-20 (.050) with six strikeouts.

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Dodgers hope for more success versus Giants

The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to continue their early success against the NL West-rival San Francisco Giants on Monday in the opener of a three-game series at AT&T Park.

Los Angeles swept the Giants in three games at Chavez Ravine from April 13-16 and has won four of the last five meetings. The Dodgers fell to 3-3 on their nine-game road trip with Sunday's 10-4 setback at Colorado, as James Loney went 3-for-5 with three RBI in a losing cause.

Clayton Kershaw started for LA and was tagged with the loss after giving up eight hits and nine runs over 4 2/3 innings of work for the Dodgers, who had a three-game winning streak come to an end. Los Angeles will hand the ball to Randy Wolf on Monday and he is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA in four starts.

Wolf has recorded consecutive no-decisions and is coming off a 6-5 loss at Houston on April 22. He was reached for four runs and eight hits in seven innings against the Astros. The left-hander has faced the Giants 13 times in his career and owns a 6-4 record with a 3.70 earned run average.

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San Francisco Giants win streak ends, Matt Cain's luck doesn't

It was a typical Matt Cain start Sunday against the Diamondbacks. He pitched seven strong innings, struck out five, only allowed one earned run and was in line for his third win of the season, then the bullpen blew a three run lead.

Really, it wasn't the bullpen; it was the closer, Brian Wilson. Wilson was summoned in the ninth with the Giants enjoying a 4-1 lead. The first batter, Chad Tracy, doubled to right-center off of Wilson. Later in the inning with Tracy already having scored, another runner aboard and only one out Justin Upton homered just over the wall in left field to tie the game, and turn Cain's third win into another no decision.

Wilson blew his first save of the season, and showed a lack of command with his fastball while throwing thirty two pitches in the ninth, only 19 of them for strikes .

In the bottom of the 12th Connor Jackson hit a bases loaded single with one out off of Justin Miller to win the game for Arizona.

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Recap: Arizona vs. San Francisco

Conor Jackson belted the game-winning single into left field with the bases loaded in the 12th inning and Justin Upton sent the game to extras with a two-run homer in the ninth, as Arizona avoided a three-game sweep at home with a 5-4 triumph over San Francisco at Chase Field.

Upton had two hits and walked twice while Mark Reynolds also homered and drove in two with a pair of hits for the Diamondbacks, who had lost three of four coming in.

Pablo Sandoval hit a three-run homer and ended 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored for the Giants, who had a five-game win streak snapped but have still won their last three series. Aaron Rowand collected two hits and an RBI in the loss.

Juan Gutierrez (1-1) gave up a leadoff double to Juan Uribe to start the 12th, but the Giants stranded him and went down in order from there.

Brandon Medders (0-1), who took over to start the 10th and allowed only a pinch-hit single to Tony Clark in two prior frames, came back out for the 12th and walked the bases full. Justin Miller entered with one out to face Jackson, who smoked a 3-2 fastball into left field to plate the winning run.

"You keep fighting, things look like they're going against you, the other team has a bit of a rabbit's foot and you don't and then all of a sudden something like that happens...one big inning and we get a big win," D'Backs manager Bob Melvin said.

Jon Garland pitched well in his start for Arizona and was cruising until the eighth where the veteran righty allowed three of his four earned runs. He was charged with 10 total hits and walked two with a pair of strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings.

San Francisco starter Matt Cain tossed seven strong innings of one-run ball, yielding just four hits, and was in line for the victory until Giants' closer Brian Wilson served up the game-tying homer to Upton in the ninth. Cain fanned five and walked four in the no-decision.

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Having catcher Holm let Bochy make move

San Francisco -- Manager Bruce Bochy would have had an interesting decision Wednesday if it hadn't been for the previous night's move to recall catcher Steve Holm from Triple-A Fresno.

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Giants make adjustments to rotation

To prevent Tim Lincecum and Randy Johnson from receiving too much rest, manager Bruce Bochy shuffled the starting rotation to keep the Giants pitchers on a more regular schedule.

Lincecum, Johnson and Matt Cain will receive the starting assignments, in that order, for this weekend's series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix. Originally, Jonathan Sanchez was to pitch Friday, followed by Lincecum and Johnson.

But this week's pair of scheduled off-days Monday and Thursday would have forced Lincecum and Johnson to get six days' rest apiece had the Giants stuck to their prescribed pitching sequence. That's two days' rest more than usual, enough to throw a starter off his routine.

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Molina's pinch-hit double lifts Giants over Padres

Bengie Molina's pinch-hit double with two outs in the 10th inning drove in Andres Torres to give the San Francisco Giants a 1-0 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.

The attendance of 26,593 was San Francisco's smallest crowd since moving into AT&T Park in 2000.

Torres hit a one-out single off Edwin Moreno (0-2) and stole second. After Eugenio Velez struck out, Moreno intentionally walked Fred Lewis before Molina hit a ground-rule double that bounced over the wall in left-center.

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Renteria's grand slam powers Giants past Padres

Edgar Renteria hit a grand slam off Jake Peavy and matched his career high with five RBIs, leading the San Francisco Giants to an 8-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night.

Renteria connected in the fourth for his first homer with the Giants, who have won three of four. It was his seventh career grand slam and the first allowed by Peavy in his seven-year career.

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San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain receives support on Filipino Heritage Night

by Claire Reclosado

SAN FRANCISCO---The San Francisco Giants hosted the San Diego Padres on April 21, but it was not just a regular day at the AT&T Park. It was Filipino Heritage Night, the best pound-for-pound boxer Manny Pacquiao threw out the first pitch, and the normally cool San Francisco night was instead a rare hot night—77 degrees at game time.

That wasn’t the end of the rarities that night. Giants’ shortstop Edgar Renteria hit his seventh career grand slam off of Jake Peavy—the first one given up in the Padres’ pitcher’s career. Most importantly, that homer by Renteria was half of the run-support that the Giants provided starting pitcher Matt Cain in the Giants 8-3 victory over the Padres.

Finally.

Cain has been known as the San Francisco pitcher with the curse of no offensive backing. Today was a different.

“It really is [good],” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said in regards to how good if was to see Cain had run support. “Matt has had a couple years of some tough luck. We went against a touch pitcher, had some good at-bats—the guys battled well tonight.”

First baseman Travis Ishikawa contributed to the effort, going 2-for-3 with one walk, two runs, and two RBI.

“Any pitcher out there, we want to try to get him the win,” Ishikawa said when asked about the offense’s performance with Cain on the mound. “We struggled last year giving him run support.”

The struggle was momentarily forgotten with Renteria’s fourth inning grand slam to left-center.

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Les Keiter dies at 89

sportscaster known for radio re-creations of games

He was a sports announcer for the Giants and the New York Knicks and called championship heavyweight fights with Howard Cosell. Later, he became the sports anchor for Honolulu television station KHON.

Les Keiter, a longtime sportscaster who was known for his radio re-creations of San Francisco Giants games for New York listeners in the first few years after the baseball team moved to California, died Tuesday at Castle Medical Center near Honolulu. He was 89.

Honolulu television station KHON, where he had been a sports anchor for many years, reported that Keiter died of natural causes and had dementia.

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San Francisco Giants: Off To a Slower Start Than Even Expected

by carlos guerrero

When you're a team that finds it very hard to get hits and score runs you have to rely on other parts of the game. The Giants (other than the first and third games) have had a horrible time scoring runs, not going over three in their losses.

Now I expected them to be a little better scoring runs but still to have a difficultly getting across home plate. But more alarming to me is that in the four games in a row they have lost, they have allowed six or more runs, and not making defensive plays in crucial spots.

Now I know its early but pitching and defense were going to be the Giants' identity and they are not doing it well.

Here are some of the reasons they are of to this slow start.

Hitting

We all knew going in it was going to be a struggle to score runs this year but we hoped there would be some improvement. So far there is none. The Giants are hitting .250 as a team right now, ranking them 21st in the majors. They are 29th in home runs and 28th in runs scored with 3.9 per game as of April 14.

On top of them not scoring runs they young guys are struggling. Pablo Sandoval swings at every thing and any thing, as well as the whole team as they have struck out at least 11 times in back to back games, while hitting .192—fourth lowest on the team.

What happened to the guy that was hitting .400 during spring training?

Travis Ishikawa is still learning how to hit big league pitching, Edgar Renteria, who was supposed to be an offensive guy on the team, is also off to a slow start hitting .160. The only guys producing are Rowand, Winn, and Fred Lewis.

I know these guys are young, but they have to get better fast.

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The San Francisco Giants- a wealth of team history

The Giants were originally known as the Gothams, and were entered in the National League in 1883, while their other club, the Metropolitans (the original Mets), played in the American Association. The Giants Team History is a long one, with over half of the original Gothams players coming to the team from the disbanded Troy Trojans.

The San- Francisco Giants Team- a new year, a new season

The San Francisco Giants team is an American baseball team, and one of the oldest teams in the MLB (Major League baseball). In addition, they are based in San Francisco, California. A Diehardfan will be aware that the team marked their 50th Anniversary last year, a land mark in terms of the San Francisco Giants team history.

The Giants were the second ever baseball team, founded by the millionaire tobacconist John.B Day, and amateur baseball player Jim Mutrie. In the wake of the new 2009 season, a San Francisco Giants team fan may look to display their support through any means possible, and what better way than through a host of official accessories and memorabilia like team flags, match day pennants and even replica and authentic jerseys


San Francisco Giants Merchandise

Furthermore, a hardcore fan, looking to browse any number of San Francisco Giants merchandsie, will be able to obtain these products from a number of reliable online retailers. Spoiled for choice, the range will include products like the Giants velvet bag, Giants team logo key ring, Giants paper clip holder, Giants pencil holder, Giants photo album, Giants memo pad holder, Giants bottle opener, Giants football key tag. Giants tie, and a host of additional items, guaranteed to add a sporting element to any mundane lifestyle.

Adorn any of our amazing San Francisco Giants Jerseys

If you are looking for a San Francisco Giants team’s official jersey, then look no further. With items such as the sought after Francisco Giants road grey replica jersey, home ivory replica jersey, San Francisco Giants away black replica jersey, grey replica jersey, or even black replica jersey, Giants fans are certainly not left wanting.

The colorful range of San Francisco jerseys and accessories are predominantly developed with the hardcore fan in mind. Moreover, top quality merchandise comprised of the logo of your favorite MLB team is perhaps the ideal way in which to indulge your passion for the best team around. Or perhaps you are looking to score some points with a loved one?, in which case, why not take a look at our gorgeous range of MLB Authentic Jerseys.

One Last Look at the San Francisco Giants Before the Majesty of Opening Day

by Andrew Nuschler

It's official—Opening Day for the 2009 Major League Baseball season has finally arrived.

The first pitch of the game tonight between the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves will herald the opening of another 162-game sprint. The rest of baseball opens tomorrow or on Tuesday.

Our beloved San Francisco Giants are among that latter group of teams whose fans must endure not one, but two barrages of opening days before seeing their favorite set of nine take the diamond.

Hopefully, the '09 season will be worth the wait.

And, if you like the optimistic interpretation of the Orange and Black's spring session, there is very good reason for hope.

By now, the secret (if you could ever really call it that) is out regarding San Francisco's pitching staff. Even the cooler heads around MLB expect the Giants to sniff around the edges of the National League West race based on the arms alone.

Having done so a number of times, there's no reason to further extol the virtues of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Randy Johnson, Barry Zito, Brian Wilson, and the rest of the bullpen.

Nothing has changed except for the usual minor bumps and bruises of the preseason.

Who knows whether those are genuine or just possum sightings in an extended Spring Training and who cares? The Big Unit's sore, Sanchez burned his finger, and Wilson has some sort of infection in one of his digits—none of that sounds terribly serious even if legit.

Nah, the developing story as SF romps into the regular season is the offense:

1. Pablo Sandoval hit .442 with three home runs in 77 spring at-bats.

2. Freddie Lewis hit .366 in 71 ABs.

3. Emanuel Burriss hit .341 in 85 ABs.

4. Eugenio Velez hit .324 in 68 ABs.

5. Travis Ishikawa hit .316 with seven home runs in 79 ABs.

It's true veterans like Edgar Renteria, Randy Winn, Aaron Rowand, and Bengie Molina all struggled. But this was a brutally long and alien preseason because of the World Baseball Classic.

If veterans tend to coast through a normal Spring Training, it would stand to reason 2009's was even less enthusiastically received. This is why it's important to pump the breaks as the boys break camp (I'll get to that later).

Barring substantial injury, Winn is gonna hit around .300 with 10-15 HRs, 30-40 doubles, and he'll steal you around 20 bags. Forget about his spring and write it down—not only are those essentially his career averages over 162 games, they're basically the numbers Randy's tallied every year since 2002.

Rowand and Molina should put up a very similar year compared to the production the two players combined for in 2008.

By that, I mean Molina will probably regress a little because his '08 body of work was a masterpiece of clutch hitting and carrying an offense using sheer power of will. His year doesn't look too unusual compared to the rest on his resume, but he was playing the role of Barry Bonds last year and not doing a poor job considering the amount of pressure such entails.

It's unfair to expect Big Money to do that again—the man is mortal like all others (except for the chemically enhanced Super Bonds).

On the other hand, Rowand had the year most people expected after leaving the potent lineup and small yard in Philly. He lost almost half his '07 runs, over half of his bombs, almost 20 runs batted in, and he dropped 30 points off his average.

While Bengie will probably come down to Earth a tad, Rowand should be able compensate by having a better year, the one he's capable of having—it won't look like his breakout season in 2007, but somewhere in between should do nicely.

Who knows what the Giants will get from Renteria? I doubt it will be as profound an upgrade as the brass is trying to spin it, but the dude HAS to be an upgrade.

Even if the new shortstop returns to his most glorious of glory days, this was never a splinter that was going to power the offense. At his pinnacle, Edgar was a very nice piece to move runners around and score runs himself.

But his OPS maxed out at .874 in 2003 and has broken the .800 barrier precisely three times in a 13-year career. In other words, all versions of Renteria will need help from the rest of the bats—a rejuvenated one included.

Which is why the springs put together by some of the younger guys are so encouraging.

Unfortunately, it is my duty to remind you, fair reader, Spring Training must be taken with a grain of salt.

It is not usually representative of the regular season for many, many reasons. Perhaps the most significant is the different approaches different players take.

Unproven commodities trying to make the team or win a starting spot tend to attack the preseason with a midseason ferocity. Established players tend to coast or focus on weaknesses.

Pitchers usually work on their arsenals in a piecemeal fashion—that greatly skews the hitting sample because a power pitcher may be working on his dookie or a crafty vet may be working one approach with predictable and hittable repetition.

Mix it all together and you'll see some highly misleading results.

This is the other way to interpret the spring session—the pessimist's perspective. And there's more to it.

If SF's glass is half-empty, you must also include the rising expectations and the solidifying NL West picture.

A young ballclub like the Giants needs to sneak up on people to maximized its potential. Our guys can no longer do that—MLB has circled Sandoval as a guy to watch and treat gently.

The impressive production from the other youngsters will certainly raise a few eyebrows, skeptical brows though they may be.

I implied the cover had recently been blown off the pitching staff, but—in truth—the Freak's Cy Young probably did that a while ago and the Big Unit's arrival only drew more attention. It's a safe bet even casual observers knew this would be the strength of the team and one of the better collections in all of baseball.

The San Francisco Giants are no longer flying under anyone's radar—they're a big, loud blip on the screen. That doesn't necessarily mean they won't play loose and free to potential, I'm just saying it's gotten more difficult since February.

Furthermore, both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks are looking stronger and stronger.

LA obviously gets a boost from Manny Ramirez, but Matt Kemp sounds like he's maturing mentally as well as physically and that could mean trouble for the rest of MLB. The rotation still looks borderline dreadful to these eyes, but James McDonald could turn that ship right around if he can tread Big League water.

In Arizona, you're starting to see stirrings from Eric Byrnes and Felipe Lopez is beginning to worry me. If Byrnes can return to a shadow of his top gear and Lopez becomes the player experts once thought he was destined to become, the Snakes' O gets a dramatic boost.

Throw in a resurgent Chad Tracy, a core of young-but-experienced uber-talents (Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds, Chris Young, Connor Jackson, Justin Upton, etc.), that ridiculous staff with Max Scherzer progressing at the back end, and the Diamondbacks look more like the team to beat with each sweep of the clock.

If you've got your rose-colored specs on, the young maple and ash has you feeling pretty good about the boys. The pitching should be able to compete with any team's stable so it won't take too much offense to hang with the other contenders.

The seeds of that offense seem to be blooming so indulge those dreams of an NL West flag.

If you've draped yourself in a wet blanket, Spring Training is meaningless and popping up on the radar screen turns the San Francisco Giants from dark horse to overrated in the wink of an ESPN column.

The beautiful thing about Opening Day is that we get to start stripping away the ifs and see who's right.

It's time for some real baseball.

Today, life is very good.

Source: bleacherreport.com