By SurfMaui
Please allow me the privilege of expressing my outrage, disgust, and profound sadness over the Giants’ failure to sign Madison Bumgarner.
I have been a Giants fan since the early 1950’s. I distinctly recall listening to a Dusty Rhodes home run in the 1954 World Series (we didn’t have a TV yet). Despite the great Giants teams of the 60’s, and the heartbreak of 1962 (I was at game 5 in NY), and the great Bonds era teams and the heartbreak of 2002, it was not until a 20 year old Madison Bumgarner (and others) joined the Giants in 2010 that the Giants won their first World Series in my adult lifetime–a wait of 56 years of frustration. MadBum was of course instrumental in winning the 2012 WS, and basically singlehandedly won the 2014 WS. It was certainly the greatest post season pitching performance in history.
I was at the last game at the Stick, the first game at PacBell, all the WS games, and now as it turns out, MadBum’s last appearance in a Giants uniform on the day of Bruce Bochy’s retirement. I saw Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Cepeda, McCovey, Clark and Bonds in their prime, but based on his WS success, MadBum was arguably the greatest Giant in San Francisco ever. He is certainly one of the icons in franchise history, and letting him go–especially for the pittance it would have taken to sign him, is a shameful disgrace which disrespects MadBum, dishonors the fans, and what was formerly one of the greatest franchises in all professional sports. It’s almost like tearing down the Willie Mays statue. Many players over the years have spoken about how special it was to play in San Francisco for a storied franchise. No more. Now its just a series of numbers in which hometown heroes no longer have a place. The “forever Giant” is unlikely to be seen ever again in any form.
This ownership group which saved the franchise from moving to Florida had a special obligation to the fans, but instead of maintaining that relationship, they have succumbed to other forces. Why? Because an icon lost may have a tick or two on his fastball? Management including Zaidi and the Owners Group have disgraced themselves, their legacy and the franchise. Shame on them!