2026 San Francisco Giants Season Thread

Originally posted by Rubberneck36:
Btw for those that like the city connect jerseys you can get a real Crawford or Yaz for like $40 right now on fanatics. They aren't my deal. But the jersey by itself without the hat and pants is alright

I think they are awful, but to each their own.

RIP to the greatest baseball player ever. Willie Mays 🐐

Originally posted by Rubberneck36:
RIP to the greatest baseball player ever. Willie Mays 🐐

without a doubt in my mind the GOAT. RIP Willie. I remember my dad taking me to Candlestick to see Willie play and he immediately was my favorite Giant.

Wish I could have seen him play. RIP Willie.

RIP Willie Mays

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
without a doubt in my mind the GOAT. RIP Willie. I remember my dad taking me to Candlestick to see Willie play and he immediately was my favorite Giant.

that's amazing that you got to see him

RIP Mays

His recent documentary certainly worth a watch. Great perspective of his life on and off the field.

R.I.P.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by Rubberneck36:
RIP to the greatest baseball player ever. Willie Mays 🐐

without a doubt in my mind the GOAT. RIP Willie. I remember my dad taking me to Candlestick to see Willie play and he immediately was my favorite Giant.

Pretty cool you got to see him. Heard great stories about Mays from my grandpa and pops about Mays.

Was just breaking the news to my dad. He was sad to hear it but then after a few seconds - he smiled and told me (for the hundredth time I think lol) how he still remembers going to games with my grandpa to watch Mays' greatest season in 1965. My dad was just 10 but he says some of plays Mays would make - he can still recall them in his head. Mays had clearly lost a step or two but he was still a blur in the outfield.

Lots of fond memories for my dad going to games with his dad.

When Bonds was with the Pirates - my dad & grandpa would always take me to the Giants game - and my dad would tell me - this is Mays godson - and closest anyone can ever get to Mays. My grandpa would be like - no one is close to Mays lol. Mays and Bonds will always be special in our family - my dad and his dad watched Mays together and all 3 of us watched his godson together for a long ass time.

RIP

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by Rubberneck36:
RIP to the greatest baseball player ever. Willie Mays 🐐

without a doubt in my mind the GOAT. RIP Willie. I remember my dad taking me to Candlestick to see Willie play and he immediately was my favorite Giant.

Pretty cool you got to see him. Heard great stories about Mays from my grandpa and pops about Mays.

Was just breaking the news to my dad. He was sad to hear it but then after a few seconds - he smiled and told me (for the hundredth time I think lol) how he still remembers going to games with my grandpa to watch Mays' greatest season in 1965. My dad was just 10 but he says some of plays Mays would make - he can still recall them in his head. Mays had clearly lost a step or two but he was still a blur in the outfield.

Lots of fond memories for my dad going to games with his dad.

When Bonds was with the Pirates - my dad & grandpa would always take me to the Giants game - and my dad would tell me - this is Mays godson - and closest anyone can ever get to Mays. My grandpa would be like - no one is close to Mays lol. Mays and Bonds will always be special in our family - my dad and his dad watched Mays together and all 3 of us watched his godson together for a long ass time.

RIP

Mays really hadnt lost much of anything in 65. In fact, he was the MVP of the NL that year. I was a little kid but I recall so well all the battles against Koufax and Drysdale and listening to my transister radio to Lon Simmons calling the games. Special memories. Willie made the Giants worth following and caring about even though they werent winning titles.

Your grandpa was right too. No one was close to the player Mays was. Bonds on steroids may have been the more dominant hitter for a period but he doesnt come close to Willie as a complete player.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by Rubberneck36:
RIP to the greatest baseball player ever. Willie Mays 🐐

without a doubt in my mind the GOAT. RIP Willie. I remember my dad taking me to Candlestick to see Willie play and he immediately was my favorite Giant.

Pretty cool you got to see him. Heard great stories about Mays from my grandpa and pops about Mays.

Was just breaking the news to my dad. He was sad to hear it but then after a few seconds - he smiled and told me (for the hundredth time I think lol) how he still remembers going to games with my grandpa to watch Mays' greatest season in 1965. My dad was just 10 but he says some of plays Mays would make - he can still recall them in his head. Mays had clearly lost a step or two but he was still a blur in the outfield.

Lots of fond memories for my dad going to games with his dad.

When Bonds was with the Pirates - my dad & grandpa would always take me to the Giants game - and my dad would tell me - this is Mays godson - and closest anyone can ever get to Mays. My grandpa would be like - no one is close to Mays lol. Mays and Bonds will always be special in our family - my dad and his dad watched Mays together and all 3 of us watched his godson together for a long ass time.

RIP

Mays really hadnt lost much of anything in 65. In fact, he was the MVP of the NL that year. I was a little kid but I recall so well all the battles against Koufax and Drysdale and listening to my transister radio to Lon Simmons calling the games. Special memories. Willie made the Giants worth following and caring about even though they werent winning titles.

Your grandpa was right too. No one was close to the player Mays was. Bonds on steroids may have been the more dominant hitter for a period but he doesnt come close to Willie as a complete player.

Just reminiscing their conversations when they talked about Mays. My dad would often talk about 65 Mays and my grandpa would just say - you didn't see when he was 24-25. I just listened and loved those convos - something I fondly remember when we went to Giants games.

I was really fortunate to meet him and sit in his box for a few games. He was really generous and often gave passes to a family friend that took my mother and me to the games. My mon would bake cookies or cake for Willie as a show of gratitude. He loved those snacks. One of my greatest memories will always be sitting there watching a Giants-Dodger game on a rare warm day at Candlestick with Willie sitting right behind me. I went to the statue dedication and he gave us windbreakers that he had made up for the occasion. I'll be wearing it today.

He almost always sat in the back of his box so people on the other side couldn't look in and see him. If they did they would come knocking on the door looking for autographs. He often brought a friend with him and they would sit and talk golf while watching the game. One day Danny Glover knocked on the door and popped in just to say hi to Willie.

Willie wasn't my favorite player until he moved to SF. Before that it was Mantle. Willie was a true 5 tool player. I've seen better hitters. Better base runners. Players with just as good an arm. I never saw any player that could do everything so well. As great as Barry was he wasn't the fielder the Willie was. If he hadn't missed 2 years because of his military service he would have been the guy that broke Ruth's record. He probably lost at least 100 HRs because he played in the Polo Grounds for 5 years with that 485' center field. When he moved to the Stick it had a 420' center field with 400' power ally's. That wind blowing in caused him to try and hit the ball to right field because it was so hard to hit one out to left. He had a stretch of 13 seasons where he played at least 150 games. Think about that. Today players have trouble playing 13 straight games.

What really stood out the most while watching those tributes last night were those films of him playing stickball in the streets of Harlem with the kids. Then he would buy them all ice cream. That summed up Willie's love for the game and life. Imagine players doing that today.

I never asked Willie for an autograph even though I would have treasured it. I felt it would have been impolite to ask from someone who was so generous. Giving us passes to sit in his box. The jacket he had made up to commemorate the statue dedication. I have a personalized golf ball and tees that he had made. How could I ask him for an autograph.

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I never asked Willie for an autograph even though I would have treasured it. I felt it would have been impolite to ask from someone who was so generous. Giving us passes to sit in his box. The jacket he had made up to commemorate the statue dedication. I have a personalized golf ball and tees that he had made. How could I ask him for an autograph.

Like this:

"Willie. You are my hero. Could I trouble you to sign an autograph for me?"

Simple. I guarantee you he would have happily obliged. I met Willie a couple of times, and have 2 signed balls from him. He was so nice. Never seen him tell anyone no when asking for an autograph of a picture. In retrospect, I wish I would have asked him to take a picture with me.