Barry Zito

Check Out These Winning Anti-Bullying Videos Made by Awesome Kids

The votes are in and the District Attorney has announced the winning videos of the "Bye Bye Bullying" contest for San Francisco students. With the obvious goal being to increase public awareness about bullying among students, a total of 58 videos were submitted from students all over the city, inc ... More >>

World Series: Giants Celebration Continues With Parade on Halloween

Broken bottles, used fireworks shells, stray tortillas, water balloons, and raging bonfires fueled by lawn chairs and wooden street barricades filled the intersection at Third and King streets last night. The police were chill about it for the first couple hours, watching in riot gear from half a bl ... More >>

World Series Game 2: It's Such a Perfect Day

Tell someone you like long walks on the beach and you'll seldom be asked to explain why. Mention you like baseball, however, and you maybe put on the spot. Well, maybe you like baseball because of days like Thursday. Game 2 of the World Series was an old-fashioned, grind-it-out pitcher's duel with t ... More >>

World Series: Justin Verlander, Thou Art Mortal

There's a moment toward the end of the great old movie The Man Who Would Be King where Sean Connery's character has nearly conned an Afghan tribe into believing that he's a God. But, just at the wrong moment, he's cut -- and blood trickles from his wound. Seeing this, the tribe's elder cries that Co ... More >>

World Series: For the Giants, It's the Illusion of Magic

Ah, the old "ball hits the base and bounces away from the defense" trick. It's been a dependable offensive weapon for the Giants this postseason. They pulled it out last night, just like they did in Barry Zito's previous start, in game five against the Cardinals. With two outs, nobody on, and the ... More >>

San Francisco Giants 2012 World Series Drinking Game

Seeing-eye singles, elimination games, Madison Bumgarner. In Giants baseball, before the joy comes the anguish and anxiety. If San Francisco wins the World Series, you already know it'll be a teeth-grinding, knee-shaking, hair-pulling operation. If the Giants lose, it'll just suck. See also: 10 Way ... More >>

San Francisco Giants: Wet Wish Fulfillment

In the last few short years, San Francisco Giants fans have been treated to every experience they could have ever hoped to have. Last night, however, was a new one. If you ever dreamed of watching a nigh-impossible comeback capped during a torrential rainstorm -- well, there you go. Last night' ... More >>

Detroit Tigers Fans' Thoughts on the Giants

Fandom is, naturally, a partisan affair. No team has more heart than the Giants! Marco Scutaro is the hottest hitter in baseball! Defense, base running, and timely hitting are the keys to victory in October! Angel Pagan should be on the cover of a romance novel! Most of us have been following the G ... More >>

49ers Make It Gets Better Video for LGBT Youth

The San Francisco 49ers gave their fans new reason to cheer them on. The team became the first in the NFL to make its own It Gets Better video, calling on the nation the stop bullying LGBT youth. The football team released the minute-long video today, which shows clips of defensive tackles Ricky Jea ... More >>

Matt Cain: Giants Overpay for Quality

​The news that Giants stalwart right-hander Matt Cain is the new beneficiary of a five-year, $112.5 million contract extension will, inevitably, be greeted by analysis of whether the team overpaid or not. There are three ways to answer that: "Yes"; "yes with explanation"; and "baseball salary numb ... More >>

The Franchise Recap Episode 4: Carlos Beltran Is a Giant

Tedkerwin via flickr​Last week, I said that The Franchise had finally found the right balance between broader storylines and behind-the-scenes intrigue. It turns out that I was in the minority: many non-San Francisco reviewers, including Claire Zulkey of the AV Club, thought it was an episode tha ... More >>

The Franchise Episode 2 Recap: Hey Now, You're an All-Star

​I've written before that "The Franchise" is not really a show for Giants fans. In theory, it's a way for Major League Baseball to introduce some of the game's personalities to a broader audience at a time when they're finding it difficult to market most of their players. In its basic conception, ... More >>

Mojitos on Tap at AT&T Park: We Love 'Em, Hate 'Em, or Both

Photos by W. Blake Gray​One of the idiosyncrasies of drinking at baseball games is that the obvious choice -- beer -- is almost always the worst value. Our friend paid $9 for a small-looking plastic cup of Anchor Steam; a 6-pack at BevMo is $8. But beer isn't the only thing on tap at AT&T ... More >>

The Franchise Episode 1: Promising Rookie Looks a Little Raw

UCinternationa​When Showtime aired a preview for The Franchise in April, the Giants were only two weeks into the MLB season and still riding high in defense of their World Series title. Back then, the show looked like a window into the lives of baseball players, rather than a rough-and-tumble vie ... More >>

Giants Release "It Gets Better" Video

SF Weekly first reported that the San Francisco Giants would become the first professional sports team to produce an iconic "It Gets Better" video. Today, the World Series champs released a short video aimed to curb LGBT bullying and teen suicides. The roughly 60-second clip begins with Giants pitch ... More >>

Jose Reyes to Giants? Don't Count on it.

The man everybody wants...​It's no wonder rumors are burning that the Giants are conniving to obtain scintillating Mets shortstop Jose Reyes. San Francisco's offense is providing writers with a rare opportunity to use the word "flaccid" in a non-sexual context. Meanwhile, erstwhile Giants shortsto ... More >>

The Franchise Recap: The Boys Are Back

AuntJuli/Flickr​Last night, Showtime aired the first installment of The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants, a look inside the lives and clubhouse of our defending World Series champions. The 30-minute premiere acted as preview for the series, which doesn't technically start until Ju ... More >>

Giants World Series Win Worth Millions

Worth every penny​Even carrying Barry Zito's enormous (and useless) contract, the San Francisco Giants still had a massive upswing in valuation this year.Yes, we can't get enough of the Giants -- including every Brian Wilson performance on and off the field. And while we are still basking in the W ... More >>

World Series: Yelpers Ponder Which Giant to Sex Up

Your Game 1 starter, Mr. Popular...​Other than enabling horrible people to act like rock stars and allegedly extorting businesses, it turns out there's a really good use for Yelp: rating the allure of San Francisco Giants ballplayers. The example in question is a most titillating thread titled "Wh ... More >>

Winnie Phan, 17, Outpitches Hockey Star Dany Heatley at Giants Game

Seventeen-year-old do-gooder Winnie Phan is well on her way to becoming the next Internet meme -- and she didn't even have to beat the shit out of a fellow bus passenger or generally behave crazy to do it.  No, she just had to do what she's always done: Succeed. The photogenic 17-year-old from ... More >>

What Happened to Eugenio Velez' Misspelled 'San Francicso' Jersey?

You won't have to head to anywhere like this to view Eugenio Velez' misspelled jersey -- for now​It's made the rounds that, last week, Giants utilityman Eugenio Velez took the field outfitted in a uniform reading "San Francicso." The other day we asked the team what plans it had for Velez' quasi-l ... More >>

Everything Dandy For Giants in World of Fashion, Too

First, the bad news...​Without a doubt, the San Francisco Giants' top sartorial story of the young season has been utilityman Eugenio Velez taking the field last week outfitted in a jersey reading "San Francicso." More than any bullshit orbiting around Janet Jackson's ta-tas, this truly was a ward ... More >>

Barry Zito Gets No Love on Caltrain

Joe EskenaziBarry's Caltrain dis...​Sports fans -- and public rail enthusiasts -- may have heard how larger-than-life images of San Francisco Giants' stars are now gracing Caltrains' gallery cars. It remains to be seen if this will put more derrieres in AT&T Park's seats -- but it's a wonderfu ... More >>

The Case For Barry Zito

Barry Zito is a lot better than you think. Of course, that statement is relative. ​My old pal Randy Shaw at BeyondChron and your humble narrator will never be confused for blood brothers -- but we are both U.C. Berkeley alums and longtime San Francisco Giants supporters who have suffered mightily ... More >>

Giants' 'Dynamic' Pricing System Is Downright Evil

The Giants may not be able to afford Barry Zito, but Giants fans on a budget can now only afford to go to his games​Let me say it up front and outright: The San Francisco Giants' long-planned move to charge more for more desirable games makes good business sense. Including factors such as the day' ... More >>

Side Effects of Marijuana: Does Pot Mean No Payday for Tim Lincecum?

The fact the San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession following a traffic stop near his Washington State hometown barely raised eyebrows among local Giants faithful.  Come on -- a 25-year old West Coast kid, a snowboarder, with that long hair? Dude lo ... More >>

Baseball's Bizarre Cost-Benefit Economics Means Brad Penny Signing Has Already Paid Off For Giants

Keith AllisonBoston castoff Brad Penny has already earned his keep with the Giants​Raise your right hand high over your head if you predicted that the San Francisco Giants' scrap-heap recovery project, Brad Penny, would come within three outs of throwing a shutout last night in a dominant debut vs ... More >>

Happy Zito Day: Will Giants Pitcher's Redemption Continue, Or Is It Too Good To Be True?

Rather than delve into the schadenfreude of a man, with the name "Manny" who took female hormonal medication -- and tie that in to the impotence of the San Francisco Giants' bats -- today, let's look on the bright side of life. After all, it's Zito Day. And a Happy Zito Day to you. One month ago, if ... More >>

Dancing on the Culture Bus' ashes

Calling All Readers: Help Us Devise Barry Zito's Nickname

Can you name this pitcher? Sound off! With Barry Zito scheduled to be handed the ball tomorrow in Dodger Stadium -- and with the possibility of a five-game losing streak piled atop whatever other pressures he brings to the mound -- it's now clearer than ever: This man needs a nickname. This is no si ... More >>

Chronicle Reports Giants Offering No-Interest Loan to Ticket-Buyers -- Which Comes as Surprise to Giants

You can get a lot at a Giants game -- but not free money. Sorry. Despite what you may have read elsewhere, the San Francisco Giants wish for you to buy your peanuts and crackerjack, like the song says -- they won't loan them to you. They won't loan you cash either. In an opening day story in the San ... More >>

You Don't Have to Be a Psychologist to Figure Out the Deeper Meanings of Giants' TV Ads

Let's be honest, the Giants could use this guy, too. The San Francisco Giants' entire ad campaign used to boil down to "Come watch: We Got Barry." Now the overriding message is, "Come watch: Barry's gone." A quartet of new Giants ads have been playing on San Francisco screens, and the theme coul ... More >>

Barry Zito Mows 'Em Down -- The Ladies, That is

The conventional wisdom used to be that chicks dig the longball. Not true. Chicks dig Barry Zito. Who would have thought being young, wealthy, handsome, and articulate could be such a turn-on? Rick Reuschel may kick Zito's ass on paper -- but, in the flesh, Giants pitcher Zito gets to hob-nob with P ... More >>

The Price of Failure

Empty seats abound at Giants home games – and it's not just the team that's losing.

Gay Weddings We’d Really Like to See

Music for Swingers

The Giants' theme songs get us thinking outside the batter's box.

Bleacher Report and other sports blogs fight for respect - and access

Comcast ads anger taqueria owners

Barry Zito: Poster Boy for Troubled Times

Blue in the Bay: Dodgers Edge Giants in Season Opening Series

Less than Zito -- a Giants disaster in motion

End of an Era

As The Apologist takes a bow and asks its final questions, it's time to turn the spotlight on ourselves

Deal or No Deal

Giants GM Brian Sabean spent big money on the free-agent market. What do you think of his wheeling and dealing?

The Drug-Sucker Proxy

A Portrait of Hope

On the eve of the A's big loss, we learn why the Oakland team is to baseball as indie rock is to mainstream music

Aloha, Yay!

Party like the islanders in S.F.

Best Starting Nine