Pablo Sandoval

Warriors: What the Nuggets Fans Are Saying Today

We've been blessed here in the Bay. The Sports Gods have granted us a cornucopia of sports ecstasy. There've been dreamlike successes--from the Giants' championship to the 49ers Super Bowl run. But more than that, there've been epic performances: Matt Cain's perfect game; Pablo Sandoval's three home ... More >>

David Campos Adjusting to New, Smaller Role

Supervisor David Campos isn't likely to sneak up on anybody -- the ubiquitous sound of a Diet Coke can being popped announces his presence in City Hall well before he makes a corporeal  appearance. But, when it comes to Campos' corporeal appearance, he's now quite a bit lighter on his feet and ... More >>

Top 12 Moments of The Year of the Bay Area Sports Renaissance

With the New Year just hours away, we can finally say it without fear of a buzzer-beating jinx: 2012 marks The Year of the Bay Area Sports Renaissance. These things tend to come in cycles. The Bay's Age of Terrible Sports was a long, cold winter. Game Six in '02 was the first snow, and the blizzar ... More >>

Puck Yeah: Taking the Ice with the S.F. Bulls

Giants Parade Is Giant

The much-anticipated Giants Parade is wending its way down Market Street, with more than 1 million onlookers squeezing in where they can fit in to get a glimpse of the World Series champs.Crowds packed BART well before 7 a.m. and Market Street was filled with Giants fans long before the parade kicke ... More >>

World Series: After Too Damn Much Ado, Giants Crowned Kings

Today it took the San Francisco Giants two and a half hours to roll from the Embarcadero to City Hall. And you can't blame Muni. The orange-clad fanatics began filing into Civic Center Plaza as early as 5 p.m. last night. They were rained on. They subsisted on snack crackers and Slim Jims. These are ... 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 >>

San Francisco Giants 2012 World Series Prop Bets

It's been a thrilling playoff run for the Giants. So much so that, by now, many fans may be numb to basic ebbs and flows of a baseball game. For those needing an extra jolt, here are some totally arbitrary prop bets for the 2012 World Series:

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 >>

Pablo Sandoval Accused of Sexual Assault, in Case You Hadn't Heard

The early stages of these sexual assault investigations involving public figures are always difficult for us on the outside to navigate.For at least the next few days, probably for the next few weeks, when you Google "Pablo Sandoval," the words "sexual assault" will pop up near the top of the screen ... More >>

Emily Luchetti Hawks Giants-Themed Cookies on Opening Day

The terms "baseball" and "baked goods" don't normally go together -- unless you're talking about Dock Ellis, the former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher who managed to toss a no-hitter while high on acid. Well, San Francisco does take on Pittsburgh in Friday's home-opener. Ellis retired more than 30 years ... More >>

Giants' New Aircraft, Sandbox, and Beer Kiosk Won't Replace Matt Cain

​Giants fans are getting the Opening Day jitters, as they prepare to watch their favorite World Series team take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in San Francisco on April 13. And this year, fans have more than the return of a healthy Buster Posey to look forward to.

The Franchise Episode Five Recap: The Agony of Defeat

jkorn//Flickr​The Franchise has been on a nice run lately, alternating Cliff's Notes of the team season with human-interest stories in the right balance. However, for all its successes, the producers have had a relatively easy time drumming up content. The Giants have been an absolutely stellar te ... 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 >>

Pablo Sandoval Helps the Search for Missing Children

He's good -- on and off the field ​Like the Kung Fu Panda he is nicknamed after, the Giants' Pablo Sandoval makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. And not just because he recently made the All-Star roster, fulfilling a lifelong dream. He's also a giving guy. Last week, the Giants star financed 40,0 ... 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 >>

Buster Posey's Injury Could End His Season After Smash-Up at Home Plate

dirkhasen/FlickrWill Buster be on DL for rest of 2011?​UPDATE: Giants just confirmed that Posey has suffered a lower left leg fracture. He's been placed on the 15-day DL, with an MRI scheduled for today, but he'll be indefinitely out until they know more. "There's no time table for his return," sa ... 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 To Be Honored -- By Congress?

Sadly, the Congressional bill congratulating the Giants does not make mention of 'The Machine'​Congressional Bill: "Whereas the rest of the country learned to 'fear the beard'" Rep. Nancy Pelosi -- you've heard of her -- yesterday introduced a Congressional bill "Congratulating the San Francisco G ... More >>

Giants World Series DVDs -- Guess Who Wins?

A happy ending all right...​With a hot dog and Coors-festooned launch party at AT&T Park last night, the World Champion San Francisco Giants officially screened their two 2010 season DVDs. And, like Titanic, you knew how they were gonna end. Regarding Titanic, incidentally, all of the men frog ... More >>

Juan Uribe Bolts For Dodgers

​Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah/Hey! Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, yeah/You know you got it if it makes you feel good!The breakup of the World Champion San Francisco Giants team -- whose players ought never again have to purchase a drink in this here ci ... 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 >>

Giants-Phillies Series Coming To San Francisco Knotted Up

Is the Mike Fontenot era over already? ​Baseball can be a spectacularly unfair game, but Sunday night's contest wasn't. When your defensive replacements make errors, you lose the game. When you make a strategic decision to load the bases to pitch to a struggling batter -- and he caroms one off the ... More >>

Will Supes Approve $600K Ramp in Board Chambers?

It'll be a hell of a lot nicer than that...​Tucked away among $48 million worth of funding, the Board of Supervisors Budget Committe yesterday approved the funding of a $600,000 ramp in City Hall. We've written a little bit about this -- the ramp was originally priced at more than $1.1 million, bu ... More >>

Giants Hospitalize Pair of Young Fans

Buster Posey has done a lot of damage with his bat this year. Usually, he feels better about it.​The San Francisco Giants have been relentless on the field of late. The reeling San Diego Padres can attest to that. So can a pair of Arizona children. In a bizarre course of events, two youthful spect ... More >>

Panda Bear Previews 'Tomboy' at the Fox Theater

Richard Haick​Panda Bear@ The Fox Theater, OaklandSeptember 6, 2010 Better than: Camp counselor-ing on shrooms, which could be cool. It's becoming increasingly clear that Noah Lennox, known to animals and hipsters as Panda Bear, is to experitronica champions Animal Collective what Jonny ... More >>

Team Spirits: Spooked Giants players check out of haunted hotel

It's Your Friday Morning News Quiz!

Cops intercept JaMarcus Russell...​You know the drill, friends. Send me all the correct answers here, win a prize. Here you go: 1. Which of these was the statement Bay to Breakers spokesman Sam Singer gave SF Weekly regarding the race's latest announcement that it would no longer tolerate any booz ... More >>

Giants Can't Quit Bengie Molina

​Bengie Molina, the best Giants catcher fans ever bitched incessantly about, is gone. Really he is. Last month, he was bundled off to Texas for a relief pitcher and a minor-leaguer, bringing about the dawn of the Buster Posey era. But, fittingly for a man who is arguably the slowest in the game, M ... More >>

Giants' Pablo Sandoval, Edgar Renteria Spooked; Check Out of 'Haunted' Hotel

Pablo! I have hitting tips for you! ​Giants confirm star players leave team hotel due to fear of ghosts after having "some experience" there last year. Juxtapose the words "baseball" and "ghosts" and most people will probably think of Kevin Costner building a diamond in his corn field and the spec ... More >>

Zip Line Across Justin Herman Plaza -- What Could Go Wrong?

Jim HerdHere comes trouble...​On Thursday, folks who'd like to see your tourism dollars directed British Columbia's way, intuitively, erected a zip line on the Embarcadero, across Justin Herman Plaza. On the one hand, a zip line can't be a worse idea than adjacent Vaillancourt Fountain, another "g ... 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 >>

Panda Express: Crashing Pablo Sandoval's Entertaining Gig on Giants TV Show

Joe EskenaziGiants slugger Pablo Sandoval and his new mohawk 'do​After taking in yesterday's taping of Inside the Clubhouse -- which really is taped in the San Francisco Giants' clubhouse -- I'm left with two sparkling memories: Team hitting coach Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens pointing at outfielder N ... More >>

Chronicle's Rapid Weight Loss: New Paper Is Inch Thinner Than Old

Yes, today's new Chronicle is more than an inch thinner than its prior incarnation Of all the many complaints leveled against the San Francisco Chronicle, "It's too darn wrinkly" never came up with us. And still, there was the Chron proudly announcing the dawn of its "wrinkle-free era" today with pa ... More >>

Baseball Savant Pablo Sandoval Is Must-See TV -- And That's What Giants Need

Just prior to the season, we chatted with the impresario behind the Giants' latest round of TV ads. As we put it then, "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.'" Needless to say, it hasn't ... More >>

Teenage Balloon Animal Prodigy Hopes To Put Himself Through College -- One Balloon Monkey at a Time

Joe EskenaziJonathan Zambole and some of his creationsThere's no way around it -- Jonathan Zambole's reputation is inflated. That's not a knock on him; the kid is a balloon animal -- and mineral and vegetable -- prodigy. The 18-year-old Burlingame man is skinny as one of his balloons, and Conan O'Br ... 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 >>