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Home , Andrew Friedman, Brian Sabean, Dave Roberts (pitcher), David Forst, Duane Kuiper, Eddie Rosario

SF Giants Press Clips Friday, September 28, 2018

San Francisco Chronicle Can Giants spoil the Dodgers’ season? Henry Schulman

Kevin Frandsen remembers the at-bat vividly. In the waning days of his major-league career, which began and ended with the Giants, he got a start against at AT&T Park.

Having barely played at all in September 2015, he expected Kershaw to bust him inside with fastballs. Frandsen got one and swung a bit early but managed to push it up the middle for a .

That was the Giants’ only in an 8-0 Dodgers victory that clinched the third of what is now five consecutive West titles. When Kershaw completed his shutout, he and his teammates turned the ballpark blue. They danced on the field and decorated the visiting clubhouse in Champagne.

“He was special that night,” Frandsen said. “He smelled blood in the water at AT&T, knowing a win clinched it for them.”

Once again, the schedule has brought these ancient rivals together for the season’s final weekend with a chance for one team to party and the other to ruin it, the way the Giants did when hit his home in 1982, or when the Dodgers beat Salomon Torres to send a 103-win Giants team home in ’93.

In three of the past four seasons, the Dodgers have clinched the West by beating the Giants. In 2014, they did so at Dodger , again with Kershaw on the mound, and it happened last year on ’s 90th birthday.

The stakes seem higher this weekend, at least for the Giants’ faithful, because they have had little else to cheer in a second straight losing season. This is their .

The series begins Friday night, with the Dodgers a game behind the Rockies for first place in the

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West. The Dodgers are fighting on two fronts, however. They can lose the West and still reach the playoffs.

They enter the weekend one game ahead of the Cardinals for the second wild-card spot.

The Dodgers are loaded with talent while the Giants are fielding a ragtag team of irregulars and rookies, with a couple of everyday players sprinkled in. The Dodgers have many more ways to win this weekend.

Does that ever matter in this rivalry?

Giants , speaking about his players, said, “They’ll feel it. They’ll know it, They’ll talk about it. They know they can impact what happens.”

The Giants are sending their best arms to the mound to meet the Dodgers’ best.

Hyun-Jin Ryu faces in Friday night’s opener. Giants fans would love it if Bumgarner came out snorting fire, hoping to ram the Dodgers right out of the postseason.

They might be a little disappointed, even if Bumgarner intends to win.

“That’s a good story, but no,” Bumgarner said. “I don’t see it that way. If we’re not going, I don’t care who goes. I feel like we should be there, and could be there, and we’re not. I am going to do everything I can do to keep them from going only because I’m pitching.

“I don’t care about them or any other team in the division. I only care about us.”

Second baseman , who began this season with two solo homers to beat the Dodgers in two 1-0 games, does believe the hairs on the players’ necks will stand at attention because of what’s at stake.

“We’re all playing for pride, for the Giants name on the front of the jersey,” Panik said. “The rivalry with the Dodgers, having them at home, they’ve got these games on the line … that’s going to give us a little extra incentive to lay it all out there.”

Bumgarner is from North Carolina, Panik from New York. Frandsen is San Jose born and bred, and he can’t forget Kershaw’s one-hitter and the Dodgers getting lit on the Giants’ home field.

“I don’t think you go into it thinking about ‘don’t let them celebrate on your field,’ but when it happens, damn it, it sucks,” Frandsen said. “The rivalry isn’t the crazy hatred on the field as in the past, but when good things happen (for one team), I think that’s when the rivalry kicks in and a little bit of the jealousy and the hatred is seen or heard.”

Frandsen drove home to San Jose late that night and stopped for a bite to eat. The game was

2 being replayed on the TV at the bar. Fans stopped by to thank him for saving the Giants from a no-hitter.

Those fans might not like to hear it, but as professionals, the Giants understand how good the Dodgers have been since they began their string of division titles in 2013, and how good they are now, no matter what happens over the weekend.

“Winning five in a row, they’ve been playing really good ball for a while now,” Panik said. “It’s no fluke. They’ve got a lot of talent over there. As an athlete, as a ballplayer, you’ve got to respect that.”

The fans? Not so much.

San Jose Mercury News Ten candidates who fit the Giants’ desired ‘next-gen’ front office profile Kerry Crowley

SAN FRANCISCO–At some point this offseason, the Giants will gauge star free agent ’s interest in playing at China Basin. They will discuss Madison Bumgarner’s future with the franchise. And they will lay the groundwork for changing a roster that’s in desperate need of a makeover.

But before all of that takes place, the Giants must hire an executive to lead those discussions and build a new blueprint.

After dismissing Bobby Evans on Monday, Giants CEO and vice president of baseball operations have set out to find a “next-gen” leader of the franchise’s front office.

Baer wants a mind who can blend analytics with scouting, while Sabean is determined to hire a visionary who grasps the challenges of constructing a club that can win at AT&T Park.

Evans’ replacement will answer directly to Baer, and it’s possible Sabean’s title will change this offseason to accommodate the new hire. Sabean will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the front office, and if the Giants want to interview and ultimately hire the most qualified candidates, they’ll need to open a position that represents a promotion, and not a lateral move.

In the coming days, some of the the candidates the Giants will likely pursue are current general managers with a track record of success. Because clubs can deny executives the right to interview for the same position with another franchise, the Giants may need a vacancy in the vice president of baseball operations role to bring in an experienced general manager.

With that in mind, here’s a list of 10 executives who could become the front office official

3 tasked with leading the Giants into the future.

Jean Afterman: Sabean has deep ties to the Yankees, where Afterman ascended to the role of assistant general manager in 2001 and currently stands as the highest-ranking female executive in the sport. A San Francisco native, Afterman attended Lowell High School with Baer and boasts extensive experience with an organization that has enjoyed recent success in both international and domestic talent acquisition processes.

Chaim Bloom: Because Bloom, 35, is already the vice president of baseball operations in Tampa Bay, the Rays are not required to permit Bloom to interview for the position in San Francisco. Still, he’s an obvious fit for the role as he’s an analytically-driven, forward-thinking executive with a background in negotiating contracts and player scouting. If Bloom isn’t available, general manager could also receive a call from the Giants.

Mike Chernoff: Since earning a promotion to the general manager role in 2016, Chernoff has overseen back-to-back AL Central champions and built a well-balanced club with a middle-of- the-pack payroll. Though he hasn’t experienced the challenge of dramatically overhauling a major market roster, very few candidates have.

Mike Elias: The assistant general manager of scouting and player development for the Astros, Elias owns a strong track record of acquiring amateur talent. The Astros credit Elias as the “driving force” behind the selection of with the No. 1 overall pick in 2011 and the Yale product also spent the early years of his career scouting in the Cardinals organization.

David Forst: Poaching Forst, the Oakland A’s general manager, would be quite the splash, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility. Forst has clearly demonstrated a strong ability to build from the ground up and has never had the benefit of working with such deep pockets. Would Forst leave an A’s franchise on the rise and trek across the Bay Bridge to go head-to-head with ? It’s a question the Giants might find themselves asking in the near future.

Jed Hoyer: Hoyer is signed to a five-year contract that won’t expire until 2021, but a move to San Francisco would bring him out of ’s shadow in Chicago and allow Hoyer to continue to cultivate a reputation as one of baseball’s brightest executives. If the Giants can figure out a way to lure Hoyer to the Bay Area as their vice president of baseball operations, they may inquire about Hoyer bringing in Cubs executive Jason McLeod to serve as general manager.

Kim Ng: The senior vice president of baseball operations for , Ng has long been rumored as a top general manager candidate. Ng vied with for the Dodgers’ general manager position back in 2005 and has held her current role since 2011, but she spent more than 15 seasons working in front offices and has experience overseeing international talent development.

David Stearns: If Baer wanted an exact match for how a “next-gen” executive operates, he

4 should scan Stearns’ résumé. Before taking over as the current general manager, Stearns served as an Astros’ assistant general manager, helped Major League Baseball negotiate a collective bargaining agreement and studied at Harvard. Like Forst and Chernoff, Stearns must be willing to leave a franchise with excellent potential to continue winning to take a job with the Giants.

Peter Woodfork: Woodfork may not be a true “next-gen” executive as he’s spent the last eight years working under in the league office, but he does possess experience as an assistant general manager with the D’backs and as a director of baseball operations with the Red Sox. Woodfork has ties to Epstein and Hoyer and like Stearns, Woodfork is a Harvard grad.

Farhan Zaidi: It’s possible no hire would change the dynamics of the more than Zaidi, the general manager of the Dodgers who works under . Zaidi rose through the ranks in the A’s organization, where the UC Berkeley grad served as a analyst before becoming an assistant general manager. Zaidi’s success in Los Angeles speaks for itself, and the Giants are in dire need of an executive capable of revamping a roster with a massive payroll.

MLB.com Who was your favorite team's 2018 MVP? MLB Staff

From familiar faces Trout, Paul Goldschmidt and Jose Abreu to relative newcomers to the spotlight like , and Kyle Freeland, there was certainly no shortage of star power to go around the league in 2018.

Whether they were fueling postseason pushes, serving as veteran leaders on young teams or captivating fans with breakout campaigns, these standouts provided baseball fans around the country with the most exciting storylines of the regular season.

Here's a look at every team's 2018 MVP, in the words of all 30 MLB.com beat writers:

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Justin Smoak Smoak wasn't quite able to replicate his breakout 2017 campaign, but the veteran slugger has been the Blue Jays' most consistent hitter from start to finish. The 31-year-old entered play on Wednesday with the team lead in home runs (25), RBIs (77) and OPS (.814). He was at the heart of Toronto's lineup all year, and another solid season has all but officially guaranteed that his $7 million option for next year will be picked up by the Blue Jays.

Orioles: Trey Mancini On a team decimated by trades and searching for an identity, Mancini has provided a second- half lift. The second-year player -- who finished third in AL Rookie of the Year Award voting last

5 year -- entered Wednesday batting .278 with 11 homers in 59 games since the All-Star break, one long ball shy of his total from half, which spanned 91 games.

Rays: Blake Snell Snell has a chance to do something only five other have done in the live-ball era (since 1920): finish with 21 wins and a sub-2.00 ERA at age 25 or younger. He would join , , Denny McLain, Dave McNally and . The lefty has made 26 starts this season in which he has allowed two runs or fewer and 20 starts of one run or fewer -- both most in the Major Leagues, excluding "openers."

Red Sox: So much for those who thought Betts had reached his peak two years ago when he finished second in the AL MVP Award voting to Mike Trout. After a tick downward in 2017, Betts has raised his game to the highest level of his career and taken the Red Sox with him for the ride. He has impacted his team in every way possible, hitting for average and power, stealing bases, playing brilliant defense and becoming a young leader in the clubhouse. Betts is a shoo-in to win his first batting title and has already achieved a career high in homers. He trails only Trout in on-base percentage and OPS. Betts also leads MLB in WAR.

Yankees: Didi Gregorius Championed as "the of the infield" by manager , Gregorius has provided the Yankees with leadership as well as above-average play on both sides of the ball. He has hit a career-high 27 homers, shattering his own record for the most by a Yanks , while committing just five errors. Gregorius slumped in May (.149 average) after a sensational April (1.156 OPS), but his numbers steadily improved each month thereafter.

AL CENTRAL

Indians: Jose Ramirez This designation could go to either Ramirez or , and both could wind up in the top five in voting for the AL Most Valuable Player Award for the second straight year. Ramirez joined (1987) and (2008) as the only 30/30 players in Indians history. He also joined , and as the only hitters in MLB history to have 100 walks, 100 RBIs and 100 runs to go along with the 30 homers and 30 steals. Ramirez has rated as baseball's top baserunner, and for the second year in a row, he has bounced between third base and second base defensively.

Royals: Merrifield has emerged as one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the league. He'll likely win his second straight stolen-base title, and he has a chance to lead the AL (maybe even the Majors) in hits. All that athleticism shows up defensively as well, as Merrifield has turned into a premier super-utility man, ranging from center field to second base to first base. He's a manager's dream because of his versatility.

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Tigers: Nicholas Castellanos Considering what was around him in the Tigers' lineup, Castellanos had one of the best seasons in a Detroit uniform since 's prime. He not only has career bests in average, slugging, on-base, OPS, hits and runs scored, but he's also put himself among the AL's top 10 in , runs created, weighted on-base average, and nearly there in win probability added. Castellanos has taken Cabrera's seat as the center of Detroit's offense.

Twins: Eddie Rosario Rosario had a breakout season offensively and was the Twins' best all-around player, hitting .288/.323/.479 with 24 homers, 31 doubles and 77 RBIs in 138 games before suffering a season- ending quad injury in mid-September. He was also a solid defender in left field, using his strong arm to rack up nine outfield assists. Rosario still has room to improve his plate discipline, but is among the best bad-ball hitters in baseball with a Major League-high 10 of his homers coming on pitches out of the zone, per Statcast™.

White Sox: Jose Abreu For the first time in Abreu's five years with the White Sox, the failed to reach at least 25 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .290 average. Abreu lost all but six games after Aug. 20 due to surgery to relieve pain from testicular torsion and an infection in his right thigh, but he still was the most consistent force in the White Sox lineup. Abreu knocked out 22 homers and 36 doubles and drove in 78 runs to go along with a .473 and a .798 OPS.

AL WEST

Angels: Mike Trout The best player in baseball keeps finding ways to get better. Trout, a two-time AL MVP Award winner, is having his best season to date, leading the Majors in on-base percentage, OPS and intentional walks, and ranking second in slugging percentage and WAR. Trout also made a concerted effort to improve his defense in center field and continues to be a burner on the basepaths. The 27-year-old star is a perennial AL MVP Award candidate, but his case this year will likely be hurt by the fact that the Angels are set to miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

Astros: With 2017 AL MVP Award winner Jose Altuve not able to duplicate his tremendous numbers from a year ago, Bregman emerged as the Astros' most dangerous offensive player with a historic season at the plate. He joined as the only players to reach 50 doubles, 100 RBIs and 100 runs in a season and is the first player in MLB history to have at least 50 doubles and 30 homers while playing the majority of his games at third base.

Athletics: Khris Davis Davis no longer plays the field, but the impact he has on the A's lineup as is invaluable. He's their main power source -- they went lifeless at the plate when he was on the DL this year, going 3-6 without him -- and he just so happens to be baseball's leader,

7 making him worthy of AL MVP Award consideration. Davis, who has launched more long balls since the advent of 2016 than any other player, at least belongs in the conversation.

Mariners: Mitch Haniger While a case certainly can be made for Edwin Diaz's value, given that he's saved two- thirds of the wins for a team that made a living on one-run victories for much of the year, Haniger emerged as Seattle's best everyday player with a breakout season. The first-time All- Star kicked his game up further with a strong stretch run both offensively and in right field, where he's tops in the Majors with 12 assists. The 27-year-old is the second Mariners with 35-plus doubles, 25-plus homers and 90-plus RBIs in a season, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (1992 and '93).

Rangers: Shin-Soo Choo Choo was an All-Star for the first time in his career and the Rangers' only representative. His high on-base percentage and ability to hit anywhere in the order were big assets to Texas' lineup. Joey Gallo had big home run and RBI totals, but Choo set the tone for the Rangers' offense, played solid defense so that Adrian Beltre could DH and emerged as a strong clubhouse leader on a young team.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: As great as Ronald Acuna Jr. was in the second half, his six-week stretch of dominance did not trump the overall value of Freeman, who was arguably the leading NL MVP Award candidate before entering a three-week slump in mid-August. Freeman's power production dropped over the final few months, but his consistency maximized the value produced by Nick Markakis and Ozzie Albies, fellow All-Stars who also produced MVP-caliber production during the first half.

Marlins: J.T. Realmuto The last remaining core player from an explosive 2017 lineup, Realmuto not only by default became the face of the franchise, but he's also made the case that he's the best in the Majors. The 27-year-old leads his position in many major statistical categories. Realmuto was named to his first All-Star Game this year, and playing on a last-place team, the Oklahoma native embraced a leadership role on a young squad.

Mets: Jacob deGrom The likely NL winner, deGrom will appear on many NL MVP Award ballots as well. He is on pace to lead the NL in ERA by more than half a run, after posting the most consecutive quality starts in a season in Major League history. No NL hitter is close to deGrom in either FanGraphs' or Baseball Reference's calculation of WAR.

Nationals: The Nationals have endured injuries and inconsistencies from so much of their roster, but Scherzer remained the one steady presence every fifth day. He is one of the front-runners for

8 the NL Cy Young Award and, like deGrom, will appear on some NL MVP Award ballots after leading the NL in wins and and becoming just the sixth since 1990 to record 300 strikeouts in a single season.

Phillies: Aaron Nola The Phillies had the second-best record in the NL and held first place in the NL East as late as Aug. 11 mostly because of their starting pitching. Nola led the way, establishing himself not only as the Phils' ace, but as one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. Entering Wednesday, Nola's bWAR (9.4) was fifth in the Majors. Only Betts (10.7), Trout (10.1) Scherzer (9.7) and deGrom (9.6) had higher marks.

NL CENTRAL

Brewers: Traditional numbers, newer numbers or narrative -- by nearly any definition, Yelich is the guy, not just for the Brewers, but perhaps in the whole NL. He's had a career year at the plate, hitting for average, hitting for power and getting on base. He's also played strong defense, contributed as an exceptional baserunner and carried a contending team for stretches of the season.

Cardinals: Matt Carpenter No player was more integral to the Cardinals' second-half surge than Carpenter, whose white- hot summer pulled them back into contention almost single-handedly. St. Louis' leadoff hitter rebounded from a horrible start to put himself squarely in the NL MVP Award conversation. Carpenter leads the NL in homers and ranks among the leaders in a slew of major categories, including runs, slugging, OPS, wRC+ and WAR.

Cubs: Javier Baez Baez began this season batting eighth for the Cubs, quickly moved up and now finds himself one of the top NL MVP Award candidates. He has set career highs in nearly every offensive category, and has done so while moving around the infield. Manager says Baez is the best in the NL -- and he may be the best shortstop, too. He is the Cubs' quarterback. "El Mago" has had a magical year.

Pirates: Jameson Taillon The Pirates have their ace. After a few rough outings early in the season, Taillon has put together 21 straight starts of three earned runs or fewer, a stretch surpassed by only deGrom this season. The former No. 2 overall pick leads with 4.3 bWAR, and his emergence -- along with the success of Trevor Williams -- gives the Bucs hope heading into next season.

Reds: Eugenio Suarez Signed to a seven-year, $66 million contract extension in March, Suarez backed it up with his biggest season yet, and is among the NL leaders in home runs and RBIs. In July, he tied a franchise record with home runs in five consecutive games. Besides having a career year at the

9 plate, the 27-year-old was again exceptional defensively at third base and could make both the routine and superlative plays. Suarez's numbers might have been more robust had he not missed 16 games in April with a fractured thumb. He was certainly missed, as went 3- 13 without his contributions.

NL WEST

D-backs: Paul Goldschmidt You could have gotten really good odds on May 22 that Arizona's MVP would be anyone other than Goldschmidt, as the six-time All-Star was hitting .198 at the time. Since then, though, he's gone on a tear and will finish the year with his usual outstanding numbers. Beyond the offensive numbers, Goldschmidt brings Gold Glove defense at first base and is an adept baserunner.

Dodgers: Turner missed the first six weeks with a broken wrist and wasn't whole for another six weeks. That said, since the All-Star break, he's been the real Justin Turner, the most consistent offensive bat and a leader in the clubhouse. On a team that platoons almost everywhere, he is one player manager Dave Roberts hates to leave out of the lineup.

Giants: Though Crawford fell short of his peak offensive production, he was San Francisco's top hitter early in the season, before the club began to struggle at the plate collectively. Crawford was torrid in May (.412/.446/.618) and June (.326/.425/.584) to help the Giants finish 29-26 in that span. Left knee soreness hampered Crawford at the plate and in the field, though the three- time Gold Glove-winning shortstop continued to make captivating plays throughout the season.

Padres: The Padres' offense has been inconsistent, and the few hitters who have starred have done so in limited plate appearances. The rotation, meanwhile, has been in a state of flux with rookie after rookie debuting. Through it all, Yates has been the anchor to one of the league's best bullpens. He's upped his rate, lowered his walk rate and honed his splitter to the point where it's been nearly unhittable this season.

Rockies: Kyle Freeland Yes, this one is outside the BBWAA box, but given the 26-season history of baseball at a mile high, it makes total sense. Reading Freeland's stats is like playing that game with the fortune cookie message. Read, then say either "for the Rockies" or "at ." Going into Friday night's final regular-season start against the Nationals, he had a 2.84 ERA (club record: Ubaldo Jimenez, 2.88 in 2010), a 2.36 home ERA and is 8-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 13 starts after the All-Star break. And how's this for picking up his teammates? Freeland hasn't given up an unearned run, meaning he doesn't let miscues become costly.

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NBC Sports Bay Area You might've missed the best on-field thing of 's Giants career Alex Pavlovic

SAN FRANCISCO -- Forget the homers, the runs driven in and the diving catches. Put aside, for a second, the - against the Cardinals and the Air Jordan catch to rob the Nationals.

The speech in Cincinnati and the “Yes! Yes! Yes!” rallying cry at AT&T Park? Nudge those aside right now, too.

The best thing Hunter Pence has done in seven seasons with the Giants might be something you missed. Unless you were at the ballpark on a Sunday and happened to look down at right field at 1 p.m., you likely never noticed the biggest impact he has had on lives.

The Giants bring young kids, ranging somewhere from 6 to 12 years old onto the field on Sundays and let them take their positions with the big leaguers. It’s a fun exercise, and most players offer a handshake and an autograph before returning to preparation for the game. Pence always has taken it a step further.

Every Sunday home game, a young boy or girl runs out to right field, and Pence asks him or her to look up at the arcade section and wave to the fans. Then he points to the seats in left, or the seats behind the plate, or the fans in the bleachers, and tells the kid to wave again. For dozens of young ballplayers, Pence has provided the memory of a lifetime.

“I know if I was a kid and that was going on, I’d be scared and I wouldn’t really know how to take it in,” Pence said this week. “So I just came up with the idea of, let’s just wave at everybody. Let’s make it an experience they can remember, let’s let them look around and see what’s going on and ask them, ‘How cool is this?’ ”

Pence has never allowed himself to forgot just how cool it is to actually be on the field. He said this week that he’s blessed to have just one major league game under his belt, and when he runs out to right field or left, he still waves at all the fans standing up.

Even when his average dipped under .200 this season, Pence received standing ovations as he took the field. The fans in the bleachers always have stood behind him, and they’ve taken every opportunity to say goodbye over the final weeks.

Pence will jog out to right field Sunday for what almost certainly will be the final time as a Giant. Before many , he will wave before turning to center field to begin playing catch with a teammate.

“The whole thing is me just wanting to say hello to the fans and say thank you every single game,” he said. “They’re out here supporting us every single game. We’re all in it together.”

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He always has taken that approach with the kid who runs out to right field. For a moment, Pence makes a young boy or girl feel like the Giants right fielder, and often times that moment might have meant more than Pence realized. Many of the children who have taken the field on Sundays have been cancer survivors or children of military members.

Regardless of who runs out there, Pence always goes through the same routine. He introduces himself, autographs a ball, offers a handshake or high-five, and then asks a young boy or girl to soak it all in and wave to the fans.

“There’s been a couple that really get into the waving and the crowd really gets into it, and that makes it fun. There are quite a few that don’t understand what I’m asking, so that gets a little awkward,” he said, laughing. “It’s different every time, and you try to make it something that they’ll remember.”

NBC Sports Bay Area Amy G’s 10 favorite Giants moments from her 10 years at the ballpark Amy Gutierrez

This weekend’s three-game series with the Dodgers marks the end to Amy G’s 10th season covering the Giants for NBC Sports Bay Area. A fixture at AT&T Park and beyond, Amy has seen it all -- the World Series championships, perfect games, walk-off homers … and, oh, the memorable in-game and postgame interviews.

So, we asked Amy to recall, in her own words, her 10 favorite memories from her 10 years on the Giants. Scroll through and let Amy take you behind the scenes on the moments that Giants fans all enjoyed on air.

10. Interviewing Cookie Monster (2014) This was a disaster waiting to happen, right? Interview a puppet?! It was random. It was bizarre. And it ended up being a BIG hit.

Something that makes Giants-brand baseball special is the quirkiness of our broadcast and the flexibility of the entire crew to "roll with it." We did struggle a bit figuring out how to position ourselves, and it definitely was a challenge to not look at the actual man talking and kneeling on the ground while controlling Cookie Monster. I even thought I was a genius bringing real cookies for the puppet to eat, only to find out they have "prop" cookies. Duh!

But we pulled it off. It was a nostalgic moment -- Sesame Street was one of my favorite shows as a kid and a parent – we figured out a way to connect Cookie Monster to baseball, and we won an Emmy for the broadcast!

9. Finger-wagging the Dodgers fan (2016)

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Probably one of my most unprofessional moments in my career. But it sure was satisfying. Not only to win the tug-o-war with a big dude, but a big dude in a Dodgers jersey who then begged for the ball. I mean, empowering doesn't even begin to explain it -- LOL.

In all truthfulness, I saw the ball coming and just reacted. When I looked up and saw who was asking me for the ball, I knew there was ZERO chance I could give it to this man. Career suicide, right?

What fans didn't get to see is what happened next, when I asked, "Where's a kid?" I know the drill.

The Giants went on to win that game, and it ended up being a moment that gave some relief to a stressful stretch in 2016 when the playoffs were in question. Kruk and Kuip couldn’t get enough, and when they laugh, everyone laughs.

8. Angel Pagan's inside-the-park home run (2013) I remember thinking, “Is this really going to happen?” This was such a great play to watch unfold because there were so many moving parts -- being my favorite. Once Pagan scored, Flan's high-knee jig is one of the best moments I've ever witnessed.

Inside-the-park home runs are just so rare, and to be able to see one and then interview the person who did it made the moment even more special. No one knew at the time that Pagan majorly tweaked his leg on that slide and celebration. So it lost its luster a bit after the fact. But in the moment, simply one of the most exciting plays I've ever witnessed.

7. Interviewing one of my heroes -- Billie Jean King (2015) The Battle of the Sexes was one of my earliest childhood sports memories. It was my initial exposure to people thinking men were superior to women physically and beyond. It also was my initial exposure to realizing people were wrong, thanks to Miss King and her victory over Bobby Riggs. Her tenacity, , strength and determination in bringing awareness to this issue always was a source of inspiration for me growing up, and has served as a source of motivation that I draw upon in the field where I work.

In short, this made my list because I got to meet and interview a childhood hero and an American icon. She's one of my "s"heroes! And if you're wondering why Billie Jean came to the Giants game? Her brother, Randall Moffitt, was a pitcher with the Giants from 1972 to 1981. So she's a fan.

6. Giants clinch the division, and drops an F-yeah on me on-air (2010) The Giants have never made ANY of their championships easy. What's the fun in that?

In 2010, the Padres drop 10 straight in September, opening the window for the Giants to be in contention for the division. OF COURSE the two teams would play each other for a three-game series to end the season. The Giants only need to win ONE to clinch.

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Friday night, they lose. Saturday, they lose. Sunday, if they lose, they have to go to San Diego and compete in a play-in game. No one brought their luggage.

I was walking along the Arcade area of the park when the unlikely occurred, and Jonathan Sanchez roped a triple -- and we all knew it was going to happen. The Giants won and began one of the greatest stretches in baseball history.

I grabbed Tim Lincecum before he headed to the clubhouse, and in all the chaos, I said, "Are you ready for a champagne shower?" Without missing a beat, he screamed back, "F*&% yeah!" I squealed, he sprinted off, and all of that was on live TV. A few seconds later, I hear my name being screamed and look over to see Timmy peeking out from the stairs below saying, "Sorry."

No apology necessary, completely understandable, and actually, I probably would have said the same thing :-)

5. 's 18th- homer vs. Nationals (2014) I don’t think I’ve ever been colder. We traveled from Pittsburgh to DC, and the weather was perfect, until it wasn’t in about the ninth inning of NLDS Game 2 versus the Nationals. scored the tying run, and the temperature dropped about 50 degrees. The game, as you know, went on and on ...

After each inning, we’d run to the bathroom where there was heat, warm up for a minute and get back to our seats in front of the press-box window. Enter my forever hero, Brandon Belt. An 18th-inning Jack Daddy gave the Giants the lead and the NLDS Game 2 victory.

I interviewed him after the game and began the conversation with “Thank you, just thank you.” It was worth the wait and the frostbite to witness one of the most significant home runs in Giants postseason history.

4. Brandon Crawford's Wild Card Game (2014) The fans at PNC Park were so loud that we couldn’t hear the overhead announcements in the press box where we were sitting. I couldn’t really see the ball Crawford hit. I knew it was deep down the right field line, but when you heard the pin drop in this raucous crowd, that’s when I knew it was gone. You could hear a small contingent of cheers, and it was the Giants celebrating in their dugout.

Since I’m not really allowed to cheer, I just kept punching (lightly) the leg of my field producer sitting next to me. Admittedly, I was ecstatic. I grew up a Giants fan, and everyone is a Crawford fan. I mean, I’m only human.

3. 's (2012) The first perfect game in Giants franchise history -- what else can I say? An amazing accomplishment full of emotion and exhaustion.

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I vividly remember Matt coming out early to hit some golf balls with a few pros on the tour. He roped one into McCovey Cove, and I made a mental note to ask him about it later and had a gut feeling he was going to have a good start. Well, he wasn’t just good -- he was perfection.

We were able to locate his wife, Chelsea, in the stands and keep an eye on her while Matt was navigating his way through 27. The night was compelling, not just from a sports perspective but from a human interest perspective. It’s one of my favorite moments and also one of my favorite broadcasts. A complete group effort covering a perfecto -- without ever mentioning the word, by the way. We are superstitious, too!

We won an Emmy for that broadcast as well. Thanks, Cainer!

2. Jonathan Sanchez no-hitter (2009) This is so high on my list because it was my first milestone interview that brought much joy and much stress into my life. I’d never witnessed a no-hitter, let alone interviewed the pitcher who accomplished said feat.

The story is layered, but the gist: Sanchez was on the chopping block. The Giants were talking trade, sending him down, etc. His father came to watch him play for the first time in his pro career. Again, our crew worked magic cutting between Sanchez on the mound and Senior Sanchez in the stands. It was a beautiful moment of redemption, love and relief.

I won’t bore you with the grief I received from other media outlets for hugging Jonathan after this game. I will just share I wouldn’t change what I did because I was being me and it gave me a chance to make it very clear to my colleagues that I approach this game a different way. So just know, if YOU throw a no-hitter, I’m going to hug you!

1. Working with Kruk and Kuip every day and winning six Emmys with them and are the heart and soul of the Giants. They welcomed me with open arms 10 years ago, and I’ll forever be grateful to them for their support, laughter and the pure joy they bring to the park every single day. I truly do feel like the luckiest gal in the work world. I’m constantly pinching myself that this is what I get to do and this is who I get to do it with. Ten years in, and I still get giddy when I see them at the park. I learn something new every day from this duo and feel honored to work alongside them. We’ve won a lot of awards together, but what I really treasure is the friendship that has developed between us. I have gotten to know their loved ones, attended weddings, and shed tears through heart to hearts, and they have become my family. I feel like I was supposed to meet them. They make me a better person.

KNBR.com Baggarly details when he thinks Giants will secure new GM Jacob Hutchinson

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The MLB offseason is months from getting underway, but after firing general manager Bobby Evans, who’d been with the team for 25 years, including his last four in the role of general manager, it’s clear the Giants are already in offseason mode.

Andrew Baggarly, the Giants beat reporter for , joined Murph and Mac to discuss the Giants’ offseason plans and how quickly the organization, and the team’s CEO Larry Baer in particular, will look to replace Evans, and with whom.

“They’re going to have somebody new that’s going to report directly to Larry Baer,” Baggarly said. “Right now, the only clue is that it’s a next-gen GM, so I assume it’s maybe going to be somebody who’s on the younger side.”

What’s unique about the situation is that Baggarly said the Giants will likely not make a one-for- one replacement hire due to the way MLB front offices generally disallow GM interviews.

“The fact that it’s somebody who’s going to report to Larry Baer means that they’re not hiring just a GM,” Baggarly said. “I don’t know what they’re going to title this job but it could be an executive vice president job to where they would then have the ability to seek permission to talk to more people. Because a lot times, teams will not grant permission from a GM to look at another GM position. But generally, around baseball, if it’s a promotion somewhere, then teams will grant permission.”

By potentially hiring for a position above the level of GM, Baggarly said it may be easier for the Giants to interview big-name candidates.

“I think that the way they’re structuring this will allow them to consider… people who are recognizable names in this industry,” Baggarly said. “And I do think that’s going to be something that’s important too. Because we know marketing is big with the Giants organization. I think they are going to try to bring in somebody that the casual baseball fan probably already knows about.”

As far as timeline goes, Baggarly said the search will take time, but that the Giants know it will be “advantageous” to have a replacement in before the World Series begins.

“The GM meetings, they’re November 6th, I think they start,” Baggarly said. “I have to believe the Giants are going to want to have somebody in place by that time. And I would think they would want to have somebody in place at least a week before that time because you’re going to want to have organizational meetings, you’re going to want to familiarize yourself with all your staff and the new players and everything.”

The firing of Evans is a clear indication that the Giants are trying to revamp and reinvigorate their front office. New approaches, new scouting and a new way of evaluating trades will all likely be considered.

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Baggarly said he spoke to Evans “at length” the day after it was revealed he had been fired. He said those changes are consistent with the ones Evans had been working on.

“The last couple years as GM, (Evans) had to let a lot of people go on a major league coaching staff as they’ve sort of revamped their player development system, they’ve put in a new farm director,” Baggarly said. “There have been a lot of people who’ve been there a long time who basically got shuffled off or put in special assistant roles or were kind of marginalized or aren’t there anymore at all. Basically, (Evans) says this is Larry Baer looking at baseball operations and saying continuity is a strength until the day it’s not. Things maybe have gotten a little stale and we need some fresh perspective and fresh leadership at the top of baseball ops and part of that fresh perspective is seeing some of these players with different eyes that you’re maybe a little less tethered to.”

What could that mean in a practical sense? Players like Madison Bumgarner and Brandon Belt have been examined as the few potential trade options with genuine market value, but there has of yet been no clear indication either player was on the trade block this season. Baggarly suggested that potential GM candidates should ask Baer whether those types of players are tradable.

“I think that the number one question that someone who walks in to interview with Larry Baer should ask of management, should ask of ownership is what if I come to you and I say, ‘Look, I really believe that the number one thing we need to do that can turn this thing around quickly is to trade Madison Bumgarner. What would you say to that? Would I have the flexibility to do that?’ Because ownership is always going to be able to have veto power over big moves,” Baggarly said. “So, I think how Larry would answer that question could be very interesting.”

It’s clear the Giants’ front office intends to implement wholesale changes. While they’d like to implement those changes as quickly as possible, the search will likely be long and exhaustive, Baggarly said.

“It does take a lot of time… and I do think they’re going to bring in a very diverse pool, I think they’re going to bring in a very large pool,” Baggarly said. “I don’t think they’re going to interview two people, three people and say, ‘OK, this is the best of the lot.’”

San Francisco Examiner Kolsky: The ’ alleged reconstruction feels more like rearranging deck chairs Matt Kolsky

The San Francisco Giants are mercifully close to the end of another losing season. When it’s over, it will mark the worst two-season loss total for the franchise since the mid-1980’s.

Teams with sustained runs of excellence — certainly a fair description of the Giants’ results in the first half of this decade — often collapse in this fashion: holding on too long to past glory,

17 paying too much for aging non-contributors, falling into ignominy before a rebuilding period.

Downslides of this nature are frequently punctuated by turnover, not only up and down the roster but in the coaching and front office ranks, so it’s no surprise that the Giants have made changes over the last year-plus. Especially when ownership’s representation is paying lip service to a change in philosophy and “the next generation of Giants baseball,” heads are bound to roll.

If the Giants want us to believe in that vision of the future, though, they are tripping over themselves even more than they have in scrambling to “reload” in the last two offseasons.

This year’s edition of musical chairs began with the dismissal of strength coach Carl Kochan, a seven-year employee who was popular with players, and persisted with Bobby Evans “stepping down” as GM after four seasons of holding that title — the front office version of firing your strength coach.

The fundamental lie of both of these moves is that either man should be held accountable for the struggles of the last two seasons, most obvious in the case of Kochan, who bears even less responsibility than last year’s coaching fall guy . In the case of Evans, this passive deception is highlighted by the fact that he will remain with the Giants in some other capacity.

Perhaps more to the point, the Giants’ true leadership cabal of CEO Larry Baer and whatever- they’re-calling-him-now Brian Sabean remains firmly in place.

I’m not here to call for Baer or Sabean’s job, but it’s important to point out that they were undoubtedly the men who chose the direction of this franchise in each of the last few offseasons. Suggesting that Bobby Evans had that level of autonomous decision-making power is as reasonable as expecting to hit 25 homers next season.

Major philosophical decisions about the direction of a franchise, particularly a franchise with a sold-out ballpark 81 nights each year, are made at the very top. Whether you believe this regime is more a representation of Sabean or Baer seems irrelevant — given the former’s apparent job security, they amount to one and the same.

It was the SaBaer who, after 2016’s LDS loss, chose to view four consecutive seasons of ceding the NL West to the LA Dodgers as a dip for their title-winning core rather than a decline, leading to an offseason where the only significant addition was the horribly disappointing Mark Melancon. Surely the SaBaer made the call to “reload” last winter, resulting in the acquisition of aging veterans Andrew McCutchen and .

Sure, Evans may have been the primary negotiator in those deals, but were they negotiated poorly? The Melancon pickup was remarkably well-received, both locally and by pundits around baseball, as a high-quality solution to a clear problem. His physical collapse was hardly predictable, and it seems arbitrary to blame it on an executive.

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After the McCutchen and Longoria trades, there was fair criticism of the Giants — but it was criticism of the philosophy, not the deals. Kyle Crick looks to be the best player the Giants gave up in either deal, and nobody would be crying about that if this team was playoff-bound.

So excuse me if I’m less than convinced when Baer references the “next generation,” because the new boss looks an awful lot like the old boss. As long as both Baer and Sabean are in place, how are we to believe that a new general manager is truly empowered to decide the direction of the franchise?

Moreover, what high-level general manager would want a job that includes a three-time World Series winner who has the ear of the team president looking over your shoulder? If a top candidate from the young generation of analytics-minded front office executive has options, they would likely choose one with more complete control.

If the team does truly embrace a baseball future that arrived several years ago for many of 2018’s playoff teams, it will simply be because the same leadership decided to do so. I would argue that’s the right thing to do — a rebuild is necessary, and an effective rebuild will require a relatively dramatic philosophical adjustment — so I’m not here to bash that decision.

It’s just a pity that Bobby Evans had to suffer the indignity of “reassignment” to convincingly package the narrative arc of other men’s bad decisions.

Associated Press Jankowski homers in Padres’ 3-2 win over Giants Michael Wagaman

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — For a player who struggled in the spring and spent the first part of the season in the minors, San Diego utility outfielder Travis Jankowski is trying to finish with a flourish.

Jankowski had three hits, including his fourth home run, and the Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Freddy Galvis added two hits, and had a sacrifice fly to help the Padres win their final road game of the season. San Diego finished 35-46 away from and is 29-49 at home.

“I kind of feel like I’m showcasing my talents,” Jankowski said. “This year, getting to play on a more consistent basis more frequently, I feel I’ve been able to show the organization that I can help teams win. I’m happy with how I’m doing but I’m not content.”

Jankowski was batting .172 in September and was mired in a 4-for-23 funk before reaching on an infield single leading off the fifth and advancing to second when San Francisco starter Casey Kelly (0-3) tried swiping the ball to first baseman Chris Shaw. After Jankowski took third on a groundout, Kelly was called for a balk and the run scored.

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Jankowski homered off Kelly in the seventh to make it 3-0. He also tripled in the ninth.

“He’s shown that he fills a really important niche role for us,” Padres manager said. “You get a guy that can flat out run off the bench, flat out defend the field and when you get righties on the mound he can give you really competitive strong at-bats. That’s a winning baseball player.”

Miguel Diaz (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for his second career win. Diaz was the third of seven pitchers used by Green on a day the Padres started reliever Luis Perdomo.

Kirby Yates struck out pinch-hitter Evan Longoria with two runners on in the ninth for his 12th save.

“I thought across the board the staff was good,” Green said. “A solid baseball game for us.”

Aramis Garcia hit his fourth home run for San Francisco. The Giants, who fired general manager Bobby Evans earlier in the week, have lost 18 of 23.

“The pitching was there,” San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. “We just couldn’t get that last hit.”

The Giants pulled within 3-2 on Garcia’s two-run homer in the seventh.

San Francisco had two runners on later the same inning but Matt Strahm retired pinch-hitter Kelby Tomlinson on a groundout.

BALKING ON THE BALK

Kelly seemed surprised when he was called for the balk, and replays showed that the right- hander barely flinched. “When I shook my head I kind of moved my hands,” Kelly said. “I think that’s why they called it. Once it gets to that point there’s really no going back so there’s no sense in arguing.”

GALVIS GOING STRONG

Galvis is on pace to play 162 games for the second consecutive season after signing with the Padres in the offseason.

“He’s been everything we looked for when we went out and got him,” Green said. “He’s been a perfect fit for us.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

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Padres: 1B was held out of the starting lineup. He grounded out as a in the ninth.

Giants: Longoria did not start and was still feeling soreness in his left knee a day after fouling a ball off it. Alen Hanson started in Longoria’s absence. Nick Hundley was also held out of the starting lineup, although Bochy said the veteran catcher was fine after getting hit in the back of the head by a follow-through swing.

UP NEXT

Padres: LHP Eric Lauer (6-7, 4.60 ERA) faces the Diamondbacks in San Diego on Friday for the beginning of a season-ending series with Arizona. Lauer has allowed three runs or fewer in 13 of his previous 15 starts.

Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner (6-6, 3.20) pitches against the on Friday night. Bumgarner, who had a game-winning pinch-hit single Wednesday, has not allowed a run over his last 20 innings at AT&T Park.

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