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The San Francisco Giants Are Still Competitive After A Century Of Playing Baseball
The San Francisco Giants played their first game in 1883 but it did not take place in California and they were not called the Giants. It was the New York Gothams that took on the team from Boston and it happened at the Old Polo Grounds in New York. That game ended in a victory for the Gothams and the rest is baseball history.
The nickname was changed in 1885 after the club won a game against Philadelphia in extra innings. Manager and co-founder Jim Mutrie was so emotional that he described the players as his giants. The name was changed to the Giants and it has been that way ever since.
The club captured its first National League pennant in 1888 and went on to beat the St. Louis Browns in the world championship series in ten games. The year following their first championship involved a lot of moving around as the team played at three different venues before settling in at the Second Polo Grounds in July 1889. There they stayed until 1957 when they took up residence in northern California.
The team escaped two subsequent moves. The first was in 1976 when a group led by Bob Lurie bought the franchise and blocked a possible move to Toronto. Sixteen years later, Lurie was frustrated at his inability to get a ballpark built downtown and agreed to sell to a group based in Florida. The team was spared another cross country trek when Peter Magowan spearheaded the effort by a local investment group to buy the team.
Games at Candlestick Park were as challenging for the players as they were for the fans. The location overlooking the bay guaranteed that most days were windy, cold, foggy or some combination of those conditions. The baseball team finally got their downtown stadium in 2000 with a move to China Basin.
The Giants introduced the idea of using signs during games in 1902 after John McGraw was named manager. McGraw required all players to learn sign language as a way of communicating with their teammate Luther Taylor, the only deaf-mute player in the league. This also gave them a way to communicate with each other during the game without speaking.
Another first for the league came in 1963 at Forbes Park. The Giants sent Jesus, Matty and Felipe Alou onto the field against the Philadelphia team marking the first time three brothers played simultaneously in the outfield. This milestone occurred on Sept. 15, five days after all three brothers went to bat in the same inning.
The 1984 season was notable as the year of Crazy Crab. This goofy looking creature with bug eyes was a satirical anti-mascot that the fans loved to hate. The idea was to make fun of traditional mascots but the crab became the brunt of the jokes as the Giants endured a season that saw 96 losses. Crazy Crab was mercilessly abused by fans and players alike and was retired after a single season.
The rivalry between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers is legendary. It got its start in the 19th century when both clubs were based in New York. They made the jump to California together and the rivalry only grew fiercer with the change of scenery.
Bobbie Barton is a fitness trainer She likes SportsFanTreasures.com and recommends you check out their info on Kansas City Royals Watch, Atlanta Braves Bedding and Philadelphia Phillies Bedding
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