Fantasy Baseball League Wish List

Like most of you, we're in a fantasy baseball league. Our league consists of 14 teams and the team owners have remained the same year-after-year. One area that we wish our league would allow is conducting trades like the Big Leagues. Instead of trading one player for another, allow individual teams to make alternate arrangements. For example, we'll trade you Hunter Pence for your John Doe plus 15% of your winnings if you place this season. Or we'll trade you Yasiel Puig for your first and third picks next season (we have a snake draft).

At the moment, hardly any trades are made in our league because quite frankly it's always one-sided. Give me your ace, and you can have my scrub bench player - trades just do not happen in our league. Does anyone else have this in place in their respective league? Can you bargain based on winnings or future considerations?

How Much Fan-Equity Does SF Giants Have?

How much time and patience does two World Championship give a club struggling? We've always said that we would kill for just one World Championship in our lifetime, but now we have two in a three-year span. Having said that, how much fan-equity and goodwill has the club established? How many years will fans give the club to regroup and field a pennant contending team? Some have said one, others have said five, when a few others have said 10-15 years. How much time are you willing to give?

2010 & 2012 Commissioner's Trophies

A Tough Lesson Was Learned for Younger SF Giants Fans Yesterday

Brian Wilson was drafted by the Giants in the 2003 amateur draft, and up until yesterday, spent his entire career with the Giants organization. He made his Big League debut in 2006, but became the closer for the club in 2008, and in his seven years with the club he amassed 171 saves - 3rd most in franchise history behind Robb Nen and Rod Beck. He was a home grown product that helped the club win it's first World Championship in San Francisco, and in that time he established cult hero status with the fans of San Francisco. However, all that changed yesterday when it was announced that he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the wrath of fans was immense on social media.

Some fans were angry, hurt, disappointed, saddened, and others felt betrayal. In the end, the key lesson learned is don't get too attached to the players. Players are a commodity and will come and go ... the days of a players spending their entire career with one team is gone. Stay loyal to the club, and you won't be disappointed or angered when our next homegrown products signs elsewhere.

Buster Posey in a Red Sox uniform (Cape Cod League)

The Absence of the African-American Player on the SF Giants Roster

Earlier this year, Major League Baseball conducted their annual amateur first-year baseball draft. Desperate teams and eager ballplayers were joined to the hip as teams made their selections. In reality, it doesn’t change year-after-year ... can’t miss prospects and diamonds in the rough players are selected, and then introduced to the world one-by-one. As the Giants made their picks, something became transparent to us while scanning the 2013 Big League club roster. It’s a club that’s predominantly made up of Caucasian players, and a good showing of Latin players, and one Asian player from Japan.

Now, we all know that in the last few decades African-American kids have been drawn to other sports, most notably basketball and football, but why has the African-American ballplayer eluded the Giants club? Consider this, according to Major League Baseball, 8.5% of the players on opening day rosters were African American, up from 8.1% last year. That made us thinking ... how many African-American players are currently on the 25-man roster for the Giants? Zero. How many African-American coaches are on the Giants roster fulltime? Zero (Shawn Dunston is only part-time).  The last African-American player on the roster was Emmanuel Burriss in 2012, and before Burriss it was Darren Ford and Fred Lewis - all had short lived stints with the club. In 2012, as spring training camp was breaking it appeared that Marc Kroon would make the club as a reliever, but he didn’t and was relegated to Fresno. Even with some bullpen issues (Wilson going down in the first week) during the season he was never called up. Could all of this be the residual effect from having Barry Bonds for so many years? We’ll never know, but it is alarming.

In addition, after further inspection it seems the lack of African-American employees could also apply to key leadership positions within the club as well. Based on our due diligence, it doesn’t appear as if any African-American or any minority holds any key leadership positions with the club. Among the most high profile African-Americans in the franchise are Renel Moon Brooks (public address announcer) and Brandon Evans (Giants clubhouse attendant). Now we know that others will highlight that the club still employs Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, but let’s be honest, their roles are just ceremonial at this point - ambassadors for the club. Oh, let’s not forget about the Hispanic and Asian communities either.

Should all of this be concerning to the fan base? Perhaps ... that’s up to each individual to decide for their own. However, for a city that is diverse as San Francisco, and for a team that has had such a rich history of African-American ballplayers wearing the black & orange uniform ... perhaps the question should be raised.

African-Americans in the Giants farm system:

• Fresno: None
• Richmond: One (Travious Relaford)
• San Jose: One (Chris Lofton)
• Augusta: One (Shawn Payne)
• Salem-Keizer: One (Kentrell Hill)

African-Americans currently on a 25-man roster in the Majors*

San Francisco - zero

Boston - zero

Texas - zero

Seattle - zero

Arizona - zero

Baltimore - 1, Adam Jones

Minnesota - 1, Aaron Hicks

White Sox - 1, Donnie Veal

St. Louis - 1, Jon Jay

Cubs - 1, Edwin Jackson

Colorado - 1, Dexter Fowler

Toronto - 2, Darren Oliver, Rajai Davis

Cleveland - 2, Michael Bourn, Michael Brantley

Kansas City - 2, Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson

Oakland - 2, Coco Crisp, Chris Young

Angels - 2, Jerome Williams, Howie Kendrick

Atlanta - 2, Jason Heyward, Justin Upton

Miami - 2, Juan Pierre, Giancarlo Stanton

Pittsburgh - 2, Josh Harrison, Andrew McCutchen

Cincinnati - 2, Brandon Phillips, Derrick Robinson

Milwaukee - 2, Rickie Weeks, Khris Davis

Dodgers - 2, Jerry Hairston Jr., Carl Crawford

San Diego - 2, Tyson Ross, Will Venable

Tampa Bay - 3, David Price, James Loney, Desmond Jennings

Yankees - 3, CC Sabathia, Derek Jeter, Vernon Wells

Detroit - 3, Prince Fielder, Torii Hunter, Austin Jackson

Houston - 3, Wesley Wright, Chris Carter, Justin Maxwell

Washington - 3, Ian Desmond, Scott Hairston, Denard Span

Philadelphia - 3, Jimmy Rollins, John Mayberry Jr., Delmon Young

Mets - 3, LaTroy Hawkins, Marlon Byrd, Eric Young Jr.

*Data was compiled from current 25-man rosters as of July 29. Individuals currently on DL were not included.

Brandon Belt - Should the Front Office Give Up on the Baby Giraffe?

Mention Brandon Belt to any Giants fan, and you'll quickly find his most loyal supporters or staunch opponents. Of his supporters, many will quickly advocate patience and his immense upside, and of course his stellar glove work at first base. Then you'll find fans that have grown impatient with his lack of production from a position that has historically been one of the best producing offensive positions in baseball. Now add to the mix that the Giants are spiraling out of relevance in 2013, and the glaring numbers that Belt has produced is even more noticeable.

In 2012, in his first full season as a Major Leaguer, Belt had an unimpressive offensive year. His Major League offensive rankings for a first baseman only verifies that.

113 hits, ranked #22
47 runs, ranked T#27
7 home runs, ranked #38
56 RBI, ranked #25
54 walks, ranked #15
106 strikeouts, ranked #14

Fast forward to 2013 (as of July 26th) and the numbers do not fair any better.

81 hits, ranked #18
42 runs, ranked #19
10 home runs, ranked #23
39 RBI, ranked #23
33 walks, ranked #17
80 strikeouts, ranked #13
.260 average, ranked #15
.335 OBP, ranked #14
.434 SLG, ranked #19
.769 OPS, ranked #16

While it appears that Belt will break some personal records from the previous year,  the point of frustration for most fans is that he's still well below where a first baseman should be from an offensive stand point. The fear that most fans have is that he will eventually be mentioned in the same sentence as Damon Minor, JR Phillips, Travis Ishikawa, John Bowker, Lance Niekro, et al. All former Giants prospects that never made it as a regular first baseman for the club because of the same offensive attributes that Belt currently has. In fact, most opponents of Belt would argue that the club has not had a legitimate home grown first baseman since Will Clark - he broke in with the club in 1986, that's a long time ago. What makes this even more frustrating is that two of the most well known players to ever play  first base for the Giants have tried endlessly to help Belt's swing mechanics and approach - Will Clark and JT Snow. Earlier this year, when Snow was interviewed on KNBR, he even seemed frustrated on the lack of Belt's progression as a hitter, and his reluctance to change his approach.

So now the question is, when should the Giants sever this experiment as Belt being our regular first baseman? Is it time to look elsewhere?

Brandon Belt

Gary Brown - Is the Future Now?

Gary Brown, the Giants first round draft pick from 2010 is now in his fourth season of professional baseball. Later this year, Brown will turn 25 years old, and this summer might be his most pivotal time in his career. Forecasted as a possible regular center fielder for the Giants, Brown has languished in Fresno. After a blistering start in 2011 for Class-A San Jose, Brown was moved up to Richmond in 2012 where he started off slowly, but finished strongly to quickly earn a promotion to AAA-Fresno in 2013. However, his start in Fresno is nearly identical to his start Richmond. Only this time around he's hasn't rebounded as strongly as he did last year.

What makes Brown so compelling is that other Big Leaguers that were drafted from the same class have already made an immediate impact in the Majors. Most notably Bryce Harper, Mike Harvey, Manny Machado, and Chris Sale.

At a certain point, you can no longer can be tagged as a prospect, and Brown is quickly coming to that moment. This might be his make or break summer, perhaps later this year we might see him as a September call up, and he'll have to take full advantage of that opportunity if he wishes to avoid the "4A" player moniker.

Gary Brown

AT&T Park: A Multi-Purpose Stadium

In just a few days, AT&T Park will host another non-baseball related event during the season. On what has become annual tradition, the club has hosted various sporting and music related events at the ballpark in mid-season. What makes all of this puzzling is how the club continues to compromise what is perhaps the best baseball field in the Bigs during the season. Granted, the Giants are currently in a major funk, but still, is the club that desperate for funds that it would compromise the playing field for the defending World Champs?

2013: Juventus v. Everton soccer friendly
2012: Roger Waters concert
2011: Cal Football
2010: Paul McCartney concert
2009: Kenny Chesney concert
2008: Kenny Chesney concert

AT&T Park

SF Giants Under Contract for 2014

Players signed thru 2014 are noted below and their corresponding salary in parenthesis.


Matt Cain ($20.83M)
Angel Pagan ($10.25M)
Marco Scutaro ($6.66M)
Jeremy Affeldt ($6M)
Pablo Sandoval ($8.25M)
Santiago Casilla ($4.5M)
Buster Posey ($11.27M)
Sergio Romo ($5.5M)
Madison Bumgarner ($3.9M)

Club Options on Ryan Vogelsong and Barry Zito.

The Reason Why SF Giants Won the World Series

Some folks might consider the baseball gods as fantasy land, but we believe in them - don't judge! So having said that, it should be no coincidence that three well known individuals with tremendous connections to the club passed away in 2010 and 2012. They probably helped the Giants see the promise land and hoist the Commissioner's Trophy to end the 2010 and 2012 seasons.

Bobby Thomson, 1923-2010

Alexis Busch, 1986-2012

Craig Appel aka The Rally Pumpkin, 1962-2012

Gotham Club - SF Giants New Moneymaker

Recently, the SF Giants invited chartered seat members to a new social club (Gotham Club) that will be based in three locations within AT&T Park. The club is named after the original name of the franchise (Gothams), and is slated to be open this year.

The club will allow members game day access to three venues called The Clubhouse, The Game Room, and The Bullpen. The Clubhouse which is scheduled to open in 2014, will be based behind the out of town scoreboard and will offer views of the field and McCovey Cove and will hold a private bar and dining room. The Game Room which will open this year, is located somewhere on the club level behind the 3rd base dugout. The features of this space include a lounge, bowling lanes, and other parlor games. Finally, The Bullpen which will also open this year, will be located on the field level near the corner of the right field section and will allow individuals to watch batting practice and will hold a bar as well.

In addition to having access to these venues on game days, membership to the club will also allow individuals to participate in the following:


Club Socials (monthly events):

• Batting Practice in the Giants' batting tunnel
• Bowling Nights
• Beer, Wine & Spirits Tastings
• Movie Nights
• Game Nights in the Game Room and throughout AT&T Park

Exclusive Events - Members will enjoy access to premiere no‑host events throughout the year that may include:

• On-Field Dinners
• Baseball Road Trips
• Elite Speaker Series
• Sporting Events
• Concerts
• Celebrity chef dinners
• Bay cruises

And now for the big finish ... individual membership begins with an initiation fee of $2,500 with annual dues at $1,750 (or $1,250 on a three-year plan). Corporate membership has two levels, "Founding Five" will cost $10,000 for initiation and $5,000 for annual dues; "Founding Ten"will cost $20,000 for initiation and $10,000 for annual dues. Both levels require a three year commitment.

So there you have it ... the new Gotham Club. 

The Map of the Gotham Club Venue Locations

Artist Rendition of the Game Room (with Bowling Lanes)

Artist Rendition of the Game Room with Pool Table

Artist Rendition of The Bullpen

Artist Rendition of The Clubhouse

The Curse of Dawg?

We're trying to get a handle on what has become a dismal season for the defending World Champs, and while injuries have forced the club's hands on starting players that were never part of the master plan, something else is amiss.

We've been thinking what could it possibly be? Then the moment dawned us, the epiphany struck us like a bolt of lightning. It was after the Giants home game on May 12. You remember the moment. The Giants were up 5-0 against the Atlanta Braves, and Marco Scutaro stroked one to the left field wall and Justin Upton was trailing the flight of the ball to the wall getting ready to make an attempt to catch it. When out of nowhere a glove appeared from the stands and took a stab at the ball and interfering with the play.

It turned out the self-proclaimed mayor of left field, aka Dawg, was the individual that was involved in the play. A fixture at all Giants home games, and even some road games, the Dawg interfered with another ball and the Giants had enough. So the days immediately following the incident, he was banished from sitting in the front row, and was told he could sit in one of the higher rows for the rest of the season. He was going to have none of that, and basically said screw it, I'm done for the year.

Since then, the Giants have a record of 22-38, and have dropped out of first place to now own fourth place with little possibility on seeing the postseason. Could this be our Billy the Goat moment? Perhaps it's time to reinstate Dawg to his regular post because last night's thrashing by the Reds was enough for us.

The "Dawg"

World Series Hangover?

Perhaps a blog post will stir some good vibes for the Giants. After last night's extra innings lost to the Mets, we couldn't help but think about the 2011 season and the disappointment the fan base had when the team failed to play in the postseason. As you may recall, the 2011 club finished in 2nd place in the NL West with a record of 86-76, and that's with the absence of Buster Posey. So we thought it be interesting to see how the 2013 club compares to the 2011 club as of today. On July 9, 2011, the team had a 51-40 record. Compared to the club's current record (40-48), the differential in the win column is 11 games.

Is the 2013 a total loss? It's still too early to tell, but there is no doubt the team needs it's full roster healthy and injury-free.

Etiquette Guide for Fans Visiting AT&T Park

Every now and then, we all need a refresher on how to conduct ourselves at the ballpark. So without further ado, here we go ...

1. Please be in your seats by first pitch. Kinda of a no brainer.
2. Check the section and row of your seat before you venture into a section. "Ummm, which section is this?" There are plenty of signs indicating section numbers, and each row is numbered.
3. As a courtesy to other fans, please wait 'til the end of the half inning to head to the concession stands or restrooms.
4. Fans seated in the front rows of the left field and right fields lines ... DO NOT TOUCH A BALL THAT'S IN PLAY. We repeat, DO NOT TOUCH A BALL THAT'S IN PLAY. We have already seen three instances this year where fans were grabbing balls that were in play. STOP IT! If you want a ball so badly, we'll give you the $10 to buy one at Sports Authority.
5. For guys over the age of 25 ... if you catch a foul ball, give it to a kid seated near you. It will mean more to them than it will for you. Plus, you'll probably end up losing it once you start your bar crawl after the game ... House of Shields and Mr. Bings are popular spots to lose your stuff.
6. DO NOT DO THE WAVE ... EVER! AT&T Park is a wave-free zone.
7. Bring a good attitude ... everyone is there to have a good time and to watch the Giants win. If you're a trouble maker, you will be escorted out of the park. We have seen this happen many times ... we even witnessed two guys get kicked out during the national anthem two years ago for causing a ruckus in the left field bleachers.
8. Avoid using profanity. We know, this can be tough ... but, there are so many kids that attend games and we know many parents that cringe when someone next to them is cursing like a drunken sailor.
9. If you catch a home run ball from the visiting team, throw it back. The exception to this rule is if you catch a milestone home run (i.e. first career HR, 100th HR, 200th HR, etc.).

Pablo in 2011 and 2013

Great to see Giants baseball back on today, but we noticed something that was alarming and that's Pablo's weight. There is no question that he gained weight, but the amount that he's gained is the most alarming thing. We were able to see a photo of Pablo in 2011 and most recently in 2013. See the comparison photo below and see the difference.

Get a Free SF Giants Beanie

Peet's Coffee & Tea will start a special promotion starting on April 1st and ending on September 30th. Individuals that have a SF Giants ticket (it must be a season ticket) and purchase a pound of coffee beans at select Peet's retail stores (see below) will receive a free SF Giants beanie that has the 2012 World Champions logo on it.

Only five locations will offer this promotion and they are:

• 370 Fourth Street
• 692 Mission Street
• Ferry Building
• 595 Market Street
• 555 9th Street

According to the promotion, supplies will be replenished throughout the season. Sounds good to us!

In order to redeem the SF Giants beanie, you must have a SF Giants season ticket that has the promo (pictured above) on the back of the ticket.

2013 SF Giants Season Tickets Design

Our 2013 season tickets arrived today via FedEx, and we're pleasantly surprised with the design used for this season. As you will notice from our pictures, the overall design is similar to the 2011 tickets. A few things to note ... the tagline "Together We're Giant" is used on all of the tickets, and texting information for security "Foul" and guest services "Fair" are on the bottom of each picture. As far as the players are concerned, five players are pictured throughout the tickets, they are: Pablo Sandoval, Sergio Romo, Buster Posey, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner.

Opening Day Ticket

Buster Posey NL MVP Game Ticket

Ring Presentation Game Ticket

Pablo Sandoval

Sergio Romo

Buster Posey

Matt Cain

Madison Bumgarner

National TV Schedule for SF Giants

At the moment, the SF Giants will appear on national television eight times in 2013. Seven with FOX Sports, and one with ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. ESPN also has the right to schedule last minute Sunday games for the second half of the season, so depending how the Giants are playing, we might see an extra game or two of the Giants on ESPN.

National TV Schedule:
Saturday, April 6 (Cardinals @ Giants) FOX Sports
Saturday, April 13 (Giants @ Chicago Cubs) FOX Sports
Saturday, May 4 (Dodgers @ Giants) FOX Sports
Sunday, May 5 (Dodgers @ Giants) ESPN
Saturday, June 1 (Giants @ Cardinals) FOX Sports
Saturday, July 6 (Dodgers @ Giants) FOX Sports
Saturday, August 10 (Orioles @ Giants) FOX Sports
Saturday, August 17 (Giants @ Marlins) FOX Sports

2013 SF Giants Batting Practice Cap by New Era

Hey, baseball is a major business, and one of their revenue streams is merchandising. So it shouldn't be to anyones surprise that a new batting practice cap will debut during spring training this year. According to New Era, the BP caps will have a more structured look - similar to the regular season caps. However, they're also lighter and have a breathable material unlike the regular season caps. Caps should be made available for sale in late February, so get your wallets ready!

The 2013 SF Giants Batting Practice Cap

Ranking the 2013 SF Giants Stadium Giveaways (SGA)

First, let us extend our kudos to the Giants brass for FINALLY increasing the quantity amount for the bobblehead giveaways. Not sure what took so long, but those long lines where fans would lineup hours in advance were uncalled for and absolutely ridiculous, especially for those that had little young ones inline too.

Okay, by now the true die-hards have already reviewed the 2013 Giants promotional schedule, and I'm sure most of them have even penciled in their calendar which games they must attend. So, as we did last year we're gonna rank the ones that will probably have the most appeal and demand.


The Must-Haves: Put anything with Posey's name on it, and fans will want it! A replica World Series ring will also be in high-demand, the LA Kings recently had a replica ring giveaway and those are selling on eBay for around $100!!! Yup, the rings will be huge! A snow globe in April?! Slap on the World Champions logo, and those will be in demand especially when only 20K are available. Gnomes?  Those were probably more popular last year than the bobbleheads - expect long lines for the Romo and Lincecum gnome giveaways. And for the giveaway that started all of the hype related to promo events, the bobbleheads will always be popular. Especially for first-timer Ryan Vogelsong ... Zito will have his second Giants bobblehead (first one was in 2007) hard to believe that it's taken six years for his second bobble head, but he did have a rough start with the club, but after last year's NLCS game 5 performance he's a legend now. Kudos to Zito!

• Buster Posey NL MVP Bobblehead, First 40,000 fans (Saturday, April 6 v. Cardinals)
• Giants World Series Replica Ring, First 40,000 fans (Sunday, April 7 v. Cardinals)
• Giants World Champions Snow Globe, First 20,000 fans (Tuesday, April 9 v. Colorado)
• Sergio Romo Gnome, First 20,000 fans (Sunday, May 5 v. Los Angeles)
• Giants Announcers Bottle Stopper, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, May 11 v. Atlanta)
• Barry Zito Bobblehead, First 40,000 fans (Sunday, May 26 v. Colorado)
• Ryan Vogelsong Bobblehead, First 40,000 fans (Saturday, June 22 v. Florida)
• Tim Lincecum Gnome, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, Sept. 7 v. Arizona)

Cool, I want one: These items feature some of the standard items, shirts, towels, fedora and banner. However, a few new ones are on the schedule too, such as the license plate frame, headphones, and sombrero. Again, anything with the World Champs logo will be in demand, and then the intrigue of some new giveaways will also increase demand.

• Giants World Champions Banner, First 20,000 fans (Sunday, April 21 v. San Diego)
• Giants World Champions License Plate Frame, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, May 4 v. Los Angeles)
• Giants World Champions Beach Towel, First 20,000 fans (Sunday, June 23 v. Florida)
• Giants Headphones, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, July 20 v. Arizona)
• Angel Pagan Knit Beanie, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, July 27 v. Chicago)
• Marco Scutaro T-Shirts, First 20,000 fans (Sunday, July 28 v. Chicago)
• Giants Plaid Fedora, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, Aug. 24 v. Pittsburgh)
• Giants Orange Sombrero, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, Sept. 7 v. Arizona)

Eh, I'll take one, but I won't wait in line for it: These items are standard on almost every promo schedule, the calendar, magnet schedule, adjustable cap, cards and drawstring backpack. The umbrella sounds cool, but it's probably one of those small ones that will fall apart with one strong wind gust. The charm necklace ... ehh, not for us either.

• Opening Day Calendars, First 40,000 fans (Friday, April 5 v. St. Louis)
• Magnet Schedule, First 20,000 fans (Monday, April 8 v. Colorado)
• Giants World Champions Umbrella, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, April 20 v. San Diego)
• Giants World Champions Charm Necklace, First 20,000 fans (Sunday, May 12 v. Atlanta)
• Giants World Champions Cap, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, May 25 v. Colorado)
• Drawstring Backpack, First 25,000 fans (Saturday, July 6 v. Los Angeles)
• Giants Trading Cards, First 20,000 fans (Sunday, July 7 v. Los Angeles)
• Virgin America 2-for-1 Flight Voucher, First 40,000 fans (Saturday, Aug. 10 v. Baltimore)

So there you have it ... the 2013 Giants promo schedule. We were hoping they would list another statue giveaway ... it should be Juan's turn on getting one of those. Anyways, if they're any items that seem of interest to you ... get your tickets ASAP. If 2011 was any indication, tickets will be hard to come by so don't wait to get your tickets!!

Where Are They Now: Kurt Ainsworth (2001-03)

As much as we love baseball, there are times when baseball can show it's cruel side. The cruel side is when a player with a lot of talent is unable to compete because of injuries - we this happen every season. And without question, the Giants have had their share of players that showed flashes of brilliance only to be curtailed by nagging injuries. In our view, Kurt Ainsworth is on top of that list. Kurt was drafted by the club in 1999 amateur draft in the first round (24th pick) after playing collegiately at Louisiana State University. After signing, Kurt spent the '99 season with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the Class A Northwest League, where he started 10 games and accumulated a record of 3-3 and an ERA of 1.61.

In the 2000 season, Kurt played for the Shreveport Captains (AA) of the Texas League where he went 10-9 with an ERA of 3.30 and 130 strikeouts in 158 innings. The following year, he started with Class AAA Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League where he went 10-9, with an ERA of 5.07 in 27 games. Later that season, Kurt was called up to the Big Club and made two relief appearances.

The following year is when Kurt's physical ailment started impacting his performance. He started the season in the starting rotation and went 5-4 in 11 stars with a 3.82 ERA, but started experience inflammation in his shoulder. He was placed on the DL on June 3, and made a rehab start on June 15 but was pulled after two innings. It was later determined that his shoulder blade was broken. As the Giants were making another run to the playoffs following their disappointing World Series performance, the club traded Kurt and Damian Moss to Baltimore for Sidney Ponson. At the time of the trade, Ponson was having a Cy Young Award year, he had a record of 14-6 with a 3.77 ERA. He appeared to be the strong arm the club needed at the time, but once he arrived to the City he floundered by posting a record of 3-6 in 10 starts.

Kurt didn't fare any better once he was in Baltimore, he made only 10 appearances in a two-year span before finally retiring from the game. His last Major League appearance was on May 10, 2004 after having a heralded amateur and minor league career. What we liked about Kurt was his competitiveness on the mound, he reminded us of Orel Hershiser. Clearly, he had the stuff to succeed on the Major League level, but his body simply wouldn't allow him to compete. Several other pitchers (Jesse Foppert, Noah Lowry) from the 2003 Giants club also suffered physically that limited their careers.

Where is he now? Though Kurt is no longer playing, he's still involved with the game. In 2002, Kurt was co-founder of Marucci Sports, and has maintained a leadership position with the company following his retirement. Marucci is manufacturer of premium baseball equipment, most notably metal and wood bats. Their wooden bats with the iconic slanted "M" logo is one of the most popular bats used by Major Leaguers today. In fact, several current Giants use Marucci, and Ryan Vogelsong often wears their hat during postgame interviews.

Marucci Sports: CBS This Morning Interview

Kurt Ainsworth: 2000 Bowman Rookie Card

Kurt Ainsworth pitching at AT&T Park