2012 Sons of Johnnie LeMaster Shirts Have Arrived!

The crack of the bat, the pop of the glove, the smell of cut grass, and new shirts from the Sons of Johnnie LeMaster. If that doesn't define baseball, we don't know what does! After months of trying to determine what our 2012 shirts should look like, we finalized our design several weeks ago, and yesterday they arrived from our vendor.

The front of our shirt is unchanged from last year, but the back of the shirt is where the real changes are. First, we replaced LeMaster and inserted BOO to the nameplate area of the shirt, this was chosen to honor the 1979 game vs. Montreal in which Johnnie wore the "BOO" jersey. Second, we used a different font for the numbers. Third, we incorporated a Gary Carter memorial design to the sleeve (on the men's shirts), and on the left chest (on the women's shirts).

Less than 50 of these shirts were printed and are being distributed (for free) to those that embody the diehard spirit of a San Francisco Giants fan. Unfortnately, none of our shirts are for sale ... we are not looking to profit from our shirts, we're just looking to share our passion with like-minded diehard Giants fans - plain and simple.

For those of you that have or are about to receive one ... wear it with pride!

The few, the proud, the Sons of Johnnie LeMaster ... see you at the yard in 2012!

Front (men's)

Back (men's)

Left Sleeve (men's)

Front (women's)

Back (women's)

New Restaurant/Entertainment Option Opening Up Near AT&T Park

Well, it's official ... the old Border's bookstore location on the corner of 3rd and King streets will open up as Lucky Strike Lanes bowling alley on March 9. Unlike your old school bowling facility, Lucky Strike is bit more pimped out and features a full-service bar.

We imagine that this will be a hit for pre and post game festivities once the season starts.

Lucky Strike Lanes

Our Projected SF Giants Opening Day Lineup

So here it goes, before the first intersquad game even takes place, we're gonna guess the opening day lineup ...

1. Pagan (LF)
2. Sanchez (2B)
3. Cabrera (CF)
4. Posey (C)
5. Sandoval (3B)
6. Belt (1B)
7. Schierholtz (RF)
8. Crawford (SS)
9. Lincecum (P)

We're thinking Belt has to be in the lineup, even if you have a washup making $10 million this year sitting on the bench. The key to this lineup is Freddy's health, if he's not 100%, then the lineup is influx.

Rest In Peace - Gary Carter

Another sad day for baseball ... former SF Giants, Gary Carter, lost his battle with brain cancer today. Last year we wrote a blog post about our encounter with Gary during the 1990 season. Read it, if you haven't already done so.

One thing is for sure, The Kid's spirit will live on. RIP Gary.

Gary Carter 1954-2012

FOX Sports Schedules SF Giants Nine Times in 2012

FOX Sports released their MLB on FOX 2012 schedule today, and the Giants are scheduled to appear on nine broadcasts for the upcoming season. In fact, the Giants join the Red Sox, Cubs, and Yankees with the most amount of appearances on FOX for the upcoming season.

Listed below are the nine Giants games that will be televised on FOX Sports.

April 7, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)

San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks

May 5, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)

Milwaukee Brewers at San Francisco Giants

June 2, 2012 (7:00 PM ET)

Chicago Cubs at San Francisco Giants

June 23, 2012 (7:00 PM ET)

San Francisco Giants at Oakland Athletics

July 21, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)

San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies

August 18, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)

San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres

August 25, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)

Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants

September 1, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)

San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs

September 8, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)

Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants

Tim Lincecum Bobblehead Beer Tap Handle!

This tidbit comes to us from the Sons of Johnnie LeMaster Insider, @hankola, who has notified us that a gastropub in Long Beach called Beachwood Brewing & BBQ has turned a 2011 Tim Lincecum bobblehead stadium giveaway into a beer tap handle. As it turns out, the establishment has typically accepted various trophies from patrons and then transforms them into beer tap handles. This might be the first bobblehead beer tap handle ever made or seen.

From what we understand, the bobblehead was donated to the gastropub with the idea they would transform it to a beer handle. The beer currently being served by Tim Lincecum, is a Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, sounds good to us.

Maybe some San Francisco bars will get creative too, and start getting rid of those boring tap handles, and have some bobblehead beer handles with some of our favorite Giants!

ESPN Sunday Night Baseball 2012 Schedule

After appearing on three ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecasts in 2011, the SF Giants are scheduled for zero appearances in the first half of the 2012 schedule that was recently released. I guess missing the postseason does that to a club. Anyways, good riddance, those Sunday night games at AT&T Park screwed with our weekend routine and travel plans. The 2012 schedule below is listed through July 22, but it should be noted that ESPN will make selections three weeks in advance for the games in June and July 29; and two weeks in advance for games in August and September.

April 8	ChiSox at Rangers
April 15	Angels at Yankees
April 22	Yankees at Red Sox
April 29	Rays at Rangers
May 6	Phillies at Nationals
May 13	Angels at Rangers
May 20	Cardinals at Dodgers
May 27	Nationals at Braves
June 3-July 1	TBD
July 8	Yankees at Red Sox
July 15	Cardinals at Reds
July 22-Sept. 23

ESPN Sunday Night Baseball at AT&T Park

Reds v. Giants, June 12, 2011

Modest Physical Changes to AT&T Park

The SF Giants communications department commented earlier in the week that some changes are being implemented to the physical layout of AT&T Park. According to the Giants, the promenade level near the left field corner is being widened to help with the ingress and egress of game day crowds, and to provide for better sight lines to the field. In addition, the bridge from the left field corner to the bleachers is being expanded. If you've ever sat in the bleachers and taken the bridge to go to your seats, you know how jam packed the bridge can become. So kudos to the Giants on making these changes.

AT&T Park

2012 SF Road and Alternate Jerseys Revealed

Late last year, it was announced that the SF Giants would have an alternate road jersey. In the announcement, it was noted that the alternate jersey would resemble and take some fashion cues from the road jersey worn by the club in the late 80's, with the classic interlocking SF in block letters.

Well, we now know what that jersey will look like (see below). MLB has posted that jersey for sale on their website, and if you browse around the website, you'll also notice that they made a slight change to the existing road jersey. That slight change include black piping down the center of the jersey and around the collar. Recent road jerseys had San Francisco spelled out sans the black piping - again, a nod to the 80s which also had the piping.

So, what do you think? Do you like or dislike?

SF Giants 2012 Alternate Road Jersey

2012 SF Giants Road Jersey

Pat Burrell Retires ... His Top 5 Moments as a San Francisco Giants

As reported earlier today by mlbtraderumors.com, Pat Burrell, announced his retirement from Major League Baseball after 12 seasons as a Big Leaguer. The Bay Area native, was the first overall pick in the 1998 Amateur Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, where he would end up playing nine years. Pat the Bat, earned most of his career success while playing for the Fightin's, and helped the Phils win a World Championship in 2008. In 2009, he signed a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, but his tenure there was short lived and was eventually released in early 2010. On May 29, 2010, the Giants were desperate for some offense and signed Burrell. On June 5 vs the Pittsburgh Pirates, Burrell made his first start as a Giant after completing a successful stint with AAA Fresno.

Burrell would go on to mash 18 home runs, 51 RBI, and a .266 batting average, and would help lead the Giants to their first World Championship in San Francisco. Later in that offseason, Burrell would sign a one-year deal with San Francisco to return in 2011, but a chronic foot injury limited his play on the field, and after the first few months, his availability was limited.

Even though his career with San Francisco was brief, his impact to the club will never be forgotten. He helped bring what so many players previous to his time could not ... a World Championship to San Francisco.

And with that, we proudly list Pat's 5 Greatest Moments as a member of the San Francisco Giants.

#5 April 18, 2010: Hits game winning 3-run HR vs. Colorado
#4 Oct. 16, 2010: Hits 3-run HR in Game 2 of the National League Divisional Series vs. Atlanta
#3 Aug. 13, 2010: Hits a grand slam vs Chicago
#2 Aug. 17, 2010: In his first return trip as an opponent to Philadelphia, he hits a home run in first at-bat
#1 July 31, 2010: With the Giants trailing 0-1 in the bottom of the 8th inning against arch-rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Burrell hits a 2-run HR to help lead the Giants to a 2-1 win.

Post Game interview after July 31, 2010 game

Grand Slam Hit vs. Cubs on Aug. 11, 2010

Most Sought After Home Game Tickets

So yesterday the SF Giants conducted their presale for opening day (and week) game tickets for season ticket holders. As usual, they implemented a two ticket maximum purchase or combination there of. However, an interesting twist to the presale was the inclusion of the May 20 game versus the Oakland A's. Apparently, the Brian Wilson gnome giveaway has created a lot of demand for tickets. So much so, that the Giants included that game to the presale. Now keep in mind that only the first 20,000 fans will receive the gnome, so buying a ticket will not guarantee you a giveaway.

Brian Wilson gnome

Merry Christmas Giants Fans!

This Christmas I want the lonely to find company; sick to gain health; sad to find levity; unemployed to find work; broken-hearted to endure; and a World Championship for the Giants in 2012.

It's Bowl Season ... Some Giants Will Be Watching Closely

A number of the Giants will have a vested interest in this year's college bowl season. The list below represents those players whose alma mater is bowlin'!

2011 Bowl Season
Brandon Belt (Texas in the Holiday Bowl)
Brandon Crawford (UCLA in the Fight Hunger Bowl)
Mike Fontentot & Brian Wilson (LSU in the BCS Championship Game)
Tim Lincecum (Washington in the Alamo Bowl)
Javier Lopez (Virginia in the Chick-fil-A Bowl)
Buster Posey (Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl)
Eric Surkamp (NC State in the Belk Bowl)
Steve Edlefsen (Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl)

Pagan Joins Club in 3-Player Trade

The New York Mets and the SF Giants hooked up for another trade this evening, with the Giants obtaining Angel Pagan in exchange for 2010 Willie Mac Award Winner, Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez.

Torres' struggles in 2011 is well documented, but in Pagan, the club will receive an outfielder that is three years younger than Torres and can hit for a higher average and steal more bases.

We here at the Sons of Johnnie LeMaster don't mind this trade, in fact, we view it as a slight improvement. The club still needs more offense, but the club is better now than it was at the start of the day.

Addendum: Pagan's career batting average vs. the NL West is .275. His career splits against the NL West teams are as follows: .349 vs. Arizona; .252 vs. Colorado; .304 vs. Los Angeles; .203 vs. San Diego.

Angel Pagan - the newest Giant

Ranking the 2012 SF Giants Stadium Giveaways (SGA)

Okay, by now the true die-hards have already reviewed the 2012 Giants promotional schedule, and I'm sure most of them have even penciled in their calendar which games they must attend.

So, if you haven't seen the list or are wondering what are going to be the hot stadium give-aways (SGA), I've taken the liberty to rank them for you. So here we go ...

The Must-Haves, i.e. the crazy long lines

• Orange Friday Knit Hat, First 20,000 fans (Friday, April 27 v. Padres)
• Giants Messenger Bag, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, April 28 v. Padres)
• Orange Friday Texting Gloves, First 20,000 fans (Friday, May 4 v. Brewers)
• Sergio Romo Bobblehead, First 25,000 fans (Saturday, May 5 v. Brewers)
• Brian Wilson Gnome, First 20,000 fans (Sunday, May 20 v. A's)
• 2002 Player Bobbleheads, First 25,000 fans (Saturday, June 30 v. Reds)
• Madison Bumgarner Bobblehead, First 25,000 fans (Sunday, July 15 v. Astros)
• Pablo Sandoval Bobblehead, First 25,000 fans (Sunday, Aug. 26 v. Braves)

Cool, I want one, i.e. long lines

• Giants Welcome Mat, First 20,000 fans (Sunday, April 15 v Pirates)
• Giants Player T-Shirt, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, July 14 v. Astros)
• Gigantes Player T-Shirt, First 20,000 fans (Sunday, Sept. 8 v. Dodgers0

Eh, I'll take one, but I won't wait in line for it, i.e. no lines necessary

• Opening Day Calendars, First 40,000 fans (Friday, April 13 v. Pirates)
• Magnet Schedule, First 20,000 fans (Monday, April 16 v. Phillies)
• Giants Cap, First 20,000 fans (Sunday, June 10 v. Rangers)
• Giants Trading Cards, First 20,000 fans (Saturday, July 28 v. Dodgers)

Overall, the lineup is pretty good, but I had a few thoughts concerning the schedule. First, the Photo Day promo was absent last year and it doesn't appear in 2012 either. Second, the giveaways are still allocated to the first 20,000-25,000 fans - this I don't get. Why can't the Giants and the respective sponsors have 40,000 items available, and help avoid the long lines and chaos; and the crying kids, and upset mothers that miss out on a give away? Other teams do it, not sure what the problem is here. Third, Sandoval returns for his second bobblehead, the others (Bumgarner, Romo) are first-timers.

The bobblehead give away that started it all ... Willie Mays bobblehead from the 1999 giveaway schedule.

Postseason Share - SF Giants receive $10K each

According to the Associated Press, Major League Baseball released the postseason shares for the World Champs and other teams that placed. The total pot was just north of $57.3 million. The total is generated by 60 percent of the ticket money from the first three games of each division series, and the first four games of each league championship series and the World Series.

Here's the breakdown:

St. Louis Cardinals: $323,170 full share
Texas Rangers: $251,516 full share
Milwaukee Brewers: $133,511 full share
Detroit Tigers: $126,902 full share
Tampa Bay Rays: $30,758 full share
Philadelphia Phillies: $30,401 full share
Arizona D'backs: $26,675 full share
NY Yankees: $26,239 full share
Atlanta Braves: $11,089 full share
LA Angels: $10,862 full share
SF GIANTS: $10,690 FULL SHARE
Cleveland Indians: $10,366 full share

SF Giants Will Have an Alternate Road Jersey in 2012!

This one is too good to be true, but sportslogos.net is reporting that the SF Giants will have an alternate road jersey in 2012, and it will be an updated version of the one worn in the late 80s, early 90s. Yup, you know the one I'm talking about ... the classic interlocking "SF" road jersey that The Thrill, Robby Thompson, Matt Williams, Jose Uribe, et al made famous.

Honestly, the road and home jerseys from that era are awesome, and our personal favorites! So save your money, and be ready to purchase those jerseys when they become available ... we'll bet now that those will sellout once they hit the racks.

This jersey is coming back in 2012!

Johnnie LeMaster interviewed regarding his BOO jersey

Our very own Johnnie LeMaster conducted a special interview on Nov. 10, 2011 related to the night that he wore the Boo jersey against the Montreal Expos at Candlestick Park. Freakonomics Radio Podcast conducted the interview (link below) with Johnnie and dedicated the entire show on booing. Fast forward to the 24:00:00 mark to listen to Johnnie.

*Hat tip to Diana for giving us the heads up. For that, you will receive our special 2012 Sons of Johnnie LeMaster shirt that we'll have printed up in February!! E-mail us your shipping address.

LeMaster interview

Bryan Stow Fundraiser Concert TONIGHT!

SF Giants third base coach, Tim Flannery, and his band the Lunatic Fringe are scheduled to play a concert tonight at Yoshi's in San Francisco. All proceeds will go directly to Bryan Stow, to assist with his medical bills.

As of this morning, tickets ($45) are still available for this benefit concert. So, if you're in the City and have no plans tonight ... go to this beautiful venue to hear some great music for a great cause!

Tickets for tonight's concert

SF Giants kicking in $50K to help the Polo Grounds in NYC

Story from the AP ...


Associated Press

NEW YORK — The San Francisco Giants left New York after the 1957 season but they haven't forgotten their old ballpark.

The New York Post is reporting (http://nyp.st/w1EyFi ) that the Giants are donating $50,000 to help the New York City Parks Department rebuild the last remaining bit of the Polo Grounds, their former home in Manhattan.

The Polo Grounds was torn down in 1964 and is now the site of a housing project. But the city is spending $950,000 to rebuild a stairway that used to lead from a ticket booth down to the stadium.

The football Giants also played at the Polo Grounds and are donating $200,000 for the project. The Yankees and the Mets are each contributing $100,000, and the Jets and Major League Baseball are each donating $50,000.