BASEBALL MEMORIES- SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Spring training is here! More memories of what Baseball means to me...

I'm too young to remember the New York Giants, but the San Francisco Giants were a special part of my baseball childhood. I saw the Giants play the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium one summer evening in the mid-60s. It was a twi-light doubleheader- another gem that hardly ever exists anymore. The Giants had their two top pitchers going- Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry, vs. the Phils top duo at that time, Jim Bunning and Chris Short.

Like the Dodgers, it was always something to look forward to when San Francisco came to town. Normally, it may only be a single game or two game series. Seeing the great Willie Mays in person was worth the price of admission, along with stars like Willie McCovey and Jim Ray hart. One hardly saw the Giants on TV, since they were a west coast team. You might catch them late at night but more likely on a Sunday afternoon at 4 pm. Listening to Phillies-Giants games late night on my transistor radio brought players like Mays to life. Even then he was bigger than life. But seeing him in person was a must-see.

The Giants uniforms back then was about the same as today- black and orange scheme, the visiting uniforms with "San Francisco" emblazoned across the uniform chest.

Mays was awesome, but the second banana on that 60s team was "Stretch" McCovey. A great fielding first baseman and tremendous power hitter, he gave the Giants a potent 1-2 power punch in the middle of their line-up. Add Hart and Orlando Cepeda to the mix and it was a tough line-up to deal with.

The Dodgers always had a natural rivalry with the Giants, even dating back to the time when they were both located in New York. But in the 60s it was power against power when Mays and McCovey faced Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. e of the big reasons why the Giants didn't get to the World Series more often.

Juan Marichal is a Hall of Fame pitcher, but he was always overshadowed by Koufax. I most remember Marichal's big leg-kick in his wind-up.. and his iconic number 27.

Gaylord Perry was the ultimate spitball/junk ball pitcher. It was long suspected that Perry had vasoline somewhere on his uniform- under the bill of his cap, on the front of his uniform, etc. Perry had a devastating fork ball to go along with pinpoint control.

back then, the Giants played at huge Candlestick Park. The famous thing about The Stick was it's windy weather. Many a fly ball was lost of made into an adventure Mays hit 660 home runs, but it is estimated he would've easily hit over 700 if not for the winds at Candlestick, which blew back many a home run.

Another quirk about the Giants I remember were the Alou brothers- Matty, Felipe and Jesus. All played for San Francisco at one point, and they set a record by all playing in the same outfield in 1963.Matty is most known for winning a batting title with Pittsburgh. Felipe played with several teams, but is better-known for his stints with the Giants and Braves. He had more power then his brothers, and was probably the best overall player. Felipe had a son. Moises, who was a good player, primarily for the old Montreal Expos. Jesus was maybe the least productive of the Alous. I remember hii for his antsy, nervous, jittery body movements in the batter's box. Neck cricking,legs and arms flailing, body twisting before he sung the bat.

Now, the Giants play in a gorgeous ballpark called AT&T Park. It is located right on the San Francisco Bay, and probably has the most picturesque setting of any stadium in baseball.It is designed much like an old-time park, with brick, arches, and odd angles. Probably the most distinctive feature is McCovey Cove, the water area over the right field fence. On game days, it's not unusual to see boats, kayaks and swimmers hanging out in McCovey Cove, hoping a home run ball is hit their way.

During Barry bonds' time, especially when he was close to breaking Babe Ruth's and Hank Aaron's HR records, McCovey Cove was packed with people hoping to get a piece of baseball memorabilia and history.

123 "splash hits" have been clubbed into McCovey Cove. Bonds has hit the most, 35. No right-handed hitter has ever launched a ball into the Cove.

The Giants now field a consistently competitive team. They seem to win world series titles every other year, having won in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Prior to 2010 the Giants had not won a World Series since hte 1950s when they played at the Polo Grounds in New York.Any team with the likes of Buster Posey and Madison Baumgarten on it needs to be reckoned with, and I look for the Giants to contend again, at least for a wild card spot.