New Orleans Hornets

Note: The Hornets retired Pistol Pete's number during their first game in New Orleans in honor of his basketball contributions to the area at LSU and with New Orleans' previous NBA team, the Jazz. * * Has retirement honors, with a numberless jersey retired on the outfield wall. The team found better support for their younger, scrappier players than they did last year when the team was better on the floor.    * Has retirement honors, as he played in the era prior to uniform numbers. Despite the lack of success, the team's roster was reshaped, with older veterans Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn traded to facilitate a rebuilding process. Even after a blow-out loss, this segment is usually quite humorous and uplifting. The team performed better in January and February, but the season was essentially over before it started with the horrendous start. After the game, all of the announcers will come together on the radio side and give their opinions on the game.

The team was expected to compete for a playoff spot in the tougher Western Conference, but an 0-8 start turned into a 2-29 start, which started a watch of how bad their record could get, threatening the Philadelphia 76ers' record of a 9-73 season. On these occasions, Greg Papa will either fill in on the radio, or Kuiper will move to the radio side and Papa will join Krukow on television. After the season, Floyd was fired and the team hired Byron Scott to be their head coach. Miller holds a second job as play-by-play announcer for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball and therefore usually misses Saturday's game as well as Sunday's. Without the shot by Wade, the 2004-05 NBA season might have been altered with Shaq perhaps going to a different team and the Heat not being bona fide NBA title contenders. On the radio, Jon Miller and Dave Flemming take turns calling the games (usually Miller will call innings 1-3 and 7-9, and Flemming will call innings 4-6). An 85-77 win in game 7 moved the Heat on to round two, but more importantly, set the stage for the summer's acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. On KTVU, Jon Miller calls play-by-play and Mike Krukow colors.

The teams ended up winning all their respective home games after that, but Wade's shot was the difference even though the series went 7 games, the Heat winning 4-3. On Fox Sports Net television, the Giants games are called by Duane Kuiper and colored by Mike Krukow. They drew the Miami Heat, but Dwyane Wade's last second shot sunk the Hornets in game 1 of the series. In the two games which followed the ceremonies, the Giants wore uniforms with the word "Gigantes" on the front (the Spanish word for "Giants".). He was replaced by Tim Floyd, and the Hornets got off to a 17-7 start, but the team reverted to form and finished 41-41, narrowly missing out on home court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Leonel Fernández, the President of the Dominican Republic, was in attendance. After the season, the team decided to move in a different direction and allowed the contract of head coach Paul Silas to expire. A statue of Marichal was dedicated on the plaza outside of the ballpark.

They qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight year in 2002-03, but were beaten by Philadelphia again, where Iverson again shredded them, this time dropping 55 points in one game. On May 25, 2005, the Giants held a celebration in honor of Baseball Hall of Famer Juan Marichal. First NBA game played in New Orleans in 23 years. At the present time, Barry Bonds' playing future remains very much in doubt as well, although some positive noises from the Giants' camp have led fans to once again hope that a comeback from their superstar slugger is a little nearer on the horizon. October 30, 2002: The New Orleans Hornets open their inaugural season in New Orleans against former New Orleans NBA team the Utah Jazz; "Pistol" Pete Maravich has his number retired during halftime. Further injuries have hampered the Giants, with ace starting pitcher Jason Schmidt also missing games, and, as of June 13th, the team has a record of 25 wins compared to 36 losses, which leaves them fourth in the NL West standings, ten games begind the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. The Bobcats began play in November of 2004. At the time of writing, Tyler Walker has temporarily assumed a closer role, amid speculation that Benitez may not return at all this season.

Shortly after that, Charlotte would be awarded a new NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats. He was rewarded with the out. In May of 2002 the Hornets were given permission to move to New Orleans, Louisiana, where they became the New Orleans Hornets. The team has struggled to win games so far this season, and were dealt another major blow when it was announced that Benitez - signed in the offseason specifically to solve the team's closer woes of the past couple of seasons - would miss four-to-six months after tearing his right hamstring when he stepped awkwardly to cover first base on the final play in a game against the San Diego Padres on April 26th. They returned the following season by beating the Orlando Magic, but were upended by the New Jersey Nets. The Giants' attempts to return to the playoffs in 2005 did not get off to the best start, however. The Hornets, with the lineup of Davis, Wesley, Mashburn, Brown and Campbell made it back to the playoffs, where they defeated the 3rd ranked Heat and made it to the second round for the third time in franchise history. It is a philosophy which has been seen from other successful MLB franchises lately, notably the Boston Red Sox, who signed pitcher Curt Schilling, then 37, prior to the 2004 season which culminated in a World Series title for the 'Sox and a key role for Schilling in that victory.

Brown. His philosophy is one of aiming for immediate success, rather than building towards the future. Jones led the league in steals, but in the offseason he and Mason were shipped to the Miami Heat in exchange for small forward Jamal Mashburn and power forward P.J. Manager Felipe Alou claims to be unconcerned by the age of his squad members. The team returned to the playoffs, where they were shredded by Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76'ers. That said, the roster does also include 42-year-old left-handed pitcher Jeff Fassero. His number was retired on February 9, and was a sad note in the franchise's history. Much of the team's youth is presently focused amongst their pitchers, with the popular Noah Lowry, 24, a rising star who went unbeaten in his first 16 appearances in the majors.

The lineup of Wesley, Jones, Mason, Coleman and Campbell tore through much of the season, but on January 12, 2000 Bobby Phills was killed in a tragic automobile accident. Moisés Alou is 38, as are Vizquel and outfielder Marquis Grissom, while first baseman J.T. Snow is 37. 1999-2000 was a return to prominence, with the addition of free agent Derrick Coleman and third overall draft pick point guard Baron Davis to the mix. Indeed, the Giants' present roster has one of the highest average ages in all of Major League Baseball. The team finished tied with the Knicks for the last playoff spot, losing the tiebreaker. There are question marks over Bonds' status, with speculation that, at age 40, he may decide to retire from baseball. 1999 was turbulent, with Rice being traded to the Lakers for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell, both Geiger and Divac leaving in free agency, and Bogues leaving the team for good. The biggest star on the team by some distance, however, is still Barry Bonds, despite the fact that he has not played at all in 2005 due to a knee injury.

With Wesley, Phills, Rice, Mason and Divac, the Hornets romped through the regular season, with Rice finishing sixth in scoring and earning all-NBA third team honors and the team making it all the way to the second round of the playoffs for the second time in franchise history, being stopped by Jordan and the Bulls. Other new additions include shortstop Omar Vizquel, relief pitcher Armando Benitez and catcher Mike Matheny, a multiple Gold Glove Award winner. The team picked up a new free-agent backcourt in point guard David Wesley and shooting guard Bobby Phills. The team is presently coached by former star player Felipe Alou, whose son Moisés was amongst the new players brought in by the Giants prior to the 2005 season. 1997-98 was also successful. Recent stars include Will Clark, Matt Williams, Barry Bonds, and Jason Schmidt. The team also spotted the best season of their history, making it back to the playoffs. Willie Mays, one of the last holdovers of the New York years, thrived in San Francisco, as did Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Felipe Alou, Gaylord Perry, Bobby Bonds, Jack Clark, and Juan Marichal.

Rice was also the allstar game MVP, setting several scoring records. What has not changed is the Giants' share of stars gracing the field. The new-look Hornets were apparently even better, however, with Divac and Geiger providing the best center combo in the league, Mason averaging a double-double and all-NBA third team honors, Bogues back at the point, and Rice having the finest season of his career, finishing third in the league in scoring and earning all-NBA second team honors. It was also the first time the Giants had finished first or second in their division for eight consecutive seasons since they consistently were first or second from 1917-1925 whilst still the New York Giants. The offseason was again marked by vast changes, as Anderson declined to resign with the team, Johnson was shipped to New York for power forward Anthony Mason, and lottery draft pick guard Kobe Bryant was traded to the Lakers for center Vlade Divac. Barry Bonds received his fourth consecutive MVP award, marking the fifth consecutive year a Giant has received the award—Jeff Kent received it in 2000—a feat no other team has accomplished. Geiger and Johnson tied for the team lead in rebounds, while Johnson and Rice provided balanced but high-powered scoring, with all-star guard Kenny Anderson running the point for the injured Muggsy Bogues. Once again, their fierce rivals the Dodgers prevented them from winning the division, with a stunning come-from-behind victory on a Steve Finley grand slam.

In the offseason the team dealt Mourning to the Miami Heat for guard Glen Rice and center Matt Geiger. It was only the second time this decade in which the Giants failed to make the postseason, 2001 being the other occasion. The next few years were marked by injuries to Johnson and Mourning, though they did get back to the playoffs in 1994-95, only to be beaten by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. In 2004, the Giants ended the season one game behind the Houston Astros for the wild card race, and two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division race. However, they lacked the experience and depth to defeat the New York Knicks. They lost to the wild card Florida Marlins 3 games to 1 in the 2003 National League Division Series as Ivan Rodriguez, offensively and defensively, led the way for the Marlins to their second World Series championship in seven seasons. It was good enough for fifth in the Eastern Conference and a playoff spot, where they upset the Boston Celtics with Mournings famous series-winning shot. The previous three were Baltimore in 1997, Cleveland in 1998, and Seattle in 2001.

The Hornets now had twin 20-10 threats in Johnson and Mourning, who with Gill formed perhaps the league's top young trio. They became just the ninth wire-to-wire winner of a division or pennant in baseball history. In 1992-93, the team won the second pick in the draft, using it to draft center Alonzo Mourning from Georgetown. With their 100-61 record, the Giants spent the entire season in first place in the NL West. Kendall Gill led the club in scoring, with over 20 points per game. In 2003, the Giants recorded 100 victories for the seventh time in franchise history and the third time in San Francisco. Johnson had an impact season, finishing among league leaders in points and rebounds, and winning NBA rookie of the year. The Angels then staged a historic rally (apparently helped in part by the scoreboard icon, the "Rally Monkey") to win the game as the bullpen collectively fell apart (with fans not realizing that this was Robb Nen's last appearance as a major leaguer), and then defeated Liván Hernández in Game 7 to win their first World Series in franchise history.

For the 1991-92 season, the Hornets drafted power forward Larry Johnson from UNLV with the number one overall pick. The Giants were up 5-0 in the seventh inning of Game 6, just eight outs away from their first championship since moving to San Francisco, when Dusty flipped the ball to Russ Ortiz as a souvenir, angering the Angels' players. For the 1990-91 season, the team picked up guard Kendall Gill in the NBA draft, and got slightly better, but still managed to win the NBA Draft lottery and the rights to the number one overall pick. As he carried him back to the dugout, he asked him, "Are you OK, buddy?" and Darren assured him that he was. The team also had sharpshooting rookie Rex Chapman, who was also an instant scoring threat. With Bell racing right behind him, Snow deftly snared little Darren by his jacket while stepping on home plate, getting the young'un out of harm's way. Tripucka was Charlotte's top scorer for the franchise's first two seasons. As Snow streaked toward home plate, he suddenly became aware that manager Dusty Baker's small son, Darren, had come out on the field to retrieve Lofton's bat.

The team was led by guard Kelly Tripucka, who provided instant points. Snow and David Bell on base, Kenny Lofton smashed what proved to be a triple. 1988: The franchise plays its first game as the Charlotte Hornets. With J.T. Oct. In the seventh inning of that game, a scary and touching moment occurred. The current head coach is Byron Scott. The Giants eventually took a 3-2 lead in the series, winning Game 5 by a lopsided 16-4 score.

The New Orleans Hornets are a National Basketball Association team based in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The Giants faced their wild card counterparts from the American League, the Anaheim Angels, in the 2002 World Series. The games seesawed from well pitched games to wild affairs during the series. David West. Louis Cardinals (who had beaten the Giants in the NLCS 4 games to 3 in 1987), in the NLCS 4 games to 1, to stake claim to their first NL pennant since 1989. Jackson Vroman. They first defeated the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS 3 games to 2, and then the St. Smith. As underdogs in 2002, they beat two teams who had been thorns in the San Franciso Giants' side for much of the life of the franchise: the Braves and the Cardinals.

J.R. Following division championships in 1997 and 2000, the Giants reached the World Series again in 2002 as the wild card team. Lee Nailon. Snow's leaning 3-run homer off Armando Benitez to push game 2 into extra innings, and Bobby Jones pitching the game of his life in game 4 to clinch the series. Bostjan Nachbar. The Giants were booted out in the first round of playoffs by the New York Mets, however, 3 games to 1, highlighted by Edgardo Alfonzo's clutch hitting, J.T. Jamaal Magloire. Pac Bell Park played like parks from olden times, boosting up doubles and especially triples, but dampening home run power.

George Lynch. They actually ended up with a great home record of 55-26, despite the fact that lefties not named Barry Bonds had their power cancelled by Pac Bell Park's configuration. Maciej Lampe. 2000 was the Giants' inaugural season in Pacific Bell Park, and after a horrendous and inauspicious 0-6 start at their new home, they roared off to win their second NL West title under Sabean and Baker, finishing with the best record in the National League. Casey Jacobsen. Unfortunately, the Florida Marlins ended the Giants' season with a 3-0 sweep in the first round of playoffs, as the Marlins marched on their way to their first World Series championship. Dan Dickau. Snow enabled the Giants to win their first NL West division title of the 1990s in 1997.

Speedy Claxton. It turns out he was indeed not an "idiot," as the players he acquired in the Williams trade - Jeff Kent, Jose Vizcaino, Julian Tavarez, and Joe Roa (plus the $1 million in cash that enabled them to sign Darryl Hamilton) - plus the trade for J.T. Brown. I'm sitting here telling you there is a plan.". P.J. In his first trade as GM, he shocked Giants fans across the world by trading Matt Williams for seemingly a bunch of spare parts, and the reaction was great enough for him to have to publicly explain: "I didn't get to this point by being an idiot.. Chris Andersen. Prior to being named GM, he was already rumored to have engineered the deal to get Kirk Rueter from the Montreal Expos.

13 Bobby Phills. These bad times led the Giants to name Brian Sabean as their new general manager, replacing Bob Quinn. 7 Pete Maravich. The only bright spot was Barry Bonds, highlighted by his joining the 40-40 club with 42 homers and 40 stolen bases in the 1996 season. 6 (Sixth Man) -- The Fans. The Giants then came in last place in both 1995 and 1996, as key injuries and slumps hurt them. Baron Davis. The strike cost Matt Williams a chance to beat Roger Maris' single season home run record - he was on pace for over 60 homers when the strike hit with 47 games left to play.

Glen Rice. The period of 1994 to 1996 were not good years for the Giants, punctuated by the strike that cancelled the World Series in 1994. Alonzo Mourning. A late-season win streak did put the Giants in position to determine their fate, but destiny spat in their face again as Salomon Torres, their just called-up ace pitching prospect, was put in the impossible position of needing a win against their hated rivals the Dodgers, and was battered. Larry Johnson. Unfortunately, the Atlanta Braves won the NL West by one game as the Giants, in first place much of the year, were just not as hot as the Braves after they picked up Fred McGriff in a mid-season trade. Rex Chapman-First player signed by the franchise. This led the Giants to a great 103-59 record in Dusty Baker's first year as manager, which earned Dusty the Manager of the Year award.

Muggsy Bogues. The Barry Bonds era started with a bang as Barry put up the numbers for the third MVP of his career: 46 homers, 129 runs, 123 RBI, .336/.458/.677/1.135, all career highs. Before even hiring a new General Manager or officially being approved as the new owners, Magowan signed superstar free agent Barry Bonds (a move which the MLB initially blocked until some terms were negotiated to protect Lurie and Bonds in case the sale failed), a move that shaped the franchise's fortunes for more than a decade. A group of investors from Saint Petersburg reached an agreement to purchase the team and move them across the country. However, Major League Baseball blocked the move, paving the way for the team to stay in San Francisco with an ownership group lead by Peter Magowan, the former CEO of Safeway. After the 1992 season, owner Bob Lurie, who had previously saved the franchise from moving to Toronto in 1976, put the team up for sale.

Following the '89 World Series defeat, a local ballot initiative to fund a new stadium in San Francisco failed, threatening the franchise's future in the city. Oakland went on to sweep San Francisco 4 games to none, as the Giants did not have the starting pitching to match up with Oakland. The quake caused a ten-day delay in the Series that Oakland led 2-0 at the time. The 7.1-magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake caused no major injuries at the ballpark, but there were a number of fatalities in other parts of the cities.

The picture became staticky, the distracted commentator did a verbal double-take, and then Al Michaels broke in and said, "I'll tell you what; we're having an earthqu-" just as power went out. Unbeknownst to the viewing audience just yet, the ground was beginning to shake. In the pre-game TV segment, some game footage was being shown. The series is perhaps best remembered for what happened on October 17, 1989 before Game 3 at Candlestick Park.

In 1989, the Giants faced the Oakland Athletics in the "Bay Bridge Series", also known as the BART Series in reference to both the Bay Area Rapid Transit and to the baseball Commissioner, Bart Giamatti, who had died suddenly just weeks before the end of the season. In the League Championship Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Roberto Clemente easily defeated the Giants on their way ultimately to a World Series win over the Baltimore Orioles. The Giants' next appearance in the post-season was 1971. This time, Charlie cires, "Or why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just two feet higher?".

In the last panel, Charlie cries to the heavens, "Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just three feet higher?" Some weeks later, same scene. In the first two panels, Charlie Brown and Linus are sitting on a porch step, looking glum. Giants fan Charles Schulz made a rare reference to the real world in one of his Peanuts strips soon afterward. In addition, to rub salt in the wound, Richardson was not originally positioned to catch the drive, he only moved there (three steps to the left) in reaction to a foul smash by McCovey on the previous pitch.

Earlier in the inning, a failed bunt by Felipe Alou had ultimately resulted in Matty not scoring on Mays' double, which started a lifelong dedication to fundamentals on Felipe's part. He hit a screaming line drive that was snared by second baseman Bobby Richardson, bringing the Series to a sudden end. All Willie McCovey needed was a single. With Matty Alou on first base and two outs, Willie Mays sliced a double down the right field line. Rightfielder Roger Maris, whose 61 home run season in 1961 has historically overshadowed his great defensive work, quickly got to the ball and rifled a throw to the infield, preventing Alou from scoring the tying run.

In 1962, they lost by 4 games to 3 to the New York Yankees, losing the final game in the bottom of the ninth, 1-0, in a pitchers' duel. The Giants may never have won a World Series since moving to San Francisco, but they have been close, playing in three of them. The Giants no longer play at Candlestick Park, which has been renamed Monster Park and remains the home of the San Francisco 49ers football team. Candlestick Park's reputation was sealed during the 1961 All-Star Game, when gusts of wind blew pitcher Stu Miller off the mound.

The new stadium quickly gained a reputation for being one of the most inhospitable in baseball, with swirling winds and cold temperatures making for a torturous experience; the radiant heating system installed never worked. After a brief sojourn in Seals Stadium, the Giants moved to Candlestick Park (sometimes known simply as "The Stick"), a stadium built on a point in San Francisco's southeast corner overlooking San Francisco Bay. Most disappointingly for the large fan base that they have maintained ever since their arrival in the city, the Giants have as yet failed to win a World Series title for San Francisco. Though recently the club has enjoyed relatively sustained success, there have also been prolonged stretches of mediocrity, along with two instances when the club's ownership threatened to move it out of San Francisco.

In sharp contrast to the New York years, the Giants' fortunes in San Francisco have been mixed. The Mets still use this color scheme today. The "NY" script on the Giants' caps, along with the orange trim on their uniforms, and the blue background used by the Dodgers, would be adopted by the Mets. New York would remain a one-team town until 1962 when Joan Whitney Payson founded the New York Mets and brought National League baseball back to the city.

In the summer of 1957, both teams announced their moves West, and the golden era of baseball in New York City ended. Despite objections from shareholders such as Joan Whitney Payson, majority owner Horace Stoneham entered into negotiations with San Francisco mayor George Christopher around the same time that Dodgers' owner Walter O'Malley was courting the city of Los Angeles. They stumbled to third place the year after their World Series win and attendances plunged. The Giants' final three years in New York City were unmemorable.

The underdog Giants went on to win the World Series that year in four straight. In game one of the 1954 World Series, Willie Mays made "The Catch" -- a dramatic over-the-shoulder catch off a line drive by Vic Wertz to deep center field which could otherwise have given the Cleveland Indians victory. Unfortunately for the "Jints", despite that dramatic regular season end, another frequent nemesis called the Yankees won the 1951 World Series. The game is also remembered for Russ Hodges' commentary for WMCA Radio:.

The Giants had been thirteen and a half games behind the league-leading Dodgers, but under Durocher's guidance the Giants caught up to tie the Dodgers for the lead on the last day of the season. This game was the third of a three-game playoff series that was called after one of baseball's more memorable pennant races. One of the more famous episodes in major league baseball history, "The Shot Heard 'Round The World" is the name given to Bobby Thomson's walk-off home run that clinched the National League pennant for the Giants over their rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Durocher remained at the helm until 1955, and those eight years proved to be some of the most memorable for Giants fans, particularly because of the arrival of Willie Mays and two famous games.

In 1948, Leo Durocher became manager of the Giants, with some controversy--Durocher had been manager of the Giants' rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, but he had been accused of gambling in 1947 and had been suspended and the Dodgers let him go the following year. Mel Ott succeeded Terry as manager in 1942, but the war years proved to be difficult for the Giants. Aside from Terry himself, the other stars of the era were Ott and Carl Hubbell, one of three pitchers in baseball history to master the screwball (along with Mathewson and Fernando Valenzuela). Known as "King Carl" and "The Meal Ticket", Hubbell gained fame during the 1934 All-Star Game, when he struck out--all in a row--Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin. McGraw handed over the team to Bill Terry in 1932, and Terry played for and managed the Giants for ten years, winning three pennants and one World Series.

They also lost in 1924, when the Washington Senators won their only World Series in their history (prior to their move to Minnesota). After losing the 1917 Series to the Chicago White Sox (the other Chicago team's last World Series win as of 2004), the Giants got it together and played in four straight World Series in the early 1920s, winning the first two over their tenants, the Yankees, then losing to the Yankees in 1923 when Yankee Stadium opened. The Giants experienced some hard luck in the early 1910s, losing three straight World Series to the A's, the Red Sox, then the A's again. This could have been a disastrous scandal for baseball, but because Klem was honest and the Giants lost, it faded over time.

That post-season game was further darkened by a story that someone on the Giants had attempted to bribe umpire Bill Klem. In 1908 they finished in a tie with the Chicago Cubs and had a one-game playoff at the Polo Grounds (actually a replay of a controversial tied game resulting from Fred Merkle's "boner") which they lost to the Cubs, who would go on to win their second, and so far last World Series. The Giants then had several frustrating years. It would be the last time (as of 2004) that the Giants would best the A's in the post-season, as they have since proven to be a nemesis to the Giants on both coasts.

The Giants were back in 1905, winning the Series over the Philadelphia Athletics, with Christy Mathewson nearly winning the Series single-handedly. Brush leading an effort to formalize the rules and format of the World Series. The ensuing criticism resulted in Giants' owner John T. The Highlanders lost to Boston on the last day, but the Giants stuck by their refusal.

His original relunctance was concern that the intra-city rival New York Americans or "Highlanders" looked like they would win the AL pennant. The Giants under McGraw famously snubbed their first ever modern World Series chance in 1904--an encounter with the Boston Americans (now known as the "Red Sox")--because McGraw considered the new American League as little more than a minor league. Names such as Christy Mathewson, Iron Man Joe McGinnity, Bill Terry, Jim Thorpe, Mel Ott and Casey Stengel are just a sample of the many players who honed their skills under McGraw. McGraw would also cultivate his own crop of baseball heroes during his time with the Giants.

The Giants already had their share of stars during its brief history at this point, such as Smiling Mickey Welch, Roger Connor, Tim Keefe, Jim O'Rourke and Monte Ward, the player-lawyer who formed the renegade Players League in 1890 to protest unfair player contracts. Under McGraw, the Giants would win ten National League pennants and three World Series championships. McGraw would go on and manage the Giants for three decades, one of the longest tenures in professional sports. In 1902, after a series of disastrous moves that left the Giants 53 1/2 games behind, Freedman signed John McGraw as a player-manager.

Though considered "the worst owner in the world" during his time, Andrew Freeman changed the Giants' fortunes. There the Giants would make it their home in New York City. Originally located on the corner of 110th Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, the Polo Grounds moved uptown, to 155th Street and 8th Avenue. The Giants' original home stadium, the Polo Grounds, also dates from this early era.

It is said that after one particularly satisfying victory, Mutrie (who was also the team's manager) stormed into the dressing room and exclaimed, "My big fellows! My giants!" From then on, the club was known as the Giants. While the Metropolitans were initially the more successful club, Day and Mutrie began moving star players to the Gothams and the team won its first National League pennant in 1888. The Gothams (as the Giants were originally known) were their entry to the National League, while their other club, the Metropolitans (the original Mets) played in the American Association. Day and Jim Mutrie.

One of the most storied clubs in American professional sports, the Giants began life as a second baseball club founded by John B. They play in the Western Division of the National League. The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California. Scottsdale Giants.

San Jose Giants
Augusta GreenJackets
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Norwich Navigators. Fresno Grizzlies. National League
.

San Francisco Giants official web site (http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/sf/homepage/sf_homepage.jsp). ISBN 0-385-23790-1. The Giants of the Polo Grounds: the glorious times of baseball's New York Giants. New York: Doubleday. Hynd, Noel (1988).

Pitching saves: Rod Beck, 48 (1993). Pitching ERA: Christy Mathewson, 1.14 (1909). Pitching strikeouts: Mickey Welch, 345 (1884). Pitching wins: Mickey Welch, 44 (1885).

Strikeouts: Bobby Bonds, 189 (1970). Walks: Barry Bonds, 232 (2004) [MLB record]. Hitting streak: Jack Clark, 26 (1978). Stolen bases: John Ward, 111 (1887).

Extra-Base hits: Barry Bonds, 107 (2001). Triples: George Davis, 27 (1893). Doubles: Jeff Kent, 49 (2001). Singles: Bill Terry, 177 (1930).

Hits: Bill Terry, 254 (1930). Runs: Mike Tiernan, 147 (1889). Runs batted in: Mel Ott, 151 (1929). Home runs: Barry Bonds, 73 (2001) [MLB record].

Batting average: Bill Terry, .401 (1930). 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball). 44 Willie McCovey. 30 Orlando Cepeda.

27 Juan Marichal. 24 Willie Mays. 11 Carl Hubbell.   4 Mel Ott.

  3 Bill Terry.   - Christy Mathewson * *.   - John McGraw *.