This page will contain blogs about San Francisco Giants, as they become available.San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco Giants National League AAA Fresno Grizzlies AA Norwich Navigators A San Jose Giants R Scottsdale Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California. They play in the Western Division of the National League.
Franchise historyThe New York years (1883-1957)One of the most storied clubs in American professional sports, the Giants began life as a second baseball club founded by John B. Day and Jim Mutrie. 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. 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. 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. The Giants' original home stadium, the Polo Grounds, also dates from this early era. Originally located on the corner of 110th Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, the Polo Grounds moved uptown, to 155th Street and 8th Avenue. There the Giants would make it their home in New York City. Though considered "the worst owner in the world" during his time, Andrew Freeman changed the Giants' fortunes. 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. McGraw would go on and manage the Giants for three decades, one of the longest tenures in professional sports. Under McGraw, the Giants would win ten National League pennants and three World Series championships. 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. McGraw would also cultivate his own crop of baseball heroes during his time with the Giants. 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. 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. His original relunctance was concern that the intra-city rival New York Americans or "Highlanders" looked like they would win the AL pennant. The Highlanders lost to Boston on the last day, but the Giants stuck by their refusal. The ensuing criticism resulted in Giants' owner John T. Brush leading an effort to formalize the rules and format of the World Series. The Giants were back in 1905, winning the Series over the Philadelphia Athletics, with Christy Mathewson nearly winning the Series single-handedly. 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 then had several frustrating years. 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. That post-season game was further darkened by a story that someone on the Giants had attempted to bribe umpire Bill Klem. This could have been a disastrous scandal for baseball, but because Klem was honest and the Giants lost, it faded over time. 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. 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. They also lost in 1924, when the Washington Senators won their only World Series in their history (prior to their move to Minnesota). 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. 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. Mel Ott succeeded Terry as manager in 1942, but the war years proved to be difficult for the Giants. 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. 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. The Shot Heard 'Round The World (1951)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. This game was the third of a three-game playoff series that was called after one of baseball's more memorable pennant races. 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. The game is also remembered for Russ Hodges' commentary for WMCA Radio:
Unfortunately for the "Jints", despite that dramatic regular season end, another frequent nemesis called the Yankees won the 1951 World Series. The Catch (1954)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. The underdog Giants went on to win the World Series that year in four straight. The Move Westward (1957)The Giants' final three years in New York City were unmemorable. They stumbled to third place the year after their World Series win and attendances plunged. 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. In the summer of 1957, both teams announced their moves West, and the golden era of baseball in New York City ended. 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. 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. The Mets still use this color scheme today. The San Francisco years (1958–)In sharp contrast to the New York years, the Giants' fortunes in San Francisco have been mixed. 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. 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. 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. 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. Candlestick Park's reputation was sealed during the 1961 All-Star Game, when gusts of wind blew pitcher Stu Miller off the mound. 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. The Giants may never have won a World Series since moving to San Francisco, but they have been close, playing in three of them. 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. 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. All Willie McCovey needed was a single. He hit a screaming line drive that was snared by second baseman Bobby Richardson, bringing the Series to a sudden end. 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. 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. Giants fan Charles Schulz made a rare reference to the real world in one of his Peanuts strips soon afterward. In the first two panels, Charlie Brown and Linus are sitting on a porch step, looking glum. 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. This time, Charlie cires, "Or why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just two feet higher?" The Giants' next appearance in the post-season was 1971. 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. 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. The series is perhaps best remembered for what happened on October 17, 1989 before Game 3 at Candlestick Park. In the pre-game TV segment, some game footage was being shown. Unbeknownst to the viewing audience just yet, the ground was beginning to shake. 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. 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 quake caused a ten-day delay in the Series that Oakland led 2-0 at the time. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The period of 1994 to 1996 were not good years for the Giants, punctuated by the strike that cancelled the World Series in 1994. 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. The Giants then came in last place in both 1995 and 1996, as key injuries and slumps hurt them. 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. These bad times led the Giants to name Brian Sabean as their new general manager, replacing Bob Quinn. Prior to being named GM, he was already rumored to have engineered the deal to get Kirk Rueter from the Montreal Expos. 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... I'm sitting here telling you there is a plan." 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. Snow enabled the Giants to win their first NL West division title of the 1990s in 1997. 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. 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. 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. Pac Bell Park played like parks from olden times, boosting up doubles and especially triples, but dampening home run power. 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. 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. Following division championships in 1997 and 2000, the Giants reached the World Series again in 2002 as the wild card team. 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. They first defeated the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS 3 games to 2, and then the St. 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. 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. The Giants eventually took a 3-2 lead in the series, winning Game 5 by a lopsided 16-4 score. In the seventh inning of that game, a scary and touching moment occurred. With J.T. Snow and David Bell on base, Kenny Lofton smashed what proved to be a triple. 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. 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. As he carried him back to the dugout, he asked him, "Are you OK, buddy?" and Darren assured him that he was. 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. 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. In 2003, the Giants recorded 100 victories for the seventh time in franchise history and the third time in San Francisco. With their 100-61 record, the Giants spent the entire season in first place in the NL West. They became just the ninth wire-to-wire winner of a division or pennant in baseball history. The previous three were Baltimore in 1997, Cleveland in 1998, and Seattle in 2001. 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. 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. It was only the second time this decade in which the Giants failed to make the postseason, 2001 being the other occasion. 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. 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. 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. What has not changed is the Giants' share of stars gracing the field. 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. Recent stars include Will Clark, Matt Williams, Barry Bonds, and Jason Schmidt. 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. Other new additions include shortstop Omar Vizquel, relief pitcher Armando Benitez and catcher Mike Matheny, a multiple Gold Glove Award winner. 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. There are question marks over Bonds' status, with speculation that, at age 40, he may decide to retire from baseball. Indeed, the Giants' present roster has one of the highest average ages in all of Major League Baseball. Moisés Alou is 38, as are Vizquel and outfielder Marquis Grissom, while first baseman J.T. Snow is 37. 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. That said, the roster does also include 42-year-old left-handed pitcher Jeff Fassero. Manager Felipe Alou claims to be unconcerned by the age of his squad members. His philosophy is one of aiming for immediate success, rather than building towards the future. 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. The Giants' attempts to return to the playoffs in 2005 did not get off to the best start, however. 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. He was rewarded with the out. At the time of writing, Tyler Walker has temporarily assumed a closer role, amid speculation that Benitez may not return at all this season. 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. 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. On May 25, 2005, the Giants held a celebration in honor of Baseball Hall of Famer Juan Marichal. A statue of Marichal was dedicated on the plaza outside of the ballpark. Leonel Fernández, the President of the Dominican Republic, was in attendance. In the two games which followed the ceremonies, the Giants wore uniforms with the word "Gigantes" on the front (the Spanish word for "Giants".) BroadcastersOn Fox Sports Net television, the Giants games are called by Duane Kuiper and colored by Mike Krukow. On KTVU, Jon Miller calls play-by-play and Mike Krukow colors. 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). 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. 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 game, all of the announcers will come together on the radio side and give their opinions on the game. Even after a blow-out loss, this segment is usually quite humorous and uplifting. Players of noteBaseball Hall of FamersCurrent 25-man roster (updated on June 13, 2005)Retired numbers
* Has retirement honors, as he played in the era prior to uniform numbers * * Has retirement honors, with a numberless jersey retired on the outfield wall Single Season Records
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* * Has retirement honors, with a numberless jersey retired on the outfield wall. In 1994, an episode of The Simpsons ("Itchy and Scratchy Land") featured a Fantasia spoof. * Has retirement honors, as he played in the era prior to uniform numbers. Then, in 1976, Italian animator Bruno Bozzetto released his own Fantasia parody called Allegro non troppo. Even after a blow-out loss, this segment is usually quite humorous and uplifting. Cartoons) director Robert Clampett did a Fantasia spoof short film, A Corny Concerto, with Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Daffy Duck acting out the musical segments (and Elmer Fudd doing an impression of Deems Taylor). After the game, all of the announcers will come together on the radio side and give their opinions on the game. In 1943, Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. 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. Disney's dream was belatedly and finally realized with the 1999 release of Fantasia 2000 in IMAX theaters. Fantasia 2000 reused The Sorcerer's Apprentice with Mickey Mouse, but otherwise consisted entirely of new material. 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. Other segments such as Ride Of The Valkyries, Swan of Tuonela, and Flight of the Bumblebee were storyboarded but never fully animated, and thus were never put into production for inclusion in a future Fantasia release. Both World War II and overseas costs prevented Disney from revising Fantasia during his lifetime. 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). This version of Clair De Lune can be found on disc 3 of the Fantasia Legacy DVD box set, or on the Disney Classic 'Fantasia' DVD (released in 2000) as a special feature. On KTVU, Jon Miller calls play-by-play and Mike Krukow colors. A workprint version of the original version of Clair De Lune was finally discovered, restored, and released by Disney as a stand-alone short subject in 1996; the accompanying Deems Taylor/Stowkowski footage was never found. On Fox Sports Net television, the Giants games are called by Duane Kuiper and colored by Mike Krukow. Instead, the sequence was later completely re-worked and re-scored as the Blue Bayou segment of Make Mine Music (1946). In the two games which followed the ceremonies, the Giants wore uniforms with the word "Gigantes" on the front (the Spanish word for "Giants".). Ink and paint and Technicolor photography were completed in January 1942 with the intentions of releasing Clair De Lune as a short subject, which would not be done for fifty-four years. Leonel Fernández, the President of the Dominican Republic, was in attendance. Clair De Lune, a casualty of Fantasia's excessive length, made it to the final pencil test stages before being deleted. A statue of Marichal was dedicated on the plaza outside of the ballpark. Ironically, one segment intended for the original Fantasia was completely animated, and then left out of the first release. On May 25, 2005, the Giants held a celebration in honor of Baseball Hall of Famer Juan Marichal. However, the film's underwhelming box-office performance prevented such plans from being realized. 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. The plan was to repeat some of the scenes while replacing others with different music and animation, so that each version of the film would include both familiar material and new segments. 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. Disney had wanted to Fantasia to be an ongoing project, ideally with a new release each year. At the time of writing, Tyler Walker has temporarily assumed a closer role, amid speculation that Benitez may not return at all this season. As it is, young children may enjoy the movie, particularly the dinosaur sequence. He was rewarded with the out. As expected about North American attitudes towards animation, the film is regularly recommended as an excellent means to introduce children to classical music. 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. The cuts in The Rite of Spring angered Igor Stravinsky, the only living composer whose work was represented in the film. The Giants' attempts to return to the playoffs in 2005 did not get off to the best start, however. Classical music lovers who know the pieces are sometimes offended by the cuts that were taken, which were particularly heavy in the Beethoven sequence. 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. For instance, the famed movie critic Pauline Kael wrote "'The Sorcerer's Apprentice,' featuring Mickey Mouse, and parts of other sequences are first-rate Disney, but the total effect is grotesquely kitschy." The Beethoven sequence is frequently singled out for criticism, because of the editing of the piece and the juxtaposition of the piece with the Ancient Greek setting. His philosophy is one of aiming for immediate success, rather than building towards the future. Others have taken a more negative view, often invoking the rather loaded word kitsch. Manager Felipe Alou claims to be unconcerned by the age of his squad members. There are certainly many critics who admire the film greatly, particularly the animation work, and as an American animated feature film made with an unprecedented level of artistic ambition. The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. That said, the roster does also include 42-year-old left-handed pitcher Jeff Fassero. Critics to this day differ in their evaluation of the film. 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 movie won two Honorary Academy Awards:. Moisés Alou is 38, as are Vizquel and outfielder Marquis Grissom, while first baseman J.T. Snow is 37. Besides these issues, this is the most complete version of the film that currently exists. Indeed, the Giants' present roster has one of the highest average ages in all of Major League Baseball. However, most of Taylor's narration for the long-lost sequences was unusable or missing, so Disney had voice actor Corey Burton come in and to completely re-record all of Taylor's lines, and some portions from the "Beethoven 6th Symphony" were "zoomed in" (to avoid showing the black centaur). There are question marks over Bonds' status, with speculation that, at age 40, he may decide to retire from baseball. Finally, for its 60th Anniversary DVD release, Disney recovered the remaining lost footage from the Deems Taylor segments that had been cut from the film decades earlier for general release, and was able to reconstruct the original 125-minute 1940 Roadshow version, complete with intermission. 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. Both the picture and the Fantasound tracks were digitally remastered, and thus a new generation was able to experience the film with Leopold Stokowski's original Philadelphia Orchestra recordings. Other new additions include shortstop Omar Vizquel, relief pitcher Armando Benitez and catcher Mike Matheny, a multiple Gold Glove Award winner. For its 50th Anniversary in 1990, Disney decided to go back to the original Fantasound tracks, and using whatever film elements were still available, restored the film to more or less its original format to closely resemble the 1947 General Release Version. 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. This would be the version released numerous times throughout the 1980s. Recent stars include Will Clark, Matt Williams, Barry Bonds, and Jason Schmidt. However, judicial edits were made, including replacing Deems Taylor's original narration with a sound-alike. 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. For its 1982 re-issue, as motion picture sound technology was advancing, Disney decided to completely re-record the film's soundtrack with a new digital recording arranged and conducted by Irwin Kostal, marking the first ever release of a motion picture with digital stereo sound. What has not changed is the Giants' share of stars gracing the field. The 1969 theatrical re-release was edited again to remove Sunflower, a black centaur. According to the Memory Hole (http://www.thememoryhole.org/arts/sunflower.htm), "Performing menial duties for the blonde, white female centaurs, Sunflower is a racial stereotype along the lines of Amos and Andy, Buckwheat, and Aunt Jemima.". 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 re-release was a major success, especially with the psychedelic young adult crowd, many of whom would come lie down in the front row of the theatre and experience the film from there. 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. By 1967, Fantasia had become immensely popular among teenagers and college students, many of whom would take illegal drugs like marijuana and LSD to "better experience the film." Disney therefore promoted the film as a "trip-film" for its 1967 re-release, even creating a psychedelic-styled poster to match this campaign. 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. The film never turned a profit until its 1967 re-release. It was only the second time this decade in which the Giants failed to make the postseason, 2001 being the other occasion. This is the version most familiar to the public and the version most future releases of Fantasia were based upon, and is therefore called the "General Release Version". 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. Fantasia was edited once again in 1947, adding the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor back into the film, but still keeping the Deems Taylor sequences as short as possible. 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. This version of the film was released nationwide (the first time Fantasia was given a wide release) with the infamous tagline "Fantasia Will Amazia!" Unfortunately, audiences were not responsive at all to the film, and it played as a B-film in most movie houses. The previous three were Baltimore in 1997, Cleveland in 1998, and Seattle in 2001. In 1942, RKO had the 125-minute Fantasia chopped down to 83 minutes (done by deleting the entire Toccata and Fugue in D Minor segment and shortening the live-action Deems Taylor sequences as much as possible). They became just the ninth wire-to-wire winner of a division or pennant in baseball history. Starting with the January 29, 1941 play date in Los Angeles, California, RKO assumed distribution of Fantasia. They had the film's soundtrack remixed into monophonic sound, to make it easier to distribute, and added their logos to the film's solitary title card. With their 100-61 record, the Giants spent the entire season in first place in the NL West. The financial failure of Fantasia left Walt Disney in financial straits, which is why he followed Fantasia with a relatively low-budget feature, Dumbo. In 2003, the Giants recorded 100 victories for the seventh time in franchise history and the third time in San Francisco. Primarily because of the difficulty of getting the necessary speakers and audio equipment because of the looming potential danger of World War II, the full-length Fantasound version of Fantasia was only shown at 12 theatres, and only 16 Fantasound - equipped prints were ever made. 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. The final scene to be shot (the long multiplane pan in the Ave Maria sequence) was shot, developed, printed, and rushed via airplane to New York that same day, where it was spliced into the film a mere four hours before Showtime. 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. Its first playdate (the premiere) was in New York City on November 13, 1940. As he carried him back to the dugout, he asked him, "Are you OK, buddy?" and Darren assured him that he was. Fantasia was originally released in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions itself as a roadshow release, since Disney's distributor RKO Radio Pictures backed out of the film. 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. RCA Sound System.". 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. Color by Technicolor. Snow and David Bell on base, Kenny Lofton smashed what proved to be a triple. Copyright 1940 by Walt Disney Productions (Inc). With J.T. "Fantasia. In the seventh inning of that game, a scary and touching moment occurred. During its intermission, a solitary title card is to be played over the movie theatre's closed curtain that contains only this text:. The Giants eventually took a 3-2 lead in the series, winning Game 5 by a lopsided 16-4 score. Besides the Deems Taylor narration passages, a proper presentation of Fantasia features a 15-minute interlude, which falls between The Rite of Spring and the Meet the Soundtrack segment. Unusual for an American animated film, Fantasia has no opening or closing credits. 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. The format of the film follows that of a concert rather than a motion picture. 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. Each theatre was rigged with 30 or more speakers, all lined around the perimeter of the ceiling, to provide the full Fantasound experience. They first defeated the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS 3 games to 2, and then the St. Special program books were prepared for the film, featuring production artwork and photographs, dedications by both Walt and Stokowski, and the credits and synopsis for each segment. 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. Walt Disney intended for Fantasia to be more than just a film; it was to be an event, something you would have to reserve seats for and dress up to go see. Following division championships in 1997 and 2000, the Giants reached the World Series again in 2002 as the wild card team. With The Sorcerer's Apprentice nearing completion, the rest of Fantasia entered production in early 1939, and the same attention to detail that was given to The Sorcerer's Apprentice was given to the other segments as well:. 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. Always wanting to try new things, Walt also had plans to film Fantasia in widescreen and to spray different perfumes into the theatre at appropriate times during the Nutcracker Suite, but those plans were never fully carried out. 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. The film also marked the first use of the click track while recording the soundtrack, overdubbing of orchestral parts, and simultaneous multi-track recording. Pac Bell Park played like parks from olden times, boosting up doubles and especially triples, but dampening home run power. Garity) responded by creating a multi-channel (stereophonic) sound format they called Fantasound, making Fantasia the first commercial film ever to be produced in stereophonic sound. 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. The engineers (led by William E. 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. He felt the recorded version of the music sounded tinny and undynamic, and asked his engineers to see what they could do about developing a better sound system. 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. Walt was present on the sound stage during an early session, and was very pleased with what he was hearing until he heard the playback from the recording engineers. Snow enabled the Giants to win their first NL West division title of the 1990s in 1997. Stokowski enlisted the Philadelphia Orchestra, of which he was the conductor, to record the music for the six remaining segments. 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. Main article: Fantasound. I'm sitting here telling you there is a plan.". It is said that the only person that could be Mickey's boss is Walt. 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.. The Sorcerer in the segment is named Yensid (Disney spelt backwards). Prior to being named GM, he was already rumored to have engineered the deal to get Kirk Rueter from the Montreal Expos. Originally to be called the Concert Feature, Stokowski suggested the title "Fantasia" (which literally means " A medley of familiar themes, with variations and interludes." [1] (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fantasia)), which became the film's final title. These bad times led the Giants to name Brian Sabean as their new general manager, replacing Bob Quinn. To provide continuity and explanation, the composer and music critic Deems Taylor was recruited to provide live-action narrative introductions at the beginning of each segment. 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. Taking Stokowski's advice, he decided to expand The Sorcerer's Apprentice into a "Feature Symphony" with several animated sequences set to music, of which The Sorcerer's Apprentice would be one. The Giants then came in last place in both 1995 and 1996, as key injuries and slumps hurt them. Disney's most successful short cartoon ever, Three Little Pigs (1933), had made $60,000). 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. All of this excess came at a whopping price: $125,000, a price Walt (and especially Roy) knew they could never make back (to compare, most Disney shorts at this time averaged a cost of $40,000, which was $10,000 above the average budget for an animated cartoon outside of the Disney Studio. The period of 1994 to 1996 were not good years for the Giants, punctuated by the strike that cancelled the World Series in 1994. Everything about the film was done with extensive attention to detail and creativity: the color styling, the pacing and layout, the character animation, and the effects animation. 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. Animator Fred Moore redesigned Mickey to give his figure shape and form, and also to give him eyes with pupils for the first time on-screen. 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. The animation department worked hard to make The Sorcerer's Apprentice one of the most ambitious works they'd ever completed. 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. Stokowski offered to record the score for no charge, and assembled over 100 of the best musicians in Los Angeles to record the score to The Sorcerer's Apprentice. 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. As work began on The Sorcerer's Apprentice in 1938, Walt happened to meet famed conductor Leopold Stokowski in a Hollywood restaurant. 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. He devised a special short that would be produced as a "comeback" film for Mickey Mouse: The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which would be completely silent save for the classical music piece by Paul Dukas (Walt feared that one of the reasons for Mickey's decline was the squeaky falsetto that Walt himself performed for Mickey). 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. Walt's brother and business partner Roy Oliver Disney urged Walt to discontinue the Mickey Mouse series because of its unprofitability, but Walt wasn't ready to give up on his favorite character just yet. 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. Mickey's fame had also been eclipsed by that of Popeye the Sailor, a competing character and series from Fleischer Studios. 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. The Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts series had spawned the spin-off Donald Duck series, which was proving to be more popular (and profitable) than the Mickey Mouse series. 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. In the late 1930s, Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse was losing his popularity with movie audiences. The quake caused a ten-day delay in the Series that Oakland led 2-0 at the time. The story told musically by Dukas is taken from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's poem "Der Zauberlehrling (http://german.about.com/library/blgzauberl.htm)." The Dukas is often considered the best sketch in the film, and was the only sequence carried over into Fantasia 2000 (see below). 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. Only the Dukas work is a straight setting of the composer's original intention. 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. The song was subsequently reset to the Latin prayer Ave Maria. Unbeknownst to the viewing audience just yet, the ground was beginning to shake. In the song, the character Ellen prays to the Virgin Mary while in hiding. In the pre-game TV segment, some game footage was being shown. Schubert's music was composed as a song (1825) for single voice and piano ("Ellens dritter Gesang"; "Ellen's third song"), with German words translated by Adam Storck from Sir Walter Scott's The Lady of the Lake. The series is perhaps best remembered for what happened on October 17, 1989 before Game 3 at Candlestick Park. Beethoven meant to depict a joyous and inspiring visit to the Austrian countryside, not classical mythology. 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. However, the Disney program is generally not the same as the original. Stravinsky's ballet was about the dances and rituals of the pagan ancestors of the Russians, not about dinosaurs. 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. Most of the works played in the film are program music; that is, instrumental music that depicts actual events in sound. The Giants' next appearance in the post-season was 1971. The musical pieces used in the film:. This time, Charlie cires, "Or why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just two feet higher?". The original version of Fantasia was never released again after 1941, and although some of the original audio elements no longer exist, a 2000 DVD release version attempted to restore as much of the original version of the film as possible. 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. Future re-releases restored various amounts of the deleted footage, with the most common version being the 1947 re-release edit. In the first two panels, Charlie Brown and Linus are sitting on a porch step, looking glum. Originally released by Walt Disney Productions (without then-distributor RKO Radio Pictures) as a roadshow film with booked engagements, RKO eventually picked up Fantasia for release in 1941 and edited the film drastically the following year. Giants fan Charles Schulz made a rare reference to the real world in one of his Peanuts strips soon afterward. Besides its avant-garde qualities, Fantasia was notable for being the first major film released in stereophonic (later surround) sound, using a process dubbed "Fantasound". 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. The film also includes live-action segments featuring Stokowski, an orchestra, and Deems Taylor, a music scholar who serves as the host for the film. 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. Animated artwork of varying degrees of abstraction or literalism is used illustrate or accompany the concert in various ways. He hit a screaming line drive that was snared by second baseman Bobby Richardson, bringing the Series to a sudden end. The soundtrack of the film consists of seven pieces of classical music, played by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Leopold Stokowski. All Willie McCovey needed was a single. Fantasia is a 1940 motion picture, the third in the Disney animated features canon, which was a Walt Disney experiment in animation and music. 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. Writing Credits were quoted from the International Movie Database. 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. Phil Dike (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria") (story development)
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. Bill Peet (segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) &. 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. Joseph Sabo (segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) &. 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. Erdman Penner (segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) &. 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. Webb Smith (segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) &. In sharp contrast to the New York years, the Giants' fortunes in San Francisco have been mixed. Otto Englander (segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) &. The Mets still use this color scheme today. John McLeish segment "Rite of Spring")(story development and research (as John Fraser McLeish). 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. Robert Sterner segment "Rite of Spring" (story development and research) &. 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. Leo Thiele segment "Rite of Spring" (story development and research) &. In the summer of 1957, both teams announced their moves West, and the golden era of baseball in New York City ended. William Martin segment "Rite of Spring" (story development and research) &. 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. Carl Fallberg (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice") (story development). They stumbled to third place the year after their World Series win and attendances plunged. Perce Pearce (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice") (story development) &. The Giants' final three years in New York City were unmemorable. Graham Heid (segment "The Nutcracker Suite") (story development). The underdog Giants went on to win the World Series that year in four straight. Bianca Majolie (segment "The Nutcracker Suite") (story development) &. 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. Albert Heath (segment "The Nutcracker Suite") (story development) &. Unfortunately for the "Jints", despite that dramatic regular season end, another frequent nemesis called the Yankees won the 1951 World Series. Norman Wright (segment "The Nutcracker Suite") (story development) &. The game is also remembered for Russ Hodges' commentary for WMCA Radio:. Sylvia Moberly-Holland (segment "The Nutcracker Suite") (story development) &. 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. Phil Dike (segment "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor") (story development). This game was the third of a three-game playoff series that was called after one of baseball's more memorable pennant races. Elmer Plummer (segment "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor") (story development) &. 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. Lee Blair (segment "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor") (story development) &. 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. Director Credits were quoted from the International Movie Database. 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. Paul Satterfield (segment "Rite of Spring")
They also lost in 1924, when the Washington Senators won their only World Series in their history (prior to their move to Minnesota). Hee (segment "Dance of the Hours"). 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. T. 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. Jim Handley (segment "The Pastoral Symphony"). This could have been a disastrous scandal for baseball, but because Klem was honest and the Giants lost, it faded over time. Norman Ferguson (segment "Dance of the Hours") (as Norm Ferguson). That post-season game was further darkened by a story that someone on the Giants had attempted to bribe umpire Bill Klem. Ford Beebe (segment "The Pastoral Symphony"). 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. Samuel Armstrong (segments "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Nutcracker Suite, The"). The Giants then had several frustrating years. James Algar (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"). 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. Leopold Stokowski (and his associates) - For their unique achievement in the creation of a new form of visualized music in Walt Disney's production Fantasia, thereby widening the scope of the motion picture as entertainment and as an art form (certificate). The Giants were back in 1905, winning the Series over the
Philadelphia Athletics, with Christy Mathewson nearly winning the Series single-handedly. Hawkins - For their outstanding
contribution to the advancement of the use of sound in motion pictures through the production of Fantasia (certificate). Brush leading an effort to formalize the rules and format of the World Series. Garity and J.N.A. The ensuing criticism resulted in Giants' owner John T. Walt Disney, William E. The Highlanders lost to Boston on the last day, but the Giants stuck by their refusal. In fact according to some articles the entire sequence had to be re-shot
twice, once because the wrong focal length lens was used, and once because
of a small earth tremor that shook the animation planes out of alignment. His original relunctance was concern that
the intra-city rival New York Americans or "Highlanders" looked
like they would win the AL pennant. Even a slight deviation in the width of the final painted line would have been
distracting to a movie audience on the big screen. 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. The horror of the demons, ghosts, skeletons, and harpies in Night on Bald Mountain comes to an abrupt end with the sound of church bells, which send
Chernabog and his followers back into hiding, and, in one of the most effective
(and complicated) multiplane camera shots the Disney studio ever
did, the camera trucks far, far away from Bald Mountain to reveal a line of monks with lighted torches, and the camera slowly
follows them as they walk slowly and solemnly through the forest to the sounds of the Ave Maria. 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. The segment is animated with an energy and franticness rarely seen in Disney films. Under McGraw, the Giants would win ten National League pennants and three World Series championships. The Dance of the Hours featured comic ostriches, hippos, elephants, and alligators all attempting to perform the actual The Dance of the Hours. McGraw would go on and manage the Giants for three decades, one of the longest tenures in professional sports. It tells the story of the mythological creatures gathering for a festival to honor Bacchus, the god of wine, which is interrupted by Zeus, who decides to have a little fun by throwing lightning bolts at the attendees. 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. Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony utilized delicate color styling to depict a mythical ancient Grecian world of centaurs, centaurettes (a Disney studio creation), a pegasus and his family, and the gods of Mount Olympus. Though considered "the worst owner in the world" during his time, Andrew Freeman changed the Giants' fortunes. The sequence features inspired animation by effects animator Joshua Meador and his team, who give the soundtrack (initially a squiggly line which changes into various shapes based upon the individual sounds played on the soundtrack) a distinct and interesting personality. There the Giants would make it their home in New York City. The brief Meet the Soundtrack sequence gives audiences a stylized example of how sound is rendered as waveforms to record the music for Fantasia. 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 Rite of Spring, a condensed version of the history of the Earth from the formation of the planet, to the first living creatures, to the age, reign, and demise of the dinosaurs, showcased realistically animated prehistoric beasts, and utilized extensive and complicated special effects to depict volcanoes, boiling lava, and earthquakes. The Giants' original home stadium, the Polo Grounds, also dates from this early era. featured delicate fairies, fish, and flowers, many rendered carefully and painstakingly using techniques such as dry brush and airbrush. 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. The Nutcracker Suite is a personified depiction of the changing of the seasons; first from summer to autumn, and then from autumn to winter. 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. Smith, who mime to the pre-recorded Stokowski / Philadelphia Orchestra tracks. 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. Although the Philadelphia Orchestra recorded the music for the film (excepting The Sorcerer's Apprentice), they do not appear on-screen; the orchestra used on-screen in the film is made up of local Los Angeles musicians and Disney studio employees like James MacDonald and Paul J. Day and Jim Mutrie. The first third of Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is in live-action, not animation, and features an orchestra playing the piece, illuminated by abstract light patterns set in time to the music and backed by stylized (and superimposed) shadows. One of the most storied clubs in American professional sports, the Giants began life as a second baseball club founded by John B. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor was a completely abstract work--a first for the Disney studio--and was inspired primarily by the work of German abstract animator Oscar Fischinger, who worked for a brief time on this segment. They play in the Western Division of the National League. Franz Schubert - Ave Maria (monks march in the light of morning). The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California. Modest Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain (the demon Chernabog and other fiends have an orgy one night until driven back down by the light of day), to. Scottsdale Giants. The last part of the film links:
San Jose Giants San Francisco Giants official web site (http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/sf/homepage/sf_homepage.jsp). 71a (a variety of dances, just as in the original, but danced by animated fairies, mushrooms, fish, etc.). ISBN 0-385-23790-1. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker Suite Op. The Giants of the Polo Grounds: the glorious times of baseball's New York Giants. New York: Doubleday. Johann Sebastian Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 (Stokowski's own transcription for symphony orchestra) (abstract images). 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 *. |