My favorite baseball player of my youth, Will Clark, has returned to the San Francisco Giants as a special assistant. The Giants make unusually good use of their former players. The greatest Giant of all, Willie Mays, is a fixture in the clubhouse, and legends like Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda make regular appearances with the team, minor leaguers and fans. Now Clark, the most prominent Giant of the 80's and early 90's and the lighting rod who sparked the Giants to success after years of ineptitude on the field (making the organization an attractive prospect for Barry Bonds), has returned to the fold in a similar capacity.
The position is little more than marketing, but the Giants' managing general partner correctly notes that a large segment of the Giants' fan base grew up following the Clark-era Giants. That generation is of season-ticket-buying age, so this is a wise move.
As a general rule, I don't fawn over professional athletes, but Will Clark is my one exception. I don't understand why, but any baseball fan who has that one guy he admires over all others knows the feeling. In my mind, everything good that happened with the Giants in that era flowed from Clark's talent and intensity.
Good things are starting to happen to the Giants as they shake off the Bonds era like a pleasant dream that ended with a sudden, inexplicable plunge off a cliff. Young, somewhat talented players (I have to be realistic), with truly talented players in the pipeline waiting to be called up, paired with a pitching staff that includes three Cy Young Award winners (including its most recent recipient) spells good things for the future. Adding The Thrill to the mix just makes it all the more sweet.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment