Well, lemme tell ya, that 2000 San Francisco Giants team, they were somethin’ else. I remember watchin’ them on the TV, and they sure could hit that ball. That Barry Bonds, oh boy, he was a strong one. Hit that ball clean outta the park, he did. 49 home runs that year, can you believe it?
And that Dusty Baker, he was their leader, their manager, you know. They say he was the best that year, won some kinda award for it. He sure knew how to get those boys playin’. They won 97 games, Lordy, that’s a lot of wins! And they finished 1st in the… what was it… NL West. Sounds important, don’t it?
They had other good hitters too. Not just that Bonds fella. There was Ellis Burks, Jeff Kent, J.T. Snow, and Rich Aurilia. They all hit more than 20 home runs. That’s a lot of folks hittin’ that ball far. That Jeff Kent, he was a feisty one, I tell ya. And J.T. Snow, always seemed to be there when they needed him. Rich Aurilia, slick with the glove, that one.
They scored a whole heap of runs. More than 900, I heard. That’s like, a mountain of runs. And they didn’t let the other teams score too many, neither. Only 747, they say.
- Barry Bonds – 49 home runs, that fella was somethin’ else!
- Ellis Burks – Over 20 home runs, strong as an ox.
- Jeff Kent – Another one with over 20, tough as nails.
- J.T. Snow – Over 20 home runs, always came through.
- Rich Aurilia – Over 20 home runs, smooth in the field.
Now, they had some good pitchers too. Shawn Estes, Mark Gardner, and Livan Hernandez. They were the ones who threw the ball most of the time. They were their starters. That Livan Hernandez, he had a funny way of throwin’, but it worked. Then there was Joe Nathan, Russ Ortiz, and Kirk Rueter, they were starters, too. I don’t know much about pitchin’, but I know you gotta have good ones to win.
They had other pitchers too, ones they brought in when the starters got tired. Alan Embree, Aaron Fultz, and Doug Henry, they were called relievers. Then there was John Johnstone, Felix Rodriguez, and Robb Nen. That Robb Nen, he was the closer, they called him. He came in at the end to finish things up. And he was good at it, too!
- Starters: Shawn Estes, Mark Gardner, Livan Hernandez, Joe Nathan, Russ Ortiz, Kirk Rueter
- Relievers: Alan Embree, Aaron Fultz, Doug Henry, John Johnstone, Felix Rodriguez
- Closer: Robb Nen – He finished ’em off!
That Brian Sabean, he was the General Manager that year. Heard that name a lot on the TV. And some fella named Dick Tidrow was the Farm Director. Sounds like a farmer, don’t it? Then there was Matt Nerland, the Scouting Director. They had all sorts of folks helpin’ out, I reckon.
I remember they played the New York Mets in the, uh, playoffs, I think they called it. Lost that one, they did. Three games to one, it was. Shame, but they had a good run. That’s what matters, right? Havin’ a good run.
They had some real good players in the past, too. This Willie Mays, they say he played more games for the Giants than anyone. 2,857 times he played for ’em. That’s a whole lot of baseball. They also had Willie McCovey, Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Carl Hubbell, Monte Irvin, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, Gaylord Perry, Will Clark, Robby Thompson, and later they got Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum. Those names all sound familiar, heard ’em on the TV over the years. They musta been somethin’ special, too.
Well, that 2000 San Francisco Giants team, they sure were fun to watch. Lots of good players, lots of excitement. They made a lot of folks happy that year, I reckon. They brought a lot of joy to the city, that’s for sure. That 2000 San Francisco Giants roster was sure somethin’ special. Yeah, that was a good year for baseball. A real good year.
