FanPost

Fun with Wikipedia 4: The Silver Chair



I wish I could still post as often as I did back in the infant days of MCC but am mostly just popping in for a read every now and then- that doesn't mean I am going to stop the Fun with Wikipedia series. Each summer I go through the 25 man roster and give the oddest/best facts from the player's Wiki page. To wit:

2009: Fun with Wikipedia (And there are only seven guys left from that list- Nate, Affeldt, Panda, Romo, Timmy, Zito and Bochy)

2010: Fun with Wikipedia 2: High Voltage

2011: Fun with Wikipedia 3: The Time of the Great Giving

Please bear in mind I try not to repeat any previously stated facts (and always like to mention here that Zito's uncle being Patrick Duffy is still one of my favorite ones). And again thanks to all of the McCoven who actually wrote some of these Wiki pages.

  • Madbum- Bumgarner began the season 2012 by going 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA. With his win over The Brewers on May 5 he became the first Giant since Jason Schmidt to win 14 games in a 20-game span
  • Cain- Additionally, Mayor Ed Lee, in recognition of the perfect game, presented Cain with the key to the city as well gave out a proclamation that June 13th every year will be known as "Matt Cain Day"
  • Timmy- His father, Chris, dismissed suggestions that Lincecum be demoted to the minors: "Here’s a two-time Cy Young winner, a four-time All-Star, a World Series champion, and send him to the minors? You do that, and what you’re basically telling the player is, 'We don’t need you or respect you.' And this is the kid who helped bring a championship to the city of San Francisco for the first time in over 50 years?"
  • Vogelsong- (2012) Vogelsong is the first ERA leader not to make the All-Star team since 2001 (Josh Johnson had not pitched enough innings in 2006 to qualify for the ERA title).
  • Zito- He was a late-in-life baby for Roberta and Joe, a show biz couple who met and married while working for Nat King Cole in the 1960s
  • Affeldt- In 2003, Affeldt found himself competing with Runelvys Hernández for the first spot in the Royals' starting rotation during Spring Training. Because Tony Peña, the Royals' manager, was unable to decide which one would be the ace, he flipped a coin to determine who would be number one. Hernández won the toss
  • Hensley- On August 4, 2007, Hensley gave up Barry Bonds' 755th career home run, which tied Bonds with Hank Aaron for most all-time. The next day, Hensley was optioned to the minor leagues.
  • Kontos- On April 4, 2012, Kontos was traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for catcher Chris Stewart
  • Lopez- On April 30, 2009, Lopez allowed five runs in 1⁄3 inning and played the remainder of the eighth inning in right field after Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona switched Javier Lopez with right fielder Jonathan Van Every.[9] This was the first time a Red Sox pitcher has played another position in a major league game since Tom Burgmeier on August 3, 1980.
  • Penny- On May 21, 2010, Penny hit his first career grand slam, to give his team an 8–4 lead during interleague play against the Angels
  • Romo- In 2012, Romo did not allow an earned run until the 17th of May.
  • Casilla- However at times he struggles with control of his pitches.
  • Posey- "I appreciate the continued support of Giants fans and others as I begin the process of working my way back ... But in no way do I condone threats of any kind against Scott Cousins or his family. As I said last week, I'm not out to vilify Scott"
  • H. Sanchez- Due to their pairing during Barry Zito's rehab stint at AAA in 2011, and their continued success together at the major-league level in 2012, he has been designated as Barry Zito's personal catcher. (Ed: Also, his profile picture is fantastic)
  • Árias- Among five Yankees prospects offered to the Rangers, Árias was selected over Robinson Canó because he was a more polished defender and two years younger.
  • Belt- Six Flags Marine World even named a real baby giraffe after Belt.
  • Burriss- His best friend, Deloran Young, was also a teammate with Burriss in high school. Young was killed in a shooting and Burriss dedicates his successes in the majors to Young. Saying that sometimes it feels like Deloran is there with him.
  • Crawford- He joined Bobby Bonds and Brian Dallimore as Giants whose first career Major League hit was a grand slam; he also became the sixth player in MLB history and the second player in Giants history along with Bonds to hit a grand slam in his first game.
  • Panda- He received the nickname after a play on September 19, 2008, where he scored a run against the Los Angeles Dodgers by jumping over the tag of catcher Danny Ardoin, scoring from second base on a single by Bengie Molina
  • Theriot- Theriot at second base robbed Prince Fielder of a seemingly sure hit for the 3rd out of the inning. Prince was so impressed with the play that he waited for Theriot to exit the field and gave him an enthusiastic high five.
  • Blanco- On June 13, 2012 Blanco made a fully extended diving catch in deep right-center field, catching the ball in the end of his mitt, to rob Jordan Schafer of a hit in the top of the 7th inning of Matt Cain's perfect game. The Mercury News said: "In a town very familiar with the words "The Catch," Blanco made one for the ages. He took off on a dead sprint at the crack of the bat and made a diving catch on the warning track in center field, 400 feet from home plate."
  • Melky- Cabrera's nickname around the Yankee clubhouse was "Masa Pan Con Leche," which is Spanish for "bread dough with milk."
  • Christian- The lone times that Christian was caught stealing, he had fallen down in between first and second base, and when he was caught leading far off first.
  • Pagán- Pagán is the first person in Major League history to hit his first two career home runs on his birthday.
  • Nate- On June 14, 2009, Schierholtz had an inside-the-park home run, only the fourth in AT&T Park history, in the 3rd inning against the Oakland A's.
  • BONUS: Hitting Coach Hensley Muelens: On April 27, 2012, Meulens was awarded with the Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau, which is a chivalry order of the Netherlands that is the equivalent of knighthood. Brandon Belt, one of the players that Meulens coaches on the Giants, says he prefers to call the newly knighted coach 'Sir Bam Bam.

Also, if you know any interesting or fun facts ADD THEM TO THE WIKIPEDIA PAGE! Share your love and knowledge of the Giants and make this article even easier for me next year.

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