Thursday BP: Bigger than baseball

Hello and happy Thursday.

By now you likely know what happened on Wednesday. The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers came together to decide not to play their scheduled baseball game, as a sign of protest against the systemic oppression and police brutality that was on display on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, when police officers fired seven shots into the back of Jacob Blake, a Black man, while his kids watched from a nearby car.

It followed all six NBA teams that were scheduled to play refusing to do so, and then all six WNBA teams that were scheduled doing the same. MLS teams opted not to play as well, and the Giants and Dodgers were two of six MLB teams that protested by not taking the field.

I don’t have too much to say on the matter, because I think it’s time to focus on the words of those taking the action. So I’ll leave you with some quotes and social media posts, as well as two tidbits:

1. I’m feeling proud, even if nothing I do has any impact on the Giants.
2. The two teams will make up the game today, with a pair of doubleheaders starting at 1:05 p.m.

Did Barry Bonds hit a home run today?

Certainly.

August 27, 2001: Against the New York Mets, Bonds hit a solo home run in the 5th inning off of Kevin Appier. It was back-to-back home runs for the Giants following a Rich Aurilia shot, and gave them a 3-1 lead. They would win 6-5. It was his 56th homer of the year.

August 27, 2002: Against the Colorado Rockies, Bonds hit 3 home runs. A solo home run in the 1st inning off of Denny Stark gave the Giants a 1-0 lead, and a solo shot in the 6th inning off of Stark cut the Giants deficit to 3-2. A solo home run in the 7th inning off of Kent Mercker tied the game 3-3, and Jeff Kent would make it back-to-back shots, leading the Giants to a 7-4 win. They were his 36th, 37th, and 38th homers of the year.

August 27, 2004: Against the Atlanta Braves, Bonds hit a 3-run home run in the 6th inning off of Jaret Wright, scoring Ray Durham and Edgardo Alfonzo. It gave the Giants a 3-0 lead, but they would lose 5-3. It was his 36th homer of the year.

Old, random MCC article for you to read

People are laundering money through Jose Uribe’s 1990 Fleer card (July 1, 2018 — Bryan Murphy)

Giants links

• Roger Munter explores what might happen if the Giants decided to trade Mike Yastrzemski (There R Giants)
• Grant Brisbee on what it would look like if the Giants decide to buy at the deadline (The Athletic, subscription required)
• Maria Guardado on the decision to not play (MLB)
• Henry Schulman on how Joey Bart’s arrival is reminiscent of recent great Giants (SF Chronicle)
• Kerry Crowley lists five reasons why the Giants are serious playoff contenders (Mercury News)
• Andrew Baggarly on the Giants comeback win on Tuesday (The Athletic, subscription required)
• John Shea on the Giants and Dodgers deciding to to protest instead of play (SF Chronicle)
• Alex Pavlovic on Brandon Belt matching a Barry Bonds streak from 14 years ago (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Jay Jaffe lists the replacement killers at catcher, which includes the Giants (Fangraphs)
• Dieter Kurtenbach thinks fans owe Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler an apology (Mercury News)
• Keith Law scouts some prospects, including Joey Bart (The Athletic, subscription required)

I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday.