For as long as I can remember, I have disliked the San Francisco Giants. Why? There are many reasons.
When I meet a new baseball fan, I'm excited; could this person be my first A's fan friend? 90% of the time, no; they're a Giants fan. Sometimes I get Dodgers, White Sox, whatever, but almost every time it's "nope, Giants". How can I have 0 out of 100 friends be A's fans? Why is the balance so far off? I don't know, but that definitely contributes to my dislike for the Giants.
If you missed it in the earlier paragraph, I have literally ZERO friends who are A's fans. If I want to watch an A's game with someone, the A's better be playing a team they care about. I have no one to talk about A's news with. I have no one to talk about A's prospects with. I have no one to talk about A's transactions with. It's fairly depressing. The fact that everyone chose the Giants over the A's has led me to resent the Giants, even though it's not their fault. It seems like most people choose the same team as their parents, which I guess is why most people end up with the Giants, but even then, why did THEIR parents choose the Giants over the A's? It had to start somewhere. If it's a matter of success, the A's have the edge. Since moving to California, the A's have four World Series titles; the Giants have zero. The A's have six American League pennants; the Giants have three National League pennants. The A's and Giants matched up in the 1989 World Series, and the A's beat the Giants in a sweep, 4-0. I just don't understand.
The reason for this post is that I just watched Jonathan Sanchez throw a no-hitter for the Giants, and realized that if an A's pitcher did the same thing I'd have no one to celebrate it with. The thought of it just makes me sad. The dislike for the Giants has mostly grown from this, and it annoys me that even though I'd be open to supporting both Bay Area teams, the vast differential in Sacramento-area fanbases has led me to love the A's and hate the Giants. I don't have a hatred for the individuals that play baseball in San Francisco. I even like their home uniforms, their ballpark, and some of their young players. I just can't bring myself to do anything but dislike the team that has monopolized the Sacramento-area fanbase to the point where I am forced to enjoy my A's in solitude. Giants, it's not your fault. The rest of you...it's yours.
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4 comments:
fuck the giants! GO A's!!
As a Giants fan, I've also wondered why Bay Area folks seem to prefer the Giants over the A's, given the A's successes since moving to Oakland like you pointed out.
I think I can identify three factors:
1. The decade gap between the Giants and the A's. The Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958, the A's in 1968. That ten-year period is enough to consolidate a fan base that could withstand the arrival of a second team in the market.
2. The Giants-Dodgers rivalry. This is one of the greatest rivalries in professional sports, and having both teams move to California at the same time gave the fans a ready-made rivalry that literally picked up where it left off in New York. Furthermore, having an instant enemy gave the fans something to fall behind immediately--which helped to build that local Giants fan base from day one.
3. The ex-pat factor. San Francisco has always attracted people from all over, and conversations from Giants fans who are not from the Bay Area usually reveal a family connection with the old NY Giants--frequently a dad, grandpa, uncle, or other male relative who was a Giants fan. If they're old enough, they also rooted from the NY Giants.
As for me, my grandpa was a NY Giants fan, who passed it on to my dad (though he had a brief love affair with the Mets in 1986), who passed it on to me--and I openly admit to rooting for the A's in 1988 and 1990. That's probably why they lost both Series. :(
I wasn't a baseball fan at all until I met my husband, who is a Giants fan through and through. Funny enough, one of the reasons he is a Giants fan is because his dad is an A's fan.
One thing about living in Sacramento, though, is that it does give us an opportunity to keep track of the A's prospects through the Rivercats, which is something that we enjoy doing. So when someone like Gio Gonzalez starts for the A's, we pay attention.
I have to admit, like the previous poster pointed out, the Giants-Dodgers rivalry is probably one of the funnest things about being a Giants fan. I really love BOOing random strangers on the street who are caught wearing any Dodgers gear. It's great!
But if you want to talk A's, my hubby is volunteering, as long as it is on equal ground (no Giants bashing). He actually follows ALL of baseball. :-)
and an addendum: favorably for the A's - Connie Mack is a plus.
(and in my opinion, so is Matt Holliday)
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