Title/Author:
“Home Team: The
Turbulent History of the San Francisco Giants” by Robert F. Garratt
Tags:
Baseball,
professional, history, Giants
Publish date:
April 1, 2017
Length:
264 pages
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very
good)
Review:
When Horace Stoneham moved the New York Giants from Manhattan to San
Francisco, the team’s fortunes and culture took as dramatic a change as its
address did. The story of the team on the West Coast is captured in this
interesting book by Robert Garratt.
From the first time that Stoneham had the idea to move the ball club from
the outdated Polo Grounds in Manhattan to the team’s success during the current
decade on and off the field in AT&T Park, Garratt weaves facts and beliefs
that are not quite facts into an entertaining read about the team that has
often had a love-hate relationship with the fans and the city.
There are some stories that may not be as well known to a casual fan or
to readers with a passing knowledge of baseball history. One of those is that
the construction of Candlestick Park, while not as fraught with controversy as
the construction of Dodger Stadium, had its own share of shenanigans. For example,
the construction was overseen by contractor Charles Harney, who owned the land
on Candlestick Point where the ballpark was built. He demanded that all plans
from the architects and all construction vehicles on the site bore the name “Harney
Stadium”, believing the park would be named for him. When a fan vote gave the stadium the name “Candlestick
Park” Harney ordered a work slowdown which delayed the opening of the ballpark
for one year.
The years of ownership by Stoneham, which came very close to ending with
the club moving to Toronto, and then later Bob Lurie, which came very close to
ending with the club moving to Tampa Bay, make up the bulk of the book. They
cover a wide range of topics - the results on the field, the struggles of the
front office to come up with sufficient revenue, and the atrocious conditions
of watching baseball at Candlestick Park.
However, once Peter Magowan became the principal owner in early 1993 and
signed Barry Bonds to what was at the time the richest contract in baseball
history, the team’s fortunes changed off the field as well as on it. After suffering four defeats in five years
for referendums on a new ball park under Lurie, Magowan spearheaded a
successful referendum to build what is now AT&T Park. While the latter was
built with private funds as opposed to using public funds in the other votes,
it still represented the change in attitude of the city and public officials
toward the value of the team to the city, a belief that is captured in the
writing of the political process.
Once the team moved to the new park in 2000, there is little written
about the team’s history there and that was the only disappointment with the
book for me. It would have been interesting to read about this author’s take on
the recent run of World Series titles, the only three the team has won during
its tenure in San Francisco, especially comparing the team’s riches from these
to the struggles of the franchise during the 1970’s.
Overall, this is a very entertaining and informative book. It is
recommended for readers who are either fans of the Giants or are interested in
the history of the team.
I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the
book in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
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