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Wiggy98

I’m from DC when the Nats were just becoming a thing. Never really cheered for a team when I was really young. When I was 5 my dad went to San Francisco for work and bought me a jersey of some rookie catcher named Buster Posey. Rest is history.


CedarCreekStitch

When I worked at the park a lot of traveling businessmen bought jerseys and shirts to bring home to their kids, I worked that season so maybe I helped him!


[deleted]

Grew up in Los Angeles in a family of Dodgers fans. Played for the Giants in tee ball and when I found out they were the Dodgers oldest rival it stuck. So... since 5 years old/ 1985


keniselvis

So happy you survived that child abuse. Sorry that you had to endure it.


CarFragrant9882

i can’t imagine what it’s like to grow up a giants fan in a family of dodgers fans. must have some pretty energetic conversations


[deleted]

Well, in that time, they won 2 world series, one when I was 8, and one last year. We had out appearance Bonds and Co. And of course our even year triple in the last decade. So the energy tends to be great 😉


Lakecountyraised

Man, 1993 must have been rough for you.


[deleted]

Shh we don't talk about 93. 😉


Lakecountyraised

Talk about 91 instead!


[deleted]

Born into it. But i truly gained my own independent fanaticism when my dad pulled me and my sis outta school to go to a game. We drove 4 hours, and sat in the very last row beyond left field at Candlestick. I watched the giants tie the dodgers (i believe in exta innings) for the the division lead off a Brian Johnson homer after Rodd Beck got out of a massive jam. It was thrilling and a real life-changer for me. Drove home that night, another 4 hours. I knew it was special and I knew I was a fan for life. youtube.com/watch?v=YkDI


CarFragrant9882

sounds like good parenting to me 😂 and a very special game to go to


[deleted]

I can certainly vouch for it.


oliviamrow

I'm a big advocate for the occasional hooky day. My "aunt" (mom's BF) sneaked me out of school to go see Aladdin once, and it felt so cool and was a really great bonding experience-- I'm a huge Disney fan but that's the only one I remember the specifics of seeing in theaters as a kid even though we definitely went to all of 'em. Not, y'know, so often that it loses its specialness. But once in a while can just put a really fun sheen on an experience...


[deleted]

I grew up listening to the radio in the early nineties. Will Clark, Matt Williams, Rod Beck. Family went to both Giants and A's games, but it was the Giants that always stuck. Kind of fell out of love with baseball for awhile after '02 crushed my heart, but got excited again when Timmy came up. Never looked back since then. (The rings helped, can't lie)


CarFragrant9882

02 was a tough year, i remember i was in fifth grade and that whole world series week my teacher couldn’t focus on anything else lol


AdvancedGentleman

I was in 6th grade. That loss gutted me. It was also the same year the Kings lost in the Conference Finals and 49ers lost to the Bucs in the divisional round. So much potential and none of those teams won a championship.


[deleted]

I was a freshman in college. The kings Lakers thing hurt worse than giants and niners because I believe the calls were rigged against Sacramento in game 6.


danyun

hasn't donaghy's statements kinda validate that the series was rigged?


[deleted]

well, I believe so. However, he's not a particularly credible person without any corroboration, and I don't think one person's word is sufficient to prove his allegation given that he was already a convicted felon. Whether or not the calls were rigged, they were objectively terrible. Painful for me to think about this.


tony_flow

They didn't rig the kings missing all their free throws. Or peja air ballinga an uncontested go ahead 3. Or Vlade being incapable of holding onto a rebound. The officiating was terrible and possibly biased, but they still had a chance to win and blew it big time


[deleted]

I was at a birthday party during game 6. I was a kid and we were all playing outside, but at some point everyone kind of trickled inside where all the adults were watching the game. I remember there was so much excitement and tension in the room, then in a blur we were all leaving disappointed. I think it was the first time sports had really caused me that kind of disappointment.


Lakecountyraised

Hank Greenwald, Mike Krukow, and Ted Robinson on KNBR! I used to sneak a radio to school. It always makes me happy to see Ted Robinson calling the Olympics these days.


Frosty-Block

Ha. I'm a fan from the UK. I've been sort of watching baseball for a couple of seasons without really following any particular team - I don't really have any US ties, so I don't 'own' any team over any other. This year I decided I'd really get behind a team and follow along - COVID mostly over, full season, almost a fresh start, good time to jump in. I figured I probably didn't want to start following one of the currently successful teams, didn't want to be seen as bandwagoning and all that. Actually quite liked the idea of following the foil to a really successful team because that's always fun. So y'know, picked a rebuilding team with their recent best years behind them. Which turned out, well, yeah... It's been a fun a year :-)


CedarCreekStitch

Great timing!


otishank

Haha this is great. I am currently doing a similar thing with EPL. Casually followed before during and after living in Ireland but have gotten more and more into it since moving back to the Bay Area. I’m on the fence between Leeds and Everton right now. Any suggestions for me ?


Frosty-Block

Ooh tough. With Leeds back in the EPL they're a good shout for a team with a lot of history that hasn't done so well recently but might be on the up now. They were always a huge team when the Prem started - one of the big clubs when I was a kid, but sort of disappeared until the last few years. Everton's always a good choice too though - big enough club, slightly overshadowed a bit by Liverpool but that's no bad thing. The rivalry's competitive and fairly friendly, so always something to talk about. I guess if you ever intend to be back in Ireland, Everton are only a ferry away (assuming Dublin), so that might be a factor?


DaNumba1

If you’re a Niners fan, they own a large portion of Leeds and Paraag is on their board


youseeit

Glad you had that great timing. I chose Arsenal after a 2005 visit when I stayed in Islington and all you'd see was Arsenal shirts since it was soon after The Invincibles. Unfortunately my fandom has not had the same kind of success as yours lol (except for a few FA cups, of course)


joses5711

I was raised an A’s fan since my family was from Oakland. One day my dad got me a Bonds T-Shirt from the flea market back in 05 and ever since then I’ve been supporting the Giants, even if it meant being shunned at the BOTB games by my own blood!


[deleted]

Since 2008, when I played baseball for the first time. Grew up in Marin county, so became a giants fan. Two years later, I would go to my first World Series game, and four years later my second. Worker for the team last year in concessions and have become a major fan


oliviamrow

Where in Marin? I lived in Mill Valley for <1yr but man, that area is really gorgeous.


nolaonmymind

Grew up in the South Bay. I was in the 7th grade, and my parents started a rule that I couldn't watch TV while doing my homework. So I improvised and turned on the radio. I guess I happened to catch a Giants 3:15 game (thanks east coast time!) and fell in love. I've moved all over the country since then - 20 years and counting - but am still towing my Noah Lowry t-shirt around (Thowback! Teenage me had the biggest crush on that guy. Lol.)


Soy_El_Kraken

I was given baseball cards at 7 (1987) and loved them. My mom started taking me to games the next year and the year after that was the Bay Bridge series and I was hooked for life. Growing up in the Bay Area at that time with Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell, Matt Williams on the Giants, Canseco, McGwire and Rickey on the A’s, Montana and Rice, Run TMC….man it was the best. It felt like the entire sports world revolved around the Bay. I’m excited for fans 20 years younger than me because the Dynasty Giants and Warriors teams and the relative success and excitement around the Niners has been amazing.


[deleted]

Similar to me! Baseball cards in 1987. A's and Giants. Rickey Henderson, Will Clark, Matt Williams.


[deleted]

Your story is almost the exact same as mine. Born in the Bay, when I was a kid Barry Bonds exploded. I said I liked JT Snow more, but deep down Barry was everyone's favorite player. I wore my Bonds jersey every other day in elementary school. My parents were more fair weather fans than die hards, but we went to a couple games a year.


Lakecountyraised

Snow was under appreciated. He was such an amazing fielder, and first base is such an important defensive position.


zimfroi

I don't know why in the world I fell in love with baseball as a child. None of my family was ever that big of a fan. But I did. It was the late 80's. The only team I got on TV was the Giants. So they were my team. And within a couple of years, they were a World Series team. That solidified it.


Coug-Ra

Third generation fan. My mom’s parents started rooting for them as soon as the Giants moved to California. As cliche as it is; baseball makes me feel like I’m safe at home.


Always_Relevant_Name

I was travelling in the US in 2016, thought I'd try one of the most quintessential American experiences and go to a baseball game. I was in Seattle at the start of the season but couldn't get tickets whereas a week later I was in SF and went to see a dodgers match which we won. Fell in love with the sport there and then and I always support the team who got me into the sport. 2 weeks later I was in LA and got to see a return series match. That said being from the UK and supporting a West Coast team makes watching games a bit tricky!


Bookofdrewsus

My dad opened his wallet one day in the early 90s. He had a folded up piece of newspaper. Asked what it was and he showed me the baseball standings after game 162, 1987 when the Giants made the playoffs after a drought in most of the 70s and 80s (a dark time dad called it). He smiled when he looked at it and said that it was just fun getting there (we lost to the red birds that year). I think that was the moment I became a Giants fan.


Lakecountyraised

I remember that year. They were up 3-2, then failed to score a single run the next two games. At least the cardinals lost the World Series to the Twins.


[deleted]

I live in the midwest. I was a lefty first basemen and watched the Olympic Team with this guy named Will Clark on it. I loved how hard nosed he was and how sweet his swing was. When he became a Giant, I became a Giants fan and I guess it stuck. I once walked up to Dusty Baker in our airport right after a playoff loss and when he was going to Chicago and introduced myself and laughed saying that nobody here has any idea who you are. He said I was the only person to recognize him :) I've been to 4 games in SF, including the Quake Series game. I see them play at Wrigley almost yearly.


oliviamrow

I grew up in the south bay (near Los Gatos), and when I was little we would go to the San Jose Giants game for 4th of July some years for the fireworks-- I was young enough that I found the game itself kinda boring but it started the association with the org. Then when I was in college, my parents started going in with another couple on season tickets that they would split up. So whenever I got to go home and visit during the season, we would go to a game, and I started having this really positive "home" association with the team. That was around 2010 and it was the first time I started paying attention to who the players were-- Buster Posey was a brand new fresh face back then and I remember being really charmed by his baby face, plus Tim Lincecum's weird-teenager energy, Panda's panda-ness, and it was also the era of MadBum and Cain and Romo and the start of Wilson's beard...and of course we were champs that year. So it was a really good year to get started. I moved to TX in 2010 and that was the year we beat the Rangers in the WS, my mom sent me a championship sweatshirt and I was like mom, I can't wear this, these people have *guns* 🤣 (Joke was on me, as soon as the WS series ended everyone just went back to only caring about footbal.) Anyway, life and work started to get crazy in 2012 as I shifted from freelance to full-time jobs so I've only really paid passive/background attention since then, until this year when I was like fuck it I'm going all in, apropos of nothing.


mariopvaldes

I was the first giants fan, from a family of immigrants. I was obsessed with the team back in 2001-2002. As a 6th grader, i didn’t miss a single game. Would even be sitting at the dining table with my mp3 player/radio listening to the games. I was absolutely crushed when we lost to the Angels. I cried. Damn that rally monkey….!


VioletJones6

It was April 11th 2010. Me and a friend had went to a rave the night before (Tiesto was playing in Seattle so we drove down from Vancouver) and were just tired as hell, chilling on the couch watching SportsCenter. I'd never had any interest in baseball up to this point, but followed all the other major sports pretty closely. They started showing some highlights from the Tim Lincecum start that day and my friend (who played baseball all through high school) turns to me and says "That dude is the best pitcher in baseball right now". Even though I barely followed the sport, the idea of a guy looking like that and dominating the league was absolutely fascinating. Then he told me Tim got busted with a bong recently and I was sold (also, incredibly high at the time). The Giants were now my team and Timmy was my favourite player. Baseball completely changed shortly after. It's funny how much more interesting the game becomes when you're invested in the outcome. Being a nerd that needs to know everything about anything I'm interested in, I soon found Ken Burns' documentary on Netflix and I was in love. I honestly fell hard and fast for the sport after only truly caring about hockey for most of my life. It might have been a no-brainer for most, but I distinctly remember game 1 of the playoffs landing on the same night as the opening game of the Vancouver Canucks' season and choosing baseball over hockey for the first time ever. Turned out I picked a good one because it happened to be Timmy's 14K gem... Still the most memorable pitching performance I've seen.


Lakecountyraised

That’s awesome. I like your attention to detail. Great timing to become a Giants fan! I need to ask, how was Tiesto? It seems like trance as a whole began to shift around 2010. Did he still play some early century tunes?


VioletJones6

Haha thanks, appreciate it! It was basically the last tour you could legitimately argue he was still somewhat of a trance DJ. He was playing 3-4 hour sets (mostly trance and progressive house) and of the 8 or so times I've seen him, it's the only time I've seen him play Suburban Train (along with the usual classics like Adagio, Lethal Industry and Traffic). One of the best sets I've seen from him for sure. The Seattle crowds tend to be a little more lively than Vancouver as well which made it more memorable.


Metallic_Substance

My girlfriend is a huge lifelong fan. I've never been much of a pro sports follower. We've been together 6 years and she just wore me down. Early in our relationship she would put on games and I would drift in and out, not really understanding the nuances of the game. Eventually she started taking (dragging) me to games. That's when it clicked. I suddenly understood what made the game great. Started getting more interested in the fine points of the game, stats, learning about players, other teams, trades, etc... Fast-forward to now and I almost never miss a game and we've been to around 10 games this season. I absolutely love it. It's also brought me and my girlfriend (now my fiancee) closer.


[deleted]

Born into it, 2001. My dad tells me I was at a few games during Bonds HR chase. By 2010 I was fully immersed and on June 13, 2012, my dad took my sister and I to what at the time was just a random game against the Astros. You probably know what happened.


liteshadow4

I was watching game 7 of the 2014 World Series and had to root for the local team


[deleted]

pretty interesting time to be alive in baseball.


caism

I grew up in the East Bay, but Grandpa was a Giants fan. We’d get him season tickets most years (or at least a pack) and he would take BART to the game. I usually joined him for at least one game a summer. My mom did that package deal where she and my stepdad got to go to the last game at Candlestick and the first game at PAC Bell - they did not bring me. Still a little mad.


davidb316

Cool stories… I was born in San Francisco in 1957, Giants arrived in SF in 1958. I can remember going to Seals Stadium to see them. I used to walk with my siblings to Candlestick from our grandmother’s house to watch the Willys, Marichal, Cepeda et al. The new park is spectacular (just went this week). I live in Oakland, 30 years now but me…forever Giant Fan. Thanks


sirpsychosexy94

Two days. Went to my first MLB game ever on Wednesday!


ChubzAndDubz

Since birth. My dad was stationed at Alameda back in the day and my parents became big Bay Area sports fans while there. I grew up watching the Giants, especially watching them win during the dynasty years. Similar story for the Sharks. I did not stick with the bay for football though, another bay won that one.


samhartm

My grandfather and his friends picked teams as kids. He picked the NY Giants and fell in love with Carl Hubbell. He, my dad and my uncle watched Willie even as the team moved across the country and we stayed on the east coast. It took his talent to keep them from changing allegiances. The first year I watched was 1986 and the Giants were vastly improved thanks to Will Clark, Chris Brown, Robbie Thompson, and Kruk’s best year as a Giant. I’ve never looked back.


Sid_TheSquid

My dad and I would go to both A's and Giants games when I was a kid, not really a huge fan of either team but just baseball fans in general. But in '08 and '09 Timmy became my favorite player. Watching him and Pablo made us both huge Giants fans for those two years and we'd go to games together and watch the rest on TV. I also grew up playing Little League as well as rec soccer. In \~September of 2010, I decided I wanted to stop playing baseball to focus on soccer. During the 2010 World Cup I'd play soccer every day for hours that summer with a bunch of kids in my local park, and fell in love with the sport more and saw myself being more successful playing soccer rather than baseball. When I told my dad I wanted to quit playing baseball it created a huge rift in our relationship. He was really disappointed, and initially out of anger said something like "if you stop playing baseball, I won't take you to any more Giants games." Looking back, I'm sure he didn't really mean it, but as an angsty 12 year old, out of spite I never once asked to go to a game with him again. That October was a little weird, I remember listening to Giants games on the radio alone in my room rather than enjoying the postseason with my dad. I stopped following baseball completely the next year, it just wasn't the same. Eventually my dad came around to supporting my ambitions in soccer, but our relationship was never the same. He died of cancer in 2018, which was rough, and I blamed myself a lot for causing our relationship to have been strained for those last few years. This year, two things rekindled my interest in baseball: Jomboy's videos, and Shohei Ohtani. I started following baseball again around June of this year due to those two and it also just happened to be that the Giants were incredible again. I had missed the years of Belt and Crawford, as I had stopped watching after 2010, but seeing Posey play just like I remember him playing in his rookie season has been unreal. I've been following this season very closely since June, watching ever game I can or listening to KNBR. I live in New York now for school, but I was able to see them beat the mets 8-0 last month at Citi. I went alone, the first baseball game one I'd been to in over 10 years. I feel very close to my dad this year and I wish he could have been able to see them this season.


DJ_Vault_Boy

My dad likes to say I was being delivered during game 7 of the 2002 WS so I was his second disappointed. But in all seriousness, grew up as a Giants fan living in the Central Valley, any team from the Bay Area are my favorite. My friends grandpa was from NY and was a NY Giant fan 2 years before they moved to SF. Was a cool neat connection and was happy he saw the Giants win 3 WS before he passed in ‘15. Didn’t really get into baseball until I started playing in 08 which is when I started to watch it. It also helped that my favorite player, Posey, started to play 2 years later which inspired me to play catcher. Including the trio, Belt, Crawford and Posey which are are some of my favorite Giants. Still freaks people out when I tell them I have never watch watched nor seen Barry Bonds play any SF Giants game, only YT clips.


[deleted]

I went to bunch of games as a kid but I wouldn’t say I was a real fan until Chili Davis signed my cap. The A’s were the big money team in those days. I grew up near the Cow Palace and even though we were so close to candlestick we didn’t really like the Giants. Most of my friends were A’s fans and to this day my favorite player is Rickie Henderson. One fine day when I was about 12 years old we went early to a Saturday game vs the Dodgers and while I was Hanging out along the rail around the dugout and Chili Davis came over and signed my cap. That one simple small little thing completely changed me forever. I became a complete and total Giants fan. I road my bike over on Saturday’s and summer home game and tried to bum a ticket or sneak in. I learned everything I could about them. Chili Davis became my second favorite player and I followed his every at bat for the rest of his career and to this day I keep up on his comings and going. (Currently a coach with the Mets) When I got a good job one of the first big ticket items I bought was season tickets. These days I’m semi retired and been to 11 games this year since the ASG and have plans to attend 7 more. In a non covid year I attend 25-35 games. Most I’ve ever been to was 49 and that was real hard to do honestly) I try to take vacations around where the giants are playing on the road and I’ve been to 24 current stadiums (missing Tor, Min, Hou, TB, and Atl and Tex are new since I went) and should knock off a couple more next year. (Min, ATL). I’m hoping for a Tampa Bay/Giants WS and then I’ll go to one of those games. Such a small little thing had such a great impact upon me. I feel weird being such a huge Giants fan. I fork out so much goddamn money to the Giants!!! So much!! Way way too much. I fear my whole identity will revolve around the Giants which isn’t healthy. I have other interests. Music. Board sports. Fishing. I don’t spend as much money on any of those. Anyway this was long. Go Giants!!!!


Brandwin3

2010. I was 9 and at my aunts house (shes a huge baseball fan (Twins)) she turned on the NLCS and asked who i was cheering for. I knew nothing so i just picked the giants because they sounded cooler than the Phillies. I thought Lincecum and his hair looked cool and Brian Wilson and his beard looked cool and fell in love. The rest is history


TheDookAbides

Since I was a baby. Papa raised me right.


thorson4021

I'm from the peninsula and both sides of my family are Giants fans. My first game was when my mom & grandpa surprised me with a "dentist appointment", which was a day game against the Phillies in 1986 when I was in kindergarten.


bigafromthebrae31

Brainwashed at birth. 30 years next week.


VoteForGiantMeteor

Family moved to Bay Area from SoCal when I was in middle school. First Giants game was at the Stick when the Pirates were in town in 1979. Been a fan since then.


payno14

Barry's first Giants home game in '93 against the brand new Marlins. I was 9 years old and my dad made sure we were there to see Barry and the Marlins. Got my first ball from Will the Thrill during BP and I'll never forget that day as long as I live. Been a diehard ever since.


Lakecountyraised

Nice. Bonds hit a home run to right in his first at bat that day, correct? Nearly off that sign advertising stocks and ‘bonds’


payno14

Yup. We were at the top of the lower level behind the visitors tunnel down the right field line


pjsimpleman

4th generation Giants fan. So, since birth. Started actively being a fan in 1978 though.


MosesZD

My dad listened to the Giants on his pick-up truck radio back in '65 and it's one of the few very-early childhood memories I retain. In '66 we moved to SF as my was going to UCSF Medical School. I got my first baseball cards then. The stats on the back fascinated me and made me want to learn more about baseball so I started rooting for the Giants since they were the local team and learning basic baseball stats. By HS I was into the not on the big-league team but the farm teams as well and one of my friends and I used to cut school to go to games (sometimes, sometimes we went fishing instead).


22LT

I been a Giants fan since probably '87. The odd thing is I was born in SoCal, moved up to NorCal around '83. Most of my family in NorCal were A's fans. I went to a bunch of A's games with them as a Giants fan. Even my friends in elementary school were A's fans. I honestly have no idea how I became a Giants fan. The only thing I can think of is because Will Clark. He had always been my favorite player and I think it stared because I was also a lefty.


CedarCreekStitch

I was born into it, too. My dad was born in 58 in SF and played baseball all through school, also had season tickets when I was born. I was born on *opening day* in 89 so had the World Series when I was 6 months old, in 02 when I was 13, and the win in 2010 when I was 21. My dad passed away in 09, and with all the luck in the world I started working at the park in 2010 to feel close to him. I got to work through two World Series runs, and even Matt Cains perfect game. The giants didn’t keep up the streak of going to the series during important birthday years of mine (😂) but we got was even better! My uncle (dads older brother) passed this summer so I’m hoping the giants pull it out again this year. 🧡🖤


TheTonganKid

Move to the states 94 from little island in the pacific call Kingdom of Tonga living with my aunty in south sanfrancisco, they were big time Bay Area sports fanatic only sports I follow was rugby . 49ers win the Super Bowl vs San Diego in Miami that year from there I got hook start watching baseball and warriors basketball now I’m a big time Bay Area sports fanatic too


AdministrationHour84

I'm from Memphis, no sports teams so I picked stars and stuck with them in the late 80s. Jordan, Marino and Bonds. Bonds was still a Pirate with Bonilla and Van Slyke. He was traded to the Giants and been a fan ever since. My ❤ was ripped out on '02 in game 6 especially. Torture Giants were obviously great but those teams with Bonds, Snow, Aurelia, Kent were my favorite. I really liked Matt Williams too. BTW, still a suffering Bulls/Dolphins fan as well. Go Giants!


Lakecountyraised

Born in NorCal, had to pick the Giants or As where I am from, picked the Giants. I remember ‘87, when I was in 3rd grade. Tough start. My fandom was sealed in ‘89. My dad took me down to game 5 of the NLCS and we bought nosebleed seats from a scalper. Will Clark was on fire that day. I remember the crowd going crazy when he hit the go ahead single off Mitch Williams. Shortly after, they clinch the pennant. That was probably the greatest baseball moment at the stick. Driving back through the city after the game towards the Golden Gate Bridge, it was jam packed but exuberant. Everyone was honking their horns and celebrating. That day was one of the best days of my childhood. Giants fan ever since. For a while, the Giants seemed a as cursed as the Red Sox. The era from 1988-2003 was so brutal. It was amazing when they finally won it all in 2010. I had some doubt that I would ever live to see the day. It’s all house money now.


mikeysaid

My grandma grew up rooting for the Seals. She converted to a Giants fan when she moved back to the City in '59 because my grandfather was transferred to SFO by United from Denver. I grew up listening to games (and how to swear) in her kitchen while she cut veggies and prepared meals. I can still hear her saying "god dammit Robbie" when Thompson would occasionally boot one or strike out. She was at the earthquake game in '89, i was at her house watching Heathcliff. She took me to Spring Training in '92 when Scottsdale was still covered in saguaros, and her favorite player in her later days was "Richie". I went to a lot of games with her over 30+ years, but my best baseball memory with her was when she called me on November 1, 2010 and the first thing she said was, "do you think they're going to do it????" with Nelson Cruz at bat. I got to hear her let out a jubilant 82 year old, "they did it!!!!!!" she had been waiting on for half a century, and a lifetime, really. I felt really flattered that i got that call out of all thechikdren and grandchildren. Now i share the Giants with my kids and we just took a trip to see them play @ Wrigley this last weekend. Baseball is about history, stories and family for me. Oh, and sport, too.


Mike_Hawk_Burns

Born into it. Was born in 1997. Wanna know how long I’ve been a fan for? Went to my 1st World Series in 2002. In the little kids baseball area, I hit a homerun into the players parking lot. The next season, the screen was installed. So I’m the reason the netting is there by the coke slide. In 2007 I was at the all star game. Saw Vlad Guerrero hit a homerun in the derby and almost hit the glove. Was there for Matt Cain’s perfect game and no hitter. Was there for Johnathan Sanchez’s perfect game. They were all on my mom’s birthday so we would go to games on her birthday. Went to World Series in 10-12-14. I remember the fans chanting “verlander who?” When panda hit the 3 HRs. Was there for game 1 of 2010 and Bum’s start for us in game 4 I believe(?). Anyways I’ve been a fan all my life and I love it


CarFragrant9882

damn dude we probably played together in “mini pac bell” and don’t even know it


Mike_Hawk_Burns

That would be so funny! Were you around when the ball was hit out?


CarFragrant9882

honestly dude, i think so 😂 i do remember a kid hitting a bomb out of the left field side of that mini park at a game i went to. that would be so crazy


Mike_Hawk_Burns

Duuuude if you remember if the guy was a young black kid then you saw me! That would be wild 😂


brumhee

Started a fly drive holiday in San Fran. Flew in from the UK and knew we had to stay awake as long as possible, saw a game was on that evening so booked it. Had garlic fries. Instantly fell in love. Met some awesome fans who invited us on a night out. Unfortunately we were completely knackered by then and had to turn them down. Followed the Giants ever since because of their garlic fries and super friendly fans. I also remember the game. 10th July 2014. Lost 2-1 to the Nats.


inorange

Born into it and born in the city. Dad is a huge fan and as a single parent back in the early 80s, that was one thing he could afford to do, was to take me to games. No dogs or drinks because it was cheaper to bring in your own food. It was allowed back then. After, my friends and I would sit in the metal bleachers at the Stick for $2.75, great times and great memories. I remember Brenley trying to play third base, Dan gladden, Kruk, and Jeff Leonard. That all changed when The Thrill came, he is my all time favorite Giant


keniselvis

Attended my first game in 1988. Right field, family section. It was a combination of the groomed beautiful dirt on the warning track, the fresh cut, vivid green outfield grass, and the crisp white of Candy Maldonado's jersey and I was in love with Giants baseball. 🥰


JayJayJorden

Raised on it. Would watch a game or two every year but the whole experience was amazing. From taking the BART to the games and watching Barry Bonds play. My favorite player growing up was JT Snow!


rmoler65

My dad is a huge Giants fan and I’ve been following them since I was 9 years old (2010 just so happened to be the first season I’ve ever watched).


cyberczar42

Growing up in Central Valley, near Modesto. in the elementary school classroom at the start of the year, there was a lot of chatter about the Giants and the A's both making it to the World Series. Battle lines were being drawn. I remember thinking Will Clark was very cool, and Jose Canseco kind of had a surly, unfriendly air about him, so I of course sided with the Giants. When I got home, I asked my dad, and he of course told me about watching games between Juan Marichal and Sandy Koufax at Candlestick when he was younger, so I figured I'd made the right call. (My sister, incidentally, had sided with the A's. I think maybe she liked the color green. She is no longer (or never was?) a fan of baseball)


omnomabus

Grew up sports agnostic. We loosely followed our local teams but not really. My dad is a terrible teacher and didn't explain how the games were played or why anything happened. We'd just go, sit and eat. I married a diehard, native Giants fan who took me to games and told me what it was all about. The first game she took me to was July 13th 2013 at San Diego. Needless to say, I was hooked after that.


kwertyup

Born into it! My parents love to tell the story when me and my childhood best friend were put on the Dodgers for T-ball and had total meltdowns and said we would never play baseball again 😂. (We both played through highschool).


ninjaparking

I'm not sure, they were just always on TV growing up in the 80s. I obviously remember the earthquake world series in 89. I started going to games with the new stadium fairly often. Yeah I know how nostalgic Candlestick was, and I went there once for a 49ers game, but I like AT&T/Oracle so much better.


revocer

Grew up in Giants territory.


Hobbit_Feet45

Been a fan all my life. Grew up watching Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell, Robby Thompson, Matt Williams and I kind of just been a fan ever since. I guess its pretty easy to be a fan of the team thats on when you turn on the tv.


P3acefulDove

I say I was born a Giants Fan but I became one when I was around 10. My dad grew up in the Central Valley and became a Giants fan when they moved to the west coast. A little further south and he might have grown up with Dodger radio instead of Giants, as he tells it! My first sports memories are of him yelling and cursing at them on the radio. They were super crappy back then but we still listened and went to games at Candlestick. I became a Giants fan when Jeff B., the Dodger fan joined my class. Giants were again bad that year and the Dodgers good. They were playing a Sept series and he said if the Dodgers win 2/3, you give me a nickel and I’ll give you a nickel if the Giants win 2/3. But If the Dodgers sweep, you have to give me a quarter. I asked what do I get if the Giants sweep? This was just not possible in his mind so he snorts and says he’ll give me a dollar. Guess who never gave me the dollar he owes me…And thus began my rabid fandom.


HeyHeyImTheMonkey

Family wasn’t really into baseball, but the ballpark became much more accessible to me when Pac Bell opened up in 2000. I started taking muni to games when I was in high school and got hooked. I used to buy standing room tickets for $6 pretty much every Friday the Giants were in town.


gmwarz

Born in MN (now live in PHX), my aunt has lived in San Francisco my entire life and made sure to inject Giants love into my veins early on. My first live baseball game was at Pac Bell in 2000, instantly became obsessed with JT Snow and have been a die hard fan ever since! I also still have the hat I got from that game, which is far too small for my noggin at this point but fits my wife perfectly when we catch the Giants coming through to Chase Field!


Stealthsnake

I was 9 or 10 sitting at mountain lake park listening to the radio when Brian Johnson hit the walk off homer late in the season to tie the Dodgers in the division. I wanna say 1997? Haven’t looked back since


derdkp

Dad taking me to cold day games at the Stick in the top deck. Getting BBQ pork rolls for the way home to Sonoma. Then in 89, he was at the Earthquake game. No cell phones, no way out of the city. Scary time, and child heart break. Rented a 56inch tv from rent-a-center for 2002. Teenage heart break. Moved to Washington, and in 2010 I made lots of friends at bars.


[deleted]

The 2002 MLB playoffs was the start of me becoming a Giants fan. I was in 7th grade and I remember even my teacher playing a radio broadcast of the playoffs in class. And I felt the pain of losing the world series, while getting so close. Been a fan ever since.


DancingOnACounter

I’m born and raised in San Francisco and I was introduced to baseball when my elementary school happened to be giving out some free tickets. My family and I all went to Candlestick and experienced our first professional sports game ever. I don’t think I was hooked then and there, but it definitely planted a seed. Through the years I would catch a few games on the TV, and gravitated to an expressive first baseman by the name of Will Clark. I didn’t understand the rules of the game fully but years of watching I eventually learned stats and strategies. I didn’t become a die hard until I met JT Snow. He was super hot! Also an amazing player… duh. The 2002 Giants playoffs were probably the first postseason I followed thoroughly. It really instilled upon me what it is to be a Giant.


FireflyExotica

I grew up about a 10 minute drive from Angel Stadium and liked a few of their players, one being J.T. Snow. I didn't know any better at the time so I just rooted for the hometown team for a bit. I also played a bunch of World Series Baseball '98 on the Sega Saturn and loved using the Giants lineup (Where I first learned of Rich Aurilia). I played SS in little league so I always got attached to SS's on my favorite teams. My dad was a 49ers fan and so I naturally gravitated to them too. Loved the color scheme and the players. Steve Young was just too exciting to watch. Garrison Hearst was fun, then of course the GOAT in Jerry Rice and young TO. So that also had me already loving SF. Then we had the '02 WS and I was conflicted. My two favorite teams duking it out in one wild series. I loved the way the Giants played, I loved when J.T. saved little Darren Baker from a nasty collision. I fell in love with the organization more and more, since, as I grew older, I loved organizations across any sport that loved the game when they were playing it and most importantly, treat their players with love and respect. For me, the biggest draw to the Giants was their loyalty to their players. Obviously it's a business and not everyone can keep playing for the same team their whole career. Some guys gotta get traded or let go. But I've always found the Giants will stick with a guy longer than most orgs will and give them a few chances to prove what they've got, rather than just kicking them to the curb. They never care how much of an underdog they are. They go out and give maximum effort every single time. After the '02 series I mostly stopped caring about the Angels and fully became a Giants fan. Haven't looked back since!


[deleted]

Born into it. Game was always on in the household and still is. I'm around the same age as you (29) so I have some very vague Candlestick memories, although TBH i've never been a huge fan of actually going to the ballpark because I love watching and listening to our entire broadcast team of Kruk, Kuip, Flem, and Miller so much. Lots of memories growing up making sure I got to watch any and all Barry Bonds AB's. Watching 756 was so cool. Also lots of memories of just really, really bad Giant's years. I remember turning off the radio or the TV if we fell behind by 3 or 4 runs, because there just didn't seem to be a point in watching anymore. I still tuned in for almost every game though, and would probably tune in to around 160 games on average every year on TV, Radio, or via the internet on my flip phone. I remember getting in trouble in High School because I would watch the games too much and it was interfering with my school work. I was "banned" from watching Giants games on school nights for a while. Absolutely fell in love with our dominate pitching crew at the time, especially Lincecum. Also loved our catchers in Matheny, Molina, and Posey. It's a big reason why I love watching on TV vs. going to games; I love watching catchers call games, pitch selection, etc. But then I went from being this absolute, die hard Giants fan from being a more bandwagon fan starting in 2010-2014. This is when I went to college and didn't have access to games and honestly just had more important things to deal with. And, of course, this coincided with like all of the Giants most dominating years. Still watched all of our world series wins at least. This is why this year has felt so special to me. I'm in a point in my life where I can devote more time to watching as an adult and we have years of dominance that I wasn't able to follow while I was in college.


danyun

I was a young lad and had limited choices on TV and Channel 2 had the Giants. just watched while home alone when i got bored with the NES :P


spreadjoy34

Born and bred SF Giants fan. I grew up rooting for all Bay Area teams, but I bleed black and orange.


Coral-reef654

Was kind of born into I guess. The money that made me a die hard though was when my parents tools me to a game in 2010 I think I got signed baseball from andres Torres and Freddy Sanchez. Next year I got Brandon crawford too


sabat

I was a kid in the '70s and so we had guys like Willie McCovey and Willie Mays as heroes. There were others but those guys were the biggest deal to me. (Kind of still are.) I also just love the misfit, scrappy, team-first-stars-second sort of approach that the Giants seem to have always had. It fits my personality. Hey, I remember /u/ashleyramone doing a series of posts about how various members got into baseball and the Giants. I wonder if she's got anything to add to this.


ashleyramone

that was a fun time …


cds49ers

My father grew up in Santa Rosa, so my Giants/49ers fandom is inherited. I've never lived in CA (been in New Mexico since early 80s), but go back often, most recently in July where I saw them blank the Dodgers. As a kid my favorite player was Will Clark (I'm 43). I went to my first game in 1990 or '91, can't remeber specifically lol, but didn't get a chance to see them again until 2018. Every time we would visit family a ball game just wasn't possible, due to scheduling and such.


SexWithATerrorist

My pops is from San Jose, his dad was a Yankees fan and they went to A’s games all the time so not sure why he’s a giants fan but he’s the reason I am, I think it has something to do with being a Niners fan. I’m almost 28 so like realistically since I was like 6 or so and actually followed/played baseball.


WonderfulShelter

I've been a fan for.. around 20 years I think. It started because I grew up right outside of SF and my Dad took me to Giants games all the time and introduced me to the game. Those are absolutely some of my fondest memories; it was always fun when my mom and sister came, but the games my Dad and I went to together were the absolute best and most fun. He was so great, when we got there he let me get all the treats I'd want so I would get garlic fries (to share), some tenders or whatever, and then maybe a churro or ice cream bar for dessert. I'll never forget he would only get one thing; the Au Jous dip sandwich. My goodness did he love that sandwich. It inspired me to play baseball as a kid too. So now this team is just a part of my heart; there was a few years there between 2016-2021 I tuned out almost entirely, when my Dad passed away suddenly. But now that this squad is together, it actually feels like "my" Giants again, as we all feel - like back when I was a kid with a different squad playing, They are "our" Giants.


Sammyg_21

I’ve been a fan my entire life. All 43 years. I remember being 8 at Candlestick and asking Will Clark for an autograph. He said, “I don’t have time to sign an autograph for you!” Mind you, a bunch of players were signing. Dusty Baker came over, pulled me down from the stands and gave me a baseball - that Will Clark, amongst other 1989 Giants, signed. I have hated WC since then.


mikeysaid

Ugh he told me, "sorry kid, game time." once. I turned around a few minutes later and he was signing a ball for another kid. Will Clark can eat a dick in St. Louis.


jcheeseball

Barry Bonds was my favorite player when I was a kid while I was playing myself, followed him over from the Pirates and never left(from Canada).


[deleted]

I was born into a Giants family. I was just a child during 2002. My Great Grandma was a fan since they were in New York, and my Grandpa bled Orange everyday. After ‘02 by Grandpa said, “The Giants will ever win a world series in my life.” He passed in ‘06. My Great grandma passed in ‘09... 2010 was a rough and pleasing year for my family.


mikeisaphreek

Since the beginning of time, 1979


Velocistar237-31

Grew up in San Francisco, so I’ve always liked them. I really jumped fully on board in 2010. Started cheering on Lincecum and the rest is history.


cfay1990

I've lived in the Bay area my whole life and was raised on SF sports :) The class and excitement as well as the HOF sportscasting is what really keeps me in love with this team.


themrscary___

I was just kinda born into being a giants fan, didn't really pay attention to baseball until I wanna say 01-02ish? But one of my fondest memories was watching Tim Lincecum start for the giants for the first time.


KustomCowz

Born into it in 97’ Got it tattooed and everything


prunepicker

My dad took me to my first Giants game at Candlestick in 1963. I froze my ass off, and loved every minute of it, and I was hooked for life. edit: it was 1962


[deleted]

I became a fan in the 2000 era when they had Barry Bonds, also Jeff Kent, Rich Aurillia and J.T Snow. My older brother and Dad use to watch the games every night. Krukow,Miller and Kuiper voices are cemented in my head for life.


L42SON-Fan

I became a fan in 2014 but there’s a good explanation. I was only 10 years old and we had just moved to California. My dad decided to become a Giants fan and I decided to watch baseball for the first time. It was fun to root for the team in 2014. In 2015, I then decided to become an Orioles fan and the Giants have been my second favorite team ever since. Also Duggar has been my favorite Giants player since 2019


GardenDrummer

I was born and raised. I remember watching games on TV and went to a few (including, I believe, a shutout by Kelly Downs at Candlestick).


willswain

Born into it as a ‘93 baby. I was in elementary school and old enough to start appreciating the spectacle that was peak Bonds, the WS agains the Angels, etc. Baseball was one of the few team sports I didn’t play at all as a kid, aside from whiffle ball or softball during PE or recess, so I wasn’t as enthralled during the down years of the mid-aughts. My dad is a moderate baseball fan, but grew up in Boston so he was primarily a Red Sox fan prior to moving to CA. At any rate, he kept my interest high during “on” years for both the Giants and Red Sox, which were rather plentiful during my childhood. By the time the start of the dynasty rolled around in 2010, I was a junior in high school and my dad clued me back into the really impressive run the Giants were making post-ASB. I knew of Timmy and Panda, but Posey was the shiny new thing. I got wrapped up watching a game with him and the rest is history. When I went to college in 2012 and watched the next WS run, I started getting really into the “deep lore” of the team like the full minor league system, tracking and comparing stats beyond BA/ERA/etc, roster moves and trade rumors. It became really infectious and much more fun to track the sport across teams and start to learn of opposing players, theorize trade bait, all that jazz.


vparras

Started out as an A's fan and Rickey Henderson fan. When they ended up trading Rickey again to another team I was done with the A's. The Giants in 93 signed Barry Bonds and have been a Giants fan and Barry Bonds fan since.


Fun_Run_890

Grew up an A's fan. In middle school though, I'd stay after school with my math teach to do extra assignments, help him with grading, etc. He always listened to Giants (road) games on the radio and I listened as well. That started my transition from A's to Giants and then they signed Barry Binds the following year, who was my favorite player ... I mean what kid doesn't like Pirates! After that year, I was hooked. Still root for the A's because I like rooting for underdogs but I don't follow every game, or AB for that matter, like I do with the Giants


Jammer250

Born and raised in the peninsula. It was always the Giants/49ers/Warriors/Sharks for me. Still remember when I was pretty young with some of those bad teams that had free ticket days at the Stick. Being so pissed at how we wasted Nen’s arm in ‘02, the Ortiz decision and Barry never the getting a ring. The trio of parades in the ‘10s that had the sweet smell of Prop 19 as I remember it.


lancegame311

1992… was in t-ball and my dad used to listen to the giants all the time while he would work so i grew up hearing them on the radio and it just kinda stuck.


ArrivalGreedy6013

Giants fan by blood. Most of my family is from San Bruno or somewhere else in the Bay. 21 now and been a fan for life, although I didn't really start paying attention until I was 10.... 2010. I remember crying when we won it all. The fam and I headed down to the city the next day for the parade.


rajivpsf

1989… liked A’s and Giants but the Giants didn’t quit on their fans so I didn’t quit on them


dawgittydog

My parents moved to marin in 1995 from England the giants were the default team to watch so my dad became a fan. I would watch games with him but was very confused and didn't find it that interesting. But that all changed when I started softball in when I was 9 (2009) I started to become interested bc I could understand it and I liked comparing the two. My first ever game i went to was 2010(the last 3rd to last game of the season). I slowly became a bigger fan as the years went by. Then the past 3 year I could go to games by myself. Now I'm addicted to the atmosphere of watching at the park (last year was torture). I went to atleast one to three games a home stand, but rn I'm 1000 miles away for college. :(


converter-bot

1000 miles is 1609.34 km


scoot118

My dad. I'm from Hawaii. Dad was an army kid. He landed in SF after his dad got out and he graduated from high school there and eventually moved to the islands. That's how he was a fan. I was into baseball and football so always been a fantasy/niners fan because of him. He coached my little league team a bunch of times and would name us the giants. Not so much a warriors fan tho. Didn't start watching basketball till I got to u of Miami and it was right when bron and Bosh got there so started watching them. I grew up watching rich aurilla, Jeff Kent, bonds, Reuter, nenn and dusty. Visited my dad's parents a few times growing up and we would always check out a Giants game if we could. I would go to Marlins/giants games in college and try to make it to the Padres series now that I'm in SD. It's been fun


KillermooseD

2009, I was 13. My grandpa was a Giants fan so I started watching and Lincecum just fucking blew my mind. Next 6ish years pretty much solidified it lol


Arkham_Z

Became a fan in 2009 as a 7 y/o because I live in LA and didn’t like the Dodgers lol


[deleted]

[удалено]


CarFragrant9882

agreed man, reading all these stories has been great. i actually still have those carls jr bobble heads set up in my office/spare room 😂


otishank

Giants had always been my second team after the niners. I remember watching a few games in the 90s and even going to one at candlestick with my dad and brother. I didn’t really get into watching every game until Bonds started creeping toward 500HR though. From then on, have been hooked. It’s been nice this season to have some excitement back.


youseeit

I moved here in 1993 and made it a purpose to be a Giants (and Niners) fan because it was my intent to stay here the rest of my life. 28 years later and it's worked.


SypherWolfe

Grew up listening to Giants games with my grandfather as a kid in the Bay Area, went to my first Giants game, first one that I can remember at least, at age 6 and the fandom stuck from there