Marty Lurie Talks San Francisco Giants Baseball
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A's- Giants, A Real Rivalry, Believe It


Is there a rivalry between the A’s and the Giants?

You better believe there is.

It starts with the fact that the Giants came to the Bay Area first in 1958 staking claim to Northern California.

The Athletics have been trying to catch up ever since Charlie Finley brought the A’s west from Kansas City ten years later.

The rivalry between the two teams is alive and well and can be seen in many ways.

Click ”Read More” and I’ll tell you about the rivalry.It begins with the owners of the ball clubs.

The current Giants and A’s owners peter Magowan and Steve Schott allegedly had a recent conversation about setting a purchase price which would allow the A’s to buy the territorial rights to Santa Clara county from the Giants.

When the talks were reported in the press both men disagreed that they had talked about the rights, let alone talked about anything more than, “how’s the weather “.

Talk about a rivalry, this one starts at the top.

The rivalry extends to the radiowaves.

The Giants have part interest in their own radio station, KNBR. The station claims it’s the Bay Area’s sports leader.

However, KNBR never puts the A’s coverage on equal footing with the Giants reports, instead it spreads the word about the Giants the way the Russian’s employed radio Moscow to spread their propoganda in the 50’s.

KNBR only acknowledges the presence of the athletics when absolutely necessary, even though the A’s are a full fledged major league team playing across the bay from the Giants.

The barrier is as high as the Berlin Wall.

The A’s sure act like there is a rivalry.

They have even juggled their spring training pitching rotation in the past, just to have their top starters face their cross bay rivals in Arizona.

That’s right I said spring training. These teams want to beat each other in games that don’t even count in the standings.

That’s serious stuff.

The Giants would like to drive the A’s right out of the Bay Area, not just beat them on the baseball field.

That’s more than a rivalry.

That’s real business.

Neither team shows the other’s highlights during the season in their park.

When their game scores are reviewed on the team’s flagship broadcasts, they are related with the barest of details and a detectable subtle glee, when the other loses.

The A’s hate to acknowledge that the Giants series will be their biggest draw of the year in Oakland this season.

A’s and Giants fans continually argue about which team has had more success in the Bay Area.

Giants fans often point to game 7 of the 62 world series against the Yankees as their greatest game.

Oakland fans boast of four worlds championships and eleven division titles.

The rivalry even touches the quality of fan each team draws.

A’s fans can’t stand the yuppiness of the crowd in Pac Bell park, while the fans in Oakland claim to be the real hardcore baseball fans in the Bay Area.

Now that’s a rivalry.

Wait, there’s more.

The TV announcers have a yearly luncheon where they trade so called good natured barbs with each other about their respective teams. If you’ve ever been there to witness the exchange, you realize quickly the tone is anything but friendly.

At one of the luncheons, A’s broadcaster Ray Fosse, catcher on the A’s 1973 and 74 world championship teams, pointedly asked Giants announcers Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper where the trophy case is located at Pac Bell park, knowing full well the Giants have never won a worlds championship during their 48 seasons in the California.

Rivalry you better believe it.

Art Howe is obsessing of ways to stop Barry Bonds.

Dusty Baker hopes the A’s pitching staff will be struggling when he has to face them six times.

Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, and Mark Mulder versus Livan Hernandez, Jason Schmidt, and Russ Ortiz

How about Billy Koch matching 95 mph fastballs with Robb Nen?

The matchups are endless.

Seeing Bonds matching up with Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada.

Even better.

Is there a rivalry between the A’s and the Giants?

Just ask the opinion of any of the over 5 million baseball fans who attended a game in either Oakland or San Francisco last year.

0 comments

1 saturnman { 06.14.02 at 2:25 pm }

Marty, you make some good points. I guess it depends on how you define rivalry. If you define it to mean 2 teams who have wars over the years at a high level of competition, I’d say no. The A’s and Giants don’t play each other enough to really breed, maintain a rivalry. Yeah, the A’s put up a highway sign that read, “While they were building a ballpark, we were building a team.” As an A’s fan, I’d say that there a “light” rivalry, not one in the true sense of the word. Not like the Lakers v. Celtics in the 80’s or the A’s vs. Yankees of recent history or Giants vs. Dodgers. I think Giant’s fans wish there was a real rivalry.

2 Anonymous { 01.08.10 at 12:57 pm }

Things that will, soft tofu ,

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