In 1957 Horace Stoneham took his Giants of New York baseball team and headed west, starting a gold rush with bats and balls rather than pans and mines. But San Francisco already had a team, the Seals of the Pacific Coast League, and West Coast fans had to learn to embrace the newcomers.
Starting with the franchise’s earliest days and following the team up to recent World Series glory,
Home Team chronicles the story of the Giants and their often topsy-turvy relationship with the city of San Francisco. Robert F. Garratt shines light on those who worked behind the scenes in the story of West Coast baseball: the politicians, businessmen, and owners who were instrumental in the club’s history.
Home Team presents Stoneham, often left in the shadow of Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, as a true baseball pioneer in his willingness to sign black and Latino players and his recruitment of the first Japanese player in the Major Leagues, maki
Trade Review"A great read and great baseball history."—Allen Barra,
San Francisco Chronicle"A significant, authoritative history of the Giants. Baseball fans should read it. Libraries should acquire it."—G. Louis Heath,
Aethlon“A good reason to read
Home Team is the chance to get to know Horace Stoneham the way I did. He was a good friend, a hard worker, and a great man. He did a lot for me and for baseball.”—Willie Mays
“Once you begin the journey with Garratt you won’t stop until the first pitch at Pac Bell Park in 2000.
Home Team is a must for any baseball fan.”—Marty Lurie, Giants pre- and postgame radio host of the Bay Area’s KNBR 680
“From the boardroom to the courtroom to the ballpark, Rob Garratt touches all the bases. Must-reading for any baseball fan.”—Hank Greenwald, the voice of the Giants (1979–96) and author of
This Copyrighted Broadcast “The vision of Horace Stoneham . . . opened the door for many Latin baseball players, including myself, the Alou brothers, and Juan Marichal, among others. This is an important history of the Giants franchise.”—Orlando Cepeda
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Preface
Part I. Horace
1. Sunset in New York
2. Dawning in the West
3. Reinvention
4. Scandalstick
5. Perennial Bridesmaids
6. A Perfect Storm
Part II. Bob
7. “Bobby Thomson Lives!”
8. Learning Curve
9. The Humm Babies: “You Gotta Like These Kids!”
10. Vox Populi
Part III. Peter
11. “It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again”
12. The Improbable Dream
Epilogue: "The Home Team"
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
Notes
Bibliography
Index
