Happy Birthday – Eli Whiteside
Here are some Giants Gems for Eli Whiteside’s birthday from the 2012 Giants Media Guide – Happy Birthday Eli!
- He and his sister grew up on 80 acres of land owned by his grandfather, who raised cattle and grew corn though had a full-time job with Master-Bilt, which manufactures walk-in coolers. Eli helped bale hay and crush corn for feed.
- Has prematurely gray hair. Says it started turning gray when he was a high school sophomore. It went all gray when he started playing professional ball.
- Eli wrote a paper for school in 8th grade about wanting to be a Major-League player when he grows up. “It’s in his blood to play ball,’’ his mother, Cindy, says. “He and his sister lived and breathed baseball and softball.’’
- His nickname as a child was Scratch, for the scar on the left side of his face. He cut his face when he fell off his bicycle and landed on a broken tree limb.
Happy Birthday – Juan Marichal
Here are some Giants Gems for Juan Marichal’s birthday from the 2012 Giants Media Guide – Happy Birthday Juan!
9-time All-Star won 238 games in San Francisco, most by any pitcher since franchise moved west in 1958…won 20 or more games 6 times in 14 years with Giants…is SF leader in complete games (244), shutouts (52), innings (3,444) and strikeouts (2,281)…was named right-hander on Giants 60’s and 70’s All-Decade Teams and San Francisco’s All-Time Team…
Happy Birthday – Roberto Kelly
Here are some Giants Gems for Roberto Kelly’s birthday from the 2012 Giants Media Guide – Happy Birthday Roberto!
- As manager of the Augusta GreenJackets, he gained a reputation for his aggressive approach to base running.
- Has guided SF’s baserunners to swipe 67.5% of bags in 1st 4 seasons.
- Spent 3 seasons as manager of Giants’ Class A Augusta affiliate in South Atlantic League…guided GreenJackets to 285-187 ledgers (.622) and pair of playoff appearances in those 3 years…was named 2006 SAL Manager of Year after leading Augusta to best record in all of minor league baseball with 92-47 record.
- Saw big league action with New York Yankees (1987-92 and 2000), Cincinnati Reds (1993-94), Atlanta Braves (1994), Montreal Expos (1995), Los Angeles Dodgers (1995), Minnesota Twins (1996-97), Seattle Mariners (1997) and Texas Rangers (1998-99).
Happy Birthday – Matt Cain
Here are some Giants Gems for Matt Cain’s birthday from the 2012 Giants Media Guide – Happy Birthday Matt!
- Grew up on 50-acre farm riding horses, driving pickups and dove hunting with his bird dog.
- As a kid growing up in Alabama and Tennessee, never lived in town with more than 3,000 people.
- Liked baseball, but never followed it on TV – preferring instead to spend his days outdoors mountain biking with his older brother.
- At the age of 5 in T-ball, while the other kids were chasing butterflies and tossing clods of dirt at each other, Matt pulled off three unassisted triple plays during the seven-game season.
- Enjoys fishing, skeet shooting and anything outdoors. Is also great golfer, oftentimes winning the long-ball contest.
Happy Birthday – Tim Flannery
Here are some Giants Gems for Tim Flannery’s birthday from the 2012 Giants Media Guide – Happy Birthday Flan!
- Is an avid surfer and accomplished musician.
- Made his mark in world of music, as singer-songwriter. Has released 11 albums, most recently “The Restless Kind”, which has a handful of song selections that were influenced by the Giants’ 2010 World Series triumph, including “Whatever Comes”, “Breaking Things” and “Right or Wrong.”
- Has performed with musical greats such as Jimmy Buffet, Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt and many others. Sang the National Anthem before a Giants game on August 10, 2011, with Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead.
- Served as television features reporter for San Diego’s CBS affiliate from 1990-92.
Happy Birthday – Orlando Cepeda
Here are some Giants Gems for Orlando Cepeda’s birthday from the 2012 Giants Media Guide – Happy Birthday Orlando!
Was 6-time All-Star during 8-plus years with Giants…earned NL Rookie of Year honors in 1958…holds SF season mark with 142 RBI in 1961…ranks among SF leaders in home runs (5th – 226), RBI (4th – 767), games (9th – 1,114), at-bats (7th – 4,178), runs (7th – 652), hits (4th – 1,286) and doubles (8th – 226)…named to SF’s All-Time team and Giants 1960’s All-Decade Team…
