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Matt Chapman is emblematic of the Giants struggles during a 36-50 season that has gone from bad to worse. (Photo by Christian Petersen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
During the Padres\u2019 first pennant-winning season in 1984, three pitchers \u2013 Eric Show, Dave Dravecky and Mark Thurmond \u2013 manned the John Birch Society booth in full uniform at the Del Mar Fair.<\/p>\n
The Birch Society was notorious back then for its underlying current of racism and antisemitism. Even in an era when there was no internet, ESPN or social media, the players were stunned by the blowback after the Los Angeles Times did an extensive report about the incident.<\/p>\n
The story lasted for weeks and is still a big part of club lore. Sometimes history has a nasty way of repeating itself.<\/p>\n
Last month, on June 12, four Giants pitchers \u2013 Landen Roupp, J.T. Brubaker, Sam Hentges and Ryan Walker \u2013 evidently didn\u2019t have a clue what tumult they were going to cause on Pride Night in San Francisco when they etched a Bible verse on their caps themed for that game. Hentges simply wore his regular cap, which is the accepted alternative under Major League Baseball rules.<\/p>\n
Those rules state that unless the clubs seek dispensation from MLB, writing anything on your uniform or cap is a violation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe felt there wasn\u2019t going to be as much kickback on it,\u201d Brubaker told the California Post<\/a> on June 17. \u201cPlayers have done it in the past and it didn\u2019t seem like it was blown up that big.\u201d<\/p>\n But the players should have been advised better, either by their manager and coaches or certainly by upper management. Taking any perceived stand against LGBTQ people, especially in San Francisco, is going to have a serious ripple effect.<\/p>\n Pride Controversy Added To Giants\u2019 2026 Woes<\/p>\n The event was indicative of the Giants\u2019 season. Well past the halfway mark, at 36-50, it\u2019s essentially over. A once proud franchise is trying to dig out of the rubble.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I don\u2019t think anybody thought the season was going to start out like this,\u201d Giants third baseman Matt Chapman told Forbes in the Giants\u2019 losing clubhouse at Chase Field on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n During both the 1984 and 2026 seasons, Padres and Giants management failed to get out in front of the issue. It\u2019s public relations 101: Never turn a two-day story into one that can last for weeks. Giants\u2019 presidents Larry Baer and Buster Posey still haven\u2019t effectively dealt with the controversy.<\/p>\n In San Diego\u2019s case, the Padres were winning and went on to the World Series for the first time in their 56-year history, losing to a Tigers team that was one of the best in history in five games.<\/p>\n For the Giants, it\u2019s just a symptom of their current organizational malaise. They went into action on Friday 20 games behind the first-place Dodgers in the National League West and 10 games in arrears of the third and last NL Wild Card spot. Eight of the team\u2019s 36 losses have been to the Diamondbacks, who they finally beat for the first time this season Wednesday night.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year has been a big test,\u201d Chapman said. \u201cAnd maybe it\u2019s not over, but it\u2019s going to be a year where we look at ourselves in the mirror and decide how we get these things right, how we take this thing to the next level and get where we want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Like clockwork, the situation grew a tad worse. On Tuesday, Chapman came out of the 8-2 loss in the seventh inning with symptoms of an abdominal strain he said he\u2019d been playing through for weeks. On Wednesday, he went on the 10-day injured list, which was just as well since Chapman\u2019s wife, Taylor, is about to give birth to their second child and first son, Jack. He\u2019d have gone on the three-day paternity list anyway.<\/p>\n Now, Chapman can join her for the big event, which shows that in every season of turmoil there\u2019s time for some real joy.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been on call,\u201d he noted. \u201cI\u2019m sleeping with my phone right by my bed.\u201d<\/p>\n Giants\u2019 Stars Contributing To Team\u2019s Malaise<\/p>\n The Giants\u2019 biggest problem is that their highest paid veteran players \u2013 Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers \u2013 are having down seasons. The trio is being paid an aggregate<\/a> of $80.4 million this season on long-term contracts, which will make them awfully hard to move by the Aug. 3 trade deadline. They\u2019re hitting a combined .236. <\/p>\n Devers is signed through 2033, Adames through 2031 and Chapman through 2030. The Giants are 27th in MLB with 349 runs scored, 21st with 93 homers and 25th with 340 runs batted in. The above trio has contributed 36 homers and 118 RBIs. Not much bang for the buck.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t give Posey, in his second season of a three-year deal as president of baseball operations, much room to operate. The Giants would have to absorb major money to move any of them. Posey has been hammered for signing those players, as well as for firing veteran manager Bob Melvin last year with one season to go on his contract in favor of Tony Vitello, a former college coach with no Major League experience. Sight unseen, Vitello was signed to a three-year contract worth $10.5 million with a vesting option for 2029. <\/p>\n