Giants CEO Larry Baer sent an open letter to Giant Fans Wednesday to thank them for their support during the team's World Series Championship season.
It's not only thoughtful, it let's the fans in on just how much the team as a whole appreciates them.
Here it is in its entirety:
Dear World Champion Giants Fan,
After the final out of our World Series Championship in Detroit, I watched our players toss their gloves in the air and howl and leap onto each other and hug and wipe away tears. I have been watching and rooting for the Giants almost since birth. I have never seen a team like this one. They were utterly selfless and utterly devoted to each other. They never stopped battling, clawing their way back from the brink of elimination six times in the postseason. Every game was a Frank Capra movie - inspiring heroics, unlikely twists, hard-fought redemption.
As I watched manager Bruce Bochy and his staff spill onto the field, I imagined what was happening in San Francisco. All of us who traveled to Detroit - including every player and coach - knew Coit Tower, the Ferry Building and City Hall were awash in orange light. We knew that fans had filled every inch of Civic Center Plaza to watch Game 4. We knew that throughout the Bay Area, living rooms and pubs were packed with people wearing Panda and Baby Giraffe hats, fake beards and "Vogelstrong" bracelets.
We also knew that no matter how talented the players or how ingenious the manager, no team can win a World Series Championship - much less two in three years - without a little magic.
Our magic is you.
I wish you could hear how our players talk about you, not just with each other but also with players on other teams. Brandon Belt says base runners on first base tell him they've never heard a park as loud as AT&T. Hunter Pence says that Giants fans are "the ultimate motivator.'' Matt Cain calls you their 10th player.
So believe me when I tell you this: Our players carried all of you with them onto the field at Comerica Park. And they were unbeatable.
Like 2010, this World Series Championship was truly a shared victory. So it was humbling during the parade last Wednesday to see fans holding signs saying "Thank You!'' The gratitude is ours. We don't win without you. You filled AT&T Park every game. You supported the players and coaches through the highs and lows. You flooded onto Market Street and into Civic Center Plaza in a celebration that felt like the world's biggest family reunion.
We came away from that unforgettable afternoon even more inspired and energized - and immediately got working on 2013.
Critical to any championship team is the general manager, and in Brian Sabean we have one of the most accomplished in the business. He and his staff continue to be the modern model for baseball operations departments, combining cutting-edge analytics with deeply experienced and stable leadership. With two World Series Championships in three years, Brian solidified his reputation for drafting and developing young talent, finding undervalued players who become critical contributors and constructing a deep and versatile roster.
He has the perfect partner in Bruce Bochy, now universally acknowledged as a master strategist who, having won eight of the nine Giants World Series games he has managed, is surely on his way to a spot in Cooperstown. The 2012 World Series starting lineup had just one position player - Buster Posey - in common with the 2010 World Series starting lineup, underscoring Sabean's ability to identify players who fit the Giants' approach to winning - strong pitching, outstanding defense and timely hitting - and Bochy's ability to meld them into a cohesive unit.
We move into 2013 with great excitement and optimism. The pitching staff - both starters and relievers - continues to be the strength of the team. Matt Cain, the anchor of the staff, keeps getting better, pitching a one-hitter on the home opener, a perfect game on June 13 and earning the win as the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game. He is signed through 2017, ensuring leadership and stability for a long time to come. We have all the starters signed for 2013: Barry Zito, Ryan Vogelsong, Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum. Most of our stellar bullpen will be back, too.
Homegrown players Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt emerged as solid starters, joining Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey as core position players who give the Giants a strong foundation into the future. After missing a year to a devastating injury, Buster reclaimed his spot among the elite players in baseball and as the heart and soul of the Giants. He was nothing short of remarkable this season, leading all of baseball with his .336 batting average, leading all National League players with a single-season record of 7,621,370 votes in the All-Star balloting, hit a grand slam in the decisive Game 5 against the Cincinnati Reds to clinch the NLDS, won the Hank Aaron Award as the best offensive player in the National League and was the NL Comeback Player of the Year. He is a finalist for the NL's Most Valuable Player, which will be announced tomorrow, November 15.
Despite two stints on the disabled list this season, Pablo showed his star power by hitting three home runs in his first three at-bats of the World Series, batted .500 during the four-game sweep and earning the Series' Most Valuable Player Award.
In all, we are now accustomed to high expectations and rest assured, the day after we returned from Detroit with the World Series trophy, we were back at work analyzing ways to make the 2013 team even better.
On behalf of Brian, Bruce, the players and everyone at the San Francisco Giants, thank you for your tireless support. Thank you for taking us into your lives like family. Thank you for making us better.
We look forward to seeing you at FanFest in February!
Laurence M. Baer
President and Chief Executive Officer
San Francisco Giants
