Giants Reunion Rained Out, Game Not Included

It turns out the weather was the star of the day at AT&T Park.  The rain all but canceled the party to mark ten years since the first Opening Day at the park.

More than a dozen members of the San Francisco Giants 2000 playoff team were on hand for a pre-game 10 year reunion.  The reunion happened for sure, but it was off the field of play and away from the near sell out crowd.  Heavy rains forced a 4:09 delay. 

So instead of taking to the field together, the likes of Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent did dugout and broadcast booth interviews to fill at least a portion of the rain delay.

The off the field party took on a serious note when one of the team's former players came clean about steroids.

Former Giants outfielder Marvin Benard admitted he used steroids during the team's 2002 World Series season.

The 40-year-old Benard told both the Associated Press and the San Francisco Chronicle he took them to deal with a left knee injury. Benard played all nine of his major league seasons with the Giants.  He retired in 2003.

Benard was mentioned in the Mitchell Report released in December 2007 and soon after told his now 14-year-old son, Isaac, he had taken performance-enhancing drugs. He said telling his son was harder then telling reporters. 

The poster child for the steroid scandal, one Barry Bonds, cut his talk with members of the press short after questions appeared to be heading now the steroids path.

 Bonds held a short media availability claiming he is "proud" of slugger Mark McGwire for returning to baseball as the St. Louis Cardinals' hitting coach and for admitting his use of performance-enhancing drugs.   

His six-minute session ended immediately after he was asked about McGwire.

As for the game, when it got underway it went Tim Lincecum's way.  Just one day after officially receiving the Cy Young Award, Lincecum struck out 10 batters for the 20th time in his short career.  The two-time reigning Cy winner is starting 2010 with a 2-0 record.

"The Panda" Pablo Sandoval also had a great game.  He hit a two-run homer to help the Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3.
 
Next up is Pittsburgh.  And they Giants go into that series with a 5-1 record.

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