SAN FRANCISCO - In the ninth inning of an ugly loss to the Padres on Monday, the camera panned over to Bruce Bochy. He was scowling at the home plate umpire after a call he didn't agree with.
You can see, then, why Bochy laughed Tuesday when asked if he has ever lost the competitive fire in the dugout.
"You ask a couple of guys last night who were in the dugout," he said, smiling. "If I did (lose my fire) I wouldn't be here. I would not be here. I love what I'm doing and want to be back and have another shot at the postseason."
Of the three most visible faces on the baseball side of the organization, Bochy is the only one not undergoing changes. General manager Bobby Evans was let go Monday and vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean will soon start interviewing candidates to take the baseball ops slot that reports directly to ownership.
The manager, though, is under contract, and on Monday, team president and CEO Larry Baer said Bochy will be back. That was relayed to Bochy from Baer and Sabean. In turn, Bochy told the two that he's not at all concerned about the fact that he's going into the last year of his contract and there have been no extension talks. He does not consider himself a lame duck.
"I don't want them to have that on their plate either, and I've told them that," Bochy said. "I'm signed and I'm good right now. Let's just concentrate on what we need to do and that's make this team better. I have zero concerns about (my contract)."
San Francisco Giants
Next season will be Bochy's 13th with the Giants. He spent a dozen years in San Diego and only went through one GM change, and in his first dozen years here, it has been the same. Even with the one change here, there was no drama. Evans was promoted to take Sabean's job in 2015. Now, Evans is gone, and Bochy will have to work with a new head of baseball operations. This person may eventually want their own handpicked manager, but for at least a year, Bochy will be the choice. He said he's not at all concerned about how a new partnership may work. His focus is on the field.
"My job is to make it work," he said.
