Giants Splash

Joey Bart, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s amateur draft, has had a great spring training amid high — and maybe unfair — expectations that he will be the next Buster Posey. Bart is not just here in big-league camp to get at-bats. He’s getting an education as well in the complicated and high-pressure role as an everyday catcher in the major leagues. Bart explains how he is handling it, his highlight of spring training so far, getting ribbed by Posey and much more.

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People tell relief great Lee Smith: “Hey man, you’re a Hall of Famer now!” But Smith, who's been with the Giants for 20 years as a roving pitching instructor, says going into Cooperstown this summer won’t change his personality. Chronicle national baseball writer John Shea caught up with him at spring training. Smith has a million great stories, including the ones he tells about teenage Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum.

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Bryce Harper signing a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies makes it two years in a row the Giants didn't land the big fish. Henry Schulman talks about how serious San Francisco's offer was, why Harper chose to stay in the NL East, and who'll play the outfield for the Giants.

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Since Tim Flannery retired as the Giants third-base coach two years ago, this renaissance man — songwriter, singer, activist, surfer, fundraiser — has not been shy about sharing his views on the state of society. His thoughts on the country, his Love Harder project and music career and his best bud Bruce Bochy’s retirement announcement.

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The Giants' All-Star catcher shares his thoughts with Giants reporters about manager Bruce Bochy’s announcement that he’ll retire after this season. Plus: Henry Schulman talks to reliever Dereck Rodriguez, who had a good enough rookie season to become his own man and not just “Ivan Rodriguez’s son.” 

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Marty Lurie, a retired defense attorney, has found his niche as a weekend sports-talk host on KNBR Radio in San Francisco. He's extremely popular and his shows can go on for hours. A frequent guest on Mary's show, San Francisco Chronicle Giants beat writer Henry Schulman turns the microphone around so Lurie can talk about how he got into radio, what he likes about his job, growing up in Brooklyn but rooting for the Baltimore Orioles, Martyisms such as “That guy can HIT” and how he views the 2019 Giants.

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San Francisco Chronicle Giants beat writer Henry Schulman and A's beat writer Susan Slusser join sports editor Al Saracevic to talk baseball in front of a live audience of subscribers. They preview the season, tell war stories from the press box and clubhouse, and answer questions from the audience about openers, free agents and ballpark food. 

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Will Madison Bumgarner be traded? Is this Bruce Bochy’s last year? What sport will Kyler Murray play? What will Oakland’s starting rotation look like? In this combined episode of Giants Double Play and A’s Plus, San Francisco Chronicle baseball writers Henry Schulman and Susan Slusser tackle those and other questions as they prepare to head to Arizona.

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Giants beat writer Henry Schulman talks to producer King Kaufman about the broad legacy of former Safeway Chairman and Giants Managing General Partner Peter A. Magowan, who died Sunday at 76. He was a lifelong Giants fan who had his adopted city of San Francisco in his blood. Henry and King discuss parts of Magowan's legacy that go beyond helping save the Giants for San Francisco and building what now is called Oracle Park, including his outreach to the LBGTQ community and spearheading the pioneering Until There's a Cure Day in 1994 to raise money and awareness for AIDS research. 

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Reporting from the the last day of the MLB Winter Meetings, San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Giants writer Henry Schulman says the Farhan Zaidi era is in full swing, as the club has made an unprecedented two picks in the Rule 5 draft. Oakland A's beat writer Susan Slusser says one executive told her that recently released catcher Bruce Maxwell may not be signed by any team, not because of his play but because he kneeled for the national anthem. 

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