Santiago Casilla of the Oakland Athletics pitches during the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on June 10, 2007. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The San Francisco Giants made a quiet move tonight that could be a real sleeper as they inked former A’s right-handed reliever Santiago Casilla to a minor league contract. Casilla had been released by the A’s on December 10th after a 2009 season in which he posted a 5.96 ERA in 48.3 relief innings. Casilla was hindered by calf and knee injuries in 2009 and dealt with a sore elbow throughout the ‘08 season.

Casilla broke into the big leagues with the A’s in 2004 as Jairo Garcia (see below), a hard-throwing righty out of the Dominican Republic with nasty stuff. Changing his name to Santiago Casilla in the 2006 season (he had used false documents when he first signed a contract with the Athletics in 2000) did not do much to improve his fortunes with the A’s.

Who knows, this might be one of those change of scenery moves where Casilla goes down to spring training in Scottsdale and is lights out. Or he might start the year in Phoenix and be a big call up to San Francisco in the summer when someone gets hurt. Or he could be awful. Either way moves like this are great to make because they don’t cost much and there is so much upside. Santiago Casilla: the player to be named later!

Santiago Casilla (then known as Jairo Garcia) of the Oakland Athletics pitches against the Minnesota Twins at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA on September 21, 2005. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Merkin Valdez of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game against the Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on April 30, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Several years ago Giants right-handed pitcher Merkin Valdez was untouchable as he he worked his way through their minor league system. Along with fellow pitcher Matt Cain, Valdez was one of the top prospects in all of baseball. Every time trade talks came up with other teams, Valdez was always on the short list of young Giants opposing general managers wanted in return. Giants General Manager Brian Sabean would never even think of letting his future star leave the organization. Until now. This afternoon the Giants shipped the 28-year-old Valdez to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations. Valdez was designated for for assignment on January 14th to make room for Aubrey Huff. Once this happened you knew it was just a matter of time before he was shipped elsewhere.

Merkin Valdez #47 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Colorado Rockies during the game at AT&T Park on May 3, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

It is always a little sad when a can’t miss pitching prospect flames out at age 28, but this is exactly what happened in this case. Valdez, 28, posted a 5.66 ERA in 49.3 innings for the Giants last year.  He throws in the mid-90s and was ranked among the top 60 prospects in baseball before October ‘06 Tommy John surgery. He showed flashes of brilliance last season and Bochy really wanted him to be the 8th inning guy, but he just couldn’t get anyone out and kept walking guys. He still threw hard, but his fastball was straight and he got hit so hard during the season.

I remember when the Giants brought him up in 2004 for a brief look. He had the chance to face Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols and Albert hit him hard in their one battle in San Francisco. I hope this is not one of those times when the Giants end up regretting giving up on a pitcher, but at age 28 it does not appear that Valdez will ever reach elite status. Too bad. He was going to be great.

Bengie Molina #1 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Cincinnati Reds during the game at AT&T Park on August 8, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

It appears the San Francisco Giants have finally spent all their money this winter as they signed former catcher Bengie Molina to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million this afternoon. Molina spent the past three seasons in the orange and black and was seeking a multi-year deal as a free agent this off season, but after talks with the Mets broke down there were not many options available for him. I think this is a good deal for the Giants as Molina will offer a safe one year bridge to young Buster Posey in 2011.

Bengie Molina of the San Francisco Giants smiles before a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on April 22, 2007. Photo by Brad Mangin

The 35-year-old Molina had a nice year for the Giants in 2009 when he hit a career-high .265 with 20 homers and 80 RBIs. Towards the end of the season Bengie became kinda bitter when the Giants brought rookie phenom Posey up from the minors in September. Molina wanted a big multi-year deal this winter and he knew there was no way the Giants were going to offer him one. He pouted a lot as he knew he was gone. He felt unappreciated. He was the Giants clean up hitter and did everything they asked of him. It was not his fault that there was not a better hitter on the roster.

I always enjoyed photographing Molina. Heck- I love shooting all catchers because they make such great pictures. There is nothing like getting a clean shot of a catcher ripping his mask off as he chases a bunt. It is also fun getting a good frame of a catcher tagging out a runner at home plate. However- by the end of this coming season I will be ready to shoot Posey every day!

Bengie Molina of the San Francisco Giants bats during the game against the Oakland Athletics at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on June 15, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

When news of this deal broke this afternoon from KPIX Channel 5 in San Francisco it was a huge shock. Giants General Manager Brian Sabean said at the winter meetings, regarding Molina, that this ship “had sailed.” Molina will be taking a $1.5 million pay cut from last season, but this is how things are these days in the changing economics of baseball where the big stars make the big money, and everyone else is fighting for the scraps that result in one-year deals.

Home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn #70 and batter Bengie Molina #1 of the San Francisco Giants run down the first base line to get a better view of a ball hit into the corner during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at AT&T Park on August 9, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

When the Giants selected Posey with their number one pick in June of 2008 the organization hoped that the young catcher would be ready to take over the starting catching duties on Opening Day in 2010 when Molina’s contract was over. This deal means that will not happen. Posey did not get much playing time in San Francisco after he was called up in September of 2009 and then played in the Arizona Fall League where fatigue hampered his play as he only hit .225 with 2 homers and 12 RBI’s in 19 games.

Bengie Molina of the San Francisco Giants chases a bunt during the game against the San Diego Padres at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on August 24, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Last month Sabean told reporters in a conference call that Posey “isn’t ready to catch 100-plus games in the big leagues.” He also said this: “After his first full season, he was pretty whipped. Some of it is just by nature; He hasn’t played enough professionally. And in some ways, it’s easier to play rather than do what he did. He was in big leagues as an emergency situation, a third catcher, and he caught all the bullpens. He also did that in the Fall League because he was playing three times a week. It was pretty obvious to us the rigors took its toll, which is not uncommon. By comparison to others, he’s caught very little, including guys who become full-time catchers. It might be a tall order to ask him to do this. We’d like to get somebody, if we make the decision not to let (Posey) start the season, to be more full-time. And Buster’s in position he would earn it or convinced us (that promoting him) is in the best interest of everybody. We’ve got a short list of what we think of as viable options (as free-agent catchers), but we’re not engaged to point it’ll happen fast.”

Bengie Molina of the San Francisco Giants bats during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on July 6, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

It did not take someone from the lunatic fringe to figure out that Sabean was determined to find a veteran catcher and sign him to a one0year deal to ask as a stop gap for this season. However, as the calendar moved into mid-January it was looking like there were not any catchers left. Maybe Posey would have to be the starter in 2010. This signing of Molina is a very safe move that gives manager Bruce Bochy what he has always wanted- a veteran signal caller behind the plate who can call a good game and handle the pitching staff. It is obvious that Bochy did not feel like Posey was ready to handle a big league pitching staff full-time. Yet.

Bengie Molina #1 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Oakland Athletics during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on June 23, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Hopefully Bengie won’t mope around in 2010 and complain about his crappy one-year contract. In today’s baseball landscape he was lucky to have the Giants safety net to fall back on. He could have ended up catching in Washington for the Nationals or signed a big deal with the Mets- where he would have been eaten alive by the press back there once they saw him try to leg out a ground ball into the hole at shortstop.

Bengie Molina #1 of the San Francisco Giants gets ready in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on June 23, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Since the Giants have improved their lineup this off season Molina will not be hitting clean up in 2010- which is a GOOD thing. Here is their projected lineup for opening day in April:

1. CF Aaron Rowand

2. 2B Freddy Sanchez

3. 3B Pablo Sandoval

4. 1B Aubrey Huff

5. LF Mark DeRosa

6. C Bengie Molina

7. RF Nate Schierholtz?

8. SS Edgar Renteria

This lineup will not scare many opposing pitchers, but combined with their great starting pitching staff it should allow the Giants to hang around a little big in the NL West well into the summer.

Aubrey Huff of the Baltimore Orioles bats during the game against the Oakland Athletics at the McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California on May 7, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Who saw this coming? It is pretty obvious that the Giants new sheriff in town, Bill Neukom, has strict orders for general manager Brian Sabean: No more expensive, BAD multiple-year deals for crappy guys like Edgar Renteria. Thus, Giants fans, I give you your new first baseman for the 2010 season: Aubrey Huff! Is that booing I hear or are you chanting NEUK? This rambling, late-night lead graph has been put together to introduce the Giants latest free-agent signing to you. This evening it was learned that the Giants have agreed to terms with first baseman / DH Aubrey Huff to a one-year deal worth $3 million.

Aubrey Huff of the Baltimore Orioles bats during the game against the Oakland Athletics at the McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California on May 7, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The 33-year-old Huff with the pretty left-handed batting stroke is coming off a 2009 season in which he batted .241 with 15 homers and 85 RBIs in 150 games between the Orioles and Tigers. Huff put together his best year for the Orioles in 2008 when he hit .304 with 32 homers and 108 RBIs. These stellar numbers earned Huff the America League Silver Slugger Award- for the Designated Hitter position! That will not do much good in the National League. Huff will apparently play some first base, since the Giants only have six games in AL parks this coming season that he will be allowed to DH in.

Aubrey Huff #19 of the Detroit Tigers bats against the Oakland Athletics during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 23, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

After looking at the Giants 2010 roster late this evening and evaluating the bevy of off-season moves it appears the Gigantes have many movable parts for manager Bruce Bochy to play with when he makes up his lineup card this season. The infield might have Huff at first, Freddy Sanchez at second, Renteria at short and Pablo Sandoval at third. Before this move it was assumed that new Giants Mark DeRosa would play third with Sandoval at first. Now I am guessing DeRosa will play some outfield and then what do they do with Juan Uribe? Like I said- there are many options available to the skipper and spring training will be very interesting as the Giants will NOT have a real set lineup in 2010. They will put together a gutty team that pitches well that is cobbled together for $90 million. Brian Sabean will have to hope his budget-minded club can catch lightning in a bottle with his roster full of short-term free agents and overpaid veterans.

KNBR 680 radio morning show host Brian Murphy had this to say this evening when I broke the news to him via text: “My first instinct is to say I’d rather have Audrey Hepburn… DeRosa and Huff: The Mays-McCovey of the ’10s!” Should make for lively discussion tomorrow morning between 5am and 9am on The Sports Leader. I will have to get up early to listen!

Aubrey Huff #17 of the Baltimore Orioles takes batting practice before the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on June 6, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Juan Uribe #5 of the San Francisco Giants gets ready in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on June 23, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

It’s not as sexy as signing Matt Holliday, but the San Francisco Giants made a great move today to bring back infielder Juan Uribe for the 2010 season. Uribe signed a minor league deal with the Giants last season and ended up being a huge contributor to the ballclub hitting .289 in 432 plate appearances. He also played solid defense at second base, shortstop, and third base.

Juan Uribe #5 of the San Francisco Giants stands in the dugout against the Colorado Rockies during the game at AT&T Park on May 3, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Uribe did not get much playing time at the beginning of the 2009 season, but ended up the season as one of the club’s biggest contributors, both on and off the field. San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Bruce Jenkins said Uribe was, “one of the most upbeat guys I’ve ever seen in baseball, and is extremely popular with everyone, particularly the Latin players.” Just watching the Giants in the second half of 2009 when they played well and battled the Rockies for the wild card you could see the fun the younger players were having in the dugout and on the field, and Uribe was usually in the middle of all the fun, especially when it involved Pablo Sandoval.

Juan Uribe #5 of the San Francisco Giants hits a home run in the bottom of the 7th inning against the San Diego Padres during the game at AT&T Park on September 7, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I remember early in the season when Uribe hit a home run on the road (in Phoenix I believe) and Sandoval organized the dugout to freeze out Uribe and not acknowledge him when he came back into the dugout after running around the bases. It was a classic old-school baseball prank and after Uribe came into the dugout and high-fived imaginary players Sandoval came over laughing and gave him a big bear hug. That’s the kind of guy Uribe is and that is one of the reasons the Giants needed to being him back for 2010.

Juan Uribe of the Chicago White Sox bats during the game against the Oakland Athletics at the McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California on August 16, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I remember covering Uribe back in 2005 when he was a vital part of the Chicago White Sox run to their World Series Championship over the Houston Astros. Uribe was the starting shortstop for the Sox and helped to anchor the left side of their infield, along with third baseman Joe Crede.

Juan Uribe of the San Francisco Giants runs the bases during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on Saturday, May 30, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Giants are stuck with another year of Edgar Renteria and his big contract so they will trot him out to shortstop to open the season, but don’t be surprised to see Uribe getting tons of playing time over there once the season gets going. Adding Uribe to the Giants roster also gives them so much versatility. Manager Bruce Bochy will be able to mix and match his guys in so many different combinations depending on who is pitching, who is hurt, etc. with guys like Uribe, Freddy Sanchez and the newly-signed Mark DeRosa on the roster for 2010. These guys can play anywhere and will help to solidify the ballclub. Now they still need to get a bat!

Mark DeRosa of the Chicago Cubs gets ready in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on July 3, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The San Francisco Giants have not made any moves in the off season as the hot stove over at AT&T Park has yet to be lit. Until today. Late this afternoon SI.com is confirming the rumor that has been going around for several days that free-agent infielder Mark DeRosa has signed a two-year $12 million deal with the Giants. DeRosa would play third base for the orange and black as Pablo Sandoval will move across the diamond and play first base in 2010.

Mark DeRosa of the Chicago Cubs bats during the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on August 23, 2007. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The 34-year-old DeRosa has been a journeyman for his entire career, bouncing around with five different teams over 12 seasons. He had his best year in 2008 with the Cubs when he batted .285 with 21 home runs and 87 RBIs before being traded that off season to the Indians.The Indians sent him to the Cardinals in July of 2009 in a deal to help the Cards down the stretch run. DeRosa was pretty awful in St. Louis hitting only .228 with 10 homers while getting a lot of playing time at third base.

Mark DeRosa of the Chicago Cubs plays defense at second base during the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on July 3, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

DeRosa has always been known as a great clubhouse guy. What does that really mean? Does anyone care about that stuff? Sounds to me like a classic Giants signing: older guy with fair numbers who has never been a star and comes cheap. Yes- he is versatile and can play anywhere and that will help the Giants, but he will not sell any tickets. The big problem with this off season is the Giants need offensive help and the free agent market is really down this year. The big names out there (Jason Bay and Matt Holliday) are too expensive for the Giants, and even if the Giants had the cash to spend none of the big hitters out there want to come to San Francisco and play in the beautiful, but hard-to-hit-in AT&T Park. There is no way they will ever be able to get a big hitter to come to San Francisco as a free agent. Thus they will be stuck with journeyman guys like DeRosa to try and beef up the lineup unless they can drag a legitimate hitter here kicking and screaming via a trade or do a better job of growing their own talent on the farm.

Mark DeRosa of the Chicago Cubs gets ready to bat in the dugout during the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on July 3, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

There are still many moves ahead for the Giants as there are still about six weeks to go until pitchers and catchers start reporting to Scottsdale for spring training. Look for the Giants to wrap up a one-year deal with Juan Uribe any day now and they still need a catcher to be their opening day starter us phenom Buster Posey will probably not be ready to be the regular catcher in April. Looks to me like another season of relying way too much on the young pitching staff to throw shutouts every night and praying for runs. Last season over-achieved and had a nice year, but I would not be surprised to see the club regress in 2010 unless something big happens.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the game at AT&T Park on October 1, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Last night at dinner I told my friends Eric Risberg and John Mabanglo that San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum MIGHT slip into first place in the balloting and his second straight Cy Young Award because his top two opponents, St. Louis Cardinal aces Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright might split the votes. I woke up this morning preparing to blog about one of the Cardinal hurlers winning the award by searching through my archive for images of both righthanders.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the game at AT&T Park on October 1, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

As I was prepping my images of Carpenter and Wainwright I turned on the MLB.com awards show webcast at 10:30am to watch the live announcement that was scheduled for 11am PST. They announced that Tim Lincecum (sometimes called “Timmy” or “The Freak”) had won his second Cy Young Award in row in one of the closest votes in history. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me. I needed to put together a nice collection of images of The Freak to showcase here on my site. Since I have shot the Hell out of Lincecum in this three seasons with the Giants this would take awhile!

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants gets ready in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on June 23, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Being a total homer and a Giants season ticket holder I was hoping that Lincecum would win the award, but I really thought one of the Cardinals would win it. Lincecum had such a great season in 2008 when he won the award for the first time, it would be tough to live up to the expectations of being the reigning Cy Young Award winner in 2009. Lincecum got off to a rough start when he was knocked out in the 2nd inning on Opening Day in San Francisco. Turns out he had been sick in spring training and was still very weak. It showed in his body and his face as he appeared much thinner than he had in the past.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on June 23, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Lincecum eventually regained his strength and earned the start for the National league in the All Star Game in St. Louis, where he appeared to be so amped up he could not find the strike zone. Watching this start kinda scared me. I wondered how he might deal with the pressure of pitching for the Giants if they got to the playoffs. Wishful thinking!

Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants sits in the dugout during the game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on Wednesday, June 17, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Lincecum is the funnest pitcher there is in the big leagues for me to photograph. With his tiny body, amazing torque and whip-like delivery you can’t take a bad picture of him. The still photograph is able to capture so many of the nuances in The Freak’s delivery, no matter where you shoot him from.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the game at AT&T Park on October 1, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Every time Lincecum pitches he effects how I photograph the game- much like Barry Bonds did when he was playing. When The Freak is on the mound I can’t just shoot the game. I have to be aware of what he is doing at all times. I have to move around and shoot him from many different angles and I have to make sure to get a good look at him in the dugout.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants sits in the dugout during the game against the Houston Astros at AT&T Park on July 4, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The light often dictates when and where I shoot Lincecum from. The harsh light during the summer months dictates that you try and shoot backlit as much as possible. You often hope that Lincecum will pitch deep into the game as the light gets better and better as the game goes on. If he is still out there in the 8th inning at 3:30pm then the game takes a back seat to Lincecum again as I will then run around the park to try and shoot from from behind the plate- where the lower sunlight will make a better picture than the one I shot earlier in the game.

Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on April 13, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Occasionally, I get lucky and Lincecum is scheduled to throw in the late afternoon when the sunlight is low, orange and screaming down on his face. This has happened a few times at home and once on the road here in Oakland. When the Giants play the A’s I try to get out to the Coliseum just to have the chance to shoot my Giants in the road gray uniforms. There was one awesome Saturday night in June of 2008 when Lincecum was on the hill for a 6:05pm start against the Swingin’ A’s. This was a can’t miss chance to try and squeeze as many frames of Timmy off before the sun disappeared. One of my favorite examples from that night can be seen below.

Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game against the Oakland Athletics at the McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California on June 28, 2008. The Giants defeated the Athletics 1-0. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

In San Francisco we have been very lucky to be able to photograph some of the best ballplayers of all time in the past two decades. First it was Barry Bonds in the 1990’s and 2000’s. Now it is Tim Lincecum and that special feeling about him has been there since I shot his big league debut against the Phillies on May 6, 2007. The stars had aligned perfectly for his first start in the Giants uniform. It would be on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. First pitch: 5:05pm PDT. Woohoo!

Pitcher Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants pitches in his Major League debut during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on May 6, 2007. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I called Nate Gordon, my picture editor at Sports Illustrated and told him we needed to be there for the kid’s debut. The #1 pick in 2006 out of Washington was a big story and he would be going up against Philadelphia Phillies phenom Cole Hamels. This was a can’t miss game!

Pitcher Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants pitches in his Major League debut during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on May 6, 2007. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

It is always exciting having the chance to shoot a phenom’s big league debut. Having the chance to shoot Linceum in the awesome light (that would only last for 2-3 innings) was a fun challenge as I moved around the park trying to shoot him from as many different angles as possible. I also tried to shoot some wide stuff (see above) to show him in the environment of pitching in the Giants beautiful home ballpark.

Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants ties his shoes in the dugout during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on July 1, 2007. The Giants defeated the Diamondbacks 13-0. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Giants were just awful in 2007 as Barry Bonds chased and finally passed Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record. The team’s won-loss record was terrible, but the fans were excited every 5th day as the young and skinny right hander took the mound. Linceum quickly became a fan-favorite, and one of mine as well. I loved shooting him when I was working and I loved watching him throw from my season ticket box seats behind first base.

Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants smiles while sitting in the dugout during the game against the Houston Astros at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on May 15, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

By the time 2008 rolled around the team was as bad as it could get. The ONLY thing that kept the fans’ interest (and mine) was the one day a week when #55 climbed on the mound to attack the opposing hitters. Lincecum’s games became must see televsion and must attend in person nights at the yard. Lincecum was quickly becoming the most charismatic pitcher in baseball.

Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on September 28, 2008. The Giants defeated the Dodgers 3-1. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

When Bonds was a younger player putting together a Hall of Fame career (before steroids in the early 1990’s) I was a young photographer who did not fully understand the history I was documenting. I was kind of a brain dead button-pusher who did an adequate job of shooting pictures of him swinging the bat, running the bases and making plays in the field. However, I failed to see the bigger picture. I failed to shoot wider pictures in better light that would place Bonds in his environment (Candlestick Park). By the time Lincecum came around in 2007 I had a better idea of what I was doing with a camera in my hands and made it my job to document the history of the game for the rest of my life as a baseball photographer- with Lincecum being a vital part of that.

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the game at AT&T Park on October 1, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Like I mentioned earlier- I try to shoot Tim doing everything on the field- including hitting and running the bases. Early in the 2009 season I watched him during batting practice as he developed a really sweet left-handed opposite field stroke. He is such a terrific athlete and a splendid fielder I see him winning a Gold Glove for his position in the near future.

My picture of Tim Lincecum pitching against the A's in Oakland in 2008 became the cover of the 2KSports Major League Baseball 2K9 video game. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Being a freelance photographer who earns my living from photographing the game of baseball it is no secret that having the chance to photograph such an incredible ballplayer like Tim Lincecum is very beneficial to me. The better Lincecum pitches the more assignments I get from editors to shoot him and the more opportunities I will have to license stock images of him to both editorial and commercial clients (see above).

Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants stands in the dugout against the Colorado Rockies during the game at AT&T Park on May 3, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Timmy has changed quite a bit since he broke in on a sunny Sunday afternoon in May of 2007. He had a much rounder baby face when he was a rookie, with very short hair. As the 2009 season ended his face was more angular and mature looking, and his hair was much longer. I just finished watching the Cy Young press conference LIVE on Comcast from AT&T Park in San Francisco and Lincecum’s hair is even longer! I wonder what he will look like in 2010? I will be finding out soon enough when I head to Scottsdale for spring training. Less than 100 days ’til pitchers and catcher report. I can’t wait!

General overall stadium view of Candlestick Park at sunset in San Francisco, California in 1989. Candlestick Park was the home of the San Francisco Giants. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Candlestick Park was my favorite place in the world. As a young boy I adopted the San Francisco Giants as my team. I had to. My father Al Mangin and my older sister Paula Mangin were Giants fans. I grew up in the east bay loving the Giants and hating the Oakland A’s. I did not care that Candlestick was called everything from a pigsty to a dump to the coldest place on earth. It was where my team played. It was my park. I loved everything about it- even the lime green Astroturf that covered the field for most of the 1970’s. My park, my beloved Candlestick Park, became a hero twenty years ago this week when it saved over 60,000 lives by remaining rock solid before Game 3 of the 1989 World Series between the A’s and Giants.

Brett Butler of the San Francisco Giants talks to San Francisco Examiner sports writer Harry Jupiter in the dugout before a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1989. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The 1989 Giants club was the best team to play at Candlestick since I became a fan as an 8-year-old in 1973. The 1987 team had been good, but this 1989 team was very special. They finally had a lead off man in Brett Butler. Will Clark was a genuine superstar. Kevin Mitchell had a monster season and Big Daddy Rick Reuschel arrived in a late season trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates to solidify the pitching staff. Throw in closer Steve Bedrosian and the steady double play combination of Robby Thompson and Jose Uribe and this was a special team.

Will Clark of the San Francisco Giants jokes around during batting practice before a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1989. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

IN 1989 I was a 24-year-old newspaper photographer on staff at the San Ramon Valley Times, a small daily newspaper in the east bay suburb on Danville. Our paper was a small sister paper of the larger Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, the paper I interned for in 1987 and 1988 while I was a student at San Jose State University. In Danville we mostly covered local Little League and high school sports, but on occasion I would get a chance to shoot the Giants or the A’s on assignment for the entire chain. More often than not the only time I got out to Candlestick in 1989 was to take my season credential and shoot on my day off. The press dinner in the Curley Grieve Media Lounge was still free back then!

The 1989 season was a special one for Bay Area baseball fans. The Giants were having a nice year, and across the Bay the A’s were the best team in baseball. The A’s had an awesome offensive lineup led by Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. Their pitching staff was led by starters Dave Stewart and Bob Welch, with Dennis Eckersley slamming the door on everyone in the 9th inning. The awesome A’s team had been upset by the miracle Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 season. The 1989 A’s team was on a mission, and they were just beating the crap out of everyone in the American League. Then they acquired home town hero Rickey Henderson in a mid season trade with the Yankees and it was all over.

Rick Reuschel of the San Francisco Giants pitches during Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1989. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I enjoyed watching the A’s because they were so good, but most of my attention was spent on the Giants as they closed out the season by winning the National League West and faced off against the Chicago Cubs in the playoffs. I had the chance to shoot games 4 and 5 of the NLCS at Candlestick. Game 4 was a thriller highlighted by a big Matt Williams home run and a typically scary Bedrosian save. Game 5 was played on a spectacularly warm Monday afternoon (noon start) at The Stick and I was shooting from a spot down the left field line past third base. Clark got the big hit off Cubs closer Mitch Williams, Bedrock got another scary save and the Giants had won their first pennant in 27 years!

Brett Butler of the San Francisco Giants celebrates on the field after the Giants won the National League Pennant after defeating the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the 1989 National League Championship Series at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1989. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

After the final out I ran from my position to the infield and shot wildly with my 20mm lens on my Canon F1 loaded with Kodak 100 ASA color negative film. I had no idea what I was doing, but I finally made one decent frame (above) of Brett Butler going nuts. The Giants were going to the World Series and they were gonna face the A’s! Oh man were we in trouble.

Dave Dravecky of the San Francisco Giants signs autographs before Game 2 of the 1989 World Series against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California in 1989. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Giants got shut down by Dave Stewart in Game 1 in Oakland, and I had the chance to shoot Game 2 on Sunday night. Once again the A’s dominated the Giants. The A’s were the better team, but I was hoping things would get better when the Giants returned home to face the A’s in Game 3 on Tuesday night, October 17, 1989. I was off that day and went to my parents house in Fremont to with the game with my dad. I was watching the pre-game show in the family room when the earth shook at 5:04 pm. My dad and I were shook up but OK. Our immediate thoughts upon seeing the reports of damage and fires in San Francisco was the well-being of my sister Paula who worked in The City and lived in the Marina, which was on fire.

It turns out my sister was safe. Paula was in the bathroom at Chiat/Day (an advertising agency where she worked at the time) washing her hands and about to run out the door to Pat O’Shea’s to watch the Series when it happened. She eventually headed back to her apartment (which was later red tagged and rebuilt), got drunk, and grabbed a jar of peanut butter and a box of Lucky Charms, and ate it all for dinner at a friend’s house. Later that week she had 15 minutes to go back to her place with an engineer and one friend to get everything she owned out of her apartment. Both my sister and her friend Desiree both threw everything they could out of her 3rd story window to a friend waiting below. Most importantly, my sister rescued all of her shoes.

Dennis Eckersley and the Oakland Athletics celebrate winning the 1989 Earthquake World Series after beating the San Francisco Giants in Game 4 of the 1989 Series at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1989. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Series eventually resumed 10 days later on a cold Friday night at the recently patched up Stick. The old lady had hel firm and saved lives, but she could not help out the Giants who got demolished that night. I was listening on the radio while shooting a high school football game for the paper at San Ramon Valley High School. I ended up shooting Game 4 with my good friend and mentor Dan Rosenstrauch from the Contra Costa Times. It was very anti-climactic and the final outcome was never in doubt as the A’s held on for a 9-6 win to finish a four game sweep to win their only World Championship of the Bash Brothers era. The A’s celebrated on the Giants home turf (see above). The Giants were whipped by a better team. They could not blame their defeat on the Quake or anything else. I was back to shooting prep football and little kids soccer in San Ramon the following week.

I still love Candlestick Park. there is a special feeling that comes over me when I go back to the ol’ pigsty to shoot a 49er game. I have dreams of the Giants going back to play a weekend series against the Dodgers someday. I was not in the ballpark on October 17, 1989. I was in my childhood home in Fremont. The Mangin family home stood firm keeping my dad and I safe. The Stick also held firm and kept many of my friends safe. I will never forget that.

Rich Aurilia of the San Francisco Giants slides safely into third base during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on September 28, 2008. The Giants defeated the Dodgers 3-1. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

As the San Francisco Giants 2009 season came to a close it became very apparent that one of the best and most-liked Giants to ever lace’em up was playing his last games in the orange and black. All-star shortstop Rich Aurilia played his final home game for the Giants on October 1, 2009 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. At 38 years old Aurilia was near the end of the line of a very fine career. He might try and hook on with someone next year, but I doubt it. The only sure thing is he will not play again for the Giants.

General stadium overall view of the new San Francisco Giants stadium Pacific Bell Park as the first batting practice is held with Rich Aurilia hitting in San Francisco, CA in January of 2000. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

When the Giants closed out their 2009 home season on a glorious fall afternoon the loudest cheers by the large crowd were reserved for fan-favorite Aurilia, who got the start at first base when manager Bruce Bochy put his name on the line up card. It was a wonderful gesture on Bochy’s part as it gave the hometown fans a chance to say goodbye to the former all-star who helped lead his club to the National League pennant in 2002.

Rich Aurilia of the San Francisco Giants bats during a game against the Detroit Tigers at SBC Park in San Francisco, California on June 8, 2003. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Few fans will remember that Aurilia came to the Giants in a 1994 trade with the Texas Rangers for pitcher John Burkett. He spent many years with the big club as a backup before finally earning a starting role at shortstop in 1998. He quickly became a fan favorite with a breakthrough year in 1999 when he hit .281 with 22 homers and 80 RBI.

Rich Aurilia of the San Francisco Giants makes a diving play at shortstop during a game against the New York Mets at SBC Park in San Francisco, California on May 18, 2003. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Of course, batting in the same lineup with Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent surely helped Aurilia become comfortable at the plate as he saw many fastballs with the dangerous duo batting behind him. This lineup had it’s most potent year in 2001 when Aurilia had a career year, batting .324 to go along with 37 homers and 97 RBI. This year earned Aurilia the starting shortstop job for the National League at the All Star game in Seattle. Bonds was decent that year. He only hit 73 bombs.

Rich Aurilia #35 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Oakland Athletics during the game at AT&T Park on June 14, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Aurilia left the club after 2003 as a free agent and signed with the Seattle Mariners. Things were pretty awful up north for Aurilia as he had a terrible season with the Mariners before being dealt to the Padres that summer. Whenever Aurilia came back to play in San Francisco with the Padres, or later with the Reds, he was always greeted warmly by the fans who remembered his better days with the Giants.

Rich Aurilia #35 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the game at AT&T Park on October 1, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Aurilia returned to San Francisco as mostly a utility player in 2007 and spent his last three years with the Giants playing all over the infield and trying to add a steadying influence in the clubhouse to a team in transition. It is always sad to see a ballplayers skills deteriorate at the end of their career, and it was no different with Aurilia. At the end he just couldn’t play anymore, and it was sad to see.

Rich Aurilia #35 of the San Francisco Giants is congratulated by his teammates after he drove in the winning run against the Colorado Rockies during the game at AT&T Park on May 3, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Aurilia I will always remember is the guy who starred in a great Friday night game against the Atlanta Braves in 2000 when I was sitting in my season ticket box seats as a fan with some good friends. It was a great pitching match up: Greg Maddux vs. Livan Hernandez. The Giants were having a great year in their new park and Maddux and the Braves were the class of the league. Aurilia hit a two-run homer in the 4th inning for the only runs of the game as Livan out dueled Maddux 2-0 in a game that lasted 2:09. Thanks for the great years Richie. You were a pleasure to photograph.

Randy Johnson #51 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the game at AT&T Park on October 1, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Last winter the San Francisco Giants were a team going nowhere, trying to rebuild and get back to .500 after several awful seasons. They had not had such a bad stretch of losing seasons since the mid-70’s when I rooted so hard for the Montefusco, Halicki, D’Aquisto and Murcer-led teams of my childhood. The 2009 Giants were looking for a 5th starter before they reported to Scottsdale for spring training when they decided to sign free agent lefty Randy Johnson. It seemed like a publicity stunt at the time as The Big Unit was just a few wins away from his 300th career victory, a milestone he was chasing before the 45 year old retired. Little did we know that his performance on the mound and leadership in the dugout would help the club both on and off the field.

Randy Johnson of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game against the Washington Nationals at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on Monday, May 11, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Once the season got going Johnson said all the right things when he was interviewed, claiming that he was not here just to get his 300th win. He said he was here to help the team get to the playoffs. I remember hearing him say that and laughing. This teams sucks, I thought. He is not going to help them go anywhere. The funny thing is he got some run support in his first few outings, the team did not suck, and he won a few games. This could be interesting!

Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners pitches during a game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California in 1994. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I had photographed Johnson many times over his career, one of the first times was when he visited the Oakland Coliseum in 1994 with the Mariners on a weekday afternoon. I remember shooting this game for Sports Illustrated and the Mariners were wearing their alternate teal jersey (see above). The light wasn’t great but his hair was flying and he was dealing against a bad A’s team. I always wondered what it would be like to have such a dominating guy pitching for the Giants. As usual, the Giants ended up with him 15 years later as he was about done- like they do with so many other over-the-hill ballplayers.

Getting the chance to photograph Johnson in a Giants uniform was fun this year, starting with his first spring training start at Scottsdale Stadium on February 27. It was strange seeing him in the orange and black as I ran around the ballpark trying to shoot The Unit from ever angle possible during his short two inning stint with the Canon 800mm lens as my trusty assistant Joe Gosen followed me around carrying all of my other gear.

Randy Johnson of the San Francisco Giants pitches during their spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 27, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

After Johnson won a few early games Sports Illustrated was ready to do a story about him as he neared his 300th win. I shot him a few times for the story, trying to photograph him from every possible angle as my picture editor Nate Gordon and I discussed what he was looking for and where Johnson looks best from. There is only so much you can do with a pitcher, but I shot him from every angle possible, both at night and in the daytime. My favorite picture of him (below) never ran in the magazine, but I was happy that I hid down in the tunnel below the Giants dugout and got off a few frames of Johnson walking up the stairs before he started a game. I thought this picture said something about an old gunslinger nearing the end of his amazing Hall of Fame career.

Randy Johnson of the San Francisco Giants walks up the stairs into the dugout before the game against the New York Mets at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on Saturday, May 16, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I shot the last pitches Johnson will throw in a Giants uniform, and maybe ever yesterday afternoon (top photo) on a glorious day for baseball in San Francisco. Johnson came on in relief to pitch the 9th inning of a 7-3 win over his old team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Giants skipper Bruce Bochy brought Johnson in so the hometown fans could see him pitch one last time. Johnson will not be back in 2010, but his promise to try and help the team reach the playoffs proved to be more fact than fiction as this year’s club surprised everyone by contending for the wild card til the last week of the season. Maybe Johnson saw something that the rest of us missed in spring training. Or maybe not.