Dave Tobener

Sometimes, it feels like the San Francisco Giants just can’t help themselves. Another unforced error after an offseason spent repairing the damage from Greg Johnson’s “somewhat break even” debacle, this time in the form of letting longtime public address announcer Renel Brooks-Moon go after what appears to be a contract dispute. In a press release hilariously titled “Ahead of the 2024 Season, Giants Name Renel Brooks-Moon Public Address Announcer Emeritus” — I’m still dizzy from all of that s…

Stubbornness can be a virtue, sometimes. Sticking to your guns in the face of adversity and staying committed to a long-term plan can result in incredible rewards if things break your way. But stubbornness can also be crippling, especially if someone is being stubborn for the sake of it. It’s hard to blame Giants fans for thinking Farhan Zaidi falls into the latter category, especially after the last few weeks. He’s given them ample ammunition to support that line of thinking. The Giants faced s…

Quick question: Can you name the biggest “buy” trade Farhan Zaidi has made during his tenure as the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants, if you define “biggest” by the number of players traded away? Here’s a hint: There are two such trades, with the Giants sending back three players in each. Anyone spring to mind? If the answer is no, it’s hard to blame you, because the players the Giants acquired in those moves were Kevin Pillar and Tony Watson. It looks like anothe…

It’s déjà vu all over again. The San Francisco Giants are once again runners-up — or in third place, fourth place, who knows — for a superstar free agent who would have instantly given them credibility both on the field and with the fan base. And this time it’s much, much worse. Shohei Ohtani is headed to the Dodgers, the absolute last place any Giants fan wanted to see him go, for an earth-shattering $700 million over 10 years. It’s an all-too-familiar feeling after last year with Aaron Judge…

And now, the Giants stand alone. The Giants joined every other team in baseball on Thursday and voted yes on the A’s relocation to Las Vegas, and in the process assured themselves sole possession of one of the nation’s largest media markets for the foreseeable future. No more competition in the baseball world for ad dollars, corporate sponsorships, ticket buyers or anything else. The greater Bay Area, and all of Northern California, will belong to the Giants — by 2028 if not sooner, depending on…

When Brandon Crawford played what was likely his final game in a Giants uniform last month, it closed the book on the team’s dynasty years. Crawford was the last remaining member of those teams still with the Giants, and one of the last still playing, period. And while it was sad to see Crawford go, it was even sadder to consider that period of Giants history over and done with. It made me a bit wistful, to be honest, especially considering the current state of the franchise. It also got me thin…

​​Forgive San Francisco Giants fans if they were feeling more wistful than happy Wednesday night, on the anniversary of the Giants’ first World Series victory in the City by the Bay. The man who brought them that championship had just won it all, again, while wearing a different uniform. Watching Bruce Bochy raise the World Series trophy in a Rangers jersey had to sting, given in the minds of a large portion of the fan base the Giants’ fall from grace over the past two seasons can be directly tr…

Forgive Farhan Zaidi if the MLB playoffs are causing him to experience an existential crisis. Amid another down year, the fallout from firing Gabe Kapler, working on hiring a new manager and calls for his job that just keep gaining volume, you’d think the Giants’ president of baseball operations would have enough to worry about this winter. But if the Giants’ current state is that of a dumpster fire, the playoffs are only adding fuel to it. Every team that’s still standing (as of this writing) h…

Like an automated Cruise car in a San Francisco intersection, Gabe Kapler’s time as manager of the Giants has stalled out and died. The Giants somewhat shockingly relieved Kapler of his duties on Friday, with three games left before the end of another disappointing season. It’s a mercy dismissal in a way, as now Kapler won’t have to face question after question about his job security — and the nostalgia-focused Giants marketing machine won’t have those questions linger over Brandon Crawford’s pr…

The 2023 season is in its death throes, which means it’s just about time to start looking ahead to what promises to be the most important offseason for the San Francisco Giants since… well, the last one. The Giants find themselves in an eerily similar predicament as they did a year ago, desperately needing an infusion of offense to bring some kind of consistency to a lineup that scares nobody. They had a golden opportunity to do just that last offseason, coming tantalizing close to landing a sta…

The San Francisco Giants’ playoff dreams are all but dashed, and the team faces an uncertain future.

Want to start a fight between two Giants fans? Ask them their opinions on Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler. Nothing quite inspires fierce debate among the faithful like the performances of the Giants’ president of baseball operations and manager. Their defenders are just as passionate as their detractors, and it’s hard to find any middle ground. The recent announcement from owner Greg Johnson that both Zaidi and Kapler would be back next year — playoffs or not — really broke the dam. So let me be br…

September is here, and with it comes baseball’s stretch run. It’s the time where true contenders separate themselves from the pack, surging into the postseason with the kind of momentum that can carry a team to a World Series title. And for the Giants, it’s the chance to prove they’re for real, with the chance to make some serious noise in October. Right? Uh… well. About that. The Giants are currently 0 for the month, having lost three straight to the Padres and dropping the first of a three-gam…

Spectacular. That’s the only word that truly captures how Kyle Harrison looked in his first home start Monday night against the Reds. He was utterly dominant from the get-go, striking out the first five batters he faced. He had command of all his pitches and toyed with a very good Reds lineup, making them look completely overmatched in the process, and cut them up like he was prime Randy Johnson. Scientifically speaking, he flat-out shoved. This was the Harrison that Giants fans have been saliva…

The San Francisco Giants announced a new jersey patch partnership with Cruise, the controversial autonomous vehicle company.

The San Francisco Giants missed out on deadline prizes like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer but made the right move, Dave Tobener writes.

If the Giants are serious about adding Ohtani, they should wait until free agency.

“Are the Giants a surefire, bona fide playoff contender? Maybe, maybe not. But...

“Watching Giants games has become a slog. This is not an exciting team. This is not a fun...