STRETCH SO LONG,

With the deaths of three iconic figures in San Francisco Giants history comes a season of melancholic nostalgia along the edge of McCovey Cove

BY KERRY CROWLEY

Willie Mccovey

If Willie Mays is the greatest Giant of all time, Willie McCovey is the most beloved.

“Stretch” spent 19 of his 22 seasons in San Francisco, earning six All-Star nods and the adoration of a fan base that marveled at his smooth swing and sweet glove.

McCovey remained a constant at the Giants’ home park through the final summer of his life, watching games with his wife, Estela, from a suite that overlooked the cove named in his honor.

At his Hall of Fame induction in 1986, McCovey told Giants fans, “Like the Golden Gate Bridge and the cable cars, I’ve been made to feel like a landmark too.”

Remembered for his humility, sense of humor and kindness, McCovey is celebrated by the Bay Area as more than just a baseball player. He’s a local legend whose infectious spirit will live on forever.

Hank Greenwald

Considered one of the greatest “bad-team broadcasters” in baseball, Hank Greenwald lifted the spirits of fans during some of the Giants’ darkest days.

Greenwald enjoyed two stints as a play-byplay broadcaster in San Francisco, calling games from 1979-1986 and again from 1989-1996. Known for a remarkable ability to make his audience laugh and to describe pivotal moments with an unparalleled eye for detail, Greenwald delivered an iconic call when the Giants ended a long National League pennant drought in 1989.

“Twenty-seven years of waiting have come to an end! The Giants have won the pennant!”

His gift for storytelling kept Giants fans tuning in through the end of losing seasons, which is no small feat for a franchise that celebrates the loyalty of its fans.

“He told me that a bad game on the field is no excuse to have a bad broadcast,” Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow said. “I wanted that tattooed on my forehead.”

Peter Magowan

Put simply, baseball in San Francisco wasn’t possible without Peter Magowan.

The long-time Safeway executive is credited with keeping the Giants in San Francisco and spearheading the charge to build a privately financed waterfront park at China Basin. But before Magowan set a significant precedent by constructing a stadium without requiring public funds, he helped turn the direction of the franchise by convincing slugger Barry Bonds to sign a lucrative free-agent deal with the Giants in the winter of 1992.

Magowan and 16 other members of a new ownership group hadn’t completed their purchase of the Giants when they received a commitment from Bonds, a controversial move that frustrated the commissioner’s office but steered the Giants onto a new, sustainable path that led them to their greatest heights.

Magowan was lauded by former Giants and fans around the community for the way he appreciated the franchise’s storied past. Eventually, he was responsible for creating history too.