During this spring training, I truly enjoy sitting with either Omar Minaya or Brian Sabean.
With Omar, I can take it or leave it. I say this with a loud chuckle because I basically grew up with Omar. We played on a couple of youth teams together and at times when I was trying to find myself I literally slept on his floor. I think so much of Omar that he is my daughter Toni’s Godfather.
Omar has really been like a brother. Every step that he has taken in the great game of baseball has always been a proud moment for me and all of the guys that grew up with him. The fact that he is the first Latin G.M. In baseball makes him a Hall of Famer in my book.
When it comes to Brian Sabean I got to know of him during his first round with the Yankees. I really didn’t have much contact with him but truly understood that he had a very difficult job because he was working under and with the very great yet difficult George M Steinbrenner. He was also working with the wonderful Gene Michael. When you worked with the Boss you got to understand leadership. When you worked with Gene Michael you got to understand genius. Put it all together and you become brilliant.
What the San Francisco Giants got when they acquired Sabean as their G.M. was a seasoned baseball mind to run their baseball operations.
Just like Gabe Paul and the Yankees when they had Reggie Jackson in the ’70s, the Giants had Barry Bonds in the 2000s.
As difficult and brilliant as Reggie could be in that era you could say the same thing about Bonds. I had to laugh when we talked about Bonds because it was at that time that George Steinbrenner saw me babysitting Barry Bonds (his dad Bobby Bonds played for the Yankees in 1975) that he decided to have me babysit his little boy Hal Steinbrenner.
However, the babysitting segment is a story for another day.
Let me just say that I always admired how Sabean handled the full operations of the Giants also how he dealt with the Barry Bonds era which was an adventure in itself. The late Hank Steinbrenner had a wonderful relationship with Brian so his name was always in my ear because of their friendship.
I also marveled at the three World Series Championships. It’s hard enough to win one.
To sit with Brian and Omar and talk pure baseball is always fun because believe it or not it’s not every day that you find true baseball purest at the park. It’s almost a thing of the past. I like to think that even though I have been in baseball for almost 51 years I’m still learning the game.
Why not learn it from Professor Sabean and Professor Minaya?
DIAMOND DUST….
Today I thank God that my dear friend Darryl Strawberry 🍓 is doing well after suffering a heart attack in St. Louis. A procedure was performed and the Straw man should be out of the hospital in a few days.
Thank you 🙏 Jesus!
