Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda are regular visitors around the San Francisco Giants.

But when Muhammad Ali showed up in the clubhouse Tuesday to tout his Athletes for Hope charity campaign, players, coaches, clubbies and even the general manager and owner stood in line for photos with the 68-year-old former heavyweight champion.

“I thought he was going to react and give me a right hand in the chin,” catcher Bengie Molina said jokingly. “I was afraid.”

Right-hander Matt Cain put his pitching fist up to Ali’s left fist. Mays greeted Ali in an adjacent conference room before leaving the ballpark following the closed-door meeting.

“I know Ali,” Mays said afterward, refusing to speak further about their friendship.

Ali, who lives in Scottsdale, suffers from Parkinson’s disease. He rarely talks in public and speaks in a barely audible whisper.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Right-hander Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants have settled their arbitration case, with the two-time NL Cy Young winner signing a $23 million, two-year contract ahead of Friday’s originally scheduled hearing, baseball sources tell ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney

For arbitration, the Giants filed for $8 million while Lincecum countered with $13 million. He earned $650,000 last season.

Lincecum, the reigning Cy Young winner, was 15-7 last season with a 2.48 ERA. He’s 40-17 in his three major league seasons with a 2.90 career ERA.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

If Randy Johnson’s career is over, he finished it with a strikeout. The Big Unit and Pablo Sandoval each provided some final memories for a San Francisco Giants team that stayed in the wild-card chase until the last week of the season.


Johnson made what could be the last appearance of his brilliant, 22-year big league career, pitching one adventuresome inning of relief in the Giants’ 4-3, 10-inning win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.

Although the Big Unit gave up an unearned run in the seventh that tied the game 3-3, Sandoval provided the go-ahead run when he homered on the first pitch of the 10th inning. It was Sandoval’s 25th.

The 46-year-old Johnson said Thursday that he’ll take his time in the off-season deciding his future. The 303-game winner also hoped to get one more outing this season, and manager Bruce Bochy wanted to oblige.


Click here to read the full article – By Bernie Wilson of The Canadian Press

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“Stranger things have happened,” Bruce Bochy was saying late Wednesday night.


San Francisco’s manager referred to a long-shot rally by the Giants into the playoffs — not to Jonathan Sanchez stepping up as the rotation’s stopper.

Although that was strange enough.

In a rotation of marquee pitchers with headlines and honors, you wouldn’t expect Sanchez to be the one to put his foot down and call for order, as he did in taking a shutout into the sixth inning of a 5-2 victory over the D-backs that kept the Giants’ playoff hearts beating.

Click here to read the full article – By Tom Singer of MLB.com

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Second baseman Freddy Sanchez had to leave Monday night’s game against Arizona in the bottom of the first inning with a twisted left knee.


Sanchez will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, but manager Bruce Bochy already wasn’t counting on being able to have him available for Tuesday night’s game against the D-backs.

“He’s day-to-day for now, but I assume he’s definitely out [Tuesday],” Bochy said following Monday’s 5-4 victory in the opener of the series against the D-backs.

The aggravation of the injury that had marred Sanchez around the time of his late-July acquisition from the Pirates occurred in bizarre fashion: as he gloved an innocuous throw in from center fielder Aaron Rowand after Justin Upton had flied out.


Click here to read the full article – By Tom Singer of MLB.com

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Barry Zito is pitching a lot like his old self and the San Francisco Giants are finally backing him with plenty of runs. And they’re right back in the playoff chase.

Zito struck out a season-high nine in his biggest win yet as a Giant, Juan Uribe drove in three runs and San Francisco shaved another game off Colorado’s hold on the NL wild card with a 10-2 victory over the Rockies on Tuesday night.

“We’re just clicking right now,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Hopefully this is something we can continue and keep the momentum going. … We still have some ground to make up.”

San Francisco won its third straight after a four-game skid and pulled within 2½ games of the wild-card leading Rockies, who dropped their fourth straight following an eight-game winning streak.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Monte Irvin HOF 1973 Upcoming Signing – 10/2/2009 Here are the details: Where: Westchester County Center When: 10/2/2009 Phone: (908) 258-7228 All Orders and Mail-Order need to be received by: 9/25/2009 Prices: Any Item – $25 One Free Inscription
Place a presale order for the Monte Irvin Signing or check out a full list of Upcoming Memorabilia Signings.

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The Giants reportedly are the team that put in a waiver claim on Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman this week, although the possibility of a trade remains remote.

An ESPN.com report Friday said the Giants made the claim, perhaps for their own, or perhaps to block the Dodgers and Rockies, their rivals in the NL West race, from claiming Hoffman themselves.

Major League executives are barred from discussing waivers, so Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has not commented on Hoffman’s situation.


Click here to read the full article – By John Schlegel of MLB.com

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Gaylord Perry 5-Time 20 Game Winner Upcoming Signing – 10/10/2009 Here are the details: Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel When: 10/10/2009 Phone: (908) 258-7228 All Orders and Mail-Order need to be received by: 10/7/2009 Prices: Flats and Balls – $30 Caps, Equipment – $50 Bats, Jerseys – $50 Inscriptions – $5
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Orlando Cepeda HOF 1999 Upcoming Signing – 8/14/2009 Here are the details: Where: Westchester County Center When: 8/14/2009 Phone: (908) 258-7228 All Orders and Mail-Order need to be received by: 8/10/2009 Prices: Flats & Balls: $35 Caps, Eqpt: $35 Bats, Jerseys: $55 Inscriptions: $5
Place a presale order for the Orlando Cepeda Signing or check out a full list of Upcoming Memorabilia Signings.

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