Looking back at memories. Those were the days!

Robby Thompson spent his entire career as one of the best second basemen in the National League, although it rarely felt that way nationally. He came up in an era ruled by Ryne Sandberg, whose star power and awards often eclipsed the quieter excellence happening in San Francisco. Giants fans saw it clearly, though: Thompson was the glue of the infield, a player who handled tough hops, worked deep counts, and found ways to help the team win even when attention went elsewhere.

He earned two All-Star selections, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger, and in 1991 he hit for the cycle. By the time he retired, he held most of the franchise records for second basemen, from games played to home runs. His 1993 season, when he got on base at a .375 clip while anchoring the top of the order, showed how much value he provided beyond the box scores.

After his playing days, Thompson stayed in the game as a respected coach. He worked as a first-base and infield coach for the Giants and later joined the Mariners’ staff, eventually serving as Seattle’s interim manager for part of 2013. Players spoke highly of his attention to detail and his ability to make fundamentals feel simple.

Robby Thompson spent a decade overshadowed by a legend, but he left behind a legacy of his own: toughness, consistency, and the kind of baseball intelligence that keeps teams steady for years at a time.

“Will the Thrill”

Damian Moss joined the Giants in 2003 during a season when San Francisco was trying to stay ahead of the pack without the deep rotation it enjoyed the year before. The team had lost several veterans, and the local media spent much of the spring asking whether the pitching staff had enough depth to support a lineup built around Barry Bonds.

Moss arrived from Atlanta as part of the Russ Ortiz trade, and the reaction was mixed. Reporters liked his toughness but wondered whether his walk rate would catch up to him in the NL West. For a while, he quieted those concerns. Over 22 starts with San Francisco, Moss put up a 3.68 ERA, held opponents to a .248 average, and often gave the club five or six competitive innings when they badly needed stability behind Jason Schmidt and Kirk Rueter.

As the season went on, coverage shifted. Some nights Moss looked like a dependable mid-rotation lefty, and other nights he battled his command, which drew predictable grumbling from the beat writers. Even so, his work helped the Giants maintain control of the division through most of the summer. His stint wasn’t long, but in a year when the team was piecing things together, Moss played a real part in keeping the season on track.

A two-time Cy Young winner who dominated baseball with a body that defied scouting logic and a delivery that rewrote the rules of pitching mechanics, Tim Lincecum was one of the most electrifying pitchers of his era. At just 5’11” and 170 pounds, “The Freak” proved that elite velocity and swing-and-miss stuff could come from anywhere.

From 2008–2011, Lincecum was the most unhittable starter in the game: four straight All-Star seasons, back-to-back Cy Youngs, and strikeout titles built on a whiplash delivery and devastating changeup. He became the face of a new-age Giants dynasty, delivering iconic postseason performances including his 14-strikeout playoff debut and a complete-game shutout in the 2010 World Series.

Historically, Lincecum was a revolution. His success helped inspire a generation of smaller-framed pitchers and pushed teams to rethink old-school ideas about size, biomechanics, and player development. His delivery became a case study in kinetic-chain efficiency.

In a personal note, Lincecum is Filipino on his mom’s side and is a central part of my Filipino-American PC.