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Giants manager Bochy has a new World Series reputation


ARLINGTON, Texas — For the last 12 years, Bruce Bochy has lived with the stigma of getting swept in the World Series. For the rest of his life, he'll be known as the manager of the 2010 World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Bochy likes to say he's just the guy who decides which of his tremendous pitchers starts on a given day, but it's easy to see his impact goes much deeper. He mixed and matched a collection of "characters," ''castoffs" and "misfits," drawing out enough offense to get by the Braves, Phillies and Rangers this postseason. "I was just hoping to get one more chance at this," said Bochy, his championship T-shirt somehow still dry nearly an hour after San Francisco beat Texas 3-1 in Game 5 on Monday night to claim the title. "That's what the game is about, being in this moment right now," he said. "So I'm living a dream." Bochy went into October having lost 10 of his last 11 playoff games. He left his highest-paid player, $126 million pitcher Barry Zito, off the postseason roster and hardly used his highest-paid hitter, outfielder Aaron Rowand. Instead, he relied on guys like Andres Torres, a 10-year minor leaguer, and rookie catcher Buster Posey. "I can't say enough about how they accepted some roles," Bochy said. "I'm sure they weren't happy with me, guys (who) were used to going out there every day. But they stayed ready, and they had one thing on their mind, and that was to do this. ... But it's not going to work unless they buy into it, and they did." Perhaps the best example was World Series MVP Edgar Renteria. He didn't start until Game 2 of the NL championship series, San Francisco's sixth this postseason. "Bruce somehow managed to juggle this roster and put people in position to be successful," managing partner Bill Neukom said. Bochy was most proud of the pitchers his supposedly paltry lineup beat — from San Diego's Mat Latos in the regular-season finale to get into playoffs, all the way to Texas' Cliff Lee in Games 1 and 5 of the Series. In between, there was Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe in Atlanta, and the Philadelphia staff of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. "It amazes me," Bochy said. "I'm sure a lot of people didn't think that was going to happen." Bochy is 55, in his 16th year as a big league manager after nine seasons as a backup catcher. He was NL Manager of the Year in 1996 with the Padres and has been with the Giants since 2007. After winning Game 4 on Sunday night, Bochy was so excited and so nervous about being one win away from the title that he could hardly sleep. He said he was nervous all day. When Nelson Cruz struck out to end it, Bochy threw both his arms straight in the air, then hugged pitching coach Dave Righetti. "I was numb at first because you understand how hard this is to do," he said. "But it makes everything worthwhile, whatever you do when you get to this point." In defeat, a ring anyway: Rangers catcher Bengie Molina is going get a World Series ring anyway because he spent half this season on the San Francisco Giants. How awkward is that? "There's a lot of guys that I enjoyed playing with, made myself very comfortable when I was there in San Francisco," he said. "I'm actually very happy for them. ... I think they're enjoying right now what a special feeling it is." Molina said before the Series that he was considering retiring. In the moments after this season ended, he said he hasn't decided. "Right now, it's probably closer to no playing than yes," Molina said. "I don't want to decide right now because then something happens later on and I come back. I just want to spend time with my family right now, my mom and my wife and my kids. I'll spend times and I'll make a decision." Molina was 2 for 11 in the Series, playing four of the five games. Only in San Francisco: Warning: Giants slugger Aubrey Huff is considering a grand unveiling for his lucky red thong. "I'm probably going to wear it all by itself in the parade," Huff said. "I better get a spray tan, huh?" Huff might have been the only San Francisco player happy to win in Texas. He grew up in the area going to Rangers games and had plenty of friends and acquaintances in the stands, plus some of his role models like Nolan Ryan. "To do this here in front of a lot of people I grew up idolizing: coaches, coaches from high school, friends, all my family's here, it's special, man," Huff said. "Been a long grind for me, nine years. To be here and do this, I can't believe it happened." Crank up the hot stove: About an hour after the game ended, the MLB players' association sent an e-mail declaring 142 players are free agents, plus 34 more are eligible for free agency pending option provisions. Rangers ace Cliff Lee is among the headliners. Other Texas players on the market include catchers Bengie Molina and Matt Treanor, infielders Cristian Guzman and Jorge Cantu and reliever Frank Francisco. From the world champion Giants, the free agents are sluggers Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell and Jose Guillen, infielders Juan Uribe and reliever Guillermo Mota. World Series MVP Edgar Renteria and Texas DH Vladimir Guerrero are eligible for free agency pending option provisions. Sorry Yankees: All Texas Rangers chief executive Chuck Greenberg was trying to do was rile up his own fans. He got so into it, the team had to issue an apology — to Yankees fans. "I thought Yankee fans, frankly, were awful," Greenberg told the local ESPN affiliate on Monday. "They were either violent or apathetic, neither of which is good. So I thought Yankee fans were by far the worst of any I've seen in the postseason. I thought they were an embarrassment." Before Game 5 of the World Series on Monday night, the club issued the following statement: "Earlier today, in the course of praising the extraordinary support and enthusiasm of Texas Rangers fans, I unfairly and inaccurately disparaged fans of the New York Yankees. Those remarks were inappropriate. Yankees fans are among the most passionate and supportive in all of baseball. I have spoken directly to Hal Steinbrenner and Randy Levine to apologize for my intemperate comments. I would like to express again how proud we are of our fans and how remarkably they have supported the Rangers throughout lean times and now during this magical season." Prideful owner: Country music singer Charley Pride has been a regular at Rangers spring training since the team moved to Texas in 1972. His clubhouse concerts for the team are a highlight. Now he's more than just one of the Rangers' biggest fans. Pride is also part of the investment group with Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg that bought the team this summer. "It's wonderful. I'm glad that I got a chance to be a part of it," said Pride, who was on hand to sing the National Anthem before Game 5 of the World Series. A former Negro Leagues player, the 72-year-old Pride comes to spring training each year. He puts on a uniform and works out with the team. "I would love to have me a bat to go out there and be hitting right now," said Pride, sporting a World Series jacket on the field before Monday night's game. "I'm in the Country Music Hall of Fame. I would have loved to be in the baseball Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame." So when he goes to spring training next year as a part-owner, will things be any different? "Only just being part-owner," he said. "I'm still going to associate with the guys the same way, and I'm going to work out with them and talk with them, and be the same way I always was." – AP
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