Dale Says

Robby Thompson was one of the best Giants second basemen of all times. When he retired from major league baseball in 1996, he was the Giants all-time second-base leader in games played, at bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, fielding percentage, and double plays. That’s pretty amazing, especially considering what Robby had to overcome to do it.

Robby played college baseball at the University of Florida and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round in 1983. He debuted with the Giants in April 1986, at the age of 24. That year, he won The Sporting News Rookie of the Year. He had surgery at the end of his first season to have cartilage removed from his right knee.

The next year, his second in the big leagues, Thompson teamed with Jose Uribe to form one of the best double play combinations in baseball, and together they turned 183 double plays. The Giants clinched the NL West that year by six games over the Cincinnati Reds. For most of the year, Robby played in pain with a bulging disc.

His third year should have been Robby’s best, as he was now comfortable as the Giant’s leadoff man and second baseman, but he had a pinched nerve in his leg, and he struggled to hit. That year he struck out 111 times and ended the year with an anemic .264 batting average.

His best year was in 1993, when Robby was hitting .325 at mid-season and was selected as an All-Star. A leg injury forced him to miss the game, however, and late in the season he suffered a broken cheek bone when he was hit by a pitch. He returned for the final game of the season and played with a bloodshot eye and wearing a plastic mask. He won a Gold Glove Award that year for fielding excellence and the Silver Slugger Award as the best offensive second baseman.

The following year, Thompson was hit on the left ear, went on the disabled list in May, and underwent surgery on his right shoulder. He missed most of that season. In 1995, he had surgery on his other shoulder. He played after recovery, but only in 63 games. He played his last game on September 22, 1996, at the age of 34. He has remained in baseball; coaching for the Giants, Indians, and Mariners. All three of his sons are in baseball, too, working their way through the minor leagues.

Robby won a lot of awards during his playing career; including being named to two All-Star teams, a Gold Glove Award, and a Silver Slugger Award. The award he was most proud of, though, was the Willie Mac Award, which he won in 1991. That award, named for and presented by Willie MacCovey, is given to the most inspirational player on the team, as voted upon by Giants players, coaches, training staff, and fans. The winner receives a plaque engraved with the words “Competitive Spirit, Ability and Leadership.”

That meant a lot to Robby. It took guts to keep playing through pain and surgery. It also took and gritty determination.

I have a baseball in my small collection of memorabilia signed by Will Clark. It’s one of my favorite Giants souvenirs, because it brings back one special memory.

“Will the Thrill” was one of the all-time fan favorites of the San Francisco Giants. He played the game the way it should be played — with a fiery intensity and passion. He was also an excellent clutch hitter, which is always popular with fans. With those two characteristics, whenever Will came to bat everyone in the stadium paid attention.

Will was drafted in the first round (second overall pick) by the Giants in 1985, out of Mississippi State. He joined the Giants big-league team in 1986 and played his first eight years in a San Francisco uniform, compiling a .289 batting average. He later played five years for the Texas Rangers, two years for the Baltimore Orioles, and one year for the St. Louis Cardinals — with an excellent 16-season batting average of .303, in 1,976 games.

Will (the Thrill) got his nickname from San Francisco Giant’s catcher Bob Brenly, who pinned it on him after Clark reportedly stated, “I’m just thrilled to be here,” when asked about his recent call-up to the big leagues.

Will had many highlights during his long tenure in Major League Baseball, including All-Star games, Most Valuable Player awards, and earning Gold Gloves for his fine defensive work. But the highlight that stands out most for me was his hit that sent the Giants to the World Series in 1989.

I had just gotten married a couple of days before the Giants made the World Series that year, and Patty and I were driving to the airport to fly to our honeymoon when the deciding game started. The traffic was badly backed up on the way to the airport (the Giants still played at Candlestick Park in those days), and we arrived late to the the airport and missed our flight. I remember standing in the airport, watching our plane take off, and feeling very sad. But United Airlines found a later flight for us, and we went into an airport lounge to get something to eat and watch the end of the playoff game.

It was game five of the National League playoffs between the Giants and the Cubs. The Giants lead the series three games to one; one more win and they would be in the World Series. By the time we started watching the game it was in the sixth inning, and the Giants trailed the Cubs 1-0. (Big Daddy) Rick Reuschel had made amends for his poor start in Game 2 by giving up only one run over eight innings. Now the Giants were at bat, trailing by a run late in the game.

With two Giants out in the eight, the Cubs appeared ready to send the series back to Chicago. But Candy Maldonado pinch-hit for Reuschel and walked. Cub’s pitcher, Mike Bielcki, then loaded the bases by walking Brett Butler and Robbie Thompson. Cubs manager, Don Zimmer, sent to the bullpen for (Wild Thing) Mitch Williams to get the Cubs out of the mess. Will the Thrill was up next. He drove home the pennant willing runs with a single to center field that gave the Giants a 3-1 lead. Will had once again delivered in crucial spot, the Cubbies were finished, and the Giants were in the World Series.

We flew later that day on to our honeymoon. All was right with the world: we were happily married and Will The Thrill had put the Giants in the World Series.

Thanks, Will, for the Thrill.

When we book cycling tours in foreign countries, we usually pick a local tour company. That saves us a few dollars, and gives us a more “local” flavor. In Poland, we signed on with a tour company in Krakow who made hotel reservations and furnished us with bicycles, maps, and a guide.

Our guide (Tomas) was born, raised, and still lives in Krakow. He’s 38, married, and has a 10-year-old daughter who goes to elementary school in Krakow. Tomas is thinly-built and handsome, with dark, curly hair. He speaks Polish, English, German, and some Spanish and Russian. He makes a living by leading bicycle tour groups in the summer and teaching English and German the rest of the year.

Tomas has been leading bike tours since 2001. In addition to cycling with the group each day, Tomas runs marathons, and he went running each morning before he greeted us for the start of our daily rides. That’s probably why he is thinly-built.

Tomas has applied to be a weather forecaster on TV, and he had just found out that he made the cut and was part of a group of five semi-finalists for the job. He is quietly excited about it, because it would mean he could spend more time in Krakow with his family.

Tomas was very dedicated, friendly, and helpful. He was also very concerned that each of us was happy, and he became easily stressed. Everything had to be on time, and if we were running late, he would round us up and move us along.

On the tour he was very hard-working. He helped load and unload bikes, and he checked our bicycles each evening to make sure the tires were up and our gear was ready. He also went from hotel-to-hotel to make sure everything was in order and everyone was pleased.

On the tour, Tomas gave instructions and historic talks in German and English. He led the group as we cycled, but he often circled around and made sure everyone was alright. He took turns riding with each of us, and he asked about our background, our interests, and how we were doing. We felt he was genuinely concerned about us.

We learned a lot from Tomas. He told us about the history of the Tatra Mountains and the Gorale people. He told us what it was like to live in Poland when it was controlled by the Communists. He told us some of his hopes and fears growing up in a very different world than ours.

We learn something new from each country we travel to. There are so many different cultures, histories, and religions in our world, and those differences shape us into what we become. What we also realize each time we travel to a new country is that despite our many differences we have a lot in common. That’s how Tomas made us feel. We felt his great interest in us and his pride in his country. And we felt his love of his family and shared his hope for a better future for them.

Thanks, Tomas, for helping us experience your country. And thanks for helping us experience the common bonds we share.