A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants [Hardcover]

Andrew Baggarly (Author), Duane Kuiper (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2011

The 2010 San Francisco Giants were the most unlikely World Series champions of all time. Sure, they had some quality pitchers, but the Giants roster consisted of a rag-tag group of castoffs, oddballs, rookies, and old-timers who seemed a lot more entertaining off the field than on it. After 53 years of futility, San Francisco was hungry for a baseball championship...but the 2010 Giants? Then, as the season waned, some type of magic descended on the Bay Area and enveloped the club, leading them to the most miraculous of championships. How the Giants came together as a team and shocked the country all the while, doing things in their own offbeat fashion is one of baseball s all-time great stories.

In Band of Misfits, Andrew Baggarly longtime Giants beat writer for the San Jose Mercury News shines a light on the colorful characters (lovingly labeled the Dirty Dozen by manager Bruce Bochy) who became stars during San Francisco s crazy ride to the top, including Aubrey Huff and his now-legendary Rally Thong; clean-cut rookie extraordinaire Buster Posey; and laissez faire Tim Lincecum, whose laid-back personality is a perfect fit for the City by the Bay. Behind every madcap misadventure there was also an unquenchable drive to succeed and prove the naysayers wrong. Too young, too old, not good enough? This team never bought into those excuses. Every baseball fan will love Baggarly's inside stories of The Misfits run to the title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Mays, McCovey, Cepeda, and Marichal--Hall of Famers all--couldn't do it. Nor could The Thrill, Matty, and Mitchell. Not even Bonds, Kent, and Nen. No, in 52 seasons in the City by the Bay, the Giants had never won a World Series. And then, suddenly, the 2010 Giants won it...emphatically, against all odds, despite being labeled a band of misfits. What a story! And it's all recounted here, in vivid, behind-the-scenes detail. Every Giants fan must have this book!"

--Jon Miller, Hall of Fame announcer and Giants play-by-play voice


"After being a part of the Giants organization for so many years, it was an honor - and excruciatingly fun -- to watch this team in 2010. I was as happy for them as if I'd won the World Series myself, and there's no better writer to cover this great season than Andy Baggarly. He is one of the few members of the media who is there day in and day out and who truly understands the game of baseball."

--Rich Aurilia, former Giants infielder


"All year long, Andy Baggarly was the must-read beat writer for the 2010 Giants. Now that the 2010 Giants have achieved immortality, Andy has become the must-read author to etch these indelible players and moments into lore. Anecdotes, insights, context, humor, ball knowledge and, yes, goosebumps are the result. In Giants-speak, let's just say Baggs NAILED IT."

--Brian Murphy, host of "Murph and Mac" morning show on KNBR Radio


"There are still millions of Americans wondering how Barry Bonds, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal could have avoided winning a World Series in San Francisco - but a team that called itself The Misfits did. Well, thank heaven Andy Baggarly came along to explain it all so eloquently in this amazing book. It took a great writer and reporter to unearth the mysteries behind Aubrey Huff's thong, Brian Wilson's beard and this team's magical journey. And reading these riveting tales reminded me again why Andy Baggarly is one of the best baseball writers in America."

--Jayson Stark, ESPN

About the Author

Andrew Baggarly is the Giants beat reporter for the San Jose Mercury News and has covered the team home and away for the past seven seasons. Prior to that, he covered the Dodgers and Angels beats for newspapers in Southern California beginning in 1996. He writes the popular Extra Baggs blog for Bay Area News Group and can be followed on Twitter @extrabaggs. He has covered a four-home run game, a no-hitter, and multiple World Series and All-Star Games. He is a proud Hall of Fame voter and served as an official scorer for the 2007 All-Star Game at AT&T Park. Baggarly, 35, was born in Naperville, Ill., and graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He lives in Eugene, Ore., during the offseason.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 316 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books (March 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600785980
• ISBN-13: 978-1600785986
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andrew Baggarly is the Giants beat reporter for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (previously the San Jose Mercury News) and has covered the team home and away for the past nine seasons. Prior to that, he covered the Dodgers and Angels beats for newspapers in Southern California beginning in 1996. He writes game stories, breaking news, features and Extra Baggs dispatches for CSNBayArea.com and can be followed on Twitter @CSNBaggs. He has covered a four-home run game, a perfect game, a no-hitter, and multiple World Series and All-Star Games. He is a lifetime Hall of Fame voter, a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and served as an official scorer for the 2007 All-Star Game at AT&T Park. Baggarly, 35, was born in Naperville, Ill., and graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He lives in Palo Alto. Oh, and his bio wouldn't be complete without these four words: "Three-time Jeopardy! champion."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Baggarly scores again. March 22, 2011

By giantsmidnightreplay

Format:Hardcover

My main apprehension was that this book was going to be a terrific book but one that I had already read. With all the terrific coverage that we as Giants fans get from Andrew Baggary on in his Mercury articles and his blog Extra Baggs, I was wondering if he had any stories, antidotes, or related stories that had yet to be covered. Luckily for the devoted Giants fan there is tons of extra insight into the magical Giants season that was 2010. It almost makes me wonder if every year Baggs holds some stories out just in case they win the big one and he has to write a book. (you better not be!!!) To the average reader it is a perfect introduction to a team in a championship season that rivals very few, "The Bad Guys Won" about the 86 Mets and their inspiring run comes to mind. Anyway, its a terrific book for a Giants fan or for a baseball fan in general. It's such a great story that I would read it even if it was about the Dodgers....... (maybe not)

Anyway for more on Baggarly's amazing writing check out his blog Extra Baggs

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great recap of an intensely emotional season from a true insider... March 23, 2011

By sixsixty

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A handful of anecdotes and episodes from this book will sound familiar to Extra Baggs (the author's blog) readers, however, its true beauty lies not in offering an information dump of who the 2010 World Champions are and what happened, but rather its ability to re-draw the season thematically through personal character story lines which in turn offers the readers a glimpse of what specific moments, certain hardships, the championship and the season itself meant to the players.

Those who know Baggarly's writing will find this book's style and tone familiar. The author always writes with sincerity and transparency in his blog posts and acumen in his articles. In 'Misfits' Baggarly mostly splits the two styles. The tone is less colloquial than his delivered insight from his blog, yet more compassionate than his articles which provides for a compelling narrative.

Any Giants fan will enjoy the book (even if he/she watched every inning of every game in 2010), however, it's written to a thinking fan who appreciates insight, perspective, good writing and a well told story.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Relive the 2010 Giants Season From a Whole New Perspective March 29, 2011

By Don Nguyen

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My main concern when I bought this book was that it would simply be a blow-by-blow recap of the 2010 season. And while I thoroughly enjoyed every torturous inning in 2010, I was really hoping for a lot more than just the usual discussion of Brian Wilson's beard or Aubrey Huff's rally thong. Thankfully, this book goes much deeper than that, and allows the reader to relive the 2010 season from a totally different perspective than the one you typically have as a fan sitting in a seat at AT&T Park. In fact, Chapter 1 starts out on the team plane flying from San Francisco to Denver and you're invited along for the ride. Andrew Baggarly's ability to tell very personal stories lets you see your favorite players in a very different light. Even die hard fans who watch all the post-game interviews and read all the Giants blogs will learn things they never knew before. The 317-page book is a pretty quick read, and I can't recommend it highly enough. How much did I like this book? Well, as Brian Wilson might say, "It was delicious."