SF Examiner: San Francisco Giants' Cody Ross endeared himself to fans, earned a starting spot

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

He’s not quite a national monument. That label belongs to the other entity from Carlsbad, N.M.: the caverns. “It’s a pretty neat experience,” Cody Ross said of visiting his hometown attraction. “Especially as you get older.

“As a kid, I didn’t appreciate it as much.”

This from a ballplayer who in his career was not appreciated at all — until early last autumn.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum has what it takes to be 'cool'

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

It wasn’t an escape. Not according to Tim Lincecum, although some might view it exactly as that. He simply headed north, back to the state of Washington and away from the state of hysteria in which, metaphorically, he had found himself.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: Giants still working out the spring kinks

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

It was a preview of summer in the heat of spring, baseball that didn’t mean a great deal, such as who won or lost, but to players seeking perfection and capacity crowd of 8,330 seeking a day in the sun it meant a great deal.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: Giants icon Willie Mays is truly one of a kind

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

He is the last one, not so much standing but sitting, at his own table, with his autograph in silver ink on the top. It is there Willie Mays holds court in the Giants’ spring training clubhouse, reflecting upon a past inextricably linked to the present.

Part of a trio, connected by greatness and proximity in the days when New York had three teams and baseball was all flannel uniforms and grace.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: Lincecum Never Runs From Media

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- For the modern athlete there is always another notebook or microphone to confront, always another question to answer.

"Yes, I understand," said Tim Lincecum with a touch of sarcasm. "They have asked about every grain of rice, every grain of salt.''

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011