The San Francisco Giants got a great performance from Logan Webb Tuesday night, after he threw a complete game to beat the San Diego Padres. After it was over, Webb opened up to the assembled media about the Giants underperformance this season. That led to several revelations about the clubhouse that were fairly eye-opening. Including the fact that a good chunk of the roster is addicted to a Filipino card game called Pusoy dos.
The money quote came in an article by Andrew Baggerly of The Athletic:
Other Giants players who have attempted to bring professionalism to the clubhouse have been frustrated by the results.
Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, second baseman Thairo Estrada, and infielder Wilmer Flores are among those who sought to refocus a clubhouse that has included too many ho-hum reactions to losing along with a near-zealotry to Pusoy, a Filipino card game that Joc Pederson and some other Giants players appear to find more compelling than studying the night’s opposing starting pitcher.
So these guys are playing cards at the expense of working on their craft. I'm sure there are guys like that on every MLB team, but the fact that it seems to be widespread is a major issue. Also, the fact that a respected veteran like Joc Pederson is mentioned by name is not a great sign.
There were more concerns, specifically the playing of music in the clubhouse after losses:
Some Giants players noticed small but telling signs in the clubhouse this season. The blaring, postgame victory playlist is a staple in most clubhouses. At some point, though, someone decided that it would be appropriate to play Bob Marley music in the clubhouse after losses.
“When’s the last time you heard music in a major-league clubhouse after a loss?” one Giants player, granted anonymity in order to speak freely, said. “I mean, you shouldn’t hang your head for too long after a loss. But you shouldn’t be OK with it, either."
That’s part of the problem in San Francisco. The implied message after losses: “Don’t worry ’bout a thing. ‘Cause every little thing is gonna be all right.”
Again, not great.
The Giants are currently 78-79, sit 18.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West and are 4.5 games out of the final NL wild card spot. A few games one way or another and it could have been a different season.
It's fair to say a portion of the blame has to go to manager Gabe Kapler for not policing his clubhouse, but it's also on the players themselves.
This article was originally published on thebiglead as San Francisco Giants Clubhouse Apparently More Into Card Game Than Baseball.
