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Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants
On the day of the 2010 All-Star break, the San Francisco Giants were pitted in fourth place in division standings. In some ways, their lack of success seemed more predictable than surprising: Manager Bruce Bochy's "Dirty Dozen" included an ace pitcher still recovering from a marijuana bust, a young hitter locked in a hitting slump, and an MVP seemingly condemned to the disabled list. Only those willing to take giant leaps of faith could imagine that this collection of misfits, eccentrics, and walking wounded would do what no Giants team had done since 1954: win a World Series. Andrew Baggarly's recap of an unbelievable season makes you believe in powers beyond our miserly imaginations.
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First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
June 7, 2011
If you're a Giants fan you have to read it, if you hate the Giants you will think its the worst book you've ever read, if you just love baseball generally you'll probably really enjoy it, and if you think baseball is something you have to sit through to get to the NBA highlights on Sportscenter you're probably not even reading this review.
November 22, 2020
The writing is good but just standard I SIMPLY love the story okay. On merits of nostalgia and joy alone it gets a four star
November 29, 2017
The best way to describe both the book and the story within: Fun and a little messy
January 20, 2016
This is a great description of the 2010 San Francisco Giants. It's about the unlikely story of the Giants somehow finding a way to win it all. His use of humor and knowledge of the team and the game ties the book together beautifully. Overall a great book and a must read for any baseball fan.
April 7, 2011
There's no way to be objective about this. Is this the Greatest Story Ever Told? Fuck yeah.
July 22, 2011
This is a very well written book about the SF Giants 2010 World Series winning season. Very insightful and entertaining. Every Giant fan must read this one. The Torture is over!!!!
January 11, 2024
Full disclosure: I am a HUGE San Francisco Giants fan and have been so as far back as my tenure in the Third Grade. I rooted for some great, good, mediocre, and, just awful bad San Francisco Giants teams. They were the team that had their share of Hall of Fame talents (Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal) in the 1960s and early 70s. They nearly won it all against the powerful New York Yankees in 1962. Mays and McCovey, Marichal, pitcher Gaylord Perry and, Orlando Cepeda led other teams to near-pennett contention but the Dodgers and the Cardinals always managed to be a little better.
They came close to winning it all with everyday great hitters Will Clark, Matt Williams, and Kevin Mitchell in the late 1980s, and nearly took the National League Pennant in 1987. They won it in 1989 under manager Roger Craig but lost in a sweep to the super-talented Oakland A's.
And they nearly made it again in 2002 when Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent were the stars, and the great Dusty Baker was the manager. But it was in 2010 that they managed to not only make it to the World Series but managed to beat their opponents, the Texas Rangers, and capture the first World Series title the Giants won since they came out to the West Coast in 1958.
Andrew Baggherly, an excellent reporter and prose stylist, covered the Giants for ten years and he documents how a great young catcher (Buster Posey), old veterans like Edgar Renteria, Pat Burrell, and Aubrey Huff, and a corps of well-scouted young pitchers (Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, et al) came together under manager Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean to finally bring a World Series Parade down Market Street on a beautiful day in November of 2010.
This is a book I got for a gift and reliving the memories made me appreciate even more the "band of misfits" and what they did in that first of three improbable but wonderful treks to becoming Major League Baseball champions!
They came close to winning it all with everyday great hitters Will Clark, Matt Williams, and Kevin Mitchell in the late 1980s, and nearly took the National League Pennant in 1987. They won it in 1989 under manager Roger Craig but lost in a sweep to the super-talented Oakland A's.
And they nearly made it again in 2002 when Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent were the stars, and the great Dusty Baker was the manager. But it was in 2010 that they managed to not only make it to the World Series but managed to beat their opponents, the Texas Rangers, and capture the first World Series title the Giants won since they came out to the West Coast in 1958.
Andrew Baggherly, an excellent reporter and prose stylist, covered the Giants for ten years and he documents how a great young catcher (Buster Posey), old veterans like Edgar Renteria, Pat Burrell, and Aubrey Huff, and a corps of well-scouted young pitchers (Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, et al) came together under manager Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean to finally bring a World Series Parade down Market Street on a beautiful day in November of 2010.
This is a book I got for a gift and reliving the memories made me appreciate even more the "band of misfits" and what they did in that first of three improbable but wonderful treks to becoming Major League Baseball champions!
December 11, 2017
Last Sunday (8 May 2011), I completed the book: “A Band of Misfits“, by Andrew Baggarly (2011©). Baggarly is a sports columnist (and SF Giants beat reporter) for a local Bay Area newspaper. The book is a collection of stories which follow the championship season (2010) of the San Francisco Giants. The book is a fast, fun read. The stories add a sense of humanity to the players which rarely comes out of a shorter form of writing – like a daily column. You may get the same picture if you follow the column every day, but I’m not sure how many folks still do this. To be honest, I’ve never done this (follow a columnist) until about a year ago, when I began regularly reading a pro-football columnist (Peter King) in Sports Illustrated. Since I don’t get the paper or read Baggarly’s column on-line, I can’t comment on if the book is a mashup of his columns or if the stories are extra material that never quite made the column. Either way, they are stories worth reading.
Anyway, as one of the many old-time baseball fans who jumped on the Giants bandwagon last year, I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the book and reading about the lives and foibles of some of the players. I heartily recommend this book to any recently returning baseball fan!
Anyway, as one of the many old-time baseball fans who jumped on the Giants bandwagon last year, I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the book and reading about the lives and foibles of some of the players. I heartily recommend this book to any recently returning baseball fan!
May 24, 2018
This is one of the best books I have read in a while. I chose to read this book because I love watching the Giants and ever since I was young they were my favorite baseball team. the author does a fantastic job in describing the whole season. He uses dramatic effect throughout and was filled with statistical facts to make the book very informative.
The author did great in keeping the book in order. Baggarly never gets out of order so the whole story seems just as it should be: a cinderella story. The whole story seemed to flow just as I remembered when watching the championship run when I was little. It was a flashback to the days of when I remember watching some of the best Giants ever. This connected with me because I remember watching this team do what they did was great to watch, and great to read about. Reading this book brought me back to the days of when the young team took down the veterans. Some of these players are still on the team, playing or retired but its cool to read about where they began. Many of the players have retired or moved on but players such as Bumgarner and Posey still play, and to read about their rookie years ad their immediate impact was great.
The author did great in keeping the book in order. Baggarly never gets out of order so the whole story seems just as it should be: a cinderella story. The whole story seemed to flow just as I remembered when watching the championship run when I was little. It was a flashback to the days of when I remember watching some of the best Giants ever. This connected with me because I remember watching this team do what they did was great to watch, and great to read about. Reading this book brought me back to the days of when the young team took down the veterans. Some of these players are still on the team, playing or retired but its cool to read about where they began. Many of the players have retired or moved on but players such as Bumgarner and Posey still play, and to read about their rookie years ad their immediate impact was great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2020
I'm not a huge baseball fan, nor a huge Giants fan, however I was working in San Francisco with Barnes and Noble when this book was released. We did a book signing where Mr. Baggarly came out and singed a bunch of books. I picked one up, because the Giants were the first real baseball I'd watched since the strike in 94. I wasn't disappointed. Baggarly has a colloquial style. He's very accessible and has humorous metaphors (also check out Thomas Gase of the Vallejo Times-Herald for a similar style), and gets the story across in an astute and pithy manner.
Each chapter covers the history of one of the players, in context of where they are in the season, ranging from their less than lustrous start, to their victory in the 2010 World Series. He is spot on with stats, and references to why those stats matter, reviewing the history, not only of the organization, but of baseball in general.
Reading this book at this time actually made me long to be able to have a beer and a brat and sit on the porch with the game on. When baseball does come back, you can bet that I'll be out there, thinking about the history I'd learned and forgotten, and trying to understand the chess game between the pitcher/catcher and batter.
Each chapter covers the history of one of the players, in context of where they are in the season, ranging from their less than lustrous start, to their victory in the 2010 World Series. He is spot on with stats, and references to why those stats matter, reviewing the history, not only of the organization, but of baseball in general.
Reading this book at this time actually made me long to be able to have a beer and a brat and sit on the porch with the game on. When baseball does come back, you can bet that I'll be out there, thinking about the history I'd learned and forgotten, and trying to understand the chess game between the pitcher/catcher and batter.
January 4, 2026
I am a big San Francisco Giants fan. In 2010, I lived in Iowa. My wife and I went to game 1 of the World Series. I was an incredible experience. I had been to Oracle Park before. This was different. Everyone was like your best friend; people were so happy.
This book was like a walk down memory lane. The Panda, the Machine, "fear the beard", the Rally Thong, Buster, Pat the Bat, and OOOO-Rebay are just a few of what was going on.
This book does chronologically walk through the season, but it starts each chapter with a biography of an important player of that period. Cat ching the Padres at the end of the season, facing Atlanta in Bobby Cox' last year in the division series, meeting the Phillies' dominant team in the League Championship Series, and finally facing the Texas Rangers in the World Series. All great memories.
I wish Baggerly had done a similar book for the 2012 and 2014 seasons.
This book was like a walk down memory lane. The Panda, the Machine, "fear the beard", the Rally Thong, Buster, Pat the Bat, and OOOO-Rebay are just a few of what was going on.
This book does chronologically walk through the season, but it starts each chapter with a biography of an important player of that period. Cat ching the Padres at the end of the season, facing Atlanta in Bobby Cox' last year in the division series, meeting the Phillies' dominant team in the League Championship Series, and finally facing the Texas Rangers in the World Series. All great memories.
I wish Baggerly had done a similar book for the 2012 and 2014 seasons.
January 3, 2025
How did it take me so long to read this?
I love the stories and the real-life characters whom I spent my thirtieth year--and first back in SF--celebrating. This Giants team accomplished something that a lot of people (including those who had been following the Giants since their move to SF and even earlier) genuinely believed would never happen. Reading these chapters, I could vividly remember exactly where I was for many of the moments.
This would be a 4.5; only reason it's not a 5 is because Baggarly's writing just isn't as smooth or personable as top sportswriters (like my favorite, Joe Posnanski). Baggarly's writing is often choppy with awkward phrasing, and it's written like a series of blog posts.
I love the stories and the real-life characters whom I spent my thirtieth year--and first back in SF--celebrating. This Giants team accomplished something that a lot of people (including those who had been following the Giants since their move to SF and even earlier) genuinely believed would never happen. Reading these chapters, I could vividly remember exactly where I was for many of the moments.
This would be a 4.5; only reason it's not a 5 is because Baggarly's writing just isn't as smooth or personable as top sportswriters (like my favorite, Joe Posnanski). Baggarly's writing is often choppy with awkward phrasing, and it's written like a series of blog posts.
November 25, 2021
Rereading a book about the team that defined my teenage years and having ALL the feels. Baggs weaves the story of the season with the narratives of all these unique players, and it’s a masterpiece. A must read for any Giants fan.
March 3, 2020
Memories
If you want to experience the 2010 SF Giants again, read this great book. It will all come rushing back to you.
If you want to experience the 2010 SF Giants again, read this great book. It will all come rushing back to you.
March 6, 2021
3.5 stars
October 28, 2021
Die hard Giants fan born and raised and loved this book! So much insight on a great.season
July 10, 2023
I liked this book even though I don't like the Giants.
August 19, 2011
"A Band of MiSFits" by Andrew Baggarly tells the story of the long-suffering, upstart 2010 San Francisco Giants as they found themselves the underdogs all the way to winning the World Series.
This is obviously a must-read for any serious Giants fan. But even a casual fan of baseball (or of just Tim Lincecum or Brian Wilson) can enjoy this well-written series of vignettes detailing the improbable apotheosis of a group of "castoffs and misfits." This is the story of how the Rally Thong, Pat the Bat, Ross the Boss, the Beard, the Freak and the Panda all made it together to the pinnacle of baseball.
The book is broken up into 19 chapters, each of which is somewhat self-contained and takes a different view of a certain player or an incident or a series of games (and sometimes a mix of those three). As a fairly dedicated Giants fan, I found that even I learned things I didn't know before--like why Bengie Molia really was traded and how Bruce Bochy left the Padres. This is due to Baggarly's perspective as the Giants beat reporter for the San Jose Mercury News and as a blogger (his blog: Extra Baggs) for the Bay Area News Group. And I also learned a few things I probably didn't need to know, like how childish the antics sometimes got in the clubhouse (I'm looking at you Huff and Burrell).
Whether you love the Giants or hate them (Texas, Philly, San Diego, I'm looking at you), or simply find them oddly freakish, yet appealing, "A Band of MiSFits" is an excellent baseball book and captures the incredible highs and all too persistent lows of the amazing 2010 season. This book simply contains "too much awesome" for any true baseball fan to pass up.
This is obviously a must-read for any serious Giants fan. But even a casual fan of baseball (or of just Tim Lincecum or Brian Wilson) can enjoy this well-written series of vignettes detailing the improbable apotheosis of a group of "castoffs and misfits." This is the story of how the Rally Thong, Pat the Bat, Ross the Boss, the Beard, the Freak and the Panda all made it together to the pinnacle of baseball.
The book is broken up into 19 chapters, each of which is somewhat self-contained and takes a different view of a certain player or an incident or a series of games (and sometimes a mix of those three). As a fairly dedicated Giants fan, I found that even I learned things I didn't know before--like why Bengie Molia really was traded and how Bruce Bochy left the Padres. This is due to Baggarly's perspective as the Giants beat reporter for the San Jose Mercury News and as a blogger (his blog: Extra Baggs) for the Bay Area News Group. And I also learned a few things I probably didn't need to know, like how childish the antics sometimes got in the clubhouse (I'm looking at you Huff and Burrell).
Whether you love the Giants or hate them (Texas, Philly, San Diego, I'm looking at you), or simply find them oddly freakish, yet appealing, "A Band of MiSFits" is an excellent baseball book and captures the incredible highs and all too persistent lows of the amazing 2010 season. This book simply contains "too much awesome" for any true baseball fan to pass up.
January 27, 2012
Dyed in the wool Giants fan here. 2010 World Series run of my Giants was crazy and emotional and indeed torture inducing, but so so awesome! I've been meaning to read this book for a while now, but grad school was in the way. It was a real treat to read it on the plane home to New York after I spent a great break in the Bay Area, let me tell you.
Andy Baggarly is the Giants beat writer for the San Jose Mercury News, and pretty much the leading media force that covers the team. His twitter feed is the first stop for trade rumors, DL updates, and clubhouse hilarity for most Giants fans, no doubt. He is also a great sportswriter, as reflected in this entertaining, eloquent and well-formatted book. I really enjoyed his perspective and behind-the-scenes insight into the craziness that was the 2010 season. His background information about the team of misfits was illuminating even to a pretty hardcore fan like myself, and helped tide me over until spring training starts in a few weeks.
Vamos Gigantes!
Andy Baggarly is the Giants beat writer for the San Jose Mercury News, and pretty much the leading media force that covers the team. His twitter feed is the first stop for trade rumors, DL updates, and clubhouse hilarity for most Giants fans, no doubt. He is also a great sportswriter, as reflected in this entertaining, eloquent and well-formatted book. I really enjoyed his perspective and behind-the-scenes insight into the craziness that was the 2010 season. His background information about the team of misfits was illuminating even to a pretty hardcore fan like myself, and helped tide me over until spring training starts in a few weeks.
Vamos Gigantes!
September 16, 2011
Music connection: "Let it Rock" -Kevin Rudolf & Lil Wayne
"I see your dirty face, high behind your collar...And you take your time, and you do your crime...When I arrive I bring the fire, make you come alive, I can take you higher...LET IT ROCK, LET IT ROCK, LET IT ROCK."
I laughed, I cried (no I really cried), and I truly did think I was part of the team. I read this book just as the Giants were slipping away from Arizona and were on a horrible scoring streak. Our pitchers were beat, and our bats were cold. I was so immersed in the stories, the details about these men that I watch day in and day out, that I found myself unable to look at the true reality of the team and the situation. As Chris was yelling at the screen and walking around in deep depression regarding our hitting, I was on cloud 9, feeling close to "my boys" and really truly believing we would pull through.
I recommend this book to ANY true Giants fan. It was a joyous read. May I suggest after the season ends and you want to reminisce on our 2010 season? Just a thought.
"I see your dirty face, high behind your collar...And you take your time, and you do your crime...When I arrive I bring the fire, make you come alive, I can take you higher...LET IT ROCK, LET IT ROCK, LET IT ROCK."
I laughed, I cried (no I really cried), and I truly did think I was part of the team. I read this book just as the Giants were slipping away from Arizona and were on a horrible scoring streak. Our pitchers were beat, and our bats were cold. I was so immersed in the stories, the details about these men that I watch day in and day out, that I found myself unable to look at the true reality of the team and the situation. As Chris was yelling at the screen and walking around in deep depression regarding our hitting, I was on cloud 9, feeling close to "my boys" and really truly believing we would pull through.
I recommend this book to ANY true Giants fan. It was a joyous read. May I suggest after the season ends and you want to reminisce on our 2010 season? Just a thought.
February 8, 2012
My love for Tim Lincecum prevents me from saying anything bad about the SF Giants or anything associated with them, including this book…
A Band of Misfits is a love letter to the 2010 SF Giants (and Buster Posey in particular). It reminded me of Moneyball, if Michael Lewis wanted to marry the A’s and have tiny Billy Beane babies…only without Billy Beane or math. (But still with Barry Zito. *dreamy sigh*)
I liked this book very much. It was a fun fast read to help get through these last few days before pitchers and catchers report for ST, and even though I am the type of person who tries to stay away from any knowledge of professional athletes personal lives (it makes me super uncomfortable) I did enjoy the insight into their backgrounds. It is really hard not to like these guys.
A Band of Misfits is a love letter to the 2010 SF Giants (and Buster Posey in particular). It reminded me of Moneyball, if Michael Lewis wanted to marry the A’s and have tiny Billy Beane babies…only without Billy Beane or math. (But still with Barry Zito. *dreamy sigh*)
I liked this book very much. It was a fun fast read to help get through these last few days before pitchers and catchers report for ST, and even though I am the type of person who tries to stay away from any knowledge of professional athletes personal lives (it makes me super uncomfortable) I did enjoy the insight into their backgrounds. It is really hard not to like these guys.
October 16, 2014
A great book for fans of the San Francisco Giants (or sports in general), this shows how a team has to make adjustments throughout the year to address weaknesses, replace injuries, and improve and adapt as individual players. Being a lifelong Giants fan, this book about the 2010 World Series Championship was exquisitely special because of the wait involved – more than 40 years for me, and nearly 60 for the team – before the sweet joy of finally being able to say something other than “wait until next year” after the final game has been played.
As a Giants follower, I was aware of most of the stories, although Baggerly has some inside information from being around the team behind the scenes that add a small bit to the well-known stories, but it's still fun to go back and re-read this, and I read it during the 2013 season when the Giants had a good early part of the season before faltering in June.
As a Giants follower, I was aware of most of the stories, although Baggerly has some inside information from being around the team behind the scenes that add a small bit to the well-known stories, but it's still fun to go back and re-read this, and I read it during the 2013 season when the Giants had a good early part of the season before faltering in June.
April 26, 2011
An enjoyable romp through a season of "Torture" that ended in bliss, this breezy book profiles the members of the 2010 Giants and chronicles their march to San Francisco's first-ever World Series win. Though not immune from the standard shortcomings of sportswriting (overdramatics, psychologizing, and cute turns of phrase), Baggarly chose the right approach for this improbable tale: profiling members of the band (baseball warts and all) one at a time and demonstrating how they fit together to make a winning team. He also situates the Giants in San Francisco, showing how the City loved and suffered with its heroes for more than half a century. Others have said that the 2010 win vindicated all those heartbreaking near-misses, but you can really feel it in these pages. Of course, it helps knowing the happy ending in advance.
May 26, 2014
A Band of Misfits was a phenomenal book. I thought the author (Andrew Baggarly) provided such an in-depth analysis to the San Francisco Giants 2010 World Series run that it made me feel like I was actually a part of the team. Basically, the book talks about the San Francisco Giants’ amazing run to a World Series championship. The author replays the thrilling moments of the playoff games and the weird but interesting personalities of the Giants’ players. He also gives a great perspective of what it’s like to be in that playoff atmosphere Every chapter was so exciting that it made me want to turn the page. A well written book by Baggarly for sure! If you are a Giants’ fan, this book is a must-read. But if you’re not a Giants’ fan, you probably would still enjoy it. (except if you are a Dodgers’ or A’s fan.)
March 23, 2016
A MUST read for Giants fans, and a good read for baseball fans. This brought back all the emotions that accompanied the 2010 season. Nearly in tears as I finished the book riding BART into the city this morning, but I held it together.
Baggarly does an exquisite job intertwining baseball biography with engaging narrative. As you sweep through the season you feel the excitement build through Baggarly's words, while detailing each "character" with their mini-bio's so that we feel closer to the players and action than ever before. This non-fiction book reads like fiction!
From the deaths in some players families (recent and past), to the bright young players, to the misfits that were added, this proves to be one of the best books, of one of the best teams, in Giants history.
Baggarly does an exquisite job intertwining baseball biography with engaging narrative. As you sweep through the season you feel the excitement build through Baggarly's words, while detailing each "character" with their mini-bio's so that we feel closer to the players and action than ever before. This non-fiction book reads like fiction!
From the deaths in some players families (recent and past), to the bright young players, to the misfits that were added, this proves to be one of the best books, of one of the best teams, in Giants history.
June 17, 2011
As a die hard Giants fan I loved this book. It was like reliving the whole season over, along with the acid build up in my stomach due to all the torturous games they played. I laughed out loud, shed a tear or two, shook my head in amazement over what the pitching staff did, and the sweet reality of success.
I wish they had a whole chapter dedicated to Matt Cain, who has always flown under the radar, but showed his moxie on the national stage.
It was fun to read, and I wanted the story to continue. Baggs is regular on KNBR so I appreciated his homer style of writing, why would it be any other way?
I wish they had a whole chapter dedicated to Matt Cain, who has always flown under the radar, but showed his moxie on the national stage.
It was fun to read, and I wanted the story to continue. Baggs is regular on KNBR so I appreciated his homer style of writing, why would it be any other way?
August 31, 2011
This book seamlessly highlights the strength of character, the joy, the struggles, the camaraderie and, ultimately, the triumph that this group of unwanted misfits and "wash ups" went through in the 2010 season.
There are no words to properly express my joy and gratitude to the Giants for finally bringing a World Series championship to the city of San Francisco. Baggarly makes their victory that much sweeter by showing us that it could not have happened to a better group of guys. A true team.
There are no words to properly express my joy and gratitude to the Giants for finally bringing a World Series championship to the city of San Francisco. Baggarly makes their victory that much sweeter by showing us that it could not have happened to a better group of guys. A true team.
September 17, 2011
I read this book right after the 2010 World Series, as soon as it was published, so I was still in the ecstatic phase of fandom. Almost everything Baggs wrote about I was familiar with, but it was a real treatto read about the inner-workings of the clubhouse, the personal stories of the players and the joy and anquish that occurred on a daily basis. The book was well written. That was expected from a long-standing journalist, but it was written so that it was an easy read, and that's the way it should be with baseball. I bought several copies as gifts - the ultimate recommendation!
August 3, 2011
Excellent recap of the dream season of these band of misfits! Loved every chapter and flowed really nicely. The background stories of all the players were my favorite parts, I've watched these guys for a year now and they feel like people I know and thanks to this book I really have great insight on them now. I highly recommend this book to any Giants fan, any baseball fan and any sports fan in general. Well written, awesomely told.
January 17, 2017
A must read for any San Francisco Giants fan. Sure you know how the 2010 baseball season went, but Andrew Baggarly wove all the stories of the players together with the key moments of the season together. From the Freak and the Rally Thong to Fear the Beard and the Machine, you have it all in this book. Plus, there are a few snippets that haven't been revealed anywhere else. Stop reading this review and get this book now!!!
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