Bay Area Sports Blog

You may remember new Giants acquisition Ryan Garko from his playing days at Stanford, but you probably don’t remember him as well as Chad Goldberg. We recently caught up with the voice of Stanford Baseball for KZSU 90.1 FM from 2000-2003 to ask him about Garko’s Notre Dame football allegiance, the origins of Garko’s college nickname, his thoughts on the trade, and his predictions for the rest of the season. Enjoy.

Bay Area Sports Blog: What’s your favorite memory of covering Ryan at Stanford?

Chad Goldberg: It’s tough to narrow it down to one. Garko and I overlapped at Stanford from 2000-2003 perfectly, so I saw basically every game he played for the Cardinal. A couple stand out:

• Garko hit a few homers in the 2001 College World Series in his first year as a starter. Intentionally or unintentionally, each of these was followed with an amazing bat flip, which a few of us always had a laugh about. They were bombs though, so the bat flip was well deserved.
• In 2003, Garko hit a 400-plus foot home run against Florida State in a regular season game at Stanford’s Sunken Diamond. Later in the game, FSU tied it with a long ball and Garko wasn’t too pleased with the way the guy acted while running around the bases, so he had some choice words for the hitter as he got to the plate. I loved his fiery attitude.
• Also, the entire 2003 season, where he hit .402 with 18 HR and 90-plus RBI was just incredible. I think he really felt like he was snubbed in the 2002 draft, so watching him come back and have a monster year was a great story.

BASB: Did you or his teammates razz him for being a Notre Dame football fan?

CG: I kept relatively quiet about it as, unfortunately, Stanford didn’t have an amazing track record against ND when I was there, despite beating a pretty poor ND squad in 1999. I seem to remember a bit of a mixed reaction amongst the players to his love of the Irish. Sadly, he might have had a few like-minded thinkers as teammates.

BASB: Where does Ryan rank among the players you watched play at Sunken Diamond?

CG: Right up near the top. My first full year calling games was 2001, which was also Garko’s first full year as a starter. He grew up in the program and at Stanford at the same time as I did, so watching him succeed was personally gratifying. I loved Garko’s intensity, drive to win, and desire to improve his game each season. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Sam Fuld and Brian Hall, two players a year younger than Garko who were not only solid baseball players but great guys as well.

BASB: Do you keep in touch with Ryan or any other former Stanford players?

CG: I actually play fantasy football with a number of former Stanford baseball players and have done so for a number of years. I also saw Sam Fuld recently when he visited DC as a member of the Chicago Cubs. David O’Hagan and Mark Romanczuk were also at the game.

BASB: What’s your memory of how the “Bud” nickname came about?

CG: This might be the one thing I am actually qualified to talk about in this Q&A. Garko is a pretty funny guy, and would often try to get me to say things on the air; attempting to get me to compare him to “a young Brad Ausmus” was a good example.

In 2001, we were waiting for the bus to a night game in the Bay Area, when he came up to me with another suggestion. Garko was having a solid 2001, and recommended that I coin a new nickname on the air for him. His idea: “The Budding Superstar.” I had a good laugh but shrugged it off until he stepped up that night. Once in a while as a broadcaster, especially during a solo baseball broadcast, you say something that is an inside joke, but with yourself as the intended target. Keeping it interesting. Well, I said something like, “Here comes ‘Budding Superstar’ Ryan Garko to the plate.”

Garko then proceeds to get incredibly hot with the bat, I used the name more frequently, Aaron Levine at the Stanford Daily picks it up, and like all baseball names it gets shortened, so pretty soon his teammates are simply calling him “Bud.” Garko would later jokingly deny that he told me to say that, but I have witnesses. We both know the truth.

BASB: What current major leaguer has the best nickname?

CG: Lance Berkman: The Big Puma. There is no second place.

BASB: What’s your opinion of the trade that brings Garko to the Giants?

CG: From a mostly objective standpoint, I think it’s a win-win for both teams. The Giants have had a tough time with Ishikawa and Aurilia getting any kind of production, and in general their offense with the exception of Sandoval is certainly not strong. Garko has had enough Abs in the major leagues to prove what kind of hitter he is, and the answer is a solid line-drive producer with a decent amount of pop. His splits this year are pretty representative of the kind of player he is: .285/.362/.464, with a .960 OPS against LHP and a .772 vs. RHP. He isn’t at the superstar level, but he is a solid hitter who should do well, especially against lefties in the NL. I am interested to see how Bruce Bochy uses him both against righties and in late inning defensive situations, but I think he will be a nice addition to the Giants for the rest of the season. He is arbitration eligible next year, so that could cost the Giants a bit if they want to keep him around.

Scott Barnes was a top 10 prospect in the Giants system, and is probably the ace of the staff of one of the best minor league teams in recent memory with the San Jose Giants. He had excellent K/BB numbers this season, and while he isn’t incredibly young for the league, he certainly is a player with upside. Some people say his ceiling is only as a #4 starter, but even if that is true, that isn’t bad. This acquisition wasn’t free for San Francisco, but the amazing level of depth in the minors on the mound allows them to get away with a trade like this where other teams would not be able to do something similar.

On a personal level, I am thrilled Garko is in the NL. I think he could thrive there and hopefully he gets a chance to play 1B every day. More importantly, he is out of the AL Central and will no longer have ABs against my Minnesota Twins, making it less awkward for me, which is really what is important.

BASB: A lot could change by the trade deadline, but what are your baseball playoff predictions as of today?

CG: NL West-Dodgers; NL Central-Cubs; NL East-Phillies; NL Wild Card-Braves. AL West-Angels; AL Central-White Sox; AL East-Red Sox; AL Wild Card-Yankees.

Not real daring, I know. I actually love the Braves out of the Wild Card spot though. Their pitching staff with the very underrated Javy Vazquez, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, and Kenshin Kawakami is absolutely nasty. The worst ERA on that staff is Lowe at 4.20! Their offense certainly leaves something to be desired but I feel like they are similar to the Giants but with a better offense and deeper staff. I can see them making noise.

I wish the Twins would pull through in the Central, but their pitching is just horrendous. I think the Red Sox rediscover their bats at some point and overtake the Yankees, but I have a hard time believing they don’t match up in the ALCS.  Predicting the playoffs though is a bit like trying to predict your cards at blackjack before they are dealt, so I really have no clue.

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By Scott on Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 at 3:15 pm.
Tags: San Francisco Giants, Stanford Cardinal