Humm Baby Bye Bye
I remember when Roger Craig started managing for the Giants in ’85. At the time, I thought “this guy is old.” LOL. I was in high school back then. I don’t know if it was cause I’d never heard of him or maybe he just didn’t have the strongest vibe but I was down on the hire. Oh how wrong I was.
To this day, if you’re in the right spot, you can still hear people in the Bay Area belt out a “Humm Baby”. The KNBR morning guy manages his kid’s team and they’re called “The Humm Babies”. Craig changed the culture of that team and his infectious positivity impacted the entire fanbase. He gave us a reason to be hopeful. And even though he never won a World Series for us he showed us how to win. And winning felt so good! Remember those teams?
“You’re gotta like these kids!” was the slogan and it fit. Today I don’t even know what our slogan is. It’s utterly forgettable. “Giants baseball. Nothing like it.” I had to look that up.
I loved Roger Craig and was sad to hear of his passing.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Hum Baby turned the entire franchise around and still my favorite manager. I remember all the dark years and he was the first ray of sunshine. Old School of Old Schools. Will be missed.
I always wanted to make a baby on board decal that was orange and said Humm Baby on Board.
Genius!
I thought it should’ve been a no brainer for the marketing department. Not Craig related, but another one I thought they should’ve done was a JT Snow globe.
You’re really good at this, Bozo!
93-97 Giants hired Dick Pole as the pitching coach.
Thought they could have had a Dick Pole bobblehead night with a bat shaped like a shaft.
I’m sure all the women would of enjoyed it..
Craig and Rosen couple very smart baseball men. Made Giants into very competitive teams in their day.
A comment from an article in the Athletic.
@Anthony G. Craig told this great story on himself: as a 20 game loser for the newly minted Mets, games weren’t easy but they were often hilarious. Bases loaded, with Willie McCovey due up, manager Casey Stengel ambled to mound. “How you gonna pitch him?, Stengel asked Craig, “Upper deck or lower deck?”
Craig saved SF baseball.
LOL. Great story. And yes, he did SAVE baseball here.
Definitely. Earlier 80s teams very dispiriting, lot of crummy players.
Split is still big weapon for today’s pitchers. Craig always maintained if thrown properly it wouldn’t ruin anyone’s arm.
That team couldn’t score to save their lives in 1985 and lost 100 games. Clark was traded, Joe Morgan and Reggie Smith retired and the team had no fire. Jimmy Davenport and Tom Haller were tossed in favor of Al Rosen and the Humm Baby himself.
Their first draft netted gold, and the winning took hold. Fun times. The Niners were winning super bowls, and it appeared that the Giants would follow suit. It didn’t come to pass but those were heady times.
The Chicago 7 trade was monstrous…
Abbie Hoffman for a commie to be named later?
I met Abbie Hoffman at the Managua airport, Jan 85.
Agree Chuck every Giant just TANKED that year the stats show it all.They couldn’t score any runs all season!Trading Jack Clark for a useless David Freaking Green was incredibly stupid.Hac Man &Chili both underperformed, the pitching was awful lead by ancient Mike Krukow with 9 wins.Not defending Davenport but he had a terrible team to work with.Humm Baby Craig had the luxury of adding Will Clark&Robbie Thompson the next season, they got rid of Green, and the pitching improved immensely under Craig when he reached the staff the split finger. When Craig first arrived for the final 18 games (6-12) the Giants players already had there gear packed in the clubhouse for the offseason.Obviously the attitudes changed under Craig the next season with a clean out of players, the addition of Clark&Thompson and Craig’s attitude adjustment of be in are your gone along with his his catchy Humm Baby phrase which caught on with everybody.Hell I was even saying Humm Baby at work when they starting winning again!
Craig lost 46 games in 2 years with awful expansion Mets (who lost 111 in 1963 second season) in 1962/63, then got traded to Cards in offseason and won his 3rd WS in 1964. 1964 Mets lost 109 more and that was year of 23 inning second game of DH that Giants swept May 31 that I remember listening to on radio.
Ray Sadecki won 20 for Cards that year and 2 years later came over to Giants in infamous Cepeda trade.
The awful Cepeda/Sadecki trade actually made some sense at the time.
They had to make room for McCovey to play first and needed what they hoped
would be a good young lefty SP. Cepeda was coming off knee surgery as well…
True, Loo. Cepeda had great year in 64 with 31 bombs/.900 OPS and then when he was hurt in 65 Mac exploded for 39 and .920 OPS. just no room for both of them.
Cepeda also was beginning to force their hand (in his last season with the Giants), he was complaining every few games or weekly to the media about playing the outfield. He would do it in such a way that it sounded like he was trying his hardest, but he just couldn’t get the hang of it. Third base was particularly shortlived in ’59 and Giants finally got tired of his moaning, and put him at 1st base for the most part, during the latter part of the season. Conversely, McCovey was always a gentleman and kept quiet.
Here’s a good article about that period of time Loo . . . Good stuff about both McCovey and Cepeda. https://tht.fangraphs.com/cepeda-mccovey-and-the-mother-of-all-asset-squanderings/
Thanks Blade – great stuff!
Fantastic article, thanks.
Craig was also pitching coach for WS Champ Detroit Tigers in 1984, as he had been since 1980. Credited with teaching split to Jack Morris, who pitched another 10 years and won 3 more WS, including WS MVP in 1991.
The Humm Baby was a winner as a player (despite the stint with awful Mets), as a coach, and as a manager. Great positive attitude to the point of “Really?” like he was completely around the bend, but it worked. Pre-him, those Giants teams were so bad they were like an infection — it needed to be beaten back and slayed with an onslaught of anti-biotics, and Craig was the take no prisoners anti-biotic needed to get rid of the Giants septic malaise. He did that and more. The 1987 playoff appearance was like a defibrillator of energy to a tired, depressed fanbase. Upward ever since to the glory of the 3 in 5. Would I take Craig to manage over Kapp? Of course, he’d use the analytics but not overuse, and get the best out of his players.
Roger Craig — definitely a forever Giant…
That was such a solid Tigers team in 84
They started out 35-5 and never looked back.
51 wins from 3 starters led by Morris(19)Petry(18)& 14 from I cannot remember?Great BP as well with Willie Hernandez and others.
They had CatcherLance Parris&Kirk Gibson leading the way with HR’s and RBI’s, and 2B Sweet Lou Whitaker&SS Alan Trammel a great DP team.
Add in 3ex Giants getting a W/S ring with Darrel Evans,Larry Herdon&Dave Bergman plus the wildcard in one of the best name ever Rusty Kuntz how could u possibly lose..
Damm it was Tigers pitcher Milt Wilcox going 17-8 to give them 51 wins from the top 3 pitchers..
Larry Herndon in CF. Always liked him. Haven’t thought about him in years.
Fun Herndon fact:
– 7 years in Deetroit = 843 games, 83 HRs, 364 RBI
– 6 years at the stick = 642 games, 24 HRs, 186 RBI
Per the NY Times, Steve Garvey is contemplating running for US Senate.
It would be a pleasure to vote against him, but alas, I’m not in CA anymore…
What is he, 70? 75? Jesus. He running out of money?
Just for fun, over his last 28 days and 81 plate appearances, Brandon Belt’s line:
.297/.444/.469/.913
6 runs scored, 7 RBI, 16 walks …
Very little power. Everyone said when Belt left for a more normal home park he’d blast 30+. Glad he’s gone.
Homered off Leone the other day as Jays beat Mets.
Giants will be back there Toronto end of the month.
This is nuts.
One part of Craig’s positivity I liked was somehow getting the players to embrace the ‘Stick and making it a tough place for opponents. Giants never had a losing record under Craig, even during his last two losing seasons. RIP Humm Baby.
Losing home record.
Craig was not my cup of tea, although those teams were a revelation for a long suffering child of the 70s. He was there when things turned around . . . RIP.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/416020-some-good-some-bad-rating-all-time-giants-managers
https://tinyurl.com/2hy5ua2h
Scroll down to the chart labelled “Worst Managers Seasons By Strategic Decisions.” Written by the Astros GM who won the 2022 WS, and promptly got fired.
Accolades are much more enjoyable when you’re alive.
Common sense.
Quickie quiz:
Who wrote the the book/pamphlet “Common Sense”?
Paine.
Roger Craig had a great opportunity to work with Al Rosen but both had the bad luck to work for owner Bob Lurie, who couldn’t compete with Wally Haas’s capacity to pour money into the A’s payroll. The story of the near move to Tampa and the salvation by new Bay Area owners is actually pretty complex. But one of the first things the new owners did was say goodbye to Craig and promote Dusty. Next move was to sign FA Bonds. Craig had been fired before. He probably retired to his ranch happy to be rid of all that bullshit. But that run after 85, with all those tough hard nosed players playing hard and loose for Craig–that was a good time.
RIP Humm Baby!
Good guess, but incorrect…
Was Craig’s splitter (taught to him by Joe Page) any different from the one used by Elroy Face to go 18-1 in 1959?