The incoming manager of the San Francisco Giants has new rules for his players, and that is everyone is required to be on the field standing for the National Anthem for each game this season.
Bob Melvin said, “It’s more about letting the other side know that we’re ready to play. I want guys out here ready to go. There’s a personality to that.”
“It has nothing to do with whatever happened in the past or whatever, it’s just something I embrace.”
Melvin remarked that he had imposed similar rules during his stint with the Oakland Athletics and the San Diego Padres.
Giants infielder Wilmer Flores added, “It shows that we’re ready to play.”
“That’s the message we want to send to the other team. Even if you’re not playing, you’re engaged. You’re there to watch the game. It’s definitely something he wanted us to do. We’re here to play, right? I think it’s good. It doesn’t mean you’ll have a good result this season. But it’s a good way to start.”
“I think it sets the example of hey, we’re in this together,” Giants outfielder Austin Slater told The Athletic. “Whether you’re not playing that day or you’re a starting pitcher who threw yesterday, you’re still out there, on time, ready to be a good teammate.”
“Once the anthem starts, we’re locked in on the game as a unit. There’s an inherent respect level, and not only to the older guys but to your entire team. You’re there to be supportive. The other big part, and this might be the biggest, is you’re staying and watching the game and learning from the game. I think that’s important.”
This recent move is a remarkable change coming from previous seasons where Gape Kapler, former SF Giants manager, announced that he would not stand on the field when the Star Spangled Banner was playing, in protest of the school shootings in Uvalde, Texas in May 2022.
For Kapler, players may do whatever is comfortable for them, which led to a handful of Giants players assembled on the field when the anthem is playing.
Melvin used to play with the Bay Area team as a catcher between 1986-88. San Francisco announced last year that Melvin will be returning to the Giants.
Since retiring in 1994, Melvin has been a reliable manager in the league, and has coached for over 20 years — including being on Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2001 World Series-winning team as bench coach – and has won three Manager of the Year awards during that span.
