#17: JT Snow Montage

In case you missed the introduction, for the month of September HMB is counting down the Top 30 Bay Area sports YouTube clips. It's pretty simple: one per day for the entire month, excluding the Oakland A's and Raiders because, well, we don't like them and from their attendance figures, it doesn't seem that many people do either.

Before I left the cozy confines of the West Coast this summer to return to the East Coast (and their bias), I had the treat of attending one last Giants game, the typical San Francisco send-off that always makes you want to come back, and feel very relieved when, in fact, you know you will. Of course, the Giants won and everyone went home happy, and I was left with the feeling that maybe, just maybe, this year's team could make one last push.

That was back on August 26, a 4-1 victory over the Reds. Three or so weeks later, I remember little about the game; no play or performance really stuck with me. But there is one thing that I will take from that game and remember for quite sometime: seeing JT Snow at a Giants game not in uniform. In the bottom of the 2nd, the Jumbotron began to flash some vintage highlights of ol' #6 making beautiful defensive plays and gathering clutch hits. I figured they must have dipped into the "Giants Vault" a little earlier than usual. When the highlight reel finished, the camera panned toward Larry Baer's unfairly sweet seats, and there was JT sitting in a black shirt, shorts and shades. The crowd exploded in an uproar; within seconds, everyone was one their collective feet cheering one of the most beloved Giants of our era. Being the class act that he is, JT acknowledged the crowd multiple times before sitting down. Funny thing happened: no one stopped cheering. The applause lasted into the first at-bat of the inning before the euphoria ended. At the game the previous Monday, Steve Young was in attendance sitting in the same seats and was treated to the same every-person-in-the-building-on-your-feet ovation. And even though JT was a far less accomplished Bay Area athlete, there was something more behind the crowd's aduration. It wasn't merely praise; JT knew he was good and so did everyone in the attendance. It was an appreciation with a hint of desperation. It was as if the entire crowd was simultaneously acknowledging what JT meant to this organization, while also wishing he could still be suiting up for the orange and black. And the best part was that JT knew that everyone wanted him on the field that moment, scooping poor throws from Feliz as if were nothing, and displaying his calming and professional influence on the team. We all miss JT and from what I saw, he missed the Giants too. And that's all you can hope for as a fan.

The following video is one our favorite montages of JT and his San Francisco days. Yeah the song is cheesy, and the clips are mainly recent, but it still does the job. It includes his save of Darren Baker (for whatever that was worth), but regrettably does not include his incredible homer off of (unfortunately) Our-Mando in the bottom of the ninth against the Mets in the 2000 playoffs.