About Me
My name is Nick Cannata-Bowman (or Nick C-B for those of you intimidated by the madness that is an excess of letters squeezed into one last name)
Having not tasted World Series victory since 1954 as New Yorkers, Giants fans are used to having their hearts broken. Year after year, they come back for more, hopeful that this season would be the one that would be different. Amidst the disappointment though, the storied franchise has had its share of great moments.
From Willie Mays’ catch in the 1954 World Series, to Barry Bonds breaking the single season and all-time home run record, fans have had the pleasure of witnessing milestones, unbelievable triumph, and a fair amount of heart-wrenching defeat.
I myself became a Giants fan at the tender age of 4, attending my first game at Candlestick Park in 1992. As such, my period of fandom has spanned the Barry Bonds era and beyond, making me an impassioned defender of the all-time home run king. Call it steroids, but point blank, no other hitter in the history of the game elicited as much fear out of opposing pitchers as Mr. Bonds did in his hey-day.
Barry Bonds, after becoming the all-time home run king.
In the middle of the controversial years of Bonds’ career were some of the best years in decades to be a Giants fan. By the time 2002 rolled around, fans were ready to see their team go all the way at long last.
Taking on the Angels in their first World Series appearance since 1989, hopes were high. Up three games to two with fives outs to go and a five run lead, it seemed as though the stars were finally aligned. In a truly heart-wrenching fashion, manager Dusty Baker made the decision to pull Russ Ortiz with one out in the 7th inning of Game 6. The rest as they say is history. Two Angel wins later, tears were shed across San Francisco.
Nowadays, the heartbreak of 2002 is still all too real. The question remains: when will it really happen?
A Giants fan since the tender age of four, my personal frustrations came to a boiling point in 2005, when I first ventured into the world of blogging. I joined up with a small operation started by Northeastern University grad Evan Brunell known as Most Valuable Network (MVN). Working as one of three writers on the blog “Giants Cove,” I finally had a place to vent both my excitement and disappointment for my beloved home team.
MVN was forced to shut down due to financial constraints in 2009 and I left without a soapbox on which to stand. With a few bucks in pocket for a domain name and a Wordpress account, Croix De Candlestick was born. Since October of 2009, I’ve been fortunate enough to run my own operation, able to froth and rant to my heart’s content.
My fandom may have come after the age of Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, and Juan Marichal. But I’ve still had some amazing experiences of my own. I was in attendance at Jonathan Sanchez’ no-hitter in 2009. I was at Petco Park when Barry Bonds hit number 755. I was at the first All-Star game to come to San Francisco in over twenty years. I watched as the Giants put the pundits to shame and beat Cliff Lee in Game 1 of the World Series. I’ve shared in the history of the team I love since I was little, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.