Photo by Ryan McGeary/KNBR
Gabe Kapler’s introduction as the San Francisco Giants’ new manager was about as bizarre as it gets.
Hired in the midst of criticism for how he dealt with an alleged sexual assault from one of his players during his time with the Dodgers, and criticism for his managerial performance after a two-year flame out in Philly, Kapler and Farhan Zaidi sat at the podium at 3rd and King and defended themselves for over an hour.
The Bay Area media did not pull any punches, grilling both parties on various topics, all while trying to get to the bottom of why Zaidi would risk damaging the Giants’ brand to bring in a manager without a successful track record.
Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow watched the entire uncomfortable ordeal, and gave his take on the surreal introduction when he joined KNBR Thursday morning.
“I thought this is perfect,” Kruk said. “This is exactly how it’s supposed to go down, and everybody followed suit…Everybody that was there followed suit. And for almost an hour it was uncomfortable but it was necessary.
Kruk also believed that Kapler and Zaidi should be applauded for how they handled the interrogation.
“You’re talking about the Giants. You’re talking about a passionate organization where there are a lot of people who feel passionate about this issue. The writers were on point, and I felt that every question that they asked was thought of, well prepared, and I thought that the answer from Farhan Zaidi and the answer from Gabe Kapler was well thought out and prepared, and I thought they did answer every question that came their way.
“I do think it was handled properly. I applaud the people who asked the questions and I applaud the people that answered the questions.”
Listen to the full interview below.
