#Buster posey retirement speech series

Without 27 other NFL teams doubting that Notre Dame’s skinny, average-armed quarterback could make a difference in the league, Joe Montana wouldn’t have been there to usher in the 49ers’ golden era. Without the Minnesota Timberwolves drafting two consecutive point guards – Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn – instead of Stephen Curry, there’s probably three fewer championship banners hanging inside Chase Center.

#Buster posey retirement speech series

Without the Rays believing more in Beckham than Posey, there might not have been any World Series championship parades in San Francisco. After all, mistakes in the draft process led directly to the Giants, Warriors and 49ers dynasties. “It was an active debate, but I think at the end of the day when push came to shove and we were racing time, I think it was pretty clear to everybody that Tim Beckham was the guy at the top of our board,” Friedman said then.įate, as much as talent, plays a role in building championship teams, as Bay Area fans have come to not only learn but celebrate. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)Īndrew Friedman, who was then Tampa Bay’s vice president of baseball operations, admitted on draft day that it was an excruciating, but consensus decision. Florida State’s Buster Posey heads out of the dugout in the fifth inning against Tulane in the championship baseball game of the Tallahassee Regional on Monday, Jin Tallahassee, Fla.

As much as they liked the Florida State star catcher, they decided Georgia high school shortstop Tim Beckham had more upside and took him. 1 overall pick to select Gerald “Buster” Posey. Posey’s seven All-Star appearances, four Silver Slugger Awards, Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, and more importantly, the Giants’ three World Series titles, are all byproducts of one giant mistake.Īfter days of vacillating, the Tampa Bay Rays decided in the final hours before the 2008 MLB draft they weren’t going to use the No. While the Giants and their fans are honoring Buster Posey after he put the wraps on a storybook 12-year career, they should take a moment to realize none of this should have happened.