SAN FRANCISCO -- As Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner sees it, he's perpetuating a dying art.
Bumgarner wishes he were Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins or anybody from that 1960s golden era of pitching when a starter took the ball at the beginning of the game and wasn't expected to relinquish it until the final out.
Bumgarner also has little use for modern statisical tools that attempt to explain pitching, such as spin rate or BABIP. He figures that no number can calculate the depth of his passion or competitiveness.