SAN FRANCISCO – There are few fraternities as small and exclusive as the group of 30 men who manage major league clubs. So Giants manager Bruce Bochy watched with great interest when three playoff teams – the Red Sox, Yankees and Nationals – decided to make a change on the bench despite successful seasons.
The Giants never entertained making a similar change, despite matching a $200 million payroll with a major league most 98 losses.
But you don’t endure a season like that without some staff casualties. And for Bochy, that meant having some difficult conversations before the Giants reassigned longtime pitching coach Dave Righetti, bullpen coach Mark Gardner and hitting assistant Steve Decker while also cutting loose third base coach Phil Nevin.