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MLB spring training means different things to different people. For players with a spot on the roster, it’s a good chance to get back into a regular routine while getting ready for the regular season, and for their less talented teammates, it means being in a constant state of anxiety as you realize every single baseball that comes your way had the chance to make or break your future.
It’s also a pretty big deal for the marketing people who are tasked by their respective teams with figuring out ways to get fans to give a shit about spring training in the first place. This how we end up with Russell Wilson taking at-bats for the Yankees or the Mets acting like Tim Tebow has a legitimate shot at becoming a member of their major league squad.
Over the weekend, the San Francisco Giants decided to pull of their own publicity stunt when they asked ESPN legend Chris Berman to throw on a uniform and hop into the dugout to manage the team during their Cactus League game against the Dodgers on Sunday. Even if he knew nothing about the sport of baseball, Berman would make the perfect MLB manager based on looks alone.
The Giants have countered the Russell Wilson-to-the-Yankees move by bring Chris Berman to camp as guest manager. pic.twitter.com/aR4Iw1bnK0
— Mike Oz (@mikeoz) March 4, 2018
Berman decided to wear number 83 as a tribute to his wife who passed away in a car accident last year (the two of them got married in 1983).
Chris Berman is wearing No. 83. It’s the year he married his wife, Kathy, who died in May in a car accident. “That’s the right number,” he said. pic.twitter.com/vHZfxYpAkd
— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) March 4, 2018
It’s unclear if Berman started yelling “Back!” repeatedly when Steven Duggar homered for the Giants in the third inning, but I’m going to tell myself he did. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to prevent them from losing to the Dodgers by a total of 9-3.