Over the past few years Grateful Dead / Furthur members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh have formed a bond with Tim Flannery, third base coach for the San Francisco Giants. Bobby, Phil and Tim have sung the National Anthem at a few Giants game with the most recent one taking place at Game 2 of this year’s National League Championship Series in October.
Besides singing the anthem, the pair watched as Flannery organized two benefit concerts for a Giants fan who was attacked at Dodgers Stadium. That experience, along with Tim’s contribution to positivity within the Giants’ clubhouse led Weir and Lesh to nominate Flannery for Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year award. Here’s some of what Phil and Bobby wrote about Tim…
There’s no overlooking Tim. He doesn’t sit quietly in any corners in the clubhouse. He’s really a part of the glue and the groove that makes the Giants what they are. The Giants really are a team in a sport where a lot of clubs just throw money at guys and hope they get together in the clubhouse. They don’t have anywhere near the high payrolls of other teams, but they get the job done. The brotherhood and camaraderie in there is palpable. They play for each other and Tim is a central part of that. You can see it on TV when he’s flagging somebody around third base: he runs all the way home with them. He’s that into it and that’s infectious. The guy is a sportsman down to every fiber of his being down to the cellular level.
Head over to Sports Illustrated’s website to read the full essay.
