Those oversized panda heads are being put away at least the ones seen in the first row at AT&T Park. Pablo Sandoval's bamboo-eating buddies aren't following him to Beantown. <\/p>\n
Sam Li, a San Francisco Giants fan often inside one of the four humongous panda heads, said Wednesday he and his friends have decided they must find a new way to honor their team. They had worn those heads in tribute to Sandoval, nicknamed \"Kung Fu Panda\" by teammate Barry Zito in September 2008. <\/p>\n
After his $17.15 million, three-year contract ended with the Giants, Sandoval agreed to a $95 million, five-year deal with Boston this week, saying he needed a \"new challenge.\" <\/p>\n
Li, best friend Michael Jessen and about eight others have rotated under the panda heads in recent years. Li said in an email to The Associated Press that the group became Giants fans while attending college at California-Berkeley across the bay and found the \"original head\" on Amazon.com for about $130. They acquired the rest from a toy manufacturer who is a friend of Li's. <\/p>\n
\"We could not believe how much more fun those little somethings the panda heads brought to every San Franciscan's life,\" Li wrote. \"For that, we felt the best. We have stuck those heads out of our car windows after games, and every single San Franciscan on the street brought a wide grin and joy. It is only a very small something, not more than say bringing a jacket to a game, but it touches so many people on so many levels, and in a lot of cases, changes people's life. It is wonderful.\" <\/p>\n
Li said the group hopes to donate one of the panda heads to the Giants with the idea that it could be placed in the clubhouse or somewhere special in the ballpark to remember Sandoval's contributions to World Series title teams in 2010, '12 and '14. Li termed the head \"part of Giants' history.\" <\/p>\n
Sandoval, a free-swinging, switch-hitting third baseman, was MVP of the 2012 Series sweep of Detroit after a three-homer game in the opener. <\/p>\n
Sandoval wasn't even Li's favorite Giants player. That distinction goes to catcher Buster Posey, and the group wore Posey jerseys along with the panda heads. <\/p>\n
\"Everyone asked, 'Why 28 jersey with panda?' We always answered, 'We are here for the team,'\" Li said. \"It is teamwork, and the Giants have better teamwork than any other baseball team.\" <\/p>\n
Li said part of the pleasure of wearing the panda heads has been to support the Giants without making their identities known. Some of the group also wore fake facial hair during the \"Fear the Beard\" movement when bushy-bearded closer Brian Wilson worked the ninth inning for San Francisco. <\/p>\n
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Panda heads put away with Sandoval's departure<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Those oversized panda heads are being put away at least the ones seen in the first row at AT&T Park. Pablo Sandoval's bamboo-eating buddies aren't following him to Beantown. Sam Li, a San Francisco Giants fan often inside one of the four humongous panda heads, said Wednesday he and his friends have decided they must find a new way to honor their team. Continue reading