Madison Bumgarner once lassoed Jeremy Affeldt
Buried in a lengthy, wonderfully written San Francisco Chronicle column by Ann Killion on Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt is an important revelation that could provide major insight into the team's championship-winning chemistry.
Madison Bumgarner, Giants ace, 2014 World Series MVP and 2014 Sportsman of the Year, once stayed with his wife at the Affeldts' house... and practiced lassoing not only their patio furniture, but Affeldt himself.
• Bumgarner goes full Paul Bunyan at spring training
"He told me to run and then hooked my ankle," said Affeldt, who is thankful he wasn't injured, preventing "being lassoed" from being added to his list of strange ways of being injured. (The list includes cutting apart hamburgers and lifting his son.)
Killion's column walked through Affeldt's career progression from struggling Kansas City Royals starter/reliever — the Giants beat the Royals in last year's World Series — to vital member of the Giants' clubhouse. Affeldt also does important community work, and in that clubhouse, has taken some of the younger pitchers like Bumgarner under his wing.
• Relive A-Rod's thrilling first spring training workout
And after blossoming into a superstar, this is how Bumgarner repaid him?
- Mike Fiammetta
