Glen and Duane Kuiper have a new gig: Private shows after Giants games
There's a bit of off-Broadway to the Gotham Club's latest entertainment at Oracle Park, a members-only occasion after the San Francisco Giants' Friday-night home games. But it's been a smash hit so far, as the Kuiper brothers talk baseball with a bunch of old friends.
For Duane Kuiper, it's a special bit of family connection. For Glen Kuiper, it's a lifeline.
'Duane and I have never done something like this before,' Glen said by telephone this week, 'and it's a whole lot of fun. So far, we've had Will Clark, Dennis Eckersley, Dave Dravecky, Mike Krukow and Dave Flemming come join us.' (Ron Wotus will be among next Friday night's guests after the Giants-Braves game.)
To say the least, Glen could use a bit of levity. His broadcasting career was abruptly terminated on May 6, 2023, when he was suspended by NBC Sports Bay Area for using a racial slur — an utterance he claims was purely accidental — during an Oakland A's telecast from Kansas City.
Since then, he has concealed his outrage behind the gratitude of getting a chance — any chance at all — to get back on the air. He has appeared on Marty Lurie's KNBR pregame show, as well as Lurie's weekly Zoom calls inside the baseball community. This year, Duane approached Steve Revetria, who oversees Giants Enterprises and the Gotham Club, with the pair-of-brothers proposal.
'He thought it was a great idea,' Duane said by telephone from Miami, where the Giants opened a three-game series Friday night. 'I really appreciate the Gotham Club for allowing us to do this. We had to check all the boxes, making sure the Giants were OK with it, and (CEO) Larry Baer was like, absolutely. Go for it.'
The Gotham Club shows are a private affair, without video or audio available to the public. Duane walks up to the club (adjoining McCovey Cove) some 20 minutes after his Giants' call is done, and the shows last about 40 minutes before 'a full dining room. I mean, it's packed,' Glen said.
'Who knows where it's leading? I think my best chance to keep working and call games again is with the Giants, someday. But I could be completely off-base there. It's just nice being back, not having to worry about what people are thinking about me. That seems to be a thing of the past, you know?
'What counts for me most is working with Duane,' he said. 'A lot of people sort of cast me aside over this thing, and he's been the good older brother, very protective. That means so much.'
There are no shortcuts to a comeback for a broadcaster in Glen's position. 'The whole point is to get him to the ballpark, get him involved, make him as relevant as you can,' Duane said. 'He's getting back in the game at the proper pace, and people are digging it. I'm really happy the way it's going.'
So what's the show called? 'Give my son, Cole, credit for that,' Duane said. ''Friday Night Kuips.''
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
36 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Braves at Giants Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for June 6
It's Friday, June 6, and the Braves (27-34) are in San Francisco to take on the Giants (35-28). Spencer Schwellenbach is slated to take the mound for Atlanta against Hayden Birdsong for San Francisco. Yesterday, the Atlanta Braves had a massive meltdown in the ninth inning. They were up 10-4 at the top of the ninth and gave up seven runs in the ninth and lost the game 11-10. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alek Thomas both homered in the ninth for the Diamondbacks. Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long. Game details & how to watch Braves at Giants Date: Friday, June 6, 2025 Time: 10:15PM EST Site: Oracle Park City: San Francisco, CA Network/Streaming: NBCS BA, KNTV Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Odds for the Braves at the Giants The latest odds as of Friday: Moneyline: Braves (-135), Giants (+115) Spread: Braves -1.5 Total: 7.0 runs Probable starting pitchers for Braves at Giants Pitching matchup for June 6, 2025: Spencer Schwellenbach vs. Hayden Birdsong Braves: Spencer Schwellenbach, (4-4, 3.13 ERA) Last outing (Boston Red Sox, 5/31): 6.1 Innings Pitched, 0 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 11 StrikeoutsGiants: Hayden Birdsong, (3-1, 2.37 ERA) Last outing (Miami Marlins, 6/1): 5.1 Innings Pitched, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts Braves: Spencer Schwellenbach, (4-4, 3.13 ERA) Last outing (Boston Red Sox, 5/31): 6.1 Innings Pitched, 0 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 11 Strikeouts Giants: Hayden Birdsong, (3-1, 2.37 ERA) Last outing (Miami Marlins, 6/1): 5.1 Innings Pitched, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type! Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Braves at Giants NL West teams have won 4 of their last 5 matchups against NL East sides The Under is 27-16-3 in the Braves' matchups against National League teams this season The Braves have failed to cover the Run Line in 5 of their last 6 games If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Braves and the Giants Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Braves and the Giants: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the San Francisco Giants at +1.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0. Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Twins' minor-league adventure: Tampa, Sacramento trips marked by ‘difficult' playing conditions
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The risk simply wasn't worth it for Carlos Correa. Recognizing the soreness developing in the middle of his back after two days of slipping and sliding in a rock-hard batter's box at Sutter Health Park, the Twins shortstop elected to sit out the final two contests of a four-game series at the new, temporary home of the Athletics. Advertisement In abandoning Oakland to spend three seasons in the California state capital before they move to a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip, the A's made a controversial decision by voluntarily relocating to a Triple-A stadium they're sharing with a minor-league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. While the refurbished facility's amenities drew rave reviews from every Twins player interviewed by The Athletic, including Correa, several noted a number of 'minor-league' issues with its playing surface. After playing in West Sacramento and at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the temporary home of the Tampa Bay Rays and spring training facility for the New York Yankees, during their recent three-city road trip, the Twins have a fresh perspective on Major League Baseball's minor-league issues as the weather heats up. From Tampa's oppressive heat and humidity to its poor outfield lighting and short foul poles to a batter's box in Sacramento multiple players described as akin to hitting on cement and a rigid pitcher's mound that's drawn the ire of hurlers across the league, the Twins experienced the full range of challenges these parks present in playing seven away games against the Rays and A's since May 26. Correa's experience with the batter's box represents one of the bigger hardships Twins players faced during their minor-league adventure. 'It's the worst box I've ever stepped in,' Correa said. 'I like (the park). The ball travels very well. The facilities are good. They did it right. The plate is the only problem. … I'm not going to sacrifice two months of my season because of a couple of at-bats here.' How the clubhouses at both temporary stadiums are arranged isn't an issue. But the playing conditions are a different story. In Sacramento, the dirt and the disconnected dugouts create difficulties for the home and visiting players. Both teams' clubhouses are located beyond the left-field fence at the ballpark, which means players and trainers are often commuting across the field between innings. Advertisement Athletics pitcher Luis Severino voiced his frustration with his home stadium last month. During a typical start, Severino reportedly likes to retreat to the clubhouse between innings to watch film and move around, something he can't do at Sutter Health Park. This season, Severino, who signed a multi-year contract with the A's in free agency, has a 0.87 road ERA and a 6.99 ERA at home. Before their four-game series began Monday, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli joked about how awkward it would be to get ejected, as he did in Seattle on Saturday night. Noting fans described the potential scenario as a walk of shame, Baldelli suggested he'd be worried about how his stride would look with such a long walk. Still, Baldelli determined if an ejection occurred, he'd make the most of it. 'It's the march of triumph,' he said. The batter's box and mound, which are pored over by the grounds crew daily to handle a combined 156-game schedule for the Athletics and Triple-A River Cats, also have been heavily criticized for their firmness. When he pitched in Sacramento on May 24, Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler struggled to dig a hole on the mound in front of the rubber with his foot because of the hard clay used. Wheeler said he couldn't 'get into the dirt to drive' through his pitches, which left him throwing 'all arm.' Wheeler's phrasing stuck with Twins pitcher Joe Ryan, who wondered aloud if a firm mound played a role in the significant injury suffered by teammate Pablo López this week in Sacramento. Coming off a daytime start in which he pitched in 100-degree temperatures in Tampa, López suffered a Grade 2 teres major muscle strain on Tuesday and is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks. Ryan is perplexed by how a teammate as fit and process-oriented as López — 'he spends hours a day (warming up) to go play catch' — could suffer such an injury. Advertisement 'The first thing I thought of was Wheeler saying, 'I was all arm when I was here,'' Ryan said. 'Does that play into that? Someone was mentioning it. We're in the big leagues and we have these amenities for a reason. It's to get prepared and go inside if you need to for a second. Whatever your routine is, you can't do that here. You can't do that in Tampa. As (Lopez's) teammate, it makes it sting a little bit more. I don't think Pablo is the kind of guy that's going to say (the mound was the issue), but I'll say it.' During his May 28 start in Tampa, López called a timeout in the first inning for groundskeepers to fix the mound. Ryan also took issue with the mound in Tampa and said it was much different than the one he warmed up on in the bullpen before his start. 'Tampa was a fricking sh– box and they have a massive mound in the bullpen before,' Ryan said. 'It's a huge contrast.' According to players, the issues in Tampa — which is scheduled to be used by the Rays for only the 2025 season after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field last September and caused massive flood damage — include poor outfield lighting, a short porch in right field and short foul poles. The miniature poles likely cost Aaron Judge a home run in an April 20 game as the ball appeared to incorrectly be ruled foul. Poor lighting seemed to hamper Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach's ability to track fly balls in a May 26 loss to the Rays. 'I could see better at Tampa at the beginning of the game and then at night it was really difficult for me,' Larnach said. '(In a regular park), the lights are bright and you see the ball a tad bit better, whether it be in the outfield, at the plate or whatever.' Lighting doesn't seem to be an issue at Sutter Health Park, which has a berm beyond the fence in right field with trees that offers fans a unique way to catch a major-league game. But the lack of a third deck in both stadiums allows wind to impact the ball in different ways. The ball carries extremely well in Sacramento, which Baseball Savant ranks as tops in the majors — tied with the Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yards — in Park Factor, meaning it is the most hitter-friendly park in baseball. Advertisement Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler hit a three-run homer Monday, a 100.9-mph, 28-degree fly ball, which Ryan and Byron Buxton swore would have been an out at the Twins' home ballpark, Target Field. However, Buxton also benefitted at the plate as the wind turned what likely would have been an out into a two-run double. By comparison, Steinbrenner Field currently is playing as a neutral venue, according to Baseball Savant's Park Factor. 'Big-league stadiums, you don't have the ball dancing like these balls are moving here,' Buxton said of Sacramento. 'My double, fly out, wind takes it, almost takes it out and it's like, 'What?' … (Butler's) ball, I'm (normally) catching at the warning track.' Players described the wind in Tampa as swirling and unpredictable. Twins outfielder Willi Castro raced toward the left-field foul line during a May 27 game, only for the wind to spin the ball back into play — well out of his grasp — for a double. Even the view of left field from the visiting dugout in Tampa is deceiving. From his perch atop the dugout, Baldelli couldn't see any plays that occurred in left field. The park's configuration is such that the visiting dugout juts out into the field of play with the left-field foul pole situated about 15 feet behind where Baldelli stands. 'Every ball that's hit down the left-field line, we think it's foul by like 100 feet,' Baldelli said. 'It looks like it's foul off the bat, like the hitters not even hitting it, and it's getting blown up, and they're fair.' Both parks are expected to heat up like a microwave as summer arrives. The heat issues in Tampa are concerning enough that MLB scheduled the Rays away from home for a 10-game road trip in July and a 12-gamer to the West Coast in August. Despite pitching at night in Tampa on May 27, Twins starter Chris Paddack went through four baseball caps and jerseys as well as multiple undershirts. For the teams' May 28 day game, the temperature was sweltering as Twins players scrambled for minimal shade in the visiting dugout. Advertisement 'I was sweating a ton right after (batting practice),' Twins infielder Royce Lewis said. 'Sweating through batting gloves and stuff. The heat for some guys definitely played a part. To stand out in the sun for hours is depleting.' Still, it's not all bad. Although the layout of the visitors locker room, weight room and cafeteria at Steinbrenner Field is unlike almost any other ballpark in the majors, the two batting cages for visiting teams were lauded by nearly every Twins hitter. Staffers also noted there was ample space to perform their different activities. 'We're finding our bearings,' Baldelli said. 'We're finding meeting rooms and weight rooms. It's not set up where it's all in one space, like guys are typically used to, but it's nothing that we can't get familiar with and figure out.' Similarly, players raved about the behind-the-scenes setup at Sutter Health Park. Multi-million dollar offseason upgrades at the stadium included a renovated visiting clubhouse, a revamped scoreboard and a new playing surface. Though MLB originally wanted the Athletics and River Cats to play on synthetic turf, a decision was made to use real grass. Buxton described the outfield grass as playing faster than the grass at most parks, while Baldelli described the turf as squishy. Stadium officials plan to re-sod the playing surface during the middle of July to help combat dead spots during a stretch where temperatures are expected to soar above 100 degrees. As much as each stadium has its drawbacks, nothing compares to Sacramento's hard dirt, several Twins hitters said. Throughout their four-game series, Twins hitters could be seen slipping in the batter's box when swinging at pitches. Correa slipped during his first at-bat Monday (a double) and tried to improve his footing by changing into catcher Ryan Jeffers' metal spikes. After dealing with plantar fasciitis in each foot over the past two seasons, Correa ditched metal spikes in favor of moldings, comfortable shoes that don't grip the ground as well. But he quickly rid himself of Jeffers' spikes because they began to hurt his feet. Advertisement Over the next two days, Correa's back began to hurt. He experienced back issues earlier in his career and could tell the new soreness was in a different location. He believed it was related to slipping in the batter's box and overcompensating with his back. To test and confirm his hypothesis, Correa hit on flat ground in the indoor batting cages and felt fine each time. At that point, Correa determined he would sit out the final two games of the series rather than risk a severe back injury. 'The plate here is killing me right now,' Correa said. 'It's very slippery. … For us that play with moldings, it's a tough time getting grip on the plate, but it's better than your feet hurting.' (Top photo of Twins reliever Jonah Bride pitching at Sutter Health Park: Scott Marshall / Associated Press)
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Giants using a swashbuckling approach to turnovers: ‘Be a damn pirate'
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants might have to walk the plank if they don't get better at taking possessions away from opponents. Sitting on the sideline during practice this offseason is a wooden chest – a 'turnover chest,' if you will – that contains no gold, silver or jewels. But to the Giants, what does go in there is even more valuable.
