I did an Inside Giant Moments podcast with the man I emulated growing up in Will Clark. Just a couple of weeks ago, our episode posted with Bruce Bochy, the man who was at the controls of the entire Giants dynasty. I felt a real responsibility when we were recording those. You get one shot to talk to people like them. ‘Don’t mess this up’ is what I kept telling myself.

But by comparison, my creative nerves were at their highest when I sat down to talk with Mike Krukow & Duane Kuiper. It feels odd to even call them that, so allow me to say it right…Kruk & Kuip.

Why on Earth would I feel anything but ease in talking to these two? It’s not as if they aren’t approachable. They’re Kruk & Kuip, nicest dudes in the world. I’ve gotten to know them a bit in talking to them on the air, seeing them at the yard, and having dinner together in the media room before the game a few times. By the way, they command that room the same way they command the broadcast booth. Everybody’s favorites.

It was only after talking to them at length that I started to realize why I felt a little pressure before we sat down. It had nothing to do with who Kruk & Kuip are as people, it had everything to do with who Kruk & Kuip are to all the other people. They are such a perfectly integral part of every single thing that is Giants baseball. They are the soundtrack of the last 30 years. There’s Clark & Mitchell & Bonds & Timmy & Buster & MadBum & Boch. But then there are the 2 gentlemen who thread the needle that bonds all of them together, and they are as beloved, if not more.

I’ve talked to these guys before, and I’ll talk to them again. But this was different. This was an opportunity to have the ultimate storytellers tell a bunch of stories. Once we got going, the plan became easy. These two are basically one. They’re a well-oiled, comedic storytelling machine. I put in a couple of quarters, sat back, and listened