The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781631322181)

In the late 1970s, the San Francisco Bay Area sportswriters labeled the growing group of born-again Christians on the San Francisco Giants the "God Squad." When the God Squadders helped propel the team to a strong 1978 season, challenging the Dodgers and Reds, they often gave God the credit in post-game interviews. The press raised no objection. But in 1979, when the Giants' fortunes faded on the field, local sportswriters were quick to blame the born-again players, claiming their newfound faith had made them passive. The God Squad features present-day interviews with two of the born-again Giants of that era as well as with two of the sportswriters who covered them. You will also re-live the exciting 1978 pennant push and get inside the motives and beliefs of the six most vocal God Squadders. The book includes 14 pages of photos and a chapter on "God Squad II," the second wave of born-again Giants in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including Dave Dravecky and Hall of Famer Gary Carter.