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Sports

John Shea: A new era for the Giants, a new reporting home for me

Why joining The Standard felt like a natural next step after 27 years of writing about baseball for the Chronicle and Examiner.

Two men shaking hands
John Shea and Giants manager Bruce Bochy share a laugh near the end of Bochy’s final season in 2019. | Source: John Shea

Baseball constantly evolves, along with the people who play it, manage it, watch it, and cover it. The grand old game continues to incorporate new ideas — some good and some highly questionable. But at its core, it’s the same game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball.  

The media industry is similar. It, too, has evolved with the way information is produced and consumed through the fast-paced nature of digital news provided in real time. But at its core, it’s the same game. You report the story, you write the story, you publish the story.  

That’s the beauty of this next step in my career. I’m thrilled to join The San Francisco Standard, and while the nature of the business has changed, the essence of my role is quite similar: to offer insightful and entertaining storytelling that might not be found elsewhere.  

As I’ve been doing for most of the past 25 years at the San Francisco Chronicle, I’ll be covering baseball, with an emphasis on the Giants, here at The Standard. I was hired as a Giants beat writer at the old Examiner in 1998 and promoted to national baseball writer when the papers merged late in 2000, giving me an opportunity to deliver deeper, bigger-picture stories.  

A group of baseball players
Shea hands Giants ace Tim Lincecum his 2008 Cy Young Award in April 2009. | Source: John Shea

Now I can do all that and more at The Standard, and I’m excited to share my experience and know-how when telling stories about baseball and all that the game and its characters represent. It’s not just the wins and losses, daily lineups, and minor roster moves — those are easily obtainable on social media. It’s about digging deeper, with in-depth access and, when needed, hard-hitting news analysis.  

For instance, I find it fascinating that Giants icon Buster Posey is back in the organization as president of baseball operations. He certainly doesn’t need this. He doesn’t need the money. Or the fame. He doesn’t want his face plastered on buses or billboards. He simply seems driven to bring the Giants back to prominence, as they were during his heyday as a decorated catcher.  

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Posey will remain a huge story throughout the 2025 season, with how he’ll transition and cope with running a team that’s projected to finish no higher than fourth in a deep National League West. He’s a likely future Hall of Famer who’s learning a new trade as a lead executive and embracing a monumental responsibility to oversee the health and future of an organization that has been idling in neutral for too many years.  

I’m looking forward to chronicling such stories in The Standard and bringing more baseball readership to the site with its expanding sports staff. I’m also intrigued to be able to offer new ideas and embrace new challenges while catering to a growing audience, connecting with a familiar community, and appreciating that everything depends on giving subscribers maximum bang for their buck.  

This is what drew me to The Standard after so many years of happily working at the Chronicle: It is a clean, smart, vibrant site featuring state-of-the-art technology and state-of-the-art thinking, without popup ads or cheap tactics that generate clicks. It’s heavily invested in local viewpoints, trends, and analysis and provides reporters with the resources to create great, comprehensive journalism.  

That renowned columnist Tim Kawakami left The Athletic for The Standard, along with football writer David Lombardi, made my decision to come aboard far easier, knowing the high quality of talent already in place.

Two men sitting and laughing
Shea interviews Giants legend Willie Mays. Shea co-authored Mays’ memoir “24: Life Stories and Lessons From the Say Hey Kid.” | Source: Brad Mangin
Two men hugging on the couch
Monte Irvin, a Negro League star, Giants legend, and Hall of Famer, sits with Shea in 2015. | Source: John Shea

At the Chronicle, I wore many hats as a columnist and writer of enterprise stories, long-form features, breaking news reports, and investigations, and hung around the beats of both the Giants, dating to their Candlestick years, and the A’s. I’ve covered thousands of games and formed countless relationships.  

It’s cool to be able to bring these credentials to The Standard and see what new types of stories I can try my hand at. I welcome you to join me in this transition and to submit your thoughts, opinions, and ideas to me at jshea@sfstandard.com.

See you soon.