Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/804369
28 PLAY BALL BAY AREA NEWS GROUP H erearefivethings you probably know about Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford: HE'SATWO-TIMEGOLD Glove winner. He's the first Giant to win a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger in the same season (in 20 15) si nce B arr y B onds (in 19 97 ). He owns a pair of World Series rings, made an All-Star appear - ance and he represented Team USA as the starting shortstop in the World Baseball Classic. HE WENT TO FOOTHILL HIGH in Pleasanton and then to UCLA, and he grew up a huge Giants fan. His family even traveled to spring training games. He learned to keep score when he was 5 years old. Somewhere around that time, he told his parents that he'd be the Giants' shortstop when he got older. He should be the San Francisco era franchise leader in games played at the position long before his six-year contract expires after the 2021 season. COOL THINGS SEEM TO happen to him. He's the only shortstop in baseball history to hit a grand slam in a postseason game. Last year, he became the first major league player since 1975, and the sixth in modern history, to collect seven hits in a game. HE'S THE MOST VALUABLE defensive player in baseball, by some measures. He led all major league players in Defensive Runs Saved Above Average. His Ulti - mate Zone Rating was the best among all major league short- stops, and the highest among defensive players at any position in the National League. HE HAS FANTASTIC HAIR. Here are five things you probably didn't know about Brandon Crawford, with insights from his mother, Lynn: HE'S PRETTY MUCH THE BEST big brother ever. He was 11 when Jenna, the youngest of his three little sisters, was born, and he realized how tough it was going to be on his parents, so he and a friend signed up for a local babysitting class. "A lot of the girls in our town would take the class in the sum - mer so they could get babysitting jobs to make a little money," Lynn Crawford said. "He and his friend just decided to do it to help his mom. That's the kind of guy he is. He just wanted to be helpful." Learning to change diapers wasn't hard. Actually, that was the easy part. But when his sisters got older, and he had to share a bathroom with them? Now that was a test of patience. When Brandon left home to attend UCLA, he found a way to soften an otherwise emotional farewell. "He'd make these music CDs for his three sisters, very specific for each of them, and leave it on their beds," Lynn said. "He'd do that every time he'd leave for the semester. He was doing that long THE GIANTS before he was the disc jockey in the Giants clubhouse." HE'S CURIOUS ABOUT THE world, which is a nice way of saying that he's a geography nerd. He won an award for a geography competition in grade school. Even when he was 3 years old, sitting in a car seat, he'd recite the next turn or blurt out when he noticed his mother had gone a different way. No wonder he has such terrific spatial awareness on the Giants infield. "He can tell you where every - thing is in the world," Lynn said. "If he's not sure, he's looking it up on his phone. He was always cu- rious and soaking up everything. He loves to know. Mountains, rivers, countries, anything. That's why he loves to travel." Brandon and his wife, Jalynne, went straight from Joe Panik's wedding in New York to a safari in South Africa this past offsea - son. Former Giants outfielder Gary Brown and his wife, Lindsay, went with them. They had such a great time with their safari guide that they invited him to visit them in the Bay Area. NOW THAT HE'S A FATHER, he's just as happy being a home- body as a world traveler. He's not much for your stereotypical ballplayer pursuits. He doesn't hu nt or fish, and his g ol f c lub s s ee action maybe twice a year. "People ask me what I do away from the field," he said, "and I'm lik e, 'I 'm a dad. I h av e thre e kid s. When do I have time to do any - thing else?'" Go on a Giants road trip and you might see your favorite short- stop spending his morning free time at the zoo or the children's museum toting his young daugh- ters, Braylyn and Jaydyn, and his 1-year-old son, Braxton. Aquar- iums are popular destinations, too. And then there's Disneyland, which truth be told … "I mean, when you have a few days off during the season, Disne - yland really isn't at the top of your list," he said. "We go on the little kid rides for the most part, which is fine with me. They're having a good time, so …" That go-with-the-flow mantra is pretty standard when it comes to his home life. Take a quick spin through Jalynne's Instagram page, and you'll see Brandon dressed like a pirate for Halloween, wearing matching footie pajamas on Christmas morning or holding one of their two toy dogs, which also might be wearing matching pajamas. "I've always taken pictures, so he's used to it," Lynn said. "Bran - don is his own person, and if he doesn't want to do something, he'll be stubborn about it. But usually, it's, 'Just smile. It takes less time.'" His daughters might be too young for music mixes. So when he left for spring training on Valen - tine's Day, he gave them red roses. THERE'S ONE TIME WHEN Brandon's own mother admits she might not root for him. That's because one other major league player is close to her heart. Brandon Crawford plays dad to his tiniest fans; is pictured with his mom, Lynn, and oldest sister, Amy; and at AT&T Park with his mom. At right: Crawford catches a pop fly in San Francisco. COURTESYJALYNNECRAWFORD,LYNNCRAWFORD;OPPOSITEANDPREVIOUSPAGE:GETTYIMAGES