USF baseball will host Cal Tuesday, April 25, 2006 at SBC Park in the inaugural Dante Benedetti Classic celebrating the legacy of a giant in San Francisco youth and collegiate baseball. Benedetti, who coached USF for 16 years for an annual salary of one dollar passed away last month at the age of 86 after a long illness. The game will be the first college game ever played in the home park of the San Francisco Giants and will precede a night game against the New York Mets.

USF head coach Nino Giarratano welcomes the opportunity to play an ancient Bay Area rival in unmatched atmosphere.

"We are extremely honored to be a part of Dante Benedetti's legacy here at the University of San Francisco. We are also very appreciative of the effort the Giants have made to open their doors to help us honor Dante in this baseball game," Giarratano said.

Tom Louinbos, who played for Benedetti on the Hilltop, played a key role in establishing the Dante Benedetti Classic, in conjunction with USF baseball and the San Francisco Giants.

"Dante's Benedetti's name is synonymous with baseball in San Francisco. From the 1950's - 1980's, if you played baseball in San Francisco at any level - junior leagues, high school or college - you knew of Dante. I'm very pleased that with the assistance of the San Francisco Giants and USF, Dante's legacy of helping youth baseball in San Francisco will continue with the playing of the Dante Benedetti Classic," Lounibos said.

For information on tickets please call (415) 972-2298 or visit sfgiants.com/specialevents. All proceeds from the event will go to the "Dante Benedetti Field of Dreams" fund.

A USF Hall-of-Famer in two sports (baseball and football), Benedetti was a three sport letterman - football, boxing and baseball. While, by his own admission, baseball was his least favorite sport, he is credited with saving the USF baseball program when it was about to be dropped for financial reasons.
Always a generous and thoughtful leader, Benedetti often paid out of his own pocket for USF baseball uniforms or playing expenses. Loved by his players and respected by his peers, Benedetti did more than teach players about solid fundamentals and team work, he taught the importance of human values and integrity.

He retired in 1980, leaving behind an established baseball program and a legacy of good men. His 1971 squad posted a West Coast Conference record of 15-6 and second place league finish - USF's all-time best performance until 2005. For his efforts, his coaching peers selected him as the WCC Coach of the Year. During his long career on the Hilltop, Benedetti amassed 373 victories, second only to friend and USF soccer legend Steve Negoesco. However victories never told the true story of the enormous contributions he made to the city and his alma mater. Each year the Dons baseball team presents the Dante Benedetti Award to the Team MVP.

This October, Benedetti was recognized as one of 75 "Legends of the Hilltop", celebrating the individuals making a lasting impact on USF Athletics in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the University of San Francisco

Once again in September, Barry Bonds led the Giants into a series with a playoff spot on the line. Sure, San Francisco was below .500. But Bonds' late return from three knee surgeries, plus the ineptitude of the rest of the National League West, gave the Giants a chance at the playoffs when they played the Padres in the season's final week. A victory in the opener pulled them within three games of first place, but San Francisco lost its next five games and finished with a losing record for the first time since 1996—the year before Brian Sabean took over as general manager.

The Giants got a glimpse of the post-Bonds era, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Several rookies who had waited for their big league chance got it, with mixed results. Outfielders Jason Ellison, who had a hot start before fading, and Todd Linden didn't play like long-term answers. First baseman Lance Niekro slumped in the second half but did hit for power. Relievers Jeremy Accardo, Scott Munter and Jack Taschner were all part of manager Felipe Alou's aggressively used bullpen.

The most lasting impression, however, was made by No. 1 prospect Matt Cain, who lived up to that billing with explosive stuff and posted the big league team's second-best ERA in 46 innings. He's the best example of the Giants' organizational philosophy under Sabean and vice president of player personnel Dick Tidrow, who have stressed developing pitchers both to stock the big league club and to use as a commodity in trades. While the stable front office lost a key member when assistant GM Ned Colletti left to run the rival Dodgers, that philosophy won't change.

San Francisco has traded some very live arms of late, including former No. 1 prospects Jesse Foppert (for Randy Winn) and Jerome Williams (for LaTroy Hawkins). The organization still is paying for the 2003 deal that sent Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan to the Twins for catcher A.J. Pierzynski. The Giants released Pierzynski after one difficult season, only to see him become a playoff hero while helping lead the White Sox to the World Series championship. Meanwhile, Nathan has been one of baseball's best closers the last two years and Liriano has blossomed into one of the game's top pitching prospects.

The win-now approach, designed to complement Bonds, also has prompted free-agent signings and the accompanying loss of draft picks. San Francisco didn't pick until the fourth round in 2005—132 picks in—and also gave up first-round picks in 2003 and 2004. By finishing with the 10th-worst record in baseball in 2005, the Giants are guaranteed of holding onto their first-round pick in 2006.

In recent years, the Giants have tried to incorporate more hitters into their drafts, focusing on outfielders with power bats who conceivably could replace Bonds. With better hitting depth, San Francisco affiliates posted the second-best winning percentage (.555) in the minors, including championships in the high Class A California and Rookie-level Arizona leagues.