Why I love Johnny Giavotella!
So, I was originally just going to post this picture on Instagram, but I had a lot to say, so I decided to make a whole journal post about it (because I'm JP and I'm a nerd like that!).
So, since people are so curious as to why I’m all “Team Johnny G” all of a sudden, I figured I would explain why Mr. Giavotella has risen to be one of my favorite Angels. It goes way beyond his baseball abilities, I mean, his nickname is not Johnny Baseball just ‘cuz. Johnny generally comes through when we need him to come through. I can’t tell you how many times we ended up winning a game because Johnny got us to that position. Whether it was through his perfect bunt, a base hit, or simply bringing guys home, he is there when we need him.
He can also do amazing things out in the infield (that sounds weird and redundant but it’s not, lol!). Have you seen this man leap? BOY CAN JUMP HIGH!! Man! Actually, here is a GIF for you enjoyment!
And, if you’re wondering, it’s not even his handsome good looks! No, it’s not those dreamy big brown eyes, that perfect jawline, gorgeous smile, and muscles galore that make him amazing!
But oh my goodness, he is too freaking adorable!
But no, it’s not that. It’s way more than that. The best way I can describe it is through this picture:
But let’s back up a little bit before I explain what’s going on in this picture.
We acquired Mr. Johnny Giavotella last off season from the Kansas City Royals. I remember texting Jodi about that trade too! Hahahahaha! I thought nothing of him up until spring training when I saw him do crazy stuff. Then when he was doing all the crazy plays people were like, “Howie who?” (We all miss Howie, trust me, we do, but Johnny has been awesome, so it’s like, we miss him, but we love Johnny, hehe!). But, even then, there was something different about him that I was trying to pin point as I watched him that I was trying to figure out.
During one game, and I honestly can’t remember which came, he was running on either first or second base. The camera was focused on whoever the pitcher was, but then I see right past him to Johnny. “Is he praying?” I ask myself.
-- My brother laughs at me because I’m so observant with everything that happens in the background of things, not just in the foreground. Sometimes we will be watching a wrestling match and I start laughing. “What’s so funny?” He will ask. I usually say something like, “That green sign in the corner was funny!” or “Than fan fell down the stairs!” or “There’s a couple back there fighting.” It’s one of my quirks; I guess I am just observant.--
Anyways, that’s why I was able to notice a Johnny G behind the pitcher praying. “Oh my goodness, HE IS!! HE IS PRAYING!!” Right there, on base, he was praying. And anyone who knows me knows that just touched my heart.
As I continued to watch my Angels I would notice other things about him. Yeah, he’s an awesome player that would come through, but his demeanor was different. I knew there was something about him. I noticed that he always wore a cross. I don’t think it’s always the same cross because sometimes it looks silver and sometimes gold, but he always has one on.
On possibly one of the best games I’ve attended thus far this season, on 5/5/15 (LOOK AT ALL THOSE 5s!). Pujols had put us ahead the bottom of the first with a two run home run. G-Rich did an awesome job pitching by just allowing 1 run at the top of the second. However, Joe Smith came into pitch at the top of the 7th he allowed 2 runs, and then Fernando Salas allowed another run. So, at bottom of the 8th we were now behind 2-4. Well, Aybar singled to right getting us to score, and then Johnny Baseball himself singled and batted in another runner. I was so happy when Johnny tied it up for us that I yelled, “Man, I just want to hug him!!!” The guy in front of me, who had been so fun in interacting with us all game and was a slew of information, asked, “Who, Giavotella?” I said, “Yes, he’s so adorable! I just want to hug him! And he always comes through when we need him! I love him!” He replied, “Yes, me too! I mean, I like him too, not the hugging part, you can take that! I do hope he stays with us!” “ME TOO!!” I yelled.
Anyways, we all know how that game ended, with Carlos Perez, in his major league debut, hitting that walk off home run, and we all celebrated with him. It was AMAZING! But this was probably the moment when I REALLY LIKED Johnny and he became one of my favorite Angels!
When I saw that G-Rich was doing a signing, I knew I could not pass it up! I was debating adding the Freesey signing as well, but when I saw that Johnny got added, well, I just had to add his. At first my friends were supposed to join me, but due to personal plans I ended up attending the signing alone before we met up for the Padres vs. Pirates game in San Diego (side note: YAY Andrew McCutchen!)
It’s funny that I have been a baseball fan, specifically an Angels fan, since I was child, yet Johnny is the first baseball player that I’ve ever met. I guess music did own my life and thus I always had a personal connection to most of my favorite artists, but that is now gone and Johnny was the first baseball player I met. And you know what? He was a pretty perfect first baseball player to meet. He was super fun and friendly (although he did call ME fun, teeheehee), and just seemed to want to talk to and meet fans. He was super excited over the pic I had him sign (pictured below) and we chatted about that game a bit. He was super sweet and super fun (and I still think it’s funny that he just straight out said, “Well you’re really fun!”).
COME ON! This is such a cool shot!
So, like a fan, I went and followed him on Twitter and IG, and a quick look at his IG shows that his family and his faith are two of the most important things to him. I mean, it’s just evident, no way of hiding it. And, like I said before, I am observant. I see how he interacts with everyone else. He seems to care about everyone, care about his sport, and can manage to stay calm and collected in times of adversity. And when he does poorly and is disappointed in himself, you can see it in his expression. Like, when he missed that home run by like two inches, well, we could pretty much see his heart break! And he seems to be very involved in the community by helping others. And slowly but surely, Mr. Johnny Giavotella has risen to be my favorite current Angel, because you can just see his heart though it all. By the second time I met him I was in full fledge “I *heart* Johnny” mode than this time, well, I was nervous. I was so nervous to the point that when I first saw him I yelled, “YOU WERE SAFE!!!” (in reference to a bad call from the night before!). Of course, he was a sweetie and said, “You don’t have to tell me that!” I was like, “But you were so obvious safe!” and to that he replied, “Well, we all make mistakes sometimes!” Awww, so sweet. Then I was trying to talk to him just like I had before, but now this time I was so nervous and all that came out was, “You are awesome, you remind me of Eckstein cuz he was awesome too and I love you…” He just sat there smiling at me and I walked away. Yeah, AWKWARD!! (I wouldn't be JP if I wasn't awkward!)
Anyways, the more I observe and learn about Mr. Giavotella, the more I love him. Which bring us back to the picture in question:
It was my birthday, and there I was, with 19 other loved ones, watching the Angels take on the Yankees from the Trout Farm. Johnny had singled and then scored off of Pujols’ double at the bottom of the first. I straight out said that it was because he knew it was my birthday, lol! New York scored at the top of the third, but after Trout homered at the bottom of the third and Calhoun’s double in the 5th allowed Robertson to score, we were up 3-1.
At the top of the 7th Trevor Gott, one of my faves, (Side note: I actually saw him pitch when one of my friends took me to a University of Kentucky game in my brief stint down there, add that to the fact that he’s awesome, yeah, he’s one of my faves) came to relieve CJ Wilson. He walked the first batter and the second batter singled. Now there were two men on base with no outs, and I could see Trevor getting nervous. From my seat I began to yell encouraging, “Come on Trevor! You can do this! You got this! Just relax!”
Mariana turned to me and said, “Well, he is facing the Yankees, he’s gotta be super nervous!” I replied, “Yeah, but he’s gotta calm down! He can do this!”
With my eyes fixated on the 6 foot tall. 22 year old, sending out all the positive vives I could, I see the adorable second basement with his adorable high socks approach the pitcher’s mound. I obviously couldn’t hear what he was saying, but I saw Johnny pat him. I, being the observant person that I am, of course saw the whole thing.
“Did you see that?” I yelled. No one knew what I was referring too. “Johnny just went up to Trevor and gave him like words of encouragement and what seemed like a “You got this” pat!!” Nope, no one knew what I was talking about, because only I am the weird one that was observing and staring at this.
And this is why I love Johnny. Because he cares! And I know the other guys care too. Like how Pujols is basically daddy for the team and how Mike Trout cares about all his fans, but Johnny, he’s something special. He felt the need to go out of his way and approach the mound to encourage Trevor.
And that one picture shows just why I love him so much. He has heart, for his family, for his faith, for his fans, and for individual members of his team.
After the game I was telling others about this moment, but no one knew what I was talking about.
I went on to The Halo way, the official Angels blog, to see if there any pictures of us on my birthday since I clearly saw the photographer take pix of us. Well sure enough, there we were!
I was super giddy and excited, but then I saw that picture and that moment between Johnny and Trevor, well, of course, my heart leapt for joy! That picture is now my desktop background at work, because it is such a sweet moment, and a moment that proved once again why I love Johnny G!
So, since people are so curious as to why I’m all “Team Johnny G” all of a sudden, I figured I would explain why Mr. Giavotella has risen to be one of my favorite Angels. It goes way beyond his baseball abilities, I mean, his nickname is not Johnny Baseball just ‘cuz. Johnny generally comes through when we need him to come through. I can’t tell you how many times we ended up winning a game because Johnny got us to that position. Whether it was through his perfect bunt, a base hit, or simply bringing guys home, he is there when we need him.
He can also do amazing things out in the infield (that sounds weird and redundant but it’s not, lol!). Have you seen this man leap? BOY CAN JUMP HIGH!! Man! Actually, here is a GIF for you enjoyment!
And, if you’re wondering, it’s not even his handsome good looks! No, it’s not those dreamy big brown eyes, that perfect jawline, gorgeous smile, and muscles galore that make him amazing!
But oh my goodness, he is too freaking adorable!
But no, it’s not that. It’s way more than that. The best way I can describe it is through this picture:
But let’s back up a little bit before I explain what’s going on in this picture.
We acquired Mr. Johnny Giavotella last off season from the Kansas City Royals. I remember texting Jodi about that trade too! Hahahahaha! I thought nothing of him up until spring training when I saw him do crazy stuff. Then when he was doing all the crazy plays people were like, “Howie who?” (We all miss Howie, trust me, we do, but Johnny has been awesome, so it’s like, we miss him, but we love Johnny, hehe!). But, even then, there was something different about him that I was trying to pin point as I watched him that I was trying to figure out.
During one game, and I honestly can’t remember which came, he was running on either first or second base. The camera was focused on whoever the pitcher was, but then I see right past him to Johnny. “Is he praying?” I ask myself.
-- My brother laughs at me because I’m so observant with everything that happens in the background of things, not just in the foreground. Sometimes we will be watching a wrestling match and I start laughing. “What’s so funny?” He will ask. I usually say something like, “That green sign in the corner was funny!” or “Than fan fell down the stairs!” or “There’s a couple back there fighting.” It’s one of my quirks; I guess I am just observant.--
Anyways, that’s why I was able to notice a Johnny G behind the pitcher praying. “Oh my goodness, HE IS!! HE IS PRAYING!!” Right there, on base, he was praying. And anyone who knows me knows that just touched my heart.
As I continued to watch my Angels I would notice other things about him. Yeah, he’s an awesome player that would come through, but his demeanor was different. I knew there was something about him. I noticed that he always wore a cross. I don’t think it’s always the same cross because sometimes it looks silver and sometimes gold, but he always has one on.
On possibly one of the best games I’ve attended thus far this season, on 5/5/15 (LOOK AT ALL THOSE 5s!). Pujols had put us ahead the bottom of the first with a two run home run. G-Rich did an awesome job pitching by just allowing 1 run at the top of the second. However, Joe Smith came into pitch at the top of the 7th he allowed 2 runs, and then Fernando Salas allowed another run. So, at bottom of the 8th we were now behind 2-4. Well, Aybar singled to right getting us to score, and then Johnny Baseball himself singled and batted in another runner. I was so happy when Johnny tied it up for us that I yelled, “Man, I just want to hug him!!!” The guy in front of me, who had been so fun in interacting with us all game and was a slew of information, asked, “Who, Giavotella?” I said, “Yes, he’s so adorable! I just want to hug him! And he always comes through when we need him! I love him!” He replied, “Yes, me too! I mean, I like him too, not the hugging part, you can take that! I do hope he stays with us!” “ME TOO!!” I yelled.
Anyways, we all know how that game ended, with Carlos Perez, in his major league debut, hitting that walk off home run, and we all celebrated with him. It was AMAZING! But this was probably the moment when I REALLY LIKED Johnny and he became one of my favorite Angels!
When I saw that G-Rich was doing a signing, I knew I could not pass it up! I was debating adding the Freesey signing as well, but when I saw that Johnny got added, well, I just had to add his. At first my friends were supposed to join me, but due to personal plans I ended up attending the signing alone before we met up for the Padres vs. Pirates game in San Diego (side note: YAY Andrew McCutchen!)
It’s funny that I have been a baseball fan, specifically an Angels fan, since I was child, yet Johnny is the first baseball player that I’ve ever met. I guess music did own my life and thus I always had a personal connection to most of my favorite artists, but that is now gone and Johnny was the first baseball player I met. And you know what? He was a pretty perfect first baseball player to meet. He was super fun and friendly (although he did call ME fun, teeheehee), and just seemed to want to talk to and meet fans. He was super excited over the pic I had him sign (pictured below) and we chatted about that game a bit. He was super sweet and super fun (and I still think it’s funny that he just straight out said, “Well you’re really fun!”).
COME ON! This is such a cool shot!
So, like a fan, I went and followed him on Twitter and IG, and a quick look at his IG shows that his family and his faith are two of the most important things to him. I mean, it’s just evident, no way of hiding it. And, like I said before, I am observant. I see how he interacts with everyone else. He seems to care about everyone, care about his sport, and can manage to stay calm and collected in times of adversity. And when he does poorly and is disappointed in himself, you can see it in his expression. Like, when he missed that home run by like two inches, well, we could pretty much see his heart break! And he seems to be very involved in the community by helping others. And slowly but surely, Mr. Johnny Giavotella has risen to be my favorite current Angel, because you can just see his heart though it all. By the second time I met him I was in full fledge “I *heart* Johnny” mode than this time, well, I was nervous. I was so nervous to the point that when I first saw him I yelled, “YOU WERE SAFE!!!” (in reference to a bad call from the night before!). Of course, he was a sweetie and said, “You don’t have to tell me that!” I was like, “But you were so obvious safe!” and to that he replied, “Well, we all make mistakes sometimes!” Awww, so sweet. Then I was trying to talk to him just like I had before, but now this time I was so nervous and all that came out was, “You are awesome, you remind me of Eckstein cuz he was awesome too and I love you…” He just sat there smiling at me and I walked away. Yeah, AWKWARD!! (I wouldn't be JP if I wasn't awkward!)
Anyways, the more I observe and learn about Mr. Giavotella, the more I love him. Which bring us back to the picture in question:
It was my birthday, and there I was, with 19 other loved ones, watching the Angels take on the Yankees from the Trout Farm. Johnny had singled and then scored off of Pujols’ double at the bottom of the first. I straight out said that it was because he knew it was my birthday, lol! New York scored at the top of the third, but after Trout homered at the bottom of the third and Calhoun’s double in the 5th allowed Robertson to score, we were up 3-1.
At the top of the 7th Trevor Gott, one of my faves, (Side note: I actually saw him pitch when one of my friends took me to a University of Kentucky game in my brief stint down there, add that to the fact that he’s awesome, yeah, he’s one of my faves) came to relieve CJ Wilson. He walked the first batter and the second batter singled. Now there were two men on base with no outs, and I could see Trevor getting nervous. From my seat I began to yell encouraging, “Come on Trevor! You can do this! You got this! Just relax!”
Mariana turned to me and said, “Well, he is facing the Yankees, he’s gotta be super nervous!” I replied, “Yeah, but he’s gotta calm down! He can do this!”
With my eyes fixated on the 6 foot tall. 22 year old, sending out all the positive vives I could, I see the adorable second basement with his adorable high socks approach the pitcher’s mound. I obviously couldn’t hear what he was saying, but I saw Johnny pat him. I, being the observant person that I am, of course saw the whole thing.
“Did you see that?” I yelled. No one knew what I was referring too. “Johnny just went up to Trevor and gave him like words of encouragement and what seemed like a “You got this” pat!!” Nope, no one knew what I was talking about, because only I am the weird one that was observing and staring at this.
And this is why I love Johnny. Because he cares! And I know the other guys care too. Like how Pujols is basically daddy for the team and how Mike Trout cares about all his fans, but Johnny, he’s something special. He felt the need to go out of his way and approach the mound to encourage Trevor.
And that one picture shows just why I love him so much. He has heart, for his family, for his faith, for his fans, and for individual members of his team.
After the game I was telling others about this moment, but no one knew what I was talking about.
I went on to The Halo way, the official Angels blog, to see if there any pictures of us on my birthday since I clearly saw the photographer take pix of us. Well sure enough, there we were!
I was super giddy and excited, but then I saw that picture and that moment between Johnny and Trevor, well, of course, my heart leapt for joy! That picture is now my desktop background at work, because it is such a sweet moment, and a moment that proved once again why I love Johnny G!