Giants manager Bob Melvin implements new policy for national anthem

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There’s a new sheriff in town in San Francisco, and his name is manager Bob Melvin, who is requiring every person in the Giants dugout to stand on the field for the national anthem. 

It’s a drastic difference from the Gabe Kapler regime. He stopped being on the field for the national anthem in 2022 after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and kneeled in protest for several games in 2020 after the George Floyd killing. 

Yet, this has nothing to do with politics, Melvin insists. 

“Look, we’re a new team here, we got some good players here,’’ Melvin said Friday, “it’s more about letting the other side know that we’re ready to play. I want guys out here ready to go. There’s a personality to that. 

“It has nothing to do with whatever happened in the past or whatever, it’s just something I embrace." 

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Melvin says he applied the same rules managing in Oakland and San Diego, too, and occasionally would have to crack down on his team if he noticed he wasn’t getting close to full participation. 

It’s not about patriotism, but assuring that everyone is out there together, from the players to the coaches to the bat boys. 

“You want your team ready to play and I want the other team to notice it, too,’’ Melvin said. “It’s as simple as that. They’re embracing it.”