To some, Will Clark is, and was, their all-time favorite Giant.
NBC Sports Bay Area's Amy Gutierrez herself gushed over how much she is a fan of the six-time All-Star first baseman.
Clark's numbers at the plate made him into a superhero of sorts and while that may not be a title many could live up to, it's certainly one that's showcased in the latest NBC Sports Bay Area cheer card starring Will The Thrill.
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"First of all there is a character element, I try to go for the cartoony super burly upper body kind of look and I love trying to find what I call the ‘motion lines,’" said artist Alex Varanese, who constructed the latest masterpiece.
The cartoony, burly upper body exudes everything Clark is. After all, the 15-year veteran was one of the few to not only put up big numbers, but also to do so against some of the biggest names to ever stand on a major league mound.
I know you're waiting to see this, so here it is:
San Francisco Giants
"The backdrop I did on this card is sort of a mixture between old Candlestick and the modern equivalent park and I wanted it to feel like it’s not any one particular time period but it just feels authentically like, 'This is what it would look like if you were four feet away from him as he was swinging the bat looking right up at him’ maybe the way a really adventurous cameraman might sneak up to grab a shot," Varanese added.
I told Varanese the "looking up" mentality could even be similar to that of a child looking up to his hero.
"Exactly! Even like that too, just a sense of everything is happening above you like looking up at a fireworks display or something it’s like this big thing spread out across the horizon. So I wanted this bag panoramic backdrop, I did that photo blur effect to make it seem like everything in the foreground is intimate but everything in the background is sprawling and huge the way being in a sporting event kind of feels.”
And as far as capturing the essence that is Clark? How is that possible? Luckily, Varanese knew it was an arduous task but was up for it.
"You read the bio of someone like Will Clark and it’s like he was almost like genetically born with this ability to do amazing things with a baseball bat," he said. "That’s not to take away from the hard work, I’m sure he killed himself getting there like totally slaved over it. You read the story, coming out of school it was like an All-Star game and he came out of nowhere and blew everyone’s mind at the start of his career."
"Imagine what that must feel like."
Others would be overwhelmed to be in this situation with all the pressure -- everyone's watching, there are cameras everywhere.
"And this guy is just cranking them," the Campbell resident said.
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"I wanted to capture that sense of not just raw talent, but a little bit of confidence like he knew he was supposed to be there, he wasn’t second-guessing it in his mind. Like his nickname 'The Thrill' it backs it up, this guy just brings it with him automatically he doesn’t have to tap into something at the last minute and psych himself up. He was born for it. He woke up ready to kick a--."
It appears Varanese captured just that.
You can get these one-of-a-kind cheer cards if you stop by the NBC Sports Bay Area set for Giants Pregame and Giants Postgame Live Tuesday night at Willie Mays Plaza.
We will be showcasing other cheer cards throughout the season. And if you missed any of them, no problem. You can see it all during the "Battle of the Bay Art Show," an A's and Giants-themed art exhibit during the Bay Bridge Series from Aug. 13-14.