Chris Heston is here to stay: Why rookie pitcher will remain with Giants even after Jake Peavy and Matt Cain return

Chris Heston is here to stay: Why rookie pitcher will remain with Giants even after Jake Peavy and Matt Cain return by Matthew Connolly

The Giants are riding a massive wave of momentum following a three-game sweep of the hated Dodgers at home. The matchups were as intense as ever, culminating in back-to-back walk-off finishes for San Francisco.

But while the rivalry is very much alive and well, sometimes it’s best to take a step back and have a good laugh at its expense. After all, aren’t Dodgers fans people too?

No? Well…I tried.

For a better idea of how to balance the hatred with hilarity, I highly recommend you watch this miniseries written and directed by Mike Metz and Matt Barber—a pair of hardcore Giants fans based in Los Angeles:

Note: Video is NSFW. Episodes 2 and 3 can be found here and here.

In the video, “Will” and “Gibson” are set up on a blind date without knowing each other’s MLB allegiances. Of course, everything’s going perfectly until the fateful moment when they realize they’re dining with the enemy.

Will the age-old Giants-Dodgers beef put an end to their budding romance? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Anyway, I liked the video so much that I tracked down Metz and Barber to find out more about how the video came together and get their opinions on the rivalry. Below is our candid Q&A session.



Me: First off, great work on the miniseries. What inspired you guys to create this Giants-Dodgers sketch?

Metz: Thanks, dude. It’s been really cool to hear people respond to it—on both sides of the table. As for the inspiration, I’m from Northern California (Danville) and grew up a huge Giants fan. When I moved to L.A. eight years ago my number one concern in life was to fall in love with a Dodgers fan.

Over time, though, I sort of came to the realization it wouldn’t be that bad—as long as she was as passionate about the D’s as I was about the G’s. (I ended up with a Pirates fan.) At first I considered writing a TV pilot or a film, but realized this would be best for the internet. So I wrote it. And gave the script to the best director I knew who cared way too much about baseball like me—Matt [Barber]. He’s also a huge Giants fan and lives in L.A. I knew he could relate. Then we got our significant others to foolishly agree to produce it and it was on.

Barber: Finding a fellow Giants fan in Dodgers country is like discovering a $100 bill in the gutter. When you see it, you snatch it up quickly and stick it in your wallet. That’s not the best metaphor… but once I met Metz at work I knew we would be friends for life as our love of the Giants was near religious. As the Giants and Dodgers battled for the division last season, Metz brought me the script. I immediately fell in love with the idea. There was so much I could relate to and I knew that it would be a project that would resonate with the masses.

Me: Being a former NorCal transplant at UCSB, I have to ask: Any particular reason you used Santa Barbara as the backdrop? For what it’s worth, I think the “line” is south of Santa Cruz, with SB occupying part of the grey (er…orangey-blueish) area.

Metz: I put it in Santa Barbara because growing up north I think I always assumed Santa Barbara was “the line.” After moving to L.A., I realized it actually was much more north. So I set it in SB because I really wanted Joel Dauten (“Will”) to be as surprised as I was when he finds out about the real line. Like, complete shock, “Really?!”

Barber: Plus it’s just so damn beautiful up there. I wanted an excuse to drink some wine while shooting b-roll [footage].

Me: The lead actor/actress were hilarious! Are they actually Giants/Dodgers fans in real life? If the actress is not, may I ask if she’s single?

Metz: They did such a good job. Especially given the circumstances—we shot the show in the middle of a very crowded restaurant, all in one day. Joel is actually a Diamondbacks fan. But he’s a good friend of mine and I knew immediately when this came together I wanted him to play the Giants fan. As for “Gibson,” we wanted to find an actress who was a real baseball and sports fan. Stephanie Turner is not just that, but actually a really big Dodgers fan too. We wanted the words to seem authentic, so it was important to find real baseball fans. (Unfortunately, Stephanie is married.)

Barber: The first time we all met to go over the script, Stephanie and Joel did a practice reading. We couldn’t stop laughing and knew immediately that we had truly found our Gibson and Will. Even though they didn’t know all the factoids, they understood the passion behind them. And I believe that translates on screen.

Me: There were plenty of choice comments throughout their interactions. Hunter Pence throwing “like a transformer” had me in stitches. What were your personal favorites?

Metz: For me, when Will reacts to Gibson saying, “Buster Posey is not that good” is probably my favorite moment of the whole thing. I also really enjoy his Mike Piazza and pizza line (which, by the way, a crew member suggested during shooting) and I really like their banter during the Travis Ishikawa arranged marriage part. Oh, and when Gibson pretends she doesn’t know about the World Series earthquake.

Barber: I especially love Will’s reaction to Tommy Lasorda in episode 2:”He’s like a real life version of the Penguin from Batman!” Joel interpreted that line brilliantly. And the Bobby Thomson moment. Our editor Hyunsoo Moon really milked it for all it was worth! Rumor has it that Metz really did have that Ishikawa moment and rewound his DVR to relish it.

Me: “Will” and “Gibson” think Willie Mays is the GOAT…do you agree?

Metz: I do, yeah. However, I would say Gibson admitting that in the series may or may not have been to simply placate Will. After he admits he liked Vin Scully, she knows she can’t say, “Babe Ruth.”

Barber: Is it too soon to say Madison Bumgarner?

Me: The Giants shocked a lot of people by handily winning Game 1 of the series. Do you see them winning two out of three, or maybe even sweeping? More importantly, do you think can they turn their season around?

Metz: I would love two out of three. The Dodgers are good, though. As are the Padres. This is going to be a tough season. I do think the Giants can stay in contention if the starting pitching can be consistent. Matt Cain finally coming back and being Matt Cain would certainly help. Matt and I both, separately, went to World Series Game 4 last year and met in the garden in center field after the game. It would be cool to do that again.

Barber: The Giants always have the ability to sweep. They are that good…in spirit. This year will be tough, though. World Series runs and aging players are a difficult mix. I say we relish the dynasty and prepare for a fourth trophy in 2016!

Me: Do you guys plan on producing anything like this in the future? I’m ready to star in “When Warriors fan met Lakers fan” if you need me.

Metz: I would love to do more. Whether it be continuing Will and Gibson’s relationship, or to tackle other great sports rivalries. The Giants and Dodgers rivalry has been such a big part of my life and it’s so rewarding to make something like this and find out how much it means to so many others.

Barber: There is infinite potential with this idea. As long as there are sports rivalries, there is comedy to be gleaned. How do you feel about wearing those really short basketball shorts from the 80’s?

In case you were wondering, I told the guys I am very comfortable rocking short-shorts.