Mike Krukow was born with a baseball glove in one hand and a ball in the other.
But that doesn’t mean the legendary Giants’ broadcaster can’t appreciate greatness in other disciplines. In fact, as a former pitcher, Krukow knows all about the importance of a smooth delivery, throwing mechanics and inspiring teammates, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s taken with the way Jimmy Garoppolo has stepped in and performed as the 49ers’ quarterback.
On Tuesday morning, Krukow joined Ryan Covay & Kevin Frandsen on KNBR to talk about the San Francisco Giants and his Christmas holiday, but at the end of the interview, Krukow slipped in some interesting thoughts about the transformation the 49ers have undergone over the last month.
With Garoppolo at the helm of San Francisco’s offense, Krukow is tuning in and he loves what he sees.
“Oh my god. Is that guy (Garoppolo) good or what?” Krukow said. “Oh my god. This is a baseball player’s time to go look at other sports and I tell you, you’re watching the Warriors and now you’re watching the 9ers. It’s fun. Come on, he’s inspired that entire unit. That entire 9ers team believes it.”
Earlier in the interview, Krukow discussed the importance of a baseball team arriving to Spring Training with the belief that it could win the World Series. Krukow said that players are their own scouts, and when they look around the clubhouse, they make up their minds about whether or not their team has a chance to win. That belief, Krukow maintains, is critical to a team’s ability to succeed, and he said the 49ers are proving what a team with belief and confidence looks like.
Though San Francisco didn’t play inspired football during the first half of the season, the 49ers are a completely different team, and even folks outside the NFL like Krukow are taking notice.
“It just gives you an idea of how fragile it is between a team that believes and a team that doesn’t believe,” Krukow said. “They didn’t believe early on and now they do, they’re a force. Nobody wants to play these guys now.”
To listen to Krukow’s entire interview with Covay & Frandsen, click the podcast link below. To hear Krukow’s thoughts on the 49ers, skip ahead to the 14:41 mark.