Jerry McDonald has been with the Bay Area News Group for more than 30 years, with a heavy concentration of NFL football since the Raiders returned to Oakland in 1995. His all-time favorite athlete is a right-handed pitcher at Division III Linfield College in Oregon.
Giants pitcher and former Stanford star Tristian Beck reacted to the retirement of Cardinal women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer.SAN FRANCISCO — Giants right-hander Tristan Beck reacted as any former Stanford athlete would at the news that women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer is retiring.
VanDerveer, 70, retired Tuesday night after 38 years at Stanford and 45 overall. She retires with 1,216 victories, the most of any coach in men’s or women’s basketball. The Cardinal was 30-6 in 2023-24 and won the Pac-12 regular season title with a 15-3 record. Slater played three season at Stanford before being drafted in 2014. Beck, who is currently on the injured list after vascular surgery on his upper arm, pitched for the Cardinal from 2016 through 2018. Beck said baseball coach Mark Marquess, who retired in 2017 after 41 years, and VanDerveer were pace-setters on campus.
Giants manager Bob Melvin grew up in Menlo Park but was starting his professional baseball career the same time VanDerveer arrived at Stanford.