JANUARY 20, 1906
Henry Mathewson signs with the Giants, but the right-hander’s performance will not remind anyone of his more talented brother, Christy. The 19 year-old will appear in just two major league games over the next two seasons compiling a 0-1 record along a 4.91 ERA. (Nationalpastime.com)

JANUARY 17, 1922
Benny Kauff’s appeal to be reinstated as a major league player is denied by an appellate court. The former Giant outfielder believed his banishment from the game by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis is unjust due to his acquittal of the auto theft charges brought against him. (Nationalpastime.com)

JANUARY 15, 1936
Horace Stoneham becomes president of the New York Giants succeeding his dad, Charles, who died nine days ago. The 32-year old will hold the position for the next 40 years before selling the team to Bob Lurie and Bud Herseth in 1976. (Nationalpastime.com)

JANUARY 8, 1944
Bill Terry announces his retirement from baseball and his plans to start a cotton business. The former Giants star and skipper will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954. (Nationalpastime.com)

JANUARY 5, 1946
The Giants pay the largest amount ever paid for a single player when the team obtains Walker Cooper from the Cardinals for $175,000. The All-Star catcher will hit .276 during his 3+ seasons with New York. (Nationalpastime.com)

DECEMBER 20, 1926
The World Champion Cardinals trade Rogers Hornsby to the Giants for Jimmy Ring and Frankie Frisch, who will play an integral role in the success of the Gas House Gang in the 1930’s after being sent to St. Louis due to a falling out with New York’s manager John McGraw. The trade gets complicated when the ‘Rajah’ refuses to sell his 1,167 shares of the team stock back to the Redbirds at the asking price. (Nationalpastime.com)

DECEMBER 17, 1898
John Day is named as the Giants manager. New York’s new skipper will be replaced by Fred Hoey after just 66 games next season when the team gets off to a 29-35 start. (Nationalpastime.com)

DECEMBER 16, 1954
Willie Mays becomes the first player to win Most Valuable Player Award in his first full year in the majors when he easily outdistances Reds first baseman Ted Kluszewski for the honor. The 23-year-old Giants center fielder made his big league debut at the end of May in 1951, but missed the last two seasons due to his military service in the U.S. Army. (Nationalpastime.com)

DECEMBER 15, 1900
The Giants trade Amos Rusie, a veteran pitcher who hasn’t played since 1898, but won 20+ games in each season during his eight years with the team, to the Reds for Chisty Mathewson. ‘Matty’, a future Hall of Famer, will post a 372-188 record and will become a legend during his 17-year tenure in New York. (Nationalpastime.com)

DECEMBER 13, 1956
The Dodgers trade Jackie Robinson to the cross-town rivals, the Giants, for pitcher Dick Littlefield and $35,000. Jackie, according to some accounts had already decided privately to leave the game to work for Chock Full of Nuts, publicly retires from baseball rather than to accept the trade. (Nationalpastime.com)