The inside story of Buster Posey's Giants coronation

Posey also kept bringing up another very familiar name: Brian Sabean, the architect of the title teams in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and the guy who drafted Posey in 2008. Sabean, who became a Giants consultant after being replaced by Zaidi in 2018, has served in a similar role for the Yankees in recent years.

Could Sabean be part of Posey's new front office? “We texted last night,” Posey said. “I think I need to talk to him and understand him [his situation].”

Posey said the Giants will continue to use analytics to make personnel decisions, but it's clear he will pay more attention to clubhouse chemistry and traditional analysis than Zaidi ever did. That doesn't mean Posey will be right more often than Zaidi, but it does mean Giants fans will understand what he sees and does much better than they ever understood Zaidi's methods. You will feel like you are part of what Posey is doing. The fans will trust him because they trust Posey.

The players will feel that too. This also applies to the rest of the Giants organization.

“Every day, the more I’m around him – like you saw when he first came into the league; was a leader from day one,” Johnson said. “He has that confidence and that presence and [he’s] confident enough to know what he doesn’t know.”

Posey was confident enough to sign a relatively short three-year contract for the role. Of course, how could the rest of the ownership group fire Posey after just three seasons? After all, he is also an owner. But I think Posey comes into this job feeling like he has to prove himself and that if he's not right for it, he'll know it quicker than anyone.

“The length [of the contract] made no difference,” Posey said. “I honestly just look at it from… I mentioned the compartmentalization. Just stay in the moment as much as possible. I know this is a unique opportunity. I hope I can help bring the next great team back onto the field. But ultimately it's not my identity. There are things in life that are more important than baseball. I have a loving wife and four loving children. Whether it’s this role or not, life is pretty good.”

But Posey said yes to it because he believes he's the right person to do it. Because he really wants to see the Giants win another World Series or two.

“We’re in the memory business,” Posey said a few times during the press conference.

I asked him later what does that really mean?

“I've seen videos during the playoff run for us where a hundred people in a bar in San Francisco might have been a big moment,” Posey said. “And the TV is on and everyone is going crazy. This is a memory. You will remember being in that moment. They will remember who they were with there. When I talk about memories, it’s the relationships that come from moments in the game.”

The Giants' owners know that the bond between the team and its fans has weakened in recent years. This isn't all Zaidi's fault; he did his best. But he was simply never interested in the more emotional aspects of being the leader of the Giants.

And Posey — from 2010, 2012, 2014, and countless other magical moments — is the embodiment of how powerful those emotional connections can be. That's why he's now President Posey. And all he has to do is build a team that can create about a thousand more of those memories.