Baseball - Trainer Stan Conte Quit

After spending 15 seasons with the team's medical department as trainer, San Francisco Giants trainer Stan Conte decided to step down.

Conte had a very challenging and public tenure with the Giants. He had to deal with several of Barry Bonds' health problems. Earlier this year, he testified before a grand jury investigating whether Bonds perjured himself when he testified in 2003 in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid distribution case. The team announced that Dave Groeschner, who spent 10 years in the organization, will replace Conte.

Conte had the head trainer role for the last seven years. After the announcement of his choice to step down, Conte insisted to explain that his decision had nothing to do with Barry Bond’s case.

During his tenure at San Francisco, Conte helped the club redefine the way it looked at care for its athletes. This season, following catcher Mike Matheny's season-ending concussion, Conte and his staff began studying how often catchers are hit with foul tips. They reviewed tapes of every inning Matheny caught in recent years.

Conte has a son who is playing as a Giants' minor league catcher. Conte is also halfway done with his doctorate in physical therapy at Boston University. Therefore he explained that he remains open to staying in baseball if another team has the right situation, or plan to work again in physical therapy.

Since Groeschner is the replacement of Conte, the former trainer feels comfortable leaving the team now. Conte regards him as one of the key staff member in the success of last season. Groeschner, 35, just returned to San Francisco in 2005 after one season away working as the Chicago Cubs' head trainer in '04. Groeschner worked from 2000-03 in a dual role as the Giants' assistant trainer and strength and conditioning coordinator. He also spent four years in the team's farm system.