Testosterone Replacement Therapy in Posey, CA

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The San Francisco Giants announced today that three-time World Series Champion and seven-time All-Star Buster Posey has become a member of the team’s ownership group. This marks the first time in franchise history that a former player has joined the organization as a principal partner and member of the Board of Directors.

“Upon his retirement last year, Buster said that he would always stay involved with the organization and when he approached us to express his interest in joining the ownership group, we were thrilled that he wanted to make this type of commitment. It is rare for a former player to join his own team’s ownership with the desire to have an active role,” said Giants Chairman Greg Johnson.

“I’m excited to have Buster serve on our Board of Directors where his unique perspective and valuable insights will be a benefit to both our business and baseball decisions. His lived experience within the organization, from the clubhouse to the community, will further make him a great thought partner for me, Larry, Farhan and others.”

When Posey retired in 2021 after his 12-year Major League career with the Giants, he became just the fifth player in Giants history to play their entire career with the franchise. He will also be the youngest member of the ownership group, at 35 years of age, which brings yet another dimension of perspective and thought to this multi-generational game.

“I feel deeply connected to the Giants and the San Francisco Bay Area and hope that my perspective as a former player will be beneficial in growing the game and assisting the organization to build the next championship team both on and off the field,” said Posey. “I have always had such great respect for the ownership group, many of whom I’ve gotten to know through the years, who provided the support for me and my teammates to achieve the successes we did. I also believe that I can learn so much by surrounding myself with business leaders who have been at the top of their respective industries.”

Posey joins the San Francisco Baseball Associates LLC ownership group as the 31st principal partner. Johnson serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Control Person and is a member of MLB’s Competition Committee.

In summary

The question in the Capitol now: Is it time to restore several health benefits the state took from Medi-Cal recipients a decade ago, including the clearer vision that eyeglasses provide?

Willie Posey of Oakland takes great care of his three-year-old glasses. He needs to keep them as long as he can because Medi-Cal, the state’s health plan for low-income Californians, stopped covering lenses or frames—and he says he can’t afford to pay out-of-pocket again even though he has a new prescription.

“I have to wear glasses all of the time. I’m looking at the TV and I can’t make out what’s going on without glasses,” said Posey, 79, who bought his current pair at Costco. “Even when I have them on I’m not seeing clearly anymore.”

Posey says he’s old so he’ll make do. But the retired UC Berkeley worker feels bad for younger people who need glasses to work, especially if they do construction or operate dangerous machinery.

The question in the Capitol now: Is it time to restore several health benefits the state took from Medi-Cal recipients a decade ago, including the clearer vision that eyeglasses provide?

In 2009, state lawmakers—confronting a recession and budget shortfalls—opted to save state money by eliminating several Medi-Cal benefits, mainly for adults, that the federal government didn’t specifically require. The list of lost services included dental, optical, podiatry, chiropractic, audiology, acupuncture, speech therapy—even incontinence washes and creams.

As California finances bounced back, the state restored dental benefits in 2013 and acupuncture in 2016.

This year advocates are pushing to restore the rest of the lost coverage, with a particular push for eyeglasses.

Currently Medi-Cal covers eye exams, evaluations, screenings and measurements for eyeglass prescriptions. It covers eyeglasses, lenses and other low-vision devices only for people under 21, seniors in nursing homes and pregnant women.

Two years ago, the Legislature called for the eyeglasses benefit to be restored in 2020, contingent on legislative funding. Advocates saw this statement—in a budget “trailer bill” agreed upon by the Legislature and former Gov. Jerry Brown—as a commitment to bring the benefit back.

But new Gov. Gavin Newsom failed to include restoration of the benefit in his initial budget proposal. He could include it in a revised budget he’ll submit next month, or the Legislature could decide to champion the cause in budget negotiations with the governor.

“These are critical benefits that people are going without,” said Linda Nguy, policy advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty. “For nearly ten years people have done without, and that’s a long time.”

The California Optometric Association used national data to estimate that about 2 million Medi-Cal recipients ages 21 to 64 need glasses or lenses.

The state cost to restore all the outstanding optional benefits is $40.5 million annually—including $26 million for optical and $4.6 million for podiatry.

The actual cost of the benefits is much higher, but the difference would be paid by the federal government, which splits the bill for Medi-Cal with the state.

“We are leaving federal funds on the table by not doing that, but it does require a state investment,” said Elia Gallardo, director of policy research for the Insure the Uninsured Project, a non-partisan research organization that provides policy analysis and evaluation to stakeholders.

Experts also note that because the Affordable Care Act expanded Medi-Cal to a larger group of Californians, the cost is higher to cover all of those individuals.

And that’s a budget consideration, said Nadereh Pourat, associate director at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Add to those rolls the 19-26-year-old undocumented immigrants the governor wants to cover with Medi-Cal, and costs would rise further.

“Everything is a worthwhile cause, but there is a competition for how to spend money,” Pourat said. “You have what you pay out, how many people you cover and what benefits you offer, and you have to balance the three of them out to do everything you want to do.”

The push for the promise of optical benefits hinges on that agreement in the 2017 budget to bring back optical services in 2020. The state Department of Health Care Services notes that the 2017 budget bill “restored” services for optometrists and opticians, but that it is “contingent upon the Legislature allocating funding.”

And backed by the California Podiatry Association, GOP Assemblyman Heath Flora of Ripon asked an Assembly Budget subcommittee to restore foot care—noting the prevalence of diabetes in California, which absent proper care can lead to foot amputations. Because the Legislature and governor are negotiating the budget for the next fiscal year, the assemblyman and the advocates are essentially requesting the lawmakers on the budget committee negotiate for these items to be included in the final state budget.

Experts say the 2017 bill language could be construed as a statement of intent from one Legislature to another, or a punt to a new Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom because former Gov. Jerry Brown was so reluctant to take on more general fund spending.

“They knew we would have a new governor who would be more amenable to certain things,” said Shannon McConville, senior research associate at the Public Policy Institute of California.

She said it isn’t surprising Newsom didn’t include the restoration in his first budget, which was his opportunity to lay out his own broad plans. There are signs, she said, that he might be open to the restoration because he seems willing to spend more on Medi-Cal, given his other proposals.

“Sometimes I feel like we are penny-wise and pound-foolish with regards to this,” said Democratic Assemblyman Jim Wood of Mendocino, who sits on the committee and supports restoring the benefits. “It is a life-changing thing for people, the ability to see, to be able to read and then to be able to be a better part of the workforce.”

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Tagged: budgetGavin NewsomHealth CareMedi-Cal

Buster Posey put on a San Francisco Giants cap for all 12 of his seasons in the major leagues. Not a year after his retirement, he’s putting on a new hat with the Giants.

Posey, 35, became a minority owner with the Giants on Wednesday, joining the ownership group with an exclusive seat on the executive board. In fact, ownership expanded the board from five to six members in order to include Posey at the table.

One of the most popular and accomplished Giants in the team’s history, Posey will become the first player in franchise history to be a principal partner. He’s one of only a handful of former MLB players in modern baseball to get involved in ownership, following Derek Jeter’s purchase in 2017 (and subsequent divestment in 2022) of the Miami Marlins and Nolan Ryan’s ownership of the Texas Rangers in 2010. Posey is the youngest of the Giants’ 31 stakeholders.

“I’m excited to provide my insight,” Posey said Wednesday. “Being a player for the San Francisco Giants, I understand there’s expectations, and that’s great. I think we welcome those expectations, but the goal within an organization is to get your foot in the door in October and have a chance to win a World Series, and that’s going to remain the same going forward.”

Posey declined to say how much ownership stake he purchased, but even in a smaller role, deferring to majority owner Charles Johnson and his son, chairman Greg Johnson, Posey sees himself wearing a few hats. He will not be involved in baseball operations, but can act as a free agent recruiter, a sounding board involved in budget and decision-making meetings, and as one of few former player-owners, begin to build a bridge between the league’s players and owners constantly at odds.

The focus, first, will be on the on-field product. He’s re-joining the organization at the start of a crucial offseason for the Giants as they hope to refurbish a mediocre and disappointing roster. As for the 2023 budget, Greg Johnson said Wednesday the Giants “don’t have a fixed number yet,” but have “a lot of flexibility coming into this offseason.”

“We’re well aware of the shortstops and the person that can hit in the Bronx that’s out there,” Johnson said, alluding to Yankees superstar Aaron Judge and likely free agent shortstops Trea Turner, Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts. “Farhan (Zaidi) ultimately will come with his suggested number. We haven’t done that yet but we’re certainly looking at that now and we’re aware we have some gaps we need to address.”

Posey sat in on some of those recruitment meetings during his playing days. He tried (unsuccessfully) to sell Jon Lester, Bryce Harper and Shohei Ohtani on the Giants.

“My recruiting record is not very good,” Posey said. “There’s time to improve upon that. I think my role will be to be helpful where I can be helpful. If that takes time to get to know a prospective free agent I’m happy to do that.”

As a homegrown superstar himself, Posey will also focus his attention on the team’s disappointing minor league crop that’s lacking in exciting prospects.

“Something we discussed internally is, I’m not sure there’s a way to motivate a group of young players to take the reigns and be the next group and lead the San Francisco Giants to win a World Series title,” Posey said. “Not telling you anything there, but you look at our run and it was led largely by homegrown talent. Obviously, you can supplement and add pieces to the homegrown talent, but the hope and dream is there are a handful of guys in the system who want to come up and understand the opportunity they have to be the next group of players the city of San Francisco and fan base gets to attach themselves to for the next 10-15 years.”

In the long term, perhaps Posey’s ownership role can blaze a trail for an improved relationship between the players’ union and team owners — a rift that only grew during contentious CBA negotiations that delayed the start of spring training by a few weeks.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that it will influence the way I see things,” Posey said. “I think Greg would agree, that’s a positive. Even if there are some disagreements we see on certain things, that will move the needle on certain things being in agreement.

I’m excited to see it from a different angle, but at the same time, the way I care about the game as a player and the way I care about the game as a post-player is still the same. I want to see the game thrive. I want to see fans showing up and having a great time. Just like I did as a player in that respect. There’s always going to be some amount of discord between ownership and players, that’s inevitable when you’re trying to extract value one way or the other. But I think what I’m hopeful for is some of the petty vitriol can be lessened a little bit.”

Added Johnson: “The more we can get players as part of the groups and involved in the decision making the better baseball will be. One of the things I was shocked when I first came into this role is how broken the trust is between player and ownership groups and it’s an outcome of the structure of baseball, unfortunately, but we don’t do any good solving problems publicly in the press.”

Posey didn’t even consider becoming an owner until the weeks after his retirement. He talked with CEO Larry Baer and Johnson about the prospect, and the wheels started moving fast. Posey bought in with his own money — he earned Posey earned $153.9 million in his playing career, per SpoTrac.com and had significant equity in the sports drink company BodyArmor.

Asked about working with Charles Johnson, who has received criticism for his political donations, Posey said: “My interactions with Mr. Johnson have been great. I have only been around him a couple of times. They’ve been wonderful. That’s all I’m going to say about it. I can only speak to my own interactions.”

Though Posey will be pretty involved with the team, don’t expect him to be around Oracle Park much. The Posey family, including his four children, moved back to his and his wife, Kristen’s home state of Georgia. But Posey said he will be in San Francisco a little more.

Tyler Posey and his musician partner, Phem, are married.

The Teen Wolf star, 31, wed his partner in an intimate ceremony on Oct. 14 at a spiritual meditation center in Malibu, followed by a reception at seafood restaurant Duke's Malibu. Posey's Teen Wolf costars, including Tyler Hoechlin, as well as fellow musician Avril Lavigne and actor Bella Thorne were among the attendees of the oceanfront soirée.

"We love the ocean and peacefulness. We've always thought Malibu is very calming," Posey told PEOPLE of their venue of choice.

Phem wore a dress by Grace Loves Lace and held a green bouquet of florals to match her hair, dyed a similar shade of green. "It has a coastal beachy feel to the design and fit," she told the outlet. "I didn't want something too elaborate or flashy but still classy and elegant. This dress really felt right for me."

Jesse Grant/Getty Tyler Posey and Phem

Posey and Phem got engaged this February on Valentine's Day after two years of dating. They were introduced by music producer John Feldmann, who had asked Phem to write with the actor and fellow musician, and the two "bonded about singing about our exes," Posey previously shared. The couple collaborated on Posey's 2021 debut single "Shut Up," which also features Blink-182's Travis Barker.

Phem, who has released three EPs, has also collaborated with the likes of Machine Gun Kelly and G-Eazy. Posey most recently reprised his role as Scott McCall in Teen Wolf: The Movie and will next appear in films Queen of the Ring and Oshie.

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SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ season is riding on Logan Webb’s right arm, but the 24-year-old pitcher couldn’t be in better hands.

In fact, Buster Posey might be the greatest pitcher whisperer in playoff history.

The 34-year-old catcher, as usual, will be behind the plate for Thursday night’s winner-take-all Game 5 of the NLDS against the Dodgers at Oracle Park.

It’s not only a familiar sight — Posey has started at catcher for all but two of the Giants’ playoff games over the past 11 years — but a comforting one for Giants fans as well as their pitchers. The Giants are 37-18 in playoff games caught by Posey, and their postseason ERA in playoff games with Posey behind the plate ranks second to only Bill Dickey of the legendary 1930s and early ’40s Yankees.

“It gives you confidence when you’ve got someone like him back there,” said Webb, the Giants’ Game 5 starter. “I love kind of the pressure and I’m excited to throw (in a deciding game), especially because I’ve got a guy back there that’s always calm, so even if I do get a little up like he’ll be the first one to tell me to bring it back down.”

Posey is the only player on the current roster from the Giants’ 2010 team that started a run of three World Series championships in five years and five playoff appearances in 11 seasons. He has caught all but 20 playoff innings during that stretch. (He played two games at first base during the 2012 playoffs and came out early in a blowout loss to the Royals in Game 6 of the World Series).

Despite the physical toll of 11 seasons in the majors and not playing last season, the likely Hall of Famer is one of the primary reasons this team is one win away from facing the Atlanta Braves for the National League pennant and another World Series appearance.

The seven-time All-Star and career .302 hitter has had some big hits against the Dodgers — the biggest a two-run home run in Game 1 — but it’s Posey’s work with the pitchers that has always set him apart. He’s caught three no-hitters and a perfect game in the regular season, and would have more than one Gold Glove award if not for playing the bulk of his career at the same time as nine-time winner Yadier Molina of the Cardinals.

When Posey helped guide Webb, who was making his playoff debut, and two relievers through a combined five-hit shutout in the Giants’ 4-0 win Game 1 win on Friday night it was the 14th shutout Posey had caught in 55 career playoff games.

That simply extended an MLB playoff record that might never be broken. Second with eight is the Cardinals’ Molina, the younger brother of Bengie, the catcher Posey succeeded with the Giants.

Most teams can’t even come close to Posey’s success rate. Every catcher in Dodgers playoff history combined — Thursday will be playoff game No. 226 for the franchise — can take credit for 20 total shutouts.

The Giants have had a slew of really good pitchers during the playoff stretch that began in 2010, but Posey has been the constant. As a rookie, he made his playoff debut in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS against the Braves and was on the receiving end of a 1-0 shutout by Tim Lincecum.

That start was on the minds of many, including Posey, after Webb’s game in Game 1 against the Dodgers.

One of Posey’s strengths as a catcher has always been his ability to adapt during games. In Game 1, for example, his decision for Webb to rely heavily on a changeup the right-hander hadn’t used much during the season in combination with his slider was a key to the dominant performance.

“I think you’re constantly aware that you may need to adjust one way or another,” Posey said recently. “You’re just kind of reading swings, kind of feeling the rhythm and the pace of the game.”

Posey, the pitcher whisperer, ought to know.