Biscuits and More

Make A Play, You Meat-Bag.

2010-05-22T23:54:00.001-07:00

Matt Cain has always been the Giants hard-luck pitcher (ever since he came up to the bigs five years ago at least). Today was no different. In the second game of the Bay Bridge Series (the Giants lost the first too, big surprise) Shotgun Cain gave up one - get this - UNEARNED run and pitched a complete game. What does he have to show for it? A loss. The game ended 1-0 with the A's on top. Not even a no decision! He gets a loss. If there was ever anyone less deserving of a loss. My goodness. The Giants offense is laughable right now. The pitcher for the A's, who hadn't had a good year so far, sat down 21 straight Giants and one point. This is feeling ridiculously like the 2009 season, and I don't like it. They need a spark in their offense, and they need it fast.

Another thing that's concerning me is injuries. I feel like last year the team was lucky to not be plagued with too many guys on the DL. This year I feel like someone new is being added every day. No team can last very long when it's not healthy. Hopefully the trainers can get these guys back on the field asap.

I'm starting an Ubaldo Jimenez watch - the Rockies' ace is pitching out of his mind this season. So far he's 8-1 (8-1!!!) with 58 strikeouts and a 0.99 ERA (0.99!!!). (That 58 SO number isn't anything to brag about, btdub. Tim's wracked up 75 so far this season, which leads the majors. So there.)

Timmy Naps Then Strikes You Out

2010-04-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

After a 4+ hour rain delay yesterday, during which Tim worked in some "Golden Tee" and a nap, the Freak took the mound for the rubber-match with the Atlanta Braves (yes, the Giants lost a game, looks like it's going to be 161-1 after all). He had a slight hiccup in the first, giving up a 2-run shot to Brian McCann, but after that he was virtually unhittable. Timmy K'd 10 Braves, all swinging through his change-up. Bengie Molina later told reporters that the pitch McCann hit out was a fastball, and that they were trying to mix pitches. Yeah, I'd stick with the money pitch, Tim.

Pablo Sandoval roped a home run to deep right field in the bottom of the eighth through winds gusting straight in to increase the Giants' lead to four runs. Sandoval was 3-4 with 2RBI and just a double short of the cycle. Hopefully this kicks him back into gear as the baseball-crushing Panda we all know he is.

I heard that late in the game Jeremy Affeldt got a rare at bat, and bailed on breaking ball that ended up being a strike. I also heard that the video was playing on a loop in the clubhouse before today's game. Didn't see the at-bat myself, but I wish I had.

Right now the Giants are up 6-2 on the Pirates in the 7th inning. Keep the streak alive, boys.

Go Giants. kthxbye.

John Bowker Hit A HR Because I Told Him To

2010-04-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

Wow has this season been great so far. The boys of summer are back, and after three games they are looking great. I'm feeling a 162-0 season. Really.

It all started on Monday with Timmy the Kid throwing 7 innings of shutout ball with 7 Ks and no walks. That's right, NO WALKS. Obviously Timmy's awesome, but his main problem has always been fighting his pitch count and walking too many guys. No bases on balls is a good way to kick off the season. Not to mention that he's had a history of not doing so hot in big ticket games, where his adrenaline usually gets the best of him (opening day '09 or the all-start game ring a bell?). Does anyone feel a three-peat coming...? (Acutally, I'm pulling for Matt Cain for the Cy Young this year. Just so you know.)

Tuesday's game had everyone wondering how the 126 million dollar man was going to start out the season. Barry Zito has not made the best impression with Giants fans in the three years that he's been here, especially not in the first half of the season. BZ gave an interesting interview the morning before his first start with quotes about how he'd lost his appetite for the game and gotten too into the business side of things. Personally I'd have to say that Zito over thinks and analyzes things too much for my taste, and I'd rather he stop talking and just go out and play good baseball. So I was pleasantly surprised when he blanked the Astros over 6 innings, giving Giants starters 13 shutout innings to start the season.

Matty Cain took the ball Wednesday, and went 6 and 2/3 strong innings and pitched well, but unfortunately didn't get a decision. Between the top three starters there was only one walk, by BZ. The G-Men pulled it out, though, beating the 'Stros 10-4.

I don't have time and I can't remember all the stats off the top of my head, but the boys have been great offensively, too. After starting the season 0-10 Aaron Rowand has turned things around, and Edgar Renteria has been tearing it up. Let's hope the slugging continues.

Go Giants. kthxbye.

In Old Country, Every Day Is Opening Day

2010-04-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

I know that technically opening day for Major League Baseball was yesterday, because the Yanks played the Red Sox (BoSox won 9-7), but nobody cares about them. (Don't worry, I know that those are probably the two most cared-about franchises in MLB. By nobody cares, I mean I don't care.) For baseball that actually matters, today is opening day! I could not be more excited. Okay I could probably be more excited if say, the Giants were in the World Series. That's beside the point. Today Tim Lincecum is pitching against Roy Oswalt and the Houston Astros, in a game that actually means something! Baseball is back and that is the way it should be.

In a surprise development yesterday, John Bowker was named as the right field starter for the Giants over Nate Schierholtz, who everyone expected to win the job. I love Nate, but you can't argue with Bowker's spring. He hit .312 with 6 HR and led the team with 23 RBIs. Plus I love his short little T-Rex arms. :) More tomorrow after the first game of the 2010 season plays out.

I just wanted to share a fun, little-known fact because I'm so excited about opening day. Marc Merica of Cleveland Ohio is the current World Record holder for R.B.I. Baseball 3, with a 45 run win. Happy Opening Day.

Go Giants. kthxbye.

Yummm.

2010-04-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

This isn't any sort of professional blog at all, so I feel okay about posting this. Buster Posey, besides being incredibly gifted at baseball, both offensively and at most defensive positions even at the young age of 23, is insanely good looking. See for yourself.

Bring Buster to San Francisco.
Go Giants. kthxbye.

I Will Quit Everything If I Ever See Bengie Molina on Dancing With the Stars

2010-03-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

By this time next week, the Giants will have played game one of the 2010 season, and all will be right with the world.

There's something about this season...exciting things are going to happen. Good things are going to happen. There's plenty of debate over how much clubhouse chemistry plays a part in how good a team is, but I am a firm believer that it makes a difference. I mean it doesn't matter if the whole team goes to dinner together every night if they all stink at baseball. But these guys all made it to the big leagues, they're all plenty talented. And I think if you have a talented team, clubhouse chemistry can be something that pushes them over the top. I think the Giants are in a position this year to do something great. They won 88 games last year, and I think they're a better team this year.

The Giants pitching is rock solid. I was sad to see Brad Penny go, but with a starting four of Lincecum, Zito, Cain, and Sanchez at their best, there's no break in a series. The fifth starter will probably be Todd Wellemeyer, who I don't know much about, but he's had a great spring. With Brian Wilson locking things down in the ninth and plenty of great arms to choose from (one of the best, Jeremy Affeldt among them) to bridge the gap, it seems the only thing that could hold them back is the offense.

I'm confident the offensive woes of last year are passed, though. I'm not saying they're going to score the most runs in the league, no even close. But the front office has made some smart moves on offense. Probably the smartest has been hiring a new hitting coach - Hensly "Bam Bam" Muelens. I'm sure Carney Lansford is a great hitting coach, he's just not the right fit in San Francisco. The Giants also made trades for first basemen Mark DeRosa and outfielder Aubry Huff, which I think definitely gives them a better chance offensively. If Pablo Sandoval is being his usual self he can almost single-handedly carry the team. My point is, I have great expectations for the G-Men this year.

I almost forgot! Big Money is back! After saying a bittersweet goodbye to Bengie Molina at the end of last season, he and the Giants surprised us all with a one-year, 4.5 million dollar deal. The only other offer he got was from the Mets, for $500,000 more, but I mean, who wouldn't choose to stay with the Giants? :P Anyway, personally I'm very happy he's back. Buster Posey is seriously a prodigy (no joke, he's incredible), but I feel more comfortable with a seasoned veteran handling this amazing pitching staff from behind the dish. Not the mention the fact that he had the most offense for the Giants last year aside from the Panda. Point is, Big Money Molina is back and it's a great thing!

This is long, but lastly I just wanted to plug one of my favorite procrastination sites, firejoemorgan.com. The guys stopped posting about a year and a half ago, but seriously it's some of the funniest stuff I've ever read. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I just wanted to point it out. :)

7 days and counting!!!!
Go Giants. kthxbye.

Wrapping up, Messing up, and Keeping up

2009-12-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's been a very very long time. Here's how it went down. The Giants lost momentum at the end of the season and fell to third in the Wild Card race and in their division. They finished the season with an 88-74 record and way more impressively, with a 52-29 home record, which was the best in the National League. Only the Yankees and the Red Sox were better at home. Though it was obviously disappointing to run out of gas at the end like that, this season went a TON better than was expected. Before the season started people were saying how they'd be happy if the Giants could just be at .500, and they definitely surpassed that. Now to the off season. (by the way, the Yankees ended up beating the defending champ Phils in the World Series)

First I'll just briefly mention an incident that went down with everyone's favorite ace as he was driving through Oregon on his way to Washington. He got pulled over for speeding, and ended up being cited for possession of marijuana and a pipe. Smooth move, kid. Hopefully he's learned his lesson and understands the fact that he is a celebrity and should be setting a better example. Hopefully...

A few weeks later, though, Lincecum surprised us all (or at least me) by winning his second Cy Young award in as many years. He's the first pitcher in major league history to go back-to-back in his first two fulls seasons in the bigs. It's remarkable. I didn't expect it. At all. He didn't get the most first place votes - he had 11 to Adam Wainwright's 12 - but he did get the most points. And even though I didn't expect it, I do think he deserved it. I don't know how he's going to top it this season, but I do know it'll be exciting to watch.

Hopefully This Is Not the End

2009-09-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Giants lost (what seems like) a must-win game yesterday, their last against the Rox this season. They are now 3.5 games back with 16 left to play in the race for the Wild Card. It is definitely mathematically possible for to Giants to win it, but it's also not all up to them - we need the Rockies to lose, too. Both teams have seemingly easy schedules to end the year except for their one series each with the Dodgers, but you know that all of the teams who are out of it will be looking to spoil. Lets hope los Gigantes can will their way into October.

One thing I don't get is all the playing time that Edgar Renteria is getting. He has two bum shoulders, an elbow that needs surgury, and bicep tendonitis. With Juan Uribe being so beastly as of late I feel like he should be moved to short and maybe Ryan Garko could get some time at first. Though this Garko trade is looking less appealing every day, it's not like we've had a good sample size. Garko has had two at bats in the past nine games and hadn't seen much more time since he was aquired on July 27. All this bench riding might make him rusty for the playoffs, too. Provided we even get there.

The series with the Dodgers this weekend feels like another must sweep, and the G-Men really need to show up with their bats. I'm also looking forward to Tim's start, hoping that all is well and we can stop worrying about his back. Let's go guys, now's the time to show what you're made of.

Go Giants. kthxbye.

Nate Again

2009-09-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

I know I already have a very short random post about Nate, but one of my favorite things is how he doesn't wear batting gloves. I love it. Another is the high-socks look. It's legit.

Find A Penny Pick It Up, A Pocket Full of Posey, the Bums, etc.

2009-09-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a while but a LOT has been going on with the guys lately.

They picked up Brad Penny as a free agent (I think) for almost nothing (only $100,000) and so far he's been great. He's a fiery competitor and has some great stuff. He and the Dodgers did not have an amicable parting of ways, so he's all amped up to face them this weekend. It's been a great pick-up and he's a valuable part of the rotation.

With an injury to Bengie Molina (hamstring) the Giants needed another backup catcher, so in an unexpected turn of events they decided to call up Buster Posey. He hasn't actually played in a game yet (it's been 4, 5 days maybe), which is making fans angry. He was warming up the bullpen last night and made a pretty good backhand play on a foul ball, and was rewarded with a cheer from the crowd.

Bad news has struck the Giants nation - Tim Lincecum was scratched from his start yesterday with back spasms. He said he's dealt with this before and that he feels better and that he should be good to make his next start (from what it looks like now, that would be Monday), but you can't help but be nervous. Hopefully this will be a one-time thing and he'll be better for good, but right now it's kind of stressing me out. I'll feel better once I see him hit 95 on the radar gun consitently, and maybe go eight shutout innings with 10+ Ks. Just saying.

Since Lincecum was out the Giants needed a starter yesterday and in an extremely unexpected move brought up (barely) 20-year-old phenom Madison Bumgarner. He went 5.1 innigs and gave up a couple of home runs, but looked good and composed for his major league debut. Personally I don't think they should have brought him up so fast, but if they feel he's ready.

The Dodgers come to town this weekend, and since the Giants are as of right now six outs away from droping two of three to the Padres (yes, the Padres) it looks like it's going to be a pivitol series. If this team has any chance making the post season they need to step up their offense and win some games. Let's hope they can sprint to the finish!

Go Giants. kthxbye.

The Rockies Come to China Basin

2009-08-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

The series against them in Colorado last weekend was a disaster, so this is good news. I don't even want to talk about the 14-inning loss on Monday. This week the Giants took two out of three from the Diamondbacks, and now they're squaring up against the Rockies again.

Yesterday Tim Lincecum threw eight shutout innings with 8 Ks and the Giants won 2-0. Pablo Sandoval hit his 20th home run of the season, something that no Giant did in 2008. It was a great pitcher's duel last night, a repeat of the matchup five days ago in which Lincecum gave up three earned runs and took his 4th loss of the season. This time it was Ubaldo Jimenez who had the hard luck, giving up only two earned runs over seven innings and still being the losing pitcher.

Go Giants. kthxbye.

The Old 1-2-3 Double Play

2009-08-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

Is what saved the Giants in the 7th inning tonight. A hit batsman, a walk, and another walk loaded the bases for Todd Helton with only one out. Which is pretty darn dangerous, especially at Coors Field. Jeremy Affeldt wiggled his way out of it when Helton hit a ball right back to him. He threw to Bengie for the force at home, who passed the ball onto Ishikawa at first to complete the ever-popular 1-2-3 double play. The Giants would go on to win 6-3, which is a relief. Now they're back to 1 game behind the Rockies, and if they sweep like I hope they will they'll end up being ahead by 2 games. Martinez pitches against De La Rosa tomorrow! C'moooon Joe! :)

Jon Miller made the (according to Dave) most inside baseball pick in the history of the wrap tonight, taking Eugenio Velez after he'd gone 0 for 4 and committed an error that led to the Rockies' first run. There was a play late in the game where Rowand was on second and Velez was at the plate; he got hit in the foot and the ball squirted away. Rowand went to third and Velez sprinted to first, which convinced the umpires that it was a wild pitch. That allowed Rowand to stay at third, where if it would have been a hit batsman it's a dead ball and Rowand stays at second. Anyway, it was a good play and they had some fun talking about it on the wrap,which I enjoyed. :P Also I just wanted to point out how sad Dave must have been that he couldn't pick his man-crush Troy Tulowitzki, who is out with the flu. Sorry Dave.

Go Giants. kthxbye.

In the Mile-High City

2009-08-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

The Giants are playing what is up until this point in their season the most important series, and probably the most important series for them in the last 6 years or so. The Giants are 2 games back of the Rockies in the NL West and the Wild Card race, and with the Dodgers on a bit of a slide, winning (and hopefully sweeping) this series could make or break the G-Men's season. As of now they lead 6-1 in the top of the 7th of the first game in the series. They've had a pretty good game; Aaron Rowand hit his 11th home run of the season, a 3-run bomb, and they've taken advantage of some Rockies' errors. Hopefully they can close this one out and come back strong tomorrow.

Just a few things: I love how Nate Schierholtz doesn't wear batting gloves. I love when people use bats that aren't theirs (especially this one time, Freddy Sanchez used a bat from someone on another team. I can't remember who/which team but I laughed my head off). Jeff Kent is coming to AT&T on August 29th to be inducted into the Giants' Wall of Fame. I'm sad that I won't be able to watch the fan reaction. My dad thinks that it will be all good since he's not playing anymore, but I think there will still be some boos. It will be interesting to see (well, I won't see it, but you get the point). Alright, let's beat CO!

Go Giants. kthxbye.

And He Shall Be Livan

2009-08-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

I kind of feel like I'm failing as a Giants fan right now, but I'm blaming it on the fact that I leave for college on Tuesday. Yesterday the Giants faced an old friend, Livan Hernandez, who was pitching for the Mets in the last game of a four game series. I kind of bailed on the game in the third inning or so, and instead of watching the rest took a two hour nap. But I did tape the game, I just haven't watched it yet. The Giants banged out a season-high 18 hits and split the series with the Mets in a 10-1 win. I was reading the game story this morning about how Boch called a team meeting before the game yesterday. It seemed to do a whole lot of good, and there was a really great quote from Aaron Rowand in the paper: "We're going to play to win instead of trying not to lose." Isn't that an important distinction? That puts the game in your hands, it says that you're playing your game, and not the other team's. Anyway, it seemed to work, and Rowand hit his first home run in 99 at bats. Hopefully they can carry that offense into tonight's game and hopefully I can watch it...

Just one more thing even though I feel like there's been a lot going on and I just haven't had time to report it. The Giants signed their first-round draft pick, Zack Wheeler, yesterday 4 minutes before the deadline. He got a $3.3 million signing bonus for a 2010 contract. He just graduated from high school. So did I. What if I could sign a contract today and get 3.3 million dollars? Stuff like this just proves to me how messed up baseball is as a business right now. Not that it will get any better, salaries aren't about to go down. And the other thing is like the cost of tickets at the new Citi Field. For the players' family section they're $180 a pop. That is ridiculous. Anyway. I don't see a solution so I guess we'll just have to keep breaking the bank if we want to see our favorite teams in action.

There I go rambling again. If I feel like I'm failing as a fan now, I can't imagine how I'm going to keep up with my boys while I'm in Utah. I'll be having some serious withdrawals. Haha oh well, I guess I'll just have to deal. Happy Lincecum day! Why don't you throw a no-hitter tonight, you know,just for fun.

Go Giants. kthxbye.

Well, So Much For Catching the Dodgers

2009-08-13T11:17:00.001-07:00

It may still be possible, but after that series I'm kind of thinking Wild Card all the way. Their lineup is clearly better than ours, which is apparent especially when you try to avoid Manny Ramirez, because all around him are Matt Kemp, Andre Eithier, and Casey Blake, just to name a few. And they have some good pitching (although Billingsley is banged up a bit), but they Giants' pitching is better. And you can always go back to that old baseball saying: good pitching will always beat good hitting. I firmly believe that, and even if the Dodgers win the west and the Giants get in on the wild card, I think the Giants pitching staff will allow them to be successful in the post season.

I didn't see all of the first two games, but that was fine with me because they weren't exactly exciting if you are a Giants fan. But I did go out to the yard yesterday and had some great lower box seats to watch that roller coaster of a game.
Three things:

1. Umpiring in this series SUCKED. I know you can't blame umpires and bad calls are part of the game and I get all that, I really do. Plus it's not like the Giants didn't have enough chances; I think they left 12 men on base yesterday. Yes, 12, and 7 left single-handedly by Juan Uribe. But the umpires were horrible. They made bad calls all over the place and all of them went against the Giants. I am not looking forward to the next time we get that crew.

2. Pablo Sandoval clearing the benches. I know McDonald wasn't trying to hit him and I know that he said he shouldn't have lost his temper, but I think that sometimes sparks need to fly and things need to get started to fire up your bench and push them to a win. It happens in hockey all the time, when a team is looking flat and someone starts a fight just to give them a spark. I know is isn't hockey, but I thought that fight was an important part of the Giants winning yesterday's game.

3. Tim Lincecum. Is a flipping beast. He now lead the major leagues in strikeouts (205), ERA (2.19), and he should be leading in wins easily, which would make him the triple crown winner for the majors. This kid is a fierce competitor and he is dominant, and I will be surprised if he doesn't repeat and get the Cy Young again this season. Without him, this team would be hurting bad.

That's it for now I guess, the Giants went off to New York after the game yesterday and start their longest road trip of the season (11 games) against the Mets tomorrow. Yesterday was my last game before I leave for college in a couple of weeks, and it was a good one. :)

Go Giants. kthxbye.

I've been waiting months for this!

2009-08-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

It's crazy how a simple change in opponent can get me so charged for a game. I seriously have been pacing like crazy all day waiting for this game to start. Not only is it the Dodgers, but this is the first meaningful late-season series between the two teams since 2004. Not to mention that the Giants haven't played the Dodgers since before Manny Ramirez's 50 game suspention. I am starved for a rivalry. Well, gametime in about 5 minutes! BEAT L.A.!

Go Giants. kthxbye.

BEAT L.A.!

2009-08-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

I'm still kind of behind on reporting the goings-on of the Giants, but let's just say that series with the Reds this weekend was kind of ugly. It was the first time this year that a team has beat both Lincecum and Cain, and the Giants seemed to be 0-for-50 with runners in scoring position. The story continues to be Eugenio Velez, who has ridiculous stats in the time he's been up. In his last 10 games he's batting .337 with 3 doubles, 2 HRs and 9 RBIs. Besides Velez, though, there isn't much good to take away from this weekend. The one thing we can do is look forward to this series with the Dodgers.

We've got Sanchez, Martinez, and Lincecum against them, which may not look amazing on paper but the Dodgers are reeling a little right now and I'm feeling like something amazing is about to happen. The G-Men are only 5 and a half back, and I think they're about to get a whole lot closer... :) I'll be at the game on Wednesday to cheer on our man Timmy!

One last thing is I just wanted to mention that I met Bengie Molina last Thursday! It was the Giants' day off and I was eating at McCovey's in Walnut Creek and so was he, sitting 3 booths away from me! Kind of the highlight of my week. :)

Go Giants. kthxbye.

falling behind

2009-08-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

Wow so much has been going on with the Giants but I'm also leaving for college in 2 weeks so as you can imagine it's been a little bit hectic. Let me just touch on some things quickly.

Ryan Garko for a Single-A pitcher no one's heard of: Seems fine to me. Garko didn't make a good first impression and he's not the greatest on the base paths but in Houston he showed he can hit a little bit. We'll see if he can keep that up.

Freddy Sanchez for Tim Alderson: It does pain me to give up Alderson, but we do still have Bumgarner and Pucetas and a bunch of others that no one's heard of. In the short time he's been here Sanchez has shown that he can hit and he plays all out all the time. It's looking good so far.

Eugenio Velez: I'm the first to admit that I gave up on him from about the first time he was up in the majors, but it seems that his most recent stint in Fresno has been the key. He looks better all around; making plays in the field (at every position) and being a red hot lead-off hitter. I hope he can keep it up and help us to the post season.

If there's other stuff I'll add it later but my computer's about to die! Anyway.
Go Giants. kthxbye.

I know Nate's on the DL but...

2009-08-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to point out that whenever he swings the bat it looks to me like he's not trying very hard. Not that he doesn't care, he just has a nice easy swing. But the ball jumps off his bat, and I'd say he's pretty good. So. Just saying.

Watching History

2009-08-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

So this is going back a bit but last Monday (the 27th) I went to the game with my fam, and it happened to be a Lincecum game. And let me tell you. Any time you go to one of those, you're going to see something amazing. This particular game was the fourth complete game Tim's thrown this year, and he struck out a career high 15 batters, with the last strikeout being the 27th out (which we all know Kruk was loving). In fact, I read somewhere (though I can't remember where...) that it was the first time that a Giants pitcher had struck out at least 15 and had no earned runs (he had 2 unearned) since they decided to start keeping track of earned runs in 1912! Which is what I meant by 'Watching History.' But even if Tim isn't making history, you can be sure he'll be doing something amazing. I'm so excited for when I can tell my kids and grandkids stories of this little Seabiscuit who captured the hearts of Giants fans everywhere. That I got to see him play in person, and that he was the best I ever saw.

One more quick story from the game: In the eighth inning the Pirates' pitcher slipped while throwing one of his pitches, and there was this big divot in the mound. He called out the grounds crew to come fix it, and there was maybe a 5-10 minute delay. But this is the eighth, it's freezing cold, and if Tim sits too long he may not be able to come out for the ninth. So the whole stadium is booing the heck out of this guy. I mean, come on. Suck it up and pitch. And finally the hole is filled, the inning ends. Tim jogs out for the ninth, goes straight to the spot they just fixed, and as if to say "This is MY park, this is MY mound, MY game, and I'll do what I want," he starts to dig out the spot with his shoe (it was where his front foot landed and he needed it). The crowd went NUTS. Absolutely crazy. Or so I thought at the time, until Tim decided that he'd make the final out of the game a strikeout. We were all on our feet and asking for it, and on a night when - as the announcers pointed out - Tim was in complete control, doing anything he wanted, he gave it to us. I've never been to a playoff game, and the only thing I can use to describe the roar of the crowd after that last swing is when I watched the last game of the World Series last year, and the last out was recorded. I'm sure it wasn't the same magnitude at all, but after a horrific 3-7 road trip, this game felt almost as important and the atmosphere felt as electric. That may have been the last game I got to see before I go to college, and if that's the case, it was a good one. :)

So much for being quick. :P Go Giants. kthxbye.

All Sorts of Stuff

2009-07-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

Perfect games are the coolest things everrr!!! Seriously. They're amazing. I'm not much of a White Sox fan, like, at all. Not that I don't like them (although I HATE A.J. Pierzynski) but I just don't hear that much about them. I know National League teams/guys. BUT. Perfect. Games. Are. Incredible. More people have orbited the MOON than have thrown perfect games, and we haven't even been doing that for as long! (I know it's been 40 years since someone landed on the moon but I dunno if we were orbiting it earlier...anyway.) Just. Just. It's so cool. And my sister was telling me that someone asked her why that was so much different than a no-hitter, and I can't even really explain it. I guess it's just like explaining all of the things that are hard about playing baseball, you know? And like, if you don't really know baseball, you're just thinking, so he got 27 guys in a row out, big deal. I don't know. It just seems like a hard thing to explain. But I think it's so cooool!!!!! :D So congratulations, Mark Buehrle, on your second career no hitter and your perfect game!! :)
p.s. if you want a personal call from Barak Obama, throw a perfect game for the White Sox.

So. The Giants have won two in a row, and one against their main wild card threat, the Colorado Rockies, to put them back tied for the NL Wild Card lead. Barry Zito acted as the stopper yesterday and the ground attack was in full force to beat the Braves. Let's hope they can keep the momentum going and get some breathing room between themselves and the mile-high guys. Sanchy gets his second start after the no-no tomorrow and then we'll see if the Big Sadowski can bounce back after getting roughed up juuuust a bit.

Jeremy Affeldt. You are a beast. What he is doing this year is craze. Craaaaze. So far he has a 1.14 ERA and a team-leading 14 induced double plays in only 39 and a third innings. :O This man has been an amazing surprise, and should have been an All-Star. Keep up the good work, kid.

K-Fred was a HR away from the cycle tonight and has cartoon numbers at Coors Field. Show us you still deserve to be here, man. (Or showcase yourself for a trade. Either way.)

Go Giants. kthxbye.

Oh, Freddie

2009-07-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

aaand K-Fred strikes again! His specialty is 3 strikes in a row, actually. I can't take it anymore. We need to get rid of this guy. We have PLENTY of outfielders and I know management saw him as a major part of the Giants future, but he played better with a bum foot last year. Trade him asap. I don't even care what we get for him. We could trade him for a bag of bp balls for all I care. Ok well. That's kind of harsh. Sorry Fred, I'm sure you're a great guy, but you're just done.

Also, the Giants are on kind of a big slide right now, but I take comfort from the fact that they started out the first half of the season this way, too, and look how that turned out! But this kind of sucks: the Giants are the only team in the majors with no HRs since the All-Star break, and the top 3 HR leading teams are the Pirates, Braves, and Rockies. Good thing those are the three cities on this road trip. >.<

Trades and Richie

2009-07-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

hmmmm the Giants are in a bit of a slide right now. I guess it's only been five games, and I feel like they never do well in Atlanta, but this has not been a good start to the second half. Like Rod Brooks said during the show today, "Pitching keeps you in games, offense wins you games." Too true, Rod. I don't know much about the trade market, but I do know that the Giants need a bat. At least one. They can't contend, or win anything in the post season, for that matter, without scoring more. Anyway. The trade deadline is coming up, and I hope they make some moves.

Rich Aurilia got put on the DL today with an infected big toe. Hmmm. Anyone buying that? I'm not really. But it's fine with me. Richie's the last guy on this team from the Candlestick era, and from my childhood Giants team. I guess that makes me a little biased, but I think he'd earned the opportunity to be on this team for the rest of the season. For a team that was supposed to be a .500 team at best and in the middle of a rebuilding year, they can afford to keep Richie around for a while.

Just one last thing quickly: Kevin Frandsen got sent back down today in favor of Matt Downs, which I don't really care about one way or the other. Second base has basically been a game of musical chairs and nobody's really emerged as the best player. I was actually pulling for Emmanuel Burriss because I think he's the best defensively (not to mention that his smile makes me melt :P), but his offense went into a huge slump and now he has a fractured foot. We'll see. Maybe the lack of a solid second baseman will be addressed in a trade. Too bad we didn't sign Orlando Hudson instead of Renterria...for way less money I might add. -_- So much for being quick. I do tend to go on and on.

Let's let the stopper do his thing, GO GIANTS!

Thoughts on a no-no

2009-07-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

No-hitters are very rare. There have only been 262 ever thrown in Major League Baseball since 1875. And though names you often hear associated with no-hitters are ones like Cy Young, Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson, etc. I feel like (though I don't have any facts to back this up) most of them happen in the way that Jonathan Sanchez's did.

He wasn't even supposed to pitch that night. Sanchez has been hit-and-miss (no pun intended) for the four seasons that he's pitched for the San Francisco Giants. He'd been banished to the bullpen to work on some things, and the kid who'd been called up in his place threw up 13 zeros in his first two starts. Sanchez only got the call because Randy Johnson went down with a shoulder strain. So here he was with one more chance to prove himself, given a start against the San Diego Padres on July 10, 2009.

Then a few hours before the game, the starting catcher, Bengie Molina, scratched to go be with his wife, who'd just gone into labor. Eli Whiteside, the backup catcher and minor league veteran, was in. What followed was both of them, along with everyone else on the field, etching their names into major league history. The first no-hitter by a Giants pitcher in 33 years. Only an error stopped the game from being only the 18th perfect game in major league history.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the game. I was out of town, and though I follow multiple twitters that are supposed to update me on the goings on at Giants games, I didn't hear a thing about this one until it was over. My Uncle, who was watching ESPN, called across the house to me, "Hey, some guy named Jonathan Sanchez just threw a no-hitter for the Giants!" I didn't believe him at first, but when I ran in and saw the little 30 second thing they had on it I went crazy. In an unexpectedly exciting year for the Giants so far, I think this is the highlight.

The best part of Sanchy's game is the fact that his dad was there to see it. Sanchez knew that this may be his last shot, so he invited his dad to come from Puerto Rico. He'd never seen him start a major league game before.

Andrew Baggarly, the Giants beat-writer, wrote later, "Every no-hitter is a confluence of improbable events." This one seems to epitomize that statement. I saw a replay of the game later, and I have to admit that Sigfredo's tearful embrace with his son in the dugout afterword choked me up a bit. Even though I didn't see it live, I feel lucky to have been a witness to this history. Can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds.