I love Fan Fest! It carries a whiff of Opening Day which is, in and of itself, the most exciting day in baseball (excluding, perhaps, the playoffs). This year, the unceasing rains mercifully parted and us fans were able to amble across the sandy shoals of AT&T Park such as it was after the grass was skinned off for a recent motorcross meet. I got there at one o'clock after the morning crush and walked through the Giants clubhouse, past Bruce Bochy's office and out to the Giants dugout. I brought my new Olympus ultra zoom camera that I'm unfamiliar with so those interior shots were too blurred to publish. Bummer. But a fellow fan took my picture in the dugout so I have that up on my home page now.

There were long, looong lines for autographs... even for Kevin Frandsen. (Sorry, KevinJ) Actually, Kevin looked pretty chiseled and determined with a slight beard. (Unfortunately, his picture was blurred as were most of my close up shots.) Gone is the "aw shucks" rookie persona of previous seasons. I really do wish him well. I took a zoom shot of Brian Wilson being interviewed by "Fitz and Brooks" from the Club Level. Up there, I saw Will Clark signing autographs with Madison Bumgartner. Despite its blurriness, I published this profile picture of the classic Nuschler.

After wandering to the other end of the forbidden, ultra chic Club Level to briefly listen to a Q&A session with Tito Fuentes and a couple other Giants development personnel whom I didn't recognize, I retraced my steps to the autograph booth to see who was signing now. The chairs were empty and there was still a long line of people waiting for the next shift to begin. So, I asked the usher in charge if she was looking for volunteers. After a momentary pause, she smiled and said, "No." Ha ha.

I went down to the shop and bought a nice, new orange "Giants" jersey like the kind the players are going to wear on Friday nights at home. They normally sell for $115 but, for today only, I bought one for $45. They are very cool. I'll be wearing mine to all the "Orange Fridays" night games this year. Go Giants!

Robert DeNiro's face was in my living room late Monday night appearing on a television movie about an emotionally troubled Giants fan entitled, oddly enough, "The Fan". And though I nostalgically watched a scene of a Giants game shot at Candlestick Park (with the late, great Rod Beck pitching), I had to turn it off soon thereafter because the dark character portrayed by Robert DeNiro was disturbed me. While the character's problems were not primarily a product of his endemic frustrations over being a Giants fan in general, I suspect they significantly contributed to his overall internal turmoil based upon my personal experiences as one (a Giants fan, not a disturbed person).

This is all by way of contrasting the interview I heard Mark McGwire give to Bob Costas on mlb.tv earlier in the day. There were similarities in the two personalities that left me personally troubled. Over the radio, I could almost hear Mark's internal demons wrestling with his conscience over an issue that has haunted fans of American baseball lo this past decade. That dirty little secret is: performance enhancing drugs (or "PEDs" for short). Mark made himself the poster child of that widespread affliction when he testified before Congress some five years ago and said, well, nothing at all about his incredible home run records and whether or not they were related to his use of PEDs. In his defense, Mark McGwire certainly cannot be accused of lying to Congress that day but neither did he choose to tell the truth What frustrated the congress people and Americans the most was that his adamant and repeated refusals to address any questions about the use of PEDs came to symbolize major league baseball's refusal to address the overall problems of PEDs that had taken over the American past time.

So fast forward to 2010 and Mark McGwire is now finally prepared to come clean on the issue of PEDs so that he can return to work for the St. Louis Cardinals as a hitting coach this season. So when it is his time to come up to the plate and answer the questions posed by Bob Costas, what does Mark say?  Essentially, the slugger said his usage of PEDs did not affect his home run totals one iota. Say what? "Not even a little bit?" asked Bob Costas. "Nope! It was all my natural God-given abilities, parental-given DNA structure, and shortening my bat swing," replied Mark (paraphrased). "So, why did you take PEDs?" asked Bob. "To get back on the field quicker after my injuries. I didn't want to let my teammates down, y'know," was Mark's excuse. Incredible!

This exchange brings up a host of other questions and issues such as; Why did he feel the need to apologize to Roger Maris's widow if he didn't cheat to break the 1961 single-season home run record? If his home runs were unaffected by his use of PEDs, why didn't he tell this to the grand jury and Congress when they asked about it in the first place? Why should PEDs even be banned if they cannot affect a person's God-given abilities? And on... and on... and on, etc. But what astounded me the most was upon learning the next day that Mark McGwire and the St. Louis Cardinals had hired President George W. Bush's former press secretary, Ari Fleischer, over a month ago to prepare Mark McGwire for this first public interview. Really? And this was the best they could all come up with? PEDs have nothing whatsoever to do with a player's baseball statistics?

Okay, I do not intend to bash the Bash Brother here. Like Robert DeNiro, we all have our own personal demons we must wrestle with on a daily (if not hourly) basis. None of us are perfect. And perhaps, over time, Mark will reflect further upon this matter and come to modify his positions closer toward the realm of reality as we know it. But if this is the height of the bar that is set that one must jump over before he gets rehabilitated back into baseball's good graces, then I must say that the muscled-bound Barry Bonds has nothing to fear in the future (besides, perhaps, a tainted jury pool). Sayyyy, when is Barry's trial going to get started anyway? And wasn't Barry indicted some five years ago... by George W. Bush's attorney general, Alberto Gonzales... who was the same man that refused to give Mark McGwire immunity... that would have allowed Mark to more truthfully testify before Congress in the first place? Hmmmm.

On a brighter note: The Giants did sign first baseman, Aubrey Huff, to a one-year contract last week. I am hopeful because Aubrey has put up some impressive offensive numbers in the past and his signing does not severely impact the eventual development of fellow first baseman Travis Ishikawa whom I believe has a ton of future upside. Also, this signing puts Mark DeRosa in leftfield thereby leaving Nate Schierholtz alone in right. This year, I am going to be Nate Schierholtz's biggest fan. I like Nate's God-given abilities, his shortened bat swing, and the fact that he has the face and attitude of a hockey player. Hmmmm baby!

Go Giants!

It's a new year, a new baseball season, and even a new name for my mlblog. I just changed it from "A View From The Bleachers" (which I began in April last year) because a guy from St. Louis (named 15thtee) started an mlblog three months later entitled "A View From the Bleachers". When I pointed this fact out to him, it didn't faze him a bit. He said he thought it was a cool name (even though his blog doesn't have anything to do with sitting in the bleachers watching baseball games like mine does.) Well, if imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then I say "Thanks, 15thtee. Enjoy using my name for your blog." This just gives me one more reason to hate the St. Louis Cardinals. Besides, my new name ("At AT&T Park") will be recognized as more Giants-centric to the casual mlblog readers.

Now on to Giants news: Welcome back Juan Uribe! We didn't want to see you go in the first place. I wondered why the Giants signed him last year when he got off to a slow start but he ended the season with a big bang. The Giants fans really got into him last September. He's a great guy to root for, not the least reason being that his uncle was the semi-legendary Giants shortstop Jose Uribe whom we got from the St. Louis Cardinals along with pitcher Dave LaPoint, first baseman David Green, and an obscure utility player named Gary Rajsich for the fully-legendary outfielder Jack "The Ripper" Clark. That trade was a total bust for us except for the fact that it was this little unknown shortstop who endeared himself to Giants fans as a clutch hitting gamer. I still vividly remember the familiar call-and-response chant of "OOOOOOOO...... RE-BAYYYYYYYY" reverberated through the foggy swirls of Candlestick Park in the late night innings when Jose came to bat for manager Roger Craig with runners on base. And the amazing thing was that the little guy usually came through. Humm baby! It was a truly unique phenomenon that perhaps we Giants fans can better perfect this season for his nephew Juan.

Common wisdom dictates that we still need a power bat at first base or in the outfield. I fully expect this will occur sometime before spring training begins but I am fearful that such a move will displace Nate Schierholtz out of his position in rightfield. Of all the current Giant prospects, I believe Nate Schierholtz has the most to offer now, both offensively and defensively. That leaves first base as the most obvious position to fill unless Bruce Bochy decides to use Mark DeRosa at third base and shift Pablo Sandoval over to first (which he has already indicated that he will not do.)

If the Giants do go after an outfielder, the most intriguing player out there is Vladimir Guerrero. It would be a long shot signing, for sure. Mad Vlad had an off year in 2009 by going on the disabled list twice. He heated up in the summer months but cooled off in September. Signing him would be like signing Randy Johnson last year: He fills a need but cannot be counted on last the whole year. And would he be placed in AT&T Park's tricky right field or shifted to left field and shaded by the centerfielder? Would he be expected to provide a couple early offensive runs and then replaced for defensive purposes in the late innings? Does the Big Caribbean even want to play in the cool confines of AT&T Park? He already proved he can hit here when he won the All Star Game home run hitting contest a few years back. But with his questionable health and defensive abilities, it would be almost like re-signing Barry Bonds to play leftfield next season. Hey, now THAT would be a most interesting signing! (ha ha)

Well, enough for now. I'll end this by wishing all my devoted readers a very happy 2010... even 15thtee! (hee hee) Go Giants!

...and at AT&T Park... not a free agent was calling... not even as a lark....

So Nick Johnson preferred the Big Apple and Brad Penny the Big Arch. And no seasoned catcher worth his salt is willing to sign a contract for just one year. In a way, that suits me just fine. I much prefer the Giants' "wait-and-see" attitude this year over their customary "willy-nilly" signing of the first free agent coming down the turnpike that gave us the likes of Edgardo Elfonzo, Ray Durham, Randy Winn, Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand just to name a few who achieved mixed results here before. I'm willing to wait this off-season and see what develops in the free agent market if the Giants are.

Common wisdom dictates that the Giants must acquire a power bat or two to protect Pablo Sandoval in the middle of the batting order. I dispute that notion for two reasons: (1) The Panda does not need protection because he is a notoriously bad ball hitter. Many times last year, he took pitches a foot outside and slapped them into the opposite field for hits. He is not at all like Barry Bonds who would not offer at pitches even a few inches off the plate and thereby broke the major league record for walks in the process. (2) Without a primary power hitter, the Giants can still thrive as a singles hitting team in much the way the St. Louis Cardinals were successfully constructed in the 1980's. If Bam Bam Meulens convinces the Giants to become much more patient and selective at the plate next year, AT&T Park is conducive to an offensive strategy of small ball. Adding a strong defense and a superlative pitching staff, just averaging four runs per game for the Giants will achieve excellent results next year.

My biggest concern is whether Aaron Rowand can dial it down and retool his approach at the plate next year. Many times last year, I saw him take mighty swings with spotty results. But he had his best stretch of the season last year while batting lead off and just taking the ball up the middle for singles and doubles. Also remember that Fred Lewis started off the season last year red hot while batting low in the order. It was only when Bruce Bochy promoted him to lead off that Fred's production waned precipitously and he never fully recovered. Perhaps he will rebound next year by batting lower in the order. Also, Travis Ishikawa batted .349 at AT&T Park last year while only .162 on the road. If he can improve his consistency, he would be a valuable contributor next year.

I just heard a radio report that the Giants were closing in on signing Juan Uribe for next year. If true, that would keep most of last year's team intact. I would construct the lineup in this order: Velez (Torres); Sanchez (Burriss); Schierholz (Bowker); Sandoval (Uribe); Ishikawa (Bowker/Guzman); Rowand (Lewis); Posey/Whitesides; Renteria (Burriss). This presumes that Emmanuel Burriss will beat out Kevin Frandsen again next year for a spot on the team. Of course the Giants will buy a free agent this off-season. They cannot afford not to or risk a general uprising by its fan base. And I expect they will wait until spring training before acquiring a short-term catcher on the cheap. I noticed ex-Giant Eliezer Alfonzo is available. That would be a nice reunion.

Well, the Winter Solstice has passed and now the days are getting longer. I won't be long until pitchers and catchers report to spring training and it all begins anew. So until that time, stay warm and let the visions of sugar plums dance in your heads. Merry Christmas to all and... Go Giants!

MLB will be announcing the 2009 National League Cy Young winner in a couple of hours and the Giants' last year winner, Tim Lincecum, has about as good a shot as anyone... but I don't expect him to win it. Timmy had a little traffic incident up in Washington state awhile ago and it was reported in the news that the highway state trooper confiscated a small amount of marijuana and a common THC delivery system in the form of a pipe from his glove compartment. Oh, that Tim!

Now if this had happened some twenty years ago, it would have made for big, scandalous headlines and sports talk fodder for months and perhaps even perhaps an extended suspension for the young man. But we live in more enlightened times these days in which medical marijuana (especially on the west coast) has received begrudging acceptance from society as a whole. And if CBS can air an episode of "Big Bang Theory" during prime time on a school night aimed toward a younger demographic in which three of the nerdiest characters on television these days can get stoned out their gourds on pot-laced cookies without controversy or repercussions, well, then I can safely say "We've come a long way, baby!" (in a dated sort of way).

And compared to the recriminations major league baseball has been hammered with over the last decade for allowing all sorts of PHDs to invade and affect America's pastime over the last quarter century, having a young kid caught with a little recreational substance in his possession is the least of MLB's worries. But worry about it they will, I suspect. In my opinion, Allen H. Selig is worried about how it will appear to the small town, small minded, provincial society from which he hails (Milwaukee) if their young pitching phenomenon, Tim Lincecum, is thrust back onto the national stage to receive his second consecutive Cy Young trophy with a cloud of (minor) controversy having so recently swirled around his head. Why, little kids everywhere might think it's okay to smoke a little ganja. Reporters might even ask the commissioner if he condones the intake of sweet Mary Jane by his players and, if not, why doesn't he do something about Tim Lincecum? And then we would watch him stammer and blurt out something inopportune before declaring a policy about players and drugs that would be unenforceable if not intrusively illegal. No, no, no, no, no. That simply will not do.

So that is why at this very late hour, I suspect Uncle Bud, with certain sycophantic henchmen, are meeting in an executive office somewhere high in New York City with the Cy Young voting tallies in front of them and, with a little White Out and a black Sharpie, are changing the results so as to make St. Louis' Adam Wainwright the 2009 Cy Young winner just barely edging out Tim Lincecum. And if that is the case, then I hope Tim Lincecum grows out his hair this winter and shows up to Spring training with long, dirty, natty dreadlocks that will put Manny Ramirez's to shame. And if the empty suits and empty heads in Gotham have a problem with that, then he should ask Renel Brooks-Moon to play Peter Tosh's reggae song "Legalize It" as his walk-up music at AT&T Park next year. I can see it now, Timmy bopping up to the plate with ebony locks flowing singing, "Legaliiiize it... Don't criticiiiize it... Legaliiiiize it... And I will advertiiiiiize it!"

Jah mahn! Go Giants!

The Giants moved quickly to fill in the void created by the involuntary departure of their 2008-2009 batting coach (Carney Lansford) by promoting their AAA farm team's hitting coach from Fresno to the major leagues (Hensley Meulens). And with a first name like Hensley, I'm glad Mr. Meulens also carries the nickname of "Bam Bam" along with him. It seems he earned the moniker derived from a Flintstones cartoon character as a youngster by demonstrating his hitting prowess (which reminds me of my friend Eugene's nickname of "Casey" [after the famous Earnest Thayer poem's title character] because of his surprising hitting prowess after picking up a bat for the first time in sixth grade but that is another story).

In any event, he seems to also possess a charismatic personality while having proven success down in the minors getting previously unproductive major league rookies (like Eugenio Velez and John Bowker) to dramatically improve their batting prowess both down in the minors and then later in the majors. Perhaps his success with hitters is due in part to his ability to communicate in six different dialects including Spanish. I hope he will be able to make hitters like Pablo Sandoval, and Eugenio Velez understand "Nadie paseos volver a las isles (Nobody walks back to the islands)" because the Giants were the team that took the least amount of walks last year while swinging early in their counts.

If Hensley Meulens can get all the Giants hitters to be a little more patient and selective next year, I will be very happy. Heck, maybe he can even approach the 2009 World Series Most Valuable Player and say "Douzo setsuzoku za Giants, Hidekisan! (Please join the Giants, Mr. Hideki Matsui)." Now wouldn't that be a kick? Go Giants!

The Yankees and the Phillies are about to begin the World Series tonight... and it's almost freaking freezing November! In fact, by the time C.C. Sabathia throws the first pitch of the game, it will begin the Series (almost to the exact minute) twenty years after the 1989 "Earthquake Series" ended in San Francisco... and that series was extended an extra ten days by an act of God!

This year, God just might send down his punishment in the ordinary forms of ice, wind, and/or wind for inexcusably beginning the Fall Classic so late in the year. And I only regret that Bud Selig and the Fox Sports "suits" who agreed to this abomination won't be forced to view these night games by sitting in the elements with all the other suffering fans dressed in only their birthday suits. Maybe then they'd see the error of their ways in subjecting the climaxing showcase of America's Pastime to such adverse and bitter conditions. But I doubt it. Those soulless and/or brainless executives would probably keep themselves warm thinking of all that extra moolah they're making in selling out our sport to the highest corporate bidders. And that is assuming they even have feelings which is arguable. Sad.

But regardless of inclement weather, it should be a good series. I, like about 80% of the rest of America, will be rooting for the formally funny Phillies. But I'll be expecting the overpaid overdog Yankees to eventually prevail. And through it all, I will keep in mind my overarching prime directive: Go Giants!

I got to the ballpark early Sunday morning (Sept. 27) not because the Giants were giving away a freebie but because I wanted to wander the stadium one last time this season and take pictures. (And also because I wanted to get a good parking place.) This game was going to be the last one I attended this season because I was going up to the Sierra mountains in a couple of days.

The dear lovable Cubbies had all but knocked my Giants out of the wildcard race with three straight wins this penultimate home series. But on this beautiful day, the Giants were being afforded a fourth chance at redemption in avoiding a sweep at the hands of the National League central Division runner-ups however Pyrrhic such a victory may be.

Shortstop Ryan Theriot opened the game opened the game with a line drive down the rightfield line off of Matt Cain's first pitch that John Bowker dove for and caught just beyond the visitor's warm up mound. That was a good omen so it didn't bother me much when rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome fought through eight pitches to get a double into centerfield because Matt Cain retired the next two batters on just three pitches. Obversely, second baseman Eugenio Velez led off the bottom of the first with a single into rightfield also on Randy Wells' first pitch of the inning, advanced to second base on the next pitch that leftfielder Fred Lewis singles to leftfield and eventually scored on shortstop Juan Uribe's ground out to third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

Then, leading off the bottom of the second, first baseman Travis Ishikawa singled off of randy Wells after taking a ball and then immediately scored on a double by catcher Eli Whiteside who had a 0-1 count. After Matt Cain looked at a ball, he then sacrifice Eli Whiteside to third base. But do you know what is really spooky? Leading off the bottom of the sixth, first baseman Travis Ishikawa singled off of Randy Wells after taking a ball and then immediately scored on a double by catcher Eli Whiteside who had a 0-1 count. After Matt Cain looked at a ball, he then sacrifice Eli Whiteside to third base. The only difference is changing "second" inning to "sixth" inning. The two innings began the exact same way down to the pitches! However, Eli Whiteside wasn't left stranded in the sixth inning. He scored the Giants' fourth run of the game when Eugenio Velez singled to leftfield. Eugenio Velez went to second base when centerfielder Randy Winn singled to leftfield and scored on third baseman Pablo Sandoval's single to make the score 5-0.

This day belonged to Matt Cain. Besides Kosuke Fukudome's double in the first inning, Randy Wells hit a double in the third inning and catcher Koyie Hill hit a single in the fifth inning. Other than that, no other Cub reached base in the first seven innings. And even after Matt Cain walked two cubs in the eighth inning, re retired Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome on a fly ball and strike out, respectively, to finish his day scoreless with 112 pitches thrown.

The Giants might have shut out the cubs this day but reliever Sergio Romo gave up a two-out double to second baseman Jeff Baker followed by a triple by leftfielder Bobby Scales. Even the usually reliable lefty, Jeremy Affeldt, couldn't get the third out of the ninth inning when he walked Koyie Hill with a full count. Enter Brian Wilson. Six pitches. Strikeout. Giants win 5-1.

It was a beautifully satisfying way to end my season this year. The Giants performed up to my expectations. They even got me to believe I should be expecting more. Well, maybe next year, they'll deliver. We'll see. Go Giants!

Same teams. (Giants and Cubs) Same game times. (7:15 p.m., maybe a little later) Same playoff situation. (Four games behind the Rockies) And even the same weather patterns. (A cool fog bank streaming through the Golden Gate on a warm, early Autumn afternoon) Tonight, the Giants team presented their annual Willie Mac Award to their most inspirational teammate this season. It's a neat award because it's voted on by the players, coaches, and trainer themselves and they bring back ol' Willie "Stretch" McCovey himself to present the winner. This year, young Matt Cain earned the accolades which was mildly surprising to me but a good choice. Matt Cain is a true gamer.

And speaking of gamers, Tim Lincecum was facing Carlos Zambrano tonight. And true to form, Tim Lincecum struck out two Cubs in the first inning. But then again, Carlos Zambrano struck out two Giants in the first inning. Juan Uribe (whom I suspected was going to win the Willie Mac Award this year) got the first hit of the night leading off the second inning. But John Bowker and Travis Ishikawa both flew out to the outfield and Carlos Zambrano snuffed out the threat by striking out Gerald "Buster" Posey who was his first big league start of the season.

Centerfielder Sam Fuld got the Cubs their first hit leading off the third inning. Carlos Zambrano sacrificed him to second base. Sam Fuld (I love that name) went to third on Kosuke Fukudome's ground out to Travis Ishikawa playing at first base and died there when shortstop Brian Theriot grounded the next pitch to Pablo Sandoval down at third base.

This was turning into a good pitcher's duel when Carlos Zambano struck out Aarond Rowand and Tim Lincecum leading off their third inning. And, although he walked Randy Winn leading off the fourth inning and Pablo Sandoval advanced to second base when Brian Theriot threw the ball into the dugout trying to complete a double play, both Juan Uribe and John Bowker couldn't get the ball out of the infield and the score remained nil apiece.

Tim Lincecum struck out the Cubs' battery mates (Koyie Hill and Carlos Zambrano) in the fifth inning. But the worm began to turn when Kosuke Fukudome banged a double into the rightfield corner leading off the sixth inning and Brian Theriot followed with a single driving in the first run of the evening. And although Tim Lincecum led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, he remained anchored at first base as Eugenio Velez, Randy Winn, and made three quiet outs looking at total of six pitches from Carlos Zambrano and haven't we seen that oh too many times before this season.

Leftfielder Bobby Scales (another good baseball name) greeted Tim Lincecum with a single leading off the seventh inning and eventually came around to score on Carlos Zambrano's grounder to shortstop Juan Uribe for a two run lead. And if I haven't mentioned Carlos Zambrano's name too many times already, just let me say he retired the last twelve Giants he faced in order including three more strikeouts. He pitched a two-hit, complete game shutout under a hundred pitches. At least we didn't have to suffer too long tonight because the game ended in less than two hours after it began.

The Cubs scored another run in the top of the ninth inning off of future Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson (pitching to a hopefully future Hall of Fame catcher named Buster Posey) when Carlos Zambrano (there, I said his name again for the ninth time) drove in Sam Fuld with a double off the outfield wall to make the final score 3-0. Who knows if this was the final game Randy Johnson pitched this season or even in his career. I doubt it but if it was, he was a good Giant.

And because the Cardinals lost to the Rockies 2-1 tonight, the Giants slipped further behind both them and the Braves now. The sun is slowly slipping below the horizon for the Giants this season. But when it begins to rise again in the spring of next year, it may shine brighter and longer than it did this year if they can make even further improvements to their ball club during the off season. Go Giants!