April 2010
Oh The Humanity Of It All!
April
28. A noontime squall hit AT&T Park as I arrived for the Tim Lincecum
vs. Cole Hamels matinee match up. But as soon as this spring shower
arrived from the west, it left for the rest of the country just as quickly and
the game began right on time: 12:45. Timmy Bigtime was his usual dominating
self by mowing down the Phillies in order for the first four innings (although Placido
Polanco‘s single in the fourth was wiped out on a Chase Utley double
play two pitches later.) And then big Ryan Howard opened up the fifth
inning with a long opposite field home run. But other than that and a Ryan
Howard two out double in the seventh, no one else reached base against Tim
Lincecum during the first eight innings.
In
contrast to the constrained Phillies, The Giants had base runners in every
inning of this game. But they didn’t score their first run until the fifth
inning when Andres Torres drove in Nate Schierholtz with a double
down the leftfield line. Then the Giants broke open the tied game in the sixth
inning with consecutive hits by Benji Molina and rookie Matt Downs
followed by an intentional walk to the now-dangerous Nate Schierholtz.
After Cole Hamels struck out Tim Lincecum for his ninth (and
final) “K” of the game, he unintentionally walked Andres Torres for the
go-ahead run and Edgar Renteria capped off the inning with a single
driving in two more runs for a 4-1 lead.
For
all intents and purposes it seemed the game was all but over given the way
Timmy Freaky was pitching today. But after getting one out in the ninth inning,
he walked Shane Victorino on four straight pitches causing Bruce
Bochy to pull him and his 102 pitches in favor of closer Brian Wilson.
And Brian did what Brian does and got the first batter out for the second out
in the ninth inning. But Chase Utley rapped the next pitch for a single
and Brian pitched around Ryan Howard loading up the bases. And then Jason
Werth battled Brian Wilson for seven pitches to avoid the proverbial
hat trick this day and avoid it he did by launching his eighth pitch down the
rightfield line twisting and turning and finally coming to rest with a thud
just beyond the glove of Nate Schierholtz and on top of the chalk line
for a bases clearing double and a tied game. A collective groan arose from the
crowd.
But
the weirdness was not over this day. Jeremy Affeldt hit the first batter
he faced in the tenth inning with his second pitch and Brian Schneider
came around to score the go-ahead run on a passed ball which Pacido Polanco
swung at but was inexplicably judged a wild pitch by the official scorer.
(Everyone was having a bad day by now.) But the Giants tied the score 5-5 after
Nate Schierholtz doubled off of Ryan Madison (I think) and scored
on a single by Andres Torres. Of course, the Phillies scored another go
ahead run in the eleventh inning when Raul Ibanez greeted reliever Sergio
Romo with a single and scored with two outs when Wilson Valdez
lofted a double down the line and over the glove of Eugenio Velez and off
of the leftfield wall. But just to add insult to injury, Wilson Valdez
scored the needed insurance run when Eugenio Velez “Cadillaced” over to
a can of corn in left-centerfield and let the ball clang off his glove for a
two-base error.
As
it turned out, that boneheaded play caused the run that killed us because the
Giants scored their sixth run on a single by Benji Molina and a double
by Nate Schierholtz. But the tying run was cut down at the plate by a
beautiful snatch and spin-throw by first baseman Ryan Howard to catcher Brian
Schneider who also spun blindly and beat Juan Uribe‘s hand to the
plate for the second out of the inning. Andres Torres sent us home under
gloomy skies when he grounded out to second base. This game had everything:
great pitching, lucky hitting, heroes, goats, sunshine, rain, smiles, and pain.
The only thing it lacked was a Giants victory. But the Giants did take another
series from the defending champions and now we have the pesky Colorado Rockies
coming in this weekend. It should provide for more exciting baseball. Go
Giants!
WhoRoy for Halladay?
It was going to be a tough game for sure. Roy Halladay was one of the best pitchers of this decade, he was the 2003 American League Cy Young winner, sported a career 152 – 76 win/loss record, and was 4-0 for the Phillies this year. The Giants offensive has been anemic last week so it was up to Jonathan Sanchez to keep the game close if the home team had a chance to win this series opener against the reigning National League champions. (Above left: Tim Lincecum was showing Todd Wellemeyer some pitching grips before the game. I hope some of it sunk in. Below right: Jonathan Sanchez warming up.)
Pandamonium At The Park!
April
24. Whatever pre-game demand there was for a free wearable blanket last night;
double that for a Pablo “Panda” Sandoval bobblehead doll tonight.
The lines were about a quarter-mile long at all three major gates one hour
before AT&T Park even opened up. This bobblehead phenomenon began last
season and has continued unabated to this season. As long as there are only
20,000 items to be given away to 40,000+ fans, people will line up extra early
to assure their possession of any souvenir trinket. And the big winners are the
concessionaires in the park who get to ply their wares to practically a full
house hours before the game even starts. But it was all good in San Francisco’s
South Beach neighborhood as we fans dutifully lined up, ate, drank, and
socialized before the game as we eventually marched slowly towards the open
gates and to our just rewards. Once inside, it was one big busy party as
attendees mingled about watching batting practice and chasing down home run
balls before the game began. But once the game began, the best was yet to come. (Below left: Barry Zito warming up throwing pre-game long toss.)
The
Cardinals threw out last season’s Cy Young runner up Adam Wainwright to
face the Giants’ Cy Young winner of several seasons past, lefty Barry Zito.
This was a game to remember. The Giants seemed to be at a disadvantage due
solely to the Cardinals’ superior batting averages. The Giants have been
struggling mightily lately to score runs of any kind. (They had only one RBI
last night.) Tonight proved no different due mainly to the mastery of Adam
Wainwright. Although Adam allowed at least one base runner in all but one of
the first six innings, the only inning he allowed two base runners (the second)
came to naught when he struck out rightfielder Nate Schierholtz and Barry
Zito. He threw only about 83 pitches when he entered the eighth inning
during a scoreless game. (Below: The National Anthem.)
But
Barry Zito pitched even that much better as he started the game out with
two strike outs, ended the eighth inning with three strike outs, and threw a
total of ten strike outs after he threw about 112 pitches in eight innings
while keeping the Cardinals off the board. This game reminded me of a night
game my parents took me to at Candlestick Park watching Juan Marichal
dueling Sandy Koufax in a quick 2-1 game. This game was crisp, it was
efficient, and it was an equally awesome display of two pitchers dominating the
game. I could go on about how Barry Zito threw strike outs when he
needed them (like the called third strike to Albert Pujols in the sixth
inning) or got a double play when he needed one (like the one Albert Pujols
hit in the fourth inning after the first two batters got on base) but words
fail to do him justice. It was just awesome how well Barry Zito pitched.
It was just ridiculous!
So
it was fitting that the Giants got Barry Zito the victory after he left
the game in the eighth winning when Nate Schierholtz led off with a
double down the rightfield line and came around to score on Andres Torres‘
two-strike pinch hit single up the middle. Even Aubrey Huff got into the
act getting an insurance run on a bases loaded sacrifice fly to leftfield.
These last two games against the Cardinals were the best two consecutive
baseball games I’ve ever had the privilege to witness. It was just great. I
wonder if the Giants can keep it going against big bad Brad Penny today?
Can it get any better than this? I don’t know but I sure hope so. Go Giants!
Snuggling With The Giants
April
23. All right, what headline would you come up with if you witnessed hundreds
of Giants fans queuing up hours before the gates opened for a night game in
order to receive a free wearable orange blanket commonly referred to as a
“snuggie”? It was guaranteed that the first 20,000 arriving to the park this
Friday night would get a very warm and fuzzy feeling inside (if not outside).
Oh, and we would also get to watch the two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum
pitch a gem against the formidable Cardinals and their young pitching phenom, Jaime
Garcia.
The
Giants got out of the gates quickly this brisk early evening when centerfielder
Andres Torres punched a double down the rightfield line and came around
to score four pitches later when leftfielder Mark DeRosa beat out a
grounder to shortstop Brendan Ryan who, in turn, threw the ball past
first baseman Albert Pujols for an error. But none of the other Giants
batters could hit the ball out of the infield that inning so the Giants led the
game 1-0 after one.
The
Giants padded their lead to three runs in the third inning when Mark DeRosa
led off the inning with a single to right field and moved to second base on
third baseman Pablo Sandoval‘s single to centerfield. Then, first
baseman Aubrey Huff swung through two Jaime Garcia pitches before
rolling a double play grounder to second baseman Skip Schumaker who
booted the ball and allowed Mark DeRosa to score. Aubrey Huff
scored the second run of the inning on right fielder Nate Schierholtz‘s
hustling single to Albert Pujols. Everything was rolling the Giants’ way
this starry evening. (Below left: Brian Wilson hanging out with his BFF Barry Zito. Below right: Relievers doing pre-game wind sprints.)
In
fact, Aubrey Huff scored the Giants’ fourth and last run of the game
when opened the fifth inning with a walk. Catcher Benji Molina moved him
to second base on a single to centerfield. Aubrey then moved over to third base
when second baseman Juan Uribe hit a completed double play ground ball
and came around to score on the next pitch to rookie second baseman Matt
Downs that was wide and wild past the glove of catcher Yadier Molina.
After that, the Giants had only one more base runner in the entire game when Juan
Uribe hit a one out single to rightfield off of right-handed reliever Mitchell
Boggs in the eighth inning. (Below left: Brad Penny responding to hecklers during batting practice.)
Meanwhile,
Tim Lincecum dealt not only the baseball but also with his pitching
problems tonight. He threw only one 1-2-3 inning the entire game in the fourth
inning. Albert Pujols hit a double in the first inning. Centerfielder Colby
Rasmus and Yadier Molina led off the second inning with a walk and
single, respectively, but failed to score as Lincecum struck out both Brendan
Ryan and Jaime Garcia on 84 mph pitches. A walk here and a single
there and Tim Lincecum was enjoying a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning when
he finally gave up a run to leftfielder Matt Holliday on an infield
single, stole second base and scored on Yadier Molina‘s single to
leftfield. (Below left: The Orange Men Crew marching through the bleachers.)
All-in-all,
it was one heck of a game. Timmy had poor control but got outs when he needed
them. The Friday night crowd was loud and boisterous and everyone was as snug
as a bug in a rug when reliever Brian Wilson earned his third save of
the season by striking out the side in the ninth inning despite allowing a two
out single by pinch hitter Nick Stavinoha. After a 1-5 road trip to
Southern California last week, this was just the kind of game the good doctor
ordered. Go Giants! (Below right: Insane Clown Posse in da hizzy… WTF???:-)
ARRRRR (Be Eyes), Me Mateys!
April
12th and we had a birthday party hangover this Monday morning,
AT&T Park and I. But life is short so I got right back on that horse called
the Golden Gate Ferry and rode it across the bay to San Francisco and a
sumptuous lunch out on the South Beach Pier watching the fluffy clouds march
across the newly rain-scrubbed spring blue skies.
I
always liked the Pirates. They’re much like the Giants and I’m not just talking
about their color scheme of black and gold. They are a storied franchise that
has always had the underdog tag on them. They have traditionally developed
great players, both outfield sluggers (like Roberto Clemente, Willie
Stargell, Dave Parker, and Barry Bonds) and pitchers (like Bob
Friend, Elroy Face, Dock Ellis, and John Candelaria).
We also have shared significant player trades (e.g. Bill Madlock, Jason
Schmidt, and [hopefully] Freddy Sanchez).
Tonight’s
game matched the former Giants draft pick from Oregon, Brian Burres,
against the crafty Cy Young lefty Barry Zito. Barry began the game
predictably by pitching out of trouble leaving two Pirates on bases but the
Giants jumped on Brian early scoring three runs in the first inning powered by
the RBI singles of leftfielder Mark DeRosa and catcher Benji Molina.
Barry gave a run back in the second inning by giving up a one out walk to third
baseman Adam LaRoche and driven in with a single by shortstop Ronny
Cedeno.
Barry
Zito
admirably got through the next two innings in order until he gave up a pinch
hit single to John Raynor in the fifth inning who was brought in by
second baseman Akinori Iwamura on a double. But by then the game was all
but decided by two more runs in the third inning by first baseman Aubrey
Huff and Benji Molina thanks to the clutch two out double by second
baseman Juan Uribe. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval scored the
Giants’ sixth run in the fourth inning on a triple by Aubrey Huff into
Triples Alley (of course).
This
game happened over a week ago so the exact details of the game are somewhat fuzzy
to me now. I remember that my sister came out to the bleachers in the seventh
inning to talk to me about family matters and brought me back to her seats just
a dozen or so rows directly behind home plate. It is indeed rarified atmosphere
there because you can see the actual features of the players’ faces as they
stride past you towards home plate. Me, I prefer the anonymity of the distant
bleachers where you can shout as many crazy things as you want to the players
without a care. Here, in the box seats, one must watch one’s p’s and q’s lest
one receives reproachful stares from one’s disapproving seasonal neighbors
(heavens forbid).
But
I do remember Benji Molina capping the evening in the eighth inning with
a two run homer down the leftfield line. All in all, it was a nice and easy win
in this early 2010 season. We could only hope that all the Giants games would
be as efficiently played (especially down in Los Angeles and San Diego as of
late). The Giants will need to revert back to this form for their next home
stand against the formidable Cardinals and Phillies. Go Giants!
Happy Birthday To Us!
I got to the ballpark at 11:30am this morning just like I did ten years ago when
I played hooky for a day from Charles Schwab & Co. However, today was
sloppy wet. The bay was roiling. I might not have even driven over the bridge
except for the fact I had made tentative plans to meet ball hawk extraordinaire
Cheese to collect the Braves’ autographed balls for the wounded Iraqi vet in
Alabama that Pat met online. I treated myself to a birthday bowl of menudo and
a couple of Pacificos at a Mexican restaurant on 14th Street earlier
this morning so I was feeling no pain in my thermal wear, gloves, and rain
gear.
I
spent a couple hours walking around watching all the people sitting under the
overhangs, eating concessionaire food in groups, and just milling about like I
was doing. A lot of people were camped around the numerous television screens
scattered throughout the breezeways watching the Masters and the Comcast
SportsNet interviews of the alumni of the 2000 Giants who inaugurated AT&T
(nee Pacific Bell) Park a decade ago today. But today, the heavens were crying
and I do not know why. Perhaps it is because the Giants suffered their first
loss of the season last night?
Well,
during the Comcast broadcast, a local weatherman came onscreen to demonstrate
with the doppler radar how this weather system was slamming into the Bay Area
from the south. But just as he was predicting that this game would never get
played today, the Comcast feed into the stadium was interrupted with a notice
that the game was still in rain delay. However, after walking around for a
couple hours without any hope of meeting up with Cheese, I decided to leave for
home at about 2:30pm.
It’s
now 5:30, it’s my birthday, and I’m sitting here writing up this story
listening to the game that just started. The Giants are already behind 2-0. Bleh! I swear, I am not having good luck
with my attendance of Giants games so far this season. Oh well. But I did take
pictures of the history of the San Francisco Giants that wraps around the upper
deck walkway. They’re very interesting. Here’s a picture of Willie Mays batting in Candlestick Park before the y enclosed the bowl. The the right is Ed “Ho Ho” Halicki posing with Juan Marichal and Carl Hubble. Their connection: all three threw no-hitters for the Giants.
To the left is Crazy Crab my favorite all-time mascot. He ws so pathetic, you just had to love him. Oh, and the other guys in that picture are Jeffrey “One Flap Down” Leonard, Bob Brenly, Goose Gossage, and Bruce Sutter being introduced at Candlestick Park before the 1985 All Star Game. To the right is Don “Caveman” Robinson, ol’ Penitentiary Face himself, and Mike Krukow pouring champagne over the head of his catcher Bob Brenly.
On the left is Brian Johnson after he hit a 12th inning walk-off homer against the Dodgers and the introductions to a 1997 playoff game in Candlestick Park. To the right is Kirk “Woody” Rueter delivering the first pitch at AT&T exactly 10 years ago today almost to the moment.
I just hope the Giants play better tonight than they did ten years ago against the Dodgers. Light hitting Kevin Elster hit three home runs that day in the Giants loss. In fact the Giants lost the first six games they played in this park. They’ve already done better than that this year. The Giants just scored their first run tonight! Go Giants!
The Best Game I Never Saw
Opening
Day! There’s nothing like it! It has always been very special at Seals Stadium,
Candlestick Park, 3Com Park, Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park and it would be the
same today at AT&T Park. My friend Pat (who was with me at opening day last
year) and I arrived on the Golden Gate Ferry at 9:45 because we had to meet up
with ball hawk extraordinaire Cheese so he could get a couple Braves
autographed balls (in exchange for a couple of tickets) for Pat to send to a
wounded veteran in Alabama who is a big Braves fan whom he knows. After that,
we had breakfast at the venerable Java Hut across before entering AT&T
Park.
It
was a 42,940 sell-out today. The weather was beautiful. For their pre-game
introductions, the Giants entered en masse through the centerfield fence just
like they would have at the Polo Grounds in New York. Navy jets conducted a low
level fly over at the conclusion of the Stars Spangled Banner and the crowd was
jacked up. Let the game begin!
It
was a funny game and mostly because I was sitting next to a very funny guy and
his wife. But the play on the field was mostly funny “weird” for us Giants fans
instead of funny “ha ha”. The always mercurial Jonathan Sanchez walked
the first batter he faced without having to swing the bat. The second batter,
third baseman Martin Prado, looked at couple strikes before finally
swinging the bat for a single. But Jonathan struck out two of the next three
batters get out of the inning unscathed. He struck out two out of the next four
batters to get out of the second inning.
But
then he allowed a lead off double to centerfielder Melky Cabrera and
walked Martin Prado. This time, they both scored on singles by first
baseman Troy Glaus and leftfielder Matt Diaz. And then he sat
down the next two batters to end that the inning as well as the next three to
get through the fourth inning. But true to form, he allowed the first two
batters of the fifth inning to reach base and after 85 pitches, Jonathan’s day
was done as Brandon Medders allowed Martin Prado to score the
third run of the game on a single by leftfielder Matt Diaz.
On
the other hand, the Giants were very, very quiet. Returning starter Tim
Hudson zipped through the Giants batting order in the first three innings
on only 28 total pitches. He then went through the Giants batting order again
in the next three innings on only 29 more pitches. The two runners the Giants
did get on in that span were wiped off the bases by double plays. But then Aaron
Rowand and Edgar Renteria led off the seventh inning with a single
and a double, respectively. Both Giants came in to score their first runs on
ensuing ground outs to second baseman Omar Infante. But the Braves
padded their lead back up to 4-2 in the eighth inning when Troy Glaus
led off with a single, went to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on three
successive walks by rookie relievers Waldis Joaquin and Dan Runzler.
Funny weird.
By
the time Eugenio Velez led off the ninth inning with a double, my friend
Pat informed me that his back was tightening up so he was going to start
walking slowly back to the Ferry Building and I could catch up to him later.
But after Aaron Rowand struck out, Edgar Renteria hit a home run
to tie the game! The place went ape crazy but after Aubrey Huff made the last
out of the inning, I had to leave so that I could catch up to my friend before
the ferry left. Walking back up the Embarcadero, I did not see him. A couple of
kids disembarking from the Napa saw me in my Giants regalia and asked me who
won. I had to lamely say I didn’t know because the game was tied 4-4 in the
tenth when I left. Sitting on the ferry, a businessman asked me who won the
game. I had to lamely say I didn’t know because the game was tied 4-4 in the
tenth when I left. Walking towards my car after disembarking the ferry, a man
asked me who won the game. I had to lamely say I didn’t know because the game
was tied 4-4 in the tenth when I left.
When
I got to my car (an hour after I left the ballpark), I turned on the radio and
heard David B. Flemming broadcasting the thirteenth inning! I was
amazed. And by the time I was pulling into my driveway, Aaron Rowand had
won the game 5-4 on an infield single to deep shortstop. Unbelievable! So when
I got up to my apartment, I dialed my friend’s cell phone. He answered it at the
Ferry Building. He said after the Giants tied it up, he stuck around to watch a
few more innings! Isn’t that a kick in the pants? This ended up to be one of
the best games I did not entirely see. But at least the Giants won so I was
happy. Go Giants!
APRIL FOOLS!!!
It This As That’s The After
was the first baseball game of the year at AT&T Park last Thursday and I
was there! Of course, it was just a meaningless spring exposition game between
the Giants and Athletics but, hey, we fans need our spring training games, too!
I need to get my lungs in shape. So I arrived at the park when I usually do;
during batting practice just after the gates were opened to the public. There,
I saw this guy (below) sitting in the bleachers wearing a Giants Hawaiian shirt
shooting a monologue with his video crew. I don’t know who he was or what his
schtick is but I’ll keep an eye out for him in the future. Maybe he’s filming a
videography of the Giants’ 2010 season?
chilly day turned even colder as evening fell but I was well prepared with my
long underwear and gloves. I also got a chance to try out my new long range
“ultra-zoom” Olympus camera though I later found out that I need to keep the
camera very still when clicking long distances at night. But I did take a
couple good shots crowd close-ups and such. I’ll be able to bring intimate pics
of the bleacher creatures to you, my blog fans, throughout this season. I can
here your twitters of acute anticipation as I type this. Here are my two best
Olympus shots:
for the game itself, it was entirely forgettable. Barry Zito set down
the first two A’s in the first inning but then walked rightfielder Ryan
Sweeney on a full count and, after falling behind third baseman Kevin
Kouzmanoff on a 2-0 count, Barry grooved a pitch that Kevin sent far over Nate
Schierholtz and careening off the rightfield wall for a run-scoring double.
Not to repeat that mistake, Barry then started catcher Kurt Suzuki off
with two quick strikes before hanging a belt-high slider that Kurt turned
around in a hurry for a two run homer. And that right there, boys and girls,
was pretty much the ballgame in a nutshell.
because Justin Duchscherer set down 15 out of the first 17 Giants he
faced. Catcher Benji Molina worked a four-pitch walk with two outs in
the second inning. And Justin’s potential no-hitter finally went by the boards
in the fourth inning when third baseman Pablo Sandoval punched a single
into leftfield but then he was picked off five pitches later when Kurt
Suzuki threw behind him with first baseman Daric Barton applying the
tag. First baseman Aubrey Huff promptly ended the inning on the next
pitch with a ground out to second base.
Giants’ only real threat of the game arose in the sixth inning when John
Bowker pinch hit a one-out double off of Justin Duchscherer followed
by a two-out single by shortstop Edgar Renteria and a walk to Pablo
Sandoval. But it all went for naught when Aubrey Huff grounded out
to Mark Ellis at second base again. Meanwhile, the A’s scored two more
runs off of Barry Zito in the third inning when centerfielder Coco
Crisp and leftfielder Rajai Davis led off the inning with a double
and single, respectively, and came around to score two batters latter. Nor did
rookie Kevin Pucetas help matters when he allowed three more A’s runs in
the fifth inning with a one-out hit by Kurt Suzuki, a four-pitch walk to
Daric Barton, an eight-pitch single by Mark Ellis, and capped by
a two-out single by Coco Crisp that drove Kevin Pucetas to the
showers to wash the stench of an 8-0 lopsided score all happening before
most of the Giants batters even had their second turns at bat. Yech!
that, the game was properly punctuated by the invasion of a ravenous flock of
seagulls circling around the stadium against the night sky and landing en masse
in the bleachers to feed. These birds waited all winter for the return of their
summer-long human leftover food buffet and I swear I could almost see them
smiling! So with the Giants losing 9-0 on a cold spring night by the bay, this
game truly belonged to the birds. It was April Fools on us Giants fans this
night. But I am eagerly looking forward for this season to finally begin. Go
Giants!
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