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!
Let The Festivities Begin!
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.
Lots
of fans brought their children so they could play catch with them on the field
which was very cool. I walked up to my bleacher seat and was delighted to
confirm that my new ultra zoom camera is going to give me great shots of the
batters this season! I also discovered the seat behind me is up for sale so if
any of my devoted fans out their which to enhance their sfgyrosfan experience exponentially,
just let me say that I am an unattached sensitive man who likes garlic fries
under klieg lights and long moonlit strolls along the Port Walk. J
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!
Say It IS So, Mark!
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!
Happy New Year!
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!
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas…
…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!
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