Lincecum Screws Up

On the only Giants game on ESPN, too... Oh well. There's always tomorrow.

Finally...Eliezer

Bruce Bochy displayed his managerial stupidity once again. Why would you bring in Alfonzo to pinch-hit in a pivotal situation when you have Sweeney and Niekro? Well, either way, it worked, and Bochy has been bailed out.

There Are Some Who Call Him...Tim

Tim Lincecum is being called up. That makes me very happy. DO you know why? If not, let me throw the number .29 at you. That was his ERA at AAA.

Warriors!

The Warriors won! Words cannot describe my ecstasy*!

*Actually they can, but I'm too lazy to use words.

At Municipal Stadium

I was at Municipal Stadium today for the SJ Giants game, courtesy of the miracle of free tickets at Costco. While there, I noticed two things.

1. They raised ticket prices. Not that that matters, seeing as though they're still cheap and my tickets were free anyway.
2. Antoan Richardson is amazing. With his speed, he created a run singlehandedly in the 5th inning. I have seen personally why he is such a great prospect, and now I have been converted to the Richardson side.

I Hate You, Bullpen

Once again, the bullpen lets us down. I thought it was doing a fairly good job of not sucking this year, but it still is the bullpen, the Giants' weakest spot. Of course, there's also the hitting, but that's a different story.

Errors Killed the Rockies

And we finally got off the schneid. I'm definitely happy.

That's a Sweep

Just when we thought things were going well. At least Tim Lincecum is pitching ungodly well in Fresno.

This is Why We Hate Ourselves

Two losses in a row. This one was especially painful. I don't have to say why.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Yes, it was a great streak. Oh well. Look where it has put the Giants.

Out of the Hat!

The Giants pulled a game today out of the hat. By no means did they deserve that win, after the frst two innings, but they got it anyway, thanks to that winning-streak magic they had going. Fortunately, Mando pitched a drama-less ninth. 8 in a row! Let's keep it going!

WE SWEPT THE DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice Article to Complement a Nice Win

Go on, click on the title of this post. That's all you need.

Beat LA!

That's what this blog is named for, and that's what the Giants did! 6 in a row! The good times keep coming!

Here's to Optimism!

5 straight! If they can keep reeling off W's, then the future is looking up!

Warriors (and Giants) Win!

The Warriors won in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, defeating the Mavericks 99-87 in Dallas in Game 1. Davis scored 33 and was 2 assists shy of a triple-double, while Jackson chipped in 23.

Halfway around the continent, Bonds homered again, as did Feliz, and Cain pitched another gem to win 2-1. Great day!

Robb, Oh Robb! Wherefore Art Thou?

So, Mando proves onnce again that win or lose, he's never going to be Nen. On the bright side, both Barys did well, and even though the offense was apathetic, great pitchinng bailes us out. Finally, we are at .500! Maybe this team isn't quite as bad as it looked 1½ weeks ago!

Ortiz' Revenge

Russ Ortiz wreaked his cruel vegeance on Arizona for cutting him. They also pay his salary, but that's a different story.

Anyway, it was a nice win all around, #3 in a row. Ortiz provided the pitching, Mando provided the tension, and the offense provided the runs. Hooray!

Cardinals at Giants Live Thoughts

Pregame

So, here we go. Lets hope the Giants win.
Dave Flemming just called Eliezer Alfonzo "Ellie".

1st Inning

Top

Nice play by Rich Aurilia. Could Feliz have done that?
1 Out
Let's see if Lowry can do well today.
2 Outs
Wow! Feliz did something on defense! To retire Pujols, no less!
3 Outs

Bottom

Yes! Good job, Roberts. That's a little thing called a Texas Leaguer, kiddies.
Vizquel can hit. I'm expecting him to deliver now. Too bad he can't hit a non-wind-assisted home run.
Wow. Another foul ball by Vizquel? That'll work the pitch count.
That's what a baserunner is supposed to do, distract the pitcher. Why do you pitchout 2-2?
Oh gosh. DP? That's not good.
2 Outs
This is the time when it would be nice to have Bonds up in the #3 hole. Well, at least Richie's not too bad.
That inning could have been big. Oh well.
3 Outs

2nd Inning

Top

Wow, these ad breaks are short when you're trying to fiddle with the HTML code of a blog post.
Why is everyone getting food poisoning?
Come on, Noah. Throw strikes.
Finally got Gameday to load. Now let's see if Lowry can do anything both on the radio and on my computer.
Omar works his Vizquelian magic.
1 Out
Yadier Molina looks nothing like Bengie.
Now Dave Flemming is giving a weather forecast, or at least pretending to. That forecast is for Denver.
Under his glove? Come on Durham, you're turning into Bill Buckner!
Note: That's bad.
Now that's what I'm talking about!
2 Outs
Durham, you have atoned for your misdeeds.
3 Outs

Bottom

Why the heck is Durham bunting?
This game is 112% luck. That hit by Durham wasn't really a hit.
Whoa. They're shifting for Klesko and he shows bunt. That kills the shift.
Don't strike out, Klesko!
1 Out
That's all. I'm burned.

What a Win

There's no way I can put it better than everyone at McCovey Chronicles (including me) did, so I'm providing you with a link. Click on the post title above, and be transported to a magical world of wonder.

Da Gigantes!

It looks like Ray Durham is the best Giant. Barry Zito had a good outing and the Giants have won two in a row. Not too bad eh?

List of Terms I Don't Like

• Closer: Closers are unnecessary. Look at the pre-closer era. Unless you have a guy like Hoffman or Nen, bullpen by committee works much better.
• Juiced: Everyone was juiced. The term has no meaning.
• Stathead: Statistics are the salvation of baseball. I say that with a straight face.
• Steroid era: They still use steroids in baseball. In half a century, this will all be forgotten.
• Tainted: If Barry Bonds' records are tainted, what about those of Ruth and Cobb? They played in an era without some of the best players in the game—blacks. If that's not tainted, what is?

Postponed, Part Deux, and Other Thoughts

Another two games rained out. That gives one game in four days. When the equivalent of this happened last year (the first Houston series), I was in a state of panic. This time around, though, I'm fairly nonchalant. I guess the blog is helping me kick my baseball addiction by overexposing me to baseball.

The Giants caould possibly trade Eddy Martinez-Esteve to the Orioles for Billy Rowell. EME won't ever help the Giants, being the prototypical AL player, and Rowell would give the Giants a young, versatile prospect with big upside.

Today was Jackie Robinson Day in baseball. Do you know what I think about Robinson, his day, and Barry Bonds' unsuccessful attempt to wear #42? #*@^!!! For details, read my previous post on the topic.

Postponed

So it's a little rain, eh? It better have been a lot, because I don't like seeing my baseball games get rained out. When I was a kid, we used to play Little League games in mid-March in pouring rain.

It's a Win!

The Giants finally showed they can put runs on the board, and in bunches, too. That was a nice game. Why couldn't they do this last year, when they lost the season series to Pittsburgh 6-1?

Tim the Enchanter

Lincecum struck out 9 in 7 innings for Fresno today. Already I have friends who tell me he should be up right now as the closer.

Wild Pitches

Tommy Lasorda holds the big-league record for wild pitches in an inning.

Masters in Augusta

[Insert name of golfer here] may have won the green jacket in Augusta last year (I don't follw golf, but the real masters are the GreenJackets, who are now 6-0. I don't knw how they're doing it, but it may have to do with the fact that they are a virtual reincarnation of last year's Northwest League champion Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. The GreenJackets aren't the only Giants farm team doing great, because they all are: San Jose is 5-0, Connecticut is 2-0, and Fresno is 4-1, with the only loss of any minor-league affiliate of the Giants. Do you know the way to San Jose? The future is looking up...

Abel and Cain

It's like the biblical story all over again, except that Abel (the offense) kills Cain, who made a better sacrifice to the baseball gods with his one-hitter than the braindead [insert ethnicity here] hitters hacking at slop nightly did.

Yet, sometimes I think it's Matt Cain who I really hate. Here I am, weaning myself off my baseball addiction with the help of a terrible Giants team, when Cain comes and reminds me why I love the game with his Cainly, one-hit magic. Then, he gets the loss. Situations like these prove how much of a microcosm of life baseball truly is—only life itself is as cruel.

Note to Dave Flemming: You jinxed Cain by referring to his no-hitter in the top of the 7th, after Duane Kuiper had carefully avoided doing that the previous inning. Don't jinx him again.

Sweep!

I'm frustrated. Barry Zito's not going to justify his contrct, but more importantly, the Giants can't score. What's going wrong?

An interesting aside: While driving through the Sunset District about an hour before gametime, I noticed an SUV that had "BEAT LA" written on the rear window. I'm going to pretend that that was someone giving me free publicity.

Pathetic

Two consecutive series losses. What next?

Bullschmidt!

Jason Schmidt is copping out. Yes, sirree. The turncoat, who signed with them to be an ace, is now their #3 pitcher, conveniently missing this three-game series. If he's going to be a traitor, he should at least take it as a man, like the even bigger traitor who spends his free time doing wheelies on his motorcycle. I want to boo him, of course. Every Giants fan should. What a load of Schmidt. If he had signed with the Mariners, like everyone wanted and expected him to, none of this would be happening and we would still love him here. Right?

New Logo

Is it good, or what?

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

The Giants get so many more baserunners than the Padres (who did not have a single player in scoring position the whole game), it's not funny. Yet it's the Padres who come out on top, 5-3. I hate home runs.

All Our Base Are Belong To San Diego

Wow, that game was terrible. The good:

1. Opening Day!!
2. Bonds

The bad:

1. Offense
2. Bullpen
3. Everything else

Who is Travis Blackley?

Yesterday, the Giants traded Jason Ellison to the Mariners for Travis Blackley, who they promptly shipped to Fresno. Now some questions:

1. Who exactly is this pitcher?
   Blackley is a native of Melbourne. (Shouldn't he be playing cricket, then?) A few years back (2000, to be exact) he was signed by Seattle. He dominated his first two years, and slowed down a little after that, but still was able to make the big club by 2004. He also played in the 2003 Futures Game. The Futures Game displays the best young prospects. Liriano was one of the Giants farmhands who played in the game in recent years. However, Blackley blew out his shoulder. He missed all of 2005 due to the injury, and spent last season in AA.
2. Do I think he can rebound from the injury?
   Yes. Comebacks from injuries are much more common than 20 years ago. The injury derailed his career, but with a new team, he can get back on the right track.
3. Do I think it was a good trade?
To an extent. Jason Ellison wasn't going anywhere, simply taking a spot that can now be saved for Fred Lewis, and he now plays for his hometown team, where he can start anew. However, though Blackley shows promise, I think the Giants would have been better served getting an infielder. I fear Blackley will end up as just another talented pitcher hanging around in Fresno because the Giants don't have room for him in San Francisco. It happens a lot.

Bonds Hits 2 HR!

Rejoice, my friends, rejoice at the sight of Barry Bonds knocking two home runs in a meaningless game!

Scoring Bug

Did anyone else notice the new scoring bug at the top of the screen for today's game on KTVU? I think it looks hideous. I liked the old box better than the new banner . It seems like now, ESPN is the only place that still uses a nice-looking box for baseball. When will they switch to a banner?

Note: I just relized ESPN already switched. That just goes to prove my point.

Absolute Hilarity

The Rockies lost to their farm team in Colorado Springs by the count of 5-3. Now, if that had happened to me as a Giants fan, I would be going off my rocker.

Exhibition Games

I'm getting tense now. These exhibition games at the very end of March really kill me.

Do you know how to add?

If not, this table is for you.

A's, Giants unlikely to be in playoffs

Now, everyone is ripping this article by Carl Steward. I don't see why. It's a fact that they're getting worse. Now, I'll let my comment talk:

What's the problem? Everyone ripping this article because their beloved A's aren't going to do as well this year? Look, I'm not any happier as a Giants fan. Yet I recognize the truth (even if I don't acknowledge it)—neither Bay Area team is going to be this good this year. Both have had prolonged success over the past few years, so it's only natural for them to crash sometime, and this is it. Live with it, folks. Denial of the facts won't change them.

1 Week

Opening Day is now, at last, a tangible reality! My spine is tingling from the excitement of another year of 3rd Place!

Remembering Ed Bailey

Ed Bailey, who died Friday, made his name in Cincinnati, but near the tail end of his career, he spent 4 seasons by the Bay, being named to the All-Star team twice. He platooned with Tom Haller on the '62 squad, and went 1-14 with a home run in that year's Series. He was a fairly potent slugger, knocking 51 balls out of the park between '61 and '63. His career was cut short by Tom Haller's taking his job, but for some years, he was among the elite catchers of the National League.

Juan Pierre

I'm glad the Giants didn't pick him up, seeing as how the Dodgers paid that kind of sum to him. Clearly, Colletti has gone insane. There is no way he would have made that move in San Francisco.

Nightmare

...and I wake up in a cold sweat, and it hits me like a sack of bricks that Pedro Feliz is still our 3rd baseman.

.500

Currently, the Giants are 12-12 in Spring Training, at .500. Looks like a good preview of the regular season to me.

Ortiz

Ortiz has all but won the 5th starter's spot. Expect him to implode in May.

Opening Day

Here's a good one for a slow Tuesday—why does Opening Day always take place on a Tuesday? Why not Monday, like almost every other team?

Scottsdale Screw-up

Fred Lewis is being left off the Giants roster for the regular season. I just don't know how you defend that. This makes Linden and Ellison (who, incidentally, went to Lewis & Clark State in Idaho) the 4th and 5th outfielders. Don't get me wrong: I think Ellison and Linden both deserve to be there. Lewis does too, though, and there has to be a way to fit him in. Now Lewis will likely languish in Fresno until Armageddon.

Cricket, Anyone?

In the United States, baseball casts a heavy shadow over cricket, a sport whiuch I enjoy almost as much as baseball. I am avidly following the World Cup, where my team (Bangladesh) has just defeated India! Hooray!

¡Béisbol!

Only two short weeks until Opening Day! Rejoice, my friends, rejoice at the sight of a meaningful game!

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. CF Roberts
2. SS Vizquel
3. LF Bonds
4. 2B Durham
5. RF Winn
6. 1B Aurilia
7. 3B Feliz
8. C Molina
9. P Zito

Tournament Time!

Though I don't follow basketball avidly, and I don't care about the NBA outside of what the Warriors do, I do follow NCAA basketball sporadically, and March Madness is really what turns me on. I don't have a particular rooting interest, but it's always fun to see all those teams out there, going against one another. As for their classwork...

Good News on Mando

I heard that some scouts were looking on as Benitez pitched a few days ago. They seemed impressed. I guess they have heard of the phrase "don't judge a pitcher by his weight". Most Giants fans have learned the irony of this phrase. SO DO JUDGE A PITCHER BY HIS WEIGHT. Hopefully a team can pick up Benitez, and learn this lesson the hard way.

Most Valuable Giants—Explanation

The Giants have had a long history of good players. So, I decided to investigate, and based solely on stats, I compiled my list. It proves what I thought it would: the best players on good teams are better than the best players on bad teams (most of the time). For proof, look at Orlando Cepeda and Dan Gladden. Both are one-time winners. Which strikes the ear better, Cepeda or Gladden? Exactly. I will look at the careers of each player, with one every few days.

Most Valuable Giants—The List

By Season:
1958—Willie Mays
1959—Willie Mays
1960—Willie Mays
1961—Orlando Cepeda
1962—Willie Mays
1963—Willie Mays
1964—Willie Mays
1965—Willie Mays
1966—Willie McCovey
1967—Willie McCovey
1968—Willie McCovey
1969—Willie McCovey
1970—Bobby Bonds
1971—Bobby Bonds
1972—Dave Kingman
1973—Bobby Bonds
1974—Gary Matthews
1975—Von Joshua
1976—Bobby Murcer
1977—Willie McCovey
1978—Jack Clark
1979—Mike Ivie
1980—Jack Clark
1981—Jack Clark
1982—Joe Morgan
1983—Darrell Evans
1984—Dan Gladden
1985—Chris Brown
1986—Chris Brown
1987—Will Clark
1988—Brett Butler
1989—Will Clark
1990—Kevin Mitchell
1991—Will Clark
1992—Will Clark
1993—Barry Bonds
1994—Barry Bonds
1995—Matt Williams
1996—Barry Bonds
1997—Barry Bonds
1998—Barry Bonds
1999—Jeff Kent
2000—Jeff Kent
2001—Barry Bonds
2002—Barry Bonds
2003—Barry Bonds
2004—Barry Bonds
2005—Moises Alou
2006—Ray Durham

By Most Seasons Won:
9—Barry Bonds (1992-1994, 1996-1998, 2001-2004)
7—Willie Mays (1958-1960, 1962-1965)
5—Willie McCovey (1966-1969, 1977)
4—Will Clark (1987, 1989, 1991-1992)
3—Jack Clark (1978, 1980-1981)
3—Bobby Bonds (1970-1971, 1973)
2—Chris Brown (1985-1986)
2—Jeff Kent (1999-2000)
1—Orlando Cepeda (1961)
1—Dave Kingman (1972)
1—Gary Matthews (1974)
1—Von Joshua (1975)
1—Bobby Murcer (1976)
1—Mike Ivie (1979)
1—Joe Morgan (1982)
1—Darrell Evans (1983)
1—Dan Gladden (1984)
1—Brett Butler (1988)
1—Kevin Mitchell (1990)
1—Matt Williams (1995)
1—Moises Alou (2005)
1—Ray Durham (2006)

A Plea to Benitez

Please, please, let us feel just a little bit of security with three-run lead going into the 9th. I'm not even asking for 1- or 2-run leads, just 3. Is this too much for me to ask?

Caught This While Listening to the Game on KNBR

Dave Flemming and Jon Miller were talking about the Iliad around the 7th or 8th inning. They were talking about it for at least half an hour, and there were many interesting parts, such as Flemming comparing Achilles to a modern athlete. However, the funniest joke of all was from Miller, who said of the Iliad, "I could never really trust the author, because I heard he was a homer." I knew Jon Miller had a lot of talents, but I didn't realize one of them was cracking jokes on the spot.

Bonds Update

He hit a home ruun today. Of course, that doesn't prove anything, but it's nice to see him do it.

Spring Training Blog

Go to Giants Jottings for Giantsfan9's great sring training photos and analysis.

Split Squad

What exactly is the purpose of a split squad? It never made much sense to me why on earth you would need to have your team playing in two different palces at the same time. Answers, anyone?

Nothing Else to Say

Arizona

I realize this is just Spring Training, but how do you allow 7 runs in an inning to these scabs? How do you only get 4 hits off guys like Enrique Gonzalez? These are definitely the Giants of '05 and '06, repackaged.

Fantasy Baseball

I have nothing to write about, so I will just say that fantasy baseball is strange.

Brewers, Part II

It's all very weird. First you lose by 19 runs at home to a split squad, then the next day you visit the full squad and beat them. Can anyone make head or tail of this?

Blowout

Justin Knoedler scored the first run for the Gigantes by getting a sixth-inning RBI single, which was before Steve Holm's run-scoring double two innings later. Bonds went 0-for-2, grounding out and striking out, in his first spring appearance. Matt Cain sailed through the first inning before giving away, thanks to Mike Rivera's double on a catchable ball that Bonds dropped. Ryan Meaux, a non-roster invitee relieved Cain and allowed six runs in one-third of an inning.

The First Win

Today the Giants won, 9-2. Barry Zito may have gotten the W, but the real story was Russ Ortiz and his performance. Ortiz threw three hitless innings. This really should help him win the 5th rotation spot.

Mando

Today, using my handy Spanish-English dictionary, I found out that in Spanish, mando means "command". In the spirit of mando, I command Fatmando to either pitch miracoulously well the whole season, or stink it up the whole season in Florida after stinking it up so badly in Scottsdale that he got traded.

A passage for Benitez

Facing hitters on Wednesday for the first time since last Sept. 2, Our friend, Armando Benitez said that he is "80-85 percent" healthy, which left him feeling optimistic about pitching half-decent this season.

Last week, Benitez said that he tried to return too quickly from right hamstring surgery in 2005, after months of thinking. He never was at full strength last season, cause he's too old, fat and ugly. He blew eight of 25 save chances before his knee died.

This time, Benitez said that he felt no pain, tightness or soreness,(unfortunately), although huge ice packs were wrapped around his flaming knee.

"I want to hurry," said Benitez, who ranks seventh among fattest pitchers with 280 saves. "I wanna be ready. ... Right now, so far so good, of course thanks to my luck I'll never help the team" he said with a frown.

Benitez threw live batting practice to Rich Aurilia, Barry Bonds, Dave Roberts and Randy Winn. The hitters rarely swung, because the pitches hit every player at least once.

But Benitez provided the day's highlight because he threw a strike. "This proves I'm getting better," said Benitez, ecstatically. "I've never thrown a strike while with the Giants."

Note to Readers: This passage is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to a chubby pitcher is purely coincidence.

Non-Expert Projections

ALDS: Minnesota over Anaheim, Detroit over New York
NLDS: San Francisco over Cincinnati, New York over Houston
ALCS: Minnesota over Detroit
NLCS: New York over San Francisco
WS: Minnesota over New York

1962

Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just two feet higher?

--Charlie Brown

That Other Post By El Person

How long do you spend making these posts?

"Chasing the Demon Sphere"

Normally, I don't do dissections of articles—there are other sites who do that a lot better than I do, but this Patrick Hruby article on ESPN.com about the gyroball was so utterly stupid I just had to rip it apart.

First of all, the article is actually a series of "e-mail dispatches" from Hruby to the "Assignment Editor, E-ticket". That format is obviously fake. So fake, in fact, that it makes the rest of the article inherently funny^[1]. Next, the very premise of the article is flawed: the subtitle reads "Is the gyroball real? Will the pitch revolutionize baseball? Patrick Hruby searches for the sport's Loch Ness monster". The gyroball is nothing like the Loch Ness monster^[2]. Everyone knows that the gyroball is real. We saw it with our own eyes at the WBC.

The article itself gets off to a bad start, after all that hilarity. The fist two sentences are "You sound skeptical. Don't be." Why would the mythical "Assignment Editor" be skeptical about a pitch that everyone on Earth^[3] already knew about?

In the next "dispatch", Hruby says, "Right now, the gyroball is akin to Keyser Soze. A mystery. One report claims the pitch breaks twice. Another says it bends like a screwball. Most big leaguers haven't even heard of the thing. So if we find the truth? We'll have captured the Loch Ness Monster, beating everyone else to the sports story of the year. The decade, even." I guess most big leaguers are stupid. Very stupid. The rest of the article goes on in the same stupid way, with people denying the existence of the gyroball left and right. It is so stupid, this post is starting to bore me, so I will cut it short right here.

^[1]If the people at ESPN wanted this to be funny, kudos to them. They did a great job on it. However, judging from the way the article takes itself seriously, I don't think that's quite what they had in mind.
^[2]For a analogy, gyroball:Loch Ness Monster::the fact that Iraq had no WMDs:Sidd Finch.
^[3]Okay, not everyone on Earth. I'll amend that to anyone on Earth who follows baseball and has the vocal capacity to say the word "gyroball".

Adam Cowart

Cowart was the best 35th round pick the Giants could have possibly made in last year's draft. The stats don't lie: 10-1, 1.08 ERA, 0.71 WHIP. His complete dominance was probably the reason the Volcanoes won the Northwest League title last year. The closest comparison I can think of is a Juan Marichal in a league full of Damian Mosses. I wonder why he didn't get the call up to San Jose and he's not the non-roster invitee to spring training, when he's done far more than Tim Lincecum. I hope it's not a fluke—the big promotion he's sure to get this year may tell us if it is. If not, he could be really, really good. As Casey Stengel may have once said about Billy Martin (I don't remember whether it was him), "I don't care if he did it in Timbuktu, he's a real ballplayer."

Bonds Update

He hit a huge homer off Matt Cain in BP today. Not that that means anything, but today's a pretty slow news day.

Zito's New Delivery

I completely pilfered this idea from Grant at McCovey Chronicles, so thank him, not me.

Next Big Things

Matt Cain is 3½ months younger than Tim Lincecum. Meanwhile, Tim played great in A+ ball last year, while Cain played great in the bigs last year. College really does make a difference, but not always a good one.

Our Favorite 3rd Baseman

It just makes you wonder why the heck he's back at 3rd for the Giants this year.

Zito's New Delivery

He used it in college. Now, though I can't pull up his college stats right now, but I think that whatever he did must have worked, since the A's drafted him #9 overall. Also, early on, he was a strikeout pitcher. Over the years, he has evolved into a finesse pitcher. That has become a bad thing, since it has made him one-dimensional and he only has one good pitch, the curve. Now, if this new motion can help him regain some of that long lost juice. However, the thing that has stuck to me most was a comment Ted Robinson made on KNBR yesterday. He said something to the general effect of that the journalists had nothing to write about, so they took a tiny little change and blew it up into something huge, because everyone wants to hear about a $128 signing more than Russ Ortiz battling for the 5th starter's spot, which will probably have a much greater impact of the Gigantes. Well said, Ted. Well said.

It's Official: Bonds Is A Giant

The Giants and Barry Bonds finally agreed to terms on a 1 year, $15.8 million contract. Suprisingly enough, (at least to me) Bud Selig agreed to it. I think this is the first time Eddie Gaedel has ever meant something beyond his publicity stunt. After that game, Commissioner Ford C. Frick ruled that all contracts had to be approved by the commisioner. That never mattered until now. I half thought that Selig would adamantly refuse to approve any Bonds contract. Now, here's a haiku for you about Selig:

I don't like Selig
Because he abuses "best
interests of the game"

Tsuyoshi Shinjo

Remember Tsuyoshi? The Japanese guy who played center field for the Giants and would always (to me, at least) throw the ball sidearm? About 10 months ago, he retired. I thought he retired after the 2003 season, you say? Well actually, he went to Japan to play for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. (What's a "Ham Fighter"?) Now, he's a model. How many American baseball players have retired to take up modeling? None that I know of.

Of course, we can't talk Shinjo without the belt-buckle incident. After watching this video, you may not ever look at Tsuyoshi (which I usually spell wrong) the same way again.

Valentine's Day!

Actually I hate this holiday, but I have heard worse news. Fatmando Blownitez, or simply "El Gordo", is coming back and will probably dash our hopes of making the playoffs. If Bochy benches Fatmando or Blownitez is miraculously traded to the suckers better known as the Florida Marlins, than we shall win the division. If not, then...well...we'll see.

What the Giants Infield Should Look Like in 10 Years, Part 4

SS: Shortstop is the trickiest position of all. Even though my gut tells me it should be Eugenio Velez, just because of his great season for Augusta last year (.315/.369/.557). However, it has been pointed out, and rightfully so, that at 24, he is old for Class A. Another concern is the fact that he has played 4 seasons in the minor leagues, but had never played more than 67 games in a season until last year. These concerns will all probably be answered next year, though. Seeing as that he is on San Francisco's 40-man roster, he is likely in for a big promotion for 2007, which he desperately needs. If he has a good season in AA for Connecticut or another huge season in A+ for San Jose, he will be on the fast track to the big leagues. If he has anything less, though, his age will hold him back and he will become just another Eliezer Alfonzo drifting around the minors.

A safer bet is Tim Hutting. Splitting time between A+ San Jose and AAA Fresno, he put up a mostly average line (.266/.338/.353). Howver, he is the same age as Velez and playing at a higher level then Velez. The Baseball Cube tells us that he is a great fielder and has power, even though he only hit 5 home runs last year.

So, who will it be: Velez, Hutting, or someone else? The coming years will tell.

New Feature

Yesterday, I added a ticker. Comment on whether you like it.

Updated Pitching Chart

This is my new, better pitching chart, based on the one I did yesterday. Why is it better? It's better because this time I used data from players who pitched their last game in 2003, enlarging the sample size from 8 to 69. I think that's better, don't you? The findings were somewhat inconclusive, but surprising: I never knew there were so many players who hung around the minors but never got a real shot at the big leagues (the cluster at the bottom of the chart). Did you?

Pitching Chart

This chart shows the correlation between Minor League and Major League innings pitched for non-active pitchers who played their last game during the 2004 season or later. Draw your own conclusions.

NL West Projections

1. Giants
2. Padres
3. Diamondbacks
4. Dodgers
5. Rockies

Starting Rotation Projections

Barry Zito: 15-13, 4.15 ERA
Matt Cain: 14-8, 3.89 ERA
Noah Lowry: 12-12, 4.38 ERA
Matt Morris: 10-11, 4.52 ERA
Russ Ortiz: 3-8, 5.62 ERA
Jonathan Sanchez: 3-3, 4.41 ERA

What the Giants Infield Should Look Like in 10 Years, Part 3

3B: Do you know who Villalona is? If not, you need to get your Gigantory system checked. However, I'll run it down foir you.

1. He is the biggest sign out of Latin America for the Giants since Orlando Cepeda. I would say that Cepeda turned out fairly well for the Giants, wouldn't you?
2. He turned down more money (more than $2.1 million?) to sign with the Giants. That's devotion.
3. In front of scouts, he hit a 400-foot shot at the age of 13. How many 13-year-olds have scouts looking at them?
4. He's 16. He's great already, and he won't hit his prime for 10 more years. Behold the wonder.

It's Almost Time to Crawl Out of Your Hole!

Just a few days left until pitchers and Molinas report to camp. Can you wait? I sure can't!

Comments, Anyone?

My counter tells me I get 5-10 hits a day, but I've only gotten 8 comments so far. That means 1 in 15 visitors leave a comment. Blogging can get kind of depressing unless you see your audience. Telll me what you think about the Giants! Tell me what you think about this site! Just leave a comment! Please?

Why I Dislike PECOTA

1. PECOTA is not very good at predicting what pitchers will do.
2. PECOTA has the Giants finishing in 2nd place this year. Can't have that, can we?

Super Bowl Predictions

I think that the Colts will steamroll the Bears. After grabbing a 10-0 lead by the end of the 1st quarter, and taking a 13-7 lead into the locker room at halftime, they'll never look back. This game will be remembered as Peyton Manning's defining game, and he'll be voted MVP.

Scoring Summary:

1st Quarter:
TD Colts; Colts lead 7-0
FG Colts; Colts lead 10-0
2nd Quarter:
FG Colts; Colts lead 13-0
TD Bears; Colts lead 13-7
3rd Quarter:
TD Colts; Colts lead 20-7
FG Bears; Colts lead 20-10
TD Colts; Colts lead 27-10
4th Quarter:
FG Colts; Colts lead 30-10
FG Colts; Colts lead 33-10
FG Bears; Colts lead 33-13
TD Bears; Colts lead 33-20

Apprehensiveness

Will the Giants ever win the World Series? Will Felipe Alou ever get the HoF status he deserves? Will I ever kick my Giants addiction, get out of this leather armchair, and start doing something with my life? I'm apprehensive.

The thing I'm really apprehensive about is the first one. The Giants are the only team that was the product of expansion that has not won a WS in their current city: that's 1 out of 16. Only the Indians and Cubs have gone longer, and they both have cute little curses: Rocky Colavito and Billy Goat, respectively. The Giants are the quintessential 2nd place team: they'll make you into such optimists that you feel compelled to tear your heart out when they just come up short (2002). They are so 2nd place they don't even have a curse—they always bring it upon themselves somehow. What can I do about that, though?

The Bonds Contract

Bonds has not filled out all the forms yet, and MLB rejected the contract. They really hate Bonds.

The Bonds Contract

I do not care. Okay? Okay.

What the Giants Infield Should Look Like in 10 Years, Part 2

2B: Are you kidding? The guy at the keystone sack for the future in Kevin Frandsen. Just look at his stats and tell me he's not worthy. He may not be a star, but he'll always be the guy to help with the little things, making that one nice catch, the heads-up defensive play, just like his childhood idol, Robbie Thompson. He also has a strange penchant for getting hit by pitches: he missed a significant amount of time near the tail end of the season after getting hit by a pitch in Fresno the day before being called up, and in his first five big league games, he was hit by four pitches.

Good Advice

If you're ever in trouble, ask yourself, "What would Blownitez do?" Then do the opposite.

Jackie Robinson and Retired Numbers

I think Jackie Robinson is evil. Are you all clear about that? OK, good to get that out of the way, just making sure your automatic "racist" ticker doesn't go off. In 1968, he called Willie Mays a "do-nothing Negro" for not "fulfilling his obligations to the black community". That's just the tip of the iceberg. In 1956, he was traded to the Giants and promptly retired. What is up with that? Marichal was dignified enopugh to acknowledge that he was going to be a Dodger near the tail end of his career. Vice versa for Robinson's old teammate, Snider. Then, years after his death, Selig decides to cruelly force the Giants to retire his number. Don't you think that blue 42 looks ugly up there next to all those other numbers at the Phone Booth? What's the problem with Monte Irvin? He was the 5th black in baseball (3rd in the 20th century), and a HoFer too. Speaking of which, what was so great about Jackie Robinson, anyway? He wasn't the first black in the bigs, not by 60 years. Why not retire Moses and Welday Walkers' numbers? I kow, they didn't have numbers. So? That hasn't stopped the Giants from retiring numbers. As an additional bonus, since the team the Walkers played for soon folded, reitiring their "numbers" wouldn't be glorifying any particular team, like the Dodgers are right now. If only Kirk Rueter could take up roster space forever, and the Giants would never have to retire his number 42.

On a somewhat related note, I remember reading that it was Giants team policy to not retire the numbers of non-HoFers. So then, why aren't all those HoFers from the New York Giants recognized? Some of them are. Of course, I realize that the Giants have more HoFers than any other team, and doing that would make Barry Zito's number the lowest on the team, but still, just the ones that wore a Giants cap on their plaques? Why not?

2002

I am finally coming to terms with 2002, and recognizing it for what it was: a great year, at least for the first 9 months. The Giants were a very good team, and we had all the pieces: Barry Bonds at his peak, J.T. Snow, who was always a very good player, and those one-year guys: Bell, Lofton (maybe not Shinjo). Then there was Robb Nen. If you ever doubt what he did, remember the way he generously donated his right arm to the Giants down the stretch. Would Blownitez do that?

Ned Colleti Meets Remeets Jason Schmidt

I am glad that the Dodgers got Jason Schmidt. I didn't realize that Ned Colletti still thought he was the Schmidt of his time, but if he wants that guy, he can take him. Schmidt was very good for a time, but this year, he showed that he was clearly not the best pitcher on the staff. The fact that the whole world thought the Schmidt signing was a bargain really amuses me. I knew that someone would look at his 16-strikeout game and misleading ERA and pick him up, but I didn't think it would be the Dodgers. I am now obligated to laugh manically, because, according to the principle of schaudenfreude that all Giants fans are obligated to live by, the Dodgers' pain is our gain. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!

East Coast Bias

No one really cares what the heck the Giants do. Face it, Giants fans, it's a sad but true fact. There is a definite East Coast Bias, and you only have to turn on your TV to prove it. I'll bet in July, on a typical TV sports talk show like Around the Horn or Pardon the Interruption, you'll find more New York Giants stories than San Francisco Giants stories, sans the Barry Bonds media circus. Case in point: just this year, on June 28, Mark Teixeira hit a ball that should have been called fair and won the game, but was instead called foul. On the radio version of SportsCenter on the postgame show, that game, which should have been the top story, was instead the 12th—twelveth!—game mentioned. That's why you head to the blogosphere for real sports stories.

A Message to all Magowan Haters

Think about a black cap with an intertwined "TB" on the front. Does that scare you as much as it scares me?

Ballparks

The A's haven't had a ballpark built for them since Shibe Park was built, way back in 1909. Meanwhile, the Giants have had stadiums built for them thrice in that span: in 1911, in 1960, and in 2000.

What the Giants Infield Should Look Like in 10 Years, Part 1

Note: Judging from Brian Sabean's previous policies regarding bringing up minor-league position players, the chances of this actually occuring are so small they do not need to be discussed.

This is the first part in a four-part weekly series about who should be where, coming out of the Giants' talented but ludicrously underused farm system.

1B: Ishikawa is the way for the Giants to go. With the Aurilia signing, the Giants have proved their noncommitance at the first sack, which means good news for Travis. He hit 22 home runs for San Jose in 2005, if you want to know if he has power. I know the California League is the greatest hitter's league this side of the 8-year-old division of the local Little League, but still, 22 home runs anywhere in professional baseball is nothing to sneeze at, the home-run totals of Major League stars over the past 10 years notwithstanding. Can he field, you ask? You bet. I have compiled a nice little chart out of what I could find in the way of fielding off the link above, which you can find here.

The Giants' Uniforms

A few days ago, I talked about how darn ugly the D'backs' (D-backs?) uniforms were. Well, we now wind our way to the best-looking uniforms in the Big Leagues: the Giants'! Everything you could desire from a uniform is right here:

1. Classic: These uniforms are classic as it gets, reaching back to 1933. The design was finalized by 1949 (with "NEW YORK" and "NY" instead of "SAN FRANCISCO" and "SF", of course), and have been use ever since then, except for the Lurie years. (Bob Lurie, for all his qualities, was sartorially blind.) Very few uniforms have been around that long, and the home unis are basically unchanged.
2. Names: What more could you want on that front? The Giants' uniforms, with regard to names, are designed the way all uniforms should be: team name but no player names at home, city name and player names on the road, what more to ask for? Well, maybe great lettering. The Giants have that, too. The script lettering is all the better because no one else has anything quite like this tested-and-true font. Try to imagine any other lettering (let's say cursive) on the uniforms the Giants wear. Can you? I sure can't.
3. Design: The Giants' uniforms, from an aesthetic standpoint, are absolutely wonderful. The colors are very well done, the uniform has the light-at-home, dark-away color scheme, which never fails, and the cream on the home uniforms adds an unexpected but eye-pleasing touch. The orange-and-black caps with an intertwined "SF" are of the old, no-frills kind, which will never look garish, unlike the halos on the Angels' old caps.
4. Originality: This is the last, but most important point. If you are wondering why this is so important, let me ask you a question: What good is it to have a perfect uniform if you copied it off five other teams with the same exact scheme? Nothing, of course, and in the end, this is what makes the Giants' uniforms so great: They're unique. They don't have the Yankeeesque pinstripes or the Dodgeresque cursive, and no one has a Giants copycat scheme. The Giants are all the better for it.

Radio

I love listening to games on the radio. Wait, make that Giants games on the radio. Jon Miller and Dave Flemming just do it so well, how can you not appreciate them? Miller's an old hand at broadcasting, and he has a lot of stories, just like the equally good combo Kruk & Kuip, while Flemming brings a lot of good things to the table himself. Like I said, I like Kruk & Kuip, and I listen to their segment on the radio pregame show daily (which is actually very interesting; check it out during the season), but I just can't really find the radio magic in TV. Anyhow, I don't have FSN, and Jon Miller and Mike Krukow do the KTVU games, so most of the games I hear them call are on the video game MVP Baseball, which I don't even have. Now that's really unfortunate.
Baseball in its essence is a pastoral game, slow, regular, perfect for the radio, unlike, say, basketball. So, with the radio, you have enough time to tell stories and call the game, with nothing lost either way. I think that on the radio, you actually get a better description of the game than with TV, because whereas on TV, pitches can go by without (seemingly) any notice from the broadcasters, radio broadcasters have to give a thorough description of every pitch. This is especially good for people like me, who couldn't tell a fastball from a curve for their life. Viva baseball on the radio!

The answer to yesterday's equation: -2.84106181 (approximately)

A Number I Would Like to See on the Back of an MLB Player

I think it's fair to say that this image is self explanatory. What does it mean? Get out your nearest calculator and see. The answer will be revealed in tomorrow's post.

Bonds in '07

Barry Bonds' reputation has been tarnished forever. He will make the Hall, but he won't be a first-ballot guy. (I don't get that; If a guy's not a HoFer one year, what makes him an HoFer the next, and vice versa?) What should he do in 2007, though?

1. Bust his butt. Do it before you reach the record, but don't slack once you've broken it. The way to win the hearts of the fans is by playing hard.
2. Hit home runs. He has already lost irrevocably most of his fan base outside of his base outside of the Bay Area, so keep the real ones, the ones who don't half care if MLB doesn't celebrate his breaking of the record, because they will.
3. Don't act spoiled. This one is really an intangible; how can he seem less surly and aloof? I don't think he's going to ditch his famed recliner, so this'll really depend on how he acts around his teammates. Signing for about $8-10 million would have helped, but we're past that now.
4. I think the most important thing for Bonds, even though this isn't entirely in his hands, is for the Giants to win. If the Giants won a World Series in Bonds' last season (something I highly doubt would happen, but hope springs etenal), then all would be well, and Giants fans at least would remember him for helping bring a title to The City, more than anything else.

Yes, if Barry follows these four steps, I think his fan base wil be rejuvenated in no time! It won't be easy, though.

Villains of the 20th Century

There were three villains in the 20th century. In no particular order:

1. Adolf Hitler
2. Josef Stalin
3. Tommy Lasorda

The Ortiz Signing

While I think that the Ortiz signing is a good one, the 2002 playoffs somewhat obscure my memory of him, just as they do every other player who left in that offseason, so my opinion of him in those years is probably not the best one to consult. Nevertheless, what with the fact that Arizona is eating up all his salary and Ortiz isn't guaranteed a thing from the Giants, I don't think it's too bad an idea. Yet, if Arizona, which is so desperate for pitching it picked up Randy Johnson, is paying Ortiz $8,000,000 a year (read: a lot of money, even in today's world of $126,000,00 signings) to get his rear end out of the BOB, it makes you wonder...

The Diamondbacks' Uniforms

Sartorially the Diamondbacks have always ranked among the worst franchises in the league, and the new uniforms don't change a thing. They're still ugly, but now they're ugly in a different way. Before, the Diamondbacks' colors screamed haphazardly put together, and now they scream stupidity; who had the great idea of putting an abbreviation on the uniforms?. Who wants that? In the D'backs'—or rather, D-backs', as the uniforms define the new abreviation—In the D'Backs' old uniforms, the color purple was prominent. Why? Because the Phoenix Suns wore that color! That is the epitome of sartorial BBLLEECCHH. And then there are the placket problems. In the words of Paul Lukas of Uni Watch:

Turns out I was right, but not in the way I expected. Whatever else you may think of the new unis, it looks like they’ve got a major problem with the way the chest insignia breaks across the jersey placket. In short: Because of the logo’s design, they had to split the “a” into two halves, and most of the time it doesn’t line up. This shows up again and again (and again) in photos from last night’s unveiling event, and even, to a lesser extent, in MLB’s official merch photo.

J.T.

J.T. Snow willl now fill in for Jon Miller on Sundays, which is a very good thing, if it means good bye to Greg Papa. Papa is a big blemish on the Giants' otherwise great broadcasting crew, and I will not be sorry to see him banished to the Raiders forever. I have heard Snow call games, and he is good at it. I can't wait for him to become a regular in the booth.

Bush and Bonds

Note: This is facetious, and only somewhat based on facts.

George Bush. What does he have to do with baseball, besides the fact that during his tenure as owner of the Rangers, his team was terrible? Why, everything. I have, using my magic analytical powers, found a way to connect him to Barry Bonds, our good friend. Apparently, a while ago, a grand jury testimony by Bonds was leaked to the world. You know why? That's right, George Bush. Obviously, he despises The City and wishes that it would be completely wiped off the map. So, he finds away to get back at us by leaking a grand jury testimony and trying to make us look bad. Aha! So now you know. The truth will set you free.