All Star Game Contest
Michael has once again generously offered up a very cool prize for this contest. E mail me at bigflavor77@gmail.com if you want to enter. You don’t have to be a regular to enter but we reserve the right to exclude you from the contest if we have no idea who you are.
twinfan said, on June 24, 2010 at 6:29 pm (Edit)
OK-here’s the All-Atar contest pending Flavor’s approval and minumum 25 entrants:
Simple: pick our All-Stars. It has to be exact. In other words, if you pick Tim and Wilson, it has to be JUST them. If it’s those two plus Uribe, you lose. First tie breaker: the winner of the AS Game. Second tie breaker: total runs scored in the game.
The prize is a deluxe Quad Core PC, brand new. Built by Mikey…
EMail your picks to Flavor. Deadline July 1 Noon.
AMD Athlon Quad Core 3.0 GHZ per core CPU
Asus M4A77TD Motherboard
4 GB DDR3 Memory
Two 40GB Solid State Hard Drives, RAID 0 ( for O/S and apps)
One 1 Terabyte Hitachi Hard Drive
Blu-Ray Drive ( also burns DVDs and CDS)
1 GB nVidia Ge Force GT220 Graphics Card
Thermaltake MidTower with 500 Watt Antec PSU
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Bummer for Baggs’ blog– they’re moving to “moderating” the comments. That sucks, that means someone has to approve it before it posts–not at all what a blogger wants to deal with. We certainly couldn’t do that here with the volume of posts and direct responses that we exchange back and forth…….
“We certainly couldn’t do that here with the volume of posts and direct responses that we exchange back and forth…”
And why would we (or you, Flav). A big part of the beuty of this blog is its fluidness, and how the comments just roll. Sure, every once in a while you get some ass on here that muddles the water, but by and large, this is an excellent place for us to talk our passion…the world’s most beautiful game (baseball), and specifically, the Orange and Black…our beloved San Francisco Giants!
Twin – your generosity continues to amaze. Thank you once again…how fucking cool what you are doing.
Well, I’ve been talking to a few friends who are also hard-core fans. They peg this upcoming stretch (homestand against the Sox and Bums and subsequent 11 game roadie) as crucial. One friend said they must take 7 of 11 on the road. I don’t know if I would go “crucial,” or that we “must” take 7 on the road. I want to see us take at least two from the hated Bum, and I would be happy with 6 of 11 on the road. One of the things I want to see this team improve upon is road victories. A .500 road record would be sweet.
Dirty gets it going tonight against the Beantown Bombers. The park should be electric…wish I was going to be there.
Go Giants!
another reason to not start Bumgarner (in addition to the many other ones I already listed yesterday): With Dirrrrty going tonight we can’t give the Red Sox two lefties in a row. Their bellies would be filled to excess by the end of Sat night. “Youk” is hitting .429 with a 1.512 OPS against LH pitching. Beltre has a .988 OPS against lefties. V-Mart is hitting a ridiculous .463 against them. Pedroia hit 3 bombs last night, he’s locked and loaded as he comes to SF. It’s going to be tough to hold them under 6 runs tonight, I think…..
A little late posting, but I went to the Zits shelling on Wednesday. I went to batting practice but got there for the end of it. Cain was putting on a show, he hit 4 dingers into the short porch in left. He hit the only HRs I got to see (but most of the regulars were done when I got there). Timmeh again signed for the crowd, but he didn’t get to the end of the line since it was such a mob scene with all the kids off for the summer. He seemed super cool about all of it and he didn’t stop until he was pretty much pulled away by the cop escorting him. Then Boch came out and 2-3 kids went running up for autographs and all I could think was…would they try to get an autograph from anyone in full Giants gear?
Not much to say about the game that hasn’t been said already. I went to the previous Zito start here and I didn’t notice any visible difference in his demeanor, he seemed to strut out to the mound full swagger again, the pitches just weren’t fooling anyone this time around.
Baggs blog has FSN and a few other wacko regulars. I swear I heard Krukow yesterday make a comment about Giants fans on blogs using the expression “Cained” for games when SF doesn’t support the SP who pitches well. Could flav have another esteemed colleague? I can’t believe Krukow spends any time on the Splash…..
Dennis asked about record in the next 17 before AS bore. I think minimum 9-8, 48-40 worst case scenario; homestand no worse than a split, road trip 1 over or 1 under.
And it’s on the PS…SF scored 5 yesterday, normally plenty for Cain. Pen was great and held them off to allow comeback. Zito wasn’t very good day before either but I think at home SF shuts down Boston and LA.
DPs are frustrating but…Chron has a stat that says mlb record is held by Boston of 1990 with 174 (Sf on pace for 178), and Boston won the AL East that year.
No Uribe in the AS—-Cain Wilson Lincecum only, imo.
Anyone who saw the comments after Baggs’ “Strawberries” report from Toronto could see this coming. Some of those posters are truly scary.
I’ll be happy if the Giants get one this weekend since this is probably the best team they’ll face all year, then hopefully take two from the slumping Bums before that killer road trip. And for the only time this season, I’ll be rooting hard for the Yankees over the next three days.
Only truly and unquestionably solid part of yesterday’s game was the unimpeachable performance by the bullpen. Affeldt’s solid two was a huge plus. Bochy yanked Runzler as soon as he got into the walking mode. Good move IMHO. Hoping the generally sharp effort did not wear them down overmuch. Likely Boston will give them plenty of exercise in these next two ~ unless Drrrrty rediscovers his A game.
Plenty of baserunners for the hitters yesterday and there were rallies. Problem was, the rallies tended to be one-run affairs, aborted by those 4 GDPs. If the baseball gods decide to shine on the Giants for awhile, the GDPs will mysteriously abate and the team will score runs galore. Nice place and time to start it would be with the present homestand.
Boston’s going to be tough, but really, one of 3 is fine. As long as they can take 2-3 from the Dodgers. The roadie will be huge. This team is pretty inconsistent on the road, and they forget about patience and working counts it seems like.
Colorado is always tough (split), but I see the Giants taking it to Milwakuee this time around. The Nats? Who knows? 6-5 would be fine. Anything above that is gravy. Anything below, and they lose ground . . .
SD has Fla on the road, Colo home and away, Hou at home, and the Nats away.
Dogs have the Yankers on the road, G’s here, DBs at home, Fla and the Cubbies on the road.
Colo has SD Home/away, Angels on the road, G’s and StL at home
SD looks to have the easiest schedule for this next stretch of games. Can’t believe they are still doing what they are doing with their rankings as hitters:
BATTING AVERAGE .246 – 26th
HOME RUNS 54 – 23rd
RUNS BATTED IN 285 – 23rd
HITS 605 – 24th
But then again, look at the pitching rankings:
ERA 3.07 – 1st
STRIKEOUTS 569 – 1st
SAVES 19 – 8th
WHIP 1.20 – 1st
Stix, Colo on the road is the BIG question. Same with Milwakuee. 8 games on that road can kill any pen . . .
“Only truly and unquestionably solid part of yesterday’s game was the unimpeachable performance by the bullpen.” I beg to differ and think that the offense, while unable to sustain any rallies, did a hell of a job to claw out of a 6-0 hole, and have the go-ahead run at the plate in Uribe in the 9th. Pat the Bat continue to deliver on Tampa’s dime…I dig it.
I agree that it will be a tough series, and expect they take one of three. Two would be awesome.
Like Mac, I will be rooting hard for the Yank-Mees for the only time this season. Nice that the Rox took the Sox deep last night (5-plus hours of extra innings). That game had to take some wind out of Boston’s sails, even tho they won. And, Boston used 6 relievers for the game. Hoping the Yanks and Bums go three extra-frame games with the Yanks kicking the Labumbino’s asses.
Kruk used the word “eroded” when describing Bengie’s skills this morning. Thought that to be brutally bold and honest coming from our best homer. Caught some of the recent posts on Baggarly’s blog that mandated the switch to “moderating.” They’re way past wackadoo stage. Denizens of Room B pale in comparison in terms of stable mental acuity. Well, all except for maybe Chuck. He truly is a taco short of a combo platter.
Contest update: 12 wins, 94 runs and 22 bombs. Projects to 15/121/28. I guess we all should be pulling for our gracious host to capture the June prize. A sweep of the Sox and Bums and Flavor would nail the 18 wins cold. Not me. I’m rooting for GiantHead and his prediction of 15/119/22. Anyone that committed deserves the pink/mauve Notebook. 😀
Wait a darn minute. Now Chuck’s rooting for just 1/3 from the Sox and 2/3 from the Bums. Why? He’s got 15 wins in the contest as well. You guys will stoop to any level for a freebie. You guys stink to high heaven.
They’re going 4-2 on the home stand. I need ’em to get to 16 so I have a goddamn chance.
I’m going with 4 of 6. Big KEY is Sanchez. He starts twice on this homestand. I’m going to bet he throws a gem tonight and the G’s get to knucklehead early.
When his control is sharp, nobody hits Sanchez…
He’s due for one of his top efforts. 4 of 6 home stand is what I posted on the Splash in response to Pacificat’s question. An unimpressive 4-2…
Wow! Great prize Twin. Very nice indeed.
Going to the game tonight and hope our Giants can get to Wakefield early with the depleted pen the Sox have from last night’s marathon against COL. Wakefield has a paltry 5.33 ERA overall, but his road ERA is much better at 3.62. Then again, he only has 32.1 IP on the road this season. Our team BA againts Wakefield is a good .295 for those that have ABs against him, but Huff who has the most, is only .164. Could we possibly see Nate in RF, since he’s 3-3 with Huff on the bench? Can Burrell play 1st?
Chi: Yes they did claw back some of those runs, but as the adage goes: “close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades”. Remember, both the team’s top RBI guys, Huff and Uribe failed in the clutch during that one-run 9th. No knock on either of em as each had done far more than had been expected. Fact is, the team does not have that je ne sais quoi, that sparkle in the middle of the lineup, the guy you just can’t pitch around ~ the killer amidst the filler.
Those of us who follow the team closely thought the man in the middle would be Pablo, figuring that once again, he would be Kung Fu Panda. Hasn’t happened to date. He’s been a slightly better than average ML player, but not the force we had expected. Sophomore slump? Could be. Likely to break out of it and go all Kung Fu on us anytime? Could happen, but not to count on it.
Supporting roles are all present and they are good. Torres, Sanchez, Huff, Uribe and Burrell could start on most ML teams right now. Posey should get back into the groove. Hell, even Rowand had a good day yesterday and Renteria the night before. But even among this talented bunch, someone is slumping or maybe just having a bad day. It’s hard for Bochy to second-guess that beforehand.
Sustained rallies imply that the team has jelled and is clicking as a unit. So long as Molina is the starting C. and Pablo has not recovered his inner Panda, the Giants are not and perhaps cannot be hitting on all cylinders most of the time. Even the SPs will have their off-days and we have seen what can happen when the BP falters.
Would a trade of mostly prospects for that perhaps looming free agent to be bat in the middle be a wise course, or will Sandoval revert to Panda mode in time to rescue this season? One of these two scenarios may be essential to an orange and black October.
Stix – I get it with the horseshoes and hand grenades…the point I was making is that the team showed “some” moxie in clawing back just to get in the god damned game. Digging out of a 6-0 hole and having the tieing runs on (go-ahead at the plate) was good news. A win would have been extremely sweet…but again, the boys could not get that “one key knock.”
“Would a trade of mostly prospects for that perhaps looming free agent to be bat in the middle be a wise course?” Ain’t happening. No way Sabean trades decent prospects for a bat..especially if that bat is an free agent to be. I’m thinking they are banking on the Panda busting out his Kung Fu’edness…and do not expect a trade.
I think they can win the West with what they currently have. Time will tell. Looking forward to these two series. Go Giants!
Rowand has to play tonight. His numbers vs Wakefield are mind-boggling. With Whitey catching Dirty, who’s on first? I guess if Rent plays SS tonight that will answer that.
The only trade for a bat that I could see the club making would be for a guy who has a year or two of arbitration left, or a couple left on a decent contract. But getting a player like that for a bag of prospects? Anyone that thinks that will happen needs to lay off the glue. Again…I will be very surprised if the Giants make a move for a bat. I think they are about as “locked-and-loaded” as they are going to get.
Nice to see Ishikawa get another knock yesterday. Dude has produced the best you could expect considering the limited daylight he’s seen. Got to believe there is a club that sees value in him.
“Hell, even Rowand had a good day yesterday and Renteria the night before”… they don’t belong in the same sentence, my man. Rent is hitting .346 with an OBP of .395, OPS over .800… right now I’d say that he moves up to Torres and Huff status as guys who have to be in there. Tonight? Nate won’t be. Rowand HAS to play with his 11 for 17 4 HRs… so OF is Huff, Rowand, Torres. Buster will be at 1B, Whiteside behind the plate. That leaves Sanchez, Uribe, Rent, Pablo and just 3 spots. Who sits? I’d sit Freddy tonight but it could be Rent…
My proposed LU (even with Huff’s struggles against Wake) for tonight:
Torres – CF
Sanchez – 2B
Huff – LF
Uribe – 3B
Burrell – RF
Renteria – SS
Posey – 1B
El Presidente – C
Dirty – P
I’m with Chi. Unless something falls into their lap, I don’t see much happening on the trade block now. Burrell has been the diamond in the rough they were looking for and I can’t see them getting a bigger impact player than that. I think everyone has their fingers crossed that Panda snaps out of mediocrity. And if he does, October baseball is likely. The brass has put a lot of effort into building a strong farm system the last few years. I’d be very surprised to see big name prospects traded, which is what would be needed to obtain a big name bat.
Rowand just boggles my mind. Does the dude wear contacts? Maybe he needs a new perscription. Watching him just swing away and horrible pitches sure leaves me wondering. He seems to have already decided on swinging or not swinging before the pitch is even delivered. I’ve also noticed that he’s reverted somewhat to his passing a watermellon stance.
Someone mentioned Rowand tearing it up against Wake…if he needs to be in the LU, slide him in the 5 or 6 hole, and adjust the LU accordingly. Torres moves to RF, Rowand CF, and Pat the Bat is on the bench.
Chi, Rowand has to play tonight. I think Pat will sit but that adds a great bat off the bench. I guess I can envision Panda sitting but IMO they have to get him going and that means everyday now until he goes unmistakeably one way or the other.
Have to give Ted props on the POTD. That’s some funny shit.
I agree with Twin that Rowand has to start, but with Huff’s low BA in 55 ABs against Wakefield and Nate going 3 for 3 with a tripple, it would be interesting to see if they start Nate in right, Rowand in center and Torres in left. Posey will play 1st tonight and I think Sanchez stays in the lineup (2-4) After being off yesterday Panda is in there too. That leaves either Rent or Uribe at SS. If for some reason Nate does start, and Huff/Burrell are on the bench, I’d have to go with Uribe for the power and better numbers against Wakefield.
Here are the names that garner a big bat who is under control beyond this year:
Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Posey, Bumgarner. If *at least* one of those isn’t in there, it ain’t happening. I suppose they could get Hanley if they TOTALLY drained the system but who the fuck would want to do that?
3 for 3 ? He can fucking PH early if need be. That’s poor results for Aubrey but 3 HR as well. If Nate were to play, I’d sit Buster, not Huff.
I know it’s a very small sample, but batting a thousand against someone can give the confidence needed to make some waves. Could be the breakout needed for Nate to get on the right track again. I doubt it will happen that Boch sits both Burrell and Huff together, but it’s an interesting scenario.
Nate apologists die hard, don’t they? Ishikawa is actually doing something to merit some starts, Nate? A couple good at bats in 40 don’t cut it, especially when he’s actually hurt on defense sometimes. Nate will be lucky to be here after the break, IMO.
That Yogi/Doomero is Fucking Nuts.
we reserve the right to exclude you from the contest if we have no idea who you are.
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Funny stuff. And thanks,reno. I’ll be sending in my uber-polly All Star choices right now
“If you are rooting against him(Stras.), it means you’re a bitter old man or someone who resents White ballplayers.”
Straight From Yogi’s mouth. You can’t make this stuff up folks.
I think Nate could use a special invite to Room B. His IQ is par for the course. Hell, might even bump the curve a tad.
Agree on Ted’s POTD. That is some really funny shit. Had me laughing outloud here at work. I’m sure anyone close by was saying “what the fuck?” Fuck ’em. Anyway…great shit Ted.
Where are you getting this shit, freshtode? Is that from the Splash?
Yeah.
And thanks, Chi
“we reserve the right to exclude you from the contest if we have no idea who you are.”
Does anyone truly know who they really are? I’ve been trying to figure that out going on 44 years myself. It’s reassuring to know my friends at the Flap have decided my fate for me. Could have saved me a lot of time and effort in therapy with a little heads up.
Does anyone truly know who they really are?
———————–
VerbalJudo/Yogi/Doomer over on the Splash truly thinks (actually, he thinks he knows) that I’m xoot. And vice versa. I’d ask twin to recommend Room B for him but that’s just too scary. He needs his own room. It seems that people that post under multiple psuedonyms assume everyone else does as well. Creeeeeepy
He thinks I’m Twin, too. Did not know I was in my sixties.
Whose worse? Yankee fans or Red Sox fans?
I haven’t been around many Yank fans. The Sox fans when they were last here were pretty decent (you know…for fans from another team). That was, of course, before they won the WS.
Sorry (well, not really) to offend if this applies to anyone here, but those who post under multiple names, etc. just need their asses kicked. Fucking man-up and say what’s on your mind without hiding behind multiple names/personalities.
I’d have to say Sox fans are worse. Yankee fans can be curt and obnoxious, but Sox fans tend to be whiny, long-winded and obnoxious. A Yankee fan will just tell you your team sucks and to fuck off. A Sox fan will tell you your team sucks, but then will explain in great detail why they suck and try to commiserate with you in the end. Who needs that shit anyways.
I get to see it first hand on Sunday.
Hey. That’s cool. I never realized Flav can move comments around so the flow of the thread works better. Look at my 11:52 followed by freshtode’s 11:56 followed by my 11:54.
And I second Chi’s 12:28 post (second paragraph only because I have no recollection of ever meeting a Yankee or Boston fan)
I didn’t move them around.u can respond specifically to a comment if u want and it will appear right below the comment no matter what tine u post it
Wel, SOAD is the king of multiple personalities.
Talked about Boston fans yesterday. Didn’t have too much of a problem with them, eitehr here or in Boston, even after the G’s beat them in the game I was at the last time they were here. . . . Of course, they no longer have ‘long-suffereing’ attached to themselves anymore so they can’t play that shit.
Would love to catch one of the games this weekend…especially Saturday’s when they retire Irvin’s number. I happened to catch the interview with him on KNBR this morning. The guy’s mind is sharp as a razor…pretty amazing for a guy his age.
Nice article by Chris Haft that discusses the event.
http://tinyurl.com/2dhc2ty
In case some of you didn’t see it, here’s another good article on Irvin from a couple of days ago in the Merc…
http://tinyurl.com/2bg67jf
3-3 on this homestand. 4-7 on the following roadie…
Irvin certainly is a historical figure in baseball, and was the Giants first black player. I’m up for a Monte Irvin day and a plaque for his historical place in the Giants pantheon; he just shouldn’t get a retired number. In my book, that’s the ultimate team honor for a player with outstanding on field achievement for the team over a long period of time. He was with the Giants for only 6 years, and had a big year during the ’51 season, but after that, he was a pretty good player, but nothing fantastic. He’d left his best years and stats as a youngster in the Negro Leagues, obviously not his fault. He’s already in the HOF, he doesn’t need or deserve a retired number…
twin, stop making comments about people who have been banned from the blog. He’s gone, if you want to chat with him or about him he’s right there at the Splash for you to engage…..
Do even genuine fans have a vote on whose numbers are retired? I don’t think so, so I doubt that the loonie fringe has a say, either. Certainly if it were only numbers, Monte would fall short. By MLB numbers alone, even Jackie Robinson does not deserve the HOF and he never played in the Negro league enough to merit it on that level. Clearly, more than numbers are at work here. As a pioneer in breaking the color barrier and SF’s first black player, Irvin is a most deserving man to have his number retired.
Chi, I heard Monte Irvin this morning as well. He was sharp for a guy at any age. Remarkable and classy fellow.
A 7-10 pre-break finish from the snarkkster? That’s a little much coming from you. I had you pegged for 5, 6 wins tops. You know, your default prediction for 49er victories with Alex Smith at QB.
Since I posed the question, best at least venture a guess myself. Willie D had us at 9-8, I’d take that in a heartbeat. So I’ll stick with his prediction; 9-8. 4-2 home, 5-6 on the upcoming roadie. Banking on this club to play .500 ball on the road is stoopid and futile.
O/U on the game tonight is 8. I just unloaded on the over……
The loonie fringe has a vote for retired numbers, the most important one. Baer. If Irvin gets a retired number for historical reasons, then Will Clark gets one for actual on field performance that far exceeds Irvin’s numbers over just a little longer period of time. And in my book, Will falls far short of deserving a retired number…
Tonight, as I thought:
Torres RF
F. Sanchez 2B
Huff LF
Uribe SS
Sandoval 3B
Posey 1B
Rowand CF
Whiteside C
J. Sanchez
Not to go all doomer on you guys, but I predict 8-9 over the next 17. 3-3 at home, 5-6 on the road.
Jeez…I went over and checked things out on the Splash. There is just too much lunacy, bullshit, just plain idiocy. Okay…got my taste for another month or so.
Surprised the O/U is so low. I would have laid coin on the over, too.
DMD, 6 wins for the Niners with Alex the Great at the controls? We’ll see how he does in camp, even tho Alex would probably have to slug Sing in the nose in front of the cameras to not get the starting nod. It’s do or die for the Ute. 6 wins might be a little high for him, since he might get pulled after 4 or 5 games in … 🙂
Interesting that you chose Will Clark as your counterpoint, Mr. Crow.
Don’t pull the race card, assbite. You’re really, really barking up the wrong tree on that one, as usual. Talk about doomers. You are the most negative dude on this blog, by far, intimating the worst motives behind what anybody says, with no grounds whatsoever for it. Crawl back into your hole and think up the next low blow stinkbomb. Meanwhile, I’m done with you on this…
The boy done been honored enough?
Listen, shithead, YOU bring the known bigot Will Clark into this for zero reason OTHER than introducing the “race card”. Why not one of scores of others? Fact is, “historical reasons” can be far more legit than just numbers. As SF’s first black player, Irvin is totally deserving, certainly far more than it’s most famous racist pig…
As SF’s first black player,
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As the Giants first black player. Wanted to jump on that before someone else did. Gay ass smiley face to follow
🙂
No kidding, Chi. The Splash is horrible, even for Splash standards . . .
SOAD is posting as 2/3 of the posters over there.
I dunno. I can find the Splash interesting at times. Not nearly as interesting as the most interesting man in the world however. Not even close.
TF, where’d you find tonight’s posted already? 4 hrs. beforehand is awfully early. Did you consult a psychic?
“He once went to a psychic, to warn her.”
Stay thirsty, my friend. 😀
Yeah, NY Giants… the thing with Snarkkles is he gets to where he posts his shit only to be contrary, what he accuses ME of. There’s not a fucking reason in the world to object to Irvin’s number being retired. He knows that but he just wants to put up a contrarian view.
Dennis, you can find them here before anywhere else. On most days, I’d have to kill you now but being Friday and the Red Sox, I’m feeling generous …
http://tinyurl.com/2e9ntxv
Actually, I thought if you were a HOF, and played for the Giants long enough, you got a retired number and a place on the wall…
I know the “Wall” has criteria. Not sure about retited numbers, though
You don’t need to be a HOFer to be on the wall, and the criteria is extremely loose. I don’t remember exactly what it is, but they lowered it to get JT a place last year.
I hope the giants beat the snot out of the red sox today….I am NOT a fan of boston at all. It’ll be interesting to see if rowand lives up to his knuckle ball hitting reputation.
Retited. Sounds like a boob job
Wouldn’t that be retitted?
Yeah. But I originally typed retited. I was going for consistancy.
Retitted or detitted?