A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball

Zito’s Law

Posted in Uncategorized by Flavor on September 4, 2010

It seems like every time Zito pitches something stupid happens to us—like God hates the Giants when he pitches. Should Guillen have caught that ball?  OF COURSE that hit by Lady B goes to the ONE guy on the field who is least likely to make that catch. I’d guess that every outfielder on our team makes that catch…..

2 hits? This year we have exactly 2 earned runs scored of Billingsley through 29.2 innings he’s pitched against us. Pathetic….

You can’t blame the loss on one guy unless you believe God hates Barry Zito and I think that’s an inarguable fact at this point. “When he pitches, dumb shit  happens”. It’s Zito’s Law……..

The Padres continue to lose, even at home. This is still totally doable……..

420 Responses

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  1. blade3colorado's avatar blade3colorado said, on September 4, 2010 at 7:57 am

    “Zito’s Law” is right up there with the other physical laws of nature, e.g.,

    Archimedes’ principle
    Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion
    Newton’s three laws of motion
    Euler’s laws of rigid body motion
    Newton’s law of universal gravitation
    Newton’s law of cooling
    Boyle’s law
    Law of conservation of energy
    Joule’s first and second law
    The four laws of thermodynamics
    Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle

    However, Zito’s Law differentiates itself from the aforementioned laws in that it will render a Giants fan temporarily psychotic and suicidal.

  2. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 8:10 am

    “Barry Zito has a reputation as a second’half horse. But as the pennant race reaches a full gallop, Zito doesn’t even qualify as second rate.”
    –Baggs

    Don’t look at me for the cause of his demise, I haven’t bet on his sorry ass all year. Barry is not my kind of horse. I’ve wagered on my fair share of nags in my lifetime, but Barry takes the cake.

    • 0-7 (5.79) in nine starts since his last win 7/16 vs the Mets.
    • Last six outings; ERA of of 9.51
    • Including his BP outing, we’ve lost five straight games in which #75 has appeared.
    • Barry hasn’t won on the road since May 5. May 5? That’s Cinco goddamn de Mayo

    Makes sense now that his last name is Gomez.

    • willied's avatar willied said, on September 4, 2010 at 8:24 am

      Only if he was pitching for the French.

  3. TedSpe's avatar TedSpe said, on September 4, 2010 at 8:15 am

    God hates us when Zito pitches?
    Simple solution.
    Ishikawa is now the 2nd SP for the Giants.
    Why not? It’s the NL. He can still hit

  4. Billy's avatar Billy said, on September 4, 2010 at 8:35 am

    Anyone catch the Chris Rose / Brian Wilson interview here? http://www.videosurf.com/video/the-cheap-seats-week-21-1216626985

    Make sure to watch at 6:00 in. Hilarious.

    • mrmrbill's avatar mrmrbill said, on September 4, 2010 at 9:24 am

      hah! … 6:00 … Wilson is out there!

  5. willied's avatar willied said, on September 4, 2010 at 8:37 am

    As to Guillen’s OBP, the curious thing is he has 2 BBs in 52 ABs with the Giants. Also 2 XBH, one 2B one HR. Curious thing to me is why this guy is ever in the lineup.

    As to backup Cs burning us, I remember David Ross, whom Sanchez had K’d 6 times in 7 ABs, taking him yard in ATL last month. It was his first all year, in August.

    Zito had pitched well vs. LA tho previously–I remember him striking out a bunch of them last year, including Loney like 4 times in one game. Like all the rest of us, Bochy didn’t get what he was looking for, or what he has gotten out of the rest of the rotation last time through.

    Hopefully bats wake up tonight; 4.3 runs would have won 6 games NL last night. Cain’s on we might not need that many.

  6. max808's avatar max808 said, on September 4, 2010 at 8:53 am

    God must be punishing Travis. He’s in an 0-11 funk as a PH.

    All true about Guillen, but what’s the alt? Nate, Ross, Rowand???

    So kick Zito and move on. He didn’t get it done. Nothing new there. He’s scheduled to pitch again in Az and I don’t see how they can send him out there. But I haven’t heard of any realistic alternative.

    None of that excuses the offense. They looked awful from the first pitch. They don’t score without the Furcal error.
    I don’t think they even had a baserunner after the 4th. Some would argue Zito took the fight out of them. NO, they were DOA.

  7. blade3colorado's avatar blade3colorado said, on September 4, 2010 at 9:03 am

    Insightful post Max (especially, “. . . None of that excuses the offense. They looked awful from the first pitch. They don’t score without the Furcal error.
    I don’t think they even had a baserunner after the 4th. Some would argue Zito took the fight out of them. NO, they were DOA.”).

  8. dirtnrocksnomo's avatar dirtnrocksnreno said, on September 4, 2010 at 9:06 am

    Well at least Ray looked good last night.

  9. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 9:09 am

    Tonight’s lineup blows both Super Mario and Luigi. Rowand batting lead off? Bochy is a goddamn boob.

    I told ya last I was gonna start bashing this crap bright and early. I’m a man of my convictions.
    Rowand batting lead off? “That’s totally inappropriate. It’s lewd, lascivious, salacious, outrageous!”

    [should Rowand not play, please disregard above]

    Check that, even the very thought that Rowand might play is, well,…
    ” That’s deplorable, unfathomable, improbable.”

  10. max808's avatar max808 said, on September 4, 2010 at 9:28 am

    Dennis, “But first, you’ve gotta get mad!… You’ve got to say, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’

  11. zumarust's avatar zumarust said, on September 4, 2010 at 9:42 am

    After the Giants tied the game, Zito walked the first two hitters. He was afraid to throw strikes because he knows he so hittable these days.

  12. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 9:56 am

    ZOOM– exactly. He knows what his fastball is doing (or not doing) these days. Everyone does. He can’t win when his velocity is that far down. 85-86? No chance…..

  13. JBat's avatar JBat said, on September 4, 2010 at 10:09 am

    Jamie Moyer got away with 85 mph for years and was very successful.

  14. alleykat's avatar alleykat said, on September 4, 2010 at 10:28 am

    Anyone else sick of Krukow’s excuses?”Well the bats looked slow and tired? WTF they were off Thursday,with a 45 Min flight to LA,how the hell could anyone be tired?

    • Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 10:56 am

      Kat, maybe it wasn’t the bats who looked slow and tired, but those yielding them.

      Torres 32
      Sanchez 32
      Huff 33
      Burrell 33
      Guillen 34
      Posey 23
      Sandoval 24
      Uribe 31

      Sans Buster and Pablo, the lineup avg. is 32 1/2. Even with it’s still an even 30.
      Old, slow and tired. Yes siree, Bob. Solution for tonight? Add Renteria and Rowand into the mix.

      The Password is “Geriatrics.”

  15. stixwiz's avatar stixwiz said, on September 4, 2010 at 10:48 am

    This year they can’t solve Lady Barbara. Max: Point very well made re the offense. Zito wasn’t particularly good but he was one inning short and one run over from pitching that 3 in 6 quality start i was hoping for. So he is not quite ZiToast just yet. Note to Bochy: Do not ever, ever, even think of using him in relief again. As for his remaining 5 or so starts, let’s hope he gets lucky with run support and the Giants win a couple of them.

    Meanwhile back to the offense. Cainers going tonight. They damned well better hit Lilly or he could end up suing those batters for lack of support. Somebody better step up and produce.

  16. Kevin's avatar Kevin said, on September 4, 2010 at 10:58 am

    Simon and Garfunkel had a song “The Sounds of Silence”. That should be the Giants Bats anthem.

  17. Giant Head's avatar Giant Head said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:04 am

    What a pathetic piece of shit performance all the way around last night…

    Block…hmmm Bochy, is not back to his mental neutral vet obsession lienup. Huff has got tio sit tonight and stop hitting third. Just killing us. I bitched all week that this lineup was not getting it done. Posey has got be hitting third or at least seocnd and Franchez back top 8th.

    But they all sucked last night. We needed to take pitches, walks and get Lady Billingsley out of the game…they did exactly the opposite!

  18. stixwiz's avatar stixwiz said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:11 am

    GH: I’ve been cringing about Huff for awhile now too and made it clear that i prefer him to NOT be batting third, at the very least. Better he sit for a day or two and then come back to bat sixth or seventh.

  19. Giant Head's avatar Giant Head said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:23 am

    exactly Stix…I was about to write about Zito’s puitch selection to the Lady last night and was catching up on the conversation from last night.

    They had Lady at 1-2…Posey has to be calling for the big curve for the next pitch. No way he hits that pitch and he is probably swinging. Zito should have been looking to throw it as well and should know his game better than Posey.

    But with that also said, the decision to let Zito pitch to Barajas squartely falls on Block….mmmm, Bochy’s head. Roger Craig would never had let that happen…we should have been up 2-0 and who knows if Zito then walks two hitters and then back into that situation facign the Lady once again.

    One bright note is that teh Dodger’s pathetic offense was not looking any less pathetic. Cain should be able to mow them down!

    • wswinb4igo's avatar wswinb4igo said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:51 am

      It’s up to the pitcher not to let the 8th place hitter beat you…You don’t even have to come close to Barrajas, he’d swing.

      It was a 2/2 pitch barbara got the hit on, the 1/2 pitch was a cb/cu in the dirt he didn’t chase…

  20. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:24 am

    Stix, you want the guy who leads our club in Avg. (.289), OBP (.384), Hits (136), HR (22) and RBI (77) to bat either six or seventh? Surely you jest.

  21. alleykat's avatar alleykat said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:25 am

    Here are 6 losses that have hurt me alot!!! Anyone else have others they would like to add?

    1) Manny’s 2 run HR off Romo in the 8th
    2) Werth bloop double against Wilson
    3)Coming back down 9 runs and then losing it
    4) Broken back triple
    5)Home plate ump Phil you POS Cuzzi ruling Ishi out when he was clearly safe
    6)And let’s not forget the most annoying little shrimp in baseball David Eckstein with of course his only HR of the season off of Affeldt to beat the Giants 3-2 in extra innings!

  22. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:26 am

    Here’s a challenge for this blog: When I post something about Zito’s shitty 85 mph fastball and explain why he can’t be successful at this velocity, do you think someone can NOT mention Greg Maddux or Jaimie MOyer? They weren’t successful BECAUSE their velocity sucked, they were successful because they had great location and changed speeds skillfully. 85 isn’t bad if you throw other effectively located pitches at 80 and 75. In fact 85 is fine.
    Listen to me: Zito can’t do that shit. He’s got no velocity and no location. He’s got a big breaking curve. That’s fucking it. He’s NEVER going to be Greg Maddux and there’s a reason why Maddux is held in such high esteem: what he did was very fucking hard to do…….

    • eddacker415's avatar eddacker415 said, on September 4, 2010 at 3:54 pm

      but . . you gotta love the look of his off speed stuff. Many pitchers have made a career of pitching those. And we all hoped Zits would do that too; those pitches certainly look great.

      the batters just aren’t cooperating.

      Damn

  23. dirtnrocksnomo's avatar dirtnrocksnreno said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:28 am

    Huff could use a blow but the one who needs to move to the bench or down in the order is Burrell. Tought call though because even when he’s not hitting he’s one of the few guys who can work a count and take a walk.

    Give Ross some run.

  24. James's avatar James said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:28 am

    Because the average age of the blog line up is about 51.5, it always surprises me that Randy Jones isn’t the poster child for high school velocity ML success.

    Whether Huff bats 6th, 7th or 3rd, if he continues a downward slide that brings his OPS down to the mid 800s, that will be a big problem over the next few weeks.

  25. dirtnrocksnomo's avatar dirtnrocksnreno said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:34 am

    haha, no shit Flav. For all the pub that Moyer gets wasn’t he left off the PS roster last year. Or was it their WS year? So he eats innings throwing absolute slop up there. Good for him. So fucking what. Zito thows absolute slop up there and gets hammered. Is it just me or is everyone waiting for the bombs to start launching when Zito take the mound. Sure he may make it 2 or 3 innings but its only a matter of time. Every time.

    Instead of Maddox or Moyer, Zito should look to the late career resurgence Glavine had. Dude totally reinvented his approach and had some good success to finish off his run.

  26. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:45 am

    Glavine also benefited from “strikes” that would get called 6 inches off the plate. Gotta have some rep out there and zito has the wrong rep for sure

  27. alleykat's avatar alleykat said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:48 am

    Rod Barajas has 3 hits off the Giants this season.All 3 have been HR’s. Cain needs to buzz his earlobe tonight.Fuck LA!!!!!!

  28. dirtnrocksnomo's avatar dirtnrocksnreno said, on September 4, 2010 at 11:54 am

    In NY Glavine wasn’t getting that outside pitch and started throwing that inside corner change that was very affective. Zito has a good change and the curve which many umps give up on and he doesn’t get all the strikes he should with. Like you said though it is his JV no movement fastball that gets him in trouble.

  29. Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    I expect better from Willie. Questioning Guillen defensively is reasonable, offensively it’s fucking stupid, just as Snarkk’s bullshit last night ( that Ross should have batted for him in the 9th). After last night Guillen’s OBP here is .375.
    Here’s MY big challenge: shut the fuck up if you don’t know what you’re talking about .
    And look, I can’t teach you EVERYTHING about this game, Kat. No manager would have walked Barajas in the situation where he hit the HR. None. That early, scoreless, first not open, you pitch to the weak fuck and have the pitcher lead off the next inning. Bochy LATER walked him as every manager WOULD-the second and third situation. And how do I know this: because I know the game. Period.
    BTW, this complete fabrication that suddenly the catcher has no responsibility whatsoever for how the pitchers throw and what they throw is a completely new invention that has been constructed solely for Buster Posey.

  30. Nipper's avatar Nipper said, on September 4, 2010 at 12:49 pm

    BF lays down the law to you guys. Zito sucks period. His profanity comes out through his pitching rather than his mouth. Watching a Zito game is for the masochists among us.

  31. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 12:51 pm

    It was probably constructed to protect him from your incessant, endless, usually unwarranted criticism of him….

    • Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:04 pm

      The only criticisms I’ve made are valid. Fact is, many here trashed Molina on pitch calling and absolve Posey of any responsibility for it all. That’s idiotic and hypocritical. The onlty reason this seems “incessant” is because you people go postal when any criticism at all comes down.

  32. Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 12:56 pm

    The concept that escaped Snarkklefuck: OBP is a measure of how likely it is that a batter will reach base. Going into last night Guillen was at .404, Ross .294 ( here). The Snarkwad’s reasoning was that since Ross is faster, he’s a better bet to get on. If that’s the motherfucking benchmark, Ford was better YET. Or one of the pitchers, Whiteside, ANYBODY. No, poor dipshit: the guy with the better record of actually REACHING base is the better choice. Then you run for him. I used to get a big laugh from the dimmer bulbs here when Bengie would fail to get a double on a hit that a faster runner would have reached second on. We’d hear “Whitey would have had a DOUBLE on that!!!”. Yes, dumbalaya, if he’d hit the fucking ball in the first place…

  33. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    Who ever trashed Molina on pitch calling? You’re inventing that…..

    • Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:14 pm

      You’re fucking kidding. That whole fucking CERA bullshit was because of all the fucks who claimed Whirtside called and caught a better game than Bengie. I objected to the CERA because of Whitefuck’s small sample size compared to Bengie. Then when the sample size is valid THIS year, YOU fucking wanna throw it out. As I said: hypocrite. And “hypocrite” is the gentle word here.

  34. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    7:10:00 PM; Lilly throws first pitch.
    7:10:03 PM; Rowand swings and hits a 3-hopper to Blake for a 1-pitch 5-3 putout.
    7:10:15 PM; Dennis blogs: Jesus H. Motherfucking Christ! Bochy is killin’ me!

  35. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:15 pm

    Don’t bash Guillen, he’s old, tired and slow. He’s a “good Giant.”

  36. zumarust's avatar zumarust said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:16 pm

    Kat, that list of games would have to include that afternoon game in Cincinnatti when the Giants had an early 5-0 lead for Wellemayer. Then Wellemayer hurt his leg running to firstbase, and Bochy brought in Bautista who proceeded to give back all 5 runs in one inning, in part due to his own botched fielding play.

  37. alleykat's avatar alleykat said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    I’ll counter with Guillen’s .375 OPS,with the number of runs scored with because of of his poor defense(uzr -3) in addition to the dropped fly ball vs Ari and last nights,that is 7 runs extra allowed.Factoring in his batting stats,he about breaks even.BREAKS EVEN!…And i never said anything about walking Barajas the 1st time up Mike,that’s all in your twisted mind.Just don’t throw lollipops to him like Zito did with the pitcher on deck.

  38. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:23 pm

    I never once questioned Benjie’s game calling ability. All the pitchers loved throwing to him, everyone knows that. I questioned his shitty defense and bad arm over the last season and a half. I questioned his complete inability to take a walk. And I questioned his ability to hit 4th. I also questioned how big his titties were a few times. But never did I question his ability to call a game…….

  39. alleykat's avatar alleykat said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    Yeah that’s a good one too Zumie.Kinda of forgot about that one,maybe cause i’m trying to forget about Wellemeyer even existed.

  40. Kevin's avatar Kevin said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:34 pm

    Also with Posey, I see him occassionally looking into the dugout before calling pitches, so he is not alone in making the call. I want to say Molina did it to, but not as often. But lets face it getting only two hits is what lost the game. Bottom line is the Giants as a team needs to put up some runs. Zito this and Zito that only goes so far.

  41. zumarust's avatar zumarust said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:34 pm

    For good mojo:

  42. Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:37 pm

    “All the pitchers loved throwing to him, everyone knows that”. Obviously NOT everyone. I never singled out just you so don’t be a butt hurt little boy after a spanking. MANY questioned it which is how the CERA came up in the first place…
    Kat, you’re right, it was one of your fellow doomers, GHead, who posted that they should have walked Barajas. You all sound alike, and that’s not just a dig, it’s true. Pure idiocy. Anyway, I was addressing hitting, and going back to Doomer 3 ( Snarklewad) saying Ross should have hit for Guillen. As far as defense and overall, you’re confused ,Katwad: I’m one of the only ones who questioned the acquisition in the first place. In other words: Guillen is not my boy.
    Look, I definitely could and should write a book for you, but I don’t have the time to teach Baseball 101. The ignorance here of even basic strategies is appalling.

  43. big flavor's avatar big flavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:37 pm

    The whole CERA shit wasn’t about dissing Benjie as much as it was thinking, at the time, that Whitey called a hell of a game when he was the catcher. THat doesn’t mean I thought Benjie called a shitty game. In fact, toward the end, it was really the only thing he was good at……

    • Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:49 pm

      Oh, I can’t resist, obviously Whitey forgot or learned from the Busterwad:
      Zits with Molina, Whiteshit, and Buster: just the juiciest part
      Molina 86 innings 4 HR
      Posey and Whiteturd 88 innings 15 HR

      That’s actually a huge fucking diff that can’t be just dismissed.

  44. Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:42 pm

    Amazing how often “bottom line” isn’t. Two hits, smoo hits, it’s still 2-2 without the cluster fuck to Barbara. There are several reasons the game was lost, not one.

  45. Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:44 pm

    Whatever, Flavor, as per your rules, let’s move on. Buster rules.. now let’s have some Honorary Gomez bashing: ROWAND!

    • Freshtodef80's avatar freshtodef80 said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:58 pm

      They’re burning Rowand and Renteria effigies as we speak.

  46. zumarust's avatar zumarust said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:46 pm

    San Jose St. is playing one of those “blood money” games today against Alabama. San Jose St. sports gets a nice payday, and Alabama hopes to get an easy win. A real ‘win/win’ situation for both schools, except for the SJ St. players.

  47. macdog's avatar macdog said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:46 pm

    That bullshit strike 3 call on Guillen was another one, since it turned out to be the last threat the Giants had.

  48. big flavor's avatar big flavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:46 pm

    Rowand isn’t playing tonight, is he? Did Bochy say Rowand was getting the start today?

    • zumarust's avatar zumarust said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:52 pm

      That was just Baggs speculating.

  49. Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    Bags thought he might, makes some sense. I posted the numbers against Lilly:
    Against Lilly, last two numbers are HR-RBI :
    Huff .120 3 for 25 0-0
    Fruckie .348 8 for 23 0-2
    Rowand .368 7 for 19 1-3
    Renteria .235 4 for 17 1-1
    Guillen .176 3 for 17 1-2
    Uribe .308 4 for 13 2-5
    Burrell .111 1 for 9 0-0
    Ross .333 2 for 6 1-1
    Torres .000 0 for 3 0-0
    No one else has faced him.

  50. big flavor's avatar big flavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    Zumie– not true, I suspect the SJ State players are totally stoked to face off against a program like Alabama– this is a game they’ll never forget. And the few positives they do take away from the game ((maybe a score, interception, etc) is something they can tell their grandkids about…..’
    I’m skipping the Stanford/Sac State game today. Just don’t really feel like watching THAT bloodbath—i’ll catch some of it on tv. And yes, I took Stanford giving the 42 pts……..

    • zumarust's avatar zumarust said, on September 4, 2010 at 2:14 pm

      OK- it’ll be thrilling for them…..for a while. Until the body bags start coming out. (grin)

  51. big flavor's avatar big flavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 1:58 pm

    Luck could throw for 500 yards today………

  52. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 2:14 pm

    You think Harbaugh will keep the pedal pushed down that far? 42 is a lot of wood to be laying. I love Luck, hope he’s a Niner soon.

    Bribon here in the Forego. Should be flying late. Go Go Gomez!

  53. Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 2:16 pm

    Interesting that some actually *seek out* the worst losses of the year rather than the best wins..
    “Well, what do you remember most from your long life, Kat?”
    ” Well, when Aunt Peg kicked, the cat drowning, two broken legs, the fire of 2006…ahhh, memories “

    • zumarust's avatar zumarust said, on September 4, 2010 at 2:19 pm

      I’d almost be willing to bet that the athletes themselves remember the worst losses better than they do the best wins.

      • Michael's avatar Michael said, on September 4, 2010 at 2:28 pm

        So what? That’s different. I have never in 56 yearsof following sports heard any athlete produce a list of worst moments just for the heluvit. But any fan, especially in the midst of an exciting season, should not have the WORST of the year be the thing that dominates. Kat is an inveterate doomer. And he’s a hilarious one: Bochy is awful, this is awful, that’s awful, this sucks, the defense sucks, they can’t hit, Sabean is an idiot… call for the month: 22-6… guy’s a riot.

  54. zumarust's avatar zumarust said, on September 4, 2010 at 2:17 pm

    Btw- did anyone else hear that umpire discussion they had miked during the FOX game, discussing Gonzalez’s hit? They sounded like a bunch of clueless goofballs, and then the color analyst says: “That’s good stuff.” Oh yeah. It was great hearing all four umps say they saw something different. That’s a real confidence booster. And how the heck does San Diego get away with building such a funky corner in their stadium.

  55. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 2:22 pm

    Ran like Barry Zito Gomez….

    I’m usually of the mind that the public is WRONG, but the line moment today on the Wash/BYU game has been fast and furious. Cougars started off the day -2, and now the Huskies are favored by 2 1/2. Jake Locker is my hero. He’s another that’d look good in the red and gold.

    Washington – 2 1/2. It’s against my better judgment, but you can Book It!

  56. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 2:39 pm

    I never bet byu gms. I’m wrong every single time. But if I gad to wager I’d say wash beats them by a td or so… And harbaugh will run up the score, he just won’t score a td in the last second. He’d neal down. Luck could win theheisman he needs a huge gm right out the shoot.

  57. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 3:14 pm

    Last two Big Horse starts, we’ve avg. 10 runs/gm. I’d settle for 1/2 that tonight and gladly take my chances.

    Two hits again ain’t gonna cut it.

  58. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 3:38 pm

    Kemp on the bench. Interesting. Torre sure likes benching his best player a lot…

  59. James's avatar James said, on September 4, 2010 at 3:45 pm

    Here’s the piece from “Baseball Between the Numbers” that argues against any significant defensive “influence” of catchers outside of their caught stealing percentages:

    http://tinyurl.com/22qzo59

    The essay on why it makes sense to use 4 starters instead of 5 is also available.

  60. zumarust's avatar zumarust said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:02 pm

    The Padres are finally looking nervous. It took just about all season.

  61. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    Tonight’s lineup is a goddamn motherfucking joke. Two words: We Lose.

    Rowand cf
    F Sanchez 2b
    Huff 1b
    Posey c
    Guillen rf
    Ross lf
    Uribe 3b
    Renteria ss
    Cain p

  62. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    And I don’t wanna hear anything about Rowand’s “good” numbers vs Lilly.
    He last faced Ted on 6/30/08. Two more words: Bullfucking Shit.

  63. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:20 pm

    It’s missing torres but what were u thinking it was going to look like? Simply put, we have no leadoff hitter w/o torres. Rowand is a horrible leadoff hitter but no worse than anyone else not named torres.

  64. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:22 pm

    Oh, I see, you’re bummed about rowrow. Well, torres is 1 for his last 16. I’m not a big believer in taking anything from 15-20 at bats but torres probably needs a blow

  65. blade3colorado's avatar blade3colorado said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:25 pm

    Yeah, who else was supposed to suit up? Rickey Henderson? Sorry, I think he finally retired.

  66. eddacker415's avatar eddacker415 said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:26 pm

    We lose? Against the Dogers? Two games in a row?
    Barbara had a great game as any player might, kudos there.
    New game tonight, Cain and the team full of sparks
    Ya gotta belove:
    go Giants

  67. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:28 pm

    Rowand’s numbers since August: (37 ABs) .135 .256 .216 .472 1 RBI

    The fact that he’s even in the lineup, let alone batting lead off is an embarrassment.

  68. DJLoo's avatar DJLoo said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:30 pm

    ANYBODY can fuckin’ lead off. It’s overated. Everyone from Rikkert Faneyte to Willie Mays has led off at one time or another. My point is Rowand should NOT be leading off. Why not Sanchez?

  69. snarkk's avatar snarkk said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:30 pm

    Lilly is exactly the kind of pitcher the Giants do a faceplant against. If they don’t have some patience, this one won’t go well. Diego loses 8 straight so far, Giants gain what, 2 games? Bochy needs to play these games with his hair on fire, but all we get from him last night is that Zito was pitching well. Per Baggs, Rent “declined” to do a minor league rehab stint, so he’s in tonite with no game play in almost a month. He fuckin’ better go 2 for 4, at least…

  70. Del Mar Dennis's avatar delmardennis said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:33 pm

    Rowand 33
    F Sanchez 32
    Huff 33
    Posey 23
    Guillen 34
    Ross 29
    Uribe 31
    Renteria 35

    Nice to see they still give the residents of the Old Folks Home a weekend pass.
    Jesus. H. we’re old, slow and tired.

  71. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:34 pm

    Bochy is just going with his “track record” LU. Rowand had some success once at leadoff, that’s what boch is going with. Look, at this point in the yr you just need guys out there who can get it done. Torres needs a blow. Rowand having a good game wouldn’t surprise me at all, any major league player can have a good gm at some point jn the season. The worst guys don’t ever go 0 for 400 on the year

  72. blade3colorado's avatar blade3colorado said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:37 pm

    Besides, Rowand isn’t the worst leadoff hitter the Giants have ever had. Hardball Times put together a Worst 10 List of leadoff hitters (since 1957) and the Giants had one Ducky Schofield (who dat?) who put together this season:

    Ducky Schofield, shortstop, 1965 San Francisco Giants (team OPS+: 101)

    Overall:
    GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH ROE GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS
    90 421 39 13 19 33 0 50 3 5 8 7 2 4 .203 .272 .251 .523

    When Batting Leadoff:
    GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH ROE GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS
    88 404 38 13 18 32 0 50 2 5 8 7 2 4 .203 .271 .253 .524

    “The results the 1965 Giants got from Schofield as their primary leadoff man were obviously ghastly, but—bizarre as this may sound—the decision of manager Herman Franks to deploy Schofield in that role wasn’t entirely insane.

    For one thing, for the preceding couple of years playing for the Pirates, Schofield hadn’t been all that bad a hitter (sounds like Rowand with the Phils), and the one element of his offensive game that was slightly better than league average was his ability to get on base. It was only upon arriving with the Giants in a trade in late May of 1965 that Schofield forgot how to hit (more precisely, it was in mid-June of ’65 that Schofield’s bat went south; in his first three weeks with San Francisco Schofield batted .313, with a .410 OBP in 78 plate appearances—I’ll leave you to do the math as to how rotten he was the rest of the way).

    For another thing, Franks didn’t have a whole lot of appealing alternatives. The Giants in that period were astounding in their capacity to present a shining core of terrific sluggers, and a pitiful rabble of offensive stiffs surrounding them. These are the other guys Franks tried in the leadoff spot that year:

    – 21 games: Matty Alou (.274 OBP, 59 OPS+)
    – 20 games: Jim Davenport (.304 OBP, 86 OPS+)
    – 11 games: Tito Fuentes (.269 OBP, 38 OPS+)
    – 11 games: Harvey Kuenn (.352 OBP, 68 OPS+, traded away shortly after Schofield arrived)
    – 4 games: Jose Pagan (.272 OBP, 47 OPS+, the guy who was traded to get Schofield)
    – 4 games: Jesus Alou (.317 OBP, 97 OPS+)
    – 3 games: Hal Lanier (.256 OBP, 51 OPS+)

    Clearly Franks would have been far better off just forgetting about the whole “setting the table” business, and starting off with Mays-Willie McCovey-Jim Ray Hart. But, of course, that sort of thing just isn’t done.”

  73. DJLoo's avatar DJLoo said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:37 pm

    One year in Little League I had a teammate who was 0 for the season. Last game of the year he went 7-7.

  74. snarkk's avatar snarkk said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:38 pm

    Diego just lost. 9 in a freekin row. The Giants must win tonite. They need to play like this is the game to get into the playoffs. No more bullshit about how many games left there are. Win this damn game….

  75. Flavor's avatar bigflavor said, on September 4, 2010 at 4:40 pm

    Loo it’s not that I’m doubting u but I need to see some proof that rikkert fanyete ever led off. I’m at the pool and don’t have my computer, but when I was doing “retro giant of the day” last winter I remember fanyete having like a .200 obp or something hilarious like that


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