Moments In Time
I’ve said this several times, I couldn’t be having more fun with all of this. I love what this has done to my community—everyone has come together in their own unique way but for a common reason. I never lived in a small town but it’s felt like a small town the last few weeks…….
But believe me, I get it, there is a huge difference between me and 98% of the rest of these *giants fans*. I’m not hating on them or anything, it’s just a fact. There is the *band wagon jumper* who comprises about 75% of this current fan base. Then there’s a group of 23% who make up the real Giant fan base. Then there’s 2% of me. And all of you people……
I haven’t allowed myself to think about the outcome of this World Series for even one second. And it’s got nothing to do with fearing a loss. I’m a Giants fan, I can do torturous losing with the best of them. Bring it on, 24/7. I can tolerate losing while standing on my head. While eating a sandolicious sando from The Cheese House. It doesn’t phase me in the slightest….
What I fear is winning this thing. I simply have no idea how I’m going to react or what I’ll do when the final out is secured. So I don’t think about what might happen. I think about the moment I’m in right now and the moment that’s coming right after it. And so on and so on….
All I know for certain is that I will stop to appreciate the moments I have today. They’ll be with me forever. I’ve been very good in my life at stopping time to appreciate something that is happening……. right……….then.
I remember with great detail all of my greatest moments of being a Giants fan. I remember the first game my dad took me to, the Ed Haliki no hitter, not really understanding what all the fuss was about when the crowd went crazy after the final out…..I remember the white specks of paint on Mr Lovell’s radio that broadcasted the giants games while we played a million hours of ping pong through most of the ’80’s in the Lovell’s backyard…..I remember the tie-dye tank top I wore to the Dave Dravecky comeback game…..I remember falling to the ground so hard when Scotty Garrelts came within one out of a no hitter, that my knees were bruised for weeks…..I remember that sign they had out in right field at Candlestick that would count down the days till Pac Bell Park opened and being so bummed one day when it said “937”. “Why couldn’t that sign say *37*,” I thought to myself…..I remember heading through a tunnel so clean you could eat off it, up a stairwell and into the brilliant sunlight of Pac Bell Park, stopping at the top and saying out loud to no one in particular “No fucking way!”–the older, female usher leaned close to me and said “I feel the same way, now let me show you to your seats.”….I remember every single rush of adrenaline that Barry Bonds *gifted* me each time he would send one of his lasers down the right field line into the water…… I remember every word of the 5 minute conversation I had with my friend Chris last week as he proudly told me “The Cody Ross Story”…….And I will never forget my daughter’s giggle as she helped me dye this absurd beard last night…..
I woke up this morning to the blue light of my alarm clock that indicated 2:33am. Never was able to go back to sleep after that so it’s going to be a long day. But one thing is for certain. I will stop and appreciate ever moment of this day: The stains on my train seat. The first words Pawlie says to me when I meet him for the first time later this afternoon. The color of the finger nails of the woman selling me my hot dog. The roar from the crowd after Timmy throws his first strike. Everything.
Appreciating the moments that will stay with you forever. THAT is what life is all about, my friends. I’m 10 years old right now…..
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Another team effort from the Giants. A lot of folks contributing. I’m impressed with how Tim has matured. In that past, if he gave up a couple of runs early, he’d walk off the field spouting F-bombs, but now he just stoically keeps his calm. He knows the importance of just limiting the damage, keep your team close and give them a chance to win. He did the number one thing a starter has to do- give your team a chance to win.
“the” past, I meant.
Wrong strategy on pitching Benjie earlier in the game, though. They were trying to get him out on high fastballs. Yes, Benjie is a good lowball hitter, but it’s generally low FASTBALLS that he hits. The correct strategy with Benjie was used later in the game- low breaking stuff. Throw it low and let Benjie get himself out.
Hi all,
Going to fly up to see game 2. Go Giants!
You rock
And last night had the predictable trouble that Vlad would have in rightfield. In their otherwise excellent coverage of the playoffs, on the MLB network Reynolds said something mindbogglingly wrong the other night. He thought Vlad would do OK in rightfield because it’s a “small rightfield.” Say what? It’s small down the line, but there’s obviously huge space in rightcenter that the centerfielder needs help with. Plus the wall has all kinds of tricky angles, and plus the bullpen area and mound are tricky. What we saw with Reynolds saying that is the general ovearll ignorance of the ballpark from the national media. And the general overall ignorance of the Giants from the national media. But they’re learning.
As for perceived lack of respect from the national media- that’s just the way it’s going to be until the Giants win a World Series. The national media has seen the Giants fail on the national stage for a long time. They’re going to be skeptical until the Giants finally win it all. Certainly last night showed the Giants are in this Series. Some of the media saw this week as only the inevitable coronation of the Rangers. Maybe that extra chip on the shoulder of disrespect will help fuel the Giants further. They have to lot of motivation to show the nation what they can do.
I heard one of the guys on ESPN say that about RF at china basin, zoom. His evaluation, however, was based on actually playing both LF and RF at the park. He said standing in RF was like being on the IF compared with standing deep in LF. The difference in distance to the walls is pretty dramatic. So maybe it’s not such a good idea to have Vlad the Imploder play IF? No way he’s out there again tonight. That would just be too crazy. PH only.
btw, I don’t know who the espn guy was. I was just flipping past. Black guy, fairly young; not Dave Winfield (obviously enough).
The sun is out shining brightly. My day-old coffee tastes freshly brewed. My three-day-old cherry danish smells freshly baked. My body feels twenty years younger. And my cat isn’t crying. Something tells me we might have won Game 1 last night.
You’re goddamn right we won Game 1 last night. I Feel Good!
Yeah, this reminds me a lot of Super Bowl XIX in which the Niners faced Miami. For 2 weeks all we heard about was how spectacular Dan Marino was, blah blah blah. Montana was an afterthought. Joe was the one with the Super Bowl MVP already tucked away on his mantle.
My take on it was that the Niners practiced against a much better defense than Miami’s, so they shouldn’t have any problems moving the ball. I figured Miami would eventually fold under the pressure, and they did. That was Gary Big Hands Johnson’s best game as a Niner.
Seeing poor Dan’s pouting face at the end of the 1st half was SOOOOO cool. It was totally over halfway through the 2nd quarter.
Yeah I remember when Marino got sacked like for the 3 time and he was so pissed when he got up!! I thought he was going to just tear into his OL!!
Randy Cross had the best line at SB XIX “Everyone came to see an offense and the wrong one showed up.”
As he said with raised eyebrows and a wry smile. Classic.
I’m still pissed at Guy McIntyre for getting up and trying to run and fumbling that squib kick right before the half. We gave ’em a free 3 pts. Stay down, stay down!
I dunno….like Tina Turner says in her and Ike’s version of “Proud Mary”, …”We never do nuthin nice and easy….” I’m gonna go all Yogi here—it ain’t over, it’s one game. Giants rarely do anything this easy either.
Texas has plenty of hitters, as they showed Lincy and Wilson (Cruz destroyed that ball to dead CF way over Torres head) last night. They also got 4 BBs and only K’d 5 times, as opposed to SF 1 BB and 12 Ks. They also lost the first game vs. Yanks in devastating fashion after raking CC to the tune of 5-0 only to see the pen melt down as they lost at home, again. Then they whipped the Yanks 4 out of the next 5.
I was reminded of 1982, Harvey’s Wallbangers BrewCrew who pounded STL 10-0 in first game thrash…and lost in 7 to Joaquin Andujar and the speedy Cards. What I saw after it was already 8-4 was euphoric, definitely, but I wouldn’t cue the fat lady just yet.
Yeah, I agree. I won’t be surprised to see the fat lady lounging out in the big LF glove next week, smoking a joint and waiting for her cue.
And maybe the FL is one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Pretty funny pic of them in the Chron yesterday, great idea. I wonder if Santana would do a Hendrix style Anthem to get a game started?
Willie, I know for me, 2002 is still fresh in my mind. So yeah the Fat lady hasn’t even showed up yet. But I like that the Giants got to Lee, all that media hype about him and how the Giants shouldn’t even be here. I think that is what makes this first game so memorable.
Hey, no one’s saying it’s over. Just that it feels good to beat the living shit out of the guy EVERYONE (including ALL the Rangers) thought was a lock to win game 1.
It HAS to rattle them a little (or a lot) to see their ace get waxed.
The nice thing is, we get another left, so we see the exact same lineup. ANd hopefully they pick up right where they left off.
It was great to see super-Lee get chased and the mediocre BP come in. Nice bonus: Now Fox won’t put up those Koufax and Christy Mathewson post-season ERA stats anymore.
Not much to add; you guys have just about said it all. I am happy after last night. A yeoman’s effort from everyone, and we rocked one of the best pitchers in baseball big time. That’s what he gets for talking smack about the Giant’s hitters. Fuck him.
I’m trying hard to hold positive thoughts about the G’s prospects in this series, but Willied is spot on. It’s always better to win game one than lose it, but it is just one game. The Rangers are so explosive. Cain needs to get the pitching back on track tonight, and I think he will.
The media is, of course, making excuses for the Strangers and talking more about what they didn’t do than what the G’s did do to win the damn game, and decisively. It would be so sweet if the G’s could win this series and shut those fuckers up.
To hear the “analysts” talk, CJ Wilson is the second coming, and he is good, but he prone to walks. If the Giants can work him like they worked Lee last night, we have a good chance to be up 2-0 heading back to Tex-ass.
Man, the Rangers looked despondent last night, didn’t they? 😀
What is it with Giant’s opponents this and the absolute MORONIC chants/moves? Case in point,the “tomahawk chop”.Last night I had the misfortune to witness the “Claw”- Aka “raise your hand if your IQ is in the single digits.”My Gawd-stupidest thing ever”.Why do these teams have to do things that make them look like they’re retards?The “Claw “is just stupid.
Lol. Fuck the claw and fuck the Strangers. They looked really stupid later in the game after the Giants took control.
Don’t forget about their stoopid “Antlers” when they run the bases. They’re Bambi’s mother and we’re the hunter.
Bullseye!
During the NLDS I got a great laugh when McCarver related how Krukow had given them the scouting report on Cain being a low fastball pitcher, the fucking opposite of what Matt is.. he lives on the elevator… Krukow noted that tonight’s homeplate ump should favor Matt for that reason…
Feeling better so far today. The fucking decadron ( dexamethasone) is a bitch but the Gold Standard for brain edema, there’s not a damn thing to do but take it and grit out.There’s reasonable optimisim that the seizure indeed was the culminaton of tumor cell necrosis, in which case that puppy be dead. We’ll see in a couple months, meanwhile it’s the decadron,and keppra for the seizure…
All the talk about why Bochy didn’t split Tim and Matt again, I just think he wanted badly to go to Texas up 2 and take some pressure off Dirty. Still seeing Giants in 5…
Good to see you’re in better spirits today. How’s your big dinner coming along? And just what the heck is “Cassoulet” anyway? I know I’ve never had it.
You’ve never heard of it because they don’t serve it with happy meals, dennis.
Glad you’re feeling better twin.
And to everyone, in the words of Jeff Goldblum in INDEPENDENCE DAY:
“What’s with the fat lady?? You’re obseessed with the fat lady!!”
my fear is something we’ve seen all along: hard luck cain pitching well but can’t buy run support. After last night’s outburst, it seems typical for the gmen to go quiet.
but maybe not. maybe THESE gmen have turned a corner. They look like the might. If they can find a way to score three tonight, matt should be able to make it hold up.
I think after the Atlanta series the Giants really started to believe in themselves. They always found a way to score. I think they score tonight also, probably not 11 but they will score.
Cassoulet is a French bean dish. But ahhhhh, is that an understatement. It is THE bean dish… Cured meats, herbs, tomatoes, crumbs, are all simmered with the beans, I like the white navy beans. One of the best parts is the crust that forms as breadcrumbs are pushed into the mix, then allowed to rise back up again and again. That delicous crust holds in the flavors. The duck confit is the highlight meat. It’s made by simmering duck legs and thighs in their own fat for hours. OMG, I just swooned… They’re waiting in the fridge along with sausages I made for the occasion, I’ll add smoked pork loin on the day…
I’ll be right over
I have good manners and don’t make a mess. I’ll even bring over a Martha Stewart Centerpiece. One of the good ones, ya know, the ones she made in jail.
The Claw-Very amusing,Mr. Smart.I suppose you can guess what they call me? (holds up right arm,with a large horse shoe magnet for a hand)
Maxwell Smart Agent 86-Lefty?
The Claw- No Mr.Smart.I am employed by KAOS. The international organization of evil. My name is the Claw!
Maxwell Smart Agent 86- The Craw?
The Claw- No,not The Craw,The Claw!
Maxwell Smart Agent 86- Ah yes,The Craw
The Claw: Have you ever heard of the Chinese bamboo stalks under the finger nails torture?
Maxwell Smart: No, sounds pretty good, how does it work?
The Claw: Actually,the only girl we want is Princess Ingrid.
Maxwell Smart: Then why did you abduct the others?
The Claw: Unfortunately,Mr.Smart, all Americans look alike.We may be diabolical,but we are not perfect.
And sadly, my friends, that concludes The Claw quotes
I tell ya, the hitting with 2 outs has been unreal for the most part this post season. MUCH better than during the regluar season. Case in point, Ross and Huff going back-to-back up the middle in the 5th. Just phenomenal situational hitting.
Read in the paper that some folks were looking for tickets to score, and offering a grand for a pair, and there were no takers.
Doesn’t look good . . . Oh well. . . Unless Flav says otherwise . . .
And I’m not paying $1,000 for SRO.
Sprtsdude, where did you get yer t?
Best part of the Stark article on ESPN… At least someone is recognizing it:
On nights like this one, however, you realize there’s one thing all of us may have missed while we were picking apart the stuff the Giants don’t do — which was to notice the stuff they do do. And at the top of that list this postseason is this:
They beat great pitching.
They’ve now won games this postseason started by Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson. And before every one of those games, they had to listen to us baseball geniuses spew nonstop hype about how unbeatable all those guys can be at their best.
The Giants hitters were well aware of that hype. They just happened to buy into none of it.
tix.
Anyone else out there go last night? Any insight as to scalping?
I read one thing today, chuck. Watch out for counterfeits
Ahh sadly Ted that’s not true!!
Max: Alright,gentlemen, stand back! How big is this room?
The Claw: About ten by fifteen…
Max: Perfect! Don’t move or I’ll blow you all to kingdom come!! Bobo drop that gun!
The Claw: He’s bluffing! Bobo get him!
(Max tosses the pill,but nothing happens)
Max: Wrong pill.I think I’ve just poisoned the room!
Very nice kat.
Sadly I must report bad news from the pop culture front; James MacArthur passed away. “Oh yeah? How about murder one!! Book ’em, Dano!!”
I had posted early that they’d get him, even after Lee got out 2-2 with the two strike outs. He was up and they were JUUUUUST missing. I expect them to handle Wilson as well, Matt neds to be careful, though. 6-4 sounds about right tonight with Juan going deep again, perhaps Pat as well.
One of you computer aces should get a still pic that captures Vlad helplessly swatting his glove at the bounding ball down in the RF bullpen last night. Then photo-shop in a big claw instead of the mitt.
My boss got tickets for me and a co-worker for tonight’s game on stubhub for $600 apiece. Center field bleachers. He mentioned yesterday that the price had dropped about $50 per ticket. Is there nothing available there any more? Personally, I would be suspicious of scalpers at the game…
Hi guys— sorry for the late post, but I’ve got a new thread up.
Pinch me. Kick me. Punch me. Stomp my toes. Are my eyes dry yet? Has my belly stopped hurting from all the laughter? No dream. Giants took Game One. Whole City gone black and orange from Coit Tower to City Hall. Even the panhandlers around the Panhandle are said to have scrounged up black and orange gear so they can get better handouts from the revelers.
This is Giants Baseball. Underdogs, indeed. Buncha barroom brawlers and bayside bullies last night. Disassembling Cliff Lee, of all the hyped-up Aces they have faced this Post-Season. Seems this bunch just doesn’t get it. They are sposta roll over and lube for the highly touted ones who have been anointed to make the Giants bow down again. Just hasn’t been happening.
Take a look at that lineup. True, the Giants hitters were unarguably the most inconsistent lot out there all season. But you know what? There is not a BAD or even poor hitter in the entire starting LU. Most of em are above average. Some well above ~ like Posey and Sanchez and Uribe. Then there are the Burrells, the Rosses, the Torres, the Huffs and the Renterias who all have had their shining moments and their strong runs. Did i leave out anyone? Uh-uh. Not a megastar or even superstar in the bunch, though Buster’s well on his way. It’s more of a stealth lineup. Any one of them can hurt you. Problem they had through the season and into the P.S. has been coordinating their strokes and extending rallies ~ and the biggie: hitting with RISP.
But getting dissed by Cliff Lee seemed to bring something out in this bunch. Could also be Timmy’s troubles in the first couple innings also played into the outburst. Like, Timmy has been there for the team game after torture-filled game. Eking out victories with almost nothing for support. Maybe this bunch finally figured it all out last night, something like “we’re good enough to beat anybody ~ particularly when he pissed us off and then our Ace gets all nervous. Time to show em all.”
They did.
Tonight there will be one nervous young lefty on the hill for the Strangers who rode into town with a Texas-sized attitude. His mentor, his hero, his clone-daddy got messed with last night. He’s facing The Horse. He’s also facing a bunch of guys who confounded all the pundits, prognosticators and Poobahs who have been excusing and explaining ever since.
Then there’s the Sign Guy: ALL Black and Orange: Holding up this sign that reads: “MESS WITH TEXAS”. You see he’s been there. Maybe even a refugee from the chiggers, scorpions and sandflies. Reminds me of a time when i was driving the ol’ Blue Whale, a one-ton van full of antiques and such from Cedar Falls, Iowa to a mall just past the San Fernando Valley by way of Santa Fe. Drove through Dodge City and the Oklahoma Panhandle and headed towards New Mexico. Was cooling off with a cool one. Saw the sign by the side of the road telling me i was now in Texas. Then noticed another one coming up that read “Don’t Mess With Texas”. Threw that bottle right at it without a single other thought in my head. Never done that before and never will again. Anywhere. It was that attitude which got to me. That Texas Attitude.