What Was the Point of Schulman’s Blog Post About Tejada?

Posted in Uncategorized by Flavor on March 22, 2011

I don’t read the Splash regularly anymore so maybe some of you can correct me. But it seems to me that this *hatchet job* came out of nowhere. Or has Schulman been regular reporting on how bad Tejada has looked this Spring? If he hasn’t been doing that, then his blog thread seems to be odd. And here’s the thing, it’s not even a hatchet job. He goes off on the guy in his first paragraph saying he can’t hit, his arm is weak and he has no range. And then he immediately follows it up with “oh but by the way, I’m sure he’ll be fine in the regular season” with no reasoning behind that prediction at all.

Huh?

Look, if you’re going to write so many inflammatory accusations and then immediately write that the dude is going to be fine then you should have never written the blog post in the first place. I haven’t read ANYTHING that has consistently said Tejada looks awful this Spring. I haven’t read anything about him looking good, either. For the most part, the news coming out of Arizona has been largely positive about the team and the players.

So why did Schulman feel the need to so obviously draw negative attention to Tejada? Was that his weird way of trying to defend him? Jeez, if that’s what he was doing then it’s a good thing he’s not one of Barry’s lawyers. And again, since when did Tejada need that type of defense? No one is writing or saying anything consistently bad about Tejada’s Spring performance. Therefore, there was no need to defend him.

It’s my suspicion that Schulman wrote that blog post for no other reason than to watch the lemmings at the Splash fight with each other. Throwing raw meat into the shark tank can be fun to watch, I guess, at least for some people.

The bottom line with Tejada: at this point in his career he should be playing 3rd base. That’s not an inflammatory comment it’s just a fact. And with his power declining he’s at a crossroads there, too. If he tries to bang the ball out of ATT all day long, he’s done. But he could salvage his OPS and be valuable to us if he takes advantage of the gaps in our park and hits 35 doubles. And I posted all of this before Spring Training even started and I used actually numbers to support my claim…..

So there, I was hardly unnecessarily negative about the guy, I’m just looking at him objectively, and I didn’t go out on some dumb ass limb and say that “I think he’ll be fine when the season starts” since there’s no reason to throw that little piece in unless he’s simply afraid of seeing Tejada in the clubhouse. Which, frankly, after that random blog post that contradicted itself and was written for no reason, maybe he should be……

and just for the hell of it……..

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xootsuit said, on March 22, 2011 at 6:25 am

I agree. Seemed like a gratuitous piece to me, too. Tejada’s mediocre spring has sort of simmered quietly in the background stats. I’ve wondered what’s up, but until Schulman’s high-volume expose I hadn’t read or heard much about Miguel. Perhaps Henry’s taking advantage of the Bonds publicity — tossing another ex-roider into the water while the blood’s fresh. Sharks, lemmings, whatever you want to call them, the idiots who get off on insulting athletes are always ready to attack. The powerless sometimes love to pretend they’re not. btw, I should’nt’ve responded to you and snarkk as I did over there last night. Lord knows the more real fans who show up on the splash, even for a moment, the better the place will be.
Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 6:29 am

it’s cool. And if you re-read my post, all I was doing was referring to what I’d written about before— that there are underlying stats that suggest his power is gone. I never used his current ST numbers to trash him. If he just tries to hit the ball hard, and doesn’t try to hit it out of the park all the time, he could be fine. Moving to third base is the bigger challenge since we already have a third baseman.
But look, if Tejada isn’t producing we’ve got Fontenot and DeRosa who could fill in. Either one, playing at their best, would be a fine substitute…….
- twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:23 am
  
  You posted that you had said Tejada would fail here.. you never said that in your rant.
Rough Trade said, on March 22, 2011 at 7:54 am

First of all, I’ll cut Henry some slack because I think he’s been pretty diligent about new threads this spring.

His first line suggests there is a negative buzz about Tejada. Maybe among beat writers.
But Henry wants to cut him some slack, mentioning Rick Big Daddy Rueschel as an example of a vet who waited to turn it on.

This is consistent with his comment from a previous thread titled So what does a 16-5 Cactus record mean?
There is states; “I’ve been a big preacher that spring training results don’t matter, and I’m not changing the sermon.”

On the other hand, why should Tejada be immune from the scrutiny and criticism leveled at others like Zito, Rowand and Pablo? After all, he was a key acquisition, filling a critical position. Renteria was under the scope the moment he was signed, and it never let up.

It’s not personal. It’s business.
DJLoo said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:13 am

Olney seems to be taking ST seriously. Thinks the Giants look like a steamroller.
Likes the A’s, too. Down on Philly and Anaheim mostly due to injuries.
Rough Trade said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:19 am

Good stuff from Baggs. He does a pretty good rip job on Tejada…

And suggests Nate is the one to go. Interesting.
- Rough Trade said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:22 am
  
  But like Henry, he also tries to cut Miquel some slack..
- twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:30 am
  
  It’s hardly a “rip job”, he spends most of the piece apologizing.
  - Rough Trade said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:37 am
    
    Yeah, I was a little hasty there..hence the second post.
willied said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:33 am

Outside of Zito and rowand, Tejada is the easiest target, having to replace cult hero Uribe. I posted something after the shea article (which was online earlier but only in chron home version today) about him not being any worse defensively at SS than either Uribe or Rent. In the article itself Pads mgr. Black says he was their SS for the last 2 months of the season and that’s where he wants to play. Sure, Black’s not going to diss the guy for publication, but that was his everyday guy, and Pads had a damn good season.

My question is, what does the team need this guy to do? He is a mlb SS, and has been playing it for a long time. He knows what he is doing out there at a very demanding position and can play everyday and most imp make the routine plays, consistently. Other than that, I don’t know what people expect.

Fontenot is here to give him a rest, and sabes says he’s happy to have he and MDR around to provide IF depth. Last year at this time Sf had Rent, the still recovering and injured Runt and questions at 1B. I’d lay off Tejada until at least the regular 162 game season starts.
Kevin said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:34 am

Well I see it is another slow day in reporting on the Giants. ST started with Zito and Rowand, when that wore out (does it ever) it became Cain and his elbow, oh and lets not forget the Panda. Wilson and his oblique. Now we have Tejada. It appears that there is nothing really truly earth shattering to talk about the Giants. Except for a few tweaks they look good!! So all these side articles are just Trolls a trolling. IMO. but hey like BF said fun to watch the sharks feeding frenzy!!
twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:45 am

If you’re going there, what was the point of Baggarly’s? He spends most of the piece backing off any criticism.
Macdog said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:09 am

I thought it was a fair critique. What Henry says is that — hopefully — we’ll see a different Tejada when the real games start as opposed to the underwhelming player who’s likely pacing himself as any 36 YO veteran would do in spring training. But until the games start, no one really knows. And Henry’s likely inspiration for the piece was Tejada being moved down to 8th in the order yesterday.
- xootsuit said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:17 am
  
  Henry didn’t say that he had any inspiration. Instead, he launched into attack mode as if Tejada’s travail was an old story that he had something to add to. Then as BF points out he backed off. Baggerly focused on the 8 spot demotion — which isn’t a bad place for Tejada, unless he gets hot. Panda DeRosa Tejada and Fontenot should all see plenty of time on the left side of the IF.
  - twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:26 am
    
    Baggarly also backed off…
    BTW, I always had Tejada 8th, posted that here. Not as a “demotion”, SF has a strong LU.
xootsuit said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:13 am

Link on Baggerly’s blog to a hilarious photo of The Machine getting kicked out of Scottsdale Stadium. Maybe he was a bit too forward when he asked other fans to apply sunscreen for him.

http://twitpic.com/4bum1k

I wonder how they’ll handle similar situations at China Basin this year? My guess is, they’ll just ignore such guys (no tv time, for example).
zumarust said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:13 am

There’s a laugh out-loud moment on Baggs’ latest blog:
“When Texas contacted the Giants to gauge interest in Michael Young a few weeks ago, the Rangers told them in no uncertain terms: “Don’t even bother bringing up Rowand’s name.”
Baggs says Rowand’s refusal to play anything other than centerfield is “well documented,” whatever that means. And that Rowand doesn’t want to talk to the media anymore. So, Rowand is in official ‘pout mode,’ which is hilarious given what a generally crappy hitter he is these days.
twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:22 am

Both writers offered a critique and tempered it, and yeah, a beat writer is more likely to do that than a Jim Rome. Schulman’s piece was fine. BTW, I’d guess that the Dodger bloggers are less than thrilled by Uribe so far. Or the Padre ones by Bartlett..or..
Nipper said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:30 am

I’m beat!
- Bozo said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:50 am
  
  Hey a Nipper drive by. Got that van all tuned up do ya?
stixwiz said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:32 am

MacD: Point well made about 36 Y.O. Tejada not turning on the afterburners this spring. My take through ST has been that his bat has been uninspiring. Maybe it will take the Opener to inspire the dude. Fine by me if that is so.

Zooms: It would appear that every which way one turns the consensus is that Rowand’s gotta go. First i’d heard of the Texas statement, but it likely is typical around MLB. After the lowly Mutts cut bait with a couple of their failures/has-beens to the tune of $18M, Giants may as well give up on the notion of getting a sack of used jockstraps and broken bats for Row-Row and tell him to take his $24M and row the hell outta the Bay. Maybe some bottom-feeder team will pick him up for shits n giggles.
Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:34 am

Baggs’ criticism was far more tempered than Schulman’s. Go re-read how he started that post. It was raw and inflammatory and lame to then back off of it in literally the next sentence…..
- twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:43 am
  
  You’re actually not clear on what you prefer, a total rip job or a balanced critique. And why did you post that you said he’d fail here? You didn’t say that.
TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:43 am

best…bb…coming…ever
worst…bb…going…ever
- Kevin said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:27 am
  
  Totally agree.
Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:46 am

What do you mean “why did I post that I said he’d fail here”? I don’t understand that. I posted last night at The Splash that he would fail here and never expanded on it. Why should I, I’ve already expanded on that several times here already. His power is going, going gone. If he continues to try to hold on to it he WILL FAIL. If he starts using the gaps at ATT and just trying to hit the ball hard (the way Huff did) he might be able to save his OPS enough to help us. How many more times do I have to say this, I’ve been saying it since before ST started……
- twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:58 am
  
  Last night you claimed that you had already posted that he’d fail here.
  “I listed off all the reasons why tejada was going to fail this year about a month ago”
  That’s not true.
  - Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 10:29 am
    
    I did too, we had an argument about some of the saberstats I posted.
  - twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 10:48 am
    
    The discussion was about his power numbers, you did not claim he would fail here.
Bozo said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:48 am

It seemed to me Baggs was basing his story more about dropping Tejada to the 8 spot and Henry more on, is this guy done? The Giants have options so I’m not to bothered by what Tejada is doing at the moment, if he turns it around, great. If not, door number two.

I still think the best fit for a Rowand trade right now is with the Indians. If they could get Rowand on the cheap he’d be good insurance for Sizemore. They play the Giants on Saturday so we’ll see if Aaron starts.
zumarust said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:53 am

I’ve seen very little of Tejada so far. I have no opinion. With so few games televised, and the regulars only play limited time….
I’d like to get a good look at how he’s doing. Hopefully he has a nice productive season for the Giants. Other guys can step in if he stumbles. I don’t see it as that big a deal in the long run. And he’s only on a one-year contract anyway.
Henry’s take on Panda seemed a little rough. Pablo’s getting to balls he never used to get to before. Yes, he’s going to have to keep working on his footwork. But he seems really committed to getting better. And he’s got to be feeling good about having won his thirdbase spot back.
twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 10:26 am

Well, whatever. A blog post devoted to ripping Schulman? Silly, IMO.
Unca Chuck said, on March 22, 2011 at 10:28 am

Well, you look at what they got out of the 8 hole last year, and it’s better than I thought.

.274, 16 HRs, 51 ribbies.

Looking at Miggy’s #’s last year, you get

. 269, 15 HRs, 71 RBIs

In his wheelhouse? Sure. SD ain’t no band box, and Miggy went 8 HRs, 32 RBIs in 59 games. Not too shabby.

Side note, none other than NO Whitey led the 8 hole last year with 4 HRs and 9 RBIs.
Vern Whiteside said, on March 22, 2011 at 10:44 am

Thanks, Unca Chuck. It’s nice to hear something positive about our Eli.

Did you know, he lead the team in OPS for the month of April?

Dang boy was smoking hot!
twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 10:54 am

Vern, you’re not fooling Vera by minimizing the porn sites. And you need to be more careful in erasing your history.
TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:01 am

Chuck and Vern

Doin’ the double space thang

For no apparent

reason

Flav, no critique, just curious. Are you selling advertising space here now? What’s that Ecopressed thingamajig? I’m with zum on Tejada. Having only read both good and bad and not having actually seen him play in ST…wait and see. It’s not like he has a multi-year contract.
Yours truly,
Captain Obvious
Vern Whiteside said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:08 am

Well, poor Vera no longer sees very well anyhoot.

Ya know Flavor, I’m really more a leg man myself, but I do enjoy the daily cutie pie. Can you send me a friggin link where you find em?
VernW@facebook.com
- TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:17 am
  
  Send you the link??!! Have you no sense of the drama? The allure of the mystery? The daily antici….pation?
  Would Houdini show you how he did his escapes? No. Would Harpo Marx let you hear his voice? Never. Would Hulk Hogan reveal how he makes his nipples explode? Not likely.
  Truly, sir, some things are sacred.
  - Del Mar Dennis said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:59 am
    
    “Would Harpo Marx let you hear his voice? Never.”
    
    Well, actually he would.
  - TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:28 pm
    
    How can you be sure that’s not Edgar Bergen?
- snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:49 am
  
  Vern. Instead, try Googling “bikini”. That should keep you busy for say, the next 3 years…
- Del Mar Dennis said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:53 am
  
  Vern, you’ll be happy to know that I’ve named my fantasy team after your only begotten son — NO Whitey. I didn’t stop there, however. I just picked him up off the waiver wire. How he wasn’t drafted is a mystery to me. But I’ll consider it a godsend that he fell into my lap. There’s NO stopping NO Whitey now. The Flap Fantasy League Championship is ours.
  
  Yours truly,
  
  NO Whitey’s #1 Fan. I’m also his only fan. But that does make me #1.
- TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:57 am
  
  dennis, I thought you were an all Dodgers roster.
Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:16 am

Ted— no, that’s wordpress. One of the reasons I moved the blog was so that I could control the ads I do put on. WordPress is more subtle than blogger, I like that. But wordpress also won’t let me put my own ads up so I have to move the blog to another host. You guys won’t notice a change other than you might see some real estate ads and maybe some ads for some local companies up here. I’m not doing it any time soon…..
Vern— watch it. I wouldn’t want your IP address/etc to accidently find it’s way on to the blog….
- TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:21 am
  
  Oh. Cool. Thanks
Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:20 am

so *Vern*, right now I’m just blocking your IP address. Let’s just leave it at that, ok? Go back to the Splash where you came from.
Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:31 am

OK, now that I know who Vern is, I’ve taken the block off. No need to name names. Carry on.
eddacker415 said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:32 am

And I am proud to say I drafted Miggy and he is on my team. Also got this email today:
We are pleased to report that the following item will dispatch sooner than expected:
Andrew Baggarly “A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants”
Previous estimated arrival date: April 08 2011
New estimated arrival date: March 25 2011
pre ordered that bad guy in January.
she doesn’t have a smile and I never liked sunglasses in the water, but damn nice choice gov!
peace, out
- TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:36 am
  
  guv
Bozo said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:36 am

After the Tejada Splash post, I thought the comments about how we only won the Division by one game and we can’t afford to lose a game because of him, funny. I guess folks forgot how we lost a lot of close games early on, including losing 7 game in a row against the Pads to start the season. The 11 Giants are not the same fucking team that started in 2010. Why do some of those folks refuse to remember that? I don’t get it.
I think this team is (at least) 5 games better than last. I’m going with 97 wins.
- TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:40 am
  
  The 11 Giants are not the same fucking team that started in 2010. Why do some of those folks refuse to remember that?
  ————————————————————————————
  They remember. But they can’t help themselves. Because they’re assholes
  - Bozo said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:56 am
    
    Yeah Ted you’re right. Although, maybe it’s easy to forget line-ups with Matt Downs, Velez, Bowker, Rowand and NO Whitey.
snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:44 am

Well, the timing of the posts is back in gear. I got lost in the confusion yesterday. As for Schulman, whatever. Who knows now what motivates newspaper writers to do what they do? Maybe he’s looking to raise his recognition level to get a new gig. Anyway, Baggs’ info is so far beyond in style and substance and more comprehensive, it’s not a competition anymore. The jury’s not just still out on Tejada, the voir dire hasn’t started yet. Like I said on the sleazy Splash, let him play a while and see what happens before any ripping starts. He’s a one year wonder anyway, Sabes knew the risks and contracted accordingly. I don’t see how he can be any worse than an injured Rent in the field and at the plate, and he’s surrounded by a stronger lineup this year. BTW, that Splash is full fledged la la land…
eddacker415 said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:46 am

Has everyone seen the 3 minute Showtime advert for “The Franchise”?
- xootsuit said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:36 pm
  
  Romo accidentally locking himself in the back of Wilson’s unmarked cop car was pretty funny. Rest of it? I dunno.
- snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 6:08 pm
  
  I love the Giants. But a season of this might get tiresome even for me…
TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:55 am

From the AP:

“New York (Mets) chose to absorb the $12 million remaining on Perez’s three-year, $36 million contract rather than keep a left-handed pitcher who has been ineffective…”

Oh, San Francisco. Could you, just for a moment, have a New York State of Mind?
- snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:02 pm
  
  Add that to Castillo’s $6+ million, and you have $18M in necessary, but ballsy moves. And now the rival Phills have signed Castillo to a minor league deal as insurance against Utley being out for a long time. The Mets had to know that was possible, if not sure it would happen. At least the Mets recognize the proper way to balance sunk costs vs. bench strength…
  - PawlieKokonuts said, on March 22, 2011 at 7:17 pm
    
    and Castillo has already failed to show, twice…nice
twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Happy to have Vern aboard. I figured he’d be here as soon as he solved that Windows thing.
Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Ted, couple that with the fact that they released Castillo the day before and ate another 6 million, we’re talking about 18 mil that they waved bye-bye to. And the Mets are supposedly on the brink of financial ruin!
- TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:03 pm
  
  That’s right
Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:01 pm

I thought Vern was someone else less desirable. It was just one of the regulars goofing around so I took the block off…..
- Unca Chuck said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:25 pm
  
  (dennis)
  - Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:29 pm
    
    no. and stop guessing.
twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:06 pm

Schulman has tweeted that he thinks they would eat Rowand’s contract if need be. I think other teams know they would – and that’s one of the problems dealing him, they’ll just wait.
- snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:12 pm
  
  Well, Schulman’s covering the obvious, there. So, trade him for a scrub PTBNL and take back almost all his salary except a dollar. At least you save some face…
twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:17 pm

How is it “obvious” that they’d eat 24 million? Haven’t most here bitched because they won’t?
- TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:20 pm
  
  Rhetorical, people
- snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:32 pm
  
  I’m not saying it’s obvious they’ll eat it – now. I’ve said all along that at worst, he’ll be gone by the trade deadline, one way or another. The obviousness in the report is that the rest of the leagues’ GMs are acting like vultures over this guy. He was scrapped by Bochy and Sabes the last half of last season and he’s been dogmeat in spring. We’ve all been saying here that he essentially has no value. So, exactly how is that breaking news?…
  - twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:39 pm
    
    I ‘m not sure what report you are referring to.Henry was asked if they’d do an Oliver Perez and he responded that he thought they would. That”s the first I’ve seen any writer say that.
  - snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:47 pm
    
    The “report” means his tweet that you paraphrased, but that I hadn’t seen. I’ll look for his tweet and read it myself, then report back. If he’s tweeting nobody wants to pay anything for Rohand, it’s a duh? piece of tweet…
  - twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 1:46 pm
    
    He only responded to the question as to whether they’d do a Perez. It was my speculation that a team would wait until he’s DFAed rather than work a deal. BTW, posters here have been making Rowand trade proposals all winter. It’s bullshit that everybody thought he couldn’t be traded…
snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:20 pm

Several sources reporting in that today’s BB is none other than Jessica Simpson. No report on whether the photo date is pre or post Romo (not the Giants Romo). And, no report on whether she bunts. But, based on her time with Romo, she can really punt…
twinfan said, on March 22, 2011 at 12:23 pm

I’ll take your answer off the air.
TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 2:21 pm

Totally off topic but I have to get this out of the way.
Happy….80thbirthdayto…THE SHAT!
- xootsuit said, on March 22, 2011 at 2:54 pm
  
  At first glance I thought you were posting TWAT! in honor of today’s BB
  - snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 3:33 pm
    
    Past tense of tweet? (apologies to Steve Martin…)
Flavor said, on March 22, 2011 at 2:59 pm

yes, the Shat turned 80 today. Amazing, he looks like he’s 60.
snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 3:25 pm

Congrats to the Shat.
The way I’m going, when I’m 80, I probably won’t be…
stixwiz said, on March 22, 2011 at 6:10 pm

Just got fucked over bigtime by WordPress. Wrote a longish piece about Tim Brown’s hatchet job on Bonds in his 1st day trial coverage. My essay came straight from the heart. It was definitely POTM material. That happens when i’m on and i’m most on when pissed about injustice involving personal prejudices on the part of sports writers, baseball executives and our alleged “justice” system. It’s Jack Johnson all over again, with Bonds selected as designated nigger of the 21st Century.

Meanwhile, one of the major culprits in the whole steroids scandal, Bud Selig, is making noises about teaching history in a Wisconsin college. I wonder if his courses will cover topics like law and justice. Great little country we got, isn’t it? Best one money can buy.

Tried to save the piece when WordPress sent their weasel message. I forwarded the page to myself. Hit the link after it arrived and the message was lost somewhere in cyber space. So now i’m bummed as well as pissed.

In any case, i hope those 12 jurors has either the balls or the tits to at least hang the damned thing and send this whole case into the limbo it deserves.
stixwiz said, on March 22, 2011 at 6:12 pm

It should have read “one of those 12 jurors” . More than one would be even better. Makes for a tighter bond. My self-editing gets sloppy when bummed and pissed.
- snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 6:48 pm
  
  Stix, breathe man, breathe. I’m no Barry buddy, but I sincerely hope the jury nullifies on this one. It is a ridiculous use of prosecutorial discretion to go forward with this case, but once they were in so far, they had to see it to the end. Barry pissed off a lot of people during his days with the Giants, and a lot of that had nothing to do with ‘roids. Some of the hatin’ has to do with his skin color, I dunno how much. But, with his behavior and personality over the years, he’s pretty much earned being an unsympathetic figure. If Barry gets convicted, and then the Clemens case is dropped, then I’ll agree with you on the JJ analogy. Meanwhile, Barry’s got enough defense talent on board to pay for a top defense for each Flapper a coupla times over. Jack Johnson never had that…
  - Rough Trade said, on March 22, 2011 at 7:52 pm
    
    I like a good courtroom drama. Might be fun to see Allen Ruby cross Kimberly Bell.
- xootsuit said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:26 pm
  
  The judge has ruled that photos from Ms. Bell’s Playboy spread will not be used in court. (“I don’t need to see those,” she said.) Puny nuts and limp dicks, however, may be fair, uh, game.
  
  I’ve been using the Jack Johnson comparison since the indictment, Stix. Are we the only two in the fucking country who can see that? I think we must both be geniuses. Angry geniuses.
  
  Materiality may be the key. A lie under oath to a grand jury or court is perjury only if it’s “material.” Materiality’s now a question of fact for the jury (up until a a few years ago, the judge could decide that on her own). I think that’s why the prosecutor said in his opening statement today that Barry’s GJ testimony impeded the BALCO prosecutions. He’s trying to inject materiality. And it’s bullshit. Barry’s testimony didn’t do squat. It never would’ve seen the light of day if an unethical Sacramento lawyer representing some BALCO asshole hadn’t leaked it to the Chronicle.
  
  I hope to hell the jury tells the feds, Fuck off. Barry’s innocent.
  - xootsuit said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:58 pm
    
    On sfgate there’s a summary of the feds’ first witness’s testimony this afternoon (one of the Chronicle’s Game of Shadows ghouls). “Barry’s GJ testimony impeded our investigation” is the thrust of the first day’s work. That’s what they led off with, after opening statements. So the feds know that materiality is the key. And we know the jury can use that key to . . . . yeah. Let’s hope so.
  - snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:15 pm
    
    Not sure if you guys are geniuses. Angry, maybe. But, I’m pissed, too, it should never have come to trial. As for impeding, they’re clearly after proving the obstruction charge, at the very least, if they can’t get the perjury charges to stick. Agreed that the materiality element is the key to proving up the perjury charges, I said that a long time ago…
  - xootsuit said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:23 pm
    
    No, you didn’t say anything about materiality, you asswipe. You’re all about jury “nullification” and vague crap of that sort.
  - snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:31 pm
    
    Look at my earlier posts a long time back. I talked about materiality before you did…
  - snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:39 pm
    
    Here you go. I said this in a thread that you were also in about the charges, so I retract I said it before you, I expanded on the conversation. If you said it earlier, go ahead and show me.
    
    snarkk said, on February 16, 2011 at 4:57 pm
    Perjury is a very technical allegation. Not just falsehood need be proved, but materiality, etc. Bonds needs only one juror to hang up the case, and I’d think he will probably at least get that. His representation is top notch. I would love to see a federal jury come out of the jury room at the end of deliberations all wearing SF logo caps. No need to read the verdict….
zumarust said, on March 22, 2011 at 6:19 pm

I don’t subscribe to this magazine, but it’s a nice photo of Timmy on the cover, showing a side view of his pitching motion.
http://join.mlbinsidersclub.com/acq/default.aspx?tabid=407&promotion=7B0A600F
Rough Trade said, on March 22, 2011 at 6:25 pm

fyi. Some rare footage also linked in the article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/sports/baseball/23ruth.html?hp
zumarust said, on March 22, 2011 at 6:43 pm

Just a reminder that tomorrow’s Giants game is being televised on MLB network on tape delay tomorrow night.
dirtnrocksnreno said, on March 22, 2011 at 6:56 pm

Shat? Did that earlier. Dude is the man though.

Jessica sure got blown out. Geeze.
- TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:51 pm
  
  No…idea… who jessica is….do…not…ever….
  fuckwiththe……shat
  theshat….rules
Kevin said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:49 pm

Ratto on Sports Net Central thinks it will be only a matter of time before the Giants eat Rowands contract.
- xootsuit said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:51 pm
  
  Ratto would eat it first, if he could grab it.
- TedSpe said, on March 22, 2011 at 8:53 pm
  
  Ratto eating ANYTHING considering what a moronic fat fuck what he is…would be no surprise
- snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:18 pm
  
  And he gets paid for coming to that genius conclusion? Even if they traded him, they’d have to eat close to, if not all, his contract. This blog has been there and done that long ago on all the Rohand permutations. There is nothing new generated by walrus Ratto or any other of the talking heads….
ferrethead said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:13 pm

Finally got a chance to check in and what do I find? Little old me being honored with the POTW!!! You guys are awesome!

Theywere talking about this on KNBR yesterday (?) morning, and I was wondering what I would do. What would you do the first time Uribe comes to bat in a Dodger’s uni? Do you give the former Giant an appreciative welcome, or do you give him the welcome that a current Dodger rates?
- unca chuck said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:12 pm
  
  Boo-Reee-bayyyyy
  - unca chuck said, on March 22, 2011 at 11:29 pm
    
    When did BB testify in the first place? 2000-fucking-3???
    
    The wheels of justice must be square . . .
snarkk said, on March 22, 2011 at 9:30 pm

Stan Conte will be called by the prosecution to testify, then, of course he’ll be skewered by the defense. I doubt if he saw anything firsthand since he was outside of the Balco/Anderson loop. But, his testimony can’t be helpful to Bonds, whatever it is. His warnings to Giant management were all over the Mitchell report. Unfortunate that he’s ensnared in this…