Killing Off Another Day Before Baseball Returns

Posted in Uncategorized by Flavor on July 12, 2011

That’s what the all-star game has become. I’ll probably watch the game but I’m not building it into the schedule or anything. If it’s on, it’s on. The all star game has sucked for many years now and it isn’t because of all the low scoring games. And it won’t be because of all the stars who sat home this year (go take a look at those line ups, there are studs up and down each league’s line up). What the all star game has missed (and will probably miss this year) is some spontaneous fun. The last all star game moment I remember off hand is the 1993 game when John Kruk faced Randy Johnson. Both of those guys were just having fun with the moment and everyone watching it, fans, players, etc, just kind of fed of it. And that’s how all star game moments are born, that’s how the game becomes interesting. Lasorda dodging the bat was another great moment. Obviously you can’t plan for things like that–there’s no way to “vote a priceless moment” into the game.

The players need take the field with the idea of having some fun out there–maybe even have a few scripted things prepared like TO’s sharpie game (how classic would it be if Fielder hit a bomb and then knelt down and signed home plate? Bobby V could auction it off for Tsunami relief). If moments like that unfold, I think the game tonight will have a chance to be quite entertaining. Baseball is a lot of things but *funny* isn’t one of them. So when something funny does happen you notice it, you enjoy it. I’m not saying they should go out there and turn the field into a Rooster T-Feathers stage. They need to try to win for the WS home field advantage thing. But take the field with a mindset of having fun and good things will unfold and this game will actually end up being entertaining. Do I think this is going to happen? Unlikely…….

I actually found the HR Derby contest to be quite entertaining and not just because I picked the longshot Cano to win the whole thing. As I sat there marveling at the 450-480 feet home runs that each player blasted out consistently it hit me that they were using juiced balls for the game. In fact, I thought it was obvious, especially with A-Gon and Cano still hammering them to the moon in Round 3. Then I check the internet this morning and there’s no article even questioning the balls. I still think they were juiced. Selig needed to get some interest pumped back into this event and what better way to do that than use balls that fly a million miles?

147 comments

147 Responses

Subscribe to comments with RSS.

Kevin said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:51 am

I don’t know if this was posted on the last thread, but here is what Yahoo Fantasy Baseball said about the Giants rotation

LHP Madison Bumgarner will start the first game of the second half and be followed by RHP Tim Lincecum, LHP Barry Zito, RHP Matt Cain and RHP Ryan Vogelsong.
- Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:00 am
  
  You are correct sir. Hey, check your e-mail for a trade offer. I’m sending you and everyone else one.
  I want a whole new team for the 2nd half. Either that or I want an entire lineup of goddamn Dodgers. I have a good start…
  - Kevin said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:22 am
    
    I made a counter offer.
  - Nipper said, on July 12, 2011 at 11:02 am
    
    Lets run your ponies. They’re so cute when they get fired up.
unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:03 am

When Barry Bonds picked up Torii Hunter after Hunter robbed him of a HR was pretty funny. Was that 2000?

We already talked about Lasorda falling on his ass . . .
- unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:09 am
  
  At least it was spontaneous . . .
stixwiz said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:15 am

Juiced balls, eh? Could they have imported them direct from Denver w.o. a little sojourn in the humidor?
DJLoo said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:27 am

You might be surprised how many people I know ( generally senior citizens) who could give a fuck about tsunami relief, and who still won’t buy a Japanese or German car.
- willieD said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:34 am
  
  that steel gray/blue of the cars from “bavarian” motor works is eerily familiar shade.
  I drove delivery trucks in Bay Area for 15 yrs….beamer drivers consistently the single most annoying on the road. Only thing worse were SF cab drivers around moscone or van ness.
- xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 9:28 am
  
  Aw, come on. The BMW 335 is a very sensible family sedan, especially with the sports suspension package (which enhances safety). The high compression ratio and the double turbos merely increase its fuel efficiency. All sorts of people drive those cars now, good and bad. Moreover, we buried that anti-teuton hatchet long ago. Hell, the guys who invented the V-2 helped put an american monkey in space, didn’t they? Also, my conspiracy minded friends assure me that the Bush family’s connnection to the nazis virtually paved the road to the white house for those fuckers.
willieD said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:28 am

Cano was part of the story of “Eastern Stars”, great book I read about life in San Pedro de Macoris (home of the SS) in the DR. He is third generation of his family who tried to make it in USA baseball, and obviously a huge success. It’s a poor sugar mill town where kids don’t have a great diet, set alongside the mansions with servants of those who have succeeded like J Andujar and Sosa.
You can be signed to a contract at 15 by a mlb club if you are lucky enough, and then you are sent to an academy (often several teams house guys together in the DR) where you play ball and get 3 squares, and are taught a little English and about life in the US, where steroids are not legal, unlike the DR. But the reality is that if you fail in the minors here and get released by your club, you are now an illegal alien. Most kids give the signing bonus to their family (along with something to the local coach/scout that helped them), so they don’t have much, and there isn’t much to go back to (having left school early), so they head to relatives in Miami or NYC. Small wonder baseball really is everything in the life of the Latin players.
Kevin said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:37 am

I was flipping channels last night, and there was the movie The Natural. Has there ever been a bad baseball movie?? MSN did a slide show on baseball movies to watch, and I got to the end and I thought where the hell is Sandlot??? Sandlot was me, everyday outside with the regulars playing baseball. You play Baseball like a Girl!!!
- ewisco said, on July 12, 2011 at 9:40 am
  
  and trying to pick up the incredibly cute life guardess.
- unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:27 am
  
  Major League, Back to the Minors . . .
Rough Trade said, on July 12, 2011 at 9:18 am

I’ll be interested to watch this yr because Bochy is managing. I want to see how he matches up his pitchers with the AL sluggers.
dirtnrocksnreno said, on July 12, 2011 at 9:21 am

Blade, got your offer. Sorry I am dispatched to an undisclosed location with limited availability. While I would have been more diplomatic, chuck pretty much covered my response.
Rough Trade said, on July 12, 2011 at 9:21 am

Got to wondering who among today’s All-Stars will make the HOF?

Some trivia.

The 1965 NL team had 11 who made it to the HOF. In 85, the AL started 8 future HOFer’s.

Growing up in the 60’s, one got spoiled watching Mays, Aaron and Clemente. However, Clemente holds the distinction of being the only player to strike out 4 times in a game. “Bob” did that in the 67 game.
- xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 9:32 am
  
  Aaron didn’t start an AS until 65 or 66, I think — too many other greats competing for the OF spots.
  - Rough Trade said, on July 12, 2011 at 9:51 am
    
    Actually, his first start was in 1957.
  - xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:28 am
    
    start? ok.
  - xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:34 am
    
    Sure enough. Clemente didn’t start knocking him out of the starting AS lineup until 61.
  - Rough Trade said, on July 12, 2011 at 11:15 am
    
    Well, Aaron was back in the starting lineup in 63, and from 65-69. I believe he was injured in 62.
    
    During the 60’s, Aaron started every yr except 61, 62 and 64.
    Clemente started 61, 62, 64, 66 and 67.
    Mays started every yr except 67 and 69.
    
    So, though it seemed like it was a lot more, the 3 only started together in 64 and 66.
twinfan1 said, on July 12, 2011 at 9:45 am

I think Bochy woud probably do better with his own staff than the All-Star group.
TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 9:58 am

Rooster T-Feathers ?
- ewisco said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:07 am
  
  comedy club. not sure if it’s still around.
- TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:17 am
  
  Thanks ewisco. I just googled it. Yeah it’s still around
- Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:25 am
  
  Not to be confused with the Chucklefuck Factory. Where the laughs are few and far between.
  - Nipper said, on July 12, 2011 at 11:03 am
    
    Yes but the BLEEPS are fast and furious.
unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:33 am

Or Del Mar Dennis’ Steak House.

“This steak still has marks where the jockey was hitting it.”
- Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:46 am
  
  Stop eating “low grade dog food” and check out the trade proposal I sent you. It’s a Judge Smails to Spalding special: “You’ll get nothing and like it!”
  - unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:54 am
    
    Is it as good as Blade’s?
zumie said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:43 am

Regarding how it took a while for Aaron to start in the All-Star game, it’s important to remember that in those days, the outfielders had to compete for their exact outfield spot. So, you could be, let’s say, the second or third best overall outfielder, but if you were a centerfielder and you finished second in the centerfield ballot, you didn’t start the game. Aaron wasn’t always a rightfielder. When he played centerfield early in his career, he was competing against Mays for the starting spot. And for rightfield, later, he was competing against Clemente.
- zumie said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:45 am
  
  A lot of you probably already knew that. I was just sayin’.
- TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:49 am
  
  Hell, even Mays didn’t *always* start
- xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 10:59 am
  
  Well, the whole discussion got started with recollections about how many future HOFs there used to be on the squad. mlb was different before FA and expansion. I remember a Jim Murray column from the mid 60s published just before an AS game in which he argued that Aaron, then, was the most underrated AS of them all.
zumie said, on July 12, 2011 at 11:08 am

The Hall-of-Fame is going to have a doughnut-hole coming up. The steroid era. Would this benefit players from earlier eras, like a Ron Santo, who wasn’t getting in before, but now the Hall of Fame needs SOMEBODY getting in each year, until the doughnut-hole is passed by. Would the Hall of Fame voters actually have nobody going in certain years? That seems unlikely, and would be bad for baseball, image-wise. NOBODY going in a certain year would draw a lot of media attention to the steroid era again.
xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 11:15 am

Do teams and agents collaborate to campaign for certain eligible players every year? I can imagine glossy Scott Boras type brochures (w/ DVDs) and weblinks advertising the merits of clients. Prominently placed in the Executive Summary full of bullet points, and stressed in the baritone voice-over, would be: “Never indicted.” “Never tested positive.” “Continued to produce after 2003.” Etc.
- TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 11:17 am
  
  “For your consideration…”
Rough Trade said, on July 12, 2011 at 11:45 am

“Has there ever been a bad baseball movie??”

Never saw it, but check out Ed, starring Matt LeBlanc and a chimp. Probably a cult classic by now.
Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 11:57 am

Bad baseball movie? Try “The Slugger’s Wife” starring Rebecca De Mornay and Michael O’Keefe (Danny Noonan). Very bad. Michael may have been able to swing a golf club that enabled him to win the “Caddies Tournament,” but he couldn’t swing a bat to save his life.
- TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:07 pm
  
  Good calls, RT and Dennis. Might I add:
  ANGELS IN THE OUTFILED (the remake)
  HARD BALL
  MR. 3000
  All the BAD NEWS BEARS sequels
  SUMMER CATCH
  MAJOR LEAGUE II (though I liked the 1st and 3rd ones)
  And it’s not out yet but MONEYBALL looks to be a snorer. Not exactly cimematic material.
- Kevin said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:07 pm
  
  Hell the title tells you it is a bad movie, “The Sluggers Wife”. That already insinuates that the wife is the forcal point of the movie!! No wonder I don’t know it!!
unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:08 pm

Major League, Bck to the Minors . . . back to the well once too often . . .
- TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:12 pm
  
  I kind of liked that one. AT least better than the first sequel
unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:10 pm

Basebrawl? Saw parts of it. Looked terrible.
- TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:15 pm
  
  BASEBRAWL? Never even heard of it.
TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:23 pm

And I’ve never seen anything but clips but Babe Ruth made a handful of movies in the lat ’20’s early ’30’s that probably stunk
Rough Trade said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:30 pm

“The Babe” with John Goodman?
- unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:36 pm
  
  Beyond the fact that Babe Ruth was a great athlete, and Goodman’s a fat pig . . . not a good one.
twinfan1 said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:35 pm

“Has there ever been a bad baseball movie??”
The Piersall one with Tony Perkins as Kathy Piersall.
- TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:40 pm
  
  FEAR STRIKES OUT
unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:36 pm

Mother?
unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:38 pm

What was the one where a scientist invented a wood repelling liquid he would rub onto baseballs?

Anthony Perkins? Jimmy Stewart?
- TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:44 pm
  
  Ray Milland-IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING. Coincedentally, Milland was in another baseball movie RHUBARB where a cat inherits a pro-ball team
  - unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 1:00 pm
    
    Ahhhh. Thanks. Haven’t seen that in years, but what a goofy-ass movie.
willieD said, on July 12, 2011 at 12:53 pm

Rambis out as coach of the T-Wolves, probably sleeps sounder at least for a while. I think after a while the losses wear on you more than the Ws make you feel good.
Might be hard to imagine based on his NBA career, but he was an absolute beast of a scoring machine in high school down at Cupertino. As I recall he got 60 some in a play off game.
The guy I played for (mostly I sat and watched til it was garbage time) triple teamed him and beat them at the buzzer on a play he drew up the day before in practice. fun times. Later as a public school coach with girls teams he beat the private schools for CCS titles, twice.
ewisco said, on July 12, 2011 at 1:12 pm

I remember Rambis single-handedly destroying LAHS (class of ’76). Actually was proud of him as a member of the SCVAL.
xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 2:12 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxzBtKO8pyg&feature=related
- TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 2:17 pm
  
  Wow! This fat tub of shit makes Lasorda’s fall look like Baryshnikov
  - unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 2:51 pm
    
    It wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t take 2 other umps to get his fat ass off the ground.
  - TedSpe said, on July 12, 2011 at 2:58 pm
    
    They could only let him waddle around the grass for so long. Dignity, my friend, always diginity
- xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 2:20 pm
  
  Check out some of the other vid links that pop up after this one plays itself out. There’s a whole subgenre of LLeague baseball film that’s funny as hell.
unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 4:31 pm

The ump looks a lot like this puppy.
http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=puppy%20can't%20roll%20over&tnr=21&vid=922421297515&l=235&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts2.mm.bing.net%2Fvideos%2Fthumbnail.aspx%3Fq%3D922421297515%26id%3D602458b4df5d3c5a17d72f18bb89c9a7%26bid%3D8CeeIGq4lb%252fY3A%26bn%3DThumb%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.youtube.com%252fwatch%253fv%253dJAvCKuN6jTg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJAvCKuN6jTg&sigr=11a37msq7&newfp=1&tit=French+Bulldog+puppy+just+can%26%2339%3Bt+roll+over
- unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 4:33 pm
  
  That didn’t work.
unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 4:40 pm

Catchy little tune though . . .
wilcojoe said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:19 pm

Nice tip of the cap Wilson…What the hell was that?
big flavor said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:21 pm

i read the Voggy story in the Merc about 5 minutes before his name got announced so I was able to appreciate that moment a little more. Wilson is a freak but I thought it was clever. The one good thing about the home field advantage thing is that I at least am rooting for a team now. I never did before, I didn’t care who won……
blade3colorado said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:22 pm

Because of all the dropouts and injuries, 84 players can claim all-star status this year. That’s one in every nine in the big leagues. It completely devalues the honor and, worse, the best players still aren’t involved.
unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:24 pm

Shit, I got sidetracked walking from the office to the living room. What did Wheez do?
blade3colorado said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:25 pm

Conversely, you have to like this – “Every time they ask me to be in this game, I will be here. I owe it to the fans,” Ryan Braun said.
- unca_chuck said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:28 pm
  
  Some guys get it.
  - blade3colorado said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:32 pm
    
    Chuck, not certain you know this, but here is a bigger reason why Braun gets it . . . He is the National League leader in votes, and said he never thought of staying home even though he’s not playing because of injury.
wilcojoe said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:35 pm

Anyone ever notice how much Wilson sounds like the fat, bearded guy from the Hangover? Galankais or whatever his name is.
blade3colorado said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:37 pm

Dipshit McCarver . . . Don’t add Mays name to that list, i.e., he had a batting average of .307 in all the AS games he was in and won the MVP for the game twice.
Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:45 pm

Wilson already giving Beltran the “welcome, come on over pal.” If Sabean doesn’t trade for his ass now, I’ll buy the fucking rope.
Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 5:51 pm

A player can’t be charged with tampering for inviting another player to come over to his team like Wilson just did, can he?
big flavor said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:12 pm

shit, Bochy probably gave him a hand job on the plane ride that they shared to AZ
big flavor said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:21 pm

i don’t know about *devaluing* it, Blade. A lot of the guys that opted out were pitchers who pitched on Sun, that’s a flaw in the system. And all the guys who replaced the pussies who stayed home to *rest* have good numbers.
If you ask me, guys like Scott Rolen devalue the quality of the players. But hey, he’s got a lot of fans who vote, I guess……
big flavor said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:31 pm

God Fox is stupid. Bochy comes out to yank Cliff Lee, something he’s not too accustomed to in the first inning he works, and the cameras pan to Clippard entering the game? I’m not saying there is anything wrong with Bochy doing it I just wanted to see the interaction between he and Lee. Clippard is a stud, he’s going to strike out Beltre—Clippard is a strikeout machine.
big flavor said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:33 pm

classy slide by Bautista.
wilcojoe said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:35 pm

Wasn’t the most difficult throw in the world, but Pence has an arm to rival Nates.
- DJLoo said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:43 pm
  
  No one has anything to rival Nate. He is the first 10 tool player ever…
  - willieD said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:53 pm
    
    yep. two good weeks and the guys on baggs blog think he is the white clemente.
- PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:50 pm
  
  and McCann did his part — avoiding injury too
Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:35 pm

Who needs classy? Maybe if I had some I could appreciate that slide, but I was hoping Bautista was gonna go Pete Rose on McCann a la Fosse. This game needs some action.
Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:42 pm

I can’t stand that fat fuck one bit. Even if Prince put on a Giants uni he’d still be fat. Just a little less fuck.
DJLoo said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:49 pm

Can Ortiz’s kid do Rowand?
- PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:54 pm
  
  now THAT would be a challenge…I’ve noted before: BattingStance Guy is a Tweeter and has kinda cool website, sorta
  - DJLoo said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:59 pm
    
    As you may know Pawlie, the expression “kinda, sorta” was popularized if not originated by a great philosopher named Theodore Cleaver.
big flavor said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:50 pm

surprised that neither McCarver or Buck mentioned the world series hr that bounced off the wall BACK into play to Torres. Actually, I’m not surprised. They’ve been busy memorizing the names of Prince Fielder’s kids and the fact that his wife doesn’t like the scowl on his face.
- PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:52 pm
  
  …and busy noting Justin Timberlake’s take on the pool chicks as he promotes his movie
big flavor said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:51 pm

though hammered, I found Timberlake to quite entertaining. Actually, if you’ve ever seen him live he’s pretty funny…..
PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:57 pm

I’m just going by what I see on TV, but to my eyes Chase Field is spectacularly ugly (corresponding to the spectacularly dull announcers)..
- PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 6:58 pm
  
  delete that extra full stop up above
PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:01 pm

I dare say that Bruce Bochy vs. Ron Washington is a factor. We already baskingly know how Bruce runs circles around Washington as a manager.
Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:02 pm

Holding Jack-Ten in Texas Hold ‘Em is either know as Justin Timberlake or T.J. Hooker. If he’s lumped in with The Shat, he can’t be all that bad…
PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:04 pm

Could these announcers sound ANY less interested? I CANNOT STAND MR. MONOTONE BUCK.
- xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:13 pm
  
  His voice modulated a bit during the post season, especially when Uribe hit that homer in Philly. Talk about disapointment.
stixwiz said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:05 pm

Rolen has some NOT All-Star numbers, which would be even lower in terms of HRs and runs produced if he were not part of the Cincinnati lineup playing half their games in the Great American Bandbox and a nice chunk of their road games against NL Central pitching. He could be poster boy for why fans should not be able to vote for A.S. starters. Maybe fans could vote on one reserve player for each position with the starters getting voted in by their peers.
- twinfan1 said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:10 pm
  
  Polanco’s are even worse
DJLoo said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:05 pm

Wonder if he’s related to the great Gary Timberlake…
twinfan1 said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:09 pm

My favorite All-Star moment was Johnny Callison’s walk-off in 1964. Johnny was a helluva right fielder playing the wrong era.The starting OFers for both teams were Clemente, Mays, Billy Willams,Mantle, Killebrew, and Oliva…. Marichal got the win, BTW.
- DJLoo said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:12 pm
  
  Mine, too!!!!!!!
- PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:16 pm
  
  Mine is the game, I think it ended up 1-0 in extra innings, with Mays scoring the only run. At my age, I increasingly struggle with this dilemma: am I remembering this? or am I just dreaming it?
PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:14 pm

Jacoby Ellsbury looks like a younger half-brother of Johnny Damon. And speaking og Johnny, what’s with this Jhonny variant and others like it? Is it because the parents could not spell? My wife, a nurse, claims they’ve had a baby named Female, pronounced Fuh-MAH-lee. That sounds like urban legend stuff.
DJLoo said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:14 pm

Best RF arm I ever saw. Got to tell him that in person at the stadium when he was a washed up Yankee late in his career…
wilcojoe said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:15 pm

Good to see Righetti a part of his first ASG as a coach…Remember, in 2003, Dusty Baker managed the NL as a Chicago Cub…Dusty’s pitching coach for that midsummer classiic; Dick Pole.
- PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:19 pm
  
  nice to see Tim Flannery and Roberto Kelly too
wilcojoe said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:19 pm

Hard not to like Heath Bell after seeing that…Pretty cool.
- PawlieKokonuts said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:20 pm
  
  agreed; hope it was not orchestrated or staged by MLB or Fox
DJLoo said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:26 pm

With Kemp, Ethier, Kershaw, Bilingsley, and Loney, the Dodgers are probably not that far away. That’s a hell of a lot more talent that the Giants had before Posey & Pablo came up.
Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:50 pm

Pablo!!!
wilcojoe said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:51 pm

Way to go Panda!
stixwiz said, on July 12, 2011 at 7:53 pm

Panda Power! Can you imagine the bubbles effervescing into the Arizona evening. Dude has to be so high right now that the whole place is catching a glow-on.
zumie said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:03 pm

That a nice aspect of the game that the manager gets to bring his whole coaching staff.
- zumie said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:04 pm
  
  “That’s”
zumie said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:06 pm

Yeah, it’s hard to believe Buck can sound any more monotone, but tonight he does. And they go to a camera shot of him, and he’s sitting there with his legs crossed like he’s waiting to see the dentist. He couldn’t seem less interested in the game.
twinfan1 said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:06 pm

The quintessential Panda hit- a good pitch to almost anybody else
Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:07 pm

I hope to hell Bochy doesn’t bring BW into the 9th in a NON-save situation in a goddamn exhibition game.
Flavor said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:09 pm

that was a tough pitch to hit and Pablo hammered it. I said it last night, Heath Bell is a cool dude.
DJLoo said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:11 pm

I believe Buck is still recovering from some sort of throat ailment.
zumie said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:12 pm

Someone mentioned the stadium….yeah, the architects must have said: “Let’s make the ballpark look like an airplane hangar.”
wilcojoe said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:22 pm

Sorry Dennis!
Del Mar Dennis said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:23 pm

It’s a save situation now, so I can’t bitch…
wilcojoe said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:25 pm

That’s true…The tying run is on deck.
wilcojoe said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:27 pm

Bochy’s done a helluva job managing this game for many reasons…One of which is he has used at least one player from every NL team, yet still has guys guys left on the bench and in the pen.
xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:28 pm

Pretty damn tense for a 4 run lead in the 9th of an AS game.
- xootsuit said, on July 12, 2011 at 8:28 pm
  
  And not a bad play from Starlin to end it. Fitting.