Another Win, Another Day….
As I noted early on, Vogelsong is nothing if not gritty and gutty. You can see it on his face and in the way he pitches. He’s been a revelation this year, there are no more words to describe him. We wouldn’t be in first place without him…..
With the rumor that the Rockies are going to become sellers, I think we can safely wrap up the western division right now. Arizona is a paper tiger. Sabean can concentrate on adding a middle infielder or a catcher at the break. Or later. I’ve crossed outfielder off our list of needs since Nate has solidified his role as clean up hitter and obvious team MVP. And Ross is doing enough to hold down the other corner spot. Torres and Huff continue to fail but they aren’t going anywhere so just buckle up and get used to it……..
The Flap Fantasy Baseball League
(Dirt makes a big 4.5 point move and at 12:29am The Aubrey Huff Era ended for BB’s. He hit the waiver wire. You think he cares about contracts? Baha. You produce on that man’s team or you stand in the freaking corner with your head down!)
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
So watched the Franchise last night….am I the first Flapper to be on the opening episode?????
expand….
Really . . .
Zito who??
vogs dominated, bochy lifted him when he was done, pen shuts them off, ho hum. Altho that guy Carroll is becoming another Hairston…he hadn’t homered all year and almost took one out.
No wilson needed so…my question is, do relievers throw on some kind of pattern like starters do on off days? Or is there no such thing as an off day for pen guys?
As for the b-ball discussion….play was generally more team oriented, with set plays run by guys who had played 4 years of college ball for coaches who often emphasized same. Team defense, ball handling and rebounding (single most important parts of winning, without question) and fundamentals were more important at this time too.
As for pure offense, the Spurs of the Iceman era and Nuggets of Doug Moe were really fun to watch; mulitple scorers, great passers, and fully capable of putting up 125 a night. Too many of today’s guys are limited to highlight reel moves and 3 pt shots. World B Free was doing that 20 yrs ago, and better. And Nate Thurmond would shut down Dwight Howard and most of today’s centers as easily as he used to do to the Neal Walks of the world.
I once watched the Suns shoot 70% vs. the Warriors in oaktown…westphal, walter davis, truck robinson rebounding and setting killer screens, and alvan adams passing and hitting 20 footers at 6-10 C. These guys knew what they were doing. too many of today’s players haven’t a clue.
That is because a lot of guys don’t practice enough. Your greats do, Kobe. but there are so few of those anymore. Larry Bird, 200 FT at practice. Now adays they come out of high school talking trash and making there money and that is it.
Flav, what happens on the FL if one of my players is traded etc, will it reflect who they now play for? do they have to actually get into a game for the change to happen??
What do yuo mean? If you trade a player he goes to the team you trade him for
I am talking about the real world trade dead line, I have a couple of players who are mention as possible being traded to other teams. So if Player A gets traded to Team B, It shows that my player was suppose to start for Team A but he is now with Team B. Do I just lose out as if he was on the bench??
No. He stays where he is position-wise. it shouldn’t change things with yer team.
The “obvious” team MVP is now Panda..
The failing Torres is hitting .324 over the last two weeks with an .800+ OPS and .359 OBP…
But I’m gratified to see you and others falling in line with what I said before the season started- an easy division win..
The POTD is a quote that Dennis lifted from Krukow last night, BTW
Look who woke up on the usual side of his bed this morning. Go back and look at last night’s comments. You’ll see that I didn’t provide any of my usual insightful in-game commentary. My comments came after the game was over. See if you can put those clues together, Sherlock.
The current standings in BWARP (Wins above replacement player gained as a non-pitcher, includes hitting and fielding). As per Baseball Prospectus. I’m sparing Flavor the Fangraph’s value index, I’d hate to be responsible for his coronary.
Sandoval 2.3
Nate 1.2
Torres 1.1
Ross 0.9
I’m back to fill you all in…in the game with Cain pitching against the Nationals, I am in the frame of the of one of the pitches to home…well, at least my torso is:) Still wins the first Flapper to be on the Franchise contest? What bobblehead do I get?…88.5 in Fantasy, I am coming for you Flav!!!
Since the Beltran thing seems to look like the Mets are trying to get more than Beltran is worth…what is the Flap decision on Melky Cabrera? He was awful when he played for the Braves, is he more of an AL guy not worth the effort to get him? He has a solid year though and has decent base stealing and OPS .783 this year.
May be a cheaper endeavor than pursuing Beltran. Also, I know management loved DeJesus last year before he got hurt, but he has been worse than awful this year. Can he regain some glory. Both would come cheap and DeJesus is a free agent while Cabrera has one arb year left, which I guess could be good or bad….hopefully can check back with the collective analysis later on..see you Flappers…
They don’t need an outfielder unless he’s basically free like Burrell and Ross were.
I tend to agree, I am not of the thought that we need to worry about offense. A vet catcher would be a nice addition. I dont see a SS on the horizon either. Reyes and Hanley Ramirez I dont think will be in play for us and I think Hanley Ramirez would be a negative on team chemistry…if Ross and Huff regain their 2011 form, may be all the extra offense we need. We had no Panda last year and he may have enough of a bat to carry us this year…at this rate, I think we may win home field over the Phillies….
I’m a little short on walkin’ around money, how about a wager? I know that Dennis doesn’t like to back his absurd declarations wirh cash, Let’s see if anyone else does.50 bucks- who gets the most REAL MVP votes- Panda or Grok, uh, Nate. That’s barring a DL visit for either the rest of the way. If Nate is the obvious MVP this should be an easy call.
Ummm, I am taking Panda on that one…whom am I betting?????
Craig said that Nate was the “obvious” team MVP so he’d have to back that up if you want a bet. Or maybe Snarkk would take it,. he’s a huge Nate fan. I have the Panda,
Grok?
Nate’s name when he was discoverd in an East Bay Forest.
Ahhhhh. Of course
Wasn’t that Farnham’s Freehold, Mike?
Half the BWAA probably don’t know who Shitholtz is in the first place. That bet’s a real toughie.
It was a blast scoping out the stats on Yahoo’s baseball coverage this morning. Top of the list for ERA: Our very own pickup of the year: The Little Birdie that Could. Lance Berkman may be having a great comeback season, but Vogelsong has come back from total nowheresville. I’ll betcha somebody’s started on a book already with maybe a screenplay derivative to follow.
Team pitching stats finally came around too. Giants now finally lead the league with a none too shabby staff ERA of 3.14. Philadelphia has a 3.15 and Atlanta a 3.17. SF also leads in fewest hits allowed, strikeouts and saves. The one low point is walks allowed. Batting is picking it up, but slowly, still hovering at .243 and something like 13th in the league. To prove out the old adage that good pitching trumps good hitting ~ Giants remain in first, with only the Snakes anywhere in range.
Half the teams in the league are now ten games or more behind in their respective divisions. Central is currently a donnybrook with the team which is the last one standing likely having to face Philly in the Playoffs. Giants likely see wildcard probable Atlanta once again. Expect low-scoring contests.
Here is my bet with my Phillie freinds here in DC…I am betting them that the Giants will pass the Phillies up for best record, but I am demanding 10-1 odds:)
Ross has an OBP of .354 an OPS of .781. I’m not sure why so many are expecting more than that,
Actually, Ross’ offensive stats overall are about right to his career averages. He’s not exceeding expectations, which he did in the NLCS, but he’s right there where he’s always been
It’s the hot/cold aspect of his game that drives me crazy . . .
Looks like they shoulda started the Mudbug at SS in the first place. I try to warn you people…
I haven’t heard anyone comment on Sanchez’s Class A rehab start Sunday . . . He gave up six runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three in just 2 2/3 innings. Per Bochy, “Overall, the numbers didn’t look good,” he said, “but he threw better than that, from our reports.”
Just think, most Flappers wouldn’t trade a guy who couldn’t get thru three inning in Class A ball for the NL’s batting leader. Brilliant lot one and all.
Hey, ESPN has the Dogerrs and the Gigantes game on. Vin Scully just called Crawford a 5 tool player.
Was he carrying a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, and a cresent wrench?
you mean squeezers, turner and a spanner?
Once more in Engli . . . uh, Merrican . . .
Well, if neither Drrrty or Bubbles get their shit together, do they give Surkamp a look?
Huff to Uribe @ first, “Hey, buddy, tough Year? Me too”
Twin, you mean MVP votes for the NL? Negative, I’m not betting on that. Those who vote have no idea how many games Nate has won for them. You think any of them saw that catch he made to win the game? How many of them caught his team-leading game winning hits? Noticed that he’s now our clean up hitter? Nope. Only the fans who watch him play day in and day out know that he’s our team mvp. And it’s really not even close……
I won’t argue against Schierholtz and no question he’s been a huge asset defensively all year and as of late offensively as well. But for overall play and attitude, I personally give Sandoval an edge.
But again, I’m not going to argue because both opinions have their merits
Shit, Why not Vogie? Wilson?
Plenty of guys have done their share and more. That’s why this team is better the the sum of their collective parts . . .
speaking of “sellers”, how would you feel as a dodger, knowing your team sucks and bud’s now running it, and the farm system can’t replace anyone anywhere? Blake and Furcal have been injured and (like Uribe) largely unproductive. No one can play LF, and you have journeyman vets like Carroll, Miles and Barajas alongside the perenially underwhelming Loney around the IF.
I give Kemp and Ethier credit for how well they are playing, but you have to wonder if they feel like sticking around, or are going to ask out and forego “rebuilding.” The Padres actually have more going for them…at least when they play SF.
A terrible situation for Mattingly to try to start an MLB managing career. There’s no way he could have passed up that opportunity, but it’s hard to see how it’s going to work out well for him there.
On the hand- Gibson is probably a lock for NL manager of the year, after Arizona’s surprising showing this season, unless they totally bottom out in the next two months.
And btw- it turns out Freddy Freeman is NOT a lock for NL ROY. I didn’t know that Kimbral qualifies as a rookie. Kimbral is probably the frontrunner.
Dodger fan or player? As a fan, I would be pissed off. As a player. . . umm, wait a sec . . . Ahh, yes, my direct deposit statement shows me getting paid this week. What was the question again?
Seeing as they both checked out in July last year when they were nominally IN the race, I think they will lean toward getting out of Dodge City.
Most of the baseball writers are asleep when the Giants play.
23 of ’em didn’t think Mays was HOF material in his first year of eligibility.
Yeah, I’ll make a wager based on their opinion…
Sounds like a Nate vote. Didn’t you have Torres like 5th on the team last year?
Matt Kemp could be the rare case where the MVP goes to someone whose team struggled all season.
A la Andre Dawson
The people who vote for MVP can see more of the players than we can..
You’re right, it’s not close-Sandoval in a landslide.
While I was in the library recently, I checked out a book about Curt Flood. Looks like it could be interesting.
I’m currently reading a book about WWII. “Ghost Soldiers,” by Hampton Sides. It’s about a daring attempt to rescue some American POWs in the Philippines. Very well-written book.
Flood is a nearly forgotten figure in many circles. Really a players hero, if any of them care to look at history. And a darn good player — 7 gold gloves…
While you were in the library recently??!!
Watch it, zumie.
Lurkers out there might think some of us here actually know how to read.
I was at the library, too! Was looking for a book, “Coping With and Understanding Polish Baseball Legends” … got terribly lost in the aisles. Asked the librarian if she could give me directions to the self-help section. She replied that yes she could, but wouldn’t it defeat the purpose?!
BTW, zumie (I know, with me there’s always a movie angle) a film was made based on GHOST SOLDIERS called THE GREAT RAID (the film was actually based on 2 books, the other called THE GREAT RAID ON CABANATUAN by William B. Breuer, both on the same rescue attempt). It co-starrred the lovely Natalie Mendoza in a small part. So, here’s the Giants angle. It’s lead actor was Benjamin Bratt, SF native who happened to visit the Giants’ clubhouse yesterday before the game (along with Joe Montana)
Right now Panda is probably the only Giant who would receive votes, but Nate could get a couple.
It’s possible to appreciate Nate’s improvement without joining the cult. He’s been great and becoming the second or third most valuable player on a championship team is quite an accomplishment.
C’mon Twin, join the cult. All you have to do is shave your head, give up your earthly possessions, and move to our organic farm/compound outside of Ukiah.
how is panda mvp after missing 6 weeks. How many games did Nate win singlehandedly during the time he was on the shelf? 6?
Missing 6 weeks but only 30+ plate appearences less than Schierholtz but with better avg and about tie with extra base hits. I’m not saying you’re wrong. But a good arguement could be made for either. Winning games singlehandedly is difficult to gauge as well. Clutch hits? Winning hits? Since the Giants shutout the Dodgers last night, you could say Pablo won the game singlehandedly becasue his was the only run they needed.
Unless it was 6 HRs he didn’t win shit singlehandedly.Look, if you posted that Nate was “arguably” the MVP, it would have been fair.But you made a conclusive statement that can’t be suppported. Wilson, in fact, might have a better argument than Nate.,He isn’t the “obvious” MVP, You only made that statement to annoy, just as you’re starting on Torres again.
He still has a way to go but it’s nice to see what was only potential before becoming reality.
What were once vices are now habits . . .
now, if the argument is “who is our best hitter?” or “who is our best player?” I could get behind the Panda in a nano-second. But to me, MVP is “Who has been most important to the team’s success this year?” I don’t see how you give it to a guy who has missed 6 straight weeks. Nate’s been the most consistent contributor to wins this year……
Okay. I think I’m just looking at this at a different angle than you are.
“Who has been most important to the team’s success this year?”
Bruce Bochy.
Shit, Torres won a bunch of games, Franchez as well. Cody and Ford won a few. Huff had a few large games around the overarching turdliness. Early on, Nate couldn’t crack the starting line up.
It’s all of them or none of them . . .
The “singlehandedly” is what tipped his bias.It’s absolute bullshit, of course.
We could just be celebrating the improvement. Both Nate and Panda were on the bench end of last yr. Nate was being waived by many here. Without them, G’s are at .500.
Nate’s numbers have elevated him into being an acceptable corner outfielder, actually they’re very close to Cody’s.He certainly should be in the running for any most improved award.
Loo got his wish, say hello to Keppinger…http://tinyurl.com/3wp8l9n
Two words: OUTSIDE help.
Did they DL Miggy? Belt called back up as well, apparently . . . Sanchez was optioned . . .
Schulman thinks Burriss goes down
Awww. Hector we hardly knew ya
No more 3 catchers? Quick, find me something else to bitch about.
The line up should be posted any minute now . . .
Forrest Blue just passed away, Chuck.
In the Chron…
Wow. I haven’t heard that name since I was a little kid. That was the Brodie era, right?
Yeah, he was the center for what turned into a great line in the late 60s and early 70s.
Already posted on my blog, Snarkk . . .
OK. He was a pretty damn good center.
Looks like he had some cognitive issues, like a lot of these older guys have. Family was fighting for medical coverage. It’s a shame. This new CBA better give better med bennies to the old guys, they need it…
Don’t count on it. Ditka had the right idea, but his foundation was a bunch of crooks. Even the guys who played after 1985 have a hard time getting coverage. Before ’85, and yer shit outta luck. It’s one thing about Gene Upshaw I didn’t care for. He played alongside a bunch of the guys who were screwed by the outcome of his actions as head of the NFLPA. These guys got millions upon millions of dollars, and turn theri backs on the guys who made their shit possible.
Torres, CF
Fontenot, 2B
Sandoval, 3B
Schierholtz, RF
Ross LF
Belt, 1B
Crawford, SS
Whiteside, C
Bumgarner SP
Huff daddy gets a blow . . .
Keppinger can play SS or 2nd, seems a reasonable add. He doesn’t K much, that’s good.
Somebody on the IF has to be sent down or DLed.
If Belt’s up, maybe it’s Burriss down and Tejada DL.
They said they wouldn’t bring up Belt unless they could play him. Somebody’s going to sit for a while.
As for bringing up Hector for half a cup of coffee, I don’t get that…
And Urban, as of Saturday on KNBR, didn’t even know who Keppinger was. Some “insider”…
Schulman originally had him as “Mike” Keppinger until just a min ago on his blog.
Keppinger has started EVERY game this year at 2B. I hope to hell we don’t dick him around and put him at SS.
Leave that to the slick-fielding .197 hitting Mudbug.
Fontenot has been pretty respectable at 2nd, and adds a LH bat. I think Keppinger may be headed mainly for SS duty…
All seem reasonable to me. See who goes down. I think Burriss is more valuable than Crawdaddy.
They gain m,ore with Keppinger/Fontenot than Crawford/Keppinger.
From MLBtraderumors
•The Giants, who acquired Jeff Keppinger earlier today, remain interested in Beltran, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
Twitter…… yawn
Price for Keppinger was not bad at all: Henry Sosa, who was completely out of the Giants plans and Jason Stoffel, who may prove to be a bit of a sleeper but is far more needed to give Houston some hope than to possibly fit into the plans of the NL ERA, hits, strikeouts and saves leaders. Small sample size, but it looks like Kepp likes to dine on lefties. That fills a hole.
Belt struck out four times last night for Fresno but also drew a pair of walks and scored both times. Last week he was PCL Player of the Week. This time my suspicion is that he was not called up to ride the bench. I could see him and Huff getting switched back and forth between 1B and LF , primarily against pitchers who Cody has not hit very well. A platoon at first? Huff as a high-paid PH? A slightly less than two week sink or swim till September callups for Belt to determine whether or not to go for Beltran or some other bat?
Run-up to the trade deadline just got a bunch more exciting.
Yup!
Per KNBR:
Zito will get skipped vs. Brewers.
Huff sits for a few days with a “tight” lower back. His swing’s been pretty tight, too..
Soon as I turned on the radio in the car, one of the local Houston sports talk stations was playing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” I immedately knew the Giants and Astros made a deal…Checked the Iphone and sure enough, Keppinger’s a Giants…Just as I had mentioned on Sunday, Keppinger would not cost us much…Good move by Sabean…Stix is probabaly right, see what they get out of Belt, before making a bigger move.
Keppinger on the trade, “I am excited…I have never played for a first base team let alone a team with a winning record.”
First place not first base
So what did Hector do as a pinch hitter? 1 BB, 2 K? Filled in admirably for Pat…
That whole Hector Sanchez thing was a little strange
Sabean said he had a bigger deal in the works that didn’t come to fruition. Will still remain aggressive.
Also said we’re “lucky” to be 15 gms over .500. He’s been reading my comments again…
How complimentary of the team.
Sabes continues to be in need of a PR consult…
Any news on the bigger deal? I’ve been on a ship for most of this month with little news about the club.
With the Belt move IF goes Sandoval, Crawford, Keppinger, Belt? Maybe Sabean figures a better bat at 2b covers Crawfords weak hitting. Not that his D has been the greatest lately but its still better than anything else the club has. Then Fontenot is LH off the bench and Huff mixes and matches 1b/LF.
That’s what Bochy said per Amy G. Font = utility guy.
Bochy says Keppinger will play second base, Fontenot utility.
Jeff Age 31 Career BA .284 OBP .337 OPS .731
Fontenot Age 31 Career BA .267 OBP .337 OPS .747
One should play SS, the other 2B.
BTW props to either Loo or Dennis (which one?) who originally brought up Keppingers name a couple weeks ago…That might be the first correct trade prediction in the history of the flap.
Don’t forget, there’s still almost 2 weeks to see if my Zito/Rowand/Burrell/Wotus/Snow/McCovey and a PTBNL plus cash for Pujols trade prediction comes to be
Blind squirrel, meet nut . . .
That hurt…
May have been a simple case of base thievery. Or it might have been an out and out case of highway robbery. Looks like Sabean pulled off another fast one. Keppinger looks like another of those acquisitions who may blossom with the Giants, going from worst to first and all. Checked out his stats. Though he’s currently batting over .300 in 43 games after returning from foot surgery, the pair of stats which really caught my eye were his lifetime walks to strikeouts ratio: In 1,858 lifetime plate appearances he was walked 147 times to exactly 125 strikeouts. In other words we are talking a prime contact hitter. His OBP is not at all bad, especially for a middle infielder at .337. The .395 SP looks quite nice for SS or 2B.
Now the price. I wouldn’t call it a cost, as neither Sosa nor Stoffel were anywhere near SF’s immediate plans. Couple years back Henry was looking pretty good in AA. He was pretty much a disaster at Fresno, so he went to the far corner of the cookstove. Back at Richmond he had a fairly decent ERA in the .2.90’s, but looks iffy at best. Jason will hit 23 in mid-September. He’s been groomed as a possible closer and filled that role in AA with 13 saves in twice the number of relief appearances, apparently strictly as a closer because he would make a miserable fireman as his ERA with men on base and in scoring position is through the roof while with the bags empty it is miniscule. Current ERA at 3.98 with 34 hits and 16 walks in 31.2 IP. His 31 strikeouts get him close to a one-per ratio, but his WHIP is a rather hefty 1.58.
Attendance in Houston must have undergone a bigger meltdown than at the Fuk U Jima nuke. Astros have gotta be in in a salary dump mode. Anyone spose a Torres plus third best pipeline starter prospect could reel in a Michael Bourne?
That’s right! The first correct trade proposal in Flap or Splash history!
Yes Loo gets the credit. He brought it up several times, too. I’m fine with this. Though he has no speed or power hes probably a little better than fontenot. Didn’t cost nuthin’, let’s see whet happens.
Actually, they’re the same fucking guy. See above. Unless they both play all they’ve done is make Fontenot into the 2011 Ishikawa..
Loo: who did you send to Houston?
Sports Blog history is made:
DJLoo said, on July 27, 2010 at 8:06 am
I’d be OK with Jeff Keppinger at SS batting second a few days a week.
Gentlemen,
Been too long. Hope everyone has been well. I’ve been thinking, with all the Beltran talk lately, that the spot where the team could benefit the most from an upgrade is 2b. I like this move, mainly because Kepp seems like a solid 2 hole hitter, which has been a black hole for the team since Freddy went down. I like the idea of him/Font/Crawford splitting time up the middle. Adios Burriss..
So you traded nothing for him?
I probably wanted to waive Renteria. Big deal.
I also might’ve confused him with Don Kessinger.
Or Donald Hollinger . . .
Or Ann Marie….
Crawford/Keppinger upgrades nothing except a decent LH bat off the bench (Font).
Still a good call for you, Loo. Historic.
Fangraphs shows Keppinger has played over 1200 innings at SS in MLB, mostly 2007-2008, with 87 innings last year with the Stros, and over a 1000 innings in 2010 at 2nd for the Stros. If Crawford doesn’t hit soon, maybe they’ll ease Keppinger in over there at SS after getting in some work. He’s a huge upgrade offensively over Crawford, have no clue if he has the range left to make sense at SS, but he’s definitely not a stranger to the position…
Keppinger/Fontenot is an overall upgrade on anything else they have .
Not a ringing endorsement of Keppinger, but pretty decent. http://tinyurl.com/3u44394
I don’t see how Bill Hall would still have a spot to come back to…
Agree with Twin regarding one plays SS, the other 2B…From what I’ve seen of Keppinger, he plays solid not spectacular defense, and has decent gap power…Better than Font but not quite Franchez.
Sabean is super-psyched and anxious to do more. His statements today were blunt and shocking. Dead wood and under-performers will be dumped or benched.
Where did he speak? Is there a link?
I’m ready to be shocked…
Never mind. I see it in Baggs blog…
Hopefully Wade is mulling over a package involving Rowand and Carlos Lee…
Taking Gamer off Sabes’ hands will take a lot of mulling…
They’re both signed through 2012. An even swap would save Houston about $9 million, and Rowand might actually hit in that little shitbox. I’d rather have Lee now and in a contract year…