No More Excuses; It’s Showdown Time
I’m not sure what I’m more surprised by, the fact that we are 6 games back of them or the fact that the D-backs have won 9 in a row. I remember when Stephen Drew went down. I thought they were done. Drew wasn’t having the greatest year but he was one of their leaders, if not their main leader. And it just never happened. They got BETTER after Drew went down. I look up and down that line up and I still see a bunch of free swingers hitting .230-something chumps. They’ve obviously got a stronger line up than we do. I was on a Little League team that won the PA City Championships that could probably outhit this current crew. Montero can hit and is an obvious upgrade over whatever the Hell that is that we trot out at catcher. But mostly, they’ve got a lot of guys who can run into one on any given swing. And we can go 6 games without someone running into one. That’s a huge difference when the pitching on both sides is so good. And while I don’t really fear any of their pitchers and feel like we have a better staff across the board, the fact is, the D-backs have put together a nice team ERA this year. It’s mid-pack in the NL but pretty much every pitcher on that staff has an ERA in the 2’s and 3’s. That’s solid and a huge difference from what they did last year…..
So I am going to remain hopeful that we sweep this series. I still say 2 out of 3 keeps us with a pulse since we have 3 more vs them late in the month. If they stumble a bit after leaving SF and we start winning again, that could be showdown time in Arizona. But that’s a long way off. Tonight is all that matters…..
And I want to ask you guys a favor: If tonight is the same old stuff let’s try not to direct the venom towards each other. Everyone single one of us is frustrated by the output of the team this year. It doesn’t make it any less frustrating to have the blog turn on itself. If we do suck tonight it really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone so prepare yourself for a “big league hang with ’em”. Keep your expectations low and your hope high, if that’s even possible. But I really hope we win tonight, if for nothing else to keep the Flap Party tomorrow evening a little more interesting, at least in terms of the outcome of the game. If we lose, it is highly likely that The Flap Party could turn into a Wake and the irony of that is just stunning to consider……
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Agree BF, the Giants are still in it. As far as the Flap is concerned, I will go with Will Smith’s quote from Bad Boys II, We ride together, we die together. Bad boys for life.
Lock all your doors from the outside
The key will dangle by the inside
You may begin to understand
That this is the night we ride
vrooom, vroom
vacuum cleaner?
Why, nip? Because they both have “v’s”?
No….. because I have to do my rug. Dirty!
Krukow said on his morning show that there’s no doubt in his mind that the Giants don’t win the WS without him. He was making some super tangential reference to the swagger Rowand brought to the team when he arrived. That might be the dumbest thing Kruk has ever said. And I love Kruk. But come on. They won the WS because of their pitching staff and Torres, Uribe, Huff and Burrell all having career/bounce back years as well as Posey and Ross with monster months. But no, if it wasn’t for Rowand’s *swagger* from his arrival in 2008 we don’t win the WS. Ha. Too funny…..
You forgot Renteria
Sorry, I disagree with you Flav . . . This is what I posted the day he was released:
“By the by, yes, Gamer probably had to go, but I will ALWAYS like the guy. He gave 100% every day and regardless of what you might think, he was part of the 2010 World Series Championship and without his contribution last season, we would NOT have won the World Series. I could give a rat’s ass what anyone else says, but he will always be a Giant in my heart.”
Yes, it may be dumb to say that his “swagger” was the reason we won the World Series, but without Rowand or ANYONE ELSE WHO WAS ON THE TEAM LAST YEAR THAT MADE A CONTRIBUTION (regardless of how small), WE WOULD NOT HAVE WON THE WORLD SERIES. REMEMBER, WE ONLY WON THE DIVISION BY A FRICKIN’ CUNT HAIR.
Anyone who understands the “butterfly effect” and “Chaos theory” knows what I am talking about. We are all interconnected and Rowand, albeit, not a big big contributor last year, was an integral part of the World Series Championship Giants Team and I will believe that until the day I die.
Apparently, Bochy has a planned speech before tonight’s game. Fortunately, because of my double secret super insider sources, I got a hold of a copy of it. And I’m very pleased to share with you all. So without any further ado, Bochy’s pre-game pep talk to our boys of summer:
There was this guy, big guy, Irish-Italian, red-faced, black-haired, jolly son of a bitch. Nobody could make me laugh like him. He made a science of collecting jokes. We closed more bars together than I could count. And he was a pal. I loved the crazy mick, and I’m not ashamed to say that, but he was a fuck-up. He had this image of himself, he thought he was a con man. Always trying to shave the edge. Nickel and dime. I’ll always miss him. Tell me why. Tell me why I miss him. That’s right. He is dead, but tell me why. Tell me why he’s dead! That’s right, I did. I killed him. He fucked up one too many times, so I put a bullet in his eye. Then, I put two more into him just to make sure. Now, that was somebody I loved; I loved him! But I got the call, I put him down like a sick animal. So, if you got doubts about what’s gonna happen if you don’t deliver, let me tell you something. I’ll make gravy out of your wives, girlfriends, whores and little children just to season that Black Irish cocksucker’s meat. You do what you’re supposed to do, young men. You do it now!
There’s no substitution for winning. The rest is all window dressing.
Criminy. It’s like they didn’t see Row Row’s last 500 ABs. I’ve ridden his ass mercilessly (rightfully so or not), but K & K were the complete opposite. They dogged Posey at times, Panda, Timmy, Torres, Crawford, and lots of others, but Rowand was NEVER criticized by them.
Chuck BLEEPS the ROW!
In other words, guys who were doing a hell of a lot better than Rowand were catching heat from them, but never Rowand. The hard work, and the 5000 BP at-bats is all well and good, but when you ain’t doing it on the field, swagger don’t mean shit.
He looked great with that swagger!
Blade, too much caffeine? Last year was awesome. Epic. Something I really was beginning to suspect I’d never see in my lifetime. I still get chills sometimes realizing that we are the defending champs. Was Row Row an integral part of that? Well, sure, he played his part. He didn’t bitch when he got benched for Torres. He had a couple nice runs. But to glorify him over the job the pen did collectively, or the starters, or over any of the other position players is a bit ludicrous. You parse it that much, and Guillen was the KEY guy because of his one-game explosion. They lose that game and what happens? There are a million different tipping points in a season that could have gone against the Giants, but didn’t. Due to the efforts of the TEAM.
But it is in the past. This year is a different story. He needed to go.
My point is your last few sentences, especially the last one:
“There are a million different tipping points in a season that could have gone against the Giants, but didn’t. Due to the efforts of the TEAM.
But it is in the past. This year is a different story. He needed to go.”
That’s my point about the “butterfly effect,” i.e., “The effect derives its name from the theoretical example of a hurricane’s formation being contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its wings several weeks before.”
I will be the last person to say that Rowand was the biggest reason in us winning the World Series last year. I didn’t say that, nor imply that. However, he was one of the reasons we did. No one can deny that.
Geez. You see one Ashton Kuther movie and all of a sudden you’re a freaking expert on chaos theory 😉
Actually, I’m not even certain who he is????? LOL.
R.I.P. Miss Nancy
Sorry Ted, but who is Ms. Nancy????
Romper Room
That might need some clarification, for those readers from other locales. “Miss Nancy” Claster hosted the show in Baltimore’s market area. “Miss Nancy” Besst in the SF Bay Area. “Miss Nancy” Terrell other areas of the US that didn’t have a regional hostess.
Thanks, Mr Bill. Yes, Miss Nancy Besst just passed away at a rather youthful 77. Very sad.
The Butterfly Effect is from a Ray Bradbury story years ago. Someone who goes back in time steps out of the designated area, and kills an insect. The effect reverberates by changing the course of an election back in the present, thus plunging the world into needless wars . . .
Yes and no. The term and its theory was originated by a meteorologist who’s name escapes me. But Bradbury *did* write that story, yes.
Can’t think of the name of it.
I meant the theory of going back in time and changing some small thing altering the future. If not the actual name.
Just looked it up. “A Sound of Thunder”
Oops. I thought you meant the name of the Bradbury story
Have you read Fire and Ice?
Somewhere along the way, I bought a book of his collected short stories. 800+ pages of them. Excellent stuff . . .
Yes, A Sound of Thunder.
“Frost and Fire” I thought. Yes, I’ve read it. Bradbury’s one of my favorites. I met him once when I was around 10 or 11 at a library reading. Really funny, witty guy and very tolerant of snot nosed kids with 100 stupid questions.
Frost and Fire. That’s it.
Yeah, my mom used to go to these writer lectures, and when I was in high school, Ray Bradbury was the author. So I cut school and went to that with my mom. Good stuff, he signed my copy of October Country and lsitened to me blather about how cool his stories were. “It’s Nothing, Really!”
If there was anyone out there that Stephen King patterened himself after, it’s Bradbury. The same ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances thing . . .
Tonight’s game is on MLB Network, for all the (un)usual suspects.
“Keep your expectations low and your hope high, if that’s even possible.” Until Nov. 1, 2010, that pretty much summed up my nearly four decades of Giants fandom.
Rowand and Tejada are gone, whatever one thought of them. Now fucking let it go. They’re not on the team and no longer relevant.
We can kvetch if we want to.
It’s your specialty. Hey, I was wondering, what does rgLF9 stand for?
Really gay little fuckwad. 9 being your age.
Well, the way Flav wrote it, my first thought was he was referring to THIS year’s WS. Like we are blowing our shot this year.
Well said Craig…
any details on the flap bash?
yes, I’ll send you an email.
Good groundwork, flav. Yes, tonight is THE night. Saunders is the weaker of the three starters the Snakes will throw at us. If there is any juice left in the old jalopy this bunch will get to him before the Snakes are able to bring it to Cain. It may well require three or four runs by the fifth inning. How long has it been since SF has had a laugher? Tonight would be the perfect occasion to stomp the Snakes and bask in the win through the weekend. A winner tonight and Kennedy and Hudson will not look so tough. A laugher for Matt the Horse and both Lincecum and Vogelsong will be nails.
This game is 60% talent and 40% psychological. Winning tonight would go a long ways towards completely reversing the momentum in the NL West. Meditate on this thought: The contest is between the Snakes and the World Champions.
The last Cubs game is as close as the Giants get to a laugher.
This kind of shit is encouraged on Chuck’s blog.:
““I’m putting a bounty out on Alex Smith’s head. I’ll give anyone who busts a cap in Alex Smith’s head a nice 1968 Ford F100 stepside, 360. It just takes one bullet.”
Wahh! like wishnig for Zito to get eaten by sharks.
If I was a shark, you’d have a pernt, dumb ass.
Boo hoo. If that’s enough to assuage your conscience, so be it. It’s fucking blather.
Unless yer fucking homeland security . . .
Chuck , you’re blog has really fallen apart. It’s nothing personal to you, I like you, but I have to take your link off my blogroll. You’ve 3 or 4 people on there, 24/7, with some fairly deep psychological problems…..
Wait. Does the F100 have hedman headers?
Ha ha . . . fine.
Well, I killed it . . .
I hated blogspot anyway.
Good job. Start another one at word press. You’ll have a lot more control over blocking people
The threats were from Denny and Spitblood. If they were blocked, there would be no one left.
it’s very difficult to block people at blogger.com
very easy at wordpress…
He doesn’t want them blocked.
Fuck you, Mike. Why do you think I killed it?
It’s the offseason. I had a decent enough following last year while the season was playing out.
You came and egged the fuckers on. Don’t play disingenuous again.
It was killed only after I posted a copy of the E-Mail I sent to 49er security with the death threats and link to the site.
The deal was, I was hoping once the season started, I’d get some of the regulars back. Shit went downhill when I left one weekend and V took over half the posters names and flamed the site relentlessly. I couldn’t ban him, but I lost a bunch of people in the fallout. Then Spitty went on his rants lately (no thanks to you, Mike), and well, there you have it.
Oh well. I might start another one. Just don’t act like yer above the fray, Mike.
Chuck–the fact that you killed it is obvious and ample evidence that you didn’t support the drivel that was blogged there. I am assuming you just got tired of it and let a lot of shit go. But there were too many things there that a visitor (like myself) can’t skip past. You’d have to skip over the entire blog if you were going to skip the offensive parts.
The fact is, there were a lot of interesting football comments on your site. They were just sandwiched between too many homophobic comments and direct threats of aggravated assault against people. Not cool. At wordpress you can ban bloggers or just phrases you don’t want on your site. I hope you start another one and some of the regulars come back. they will come back, I bet, if you get rid of the same over and over shit that you currently have there. Or had. Again, nice job deleting it. It was the right thing to do.
Let out a loud BLEEP, Chuck. You deserve it! At least I didn’t clutter up your blog.
No shit, skippy.
Spit started by demanding my address when I posted a positive Smith comment. Don’ t pull that “disingenous” bullshit on me. I posted there well before those fucks who YOU encouraged. Any egging on was done by the crowd who post death threats, many well before I began posting again. Suggesting that I baited them into those outragous posts is a flat out lie and you know it. Goddamn right I’m above the fray in that regard. I DID challenge the hateful posts, fucking proud that I did, and proud that I helped bring that hateful blog down. Spitfuck anbd Denny ranted 24/7, I posted maybe once a week for the last month or so. Putting ANY of their disgusting bullshit on me is total crap.
Twin is stomping his feet!
Agree with Twin on this one. He hasn’t posted there in a month (or whatever it was) and the same daily bullshit is there over and over. I saw that Twin came back with a few posts recently but it was the same shit coming from your regulars that they were saying when he wasn’t there…..
I have to go with Flav on this Chuck, you are a good dude, but spit and V are just rude. Yeah I fought back at times but spit especially was abusive if he didn’t like what you posted. V was just V, an idiot.
Idiots on Chuck’s blog? I never knew.
After their usual “TF is a fag because he loves Alex and knows taffeta ( that one is a kinda cute. I had mentioned taffeta once and that clinched it: I was a fag.), I did say, well at least no death threats.That’s all it took for Dennny, who should be banned here. His response:
““Well, shit. I must be slipping. That sounds like a total slight on my part. Allow me, if I may, to make up for lost time…Alex Smith is a worthless total piece of shit. Not only does his play suck on the field, but he’s totally useless in the locker room as well. He brings nothing to the table, and is a complete waste of space. He needs to be strung up and put on a cross. And I’m not talking about giving him a Barabbas free pass. He needs the Jesus H. Christ treatment — crucify his ass.”
That’s so ugly!
Whatever. It’s dead. Spit can be valid at times. Other times he goes off the deep end.
Kevin, the problems I had with V are why Flav split blogspot. I couldn’t block V, and he went hog wild one weekend when I was out of town. I shoulda killed it then.
Again, though I was hoping for sanity once the season started.
Silly me.
That’s a hoot, Spit isn’t even close to as disgusting as Denny.
Oh yeah, V. The avatar is a flying V guitar, right? Yeah, chuck, I went on your sight a couple times about a year ago and that guy was so gratingly obnoxious I couldn’t go back. It seemed 3 out of every 5 posts was his and all were attacks on the 9ers or other posters. Miserable way to go through life. I mean, anyone can be a shithead once in a while but to make a career of it…
Just for fun:
Brandon Belt 128 AB 5 HR 12 RBI .219 BA .310 OBP .685 OPS
Dan Ortmeier (2007) 157 AB 6 HR 16 RBI .287 BA .317 OBP .814 OPS
We want Ort-Rod !!!
Yeah, Ted. He left my blog alone for a while but trashed it a few months ago while I was out of town.
He posts at the Insider now as BullittWong someshit. When he gets banned he takes a name that is similar to the blogger he attacks the most. Hence his handle of Ura_chick for a while. I haven’t posted there since last December, so that went away.
You gotta wonder how and why someone devotes soooooo much time to being a prick of the highest order.
Truly. Well, that’s the price we pay for freedom of anonymous speech.
It appears the murder charges against Angel Villalona have been dropped
How soon can he get here?
After he’s done suing the team . . .
The charges were dropped a month ago, but the G’s didn’t re-instate him, which led to the suit. What happened today is that the G’s and V. reached an agreement, so the suit goes away and Angel plays (at some point in future time, maybe someday)
Drop the suit and make kissy kissy with the Gmen.
Bill “Ari”Neukom to Angel Villalona: “Let’s hug it out, bitch”
And some say Bochy was afraid to bench Guillen.
“Angel, I’d like to give Joseph a start”
“You talkin’ to me, bitch?”
” Uh, yeah, you’re batting 4th…”
another hahaha
Called up: Emmanuel Burriss, Brandon Crawford, Conor Gillaspie, Waldis Joaquin and Darren Ford…
I think the ATT Wall of Fame is safe for the moment…
hahaha
Maybe the spark for the September run was Ford’s first game last year. He scored just that one electric run and didn’t have a hit. He may never hit the Wall of Fame, but that run should. One of the biggest of the year, and therefore, in SF Giant history..
Ross CF, Keppinger 2B, Beltran RF, Sandoval 3B, Burrell LF, Huff 1B Cabrera SS, Whiteside C, Cain P
The amazing thing about Ford was, for all his playing time after the call-up, did he ever have an official AB?
Nope.
Yeah, his 2010 stats are odd to look at. Seven games, Zero ABs, Zero PAs, One Run, Two SBs and One Caught Stealing. That’s the whole shebang
I’m sure you remember this guy:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/washihe01.shtml
Nope. Hilarious. He even had 2 different uniform numbers
Also,as a NLer, Ford is at *least* plays defense as well
I don’t think 29 for 45 was what they had in mind for Herbie.
And old Herbie’s post season numbers were a big pffft
I’ll say this about tonight’s lineup- at least the number has gone up to four players in the nine who started in the playoffs last season.
One of the commenters on the Splash said a few weeks ago: “I can’t believe this is the same team that won the World Series last year.”
Well, actually, it isn’t.
Stuff happens, things change.
Well, it still might be the team that wins the World Series *this* year..
Believe it or not, the last time the Giants won the opening game of a series was July 18 vs the Dogs . . .
This is the 13th series since then . . .
Lucky #13, any takers, come on 13!!
forgot to ask Black or Red??
That’s noir or rouge
ha ha, thanks Ted
Bet the house.
Go green!!
I thought DeRosa was gonna get in there. I want Markie Mark.
Huff is 11 for 24 against Saunders, Cabrera 12 for 22 with 6 doubles, Burrell 4 for 8. Current players, as a group, are .419.
That’s got to be some kind of record.
Herb Washington. 105 games, 0 ABs.
Almost as bad as the Renaoldo Nehemiah experiment.
I bet there are closers who’ve had more…Mariano?
My most vivid memory of Renaldo was a game against Atlanta. He took one of the biggest hits I’ve ever seen. The ball was knocked loose and nobody went for it. Both teams were just staring at Nehemiah like “this guy is dead”
He got up and was fine..
I remember having similar feelings the first time I saw The Undertaker choke-slam Hulk Hogan…
Yeah, I remember that. If anything, he earned respect for bouncing right up. He had a couple passes he caught, and was free and clear, and burned his way to the end zone.
Great to see, but just not enough.
The most popular wrestler in my Minnesota days was Vern Gagne.Vern looked like a sligtly burly bookkeeper but he kicked ass on the bad guys, as planned..
Every time I see a picture of one of these old time wrestlers I am 100% confident that I could kick their ass……
…and I feel 100% like Woody Allen or Arnold Stang.
I sent off an invite email with details to the *masses* who have decided to attend the Flap Game tomorrow night. Check your email and let me know if you have any questions. If any of the rest of you regulars are in the area and feel like gettin’ your Flap on, hit my email and I’ll give you the where’s and when’s…… bigflavor77@gmail.com
Chuck, I never heard from you, why aren’t you coming. Gonna try to crash it? lol
I never sent you an email.
I’m going to Aptos. I’l love to come, but can’t make it.
I’ll be in Aspen with billionaire hedge-fund managers complaining about taxes
You going to the Tippler?
Now pitching for Texas: Merkin Valdez
yeah, with hair dyed not unlike your main man the late Tony Altomare
Codpiece lives to pitch another day!
Hieronymous
Did a little looking around on Vern who is now 80+ and suffering from Alzheimers ( he has just one minute of memory retention).He’s been in a home and evidently got into a squabble with another patient. I guess the wrestling says kicked in, he threw the man to the ground.. the man died 3 weeks later. He was 97!!!
sounds like Uncle Junior “Corrado” Soprano
I sent ya an email, Flav. . . .
Poor night of sleeping last night, so, c’mon, fellas, give us an early lead that allows me sweet slumber.
As if.
Man, listening to the Bosox announcers on MLB you’d think Boston was 29 games behind.
Chuck, Mariano went his first 10 years without a PA. Well over 600 games. Don’t know if he has the record. He’s the only one I checked.
Well, he’s an AL pitcher. They don;t count for this. Washington was nominally a position player. Sure, he was a desiganted runner, but
I knew what you meant, Chuck. For position players, it’s gotta be the record. I just didn’t want you to lose some bar room argument…
This game has a playoff feel to it. Beltran showed some interest there. Pablo scalded that fuckin ball
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=ApXVnzwFFwwlj7k6d9eBmRERvLYF?slug=ap-giants-posey
Great news!
Matt Williams is just not the 3B coach type…
I know Burrell is all about hr’s and pussy, but he sure does SEEM to give a shit during a game hrs playing in…
Carlos just became a Giant!
Fuck yes. Beltran woke himself up tonight…
Were in this thing!
If he was going to bring it on, no better series than this one..
GIants runs being scored is a beautiful thing.
Mark Grace
Snow, Hodges, Hernandez & Wes Parker?
I bet even Chuck is happy!
Burrell watching that ball go, and then just putting his head down and headed to on deck circle while everyone in the dugout celebrated– that was like “game on, time to go to work.”
What’s funny about that quiz was I went “snow, Garvey….” then I couldnt think of anyone else so I have up. And if I’d thought for another 100 yrs I never woulda gotten the other guys
I’ve always thought the Giants had the best camera work in baseball…I loved how they kept the camera on Beltran for a few seconds as Kuip started the calll…the anticipation in the way they tease you before showing the ball towering over the fence…FUcking brilliant.
great AB from burrell too…almost yanked one out of here, fouls off a couple more, takes the BB.
Glad Sabes didn’t put a cap in one particular water buffalo’s ass.
That was one of Burrell’s better ABs this season.
As the saying goes ( well, *should* go) A walk is as good as a single if the bases are empty..
Hallelujah! The Beltran Option finally started paying some real dividends. Spose it was bound to happen sooner or later~ and why not now! Was in the kitchen getting up some potatoes and doing the veggies and stuff for a smothered porkchop and was bumming over that first inning ill fortune with Pablo lining out with Carlos on first. Back to the puter and eyes popped at the score. Yes. Betcha Cain has started to breathe again. Keppinger keeps proving his worth. What a fine pickup at the cost of a so-so starting prospect who basically had no future as a Giant. Can only imagine the fan reaction at Willie Mays field.
Scuse me. Meant to say Carlos on third. Too excited, i guess.
Speaking of camera work, what the fuck was that in the bay?
One of those things that killed the Crocodile guy.
I still don’t know if that was real and I’m fine with being an idiot if that was a fake.
The Crocodile guy wishes he could have been as indifferent.
We’ve scored 4 runs tonight but it feels like 8…That’s how deprived of offense we have been.
I almost fell out of my chair when the Braves broadcaster said the Dodgers have averaged 6 runs a game in the last 18 games. 6 runs a game! It sounded so…..decadent!
Bochy will have a quick hook if Cain gets into trouble again…
The Baylor-TCU game was one helluva way to start off the college football season…