Baseball is Boring Right Now. Let’s go Back to Last Year
I was driving around yesterday re-living some of the moments from last post season in my brain. It wasn’t really doing it for me. When I got home I decided to check out the archives at The Flap and that DEFINITELY did it for me. I appreciate that many of you aren’t Niner fans and there just isn’t a lick of Giants news to kick around right now. So at least for the next week or so, maybe longer, I’m gonna re-post a thread from last year and try to have it be exactly a year ago today. Today’s was actually written the morning of October 10th, I believe that was the “Brook’s Conrad” game. We were 1-1 in the series before that game. I picked this thread to start because, like many of you, I enjoyed Stix’ posts from last night. And last October 10th I appreciated one of his posts so much that I re-posted it in the main thread. You can go read the comments too, but I would encourage you not to *read ahead* since I will be posting some of the best threads that followed last year in the coming days. So, without further adieu, I give you YOUR 2010 San Francisco Giants, on the way to becoming World Series Champions, 2010….
Guest Author For Game 3….
“STIX” posted this last night (see below). I thought it was too good for the POTD so I am putting it here. I read it several times. It reminded me of why I love this team so much. The history, the players—over all these years they’ve helped form indelible moments in my memory. Stix was out here in ’89, I was up in Portland, Oregon going to school. Our passions for this team were rock solid then as they are now. Now he’s living a million miles away and I’m back in the bay Area–still with a passion for this team that couldn’t be extinguished with any known element. His post made me wonder where all of you were in ’89. And here it is, 2010, and we’ve found a space to share our passion for our team with something other than the walls of the room we watch the games in….
The players from ’89 are gone, and as he suggested, Will Clark et al ain’t coming into that clubhouse to save them. And who would want them to? THESE our the guys who created this magical year– The Bat, Dirrrrrty, Panda, Timmy, Cain, Bee-Weeezy, Long-thong (I just made that up), Torres, Rent, Uribe, etc–THIS is your team. And you always support your team (unless you’re Jose Guillen). I really have no idea or feeling of what’s going to happen with the rest of this series. But I’m not going to spend a second ‘doomin it up or second guessing what Bochy might have done or what the unknown outcome of that fantasy move would have been. I’m enjoying every second of this and when it’s all over, win or lose, the bond and connection I have to this team and it’s history will be at it’s peak……..
Let’s go back 21 years. Twenty-one is legal for most anything, isn’t it? I was still out there in and outta the System doing antiques road shows, mostly at shopping malls, sometimes lahdedah paid admission shows where i usually wore a camelhair sportjacket, suitable headwear and a late 50′s Zuni turquoise, silver and bearclaw bolo. Last Giants game i took in personally was on a mid-summer chilly, leatherjacket evening at the Stick. In a couple days i’d be set up at an exhibition at the Cow Palace.
1989. Watched the Giants lose to the Phillies and Terry Mulholland. Mid September somewhere. Stuck in the craw a bit as Philadelphia had got him via a trade with SF, recently enough that bodies were still warm. Can’t honestly remember who took the mound for the hometeam that night. But i do think the final was something like 4-2. Giants recovered from that setback and featuring pitchers like Big Daddy Rick Reuschel and Caveman Don along with Will the Thrill and a pretty decent supporting cast; remained Best in the West, went on to cop the Pennant and headed into the World Series.
By then i was down the road, doing a spate of shows in SoCal and then heading back to the Northwoods of Minnesota, where my connexion to the game was by way of radio.
Earthquake.
Imagine that tomorrow night at the ChopShop accessed by the busiest air terminal in the country, Reuschel or Robinson or perhaps Livan Hernandez of 8 years ago was on the mound for the Giants facing Tim Hudson……or maybe even a certain former rotation-mate from their days across the Bay would have had the call against Atlanta’s starter. Not a very pretty prospect in my estimation ~~ unless the Giants lineup contained some of the guys from the ’89 and ’02 squads who had magically walked into a time machine back in the day and emerged at #24 Willie Mays Plaza in uniform and ready to have at their 93-model tormentors.
Well, that ain’t gonna happen. It’s a fantasy. What is real is more a matter of who is real. Scheduled starter for San Francisco has earned himself the nickname of “Dirrrty”. There is some argument over the number of “r”s in the appellation, but general agreement around the league is that the snappy loogie has gone from a great stuff prospect with a ways to go, to an emerging ace who gives up fewer base hits per inning than any other hurler in The Show. Name is Sanchez. Jonathan Sanchez. Sanchez of the Padres bulletin board. The pitcher who won the wild, wild West.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
The 2010 Giants team IS the all time team now. People can talk about the 62, 87, 89, 93, 02 teams but 10 is the gem (see ring picture on the right for proof). Personally, up until last year the 93 team was my fav. For many reasons, but the fact that the team almost moved in the off-season but didn’t, has to be high on the list.
Reading stix’s backwoods home story and 1989 reminisce from last year reminded me of one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Leaving the earthquake game we took back roads through Hunters Point (the traffic was a mess on the main roads) over to the Mission to drop off one buddy. We came over Twin Peaks on our way back to the Inner Sunset/Cole Vally (I lived at Carl and Willard two blocks up from old Kezar Stadium at the time). Anyway, other than the fires in the Marina and 7th Avenue, there wasn’t any lights on and you could see stars. Stars in San Francisco, truly unbelievable. Probably not as bright as what I see now days or nothing close to what stix sees but it sure seemed amazing to me that night and to this day.
Looking forward to Your 2012 San Francisco Giants. You never know, they may become the new favorite team.
How fitting that last paragraph from Stix is all about Sanchez. One of the unforgettable moments of that season was the last week—I was in Jersey for a business conference as the week started, and my roommate was also from left coast, and we were busy checking up late night scores and results while Sf ran down the pads in the stretch. And of course the NY fans all thought SF was overmatched vs. Phillies even if they did get in.
I hope SF fans never forget that it was JS that won the game that eliminated the Padres, finally, and put the team in position for what happened later. Clutch performance, and I still think he is capable of many more.
Dirty has even been dissed for his 2010 performance, something about his improvement being misleading. Actually, I recently showed that his first full three years were statistically better than Cliff Lee’s- except Lee won 46 games …we should all hope he comes back strong in 2012- it’s quite possible that he’s the only guy blocking the return of the Zitboy..
I just love that you cater to my psychotic whims. Brutha, I may end up just slipping in one of those games from my DVD collection into the TV. Family will be all like, WHAT? I can definitely dig it. Psychosis rules! 2010 lives!
Y’all make me feel so “normal.” Go, Giants.
Next, I may pull out the newspapers Ted sent me. Ah, just to touch them and smell them.
And I totally will love reliving the day of Game 1, IN SAN FRANCISCO, everything about it, including meeting Magnus. The excitement was hyper-magna-proto-mega-electric. Just having a brunch croissant and cup of coffee al freco at an Italian restaurant (Pellegrini?) outside Columbus Park, folks doing tai chi, as I read the morning Chron [with Cliff Lee’s disses] is enough to almost bring me to tears.
I love that the chron has gone back to the sporting green. the boys thought i was nuts.
when did they go ungreen?
the 2010 Chrons I have are truly collector’s treasures [thanks again, Mr. Name-of-Hope-Etymologically-Speaking]
Ron Washington is still mismanaging his pen- he squeaked by with it yesterday but it’s bound to bite him…
totally agree and personally texted Magnus y’day to say so; awful manager; Bochy owned him in Series2010; owned him
Stow makes “dramatic progress”, moved to rehab facility:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19089852
I’m guessing it’s Laguna Honda Hospital
And in other rehab news:
http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=MLB&id=5389&line=344093&spln=1
BUSTER! Heal all the way to World Series 2012, Mr. Father of Twins!
Great news all around.
I was thinking about exorbitant contracts and thought about Alex Rodriguez. Of course, when you’re the Yankees, this isn’t a major problem, as it would be if you were one of the other MLB teams. He is owed $143 million over the next six years, and profiles as a full-time DH. Rodriguez sits 133 home runs shy of Barry Bonds’ record of 762.
Given his health issues, that’s no longer a lock. And the contract has no real value without him breaking the mark as joyless as is it might be. Rodriguez said he has a lot to prove next season. If he stays off the disabled list, he will hit. But that’s not exactly a given for a guy with shoulder, thumb, knee and hip problems.
Amusing anecdote about Al Davis and Shanahan…
http://tinyurl.com/3ckq2rt
As contract demands go, just noticed that J. Rollins wants five years from the Phils. That could tie up a lot of Philthy lucre. Might be a lot of tire-kicking happening on that one. There are very few 30+ Y.O. veterans out there, particularly leg men, who would be safe bets for five year runs ~ unless heavily front-loaded and the back three years strictly performance-based.
Right. And the climate in Philly is turning awfully chilly — and not just from autumnal changes.
Agree Stix, unfortunately though – he will get everything (or almost everything) he wants. Too many idiot GMs and owners who will meet his demands.
When these guys to to the other side of 30, they’re all looking for years first and foremost.- the retirement contract. All too often they retire performance wise with years left on the deal. Sabean seems to have learned his lesson, thank goodness- as I’ve siaid, I kinda like Detroit’s Santiago as a reasonable, under the radar FA SS..
Santiago is a FA? I have liked watching him. Speed. A little power. Good glove. Been at 2B, right?
Played a lot of both- and well.
It is stupid leaving Beltre in like that. Another dumb move by Ronnie.
BUNT
Like last year, Wash seems to manage like it’s a 15 game series..
Fister cuffs the DeRangers for six and Colby Lewis discovers that Detroit indeed does have a lumberyard. Of course the change in venue may also have something to do with the goings on. Been down on Texas ever since George the Shrub was their public ownership face. That man is the virtual archetype for sons of riches gone to seed.
Santiago? Interesting pick, Twin. BTW: My bearded, longhaired VietVet neighborly mailman delivered the puter this morning. Thanks. Maybe this time i’ll have better luck with the P.C. ~it having been dropped off by an ol Deadhead on a beautiful Autumn morning.
You do know how to shut the PC down, don’t you?
From Henry Schulman:
“Good news from Scottsdale, Ariz., if you’re a fan of the Giants and Buster Posey.
Dave Groeschner, the Giants’ head athletic trainer, just told me that Posey has begun catching live bullpen sessions for pitchers in the instructional league. Groeschner watched Buster catch his second one this morning. The session lasted about 8 minutes.
This is a huge benchmark in Posey’s recovery from devastating injuries to his left leg that occurred in a May 25 home plate collision with Florida’s Scott Cousins, which required two surgeries thus far and ended his 2011 season. With that, the Giants’ hopes for a repeat World Series championship went down the tubes, too.
Though the Giants initially set Nov. 1 as a target date for Posey to catch live bullpen sessions, they hoped he might start a bit earlier, and Groeschner said Posey is about a week ahead of schedule.
“He’s been feeling good and progressing well, so there was no reason to wait,” Groeschner said.
We won’t know if Posey is truly recovered until spring training in February, when he does all the regular activities with the team and plays in a game, but the fact he’s ahead of schedule raises hopes that he will be ready to hit the ground running when pitchers and catchers report.
Posey is hitting a few times a week in a batting cage and will begin taking live batting practice soon.
He will stay in Arizona until the first week of November then go home to Georgia to continue his rehab and, I assume, get better acquainted with his just-born twins.”