Worrying About the Back End of the Rotation
The Giants are behind a rock and in front of the 8-ball (or whatever) when it comes to the back end of their rotation. Zito’s got a new motion that apparently has him “crouching down” more. That sounds promising. After all his tweeks and changes his set position could ultimately look like this:
Tomorrow’s BBOTD?
But I digress………
So Zito is crouching down and Voggy is right there with him only he’s doing it because his back has locked up on him. I was a big Voggy supporter last year but I’m getting away from him this year at least in terms of confidence. A balky back for a day or so is no big deal, but when you hurt it lifting weights I get extremely nervous of the recovery time. Let’s just say for the sake of *worrying* that Voggy doesn’t repeat last year and instead spends the first month or two of the season crouching down in the bullpen next to Zito. There goes 40% of our starting rotation with no one waiting in the wings. And while you could argue that other teams have crap in the 4 and 5 spots you could also argue that our offense isn’t good enough to make up the difference when you’ve got a #4 and #5 giving up 4 and 5 runs in the 4th and 5th inning of the games they’re pitching in……..
Oswalt probably signs with someone today (Speaking of a bad back). He would be perfect insurance for us but there is no way it would ever come to pass……..
There’s just no solution to this potential problem if it does happen (Zito imploding and Voggy breaking down). Unless you think Ramon Ortiz and his band of renegades can cobble together some type of a rescue.
It’s just something to worry about without a pending resolution. It’s what I do best……..
DirtRocksandReno is packing up his bag of rocks, leaving the dirt pile behind and moving to the Bay Area. He found this in storage and it became an unexpected yet welcomed present. Thank you dude!
#1 (sniped it)
#2 (saved it)
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
If we had picked up Oswalt we’d just be worried about his back.
I’ll be interested in how many innings Hensley gets in ST. I have a feeling he might be the Giants insurance plan for a 5th starter, although he has better stats in relief.
He was horrible starting, and said on radio the other day he’d rather pitch relief…
anyone can hurt themself lifting, and I knew a guy who was a cycling/lifter whose back bothered enough he refused to do squats. throwing a baseball every 5 days, I think vogs will be OK physically…where his numbers eventually end up is another ? entirely. worse than last year, imo, but maybe not significantly.
Oh man, Baggs love for crawford on his blog I just can’t share. I realize SF threw the kid in the deep end last year, but he can’t flounder like he did, which baggs chooses to basically ignore. Decker talks about him raising OB to .340, which would be over 50 points better than last year…I can’t see it.
Decker had another quote about him “putting up good numbers in A-ball”… who gives a fuck? He is no longer batting against kid Visalia pitchers; this is mlb.
Face it, the only reason he is here at all is the same one as last year– everyone else sucks and there is not a better alternative, including font or theriot. He has to raise his OPS to at least .650 range (again a significant jump) and play consistent D, in which case SF can survive as long as middle order guys rake. But if he can’t, then he’s no better than those puff ball guys the A’s bring up every year.
Baggs is still stroking himself over the slam the kid hit last year, which doesn’t hide his abysmal slugging pct. I want to see what he can do over 162; hopefully at some point he can prove he belongs at mlb level.
Why don’t we just bring back Orlando Cabrera, or some other 38 year old. Damn haven’t seen Crawford since what last year? and already B*tching and Moaning about him. This is what is wrong with the Giants management too. they bring up a young prospect, he does not do well, so they go out and get that 35+ year old who does no better. I would rather they just continue to bring up young talent, until the young talent comes up and learns what they need to work on, they will always be hitting against Kid Visalia. And then coaches won’t know what the kid needs to work on.
It’s not Crawford’s fault the Giants brought him up way early — it’s management’s fault for not having anybody worth a crap in the infield minors that is ready to step in and not embarrass themselves at the plate. Crawford can flat glove it, and has range, which nobody has done and has had at SS since Omar left. Unless he moons ATT during Gramma’s night, let him play until something better shows up…
What happened to “anything but Zito”?
Vogel proving last yr wasn’t a fluke and living up to the 2 yr deal is a legit concern. Would think it’s Important for him to get off to a good start.
But I think Hensley could bouce back from last yr and be a decent fill in and Surkamp, with experience and a more productive offense, could be more relaxed and effective.
At the very least, either of them could be on par with the Z.
I’m down with AbZ but not for 40% of the rotation….
No to Oswalt. Soph likes him.
Announcement due today.
About Soph?…
Off topic but have you guys see the Zimmer bobble headed bear doll the Rays are giving out this year? I’ve gotta get me one of those things. Is anyone here going to be in Tampa on June 29th?
Bozo…… Can I get a Don Zimmer bobblehead with a steel plate in it?
Always look eye.
1. Ian Kennedy
2. Daniel Hudson
3. Joe Saunders
4. Trevor Cahill
5. Josh Collmenter
Not only has the Snakes lineup remained 10X better than ours, but now they have a deeper rotation as well.
But we have a healthy NO Whitey for 60 games behind the dish this year. Shoot me now.
Don’t forget Stewey, too…
Yes, we’re doomed. Might as well hand the division crown to them today.
Is Denny ready to crown them right now? Better go look at the tape…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_N1OjGhIFc
Since the Giants.don’t want Posey to block the plate,wonder if they don’t want Zits to field a bunt?
I’m sure they are bunting to Zito 50x a day . . .
Their bullpen ain’t too shabby either Dennis.
Can everyone else see the 2nd pic?
I can’t.
No…
Nor can I
You can add Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli and myself to the list.
Knicks vs. Heat on TNT tonight.
—–
I don’t subscribe to SI, so I didn’t know that Lin is on the cover of SI two weeks in a row:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/jeremy-lin-scores-second-straight-sports-illustrated-cover-1835
Oops. This one should work:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/jeremy-lin-scores-second-straight-sports-illustrated-cover-183535272.html
Sorry about the pic not showing up, I posted it as a link from my email account. I probably have to save it or snip it first which I can’t do right now.
Strange how the merc continues the blog under the Exra Baggs moniker despite Baggarly departing and new authors. Must be some sort of contractual BS.
More of a branding issue. People have Extrabaggs bookmarked, memorized, etc. They’ll lose a ton of traffic if they change the title and URL too quickly.
JDR,good point. With Pavlovic contributing I’m sure there is some sort of play on words they’ll come up with.
.Who knew? Everyone here agrees with Soph/Niner Jim now? Say it ain’t so, guys!
ninergal1 1:08 PM on February 23, 2012
With Vogey down and Zito about to be released, we are in a very precarious state as far as starters go. I begged management to consider and go after Oswalt. I am glad the flappers on BF’s site all agree with me. Sabes’s terrible signings have weakened our team and fans are being asked to pay the prices of the mistakes we had nothing to do with. If we do not get to the plaoyoffs again this year, look for sabes to be fired. ownership is very upset with the money he wasted on bad players.
With the exception of Oswalt’s name being battered about once in a while, that doesn’t come off as remotely like anything posted here. Or are you making the ha ha?
Looks like Oswalt is going to sit on the fence and wait until a contender needs another arm mid-season. Funny how people complain about Vogelsong’s age and back injury, then suggest the team sign a guy who’s even older and has chronic back problems.
Regarding Vogelsong, the guy strained his back during a workout. It’s not like he herniated a disk or anything, let him rest it now while he has the chance and make sure he’s 100%. The real injury risk is if he comes back too soon and screws up his arm compensating for the back (I’m looking in your direction, Brian Wilson.)
Wilson’s contract is up at the end of this season.
Anyone for extending him now?…
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7608360/ryan-braun-wins-appeal-50-game-suspension
Huh?
Can you believe that shit? Check out the judge’s name. Take out the ‘y’ and it spells “sham.” Take out the y and add an ‘e,’ and it spells “shame.” It’s a goddamn crying shame that baseball pulled this shit and made the Ryan Braun incident a sham of a deal. I hope that he and anyone in our Flap fantasy league that drafts him takes a goddamn royal dump. I don’t mind cheating. In fact, I encourage it. But I’ll be goddamn if I stand for cheaters who get caught. I can’t, nor will I tolerate stoopid people. Thin the herd. Thin the goddamn motherfucking herd.
Moo.
First AB for Ryan Braun when he faces our rotation… I hope to hell each and every one of our five throw their first pitch at and hit his goddamn stoopid ass — literally.
So, putting a urine sample into the fridge for a few hours ups the testoterone levels by 10x?
Got it.
Why didn’t Barry think of that? The Norge defense . . .
Mark Fainaru-Wada, the guy who wrote this, was the guy that printed the leaked Grand Jury testimony in the steroid investigation . . . and of course wrote Game of Shadows.
I’m really upset about this Ryan Braun ordeal.
one word: horseshit
I’ll wait to be outraged until more facts come out, but it sounds funky, to be sure.
Bonds spends 8 years under legal scrutiny, Braun gets off of a positive test because some guy didn’t FedEx the sample right away? If true, that whole MLB testing regime is DOA. We’ll see…
Hmmm, who owns the Brewers? Mostly the same guys that owned it under Bud and daughter Wendy . . .
Think that plays into it?
Dennis, the players don’t give a shit if he skates. The fans? A different story. Everywhere he goes, he’ll catch shit. Boo hoo.
I’ll wait for more details, too.
I found the Aaron Rodgers tweet more disturbing— like he’s telling us all we’re fucking idiots for pre-judging this guy and yet all he did was get off on a stupid technicality.
“MLB and cable sports tried to sully the reputation of an innocent man,” Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on Twitter. “Picked the wrong guy to mess with. Truth will set u free #exonerated.”
fuck you you sanctimonious fuck. Fuck Aaron Rodgers.
I’ll take a wild guess that Aaron doesn’t like peeing in a cup on demand on a spring Saturday morning…
I love Cal football, I’ll be a fan for life knowing that I might have to deal with mediocrity, love Aaron Rodgers and all Cal football players in the NFL besides D-Jackson but I gotta agree with you Flavor. What the Fuck does he know about this whole situation? “picked the wrong guy to mess with”?? What is he saying, that this is a conspiracy? I think he’s regretting that tweet right now.
mlb has already issued a statement saying they *vehemently disagree* with the decision. That tells me 2 things: Bud’s not in on this and they know that the explanation from the arbitrator, Shaym Das, is going to focus on the technicality excuse— dipshit intern took the sample home and stuck it in his fridge overnight. It’s actually quite funny when you think about it……..
If that is the reason, then the MLB drug testing regime is a joke. You leave a drug test chain of custody in the hands of a doofus courier, particularly when the guy being tested is an MVP candidate? I heard it reported on radio that the actual testing was done in the Montreal lab that tests for Olympic doping. So, it’s one the most reputable labs on the planet. The question then is whether storing in a fridge over a weekend would cause anomalous readings for testosterone. I’m guessing the answer is no…
Hey dudes;
technical question:
I just re-posted the gift from Dirt into the main thread. I did it twice–the first one I snipped, the second one I saved to my desk top and posted.
Questions: Can you see both? Does one look different from the other?
Thanks
#1 looks like Will Clark.
#2 looks like Barry Bonds.
Otherwise, exactly the same…
🙂
What is this—Highlights magazine? “There are at least 5 differences in these two photos..” What’s next–a little Goofus and Gallant?
I can see both photos and they look the same. I never got tired of Goofus and Gallant by the way. If I found a stack of old Highlights mags on my porch I’d kick back and check G & G in every one of those bad boys.
Flav—I bet your dad rocked Highlights mags big time in his office back in the day.
San Dawg, I am going to tell you an epic mag story from the 80’s….
My best friend, Tom, who some here at the blog know as The Boney One, was, for some reason, rifling though my mom’s boyfriend’s drawers one day. He found some Playboy’s that he took. Now, I’m not going to get into why my best bud was rifling though my mom’s boyfriend’s drawers. That’s too disturbing of a topic to consider in this small space. We had been over at his house watching a movie or something…………
So he snags the playboy’s and he takes them back to his dorm and does whatever the hell young men do to themselves armed with that type of *found* material………
About 3 years pass and he breaks down over Winter Break and tells me the story of stealing the playboy’s. .He kept them and beat off to them for 3 years…. Key point in the story: My mom and her boyfriend (now step-dad) had gotten married and moved into a new house together……And I’m living in Oregon now.
So we are all back for Winter Break and The Boney One is bearing his soul to me about these porn mags he’d stolen from Bill’s drawer 3 years ago…. He then develops this sly almost maniacal smile and goes on to tell me that he has put the mags BACK into one of the underwear drawers in THE NEW HOUSE that the newlywed’s now share!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I said, “Bone, oh my God! when did you do this????? Coughing through uncontrollable laughter, he goes, “a couple of days ago”……
Panic has now set in for obvious reasons. I raced to the drawers to try to somehow fix this though while I’m running there I know this is a futile trip. Sure enough, empty.
My mom, and my step dad and I have never spoken about this……….
Like some of the best trades are those never made,
This is one of those family things best left unsaid…
“Goofus tracks mud in the house when he visits a friend”
“Gallant always takes off his shoes when entering someone else’s home”
I’d love to read a few DMD versions of Goofus and Gallant.
“Goofus holes up in the bathroom and hordes all of the cocaine for himself”
“Gallant hooks up all of his friends when he has blow”