Summer Weekends With The Sounds Of The Giants — And Life
Yep, today’s the first summer Friday. Looking-forward-to-the-weekend smiles for most. Back in the murky past for the growing-up-guilty Catholics among us, like me, Friday was Fish Day. Ugh. But, for me as a baseball fan, summer Fridays did then, and still do, signal more — the anticipation of a great summer weekend — when listening to day-game ball was and remains more than just comforting background. Yeah, with baseball as backdrop, everything’s good – mowing the grass, playing ball and eating home made Kool-Aid pops with the kids, even working on Mrs. Snarkk’s endless honeydo list made way more doable via the miracle trio of Jon Miller, that little pocket Sony, and earbuds.
I can’t now imagine a summer weekend without listening, at least some of the time, to the Giants on radio. Well, actually, I can. I’ve lived in a few places in and out of this country too far away to get Giants radio, and before internet streaming. While in those places and times, the irresolvable lack of a Giants summer weekend connection somehow completely uncoupled me from baseball and where and how I grew up — like Valentine Smith in “Stranger in A Strange Land” — but, with no special powers. Now, transported back for good to my native Giantsland for well over a decade, the connection’s been patched. The Giants on weekend TV are great. But, compared to TV, there’s something special about disembodied voices describing a summer weekend day game. Call it nostalgia, imagination, soppy sentimentalism, or a lovely languorous rhythm. Whatever. In my brain the radio waves jump start exaggerated images while I chop the weekend weeds, or better yet, pound a cold Red Tail on the deck after the weeds succumb. Belt’s radio strikeouts are more distressing. Melky’s radio doubles more exciting, Crawfish’s miscues more critical. Vendors barking in the stands. Those audio images get mixed up and spiced with kid memories of listening to games on past, hot summer weekends while I slugged my ice cold, canned Shasta cola and ran in sprinklers with my first dog — all long gone, but never forgotten. And, with memories of those broadcasts that, as I grew up, gave me dependable summer friends — Lon, Bill Thompson, Al Michaels. Hank and others came a little later. But, even the odd abominations of the lesser lights added welcome background color to landscapes of my youthful summer weekends before mortgages and other nonsense — Art (“ground hugger”) Eckman, Phil Stone, David Glass, Joe Angel (he announced in the late ‘70s, too), Fairly, and yeah, even Lindsey Nelson.
Now, my Snarkkettes ask “How’re the Giants doing?” while I’m sweating and listening in the summer back yard, this time, my own. “Ah, they’re up by two in the 7th, looking pretty good”, or some such I say. They nod back, hopeful, knowing that a Gyros win always puts Daddy in a good mood. And that a loss means, well, you all know how that is. Then, they get on with jumping rope and laughing and playing with Snarkkmutt the Avatar lab, that big, brown doofus who will someday star in their own memories of Giants summer weekends.
Got any memories of YOUR Giants summer weekends? Let’s hear ’em. And, go out this weekend and make some great new ones…
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Wow…excellent post. Totally hits home for me because I almost exclusively listen to games on my I-Pad. Partly because the video doesn’t stream that well on my computer, partly because because I’m not as big of a fan of Kruk and Kuip as most, but mainly because it takes me back to my backyard in Woodland as a kid in the 70’s, listening to the announcers you referenced while swimming in the pool or playing variations of baseball using little plastic golf balls, nerf balls, home-made balls using paper towels and masking tape etc. I remember using my dad’s tape recorder that he used to record his medical records to record the last few outs of The Count’s no-hitter. I had that cassette for several years, but it is long gone now. Another big plus for radio is that I think Miller and Fleming are an awesome team. I’ll often quiz my kids as they pass threw during a game as to who the announcer is. They just randomly guess, but they seem to be amused by this little game.
TOTALLY AGREE with your point about a game on the radio making chores around the house go so much smoother. Often I’ll listen in the kitchen and work on the “front” of the house and then rush back during commericals for 2 minutes of work in the “back” of the house.
Sorry gents for being absent with the weather report . . . Al Roker and me were chasing “snapper” in Vegas. Too bad our first names weren’t Tiger. Ha.
Weatherproof games: Blue Jays at Marlins, Indians at Astros and Cubs at Diamondbacks.
The heat wave that has been scorching the East will give way to strong thunderstorms in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, yet only provide minor temperature relief. Expect sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s in Cincinnati and Kansas City. It will be slightly cooler in Chicago. Oakland sees 65 degrees and breezy, with sunny skies, just slightly cooler than Los Angeles and San Diego, which will max out in the low 70s. Finally, Texas once again is the hottest place on the baseball map with temperatures reaching as high as 96 on Friday.
I’ll respond later. The sleep in still in my eyes. But this exactly the kind of post I hope we’ll see more of. A note from the end of the last thread- Chuck’s apology..it is very much appreciated. “I’m sorry” are two of the “manliest” words we can utter,and often the most difficult. Thanks..
As Mike Marshall said in Ball Four:
“It doesn’t hurt to apologize, even if you don’t mean it.”
—
Snarkk: Are you a professional writer? How did you do that?
No, Loo. I just know my audience? 🙂
I’m a word laborer, laying a beat of bricks, one by one. Sometimes the line looks good; others, it’s off plumb or too long, or bent so far from the shape intended, that it must be torn up for a re-start. Pawlie’s the writer, the word architect, turner of phrases. There’s a vast difference. Maybe someday, if I keep on trying, I’ll stop laying bricks, and graduate to the schematics…
Very cool…got busy with life yesterday, and never made it back from yesterday afternoon. I agree…as it should be…
Yep, you knocked it out of the park Snarkk!
It started for me in 1959 with Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons. The radio gave the games daily in those days as the Giants were not on TV much. Radio is still a force for me to this day. The Giants were in it until almost the end. I remember riding a school bus and thinking damn it’s finally over for the Giants. I remember how I felt to this day. That was the first season I gave a damn about baseball.
Soppy sentimentalism indeed . . . Very nice job, Snarkk.
So many nights as a little kid I remember being told “time for bed” around 9:00. So I’d hurriedly brush my teeth, wash my face and get in bed. Once mom made the rounds, I’d click on my little Panasonic transistor radio and listen to Lon Simmons call the action while I tried not to make too much noise as the Giants struggled with whoever the foe of the night was. I never listened to the day games much cuz we were usually out doing something involving bikes, jumps, baseball, or running around recklessly through the neighborhood (usually capture the flag. We used to have epic nieghborhood games with about 20 kids). I’m still amazed no one got eaten by a random dog whose back yard we’d crash . . .
And God forbid the Giants ever play on NBC’s Game of the Week. I think I saw ONE game on TV that wasn’t blacked out locally. Nowadays, I’ll have the radio on outside, and the TV on inside. I’ll listen until something really cool happens and then go inside to check it out . . .
Growing up in the Central Valley, I can relate, big time. Except not blacked out there. We are so spoiled now, being able to see virtually every game, and all the camera angles. In the Dark Ages, i.e,, the Golden Age of baseball, when the Giants were on the Game of the Week, and that seemed a rarity, it was like Christmas to me. After listening to the Giants radio broadcasts, which obviously were great, actually seeing things like Stretch lumber up to the plate and windmill that bat was just, well, more of a revelation, of sorts. I remember the first time I saw Koufax pitch in a Game of the Week, who knows who the opponent was, but it was from the Latrine. When I first saw that overhand curve of his from the viewpoint of the camera behind the plate, well, my jaw dropped. It was amazing. It still is. How the fuck anybody could hit that is beyond me. Koufax had to have the best curveball of all time. If there was a better one before or since, and I think I can vouch for there not being a better one since, well damn, I wanna know whose it was…
Wonderful post, Snarkk- bummer though, because now I have to come up with a new one for Sunday.Yes, I’ve unretired again, breaking Favre’s record, I guess you’ll all just have to consider my retirement final when you spot my obit. Even then..don’t be too sure…
But gee- summer days, baseball on the radio, Jon Miller, the other great voices of the game..you’re good Snarkk- you
plagiarized my post without even seeing it 😉 Two small disagreements: Belt is homering in my day dream- and I liked ole Lindsey Nelson- he was from my Father’s era- like all of the men who were the voices of the game back in the 50’s and 60’s- they grew up in radio and as Snarkk knows- radio is the best medium for baseball- never more so than on a hot summer day- with Winnie from across the street dropping pickling cucumbers into the vat, a cabbage leaf on her head – ostensibly to keep her cool, but practically to make her look as “balmy” as she can be..
Remembering the radio days, one of the legendary football voices was Bill Stern. He and my father were to broadcast the 1956 Sugar Bowl- I think it was my Dad’s first national assigment. Just weeks before, Rosa Parks made her famous stand, or “sit”…Bobby Grier of Pitt was black and the governnor of Georgia threatened to bar Georgia Tech, Pitt’s opponent, from playing due to his oppostion to segration, he didn’t even want blacks in the stands when a Georgia team was to play. Eventually, Grier was escorted to the stadium- even as Louisiana governor Earl Long was preparing to sign an order prohibiting racially mixed athletic contests… meanwhile there was drama at ABC- Stern was missing, he was supposed to do the first half, my Dad the second. My father eventually found him in a bathroom- broken down from his addiction to pain medications- Bill, I presume, was taken to a hospital and my father did the whole game. Grier did play- becoming the first black to play in a bowl game in the Deep South. Long’s prediction of armageddon did not materialize. Georgia Tech won 7-0, Grier had been called for pass interference , setting up the only score. My pop always insisted it was a bogus call.
Grier is still living at 79 YO, Stern passed away in 1971, Ray Scott died in 1998.
Click to access 20-06-773.pdf
Appreciate that.
Baseball on the radio + summer+ dogs and kids; how can anyone blow writing about that?…
I actually liked Lindsey Nelson’s voice on the radio. We’d play hours and hours of ping pong or whiffle ball with the Giants gm always in the background. Hank Greenwald was the most prevalent voice I heard in those backyards back in the day…..
Excellent thread, Snarkk! Not only a HR, but that was a grand slam! Very nice work…quite the enjoyable read that evoked many good memories. Thank you.
You nailed it, and as other Flappers have confirmed there is just nothing like baseball on the radio. I have similar memories as Chuck…listening after bedtime to St. Louis Cardinal games on my transistor radio (I grew up in Oklahoma, and almost everyone in them neck of the woods were Cards fans).
You also talked about times where you were in places where you could not get the Giants games. This brings back memories of being in Guam for 100+ days with the Air Force. My update on the Giants was through the weekly “Stars and Stripes” military newspaper. The “Stars and Stripes” was also my connection to Giants games when deployed to Saudi Arabia in the 90s (we had very limited access to computers and the Internet).
Being born in the late 50s the 60s were the prime of my youth, and I was blessed to hear many Card games called on the radio by Harry Caray. Those are great memories. And also like Chuck, I rarely listened to or watched day games, as I was one of many in a whole slew of the neighborhood kids who would be out playing ball, riding bikes, etc.
And much like Snarkk, the walkman radio and earbuds are now a regular companion. This evening I will meet some friends for the Fresno Grizzly/Sacto Rivercat game in Sac, and of course, I will be listening to our Los Gigantes over the airwaves. Go Grizzlies and Go Giants!
Again, great job Snarkk.
I’ll think of something later but just wanted to day excellent job snarkk
The Fresno Griz – Sacto Rivercat game should be fun. Fresno is 1/2 game back of Sac in the standings. Petit going for the Grizzlies…he has decent stats (pitched for The Fish and D-Backs…never much success at the ML level and not sure he will ever get the call to the Giants). Anyway, should be an entertaining night of summer baseball in Sacramento…and as mentioned earlier…I will definitely be listening to the Giant/A’s game over the airwaves.
Have a great time, Chi. I like that ballpark a lot. My wife and I almost went to that game tonight! But we ended up getting tickets for the Avett Brothers concert in Berkeley tomorrow night, so we decided to pass on that game tonight. Seems like the weather will be coolish there tonight, but that’s a nice change from 100 degrees!
Thanks, Zumie. Yeah…love catching games at Raley Field…nice place to catch a game (as long as it isn’t hot). Yes…good weather tonight…supposed to be mid-80s in Sac today.
I have tix to the Avett Brothers show in Sac for Sunday night. That will be a bitching show in Berkeley (Greek, right?)…I am really looking forward to seeing them. Have listened to their stuff for a while, but never seen them live.
When I was a boy growing up in Pittsburgh (I wouldn’t be surprised if I knew Splash poster “The Babbler”, who babbles pretty good, BTW), the Buc’s announcer was Bob “The Gunner” Prince. Like Caray, he was a total “homer”, almost all the guys were back then…he was perhaps most famous for his legendary drinking which just maybe played a part in his famous dive from his third floor room in the Chase Hotel- to the swimming pool- a dive measured
at 90 feet in height and 8 feet out from the building…
A funny story from when I was looking up Prince: in 1979, the Phils and the Cubs were playing. It’s 20-9 Phils in the fifth..Del Unser hits a long fly ball, Pete Rose is on second ( his 1st year in Philly) and TAGS, up 11 runs. So he’s on third, anoither fly ball, he tags and scores. Amazingly, the Cubs later tie the game 22-22 in the eighth. Phils later won 23-22 in ten. Rose was asked about tagging up while ahead 20-9: “I knew 20 wouldn’t be enough” was Pete’s response.
Well, that’s all I’ve got, glad I’m not on for tomorrow..who was the next CFer after Willie? It’s like that. Maybe be by later, hopefully with Bozo back in the fold..
That’s fricking hilarious, Twin! Great story…
Yeah, Lon Simmons….he made a lot of Giants fans. He conversed a game with the listener. And when a great moment was happening, the crack in his voice gave the listener chills of excitement. I became a Giants fan in ’71, and little did I know the Giants wouldn’t make the playoffs again for 16 years, or as Will Clark said: “A gosh-darned long time.” (G-rated version.)
Hey, I’ve been gone a week, anything new??
Nope. Didn’t miss a thing, Edd.
Notta…SSDD… 😉
Thanks for the kudos, dudes. I thought my stuff was too long, edited it some, thought it was still too long, probably is, but then said Fuck it, I like it. That’s my recommendation to the following Stable Boys, 12 Apostles or whatever the moniker is now. Write something, tweak it a little ’til you like it, fuck it and hit publish — you’re good. Meanwhile, tonight when/if Timmeh gets worked by the A’s, I’ll be back to the epithets and a tumbler of Kentucky’s not-quite-finest mash…
You even got a lucid response out of Nipper. You’re better than Anne Sullivan…
I noticed that, too, Loo. For a moment, the earth wobbled off it’s axis. I expect Nippy will soon be back in familiar one sentence form…
BLEEP!
In these parts, Lindsey Nelson was the voice of the Mets. No one was better at pronouncing the double L in Willie. He also pronounced McCovey “MacCovey” which sometimes gave me chills…
This is for dennis, don’t remember where I saw it
There’s no such thing as flavored water. There’s a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That’s your flavored water.
What a wonderful post by Snarkk. So much of it rings true, even if I didn’t grow up with Giants baseball. For me, it was usually the Mets on the radio with Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner (I rarely listened to the Yanks). And I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer weekend than lounging by the pool with a favorite brewski while listening to a Giants game. Now if I only had a pool.
I really didn’t mean to insult Lindsey Nelson. Too much. All the bcasters I mentioned and some I didn’t, contributed to Giants baseball history in some way or another. Nelson was a legendary broadcaster, but growing up listening to Lon, I just felt Nelson didn’t “click” with the Giants. Only here 3 seasons. For me, his style was too staccato, even though a southerner, from the Mets he was too New York, too something. Plus, he was a football guy, Notre Dame broadcasts and all that. If you grew up with him on the radio and liked him, I get that…
I wonder if Yankee kids actually like the unbearable team of John Sterling & Suzyn Waldman. By far the worst I’ve ever heard…
Well, we all have our favorites- and not. It is heresy to many that I couldn’t bear Caray- maybe I would have liked him more if he hadn’t stolen a lot of his style from Halsey Hall- the Twins color guy for many years- or Hall stole from Caray. Halsey fancied himself as W.C. Fields and he was just as funny- even sober, which I imagine might have been an occurence happening as often as Halley’s Comet visited. He was also a notorious cheapskate- known
to purchase bologna, white bread, condiments… which he would pull from an old Gimbel’s shopping bag – for consumption at a fine restaurant. He always had a flask and raw green onions in his jacket pockets.You could always tell when Halsey was near by… he was also a horrible driver, who considerd freeway on ramps to be his personal portals onto the road- at max 5 MPH. My Dad made a call that might even rival Craig’s. Keep in mind- Minneapolis is a big city, and the freeway to Metropolitan Stadium was packed at 6 or so, when we’d be headed to the ballpark. In front of us could be seen a rapid slowing of traffic, screeching brakes, horns..Dad said- that HAS to be Halsey. And damn if it wasn’t- making his stately entrance onto the freeway, oblivious to all, eyes fixed straight ahead..
Well, I had no point of reference in regards to Caray. I was a kid who had round baseball…particularly baseball on the radio. It was a magic time. Brock, Flood, Gibson and McCarver where some of my favorites. They won a couple of World Series titles…one after acquiring Cepeda in ’67 (this certainly before my times as a Giant fan). Anyway…great memories…propagated by Snarkk’s thread. Good stuff!
That would be “kid who found baseball” not “round” baseball (although a baseball is r…never mind)…
Excellent Post Snarkk.Mrs.Snarkk and the band of Snarkkettes are truly on board as Giant fans.
One of my best Giant memories was when I was 14 playing Babe Ruth baseball and on my team was both Gary and Don Davenport, Jimmy D’s kids.Jim would go to some games when he wasnt on the road and they had an open dayoff .He invited our whole team to a game at the Stick.Every kid on the team were “STOKED” with Jaws dropping when he did that.
Jimmy Davenport was just an exceptional human being.
That’s some awesome stuff for a kid. Good story…
Today in beseball history: National League approves use of uniform numbers to identify players!
Riveting.
Compelling.
News when you need it.
oops! –> 1932, that is…
Pretty incredible what can be tracked now- on Pavlovic’s blog, it’s said that Baseball Info Solutions has reported that since 2010 there have been 32 fly balls hit to the location of a major league ballpark with that approximate hang time -where Blanco made his catch . He was the only guy to make the catch..
Damn…that is unbelievable that they can track that shit…
I think Pavlovic’s dog made up that shit . . .
AK, I think I told you that Don Davenport coached my daughter’s softball team back in San Carlos in the late 90s. . . . Very very nice guy.
Did they lose 100 games?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. there’s a game tonight. This is the first time I’ve been first on this:
1.Blanco CF
2.Theriot 2B
3.Cabrera LF
4.Posey DH
5.Sandoval 3B
6.Belt 1B
7.Schierholtz RF
8.Sanchez C
9.Crawford SS
I am going to the River Cats game tonight. They are playing the Grizzlies! Who should I be looking at?
The hot 18 yo brunette two rows down.
She will be checking out my son not me
Petit is pitching, I will get to see No Whitey!!!
You’re not paying attention Kevin . . . Read DMD’s 5:06pm post. If I had a priority list, No Whitey would be last on the list.
Look at my time stamp and Denny’s!
Ahhh . . . correct el mundo.
Good thing it’s not a day game, Petit will block out the sun…
(rimshot)
Snarrk, no wonder you were batting third. That was a Ruthian-like performance. Excellent job.
Some of my earliest memories are of listening to Giants games on the old transistor radio. I remember sitting out in the backyard atop a big old barrel with our black lab (Babo) lying next to me listening to Lon Simmons. I must of been only 6 or 7. Funny. I distinctly remember listening to the games, but I can’t recall my first Giants game at the ‘Stick. I remember my first Niner game very well, it was John Brodie’s last.
Anyway, thanks for the topic and your personal accounts. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Snarkk, as I knew you would do from reading your countless other thoughtful posts an the flap over the years, you are getting justly rewarded with all this virtual adulation. The stable is hitting on all cylinders with each and every post. I hope you all are seeing that it doesn’t take a professional writer to write intriguing blog posts. Passion goes a long way.The problem with the every day thing is that it’s hard to bring the passion day in and day out. Though it’s early, and as I suspected would happen, the influx of new perspectives and writing style and, most importantly *life experiences*, has brought the flap to a new level. I am enjoying being part of the community from *down here* and I love managing my widgets to the right. I re-read the end of last night’s thread several times at lunch today and lol’d my ass off each time……..
So they’re having Sanchez catch Timmy to “shake things up” in the hope he’ll get back on the beam?
Good Luck (AUS) [by Telesto out of My Lucky Charm (AUS)] with that shit.
I’m not opposed to this. The main reason is probably to give Buster another game of not-catching but I have felt for a while now that he’s been calling weird games for Timmy. Nothing I can put my finger on, it just seems like there are too many wayward, pedestrian FB’s early in the count and then they start going soft. It’s been playing right into the hitters who are watching the *hard* shit go by and hammering the soft shit. But, it’s one of many, many problems Timmy has these days—including his dumbass dad popping off to USA Today.
Verdict is in on Sandusky. Only deliberating a day on this is good for a conviction, right?
Slam dunk. He’s going away till he catches his last breath.
When Sanchez caught Tim before, Krukow was unmerciful in his criticism of Hector. Framing, Blocking pitches, pitch calling..Tim got rocked for 6 runs on 8 hits in 2.1 against the Rocks-and it was all on Sanchez if you listened to Kruk..
Crisp may as well go for home and complete the trifecta.
That steal of third by Coco was downright embarrassing. Timmy shoulda been a wrestler in a cage match —
No holds barred.
Nate has to make that ketch.Fuckin Pussy charge the ball and you make the ketch!
He hasn’t a fucking clue.
Belt didn’t touch first. Sanchez wasn’t on the plate either to rule the force. Correct call.
Sad.
Quite a fuck up by Belt…
Giants about to get their nuts bashed in. Belt fucked up, Sanchez fucked up, both royally…it’ll be 6-0 with no chance soonT
This is unwatchable.
Perhaps you and the rest of the gang here would enjoy it more on radio…
I peek.
What stupid Ass baseball game are.they trying to.play oiy there?Jesus they have their HEADS UP THEIR ASSES!!!!
Tim is Lost In The Fog (Lost Soldier-Cloud Break by Dr. Carter)
This was not his usual blow up- I was ready for 8-0. It was actually a gutty inning.
This game is over. The old giants offense is here to stay
Nice comeback damage control by Timmeh.D didnt help him with Nate,Belt anf Hector.And yeah Tim struggled too,but still K’d the side with nasty stuff.
He still had control issues, but he wasn’t hit hard at all. It was his best crooked number inning of the year 😉
Does chi have a cell I am at the river.cats game
Kevin, contact me at blade3colorado@yahoo.com and I will give it to you . . . He wont mind one person, but may be upset if I post it here.
Spoke with him and he said a beer has your name on it 🙂
Damm it Blade, I wanted one of those ice cold brewski Chi was offering.Oh shit i jst remembered im not in Sac Town,never mind.
Hey Kat, I will tell him to deliver it.
Gawwwd. Tease and then Fail. That’s the usual outcome lately.
I’ve managed to get my ass so high on a hook uncomfortably that I can now suck my own cock
Tell us, what do you really think?
And now a much-needed respite from Timmy’s latest struggles to see if Francisco can back up his chicken comments.
huh?
Mets closer Frank Francisco called the Yanks a collection of “chickens” in an interview with the New York Post yesterday.
Ahhh. Got it.
And he saved a 6-4 win, after giving up a one-out walk and single.
It should be no surprise we’re having trouble scoring runs in the “Nausoleum.” Last six games we’ve scored 2 runs-or-fewer. Outscored by a total of 21-6. All Losses. That facility is a house of horrors. Dead Al still haunts from his grave.
Just finished yaking and having a beer with Chi at the River Cats Game. Great to meet a fellow flapper
My God, yaking? I haven’t done that since camp
Damn, hard crowd. Okay just got done BSing. With Chi
WTF?? This is painful to watch or listen to.
Love the name there, Dayjur (by Danzig out of Gold Beauty). Dayjur was one helluva sprinter.
And now the White Shark gets picked off. And of course Melky follows that up with a single.
I know. I know. Different circumstances might have produced a different result. Still NO Whitey excuse for getting caught off second. Nothing but shabby play.
No exuse and no excuse for Theriot failing to get him over. I put that more on Theriot than Blanco. Gregor was trying to make up and got too aggressive.
No TV tonight (just computer), so thanks for the update.
Angls tske the lead . . .
This “getting the runner over” is constantly screwed up by making crappy swings trying to go to RF. After one try or one strike, the batter should just be trying to drive the runner in.
I completely agree. The hitter gives away at least one good hittable pitch, and sometimes 2 (or 3 in the case of Freddy) trying to send the ball into an area of the field that is 1/3 the size of what they could be shooting for…….
Giving away outs.
Jesus H. Christian! We deserve to lose.
The A’s PA announcer sounds like my junior high principal trying to quiet down the kids at assembly…
While holding a clipboard
That bus is ready for JC
I almost gnawed off a finger listening to, not watching that first inning. Gawd, that inning was screwed in so many ways. Anyway, Timmeh has battled back. It’s as if he goes “walkabout” for that one inning in the start, and then the rest of the time he’s back to being near his old self. Just weird. I think I’d not put him back into the 7th, he’s thrown near 100, and that first inning was damn near 45 pitches by itself, that is very tough on an arm. He can leave after six with some confidence for the next start. Anyway, that’s what I’d do…
The first was not like his other big innings, there wasn’t a hard hit ball in the inning.
I think Sanchez is faster than Big Titty.
too…many…jokes…
Wow. I hate the A’s but that was a fucking nice defensive play
When a guy has to yet contribute on any level the end of last year and now this time, he better be able to get a bunt down..
The football equivalent of a pitcher named Balfour would be a QB named Pickoff…
That’s fucking POTD
Although you shoud have misspelled Pickoff a little. Left out a consanant
You’re right..dammit!
REVRET!!!!!!
I hate this shit. 2 on 0 outs, and they can’t even advance anyone.
I thought we were supposed to score more on the road. It’s the Crumbledome Coma.
Sandusky guilty on 45 of 48 counts. Wow, more than I figured. Actually, that is pretty record time IMO for a jury, given the number of counts. They had to vote on each one, so there must not have been much discussion on each after the first few. I was thinking there might be a PSU lone ranger in there to “save” the school’s reputation, but no, they all threw the book at him. Now, onto the PSU officials, who deserve to be found guilty of perjury for lying about not knowing enough to tell the authorities, and I hope the victims win their tort claims against the university…
8-5 Angels. Losing chances to gain ground
Or missing chances to lose ground….
The other night an Angel announcer said that when Texas chose Arias as the PTBNL in the A-Rod/Soriano deal, one of the guys they chose him over was Robinson Cano…
That’s gotta be BS Loo.Arias over Cano?
Sure it wasnt that announcer who was speaking gibberish the other night in the booth?
That’s what he said, Kat. Obviously Cano was a minor leaguer at the time. I don’t remember him being that highly touted when he came up….
“If” this is the start of Tim’s return to form, that’s way bigger than anything else that happens tonight. 6 0 0 0 2 8 after the first 6 hitters- really good efort.
Agreed. He and the defense basically gave the A’s the runs. On balance, Timmeh’s “best” outing in a long time…
Theriot just sucks his own balls on defense ,cant ketch a ball,throws are shaky,sombero tonight with 3K’s ,but overall we have no choice,Burriss uhh No and why is he still on the team,when 30 other teams wouldnt claim him anyway,and who would really give a shit if one did?
He’s had a heckuva June, Kat…
I was about to say. And he can steal base when he;s on. A no power team needs that
Burriss has 4 steals on 6 attempts this season. I guess that’s worth something. I know he’s been picked off once, I think maybe another time, but not sure…
A pick off is recorded as caught stealing. So he’s not 4-6 and a CS-he’s 4 for 6.
When’s the last time Burriss got more than one AB in a game? He’s just injury insurance at this point…
Burriss doesn’t deserve more than one AB in a game. Hell. He doesn’t deserve the first AB. That said, watch ’em get the start tomorrow.
Well, I’d wager he would have gotten the effing bunt down.
Not that I’d wager a *lot*…