Pre-game / post-game thread
This thread is going to be a double whammy in honor of the Giants and 49ers both playing at the same time tonight. This is the 3rd time this post-season that both teams have played on the same day. The first occasion the Niners won big at home. However, the Giants lost 9-0 to Cincinnati. A week later was perhaps one of the darkest days in SF sports memory, as the Niners were embarassed by the NY Giants and the SF Giants couldn’t quite come back from their 6-0 deficit vs the Cards. The hope this Thursday night of course is that both teams come through in this very real crunch time for both teams.
Not all of you are football fans, but sorry, my thread tonight. The Niners are at the point of their season that will make or break their playoff run. Yes it’s early, but losing to Seattle at home would be a huge blow to their season. Gone is the euphoria of beating the Packers and the Lions. The Jets and Bills are but a distant memory after the smackdown delivered by the visiting Giants. I suspect Jim Harbaugh will tone down the gimmick plays, and try to get the team back to the style of play that got them their wins. Tough running, with short/mid-range passes liberally sprinkled in to keep the chains moving, and the defense fresh. Score early and keep Seattle’s quick strike offense off the field. Pressure their rookie QB Russell Wilson and force mistakes.
The Giants? Well, we all know the deal. 11 LOB. 7 RISP left dangling in the wind. Pence has caught his dose of shit for being little more than a cheerleader at this point. 0 RBIs in 8 games will get you that. Bochy likely won’t go ape-shit with the changes. That being said, I’d sure like to see Buster catching instead of Hector, and he and Panda swap spots in the batting order. I’d also like to see Pence and Belt swap spots (if Hector isn’t catching and thus Belt out). Timmy also gets his game on. He’s been nails as a closer so far, and was even stretched to 4 innings vs Cincy, so we’ll see how he does as a starter. I hope, at least early on, he pitches out of the stretch. This seemed to keep his shit in order.
There you go. Depending on how this goes, what follows could very well be a drunken screed about the impending doom of both my favorite sports teams, and the suckiness of life in general.
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Well, not too hammered, but I am bummed. Spent the last 3 hours flipping back and forth between the games and scaring the shit out of the animals. As much shit at Timmy may or may not get, he was getting killed by ground balls early on. And of course the offense, minus Pagan and Scoots, was DOA. We don’t score, we don’t win. Pence got his 1st ribbie, on a solo shot, goddamnit. If he hit that yesterday, well, we’d be sitting pretty. Thing is, I didn’t like the decision to put Hector behind the plate. You have to wonder if Buster makes the short-hop play at the plate. That gets made and the bleeding is lessened. Shit, who knows? You just can’t weaken 2 positions and lose Belt in the playoffs. With every game meaning so much, the strategy sucks. I think everyone is pretty much down with this, and the bitch is, do we get the same thing tomorrow? Since Zito’s going, are we really going to sit Belt again? I sure hope not.
As for the Niners? Hey, winning ugly sure beats losing ugly. Smith had a not-so-spectacular game to say the least, but Gore was a monster. The defense was back to being fairly disruptive, but for a few drops by the Seahawks, this game could have gone a lot differently. I REALLY didn’t get Harbaugh not taking the safety at the end, though. The spread was 7, and the margin of victory would have been 9. Weird. It’s stuff like that where you scratch your head and think, hmmmmmmmmmm. Shit, this thing is getting too long. Good night madams and monsueirs
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
OK- my two-fer from Chuck’s blog and the last thread here: Giants:
“We have very little chance of ever finding out truth of rhe Lincecum/Posey deal unless Timmy squeals after he leaves. I’ve said since the beginning of the season that Belt was mishandled but if Bochy was stupid enough to think Hector was a better hittet than Belt, Brandon would have had his playing time diminish as the season progressed, not increase. Buster made a telling and I think intentional barb today when he said he’d *heard” about Tim’s improvement or increased confidence, whatever the fuck it was. It was like he was discussing a St. Louis.pitcher. Whatever is going on, Belt vs, Sanchez is not the issue at all, IMO’
Niners:
“tough physical game played better on every level by the Niners. Alex was OK- one bad decison, one decisive winning drive. Highest QB rating all year aagainst Searrle was 81.5 by Rodgers. They mug the wide outs and get away with it Frank was great of course.All in all, a short rest win against a very physical team leaves the rational observer with little to complain about. For those who like football it was a good game.”
If he takes the safety, the Hawks have to punt. Probably an “onside punt” and a scrum to get the ball, somebody could get hurt. Otherwise, he just takes over on downs (the play spot was just short of first down), all the Niners do do is snap the ball twice and take a knee, game over, and nobody has a risk of getting hurt. Seems a reasonable choice to me…
Except that I had the Niners in my pool and was laying 7.5. 😉
I say you gotta start Posey at C tomorrow.
It’s likely Zito won’t be in that long anyway, so if he’s PO’d not having Hector, he can channel being PO’d into another MPH on his fastball. Like Ray Lewis, he can be “pissed off for greatness”…
AB-so-FUCKING-lutely! Yesterday, I was of the mindset that the MOST IMPORTANT factor was having Tim be comfortable (hence, Hector behind the dish). Fuck that…I am done with the kid glove shit!
I dig Bochy…think he is an exceptional (if not great) manager, but he mis-handled this one from a long time ago. Bochy should have sit down with Buster, Tim, and Zits and said ” am putting the BEST LU on the field, and that means that you throw to Buster. Now STFU and go pitch!”
I’m not buying that the odds of Seattle somehow scoring twice with 43 seconds left,no time outs and having to kick to us were better than having to score just once if a snap were fumbled. Always possible I’m missing something, if so, I’m happry to be corrected. Made no sense to me- and Kappy has now fucked up three excellent scoring chances in 2 games. As with most trick plays, around mid-field is when to try them.
There’s almost no risk of injury in two kneel downs, and the chance of a fumbled snap is near zero unless Herman Edwards in a Philly uniform is playing for Seattle. So why risk injury to your players in an onside punt and then several more contested plays if Seattle recovers it? It makes total sense to me to take over on downs and just sit on the ball twice = you win…
43 seconds, down two scores, no time outs, kickng to the other team. I think *you* would wager that losing under those circumstances has never happened in the history of the NFL.
Doesn’t matter if Posey plays short or becomes the closer if he doesn’t hit. Maybe Pence and Pablo coming to life will help him too. Does belt have a hit? Frustrating
I think a lot of Buster’s ~.200 BA in the post season is the result of no protection behind him, and the opposing pitchers pitching around him. Sure, he owns a part of it, but almost the whole fucking team has fallen off the charts with their sticks.
Here’s the team stats in the LCS:
http://tinyurl.com/8z46962
And here, all post season combined:
http://tinyurl.com/9ksflwo
So, Belt has a lot of fucking company. Regardless. It should be Buster behind the dish and Belt at 1st.
“Does belt have a hit?” acrually he’s he’s 3 for 11 in this series,nearly Ruithian compared to most in the series.
Agree…I posted the stats above…
It isn’t just Belt…it’s the WHOLE fucking LU. They need to put their fucking hitting shoes on today.
We win today we’ll have Vogey on the hill for Sunday.
Win that one and it’s a one gamer for the chance to advance…
Three elimination games in a row…been there…done that…
Not saying it’ll happen again, but
One Game, One Day at a Time…
I guess cheating death was enough for me last night. Glad i missed the game. stepped onto the plane in LA around 1. didn’t get home until 10:30. It’s funny, my first thought was that this is over. maybe the germans DID bomb pearl harbor. But then i get to thinking that you steal one here behind Zito. then you’re home with your best pitcher. then it’s game seven with your second best pitcher (who SHOULD be your best). I don’t crazier things have happened. did i tell you about the time the germans bombed pearl?
I am with you 110% Eric. Crazier and more bizzare shit has happened.
So, WHY THE FUCK NOT!!?? (Rhetorical question.)
Caught the first inning on radio, and bailed on Lincecum pretty early. Every time I checked back Cards had put up two more. Our pen hasn’t been as good as theirs so far (big surprise to me), and I’m done with Lincecum. Bochy has given him plenty enough rope all season, and all he has done is tighten the noose around himself.
Niners were being outplayed in first half, turned it around and held sea chickens scoreless in second. It’s going to be a tough division, but Niners have better balance and overall depth than the others. Hawks have now lost a couple division games which would hurt them in a tiebreaker. We’ll see how the young QBs of Seattle AZ and for that matter Rams hold up as season progesses.
This one meant a lot to me as i have to go to a mgmt meeting next week up in Seattle (Renton actually) where there will defininetly be a few Hawks fans. We did this a few years ago, and as we were driving from Renton to dinner in Seattle one of these guys pointed out the Hawks Stadium, so I asked him, “They play football there?”
LMAO…Love it!
Sometimes dreams turn into nightmares and sometimes nightmares turn into reality.
The good news, I haven’t heard anything about a team party at Kirk Rueter’s Shed (or whatever he called it).
And sometimes that reality turns into an outcome that most could not fathom…
I’m thinking that sometimes the reality becomes a nightmare for someone else.
All we gotta do is win 3 chi. Ain’t no big deal.
TF, I don’t think Bochy rationally believes that Hector is a better hitter than Belt. I do think the evidence is pretty clear, though, that he prefers hitters with an aggressive style. Or at the very least, that he is far less annoyed by “decisive” failure, the fancy stats be damned. His quotes over the course of this season provide plenty of evidence for that. Bochy expresses this unfortunate prejudice through his handling of Belt.
Spot on. I’ve heard Bochy talk about “aggressive” ABs many times, being his preference. Though not publicly saying it, he doesn’t like Belt’s approach, never has. It’s obvious. The “big boy pants” quote is one of many where the dislike or disdain or whatever you want to call it for Belt is clearly just below the surface. I give Belt major credit for a very good second half, as he tries to learn how to be an MLB ball player while being hamstrung by a manager who clearly doesn’t think much of him in public. Behind closed doors, I can only imagine what has gone on. Hunter Pence can go for a golden sombrero, and Bochy will no doubt praise him as “our guy” for RBIs…
James, I respect your viewa on hitting more than any- even when I disagree.And I’ve questioned the handling and dissing of Belt repeatedly. I just don’t think that is behind the Lincecum/Posey “affair”. They just don’t believe there’s any place but first to play Buster if he doesn’t catch. It’s hard ro believe this won’t be addressed in some way over the winter. Bochy has raved about Buster’s first base play, Belt has real value in the market, and we have needs his trading could help. IMSO.
If they trade Belt, and they certainly could in the offseason, they better get a lot for him. I think he will flourish elsewhere if given proper coaching and management support, unlike here…
I get why they didnt take the safety, but for the 2nd time the Niners avoided taking points that would have covered the spread. Worldwide, $75 mill was lost by bettors when the Niners didn’t take that safety. My thought at the time was make it a 2 score game, but yeah I get where you don’t want to take the points, kick the ball, get the ST group out there, and the defense, yadda yadda yadda.
Curious though that this is the 2nd time the Niners missed covering because of their reluctance to take points given to them. Usually a no-brainer in the NFL. And Mandatory in college . . .
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As far as the Belt/Sanchez deal goes, this bit Bochy squarely in the ass. The idea of sitting Belt at the expense of Sanchez is the wrong move. Timmy? Fuck that. He HAS to know that the best move for the team is Buster catching. Regardless of who did what to whom. The play at the plate? Does Buster catch that short hop? We’ll never know, but I give him a better chance than Hector.
If Hector’s catching today i’ll be seriously bummed.
Well, I’ve always wanted Buster catching Tim, but the throw Hector missed? Buster does handle it- 7 feet in front of the plate.
So, Chuck, how much was WON by bettors on the other side of the spread? You and Oracle have your panties tied up with this decision by Harbaugh — there are only two choices. If it was such a stupid decision, then Harbaugh is an idiot, which to me is fairly doubtful given the evidence we’ve seen so far. If he’s NOT stupid, then the only other alternative to explain what you are saying — is that he’s making game decisions based on the spread. That’s Pete Rose territory, and even raising that as plausible is pretty serious shit, right there…
I don’t give even the slightest bit of credence to the suggestion that Harbaugh is somehow tied into a gambling ring and that’s why he didn’t take the safety. That’s too dumb to even get consideration.
Here’s an idea: why don’t we wait to hear what Harbaugh says. He will get asked about it at his press conference. I didn’t see if he’s already been quoted on it from last night. But I’d start there and then go from that quote……
I agree with Craig on that one (especially the “…too dumb to even get consideration”). If Harbaugh isn’t a fucking genius, then he is certainly one of the best coaches in the game today. Hell, he might be both!
I’ve never even suggested it was motivated by the spread, and the decision doesn’t even bother me, let alone tie up my panties, which would be far too uncomfortable for me to even contemplate. Since Snarkk questions dozens of Bochy’s moves every year, maybe he can let us know how it feels. I just think it was the wrong decision by Harbaugh, not a killing one..Lacking even a suggestion that any team has ever lost a game with a similar scenario as the one where he takes the safety, I’m confident that although Harbaugh’s decision was very unlikely to cost us a victory, it had a possibilty that didn’t exist if he took the 2 points.
Now it’s possible that Jim has a reasonable explanation, maybe he really was concerned that in 43 seconds with no time outs, Seatte could recover an onside kick either punted or kicked without a tee, scored, recovered another onside kick and scored again. To be clear, i understand Harbaugh’s decision, it’s easy to understand it. It was just lacking, however slighrly, in the risk/reward rarionale.
BTW, I’ve always appreciated the “Oracle” moniker. In fact, Larry and I are currently in litigarion over it, which he unfortunately failed to prorect properly. Soon I expect a ife sized sized portrait of me I’ve commissoned to greet fans ar Warrior games.
I’ve questioned very few Bochy decisions this season. He’s done a good job, particularly the last month where he managed like his pants were on fire to get the division win. In the postseason, I think his handling of the starting rotation has been “not optimal”, using today’s political football parlance. I generally like the BVD brand that is quasi brief/quasi boxer. They don’t tie up at all, even in mid rant when Bochy pinch ran El Presidente for Buster in Denver two seasons ago…
Not pulling seniority on you guys, some of you may even have that on me, but I have seen a lot of baseball, and plenty of unlikely ball to boot. Winning tthis series wouldn’r rank in the top couple dozen of surprises I’ve watched or actually witnessed..I’ve talked about redemption for Beezelbub tonight but wih the continuation of the season on the line, it’s much more than one man’s shot at some glory. Perhaps the most renowned comeback in baseball history can shed some light on it- the Red Sox rise from the dead in 2004. Down 3-zip after a 19-8 pasting in Game 3, who were some of the guys who started that first ever rally to win a postseason series after being down 0-3? We all know of Dave Roberts’ stolen base- but some others who keyed it; Bill Mueller, Ortiz, Kevin Millar, Manny, Curt Leskanic.. in other words, the great and not so great. And of course I remember another unlikely series- one of the most lop sided ever, that 1960 Yankee-Pirate series- with the team getting mauled WINNING the series- that Game 7 win won by Maz- but keyed by a little known reserve catcher, Hal Smiith. So there’s a couple of the more famous- but the game is chockablock with what can’t happen happenlng. A win tonight featuring 9 pitchers and Huff game winner to send it back home to win for our Chardonnay crowd wouldn’t surprise me even a litlle.
Well, OK maybe a tad….
That’s awesome, Michael.
It’s official: Buster wins the Comeback Player of the Year award (sportswriters version). 27 out of 30 votes. Who got the other 3, I don’t know…
At the time, Snarkk, my thought was keep the points. The old adage being never take points off the board. But I certainly get not wanting tio risk your ST guys to undue risk on an onsides kick and 2-3 more plays by the Niner defense. Better to keep them off the field. Cappy did the same thing in the Jets game, and it made sense then as well.
Harbaugh learned his lesson regarding this the hard way last year when Josh Morgan went down to an ankle injury in garbage time vs TB last year. His loss was a big factor down the stretch. This ain’t college where you have 110 guys on your roster.
Eminently reasonable, there..
And the mission is still the same. Take one in StL. Whether Bubbles can be the impromptu savior remains to be seen, but hey, stranger things have happened.
Okay, first the Niner thing. Jim could have gone either way, 43 seconds, not enough time. even if they recover the on side kick. they have to pass the ball to get down the field. the Niners defense at that point is they have their ears pinned back and they are bringing to that ROOKIE QB!! I say no way do they score. and with passing the ball with only 43 seconds the chance of an INT is geater. But I also see the other point no injuriesand the niners get the winn
As far as the Giants go, Buster catches or the Giants lose.Period end of discussion. I don’t want to see hm at first ever again. TF is right, the Giants need to make a decision next year on Buster, either all in on 1st base or all in at catching. Enough of this panties in a wod with the pitching staff.
Seeing as Timmy and Zito are likely gone after next year, if not sooner, then theproblem takes care of itself.
Buster will remain the catcher. Forget trading Belt. That’s foolish shit.
A sane approach there. I think I’ve said that before.
Tim may be gone at next year’s trade deadline, especially if he pulls out of this career nose dive in even a decent fashion the first few months of 2013…
I was schooled last night. I learned how vitally important it is to have a good defensive catcher. I knew it, but it was a clinic in reverse, without textbooks, crayons, or blackboards — but one tin glove.
If we scratch out one crazy win, we’re in it. That’s obvious to all. We know the Cardinals do not want to get a plane westward, so they will play like it’s an elim. game.
Fucking A, Pawlie. BRING IT ON!
We are taking this fucking series back West!
Since Bochy insists on burying Belt on the bench,he might as.well go all in today with Hector catching again of course (GoldenSombero in K’s) and Aubrey Huff with his fungo swing on his “Farewell to the Red Thong ” tour at 1st start.
kat, if they do that, might as well go all in – Blanco in CF, Nady in Left, Arias at Third and Theriot at 2B. Since Wilson is going to throw off of the mound today, reinstate him and let heem be the first pitcher out of the pen.
Before anyone calls me on this, I am kidding.
And I was going to come back with some smart-ass reply to Kat (like a smart-ass reply is so out of the norm for me), but just could not pull the trigger.
In all seriousness, and yes, I am being very serious here…this is a game the Giant can win. If they can “steal” this game in St. Louis, it’s a whole new ballgame with Vogey going for us on Sunday.
Someone made the comment earlier (and I am too lazy to go find out exactly who) that the last thing the Cards want to do is get on a fucking jet coming to California.
Fuck them…let’s get this thing (this one game) DONE!
As much as Tim did not get it done last night…he could play a huge role out of the pen in games played out here…
My god!…. I am kneeling by my bed in prayer (not really…. But I am praying, begging and pleading) for this offense to WAKE up and show some ass-kicking motivation and not let the Cards throw the team around like a fucking rag doll…
And as sure as I’m staying retired, if the team can win tonight and get back to some home fan cooking, the
next 2 wins won’t be so daunting.
We’re all saying the same thing. Win this ONE game and bring it home! I cannot remember who said it (and I am too fucking lazy to go find out)…but basically what was said is the last thing the Cards want to do is get on a jet to California. Let’s WIN this ONE and bring it home with Vogey on the bump!
I love baseball, but if it’s Detroit v. St. Louie, I’m not watching it much, if at all. That matchup barely has a pulse for me. That’s why SF has to win tonite…
Oh great Baseball Gods, I beseech you – please remind the Giants of this pithy -yet powerful -.maxim:
We Score We WIn
One Day, One Game at a Time.
“Well, I’ve always wanted Buster catching Tim, but the throw Hector missed? Buster does handle it- 7 feet in front of the plate.”
What a ridiculous cheap shot. When it was absolutely necessary, Buster’s been right at the plate on those throws. He’s cost the Giants nothing in this regard.
His reluctance to take throws in what might be termed “harm’s way” has been noted by far more observers than just me. I’ve supported Buster as team MVP, Willie Mac winner months ago when some were absurdly saying it could be possibly be anyone else, as league MVP, and spurning the idea that anyone but him should be catching Timmy. I didn’t take a cheap shot, I stated a truth. I’ve also posted that he’ll get over that reluctance if he’s still catching in future.
You’re saying he’s catching balls seven feet in front of the plate? Seven feet?
Michael – I respect you, as much as anyone when it comes to baseball knowledge. But SEVEN feet? I agree with Zumie on this one…
And in that situation last night…I take my chances with Buster 100 times out of 100 chances over Hector.
Maybe it’s only 5-they won’t let me on the field to measure. But anyone should be able to uderstand the real point- he would not have been where Hector was and even if he caught the throw,based on where he positions himself, a swipe tag would not have been successful. Far more questionable that my 7 feer statement which was intentionally exaggarated to make the point clear, is rhe fabrication that he doesn’t intentonally take throws to attempt ro avoid any contact at all.
I think it’s quite possible Bochy thought he was jazzing up the offense a little by having Sanchez in there last night. He’s frustrated with Belt’s lack of power, as probably we all are.
As for personal stuff against Belt, who knows? Maybe it was downhill from the moment Belt cried on camera in Bochy’s office. Bochy was clearly surprised and uncomfortable with it.
I’m not excusing Bochy on any of this, but these guys are people with quirks, they’re not robots.
Bochy is old school.
“Have a beer”!…
Z, I’ve always wondered about how that whole thing played out in Bochy’s head. Although he did offer him a beer, he didn’t look all that comfortable as I recall.
Actually, you have absolutely nothing to support that Belt sat because Bochy was “frustrated with Belt’s lack of power”. He’s had Hector catching Tim for months. Hector’s OBP, slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+ are all well below Belr’s so any suggestion that the move was to jazz up the offense is fiction. Ir’s pretty clear it’s a Lincecum/Posey issue, not a Sanchez/Belt one.
I think Belt’s “lack of power” has been a bit overstated, especially when it comes to the HR totals. He is a first baseman with 6 triples. I saw 2 of those at ATT this year, balls hit well over 400 feet. His career numbers essentially reflect one full major league season. The fact that Pill, Sanchez, and Huff had 450 PAs this year meant that a superior player was robbed of at least 175 PAs due to numbskull managing.
James and Micheal – I agree whole-heartedly with both of you on this one. Many say that ANYONE needs at least 450 or so ABs in the minors. Belt has all of 178 minor league ABs.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t476&t=p_pbp&pid=474832
I think Belt is going to turn into one hell of a fine first baseman (hell, he is well on his way already as far as I am concerned).
Chi, your stats are for only 2011. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=belt–001bra
Belt has 825 PAs with 670 ABs combined in all levels of the minors. Does not include his one stint in winter ball.
I have argued this to great length before with more stats, normally baseball people say a player needs at least one thousand ABs in the minors to be anywhere near ready for MLB. McCutchen and Heyward had nearly twice as many minor league ABs before they were brought up, with full season each in AA and AAA, unlike Belt that never had a full season at either level. Yes, he did leave after his junior year in high level college ball (Texas), but that is not pro ball, with daily instruction year round as your job. I dare say nobody with baseball smarts would argue college ball is even close to the level of instruction and intensity and repetition of even high A ball (San Jose). There is no argument the kid was brought up fast, due to injuries and Huff basically being a nothing in 2011 and this year. My point has always been he has had to learn MLB on the job before being ready, and that is hard to do. They gave Crawford a long leash, being in the same boat, because they had no choice, and SS is not a “power” position. With Belt, they had a choke chain, tried to radically change his swing while he was learning how to be a major leaguer, and still expected pop and production because he’s playing 1B. Bad management…
Shit, Belt was what, 20 at the time? If that’s the reason for the grudge, then Bochy wouldn’t have lasted this long as a manager.
Who really knows, though? It’s like the Timmy/Buster shit. They were sitting next to each other on the plane in that pic a few days ago. They don’t seem to hate each other. But what;s the underlying deal? Again, if Bochy goes with the Sanchez lineup tonight, we’re fucked. Belt may not be hitting home runs, but he’s hitting the fucking ball. Something Hector isn’t likely to do since he’s been cooling his heels on the bench for a while.
I wouldn’t say ‘jazzing up’ as much as switching up. Fuck beyond all fuck. Please bochy, don’t put Sanchez out there today.
Praise the Lord and pass the peanuts:
Pagan CF
Scutaro 2B
Sandoval 3B
Posey C
Pence RF
Belt 1B
Blanco LF
Crawford SS
Zito LHP
Kinda wish they’d left Pose in front of Panda, but hey, who’s to quibble. Now let;s beat the fuck out of the dead-birds.
Oh yeah. We score, we win.
Onward and upward, folks.
Glad to see Buster behind the dish and Belt at 1st.
But I agree, Chuck. I would prefer Buster 3, Pablo 4, Belt 5, Blanco 6 and Pence 7.
But on the flip-side, Bochy has got it right more often than he has “swung and missed.”
At the end of the day, it just doesn’t fucking matter as long as the Giants extend the series.
You know if the Cards lose today, there will be some puckered assholes (they do NOT want to come to the West coast).
One Day, One Game at a Time.
No mercy. 8-2. . . .
Geez,no Golden Sombero Sanchez today?
We might win this bad boy tonight!!!
Giants !!!! Baby ketch the fever!!!
Belt came out of college wirh a swing that the team reworked. Then he destroyed minor league pitching at every level in his ONE year of pro ball before last year. Then last year, when I supported his trearment ( wrongly) as they made a yoyo out of him, his year seemed to convince them that the swing THEY reworked wasn’t such a great idea after all. Next came the tales thar he refused help ro re-rework it.
Now the crying thing. A young man had just been told a dream had been reralized and he became emotional- good for hm and shame on anyone who would think him less a man for it.
It was just a guess at what Bochy was maybe thinking. None of us knows.
All of this trying to read between the lines stuff has us all up in the air. Give the Giants credit for this- whatever’s going on in the Posey/Sanchez/Belt/Timmy/Zito and whoever else mystery, absolutely no one in that clubhouse has leaked anything.
True dat, Zumie. And I LIKE THAT ALOT! Regardless of what is going on, at least they all have shown some amazing integrity throughout the whole thing (at least publicly).
I have a hunch the beat guys know exactly what the scoop is. They are there all the time, they have to know. They’re not going to say anything until the season is done, so they won’t screw up their access. If this were NYC, we’d know months ago what really has gone down…
Actually, it’s true that no one has leaked the true story behind why Posey catches Tim, but there has been plenty to escape those supposedly sacred clubhouse walls about Belt, who I’ve noted deserves a place in the history books for having the most absurdly over publicized “swing holes” in the game. Thank God none of the other guys have one.
Have you talked with Schulman, Baggarly, Pavlovic and Haft to confirm their utter lack of knowledge on this subject?…
“A young man had just been told a dream had been reralized and he became emotional- good for hm and shame on anyone who would think him less a man for it.” Amen!
Regardless of ALL the shenanigans that has surrounded Brandon Belt (and there has been a shitload of it), I think he will eventually develop into one hell of a first baseman. (Hell, I think he is already well on his way if everyone would quick fucking with him…)
Definitely- I never meant to sound like I wasn’t a “Belt guy.” I was just trying to do some armchair amateur pyschoanalysis of where Bochy is coming from. (grin)
I could see Bochy having a soft spot for hackers. And why not? Ross and Uribe helped hack the Giants to a World Series title. Bochy probably sits back in his office once in a while and dreams of what it would be like to have the ’10 version of Jazz Hands or Rodeo Clown back. Hopefully that doesn’t cause him to appreciate less what he DOES have, which is actually a pretty nice blend of different hitter types, who ran away with the division this year. They’re having a bad couple of weeks or so, but they were getting it done well in that second half, making us forget the Melkster.
No matter what happens today, this has been a terrific season.
(And I expect us to WIN today!!!!)
This has probably been posted dozens of times already:
Hard to know who Snarkk is responding to, as nothing I’ve said has any relevance to what he said.
Zumie – you ever heard any of the following: Giant Giant Sand, Lumineers, Calexico, Charlie Peacock?
Haven’t heard of the first two, and am a big fan of the last two. I have some albums of those two, and have seen both in concert. I was more aware of Peacock a long time ago, and have lost track of his career, I have to admit. Calexico, I’ve been keeping a closer watch on. Calexico has done some work with Neko Caso, who I’m also a huge fan of.
Saw Giant Giant Sand at Hardly Strictly…they were unbelievable. Their latest (a rock opera) is okay…I would give it a 3.5 starts on 5. Charlie Peacock’s latest is AWESOME (No Man’s Land)…certainly different than his earlier stuff. I had not heard the Lumineers until Hardly Strictly…bought their debut CD…they’re really good (or at least I really like them). Calexico is great. Have never seen them live, but want to!
Chi, a Howie Gelb fan, eh? Nice.
You betcha, James! And on that “When You’re Hot You’re Hot” video…Let’s get hot, Giants!
Buster back again in the 4 hole, followed by no-protection Pence. Just nonsense. You put your best hitter in the #3 spot, period, to get him as many ABs as possible. Period. That’s Posey, the MVP. Posey will continue to see jack shit to hit, unless there’s a mistake pitch…
Why don’t you ask one of the beat writers? Or Jenkins? I know he’s very good at responding to E-Mails. I’m sure they’ll all be open about sharing what management tells them about their decisions.
I’ve asked Baggarly directly on his blog about reporting the real deal with Posey/Tim. Several times. Nada response. Meanwhile, we see reporting about them sitting next to each other on the clubhouse couch watching TV and laughing together…
I’m not that worried about Zito starting, and the Cards being so good at beating lefties. Because Bochy has to have a 100 foot long hook ready. At least I assume he does, and that is why I’m not that worried. The assumption is that Bochy will not roll the dice long enough to let the Cards get 2 and then allow Zito to stay in and give up that killer three run dinger — to put the game out of reach early. If/when he starts walking batters like he normally does early, he’s gotta get the hook, even if it’s in the first inning. All the Pen guys have to be ready to go, there’s no tomorrow otherwise…
I’ve had quite a bit of correspondence with Jenkins over the years, much of it about our fathers, but also a lot of baseball talk. Like most columnists he rarely visits rhe clubhouse, a practce that could be rather unpleasant for a writer paid to be opinionated and openly so. The beat writers on the orher hand spend much of their year with the players, coaches, and manager. Sharing what is at least tacitly understood to be off rhe record is not in the best interest of being employed long. So any secrecy is understood to be just rhat, while anything leaked to them was/is intentional.
Shit, even getting one run in the 1st would be a godsend at this point. The G’s HAVE to get on top of these guys for once. Fall behind at all, and it’ll be a bear to overcome. As we’ve seen these past few days.
Game is likely over if we are behind after the 7th, with their bullpen IMO. Shit, we only have to do half of what we did in the 2nd game and we will probably win. We really need a team effort here. Not very confident that we can pull this off tonight . . . That being said, if we win, we come back home with Voggie and have a better than even shot of winning that. One day at a time as the saying goes.
So what woud the bullpen order be if Zito leaves early? Bumgarner first? I’ve never thought you worry about the next game when faced with elimination so I think Vogelsong would in the equation.But I’m going to repeat this total Zito critic’s call from the NLDS that he’ll come through. I mean, like, how often can I be wrong? Uh, never mind
No Mo Mota, at minimum…
If it DOES come down to Deetroit and StL, count me out. I’ll be hard-pressed to watch any of it.
Metheny will likely just bunt his way to anothe WS title just as La Russa did in 06. Fuck ’em.
Win one and the rest follow.
I will check out too, although I will root for Detroit because the city and that entire area deserves some good news once in a blue moon. St. Louis is “Mini Me” (to the Yankmees), so fuck them.
OK, hate to get all Dylan Thomas on youse, but it fits.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in an orange bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieve it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Or, how about honey bunny?
Any of you fuckin’ pricks move, and I’ll execute every mother fuckin’ last one of ya!!!
Bring it on home.
Crazy thing is, I mighta been at that show. SF Civic?
And not to get all Spinal Tap on you but I think David St. Hubbins response to the question about the end of the group works for the Giants as well..
“Well, I don’t really think that the end can be assessed as of itself as being the end because what does the end feel like? It’s like saying when you try to extrapolate the end of the universe, you say, if the universe is indeed infinite, then how – what does that mean? How far is all the way, and then if it stops, what’s stopping it, and what’s behind what’s stopping it? So, what’s the end, you know, is my question to you. “
Before you bring it on home, you gotta . . . .
The 2006 series featured two of the worst teams to make it in one of the worst series ever. JudgeJudy reruns sound good.
So what woud the bullpen order be if Zito leaves early? Bumgarner first?”
Good question. I don’t see much of anything. Think he has to give them a strong 5 or else.
They will probably give Bum first crack even though he’s got a tired arm. Maybe he can give them 3 innings without too much damage. Mota and Kontos haven’t been effective, Affeldt has been used a bit, but could probably go 2. They need a bridge to the committee. And they need to put up some runs early because Metheny will also go to the pen asap.
It would be cool if the Giants pull this one out tonight so they could rock Alvin Lee and 10 Years After”Im Goin Home” on the flight home preparing for game 6.
Welcome to Rock Air!!!!! Enjoy the flight!!!
I see us winning big tonight. Or losing. Or crushing them. Or getting blown out. Or a close, tense game. I don’t know. I can’t take the suspense. But on balance all my conflicting emotions say we eke out a win tonight. Go [vocative comma] Giants [exclamation point]
No one of those four guys on MLB Network picking us. I take that as a GREAT omen.
TF was talking the other day about Bochy’s status, and I sort of agree with it, but more longterm. If the Giants don’t show better in this series starting today, I think Bochy’s whatever-you-want-to-call-it….political capital, or whatever, takes a bit of a hit in this series. How much, hard to say. It’s tough to stay on top of the mountain forever, the farther we get from 2010. Even Bill Walsh got pressured out eventually. And a lot would then depend on how next season goes.
A lot of the buttons Bochy has pushed in this series just haven’t panned out so far. It happens sometimes. I don’t think Bochy has unlimited political capital, though.
Hopefully things turn around in this series starting today, and it’s all moot.
Didn’t Walsh retire after winning his 4th Super Bowl and second in a row?
No, he retired after winning his 3rd Super Bowl, after being with the team about 10 years. Seifert took over and won it the next year.
I did not blog on the first two days of the Reds series and I said I was going to change the karma of that series and with the White Russians and I have not been on the Flap since the series started in St. Louis…so it is on now!
White Russian is poured, I am on the Flap, let’s get it on. I am making the call…Panda with a huge game tonight…
“A lot of the buttons Bochy has pushed in this series just haven’t panned out so far.”
You’re not the only one that has missed one extenuating circumstance that Bochy had to deal with. Specifically, that’s the extended series with the Reds, which screwed any normal rotation strategy that Bochy would have implemented. I am not going to search for the SI quote, but I’ll paraphrase, “The Giants rotation for this series is not the one Bochy prefers, i.e., it is one of necessity, not strategy, due to the 5 game series with the Reds.”
Let’s see what Bochy has done for us: 1. NL Pennant and first World Series for San Francisco in 2010; and, 2. Division title this year.
In my opinion, I doubt the Giants will bail on Bochy any time soon. Actually, I think he gets an extension when this season is all said and done . . . and that’s regardless of what happens with the Cardinals. He should be praised in San Francisco (and mostly is), not criticized. Again, only my take.
One other point in regard to the rotation he went with, that precipitated Lincecum (again) being used as a reliever, something I think he would do again, but in a perfect world (either sweeping or beating Cincy 3-1), he would not do.
I can see a lot of that, but last night was an out and out fiasco that the front office may want some answers about. A friend of mine (who watches Giants game, but doesn’t necessarily know a lot about baseball) asked me today why Posey wasn’t catching last night. And….I didn’t have a good answer. None of us knows for sure. But when very casual fans want answers on this Posey/Sanchez/Belt thing, then that’s something that has to be better addressed by Bochy with the Giants fans. It can’t just be sort of mumbled away, and hope nobody presses the issue. Bochy’s job is safe, but political capital from 2010 will have some chips cracked off it if this series doesn’t turn around, IMO.
Noted Zumiee. Good point in regard to fans wanting answers about the lineup last night, as well as the Lincecum/catchers relationships being explained. However, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding the Lincecum situation with Giants catchers because I personally think this is a situation that he wants to address in-house. Regarding the line up last night, yeah it ultimately turned out to backfire, but the Giants – other than Scutaro and Pagan – have shown jack shit insofar as hitting. I even said that Hector shouldn’t have started and Belt shouldn’t have sat. However, I along with quite a few Flappers, said Pence should sit. We were wrong on that. Again, these moves are being made to “wake up” a fucking comatose offense. In short, I believe he had no choice.
Blue Oyster Cult does an excellent cover of that, James.
Nice play, Pablo!!
Yep. The connection between the bands is Patti Smith, Chuck.
Nice grab by the flying Panda Felt the earth shake on his landing.
Survived the 1st anyway.
Hope this isn’t like game 3 vs Cincy.
Yikes. It’s the Greg Maddux memorial strike zone
Not to inspiring watching the heart of the order all Strikeout there(ugh)
I have the deepest admiration for the way Belt stood up for his principles in that AB.
Playing against 10 guys (2 behind the plate) will make this win even sweeter.
If Zits cab somehow get through this . . .
The goddamn pitcher. The most dangerous spot against the Giants.
Barry mans up!
Hell of a job. This is our best part of the lineup. I guess.
Now that could be a real good omen for us.Zito bearing down there 2nd and 3rd no outs and gets a K and a pitchers best friend the DP.
6″ wide? Call it.
Hard to do vs that ump.
Wow. He was out.
Wow, this is epically bad hitting. Can’t even get the ball past the infield.
Is there anybody out there?
Well, the pitching has shown up – now for the bats!!!! Go Giants!!!
Posey completely overanxious there.
Completely and utterly fooled (like the last pitch that got Posey). Unbelievable luck though, which of course, we’ll take. LOL.
Thank you Mr. Lynn!
Zito!
Mudbug!! Zitman!!! Fuck yeah!!!
Great piece of hitting Crawdaddy!
Zits fantastic bunt,caught them sleeping for an extra run!!!Yeah Baby about time the offense woke up!
Finally, a few things are going our way. Keep praying to those baseball Gods Jean.
Maybe my prayers are being answered…. !…..
You keep praying too Dennis . . . They have frickin’ forsaken me.
Yeah, baby! I’ll take the error and the Crawfish . . .
Not certain about you Flappers, but I don’t think I have exhaled for . . . umm, at least 2 games. I just did.
I finally sat down.
I’m just going to declare Zito’s bunt hit the best hit hit I’ve seen in my whole life.And clutch hit from Mudbug as well.
Kruk called it the hit of the year on radio.