A Land With No Map
Shortly after the WS win (um, the 2012 one), I believe it was Macdog who texted me with a one-word message: “Dynasty.” I readily and breezily took up the charge, forwarding or repeating the same to friend or foe, Flapper or not. But let’s deconstruct this thought. A “dynasty,” along the lines of, say, the Yankees or the Celtics, is a terrain whose topography we do not know. It has a rarefied atmosphere this observer might need an inhaler to breathe in. I don’t know if I’d want it or cherish it. Let me explain. Mayor Ed Lee at the parade proclaimed something like, “Let’s make this an October habit!” [cue cheers] Well, I get that. I do not need to prove my fan bona fides here. No one does. But let me deconstruct this via a reductio ad absurdum. Suppose we were to win the World Series the next nine years. (Yes, I’d still want to surpass the 27 rings of the Yankees, which they are thoroughly obnoxious about.) Ah, maybe that’s the point. I don’t want to become one of THEM. I don’t want to acquire the arrogant smugness of Yankees fans. Let’s go even more extreme. We all want our Giants to win, but would we want them to win all 162 games next year? I am not sure what I am getting at. I’m not sure what is disquieting. I can’t handle success? Am I more accustomed to the underdog role? Be careful that you get what you ask for? (When people insert “prayer” in there, it always strikes me as if they imagine a petty, vindictive God.) So, where am I headed with this? Am I indulging in idol speculation that is fraudulent because, after all, we just won? Is it so much playing with lint in my navel? Or is it something like this Bob Dylan line? “There’s no success like failure. And … failure’s no success at all.” Don’t get me wrong. I coronate myself as the Emperor of Bask, just like Napoleon placing a crown on his own head. I just played out the thought of ultimate success [bold italic caps underscored] in my head and wondered out loud. (Of course, now I feel instantly slightly guilty.)
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
An interesting thread, Pawlie. Thought provoking.
But 9 in a row? No way in hell I ever see that happening. But realistically…back-to-back? Why not?
That would be rarified air in and of itself (back-to-back and 3 in 4). But would the Giants (and especiallly the fans) become smug (read YankMee asshole smug)? Perhaps the johnny come lately bandwagon fans would crow. But the true fans? I don’t see it. I think true hard-core Giant fans are 1) too classy for that, and 2) with their background of rarely tasting success (certainly nowhere near that of the Yanks), I just think they are a bit more grounded.
An intersting thought. But, you know…let’s have our boys win another next year, and see what kind a quandry that presents.
Hey Pawlie, you were the one who texted “Dynasty” to me, so you must’ve forwarded it. As for your topic: I’ve thought a little about that too, what it would be like to have a string of championships. This is new ground for me having a team with two titles in a three-season span (maybe not for some of you Niners fans, though). My conclusion: This never gets old.
OK. Must’ve been Sam P., local guy I hope to meet tomorrow.
Not sure if anyone has seen this…Mark Purdy’s piece today on that “D” word…
http://www.mercurynews.com/mark-purdy/ci_21922314/mark-purdy-are-san-francisco-giants-dynasty
thanks, Chai Skinny Latte
liked it and emailed the author saying so
Cool article. Thanks.
I don’t know, Pawlie. The thing about being a team that almost always wins it all is the great joy the team brings to entire regions when they’re upset. I know about this first hand when my formerly downtrodden Bucs beat the hated, smug, arrogant Yankees in 1960. Chuck Thompson, calling the game on radio, declared Forbes Field an “outdoor insane asylum” after Maz crossed the plate-and he was right. In fact, all of Western Pennsylvania went crazy. Many of us went so delirious with joy that we died of it only to rise in 1968 as the living dead and get to spend a night eating stupid people. It’s true, BTW, the white ones taste like chicken.Well, Barbara did.
…and then in the Seventies, the Bucs had a taste of dynasty themselves; sure wish they’d had a winning season this year
Kevin Millar on the MLB network called the Giants a “sneaky dynasty.” I kind of like that. I don’t mind being the underdog each time. It seems to suit the team, and build team chemistry. The Giants have won with a formula of dominant pitching and finding replacement pieces on offense as the season goes along. This year there were a lot of Giants players that hadn’t won a ring yet.
Next year is an opportunity to go into the season with a more set lineup on offense. Will they be complacent? I wouldn’t think so, given the character types on the team. I hope everyone can be brought back, but historically that hasn’t happened. Angel may get a gigantic payday from somebody. And Affeldt could be a hot commodity on the market.
Whatever happens, Sabean’s been on a roll replacing pieces. He’s got a hot hand these days.
Did y’all see KNBR’s Brian Murphy’s open letter apology to Sabean on the web? Pretty funny, in a way. I’ll see if I can find it again and post it.
Pagan I could see going elsewhere for 5/60. Affeldt? I truly think he has bought into “The Giant Way” and will be back. I just don’t see him getting “significantly more” elsewhere.
What if we won four in the next nine years? Not passing the evil empire, but solidifying second place. Would that be a dynasty? There is no way the west coast fans could ever be like the fans of the pinstripers. Maybe your east coast breeding lets you feel drawn, pulled, propelled into the cult of evil empire rudeness, cockyness and braggadocio?
I hope not. We are here, we will not let that happen to you.
A letter from Bryan Murphy:
Mr. Sabean:
You have been the general manager of my favorite sports team for more than half my life. As a result, a lot of what I know about you, and my opinion of you and your baseball decisions, has evolved as I’ve grown up. I do not consider myself to be a mature person, however, and as a fan, I doubt I will ever have an entirely rational perspective of my team and your role as part of it, yet it is worth noting that you have constructed a team that has twice now done what I assumed would never happen in my lifetime: win the World Series.
As a Bay Area child growing up during the Montana-Young years, instant, excessive success was the only thing I knew. That the Giants could not be what the 49ers were was always a sticking point, because no matter how great watching those teams was, they still were not a baseball team. Baseball is the best, of course, and I wanted my favorite baseball team to be the best. I, of course, had absolutely no clue how difficult it was to be “the best” baseball team every single year.
So I got ticked off when you traded away Matt Williams. I lost my mind when you traded Bill Mueller, insanity made worse by the desperate attempts to fill third base following that trade. I remember throwing my wallet – the only item handy – across the room, spilling its contents all over our living room, after you traded Shawn Estes for Shinjo and Relaford. I was more confused than a pug staring at its reflection when you got back Bill Mueller at the end of 2002, but too late in the season to put him on the playoff roster. I was crestfallen when you gave away Russ Ortiz for a merkin. You signed Armando Benitez and punted a draft pick to sign Michael Tucker.
Some say you deserve a pass for the Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand signings. Okay, but those were still bad moves before, during, and after (#RallyZito being a mega-bright spot where Zito is concerned, of course) their terms. I recognize now that you were desperately trying to keep the Bonds train running and had little regard for the future. As you mentioned in your impromptu presser following the Matt Williams trade, rebuilding is not an option. Well, as a 49ers-raised sports fan, that’s a sentiment I can appreciate. I may have completely disagreed with your methods, but I certainly enjoyed the success from 1997-2004 (well, until the last day of 2004).
When the team tanked starting in 2005 you then became the easiest scapegoat that was ever scaped, and your previous methods could be used against you in my court of law. I knew then as I know now that not every move would work out, and it would be unfair to criticize every single move that didn’t work out just because it didn’t work out, but I didn’t understand why you did some of the things you did. Why trade two starting pitchers when you needed pitching? Why trade a third baseman when you needed a third baseman? Why sign a closer for lots of money when it’s possible to find closers for less? Were you just a few years behind the times or too stubborn? Was the farm system unimportant because of Bonds and butts in the seats? Would be impossible to contend and reload simultaneously? Do you not see the error in having to pay for replacement players instead of pulling from the farm which prevented any pursuit of, say, Vladimir Guerrero?
What compounded all of this were previous statements that revealed a person who was, in my fanatical estimation, stubborn and proud of it. Your “I’m not an idiot” press conference also had this bon mot: “I didn’t know we had this many fans. You sure don’t see ‘em at the ballpark.” Later, you’d come to call some of the fans “the lunatic fringe” and that those fans (like me) adversely affected season ticket sales. So the way I saw it, you were being a jerk on top of being stubborn. On the other hand, if people like me were taking shots at me I’d probably be a jerk to them from time to time, too.
And because you stuck around for so long and did literally hundreds of interviews, your public persona and penchant for certain types of moves became well-known. It didn’t matter that you knew more than I or the fans knew about what was going on behind the scenes, because in front of the scenes there was much Hillenbranding and Morrising and losing. You became a character in my mind. I mean, I even wrote a TV pilot about you out of frustration following the 2009 season. Before that, I made this image and posted it on the Internet (the Internet is what you use to Google, btw. Oh, and btw is an abbreviation of “by the way”):
A clear lack of maturity and photo editing skills on my part here, to be sure. I was young and petulant, and in my youth and petulance I lashed out. But you’ll forgive me for considering the draft pick punting, short-sightedness, fan-blaming, and losing as a sign that it was never going to happen. The Giants would never ascend to the top of Baseball. Sure, they could probably muddle through some success as they had already in my lifetime, but they’d always be missing that certain something, that… oh, I don’t know, dominance.
Instead, you went ahead and built the best Giants team I’ve ever seen. You’re also the architect of the most successful run in San Francisco Giants history: a .538 winning percentage (postseason included) from 1997-2012 with 2 World Series wins, 3 NL pennants, and 6 playoff appearances overall. They say you’re a great manager who has no problem delegating responsibilities; any article written about the front office (non-Jenkins division) since 2010 has been quick to mention the contributions of John Barr, Dick Tidrow, Bobby Evans, and Yeshayah Goldfarb to the team’s success, but just as you have been the public face enduring the wheel kicks of criticism, so should you become the oft-kissed face for the Giants’ success.
Mr. Sabean, sir, I’m so sorry. So very sorry. I was wrong and I am wrong. And, yes, I’m a big jerk.
I was wrong about you insisting on Freddy Sanchez. Maybe you do have a fetish for Freddy Sanchez, but maybe he is also your Sabeanic ideal of what the organization wants: a high contact, low-strikeout hitter. Wanting players who put the ball in play is not necessarily a demonization of walks and strikeouts, but merely a preference for putting the ball in play. We saw in these last two playoff runs how putting the ball in play can lead to better situations than strikeouts (except in the case of Pat Burrell facing Cliff Lee, I suppose). And, too, Freddy Sanchez is a quality defender, a desirable skill set you’ve expressed a keen desire for since the post-Bonds era began.
I was wrong about how you were going to handle Buster Posey and Brandon Belt. They both got their chances and they played, and the organization showed a commitment to them through rough patches. I’m hella annoyed by the custom catching setups, but I have to believe that if you could answer the question without repercussions you’d say that the team is at its best when Buster Posey is catching as often as possible.
I was wrong about all the times the organization drafted pitching over offense. The Giants have hit only 12 home runs in the last 6 years (all in the playoffs), but the pitching has been so impressive it hasn’t even mattered. You made me a believer in pitching and defense to such a degree that I am with you in believing that runs should not only be at a premium, they should be outlawed, and that every baseball contest should be decided by which pitching staff looked the most dominant after 9 innings. Hits, walks, runs, etc. would be called “not outs” and home runs would be referred to as “failure balls.”
I’m kidding. I love offense. I love watching players who can hit. You have been able to put together a pitching staff that masks a lot of the can’t-really-hitters that often populate the lineup (out of necessity, of course). That is impressive. You’ve taught me to believe that “just enough offense” can win the day if the pitching is airtight.
But I loved the Beltran trade. I was glad to see the pitching that had been drafted could also be used to trade for a fantastic offensive player. Carlos Beltran is likely to be the closest the Giants get to Barry Bonds for awhile and I appreciated the “go for it” nature of the deal. If you can get Carlos Beltran into the playoffs, you have a chance to make a lot of noise. You knew that, I knew that you knew that, and I’m glad you did it, especially after the Giants had done something the previous season I thought they’d never do in any season.
So, again, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. At the end of the day, I was wrong. I apologize for getting on you so much before the 2010 World Series and even after that World Series for the decisions you’ve made. You won’t always be right and you won’t always reveal the whys and hows of your decisions and you haven’t even necessarily earned the benefit of the doubt from me, but you have shut me up because of your startling success.
You said something after the SECOND World Series win that really stuck with me. You said this 2012 team has a lot of character, that they are good people. Character counts. I really believe that. Talent wins, of course, but that you even chose to recognize the power of good people meant a lot to me.
I remember very clearly the tears in your eyes following the end of the World Series in 2002. Even through my rage tears I could see how broken up about it you were. You said something to the effect of “these guys played their guts out, sacrificed their whole careers to do this,” and that it was very hard for you to watch so many of them come so far only to be turned away at the very end. I was heartbroken because my team lost. You were heartbroken because the people you genuinely cared about were hurting. In the case of Robb Nen, he gave his career. You knew that. You grieved for him because of that. And you cheered for these 2012 guys because you saw them every day playing their guts out, scratching and clawing to stay alive. I was impressed, overwhelmed by their effort, genuinely proud of “my” team because they did something that was impressive and worthy of pride. I was happy because of them, but you were happy for them.
If that’s not a leader or someone worthy of my respect – and, of course, my most sincere apology – then I don’t know who could be. I am an idiot, Brian Sabean. I’m sorry for ever thinking you one.
Still too much self-justification from Murphy in there, or am I wrong?
Yeah, lots of self-justification there, plus a bit of posturing from Murphy. “I lost my mind when you traded Bill Mueller” Seriously? He “lost his mind” when Mueller got traded? Get a grip.
I don’t know him or watch him, but I’m a bit put off by it. It’s like when I apologize to my wife and follow it with a BUT…that undermines the whole thing.
The Murph and Mac morning show on KNBR is generally off-putting, except they do have guests worth hearing from. Krukow and Kuiper are regular guests during the season, on alternating days. debriefing the previous day’s game, and sometimes giving more pointed criticism of the Giants and their opponents than they do on the Giants broadcasts.
Damn…I have to dash off and cook dinner…will have to read this later. Looks interesting…comments later. Thanks for sharing, Zumie.
Two weeks and grand prix racing returns to the US via Austin, TX. A brand new track looking pretty good and hoping to draw from a wide area of NASCAR fans.
Americans have a long history of F1 success, just as the EU has in indy racing.
Will the fans come? Will they be confused when the cars turn right?
Several marques and several drivers still in it with the Austin race the penultimate race of the season.
F1 cars are the thoroughbreds of racing and well worth a watch.
Austin is a very progressive town…It’s not the NASCAR obsessed, confederate flag waving, Busch beer drinking city that encompasses most of the south…From everything I have heard, the demand for tickets has been thru the roof.
How could you ever have any interest in racing of any kind when there is such a plethora of music (and damned good music) in the Austin area?
it’s only a couple of days
make your own soundtrack, troglodyte
I’m not a basking kind of guy. I’m one of those guys that is either screaming “Fuck Yeah” or “Fuck No”. I’m sure you know the type, hell, you might be one yourself. I don’t expect my team to win every year but each year I think they can. In 2010 not many folks out here said much to me about the Giants winning the WS. This year has been a bit different. I went to the bank on Friday and the first thing the teller said to me was “You have to be happy with your Giants”. I was impressed that he got that just from my SF hat. Yesterday, the wife and I had to make the trek to the Home Depot in Kitty Hawk, which the locals bellow Kill Devil Hills, call Norfolk south. Norfolk by the way is pronounced Nor-Fuck around here, Nor-Feck isn’t bad but if you make the mistake of calling it Nor-Folk you’ll get ribbed, this happened to me once but it stopped when I asked “So, what do you all call the Old Folks home around here?”. Anyway, we stopped in Nags Head for breakfast I ordered an IPA with mine and was told “Congrats, the beer is on us”. We made it to Home Depot and I was stopped by two employees both saying “You must be happy, your Giants sure did good”. Was this because we have a Dynasty in the making that even folks (heh, heh) here in the Outer Banks were paying attention or just because the Nationals did well enough that the locals paid attention through the WS? I’m not sure. Basking? That’s not my style but one thing I know, I sure am fucking happy,. Fuck Yeah!
i know the type, John…and I certainly have a bit of that in me, too. But, I do enjoy just a bit of basking. Maybe a bit less this year than 2010, because truly, in 2010 it was so unexpected. This year, getting through the SIX elimination games…how could I not bask even just a bit (rhetorical question….hence, no question mark).
YOUR 2012 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants! (I NEVER get tired of hearing, seeing, or typing that!)
And with that…FUCK YEAH!!!
2013 – Back-to-Back? Why the FUCK NOT!
“I made this image and posted it on the Internet”
That’s a link that showed a picture of Sabean, and Murphy had photo-shopped this on Sabean’s shirt:
“Ask me about my savvy veterans.”
I appreciate the thoughts here. I’m handling the success just fine. Hold my hand, though. Steady on.
One shot, for the nerves, mate. Let us worship together; cause we are Giants’ fans.
TOGETHER WE’RE GIANT!
TOGETHER WE’RE CHAMPIONS!!
I really enjoyed the political insights yesterday from TF, Blade, Dirt, and whoever else I might be forgetting. Very cool stuff.
I was laughing my ass off…saying to Gail, well, I know it is the off-season…the boys have done went off on a political tangent. Good stuff.
With all the impending FAs and arb eligible guys, you have to remind yourself how hard it is in any sport to keep winning teams together. Hey, you win because a lot of guys do well, and then at contract time they expect to get paid for what they did.
I think pagan has at least a couple more good years in him and realizes what a special team and place to play SF is. Affeldt I really think is a key guy to keep around as a set up that can get people out from both sides of the plate. Pence, I dunno… $13 mil seems awful high to me for a guy who looks as ugly at the plate as often as he does. I think Belt is going to develop into solid middle order guy and can move up the LU. Hey, maybe even Melk returns with something to prove, that he can be a solid guy, clean.
but if SF can retain most everyone they have to be solid favorite. And as such, you have the target on your back every game. Just like the Yankees, everyone is going to take special pleasure in trying to kick your ass and show they can hang. I fondly recall Philly fans throwing lit cigars at Auerbach when Sixers beat Celtics back when wilt and his boys finally beat them and won a title.
I believe Pence is already contracted for next season. It came with the trade.
that doesn’t mean he cannot be traded to any team needing a boost in pre-game rah, rah.
I am going out on a limb and saying in a few years time the dugout motivational team huddle becomes standard.
He’s arb eligible though. So they could decline to offer arb and he would be a FA.
Twin is right (he is AE and FA in 2014). Regardless of what “we” feel he is worth, I find it very unlikely that he will be non-tendered.
I love college football. I realize elsewhere no one thinks Oregon (and the entire pac 12 for that matter) could hang in the SEC, but they are f-ing fun to watch. I love spread offenses full of speed guys and wide open plays. See how furd finishes out the sched with a real QB, vs. tougher comp than woeful buffaloes.
Quick shout out to SDawg and his Aztecs who walked into blue field in boise and whip their ass 21-19, only their second home loss in last 75 home games. And I’m still wondering who is the best team in Texas…do the Horns still play the Aggies since they have all changed conferences (no jokes on fanbase, pls)?
Nope, the Horns and Aggie annual Thanksgiving rivalry game is no more…Much to the chagrin of this UT alum.
That’s messed up, I don’t know how you can do that (too many conference responsibilites I guess). I miss the old South West conference, all the Texas schools and Arkansas.
Those rivalries should continue to exist. I remember the SWC (SMU was in it, too). But even then, Oklahoma (mycollege team) ALWAYS played Texas (Red River Shootout).
My Night of the Living 12 Remaining Pirate’s Fans notwithstanding, I really do understand what you’re going through, Pawlie. And Pablo is to blame. When the Greatest Pitcher on the Planet stood on the mound and could only say “wow” when El Gordito, filling in capably for Arias, showed that he was really The Second Greatest Batting Practice Pitcher on the Planet; the rout was on, a dynasty born, and our hopes of being fans of the Little Team That Could forever dashed. The only thing worse than getting trashed or ignored by the Right Coast media is not being trashed or ignored by them.
One more title and respect is ours.
love your opening phrase there
The murph apology seems fair enough to me. There has been an evolution in the front office, recently touched on in this response to one of the latest reactionary screeds from Jenkins:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1391699-san-francisco-giants-dynasty-the-role-of-moneyball-for-the-world-series-champs
I like how the use of “sighted” in the BR piece is a mistake that kinda works in context.
The mention of the Niners in the letter also reminds that we can handle more success just fine.
True, James. The NIners and their fans (generally speaking) handled those championships quite well.
I liked the Murph letter and didn’t feel the self-justification that Pawlie brought up. He’s a media personality in the Bay Area and part of his job is to share his opinions with the listeners. I don’t have a problem with him defending, or trying to defend, his public feelings and opinions about the moves Sabean has made over the years.
I, too, thought the Bill Mueller reference was weird. Maybe I just don’t remember enough about that era. It makes me wonder if Murph didn’t get *more* mad about that move based on Mueller winning the 2003 batting title…..
I thought he set the ending of his letter up perfectly and I definitely agree with his final paragraph. He is an idiot…….
you made me literally LOL w/ your last 11 words
Well, the Niner dynasty years did prove that Bay Area fans can do smug arrogance with the best of ’em. As far as Jenkins, he’s a great baseball writer- and an old school guy. He’s wrong in his piece, IMO, but agreement with everything a writer says should not be a benchmark for his work.
BTW, the writer of the piece James links to seems a pretty reasonable observer, but in general the BR contributors are among the worst hacks in the business.
I clearly recall smugly and arrogantly reminding my Minnesota friends of the Super Bowls *I* had won…
Ha, I still remember the horrible losses during the glory years – always kept me humble enough at least!
I can get a little smug with Raider or A’s fans. And will certainly wear some G’s gear on my next trip to LA. But as an “old timer”, yeah, I’d like to think all those years of losing would keep me from becoming insufferable.
Well ,look at the Red Sox fans. They were horrible BEFORE they won. Now? Worse than evah!
Flappers, I’m worried about the Nipper.
Haven’t heard a bleep from Nipper Wan Kenobi. Did he fill up the van and head East for some quality time with Loo?
yeah, miss them both. Just bought my WS2012 hoodie, the “heather steel” colored one — had a gift card to burn on Amazon
I’m thinking about the black one with the small patch.
I ordered some swag and am eagerly awaiting its arrival.
I got my NL Champs shirt on Friday. Awaiting the WS shirt and hat (did not get the on-field/locker room items).
Might have to do a hoodie, too. Mine is getting pretty worn.
I have not read this yet but the WashPost is typically informative with these: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-the-electoral-college/2012/11/02/2d45c526-1f85-11e2-afca-58c2f5789c5d_story.html?hpid=z2
The several states decide how their individual electoral votes are allocated. There is nothing in the Constitution that requires the majority or plurality winner of popular votes in a state to be allocated all of them — the “winner take all”. Two states (Maine and Nebraska per Wiki) allocate their electoral votes in proportion to the popular vote breakdown. If ALL states allocated their electoral votes proportionately, there would be far less of this “swing state” nonsense that renders my vote in California far less important than Joe the Plumber’s single vote in Ohio…
I think Nebraska does it by section, for each electoral point. So, Obama won a point in Nebraska in ’08, from its one “blue” section. I don’t know how Maine does it, but I assume it’s the same. That’s probably what you meant, but it wasn’t clear.
My point would be apportion electoral votes by popular vote results, which Maine and Nebraska sort of do, but not directly, due to their small population and small # of electoral votes. So, in California, if the vote result is 58/40 Obama/Romney, you divvy up the 55 electoral votes in that proportion. There would be a reasonable rounding methodology, and the minimum % popular vote required to get an electoral vote…
Check out Page B for some rather inventive things a regular on Chuck’s blog has to say about me and, apparently, Craig. Link to the right “I didn’t know you cared…” some funny stuff.
Bruce Jenkins has to be aware that the Giants have a guy in charge of statistical analysis. Goldfarb, I guess it is. There was a feature on him in one of the Giants magazines. He’s heavily involved with evaluating the Giants minor league players statistically, also, in addition to keeping an eye on other organizations’ players, in addition to other countries. It sounds like a big job, but he’s a relatively young guy with a lot of energy, and has his dream job. The job James would absolutely love to have, and probably the rest of us, too. (grin)
Nah, I want the beat writers job. Get to watch all the games, free food, talk to the players; don’t report lotsa crap that would be interesting to the fans, so you keep on the players good side. Get portly, and drink up a storm in the hotel bar post-game with the other scribes. Write a few stories every day. 4 months off…
Did you catch Schulman’s big article in the Chronicle today? He was sort of talking about that. He said the optimist sees the glass as half full, the pessimist sees the glass as half empty, and the beat writer worries that the game will go 15 innings, and he won’t have time to get a glass of anything later on. I sort of paraphrased, but that was basically the joke he wrote. Kind of confirming what you said. (grin)
Yeah, by the look of it Schulman hasn’t missed too many press box spreads on the road or at ATT. Baggs looks like he keeps in shape somehow…
The paper edition of the SF Chronicle is worth getting today if you can track one down. It’s got a ton of Giants World Series stuff, plus a reprint of the front page of the day after winning the World Series. They did a similar reprint thing in 2010. A lot of the material is available on the web at SF GATE, but the paper edition is cool because the photos are bigger, and obviously can be saved as memorabilia, and hung on the walls even, of course.
Are y’all up for sort of “blogging the election” on Tuesday night at the Flap, for the heck of it? Should be an interesting election night. In politics, it’s Super Bowl night, and 7th game of the World Series night.
Would people mind if I did the Tuesday morning post, a kind of election preview? I’ll try to keep my post non-partisan, and try to find some interesting “keys to the election” or something. Or at least remind everyone of some interesting races going, not just the presidential one.
Up to BF, I should think. I have no problem with it…
Actually, I think BF said that all the stable boys retained their edit rights, no schedule, and to throw a thread up whenever….so I believe it is all open/no schedule.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
BTW, some people think non-partisan is impossible — and that is the sad state of our public discourse
fine with me; if you like I can send some stuff I’ve been getting in emails from pollster John Zogby; he lived across the hall from me in college
“I want to hear power
Big, smooth
twelve cylinder power.
I want to hear sandstone
intelligence
on the dull edge of truth.
And voices that don’t inflect
the slightest fiction
of fairmindedness.
So I turned off All Things Considered.”
-Ed Dorn, “A Decision Taken with Little Thought and Even Less Pain”
A poem written during the Reagan years.
I like the poem. It tricked me. It didn’t *mean* what I first thought it did. (And I’m not going to explain that.) But Archibald MacLeish said a poem shouldn’t *mean* but *be*.
I didn’t think so then, but we’d be better off with politicians like Tip O’Neil and Reagan getting together in the White House bar making things happen. Today, both “sides” yell at each other on the floor of Congress, then still yell at each other when they go to the bar. After 9/11, the two parties actually came together for about a week, then the finger pointing started again…
Good article on the splitting of playoff monies, which answers some questions raised on the Flap recently. BTW, Melky gets a full playoff share, but via operation of a rule, not by player vote.
http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Rule-Full-playoff-share-to-Melky-Cabrera-4006463.php
interesting. I’m playing the mlbtraderumors.com contest where you guess the destination of their top 50 free agents. The guy who won the entire thing last year only hit 15 correct and I think I can do better then that so I’m taking a swing at it. A few bucks and some free access to some cool baseball websites in 2013 if you land in the top 5.
Here’s the link to the contest if you’re bored tonight and want to enter. You have to log in with a facebook account so if you don’t have one just go make one up, it takes 5 seconds.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/10/mlbtr-free-agent-prediction-contest-1.html
I think Melky is going to Detroit, by the way. There ya go, that’s all I’m givin’ ya. COntest closes on Nov 7th…..
wouldn’t two Cabreras in Detroit be confusing? just sayin’
Pawlie, thanks for the offer of Zogby material, but Zogby’s polls are now part of the NewMax organization, a Rupert Murdoch-owned thing, so I tend to steer clear of Zogby these days.
The irony of that is that Zogby made his name in the Eighties picking Reagan or someone when others did not. He became known as a GOP pollster in many circles but he is not. Or at least I don’t feel he wants to be known as such. Wants to be scientific and objective, I believe. I had lunch with him, in 2008, after not seeing him since 1970. He stayed in Utica, NY, to his credit. Further irony is that he was practically the campus socialist back in the day. A good guy.
On Oct. 21 the Sunday NYT had a fascinating piece that makes me wonder if trad. polling is dead. An economist doctoral candidate from M.I.T. wrote about studying Google search patterns in 2012, 2008, 2004, 2000. Really interesting; compelling correlations. One tiny example, people Googling “Obama jokes”? Red state. “Romney jokes”? Blue state. Demographic areas that searched for voting or polling info gave very good indicators of turnout. Really interesting stuff on data mining. And NON-PARTISAN to boot.
Might have been Maher- “Obama’s election would be good for the country. Romney’s would be good for comedy”
i think a cool thread would involve checking out guys with the same name as a noted major league player. Surprising how many you see when searching at Baseball Reference. Miguel Tejada, for instance. Had a .193 BA in 4 minor league seasons in the Met’s system. Seems he’s out of baseball after last year at 21 YO. So we could have had a Miguel Tejada of just 21 suck for us at MLB minimum…
Or comparing guys with the same last name…who was the best Gonzalez?
I was gonna put up a thread about the fathers and sons combos too after I saw LA let go Gwynn Jr., where it’s pretty rare the pops get outdone. Tho I think robinson cano is third gen to get into ball in the states.
Youse douces are the best. Baseball? Elections? youse goes
Good read on Buster if you haven’t seen it yet…
http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Buster-Posey-best-start-to-a-career-4006475.php
I do believe he is playing with pain. Thank God. Praise the baseball gods. So freakin’ great to see him behind the dish. This year and many to come, I pray. Buster is the guy!