My 2013 All Melk-Shake Team
I don’t know why, but I woke up wondering who’s on the juice this season. Canseco said 80% of the players were doing it back in his day. Since Selig *cleaned up* the sport I’ll say that 32.7% of the players are still taking PED’s. That’s a highly accurate number, I can’t share the formula I used to come up with it. Top secret shit.
Anyway, I thought I’d go through each position and give out my annual All Star Melk-Shake Awards for 2013. I used 4 scientifically proven metrics:
1) a player hitting or pitching at an unusually high level (for them) that can’t be explained by hitting a peak age
2) anyone who’s totally yoked out
3) my intuition
4) my discretion
So, to the Melk-Shake Awards:
First base: Chris Davis, Baltimore. This dude was a monster in the minors but never seemed to translate his power to the next level. Until last year when he blasted 33 bombs. He’s hit 20 (twenty!) so far this year and he definitely fits under category #2 (yoked out).
Second base: Marco Scutaro, SF Giants. I changed this one after reading some of your comments. He hit .339 after the all star break last year and he’s hitting .332 so far this year. At 37 years old he started doing this? He’d never hit .300 for a season before last year. As Melky proved, you don’t have to bang out bombs to be juiced up.
Shortstop: Johnny Peralta, Detroit. He hit .239 last year. He was a career .275 hitter in the minors. So naturally, he’s hitting .339 for the year.
Third base: Miggy Cabrera, Detroit. Melky, Miggy, same last name, too. Plus he plays right next to Peralta so that’s easy access to the goods….
Outfield:
Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado. Where did THESE splits come from? Car-Go is hitting .348 on the road and only .260 at home? Isn’t that the reverse of what he’s done in the past? Clearly Melk-Shake driven and he needs to start powering them down at home, too, if he wants to take a shot at NL MVP this year.
Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee: After nearly a decade of failed promises, Car-Gom had a break out year last year stealing 37 and hitting 19 bombs. The Melk-Shake tasted so good he decided to keep drinking it in 2013. He’s hitting .322 (.260 last year).
Nelson Cruz, Texas: I needed a RF and Cruz is connected to the Biogenesis investigation plus he’s banged out 15 bombs already this year so he’s the big winner.
Catcher: Evan Gattis, Atlanta. He’s a total hacker who has burst on to the mlb scene in 2013 with 14 bombs in only 156 at bats.
Starting Pitcher: Bartolo Colon, Oakland. He’s been busted before and he’s always smiling, which means he’s brazen and he doesn’t give a shit. Plus, no one except Rick Reuschel is allowed to be that fat and that good. I’m smelling a 100 game suspension coming soon for “Two Slices” Colon…..
Closer: Jason Grilli, Pittsburgh. So after a dozen years of bouncing back and forth from the minors to the majors, at age 37 he leads the league in saves with 23? And he’s been absolutely dominant with 46 SO’s in 27.2 innings. He started drinking the Melk-Shake last year when he struck out 90 in 58.2 innings.
That’s it. Who’d I miss?
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
How about them be tarred and feathered and run out of town with a torch parade. Cheaters be damned!
I have to ask if Scutaro ever crossed your mind when considering second base. The guy has always been a solid .275 hitter, but these last 2 years he looks like a right-handed Rod Carew as he nears the age of 40.
I really don’t think he is cheating–I tend to think he has always been a good hitter and he is at a point where he is perfecting his craft, BUT his numbers at his age do make the thought cross my mind.
Am I the only one who has considered this?
No…
Scooter would be in any “top five” of suspected PED users. As far as perfecting his craft, he was busy “de-perfecting” it when he got here. We should just hope he’s smarter than Melky..
Scoots certainly crossed my mind…and it is apparent that other Flappers share this thought…
Actually he did and I should have used him instead of Uggla. I could totally see him juicing
I kinda wondered about Dodgers Luis Cruz, career minor league guy who suddenly hit .300 last year, but he’s back to reality 2013.
What’s hard to believe is that the sanctimonious ones like Purdy (boo the cheaters anti melk rant) and Killion (balco all over again) who have each written stupid columns lately could honestly think that out of over 750 mlb players, only Melk Colon Mota and a handful of others are using.
I think conte is right–only the stupid nowadays get busted. And maybe they do deserve to be punished, not for using but for being dumb enough to get caught at it.
Jenkins had a solid column today, and I second his thoughts on Pablo, his weight and the foot injury. Let it go—he’s always been big, the foot problems are new, so I don’t see any correlation. I’ve broken a bone in a foot twice and it took a while to heal and I couldn’t play ball for some time (and first efforts hurt like hell)— first in high school and later when I weighed 130 lbs 30 yrs ago.
Pablo is a big guy. And he can also play (ask Verlander). If bochy decides he is unfit for the position, fine. til then, let’s have a moratorium from blogger personal trainers/fitness gurus on what kind of shape he’s in.
KNBR confirms Pablo on the DL. Baer said yesterday on the FM sports station he had a fracture in the foot. Nobody will say the weight is the cause. Nobody will say it wasn’t a contributory cause. This kind of thing brings his weight issue down to reality level. His contract is over at end 2014. The Giants will have to think hard about giving him some monster extension. Do you give a guy 5 or 6 years at $15+ million who can’t control his weight and will likely have increasing number of stints on the DL as he ages because of weight? If he can’t control his weight when he’s young under a nice, short contract they didn’t have to give him and he has every incentive to stay in shape, why would you expect him to do so as he ages and plays under a guaranteed LT deal with huge money? It’s a very big issue next year, IMO…
Snarkk, I hear you, a long term deal is something to consider for the future. But SF is paying him right now, they have personal trainers and all kinds of med staff on hand. If Pablo were in danger of not playing up to capabilities solely because of his weight, I think that would be addressed immediately and firmly, and that message would go up and down the chain of command.
Yes, he has missed playing time, but I don’t think either of his hand injuries nor the current one have anything to do with how much he weighs; I understand if you and others feel differently, but like Jenkins said foot injuries can happen to anyone. As I said in earlier post it happened to me twice and in those days I was a skinny little runt. Bochy makes the decision on whether he can play and help the team, and he puts him in the LU every chance he gets. He’s been around him the whole time, and I think if he thought Pablo couldn’t play well enough to help the team he’d let him know about it, privately, but in no uncertain terms.
Great post.
When do we start calling him “Glass” Sandoval, though?
When Bochy has to give him a deadline to show up and play ball.
As I’ve posted before, aside from the two hamate injuries, Pablo had missed just 42 games in 4 full years. So while he’s had other injuries, he’s largely played through them. You don’t get a “glass” rep by being a “gamer”, which Sandoval has definitely been.
The two hamate injuries count as…..injuries.
And as far as Bochy is concerned, I guarantee you Bochy’s steamed that he’s lost all leverage on Pablo on the weight issue. Bochy and Sabean once threatened Pablo with AAA, and obviously they can’t do that anymore.
You’re either too dense or too into “concern trolling” Sandoval for you to understand why his hamate injuries should be distinquished from injuries that would cause him to be dubbed “Glass”. And you have no effing idea what Bochy thinks privately.
Ryan Braun is beyond just being a “suspect.” Let’s consider him a suspect+++.
I think people will wonder if Pujols and Hamilton used, and then stopped using when they got their huge longterm contracts.
It’s a little annoying that R.A. Dickey got lit up by the White Sox last night. (grin)
Everyone but the Giants . . .
I think Dickey just can’t pitch in the AL. He seems to like the NL a lot as his two starts vs the Giants this year suggests as well as the CY he won last year….
There are pitchers who some teams light up and other teams have trouble with. It’s a been a “phenomena” ever since Doubleday didn’t invent baseball.
A-Rod certainly . . . Pujols looks the yoked-out part, but he was always that big. it’s not like McGwire or Bonds who both went from skinny guys to massive in a short period.
You’re mean to these fine upstanding models of athleticism. What next, a “Mean Boys” movie?
I changed 2nd base after reading the comments. Scoots is definitely a much more worthy winner based on the huge batting average spike we’ve seen since the middle of last year….
Dickey’s got bigger problems than simply get lit up by the Chi Sox: this morning, approximately 7:30am, he was summarily banished to the waiver wire in Thr Flap league courtesy of Mount Shady. Fuck him. Enjoy life being jobless you fuck ! 🙂
I don’t really have any other names for the Melk-Shakes team, other than what some here have offered.
On a separate note, I do agree with WillieD’s 9:06 post on Pablo.And Pablo is already taken care of for next year.
Of more immediate concern for next year (hell, this year, too) is the starting pitching. Cain and Bum are the only two who are “locked and loaded” for next year.
Does the team pick-up the option on Zito, or buy him out with 7 mil (that’s a lot of coin just to ask someone to walk away).
Vogelsong is a complete unknown at this point. Even if he comes back strong, does the team pick-up his 6.5 mil option (.3 mil buyout)?
Tim is a FA.
Something will have to give re: the starting staff.
On the other side of the equation, does the team sign Pence? Lots of more immediate decisions other than Pablo.
How does Cain Bum Surkamp Kickham and Blach grab ya?
Oops that’s 4 lefties ..
Regardless of the four lefties thing (actually, Blach is a rightie), I am not sure that Kickham will be ready to “be up for good” next year, or that he even makes it. I liked the kids stuff…but no guarnatee he cracks the starting rotation for good. Surkamp is rehabbing from Tommy John. Lifetime in the bigs – 6 starts, 2-2, 5.74 ERA and 1.838 WHIP. No guarantee there, either. No way in hell Blach is ready next year.
The Giants, either this year (most likely) or certainly next year, are going to need at least one proven starter who is not on the team right now. Needs to be at least a proven number 5 IMNSHO.
Probably accurate assesment, Chi. I was just throwing some names out there.
.com/2013/6/8/4410752/quick-impressions-of-ty-blach-sj-giants-lhp
Hey, what about Gaudin? 🙂
yeah why not
R.A. must stand for Rag Arm. I’m damn near close to cutting him loose as well regarding my FL team. And would Dickey be one who’s the opposite of today’s theme? A juicer last year who hasn’t quite found the “magic” so far this season.
…sounds like a buyer’s market for the services of RA Dickey could be building. I’d have no problem with the Giants bringing him in if the price were right. Gary Brown for RA Dickey?
I thought I’d get some push-back on my Scutaro take, but it sounds like I’m preaching to the choir. When I was at the Zito bobblehead game last month and had great seats in row 1 of the Club Level just off home plate, it was awesome watching Marco bat. Tony Gwynn used to always talk about “throwing his hands at the ball” and letting the bat lag behind—then firing the ball to the opposite field. You could totally see Scutaro using this approach and he was barreling up everything. I kept asking myself—How does this guy not have 2,000+ hits? How has he never been an All-Star? How has he never made bigtime money?
A factor in his playing younger than his years (on offense) could be because he hasn’t played relatively all that much over the years. 1300 games in his 12 seasons. I wonder if that’s because of his play on defense. We’ve seen him a pretty good number of games now, and he’s pretty average on defense, overall, and has slumps on defense sometimes. He makes that sliding, 360 play to his left real well, but he’s not real good to his backhand side consistently.
I might trade Brown for Dickey if I truly believed it was the NL that he missed. But he’s owed 24 mil+ after this year so come to think of it, I wouldn’t gamble Brown PLUS the dough to see if he’d turn it around with a return to the NL.
Plus, if it’s the AL he just needs to get away from, he won’t do us much good if we’re facing the Tigers again in the World Series this year. 🙂
The Giants, in general, are too mollifying of their players. Why does Angel Pagan get to stay in CF when Blanco is clearly better than him defensively? Why do the Giants allow Sandoval to get as fat as he wants to get?
You can bet Jim Harbaugh wouldn’t put up with either situation……..
Bochy’s lower-key philosophy works well for him. He’s sporting the rings that Harbaugh aspires to. Harbaugh’s style works real well for Harbaugh, and that’s cool, too. Every successful coach has a philosophy that works well for them.
Bochy wants Pagan to be feeling confident and cock-‘o-the-walk. A pouting Pagan would hurt the offense. It’s a big deal to Pagan’s ego to be the centerfielder, and Bochy knows that.
As for Sandoval, Bochy and Sabean have lost all of their leverage because of the World Series MVP performance, and their needing his bat in the lineup. In a sense, it’s a nice problem to have. (grin) But, yeah, no doubt it steams Bochy that he can’t really do anything to Pablo about it. All baseball managers, and head coaches in other sports, are control freaks. They can’t stand it when something is out of their control. In the same way that Lincecum’s inconsistency is frying him, too.
That may all be true (keeping Pagan in CF to pacify him so he won’t be all butt-hurt about having to switch positions), but I truly feel that Bochy would make the switch if he felt the benefits (a different CFer) would outweight the costs (Pagan whining and potentially being disruptive over a position switch). And right now, I am not sure that the switch would be the right thing, and everything I have heard/read says that it won’t happen (at least anytime soon).
In the back of Bochy’s mind, too, I think, is the next several years of Pagan on the team. How to get the most out of him during that time. It’s not an easy thing being a baseball manager. (grin)
Bochy made the point that playing left presents it’s own problems, as we’ve seen with Torres. Pagan could be unhappy AND awful in left.
A little snapshot in time- the MLB network was showing a minor league game today. I have no idea what’s going on in Dice-K’s career these days, but he was pitching for one of the teams. He was having a problem with a blister in the third inning, and after a visit from the trainer and manager, it was decided that Dice-K would keep pitching. On the next pitch, he bounced the ball in front of the plate, and it shot past the catcher, and hit the umpire on one of his hands, and the umpire had to leave the game with a possible broken hand.
Dice-K was then removed from the game by his manager.
haha, did you make all this up? That’s too absurd to be true……
Great now both of my FL 3Bs are on the DL. Gyorko yesterday and Panda today. I hope Pablo doesn’t need surgery, after I broke my foot I was starting to walk fine until I had the surgery to put a couple of pins in. I was laid up for quite some time and my foot still bothers me to this day. I hope he doesn’t miss as many games as he did last year.
Truthiness at work again in the journalistic world. (If I understand Colbert correctly, “Truthiness” is something that sounds like it should be true, but isn’t.)
There was an article in my local paper today, an AP sports article, talking about how Puig has given the Dodgers a big lift since his arrival. Sports media SO want this to be true. It makes the Puig story that much better if it’s true.
But it’s not. The Dodgers are 8 1/2 games out of firstplace. Where’s the “lift”?
Many of us have been talking about the need for an arm for months. I put this out there before Vogey even went on the DL. We all know the Giants will be actively looking for an arm.
Here is an article that a friend shared with me. Nothing earth-shattering here…I think I, my friend Mike (who shared this with me), or most here on the Flap could have written this article.
http://tinyurl.com/kfuxj57
What do you guys think of the names mentioned here?
Nolasco is 4-0 .087 era at AT&T. He might just be a rental, so wouldn’t give up a lot. Pay the freight and a prospect.
Nolasco is a much more likely target than Norris, IMO. But I wouldn’t count on an arm being added other than what’s in the system.
We’ll see Michael. I will surprised is an arm is NOT added (that is not in the system). I agree with all (and my friend Mike who mentioned Nolasco a month or so ago) that he is the most likely. I will step way out on the limb now and say “book it.” Sabes and crew WILL go out and get an arm. If it doesn’t come to fruition….you all can call me on it and tell me I am FOS. And if you disagree with my prediction, and call me on it, AND are at the Orange Sombrero Flapalooza, I MAY even buy you a beer (or beverage of choice). 😉
1. Gregor Blanco (L) CF
2. Marco Scutaro (R) 2B
3. Buster Posey (R) C
4. Hunter Pence (R) RF
5. Brandon Belt (L) 1B
6. Andres Torres (S) LF
7. Brandon Crawford (L) SS
8. Joaquin Arias (R) 3B
9. Tim Lincecum (L) P
Chi– I think that Nolasco and Norris are far more likely than Garza or Johnson. And I think Sabean would go after Nolasco first since he’s a vet and the Giants “know” him. He often pitches quite dominant games against us.
As mentioned above, Flav…I think Nolasco is the most likely. I think he fits what they are looking for, and the Fish may be one of the clubs most willing to deal.
by the way, if I had done an All Star spot for the DH it would have been David Ortiz winning in a landslide vote. This dude looked completely done 3 or 4 years ago and at age 37 (and it’s probably closer to 40) he’s got 48 RBI’s in 46 games?
No way, no how, Ortiz is clean…….
Schulman now reports he’s told Panda does NOT have a foot fracture, though yesterday Baer and apparently Sabes said that to various media. Supposedly the trainer will clarify at some point today. The Giants really should get their medical ducks in a row when they’re talking to the public about this stuff, it breeds disbelief in what management says on these and other matters, whether that is warranted or not…
yeah, Lynch and Rod were skewering him for being huge and getting a foot injury because of his hugeness and then one of the interns busted up the show saying, “Schulman just tweeted out that it’s not a stress fracture”.
Either way, the team is worse AGAIN because he’s hurt. Again.
Yeah his playing time has been dropping over the last couple of years. He played in 117 games in 2011 and 108 last year. That’s 99 games over the last two years that he hasn’t even played in,
After his Post Season, I really did think he was going to have a MVP type season this year, I guess there is still time left.
I don’t think Dawg is lying about the picture his sister took 5-26-13. So it does appear than Sandoval is in much better shape than he appears to be when in uniform. In fact Zoot and Dawg both report seeing him less than a month ago and both say he looked more fit than what’s widely presumed.
And despite some peripheral noise about it, his hamate injuries should be distinguished from “run of the mill” injuries as they were caused by his grip and HE DOESN’T HAVE ANY MORE HAMATES TO INJURE.
So he’d missed about 10 games per year otherwise. He’s played through injuries that others often don’t. One can argue that they shouldn’t let him play when he’s clearly hurting but there’s ZERO argument that he’s anything but a tough SOB and a “gamer”…
A majority of those were related to the hamat bone injuries. I don’t see how those translate to weight-related injuries.
Chi: you are absolutely correct. The prevailing blog theory has been that he’s missed an inordinate amount of playing time due to injuries caused by his lack of fitness. That is completely untrue .
I never said anyone was lying. I didn’t say his injuries were due to his weight. What I said was he didn’t play in 99 games the last two years. Hamate bones, groin, elbow, PG&E blows up his mom’s house, benched for being out of shape, days off, whatever. The last two years he didn’t play in 99 games, that is a true observation.
John – and a MAJORITY of that time off (those 99 games) were related to the hamat bone injuries.
I understand hairline fractures are hard to diagnose, but why would the top two managers in the organization go public with some definitive health news on a star player without being absolutely sure of what they’re saying? Are the doctors talking to them unsure? I don’t get it, so I’d like to hear from Groeschner…
Bozo, I shouldn’t suggest this, since you are a competitor in the Flap, but I would take a look at the kid phenom Rendon, who is going to have 2nd base eligibility in probably a few games, since he has only played 2nd base since being called up a week ago (Zimmerman is at 3rd). Much better selection than Nix in my opinion.
Thanks Steve, I thought about him, the Nats sure have moved him up the ladder fast (that was the main reason I didn’t pull the trigger). Last year he went from Rookie league, low A, A to AA. This year he starts in AA then plays 3 games in AAA before the promotion to the bigs. I probably blew it by being a nervous Nelly but maybe I’ll get a couple of SBs from Nix as my temp fill in.
Yeah, basically I would love his versatility when he gets 2nd base eligibility, which should happen in a week or so. However, you have Zobrist and Lowrie, who provide that advantage. Good luck with Nix John.
Baggs has tweeted also that Giants now saying, without attribution to whom, that Panda does NOT have a fracture, and that “Sometimes bone scans can show previous injuries”. WTF does that mean, he had a broken foot bone before? I’ll take a positive tack, Panda will burn more calories with that walking boot on his foot…
Some of you chatting about Yasiel Puig brings up an interesting dilemma for me. There is also a timely CBS fantasy league column, which asks the question, “Would you trade Matt Kemp for Puig?”
http://fantasynews.cbssports.com/fantasybaseball/story/22387344/reality-check-the-price-for-puig
I have Kemp on my FL team that is in 1st place. He could die on the DL and it wouldn’t affect my place in the standings, since I am ahead by 18 points.
So, should I trade Kemp for Puig? The fact that I am ahead in the standings, coupled with what makes this even more enticing – is the team that has Puig, is in last place, i.e., no threat to me.
Me? I am probably going to make the trade, since I think Kemp is kaput insofar as being an asset this season.
Steve, I completly forgot about your question in my Email.I’m truly sorry. I’ll try to get back to you tonight.
Thanks Mike, because it’s still a pertinent question and dilemma for me. Also, I am not certain I asked this – do you know anything about Ooma, a VOIP phone? I am thinking about pulling the plug on my land line and seeing if that works. Costco will take it back if it doesn’t work well, so no risk on my part.
Unless he’s an idiot, why would he agree to that trade? Kemp has had another set back there’s no time table for his return. The dude is in last place, he can’t give up any more points or afford to carry a DL guy who has no set time to return
LOL . . . He is in last place and consequently, yes, he may be an idiot. The name of his team says a lot, “YouPickemGood.” 🙂
Unbelievable. I can’t make the trade at this time because the league has Kemp as untouchable. Too funny.
That should just be that you can’t drop him, it shouldn’t mean you can’t trade him (unless there’s a special contingency that the lg commish put in there)
By the by Flav, Kemp has had a miraculous recovery . . . sort of. Actually, the latest and greatest on him is as follows:
“Matt Kemp (hamstring) could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Friday. Kemp had a setback while running on Sunday, but evidently it was a minor one. If he is indeed ready to start a rehab assignment on Friday, he should be ready for activation early next week.”
I’ve tried 3 times and it keeps on saying that I can’t do this trade, even after moving him off the DL. Anywho, no biggie. I will try it tomorrow (it might be because he was on my DL listing and I only just took him off today).
I agree with Flav…only a fucking idiot would make that trade (you shipping Kemp for Puig).
I ended up buying that Costco Visio big screen 3D TV online. Thank you for everyone’s input (especially Dirt, who wrote me an email . . . Apparently, he has work experience with televisions). Frankly, I have no idea what to expect, but I am glad Costco has their “concierge service,” where I have 90 days to return the SOB if it does a face plant (most box stores only give you 30 days for electronics).
Hmmm…I didn’t recall you saying it was 3D. So, how many pairs of glasses does it come with? Have you checked out anything in 3D yet, Steve? Interested to hear your thoughts on it. Not that I am anywhere close to wanting a 3D set…just curious to hear the details from someone I know.
I purchased it online, so I have no idea, as it hasn’t been delivered yet. However, any purchase I make that’s over a couple of hundred dollars, I am fairly anal about and will research it to death. This TV’s 3D was one of the best selling points per the professional and personal reviews I found on the internet. I will give you a shout after I see for myself. Chi, most 3D TVs that came out initially 2 years ago, had problems with “ghosting” and “cross talk.” Apparently, that isn’t as prevalent anymore. Still, everything I have read about 3D TV, says that plasma remains the best in that regard (as well as deeper blacks).
Oh, in answer to your other question . . . 4 glasses (passive like the ones at the theaters).
BF, that Dice-K story ’tis true. (grin)
Here’s part of an online article from the Columbia Dispatch:
Daisuke Matsuzaka ended a seven-week stay on the disabled list today when he started for the Clippers against the Gwinnett Braves in Coolray Field.
His presence and four hits from Lonnie Chisenhall couldn’t help Columbus in a 9-2 loss to the Braves.
Matsuzaka, who left a start in Pawtucket on April 28 with a left oblique strain, was scheduled to pitch three innings or 50 pitches. He lasted 2 2/3 innings and 41 pitches while allowing two singles.
He left the scoreless game with two outs in the third inning and a 3-2 count on Todd Cunningham. Matsuzaka needed a timeout in the inning for trainer James Quinlan to put a bandage on his right thumb. The problem – a blister or a cut – was not known.
Matsuzaka’s next pitch bounced in the dirt and hit home plate umpire David Soucy on the right hand. He was forced from the game with injury. When play resumed, Paolo Espino relieved Matsuzaka.
“The prevailing blog theory has been that he’s missed an inordinate amount of playing time due to injuries caused by his lack of fitness. That is completely untrue .”
TF, I doubt it’s the “prevailing theory.” It’s just logical to wonder if his weight is a factor in the foot injury. None of us know for sure, one way or the other.
But it’s true he’s had a lot of injuries the past few years, and yes, the hamate injuries count as injuries, sorry.
And he’s dealing with a chronic elbow situation. An athlete’s body can age exponentially. It’s perfectly reasonable that Giants fans are concerned, overall.
Here is another wrinkle in regard to Pablo. Per CBS, “Bochy said the injury may not be related to Sandoval’s weight, but the team will push him to lose weight while on the disabled list. Bochy is confident Sandoval can return from the DL shortly after his 15 days are up.”
Panda has been on the DL twice for the hand surgeries, but he also missed time last year with the strained groin and started out the year with the bad elbow, missing a few games. Now he’s missing more games with ANOTHER injury (this one to his foot). Time missed is time missed, it’s not like DL time is the only time that counts. And he’s now producing evidence from all over his body that something isn’t right.
I don’t think anyone has suggested that his missed games are due to his body size. Until now. Whatever the team wants to call it, a strain or a fracture, it’s completely reasonable to think that this latest injury was exacerbated or caused by his weight.
Saying “well we don’t KNOW that it was caused by his weight” is just sticking your head in the sand. Good God, just look at him. He’s enormous.
And no one’s questioning that the guy is a total gamer, and plays all-out, and plays through pain. He’s a terrific player, an MVP candidate type of player. It’s just sheer worry from fans, at this point. Or, at least nervousness.
He’s missed a total of 42 games in 4 full years and 6 this year not counting the DLs from the hamates. Do the math. Understand? That’s total games missed for any fucking reason than than the hamates.
And it’s equally if not more so to point out, Dr, Flavorious, that his foot injury certainly be NOT weight related. Strains and/or stress fractures are sustained by athletes of every size and shape. ALL THE TIME.
“Good God, just look at him. He’s enormous.”:
So two Flappers are lying?
And that “days missed” number is gonna start increasing drastically as he gets older if he doesn’t drop it down below 250. For good this time.
and his groin injury was also related to his weight. Guys who are pushing 300 probably shouldn’t be doing the splits as he did the day he injured it.
If I was leading a high school cheer leading squad, Pablo would have made the team just because of that split demonstration. I wonder if he can do a flip too? 🙂
no doubt it was an athletic move for such a big man but come on, dropping that amount of weight, suddenly, on your groin can’t be good for anybody’s groin
If anything, the hand injuries probably saved his body from breaking down from something else. All that time on the DL saved his feet from having to endure the pounded from that big body. 🙂
Speaking of injuries, this was quite hilarious . . . “Hanley Ramirez is going to miss the series against the Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com. Ramirez is dealing with a hamstring issue, which has also caused swelling in his knee. He’s missed five games with the injury. The club plays Arizona Tuesday and Wednesday, but has Thursday off before playing at Pittsburgh Friday. Ramirez’s ailing hamstring is feeling better, and an MRI taken Sunday showed no structural damage. But he is still at least a few days from returning, as he has to wait until swelling behind his left knee goes down, according to MLB.com. “It’s just a little fluid from my hamstring going down behind my knee,” Ramirez said Monday. “It’s right behind my knee. The hamstring is good. I just have to get the swelling to go down.”
Ramirez told reporters he thinks he can return to the lineup in two days, but manager Don Mattingly shut that down pretty quickly. Mattingly wants Ramirez to take his time getting back.
“We’re learning not to listen to Hanley,” Mattingly joked. “He’s getting better. We want him to completely get better.”
Agreed Zumiee. Pablo is probably as loved of a player as the Giants have ever had–maybe more so than Timmy. Fans adore him. I think the frustration comes from the constant fear that living life in a body that big is simply not good for you. It’s bad for your health and it is a fact that fat people suffer fat-related injuries. Fact. And if Pablo is out of the LU our team is worse and his career, if he doesn’t get his weight under control, is going to be a short one.
So yeah, there’s reasons all the way around for fans to worry about his body weight……….
This is true. Everyone here loves Pablo, but facts are facts – carrying around additional weight WILL make you more at risk for injuries. Duh. More important, carry that weight for a long time, it WILL contribute to an early death.
I think that is an important point to make. Fans aren’t really PISSED at Pablo, at least I don’t think many are. I’m not pissed at the guy. I’m concerned for him and his impact on NOT being on the team. It’s like when you a relative or a good friend who is doing some stupid shit or abusing himself/herself, and you are concerned to the point of being pissed at what they are doing to themselves, but not pissed AT the person. There is a difference. It’s a ways off, but I could totally see the Giants NOT re-signing him for 2015 and beyond, and maybe trading him, if they conclude they can’t trust his weight control on a LT contract basis…
Enjoy the game, folks.
Blade, regarding Kemp, I just don’t think he’s going to have any value (certainly not first round value) even if he does come back. The reason he was considered round 1 caliber is because of his power AND speed. Well, after he busted the hammy last year he basically stopped running. And though he had 7 so far this year I am positive that when he comes back he’ll shut that part of his game down (as he did last year). And 7 wasn’t exactly on pace for anything earth shattering. Certainly not the 50 he promised he’d steal in 2012, lol
You’re speaking to the choir . . . He has zip value in my mind. No biggie as I don’t need him (and if I can bait the hook right, someone will take him). He has compensated for his shoulder injury and that has messed up his swing. No power and ugly batting average. Who knows? Maybe the DL stint allowed him to rest his shoulder and his mind.
That being said, he needs to take off the entire season and I will bet dollars to donuts he is Matt Kemp again next season.
I’m totally excited about this game tonight. Cole vs Timmy? Plus, I love it that Cole is skewering Crawford’s sister. That’s got to piss him off a little. lol.
Cole throw near 100, it’s gonna bbe a fireworks show tonight.
I totally agree. Fired up to watch this game. The fact that it is at PNC also adds to the appeal.
I didn’t know the Crawford sister fun fact!
I’m thinking BC wouldn’t call it a “fun fact” but it’s rad nevertheless.
If BC hits a bomb off Cole tonight, pay close attention to Cole. “Oh yeah? I fucked the shit out of your sister last night!!!”
Benches clear…
sent you an email twin re: chico
Yeah, he is throwing the heat.
Swing and a miss.LOL. Come on Brandon!
Reminds me of that movie about high school football (forgot the name), “Where’s your damn helmet?”
Good play by Arias.
Idiot move by Marte.
I can’t believe I’m saying this because I loath UCLA, but Cole has to be a cool dude to get into a serious relationship with the sister of a guy he played with and who he knew he was going to play against at the next level.
Maybe I’m just being naive, but I’m guessing “hittin’ and quittin” your buddy’s sister (especially when the dude is a famous baseball player) is frowned upon in knowing dude head nod circles
They’re gonna kill this guy if all he does is keep throwing fastballs the same speed
Giants in the recent years seem to generally not do well against guys they’ve never seen before, including call ups. They’re getting runners on, not plating them. Let’s see if the second time around they start figuring this kid out. He’s got a heater and a hook, for sure…
I know why we got him, other teams didn’t want to pay the $$$$, but how fucking lucky were we that we didn’t get stuck with Beckham, Alvarez, Hosmer or Matusz?????
Again with letting the opposing pitcher hurt you. The beat goes on…
tough luck for Timmy. How many of those balls were jam shots off their hands?
Two anyway…
Ian Stewart is a d-bag. He gets hammered last night and starts tweeting out shit against the Cubs for not calling him up. He’s making 2 mil and he’s hitting .091 in AAA. Anyway, the Cubs suspended him today, without pay, and Theo fired off this pearl:
“If that were to change and Ian would excel at the Triple-A level, we would consider calling him back up here. In the meantime we are very happy with our production at third and Ian is working on trying to figure out Triple-A pitching.”
Stewart’s act and never fulfilling expectations in Sherpaville sent him to the Cubs. Same deal with Ianetta, a catcher that was always projected to be the next great . . . Whatever. He did have a better disposition then Stewart though.
Unreal how much Tim has to struggle to get outs.
Nearly 70 pitches in 3 innings. Yikes…
In my nfbc leagues you have to set your LU every Mon morning, no changes for the entire week. Timmy has two starts this week, that is usually coveted. He’s being started by 93.3% of all NFBC owners this week but not me, I’m part of the 6.7% crew. Even if he pitched well tonight he’d still have to make it through Atlanta game. It wasn’t worth the gamble to me. 2 totally hot ass road games were 2 landmines I didn’t want to step through. And for what? 1 or 2 wins, at best? And some extra k’s? fuck it. Not at the expense of my ERA and WHIP
I started Kenley Jansen in his place (started by 31% of NFBC owners) and to my delight League imploded again last night. I might be one of the few to get some saves out of Jansen this week)
Nice of the Giants batters to give Lincecum about a 3 minute breather…
I think it might be time to get a couple runs of this kid. Maybe five runs.
Damn.
It’s weak that the Giants can’t hit this guy. All he’s throwing is a straight, hard fastball. They should have caught up 2nd time thru the LU.
It’s their usual MO, they don’t hit guys they don’t know. They’re not making him work much for it, either…
Pirate TV announcers are getting on my nerves gushing about Cole. I’m trying to keep in mind they work for a team that hasn’t had a winning season in 20 years and cut ’em some slack, but they aren’t making it easy.
102 pitches and not even through the 5th. Sheezus, this looks familiar. It’s not like they smoked him. Walks, wildness, full counts, coupla bloops, error in back of him, 2 RBI hit by the oppo pitcher that he had down 0-2. This is Lincecum on the road. His inability over a season and a half to throw fastball strikes is just astounding. I don’t know why they don’t try something radically different in his motion, or just go to the stretch all the time, or SOMETHING…
You gotta step out on this guy, throw his timing off.
See ya later, Flappers…
Snarkk, if you’re gonna be on the Peninsula anytime soon let me know, got something to give ya. It doesn’t travel well via the US postal service. I’ll give it to you at Flappaloza sept 7th if I must but I’d like to get it to u before that
Gotcha. I’ll see if I can borrow my son’s vaporizer for Orange Sombrero Night in case you aren’t able to meet up with Snarkk in advance.
San Diggity — if you’re still here, can you confirm that pic your sister took was last week and not some time in 2011 after he lost all the weight?
If you confirm it, I believe it. It just doesn’t look possible, at least what we see on tv
May 26, 2013 dude. I saw him myself the day before. The guy is not in bad shape and he looks strong as hell.
Unreal. Thanks. Can you offer a theory as to why he looks pretty strong and in shape in clothes and yet when he puts a uni on he turns into a fatso? Serious question
First visit to the mound, does Cole get to keep it?
We Score!
Speaking of scoring, when the Pirates TV guy said listen to this crowd, I think I saw Cole look at a woman as he said “Thanks for the Clap”.
It took an unbelievable play by Alvarez. Damn.
Fuck. Probably broken.
Jesus, ya think ya could catch the frickin’ ball Perez? Pfft!
I didn’t see Scoots get hit but listening to Flem on radio. It sounded bad. How bad? Voggy bad?
Per K and K, it hit his small finger. It looked bad from what I saw.
Scoots doesn’t show much emotion, when Flem said he threw his helmet I figured the worst
It looked worse to me. Marco tossed his helmet and didn’t want the trainer to look at it or touch it until they got back to the dugout.
I’m really not a fan of Kontos these days.
Um, yeah. I’m with you after that bullshit pitch
Fuck me. Get Kontos the hell out of here. Fucker.
Did I mention that I don’t like George Fucking Kontos?
We’re 6 down just let Kontos eat the rest of this game
Ha, I owe you a beer.
Don’t take Kontos out. Let him take the beating and then dump his ass.
Kontos had a bad first week then straightened himself out for 2 or 3 weeks but it’s been a suckathon since May.He could be the guy who gets Hembree up.