One Game at a Time…….
The post-all star game part of the season begins tonight. It’s also the first Friday Night concert at Del Mar with the B-52’s playing after the races. I know Diggity likes to hit those epic Friday night shows now and again. I’m gonna bet he sees Sammy Hagar on July 27th. Just a guess……
But back to baseball. Have any of you noticed that we aren’t seeing as many Giants jersey’s in road parks as we were at the beginning of the season? Have the band wagon jumpers abandoned the wagon? I, for one, would be fine with that. At first it was kinda cool. It was like waking up one day and finding out you had a bunch of new friends. But these new friends knew nothing of the knowing dude head nod. And with that, I was pretty much done with them.
So here we sit, 8 games under .500. Someone asked me how far out we are in the wild card and I said I had no idea. If we sweep Arizona we’ll be 3.5 games out and that would feel rad. So I don’t really care what our record is or that the newbie fans have jumped ship. We just have to take it one game at a time and hope that someone in the LU besides Buster starts hitting the ball. We have to hope that Pence and Pablo took advantage of the break and recovered from whatever was ailing them. I’m actually cautiously optimistic that Sandoval has a decent rest of the season (assuming he doesn’t injure himself again).
This is actually a pretty good place to be (as a fan). I’ve got no expectations so there’s nothing the team can do to disappoint me. It’s the middle of Summer and what’s better than watching baseball and the races at Del Mar? Hmmmmm…. I’m gonna say “nothing.” 🙂 🙂 🙂
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Where’s Willie D?
watching Kent Bazemore highlights–monster dunk on yahoo sports summer league report from Vegas. the guy commenting on it made a remark about him taking 3 steps to get to the rim and traveling like every other NBA guy gets away with. BS–I teach middle school kids you should be able to get a layup from 3 pt line with 1 dribble if you take big step and go in a straight line. 6-5 NBA guys? easy money.
Dubs are in a good space these days, with respected players like Igs actually wanting to come here because of the team, players, arena (why move?) and coach.
I listened to part of Sabes and Tolbert, and Sabes brought up something I’ve heard him say before. While SF is looking to rebound here at home, they have been absolute shits on the road (not counting last series vs. Pads). If I heard right Sabes said they only lost 35 on road all of last year, but have 31 currently. So yes, that has to pick up dramatically too.
CamperVanBethoven at the Boardwalk tonight. I think I’ll check it.
Forgot to add British Open to the list of things to watch today. I’m not working today, this could go down as one of the great tv watching days of my career
Brown turf on TV!
Ah, typical, it is ‘The Open’ cause, like, there were not any others to confuse it with. In the beginning. Also, a left handed spin bowler took 5 wickets in the first time since 1934. The are playing the second Ashes test match and it is at Lords Cricket Grounds, the home of cricket. Watching cricket is better than watching paint dry, only because you are outdoors and they serve beer.
Warm beer
“cellar” temperature
and, actually, there is a major movement over here called Campaign for Real Ale, and it is served cold. A lot like the micro-brewery thing in California.
3 am is a tad early for me. And Tiger still the only golfer I’d pay to watch.
Surkamp bombed last night….now what?
Surkamp bones last night…mow what?
Anna’s next up I guess!
OOPS…Bad spelling.
Doesn’t matter Anna is still the best option now.
Kickham,Surkamp,and Zits and pray for Anna’s Tits…
Of all the majors though, the British is still the coolest.
Yawn…..if you say so.
100% totally agree
Heard on the radio, Buster Posey is the most indespensible player in baseball.
Always up for debate, but WTF 2 time All-star, batting champion,MVP,2 W/S rings in 3 years,#1 selling jersey in all of baseball and plays the most demanding position , catcher as well.
He has done it all in a short period of time.He has my vote.Buster is the Man!!!
amazing stuff, buster, thanks
Because MLB had the less-than-genius idea of no Thursday games after the All-Star game, sports media was left with a big hole in their baseball coverage that they filled with news about BIOGENESIS. I hope Selig enjoyed seeing that get prime coverage in his morning newspaper’s sports section.
Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee reports that a trade sending Matt Garza to the Rangers is “99 percent done.”
Davidson says that there are six players involved and that the two clubs are going over medical records now. It looks like Mike Olt and C.J. Edwards are definitely part of the package, and the Cubs seem to prefer Neil Ramirez to Luke Jackson. That still leaves two additional players, though. It’s possible the Rangers might ask the Cubs to throw in a secondary piece in the deal.
This sucks big time, especially since I have Garza on a couple of fantasy league teams (and the Gmen don’t get him as well). Regarding my FL teams, you always want a top flight pitcher to play in the NL, where you don’t have to face the stupid ass DH in lineups. It’s just generally easier for pitchers to pitch in the NL. I may have to trade him . . .
Don’t know how your fantasy league is set up Blade,but right now Garza is pitching lights out with 5 wins in his last 6 starts.
Can’t ask for more then that.
well, the deal fell through anyway.
But moving to a team where he can accumulate more wins is a plus regardless of having to pitch to the DH.
I realize that, but put him in the American League and he has to relearn the hitters, deal with the DH, etc.
This frigging break is forever! Christ. Feels like a month without a game. Almost as bad as waiting for football season.
Gaudin gets the nod? A bit curious as they go Gaudin, Cain Bummie rather than Bummie, Cain, Gaudin. Bummie didn’t pitch the other day, but . . .
Dirt, I’m a big CamperVB fan, too; have a great time tonight!
As promised (threatened?), I’m going to try and do a comment a day for now. Today I want to go off topic a little and speak to the “not guilty” verdict in the Trayvon Martin case. Like the rest of us, I do not know what really happened that night but this is America and the jury has spoken and found George Zimmer not guilty. I think he should be immediately reinstated as spokesman for the Men’s Warehouse…
Obama spoke without notes or teleprompter tonight, but his speech writers and research staff prepared him. They stole from a fairly obscure poem that line about every black man in the US, as he crosses the street, hearing the click of a car lock.
What did you think of his comments?
Ok. I was impressed. I voted for him in the first place because he actually had such experience. He has unbelievably expert support staff. But that’s not the real issue. Like or dislike his political compromises, as our first African American presiden, his role is huge. And I think he fulfills that part of the job demands very well. Sometimes it’s just a matter of singing a verse or two with Buddy Guy or BB King, or popping a jump shot in a gym full of soldiers in Afghanistan. Other times, it’s much deeper. Tonight he seemed to take a calculated risk in an attempt to make people both think and calm down a bit. There are two sides to this story, and he told his side, as no other president ever could. So.
Of course, the whitest white man in the world Mitt Romney would’ve done fine, too, I’m sure. . . .
Problem is, of the two people that know what happened, one of them is dead.
listening to Flems talking to byrnes on pre game, he reiterated what schulman said about a deal. Pence would generate a compensatory pick if he left, so any player deal would have to generate someone at least that good or better, making it unlikely for SF to do so.
Then he dropped a name I hadn’t thought of, as someone who would definitely be highly valued and bring back very worthwhile player/top prospect–Romo. Hmnn…if you stay 6-8 games under .500. how big a priority is it who closes?
Enjoy the game, fellas…
Half-listening, but sounds like it didn’t take long for K&K to start ripping into Belt.
Yeah Macdog..Krukow was ripping Belt for not being at 2nd with his flair to left that dropped.
Actually ill give Krukow this one, Belt should have had a hustle double.
Nice knock from Pence. Kennedy tried to go back inside where he got first strike and Pence whacked it through the hole for 2 out rbi. Hope we see more of that.
Belt apparently didn’t hustle and get a double. Settled for a single on the pop fly down the line. I think it was a fair criticism, although we never got to see a replay of Belt coming out of the box. Maybe he stumbled coming out of the box.
Yeah good point Z.Stupid camera work on that Belt flair.But lets say he didn’t stumble.,with 2 outs your running hard and should have been at 2nd.
Here is one way to look at the mathematics of the task ahead.
Right now, the standings are Ari 50-45, LA 47-47 and the Giants 43-51.We have 10 games left against Ari and 7 against LA.Leaving the Rox aside for the moment, as most teams usually do and disregarding the sequence of the schedule, if the Giants beat LA in 5 of the head-to-head games,LA would be 49–52 and the Giants 50-53.Let’s say that Ari won 4for and lost 3a while the Giants while LA so their record would be 54-48.Were we to beat them 7 of10 the Giants would be 57-56 and Ari would be 57-52.We would really only have to play one game better then Ari if we can beat them head-to-head.Because you can shave off a complete game in the standings,those games are realty the only way to overcome a deficit.
You know what “Grouper Gaudin ” looks sharp tonight.
Wonder if he spent his whole A/S break in Vegas at the hospital wing at 4:30 in the morning looking for new gurney patients…
One thing I like about Chad Gaudin is his easy motion delivery.
It reminds me alot of ex Giant Billy Swift,who won 20 games back in 93 with that easy going delivery..
Gaudin has 20 pitches less than Ian and only 60 to go to match TL
One expects the bubble to burst but Gaudin just gets better. Heck, many thought he wouldn’t stick around as a long guy when the season started.
a little 8th inning TORTURE
Wheew…. Dodged a bullit there…
last guy you wanted to see up in that situation, but Casilla got him. nicely done, now get some more insurance off eminently hittable Bell.
You might say…Crawford got his “Bell” rung on that play…
not a good night for a couple guys mentioned as possible targets by SF. Rios got pulled from game by mgr. Ventura for not running out a ground ball that was bobbled by Braves SS that wound up being inning ending DP, and Bud Norris gave up 3 bombs and 6 runs in 5 innings at home to M’s. Norris in last 2 starts has given up 17 hits and 13 runs.
Man, giants D in the OF has been superb tonite.
Groper gets it done again, with a lot of help from pen.
Maybe on the post game spread table, murph will have something a little different set up….
ROMO
Goudin grabs his way to 7 innings 3 hits 8SO and 0BB
Beautiful effort by the boys.
Everyone was “FOCUSED” yet playing loose.
Gaudin quite a masterful job.
Good start , Lets sweep these Dickwads right Twin? 🙂
A grope effort: Gaudin does it again.
Interesting that Bochy used 4 relievers in the 8th and not one of them was Affeldt.
It’s also very interesting that Bochy is not commiting to Grouper in the staring rotation when Vogs comes off the DL.
That’s just nuts the way Gaudin has pitched since starting.
Shit no guarantee Vogs comes back strong and he sucked before his last start.
Zits should be the odd- man out right now,especially on the road.
Maybe Boch will use Gaudin on road starts instead of Zits, but I would keep the Grouper in all the way to the finish line right now ,he’s pitching great and we need that right now.
“A grope effort.”
That is gold, my friend.
I agree that Chad was an odd choice to start the first game after a long break, but that perverted son of a bitch continues to pitch lights-out. He’s starting to become another Voggy story.
…and hell yes I have Sammy Hagar at Del Mar noted on my summer calendar, but I’m on Day 2 of a NorCal roadie with the kids (Redding, Tahoe, other parts unknown at this time) and I don’t think I’ll be back in time to catch the Red Rocker. I will catch Weezer in August though. Also would have dug the Camper Van show.
Take the Skinheads bowling!
If you get a chance Dawg, check out Whiskey Town lake (I lived 5 minutes from there in Old Shasta, with views of Mt. Lassen, Mt. Shasta, and Redding . . . I wish I had kept that beautiful mountain home. I still miss it.). Also check out the dam, where I worked as the OSH manager. They have pedestrian walk ways on both sides of the dam and traffic is restricted to 15MPH, so you can cross and view both sides of the dam. Fishing is excellent on the National Park side of the dam.
It also sounds like you will go through Mt. Lassen if you are heading to Tahoe afterwards. If so, check out the “Subway caves,” which are totally walkable (no crawling). Just make sure you have a flash light. If you have time, McCarthur Birney Falls (sp?) is also a favorite park (one of the best State parks in my opinion).
I appreciate the tips Blade! My parents have lived in Redding for a few years, so im familiar with Whiskeytown and love it. Going directly from Redding to tahoe is the new wrinkle and i want to pass through Lassen as I’ve never been. what route do u suggest from redding to Tahoe? keep in mind I’ll be in a 2000 Windstar as I embark on this journey!
Dawg, Another place to cruise by on your way toward Mt Lassen is Battle Creek campground right near Mt Lassen Volcanic Park.Great fishing,Great campground.
About 38 miles east of Red Bluff.
Ditto kat. Great place as you noted. Damn, I am missing me some N. California. That was a place I seriously considered retiring to. So many things to do in that area.
Sorry Dawg . . . I had to take care of a few errands. Google and the other map directions will tell you to double back to Sac town and go the traditional way. Meh. However, in my mind – the most scenic and just as fast way, is to go 36 East to Susanville, then shoot down to Tahoe via 395 and 580.
You will go past the Mt. Lassen National Park (a great hike to the top that I have done numerous times), as well as the other stops I mentioned. You’re probably aware of how hot it gets in Redding . . . Just be careful about your coolant system on the Windstar, since those are the vehicles (vans) you mostly see on the side of the road when the temps are triple digits. 🙂
Over 55 might be tough in that 2000 Windstar 🙂
Very nice! The ‘star is a Family Room On Wheels with a 3.8 liter V-6!
The Deathstar has been to San Felipe in July and handled the heat, so we’ll see if she can handle what the norcal mountains have to dish out!
Actually, they aren’t that severe insofar as grade compared to other areas I’ve been to, e.g., Pikes Peak, Tetons, etc. Also, forget the flash light if you have a smart phone (or two) . . . Use the flashlight app and you’re good to go.
As long as your not cruising Nipper’s van your trip should go well.
🙂
The vans are melting in the UK heatwave
Love this pic Ed.
golf at The Open is a cracker, too. That Woods guy is pretty good.
some info on the course:
East Lothian is one of the best regions for golf in Scotland, The 2013 Open Championship course at Muirfield, and Musselburgh one of the world’s oldest, where golf has been played since 1672.
The county offers traditional links and classic inland golf courses, many steeped in history and complimented by modern, challenging, courses. All coupled with friendly clubhouses and affordable green fees.
Scotland’s Golf Coast Road provides easy access for visitors and short journeys between courses. No time is wasted…just EAT, DRINK, SLEEP and GOLF.