Tonight, She Breaths Her Last Breath (unless a whole bunch of weird sh!t happens)
As we conclude our week long good bye to Candlestick, there really isn’t any more to say. Play the game, close the doors. I’m not going to the game. After I found out that there will be a free fan-day before they blow that bitch up I decided that makes more sense for me. I didn’t really care much about going to the Niner game anyway and getting to and leaving the ‘Stick is a major pain.
But here is my Flap Promise to all of you. Should I hit the lotto between now and the day they implode her, I vow to pay whatever the corporate cost is to have a private Flap party right down on the field. It will be a bbq and it will be an evening event. Attire is semi-formal. All Flappers will be invited and if you live out of the area I’ll fly you in on my new, lotto-infused dime.
But just to keep it old school, your ticket into the party is contingent on you BYOB
Mid Field, in all it’s glory:
My buddy is at the game and he just facebooked this photo from his seats:
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Sniff…….I ran out of Yuban today exactly on the last Stick game. Coffee is strong. Tomorrow on to Folger’s Dark Roast.
You need to up your game, Nip, and begin drinking some real coffee instead of that cat piss that companies try to pass off as coffee…
Thx, flav. I think we’ll all hold you to that.
Reaction to the Choo signing, esp the length of the deal? I thought after the Pujols/Hamilton/Howard deals that owners weren’t going to do this type of deals again, but guess not.
One thing I can’t get is the *no state tax* argument being some kind of deal breaker. I mean, if you already have a deal for $130 mil, what’s the difference btw that and $140? Maybe Choo just didn’t want to play for the Yanks and have to be the replacement for Cano…even with whom Yanks couldn’t compete.
Willie, Choo has said a number of times that he likes Texas due to the weather, burgeoning Korean population, and where they play spring training (Arizona I believe, albeit, I might have it reversed with Florida – which doesn’t make sense because the Yankees play there). Additionally, his culture, i.e., this dude is all about humility and being low key . . . Consequently, the glare of the Yankee spotlight doesn’t attract him at all.
Texas does play their ST games in AZ. In Surpise to be exact. They share a ballpark with the Royals. I have been to a few games there against the Giants at ST. We (my daughter and I) caught a game there against the Rangers the year after Omar left (my daughter played SS and always loved to watch him play…who didn’t). We were along the wall as Texas did their warm-ups, and Omar spied us rocking our Giant gear. My daughter had just celebrated her 23rd birthday, and he came over and gave her an autograph and allowed me to snap a picture of the two). Needless to say, my daughter was in heaven. Class guy all the way.
Texas does play their ST games in AZ. In Surpise to be exact. They share a ballpark with the Royals. I have been to a few games there against the Giants at ST. We (my daughter and I) caught a game there against the Rangers the year after Omar left (my daughter played SS and always loved to watch him play…who didn’t). We were along the wall as Texas did their warm-ups, and Omar spied us rocking our Giant gear. My daughter had just celebrated her 23rd birthday, and he came over and gave her an autograph and allowed me to snap a picture of the two). Needless to say, my daughter was in heaven. Class guy all the way.
Blade, in answer to your *how could this happen to Warriors* loss to Spurs, I think it starts with coaching first. Pop (best in the business by far) recognizes who can do what/what they have to do to win, while Jax does not. When GS came out smoking early Pop got right into these guys over lackluster effort on D and next thing you know the big lead was gone Second I think is strength of bench and over all depth–Mills looked pretty good, better than Douglas or any other of GS back ups at G, and Speights has been a disappointment. Given a chance to shine Spurs subs played well, better than GS starters who might have gotten cocky over fast start and are too sloppy with the ball.
You called out a couple others–Thompson, who has gotten some grief here for letting his poor shooting nights from perimeter affect his defense and who doesn’t attack the basket well enough, and Barnes, who has not looked like same player off the bench as he did when he was starting while Ig was out. And Ig has done very little with his minutes since he’s got back to LU.
And yes, they are going to be in a fight to get into West playoffs. Jax has some work to do.
Nip, Folger’s? I don’t even think my parents still drink that stuff.
Thanks Willie. I can now see the games via a internet pirate site, but that particular game I missed.
Imo Jax gave that one away. He has to get these guys playing harder defensively as a team and taking better shots and better care of the ball. Like Chuck, I don’t think he is making best use of Bogut either on O end, where he can score from down low (and draw fouls) and would be a good passer to cutters or open shooters.
I think Dubs snuck up on Karl and Denver, who had blown them out a couple times and blasted them on the boards. Not gonna happen this year. Teams are better prepared, and it’s gonna be a lot harder to go further in playoffs. And they have to stop giving games away they should win just to get in them in first place.
I think putting a majority of the loss on Jack isn’t fully justified. I have heard him on his weekly show on KNBR, and he has addressed some of the areas in which the team needs to get better (taking care of the ball, etc.). I think he has laid it on the line with the players. You know as a coach you can only do so much. I think the players need to look in the mirror and get their act together. Just my opinion. But the Dubs should have won that game.
And I agree that their two biggest weaknesses are lack of a deep bench, and needing to take better care of the ball. I think Ig is not 100%, and that this has a lot to do with his performance (or lack thereof).
GO DUBS!
“Attire is semi-formal.”
Whew! I was worried I wouldn’t be able to rock my Flapalooza T-Shirt that Snarkk got us.
I am in (given all your caveats). Especially the Bring Your Own Babe(s) (BYOB) part.
On that note (Bring Your Own Babes) I am hopeful that Paul will bring a stable of his lasses from the Orient.
I second Steve…formal, semi-formal, dirtbag…doesn’t matter…I would be rocking my Flap shirt.
And I love the BYOB slant.
Wether Flav puts on a party or not, I am going to go see the stick for the last time at that fan fest. The Stick is my first Stadium to see a pro game. Whats not to like. The parking and getting in and out is a pain in the ass, but still a great place to hang out.
Also, Curry (and the rest of em) turn the ball over way too much. Can’t give the ball away all the time and expect to win regularly
I was just trading memories of the Stick with a friend the other day. Here are some of the highlights (this ties in with the previous thread that I missed over the weekend).
One of my fondest was my first game at the Stick. It was an opening day. I remember the long ride up the escalator, and that first step out of the tunnel to see the field…smell the fresh cut grass and garlic fries, etc. It was a religious experience (hotdog wrappers flying and all).
Seeing Bonds hit his first homerun as a Giant was memorable. And I was also there the night he hit number 756 (and a whole shootin-match of other HRs in between).
Saw The Thrill’s first HR in the Stick off none-other than Nolan Ryan.
But the most memorable HR had to be on Sept. 18, where the Giants and Bums battled through 12 innings. After Shooter Beck worked out of a bases loaded/no out jam, and then pitched two hitless innings, Brian Johnson hit a HR a homerun for the ages that made the Stick erupt. It was the most jubilant memory I have ever witnessed as a Giant fan (including the handful of postseason games I have seen). The fans just would not leave…it was magic.
I was at the final game at the Stick. A sad loss to the Bums, but memorable nonetheless as they lifted home plate out of the hallowed grounds of The Stick, and had a CHP helicopter fly the plate to Pac Bell and put it in place in the new yard (all caught on video and shared via the stadium Jumbotron).
I have been to a number of Niner games at the Stick, but none of the memories come close to those provided by the Orange and Black. (To this day I still prefer to watch the NFL on TV.)
And my coldest game at the Stick – a day game double header, in June or July, against the Cubbies. We were along the 1st base line, lower box, under the lip. Between innings we hauled ass down the aisle to the sunshine to try and thaw.
And there were many more…
She may be a shithole, but she is OUR shithole. I will miss the old girl.
And let’s definitely make the fan fest thing a Flapalooza event to send the old girl out in style (whether or not you hit the lottery, Craig).
And with that said (memories of the Stick)…I sure as hell hope they do something that incorporates the Giants in the hoopla tonight. It will be a crime if they do not.
Not sure how the hell I ended up here…I musta took a wrong turn in Albequerque. And it is almost Christmas…so while filling out your list for the fat man in the red suit…
http://widget.newsinc.com/_cfvp/playlist16x9_player.html?CID=507&WID=10984&VID=25463155&freewheel=45981&sitesection=sfgate_nws_non_sec&external_url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-developer-ducked-fees-on-house-that-collapsed-5087035.php
I remember being excited as a kid when they PUT the escalators in.
And I’m going to that fan fest deal come hell or high water.
Will be there with you, brother…and hoping as many Flappers as possible can make it. The Flappers Storm the Stick…
I think many of you would be fascinated with this column I just read, especially James and Snarrk (James because he loves his pitching statistics and snarkk, because he likes to criticize the pitching staff for being brain dead (LOL) frequently). Anywho, this dude from SB Nation developed this Sabermetric statistic, he calls “Self Help Index” which brings together all the value a pitcher adds outside of their actual pitching. Self Help Index, or SHI, has three components:
Weighted Runs Created (wRC): The newer version of Bill James’s “Runs Created” based off wOBA , this number tells us how many runs pitchers add with the bat.
Base Running Runs (BsR): Pretty self-explanatory. In the case of pitchers stolen bases aren’t really a factor so this number essentially reflects their Ultimate Base Running (UBR) rating.
Defensive Runs Saved (DRS): Again, the name pretty much says it all. This number reflects how many runs a pitcher saves or costs his team in the field.
As the American League has the designated hitter, this statistic does not work for their pitchers, since they rarely bat or run.
So guess who came in last place last year? That would be Mr.Timmie Lincecum. Then the author included NL pitchers that have pitched 750+ innings over the last five seasons. Guess who was the worst? Yes, that would be Mr. Timmie Lincecum as well. Personally, I have no opinion one way or the other on the accuracy of this stat. Also, I am flabbergasted that Timmie is such a lame baseball player when batting, running and fielding. Especially, since I saw him fielding baseballs like Willie Fucking Mays during pre-game warm ups a couple of years ago. If you want to read the rest of this interesting article, go to this link:
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2013/12/23/5228968/tim-lincecum-and-learning-to-help-yourself
blade, I don’t know anything about this pitching stat. But, I’m not surprised about Tim being at the bottom. He’s a good fielder, I doubt that’s the issue. If the stat covers guys stealing off you, that’s probably where he gets burned. I’ve lambasted his ass many times here, I just don’t get why he can’t hold runners on. But, he doesn’t. If I were he, I’d work on that move to first, and work on the fake move to second, to keep runners holding closer…
I’m fairly certain this stat doesn’t address holding runners on (stealing), since it could partially be offset by the catcher’s competency as well and vice versa.
If it doesn’t account for holding runners, then I don’t get it. Tim’s better than just about all of the other Giants staff as a fielding pitcher, at least my eyes tell me that having watched him these past years. If I were an opponent, I’d bunt on Affeldt and Casilla all the time. They can’t field worth a damn. If I were Wotus, I’d work the pitchers out constantly in ST with refreshers during the season on fielding and throwing to the bags. Same for the minor league pitchers — they should be ready to field their position and have at least an average move to first when they hit the majors. That’s part of being a pitcher…
I go to ST almost every year, and my daughter and I always go to the games early (as soon as the yard opens) so that we can take in the pre-game workouts. The Giants pitchers work bunting and fielding regularly on one of the back diamonds. On a side-note re: Timmy and the new stat…yes, Tim is one of the absolute worst at holding a runner. Makes me wonder how much (if any) the coaches call him on this. If they do, and he still sucks, someone needs to bury a boot up his ass to get his attention and tell him “work at HOLDING THE FUCKING RUNNERS ON!”
Blade, thanks for the summary and link. Hey, if Timmy was still lights out with the stats that matter, being last in the self help category would be a badge of honor in my book!
Just to be clear, I’m not especially attuned to pitching nor do I believe it’s more important than offense is to a team’s success. I’m the monomaniacal OPS guy, remember? 🙂
I’ve just harped on the pitching this past year because it was so overwhelmingly bad, and few seemed to properly weigh that fact in their critiques of the team. Over a season, you usually need to outscore your opponents by a certain margin to get your 90 wins or so. How you achieve that balance doesn’t matter. In 2010, the Giants had awesome pitching and an average offense. In 2012, they had a very good offense, and average pitching. When you have the worst pitching in the league, having a great offense probably won’t get you over the top, and certainly having one closer to the middle of the pack isn’t going to cut it.
That Dodgers scored all of 20 more runs than the Giants last year and had a lower team OPS+. Next year, Kempford could be broken down again, GoggleBoy come back to earth, and Puig have a Posey-like season, and the Dodgers will still be formidable, if their pitchers are healthy.
Yeah, I’ve never been worried about Timmy’s fielding. Holding runners? He’s the worst.
I’m holding out hope tonight is NOT the last Niner game at the Stick. It’s possible there’s another one, depending on the way the cookie crumbles next Sunday. If they have to go on the road, I’d definitely rather play Dallas than the Eagles. I think Niners would kick Dallas’ ass bigtime. Eagles offense looks dangerous right now…
Pissing at the Stick then slipping on the wet floors in a crowded rest room. Ah memories…….
Ted Robinson was on Knbr this am basically begging the fans not to rip the stadium up as they look for free tokens to snag. There COULD be another game. Question is: would anyone be able to tell the difference between pre-loot Candlestick and post-loot? Lqtm
No shit. People would be like “Huh? There’s sod missing?”
Tony Lame-O out for rest of season with back injury. Who will they possibly find to replace his late game anti-heroics? Somewhere Denny is despondent right now
Don’t they have Kyle Ortron? Would love to see him win the last game.
And then get obliterated by the Niners.
Just read a peace on Eric Surkamp on The Chron. Here are a couple of paragraphs I thought interesting:
The Giants would have liked him to clear waivers so they could outright him to Fresno, but Surkamp has been passed on the depth chart and the club got caught in a roster squeeze because of the Brett Pill situation.
(Maybe someday we’ll learn why exactly the Giants continue to keep Angel Villalona on the 40-man. They say he’s still young (23) and can hit for power, but he’s huge and otherwise not a good player.)
Here is the entire article…
http://blog.sfgate.com/giants/2013/12/23/sf-giants-lose-pitcher-on-waivers-seek-another-reliever/
On a note about Romo, I heard that over the past (I think they said couple of seasons) he has more comeback victories than any other starting QB. I was like WTF???
I saw that, too, and I was stunned to say the least.
Wish I was going tonight. Tried to talk my wife into just showing up and taking a shot at it, but no go.
cool shot of midfield that I just uploaded in the main thread.
Which I promptly ‘borrowed’ for my blog!
Thanks Flav!
no prob. I’ll try to get over there tonight but we are having people over so it’s unlikely.
And there is the remote chance the Niners get another game here. Seattle helped by losing yesterday.
just uploaded a cool pic from my buddy’s seats tonight. What up with the lights? Are they just getting warmed up (probably) or are those the only bulbs left that work? lqtm
Surkamp claimed by the White Sox. Now, because he was claimed do we get any compensation for him? Does anyone know?
Shouldn’t we get a supplemental pick?
Greetings from the frozen North where the current temp is twenty-six degrees BELOW zero ~ almost professional level cold with only four more to drop. Both stoves going here so my league is one of the hottest around. Wood cookstove sporting a stovetop ‘bread’ or loaf containing several types of grain flours and grinds as well as onion, apple, peppers, spinach and one can from my slowly dwindling stash of pre Fuck You Shima (3-11-11) canned Alaskan pink salmon. Also a decent glop of minced garlic, salt and a dash of balsamico. Base is a blend of butter and olive oil. Cooking it slowly. Needing to flip it every now and then cus the mass is over 3″ deep. Will eat it with a raunch dressing dip.
Earlier today necessitated the rescue of a 6 month old outdoor kitten who had evidently thought a pan of warm water i’d set out for them last night was the place to warm up a bit. Her tail-section and back legs were frozen in when i wondered out there. Thawing-out process was gradual, with judicious use of stove-top and hot water. After the release i left her in a shallow pan of warm water. Not too afraid of that cause she was holding her head up strongly. After about half an hour i took her outta the now cooled water and wrapped her in a thermal longjohn bottom. She passed out for a couple hours. Incredibly, she is walking around just fine and is both eating and drinking. Curiously she tends to wanna sit right by the stove.
Life in a Cathouse is adventure enough. The outside pussy can sometimes throw you a lefthanded scewball. Amazing creatures, wot?
you’re straight out of a Jim Harrison novel
Stix– -26? How are you typing?
Someone needs to light these fuckers up at halftime. They are playing one of the worse defenses in the NFL and they have 3 fucking points. FUCK THIS!
S’ not -26 in the house. The computer room is a bit chilly, though, as it’s not insulated ~ except for straw-bales and snow heaped over them on the base of the outside wall. Spending a lotta time around the stoves. Hot Stove League all the way around here. Don’t feel bad about your 9ers. Minnesota’s Vikes are even worse.
I miss Colorado sometimes. Thanks for straightening me out. Where the hell are you? Fargo?