Day Dreaming
Now we have them right where we want them. In our house. Our hizzle. Cespedes has announced he’s going to idiotically defend his HR Derby crown. His wrist is already starting to hurt again. All of the balls they hit to right center will die in Hunter’s glove, somewhere between the archways. Jason Hammel will pitch to his 2013 ERA of 4.97. Runs will flow freely, like wine from a box. Cain will dominate.
The A’s have no fucking idea what’s in store for them tonight.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
?
You’re dreaming, right?
Yeah right…..keep dreaming. Lets hope for a split.
3-14 in their last 17 home games… Dreaming it won’t be another blowout.
Just back from Reno, did see the Reno Aces( D-Backs)play the RiverCats (A’s) on the 4th and yeah the Cats blew him out , great fireworks show after the game though!!
Reno. So close to hell you can see Sparks.
Hah!
Speaking of nightmares . . .
Anyhow, Bochy tried to get tossed 2 days in a row and the umps didn’t comply. For all the scuffling, LA isn’t taking advantage lately. They are getting dinged up as well.
I don’t know. At some point will these guys remember how to play the game?
ha ha Good one.
Wasn’t the ump. Fly in the ointment he may have been, but the ointment itself ran sour. Giants stunk it up again. RISP. Uff Da. Wound up tighter than the high note on a symphony violin. The Break is coming soon. It might do them some good. Scoots return will give us a bit of a bench. Maybe he can mentor Panik, who in his run through the pipeline, rarely struck out. After two-three games even Belt, all hot to trot on his return, caught the inflammation.
On paper it looked a bit of a blowout. Two or three key hits the other way made all the difference. And yeah, the ump did not improve the ointment.
Well something has to happen, all the hitters cannot possibly go stone cold for the rest of the season. And speaking of sparks, the Giants could sure use one.
5 weeks and counting . . .
BF, I know how hard you work on this blog, but for a change of pace, maybe you should change the BBOTD everyday. just a thought. New line up and all.
I like your optimism, Craig…or, if you were simply sharing a dream, hope that dream comes to fruition.
I am ready for the break. While there have been temptations to sniff out a ledge or two, I have been patient and said I will wait for at least a few weeks post AS break.
I disagree on changing the BBOTD daily. If you get one who gets on a good run (Giants win streak), I think you ride it hard (pun intended).
But I do think that ol’ Cadillac Bumper Bullets has run her course. Next, please.
Speaking of Sparks, maybe a bus trip to the bunny ranch is in order.
For them, I mean . . .
Drove right by on the way to Fernley to visit my mom’s grave site.
Business was “UP” as usual…
ah, how do you know it was UP? could have been going down.
Down only if Giant players were there I assume Kevin.
Dodgers/Tigers at 10 AM today. Greinke and Scherzer, maybe another pitching duel like Verlander/Ryu yesterday. 🙂
“Runs will flow freely, like wine from a box.”
What a great line. If boxed wine doesn’t get the juices going, I don’t know what will.
thanks. I hope that line cued everyone to see I was being sarcastic as fuck with this thread today. I’ll get to the BBOTD later, hopefully before game time. I’m in a slumpbuster kind of mood though, so you’ve been forewarned. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Who ya gonna call?
SLUMPBUSTERS!
Love the picture, too. She can take a draw off my wine spout any day!
I don’t see how the A’s can let Cespedes do the HR derby. This guy is so fragile he could get hurt taking BP…
Speaking of wine from a box, I added a pic to the main thread . . .
lulz
Photo of the day. LOL.
Shit, make that hoe the BBOTD. 🙂
Love it! Had not seen your comment here, so as I said earlier, she can take a draw off my wine spout any day! Bottom’s up (her’s of course)…
2 early runs for the Tigers’ Miggy/V. Martinez-less lineup off Greinke, let’s hope Scherzer schuts down the Bums.
I guess the good news for the Giants is we will hit the break over .500. How much?
Uhhhhhhhhh . . .
This dude who lives about 5 hours away in Grand Junction, traveled to Denver and spent $288 on tickets (not including food and drinks at the park) to take his family to watch the Rockies, only to have his comments dismissed by Dick Monfort, the owner of the Sherpas. Specifically, he filled out one of those customer suggestion forms at the ball park and Dick Monfort, said, “If product and experience that bad don’t come!”
http://www.krextv.com/story/co-rockies-owner-responds-to-gj-fan-s-criticism-don-t-come–20140708
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/09/rockies-owner-dick-monfort-to-angry-rockies-fan-dont-come/
great pic Chuck, but my parents read the blog and they might not *get it*
Sorry! I was gonna put it in the BBOTD . . .
Beane opines on tech, social media, and the future of baseball.
I noted yesterday that I learn more about the game and the Giants on the Flap than I do from the beat writers. Maybe a bit of hyperbole, but not much. And, maybe the GM’s are indeed mining social media for information…
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/08/billy-beane-the-age-of-baseball-insiders-vs-baseball-outsiders-will-soon-be-over/
I heard Baggs on KNBR this morning say something that was somewhat disruptive, if you really think about it. Paraphrasing, he said he thought that Beane was only one of a few that could pull off that big of a trade with the Cubs, since he and Epstein knew each other quite well, and in the past have been able to talk expansively with each other about philosophies and players without fear of giving away anything that can be used against each other. In contrast, Baggs thought Sabean, the dean of GMs and maybe the oldest or one of the oldest, has no such trustful relationships with any other GMs in MLB, not even close. And, that the thing about him not answering phone calls from other GMs a few years back was part of Sabean’s old school mind set that whenever you talk to another GM, you can’t really say much because whatever info you provide will be used against you. And, that perhaps that attitude of Sabean is going away in this new era of baseball where things change quickly and there is so much information out there — it hinders his ability to make creative and effective trades, particularly large ones. Interesting, I thought. Baggs also said that since Sabean said nobody is untouchable, he should consider trading Pablo for prospects…
Jesus Christ, I said the same thing about Sabean in 2009. Granted we have won 2 WS titles since then and he gets a lot of slack, but I am glad to see that our local scribes are finally coming around to what I said is his greatest weakness.
Yeah, good call. Baggarly in effect, reading between the lines, was saying that Giants management may have been good at drafting pitching to help win 2 WS, but it’s not very good at trades because its seen by other GMs warily as a “we win, you lose” type of management when it comes to trading attitude. You can point to the Pence acquisition and say — hey, that’s a good one, and it was. But, all the scuttlebutt we’ve all seen out there on Sabes being on the outside with a lot of GMs — Baggarly seems to indicate that there’s a lot to it…
Right. Except for those championships, he hasn’t done a very good job with trades.
I’m kidding but really, we got Sanchez, Scutaro, and Pence in recent trades. They got Fontenot, Ramirez, and Javy Lopez in trades in 2010. Granted The Wheeler/Beltran trade didn’t work out, but it seemed right at the time.
These aren’t earthshaking deals, but they sure paid huge benefits.
Except for those WS, eh WJ? 🙂
I’m just relaying what I heard Baggarly say. You can probably hit the KNBR website and click on the podcast. He wasn’t particularly prompted — the conversation went to potential trades to fix this mess and he volunteered his take on Sabean’s MO and rep as a GM. It was all matter of fact, not particularly delivered as a pointed criticism. Hard to argue with 2 WS wins in 4 years, but he’s been a GM since the mid 90s, so the GMosphere certainly knows how he operates. Since, as Chuck says, the minors are barren, Sabes’ rep as a tradesman has special importance in the near future, seems to me…
Beckett onto the 15 day DL (hip) for Doghairs…
We’ve speculated a bit about Utley coming over in a trade. Quite possible in my mind. However, thinking outside the box, Jimmy Rollins could probably play 2nd as well. Amaro wants to unload just about all of his high priced position players, i.e., per him – none are untouchable. Great article about their situation . . .
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/08/ruben-amaro-changes-to-come-for-phillies-failing-offense/
I was posting this idea a few weeks ago. I’ve thought about it and agree with myself. It’s still a good idea.
Didn’t see it Dirt . . . Agree.
It’s alright man. I know nobody reads my posts
lqtm
Dodgers lose!
Really I would like to see Dick Tidrow and Bobby Evans make the final calls on trades since Sabes has such a bad rap with most GM’s, sure those 2 would be more approachable to deal with..
The reason there aren’t trades happening is because the minor leagues are barren. Most trades are players for prospects. Player/player moves happen, but most of our guys come with either huge price tags (Cain, Buster, Pence, Timmy) or there are issues (Pablo and his weight, Pagan and his back, Timmy and his ineffectiveness, Cain and his ineffectiveness, Bummie and his wife) so there’s not going to be a lot of traction there either.
Sure, they kind of backed themselves into this corner, but for 2.25 months, they were the hottest thing since sliced cheese. I donlt know how much they do, but it sure isn’t going to be a deal like the A’s just did. They don’t have the bullets this year to pull a deal like that.
Bummie and his wife?…
It’s a joke, but of all the Giants, I think Bummie’s head-and-shoulders-and-belt above the rest when it comes to untouchability.
Speaking of Belt, I’d hope is pretty high on that list as well.
“Bummie and his wife…”LMAO, Charlie. Best hope that Big Country doesn’t read this blog…he might just hunt your ass down and skin you alive.
Hah! Let’s hope so . . .
I may end up in some critter stew . . .
Nah – he’d just feed ya to the hogs!
Dirt, funny thing about that article is some fans are still complaining about the Pence trade. In case you forgot, we gave up Nate Schierholtz, Tommy Joseph, and minor league pitcher Seth Rosin.
Joseph was demoted to AA this year, Schierholtz they tendered and let walk, and Seth Rosin is of course a world famous actor now. Well, after the 2013 season he went from the Phillies to the Mets to the Dodgers to the Rangers, and was claimed on waivers by . . . the Phillies. He’s an Iron Pig in AAA now.
I don’t see how any knowledgeable fans can complain about the Pence trade. That’s ridiculous. One of Sabes’ best efforts. As for 2015 and near term, I think we’re hosed with a bad farm system, an OField (other than Pence) that is up in air with one guy a FA, Pagan looking injury prone, and nobody else worth a darn, and aging starters…
I meant from the Phillies side of it. The article was from a Phillie perspective.
The Phillie fans all want Ruben Amaro’s head on a stick.
Pretty good trade for Sabean wouldn’t you say?
Regarding snarkk’s comment on Baggs interview, I think there is some truth to the ‘winner/loser’ approach that Sabean apparently has in negotiations. I’m sure some internet PIs amongst us can find more but other than Wheeler and Lariono I can’t think of any pitchers traded that have been very good at the MLB level and the book is still out on Wheeler. That’s not bad for nearly 20 years of trades. I’m surprised any team will take a pitcher in return from Sabean.
I imagine that in private, Sabean is pretty much the abrasive ass hat that comes across as in public and the WS wins probably made him that much more smug. Other GMs just don’t care to deal with him. That doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s a good GM. I think he’s been great but he’s approaching, if not past his shelf life in the role.
Awesome post. Past his shelf life is a great description. After this season, he should be kicked upstairs to consultant emeritus or something, and let Bobby Evans take over. Evans should do a renovation of the scouting and player development system. Something’s wrong, especially given this club’s revenues since ATT began, if you can’t internally develop one friggin’ good quality MLB outfielder in nearly two decades…
POTD Dirt.
Interesting breakdown of the needs of all 30 clubs. No surprises for our Giants.
http://tinyurl.com/pua9zou
Giants 0.5 out? TG LA’s scuffling. At some point these guys need to wake up and smell the season before it slips away.
Smell the season? Well, if it was the ass-end of the season (last month or so), it would probbly kill them!
I’m still not absolutely certain that the Rays are buyers or sellers, especially since they have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and are only 9 games out of the the AL East lead. That being said, they did indicate that Price was probably odd man out with regard to possible roster trade pieces. However, forget about Price for a moment and think about our other needs – outfield and 2nd base . . . How about Ben Zobrist? Dude not only plays 2nd, but also SS, as well as outfield. I have seen some other blog sites mention him as a perfect fit for the Giants and I would have to agree. Also, he hasn’t had an especially outstanding year – I know because I own a share of him in one of my FL leagues. He has only started hitting the last couple of weeks.
In short, don’t be surprised if his name is mentioned with the Giants during the trading deadline period.
Steve – I was just about to post something on Zobrist after reading the piece that I posted. He is making 7 mil this year, and there is a 7.5 mil club option for next year. I think he would be a damned good fit…problem is what would it take to land him (as is the case with almost all proposed trade deals involving our boys…not sure we have the pieces to play). Kick the tires, Sabes…
Chi, agree that I have no idea what it would take. Zobrist is 33, so I wouldn’t think it would take a lot. He was scuffling a bit earlier this season, but is now above .270. He is an excellent contact hitter (very good eye) and usually bats 1st or 2nd in the Rays lineup.
Scoots, Part Deux, perhaps….
Halftime – 0-0. Go Oranje!
In case you all missed it, (I didn’t read all of the comments)
“UPDATE: Nearly $14 million in damages awarded to Bryan Stow in civil lawsuit”
I believe they were asking for 37 mil. Well, hopefully it will be enough for the family to get him the professional care that he needs. Still just a very sad story. It breaks my heart every time I see a picture of him in his prime, with his kids.
Just took a look. KTLA says it was $17.5 million.
Jury took 9 days. Somebody/some people must have been Dodger fans on the jury.
Found Dodgers 25% contributorily negligent. 75% to the criminals.
Interesting they found no negligence attributable to Stow (I thought his high blood alcohol level might get him some blame).
Meanwhile, the career scumbags that pounded him will be out in a coupla years, and probably back to their scumbag ways shortly thereafter.
Dodgers will probably appeal as a post-trial settlement effort…
Well, I just relayed what Pav re-tweeted from “L.A. Times:L.A. Now”
They later corrected the 14 mill figure to 18 mill. The inaccuracy wasn’t mine. Have a nice day.
http://tinyurl.com/mcehhvy
I just read where Tanaka is headed to NY to get an MRI on his pitching arm. It was not disclosed if the discomfort was in the elbow or shoulder.
Not surprised. He got lit up the other night.
WTF is going on with pitchers’ elbows these days? Are they throwing too many funky “out” pitches?
Giants (Law) have been hit by it, crossing fingers that is it for this year…
Apparently, the Bums are only responsible for $4.5 million, with those 2 idiots responsible for the rest. Obviously, they have no money, so Stow’s attorney’s will attempt to get as much as possible from the Dodgers. No idea if this is a sufficient sum to provide quality care for Brian. Probably not I am guessing.
Exactly…like either of those dirt-bags (no offense, Dirt) has almost 7 mil lying around. I too doubt the amount will cover the required care for the remainder of his life. So sad…
I’ve been listening to the Padres and Sherpas game and was impressed with the announcer calling the game, albeit, I had no idea who the broadcaster was until I recalled someone here (San Dawg?) saying that Dick Enberg called most of the Padres games. Viola! The light bulb went off! What a treat to listen to him. Very knowledgeable and more important, he doesn’t make himself the focal point like some of these other tools calling games.
Bob Costas used to call a great game until he started making it all about himself with the drama and shit. Agree, Enberg is a classic
I don’t know what happened to Costas. I used to like his work. NBC lost baseball a long time ago, so he lost play by play chances, and decided anyway to stay with NBC. He turned pompous doing the Olympics, and hasn’t turned back. Definitely rather have a beer with Dick Enberg. A convo with Costas would have me biting my lip within a few minutes…
I enjoyed hearing Enberg when the Giants played the Pads, Mark Grant on the other hand was not enjoyable for me.
Netherlands and Argentina going to extra time (30 minutes). Go Oranje!
Pence RF
Belt 1B
Sandoval 3B
Posey C
Morse LF
Blanco CF
Panik 2B
Crawford SS
Cain RHP
Thank goodness Blanco isn’t in the damned lead-off spot, again.
Right on cue, Chi…
😉
bingo.
Game’s in the bag.
This is how desparate the Giants are, per A Bags Bochy says “very strong possibility” Scutaro returns to No.2 spot when he starts. Will gauge situation when they talk Friday.
This is embarrassing.
well if his back is straight it’s an obvious move. I don’t think he can keep his back straight, tho.
From my understanding of this thing, it’s doubtful Scutaro’s back is in decent shape. He’s gutting it out, the pain I mean. I would use him to just PH and goose the clubhouse vibe the rest of the season. IMO, the longer he actually plays in the field, the more chances to re-aggravate the disk, and then he’s done for the year. I’m guessing they are going to risk that, and see what his back does after a few games in a row of MLB play, well before the trade deadline. They need to know if he can actually play, and how well, and for how long. If it’s a pipedream for him to contribute significantly, they need to know so that they can go trade for somebody before it’s too late. If they were winning, they’d probably be patient with Panik. But, they’re cratering, so they won’t be…
Really Kev? I disagree. If the dude is any semblance of healthy and can swing to contact the way he has in the past, then he is the best option in the 2 hole, IMO.
The Jason Hammel thing has kinda gone under the radar but I have wondered since the trade why Beane wanted him included. This guy is no Sa-mar-Ja. He was actually pretty bad last year. And he was hardly dominant in Colorado.Maybe he figured it out this year but I don’t see him as the same *lock* as the other guy. Maybe Beane picked him up to corner the market on SP’s (not named Price) and he plans to swindle someone shortly?
He’s a sinkerballer and that’s great when it’s sinking. I’m sure we’ll flail away at it tonight if he’s on but if he’s not on…..
Giants haven’t seen this guy since 2011. So, he’s essentially an unknown to them. We know how that usually works out. Maybe Beane didn’t want him that much, but Epstein just wanted him gone so he had room for younger arms to get experience?…
That doesn’t seem a stretch (why Epstein was looking to jettison him).
This little monkey is a Day Dream Believer.
I hate to admit that I know from where your reference comes.
Something the Giants could do pretty immediately is fire Bam Bam and find a replacement. Will Clark? Barry Bonds? Wouldn’t that be a kick? And seriously, could either Will or Barry have less impact than Bam Bam?
Bam Bam has 2 WS ring rings…
Sports is a tough business. Babe Ruth and Willie Mays got traded.
A poor analogy, zum…
Alright, how about the Red Sox showing Francona the door, and then going on to win the World Series again.
Much better.
Thanks. 🙂
I wonder if MLB warned the Giants and/or Kuiper about criticizing Angel Hernandez . . .
Kuiper was pretty harsh last night. I can’t figure how to post it here, but he ripped him bad.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/umpire–angel-hernandez-does-not-belong-in-the-big-leagues–%e2%80%94-duane-kuiper-164749453.html;_ylt=A0SO8zKeAL5TRUkAILhXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyY3QzMjczBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkA1FJMDQ4XzE-
At least we can look forward to updates on the little brat in the front row all night.
Let’s get a little 2 out Kung Fu magic going here. WTF…way past time for this team to break through with the lumber…
How the fuck could Posey stand there and take that damned pitch???
pathetic take by Posey there.
Took the 1st one down the pipe and the last one down the pipe. Not looking for the spank-me fastball?
well, he thought he was going to get a breaking ball and he got heat on the paint. Just bad luck I guess
This is a different crew of umps?
???? they just rotated them around the diamond.
Same group Chuck, but they have different positions tonight.
Haven’t seen Angel tonight.
Amy should give updates on her snatch…
I don’t need too many updates on that
How long do these bimbo sideline reporters last before a TV exec taps them on the shoulder and says, “You just passed your “sell by date” and we have to replace you with a newer model.” It can’t be much past 25, 28, or 30, right?
I understand Pagan’s bobblehead shows him taking an MRI…
rimshot
Tale of the First: Both pitchers give up a single. Fifteen pitches for Hammel. Twenty-one for Cain. Does that tell you more about the two hurlers or the respective batters? I suspect the latter. More likely the A-Ho’s are more selective AND more opportunistic.
WHOOT!
I hope someone brought the horn and drum set.
So someone can shove them up their asses I presume…
Blanco’s a good baseball player who just doesn’t hit enough. He really looks like he loves to play.
I agree Loo.
Blanco and Panik. Whadda you know? At least they turn over the lineup and bring in a run. Matt should not get totally Cained tonight. First two games took 15 innings before SF scored. Tonight they do it in two. Even baby steps are steps upwards.
Welcome back BB. Love this guys glove.
Something happened to Puig today that happened to me in little league. After hitting a triple, Puig got tagged out getting too far off of thirdbase on the next play.
It was the only triple I ever hit in little league, and it still bugs me that I got caught off of thirdbase.
Regarding Amy G. and all female sideline reporters: I do not understand the venom they invite. (Here and all over Twitter.) I am hardly the annual winner of the Alan Alda and Phil Donahue Touchy Feely Feminist Award, but I don’t have a huge problem with her or any of them. (I could gripe if I wanted to: she interviewed me at Finnerty’s and never seemed to use it; she seemed less than totally enthusiastic about being there. So what. I don’t care. It was a long flight after Timmy’s no-no last year.) Having these sideline chicks is part of the shtick these days. Some may be more models than analysts. Who cares. My ONLY point is this: the rants against her and those in similar roles seems to be rooted in the fact they are female. The same vitriol is rarely used against males (who could be models more than analysts themselves) in similar roles. Sometimes the men are attacked, but not often, in my reckoning. The caustic comments toward Amy G. et alia strike me as disproportionate. In a word, it’s sophomoric and locker roomish. I ain’t a champion of “the weaker sex” or anyone else, but that’s my take.
Back to the game, Beercan.
I don’t have a problem with Amy G. I don’t value most sideline reporters and these days, they are mostly women. Nothing personal, they just don’t bring anything interesting to the table. All of them ask dumb questions or make dumb comments. The guys too……
but i agree with you, reports about her snatch are uncalled for and not interesting like her sideline reporting……
Pawlie, if Amy was bent over in Hustler would you buy it?
We all love the Clark-Ozzie-Maldonado brawl but check this one out when you’re bored:
I posted this about 6 months ago. I had no recollection of it then or now. Great clip though. If I ever meet Krukow I’m going to ask him about it….
Simon is the first to win 12 in the NL, and I have no idea who he is.
Wasn’t one of his wins against the Giants? Maybe I’m remembering that wrong.
Nice base running by Belt.
I was writing about Turlock the other day…..and then I recently read a newspaper article that said that Dravecky now lives in Turlock. I had no idea.
And the hustle by Belt pays dividends. Time to get back to playing Giant baseball.
Actual runs, plural!
When did Morse start wearing his baseball stirrup socks a la Pence?
A couple of games ago, and he got two hits that night.
I think something’s going on between Pence and Morse. 🙂
Blanco with his Harmon Killebrew swing.
4-3 putout, inning over.
test
Wow Chuck – somehow you were able to bypass the time space continuum, where your post has now passed Zumiee’s 8:23pm post.
yes and the fecking A’s took advantage of it to score a fecking run. Dang, Steve, I just wish we had taken a video of your famous AT&T Flapalooza breastie. We need diversions like that.
New thread is up . . .
Wait! Umm, trying to remember exactly . . . umm, what happened??? Eh, did I brush up against something . . . sort of large? Two of them?
brush up? If Proustian memory is correct, you just reached out and touched someone — and she was fine with it. Hey, you west coasters are so laid back, free love, and all that. Remember, an attorney among us, ahem, was ready to represent you.
True. Thank God for that shiest . . . umm, snarkk.
that seemed to work…. test2
Nahh it only works if you hit reply on the last post. I’ll strstar a new thread in a sec.
go here Pawlie…
http://www.wiz1.net/channel39
Tnx, W. I gotta stay up now? You got any graham crackers and milk?
Tale of the pitch-count. Switcheroo from the 1st: 69 for Hammel. Cain has 46. Short by one good hitter, the Giants offense is still a bit constipated. But they did squeeze out another one.
Takes the Giants 25 minutes to score 1 run. Took the A’s 5 seconds.
Hey! That’s how you stop the shutdown inning.
Uh oh. Who deleted a post?
I deleted one of my own; it made no sense once I saw that Panik, not Blanco, was up. Pence goes kale!!!
It screws up the timestamp.
I’m seeing that. What can I / should I do? Sorry. Insert a comment where it was??