Well THAT Was Unexpected
What a weird game. The 5th inning ended. We were down 5-1 to the pathetic Phillies. Flappers around the world were signing off in favor of something, anything to do, other than watch the train wreck that the SF Giants have become in 2014.
Then they score 4.
Then they score 1 more.
And Romo of all people comes in to shut the door on the season closing on us.
Crazy huh?
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Time will tell. Perspective is all. I thought the Peavy win was a Turning Point, initial caps bold ital underscore. Then a loss to the Phils. Then yesterday. Chipower’s comparison to 2010 seems spot on. I have my rosary beads at the ready. (That was my m.o. as a kid; now I surrender to Fate, Destiny, and Providence.) And, yes, thanks for this place.
My old junior high school friend just made partner at the firm Fate, Destiny and Providence.
Bumgarner said the other day something like “we’re running out of time to just keep saying ‘we’ll get ’em tomorrow’ ” …. Could be they all realize that it’s pretty much do or die at this point, and one can sense a bit of a turnaround that’s been brewing for a few days now. I especially look at their ability to come back when behind, which was a trademark of their winning ways in the early part of the season. Even when they lost a couple before yesterday’s win, they were showing signs that their come-back ability was coming back. Finally got there yesterday and hopefully it’s good baseball from here to the end….
Well, I’ve heard worse motivational speeches
Does this sequined thong make my ass look big?
I wasn’t feeling real good seeing Romo come out but he looked like he might have gained some confidence.
Confidence might he some have
agreed. His body language was much improved. He looked like he had his old shwag out there.
I didn’t have any ill feelings, but thought “well damn, this is interesting.” Now would be a great time for him to rediscover his mojo. We’ll need him, Casilla, and the rest of the pen to be nails rest of the way.
Great thing about baseball and it’s long season. A week ago KC was making Giants look bad, then they make A’s look bad. Dodgers handled Braves, Braves over A’s, Brewers over Dodgers. Lot can still happen, even to those who think they have things locked up.
Yeah, 2010…Johnny Sanchez and SF clinching on last day…Glass Sanchez…RentUribe…
Seems like so long ago, but always nice to see those rings as reminder of what can happen.
As Morse goes, the Giants go.
At least it’s starting to look that way.
Sure has been huge past couple of days. I think the heart of the order needs to get on track and consistently kick some ass down the stretch. They have to tighten things up fundamentally, too (defense, base running, etc.).
Looking over at bookcase with Pawlie’s “Starry Night’, such a good read on so many levels. Bloggers everywhere going up and down as their teams fortunes wax and wane, with so many things not decided until last day.
And it is looking so much like 2014 will be similar.
Looking for Lincecum to win today. Phillies carry the fourth-worst road wOBA versus righties. Timmy has been up and down lately. The good – he’s fanned 31 while walking only 11 over his previous six starts; The bad – he’s failed to last more than 4 1/3 in three of them; The ugly – again, HRs have been the issue, as he’s surrendered four in his past three starts. The Phillies are in the lower half of the league with respect to home runs, so Lincecum should be able to get back on track. However, the big “OH OH” is potentially Ryan Howard, who has done his impression of Goldshit against Tiny Tim . . . 8 for 31, 4 HRs, 7 RBI.
Well 8 for 31 is only .258 – not in Goldshit territory. I don’t think anyone is…
Impression Loo, impression.
Buster Posey 2014 (Age 27)
AB: 410
H: 115
2B: 19
3B: 1
HR: 13
RBI: 58
OBP: .341
OPS: .768
GIDP: 13
Willie Mays 1969 (Age 38)
AB: 403
H: 114
2B: 17
3B: 3
HR: 13
RBI: 58
OBP: .362
OPS: .798
GIDP: 8
And to add to it; Posey 112 games (so far) Mays 117 games
Well, if you’re gonna have a stat line that matches up with a past his prime superstar, Willie Mays ain’t bad company to keep. How much can we sell Posey to the Mets for?
My daughter’s ex-boyfriend is the head coach (baseball) at Menlo College in Atherton. He got a call on short notice from the Giants to fill-in/speak at a function when one of the originally slated speakers could not make it (I am sure Jake got the call because a kid who played for Jake last year has graduated and is working in the Giant’s front office…his goal is to one day be a GM and Jake says it will happen). Anyway…I ramble. I saw a couple of pictures from the event, and they had both of the trophies there. Seeing those trophies again, even just in a picture, rekindled some damned good 2010 and 2012 memories.
D. Buchanan
(R) $6.4K
T. Lincecum
(R) $7.2K
1 B. Revere OF L $2.9K
2 J. Rollins SS S $3K
3 C. Utley 2B L $3.6K
4 R. Howard 1B L $2.9K
5 M. Byrd OF R $3.1K
6 G. Sizemore OF L $2.8K
7 C. Ruiz C R $2.4K
8 C. Asche 3B L $2.2K
9 D. Buchanan P R $6.4K
1 A. Pagan OF S $2.8K
2 H. Pence OF R $3.6K
3 B. Posey C R $3.3K
4 P. Sandoval 3B S $3.3K
5 M. Morse 1B R $2.2K
6 J. Panik 2B R $2.4K
7 A. Susac C R $2.2K
8 B. Crawford SS L $2.2K
9 T. Lincecum P R $7.2K
Funny
I like the new strategy of Posey and Susac simultaneously catching Timmy instead of going with 3 outfielders. Should cut down on the wild pitches and help out on plays at the plate.
I’ve always dismissed defense as a concern by doing a simple thought experiment. If you had a choice among a team with
1. great pitching and position defense, lousy hitting
2. great hitting and position defense, lousy pitching
3. great pitching and hitting, lousy position defense
simple logic and common sense dictate that team number 3 will kick the shit out teams 1 and 2 most days.
This morning I looked up the Giants’ defensive ranking on Fangraphs relative to the rest of MLB. They are in the middle. The Astros are the worst team.
I then asked the question, what if the Giants played defense like the Astros and scored runs like the Brewers (kept it to the NL, and excluded Colorado).
I won’t bore you with the simple math, but looking at the errors, the extra hits allowed from the DH etc. (to quote the great Tom Seaver), it is pretty obvious the difference in runs allowed between the Astros and Giants is because of their crap pitching, not their defense. That crap pitching, as usual, is defined by the huge number of walks and HRS the Astros give up. Those are both out of the control of the “defense.”
In other words, if the Giants played defense like the Astros, hit like the Brewers, and pitched exactly as they do now, they’d had have a much larger runs scored to runs allowed differential and several more wins.
No ballplayer ever dies on Fangraphs.
Babe Ruth is still going strong at 119 years old.
Go Gibrewstros!
Lets pray Morris keeps his hitting hot. Dear Lord…………Amen.
Who is Morris?
A cat with 9 lives, Nip might be on to something.
Sports are great for stories of redemption, and Timmy is front and center today, with a chance to start truly justifying that expensive contract. He could be such a positive x-factor down the stretch.
I wanna believe, Timmy. Make it so.
I don’t have an American League team fan interest, but if I had one, it would be the Mariners. I like what they have going on up there. They are doing things the right way now, building up their pitching, getting some slightly better offense. They play in a pitcher’s park. They’ve basically become the AL version of the Giants of the last several years. I hope the Mariners make a nice run in the AL playoffs this season. Seattle’s a cool city. I try to get up there every few years.
Yeah, they have the Seahawks, but that’s up to the Niners to get the job done. I’m not going to hold that against the city of Seattle.
Krukow and Kuiper are wearing really cool black Star Trek outfits today.
the new Niners stadium. Um, wow.
My cousin, Greg – who has played in the Flap League, bought 2 season tickets. With all the commitments, fees, etc., it comes to about $250 per game for each ticket (not certain, but I think he is at one of the 20 yard lines).
the fans look like they are having a helluva time today.
Agreed, although when I checked it out on the tube, somehow $100 bucks went missing from my pocket.
You think? Just kind of meh to me. Sorta bland. Admittedly, I don’t follow football that much despite my uncle having season tix for years. Is it just that candlestick was such a dump?
Byrd and Sizemore should not have been swinging at any of those pitches.
That was a very Zito-like first inning for Tim. I know I’m not the first to make that comparison, but it is really starting to hit me that we’re getting to that point with Timmy.
Barry had a great curveball all the way until the end. All he needed was that 88 mph fastball. All Timmy needs is 94 mph.
Panik AT&Td there eh?
Panik showing more extra base pop there and Sussac seems un-Bowker like.
Nice! And Crawford on 3rd with 2 in.
agreed. If Crawford starts coming around, we could be in business..
He’s due for a little luck. Of course, fielding the routing ground ball would probably help his karma. Regardless it’s good to see him drive in Susac and Morse. Those guys are the water buffaloes part deux.
Lincecum just has no idea where the ball is going.
73 pitches. He’s gassed. Must be a hot day too – his hair is dripping sweat. Regardless, he won’t be out in the 4th.
. . . Or at least, I hope Bochy doesn’t send him out there.
That bases loaded walk may have been strategic.
Well, Lincecum is no mystery to Revere.
Su-Su-Susac!
Laboring. This game is being played on Laboring Day. Hope we win. Might have to step out for a bit. Hint. Hint.
Howard has really turned into a piece of shit
Any questions about Panik? A new Giant stud 2nd baseman.
And just quietly release Scutaro during the next off-season, eat the $6 million, and thanks for the 2012 memories, Marco. Have a great life.
Yes. Don’t forget the gold watch Zum (we are a heartless bunch. 🙂 ).
Been high on Panik pretty much since the get-go. Mentioned before that he would be the next Robby Thompson. He may not match him for that tad of longball power, but may well be superior in BA and OBP. He also seems to have a knack for getting into the middle of rallies, much the same way as BB9 was developing before the broken thumb.
On that play at second, it shows one of the downsides of the headfirst slide; the fielder can block the base without fear of getting spiked.
Yeah Zum, I hate headfirst slides. Not only what you just said, but more important – you’re always SLOWER to the bag.
And it looks like Panik may have tweaked his hand on that slide.
Fuck, it sounds like Panik injured his hand. Shit!!!!!!!!!
Krukow’s guessing dislocation of the pinky.
Bottom of the order is having a day.
Anyone read lips?
Krukow read the lips as dislocation.
TY
Krukow said, in a best-case scenario, a finger can be popped back into place, and the player not miss too much time. I’ve seen that in football; I don’t know about baseball, holding a bat and all.
Two in a row and a series win. Giants baseball, it’s an E ticket ride for sure.
I know it’s only a meaingless practice game, but losing 34-0 just isn’t a good look.
I think Unca Chuck is at the Niner game.
The stadium looks pretty cool.
Brewers get out the brooms in L.A. Just 2 back in the loss column.
Susac is a clone of Posey in the post game or what?
Dirt, I confuse them both in the batters box.
Got home about 3 hours ago from my 9th Fargo Blues Festival held at Newman Outdoor Field where the Indy Northern League RedHawks play. Headliners were Coco Montoya, Guitar Shorty and Elvin Bishop. Third time hearing Montoya’s band. Getting a bit jaded, maybe, for outdoor gigs. Very professional performance but not that giddyup like Bishop and Shorty sent into those of us who dance. John Nemeth and Trampled Under Foot were among the intro acts. Two day event. Great venue with about 3,500 in attendance on the outfield grass. Mellow crowd. Very Midwestern, though lots of Canadians there and even bluuz freaks from as far afield as SF and Baltimore. Some of those hippies are kinda hard to pick out fifty years (almost) down the road. Others still in tie-dyes, sandals and oodles of band teeshirts. There even were maybe a half-dozen decent beers available. That crowd was not too big on Miller Swiller and Bud Blight sorta television beers.
For a guy who usually bats 8th and has a low BA and not too impressive OBP, one thing CrawDaddy can do is drive in runs. He’s up to 49 as of today. Not at all bad for a SS on a so-so hitting team.
Save for the Friday night meltdown, the Bullies continue to impress. Timmy squeezed out his 10th today, but the pen saved his skinny little ass. Most games they are bulletproof.
If anyone is interested in watching an implosion, Chapman has walked the first 4 hitters in COlorado….
If you were into watching implosions, you could watch the Sherps all year.
what a game in Colorado. Blade has to be doing a slow burn. But that was a cool ending….
I threw my wireless mouse across my office. Get this . . . I had a comeback win with Fister in Fan Duel, where I was definitely in the money. He is also on one of my pay leagues. Pfffttt! Asshole Soriano, who is on my pay league, blows the save and the tournament money for Fister. Frickin’ 81.00 ERA and 9.00 WHIP . . . Still with me? Fast forward to the Rockies game – I have Chapman on my pro league too . . . As you indicated, Chapman can’t throw a strike to save himself. What was it? Something like 11 or a dozen straight balls? Plus, the idiot is throwing sliders (commentators are cracking up about this and making jokes about what the hell is he doing????). So, he walks in a run with the bases loaded and that’s when the manager, Price replaces him. Of course, all the inherited runs come home and Chapman has an “infinity” ERA and WHIP, not to mention he lost the easy save.
Final indignity? I had Arrieta of the Cubs pitching a gem, which he also lost due to inept relief pitching. My ERA was ZERO with both Arrieta and Fister pitching today, with an equally minuscule WHIP, with 2 points plus gained in league play, not to mention money in today’s Fan Duel tournament. Pffffttt!
Yeah Flavor, I am doing a slooooow burn and plus I have a broken mouse. 😦
lol, nice re-cap. One of the main reasons I play the daily game now is to avoid any and all closers. That, and I am cleaning up right now at fanduel. I faded the Colorado game yesterday and the fucking water main broke! loved that. Won $750 yesterday;
Yeah, it’s all good. I’m in 1st in my Yahoo pro league ($600) and 2nd place in my ESPN pro league ($300). However, like you – the money to be made is in daily tournaments (Fan Duel). The league play is too much work for the potential money winnings versus playing in daily tournaments.
I won yesterday too – not nearly as much as you did (congratulations by the way). Next season, I may not play leagues or just limit it to one and concentrate on daily play. If I had more time, I would be playing more then the single tournament I enter on weekdays and 2 I enter on weekends now.
By the by, was that a $2, $5 or $10 tournament?
I am absolutely out on year long leagues next year. I have 2 teams at NFBC and they’ve both been in 4th and 5th place the entire year. Dumb. No movement. Nothing. Daily is like a 3-way with pornstars, season long is like making out with Betty White for a year. I stole that, by the way, from the dude who won 1 MILLION dollars last night in fanduel’s seasonal championship DAY GAME.
I finished 2nd in a $25 134 player tourney ($450). I also cashed in several other $2/$5/$10. You should be able to find my stats at fanduel, they update them every thursday.
…and I was about to send you both an email detailing how The Billy Beane Approach has scratched and clawed its way up to 6th place—the final playoff spot in my league. This despite every player on the roster other than Pence and Brian Dozier coming off the waiver wire!
Actually, league play this year has been exciting for me. San Dawg and I occasionally share notes on players (albeit, we haven’t done that in awhile). Anywho, I shared with him – how I was in last place in my ESPN league and scratched and clawed my way to 2nd place (only 3 category points out of the lead today). Similarly, and much, much more gratifying – I was in 11th in a 12 team race, where last month, I finally took over 1st place. Why was this more gratifying? Flavor, you know how people smack talk, right? This one dude was giving me shit in April, May, and March . . . Fast forward today, the dude is eating my exhaust, flailing in 6th place. Not a word out of his pie hole for weeks now. lqtm.
But yeah, I get your drift and next season, I will probably check out, especially if I am traveling (which totally fucked up my basketball leagues while I was in Vietnam. Time zones are a bitch). 🙂
Speaking of the Devil . . . Glad to hear you are in the playoffs SD. Is your son still helping out?
Dozier is category juice. Dude is nails, with the exception of his BA.
…and Betty White was awesome in that Snickers commercial a few years back!
FYI I thought the one where Robin Williams played a football coach gone loopy was funny as well.
I never gave my 2 cents on Robin Williams passing. I was not a big “Mork from Ork” guy, so I wasn’t a fan of his work until I saw him play a somewhat dramatic role in The World According to Garpe. Loved him as the Genie in Aladdin and love that he was a loyal SF guy and Giants fan. RIP.
I don’t have a playoff spot clinched yet. I think the reg season ends Sept 8 or something like that. Yes, my son helps out, though his latest idea was to trade Kluber or Garrett Richards for Pagan! He loves him some Angel Pagan—and who can blame him for that???
…it’s a good thing I’m not doing fantasy. Baseball, that is.
…and yes Flav, Yan Gomes is still a fixture in my starting line-up. He is the heart and soul of the team. All of the other team members look up to him, especially Lucas Duda, Josh Harrison, and Mike Zunino.
All of those guys are having pretty good seasons SD, especially Harrison and Duda. Yeah, don’t let your son touch Kluber or Richards . . . Love Pagan, but he is a “reality” baseball player.
Dudes, I’ve been in the hospital for 4 days with pancreatitis and a balky gall bladder. That bad boy gall bladder came out this morning via laparoscopic surgery – not by a Giants medico, thank gawd. Did the Gyros actually win their 2nd in a row at home? I’d like confirmation, since I’m a little spaced right now on a combo of degrading anasrjesia drugs and some opiates for the post-op pain. Another hour and the the night nurse will give me another finger of that swell cocktail…
You okay? Without Googling it, I haven’t an inkling of what pancreatitis is and certainly no idea what a laparoscopic surgery is????? Please tell me it’s not similar to liposuction surgery? 🙂
The surgeon said my gall bladder had more stones in it than a bad “A” ball infield…
Yes, Snarkk—they have won two in a row—AT HOME no less! They weren’t two of the prettiest wins I’ve ever seen, but they kept fighting a got the job done.
Sorry to hear about your health issues. The gall bladder is kind of like a 3rd catcher—isn’t it? Not really necessary and at times a liability?
I shouldn’t kid. Be well my man!
Mr. Snarkk!! Sorry to hear! Wishing you full and rapid recovery. Impressed you checked in. Feel better. And, no, the two consecutive home wins were not a hallucinatory trip.
OK, so I looked it up . . . You need to cut down on your cholesterol intake, right?
Lower fat diet and cut back on the Cab and Makers😫
dawg, the gall bladder collects bile from the liver and squirts it into the small intestine when needed for digestion via a small tube, the common bile duct. When you develop stones in that bladder, some go walkabout and can block the duct. That backs up enzymes into the pancreas, and that causes the pancreas to get inflamed- trust me that is very uncool and decidedly painful in a major way. Solution is remove the gall bladder. The needed bile will go directly into the intestine now instead of being doled out by the gall bladder when I eat. Definitely can live without it, tho diet will have to change a bit. One of the most common surgeries now in the US…
Well explained—got it. Glad you’re feeling better and they’re getting you fixed up.
Glad you are ok. Don’t need any Flappers going down right now, we got a half hearted stretch run going on! 🙂
Snarkk, how did you know there was something wrong? I mean, what were the symptoms of it all, that made you go to the doc?
excellent Q, wondered the same thing.
and if it was just massive gastrointestinal pain, how did you know it wasn’t just the Giants smoking copious amounts of pole that was causing it?
Major upper abdomen pain and pressure, which I found out later was the inflamed pancreas. Wouldn’t. Go away. Plus, my abdomen felt like it was getting tight when I pushed in with my open hand – I knew then that it was not your basic indigestion and got Mrs snarkk to take me to the ER. I was also figuring.lets make sure I’ not having a heart attack…
Hang in there Tom. I am strong believer in *recovery time*.
Dietary changes as you age seem to be highly recommended by medicos/nutritionists…why are so many things I enjoy just not good for you?
Wow, Braves complete sweep of A’s, ala Brewers of LA. Giants not only club having trouble with winning teams.
7 of next 10 vs. Cubs and Sherps, sandwiched around 3 each with Nats and Brewers.
Hope you’re alright snarkk. I’m going to assume the Giants medical team wasn’t involved in the diagnosis.
Yep, they might have removed a testicle…
Gnite Flappers. Night nurse just served me one finger of dilaudid, so I won’t be in much shape to type on this iPhone soon. Go giants!…
GO SNARKK! Sleep well.
Snarkk, glad you hear you’re doing OK. And already back on the Flap, too. Glass Sanchez you are not!
I knew that chicken sandwich bomb from the Flapapalooza would come back to haunt you, Snarkk!
All kidding aside, speedy recovery, Tom.
Saw the Niner game. For all the erector set look from the outside, it’s very nice inside. Good to see a dedicated stadium just for the football team. Damn it was hot though. Didn’t have too much trouble getting in to out, but it was getting deserted by the time we left in the 3rd quarter.
Beyond the fact that this is preseason, 3 points in 2 games is a little worrisome.
Get well soon, Snarkk.
Goodnight.
Yes, Snarkk, thanks for sharing about that. Hope your recovery is swift and not awful….