Grinding to the Finish
And so it has come to this. Nineteen games remaining. All against the NL West. As it should be. If you’ve resigned yourself to the wild card being the more attainable goal, you have to feel pretty good about our standing. If you think the NL West crown is still a possibility, you’re right, it is definitely a possibility.
All I know is that I’m happy to be done with AL ball. At least until October….
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Sure be glad when the *Jetergasm* is finally over, Yanks are eliminated. Glad to see some fresh faces atop AL and good riddance to Yanks and Boston.
Yesterday would have been a good day to acknowledge contributions from a native New Yorker on 84th b-day of saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Still going strong and ultimately one of few survivors left of 50’s jazz scene.
DBax have turned into ’93 Rockies that sucked so badly vs. Braves. The fact that LA owns them and how well Dodgers have done vs. west overall could make a difference btw. Division win and WC. Only problem with the WC would be an extra SP you trust–you throw your ace in the 1 game play in, ruins your depth in first real series. Right now, I wouldn’t trust Petit in that situation…nor Lincecum. Vogs? gulp.
I hope Strickland can hang. I just have zero faith in Kontos, and don’t care for Gutierrez much either. Romo would be more a money issue, but I think he is still pretty effective and would opt to retain him.
Javier Lopez contract puts SF on hook for 2 more years as part of 3 yr deal, so it’s unlikely neither he nor Affeldt are going anywhere. None of above throw hard so it would be nice to have a flamethrower at back end.
After this weekend, it looks realistic to think we will have the home game for the wild card. Do we then play the first two at ATT after a wild card win? And if Dodgers have best record, would we still play them in the first round?
Bum has to be the one-game pitcher, but we then go Hudson-Peavy at home. I would take a split, but no one expected us to beat Verlander in Game 1 of ’12 WS either. So dont count us out beating Kershaw.
But then we go Bum for game 3 in LA and I love those odds. So not inconceivable to think we could be up 2 games to 1 in LA and would the Bums then force their own hand and pitch Kershaw on short rest for a Game 4. Probably not and maybe we catch them by surprise with a Game 4 gem with Pettit. More faith in him than Voggy. Timmy out of the bullpen if needed early in such a game 4 scenario…I like it!
G Head…IMO, it is way too early to be laying out details. I love the way this team is playing right now…just keep winning games and series, and everything else will fall into place.
Just win baby! …..oops got my sports mixed up. Together We’re GIANT! Orange and Black Forever!
are babies the prize in some sort of lottery? [wry, arch comment alluding to the lack of a vocative comma changing the meaning; carry on; as you were]
Gee, I got zero mileage last night with Gunilla Knutson and Noxzema. Zero. I tell ya.
I don’t get the animus toward Jeter. If Posey keeps it up, I’m sure the baseball world and especially the Giants, will do the same for him when he hangs em up. And I’m sure all of us Giants fans will be reveling in it.
Posey would NEVER allow anything similar to happen.
Until mathematically eliminated, the NL West is definitely within reach.
Bums have 19 left, too. Three at home against Dago, beginning today. Day off Thursday, then they begin a 10 game road trip against us, our yard, and continue with three agains the Sherpas, and four against the Cubs. Then they are home against us for three, another off day, and finish at home against the Sherpas.
Go Padres, Sherpas, and Cubbies!
I seriously like our chances for another West title.
GO GIANTS!
On this Ray Rice video thing. The question for me is did Goodell see this and still only hand out 2 games suspension? Since the woman got knocked unconscious, you had to know that something like this was the cause — no vid needed to figure that out. But, to have a vid of the punching and the callous way this POS treats the motionless body of his GF — that really brings this to another level that is going to horrify a lot of people, particularly women. Goodell and the NFL have a firestorm on their hands. The NFL says they didn’t see it. Really? If Goodell did see this vid and shrugged, it confirms my belief that the NFL management is a totally money corrupted organization, and all this anti-concussion movement is nothing but a PR move to stall out a real systemic problem with the sport. We could be seeing the height of the NFL right now, and soon on its way down. A lot of women are not going to let their sons elect to play football in the future, and high school, college and NFL football will soon become even more dominated by poverty driven players looking for a way out, like boxing used to be before it cratered as a sport…
Yeah, that’s my problem with all this. Either Goodell saw this and it didn’t bother him, or he can’t surmise what caused a woman who walked into an elevator fully conscious become unconscious moments later. And this was after Rice admitted to punching her. Kudis to the Ravens for completely missing the opportunity to do something.
This is why Jim Harbaugh’s talk rings so hollow and stupid. He should have suspended RayMac for the game based on the evidence they had at the time. If he’s cleared, big whoop. He missed a game. But he looks just as bad as his brother did in welcoming Rice back with open arms.
totally 100% agree.
BTW, where is Prince Jed in all this? He has to be in on all the info gathering and decision making, since letting MacDonald play is a big decision from a franchise branding perspective. Yet, Jed silent. Lets Harbaugh and Baalke take the heat by themselves…
Hah! That’s the point of my screed I just posted on my blog.
As I saw on Twitter: “The NFL and its army of investigators couldn’t get the Ray Rice video, but TMZ could? OK, sure, I’ll buy that.”
It should read, ‘the NFL and its army of investigators couldn’t destroy the video fast enough’.
I would not be surprised for a second that Goodell and his lackeys saw the video, and still handed out the 2 gamer suspension because the law slapped Rice’s wrist. And, figured the vid wouldn’t get out. Then, when they caught heat for the wrist slap, they may have also caught wind that TMZ or somebody else was going to release the video, and so they scrambled to cobble up this new “get tough” policy ahead of the PR crush from the video. I have no idea if that happened, but it’s definitely plausible with the NFL, which until now has figured it’s bigger than anything else. Goodell’s background with the NFL from the get go was in PR, marketing and media relations…
Giants release 2015 schedule. Check out who they’ll be playing in late September. And maybe Mac-a-Loo-za II next June?
http://tinyurl.com/kvyxzhj
I’ll preface my Derek Jeter comments by saying he is a “Hall of Famer.” However, he is not a freakin’ “All Time Great.” In fact, he is over-rated. Take away the five World Series and him playing for the Yankees, you wouldn’t even think of lauding him the way the Yankees and MLB have. As Zumiee said recently, “It’s damn embarrassing.” I agree.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, Jeter was the best shortstop in the majors one season in his career, in 1999. Here are his year-by-year rankings with the best shortstop that season:
1996: 3.3 WAR, 5th (Alex Rodriguez: 9.3)
1997: 4.9 WAR, 4th (Nomar Garciaparra: 6.6)
1998: 7.5 WAR, 2nd (Rodriguez: 8.5)
1999: 8.0 WAR, 1st
2000: 4.6 WAR, 4th (Rodriguez: 10.3)
2001: 5.1 WAR, 3rd (Rodriguez: 8.4)
2002: 3.7 WAR, 7th (Rodriguez: 8.8)
2003: 3.5 WAR, 8th (Rodriguez: 8.4)
2004: 4.2 WAR, 5th (Miguel Tejada: 7.4)
2005: 3.8 WAR, 8th (Rafael Furcal: 6.4)
2006: 5.5 WAR, 4th (Carlos Guillen: 6.0)
2007: 3.9 WAR, 8th (Troy Tulowitzki: 6.8)
2008: 3.0 WAR, 9th (Hanley Ramirez: 6.8)
2009: 6.6 WAR, 2nd (Ramirez: 7.3)
2010: 1.8 WAR, 16th (Tulowitzki: 6.7)
2011: 0.9 WAR, 20th (Tulowitzki: 6.2)
2012: 2.2 WAR, 17th (Erick Aybar: 4.3)
2013: Injured (Andrelton Simmons: 6.7)
Shit, talk about overstaying his welcome! Dude should have retired after 2009. In Fantasy League, he hasn’t been drafted in 3 years. Go to any fantasy league and you will find where he resides – the waiver wire.
Defensively, he sucks. He doesn’t even rank in the top 25 defensively, much less top 10. In fielding percentage, he is .976, which is 29th all time. Don’t even get me started on range factor, because he sucks there too . . . In summary, he is a nice team player, who accumulated some awesome career stats because he stuck around a long time and played with some great Yankee teams. Sure, put him in the Hall of Fame. I could give two shits. Just don’t call him an “All Time Great,” because it isn’t so.
Awesome, blade. Sums up most non-New York baseball fans thinking about this guy, IMO. Fine player in his prime, but had lots of help. If he played anywhere else but in NYC, eh, OK, he’d be recognized as probably/maybe a HOFer, but he might not have gotten the numbers elsewhere on teams with less strength up/down the LU over the years. Certainly had he played elsewhere he would not get the ridiculous over the top Jetergasm treatment. He’s the “last single digit number” retired for the Yanks — please, get me the airsick bag…
“but had lots of help”
I alluded to this, but you pointed it out specifically. I agree . . . Shit, put Dustin Eli fucking Whiteside on that team and all of a sudden, he would be described as a “cerebral clutch hitting catcher.” Hilarious.
bayside – re: Jeter. What Blade said.
I am just SO FUCKING TIRED of hearing all the Derek Jeter bullshit. I seriouly cannot wait until he is retired and gone.
Just read that the Ravens have released Ray Rice (this primarily due to the release of the latest video). And rightfully so. That dickwad should never be able to get another job in the NFL.
Before it was guys thought they could get away with having sex with who ever even though they were married, Kobe and a host of others. Now we have rich guys thinking they can get away with domestic violence. I am really surprised it popped up in NFL first, I thought this would show up in the NBA first
Kev, actually, I think it has been around since the first cave man hit his female of choice over the head with a club and then dragged her back to his cave. What has changed is TMZ and other quasi press outlets that publicize any and all wrong doing. Sometimes, this goes overboard (not in the case of domestic violence) and I can’t stand these news “rags.” Anyway, that’s the world we live in – 24/7 news.
http://www.americancriminallawreview.com/aclr-online/barry-bonds-trial-week-2/
What’s funny about this is Flab thinks any Giants fans actually care about this.
“We’re No. 2! And No. 9” http://tinyurl.com/lhc4aax
And who is the number one dickhead…oh wait, EVERYONE here already knows that Phil. It’s YOU homie. Congrats.
I’m still LQTM about Cabrera asking for the ball when he got his 100th RBI. I’m sorry, I can’t let it go.
For those suffering from Derek Meter fatigue, read Grant Brisbee at SB Nation.com
“Stray thoughts on Derek Meter ” Maybe it will ease your pain.
Stats aren’t everything. As he says, “if you don’t get the uniqueness of Jeter, you’re beyond help.”
Overstaying his welcome is irrelevant. Few of the great ones quit when they were on top. Think just Mays McCovey and Marichal at the end of their careers.
If being the SS of the Yanks for a long time is “unique”, yeah, I get his uniqueness. Otherwise, maybe I’m beyond help. IMO he’s not a greater player than McCovey, or more a contributor to the pantheon of MLB history than Stretch. If Willie Mac had been a Yankee, the adulation on a national scale for him would have been far greater than the regional love he gets. If Will Clark had played a career as a Yankee, there probably would have been a push for him into the HOF…
Fuck Jeter. Fuck fatigue. I really don’t give a rat’s ass, regardless of how many “compelling” stories you share. I will say it again…I am sick and fucking tired of hearing about Jeter. He can just go the fuck away…NOW…
Fuck auto fill….. Jeter to meter.
And here I thought is was some sly reference to the me-ness of Jeter.
Well played, autocorrect . . .
Ravens had to let Rice go. The video is sick and a PR disaster for the team and the NFL…
I think this is fairly new news…Niners have agreed to release LaMichael James. The handwriting has been on the wall for some time, but it is now a done deal.
Yeah, they did it right before the Ray Rice announcement. I wonder if LMJ goes to the Ravens.
Quoth the running back, Nevermore.
Bet LMJ ends up a Seahawk.
Niners and Seahawks always like to fuck with each other’s head!!
Being a Northwest guy (University of Oregon)and a chance to screw the 49ers gives him plenty of motivation.
So the reant and dislike of everything Jeter. Now you guys know how the other fans felt about Barry L Bonds.
It’s annoying and ridiculous, but in his defense I don’t think he asked for it and often seems embarrassed.
These farewell tours are stupid, The first one I remember was Kareem.
once they came up with the idea for arm patches he should have said “guys, let’s stop being stupid about this.” I’m guessing Jeter’s ego is off the charts so he let it happen anyway. But it makes him and the Yankees look idiotic.
Actually, to respond to Bayside and his earlier post about Posey doing the farewell tour thing.
If there’s ANYONE in baseball who would explicitly tell the team NOT to do the long goodbye, it would be Posey.
I thought it was cool to do a farewell tour for Kareem, because I think that’s a case where you literally have an all-time great, and the farewell gifts seemed like a nice gesture, and appropriate. A true legend of the sport. One of the teams gave Kareem a Harley-Davidson, and whether he ever rode it or not, he seem thrilled to get it. The Warriors gave one of the coolest gifts: a sailboat. I like to think that Kareem sailed in it at some point. It’s a nice image.
I agree with Snarkk, Blade, and others that the whole point is that Jeter is not in that category. Yankee fans may feel that way, but they’re flat-out wrong.
A case could even be made that the Jeter-years Yankees have been, in fact, BAD for baseball. Super-slow American League games, particularly when the Yankees and Red Sox play (and they play a lot on national broadcasts, of course) with 9 inning games that often last over 4 hours, driving a generation of bored young fans to the NFL and NBA.
I thought that was Nomar’s fault.
I heard Scully say the other day if you took the dbacks, rox, and pads off the ledger, the dodgers would be under 500….
2014 season series:
LA 15-4 vs. Rocks.
SF 9-10 vs. Rocks.
Ouch…
Well, if you took the Braves, Mets, Indians and Twins off the ledger, the Giants would be under 500.
Would this hurt less:
4-2 against Braves
5-2 against Mets
2-1 against Indians and Twins
13-6 against Rockies
?
The guy that owns/runs TMZ, Harvey Levin, said today (per KNBR) that TMZ tomorrow will show info that the NFL knew about the video and actively avoided getting near it. If that’s true, and Goodell himself knew about the vid and what was on it, and still did his 2 game suspension dance, I say that does make a difference, even though Rice admitted as much as what’s on the tape. I’d say in that case Goodie himself should be on the hot seat, and there might be a clamor for him to resign as a hypocrite of the highest order. Proof that the NFL actively ran from the video would put all this Goodie “I got educated” and “get tough” on domestic violence into the PR fluff bin where it belongs…
Agree snarkk. Jason Whitlock is also calling for his resignation.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11488363/jason-whitlock-latest-ray-rice-developments
Yep, I figured that drumbeat would start pretty soon. Didn’t take long. Whitlock is usually an avid S disturber, but on this he’s right. This is very uncool for Goodell. As it should be, if the path of “hear no evil, see no evil” leads to him. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to connect the dots on that one. The owners may need to sacrifice Goodie to keep the extreme heat off of them. Prime example to Jed York that he needs to make an appearance and get ahead of this MacDonald thing, before it blows up somehow on him…
Hard to believe that NOBODY at the NFL saw that TMZ video after they found out it existed. Someone did.. maybe an attorney… who then could’ve told Goodell not to look at it; for “deniability” and all that. Even if that’s what happened, Goodell should resign… and probably should anyway, no matter what.
Whitlock is spot on when he says this:
“His job is to protect the NFL brand. It’s my belief he took on the role as czar of discipline — rather than delegating it — as a way of promoting his own brand. He loved the buzz of being the guy cracking down on out-of-control professional athletes.
But there’s a reason the president appoints an attorney general. Crime and punishment are messy and complicated. They require a singular focus so major screwups are avoided, and the president’s office needs distance from the inevitable mistakes. There have been 82 U.S. attorneys general and only 44 U.S. presidents. When the politics get tough, the attorney general is often replaced.
Goodell created this mess a long time ago. He should soon follow Ray Rice in looking for a new line of work.”
A Goodie resignation or firing would be a thunderclap to the NFL. For about a week, tops. The owners would appoint another Yes man in short order, with a Golden Parachute to Goodie, and promises from the new Yes man to be more “in tune” with societal issues in the NFL. Then, onto the NFL’s October pink anti-breast cancer campaign and PR do-goodery for women. Whatever happens will have to happen before October, else that’s a PR nightmare if Goodie tries to spin the domestic violence hypocrisy angle while the pink accessories pop out all over NFL stadiums and uniforms…
A’s blow it again late, they are in total free fall. Do I revel in that? Not really. The only thing about their predicament in which I find a little pleasure is that this nosedive gives heartburn to those A’s fans that during the A’s high flying period earlier this season, chortled and snickered at the Giants as SF went through its own cliff diving period…
I wonder if the Drumbeat still beats.