Kyle Blanks
Big Blanky (ok, he needs a new nickname) tied Big Mac for ST home runs at 2 yesterday. Even this early, it’s becoming clear what the plan is— If Big Blanky stays healthy he makes the team–send down Big Mac and get him some at bats till Pagan gets hurt, then bring him up.
In fact, Big Blanky will probably be the opening day starter at first base since Belt can’t hit Kershaw.
Thoughts?
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
As I said on yesterday’s thread, I think it a long-shot that Kyle “I ain’t shootin'” Blanks makes the 25. I have not seen the dude play OF, but I suspect that Parker or Big Mac are better…certainly Parker. Also, we know Buster will get his fair share of starts at 1B, and the other catchers in camp (Susac, for sure) are being worked at 1st. So, unless Big Blanky makes a BIG splash in ST, I just don’t see him making the squad. If I had to bet right now, I would put my money on Parker as the 5th OFer.
he plays OF and first base. Big Mac only plays outfield. He’s gonna make the team if he’s healthy, the Giants always go with experience > no experience if they can and the Giants need a RH bat with power, especially off the bench.
I am still not convinced. I think they will go with who they think can give them the best defense in the OF and also some pop. Parker fits that bill. And I am not convinced that 1B is a starter here…the Giants have plenty of other options. Hell, they even had Adrianza playing 1st the other day. I am sticking to my prediction that Parker makes it as the 5th OFer. If they go with three catchers, then I see no way Blanks makes the cut. If they go with only two, possibly…
It will be fun to see how it all shakes out.
Pretty much sums it up. I guess the big question is what happens to Adrianza. Maybe some BP competition.
I would have cut bait with him a loooong time ago. Again, he must have chicken pictures of Bochy, Sabes, Evans, etc.
FtsySports4All
@FtsySports4All
Great win in Virginia for #DFS fans! “VA Governor signs fantasy sports bill”
Nice bat to have in the system. Flav’s scenario makes sense on some levels. Most likely it will boil down to performances over the rest of the month, even though there certainly probability factors happening in the minds of Bochy and his staff.
All the pundits have already handed the Rookie of the Year to the Dodgers’ Seager, and he should be considered the favorite. But it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a smooth ride all the time. He made two errors yesterday. Being a starting everyday MLB shortstop as a rookie ain’t an easy thing. There’s a learning curve.
On the Erin Andrews verdict, personal injury law varies from state to state. I’ve seen reports that TN still imposes joint and several liability for some tort judgments. If so in this case then the owner and the operator of the hotel would be on the hook for the peeper’s share. If not, then the 51%/49% split kicks in. I would like to see the verdict form. Was the $55 million damages award solely for compensatory pain and suffering damages? Were the corporate defendants negligent or somehow more directly implicated in the peeper’s obviously intentional torts? The final number seems excessive, although one journalist noted that it breaks down to about $3 for each (estimated) on-line view of the video. Whatever happened to the old days, when public figures received less protection than humble private figures?
Less? Back in the day journalists usually let things pass with a wink and a smile. Like they were in on the secret.
All I know is my wife watched the video. So I guess she’s part of the problem. Of course I was at work . . .
That being said, I don’t think there’s any way in hell these damages stand. I get that the hotel pretty much gave the guy all the ammunition to do this, but $55 mill is ludicrous. When you see things like the Big Branch mine explosion and the subsequent whitewashing of the whole thing, it gets pretty stupid. The goddamn mine safety and health administration was in on it. I bet the 29 families of the dead miners don’t get $55 mill each for the gross negligence from the mining company and the MHSA.
dignitary torts are unique. Libel, for example, has a public figure test that requires what’s known as actual malice; private people don’t need to prove that element to recover. A public figure subjected to vast publicity sometimes gains from the “invasion.” According to one article I saw the corporate defendants in the Andrews case tried some sort of argument along those lines. Blew up. I have no idea if the damages will stand.
Industrial safety is a whole separate deal. Almost all workers get screwed and many get injured or poisoned or killed with no real redress. Things have improved in the US in the past 100 years but not enough. My favorite recent incident: I know a guy who was in charge of the liquor department at a local Safeway. He showed up for work one early Monday morning and found both sides (liquor and wine) of the main aisle bathed in human blood. No one on duty admitted to any knowledge of what had occurred during the night. The guy called his supervisor and instead of Hazmat response, she told him to get some buckets and sponges and mops and a courtesy clerk to help, and then let her know when they had finished cleaning up the mess. He called me for advice. I said call the union. He said that would not be worth the trouble. He cleaned up the aisle, but then immediately found a new (non-union) job and quit SWay. Better luck to him now, I hope.
Jesus. Not sure I woulda been game to do that. My wife used to be in the hotel and restaurant union (local 2?) and they stonewalled the shit out of her when she hurt her knee on the job. Never had to work for a union so I don;t know either way, but my wife’s dad was a major union guy (50+ years in the IBEW in LA). They seemed to do right by him.
Unions transformed the US work place and subsequently got squashed by the owners. They’re still worth supporting, such as they are, but they’re fading fast.
That’s a crazy story, xoot. wow.
I also told him to call the police. He said he’d get fired. I seriously considered calling the police on my own, but I figured that would point to him.
Blanks is listed at 6-6 265 and has had multiple injuries and surgeries to lower body. An OF, he ain’t.
RH pop, sure…when he actually makes contact. His K rate for his career is just under 30% and I guarantee if he starts vs. Opie (highly unlikely imo) those numbers ain’t going down.
It’s not like Giants or anyone else rakes Opie either. I think Craw’s numbers are pretty bad too but I doubt Specs takes his place (or Panik’s).
It appears there are only 2 spots open on bench beside Blanco Specs and Susac (who also has 1b glove) and Parker should have lock on one of them. I’d agree with Chi, Blanks appears to be a longshot.
I’d imagine he would be a guy SF needs to believe can stay healthy play a decent 1b and swing the bat, with call up later a possibility. Battle seems to be gillaspie vs. Triple O (back up 3b etc.) for that last bench spot.
Tough loss for Monmouth Hawks last night to Iona in conference tourney, on a night their top player had an off night shooting. It’s tough on smaller schools who often get shut out by multiple bids from bigger leagues. Especially this year when multiple teams at bottom of Top 25 have 9 or 10 losses already but will still likely get in due to strength of competition in league they play in.
I know Vitale would stick up for them but there is precedent working against them, right or wrong.
Even loser of tonight’s St. Mary’s-Zags game on shaky ground.
Yep, much debate going on whether Monmouth has enough to get an at-large. The wins at UCLA and G-Town aren’t all that impressive since both teams weren’t very good. As you said, bad game by Robinson last night, poor shot selection, and not sure what the hell was going on the last possession. The late T on MU, which really shouldn’t be called in a game like that, didn’t help either. I think MU fans are probably pulling for St. Mary’s tonight.
The Warriors (Curry, Thompson, and Green this time) are on the cover of Sports Illustrated again. Nice cover photo. I like the amount of coverage they’re getting from SI.
I think Blanks, Green and probably Gillaspie are fighting for the Vet bench role. These guys are trying for the 5th OFer/emergency INf/pinch hitting role off the bench, I’m pretty sure Blanks is a front runner for that spot and I think he probably has been since the Giants gave him the invite. No way Mac breaks camp with the team and I’m not so sure about Parker, he might get beat out by Adrianza.
Also might depend on Pagan and Span, both of whom are being brought along very slowly so far.
Blanco might still be better OF than Pagan, and Parker likely better OF than Blanks.
But hey even Byrd played some RF last year and it had zero to do with his glove or range.
Does Byrd have a job yet?
Far as I know, Byrd is still flying free . . .
Cabalo Loco is to get a start tonight. Will be interesting to see how he looks.
Adrianza will make the team as a utility IFer, if he makes he team. Parker as a 5th OFer. I do not think either has any impact on the other making the team. I just do not see Blanks making it. He is basically only a 1st baseman (no way I see him in the OF regularly). Parker will be vying strictly for the 5th OF spot. If he can keep his K rate down and show the pop he had at the end of last season, I think he makes the 25.
I agree that if Span or Pagan can’t hit the regular season running, Parker and/or Mac would probably get the nod. I just don’t think the Giants want one of those guys to just sit on the bench for the season. The good news is, if they keep Blanks or one of the other invitees, a roster move will have to be made. Which means they may finally have to do something with Adrianza or lose one of the pitchers they protected in the Rule 5.
I love a Spring Training where we are worried about the last spots on the bench.
No shit…it is cool when your biggest (only) worry is who will fill the last two roster spots on the 25.
One of the jurors on the Erin Andrews trial tells how they came to the verdict, and also decided on the split and dollar amount of the award.
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/juror-reveals-how-erin-andrews-55m-settlement-was-decided-639633475881
and then there’s this
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2016/03/08/erin-andrews-wins-55m-peephole-verdict-but-faces-heavy-irs-tax-hit/#33b715994364
Interesting. Sounds like she may need to gain weight (as a result of emotional distress) and become diabetic to avoid paying a “heavy” tax.
Bochy has demonstrated he likes a power RH bat off the bench. Maxwell last yr, Morse before that. They even went with Hicks. They already have one LH backup OFer, so I think if Blanks is healthy, running and hitting well, he’s going to get the nod. He would give them a little more balance with Pence RH, Span Blanco LH and Pagan of course a Swh.
totally agree with this.
Speaking of free birds . . . still freaks me out the shit you can find in the interwebs
I’m in the crowd somewhere near the stage . . .
that may be the whitest crowd I’ve ever seen at a concert. But hey, it was Skynyrd….
Nice! Love Van Zant’s Neil Young shirt. When was the show? I would imagine Van Zant’s plane crash wasn’t too long after?
Just rolled onto Scottsdale stadium. Giants v Reds. Sunset going down over third base line. First time here. Beautiful…
Giants game live on TV right now.
Comcast and MLB Network.
Darrell Evans and Rollie Fingers 5 feet away from me– $20 gets you an autograph; Jim Muscat Grant, too
that’s awesome, snap some pics. Evans looked 65 even when he was playing, how did that face hold up over the years?
Not good
Or Mudcat
Whoa, that was a friggin moonshot off Bum. I’m sitting sec 305 row2, looking from right down the first base line to the foull pole. If a lefty fouls one off 15 feet high just to the side of the scren, I’m taking it int the teeth. 45 years a Giants fan, this is fucking awesome…
Very cool, Snarkk!
That’s awesome! Glad you got a game in.
this is AWESOME. I knew you were in Arizona but I thought that was at least a week ago. Still there?
I was here before games started, on biz. Back for biz again. Also saw Dbacks v Pads in Peoria this afternoon. Modern, nice stadium, but the ambiance here is way better. Place is packed. Beers on draft=11.50..
Hopefully Pagan won’t play LF like that play on the double down the line. Totally took a bad route and threw a grounder sorta towards second. Pathetic…
Boch sittin on a lawn chair next to the dugout. Hmmmmm, yeah, Bum was a little wild in there tonight, umm, yeah…
Dudes, this Panik kid is impressive at the plate. No screwing around, he settles in, looks relaxed, hands a little low and comfortableand he just smoked a rope triple into deep right center. If he stays healthy, he could hit .340; no joke…
Great to have a healthy looking Panik back! Dude has a batting title swing smooth a “martini”
Great that your at the game Snarkk, Fucking A I’m jealous love Scottsdale!
Jesus Roy Hobbs Parker strikes again,!
He’s easily on the team with that power stroke!!
Parker TAGGED that ball. That was like a damn 3 iron, got outta here in a hurry into the berm way deep Right center; that thing had smoke trailing off it …
Wow really? I didn’t see the smoke from my seat…
Great to hear a first-hand report from Scottsdale! I’ve been to ST only once, back in ’01. I’d been living in SF for a handful of years but then went back to Boston for one year (a lost year, to be sure) before heading back to SF, and that one f-ing year back ’00 to ’01 was until recently their worst winter on record, just snowfall after snowfall…. I honestly was going nuts. My gf there in Bosstown was quite chagrined when I suddenly said “I’m going to the desert, need some sun, need some baseball” and took off for a week. Will never forget walking in to the park, climbing up to the top bench in the upper corner of the stands, taking off my t-shirt, and sipping a cold one in warm, golden sunshine. ST saved my life that winter. After that, only lasted another few months back east, chucked it all and moved back to SF on… 9/11…..
Hope you weren’t flying UNited or American that day
As that day changed so many lives, it changed mine indirectly but completely. I’d actually flown from Boston to Salt Lake City a few days before and did a road trip from there to the SF, so no, wasn’t flying on that day. Pulled into SF late morning 9/11 expecting to go to DMV to renew my Cali license, get set up for moving in to my apartment, etc. Of course everything was shut down. I was due to open up a new SF office for a market research firm. All clients cancelled all projects due to no flying, they pulled the plug on me 3 days later. Was unemployed for 9 months. My whisky before breakfast period of life. Finally got a job as Communications Manager in the HR dept. at Stanford just as unemployment was running out. That job lasted 2 years before I chucked it all and moved to Asia…..
Sanchy now pitching against his old squad; trying for a comeback…
Is sanchy a nickname? Or…
Unfortunately Sanchez’s comeback looks like it ain’t gonna happen Snarkk.
“Wild Thing” will be his downfall making the Reds roster.He’s too inconsistent and older now at 33 to get his shit together..
Panik obliterated that ball 2/3 up the foul pole and unfortunately pulled it 15 feet right of it, so then Sanchy thru one outside and Panik slapped it into left field. Kid can friggin hit…
Geez, Cincy manager left Sanchy in too long; that was a little brutal…
Nice reports, snarkk. I checked the box, who the hell is Arias taking over CF for Blanco?