Is Anyone Scared of the D-Backs?
Felt like posting another black and white photo from my youth. Loved this dude.
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Felt like posting another black and white photo from my youth. Loved this dude.
Subscribe to comments with RSS.
Comments are closed.
search site archives
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball
I don’t have a lot of autographs, but I have a Jack Clark autograph on a baseball.
For a few years, he was a hitting coach in the Dodger organization, and I got his autograph after a minor league game. (I’d gotten the ball from a foulball earlier in the game.) He was very cool. He came over by one of the dugouts after the game, and signed stuff as long as he could.
Regarding the D-Backs, they always seem to be a challenge for the Giants for some reason. So, yeah, I have little fear of games with them. My big question is can the D-Backs finally hold their own against the Dodgers, which seems to be their achilles heel? The Giants hold their own against the Dodgers; but the Dodgers, lately, have been fattening up on the D-Backs. We need the D-Backs to step up in those Dodger games.
Hmmmm, I wrote a thing about the D-backs and it didn’t show up. Anyway, they are projected to win 84 games. That seems high to me. Don’t feel like re-writing all the reasons I listed in the main post.
Zumiee- I wonder if guys from back in the day were more likely to sign autographs than guys from today’s game. Snarkk’s post about Cain/Posey blowing off the kids was an eye opener. I don’t seek autographs so this was news to me.
In Clark’s case, I think it was more an older guy returning to the game, and being appreciative of a chance to still be in the game in some role. I saw video of Barry Bonds signing autographs at Spring Training yesterday; I think that’s the same situation. A change of attitude from an older guy.
I saw Bonds sign autographs on multiple occasions as a player during ST…even saw him go into the stands one day after a game to sign for a kid in a wheel chair.
I don’t know if it was his hair or the shape of his face or what. But no one looked like more of a ball player to me than Jack Clark. Then or now.
He has an angular face that seems to have a perpetual “game face” look to it. He has a naturally intense look.
Jack the Ripper! Loved watching this dude play. The “Original 22” from my Giants history.
Not sure where the story on Cain and Posey came from, but I have seen both, numerous times, sign autographs for kids at spring training games.
It didn’t happen too often, but a packed Candlestick for a Giants game really was a glorious sight.
Yeah, I went to a few opening days, and some Dodger games that filled all the seats. And a 4th of July game vs. the Cardinals that I remember being pretty much full.
I remember, though, that during the leanest years, the Giants would fill the place on opening day, and the next day could very well have 10,000 people. That was kind of sad.
This is a long, but really good article from Fangraphs about Giants prospects:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-the-2016-prospects-san-francisco-giants/
About the Giants: “They have found a niche that they have doubled down on in recent years of acquiring guys who are baseball players first and toolsy showcase darlings second, if at all. It’s hard to argue with anything they’ve done for a while now, as they continue to be a consistent winner despite changing expectations every season.”
Thanks, Zume…will give this a look.
Thanks zumiee, some interesting stuff. Kyle Crick reminds me that sometimes the highly rated guys just can’t put it all together but on the other end, someone like Specs could put enough of it together to be a major leaguer.
There’s scuttlebutt about a Panda for Shields trade. Two bad contracts. That would be funny to me.
Thank goodness it is not the Giants trying to peddle Panda…
Barry Svrluga, a sportswriter for the Wash. Post, has Pablo as one of his “10 questions of the 2016 season.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2016/03/28/10-unresolved-questions-can-sabathia-make-yankees-rotation-will-sandoval-man-3b-for-red-sox/
Wow. One season and the Panda is on the outs in Boston. Sabes looks like a genius now. The Red Sox, however, are butt hurt to the tune of 95 million simoleons. Ouch.
Day games in the Snakepit could be really challenging for Giants pitchers. The Snakes’ pitching advantage there is that they grow accustomed to the place. Biggest change in W-L for the two teams is likely to occur in SF where Arizona pretty much owned the Giants last season. This year no mercy will be shown to the slithering invaders.
Great pic of Jack Clark, he was one of my favorites too. I saw him hit a walk-off dinger at the ‘Stick once. As for the D-Backs, they’re one of those teams the Giants have always been tough on, maybe even more so in their park. It seems like the Giant offense explodes down there. I know they’ve added some potent pieces, but so have the G’s. I’m looking forward to those games because you know AZ will wanting to make a statement to SF.
4 all time fav Giants J Clark…Loved this guy. I was so bummed when he left the team. Funny maybe my fav memory was when he wasn’t even on our team. No explanation needed..
W Clark
B Bonds
Timmy.
Hah! Love it.
Jack Clark has a classic dumb jock look. I have heard, however, from a woman who was in a group of young girls who flirted with and teased him after Giants games, that he was a good guy. She has a story about gifts and a hand-written note, if I remember correctly. I also know a lawyer who rep’d him after his agents, et al., fleeced him. I guess I can’t repeat that info, but the lawyer basically likes him. When he was into racing he taught a guy at the track how to hit. “Just like chopping wood,” he said. The track man said it really helped his beer-league softball career. He combined the chop with a well timed turn of the hips and developed a quick, targeted swing. And I well remember Jack C slamming a LD off the Candlestick CF wall so hard the ball rolled back toward the player chasing it, who turned and fired. When Clark slid into the 2B the ball was waiting there for him in the second baseman’s glove like a subpoena. He was dumbfounded. He’d crushed that ball.
Jack Clark could hit, and we were certainly hurting for some talent when he came along, so it was nice to have him. Having said all that, I never really took a big liking to him. My older brother often complained Clark was a bit of a loafer with an attitude problem, and I bought into that too. Toward the end of his time with the Giants I was ready to get rid of him.
I did have this cool Jack Clark t-shirt that I ordered out of the back pages of the Sporting News. The proceeds benefited an anti-nuclear power outfit based in San Luis Obispo, I think. There were a few players you could choose from, and one was Jack Clark. It was an animated drawing of him with that distinctive stance of his.
He definitely had that and made no bones about his desire to leave SF, this after 4-5 years with the team. Still, he was one of my faves on some pretty bad teams and could not only hit but was an above average OF.
Zum, great link. Lots of good info in there. The take on Crick wasn’t encouraging but I still enjoyed it “What used to be tolerable mechanical quirks and youthful command have turned into a three times per minute surprise party of different deliveries and dreadful location.”
I was in a sportsbook in Mexico yesterday and looking at the odds for teams to win the world series this year. I wanted to take a flyer on a longshot. Rays were 50/1, Reds 120!/1, and Twins 45/1. Was trying to log on here and get some input from you guys, but couldn’t. I ended up going with the Twins.
FYI Giants were 10/1.
I just don’t think they have the pitching, but if you want nearly 50-1 on something, there are probably worst shots to take.
Clark was often dumbfounded on the bases and I distinctly remember him running into the clubhouse from RF when game wasn’t quite over. And of course my buddies and everyone else used to yell, “2 outs Jack” at him.
Clutch hitter tho.
No I’m not worried about DBax. Their OF is fine and they’ve got Golds sure, but otherwise lot of ? on the IF. Not sold on rotation behind Greinke or their pen. They always seem to make a curious offseason deal or two and this year no exception.
I think Giants beat up on their pitching down there and Greinke finds out it isn’t like pitching at night in LA. Plus that IF of theirs is rock hard/ very fast and that will cost him some hits and runs too.
this is really good. Thought of PK when I was watching this
http://www.mlb.com/sf/fan_forum/gen/commercials_2016.jsp
Diggin’ It! Let’s PLAY BALL!
Yeah, those Jack the Ripper teams were all over the place, and so is this list, but Chili Davis, Jack Clark, Jose Uribe, Chris Brown,Darrell Evens, Mike Ivie, Moon Man Minton, Shooter, and the like all hold a special place in my heart. The close-but-not-quite seasons, the long toll of shittiness, and just growing up through it made those guys a little more close to the heart.
The 70s and 80s were for all intents and purposes a disaster to be a Giants fan, but they were our shitty team in our shitty stadium.
You mean Chris “I got a hangnail and can’t play” Brown. Hehe…
Yep…they were our shitty team in that shithole we called The Stick. Still hard to believe that place is gone. I remember the final series there, and boy after the last out was recorded of the final game, there were not many dry eyes in the crowd.
I remember rocking my Giants lid in 1986 and people asking me WTF you doing wearing a Giants hat. My standard answer…hey, they’re MY TEAM. Orange and Black Forever, Baby!
Chi, Let’s not forget when Chris Brown begged out of a game after telling Roger Craig he slept funny and woke up with a “Sprained Eyebrow”
Snakes? Not worried about them. G-Men always seem to do well in their yard. I am looking forward to the first time a Giant parks a Greinke pitch in the swimming hole.
FYI Chi, that Joe Martinez line drive to the head incident where you asked me the year happened in 2009.
Snakes were 20/1 to win it all. Didn’t seem too bad, but I’m not gonna put money on another NL West team. I did get a piece of the Angels at 20/1 as well.
Jack Clark was the reason I started following the Giants…
Chris Shaw gets the start at 1b tonight. Cool for the kid.
Arroyo continuing his nice ST.
Kinda funny- the Giants are using mostly minor leaguers tonight and lead the Royals 8-1. The Royals are using their full regular lineup, with Ventura starting.
Got home after a long ass day, opened up a letter from San Dawg. Even before opening it, I was stoked, who still sends letters? Diggity Dawg, that’s who. I was excited to open it.
Inside, a Yan Gomes baseball card. Epic.
Ha! I still remember when you predicted his home run last year. I think you had him in a Fanduel contest against Blade and me.
yeah, and I think he hit 2 that day.
Who is Austin Slater? He just absolutely crushed a home run to center field off Yordano Ventura. KC announcers said it might be the longest home run they have seen in this ballpark.
Cardinal…..
Blackburn and the other minor league pitcher gave the lead back. Not a good ST for Blackburn.
Still, slapping 8 ERs on Ventura was fun.
10 ERs for Ventura now.
not sure if this link will work, but check out the faces of the OKC fans in this hi res pic.
http://postimg.org/image/llpx5yvk1/full/
Weird shot. Doesn’t look real.
steph slams one down hard with the right hand after a steal and talks to wizard guy who had trailed him and smacked Curry in the head afterward trying to get up and block it.
Jack Clark… always liked the guy, just felt like if I was the opposing pitcher, I wouldn’t be all too pleased to be standing there so near such a menacing presence at the plate. Only saw him once, though, and that was near the end of his career: don’t remember the year, but I was still in Boston and he had just joined the Red Sawx… I went to opening day at Fenway, and he hit a game-winning grand slam. Red Sox nation was giddy with the new DH. Unfortunately, not a great overall season for the man, if I remember correctly, but loved watching him swing at Fenway… he tattooed that wall more than a few times.
I was never a big Jack Clark fan. Probably because the Giants teams he was on were crap. He had a flat, slashing swing, very distinctive. Seemed always to be a moody dude, which colored his play. He was probably the best player SF had during a bad stretch during a really long, sucky stretch. I wasn’t devastated to see him go…
Arroyo had a 2 run HR tonight. First time I saw the kid hit on highlights. Nice, compact strong swing. Maybe half a season down in Richmond will get this kid ready. If he can rake in that AA league, he can hit in MLB…
The Giants will have him on their bench in Sept. during the stretch-drive.
Ahhh, Jack Clark was the dude. He was the only guy other teams feared. McCovey was near the end and that was about it back then. And I’ve said a few times we used to sit down the RF line and give him shit. We could usually get a grudging laugh out of him.