Snake Bit in AZ
I’m glad I didn’t have to watch that ending. I read somewhere that the bomb Strick-ny9 gave up was his first to a RH since last August. I don’t think you guys should be so quick to bury him. He’s one of the best relievers we have…..
Ahhhhhh, did my part in cleaning out the ElDo sportsbook with only the Rockies failing me. This morning while running several winning parlays through the machine, the teller coyly smiled and said “you did all these with me!!!” I gave her a weird look having never seen this woman before. But it turns out I had seen her, she was the teller from the day before when I made the bets. Had she had a better rack I bet I would have remembered her…..
Now it’s off to Cactus Pete’s where we will stay the night before a short drive to the July 4th parade in Hailey, Idaho. If you guys want old fashioned Summer Independence day fun, that is the place to be. I’m thankful my 13 year old still gets jazzed about this kind of stuff….
Later.
Maybe the Orioles will play the Dodgers much tougher than the Rockies did.
I expect the Rockies to play better than in LA because of the three days they had to get acclimated to the west coast. Plus Arenado is always a challenge for the Giants.
If the pen doesn’t blow what, 8 games, we are 60-24. Not bad for being not good.
Sounds like we actually have a chance of landing Durant. Wow! Apparently, Jerry West is involved and is playing a key role.
Durant=Dub
Whoa . . . correctomundo – Durant says he is coming to join the Warriors.
Durant made his announcement via the player’s tribune. Jeter has struck gold with that platform.
He’ll have a great view of his backcourt heaving up 50 shots every night..
Yeah, I wonder if he becomes Kevin Love “light”?
Can’t remember who it was but some NBA ball-hog guard once told a disgruntled teammate that if he wants the ball he can get it off the rim…
If ya can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
Wow. Durant to OBD . . .
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/16759826/kevin-durant-announces-sign-golden-state-warriors
Gonna be a fun season next year.
Great series win for Giants yesterday!
It’s hard to argue with the fact that being the leaders in the ‘one run victories’ category equals substantial proof we are barely squeaking by. Yet, a win is win and none have won more. I believe nothing builds character and confidence for a team as much as winning, no matter how narrow the margin. Boch is doing it again, he has built another team that believes it can win every game and fights to do so no matter who is eliminated by injuries.
The MacParker has done an amazing imitation of Pence. In 160 or so PAs, they’ve hit 8 HRs, scored 25 runs, and driven in 18. They have drawn a remarkable 19 walks. Parker is inching towards the minimally acceptable 25% K rate. The combined OPS is around 825. Parker looks like he at least has the speed to be an adequate CFer. Hey, if Adam Duvall can defy the odds . . . .
Would you trade Parker and Susac for Andrew Miller?
Miller didn’t really start dominating until he was 27. He’s certainly a good argument for not giving up on Osich. The current lack of a reliable lefthander in the BP could hurt in the playoffs . . . .
Heart beat in a half second Loo. Dont think that will be enough. 1-2 arms as well….
Wow, the Warriors pulled it off, Chuck.
Curry is going to be 29 next year, and has been injured a lot in his career. With Durant, the Ws could win it all w/o him.
He was injured a lot early in his career and in these last playoffs. The past four seasons he’s played 78, 78, 80 and 79 games, hardly indicative of some who has been injured a lot. In fact, he’s been remarkably durable.
Yep, should have checked before posting, especially since I’ve barely paid attention during a 25 year or so hiatus from the bandwagon.
Pecos League Report: Had a great fun day at the park yesterday witnessing highly entertaining baseball. The Tucson Saguaros split their dbl header with the Roswell Invaders by losing the first game 5-1 and winning the second 3-2. The latter was accomplished in walk-off-homer fashion in the bottom of the ninth. The Saguaros CF, Burnell Dailey has a cannon of an arm. I’m not sure of the dimensions of Warren Ballpark here in Bisbee but that kid threw a laser strike from middle-deep center field to nail the potential go ahead run at home plate in the top of the ninth … Exhilarating!
The fun at the ballpark was kicked up to the next level by way of an invitation to join the post game festivities at comedian Doug Stanhope’s extraordinary compound/estate ‘The Funhouse’. Wow! What a night!
My wife is huge Stanhope fan and since it was her birthday, on her behalf, I approached Stanhope at the game to ask him if he would mind signing my wife’s copy of his book, ‘Digging Up Mother’. He was more than happy to oblige and one thing lead to another and the next thing we knew we were roaming the grounds, then seated in the intimate Funhouse ‘club’ to be audience members for the taping of a brilliant podcast interview of a former prisoner (male) and prison guard (female). That was followed by an delicious meal, open bar, and then back into The Funhouse ‘club’ for several sets by visiting standup comedians and marvelous regional singer songwriter Kelly Carpenter accompanied by her wonderful bassist ‘Deep Grease’.
I was so impressed by Stanhope’s openness, generosity of spirit, and the convivial atmosphere he has created around him. And of course, my wife was thrilled. She said it was the best birthday ever!
so cool! did you get a chance to play?
Sounds like a great day, BB.
I just looked up some pics of Warren Ballpark and it looks like a really cool facility. It was also built in 1909, which is mind-boggling. It’s older than Fenway Park. It’s hard to beat the intimate, communal atmosphere of minor league baseball.
As much as I love Durant, I saw nearly every one of his college games at Texas, I don’t know if this makes sense. Haven’t we learned anything about big splash signings? It rarely works. Especially for a team that has been the most enjoyable to watch in NBA history for the last two seasons. So much organic talent and chemistry on this team as it is currently built, I don’t know why you would add another superstar like Durant.
Wilco, we just kept KD from everyone else. That alone may win us a championship. And what a great contract…if we win one championship, he could go and open up $26 mill for the following year and we are only risking two years. Conley is getting a $100 mill more.
If you look at it as an upgrade from Harrison Barnes, who is gone, it looks devastating for the rest of the Western Conference. Banes will be getting $94M from Dallas, while Durant will sign for 2 years for $54M. As it stands now, it looks like a bargain to me. Given Durant’s character, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s coming to Oakland knowing that his scoring numbers will drop and he understands that will be how he fits in with the offense.
The scoring burden on Curry and Thompson will lessen and the offense will be more balanced as a result. This guy is not a prima donna. He’s coming over to win titles, not to take over the mantra as team superstar. Assuming the W’s can maintain a strong bench and account for the loss of Barnes and Bogut in terms of rebounding and, most importantly, interior defense, this is going to be one hell of a basketball team. Notice that they drafted a true center a week ago.
Anyway, should be fun.
I am making the prediction now…remember to give me the credit. Warriors will win 75 games next year and the championship…that is how we will wipe the memory of a stolen championship this year.
KD will get plenty of shots and touches. He, unlike Barnes, will drive to the hole a whole lot more. This will not be a team of four guys standing around the 3 pt line. And I think we will see Curry and Klay driving the ball as well a lot more. And instead of watching Barnes miss key shots in crunch time from Klay and Curry driving and kicking it to the corner, KD wil be drilling those shots…
In theory that makes sense but someone will suffer (i.e. Get less touches) amongst Durant, Curry, and Thompson and they will NOT be happy about it. Likely that person is Thompson. I just don’t think that is a recipe for success on a team that has been so anti ego for the last two years.
Read above, Joe. I disagree with your assertion. I think all three will thrive. No big heads on this team.
I think you’re on the money, GH.
“Two many tools in the tool shed” is the most cliche (ish) way to describe this.
See my 9:19am post.
Blade, Kevin Durant is arguably the second or third best player in the game. Kevin Love is not even close in comparison. 7 foot wingspan as well and KD doesn’t play the 4…so I don’t think the two are comparable IMO…
I’ll go further, Kevin Love is worse than how you describe him. However, when he was signed – everyone was saying that the synergy between him and Lebron would be off the charts. Also, back then – Love was arguably a top 5-10 player in the league. Regardless, I was saying back then the Cavaliers made a monumental mistake trading their numero uno draft choice, Wiggins and Bennett for Love . . . obviously, that mistake was somewhat lessened by their recent championship, albeit, Love didn’t have much to do with it (as Thompson did).
As Bill Simmons said on Friday if the Warriors landed Durant, this will be the greatest team in NBA history.
Looks like Bogut is pissed but I think the Warriors management got tired of the Hack an Oft Injured Bogut strategy. Ezeli is gone but I would guess Varajao comes back cheaply as does Barbosa and McAdoo started getting more playing time. Then they have two rookie centers…I want to see this 7’6″ Ndiaye from UC Irvine over summer league.
Bogut will be missed and losing his skill set will the biggest concern for G.S. He’s a fierce interior defender, shot blocker and rebounder. The W’s drafting a center was, I think, in anticipation of signing of KD. Looney should also be seeing some time this coming season.
I want to see what Looney has. I was not a big fan of that pick last year…
The Dubs also just got longer with this signing and the Thunder lost some length. You guys will remember that it was that length that gave the Warriors fits against OKC.
Exactly…well said. I am jacked about the signing…only that would make me happier is Andrew Miller on a Giant uniform…I can wait for Osuna or Jay Bruce…
GH, we’ll see what happens . . . but my take is that they only have one ball to go around to 3 shooters – Curry, Klay, and Kevin . . . Add Green to the mix, it gets worse. Not certain these types of situations work out.
Green will only be more able to play D and rebound and make assists. This will be a cornucopia of wealth for his game. He does not count himself as a scorer anyway and he’s said so numerous times. He now has three primo scorers to feed, so tell me how any team is going to defend that. I’m confident the W’s will make this work because they did not add a self-centered prima donna, they added a guy out of the mold of Klay, Steph and Dray.
See the Clippers and tell me how that is working out. Like I said – wait and see if the synergy is there . . . or not.
You’re comparing the Clippers to the Warriors? lol
Blade, as we have seen with how studly Draymond is with the triple doubles and his basketball coaching pedigree from Izzo, Draymond does not play looking for shots. He will take it when he thinks he is open, he is looking to move the ball instead and I think he triples down on being the ultimate play maker and facilitator and scraping underneath. I don’t see this as a problem in the least of not being enough shots. And to be honest, I think Curry will understand he can’t repeat what he did in the playoffs and play the hero ball when they now have maybe as good of a shooter there is in the game in KD to go along with Curry himself and Klay…and we probably have the perfect coach who can strategize distribution and shots.
I agree Blade. Right now on paper they are the greatest team to ever set foot on the hardwood. I guess we are just so used to seeing what happens to teams like the Yankees and Dodgers in baseball who take the same approach.
I just feel that with the present mix of players, the Dubs are still the best team in the NBA. If they wanted to add another big man role player type, fine. I just didn’t see the need to go get one of the top 3 players in the game.
Ditto . . . My feelings exactly.
Me? I would have gone after that Thompson character in Cleveland (if available) or similar.
I see under Hoops Hype that the Warriors still owe almost $7 mill to Jason Thompson for next year. Does anyone know if that is accurate and does the NBA still allow teams to excise one contract that will not count against the cap???
And what do we get back on the Bogut deal to the Mavs???
GH, I only know what I’ve read about Looney, but physically he’s virtually a Barnes clone. He can rebound, score some and hopefully play some solid D. He’s still battling some recovery issues with his hip, but I’d like to see him contribute this season.
That hip is why I thought it was a bad draft pick last year, but I do want to see him play in summer league..
And at 3.5 turnovers/game, Durant takes over the top spot as team leader!
The kicker on this deal that gives me pause is this . . . Durant is expected to sign a two-year, $54.3 million contract, sources told ESPN’s Marc Stein. The deal would include a player option after the first year.
Now ask yourself GH, why the player option?
If you can’t figure it out, here’s a big hint – Durant and his agent wanted that escape clause just in case if things go south. lulz.
Wilco the big difference with that analogy, or even Lebron’s heat teams is that the Warriors were built through the draft. Not through free agency. 4/5 of the starters, Steph, Klay, Barnes, and Green were drafted. Barnes may be out but that still doesn’t alter things.
To say KD would upset the chemistry is to ignore how they play already. Beyond that, if KD can thrive with Westie, he can play with anyone.
Chuck that is exactly my point. Why disrupt a team built with all homegrown talent by going out and acquiring Durant? It could be their “jumping the shark” moment.
Durant and Westbrook thrived because THEY were the Thunder. Those two carried that team on their respective backs. The dubs are much more of an ensemble. They could still beat 90% of the teams in the NBA without Curry or Thompson on any given night.
I hope I am wrong but history shows us that teams with 3 elite scorers do not neccessarily bring championships.
Mac/Parker in the outfield again. Pagan to center. Tejada at 3b vs. the lefty. Green at 2b.
Mac/Parker need to play; we know what blanco can/ not do. He can play late innings D as necessary…
Dodgers’ Urias vs. the Orioles.
Durant is really tall.
Peavy’s dancing with the devil. And he’s blind?
Is he so broke now that he can’t afford contact lenses? WTF?
Fuck. Really?
Peavy can’t see where Belt is? Or WHO he is?
Ray Charles is getting loose in the pen…
Really dumb move by Peavy.
It’s really stupid that Peavy won’t wear anything to help his vision.
Boch needs to convince Peavy he’d look distinguished with glasses.
Peavy’s afraid people won’t continue to confuse him for Blake Shelton.
Posey going yard!
Wow, Angel!
Fourth of July Salute!
Angel going yard!
At least Peavy ran the right way after hitting that grounder.
Some damned fine D being played by our boys. Hey, must be make-up for that horrendous game when Pagan, Parker, and Tejada had fielding brain-farts.
I think Panik makes that play that Green just could not handle. I am sure they score that a BH.
And Jake Peavy the pitcher they wanted to retire 2 moths ago gets a standing O.
#ficklefans (in honor of pawlie, our main man)
Peavy stopped sucking.
Idiotic fan tried to interfere with that crucial foul pop-up catch.
Peavy really settled down after the first inning. He used the big ballpark well.
and some wind, apparently.
Welcome back Sergio. Looks like he’s got the whole pirate thing going.
Regarding the Rockies difficulty in adjusting to sea level, at your leisure read this . . . (a comment and link I posted in the Denver Post):
http://www.purplerow.com/2014/…
Dating back to 2002 — the dawn of the Rockies’ humidor era — the Rockies’ home-road splits are by far the most extreme in Major League Baseball even by park-adjusted stats like wRC+, which should account for the difference in environment. This leads us to a chilling reality where one of two earth shattering notes almost has to be true. Either wRC+ is wrong when it comes to the Rockies and how it adjusts its formula to Coors Field, or the Rockies are playing a game that’s rigged against them….
If the second explanation is correct, wRC+ is accurately (or very close to accurately) accounting for Coors Field, and in that scenario the Rockies since 2002 have actually put out an offense closer to the 99 wRC+ number. However, because the Rockies’ hitters have to adjust to the abrupt changes in breaking pitches at sea level, their offense gets considerably worse on the road to the point where it causes them to lose an extra handful of games every season that no other team would lose.
Makes sense.
Bochy’s Fourth of July parade.
No shit…dude can eat up a bullpen in a NY minute…
But hard to argue with his overall success rate!
Regardless of how this plays out, nice play by Green!
Both LOOGYs got it done today.
And some stellar D.
WHOOP!
Wow- that replay could have gone either way.
One of those whichever way it was called it will stand plays.
Yeah, the calls the umps make on those close calls are still important.
Reynolds is a perfect example of the Coors Field effect, i.e., dude is having an outstanding season . . . umm, at Coors.
Ballgame!
Now, don’t ya all feel bad about bad-mouthin’ Casilla?
🙂
He owed us a 1-2-3 low-stress outing. 🙂
lulz
Nice and easy, just the way we like it.
A no Pepto 9th, I love it.
That was short and sweet!
Speaking of “bad mouthin'” . . . I have a mea culpa to make towards Peavy. Dude has been outstanding. for over a month and a few days, with hiccups against the A’s and Cards the only blemishes. Nice comeback from a truly horrible first 2 months of the season.
The Rangers lost today; the Giants take the MLB lead in wins with 53.
Some funny Durant Tweets . . .
Paul Pierce @paulpierce34 6h6 hours ago
If u can’t beat um join um 🤔
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Isaiah Thomas @Isaiah_Thomas 5h5 hours ago
If you use the warriors in 2k17 your automatically weak lol.
30,797 retweets 29,614 likes
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Rudy Gobert @rudygobert27 5h5 hours ago
Wow.. Only problem there’s only 1 ball…
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Jeff Teague @Teague0 6h6 hours ago
The Splash family lol
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Interesting take on the Durant signing:
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/16766273/the-warriors-makings-all-super-team-addition-kevin-durant
FWIW, this was the point of my ill-founded Curry injury post earlier: “He [Durant] is a hedge against an ill-timed injury to Curry, Thompson or Green in a way no seventh or eighth guy ever could be.” I assumed it was part of the calculus of the signing.
You nailed it, James.
The Dodgers/Orioles game will be on the MLB Network.
Getting Kevin Durant makes my bbq party fireworks even better!!!🇺🇸🍻🇺🇸🍻
Btw who’s the top Closer, our chump Casilla or “The Man Jerry West” who got this deal done!!!
I still remember the sick feeling I had when West did this:
Nobody noticed that Wilt had illegally inbounded the ball.
Fortunately, the Knicks won this game in OT…
Mr. Clutch, they called him.
It’s amazing how many of those types of shots that Curry has made.
3-0 Orioles still batting in the 2nd.
There was a time when nobody scoreboard watched till September…
We can see so many of the games now on TV.
Ump is squeezing Urias a bit, but I’m not complaining.
Puig and Grandal go yard. Gotta limit Dodger HRs. The Giants usually do.
Orioles are waiting too long to yank this pitcher.
That’s an understatement.
Is Showalter fuckin’ senile?
I’m not impressed with ‘the great Showalter.’
Scully is showing no mercy with his relentless July 4th history lessons.
It’s fuckin’ agony.
I dropped out out of school to avoid this shit…
I’m starting to flinch every time he says: “Did you know….”
Well, did you know? 👹
Sometimes. 🙂
One of the most interesting and disturbing facts about the Founding Fathers is that many of them were slaveowners, but Vin’s not going to mention that. But he told us the Founders’ average age.
Vin just mentioned the Founders’ average penis size. He’s really doing some research.
and now let’s get back to this one…
Lulz!
drunk, zoom or is that your woody poking out?
Gift run to the Dodgers, because of a botched doubleplay.
MLB leading 53 wins coming outta the 4th of July weekend with the starting roster currently occupied by fill-ins and call-ups who are, to some degree playing outta their heads. Could the Giants actually be developing into a Dynasty the likes of which has only been overmatched by the Yankees of yore and not even by the Big Red Machine?
Winning can be contagious. All those wounded warriors and the Giants just keep on choogling. One can reason out the success of this team ~ but it is stretched and strained reasoning of a type rarely seen outside of major Giants fanatics. By all purely logical, strictly mathematical projections while considering the current on the field roster, San Francisco should NOT be arching upwards like a roman candle over Pine Lake on the night of the 4th. But here we are ~ having bypassed both the America’s Darling Chicago Cubs and a strong and resurgent Texas Rangers ~ with six more games leading into the Break and more than half the season already in the books.
With Romo leading the pack, the bulk of those wounded warriors will be back by the end of the Break. Some of those subs and fill-ins will get the bus ride back to Sacramento or a plane ticket to wherever our PCL entry happens to be roading it. They have already earned better, but perhaps they realize that there could be a nice payoff for their contribution to the skein of victories…come certain bonuses in November.
Giants just keep bouncing back. There is a certain something about this team.
That’s good because the Dodgers don’t seem interested in losing games lately.
I have been wanting to see a pitcher catch an infield fly for about 40 years. Jansen just did it.
He made the Orioles look like amateurs that inning.
new thread