Unshackle The Cubs Bats (And Stix)
Ok, the time for the Cubs to stop screwing around is right now. They are hitting .193 as a team this post season. That is a batting average the Giants should be checking in with, not the stacked Cubs. Enough fiddling around. It’s time to pound the Dodgers into the ground and out of the post season. And that starts tonight.
Even though they’re still playing baseball, for me, it’s basically the off season. In the past I’ve entertained myself with digging up retro players of the day. The BBOTD was born in, I think, the first year of the Flap. This year, to honor and support our ensnared Flap buddy Stix, I am going to try to upload a #FreeStixRetroPostoftheDay! every day this off season. So without further ado, here’s one from 2013 when he went by the handle StixWiz:
#FSRPOTD!:
Greetings and salutations on the pending New Year. It IS an even numbered one. Those have been good for SF of late. Also greetings from the Icebox of the Nation as my HIGH temp today was Twenty-frogging-TWO degrees below ZERO. I really feel sorry for those poor Canuckle ballers less than 100 miles north of me. For them below zero = -1 Celsius, which is something like 30 degrees in real temps. Now i can understand Celsius for some little place like Belgium or the Netherlands where neither 90 degrees nor ten below are often encountered. Places like that it does make some sense to get all laboratory scientificalatious about measurements and such ~ But Cana-frozen-duh? Give me a break.
Olney MIGHT be right if Cain does not show the uptick he provided in the latter part of last season; if Bumgarner suddenly and unaccountably slips; if Hudson starts showing his age; if Timmy’s resurrection was a flash in the pan and IF Vogie’s bad season was not a one-off. Looks like a lotta IFs to me. We are not even talking bullpen yet.
Even year, gang. It starts in less then 8 hours here in the Icebox of the Nation.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
The dude can write.
Stix and me couldn’t be any more different. I could have certainly still lived life to the fullest WITHOUT some of those weirdass emails he sent me back in the day. But he’s a true Giants fan and a dedicated Flapper. I’ll always wish him well and hope he somehow gets out of the joint to tell this wild tale.
What is the Stix back story on hoe he became a Giants fan??? #FreeStix…#Minnesoooooda Flapalooza2016/2.0!!!!
Thx, these are going to be good reads I’m sure. Carolina Cattleman one of his alliterative bests.
I’m over it but, this year was entirely doable. Giants SPs shut down vaunted Cubs O too for most part and the LHPs would have neutralized Dodger’s hitters too.
Evans cannot fail to find bullpen help this offseason. No more BS about not having the prospects or whatev.
Twenty two below zero(and only a wood burning stove)? Personally, I’d want to be in jail during the winter months.
He sure seems like a tough old dude though. He mentioned how he used a push mower to maintain his property, I’m sure his place is more hilly than mine and I only use the widow maker in spots to tight and/or to wet for the riding mower. Hell, I’d almost rather use the weed eater over the push mower.
Boz, I finally got my first weed whacker and so much rather deal with that that damn push mower. For the first time in two years I cut around all the fence posts. But it still takes me about 4 hours with the riding mower to so the rest of it:(
Gas powered??? I certainly hope so.
Yeah GH, I’ve got to do weed eating around the canals and what trees I have left (dead coastal pines next to the house – gone.) and sometimes I just keep that Stihl F590 going.
Sandog, gotta use gas powered everything, too much property not to…
Great idea, Flav…love it! Thanks for the email, too…I appreciate it.
Stix could write like nobody’s business. There are a few here that are very good (Pawlie, Stix, etc.). I always loved reading Stix’s posts, and miss the occasional emails he and I swapped talking government, politics, etc. I hope by some miracle that he is released and we get to hear the details of all of this. If that happens (he is released), I think it warrants a Flapalooza/Pilgrimage to the Great North Woods. Free Stix!
I love Stix but I’m not going within 50 hoes of him. lulz. If Stix points an index finger at me I STFU and do EXACTLY as he says.
lulz…so, no trips to Minnesoooda for you, eh?
Oh, and I too am feeling like it the the off-season, even though baseball continues to be played.
I have said for some time (well, since our Giants were eliminated this year) that I wanted to see a Tribe/Cubbie WS. And I will be pulling for the Cubs…NL, 108 years of futility, etc.
Going with the Indians Chi.
They are pushing all the right buttons right now. What ever peyote their smoking from their peace pipe is working!
When you get 9 innings out of your BP after the starter is filling up a vat of blood on the mound was a great team effort..
Not discounting what the Tribe is doing, Kat. I am just partial to the NL, and as I said…108 years is a long fucking time!
If the bambinos get past the Cubbies, then all bets are off, and I will be all GO TRIBE!
The Indians — Francona — are doing RADICAL stuff with his pitchers. I’ve posed it as an idea here: why not go with a rotation like the ASG? IDK how you’d keep track….but still. But will it fall apart quickly??? Will it explode for the WS? I suppose “explode” is a word our NSA watchers don’t like here.
The ultimate egomaniac’s martyr-syndrome fantasy is to be their own lawyer at trial. It’s always a terrible idea. The bottom line is it shows no remorse or contrition, which is what Stix needs to be doing. The prosecutors will (correctly) argue that Stix represents an ongoing danger to law enforcement. No one’s going to want to set Stix free, and then later on he kills a law enforcement officer. Stix needs to be showing that the shooting incident would never happen again. But he wants to be Perry Mason now, and he’s going to totally blow it.
I do have sympathy for Stix. He clearly has mental health issues. He has paranoid delusions. That’s the kind of stuff that could be used at trial to help his cause, and that’s probably what his court-appointed lawyer suggested to him, before Stix fired him.
Stix’s federal public defender is Shannon Elkins, apparently a fairly well-seasoned criminal defense attorney in both the state and federal Minn. courts. Stix has not entirely “fired” her. In his briefs (or in his motions–his procedural moves are not strictly on the beam) he refers to Elkins (now a “stand by” defender) as someone whose counsel and assistance he still relies on. That could be a ploy to convince the court that he intends to play by the rules. But the respectful tone of his court filings, as awkward as it sometimes sounds combined with his unschooled legal theories, does not strike me as insincere.
I once heard a judge in San Mateo County Superior Court warn a woman that representing herself was like performing her own brain surgery with a razor and a mirror. Of course, he was right. But many people still take on their own defenses. Good jailhouse lawyers have lots of time and superhuman zeal,. And sometimes the fight itself is the point.
Reveling in a cinematic Clint Eastwood shootout is harmless enough, as fantasies go. Engaging in a shootout is another thing. I wish no finger had pulled the trigger on that 30.-.30. I wish this lawsuit concerned nothing but 178 north country pot plants and a defense based on noncommercial personal use (to soothe the aches and pains of olden age, your honor). But no such luck. This case concerns very serious violent felonies, and apparently the fight has just begun. Stix, so far, has decided to shoot it out personally against what his court papers tend to refer to as “the United States of America Corporation.”
Stix stepped over the line. But is his political fervor insane? Don’t be so sure. Amateur psychology is probably worth less than amateur lawyering. Stix is a complex, intense, and broadly self-educated guy who for some reason decided at this point in his long life to take a stand, despite the odds. I can’t justify shooting a rifle at a helicopter. But I also can’t condemn the rare person i meet who refuses to knuckle under.
thx xoot. Appreciate your updates and insights.
Awesome post, xoot. A great read and well said. Thanks for digging into this.
Great post, xoot. Thanks much, and I agree with your final line “But I also can’t condemn the rare person I meet who refuses to knuckle under.”
Great post, Xoot. I appreciate the response.
Great, great post Xoot.
Wow! What a post, Xoot!
Zumiee, your last 2 posts are spot on. I think.
Thanks.
I hope things work out for Stix.
Francona is managing circles around his AL brethren. His bullpen has NO ROLES. He pushes the right button every time. It’s refreshing to watch. And while Miller is a total stud the rest of his guys are just men, no special upper end skills, they just want the ball.
All the worldwide conspiracy stuff he let loose with a couple times here is a little beyond me, just too scary to believe I guess. Whomever is prez isn’t likely to affect my life much.
I can see protesting surveillance flyovers of your land, using a gun to state your position, no. what he hoped to accomplish there, idk.
But hey, even paranoids have enemies.
Yeah, that was my point about this. Has there been systematic harassment by the Feds (and state/county police) forces over the 50 whatever years he’s been there? Can he show that he’s been forced to deal with harassment, flyovers, cops at the door, etc? Can he show undue duress?
I keep thinking that the copter had to be pretty low for Stix to even hit it. And, if that was the third or fourth pass over…I would at the very least, be flipping the bird to that bird.
A Winchester 30-30 round, even at 250 yards will have only dropped about 15″. When the target is the windscreen of a helicopter, that is not much. Velocity would still be in excess of 1500 ft/second, and time to impact, less than half a second.
But aren’t they supposed to be flying around five miles up?
250 yards seems like a pretty low flying aircraft to me and if they went over him 3 or 4 times… I don’t know shit about the legalities of the surveillance, or what the weapon is capable of doing, but I’m thinking the “ride along” may have contributed to the situation in a huge way.
I know a guy in a similar situation who dropped trou and mooned the patrol helicopter, and he could see the guys in the helicopter laughing, and they just flew off and let him be. Sometimes humor can be the best answer.
I think it’s pretty clear Stix had been selling weed illegally. And it’s likely he wasn’t thinking too clearly when he decided to shoot at the ‘copter. Sometimes you fuck up when you’re fucked up. You still gotta pay the piper, in his case he’ll pay with his time…..
DIdn’t he used to post here as well?
He was on the Splash for sure, Unca. I don’t know if he ever made the transition here…
Yeah, 178 plants is considered intent to distribute, but Jesus, the hundreds of thousands of people in jail for stupid shit like this is astounding. Mandatory minimum sentencing and the war on drugs (thanks Ronald) caused a huge upswell of imprisonment. Mainly for low-level non-violent petty drug shit like this. Because if they weren’t hassling him over his small amount, then he doesn’t shoot.
There probably isn’t much else to do up there than to go after guys growing weed illegally. Think about it. That ain’t the big city and those FEDS have to generate something to do……
The so-called War on Drugs is pretty much a joke. Tonight at concerts all over America large amounts of marijuana will be smoked and no one will be arrested. The concerts generate income for the cities, so…..no police searching anybody or arresting anybody.
That thought’s crossed my mind too, especially in some jerkwater area like that,
Know what also bothers me besides the over zealous Snubs fans, Ibhate when teams like Cubs, Blue Jays and Rangers wear these newer, bright color specific unis. In the playoffs, I think all teams should be forced to wear traditional old school uniforms ala the Giants…
xoot,
great, insightful analysis above
What’s wrong with this world 🌎 when you can’t roll a fatty reefer on your homestead and not be hassled from the air are land?
FreeStix!!!!
my guess is that he started selling weed to enough people that word got around town–maybe someone got in a car accident high as fuck and ratted him out. They finally decided to go into the hills and see what was going on. Shit went downhill from there.
If he’s been there for 40+ years i don’t think anything is new about any of it.
Fuckin’ Cubs.
Shit. Cubbies are wilting badly. They suck. We would have taken care of the sniveling dogs.
I wouldn’t care if LA beats the Cubs who I can’t stand either. And even though I’ll root against them, it won’t mean shit to me if LA wins it all. I’ve said here countless times that the Morgan homer in 1982 was the most overrated “great moment” in Giant history. I was way too upset about being eliminated the day before to give a shit about it…
Rizzo is working on that sweet .000 batting average he has going for the series.
So annoying to see how the Cubs are sucking. If only we could have gotten the damn pitchers out we could have won. Rich hill is annoying as shit, but he has a great story and has over come a lot. That 3-1 curve to rizzo was sick
Totally on board with Loo’s 7:00 pm. The Cubs bounced us, not LA.
Listening to and reading thoughts from Sabean and Evans, trying to get a read on their strategy for the off-season, Sabean doesn’t say much, just says the team will need to hit more, but Evans pretty much echoed exactly what’s been said here on the Flap: need a closer to anchor the ‘pen, need some new relievers but not many, and need a LFer with power. Should be a pretty simple off-season, if everyone agrees with the Flap…
Any position player with a high OPS will do. If you can find two of them, you wouldn’t need to spend money on a pitcher who throws fewer than 100 innings a year.
you want to keep this shit bullpen together? As is?
No, but replacing Lopez is the one certain, very cheap thing they can do to improve it. I’d rather have another good position player than Chapman, Jansen etc.
well, I doubt we are getting Chapman or Jansen. Mel is more likely. Whoever they get to play LF isn’t going to wow you. No chance its Cespy
Tell ya what P/A,I’m going be one pissed off 😡 Flapper along with others if the the Giants don’t get one of the 3 top closers Melacon,Chapman are Jansen!
They have no excuses at all not getting one, overspend so what? 50mil plus coming off the 📚books, tons of cash to toss around,the dream RH power hitting LF with the 30 jacks 100 ribs and are Christmas presents 🎁 would be complete! But this maddening amount of greedy shareholders, always looking to develop around the park instead of putting the finishing touches on a team still capable of more W/S championship s is frustrating,and the fans should be 😭 upset,if they don’t pull the trigger on some big signings with a possible end to their sellouts would Shirley ( don’t call me Shirley)make a huge statement…
Osich had knee surgery today.
Details not disclosed. He said he injured his patella tendon two weeks into the season; so it was injured most of the year.
“Going to get this knee right so I can get back to my old self,” Osich posted.”…
probably refused to let the Giants medicos hacks near it.
SF has a lot of good arms in the bullpen. I know no one else trusts those stats I post, and the sheer effect of chance they point to. Anthony Rizzo is no more a post season choker than Willie Mays was. Give him 500 post season ABs, and Rizzo’s numbers will look pretty good.
Loved the Dal Maxvill graphic.
Save you a little homework, Flav. How amazing is this one:
stixwiz said, on March 13, 2014 at 10:32 am (Edit)
70’s MLB: In 71 i turned 27 and was as far away as i’d ever get from giving a rap about baseball. It was the late peak of the “turn on, tune in and drop out” era and they were all part of my experience. Would not have missed 64-73 for nothin. There was magic in the air, but not for the Giants.
Candlestick Park and Horace Stoneham caught up with the Giants through the 70’s and though that 71 team had some sparkle it was pretty much downhill from there on, what with Mays going to the Mutts, Stretch to the Pads, i seem to recall and Bobby B. later to the Yanks. Much of this disintegration had to do with the fact that ol’ Horace had been sold a lemon out there on the foggy, windy point and the revenues simply frittered away and so, ultimately did the team. So for me, the Seventies was the decade where i got out of touch with the game.
Believe it was ’82 or so when i started tuning in again and remembering Joe Morgan’s smash to sink the LaBumbos’ pennant hopes. Never having owned a boobtoob, my only on-time connexions with the game were by way of opposition radio clear-channel a.m. radio stations out of St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Chicago. Crackle and static, with the dial turned up to max output.
For me it all changed after 2002 when i first got connected with the net. After a STEEP learning curve i was able to access daily info on the Giants and in another five or six years, the blogs hooked me. Daily contact with fellow Giants fanatics. Had i died and gone to Heaven, or what? Cainer and Timmy came along. Even the national sports media started noticing action by the Bay. Then 2010 and the Golden Gate opened. Wow!
this was a good one, you’re right. The one thing that sucks about wordpress is that I can’t search for a specific blogger. It only allows me to search main threads I’ve written. I might run out of steam searching for Stix gold since he sometimes goes months without posting. We’ll see.
More epicity…
stixwiz said, on March 10, 2014 at 9:02 am (Edit)
Flav: You are a voice for California in this ~ and maybe fairly typical in that lack of seasoning as you point out. Up here in the far-flung fringes of the Great Northwoods, a couple hundred miles south of Winnipeg where at latest count close to 900 homes have frozen water-pipes; Spring Training is a whole nother matter. It’s a sign of hope. A sign that Winter does not last forever and that -30 degree temperatures are not the norm across the planet and that somewhere, somehow, there is a place salubrious enough at this time of year to hear the old cry “Play Ball!”
That all said, we have begun to emerge from our caves up here with 9:50 thermometer reading at 38 ABOVE zero and rising. Sun is shining and live baseball somehow seems more real
Like a Roger Kahn or Bart Giammati Poem. Hope springs eternal…
#freestix – more news than man bites dog. One good impulsive act can lead to a successful life; one bad impulsive act can ruin a life. (anonymous)
Humans – go figure.
They stopped buzzing reservations because of too many unidentified shots. And Amazon will never deliver a package with a drone. This is native people’s land and they still fight the good fight. Probably the same idea stix followed that day, but I do not know.
I do know that whether it is minus 10 in SD or minus 30 in Winnipeg it is all freaking cold. And in one of his quoted posts here today he mentions the fate of unoccupied homes like his this time of year. Frozen pipes. Hope he has a good neighbor or two and I wish him all the best getting through this.