Pitching
Gotta give Smarge a huge amount of credit for last night. That is how we have to win games. It’s not realistic to expect our SP to go 8 shutout with 11 k’s but he pulled an anti-Moore out of the hat and for that he gets props.
Travel day before a pain in the ass series in Ohio. Not looking forward to that one.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
True dat–get pitching Giants can compete. Everyone except Moore last time through rotation has done well enough and D last night was solid/spectacular. Guess that’s why I don’t think they are “done” now or near future.
Reds yard is bandbox enough maybe some hitters break out of doldrums.
In one of those awful Giants records stories like 40-60, iirc they are dead even with LA and 4-12 vs. Padres.
I realize DBax and Rox are improved but imo LA is still team to beat. And the Giants have.
?–who still has gear? Mine’s on a shelf in closet, couple gloves yada yada… I was thinking if there is a get together somewhere, I’d love to throw a ball around, maybe take some BP shake some cobwebs loose…
My mitt is always at the ready. I wasn’t a batting glove guy.
I have 2 newer gloves, both purchased within the past few years, one a Wilson A2000, the other a Rawlings Heart of the Hide infielder-sized glove. I bought them with the intention of getting back into playing catch with my brother, but that hasn’t worked out so far. They’re both sweet.
I also have an old Rawlings Heart of the Hide first baseman’s mitt I bought way back in high school when I still had delusions of being a baseball player. Cost me couple of paychecks but it was sweet. When I joined the army, my bro ended up using it on his HS team and putting it to good use. It was pretty worn a couple of years ago, so I found a guy online who relaces and refurbishes old gloves, including adding padding if necessary. So it’s back to its former glory and about 40 years old now. There’s also a softball glove or two laying around.
I also have some major league baseballs (yeah, they’re about $20 a pop now, if you can believe that). I just like having them around. I also have several PCL balls I’ve gotten at Rainiers games. Minor league base coaches are a great and easy resource for acquiring said baseballs.
Yes, I am a baseball geek.
Mine sits right on my dresser in our closet….ready to go. If we get a Flapalooza together in August when Blade is in town (San Jose, Phone Park, Sacto Rivercats…), I am down and will bring the glove. Great idea. Tell your boss to give you a promotion, WillieD!
Unfortunately my glove was a victim of too many relocations. Would love to play. Caught bits and pieces of last night’s game. Great play by Smarge and Belt to get Pig. They showed some life and that’s really all I want to see.
One thing that struck me outside of Posey’s laser beam throw to second, was how Arroyo perfectly blocked Taylor’s hand off the bag. The kid is smooth in the field. Shark had maybe his best start as a Giant last night, utterly dominant. Remember that the next time he implodes on the mound. That’s what’s frustrating about him, he has a ton of talent. It’s hard to see how he doesn’t win more games.
Yep. Same is true for Morse. Morse’s line from the home opener:
8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 Ks. We just need some consistency out of those guys….
Hey, Chuck, you were right, a baseball team DOES have to score runs to win!
You guys ever play pickle as kids? 3 guys, that’s all you needed. We’d play that shit all the time.
If we didn’t have enough to get a game together, yes, we would play pickle, or with three or so per side, we would play wiffle ball…that was some fun shit, too!
Yes, wiffle ball! The only time I could throw a proper curve ball. WE played quite a bit of that too.
Loved that game, but I think I would have a coronary and/or stroke if I tried running back and forth now.*
* . . . Or, maybe this high altitude training in Colorado would help me?
Absolutely. James mentioned the SP a few threads back, specifically mentioning that Smardge and Morse were 1-8 and had pitched 1/4 of our SP’s innings. Good to see Shark put a reversal on that shit!
And as I have mentioned, the other thing that can turn losses (especially one run losses) into wins is a key knock (or two) like they got last night. From fucking Gorkies, non the less!
And no, this team does NOT have to hit bombs to win…bombs are bad ass, and chicks dig the long ball, but not a necessary requirement to win, and win regularly. I know a few here hate the conga line analogy, but it’s true…a walk and a couple of base hits, or vise-versa works, too…
couple funky pics of Shawn Livingston in his younger days in Chron today. Had a nice fro and was really skinny kinda like McCaw. One of them from HS days in Peoria…home of Richard Pryor. Saw him at old Circle Star with Patti LaBelle, great show. Pryor had that huh huh chuckle after getting off a good one to get audience going.
“ladies any questions? Coz guys got only one…are we gonna F?
And the answer is two things, yes no or maybe.
Maybe means yes but you gonna have to talk to em for 4 hours.”
Anyone else catch the Booby Evans segment this morning? Man, that dude has truly scaled the mountain of trash and learned at the feet of the dumpster dive master. A quick summary:
Arroyo is pretty good.
No timetable on Bumgarner. I’m starting to agree with djloo that we won’t see him again this season.
He’s still pushing the delusion that Parker is an every day player and they’re “waiting on him”. Sorry, but I spit coffee on the dash listening to this. I know some of you guys like him but I’ve been down on Parker from the beginning. He is so over matched at the plate it’s not even funny. Hitting 3 bombs one time in a meaningless game against the A’s does not make you a major league player.
They’re sill “tinkering” but Morse is the plan for filing in at 1b & LF.
I didn’t stick around long enough to hear the news that we all want to hear. What is up with The Donger? Probably still working on his stroke in Sac.
Agree about Parker Dirt. He’s just another guy.
I like Parker, I just don’t think he’s an everyday Major Leaguer. The Giant’s FO has to know that by now. Anything else is just bullshit.
Good stuff…and I was LMAO on your spitting coffee comment. I, like LJ, like Parker, but agree, he is NOT an everyday ML OFer. He would be a good 4th/5th OFer, IMO.
As I said recently, I am not impressed with Bobby boy. He needs to be canned years-end (won’t happen because he is one of Sabe’s boys), or given a short rope to turn shit around next year.
Nunie’s 2 hits didn’t figure in the win, but I like his play in left field. The hard sinking line drive – something a lot of left fielders have difficulty with – was no problem for him. He immediately took the right route in on it. No hesitation at all. I want him to stay out there or move to center. Get him comfortable by giving him more reps there. Leave Arroyo at 3rd and put Tomlinson in center (he has played one game in left field this season). Or switch him with Nunez, who has the speed to get to balls. Bottom line is that I want to see more of Kelby and Nunez way more in the outfield versus Morse, Gorkys, Hill, or Span.
DFA Hill (forearm strain) who is rehabbing in Arizona. Not certain if they can do that while he is injured, but as soon as he is well, give him his gold watch and say, sayonara. Span has a sternoclavicular joint strain (whatever the fuck that is) and is scheduled to join him Thursday. Leave him there until further notice. I’ve been done with Gorkys since he alligator-armed that ball a couple of weeks ago. DFA him too.
Cain was supposed to be the rotation’s biggest question mark, but so far has been their best starter. Alphabet really impressed me last night. Okert has been a stud. He threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings to get the victory last night. Okert also threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings against the Dodgers on Monday. Melancon pitched the 11th for his sixth save, but looked shaky giving up 2 hits. Something’s up with him and Bochy. I can’t pin point it specifically, but I don’t think Bochy trusts him.
Great post, but you forgot to get rid of Gerrin!!
Yeah, he needs to go too.
Fuck yeah, brother. You nailed it. We need to reach out to Sabes and have you take Bobby’s job!
I’m down with that. Linh will understand.
Ok..Let me first say that my morning coffee is most enjoyable while reading you guys posting this blog. Next to the fun of settling down to see the next stupid adolescent act by our 70 yr.old leader, you guys really turn up the creative humor that makes me nearly choke on my breakfast.
As for my view of the G-men; well they have proven time and again they can handle adversity far ahead of any team in the division. If today was July, an under 500 performance might give me some pause. But to see some of the classic chemistry come out in this last series, leaves me with apparently more optimism and hope than a few of you.
If Span comes back in better form, Craw shortly healthy and the SP continue their turnaround (Moore please puts the last behind himself) and more clutch hitting , I’ll predict this team ‘Holds the Line’ till Bum makes it in July (healthy).
In any case, I’ll enjoy my visit to Citi for a Giants/Mets game.
GO GIANTS… continue the plus vs the Reds.
Good to see you here Dennis. Hope you and yours are well!
Agree with Blade – great to see you here, Dennis. Wish I had the opportunity to meet up with you when Blade and I made our right coast swing into NY and Beantown last year. Hope to see you here more often. Bring us a win at Citi, brother.
willedav, good call on the gear. I just bought my son his first glove which was pretty exciting for me. When we came home I went searching through the garage for my old baseball bag. It was way, way back in one of the cabinets with at least an inch of dust on it. We opened it up to find a bat, a few balls and 3 gloves; a 1st baseman’s glove, an outfielder’s glove and a catcher’s mitt. I remember when I was 13 or 14 my coach decided I should be a catcher and asked if I could find a mitt. Being left handed this was no easy task. Over the course of 2-3 weeks my grandfather scoured the city and found one for me. I think he must of visited at least a dozen places. I ended up using that glove through high school. It’s funny how things sometimes bring back waves of memories. I miss him a lot.
what a great post.
That’s awesome, Dirt. Even the smell of baseball leather brings back huge chunks of my childhood.
Awesome post, Dirt. I remember buying my son (and my daughter) their first gloves, too…the memories is still vivid. Good stuff…
Dirt–I head most of the Evans segment until he was talking about Parker being a “miscalculation” or whatever word he used. Evans seemed legitimately surprised when he heard fans may have lost hope in the season. At first, I kinda liked his analogy about the season being only 1/8th over and in NFL that would be like going 0-2. But if you think about it there are a lot of holes in that analogy.
If we didn’t have enough kids for a game we’d play 3 flies up. It became a death sport when 4 guys are jostling for position and someone would usually catch one on the head with all the mitts banging around.
For Stix :
Fuck yeah, I remember that game.
Ha! I forgot about that one…we played that regularly, too, when we couldn’t get enough together for a game. And we had similar situations where multiple dudes would be banging into each other. Fun memories…
Yeah, I was of the same mind with that analogy at first too. Until I thought about it and was like, WTF is he even talking about? You can’t compare it to other sports because even for good teams so many loses are already baked in. Maybe it’s just me but playing .600 ball the rest of the way just doesn’t seem realistic.
It is still early. But we need to get to the .500 mark in a couple weeks or this becomes to big a hill to climb. Shit. If we are at .500 at the break we are likely still in it. Get McCutcheon and JD Martinez, and we’l be fine for that August push.
.500? They just won their second series of the season. Baby steps.
Usually a trip to Cincy wakes up the bats. Let’s hope the pitching holds to form.
Heard some of Evans on KNBR.
Not impressed. That he sounded surprised a lot of fans are about ready to write this season off seems to me explained by he being tone deaf and out to lunch, or disingenuous. Did not sound like a guy aware or willing to acknowledge that this season could be lost very friggin soon if they don’t pull out of the nosedive. History says it may already be too late…
Well, at least he didn’t use the word ‘lunatic’ or ‘fringe’.
My bet would be disingenuous.
Mine, too. And that is maddening..,
Nice to see The Wire getting some recognition this morning. Great TV show!
I traveled to Baltimore a lot for my last job and one of my colleagues would show me all the film locations and whatnot. I re-watched the entire series last summer. It’s held up pretty well.
Still have my Ryne Sandburg IFers mitt from back in the day. My frigging dog chewed up the bottom of it tho. And I still have my early 80s Rawlings fasback OFers mitt. The kids mitts all seem to have vanished. 16 years os softball and little league and I don’t know where all that stuff went.
I typically played OF so 3 flies up was my game.
ever try the HacMan/rickey snap catch? I’d do it in pregame BP just to crack guys up but never had nerve to try it in real game.
Like behind the back passes, you F one up it’d be pretty embarrassing.
Nope. Time it wrong and you get a mouthful of ball. I did do the basket catch every once in a while. Like you, not in a game tho.
The Blue Jays claimed Niel Ramirez off waivers. Good luck with that
I got scooped, haha.
Big thanks to our Canadian neighbors: Blue Jays claim Neil Ramirez off waivers. BTW, Jays have worst record in MLB.
I had a sweet Rawlings glove that I bought back when I got to CA (1977). Was broken in and fit like…well, a glove. 😉 Was coming home from a friend’s wedding in Monterey, and stopped and met my kids and some friends for a Giant game (I was on my led sled). I was parked right on a well-lit corner about two blocks from the yard, and some motherfucker stole my Tour Pack off my sled (lost a camera, my glove, and some other shit…but the glove was by far the biggest loss). Insurance paid for it all…including a replacement tour pack. I have a Nakona now (not a well-known glove, but high quality and American made). Love this glove. Mine is a “utility” model…I think W-1200 or something like that. It is a more an infielder’s glove…great mitt.
I like Dennis Z post. I still think Dodgers win the division. Giants are 4 behind them with 133 to go…stay close.
It’s losing all these games to the freaking Pads that bug me no end.
Wonder what it might take to pry Lorenzo Cain away from royals who appear to be on rebuild?
Yes, down with what Blade said about Nunez in the OF, and like to see more of Specs too.
“I re-watched the entire series last summer. It’s held up pretty well.”
Totally agree.
Although, one of the reasons it’s held up well, unfortunately, is that a lot of the situations depicted in the show haven’t improved much or at all. Or may be worse, even, in some situations.
All the show can do, though, is put the stories out there, and hope that it awakens something in the American spirit for change. But, again, unfortunately, a lot of Americans are more into an “Ignore-land” philosophy as depicted in the great REM song about the Reagan/Bush, Sr. years.
One of the things that has been great about the Giants organization during the Sabean years is the continuity. It’s continually praised throughout the baseball world as a big key to the Giants’ success. And that’s all very valid.
But the one thing about a long stretch of continuity is an organization has to be cautious about ossification. The business world knows this well. You can’t get so comfortable that you lose your edge. In history, a great example is China, who invented gunpowder, and was a supreme power for centuries; but then became so inwardly-focused, they lost track of what the Europeans were doing, and the Chinese got passed in technology and weaponry, and had to endure several centuries of being less powerful than the western world. Only in the last 100 years did they open up to what was going on around the world, and become a major power again. And a lot of that was forced on them, with Japan’s surprising rise to military power.
The Sabean/Evans/etc. years have been awesome. Incredible. But….has the organization becoming rusty? Does it need new blood in its front-office to shake things up? And by “new blood,” I mean going out of the Sabean/Giants circle for new people. Really get new blood.
It sounds like the theme music for Evans’ interview this morning could have been REM’s “Ignoreland.”
I read a great article a few years ago about why ‘smell’ triggers such strong memories. It was from National Geographic, I think. Our brains are hardwired that way. It’s probably a survival-instinct thing.
But, yeah, definitely, the smell of a baseball glove just floods memories into me. That’s one of the reasons we love this game. It’s physically part of us.
Yeah zum those are fair points. The use of beepers in the show is pretty funny. I tried to explain the concept to my daughter recently and she just looked at me like I was crazy. My wife and I used to keep a running list of things our kids will never encounter because of technological advancements. It was pretty long.
Looks like the republitards in the house passed the repeal of the ACA. Cocksuckers. They do not give a damned about the common working American. It is all about “making government smaller” (cuts) to give tax breaks to the fucking wealthy. Same shit…different year. Their asses are in a lot of peoples’ cross-hairs for 2018 and 2020.
One would hope. Funny thing is, they’ll find a way to deflect what this does. I have no faith in the American people to do the right thing anymore.
Jesus fucking Christ. Reaping the whirlwind. Or raping it.
Hate to say it gives me solace, but the people who will get hurt by this the most are the people that voted for him. I guess they will die with their hats on.
Yep. And the funny thing is that some of those (who voted for trump) said they would vote for him again. Stupid is as stupid does…Make America Great Again…yeah, right. More like Rape America Again…
I will resist their stupid-ass agenda in any way I can (phone calls, emails, petitions, marching, etc.). Fuck ’em…
Senate likely changes it significantly, hopefully for the better before sending it back to House. They won’t pass it as is, so this should take some time to resolve.
Yeah you would think the emperor’s loyal subjects would at some point realize he really is naked. but if all they watch in F-News, not happening.
Agree…bill as currently constituted will not fly in the Senate. But still, the fact that it made it through the house is a pisser.
We might as well be India. The haves get more, the have-nots get less. The Class system is almost in place.
I’d say it has been in place for a piece, and now it is gangbusters. The people who need help are getting pooped on while the son of a bitch billionaires eat cake. I hate trump and his goons.
Yep…but we must rise up and resist. Complacency is a green light to those assholes to carry on…
And I’m afraid its going to get much worse.
Damm Casilla threw a pitch tailing end the catcher totally missed it , but not the umpire who took it straight on the Crown Jewels !!
Hope he had a stainless steel cup on!!
Any flapper want to send the video on this one?
I don’t know where to find that one, but here’s a classic.
It would be terrible to laugh at this kind of thing. 🙂
Hey for what’s it worth, I do like Timmeh’s my bad that one’s on me look 👀
I miss Timmeh…
Dig the Ignoreland reference, Zum. Automatic for the People was a game changer for me. That came out my sophomore year of high school, which was probably the worst year of my life. Songs like Everybody Hurts and Man on the Moon were the “hits” from that album. For me it was everything else. I probably listened to Try Not to Breathe a hundred times in the span of a week.
That album lead me in musical directions, I never could have imagined.
Thanks for sharing that, Wilco.
That album moved me deeply as well.
This was today’s A’s vs Minnesota game found it on B/R . Yeah anyway Timmy’s was a breaking ball that hopped a nailed him.
Casilla’ was dead red that hit his nuts 🥜 flush the catcher never got near it, if anything his glove went to the right to create a perfect 👌 nutcracker! But yeah it’s not funny 😂 but I have a sick sense of humor on occasion.
Lonzo Ball doesn’t get any shit because of his dad but he should. True, that’s his old man and there’s a degree of respect he has to have for him just because of that. But to green light this idiotic $500 shoe (and $200+ fucking flip flops) is as much on Lonzo as his dad. Don’t go along with something stupid. That’s an easy mantra to live by. And since any coin your dad makes is because of you, it’s up to you to speak up and say something. Don’t let the shoe deal go down like that. Lonzo isn’t 6 years old, being silent is absolutely the same as being complicit in this stupidity.
It’s like the dad is on a quest to be the biggest jerk on the planet.
He still has a ways to go to overtake the King Jerk.
You could be taking about several diff dads. Marinovich? Woods? Michael Jackson’s? Who am I missing?
Drumpf qualifies for zum’s 6:24…
Snarkk got it.
Tom, I miss Timmy too…..
No matter what happens, I’m glad Trump defeated the most nauseating, thieving cunt in captivity…
Your mom?
Thought you were better than that, Zum.
Guess not…
Go enjoy yourself at one of your faggot concerts, shithead…
Sorry. I really do apologize.
I have some friends who have health insurance issues and I’m worried about their future.
Wow. You’re pretty angry.
Can’t say that I blame him. Yes, his post crossed the line, but your 9:13 is the most inflammatory post I’ve ever seen on here—and that’s saying something. Very cool of you to apologize. I hope Loo does the same and we move on. I would love it if we never talked politics on here.
Not quite Del Mar Dennis territory, Loo, but close, unfortunately.
Civility now, gentlemen…..
Just when I am really getting tired of Booby Evans his boss Larry Baer shows up on the radio. What the heck is this fat head doing with his own segment on the local broadcast station? Is there any other club President in the league that takes his act to the airwaves 2-3 times a month? Between, Baer, Booby, Kruk and Kuip the one thing the Giants do well is build and disseminate a narrative.
Well scripted it is. Without Giants baseball, KNBR would be nowhere. It’s a wonder some of the talking heads there actually criticize the team — not Kruk and Kuip, of course…
Watching the Warriors game, there’s a controversy about throwing the ball up in a take foul situation because of how difficult it is to discern whether or not a shot has been taken. What’s really interesting is that the take foul is such an accepted part of the game that the victim, in coming up with a defense against an illegal act, is treated like the cheater.
Good point.
Out of character for both of you . . . Met you both and love you both. No more please. Thank you.
I felt prompted to look up “Your mother wears army boots.” I never knew its derivation.
Did you find the answer?
This one was surprisingly harsh: http://tinyurl.com/lggwbla
Here’s what’s not meant by that saying:
Sometimes people get heated with politics. But, this health care stuff is damn serious business, and people on here have opinions. I don’t mind exchange of ideas here, as long as baseball is the main thing. With the Giants sucking, other themes may intervene. This US House today passed an abomination of a bill, which if signed as is, would screw millions of middle and lower class Americans for the purpose of nothing but to funnel billions in tax cuts to the rich and powerful. Many of those voting for it, in interviews, said they voted for it just so they could say they actually, finally passed something, anything. Several years ago, I moved from a group insurance plan to a Covered California plan because I was running my own business. Luckily, I did secure that insurance. Because later in that two years period between group coverage — by happenstance I had to undergo a 6 day emergency hospital stay with surgery, an MSRP on the entire stay just over $90K. If I didn’t have that Cov Cal coverage, I would have taken a bath financially, not sure what all the ramifications would have been. But, it would have been horrendous. As a nation, are we at the point where you can only secure health care if you have employer provided group coverage or are on Medicare? Otherwise, you’re not worthy to have healthcare? No other civilized nation on earth does this to its people. NONE. Millions of people, many even WITH coverage, are going bankrupt, or are spending down their life savings to pay for needed health care to save the lives of themselves and loved ones. Their credit ratings are destroyed. All because they were unlucky enough to have cancer, heart disease, diabetes, a serious accident, whatever. This is insane. The legislation today, if it becomes law, basically will put me on the street in my late 50s with no insurance if I ever lose my current employer group insurance before I’m old enough for Medicare. I won’t be able to go out and try again to push my own business because I won’t be able to get health insurance, which would expose my family to possible financial ruin. I have two dependents and a wife, any one of which could have a life threatening or serious illness tomorrow, which could destroy my family financially if I have no insurance. This kind of bill is a potential financial disaster for millions of people, and will actually, predictably cause the deaths of thousands of people with PEX conditions because they will not be able to get health care coverage — and there is no good reason for it. So, to have strong opinions and make them known to our lawmakers is necessary. Lives and life savings are literally at stake. Why do you think that if this bill became law, the Congressmen’s health care coverage will NOT be impacted one iota by it?…
Thanks for sharing that, Snarkk.
I saw some news footage of GOP Congress members celebrating like they just won the World Series.
Their celebration seemed ghastly to me. It was like watching movie villains twist their mustaches.
Anyone still want to play 3 Flies Up? Wasn’t Hotbox another name for Pickle?
I’m ready for my first trip of the season to
http://wheelhouseacademy.pointstreaksites.com/view/wheelhouse/reserve-facilities
Lane 1 only, with a drink or two afterwards at
http://www.hotsytotsyclub.com/
We always called it Hotbox. The game was good for somebody taking the ball off their dome at some point.
When I lived in El Cerrito years ago, I used to drive by the HotsyTotsy all the time on S Pablo Av. Never went in. Maybe I missed something good…
Hotbox and Pickles sounds like two of their employees.
It’s got “craft” cocktails now, but hasn’t been completely gentrified, even with more bourgeois clientele like yours truly. When it was a real dive years ago, they still used top shelf stuff. So, yes, you shoulda stopped by.
Tonight on the MLB Network I saw the play Kat was talking about: the catcher missing Casilla’s pitch, and the ball drilling the umpire in the Sacajawea.
To the ump’s credit, he found the strength to soldier on, and finished the game.
It was the 9th inning.
Fun fact: Casilla got the save.
Fun fact: the umpire has a fractured penis.
Somebody today mentioned a lefty catcher’s glove.
From the Hall of Fame website, it turns out….
#OTD in 1980, the White Sox Mike Squires catches the ninth inning in an 11-1 loss to the Brewers, becoming the first lefty-throwing backstop in the majors since Dale Long in 1958.
didn’t know about Dale Long guy who holds (held?) the consecutive days with HR record ever catching.
American Hist unfortunately is rife with some bad characters elected as Prez. The country has managed to survive them; Andrew Jackson (face on a $20) mentioned here not long ago is guy I studied in college responsible for Trail of Tears Cherokees had to endure among other things. And of course openly defied Supreme Court ruling against him.
Hope we can survive this one and his group of scary acolytes.
Mattingly tied the record in ’87, pretty sure…