Can’t Hit Can’t Win
Smarge was good enough to win last night and for once no homers allowed. Our hitters are an embarrassment but it’s not the worst thing in the world to go down k-ing vs Ray, he does that to a lot of teams.
Grienke shouldn’t have any trouble with us tonight and Bumgarner can usually step up in games such as these so maybe it’s a half way entertaining game.
You can still find a ticket for $2. What’s the deal in Miami? 6 tickets for sale?
Question for those who watched the game: did the park look 95% full to you? I guess a lot of bargain hunters snapped up those $2 tickets at the last second, eh? Attendance numbers are a complete sham.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Baggs has interesting column on bombs yard and poll of players, and agrees Giants have to add power. Some highlights:
a kid asked Craw about size of yards and here’s his response: “They vary in size. Ours is one of the bigger ones, 421 feet to right center which should be changed.” Some agreed with him, most not. Baer and Sabes said it’s not happening, such as moving pens off field out there and shortening fence like Pads did.
Yard continues to suppress HRs as Giants and Marlins have allowed only 66 at home lowest in all baseball.
But RH on other teams have hit 48 vs. only 21 by Giants. Panik has hit all 10 of his HRs on the road and OPS is .917. At home .573.
Is it vaguely, remotely, non-psychotically possible I have a 33-year-old “girlfriend,” under any definition? OK. Back to that losing season.
Sounds like a pretty good distraction you’ve got going there PK!
Like the long ball, chicks dig writers…
More like obsession
SF needs a mid-level offense to compete for post season spots. That’s a 740-750 team OPS. Assuming you have a 330 OBP, the SP needs to be in the 410-20 range. To do that, you need to hit about 150 HRs. The Giants will hit about a 130 this year. Of course, the lower the OBP, the more extra base hits and HRs you need. And this also assumes you have above average pitching. No 2017 offense has been good enough to compensate for 735 runs allowed, a number that would be inflated in Houston’s ballpark. That is how shitty the pitching has been for the Giants.
Crawford looks to be heading into the downhill side of his career. People can age quickly in sports. As Loo has pointed out, Crawford has never had the most athletic of bodies.
We’ve got a bunch of declining players signed to longterm contracts, the absolute definition of a messed up team.
Looks like a Phillies situation. No bueno…
it’s exactly the same.
one of the main problems we have is a bunch of position players who are either past their prime or who are not aging well (Craw and Belt fall into this category).
What’s with the crack training staff on keeping these guys in shape? It’s not like they’re 35. I have a mild hope Craw will do better at the plate next year from the get go. Give him a pass sort of, with his off field issues this season…
NFL peaked in the 70s and 80s. Steelers, Raiders, Dolphins; then the Niners, Cowboys, Redskins. NFL now is unwatchable, and with the CTE looming over the sport, it’s taking a slow slide…
LOL. The good old days.
Isn’t that Dick Allen? I also love the old school flapless batting helmet.
Richie Allen.
Same guy, Chuck.
Not surprisingly, Ray Woodson now has been picked up by 95.7 The Game sportstalk — on at various times, including now. He’s definitely upped the intelligence level on that station’s announcer inventory. Hmm. The cheaper “Franny” instead has taken his place on KNBR — listening to him kills more braincells than 2 pints of Pliny, without the pleasure. And, Franny is an unabashed Giants apologist, in between his incoherent and childish POVs. And, Franny and Lund together is a total disaster at sportsradio; Cumulus has made KNBR into a joke…
Franny is a hard listen for sure. Hoping Tolbert comes back soon.
good 1
I’m sure nobody misses the countless half-hearted pick-off attempts to “hold the runner close”.
Talk about slowing down a game…
Watching the tissue-paper Nats vs. the Dodgers….let’s be grateful the Dodgers first-round opponent will be Arizona or Colorado.
Or Brewers or Cards.
Baseball America’s top draft pick list for 2018 doesn’t thrill me. Their #1 prospect is a pitcher. A shortage of power-hitters. Maybe the list will change.
Here’s the BA #1 prospect:
“Brady Singer
RHP
Florida
6-5
200
Singer pairs electric fastball life with a slider he locates effectively. He struck out 129 batters in 126 innings.”
Hey everyone . . . I hope all of you are well. Nothing to add/say about the Giants that hasn’t already been said.
Whirlwind visit to the SF bay area to visit family and take care of unfinished business in Colorado. I’m heading back to Saigon on Tuesday. So looking forward to seeing my family. Miss them much!
By the by, Carstie has a birthday today. How do I know? Apparently, I “friended” him on FB (couple of years ago???) and got notified today. Anyway, I left him a message on his page to wish him a happy birthday and to hang in there . . . told him we all (flappers) wish him the best.
Haven’t had much time for baseball (maybe that’s a good thing?), but again, I wish all of you the best! See ya guys on the flip side!
Hey blade,
Hope fatherhood is treating you well…
hey Blade! Hope you are well. Maybe you can move your wife and kids to states? Or is that not an interest for you?
I could be wrong, but I thought Blade said he doesn’t want to live in the U.S. during the Trump presidency, anyway.
sounds right. I just can’t imagine him living the rest of his days in Vietnam
by the way, do we know the final outcome of Stix trial? Xoot?
No sentence imposed yet. It’s on the judge’s desk I’ll keep an eye on the docket and let everyone know as soon as something’s filed. I suppose the judge could convene a hearing to make the announcement but the substance would show up in writing too.
Great start to this game, huh?
thanks.
Nothing like the speedy trial guaranteed in the Constitution. What a joke.
When did we pick up Moore’s option? Anyway, he’s coming back next year. I’m ok with that only because there is so much bad pitching out there and he really can’t go anywhere but up.
best to Blade and family. Saw an article in Mercnews about a house in Washington Park area Sunnyvale that sold for half mil over asking price, something like $1.8 mil for 3 bed pad, as have many others in the region south of palo alto los altos to apple/google workers. Outrageous.
SC and Darnold looking pretty mortal so far, scoreless in 20 minutes vs. ‘Horns.
Hook ’em Horns!
Moore can’t go anywhere but up? He seems to be the only guy immune to the majic that Rags seems to spin around here. Dyson, Casilla, Castilla, Mota, Petit, Schmidt, Vogey, Hudson, Peavey, and about 15 other guys went from shit to decent to great under Rags. At least they were able to add a couple viable years to their careers under Righetti.
Fucking Moore keeps walking guys by the baker’s dozen and looking like a lost puppy out there. We don’t have a choice, but he ain’t our #2 anymore by any stretch of the imagination. He’s a 4 at best.
i’d take him as a 4. we need one of those. Nine mil isn’t much. Now he just has to perform like a 4. He’s been an 8 this year.
No shit!. Skinking hard tonight. Gonna be a weird one.
Apparently we picked up Moore’s option today. Moore was surprised. As was I.
http://www.knbr.com/2017/09/16/matt-moore-on-giants-decision-to-pick-up-2018-option-it-definitely-did-take-me-by-surprise/
5-14 and a 5.39 era (1.50 whip!) gets you re-upped at $9 mill per? Fuck me sideways. Fucking Samarj and Moore are tied for the lead in losses in the NL. Samarj has been a little snakebit, but Moore? The baseball Gods are laughing.
go out and look at what’s out there. Obviously they think he’ll have a better year next season. I’m cautiously optimistic about that happening.
I’m not. Like I said, he’s had enough time to absorb Rag’s input and he’s still walking guys all over the place and throwing BP out there. Make him a 5 and We’re good.
If you suspect that Smarge, Moore, Cueto, and Bum are going to deliver something closer to what was expected of them this year, then you may as well go full tweaker mode. Posey, Craw, and Panik, maybe Belt, give you your unspectacular, but solid Christian Core. Add a little bit of non-Honky, >775 OPS spice, and your offense is at least competent. One more good bullpen arm to supplement Dyson, Melancon, and Smith, and the team is set for 83 wins and the vague promise of a post season. There is still that silent killer, though, the totally fucked up bench . . . .
“Christian core” lol, very nice.
We need at least 3 OFers, and 3 relievers. Parker is fine off the bench. Pence has to fucking retire. He’s completely gone. Gorkys needs to fade away. I feel that we can get relievers that will handle this yard and Rags, tutelage. The hitting is was and will be a concern.
Belt will be fine. Crawfish had a horrible year personally. Posey ain’t going to 1st. HGundey is decent enough. Panik is fine. If we had any fucking output from our OF, we wouldn’t be this terrible.
With Cain gone I think we;ll be better. Get one starter and Moore is our 5.
Thanks Willie, Flav and snarkk. Flav, what Zumiee said actually doesn’t come into play (although, I can’t stand Trump); as much as my wife, Linh, has made it very clear from the day we met, that she loves her country and more important, her family. For me, it doesn’t matter where I live. I appreciate the fact that she loves me for me and not as a “meal ticket” or similar, to get to the USA. Many Asian women do this and frankly, you can’t really blame them, since much of Asia, particulary SE Asia is 3rd world or worse. Linh’s family is considered quite wealthy in Vietnam and here, they would be considered upper middle class, on the cusp of being rich.
That being said, my parents and relatives have a lot of angst about me living in Vietnam. This is exacerbated by the fact that both the Vietnamese and USA governments have been beyond bureaucratic in granting our marriage license, and my 3 year residency Visa. It actually involved bribes, as well as my mother-in-law’s influence with local authorities in Tuy Hoa. Regarding my baby’s citizenship and passport, along with Linh’s Visa to the USA – I specifically had to come back here, where I have a desktop and copier/scanner to make approximately 18 PDF evidence documents requested by our Saigon Consular Office (pre-requisite attachment to an appointment request). I wanted to get that all done before coming back here, but no go, since I had no desktop/copier/scanner. It was quite a hurdle to find a business in Saigon to translate the Vietnamese documents into English . . . another prerequisite of the US Consular Office.
Long story short – I gave my parents $10 thousand dollars 3 weeks ago, where they (and I think one of my aunts) can visit us in December or January, just in case we do not have the baby’s passport and Linh’s Visa completed. Finally, regarding my life here or there – I think I mentioned once before my transition to Vietnam will take upwards of 2 years, possibly 3. Who knows? For example, I still have a condo to sell here. Moreover, I have parents and relatives in California, where I will always be visiting at least 2-4 months each year.
Friend of mine married a woman from Canada and THAT was a hassle. I can’t imagine the machinations around a spouse from Viet Nam.
Great to see you on the Flap, Blade.
It’s so great, this new era in your life.
Life can open up new doors.
Cody Ross, Giants outfielder instructor.
Good luck with that, Cody.
USC is getting away with murder PI wise.
The longhorns with the pick 6!
Jesus. This is why college football is a bit of a joke. Please. You can’t let that shit happen.
That was just stoopid. F’ing stoopid.
Speaking of Vietnam, the new Ken Burns documentary series is a highly anticipated series about the U.S./Vietnam War, starting tomorrow night on PBS channels.
Jones is another worthless Bowker gang member. Our farm system is very ill these days.
blade: I just finished The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Some powerful shit. Excellent writer.
Yes, 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.and it is on my reading list (when I get time).
Just found that book in my shed. From my daughter’s collection of books. She’s been kicking my ass reading-wise lately.
Thank you Zumiee and Chuck.
I think I have watched 2, maybe 3 games all season, with 2 of them occurring while I was visiting my parents home in Sunnyvale. What a shit sandwich this season has turned out to be. Similar to Flav, I would be able to find solace in Fantasy Sports, but it’s no go in SE Asia . . . actually any country for that matter. It’s illegal. Consequently, I have had almost zero interest, unless you count the morbid like fascination some drivers have to slowing down when a severe accident occurs on highway 101. Ha.
Frankly, the only thing I was spot on about this season – was in regard to Melancon. I knew he was going to be a mistake and in season 1 of his contract, it has been. The rest of the team? Where to start? From top to bottom, in my estimation – we’re in trouble going forward; and yes, I include Posey (how long can he play catcher effectively?) and Bum (do they give him a new contract or trade him?).
Anyway, I have no answers about this team – only questions.
we’ll we’ve missed you. Thanks for checking back in. Wish more of the old vets would do so. Good luck with everything, maybe when you come back we won’t be the worst team in the league.
Great to hear from you, Blade. I’m sure you’ll get everything worked out. Are you in touch with Paul?
in honor of Blade’s return, Colorado is leading 16-0 in the 7th
Hahaha . . . I especially DON”T watch the Rockies.
Sheesh, “. . . worst team in the league.” Let that sink in. Did anyone here during the Hot Stove season even have an inkling that it would come to this? #smh . . .
A well-earned worst-team status. Terrible in all phases of the game.
And Bummie is getting no run support.
I’m sure he’s dreaming of dirt bikes.
We don’t HAVE to do anything about Bummie for 2 years. And we certainly won’t buy him out for $1.5. They’ll just pick up his 2 option years.
when being smart meets being lucky
Can you do that?
Tip for the kids: you better have a cannon for an arm or give up your ridiculous dreams.
Did the Giants get a hit?
Giants have inked Chipower’s dog to a minor league deal…
he could easily player/manager hybrid, His dog is Indiana Jones. He can do fucking anything.
93rd loss. 5-7 the rest of the way gets them to 100.
Those $2 patrons got to see $1 per hit from the Giants.
Petit closed out the Angels’ win tonight. Angels a game out of Wild Card.
Blanco is going to the playoffs.
Nunez is going to the playoffs.
Cool for them.
And maybe Adrianza for the Twins.
We may lose 103. Tha all-time worst.
This would not be good for their WAB.
15-25 for .375
This football game it pretty good. Teams are actually playing defense.
Gus Johnson screaming on every downfield pass is a bit too much, though.
Yes! The guy is annoying as hell. Great game though.
No kidding.
San Diego St. is giving Stanford a competitive game so far.
Alright alright alright . . .
When I hear San Diego State, all I can think of is Fred Dryer and the horror of Giant fans here when he was drafted in Round One. It wasn’t like now. No one had ever heard his name…
Rashad Penny is cool player.
The Penny Hardaway with Lil Penny commercials were funny.
“Hey Tyra you left your toothbrush over my house.”
“You can’t guard me. The Secret Service can’t guard me.”
I have never been a fan of the moral victory verbiage but I have never been more proud of a team than I was the Horns tonight.
They should have won that blasted game. If they wouldn’t have given up that ridiculous, cheapass TD on the last play of the 1st half, they would have won in regulation. But I agree, They played their hearts out – left it all on the field.
Good night for Cal, not so for Stanford.
Go Bears !
3-0…
Couldn’t find the Stanfoo game. The Cal game was pretty entertaining. They can play some defense!
Stanford game was on the CBS Sports Network. Channel 221 on DirecTV.
The end of the Tenn/Gator game is unreal.
this is hilarious and a good example of what it’s like to live in the Bay Area and still pretend to be a farmer. I have neighbors who have chickens, I’d never rally enough to be one of those people.
https://www.theawl.com/2017/09/how-to-kill-a-possum/