Pointless Moves For The FB Housewives
My main man in Reno, PaSalon, texted me “you better have a long stride” if I continue to criticize the Pence pick up. And while Big Flavor fears no mortal man, friend or foe, I have no intention of continuing to call out Zaidi for his perplexing off season moves. He has broken me.
The Billy Ham pick up doesn’t enthuse me as much as you might think. I love what he does once he’s on the base paths but it’s the *getting on the bath paths* part that’s the biggest problem. He had a chance to show what he could do in a cavernous ballpark last year in KC and it never happened, in fact they batted him 9th most of the time he played. His stick is just too impotent. I suppose there’s a chance he could bounce back a little in a return to the NL and I would prefer watching him 1000 times over the known boring entity of Dugger. Could he lace a few balls into triples alley and excite the crowd in ways Belt could only dream of doing? Sure he could, but at this point B-Hammy does nothing for me.
Just like all of Zaidi’s moves.
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One Flap bonus token to the first Flapper who can identify where the phrase “you better have a long stride” came from without googling it.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Never heard the phrase before.
Is it from a movie? I’m going through a phase again, which I sometimes go through, where I don’t think movies matter much.
In non-baseball news, Antarctica had its warmest day in recorded history yesterday.
Speaking of long strides, remember this song from the 1960s?
“In the year 2525, if man is still alive
If woman can survive, they may find
In the year 3535
Ain’t gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lie
Everything you think, do and say
Is in the pill you took today
In the year 4545
You ain’t gonna need your teeth, won’t need your eyes
You won’t find a thing to chew
Nobody’s gonna look at you
In the year 5555
Your arms hangin’ limp at your sides
Your legs got nothin’ to do
Some machine’s doin’ that for you
In the year 6565
You won’t need no husband, won’t need no wife
You’ll pick your son, pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long glass tube
In the year 7510
If God’s a coming, He oughta make it by then
Maybe He’ll look around Himself and say
Guess it’s time for the judgment day
In the year 8510
God is gonna shake His mighty head
He’ll either say I’m pleased where man has been
Or tear it down, and start again
In the year 9595
I’m kinda wonderin’ if man is gonna be alive
He’s taken everything this old earth can give
And he ain’t put back nothing
Now it’s been ten thousand years
Man has cried a billion tears
For what, he never knew, now man’s reign is through
But through eternal night, the twinkling of starlight
So very far away, maybe it’s only yesterday”
How much acid you think Zager & Evans were on for their one-hit wonder?
How many hit songs did you write?
Alright, Zumie that did it!
You and me in the schoolyard at 3:00…
I have no doubt you would kick my butt. I don’t know jack about fighting.
🙂
I’m sort of a hippy at heart.
Me either, although I did fight Vinnie Curto to a draw on Sunset Blvd. in 1989…
In that interview yesterday, Hinch never really admits he was part of the cheating. He uses vague statements like “I allowed it to go on, and for that I’m sorry.”
By allowing it to go on, he was a major part of the cheating. He was deep into it with the others.
The media needs to stay on all of them, all season, and beyond this season if necessary.
I want to hear from Verlander, Mr. Astro Clubhouse leader. I’d like someone to ask him how he could allow such a fraud to go on, in the game he supposedly loves so much.
Zumiee if you, our most voracious reader, doesn’t know the phrase then I doubt others will. But let’s give it a while and see if it clicks in anyone’s memory
I’m assuming Lexi had a decent influence on this decision. She’s born and raised in Ca (LA) so she probably put down some good roots in SF and was tired of the Texas scene……
I dunno that expression and that Pence deal baffles me too. I guess, like has been stated before, we need some disposable vets around if the young guys crater and I guess Kapler loves positive dudes like Pence and the fact that it might sell a few more tickets doesn’t hurt.
For me, I have a hard time believing Baer has much of a voice anymore when it comes to decisions like this.
It feels to me like the overall plan is to try to win some games on the cheap while we continue to restock the farm and wait for these awful contracts to expire. I’m actually down with that plan—-though I would have preferred not bringing in Pence/Ruf/Flores/Hamilton type dudes and just going at it with our AAAA guys and living wiith the consequences. Just lean in to the fact that we may well be the absolute worst team in baseball, but fully vet our “prospects” and come out of it picking at the top of the draft.
Its better to burn out than to fade away.
indeed it is. I would have no problem with going the route of *worst team in baseball* in 2020. At least we’d get the first pick in the draft. Who knows, maybe we get it anyway and the season ticket holders who don’t care about anything except watching for quirky Pence at bats and lovable Panda appearances stay happy while they down those garlic fries……
That was two great posts by you guys.
Watching Jarrod Dyson with AZ I can appreciate what speed and D guys bring to table. If Giants were a better offensive team a player like that would be a good fit. Pavs tried to make case for Duggar that his D will save x amount of runs and it’s OK to have him bat 8th. Nonsense. Too many 8th place hitters here already.
Resigned to losing interest in watching uphill climb to 60+ wins ofn 2020 Giants.. AZ and SD both have players I like. NL Central should be 4 team race along with NL East, new mgrs. and defending champs. And while commentary sucks, McChron site does have minor lines that gives daily updates on prospects.
Reading Ken Bruen Jack Taylor series newest, just riveting Irish noir. So slainte and enjoy whatever brand it is you’re preferring.
Last year I abandoned the MLB Extra Innings package and went all MLB radio which is a steal at about $20.
Miller had me asleep by 11:00 (here) most nights.
This year I may go with Morse Code.
And no I never heard that expression, which is good because I am the all-time expression hater…
And all you Puig haters should at least admit that he would have made things a helluva a lot more interesting and motivated you to watch a lot more often than you probably will. Far greater baseball minds than mine think they shouda signed him. They fuckin’ blew it…
it’s a 2 way street. Why would Puig, who’s entire US family is in Florida, want to come to SF? Where he’d get no pub on a terrible team and be in a ballpark he’d struggle to hit HR’s? He also knows everyone hates him in SF.
Puig coming to SF never made any sense and that has nothing to do with the Giants supposed interest in him
Maybe it was the bat-licking. That was pretty off-putting.
There’s bat-licking and then there’s bat-licking. His is kind of pornographic.
.
Sorry that posted twice. The first one wouldn’t post so I thought WordPress had rejected my wording. Then it posted it anyway.
I’m currently reading Naomi Klein’s book about climate change, called “On Fire.”
Interesting, compelling, frightening, despair-inducing; but also inspiring with calls to action. She’s trying, and I admire everyone who’s trying.
I didn’t follow the Puig/SF romance last week but I’m assuming this dude was looking for, at best, a 1 year make good deal. He isn’t going to SF to try to resurrect his career, his declining career. What’d he hit for Cleveland? Like 3 home runs in 3 months? That’s really all he’s good for besides his arm.
Headed to his 4th team, Puig is on the downside of his overrated career and he’s a cancer to boot—a combo few teams are looking to overpay for…..
His is one of the most mystifying baseball careers ever. That first year he seemed like a no-doubt superstar in the making.
i still recall SanDawg saying “This guy Puig is gonna be a problem” when he first showed up
People were comparing him to Bo Jackson.
I thought he was gonna be an incredible player and I wanted him in orange and black for years. But at a certain point, the talent didn’t develop like I thought it would and the baggage kept growing and even I lost interest in him.
the tools are obviously there. But attitude matters. What you focus on matters. He seems to care more about the peak of his biceps than the trajectory of his career…..
Giving up the MLB package and going audio-only for the Giants, I could do without much issue. But giving up being able to watch Giants AND Mets games on TV???? That’s a bridge too far for me.
I honestly don’t care much if the Mets win or lose, but now I know their team so well and love their TV broadcast so much, I have to catch 2-3 games a week. It’s weird—I know.
They’re very good. I don’t always agree with their takes, but they make every broadcast interesting.
Morse code is the new signal stealing system Dusty Baker is going with in Houston this year..
And about Pence, They’re is no way a guy with his integrity was going to sign in Cheatville as now possibly every other F/A .Why go to a team that you know your going to be mercifully screamed obscenities at and thrown at constantly?
Plus losing they’re #1-2 picks the next 2 years? They might even slide past the Giants in a couple of years in futility..
late crowd? Or just no crowd
Flavor spitting on Ham > Flavor dropping all his love for Z.
I’ve never been that big a fan of Pence, but in 2019 he was a far better hitter than anyone on last year’s roster.
The signing of Pence is disappointing to me for one main reason.
I smell the hand of Baer all over this. IMO there is no way Zman makes that call on his own, if he is truly independent to run the baseball operation. This is a bone thrown to fans to get some to the ballpark to spend some cash. Season tickets are paid, getting them to come and spend concession and parking dough is a different proposition. This cannot be a baseball decision; which tells me Zman has fettered authority. If Pence is on the 26 then he’s just taking up the 26th spot from one or more young players that need to play in the season so we can see what they’ve got. After all, that is the only reason for which this season is worth paying attention…
You’re probably right, but Pence’s 250 ABs, if he even gets that many, are unlikely to decide the fate of some future star. A 7 figure loss in attendance, which may happen anyway, is not a good thing. There’s no need for any additional wake up calls for ownership and upper management at this stage.
He’ll probably get hurt early in the season and be on/off the DL. Maybe the spot will open up anyway through natural causes. If Marty Lurie brings the Pence wife back to his post game show I am turning that noise off…
I’d also wonder about the Billy Ham signing. How could Zaidi, someone so enamored with the allure of getting on base, sign a guy who can’t get on base?
Yep, Z man, in theory, likes his baseball boring.
It wouldn’t be a shocker if Pence retires during the season if he’s doing badly. He wasn’t going to retire in the middle of his embarrassing 2018 because he was getting $18 million that season. There’s no reason for him to embarrass himself in baseball anymore.
Pence had an incredible year at the plate in 2019 in limited at bats and before his inevitable injury. I wouldn’t expect anything close to a replication considering the ballpark change and his age. Also, there is no position to play him without any + from his bat being undone by the – from his glove. I wonder if Z thought of this before signing him?
Pence claims to have made some changes to his swing and for that flexibility he should be commended. I wonder if he can convince Belt/Posey/Craw to do the same thing? I can’t handle another season of watching Belt pound the ball into the shift over and over. Does he understand they shift on him? Or is he just too stubborn to care?
Could be a little something to that about Pence as “bat swing adjustment role-model.”
and there you have it.
that is incredible.
Would love to hear their answers…
Mac Williamson worked on changing his swing, how did that work out?
Lmao looks like the Twins are pulling out of the 3 way deal with the Dodgers &RedSox, this could nix the Betts trade for now..
Fortunately for B-Hamm there’s 13 coaches on staff to help if he is interested in getting better. The club’s kind of like a Little League team now but with better sponsors.
and we are now closing down POTD nominees a little early, nice one.
Kapler at least is talking about trying to help the Bore Core improve. He’s motivated to try to make it happen. We have low expectations on that happening.
“anyone who tries to butter my biscuit with a worm had better have a long stride.”—-Soupy Jones, Lonesome Dove
A little bathroom reading…
https://nypost.com/2020/02/08/is-it-safe-to-speak-the-truth-about-kobe-bryant/
I know I’ve been as down on the Pence pick up as anyone but after watching this, man, this guy sure is easy to root for. I’ll take a year from him over a year from Puig 1000X . Watch the entire thing, even Lexi isn’t that annoying for the first time ever
Aramis Garcia had hip surgery. That’s a bummer for him. He had a shot at back-up catcher on the big club this season.
Geez we better get Krispy Kratz in to camp pronto!!
Bring up Bart and stop babying everyone…
Agreed. They draft these guys and it’s like they’ve never played baseball before. Years and years later, they appear.
Solomon Torres Syndrome is real, man!
Based on what I was seeing (like an old school Sabean style scout!), I suspected that the decline in Belt’s numbers had more to do with his weak contact when going to LF – which he actually does frequently – than with his ground balls into the shift. Here are the splits that seem to confirm what I thought was happening:
2016 (868 OPS): https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=beltbr01&year=2016&t=b#all_hitlo
2019: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=beltbr01&year=2019&t=b#all_hitlo
A case could be made that Belt is the most boring player in MLB. 0-2 counts that grind their way to 3-2, then lots of strike outs and walks. Lots of foul balls.
What you describe are actually traits of most of the better hitters in the league:
https://www.foxsports.com/mlb/stats?season=2019&category=BATTING+II&group=1&sort=15&time=0&pos=0&qual=1&sortOrder=0&splitType=0&page=1&statID=0
Unfortunately, between the ballpark, injuries, and what was at best B+ talent to begin with . . . .
In general the last few years, the Giants foul off so many mistake pitches. Pitches right down the middle fouled off.
his BA on pulled balls was nearly 100 points less in 2019 than in 2016. It was, what about 80 points less to the Opp field? I didn’t write any of that down, just glanced at it, may be off what I looked at once.
Look at the OPS on the groundball stats. That’s where the shift is ostensibly killing him. They haven’t changed much. Almost all of those have been up the middle or pulled over his career.
I’m been consistent in having said this ages ago: With the right manager (Bochy), Puig would be a real asset. All the shit he does would be loved if he did it for our team — and was productive. Fans are like that. Xenophobic, if that’s the word. Pence and Sandoval? Puhleez. Nostalgia does not pennants win. Gregor Blanco retired. Things looked a bit rough at the plate last year for him on the Syracuse Mets Chiefs. I’m surprised Zaidi ain’t bringing back Manny “Two, Sir” Burriss.
*I’ve
As for Belt changing his style and hitting more ground balls to the open left side, he can’t simultaneously have an upper cut/launch angle approach and flatten his swing. Trying to emulate Cody Bellinger’s two strike butcher boy is not going to turn around Belt’s fortunes, either. His best chance not to repeat 2018-19’s mediocrity is to stay healthy, and that may not be enough for a 31-year old who has never handled power pitchers that well.