PLLLAAAAYYYY BAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!
No more sleeps to go, gents. Today we play!!!! Well, tonight. But whatever, real baseball is going down today. I’m as excited for the game as I am for my team. In fact, it’s necessary to be excited for both considering how bad the Giants are going to be this year. But that’s cool, serenity now, serenity now, I can put up with a 70ish win team for another year, at least.
I’m not as sold on the kids as everyone else is. Maybe it’s because we continue to have the bore core shoved down our throats I’ve lost touch with what it’s like to have a young exciting player develop down below and blossom in the semi-luke warm San Francisco sun. Whatever, I’ll worry about that another day…..
Today is the real deal. I don’t remember what we were doing last April 1st. Probably wearing a mask and watching netflix with the pandemic fully throttling our lives. No longer. Chi is looking out that window with a big shit eating grin on his face. The world is alive again……
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
One year ago today I was on a flight back home to the Bay Area to see my parents and my boss said I should reconsider with covid in the Bay Area air…peeshaw…I have not been as healthy as I have been in the last year!! Play Ball! Got my first Virginia round of golf in last week Dawg with new driver and and whole new stance for my long woods and hybrids!!! Let’s Go….got my typical first day picks on daily fantasy and then I usually give up after a week!!!
Great pic!
As SanDawg said, BC ain’t going anywhere, and this is team we have until we get better players. So let’s see what Kapler and his coaching staff can do with what they have. Ramos lighting up ST doesn’t do anything for me, when Longoria is having multiple bomb games/1.000 OPS and leads team in rbis—smoking the ball vs. real pitching at minor level, different story.
As for playing the kids, most of the prospects are couple years away should they work out at all. This is even more true for pitchers, who include a HS kid and lot of others who haven’t played at all in couple years. Quick look at fangraphs ratings has pitchers lot further down list than hitters. fun to keep an eye on them but, how many will ever work out no one knows.
TV games back to back, ten to ten today, with the best last. No foolin. Let’s go.
Didn’t take long for the first postponement of the season — Orioles at Red Sox.
Well, bad weather. Probably interfered with the drones spray of disinfectant. Tomorrow!
and in reminder of where we still are, Nats are down bunch of players due to positive test and tracing of those on flight with him. yikes
Nats player who tested positive must quarantine for minimum 10 days, and others who flew with him no less than 7. So Nats down 5 guys they have to call up.
Noticed comments closed by MLBTR on this story…site is cool but man sometimes discussions by those with divergent opinions devolve into name calling, personal and political stuff, unfortunate.
You bet your ass I am (Chi is looking out that window with a big shit eating grin on his face. The world is alive again……).
Boom! Opening Day, boys! My favorite day of the year. And with that…no more sitting at the window for now…
“The Green Fields of the Mind ”
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
– A Bart Giamatti
But this is opening day, so fuck all that heart-breaking rain and fall shit and sitting looking out of windows…let’s focus on the 162 that are ahead.
PLAY BALL!
Opening day.
A little snippet from the Athletic
9. The Giants defense will occasionally make you want to eat your remote control
If you want a specific number, let’s go with DRS, or defensive runs saved. I’m pegging them as a bottom-third in baseball defensive squad. In some of their toughest losses, the defense will be to blame. You will go to sleep thinking about the bad defense. You will wake up thinking about the bad defense.
This is part of the plan. Not the part where your night is ruined, but the idea that it doesn’t matter how the Giants score more runs than their opponents. It only matters that they do. When the plan works, you will enjoy home runs from Wilmer Flores or doubles from Donovan Solano, and they’ll lead to more runs than the other team. Good, you’ll think. That’s how it’s supposed to happen.
They scored more runs than they gave up last season.
Hopefully we can do that again this year.
No April foolin’. As usual, Big Flavor nails it. It’s on. We go with what we have, along with various scrips and scraps the Divers dredged up from here and there across the baseball world. Hang tough, gang. The Giants are fixin’ to rise—maybe just not this season. So bear with the long-term program.
Nothing much flowing through the pipeline this season, prospects-wise. Done there. Been that, what with Bart, Ramos and Jaylin Davis teetering on the ledge of The Show this season. Bart may have upped his game with the stick, according to his ST stats, but hold on, some AAA reps are needed, particularly in settling in deeply at the plate and managing relations with those pitchers from behind the dish. Ramos too, needs more seasoning, but he sure did light up the place in Arizona. If he takes off at Sacville, we could see him before the dust settles over the trading deadline. At age 26, multi-tooled Davis needs to get his shit together. Were the Giants the old Bums, this year could be his last exit to Brooklyn.
In contrast to the spate of mound prospects coming to The Show next season, the ’22 crop of position players looks a bit sparse, but maybe filling for the key positions of catcher, shortstop and first-base. Ready to don the tools of ignorance would be 21 Y.0. Ricardo Genovas, defensively talented, but uncertain with the stick. He’s projected as a backup catcher. Though technically listed as a shortstop, long-range, a bit short on range, Will Wilson looks more to fit in at second than as a SS—may be an adequate fill-in at the latter position, though. Rated at #12, overall in the top 30, Wilson is no speedster, but projects power, a relatively rare commodity for middle infielders.
Full flood spates in ’23, with no fewer than 11 candidates projected to show up two seasons into the future. Leading the pack is #4 rated and sporting 30-30 potential as a probable and desperately needed center fielder is Hunter Bishop. The LH batter would be 24 in ’23. Switch-hitting Tarheel, 21 Y.O. Patrick Bailey is currently occupying the #6 spot on the 30-man list. His fortes are defense and power. Luis Matos, still just a kid at age 19 is rated #7. Multi-talented on both offense and defense, Matos is capable of playing any outfield position, a rarity now in 2021. Ninth in line is outfield prospect #4, probable right-fielder Alex Canario, age 20. Tool rich, Canario has been touted as a trade candidate, what with the outfield glut and is considered as somewhat of a work in progress. Should he remain in the SF system, Canario might well not get the call till ’24. A logical pick for the hot corner is prospect ten, Luis Toribio. Though slow, the LH hitting 20 Y.O. sports a powerful throwing arm and the dude can hit…An obvious fit at third. Yet another outfielder, portside hitting Jairo Pomares, blessed with a powerful arm and with doubles power, slots in as yet another one of our still too young for a legit drink right field candidates.
Signed in last year’s draft class, Casey Schmitt, 22, another pokey-legged hot-corner candidate, is noted for his raw power and his strong arm. Coming in at #17 in the overall listing, first-sacker Logan Wyatt had quite a bit of exposure in Spring Training. The 22 Y.O. LH batter projects as another Brandon Belt, what with his lack of speed counterbalanced by excellent plate-discipline and a line-drive hitter. Filling out first is another left-sider, 20 Y.O. Garrett Frechette. He can hit for both average and power. Outfielder #7 out of the top 30 is yet another twenty year-old left hitting center or right-fielder, Grant McCray. Multi-tooled, McCray is speedy, possesses a power-arm and can hit. Middle-infielder Jimmy Glowenke, is another from the 2020 draft-class. Coming from the rilghthanded side, Glowenke offers a high OBP, with the requisite discerning eye and he also sports gap power.
Mr lonely man as the solitary class of ’24, Aeveson Arteaga, 18, is the newest kid on the block and a natural shortstop, signed for his range, speed, soft-hands, excellent arm, base-stealing potential and is rated as a contact hitter.
Of a total of 18 position players on the 30-man there are 3 catchers, a pair of LH hitting first basemen, two guys logically slotted for second, a pair each of shortstops and third-basemen and no fewer than 7 outfielders, the majority of whom are positionally diversified. Scouting and evaluation looks to have been excellent. Over the next three years we will get to see how they develop and how many of them actually reach The Show and are able to stick.
A shout out to Hubert Selby Jr? Damn.
Best analysis of Giants off-season moves and rebuilding progress. In my opinion, Z did an excellent job keeping costs low, while at the same time, keeping the proverbial eye on the slow, but steady, rebuilding process. Zero complaints from me:
https://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/reviewing_the_giants_offseason_moves/s1_13237_34501331?utm_source=mb&utm_medium=email&mb_edition=20210401&mb_loc=right_h
So far, lucking out in regard to DraftKings LUs. lqtm.
Nobody is shoving bore core down our throats. We’ve got nobody ready to replace them and they are still pretty good players, so I’m fine with them in the everyday lineup.
I’m very curious to see how this George Allen-esque “Over the Hill Gang” performs this year. I feel like 3rd place in the division is a good optimistic goal to strive for.
One Year More until we take significant steps to re-shape the club. I’m fired up.
No complaints with Z and the Giants owners. Better days are coming.
I agree whole-heartedly with your synopsis, San-D. Hope all is well for you and yours.
*Seems the consensus on this blog is for the Giants to go around 74-88. That seems about right. Would like to see Ramos up sooner than later. Bart had another good spring. Can’t believe he didn’t hit with more power last year. With Bailey being a more polished catcher will the Giants take a look at playing Bart at first base to possibly takes Belt’s place next year or later on this season?
*Dan Patrick said this morning he now has four sources (and I’m sure his sources are pretty good) that the Niners selecting Mac Jones is a done deal. But is Wilson going to the Jets a done deal? Justin Fields is just outstanding and the closer everyone is comparing him to Wilson, Fields comes out looking good if not better than Wilson. If the Jets decide to take Fields, then is Wilson going to the Niners or is Jones still a done deal? And Lance also looks great. What a tough decision.
Because the Niners are a possible Super Bowl contender with everyone healthy all four of these QB’s would love to play for them. Too bad the Niners can’t bring in all four of these QB’s at the same time and have them compete against each other for the job. What a pro audition that would be.
Just gotta have faith the Niners FO knows what they are doing. If we go Jones I imagine most of our high picks go to the OL.
I read a good article in The Athletic yesterday on the QBs being considered for the Niners. The important point made is that Shanny’s first priority with a QB is that they must be able to stand in the pocket, make the reads, and deliver. Being able to scramble/make things happen with their legs is a nice to have, but secondary to the ability to read the defense and deliver the ball.
With that said, Jones is the guy who has that quality for which Shanny craves. Will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
And IMO they are set on the o-line. Don’t see them going high pick there. First pick obviously will be a QB. I am thinking DB after that…will be fun to see it all comes to pass.
Jones seems like a possible bust to me…didn’t he just have a terrible pro day??? No way I take him over Fields or the BYU potential phenom. Who is the gun from ND State? Trey Lance? He may be the diamond in the rough….
I’m living on Banbridge Island, a short 30-minute ferry ride to Seattle, which is then a short walk to T-Mobile Park. My plan is to try to get a ticket for tonight and wear my Orange and Black proudly. “Let’s Go, Giants”
Fuck yeah, Ervin! Let’s go!
A Flap Man on the scene—-nice!
Ervin is my main man on the scene in Seattle. Nice. That makes one Flapper in just about every major city in America.
Hell yes! Hope you score a ticket and get a chance to represent the Orange and Black, Ervin.
I’ve never backpacked before but my brother talked me into a beginners one night trip to China Camp in Marin County. 3.5 miles of hiking. Just about right for these achy joints of mine. I borrowed some gear and am ready to go. We plan to listen to the game from our site. Bringing a backpack guitar and a 375 of Bulleit.
Should be fun. Go Giants!
Bulleit and ginger is a very festive drink.
Rye and Ginger is now my drink of choice!!! Bulleit good one…
Cool place (Chinese fishermen settled the area back in the day – hit the museum if you have time). Too bad it’s too cold – great swimming there in the small cove.
Cool…have fun San-D.
Gotta love this thread. Go sink dem Mariners, Giants.
Jays batter Jansen fouled a 99 mph fb straight back and then paused to sniff the scorch smoke on the barrel of the bat.
Hey, GH, Turkey! I could easily write a comment about 10 times bigger than the size of a Beatles YouTube clip right in the middle of all this opening day enthusiasm. I’ll refrain. It was a honeymoon trip with my ex, the mother of my children. It did not always go well competing with the Mercedes buses and endless caravans of diesel trucks on the coastal highway between Izmir and Stambouli, not to mention the constant headwinds we did not take into account, because we were complete dumbfuck inexperienced cyclists. Flew into Athens and took the boat from Chios to Cesme. An utterly miserable first day, which included me and my impossibly heavy bike being blown over by two passing trucks, was redeemed when a few of the satanic truckers invited us to join them for grilled Kofte at their campsite. The Kofte were the best thing we ate the whole 6 weeks we were there, and we, of course, ate a lot of amazing food (Kaymak on top of honey drenched shredded wheat and pistachios, the world’s greatest breakfast). We took a boat back down from Istanbul to Izmir and continued to Bodrum, from where we hopped to Rhodes then Haifa. I’ve never been back, perhaps in honor of memories that are no longer as freely shared as they once were . . . . Where is your mother from in Turkey?
Just north of the drumstick…
now beaver
Istanbul. Family originally from the east of Ankara town named Sivas. But was in the Bodrum area with a trip to Ephesus in 2010. Did you bike to Ephesus and/or Cappadocia??? Still think you were nuts:)
Yes, Ephesus, Didyma, Priene, Miletus. Didn’t make it to the interior. Yep, the whole trip was pretty crazy, dangerous, and imprudent. The first intifada broke out 2 months after we cycled down the Jordan Valley. The night getting drunk with friendly at first Palestinian laborers had us both a little nervous.
Tremendous play by Semien going to his left playing 2b for Toronto.
With what the FA SS are gonna get if Lindor’s deal is any indicator, Semien could be great plan B.
Correa rejected his 6 year $120 mill deal as well and not sure I would spend that on him…Seager gets more than $200 mill and maybe we pursue and keep him away from Flodger land….
Lot of different ways to build or rebuild contending team.
LA today has only 3 position players they didn’t trade or acquire in starting lineup, 4 if you count Kershaw.
Padres have exactly 1, Tatis Jr. And are starting Darvish today on mound.
Yeah baby the smell of Spring and trees and plants with the sun sparkling and bird feeder and wind chimes working overtime,and just everything starting to bloom is awesome 😎 compared to dreary winters!
And now to top it off we have “Giants Baseball “ where hope springs eternal and everyone is in it tied at 0-0!!
Maybe where you are Kat…not anywhere near us…
Yeah it’s pretty much still in the low thirty’s here until about 10 am and then if we are lucky we get no rain and some mid 50’s. My guess is it’s gonna be cold in Seattle.
I think this is a promo for the 93 AS game.
It’s good.
Cold as hell on east coast ..where is the global warming???
Over eighty here today. It’s called climate change.
California looks to be completely on fire by July, if not sooner.
Exactly.
88 in Walnut Creek. No March Miracle this year.
Starting battery today for AZ at Petco vs. padres: Bum and Vogt.
Bum sitting on 19 career bombs… this season might be last chance to get to even 20.
Comfortable 81 degrees here in Bay Area GH😎
I feel your pain East Coasters!
But then you will get your muggy, humidity, hot as hell days with 2 showers a day are more “Body Heat” scenario come July,August,September right?
Wasn’t Matty’s body heat a degree or two above normal? That’s the kind of torrid zone I can go for. The warm south.
So it’s another season of the dumb runner on 2nd in extra innings rule.
Stupid imposition. And why is the free runner the last batter to fail?
yes. But Toronto pen guy blitzed Yanks and K’d side.
Result was a Yanks loss, so rule is not so bad in this instance.
Yep. Say there’s 2 outs, bottom of the 9th, no one on, tie score and Speedy McPowerless (Actionless Jackson?) is up. It may behoove the team to let him make the last out to ensure you get a fast guy on 2nd if the next guy is Boaty McAnchor (Buster Posey?).
That vid is awesome. Alice Cooper and little Hammer no less. Bonds’ 1st year as a Giant iirc.
Flemming and Jess Mendoza doing Dodger game at Rox.
So is Kuiper on road with Miller tonite? No Krukow?
There was story earlier in week about giants adding Pence to pregame…man OK as long Mrs. is far enough away.
Flemmings intro explaining the odd HR play that occurred earlier was excellent. He’s not real colorful but he’s smart knowledgeable and glib. We could do worse. Wonder if he’ll stick with SF as Kruk, Kuip and Miller depart.
I think his contract runs through 2022 season.
MadBum gives up 2 in 2nd, but fans Tatis with bases loaded and 2 out.
Got a stack of Tatis (Pfffttt so far), Myers (Bomb), Pham (hit by pitch), Machado (another Pfffttt thus far), and . . . wait for it, the star of the show, Vince Caratini (with 2 hits, 3 ribbies . . . Okay, Myers bomb carries more DK points, but I like what cheapo Caratini is doing).
you know now that I think about it, Pads got Tatis Jr. in trade with White Sox.., same as Pham Myers Machado Caratini yada yada. So zero home grown prospects in entire starting lineup.
Opie having some trouble getting out of 5th vs. Rox, who are now up 4-2
You should’ve taken Hosmer too, haha.
Pablo hits the dead ball deep.
Lol in the Dodgers/Rockies game, with Turner on first Bellinger hits a deep fly to LF where Tapia gets a glove on it at the wall but the ball popped out over the wall.Turner was rounding second but thought the ball was caught so he retags heading back to 1st head down and Bellinger passed him between 1st and second. Bellinger loses a HR and is out credited with a single but Turner was allowed to score! Totally bizarre..
Haha, buddy texted me about that, said Turner cost him a HR in fantasy, I said, “Good.”
AZ just hit 4 bombs in top of 5th to take 7-6 lead vs. Pads. They knocked out Darvish and hammered reliever too.
Bum earlier hit double on fly to base of CF wall, but also gave up 2 bombs and 6 runs in 4 innings.
If Darvish is the Pads’ ace, what’s the rest of their rotation look like?
Rox get two more runs on two wild pitches.
Safety squeeze was good, too. Wild ass base running. And they turned one of the best DPs we will see all year. Now if they can just finish off the bums.
that was fantastic. Story driving up price for trade, and next contract.
Mad Bum is what we all expected in AZ. A gopher ball machine.
buried in Chron column by Shea (that might be on his twitter) about Giants being allowed to have 8900 fans in for opener and conditions required to attend—archways WILL remain closed to start season.
As We Like It: Bard closes out the Bums.
after loading the bases with one out, arrggh. Opie gave up 11 hits and walk in 5 2/3, Dodgers made 2 errors on IF beside the dumb baserunning mistake. Sounds like what usually happens to Giants at Coors.
All’s Well that Ends Well
👍
Wonder how many fantasy players had Melancon, who got save for Pads today.
clean 3 up 3 down inning, lol.
the best part about playing daily fantasy is you don’t have to deal with stupid closers.
The Yankees lost because of the terrible extra-inning rule, so expect to never see that rule again after this season.
Whatever it takes.
Slater (LF)
Yastrzemski (RF)
Solano (2B)
Longoria (3B)
Belt (1B)
Flores (DH)
Posey (C)
Crawford (SS)
Dubon (CF)
Finally, Buster down the LU. Can you imagine Bochy having the sack to do that?
No.
3 – 4 seasons too late…
Interested in what Dubon will do hitting at bottom of order this season. He was a middle IF before Kap turned into a CF, mostly out of need. In ST he said he bulked up some and feels great. He hit soft .270, with .714 OPS, though he did have more BBs than Ks…if that’s all there is over 162, then he isn’t exactly a lock to be every day guy, except maybe if Solano leaves.
Saw Bernard Tavernier died. He did “Round Midnight” with Dexter Gordon playing a Bud Powell type of character, and got nominated for Academy Award, rare enough for black man at time.
There is a great bio out on Mr. Gordon, “Sophisticated Giant” written by his last wife Maxine. She said Dex had a lot to do with dialogue among musicians in the movie, trying to make it as real as possible. And he enjoyed the whole process quite a lot, managing to get some musician friends of his in the movie as well.
I remember Coup de Torchon. Not sure how I missed round midnight.
Coup is a nasty bit of fun.
Let’s FUCKING GO!!!
Yeah you right.
Look at that D.
Gausman? That was a beautiful play.
Yep.
Longo.
Great job by the director on the Longo HR.
Geez great camera work NOT on Longo’s Bomb!
Longo continues his torrid hitting.Like the way he’s been dialing shots to the opposite field.
Buster.
Buster bomb!
Juiced balls!
That’s a good sign! Buster killed it for the HR!
Kap’s an idiot, a guy with power like that hitting 7th???? Lqtm
So in one swing he outdoes entire 2020 of Bart.
Lulz
His stand, turn profile and stride away when his pitcher finishes the inning with called strike three is as good as ever. Bart needs to study that move, understand how it pays tribute to the hurler. Looks good from the CF camera too
Uh oh. The old guys are raking.
Buster Blasting. Longo Bongo. Everyone’s been hitting this guy hard so far. Pitch count not very high, but if Gausman can maintain for a few innings, he’s got a bit of a cushion. Was not expecting such an aggressive take by the Giants, but more of an advance the runner approach. Evidently they’re liking what they’ve been seeing.
The pace of play is going to give me a heart attack.
Gausman gassing em. That was quick. Hang on, James.
5 pitch innings always work,Gausman on his game out of the gate..
Seattle TV broadcast is agony…
Kruk and kuip commenting on the same video we see is harmless.
Is Dave Sims still their announcer?
Don’t know, Mac. I bailed out of there.
Whoever they are, they never shut up and can’t stop talking about themselves…
Good call he was out by the enormous giraffe feet by Belt!!
Replay saves Craw from reaching 16 errors this year.
Wilbur!!!!’
Why are they still showing a hit for the Mariners?
I’m seeing zero, Kat…
Huh can’t even post a new post. Has to be a reply. Using the ‘puter to watch the game.
WordPress sucks on the phone
Funny thing is I’m watching the Heat Warriors feed to get Kruk and Kuip.
Funny you should say that, Chuck. I just graduated to an iPhone and it totally sucks for the blog.
Not even gonna bother…
Yep. May be an iPhone thing but o can’t log in and even going they wordpress is a pain to even find the comments.
Holy shit, Gausman has teeth.
Nice to see fans in the seats…
My tv showed one hit but now they have one dammit I jinxed him..
Yeah I have issues sometimes with both Flavors and yours Chuck with WordPress it’s weird..
This year he’s Du-Bone…
Slater.
We keep this up it’s gonna be fun.
God damn dead ball
Austin power!
27 Yankees with these bombs! Slater tater..
To get to the blog now from my iPhone, I go to WordPress.com and click twice in a row on the icon in the upper left that looks like the front page of a newspaper. It takes you to whatever WordPress blogs you belong to.
Test
Hey, I just posted on my phone from oneflapdown77.com!! I haven’t been able to do that in a long time.
Set free from the WordPress.com site!
wow.
“He’s eating those garlic fries like he’s going to the electric chair” – Krukow.