Two Expected L’s
Well what have we learned through 2 games? Not much. Anyone that thought we were better than LA was probably high. And there’s no shame in being worse than one of the best teams in the league. Zaidi and Kap have us much farther along that I thought we were. At least, they have shown they can get production out of a team I didn’t think had that production in them.
It’s only been 2 games but it feels like this would just keep happening no matter how many times we play them in 2021.
I turn my weary eyes to the aged POTD and ask, “Could it be true?”
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
A look at the standings is a reminder that the Giants are 10 (!) games above .500. A win today would make the series kind of a success, sort of.
On the AAA game TV broadcast last night, one of the broadcasters said the total batting average of MLB players combined right now is the lowest in modern history, which means since the early 1900s.
I can’t remember the last time I ate a bowl of Raisin Bran. I currently have a box of shredded mini-wheats.
I once had a fight with my dad about Grape Nuts.
One of the many childhood scars that haunt me to this day…
what started the fight and what did the fight look like?
Well it wasn’t physical or anything. He bought a box on my recommendation and was unnecessarily harsh in his criticism of them. I guess I took it personally and it got a little ugly. We patched it up a few years later…
Last two days are where things were expected. Bauer is the type of guy who did LA for a year finds out it is all not up to the hype and now says I’m going to their rival…would not be shocked.
I remember off season being on the MLB trade rumors site and idiot Flodger fans were going “oh we dont need Bauer, he would be the 5th or 6th best pitcher in their rotation” so I would reply you idiots, he is not going there and getting paid likely at least $30 mill a year to be the #5. He is a #1 and will be paid that way and how Bauer thinks of himself. He may not pitch #1 in their rotation but he would be their ace.
I truly believe that those bland batting helmets are part of the problem.
A shiny black (instead of the dull matte finish) and most importantly a bright 3D orange SF would make all the difference…
Kinda hope they don’t trade Yaz but I could see it. Ramos is doing well in AA pitchers league, and after another month would probably be promoted to AAA Sac and be up here late in season. They have ton of OFs already on 40 man; while none of them are standouts opening up another spot or two by trading Ruf or Dickerson wouldn’t affect final standings.
Would not trade pitching away though. Less of that available within system.
“Starting” pitching. Sure offense is down across board but that’s been most pleasant surprise of season so far to me. As noted by others, even Kazmir was fine yesterday. Score was 1-0 when he left and only got ugly later on vs pen guys. Even with LA playing scrubini replacements, their pitching is so good they don’t need to score much to win. Lux kid looking like real deal after struggling earlier in his career, yikes
there is an endless pipeline of FA pitchers who want to come to Oracle to re-start their careers…
Based on this season anyway, that pipeline seems much more stocked with starters than relievers…
As far as the POTD , Yaz could be like Andres Torres – basically a 1.5 year wonder.
Solano’s small sample this year is a return to his pre-superstar levels.
And who knows if PEDS were ever involved.
Can you blame these guys who never made the huge bucks for trying anything?
There were some good outings by Giants minor SPs yesterday. Sam Long for Richmond has thrown 15 innings in 4 starts and given up 12 hits 5 runs 0 bombs 0 BBs 22Ks. League batting only .214 off him.
Caleb Long for High A Eugene went 7 shutout innings. In 21 innings he has given up 9 hits 3 runs 1 BB and 32 Ks. ERA is barely over 1.00
Doval I noticed blew save for Sac,faced 4 batters allowed 2 hits got 2 out. Giants errors allowed 3 unearned runs total in game they came back to win.
?–how you guys feel about Belt bunting for hit vs. shift yesterday? With shadows early must have been tough to see and hit, and Buehler obviously is dang good anyway. But should Belt (and other Giants LHs) do more of it or not?
Yes, I think bunting is a great weapon and if it’s done correctly has got to get to opposing pitcher. But the players who do it should be able to beat a close one out.
didn’t realize it at time, but Roberts chose to rest Betts, even with LHP Kazmir starting. so he had guys like Beaty and Peters in OF, subbed in A’s reject Neuse for Pujols after he singled, and of course they wound up adding on vs. giants pen after Kazmir left.
I am personally not a fan of Grape Nuts, but here are some fun facts:
“Grape-Nuts sponsored Sir Admiral Byrd’s 1933 expedition to Antarctica,[9] which resulted in the first two-way radio transmission. Maps of Admiral Byrd’s expedition appeared on Grape-Nuts boxes at the time.
During World War II, Grape-Nuts were included in the Allied Forces jungle rations on missions to Panama and various other tropical locations.
In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay brought Grape-Nuts along on their trek to the peak of Mount Everest when they became the first to reach the mountain’s summit.”
“According to the Grape-Nuts website, Grape-Nuts “actually contains neither grapes nor nuts”. The name may have come from the cereal’s resemblance to grape seeds, or from its nutty flavor.”
My breakfast cereal rotation lately is only:
Frosted Shredded Wheat
Honey Nut Cheerios
Honey Bunches of Oats
and only rarely now Frosted Corn Flakes, which has fallen out of my heavy rotation.
I acknowledge that Wheaties and Life are real good, but I refuse to pay the ridiculous price for those two. ALL breakfast cereal is way overpriced, but especially those two.
Wheaties are still under $4 bucks a box at Walmart. And if you shop at Costco you can get Life pretty cheap.
I love grape nuts and eat em about once a week. I always thought they were kinda like a ry krisp that you took a hammer too.
Zumiee – It’s obvious you don’t have diabetes.
Thanks for the tip on Wheaties and Life. I see their prices in the regular grocery store, and the price astounds me. Man, food is just so expensive these days. Even accounting for inflation, food was so less expensive in our parents’ generation. I feel sympathy for young parents today. EVERYTHING is so expensive now.
Chuck mentioned a $16 dollar beer at the Giants game. The price craziness goes on.
It’s truly outlandish.
You can get an 18 pack of Bud Light for that here…
I saw a news article that said “Baby Boomers aren’t saving money like their parents did,” as a chastisement to Baby Boomers.
Well, gee, our parents didn’t get GOUGED on the price of everything like we are.
Baby Boomer parents and Baby Boomers have also trashed the earth and oceans for the younger generations who now realize it and are pissed off, rightfully…
Yes.
The politics of greed. Our generation was real good at that.
1. Austin Slater (R) CF
2. Donovan Solano (R) 2B
3. Mike Yastrzemski (L) RF
4. Darin Ruf (R) 1B
5. Brandon Crawford (L) SS
6. Mauricio Dubon (R) 3B
7. Curt Casali (R) C
8. Mike Tauchman (L) LF
9. Anthony DeSclafani (R) P
At some point, going to see the major sports in person became no longer financially viable for a lot of people, and that’s sad. The sports used to have blue collar prices, back in the day.
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Anyway, the only reason I buy milk is to put on cereal. You should try and mix HN cheerios with reg cheerios that’s the way I like em.
A great idea!
Concentrate by Kellogg’s was my go to cereal in the 60’s-70’s in the gold box with with a huge red C on it with a metal spout to pour out of.
The flavor was the bomb, and at the time Kellogg’s claimed it was the most needed nutrients of all cereals.I was pissed when they discontinued it…
Now days I like Honey nut Cereal And Cinnamon Crunch toast which is great as the cinnamon blends into the milk it’s a bonus.Just don’t let the cereal get to soggy though while eating it..
Yeah, soggy cereal is the pits. A person can’t dilly-dally around while eating cereal.
My favorite from the 60’s and 70’s was Team flakes. They were really good and stayed crunchy in milk for a lot longer than most flakes. Don’t know why they would ever stop making em unless people stopped buying their lesser flake stuff.
I don’t remember that one.
Scanning through Santa Anita races today, noticed almost every single race has no more than 5/6 horses entered. They just started allowing fans in, but wow won’t have much to pick from.
“Concentrate by Kellogg’s”
I vaguely remember that one. We had a lot of “Cream of Wheat” and oatmeal when I was growing up. I liked those.
Once in a while my mom would buy a huge bag of “puffed rice,” which was like eating styrofoam pellets, but I liked it.
cereal is lame. I haven’t had a bowl of cereal in 40 years
What do you have for breakfast? We’re nosy and want to know. 🙂
Have you had the Burger King Egg-normous breakfast burrito? It’s beyond gigantic. It’s the Mt. Everest of fast food breakfast burritos.
You guys are gonna kill yourselves with all that processed “food.” Quick breakfast for me is plain whole milk greek yogurt with a bunch of fresh blueberries, a teaspoon of Manuka honey and ground cinammon. Scrambled eggs are also easy. Crack three into a jar, screw on the lid and shake it like a marimba. Hunk of butter and a dash of good olive oil for the heat; maybe chop a couple leaves of fresh basil. Ten minutes. If you really need carbs, toast some Dave’s Killer Bread. Big pot of French Roast coffee, too, of course.
Hey, Casali! Great. Now doing something AT the plate.
Greek yogurt, very good. That is my evening snack every night. Usually in the middle of a Giants game.
i eat a typical Parisian breakfast. Half a baguette, butter, swiss cheese. Sometimes slap some ham on there. Feels just like I’m writing a poem at the bank of the Seine
Add a 28 year old Parisian brunette named Odile at a cafe in Montmartre and you’re vision gets even better. Watch out though, with that name she is likely dangerous, though perhaps worth the risk…
And you have to be OK with arm-pit hair on a woman.
Makes her even better…
Holding out Posey and Longo on a Sunday game v Dodgers is pretty lame in my book. Load management so they get 2 straight days off? Insult to the fans paying real money. The age on this team is a big reason why I think late season it’s gonna get ugly. Belt is already on the usual recurring hurt but not enough to be on the IL List list. Craw is playing off his ass, but how long before he pulls something, and is made lame for 6 weeks? If Ramos is heating up at AA, bring him up to AAA in 2-3 weeks, let him play there to the AS break, and if he does OK, bring him up. This OF crew is decent enough with the leather, but horrific at the plate, even in this pan-league hitting shortage…
My dad ate bran flakes and a few pieces of bacon just about every morning for many years, and lived to be 91. He was my step-dad, so I don’t have any of his DNA, though.
bacon’s good. effortless to cook in the oven, too. Effortless cooking is the best cooking.
The game went pffffttt in a hurry.
Reality bites.
This team is not ready for prime time.
And, the Doghairs have several of their best guys hurt…
Whoa. Bunch of cheapo hits then Lux unloads.
ok, scratching Disco’s name off the list of potential all star game starters….
This’ll be a gut punch to the Pythagorean W/L
What in the bloody hell happened? Thank god the PGA is on. Go Phil!
Disco sucked.
Chris Paul lob to Deandre Ayton for slam, Lakers call time, trail by 11 mid 3rd Q.
Just for perspective…Ayton is now in his 3rd year in NBA, after one full season at Arizona.
Wiseman has played 39 total games in NBA. 3 games for Memphis St before leaving. Give him some time and experience beyond high school, pls. any coach will tell you big men take more time and patience. would hate to see GS give up on him and try to win with small ball. too many good bigs around these days. It wont work.
Dammit. I forgot the alt country show was on KPFA.
Xoot, do you ever go to Hardly Strictly? I know some people avoid it because of the massive crowd sizes. But the lineups are always amazing.
I went in the earlier years. Possible to park in the avenues and walk to GG park then. It was always tremendous. I never did hit more than one day per year, but those were great days.
I remember you posting something about staying in a nearby hotel for the long weekend. Sounds like a beautiful short vacation. Have you tried to go every year?
Found “Stand Back” Charley Musselwhite w/Harvey Mandel from 1967 on vanguard label at lib the other day. good stuff, liner notes by Pete Welding.
yeah! brilliant first album, huh? And they did misspell Charlie’s name on the cover. lol.
keyboard guy was great too, loved version of Cristo Redentor (also misspelled), hit for Donald Byrd.
who would’ve thought that majestic, mournful tune would sound so fine on a damn harp?
21 and 15 for Ayton. suns win by 9 at home game one.
For the love of God and 24-1 championship odds..let’s keep it up Suns….
Too bad Koepka is not 100% with that knee to have kept the interesting. Even though he finished yday in 2nd his putting at the end of the round was atrocious. Not reading the line on putts right and then leaving putts way long and more of that today.
Koepka will likely be kicking himself for missing two gimmes today, one on the 2nd and another one early on the back nine.
Yeah, Xoot, the Stanyan Park Hotel, across the street from GG Park, near Haight St. That’s where we would always stay, but haven’t gone in a few years. The crowds were reaching an insanely large size.
Lots of great memories from the event over the years, including the time Warren Hellman, the funder of the event, asked if he could sit on our tarp with us for Emmylou Harris’ set. Of course we let him. 🙂 Super nice guy who LOVED the music. Sad news when he passed away a few years ago. Great that his family is keeping the festival going. Maybe it will resume this fall, if the Covid-19 numbers allow for it.
The hotel:
Real close to Kezar Stadium.
We used to go to Hardly Strictly every year. It used to be pretty easy to move from stage to stage during the day, then over the years it became not as easy, and then lately, impossible. The last few years you had to pick a stage for the day and that’s it. Too hard to get around through the crowd.
If you went all weekend you got to see both Emmy Lou and Steve Earle. They split the headline Sat/Sun, iirc. They were absolutely committed to making Hellman’s enormous gift a total success, year in year out.
Yes, we always see their sets, and Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. Those three acts are always there, and we like seeing them every time.
The performers we watched over the years is a flood of memories. Richard Thompson, Joan Baez, Elvis Costello, Eliza Gilkyson, Alison Krause and Union Station, Doc Watson, oh man, just a gigantic list.
Thanks to Warren Hellman!!
Always some surprises there. I saw World Party perform there! And Nick Lowe! Billy Bragg! Fun times.
World Party. Good band.
Our old friend Jeff Spicoli is pitching against us here.
My daughter used to live at 38th and Lincoln so I went when she live there. 2013 and 2014.
The Giants made some noise in the last two innings, for what it’s worth. Some unfortunate at’em balls in the 9th.
Arizona coming up. The Giants need some wins there.
AZ was on 7 game losing streak coming into today. they’re half game up on Rockies, fwiw.
On other hand, Bellinger on rehab in AAA, and could be back by next weekend.
The Lakers losing was something positive in sports today.
Some NBA players have spoken out that Curry should get the MVP. That’s very cool of them.
This one about sums up the series : Epic fail by the dunce in the Gnats garb :