Later Days, Panda
All I gotta say is, “thank God for Snell.” I respect those who got up in their feels last night with Sandoval’s (hoepfully) last at bat in SF. He was one of the faces on the “3 in 5” dynasty. However, I wasn’t one of those people. I can’t get over what a shameless marketing ploy this was. The Giants love selling old feelings back to their fans. They don’t even re-brand it they just trot it right back out there for us. And so many Giants fans just eagerly gobble it up.
And remember, at the start of Spring training, before we signed Soler, Chappy and Snell, the entirety of the spring coverage was *the return of the Panda*. LOL. I was so pissed off at that.
At least with Snell in the bank I didn’t get caught doing the slow burn I would have done over this Panda marketing scam. Snell really changed everything in terms of what our pitching staff *could be this season. And it’s funny I don’t even really like Snell. Largely overrated unless all his shit is working. But for our needs he is critical to having hope for this upcoming season.
And while I love those 3 in 5 I care a lot more about winning another one. I just can’t sit there watching boring baseball (and when you are slow and weak you are the boringest) and try to trick myself I’m enjoying it just because we have those 3 beauties on our mantel. Now? hey if we don’t sustain any major injuries this year (I know, I know eye roll) we absolutely can compete for a post season spot and as The Panda and his boys proved to us more than once, get in and anything can happen……
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
and as we see with Flodgers and Ohtani gambling controversy, they could flounder with pressure. Betts experiment could backfire but their Betts-Ohtani-Freeman 1-2-3 punch will be best in baseball. And don’t count out AZ with now maybe best rotation in the NL.
my biggest worry for the Gigantes is Webb regressing. We need him to be the durable Matt Cain while Harrison lives up to his Lincecum hype and Snell and Hicks are the Zito (well they are lefties at least) and Vogelsongs of the rotation…also I have question marks about the pen and their front end. Can see our starters pitching their 5 and then do the long guys keep them in games???
not worried about Webb. He’s had 3 rock solid years in a row. No underlying numbers to worry about. I suppose he could get hurt but that’s a risk for all pitchers. Regression isn’t something I’m worried about with him.
I always liked watching Pablo play, there was a certain amount of joy to it. Also, those three HRs in Detroit set the tone of that WS and wipes out any criticism I may have had of the man, that was an awesome display. Not to get into the Renel thing, but who was the PA person last night? It sounded like a little kid. I expected to hear a now batting Roos Davis type mistake.
lol, his camp cries *massive theft*…..then reports it to no one. This guy and his handlers are so full of fucking shit it’s embarrassing.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39817568/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-authorities-contacted-theft
you’d think the feds would be all over theft, wire fraud, and large illegal transfers like that. Only way this works out for Ohtani is if he fully embraces American life, admits the guy was blackmailing him over his sexuality, and starts watching reruns of Friends to finally learn some English.
LMAO. POTD.
I’m sure Ohtani thought very highly of Mizuhara and wouldn’t want his record tarnished by a formal charge…
If you think the Giants are full of shit selling old feelings, Flavor, how about the Yankees who retire everyone’s number but the bat boy, and constantly shove their tradition in your face while at the same time tearing down the sacred ground of all their legends in order to build a gigantic mall for millionaires that happens to contain a little baseball field in the middle of it.
Hello Flap Nation!
I hope you have all been well. I’m excited for Opening Day tomorrow
and for my SDSU Aztecs taking on UConn AGAIN in the big dance. I think this is
our 4th time playing them in the tourney. We have to beat them once at some point, right?
Some quick Giants takes:
-Love the Snell signing
-Would have been fine with JD instead of Chapman
-Lee signing was crazy. I hope it works out, but I never would have given him that deal. Seems like an interesting dude though, and I look forward to watching him play.
-Renel did not add to the ballpark experience for me, so I personally don’t care she is gone. But it does seem like it was a bit of an unforced error by the Giants as so many fans did get pissed off. And now Twitter tells me the current one from Cal Poly SLO is a huge Dodger fan? That bothers me.
-Dodgers adding those two dudes to an already loaded roster really bummed me out. It has gotten to the point where I don’t like watching when we play them with the talent gap being so huge.
-Love JD Martinez coming out and saying he didn’t sign with us because of the park. And he is a RIGHTY! Maybe someone in charge will finally fix the crappy dimensions there.
-Webb getting shelled in the spring worries me. Even before that, I thought is was a little hasty to dub him as a top of the rotation ace guy. Not quite there for me.
-Totally on the Giants side on the Crawford deal. It was time for him to move on. I wish he had retired. I won’t be shocked if he is out of baseball before the season ends.
-It feels to me like they could handled Bart better. We’re pretty going to have to just give him away—right?
Ha, thought of you when I saw that comment. Martinez also said he’s “addicted to the playoffs” — after signing with the Mets.
Great stuff from you, Dog. You’ve always been very consistent about your disdain for the dimensions of our home field. As far as Renel’s replacement being a Dodger fan, I don’t like it either, but I think Ron Fairly was even worse and don’t forget Vin Scully was a huge NY Giant fan, but probably outgrew it in his thousand years with LA.
On the radio after a game at candlestick fairly once interviewed a young dodger player who excited him. Woman in the car with me and I were astounded. At the end, fairly gushed: “you just keep getting those great big hits and running all around the bases!” Became a refrain for us when we heard fairly fuck up thereafter.
“Fairly at Bat” was book he wrote and admitted time as Giants broadcaster was a challenge getting accepted by fanbase, lol.
No way Pablo was ever gonna make roster, but I do lament demise of PHs given all the pen guys needed these days. Harry Spilman had couple good years with Giants. Role of guy like Matt Stairs coming off bench late game has just been eliminated.
Great fun seeing Stairs kill the Dodgers in the playoffs as PH with Philly.
And Dusty Rhodes destroy the Indians in the ’54 series…
Guys that were good at it were known as professional hitters, right? Always dug guys like Jerry Lynch, even ex Giant Manny Mota who’d get rousing applause coming out of Dodgers dugout in late game situation.
those three WS HRs occurred at home. Hell, Pawlie K wrote about being there, right?
I have a few Pablo memories, splash hits, tenth inning walkoff, tales of him after night games hustling away from a Mission St restaurant carrying huge bags of tacos. And of course him passing out on the beach in Aptos, while he was rehabbing from hamate bone surgery. Adios, Pablito!
No problem with getting Pablo a nice sendoff. Who wouldn’t want another chance to get in box and take his cuts?
Baggs in TA notes still lot of roster moves to be made before Thursday opener in SD. He has Bart on roster, and Ahmed/Luciano. Also says Yaz due to go on paternity leave very soon opening up spot for Matos if he isn’t already there, and of course Snell and other pitchers could be moved on off IL and 40. So, Things to Come…great tune written by Dizzy Gillespie/arranged by Gil fuller 1946 per Ejazzlines.
Your last line sounds like Ralph Kramden practicing for the $99,000 Answer…
“Ed Norton?” Ha, remember that one, Swanee r.
“Would have been fine with JD instead of Chapman” I’ll bet Zaidi would have been, too. And probably Montgomery instead of Snell. But, hey, give the masses what they want, the team is certainly no worse off for going with the big names and potentially a lot better. Lee and Hicks are the real prizes of the offseason for the front office geeks.
AZ paying Montgomery $25 million for 1 season, w options. Boras guys did not get long term deals they were looking for, but Montgomery was at end of $10 mil per season deal and Snell made $16 mil w Padres last year. These guys are getting massive raises in short term and could use these as base for what they are looking for if they do well and choose to go back into FA market.
Maybe combo of Padres adding Cease and Giants adding Snell prompted AZ to bite bullet and add to payroll, at least for this year. FA signing Eduardo Rodriguez isn’t healthy either, “shut down due to lat strain” in MLBTR story.
hello fellow flappers. After many years of following this site and loving all the posts and more importantly the comments, I am jumping in to post for the first time. Agree with Flave that this offseason was excrutiating until the final weeks of the pre season. So the team is basically set, the season is upon us – let’s see what the baseball gods have install for us. Oh and F the Dodgers.
https://media1.tenor.com/m/swdvPf08VwIAAAAC/clint-eastwood-nod.gif