Rickwood Game

Posted in Uncategorized by Flavor on June 21, 2024

My buddy The Boney One who is an A’s fan (still, for some reason) took his son to the game last night. He said Giants fans outnumbered Cards fans 5-1.

We lose again.

37 comments

37 Responses

Subscribe to comments with RSS.

Flavor said, on June 21, 2024 at 8:00 am

i scanned the comments last night. LOL, no poll. I like both of you, why would I ever ban either of you?

My original list was this:

Clark, Bonds, Timmy, Cain, Kent,Mitchell, HacMan, Candy, Robby T and Ed Halicki.

After reading all your posts I realized I left off Darrell Evans, Rod Beck, Jack Clark and Chris Speier. So I am removing Cain, Candy, Robby T and…going with 11. LOL
- unca_chuck said, on June 21, 2024 at 8:33 am
  
  DIdn’t see you had Mitchell. He’s on my list. Evans hit the longest home I saw at the Stick when we were sitting upper deck behind the RF foul pole about 12 rows back. He hit it 2 rows in front of us.
  - Flavor said, on June 21, 2024 at 8:43 am
    
    pretty sure I was at that game
Locojuan said, on June 21, 2024 at 8:31 am

If we are cranking it up to 11, I’m adding the Caveman Don Robinson to my list.
unca_chuck said, on June 21, 2024 at 8:35 am

Shit, forgot about Rick Rueschel and Jason Schmidt.
James said, on June 21, 2024 at 8:44 am

Jeff Brantley, cruising at the top of the strike zone with his barely 90 mph fastball, was a proto-Sergio Romo/Tyler Rogers who gets a shout out today.
Dean said, on June 21, 2024 at 9:27 am

Two observations from last night’s game. First, it was long overdue for MLB to play a game at Rickwood Field and pay honor to the Birmingham Black Barons and to all those who played in the Negro League. It’s a travesty that it took so long to integrate Major League Baseball. One can only imagine the difficult road Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Larry Doby, Satchel Paige and so many others had to navigate in trailblazing a path for racial inclusion at the major league level.

On a less solemn note, the Giants are the team just good enough to lose. Yes, they don’t quit (see Cubs game Wed and Cards game last night). But they make the same head scratching plays in the field and continually fail to deliver with runners in scoring position and game on the line. They appear slower, less athletic and less inclined to hit for power than most opposing teams. Unless starting pitching gains length in games, 2nd half could be rocky.

By the way, great posts yesterday on top ten Giants of all time.
djloo27 said, on June 21, 2024 at 9:52 am

A lot of people think Monte Irvin was the Giants first black player. Not true. Incredible bio if you feel like reading it…

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Hank-Thompson/
- willedav said, on June 21, 2024 at 10:50 am
  
  Thanks Loo, what a fascinating story. I love the bios on that page; never knew about Hank Thompson.
  - djloo27 said, on June 21, 2024 at 10:57 am
    
    Those bios are the best. The Jim Crow story is one for the ages…
- James said, on June 21, 2024 at 11:38 am
  
  Fantastic. Click the link, if you’re at all intrigued.
willedav said, on June 21, 2024 at 10:22 am

wow great pic.

I’d have added Romo too…that frisbee no dot slider to RHs was unhittable and his journey just to get to ML is story in itself. I remember listening to Marty Lurie quote stats one season when Romo just wiped them out. He was also in hilarious commercial where he’s riding in car in back seat wearing flannel shirt with 2 Giants promo guys. They are oblivious to him complaining while they are stealing for their own his saying, “That’s what’s up.”

Wilson was also in couple funny Giants promos with 2 little girls. At end of one of them, one of the girls tells him, “And your hair, it’s dumb.” I think in another one of them asked him to say something to Lincecum, whom they were more excited to see than Wilson.
willedav said, on June 21, 2024 at 10:36 am

Cats lost yesterday to Round Rock 5-3. Mason Black gave up 3 hits 4 walks 4 earned in 3 innings. Villar hit HR #11, 3 run shot in first but that was it for offense. Matos and Bishop (1-3 with double) were aboard then. Luciano 1-3 with BB at SS.

Dreading taking a look at Winn’s Baseball Savant page. Depressing to see how hard he’s been hit. Ks ton of guys but BBs and HRs are there too and these are 3 outcomes pitchers have most control over. FIP is almost 5, half a run higher than last year as is BABIP. Only some of that is unlucky.
James said, on June 21, 2024 at 11:18 am

Winn, Snell, Black, Roup, Jeffries, Teng, White, Howard, and Bivens are a combined 4-16 with a collective ERA that is literally somewhere between 7 and 8 (I’m not going to calculate it). They’ve pitched 150 of the Giants 670 innings.
- James said, on June 21, 2024 at 11:19 am
  
  Who knew we’d miss Tristan Beck so much?
- djloo27 said, on June 21, 2024 at 11:49 am
  
  Of the nine guys you listed I would bet that only the most diehard Giant fan could give you more than 5 of their first names…
  - James said, on June 21, 2024 at 12:24 pm
    
    I’ll confess I don’t know Teng’s, even after just looking at it a short while ago. If that group had only sucked within a normal range of bad, we’d probably be at or slightly over 500. That scale of collective failure is just weird. This is a year when most teams aren’t hitting and they pitch half their games at Oracle!
alleykat69 said, on June 21, 2024 at 12:16 pm

I’m actually trying to forget that list of under performing pitchers!

Next batch up for the obligatory 4-5 innings start let’s see Hayden Birdsong &Carson Whisenhut they can’t be any worse?
djloo27 said, on June 21, 2024 at 12:39 pm

Mac is at Wrigley watching Mets stomp Cubs..
- Macdog said, on June 21, 2024 at 12:44 pm
  
  Total annihilation, 11-1 in 4th, and vs. Cubs ace.
  - djloo27 said, on June 21, 2024 at 1:50 pm
    
    I think they beat em like 18-1 about 60 years ago. Supposedly some guy told his friend that the Mets scored 18 runs today and naturally the response was “did they win”?
snarkk said, on June 21, 2024 at 1:21 pm

So far this season of staggering mediocrity, to me the one, big positive for this SF organization is Ramos’ apparent emergence as a real MLB quality outfielder. I hope he’s finally the first farm system OFer in 40 years who is the real deal, and a possible All Star this year and years to come…
- blade3colorado said, on June 21, 2024 at 2:04 pm
  
  Agree with everything snarkk. Immediately, I also am hoping Matos gets a plane ticket for tomorrow’s 11:15am game. By the by, will someone illuminate for me what the hell Pete Putila, our GM, does for the team (other than get coffee, lunch, etc., for Zaidi)?
  
  https://www.si.com/mlb/giants/san-francisco-giants-news/san-francisco-giants-petition-activate-star-slugger-denied-mlb-brad9
  - unca_chuck said, on June 21, 2024 at 3:25 pm
    
    Pete plays with his putila all day long.
- James said, on June 21, 2024 at 2:44 pm
  
  After Ramos, I’d nominate Bailey, who looks like he can actually hit. The defensive side has been uneven, but a huge number of the SB’s have come against the back ups. The last time I looked, Bailey was at 24%, a little above league avg., although that’s probably dropped over the last few games. Hope both finish strong. Two 25 year old stars would be nice.
  - blade3colorado said, on June 21, 2024 at 2:50 pm
    
    Absolutely. Ironically, I was looking at the Giants position roster, sans pitching, and Bailey (along with the aforementioned Ramos snarkk mentioned) is the only one I would bring back next year.
    
    Of course that could change . . . Right now, I am hoping Soler and Chapman display something more than a pulse going forward.
  - James said, on June 21, 2024 at 3:30 pm
    
    Soler I still feel hopeful about, Chapman less so. I’ve posted multiple times that Soler has never had a really bad stretch of 500-600 ABs. He’s been terrible for 200 or so ABs during a couple years he’s been injured, and he had the 2021 season when he tormented the Royals with over half a season of futility, only to go off once traded to Atlanta. His numbers are starting to look respectable. May his career pattern not be broken this year and may using him exclusively as a DH keep him off the IL.
willedav said, on June 21, 2024 at 2:13 pm

something else to come out of the Rickwood experience that Baggs highlighted in TA as quoted in MCC by Brady Klopfer:

“The Giants inclusion efforts trickled down to their minor league system as well. The organization invited every player at all levels who claimed any African-American heritage to take leave from their affiliates and travel at the Giants expense to Birmingham to attend the game. Nearly a dozen players, including 2022 first-round pick Reggie Crawford and talented outfield prospect Grant McCray, took up the team on its offer.”
unca_chuck said, on June 21, 2024 at 3:28 pm

just saw that Crawfish was playing 3rd yesterday. Watched the lowlights of our stellar defense. Bad bounce on the passed ball, but still, Baliey has to get in front of that rather than hoping for the bounce.

No game today? On a Friday?
- blade3colorado said, on June 21, 2024 at 3:38 pm
  
  Well, they are in Birmingham. Maybe they have to take a bus like they did back in the negro leagues. Dunno . . .
unca_chuck said, on June 21, 2024 at 3:28 pm
blade3colorado said, on June 21, 2024 at 4:40 pm

Loo, I had no idea Matt Damon was your neighbor.

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/matt-damon-could-buy-a-dollar1665-million-brooklyn-propertyit-would-be-brooklyns-most-expensive-sale-ever
- djloo27 said, on June 21, 2024 at 7:35 pm
  
  Brooklyn ain’t cheap. Even the shitty parts…
alleykat69 said, on June 21, 2024 at 6:13 pm

Crawford got picked off 2nd by Rodriguez and it wasn’t even close.total brain freeze.Real embarrassing like Willie Mays in his I played this game to long and falling down in the OF are missing a catch which was always automatic.
Sadly Crawford is at the point, but hey he has 5 Kids to feed ,clothes ,school etc so can’t blame him grabbing an extra 8 mil..

Atleast he got a sucker team to buy in for him, as Belt never got a call, which is still weird cause he’s a better hitter then Crawford but got blackballed from all teams..
- djloo27 said, on June 21, 2024 at 7:31 pm
  
  He’s made over $113 million in his career, Kat. I think they’ll squeak by…
unca_chuck said, on June 21, 2024 at 11:53 pm

Blackballed? Belt’s numbers for a 1st baseman were pretty meh 10 years ago. The guy couldn’t stay healthy.
alleykat69 said, on June 21, 2024 at 11:59 pm

Maybe so but what Giants player doesn’t get hurt?