A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball

It was fairly irritating that we didn’t win that game yesterday. Cain’s wild pitch, Affeldt’s usual *sh!t* pitch and Pence’s ant-small presence contributed to us losing what was a very winnable game.

And so we turn our heads toward *Him*. If I had told you at the start of the season that on September 9th Barry Zito would have the same number of losses (8) as Clayton Kershaw, you’d probably punch me in the face, twice, for trying to roll one over on ya. And yet, that is exactly where we are today. In fact, if the Giants can somehow get Zito a win today and Kershaw a loss they will have almost identical records (Zito at 11-8 and CK at 12-9). We all know the limitations of the value of a win or a loss for a pitcher, I just thought it was a fun fact to consider as we prepare ourselves for the game.

And I say *prepare ourselves* because that’s exactly what I’ve found myself doing over the years on Zito game day’s. Previous to 2012 I used to batten down the hatches and pray the storm would pass by quickly sparing us nothing more than a single loss. Sometimes it just felt like he was losing more than one game at a time. And who could forget his *3 losses n 7 days* at the end of August 2010. That was a neat trick, wasn’t it?

In many ways I consider this Zito’s best year with the Giants. Of course, the bar is set very, very low. Besides actually having a winning record for once at this point in the season, he HAS pitched some unbelievably big games for us this year. But the cracks are not just visible they are cracking. He’s pitched one good game in his last 5 starts and with the daunting task of the Dodgers and Kershaw, on national tv no less, tonight’s start does not look good.

Win or lose, our situation is not going to be affected much tonight. If we lose, things aren’t going to be as dire as many will predict. Being 3.5 up in September is a good thing. If we win, we won’t have locked up anything. Being 5.5 up with 22 to play is nice but hardly a guarantee of anything (as we were all reminded of when we read Baseball’s Starry Night, authored by Paul Kocak and currently in stock and available at Amazon for $11.07…….

But Barry has an opportunity here in September to do something he has never done before as a Giant: pitch well. He’s pitched his best this year when we all thought he would pitch his worst so while tonight looks like an impossible hill to climb it’s precisely the kind of game where he surprises everyone. My heart is rooting for him to make it so……..

But my head says we get killed tonight. Dodgers win, 6-1.

Well, WillieD is having some trouble getting in to post today so I will just state the obvious. Last night’s win was epic. After we got “Kennedy’d” Kennedy went and Kennedy’d himself. Unreal. It almost feels like we’re playing with house money the next two games.

POTG’s: a tie between Pagan, Scutaro and the bullpen…Oh, and Kennedy.

And with Cain going today I’m breathing comfortably with a steady hand. At the very least, you know he’ll keep us in the game…….

Kickoff AYSO game in a couple of hours……

Niners tomorrow…….

What a great weekend……..

Without these three guys, the Dodgers would be NOWHERE this season. The “Big 4” get all the publicity, but it’s these three guys, grinding out tough ABs, starting and keeping rallies alive, who have kept the Dodgers chugging along. The Big 4, as a unit, have not lived up to the hype yet, and in fact, the hype has kind of faded for the moment. Ethier is having a nice season,  Ramirez is a player on the decline, Gonzalez has yet to prove he can get a team over the hump, and Kemp is clearly still feeling the hamstring to some degree. It’s especially noticeable on defense. When he and Ethier are hitting on all cylinders on defense, the rightcenter gap pretty much disappears. Not so these days. There’s a gap between them now. And AT&T Park has a lot of green grass to cover.

Having said all that, it’s a tough one for Timmy tonight. I think that, other than Victorino, whose glory years are behind him, and the pitcher’s spot, there’s 7 tough ABs for Tim to work through each time through the order. And it’s especially important that he dispose of the 2 Ellises and Cruz without expending a zillion pitches, getting weary, and making mistake pitches to the Big 4. As always, he needs to get his pitches down in the strikezone, and stay consistent. Don’t be walking guys. If a couple of the Big 4 hit a solo homer, no big deal. We still win 4-2. But if he’s walking the 2 E’s and C, trouble. The 2 E’s and C have been catching some breaks, and those breaks are due to lessen at some point. They’re going to put the ball in play, trust your defense, and DON’T WALK THEM.

40,000 people in the stadium, and untold thousands at home will be pulling for Timmy to help the Giants retake the homefield advantage for the rest of the season. Turn it back into OUR HOUSE in a big way. This is Giants baseball. You come into OUR HOUSE, and you get SHUT DOWN. We want it back to where opposing teams don’t FEEL comfortable here, they don’t LOOK comfortable, and they don’t ACT comfortable. Dominant pitching, solid defense, and an offense that will keep battling, will find a way, and never gives up. It’s Giants/Dodgers. It’s September. It’s a battle for the division title. Let’s do this thing!!

Well, the day off comes at a good time. I said earlier this year that i wanted the team to struggle and have to fight to get into the PS. Be careful what you ask for? And if your a dodger, will you look back on these past series and say that while the giants were losing two of three to the dbacks, you didn’t make up ANY games while playing the padres? This truly may be something that comes into play as the season plays out. Looking ahead at the coming series i am not sanguine. It’s quite possible that we will need Barry the “Stopper” Zito. As my buddy the Landman use to say, “Maybe, Maybe not”. But really, how cool? September baseball, Giants with a small but significant lead over the hated dogs, culminating in a possible showdown in Chez Latrine. They’re rounding the far turn . . .

(please ignore the code below, thanks–Craig)

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Disappointing and long game last night. Oh well. Nothing changed in the standings and the boys of San Francisco never gave up. CSNBA’s after game analysis however? In a word. Flatulent. And someone needs to slap the “smug” right off Greg Papa’s face.

Also, I caught the post game wrap show and it dawned on me that it’s actually kind of annoying to watch as well.You know, when Krup and Kuip and Miller and Fleming do their little run-downs and players of the game on TV. Especically annoying is Duane Kuiper who seems to be wishing he were anywhere else, waving at someone off camera– looking off with a distant glance signaling some dingo with his mic like he’s guiding some child’s remote control plane for a landing.

That being said, for whatever reason I *do* enjoy listening to this shtick on the radio. Go figure.And so we shall.

Don’t get me wrong, modern television is an amazing thing. Matt Cain’s perfect game was the first one I’d ever seen and I would have missed it if it weren’t for television. But still modern TV sports coverage, especially when it’s on FOX…SUX. And a lot of modern sports radio can be downright wrenching.

But there’s still something about baseball on the radio.

I know a number of us have mentioned before that as kids we would watch TV with the sound down and listen to the game on the radio. But now 21st Century broadcasting’s so convoluted you can’t do that anymore as the timing’s off by a few seconds (unless you want to get all clever with TIVO or something). And even today, when a game is especially tense like last night and I’m legally sober, sometimes I’ll turn off the TV, jump in the car and drive around listening to the game. It has a certain calming effect on me.

Maybe I’m just nostalgic but there was something that seemed a little more pure in my youth with the whole radio/baseball connection. And it wasn’t just for listening to games. There seemed to be a lot of shows just talking about baseball and sports in general on the radio before they became forums for the listening audience to call in doing what often enough comes off as an unintentionally bad Dennis Hopper imitation:

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Marty Lurie: Okay, we’ve got Pinhead on the line. Go ahead, Pinhead. What’s on your mind?

Pinhead: Yeah, man, like Bochy, man? What are they gonna say about him? What are they gonna say? That he was a kind man? That he was a wise man? That he had plans, man? That he had wisdom? Bullshit, man!

Marty Lurie: Interesting thoughts, Pinhead. Are you referring to any strategies or moves in particular? Can you be more…

Pinhead: All nine innings, man, all nine innings! One through nine, no maybes, no supposes, no fractions. You can’t travel in space, you can’t go out into space, you know, without, like, you know, uh, with fractions – what are you going to land on – one-quarter, three-eighths? What are you going to do when you go from here to Venus or something? That’s dialectic physics.

Marty Lurie: Okay, okay. Good thoughts. Good thoughts. I think I see where you’re going with this. So tell me do you….

Pinhead: And he’ll just walk right by Brandon Belt, man. He won’t even notice him. And suddenly he’ll grab him, and he’ll throw him in a corner, and he’ll say, “Do you know that ‘if’ is the middle word in life? If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you”… I mean Belt and Crawdaddy, Crawfish, Crawford and Whitey and Panda and fucking giraffes and fucking Melk-Maids and Maidens and fucking Timmy and perfect games and.. and me, man… no, I can’t… I’m a little man, I’m a little man, he’s… he’s a great man! I should have been a pair of ragged claws, crawdaddy claws, scuttling across floors of silent seas…

Marty Lurie: All right, then, uhm, yeah I get it… good call Pinhead, good call. A lot of good points. A lot of things to think about but we have to move on with some other callers…

Yes. Love today’s TV. Love today’s radio. Mainly due to immediate access to facts and stats. Still. Radio was much better in the good old days. Even *before* our days. In that vein, I now leave you with an excerpt from the underappreciated Woody Allen film RADIO DAYS:

“Hello, sports fans and welcome to today’s edition of Bill Kern’s ‘Favorite Sports Legends.’ Today’s story is about a baseball player. His name was Kirby Kyle, a lean southpaw from Tennessee. He played for the old St. Louis Cardinals. He threw fast, and he had a good curve ball and all the hitters knew it. He was a kid with a great future.

But one day, he went hunting. He loved to hunt, just like his father and his father’s father. Chasing a rabbit, he stumbled, and his rifle went off. The bullet entered his leg. Two days later, it was amputated. They said he would never pitch again. But the next season, he was back. He had one leg but he had something more important. He had heart.

The following winter, another accident cost Kirby Kyle an arm. Fortunately, not his pitching arm. He had one leg and one arm, but more than that, he had heart. The next winter, going after duck, his gun misfired. He was blind but he had instinct as to where to throw the baseball. Instinct…and heart.

The following year, Kirby Kyle was run over by a truck and killed. The following season, he won 18 games in the Big League in the sky. This has been Bill Kern with another ‘Favorite Sports Legend.’”

Good Morning Flappers!

Trust you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I read where there were some access issues yesterday, but assuming all is fine now.

I was gone for the weekend (competing with the dogs, again), so was not on the blog much (I haven’t even had the time to go back and scan the last couple of days of comments).

Fantastic game yesterday. I was watching the game, Zito was cruising right along, and all was good in the world of the Giants. A couple of Snake runs, a string of hits, the bullpen’s inability to get an out, and all of a sudden, Zona had the lead. Well, I had a ton of things to do outdoors, so I left the game at 7-4 (what a dumbass move…those chores could have waited). Anyway, what an exciting finish with Scutaro providing the tying run and game-winning hit.

I’ll be honest, when Sabes made the move to acquire Scoots, I was lukewarm on the deal. At 36 years old, I really questioned how much he had in the tank. But, on the flip-side, the team really needed the depth at the time. I have always admired the way Scutaro plays the game…professional in every sense…a true gamer. And there were certainly times where I hated him when he stuck it to the Giants as a member of the A’s.

With that said, what do you feel are the biggest acquisitions that have helped put the Giants where they are? Was it Scutaro? Crazy Horse??

I loved the 1970’s. Obviously, not for anything economical or political. And certainly not for anything personal–my parents got divorced in 1978. I just liked the whole vibe of the 70’s. I was quite young so I didn’t really start appreciating it till I got older. I liked the music, I liked the way everyone dressed. I liked not feeling guilty for eating at McDonald’s. I liked how no one was allergic to anything…..

In fact, this pic from my past symbolizes everything good about the 70’s…

…..I loved the 70’s vernacular and still use it regularly today. I still like referring to another person as a *cat*…. Saying *Dig?* at the end of a sentence is the best way I’ve ever found to find out if the person you’re talking to is either in compliance and/or understands what you’re talking about. And I don’t just  say “old school” because it sounds cool. If I label something as such it’s because I honor and respect  it…….

But without question, my favorite thing about the 1970’s were the names of professional athletes. And I’m talking across ALL sports. In boxing you had guys like Ali, Frazier and Haggler. Is boxing still even a sport anymore? Football had guys named *Mean Joe Green* and *Otis Sistrunk*. In basketball you had *Jabbar*, *Dantley*, *Wilkes*—guys that just sounded like they were about to hand you your ass. How about *Purvis Short*? I mean really, Purvis? That sounds made up. I’ve never heard of anyone named Purvis before or after that cat. But he had the sweetest arching jump shot I’ve ever seen in my life. Sometimes I thought it was never gonna come down……Was there a better name in the history of the game than “World B. Free?”  Lloyd must have just shook his head laughing quieting to himself when he saw Artest change his name to “Metta World Peace”—dude just doesn’t get it.

One of the many things that San Dawg and I have eerily in common is a bizarre attraction to the Orioles in the 70’s. I was too young to even know what an *Oriole* was, I just thought it was a cool-ass name for a team. All the  Oriole’s from the 70’s had cool names: Boog Powell, Al Bumbry, Bobby Grich, Brooks Robinson, Doug DeCinces….

The A’s had some great baseball names in the 1970’s–Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue, Joe Rudi, Catfish Hunter, Sal Bando….

And everyone on the Pirates had a name (and a body)  that just exuded “I am going to kick your ass”– Bill Madlock, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, Jim Bibby, John Candelaria….

For me, baseball players in the 70’s just had bad ass names. And by owning all their baseball cards, I was a bad-ass-by-association.

If you want to know how cool the baseball names were in the ’70’s take this quiz: Ask yourself to name 5 of the coolest baseball names from the 1990’s. You have 10 seconds. Go…..

See what I mean? Hell, take the same quiz over the last 5 years in baseball….

Didn’t think of too many did you?

I’m bringing all of this up today because we are in the midst of something very cool that is happening in baseball right now. Just like it was in the 1970’s, the Orioles, the A’s and the Pirates are are suddenly relevant again. Not because of the great names of their players but because, for the first time in 30+ years, all 3 have a shot at the post season. Baltimore and Oakland are tied for the WC lead and actually have an outside shot to win their divisions (2 games and 3 games out, respectively). Pittsburgh’s hill is a little tougher to climb—they have no shot at catching the Reds but they’re only 1.5 games out  of the WC spot.

I never cared too much about the economics of baseball, the skewed playing field, etc. At least until this year. Teams are making moves that make no financial sense and, what’s even more important, no practical sense for the short term or long term direction of the franchise. Two years ago the Angels TRADED for the ridiculous Vernon Wells and 80 million still left on his deal. They gave up Napoli who was making 2.6 million and who went on to lead the Rangers to the World Series last year. Last off season, the Angels spent needlessly by signing, among others, Albert Pujols to an absurd deal. Why? They already had Trumbo and a returning Morales at 1st base. And while it can’t be argued that either is better than Pujols it was an disgusting  luxury to just go out and give a declining player 240 million dollars when you already had TWO outstanding hitters in place at first base. The Tigers did the same thing with Fielder. In 2011 they had signed Victor Martinez to a 4 year/50 million dollar deal. He was going to play 1st base this year before he blew out his knee. Problem? Nope, just go sign Fielder to a 10 year deal. V-Mart will be back ready to rock next year but they don’t need him. They’ll pay him 36 mil to ride the pine instead.  The Boston Red Sox have been doling out the dumbest deals in recent memory: 142 mil for Carl Crawford? 157 for A-Gone who’s never been on a team that’s won anything? They paid 50 million just for the right to negotiate with Dice K. They gave 80 million dollars to John Freaking Lackey. I mean, come on……

Now, some would argue that the teams handing out mega-stupid 10 year 200 million+ deals will regret them later. I don’t think so. They KNOW these deals are going to go bad at some point. They don’t care as long as they win now. But they aren’t winning now, are they?

The final straw for me was the Dodgers giving the clueless Red Sox a *get out of jail free* card by taking on all of their idiotic deals (and players) AND were stupid enough to give them prospects, too!

So finally in 2012 I started to appreciate the pure lunacy that influence baseball decisions on the teams with the highest payrolls. And it just isn’t right. It’s bad for the game if 80-90% of the teams start the season with no chance to win. Sound judgement and keen financial decisions SHOULD factor into how your team performs…..

But wait–this year isn’t JUST about stupid financial decisions by teams running without a budget.  There are low-payroll teams performing well. And watching what the O’s, A’s and Pirates have done this year has been phenomenal. It’s made me a lurking-fan of all three teams. With it being Labor Day I felt like it was a good time to honor teams that actually WORK to EARN results on the field. Teams that are just burning money and expecting to buy results are an embarrassment to the game.

Of course, you could also just root for Baltimore because of their cool-ass name. “Baltimore Orioles”– it just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?

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Flap Author Note: I am writing for Dirt today, the order stays the same, no switches……

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This is roundabout. I’m tired and gonna just go with a thought. I spent most of my day in Berkeley looking at the refurbished Memorial Stadium (looks great) and then the Cal game with Nevada (sucked for Cal fans). Tedford has outlasted his contract, unfortunately it has not outlasted him. Anyway, wrong sport. I did succeed in sucking down 3 pints of good Lagunitas IPA and other brew after the game with a buddy, and joking with other Bears alums about how we’re fucked. 6-6 again, looks like. But, hey, we’re gonna do it in style with a very spiffy “new” $320 million stadium and athletic center. At least the boys have about an acre-sized weight room to crow about, since not too many wins will be cleaned and jerked, it appears, this season. If Cal on the road can hold Ohio State and SC to under 40 points each, it’ll be a miracle.

Speaking of Bears, I was listening to the Giants game on the way to the Cal game and even during it with my trusty Walkman. Watching live college football while listening to the Giants. Why the hell not? Miller is a “little” better than Starkey. Besides, the Giants had a better ground game than I was seeing. Which brings together the Giants and my today’s locale with the thought of Xavier Nady, the Cal Bear alum. I don’t know how much he’s got left, but in his first Giants AB he got left and hooked one down the 3^rd base line to get 3 runs home for Tim, and that’s a plus in my book over Blanco and Peguero. That got me to thinking. Xavier? What’s the deal with that name? I guess it’s sourced from the Spanish Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier back in the 1500s. Is it pronounced Zaveeyer or Ekszaveeyer? Either one works, I think.

But, there’s more Xaviers. The university in the Midwest. Basketball school. And, anybody remember Julian Javier? I remember him with the Cardinals when I was a kid. Good second sacker. And his kid Stan Javier (supposedly named for Stan the Man) — decent field, pretty much average hit, a bit of pop, who played for the Giants in the late ‘90s and did OK for us in a utility+ role. Javier is the just a different version of Xavier. Not to mention, of course, our very own Javier Gomez, uh Lopez, our super Loogy.  Another  Javy Lopez was the very good, long-time catcher for the Braves.  There’s a journeyman MLB player Xavier Paul (now with the Reds) that was drafted by the Dodgers, and his claim to fame pretty much was that he was brought up by LA in 2009 when ManRam got busted for menopause. And, a short time later this Xavier got his first MLB hit against – the Giants.  I wonder if our new Xavier ever shortens his name to Xavy, like Javy?  Then, he’d be Xavy Nady, kinda catchy.

Of course, the most famous Xavier is/was Xaviera Hollander, the Happy Hooker. Saintly, I’m sure she was to some, in her own way. She made money in NYC on her back and managing a few ladies who preferred that position for compensatory reasons. But, she made way more money and fame by writing about her exploits in the early ‘70s when that kind of risque thing in a book was risky to publish. (Ya see, at that time our president was Nixon, who had sex twice in his life, it is believed, maybe more if martinis and walks on the beach at Key Biscayne with Bebe Rebozo counted). Now, apparently 15 year olds write more “descriptively” on their Facebook pages and “sexting” on their iPhones than Xaviera ever did in her book. Maybe Nixon was right.

Go Xavier, be our LF saveeyer, or just get a three run double every once in a while, OK? It’ll help slow my growing Tedphordphobia…

No, not a Broadway review. And yeah, today’s game kinda sucked. What with everyone sleepwalking through it. but I’m talking Chi-town, the Windy city, the city of big shoulders, Second city, Daaaa Bearsss. Daaa Cubsss. Daaa Bullsss. Whatever you call it, and however you feel about it, it’ll always be a 2nd home to me. Even though I’ve only been there twice. I may not have spent too much time there, but both my parents and all my grandparents (and great grandparents) were born and raised in Chicago. Two of my sisters were born there as well. My grandfather used to tell us stories of growing up on the south side and getting in a lot of fights because he was a Cubs fan through and through, and how he broke his leg when he was 12 chasing after a foul ball at Wrigley (yeah, he got it. Don’t know where that ball went, though). They all lived in the Irish section down near St. Bride’s church and school. So, I’ve only been there twice. Once in 1968 to see my mom’s brother, the original Uncle Chuck and his family, and again in 1995 for a wedding in northern Indiana.

That trip in 1968 I saw Juan Marichal pitch against the Cubs. What an incredible game that was. We got there early and hung out down by 1st base as long as we could, and it was so cool. You could hear the players chatting and laughing 15′ away. Billy Williams, Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Mays, McCovey, Jimmy Ray Hart, and all those Giants of the day. I was dumbstruck, and wished we could have sat there all day. As it was, we were about 30 rows up in short right field. The Giants won somthing like 8-3. Marichal was great, and someone on the Giants homered that day. Mighta been McCovey. My cousins were pissed, but I got to gloat that night. Flash forward to 1995, when my oldest friend John (we met in 2nd grade) was getting married in Indiana, so my wife and I and his bride-to-be decided to head out there early and spend some time in Chicago. This was June, so it wasn horrendously hot, but it was getting there. The 3 nights before the wedding were epic. Went to Rush St. and hit a shitload of bars. Caught some shit for all the Giants gear we were sporting, but half the people there were from out of town anyway. Next night we went to Buddy Guy’s Blues club. Some killer bands played all night, and the highlight was seeing Lonnie Youngblood’s son play guitar with Buddy Guy. They played til 3:30 am. Of course we had tickets to the Cubs-Dodgers game the next day. Bleacher seats. And of course it was 104º that day, and humid. My wife and the bride to be gave up by the 3rd inning, but the groom and I HAD to start drinking heavily just to reach the point of feeling good enugh not to die out there in the heat. Turns out the Cubbies were as shitty as we felt, and they lost 7-0. Even the bleacher bums were too tired to give us shit about being Giants fans. I just wanted to see the Dodgers go down but it wasn’t to be.

Last thing. My mom and I were walking through the south side on that 1995 trip and she was showing me all the places she used to hang out. Some of them were still around from her day (mid to late 30s), and when we walked past this market, I hear this little Italian guy yelling Margie! Margie! from the back of the store.Yeah, that what they called her back then. But this old guy, who hadn’t seen my mom since somthing like 1946, recognized her 50 years later. He ran out, gave her a hug, and they chatted for a few minutes, he gave her a good-bye kiss, shook my hand, and we went on our way. I thought, holy shit, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. But hey, that’s my kind of town.

September is just about upon us- and the cliche about playing meaningful games in September has now become routine for the last 4 years- after an unwelcome absence. We were upstarts in 2009- in fact, Flappers were about the only group anywhere- including all of those expert  types- who picked that team to go anywhere.

Then in 2010, again this squad was dismissed by most- but then Sabean had the finest year of his baseball life and patched together the band of misfits were to become, in my words, “San Francisco heroes for their lifetimes-and beyond”

We all know that injuries ravaged the team last year and great doubt lingered over this year- would Buster be the same? Huff? How would the new guys perform? The Brandon fellas ? Wilson went down.. the Bums jumped to a huge early lead. Panda went down. Pitching not what it was. Timmy “4-Run” Lincecum…and my goodness- we’re ahead! How the hell did it happen? Yeah, Posey, of course. Melky before he checked out. Pagan. Others who I’m sure will be noted. But I put it on those under the radar dudes and the rooks. Arias, Theriot, Scutaro, Blanco, and the steady improvement from Belt and my AAA shortstop. More than even the 2010 team, I think this squad  has been sparked by unexpected contributions.

Just addressing position players currently active, who are your favorites, or guys you expect to step up or down in the throat tightening melee that is September baseball with a pennant to be won or lost? Me? The August sleepers awaken- Pence and Sandoval lead the way.

We had the earthquake in ’89 and the Cubbies had Bartman in 2003. Baseball had the strike in 1994 and then the steroids era. Frick and Maris had the asterisk. Soon to come will be a live demonstration of the new duple duel of the Wild Card. Also at the end of this season is the re-alignment of the NL West.
NOW, we have the Evil Empire West. The EEW (© flapper world 2012), also known as dem bums, dogers, boyz in blue and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The EEW (© flapper world 2012) is right now, it is in our face, too close to home, a portend of the end of the world or, at least, of baseball as we know it: on a level playing field.

Don’t deny it, you LQTY as the McCourt mess took some of the edge off a bitter rival team. And now we wring our hands at not only what the current trades might mean but, what financial voodoo the “magic” team will produce in the future. (it was quite hard not to type ‘Lakers’ after the thought of magic!)

Magnus covered the current trade in a brilliant topic yesterday and I did not comment because, permission to speak frankly here, it exhausts me. I think most baseball fans love the _game_ as it is played on the field and tend to lose attention with much of the off-field stuff. Before I list the three items from the topic’s title an aside:
Blade continues his masterful march for the Broken Headed-Rich Aurilia Bobblehead. Pussy and the Bombers bounce back and forth for third while Pawlie vies for the coveted top half finish. Go Flappers!

Asterisks – Baseball – and Birthdays

1) I would vote for Bonds, into the hall, full stop. Will he get a silent asterisk from many of those who vote? Probably. Baseball writer David Martinez said: “The steroid era happened, records were broken, and no asterisk can change it.”
Unfortunately, after having been quiet for a period, steroids are back, especially in Bay Area baseball. That makes me sad. Nipper?

2) EEW (© flapper world 2012) – baseball (this should almost be a poll) has survived worse. the AL East and the TB Rays have proven money can’t buy you championships, but it might rent them for a while. I say: not this season. And that is what I care about; today’s game, this season, what we can/will do to make our team playoff regulars. We have a picturesque park, fabulous fans, healthy history, Bruce Bochy and freakin’ Dave Righetti , how cool is that!

3 I know I have posted this twice before, but next to baseball I love my kids and it is his birthday today and he is a Giants fan. Happy Birthday, Aren. I remember that day better than any baseball moment.

eddacker 29 August

Happy Birthday, Aren #3 son

….that’s what they’ll one day call it.

Everyone says this was all about the Dodgers desire to pick up A-Gone and being willing to *eat* 260 million to do so. That alone, if it were all the trade was about, could make  it the worst trade in the history of baseball. Gonzalez is a nice first baseman but he’s not a *game changer*. And for 260 mil, that’s what he should be. The fact is, there are huge questions about him being able to ever do that. He was great in San Diego where the pressure level is literally below sea level. Then he moved on to Boston, scored the big contract and while his numbers *held sway* in an ok way, there were definitely cracks in the U.S.S A-Gone. He was front and center involved in the attempted coup against Valentine last month. Now he’s back in the California where everyone thinks he’ll ease right back into the easy breezy NL West. But he’s not coming back as the guy who left for Boston. He’s coming back as a guy with a mega deal whose new team dropped a quarter of a billion dollars to acquire and who was brought here to win—*winning* is not really something that Gonzalez has ever been a part of. That’s some serious pressure to perform and your guess is as good as mine as to how he’ll do with that type of burden game in and game out–limited sample so far: he’s hitting .250 as a Dodger…….

But this trade isn’t just about Gonzalez. It’s about Josh Beckett. It is HUGELY about Josh Beckett. While the Dodgers await Lady B to un-bunch her panties from the DL, the square fact is that their starting staff is leaking major oil heading into this stretch drive. Unless they plan on pitching Kershaw every single game, that starting staff is nothing but one big question mark. If Beckett decides to slam that beer and wipe the left over fried chicken off the corners of his mouth, he might be THE MAIN factor in this mega-stupid deal. Last night he got his first start and it was largely underwhelming. His ERA for the game was 4.76 and his WHIP was an unsightly 1.76. All in all, it was a pretty Beckettish 2012 start. I have grave concerns about Beckett being able to simply *flip the switch* and get back to his dominant self. This guy doesn’t throw 94-96 anymore. These days, most of his fastballs run around 91.

Some have claimed that chemistry is overrated and that there are tons of examples of teams that won with poor chemistry. That’s true, but there are also tons of examples of teams that have lost because of it. The best example is the Boston Red Sox who have failed miserably the last 2 seasons. Many players were to blame for those 2 seasons of failure. The Dodgers just paid 260 million and gave away some great prospects to secure the services of three of them.

Unless they win it all this year, this will go down as The Worst Trade in the History of Baseball. And though you might be having a hard time seeing it, that’s what’s going down. Book it……..

Trying to take the bad taste out of my mouth from the last two games, not to mention having to listen to the annoying Orel for a couple hours last night, I’d like to talk about something on this off day that has been bothering (or not) almost all of us here for a little  while:  bullpen by committee.

  Here is a direct quote from Bochy, the guy with the final say, on this topic yesterday in the Chron:  “I think we can juggle it the whole way. Ideally, sure, you’d have one guy.  But I think they enjoy knowing any of them could be out there in the 8th or 9th.  Keeps them on their toes a little bit.”

 So that’s what the boss says, at least for publication. I think if anyone can make this situation, unconventional as it is, work then it would be Bochy and Rags.  Ramirez from 2010 seems to me the guy they haven’t been able to replace, i.e. another righty to set up for who is closing.  Kontos and Hensley are not late inning/close game guys, and affeldt’s last few outings have been less than stellar. 

 Watching the Braves over the weekend you have to marvel at their pen guys— being able to go to Venters and Kimbrel plus Durbin and O’Flaherty can turn any game into a 7 inning affair.  When SF handled Hanson and Sheets these guys weren’t a factor.  Saturday after SF cut the lead to 4-3 and both starters were out of the game,  we gave them some insurance runs while their guys held us off rest of the way.  Last night Mijares put two runners on and then Kontos gave up a big hit to a light hitter that brought them in, and Hensley gave up two bombs in the 9th adding insult to injury. First two nights SF pen held them off after we got the lead; next two nights theirs did the same

  Anyway, barring an unforeseen addition other than Mota or a call up such as Otero, this is what we have to work with.  So tell me how you handle the delicate situation of set up guys and closer during the stretch drive..

A couple of days ago, I was looking through a stack of magazines at home and came across the copy of Giants Magazine that I had bought at the ballgame on the day of Melk-gate, about eleven days ago. Giants Magazine costs $5.00 per issue, and is sold at the ballpark; a new issue comes out each month of the season. The magazine is nice value for the money; it’s fun to read. It’s packed with cool stuff, including lots of terrific photos, and a scorecard for those of us that like to do that. The magazine is all-positive, all the time, and is there to add to the enjoyment of the day at the game. And makes for good reading on the BART ride afterward.

But I had set this issue aside without reading much of it, until a couple of days ago. August 15th was a tough day for the Giants and their fans. The Giants did gut it out that day, and even had a chance to tie the game in the ninth inning. With Sandoval on first, and two out, and down by two runs, Posey took two big swings on strikes two and three, trying to go yard and tie the game. He struck out, and the game was over, and after recording the final out on the scorecard in the magazine, I put the magazine into the canvas bag I had taken to the game, and didn’t look at the magazine much again until the other day.

The Giants season could have gone either way after the day of Melk-gate, but they stepped up to the challenge, and showed the baseball world that there is a lot more to the team than Melky. And one of the keys to their overcoming that challenge has been the Giant on the cover of the August issue of the magazine….Angel Pagan. In hindsight, that was an excellent choice for the magazine! In the cover-story article, Angel has some motivational words that hit the mark even more in hindsight: “Everything happens for a reason. For me to have perseverance, I have to turn negativity into positivity. Heal and go forward. It’s made me stronger, a better player, a better person. Baseball is a game of failure. You have to understand that. And you have to make it better.”

That last line in the quote reminds me of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude”: “Take a sad song, and make it better.” Angel helped take a sad moment in the Giants’ season and make it into something better. When the Giants and their fans were hurting, and the season hung in the balance, he helped the team pull together, gain momentum, and march forward into the future, and into first place. With a little over a month left in the season, there will be other challenges ahead, including the Dodgers’ recent upgrading of their firstbase situation. This Giants team has an opportunity to keep showing the baseball world that this Giants team is something special, and can accomplish more great things. It will take a team effort, and Angel has been, and will need to continue to be, an inspiration to the team. The players are there on the team to get this thing done; every game has its opportunities for different heroes to step forward.

The article (by Dan Fost) in the magazine provides a moment of poignant foreshadowing: “Pagan really showed how he’s capable of picking up a team in a game in Cincinnati in April. The Giants appeared on the verge of getting swept there for the second season in a row. They were trailing 5-3 in the ninth inning when Pagan blasted a three-run home run off closer Sean Marshall to beat the Reds. “That could be our biggest hit all year,” Bochy says. “That would have been a long flight. Guys were getting beat up. It was a huge hit, a real lift for the ballclub.”

“Somebody had to do it,” Pagan says. “It happened to be me.””

It’s been my impression that there is a significant difference when the giants score first. So, I looked into it. When the giants score first, they are 49-16. When the opponent scores first, they (the opponent) are 39-21. The giants have scored 84 runs in the first inning to the opponents 72. When the giants are ahead after 1, they are 33-5 and when they are behind 7-22. The giants are 4-49 when losing after 7. I think it’s pretty obvious that when the white shark (early in the year) and now pagan are hot in the 1 hole, the whole offense works better. maybe that’s the definition of obvious. so, score early, score often.

Not a bad way to go through life. Unless it’s one of the undead . . .

Okay, the common thread that we all share is our huge love of the best damned game on the planet, and discussing not only that game, but specifically our beloved San Francisco Giants. And in our daily banter about a multitude of topics (life and baseball – is there more?) one of the things that we regularly hash-out is what types of moves Sabes and the Giant’s brain trust (Bobby Evans, Dick Tidrow, etc.) should make to strengthen the team.

So, with that, I ask you to sit your ass in that big leather executive chair, kick back with your feet on the desk, light a big stogie (if you are so inclined), put your GM hat on, and give us your spin. Today, you are the GM of the Giants.

I was originally going to base my thread on “should the Giants seriously consider signing Pagan to a multi-year deal?” (I posed this question very late a few nights back and it got almost no traffic and I then posted it again the following day.) But then Baggarly and just about every other swinging dick who writes for any of the local rags stole my thunder (bastards!). But I still see value in discussing this topic, and broaden it to be:

“If you were the GM, what types of changes do you make for the remainder of this season, and then, looking ahead, what might you do with 2013 in mind?”

But first there is the topic of Pagan. Michael was one of the few who offered feedback on my question as to whether or not the team should consider signing Pagan to a multi-year deal. Basically (and I paraphrase) he said that this decision should wait until year’s-end. I agree, but still I think we can discuss how seriously, based on the “here and now – today” this should be considered. With that question in mind, I post Pagan’s career and 2012 numbers: 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/paganan01.shtml

So, while Angel has been extremely hot of late, I get it…most teams would not entertain a long-term deal at this juncture of the season, and really, neither would the player. But still, given what you have seen…what is your gut “right now?” Do you think the team should seriously consider a multi-year deal for Pagan? If so, what are the parameters? Three years? Less? More? How about average salary?

Another area that I feel has become suspect lately is the bullpen (this has been kicked-around off-and-on here over the past number of weeks). So the pen is certainly an area that I would look to make upgrades to for the remainder of this year (Hensley, for example, just makes me nervous as hell), and also for next year. If you agree…who do you feel needs to be swapped-out…what changes need to be made to bolster the bullpen? 

So, what says YOU? You are THE MAN for the day…what other things would you do to strengthen the team for the stretch-run, and also for next year?

______________________________________________

Flavor, watching the Giants game:

Nope. This is not a thread about Willie Mays. But he came to mind right away, yes? Because it’s part of the “Language of Baseball”, today’s topic. I’ve refered to this before but today it’s a topic. As for last night’s game, another Cainsterpiece. The pen was a touch scary but I’m getting used to it. A little. Arias was poppin’ right off the bat (?) so confidence was high right away and there’s few things more heartening than a sweep of the Dodgers

Now back to the topic. First the Giants have a lot of great nicknames in their lexicon. Stretch, The Count, Will the Thrill, Jack the Ripper. Even today’s players: The Freak, Panda, et.al (although I’ve never really been crazy about “Panda”). And some nicknames that have died in shame and shall be spoken no more (Melkman). Even Big Flavor’s name of this blog is part of the “Language of Baseball”. Not a nickname per se but we all know immediately as of whom it refers. And yes, another guy with a great nickname.

But, again, nicknames are a only part of “The Language of Baseball”. Baseball terms and certain vernaculars that everyone around here simply assumes everyone else knows. But sometime we forget that not everyone can give you a knowing-dude-head-nod. If I were to say to my mom “The last time Mahatma Kane Jeeves came up for a cup of coffee, he went yard his first AB” she’d think he decided to sit outside at Starbucks. Al fresco.

Mendoza Line anyone? Walk-off homer? The battery? Cycle? Ducks on the pond? Infield fly rule? Can of corn? And just who is this Tommy John and why is everyone having his surgery?

And the plethora of stats. Used to just be RBIs and ERAs. Now it’s oWAR. dWAR. oRAR. OBP. SLG. IBB. waaWL. OPS. OB/GYN. My personal favorite, WHIP. There’s that charming sabermetric term NERD. I say let’s keep Robert Carradine out of this. His dad and older brother were the legends.

There’s all sorts of nutty terms that some of us take for granted but some are, like, *really* obscure. Pop quiz, hotshots. Who can tell me what a “Golden Sombrero” is without giggling?

Here’s a favorite of mine. “Pythagorean Expectation”. Makes me think that, yes, even dinosaurs needed happy endings.

Then there’s the sayings or catchphrases that we all know but some no longer count. “Curse of the Bambino”? “The House That Ruth Built”? Memorable but both null and void today. “The Boys of Summer”? A Don Henley song. However there’ve been some additions in recent years (“There’s no crying in baseball” or “That one had some hair on it”)

We all know the annoying “Tomahawk Chop” but did ya’ll know there’s a “Baltimore Chop”?

How about the “Hot Stove League”? That’s us Flappers. A group of jamolks who, between seasons, still can’t stop talking baseball.

“Sistema Peralta”? Something pawlie brought up earlier this year about handling a pitching staff kinda like they do during the All-Star Game. Basically, splitting nine innings between three pitchers, three innings each.

It’s a little nuts but it’s all part of the mystique. Any cool favorites I left out? Leave us know.

Be the first to give us a…”quality start”

I haven’t been able to watch many games lately but last night was a good one to make time for.  Staked to an early lead Lincecum cruised along until his sweat allergy got the best of him but he pushed through and put the club in the position to win the game and now the series.  Having waited all season for a moment to point to that brought the club together I really didn’t expect Cabrera’s suspension to be what did it. I read somewhere that Bochy had the team at his house for BBQ recently and I would rather believe that was what it was. Whatever it was remains to be seen but the Giants are playing well and they can keep rolling with a sweep today.

Go Giants!

Your attention please, batting for Snarkk….number 77….Biiiig Flaaavvvooorrrrrr!!!!!!

cue the music, “Paradise City”, byG&R. And I’m not talking about a goddamn snippet of the song. When I get called up to the plate I’m not stepping into the batters box until the entire s0ng has played from start to finish. Screw it, flip on “November Rain”….

What was I talking about?

His final game for us was August 14th and as we complete our first full week without that cheating, selfish fuck, I am still staring at the Giants outfield and not seeing even a borderline replacement. Right now, having Pagan and Pence “wheelin’ it big in the outer and inner outfield” is looking pretty good to me. And I’m not talking about replacing a guy who led the league in hits and runs and who had a .346 batting average. I’m just talking about a guy who isn’t named *Justin Christian*.  Speaking of a guy like that, what the hell happened to Gregor Blanco? Back on May 30th, The White Shark was  still sporting an OBP over .400 and an .823 OPS. Fast forward a couple of months and he’s hitting .234 with an OBP of .329. WIthout being able to pinpoint the exact difference, Gregor Blanco shows us the difference between being the MVP of the Venezuelan Winter League and what it takes to succeed at the mlb level. Anyway, Blanco is an option I guess…..

There’s been talk of calling up Gary Brown. He’s been playing in LF for Richmond lately and I’m wondering if that isn’t a sign of desperate measures to come. I am against that idea since I don’t think he’s ready to hit mlb pitching and as a young player he’s probably a little burnt as his season is just about over. He’s not walking enough (6.3%) and one of the Flap’s favorite saber stats, wRC+, is at a very pedestrian 108. Those are not numbers that scream *fast track this kid to the big leagues right now.”

Marco Scutaro has played 95 innings in the outfield (out of the 9766 innings he’s played in his career), has been hitting situationally well for us, and is also an option for the LF job….

So it’s time for a Flapper Vote. A waiver wire pick up (like Cody Ross in 2010) is also a possibility. For the purposes of the vote, I am using Andres Torres as the waiver wire player we would pick up…..

No, no, I’m not talking movies here (and I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing this one), but on the eve of the 2,365th  Giants/Dodgers game (1184–1163–17 [wait a minute, 17 ties? How does that happen?])), I’m talking grudges. We all hold grudges against seemingly innocent things. The DMV, for  being a little slice of hell on Earth, the one barrista at Starbucks who never makes you double-whip-half-caff-light-mocha-whip-frappochino correctly, or even meter maids and the stupid little carts they drive.

Sport grudges are different though. At least for me. Zumie mentioned yesterday that his anger toward the Los Angels Angels of Angeland had faded to nothing. Me? Nope. 5 outs will always hurt. The hatred still burns like a tiny fire in my heart. I’m happy as a clam in sheepshit that the LAALAAs  are potentially going to miss the playoffs despite spending a millions upon millions of dollars on guys like Pujols, Grienke, Haren and the rest of their bloated payroll. In true LA fashion, the players are individually having great years, yet the team is barely over .500 after droppping 4 games to the banjo hitting TBRays. They have Kid Fish as the likely rookie of the year. Trumbo playing out of his mind, and yet, they blow an 8 run lead the other night. Ha ha! I’m loving their slow sink into obscurity as the A’s (the fuckin’ A’s! A team that jettisons star players as fast as they can) blow past them and move into playoff contention.

I missed the Yankee World Series loss in 1962 (well, I was a negligent 1 year old fan back then) , but plenty of people here still hold that torch as a reason to hate the Yankees. I still view the Fred (Crime Dog) McGriff trade from the Pads to the Braves as an abomination, and therefore the Braves and Padres hold a special dark place in my heart for animosity as the Braves played out of their minds and passed the Giants in the last true pennant race back in 1993. St Louis? Yup. On the list. 1987 still hurts because I think it was 1987 when baseball changed the NLCS to best of 7 from best of 5. Of course, the Giants would have won a best of 5. And because of Jose fucking Okendo. The Marlins? Fuck ’em. Both timie we faced them in the playoffs, they won the Word Series. Although it IS hard to stay mad at them as they jettison their lineup evey 3 years, and they now they play in a pastel-colored nightmare of a stadium in downtown Miami. They look like a barnstroming team from the 30s. That’s about it for me baseball-wise. For some reason, I’m not angry about the Pirates, even though they beat the Giants in 1971. And even though I saw them win game 1 on what I thought would be a shoe-in to the World Series, my anger for that series was directed at Dave Kingman for butchering game 2.

So, who holds your ire? Having been only a fan of the SF teams my whole life, I have a pretty small sample size. I respected (and grudgingly liked) the Big Red Machine back in the 70s. I mentioned Pittsburgh, and you had to like the ‘We are family’ run. I have family ties to the Cubs, and I could give a shit about 4/5th of the AL teams (KC? Seattle? ChiSox?). These teams barely register on my radar.

So, who gets your blood pressure rising? What team (or player) causes you to see a little red?

Despite the overarching attempt at cleverness in the title, this is really about comebacks.

The Rays just overcame an 8-0 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (or Some Other Pedestrian SoCal Locale), 10-8.

I assert every pennant winner, or at least postseason team, must have a big-comeback win in that season.

I can’t prove it or back it up. It’s just my assertion, my contention, my 2:25 a.m. proposition.

Remember that game in 2010 when Juan Uribe hit a HR en route to a comeback victory against the Dodgers on a Saturday night? That sort of thing. If memory serves (and it often serves like a temptress), Flavor (typically called “Magnus” by me) was at that game.

On the flip side of this, I have an unprovable theory that last night’s (Saturday night’s) (it’s Saturday night for me mentally but not technically, know what I mean?) win over the Padres was crucial. By that I mean it would have been I’ll-take-the-gas-pipe AWFUL if we had blown that game in the ninth inning.

Alas, we won.

Maybe it turns out big.

But all wins are big, no matter where on the calendar.

What do you think of The Importance of Earnestly Achieved Comeback Wins?

(Good night.)

(Good morning.)

A good result last night and, with the dogers losing in extra innings to the bravess, Your San Francisco Giants are back in first place. We cannot look too far into the future even though it holds those same dogers and bravess. 

The near future is all we care about, and there is no sense looking at the past just now.
But of course we will.

The prognosticators have the Friars winning tonight’s game figuring Stults will outpitch our man Barry.

Zito-1-4 with a 4.93 ERA in nine career appearances at Petco Park. He is 4-2 with a 3.15 ERA against NL West teams this year and the lefty is 1-2 with a 7.06 ERA in his last four starts after going 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his previous five. Stults has recently started starting and has allowed one run in his past 13 innings. And he has won twice.

As my man yogi has said, ‘great hitting and vice versa’. We certainly saw the Giants do some great hitting last night and we have seen flashes of it all year (I am thinking StL). The current team can score them some runs. The Orange Friday fans last night were FANtastic it was hard to tell when the SD crowd was making noise. I have my peace pipe out and I am already thinking this is the rubber game. A win tonight should get us the sweep with our new ace going tomorrow who got his shit game-of-the-month out of the way against the nats.

The Flapper Nation has already pointed to the schedule as an advantage; especially these next 5 games. I do not think anyone anticipated a blow-out win at petco park being just the thing this team needed to heal from a surprise loss in the lineup. If Zito works it this evening (5:30 start btw) I know a sweep here and a series win in losenges would be the elixer to carry back home against the choppers from atlanta.

Yeah, it is ‘one game at a time’ and a series win is nice, but we are IN a pennant drive, we will want more and there are only 40 games to get it. Go Gigantes!

tonight’s hero(?) with my everyday hero

Pfffttttt…….I’m disgusted with this entire episode. Melky’s silence after Bagg’s issued that public apology still angers me the most. I know other things should, like his suspension and the lying and the fake stats and stuff…..But reading Baggs’ thread on 7/28 made me almost turn on the guy—one of my favorite Bay Area writers of all time—- and Melky just sat there in his little rat-hole, ignoring the apology, darting his eyes back and forth while he prayed for that *miracle ticket* out of this drug-induced mess….I guess when you’re a cheater and a liar you don’t give a sh!t about people that play the game by the rules—people that are living in a society– I wonder if Melky laughed out loud when he read Bagg’s public apology to him? To me, it was one or the other: “darting eyes” or “LQTHPS” (laugh quietly to his pathetic self). Maybe both. I can’t even think about this without wanting to spit in his face….And this has NOTHING to do with Barry or The PED Era or anything. Barry Bonds NEVER fucked his team like this.  No player of Melky’s status has done this to his team at this point in the season. Manny-Gate isn’t even a close comparision. He came to the Dodgers as an established star. He was just *Manny being Manny….” and he got popped.

The WORST part of all of this is that I got fucking tricked into believing something super-cool was happening. I knew in my brain that a guy on his 4th different team in 4 years who is leading the league in hits and runs and who’s hitting .350 and carrying around an all-star MVP trophy couldn’t really be happening.  But I still talked myself into believing it was real. I checked his near-.400 BABIP and dismissed it as an aberration. This was real.  I reveled and lol’d in the fall-out of us trading the guy with the worst ERA in the American League for the guy with the most hits in the National League.  THIS WAS FUCKING REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And then to find out it was all fake bullshit?  It was so deflating. And it made me feel like a dumb ass……
But I’m getting over it. It’s just one guy. And if there’s one thing I am certain of it’s that I care more about the following than any one person: THE San Francisco Giants. And just typing that has already started the healing process……..

  I was at work all day, zero internet access and no cell phone so I didn’t hear about zum’s game or Melk until driving home.  First thing I thought of was Lou Holtz.  While I’ve often disagreed with his takes on college football, he is a great motivational guy, and I thought if he could address Giants closed door like bochy did it would sound like this:

  “Gentlemen, we have lost a teammate who has helped us get to where we are today, but who can no longer do that and we shall go forward without him.  We have recently added Marco and Hunter to our core of men who began in spring training to work toward our goal of finishing the last out in October.  We will add a couple more to fill our full complement of the roster, but I’m just here to remind you, this is us.

  We’ve fought obstacles since day one and before together, without any help or excuses.  We didn’t have full use of freddy, aubrey, or willie and we’ve done just fine while others have been hurt or banged up and not available.  We’ve gotten this far by playing smart baseball, picking each other up and sticking together.  And that’s the same way we’ll win  this thing too.

 Two years ago we had an even bigger deficit to overcome at this time, and while we had our ups and downs, prevailed in the end.  Whatever roadblocks are in our path, we’ll go over them, around them or smash right through them to reach our goal, by everyone doing whatever is in their power to help the team win.  No one believed in us then, but outside of this room I don’t care who believes in us now. This is what you live for, to see who can come out ahead in the end of a heated pennant race, best team wins and tastes the champagne.  Let’s prove em all wrong again.”

I’m going to the Giants game today, and I’m very excited about it! Well, I’m ALWAYS excited about going to a Giants game, but today even more so. Last night’s win was especially sweet. The Panda is back, the lineup looks the best it’s looked all season, and MadBum pitched the way we expect our main pitchers to pitch: lights-out domination. The Giants are in what may be shaping up to be an epic division battle with the Dodgers, and face it- this is awesome. Sure I’d like the Giants to have a 10-game lead in the division right now; but since that hasn’t happened by this time, they are now in a classic division title fight, and we as their fans are right there with them. We get to go on the ride with them; that’s one of the great thrills of baseball.

And it’s nice relief and distraction from some of the other things going on, like the grim state of politics. Super-PACs pouring millions and millions of dollars into attack ads to win over “undecided” voters….those people who don’t pay attention. In a CBS poll from last week, 38% of those polled said they had NEVER HEARD OF Paul Ryan before. What a joke. It would be hard to call that “healthy democracy.” However someone feels about Ryan (and let’s just say I’m not a fan), people should have at least HEARD of him before. Maybe that’s part of the reason for the baseball book kick that I’m on; books combining history and baseball give that extra dose of comfort and relaxation. (I’m often on a baseball book kick, but sometimes more often than other times.) I just finished the Lefty Gomez biography and found it very engaging and compelling. I’ve started reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s baseball-oriented memoir of her youth in the 1950s, and then the book waiting for me after that is about Connie Mack. There’s just a lot of really terrific baseball books out there, as demonstrated by our own Pawlie K., and new ones coming along at a steady rate it seems. Baseball is no longer the #1 most popular sport in the nation, and hasn’t been for several decades; but the game is as great as ever, and books about it are as great as ever. I’m sure at some point I’ll be onto a different reading kick, and certainly I have many unread books on my shelves I want to get to; but for now, the baseball books are hitting the spot nicely. And also hitting the spot nicely will be time at the ballpark today. Lincecum vs. Strasburg. Two firstplace teams battling it out. An opportunity for a playoff-type atmosphere to the event. Every game is huge the rest of the way, and every game is an chance for something memorable to happen. Every season itself is like a book, and this season has exciting and unpredictable chapters to go.

I confess I didn’t watch much of last night’s game after the 3rd inning. So when I saw the final score, I figured the bullpen had collapsed as well. Which, surprisingly, didn’t much bug me. I assumed Penny and Kontos and or Hensley had tossed some gas on the fire. But these aren’t the guys who are going to win us a championship. To win this thing, the big four is going to have to do the heavy lifting. Romo and Casilla from the right and Affeldt and Lopez from the left should be plenty. To be successful, the starters are going to have to go at least 6, so four pitchers after that point should be sufficient. The question becomes then, can we get to the post-season with Penny, Kontos, Hensley and Mijares?

A shout out to the immortal Johnny Pesky. Apparently a great guy who would talk to anyone at length about baseball. There will always be a Pesky’s Pole, which is just one of the coolest honors ever. Forget the plaques, name a foul pole after me!

Who’s that mook from Philidelphia?
Oh yeah. Pence. Frickin’ Pence. 3 run dinger yesterday. Am I happy? Am I happy? Sure. I mean…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-OYKd8SVrI

But I also have that “about frickin’ time” feeling. At least I’m not getting Beltran flashbacks like when last year Bochy actually sat him near the end of the season so he could secure his .300 average. Sweet. Whatta guy. See you in St. Louis.But nothing like that is gonna happen with Pence.

Is it me or does Melky need a day off? I’m throwing this out because it’s after nine and so I thought i’d start the ball rolling. Give Blanco a start, give Melky a blow. there’s still Posey in the lineup. or do you wait for Pablo’s return (tomorrow?). On the one hand, it’s the Rockies. On the other hand, it’s the Rockies and you do NOT want to lose to them. I’m going to hopefully have a slow day but i’m afraid the lawn and garden await. Enjoy your Sunday Flappers.

It’s a little after 9 so I am going to pinch run for Dirt. There isn’t much to say about last night’s game except be happy you weren’t there. I am going to today’s game and if we have to sit through more of that limp impotence against that joke pitching staff I think I’ll puke.

There really isn’t anything that explains why we can’t hit at home and why we’re leading the NL in batting average on the road. We aren’t a power hitting team, our park dimensions should be perfect for most of our hitters. We’ve got guys who can hit the other way (Theriot, Scutaro, Posey, Pence) and you would think they’d find those cavernous gaps at AT&T.

But you’d be wrong…….

How about a look at one of the low minors “stars” of the future.  I use that term advisedly, of course, knowing the recent history of success of Giants’ minor leaguers up with the Big Club.

Kyle Crick is a name bandied about a lot.  (WTF kind of word is “bandied”, anyway?)  SF drafted Crick as their 2^nd (supplemental) pick in 2011 out of Sherman (TX) High School (about 40 miles north of Dallas) costing them $900K to keep him out of putting his toe into college ball at TCU.  49^th pick overall.  Kid is a big, strappin’ Texas boy, listed as 6’4”, 225, so he’s going to get more strappin’ as he makes his way along the minors slog.   (I like “strappin’ “, except when it goes too far ala Brad Penny).  The hope is he’ll turn into more of a strapper along the lines of another Texan, that dude out of Katy who used to pitch for the RSox and doesn’t mind other guys injecting his wife’s ass with B12 or something.  If his last name were Krick, then the KK strikeout thing would be a promo natural for Larry Baer, so long as his middle name weren’t Kristian.

While with low A Augusta so far, his success is more based on getting Ks as you might expect at that level.  But, he is starting to work on his other pitches, including the changeup.  http://tinyurl.com/8qvb4m3   This kid’s a power guy, can bring the heater in the high 90s, so no surprise right now that as a young kid he’s wild and has thrown a lot of walks in between blowing guys away.  http://tinyurl.com/9ve69w4   As of August 2, the Prospect Report noted: “Coupled with his latest performance that makes four times in his last nine starts that he’s been one of the best starters in the SAL on the days he’s taken the ball. That’s pretty heady stuff in itself and he had two other 5.0 inning shutout starts that were also outstanding in that stretch. It’s no wonder that Crick’s name came up as a “prospect of interest” in various trade discussions over the last couple weeks and it’s makes a statement that he Giants elected to hang on to their 2011 supplemental round pick. The 19-year old now has a 2.47 ERA with 97 SO in 87.1 IP and while he has walked 6.1 batters per nine, he’s offset that with an outstanding 5.5 H/9. Crick was already considered by some to be a Top-10 prospect in the Giants organization prior to this season and given what he’s done this year, it seems almost a given he will be a unanimous Top-10 guy for San Francisco – maybe even Top-5 – heading into 2013.”

For what it’s worth at this early stage, here’s a link to his numbers. http://tinyurl.com/9oubf88  And, here’s a link to a recent vid supposedly of him in game action. http://tinyurl.com/8lyjldm   We should be seeing him next year at San Jose.  Is he a RH Wheeler?  Or, a Todd van Poppel?  Or somewhere in between?  Or another Matt Cain?  You guys probably have some more dope on him…

Despite the resurgence of the Giants offense after the drought of the homestand, and the epic stomping of the hated Cardinals (I still hate Jose Okendo, Ozzie Smith, Whitey Herzog, Darrell fucking Porter, and Tony LaRussa), I’m going off on another tangent. Someone mentioned this a while ago, so what the hell?  I mean really, got to be something besides baseball 24/7. I’m a little curious (not really, but hey it sounds good) as to what you guys and gals (Ferrethead? Melkmaids? Come out come out wherever you are!) do when you ain’t watching/going to baseball games and immersing yourselves in everything Giants? Some of you guys apparently work out as I hear peripheral shit about that. Me? I haven’t trained hard for anything since football and track in high school. And that was over 30 years ago. But I do do stuff like hiking mtn biking golf camping tennis skiing and the occasional body surfing and boogie boarding trips to the beach. But I do more than my share of 16 oz curls . . .

I bring this up, because last weekend, my wife, son, and I went whitewater rafting on the middle fork of the American River. We’ve been up here about 10 years, and I’ve been meaning to do that for a long time, so we finally did it. It’s about a 20 mile paddle down the river (6 hours), and the ride is pretty crazy. Class III stuff, some Class IV, and a little Class V rapids. There’s one spot on the river where, in the 1880s, miners blew a 50′ tunnel into a giant rock wall to divert 1/2 a mile of the river that was an oxbow. By doing that, they got about $6 millon of gold out of that dry riverbed. Little did they know that what they ended up doing was to create the longest man-made Class V rapids in the world. I (and the guy behind me) got thrown out of the boat on one of the nastier sections. As I got back in the boat, the boat behind us went nose-first into a hole, and all 7 people were catapulted into the river. They went shooting by at about 30 MPH in a fast section of the river. We were able to snag one of them as they flew by, and all were fine minus some scrapes and bruises. People were flying out of rafts all day. Cool shit.

Tomorrow, my son and I are off to Haven Lake up near Sierraville off of Highway 49. It’s a quiet little lake among a bunch of lakes out there at about 7500′ near the Sierra Buttes. We’re going to do a little fishing, a little dirt-biking, a little 4 wheeling, and a lot of just hanging out. He starts his sophomore year in a week, so this is the last summer weekend of fun. Plus I need to teach him how to drive, and what better place is there to do it than out in the middle of nowhere?

So, what do you folks do for thrills? Sure, I used to be an adrenaline junkie, and I still get myself into stupid situations that I should know better about (mainly skiing and dirtbiking), but don’t. Shit, when I was a kid, I ended up in the emergency room 7 times for various cracks, breaks, and stiches. One of our greatest inventions when I was a kid was to take my sisters  rollerskates and attach them to a piece of plywood. I don’t even know if skateboards were invented yet, but we’d have 4 skates on a 2′ x 4′ piece of plywood. The damn things were fast as hell. The best one was the Turtle. It was a square piece of plywood that a plastic (green of course) garbage can top would fit onto. We lived on a nice hill, so the rest was obvious. After a fast run down the sidewalk, I smashed my face on a rock and then flew into a tree. That one was 12 stiches on my eyelid and 8 on my forehead. My brother thought it was the coolest thing he’d ever seen. I looked like an axe murder victim. By that point, my mom was getting used to the carnage. And the trips to the emergency room . . .

The financially ailing U.S. Postal Service just put out four stamps on “Major League Baseball [tm] All-Stars.” The stamps are handsome depictions of Willie Stargell, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, and Larry Doby. Better yet, the full set carries on the back finely crafted biographies that are succinct and poetic. “The crack of a bat on a hot summer day” the text begins, in bold italic. (I wish I had had that gig.) By the way, these stamps are “Forever” stamps. Isn’t that wonderful, that something you used to lick could confer everlasting metaphysical powers?

Your assignment, boys and girls, should you choose to accept it, is to select A, B, or C, or some combination thereof, or neither (in which case, G.F.Y.):

A. Which four players would you choose out of all of Major League Baseball [tm] history? (I did not do the research, but it would be challenging only to choose players not previously enshrined on stamps. Has Willie Mays ever been so honored? Must one be deceased?)

B. Which four Giants in all of history would you select?

C. Which four Giants from 2012 would you select?

Have at it.

This move surprised me yesterday and after reading Pavlovic’s *post game* notes and the links he provided on the *Kansas City* take it not only surprises me but it doesn’t make sense how or why we were able to simply snap him off the waiver wire for $20,000. Side note: I always LQTM when I see a writer say that a team was trying to “sneak a player through waivers”– like contending teams aren’t watching the waiver wire. I envision a GM like Brian Cashman saying something like this: “Goddammit! I told Marge from accounting to keep her eye on the waiver wire and she was on a smoke break when the Angels were busy trying to sneak Trout passed waivers! MAAARRRRRGEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!”

But in this case, it does seem strange that at a time when almost any contending team would gladly accept near-free left handed specialist help in the bullpen. And yet, not only were the Royals not able to trade him before the deadline, but not a single AL team even wanted him for free. And we don’t know how many NL teams passed on him before the Giants finally hit the “add player” button but it had to be most of them.

So what is wrong with a guy with a 2.56 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning?

For starters, he’s not going to win any bodybuilding competitions:

He’s listed at 6 feet/230lbs. Unlikely. This is a pic of him last year in Minnesota and while it’s hard to get a good idea with an untucked shirt of just how bulbis this guy is, my guess is that if he wears Benjie’s old number then Murph could easily just dust off an old *big titty* jersey and give him that.

But being fat doesn’t preclude you from being good at baseball. It could be a sign though which we’ll look at later……

Looking at his season game-2-game, he didn’t allow an earned run in 19 straight appearances from May 30th to July 18th. That stat can sometimes be a little misleading, especially for a lefty specialist. But he did pitch at least a full inning in 8 of those 19 appearances.

Looking at his splits this year, not too many stand out. His kryptonite is the #2 and #7 spots in the order (batting .368 and .353 respectively). The flip side is that the #4 and #5 guys are cake for him (and in his case it looks like *2 slices*). Those spots are batting only .133 and .125.

Looking at his *clutch stats* (and I know the samples are small) he seems to have the most trouble when the game is tied, batters are hitting .417 off him. In fact, his other 2 *clutch stats* (2 outs, RISP .300 and late&close .344) are pretty bad, too. He’s much better when the team is behind or as the score differential increases. And frankly, all of that sounds pretty bad. You want a pitcher who is good when it’s tied, when there are runners on and/or when the team is ahead and it’s close…….

Kansas City is in sort of a *reshuffling* mode right now. I wouldn’t call what they’re doing right now as *rebuilding* because the news coming out of KC is that they have been ditching some players with bad attitudes. Yuniesky Betancourt got designated last week for what was described as a bad attitude. They also fired their first base coach for some reason. After Mijares was waived, here’s what the Kansas City Star article said about those moves:

“…..All three moves appear part of a unified effort by the club to refocus its on-field efforts, although manager Ned Yost chose not to elaborate further on his Sunday statements regarding a need to reverse the organization’s “losing culture.”

Even so, multiple players confirmed a brief closed-door meeting Monday before batting practice centered on the need to place team success over individual achievement.

Club officials say the decision on Mijares, like that on Betancourt, resulted primarily from priorities attached to a long-term organizational viewpoint….”

So when you read between the lines on that newspaper blurb, it’s not to much of a stretch to think that the Royals thought Mijares had an attitude problem. Part of attitude is keeping yourself in shape, by the way. Just something to consider. And the *individual accomplishment* note is something he might have a problem with, too……..

And the fact that every team in the AL passed on the guy (and they had first shot at him over the NL) makes me wonder if there was a *bad word* on the street about this dude……

Another theory is that the Royals didn’t want to have to pay Mijares the suspected 2.5 million he would earn in arbitration next season……

But most of what I’m saying  is conjecture. He wasn’t pitching very well prior to the break and that could be the reason the Royals couldn’t deal him (and they said they had tried to).

Here are some optimistic reasons to embrace him:

1) lots of fat baseball players are successful

2) The Royals make tons of bad personnel decisions

3) It’s possible that Mijares, Betancourt and the dastardly first base coach are nothing more than fall-guys to take the blame for yet another losing season in KC.

Yesterday, I said I thought it was a good move to pick him up and I’m a little less enthusiastic this morning. Also, he’s not a long guy and he’s not going to take any appearances away from Lopez or Affeldt. According to an article in the Merc, he’ll pick up some appearances in place of Affeldt who is going to see more save opportunities as Bochy has decided to stupidly go with the bullpen-by-committee move……

My personal theory as to why the Royals bailed on him: They had to call up “Francisley Bueno.” –one of the great names in all of baseball. That’s right up there with “Fausto Carmona”, the guy who got busted for lying about who he really was to make himself younger. I never really got that, if you were gonna try to pull that move off wouldn’t you try to lay low, fly under-the-radar and just roll with a hum-drum common name like *Juan Gomez*?

Anyway, I digress. Jose Mijares, for whatever the reasons you are here, Flavor Nation welcomes you with 2 flaps up. Take it easy on the clubhouse spread, you don’t want to anger The Panda…….

Filling in for BF. So it’s off to the Gateway city. With the sweep, i’m back on track for a fifteen win month. I had them going 1-3 here in St Lou. But with Cain, Bum and Vogey getting starts, not to mention the irrepressible BZ, 2-2 and even 3-1 is not unthinkable. Obviously the hitters need to stay hot and the relief pitchers need to stiffen up some. With the RP though, it seems like someone is able to come up with the big inning when they need it. there’s a lot of talent out there. Cain needs to get it started tonight.

  With his latest deal for Hunter Pence, Sabean has apparently solidified the two corner OF spots between Henter Pence and Melky Cabrera, hopefully for this year and beyond.  So that leaves CF for today’s discussion.

  Prior to the last two days at Coors, Pagan was 5 for his last 26 with 0 BBs and 5 Ks.  Vs. the Rox pitching staff so far he has gone 7 for 10 with 2 BBs, scored 6 drove in 4 and homered.  All this while back in the leadoff spot and mostly hitting right handed. 

 After a great May that saw his OPS for the month at .884, June it dropped to ..608, and July fell further to .550.  The OB went from .422 to .302 and finally .244 in July.  Back to leadoff?  Hmnn…gotta admit that was quite a ballsy move by Bochy.  Pagan has hit better at home, with the OB 50 points higher, and has also done better vs. LHP, again the OPS being 50 pts higher.

  Unfortunately, the similar drop off from blanco certainly had something to do with that.  Eerily, Blanco’s OPS for May was almost exactly the same, and his June and July numbers also plummeted dramatically. June and July his OB numbers dropped to .277 and .310; his pre-AS game OPS was .711, post-AS .519.  Ouch. He is 2 fo his last 20 (with 4 BBs thrown in), but unlike Pagan his OPS is 90 pts higher on the road than at ATT.

  So what do you do? Is this the spark that gets Pagan back toward the stats he was putting up earlier, particularly as a leadoff?  Can Blanco be a capable back up at any OF position, or does he deserve more PT than that?  Is Gary Brown a Sept. call up?  If so, how much PT does he deserve in the heat of a pennant race that might bring back quite a lot of “torture” for Giants fans?  How much run do you think Bochy would give him, or would that depend more on whether Pagan can keep up the good work?  Next year I guess, is still too far out, but I’ve already seen a few posts by those not inclined to keep Pagan around.

  As always, just when you seemingly come up with a few answers, more questions abound.  I’ll leave you with this observation from our intrepid reporter Snarkk, as posted here 7/25 at 8:57.  “I don’t know how it looked on TV, but from my view in the Park today, I thought Pagan was going to get to that fly to left center in the 4th (Lincecum game).  He got a slow jump, and for my money, that ball could have been caught.”  We all saw the fab DP with crawford and belt, and of course last two days—so who is the real Angel Pagan?

“Numbers rule all things.” ~Pythagoras. There’s a familiar name. I’m sure most of you are well aware of the Pythagorean Winning Percentage developed by Bill James that uses runs scored and runs allowed to tell you if a team has been lucky or not.  Our boys’ record isn’t so hot at the moment. The Giants *should* be 54-42  according to Pythagoras, but it’s not my intention to discuss what our record should or shouldn’t be.

I’m just talking numbers in general. Pythagoras believed numbers have a soul and magical powers. Really? OK. Who am I to argue with the great Greek philosopher and mathematician? Numbers are used in religions, mythology and superstitions all around the world.

In numerology, people born on the 5^th of the month can face certain challenges in their lives. They tend to be impatient and impulsive. They are prone to overindulge their senses in food, alcohol, sex and drugs. They must be careful to protect their health from the excesses of their tastes. I was born on the 5^th. That nail couldn’t have been hit more squarely on its head if you tried.

And then there’s our great game of baseball. Baseball is all about numbers. I remember growing up there seemed to be only two stats: AVG. and ERA. Now? I can’t keep track of half of them. ISO. wRC+. UZR/150. xFIP. A guy could get a headache hanging out on Fangraphs for too long.

Then there’s the deal with the players and their jersey number. We all know how fussy and superstitious they can be about getting “their” number. Jersey numbers have been bought and sold a hundred times over.

So, do you guys have any favorite or maybe even lucky numbers? Do numbers have any meaning, or are they just simple counting symbols? My favorite numbers at the track are 3, 6 and 9 with 6 being my most favorite. Notice I said favorite, I didn’t mention anything about them being lucky.

….and still hanging onto first place by a thread, with wagon wheels wobbling, axles stressed to the breaking point, oxen gaunt and wheezing- it’s the orange and black wagon train straggling into Colorado, looking for answers. In a now three-team division title battle with the Dodgers and D-Backs, the Giants are at a pivotal point in the season- a moment in time that seems eerily similar to August of last season. Things need to improve, and quickly. Win some games this weekend, and feel some of that “Colorado Rocky Mountain high” that John Denver sang about. Catch a second wind that will propel them through this last 1/3 of the regular season to where they want to be at the end of it all.

The Rockies ballclub hasn’t been feeling all that high about things lately, themselves. Five years ago they were in the World Series, and their future seemed bright. Did you know that Affeldt was on that 2007 Rockies team? I didn’t. I just saw it in a boxscore from that World Series. Tulo was the starting shortstop, Torrealba the starting catcher, and that guy Helton at firstbase. But the 2007 Rockies were in the unfortunate position of being a team destined to be a footnote in baseball history, background characters in the bigger story of the Red Sox winning a second World Series in four seasons. So the Rockies’ amazing run at the end of the regular season, winning 21 of 22 games, and then rolling through a bunch of playoff games, has faded a lot from the collective memory of the baseball world. You have to win the World Series for that kind of thing to be remembered much.

Injuries and Father Time have taken a toll on the Rockies this season. Still, Giants fans know what a Chamber of Horrors the Rockies ballpark can be in any given series. The Giants have a lot of games left with the Rockies- thirteen, with six of them being in Colorado. Given the Rockies’ plight this season, anything less than the Giants winning two of three this weekend will be a big disappointment; especially since the Dodgers will probably be feasting on the Cubs ( as did the Giants.)  Vogie, MadBum, and Timmy will be working to keep the Rockies hitters in check; and the Giants batters are eager to enjoy some high-altitude hitting. Games at that ballpark have a way of often turning into Friday night softball games. Score early, and score often.

These games mean everything to the Giants, and they mean a lot less to the Rockies at this point. Hopefully the Rockies, and not the Giants, will be the team to sleep their way through this series. As that same John Denver song says: “The shadows in the starlight are softer than a lullaby….”

ou, comme on dit en anglaise, welcome to the dog days. When I was growing up it always seemed to be June that was the death knell. The dreaded “June Swoon”. But for the last few years it seems like August presents the most problems. In 2009 they had a good August, 16-12, their second best month other than June (17-10). They had a 17 game stretch without a day off where they went 10-7. In 2010, they were only 13-15, their worst month of the year. Their longest stretch without a day off was 13, where they went 6-7. July (20-8) and September (18-8) were two of their best months and obviously lead to a satisfactory conclusion to the year. In 2011, they went 11-18, also their worst month. They were 17 games over .500 on 7/28 and had a 4.5 game lead on 7/20. By 8/9, that was all gone. July (15-11) and Sept (14-11) were good months (though June was the best at 17-11 and May not far behind at 16-12). But August killed them. Their long stretch came from 7/26-8/10, 16 games where they went 5-11 (3-7 in August). After that they had a 10 game stretch (4-6) and a 9 game stretch (4-5). All in all, some August’s to forget.

So what does this year look like? They play 29 games. 2 days off with a 15 game stretch that they are at the start of. They play 12 at home and 17 on the road. The hot, Midwest games are this weekend and next week at CO and STL. They also go to Houston (indoors?) and Chicago at the end of the month. My take is that they go: Mets (1-1 including last night, come on BZ!), @Col (2-1), @STL (1-3), COL (2-1), WSN (1-2), off, @SDP (2-1), @LAD (1-2), ATL (2-2), off, @HOU (2-1), and @CHC (1-1). So I think that’s fairly conservative 15-14 month.

I think the Dogs may go 16-12 (AZ, off, CHC, COL, off, @MIA, @PIT, @ATL, SFG, off, MIA, @COL, @ARZ) so we should still end up with a lead. Their longest stretch is 13 games, ending with the series with the Giants.

The DBacks have a brutal schedule. 14 at home, 16 away, with ONE day off from now until Sept 5 or so, including 1 doubleheader (at home vs. MIA). They play @PHI (3), @PIT (4), WSN (2), off, @STL (3), @HOU (3), MIA (5 w/DH), SDP (3), CIN (3), @LAD (4, 2 in Aug), @SFG (3, 0 in Aug). Couple this with last season’s post-season fatigue (remember the G’s in 2011), I think they fade.

So, the dog days begin. I have them with 15 wins and a 1 game lead at the end of it.

I could write about the Giants win last night, stopping a season worst 5 game slide…but I won’t. I could make some asinine arguement about TIMMY’S BAAAAAACK…but I won’t. I could make some pithy comments about the Hunter Pence trade (seriously, see ya Nate. Thanks for 2010. God bless ya and good luck, chief)…but I won’t. I could mention the fucking Dodgers lost thus putting the Giants in 1st place SOLO…SANS COMPETITION…but I won’t.

No, you gentlemen(?) will certainly cover all those bases (rimshot) as the day goes by just as we all did last night. So I will simply go where I wish to go this morning.

The last time I did one of these things the subject was actors who looked like they could really play pro-baseball. Being the unimaginative twit that I am, today will be the opposite. Baseball players who look like they can really be actors. On that last thread some Flappers already brought up pro-baseball players who achieved good careers in film and TV. Namely Bob Uecker, Chuck Connors and Kurt Russell. But the facts show the successful crossover is extremely rare. Football players thrive better in this area for whatever reason. I have my theories but that would make this thread go on forever.

Now, other Flappers mentioned Babe Ruth playing himself in THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES. What a lot of people don’t know is that The Bambino actually had a short but respectable film career as an actor while he was still a ballplayer. Sure, he always played a guy named Babe Ruth who was a baseball player but “playing yourself” in movies isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s not like being yourself for an interview. You have to memorize your lines, pick up your cues, know your blocking, be prepared for multiple takes, etc. but primarily to be good you also have to appear natural. As much as I love Sergio Romo (Monday’s game not withstanding) and his little Giants game promos, they *are* a little awkward (that’s actually a lot of their charm). As game as Romo is, he’s a bit stiff, mannered and obviously out of his element. And Brian Wilson. Despite his obvious love of the spotlight, frankly he looks a bit stiff in all his media appearances as well. In fact, only Buster Posey shows a certain amount of natural presence in his spots.

Willie Mays appeared as “himself” on the occasional sitcom. Probably the best was a cameo on BEWITCHED and the joke was the reason he was so good was because he was a witch himself. And I’m sure you all remember the SEINFELD two part episode with Keith Hernandez. Now HE was good. That’s a guy that who took an acting lesson or two. And he’s also been on LAW AND ORDER and a couple other things.

No, most of these guys are one-offs, mainly because they all suck(ed) as actors. Sandy Koufax on DENNIS THE MENACE, Wade Boggs on CHEERS, Mark McGwire on MAD ABOUT YOU, Johnny Bench on THE PARTIDGE FAMILY. Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris got to share some screen time with Doris Day and Cary Grant in THAT TOUCH OF MINK delivering striking performances (with apologies to Dorothy Parker) that ran the gamut of emotions, from A to B. Former Giant Royce Clayton just played former Giant Miguel Tejada in MONEYBALL and did just okay. Even managers try to get in on the act. Sparky Anderson on W.K.R.P., Leo Durocher with the hat trick appearing on MR. ED, THE MUNSTERS and THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES. Trust me..ain’t NO ONE gonna ask Bochy to say a few lines on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.

But no one besides Uecker, Connors and Russell seemed to have been able to make a career of it. Don Drysdale did pretty well in the acting arena and showed a natural affinity playing in everything from LEAVE IT TO BEAVER and THE BRADY BUNCH to THE RIFLEMAN and THEN CAME BRONSON. Quite a few appearences. But still…primarily a ballplayer.

However, I am grossly neglecting one guy…

Johnny Berardino!!!

11 years in the big leagues, the Show for crying out loud, with the St. Louis Browns, the Indians and the Pirates. Sonavabitch also took 3 years outta baseball to be in your World War II!!!! a FUCKING WAR HERO!!! (it was a big war, a major war, we went in to win, we wanted to win..we won) and still an acting career that lasted between 1948 and 1993!!! Including 30 years alone on GENERAL HOSPITAL!!!

I didn’t mention him till now because, well frankly, I didn’t think anyone, with maybe the exception of Loo and/or twin, would even know who the hell this numbnut was.

Ya’ll know me. I could have gone on forever so I left a lot of guys out. Did I miss any of your favorites? Or better yet, what major league baseball player *really* dropped a steaming load of horse manure on celluloid?

Okay Flappers, over the past couple of days (probably weeks), we have beat to death what the Giants should do with their line-up. We have discussed ad nauseam who they should trade and for whom. And a couple of days ago, we even had a discussion thread on the Olympics. (I was out and missed that one, so I’ll get my two-cents in now…I dig the Olympics!)               

The non-waiver trade deadline in now only hours away. Sabes and crew have been relatively quiet (lots of rumors…little action). We know “what” they want to add, but Marco Scutaro (for Charlie Culberson) has been the sole trade to date. The Bums have added HanRam and Brandon League, and the latest is that Shane Victorino will slip into a uni of the Hated Blue today. With that, I ask you to turn your attention to yet another topic and offer your profound thoughts (as only a Flapper can).

So, regardless of whether the team signs a bat (Hunter Pence anyone), or a closer, or even if Sabes does nothing and the Giants stay as they are, what do you see as the top three (or say up to five) things that are most critical for the Giants to make the playoffs? And if you can list them in priority order, go for it.

My thoughts (not necessarily in ranked order):

• Pablo must return ASAP, stay healthy, and continue to be a force in the middle of the line-up.

• Blanco, Pagan, and any of the other regulars who have scuffled of late must get back to being consistently productive and stay that way. Granted, players can go through short spells, but I think the regulars must consistently bring it (think key base hit with RISP).

• The bench must contribute. Nate, Arias, Huff…whoever the hell it is, we need some regular production from our bench (think 2010 and Pat the Bat, Ross or Renteria). It has been so pathetic of late that I almost always cringe any time the Giants bring up a pinch hitter.

• Tim and Zito must pitch somewhere around .500, collectively, or better.

• The bullpen has to be “NAILS!” Shit like we saw from Casilla last night just won’t cut it, and Romo has struggled of late.

I purposely left out the other starters, because I will be very surprised if those three do not continue to contribute as they have to date, and also “team health” because that is a given…the team needs to stay healthy.

And You Say What?!

Something about a trade deadline looming

Yesterday’s loss was a mess, no desire on my part to beat that to death.  Still, after a loss it’s comforting to remember a bit of glory.  The other day when I went to ATT with the Snarkkettes, after the lousy loss to the Pads, we made the pilgrimage to the McCovey statue out on the point beyond McCovey Cove.  I’d actually never gone out there before.  And, for my favorite Giant, it was worth it.

The larger-than-life artwork well captures McCovey’s might, his gravitas, his presence.  We could use him now, for sure, with first base such a wasteland at the moment.  I’ve always wondered if to properly honor this gentleman, this great player, was that really the best place for Stretch’s statue, far away from the stadium?  It is windswept, barren, out of the way.  Quiet.  But, I now conclude, somehow fitting.  The uncrowded, unharried, focused look at his follow through reminds you, if you were a fan then, of how when Barry Bonds was in diapers, every single Stretch AB was always an event inside every game.  If you are young enough to only know him from old, grainy film, the statue does provoke a raw sense of the murderous majesty of his stroke.  The sweeping loneliness of the place where it stands gives you a shiver – likely how any opposing pitcher of his time felt peering in at that 6’ 4” of pure terror.

I harken back to 1969, his MVP year, records of which are set in a metal plaque on the way out to the statue among plaques for the other SF years.  Get a load of this 1969 line:

1. PAs   623
2. ABs   491
3. BA      .320
4. OBP    .453
5. SLG     .656
6. OPS     1.109
7. HR       45
8. RBI     126
9. BB       121
10. IBB       45
11. Runs   101
12. Doubles  26

In the days of no ‘roids and playing at the Stick, this record of the man’s highest accomplishment seen in 1969, culminating the  golden era of NL ball that was the ‘60s, is nothing short of amazing, beyond mind-boggling.  The 121 walks in those pre-Bonds days was astronomical, a testament to the fear Stretch put into pitchers and managers.  Here’s just a few of the arms he went yard against in ‘69:  Tom Seaver, Phil Niekro, Dick Selma (3), Rick Wise (3), Jack Billingham, Claude Osteen, Fergie Jenkins, Gary Gentry, Jim Bunning, Nelson Briles, Bill Stoneman, Ron Reed, Clay Kirby, Don Sutton.  Not a bad staff.   In his career, McCovey hit the most dingers (12) off Drysdale.  So, not only did Stretch mash, he mashed best against a Dodger HOFer– a praiseworthy Giant trait.

1969.  43 years ago.  What a year.   Nixon takes office.  Vietnam in full roar.  But, the first US troop withdrawals occur, and Nixon asks the “silent majority” to support his policies.  Spiro Agnew denounces Nixon’s critics as “an effete corps of impudent snobs” and “nattering nabobs of negativism”.  Earl Warren resigns from the Supreme Court.  Armstrong and Aldrin walk on the moon.  Sirhan Sirhan admits in court he killed RFK.  The Cuyahoga River catches fire in Cleveland.  Stonewall riots in NYC.   Judy Garland ODs and dies in London.   Teddy Kennedy and Chappaquiddick.   The Jets beat the Colts in Super Bowl III, the greatest upset in pro football history.  Monty Python debuts on the BBC.   Gaddafi orchestrates a coup and takes over Libya.   The My Lai massacre.  The first GAP store opens in SF.   The Manson family murders Sharon Tate.  The Boeing 747 makes its maiden flight.  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid opens.  The “Miracle Mets” win the World Series over the Orioles – 4 games to 1.   Whew!  The Santa Barbara oil spill.   The Beatles play their last public concert on the roof of Abbey Road studios in London.  Led Zeppelin releases Zeppelin I.   Altamont.  Jim Morrison arrested in Miami for allegedly exposing himself on stage.  Starting on August 15, one million people gather on Max Yasgur’s farm in upstate New York for a rock concert — Woodstock.   Janis, Jimi, CCR, Joan Baez, Canned Heat, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone, Joe Cocker, Crosby Stills Nash & Young and many more play in a mind-blowing, 3-day climax to the priapismic decade that was the ‘60s.  The Who play at dawn on Day 2, and steal the show with a set of raw Rock for the Ages.   http://tinyurl.com/c87qop.   http://tinyurl.com/d76v2vn.  And, in the inaugural year of the Division system that accommodated expansion to Kansas City, Seattle, Montreal, and San Diego, the Giants finish 90-72, second to the Braves in the NL West.

Here’s to Stretch, a first baseman for the Ages, and remembering when we had him in that tumultuous 1969…

Stretch — A great player, a great gentleman, a giant Giant…

Cue the Monty Python music. Or Benny Hill. I know this is fairly blasphemous to be writing about the Olympics during a Giants/Dodgers series, but then again, tough shit. It was this or writing about my mom throwing away my 3 boxes of baseball cards (~1966 to 1974) and what kind of sports memorabilia you guys have.

To Edddddacker’s unbridled delight, the XXX Olympics have started. And mind you, these really ARE the XXX Olympics, as all the athletes were given 15 condoms to use at their discretion, and local surveys say that about 75-80% of the athletes hook up with someone(s) over the course of the games. Multiple times. They are really putting the “Ohhh” in Olympics.

Anyhow, are you guys thrilled about the games? Yeah, they only come every four years (I guess that’s why they make up for lost time . . . [OK, enough of that]) so it seems to be a big deal. The pageantry, the hoopla, the athletes themselves, stronger, higher, faster. Medals, prestige, world renown overnight. That being said, I think the games are nothing like they were back in the day. During the turbulent 60s there was the civil rights protest of San Jose State’s own Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Their stand cost them their medals for a long time. You had the underlying tension of the Cold War hovering over the competition between the Soviet bloc countries and western countries (the athletes themselves didn’t share these feelings. They were hooking up back then as well, I suppose). You had the massive Soviet weightlifters like Vasily Alexiyev lifting crazy amounts of weight. The enigmatic Cubans like boxer Teofilo Stevenson. The East German women’s swimming and track teams who could barely disguise their proto-testicles and growing Adam’s apples. And the cocky Americans like high jumper Dwight Stones and Steve Prefontaine. Throw in some kooky Brits, crazy Canucks, and the pixieish Chinese and Chezck gymnasts, and you had a miasma of excitement. Characters abounded. Just the fact that a lot of these athletes were behind the Iron Curtain added to the mystery of the athletes competing. You had the tragedy of the Munich olympics with 9  Israeli wrestlers being murdered by Palestinian terrorists. It seemed to be a much bigger deal, with much bigger implications back then. 1976 was the last of the Cold War games as the US and the USSR swapped boycots in 80 and 84. In an age of relative isolation  (read: no internet) between countries, the eyes of the world were truly on the games.

There was little corporate intrusion, and bare-bones coverage. Sure, there were the puff pieces, and athlete profiles (Which were usually brought to you by none other than the incomparable Jim McKay), but the focus was on the events. If it was time for the 100 meter dash, you got a minute of preliminary info. Nowadays, they start the hype of every race with 1 hour of in-depth analysis, talking head banter, and corporate shoe tie-ins to make you want to puke. The inclusion of professional athletes watered down what was always an exciting bunch of basketball games. The hastily assembled USA basketball team going against Soviet teams than had been together for years was always intriguing to watch. Typically, the US Olympic athletes were one and done. Maybe 2 games max. Soviet/East German teams had athletes competing in 3 or even 4 games. They were professionals out there. Supported by their governments and given all the advantages. There was a certain charm that the US athletes were not funded by the government (for the most part), but were subsisting on public money. Now, it’s all about the corporations, the sponsors, Visa, Coca Cola, MasterCard, on and on. Yay, the US basketball team will crush every opponent in sight. the Chinese gymnasts will lie about their age. Sure, there are compelling stories, like Usain Bolt may not even be the best sprinter on his team let alone the world. Another collection of plucky US gymnasts led by the old Soviet coach Carolyi will gather some medals. Track is usually exciting, but where is a guy like Michael Johnson or even (gulp) Carl Lewis? Boxing? I got nothing. Decathlon? Bring back the days when Bruce Jenner looked like an Olympic athlete, not Joan Rivers.

Enough of the obsequiousness. Enough of fellow Flappers saying, “Great thread! Good topic!” This lazily constructed bit of verbal fabric (i.e., “loose thread”) will put a leaden-thump of an end to that, for one day.

Girls, today we will prognosticate the results of this weekend’s series with the Dodgers. (If it is a four-game series, better yet a demonstration of my morning haziness.) You will notice in the following that I haven’t even bothered to name the Dodgers’ winning or losing pitchers or HR hitters. Can’t be bothered.

FRIDAY:

SF 5  LA 3

WP: Cain  Save: Casilla  HRs: Schierholtz, Belt

SATURDAY:

LA 7  SF 3

LP: Zito  HRs: None.

SUNDAY:

SF 4  LA 2

WP: Vogelsong   Save: Affeldt  HRs: Melky

Have at it.

That was an excellent thread by Dennis yesterday about second favorite teams. There were a lot of interesting comments and hate for the Yankees. And I caught a small amount of grief from Flavor for even mentioning a small fondness for that team across the bay that wears those gay-assed white shoes! All good stuff from what I saw of the comments (which was limited).

Today I want to throw out two topics for discussion. And my apologies if you guys beat these like a dead horse yesterday. Speaking of horses, I was out of pocket most of yesterday with the girlfriend taking her horse for a follow-up appointment (resulted in good news for the horse’s future), and didn’t have much time to visit the Flap (so again…not sure to what detail you may have covered these topics).

Anyway…back to the two topics for discussion. First, did the hated Bums really make that great of an acquisition yesterday in Hanley Ramirez? Sure, he was the 2009 batting champ, averages 25 bombs a year over his career, and can play some tough short and 3^rd (that and he is only 28 years old). On the flip-side, he was hurt for a decent chunk of last year (played in 92 games), hit .243 with an OPS of only .712 (10 dingers and 45 RBIs). This year? He is hitting only .246 with an OPS of .749. To top it all off, the Bums take on the remaining salary of approximately 6 million this year, and 15.5 and 16 for the next two. And to land HanRam, they gave up two young pitchers. Nathan Eovaldi has appeared in 20 major league games with 16 starts over two years (3.96 ERA/1.440 WHIP). The other guy, Scott McGough is a reliever with 5 years of minor league experience. His current ERA is 3.99 but he has a 10.45 ERA over his last 10 games). So, the question is when you look at all the details (performance, both past and present, and the coin involved) was it really a good deal?

Secondly, what should our beloved Giants do (if anything)? I know we have kicked the tires on this a lot. If they are going to make a trade, the deadline quickly approaches. Many of you have thrown out your takes on what is most important for the Giants to remain competitive, and more importantly, to go deep in the post-season. There have been the big “pie in the sky” proposals such as G-Head made a few days ago (the most significant piece being the acquisition of Willingham). I did not comment on that one much, but it had problems in that Huff (and possibly Freddy Sanchez) were parts of the proposal.

What do you see as the most glaring need? I think we need to shore up the bench. With the loss of Hector and Whitey filling-in, that hurt (hopefully Sanchez is back soon). And we all know Manny Burriss (probably more than we want to). There have been a few times of late where he and (pencil in any other bench player’s name) have come up where a key knock ties the game or puts the Giants ahead, with the result being another frustrating inning of no hit with RISP, and a loss.

And if the Giants do decide to make some moves, do they go big (and trade their few quality prospects such as Gary Brown)? I think not. I believe they need a RH bat that has some power, and who can play the corners, and possibly some OF (at this point, the corner IF seems the more glaring need). Outside of that, I think the bullpen could possibly stand a minor tune-up. I still get nervous at times when Hensley takes the hill, and am not entirely sold on Kontos.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts on Ramirez, and what do our Giants need to do to keep their grip on the NL West lead, and help ensure they can be competitive in the post-season. Flap Away!

No. I’m not referring to the Bob Baffert 3yo filly that’s sitting on the tote board at 5/2 at Del Mar. If I were, only Flav and Loo would continue to read on. No. I’m talking about your second choice in favorite teams behind our beloved Giants. Do you even have a second favorite? Maybe there’s one you still follow that you rooted for from your childhood before you were transplanted to the Bay Area. Maybe you enjoy following the new team in your current area after being transplanted away. Maybe you have a relative that plays minor league ball for a certain organization that you like to keep tabs on.

I’ve always had a second favorite team. And although I know it won’t be a popular choice, my second favorite club has always been the New York Yankees. Yes, the dreaded “Evil Empire” themselves. I can hear the booing now. How did the Yanks become my second choice? Allow me to tell you…

When I was about ten or eleven-years-old, Moms and I sat down one afternoon and watched “The Pride of the Yankees.” You know the movie. It starred Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, and the great Walter Brennan. And who could forget The Babe playing himself. Lou Gehrig? Who the heck was Lou Gehrig? In the next two hours, I would learn his story. I was fascinated by his life as a baseball player, but I was even more deeply moved by his life as a man.

And so I started doing book reports on Lou Gehrig. I wanted to find out more about his baseball career and the disease that took his life at such a young age. That film had a profound effect on me. Funny how some pictures do that. So I wanted to know more. His story has been well documented, and this is not another Lou Gehrig book report, but I wanted to pass along one stat that still boggles the mind. In a three year stretch from 1930-32 Gehrig averaged 170 RBI a season. That’s unbelievable.

And so it began. At a point in life when each time I opened a Topps baseball card pack in hopes of finding a Darrell Evans, Jack Clark or a “Count” Montefusco, with Gehrig and the Yankees fresh in mind, I also started looking for a Graig Nettles, Roy White or if lucky, a Reggie. And they’ve been my second choice ever since.

So you guys know my dream scenario for the World Series. I know some of you are still waiting and wanting, perhaps even needing to avenge that loss back in ’62. Maybe this time our first baseman hits a liner in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 that just goes over Cano’s head for the clincher. Who will be our first baseman in October? Your guess is as good as mine.

  I love box scores.  Given the chance I’ll pore through them every day when the Chron arrives and scan them online on game day.  The merc one online gives both sides of OPS, while the cbs site you can follow along with game tracker which also has blogger comments.  In the Giants Philly finale their was an argument over Hunter Pence—one guy thought he should have been doing more this year at the plate,  didn’t care for his defense and thought Amaro should dump along with other non productive players while the other guy defended him.  I noticed last night with Utley and Howard back he hit sixth…and went 0-4.  Mayberry, btw, hit 8th.  

    First thing I usually check is all the HRs.  Sunday there were 39 hit overall, but only 13 of those came in the NL.  Of the 26 hit in the AL, one was the first of the year for Kurt Suzuki, a guy I’ve always liked whose offense has fallen on hard times last couple years.  HIs came off CC and he was pretty fired up about it.  I also noticed Rajai Davis hit his 5th…I think we were all ready to dump the guy off on waivers when he was hitting .056 for us, but he has managed to stay in baseball and currently has an OPS of .730 for the Jays.  He still racks up steals and hasn’t done badly for a 38th round draft pick by the Pirates, who traded him here.

  My next thing is to add up total amount of runs scored, usually just in the NL.  Last night, fairly typically there were 64 runs scored in the 8 NL games.  In other words, “4.3 runs” would have been enough, on average.  Would not have worked Saturday, however, when the total was 94.  This was night of the 11-10 comeback by the braves and a game in which the light hitting astros scored 8 and got blown out as the DBacks scored 13 at home.

  Blown saves have become a stat I always notice now. Last night featured an epic meltdown by K-Rod, newly appointed closer by the Brewers–two thirds of an inning, 3 walks 3 hits 4 earned.  Given the closer perfect situation, brought in just to pitch the 9th with a 3 run lead, instead the Phils get a walk off sac fly to send the Brewers home losers once again.   

 There are other things I find interesting, such as extra inning games where guys often have really bad nights like 0-6, or you see how bad some of the starting pitching around the rest of baseball is—the Twins, Royals, Orioles and Rangers all started guys last night with an ERA over 5.00. As you might guess, the Rangers guy Feldman was the only one who emerged victorious.

 I’ll leave with one more thought–the box score is also the source of that famous quote wherein a dribbler, bloop, or a misplayed ball from a fielder is charitably awarded a hit results in, “That’s a line drive in the scorebook. ”                                                                      

Today, we’re going to vote on the First Annual *Adam (I’m So) Dunn” award. It’s a made-up award created by me and voted on by Flapper Nation. It goes to the player who has had an inexplicably poor year after the previous year. I realize it’s only July 23rd but just play along and cast your vote. Consider the plight of Adam Dunn: In 2010 he hit .260 with 38 bombs and a sparkling .892 OPS for The Nationals. After signing a 4 year/56 million dollar deal with the White Sox, he packed his bags and headed for life in the AL. The ‘Sox like the idea of getting  a hitter who you could basically pencil in for 40 bombs a year (he hit 40 each year from ’06 to ’08). Who wouldn’t like that? But after homering in his first game of the 2011 season, his season started to take a long, slow, downward turn. It was a spiral that would have no end. He hit in the .160’s to .170’s virtually the entire year. At one point, I noticed he had struck out 161 times and his batting average was .161. “I bet that’s never happened before,” I commented to The Boney One as we boarded a flight headed down to San Diego. He nodded his head in knowing approval……

Dunn went on to hit 11 home runs in 496 at bats for the ‘Sox in 2011. He had 42 RBI’s. His batting average was an unsightly .159 and his OPS a limp .569. It was a spectacularly bad season……

Life’s turned brighter for The Big Donkey. He’s had a decent bounce back year. Through 404 at bats this year he’s blasted 28 dingers and his OPS is a healthy .844. The ‘Sox will live with his .204 batting average if he ends up hitting 40+ home run, which it looks like he’s going to do this year…….

_______________________________________________________

I will now give you the nominees for this year’s Adam (I’m So) Dunn Award. I identified 14 players and 5 will make the unceremonious cut to be voted on. A player qualified if they were having a much worse year this year than last year. If you had an extended injury I disqualified you and I didn’t pick any closers because they are all insane and no one knows why they pitch good or bad from year to year. In no particular order, here we go:

1) Jon Lester. Despite Fried-Chicken-And-Beer-Gate, Lester had a pretty good year in 2011. He was 15-9 with a 3.47 ERA. This year, he has not been able to overcome the dastardly ways of “The Colonel”. He’s 5-7 with a 4.80 ERA.

2) James Shields. In 2011 he went 16-12, 2.82 ERA, 1.04WHIP. He was a horse and known for reliably going deep into games. This year he’s still going pretty deep into games and his opponents love it, he’s given up the most hits in the league. His ERA has ballooned to 4.39 and his WHIP has jumped to 1.44.

3) Ricky Romero– 15-11 in 2011 with a 2.92 ERA/1.14 WHIP. This year? He’s lost 5 starts in a row, and his ERA is a bulbis 5.22. He’s rollin’ with a *Tyler Walker WHIP* of 1.50

4) Adam Lind. He swatted out 26 big flys in 2011 with 87 ribbies and a .251 batting average. This year, he went to the minors due to general suckitude and though he’s back now he’s only got 8 HR’s and 27 rbi’s for the year.

5) Carlos Santana—He hit 27 bombs and an .808 OPS in 2011. He was everybody’s wiseguy pick to have a big year in 2012. Who’s the wiseguy now? That’d be Carlos, he’s hit 6 home runs this year.

6) Dirrrrrrrrty Sanchez. I almost didn’t include him because he spent some time on the DL this year. But, he’s spent more time off it and plus, I miss typing that name. You all know the deal. In 2011 he was 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA/1.44 WHIP. He got flipped for the current NL hits leader and in return the Royals got 1 win, a 7.66 ERA and a mindblowingly unreal WHIP of 2.04. Her has since been sent on a one way bus ticket to Colorado…….

7) Albert Poo-holes. He hasn’t had that terrible of a year but I always enjoy the big dolla’ free agent signing taking a shit for their new team. Last year, he hit 37 bombs, .299  BA, .906 OPS. This year, he didn’t hit his first home run until May 6th. At the time, he was hitting .196. Since then, he’s bumped his HR total up to an *average*17 and his OPS up to .830. He won’t make the Top 5 to vote on but I thought I’d throw him into the Top 14……..

8) Mike Napoli. He went bezerko in the 2nd half of last year. After the all star break he hit .383 with an otherworldly 1.171 OPS. I loved what this guy did because it made The Angels look so impossibly stupid for trading Napoli *FOR* Vernon Wells. At the time of the trade, I remarked at how incredibly dumb it was to trade FOR a guy with 80 million left on his deal coming off a shaky, one-off bounce back year. Wells has sunk back into his customary spot in *the tank* and Napoli went on to bust out for the Rangers last year.

But this year has not been an encore year for The ‘Nap. He’s hitting .236 with a .783 OPS. His HR’s are still there (14) but that’s about it.

9) Jair Jurrjens– The guy with too many *j’s* and *r’s* in his name had quite a nice 2011. He was 13-6, 2.92 ERA and opponents hit .249 off of him. He made the all star game. Besides having a difficult name to spell, life was grand. This year, it’s the weird name and nothing else. He was so bad in 2012 that he got sent down to the minors. He’s back now and getting lit up like fireworks with a 6.20 ERA. Opponents are bludgeoning him at a .330 clip….

10) Cliff Lee. He went 17-8 in 2011 with a 2.46 ERA and a remarkable 1.03 WHIP. This year he hasn’t been pitching bad but he’s got 1 win. ONE. 1? Yes, 1……..

11) Justin Upton. He busted out last year for the Dirrrrrrrty Snakes by hitting .289 with 31 big flys and 21 sb’s. Hoping to take the next step towards *MVP territory* it has not happened for him in 2012. He’s got 8 measly home runs and only 11sb’s. He’s being booed by his home town fans and he’s rumored to be traded by the break.

12) Ian Kennedy. Another Dirrrrrrty Snake, he finished 4th in the CY voting going 21-4, 2.88 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Like many of the D-backs, he’s having a down year. He’s 7-8 with a 4.33 ERA.

13) Cam Maybin. It never happened for Cam as a Marlin and they traded him to the Pads in 2010 for a couple of middle relievers. Boom! he went off in 2011 hitting .264 with 40 stolen bags. The Padres said “We Likey” and handed him a 5 year/25 million dollar deal. However in 2012, it has been a struggle. He’s been hitting .200 for most of the year, recently bumping his average up to .221. He’s stolen 18 bags. ZZZZzzzzzz. 25 million used to buy more……

14) Jesus Guzman. Yeah! I love this guy! He can’t field a lick but the Pads gave him a shot in 2011 and he had a very nice year at the plate. He hit .312 and had an .847 OPS. This year, he’s been caught between the moon and New York City: .240ba/.701 OPS.

I was going to include Timmy in the Top 15 and he definitely belongs there, but he’s had 2 nice starts in a row and it doesn’t seem right to include him on the list since this is a Giants blog. So that’s your list of 14 nominees for The 2012 Adam (I’m So) Dunn Award.

I’ve now cut that list to 5 for you Flappers to now vote on. The criteria to make the Top 5 was arbitrary and subjective. It took all of my mental strength to not put Dirrrrrrty Sanchez in the vote but I’ve managed to keep him out. I didn’t want him to skew the results….

By the way, Dennis deferred to me today, he will be taking my spot on Wednesday. WillieD, you are still up tomorrow……