This would rain on my parade

I am excited about the 2012 Giants. I think they've got a great club, and I can't wait for the season to start. I only really wanted one thing this off-season. Then I read this shite:

The chances of the San Francisco Giants signing right-hander Matt Cain to a contract extension before Opening Day are rapidly diminishing.

That's from Ken Rosenthal. It could just be another one of those Spring Pieces that sports-writers have to crank out. And it is diametrically opposed to the gushing enthusiasm of one Andrew Baggarly. So, I have to believe the reality is somewhere in the middle.

Cain’s representatives spoke Wednesday with Giants officials, and the two sides failed to make progress toward a deal, according to major league sources.

God, I hate "major league sources." Just say who the fuck they are fer chrissakes, and if they don't want to tell you their names then they're just gossips. And I hate fucking gossips.

No further discussions are planned, sources said, increasing the possibility that Cain could become a free agent at the end of the season.

I have a little difficulty believing that "discussions" have ended. People have phones and stuff, they can always schedule new meetings. A tad heavy on the melodrama, eh Ken?

That being said, I do not want to go into the season pissed off. C'mon--make this happen. This is Matt Cain we are talking about!

--M.C.

The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades

A tweet from Baggs:

A guess: SF will have extensions 4 Cain, Bum b4 I return. They've been working late. They like package announcements. & renewal date is Sun.

That would be sweet.

And Buster plays his first Spring game today!

--M.C.

Matty, Matty, Matty

Not quite ready for Buster! Buster! Buster! Ol' Boch said our catcher would play this weekend, and that Freddy Sanchez and Brian Wilson are on the same timetable. He said he's going to use all of the "42 days" to figure things out. OK by me. The other story is Cain's contract. Here's Baggs:

From what I’ve been told, the two sides have reached greater common ground in recent weeks. Cain wants to stay and the Giants have the wherewithal to keep him. Those tend to be the most important factors. It’ll be a surprise to many, both in the organization and out, if Cain’s deal doesn’t get done before the season starts.

It sure was fun to watch the big fella pop the glove and do his thing. Last spring he had elbow problems, remember? Spring Training in HD is very strange--I got a really good look at Justin Christian muffing a popup in left field.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

It Begins!

Spring has sprung!  The 2012 San Francisco Giants began their preamble to greatness with the opener of the Cactus League.  I'm pretty sure there was a final score...yep, Arizona won 9-6...but more importantly, it has STARTED!  Where it will end, no one knows. The journey is the joy...and I can't wait for it to begin. So as the wise man once said, "Let's Get it On."

I must admit that I did not follow the entire game. It was far too lovely outside, besides when we start using pitchers with the number 86 (turns out to be some guy named Hector Correa) that is a clear reminder that it is play time in the desert.  I can report that Tim Lincecum got in his scheduled 33 pitches (9 batters and 6 outs, 4 singles, 1 run, 2 strikeouts). Hard to analyze that sample, and what does it matter any way? He didn't get hurt and that is all that really matters.  Will Tim's fastball control get back to where it will carry him to the highest level again? Only time will tell.

I did have one question for the masses:  What do you think of the new two Wild Card system?  Sure makes it a bigger advantage to win a division now. Does it help or hurt OUR chances?  What do you guys think?

March Madness

Leap Day is done and gone and March is here. This Saturday is the first Spring Training game for our beloved Gigantes. I've no doubt that Joe Panik will hit .650 and Melky Cabrera .012, and that Brian Burres will strike out 22 in 9 innings and Matt Cain will have a 11.34 ERA. That's what March baseball is all about. Relax, mis amigos, and enjoy the show. I'm trying not to get caught up in pre-season hyperbole. I know that X, Y, and Z are in the best shape of their lives and that A, B, and C have something to prove, and that P, Q, and R can earn a spot with a good showing. We get plenty of that pablum from the usual sources. And we've had our talks and profiled our players and run down the roster choices and whatnot like good fans. I suppose we've avoided any serious rosterbation, you know, actually whittling it down to 25, but that's OK. We know what matters: that the talented core of the team is healthy and able to play come Opening Day and stays healthy and ready to play for the bulk of the 162. We also know that a lot of that comes down to random chance. The gods are cruel, this we know only too well. So make your sacrifices and say your prayers and dance your dances and perform your ablutions and propitiate your propitiations and all will be well.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Answers

Game 6 was the first game back in San Francisco after the Yankees went up by three games to two in New York. The previous game was October 10, this one was October 15 because of a travel day and three days of rain (and couldn't we use that about now). The Giants won behind Billy Pierce's complete game three-hitter.

The price of a ticket to sit in the lower boxes was $12.00. Adjusted for inflation, that is just a few cents over $90. I would gladly shell out $90 for a lower box seat to a World Series, I mean, aren't some field boxes for regular games a lot more than that now? No one ever said that Major League Baseball has not made money in the Selig era.

Ford C. Frick was the Commissioner of Baseball in 1962. Joesph Cronin was the president of the American League, Warren Giles of the National League. The "Detroit Three" refers, of course, to the three car companies located in Detroit. But in 1962, there were some other American car companies. Notably, American Motors, was located in Indiana, the Rambler was the third best selling car in the early sixties. In 1962, American Motors was being run by George W. Romney (he downsized it). Jeep was still an independent car company in 1962, as well.

The Giants Executive Family consisted on Horace C. Stoneham, President; Charles S. Feeny, Vice-President; Charles H. Stoneham, Vice-President; Edward T. Brannick, Secretary; and Edgar P. Feeley, Treasurer.

Felipe Alou, of course, managed the Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants. Harvey Kuenn played left field in Game 6, he went on to manage the Milwaukee Brewers in their only World Series appearance in 1982.

Orlando Cepeda got three hits in Game 6, and two rbi. He was also caught stealing once. The losing pitcher was Whitey Ford, lasting only 4 2/3 innings and giving up all five runs. The Giants did not hit a home run, although Roger Maris did hit a solo shot. The Giants starting lineup:
Harvey Kuenn - LF
Charley Hiller - 2B
Felipe Alou - RF
Willie Mays - CF
Orlando Cepeda - 1B
Jimmy Davenport - 3B
Ed Bailey - C
Jose Pagan - SS
Billy Pierce - P

The Giants' Equipment Manager was Eddie Logan. "Doc" Bowman was the Trainer.

Juan Marichal was the only Giant pitcher not born in the US.

You get a lot to like - filter, flavor, pack or box! You may remember the jingle, "You get a lot to like with a Marlboro. Filter, flavor, pack or box!" Although I found a clip on YouTube where it was "... filter, flavor, flip-top box!" Lee Marvin was not a Marlboro man, this is his preference.

WSTF was the ticker symbol for Westaff - or what had been previously known as Western Staffing, Inc. until the marketers were let loose. It was bought out by a privately held company, The Select Family of Staffing Companies. In 1962, Western Staffing was Western Girl, Inc., even though they could provide men. It was, "One of America's Finest Temporary Office Help Agencies."

Trick question, but MOC was right on it. The Giants and doggers ended 1962 in a tie atop the NL West, and a three game series decided the outcome. The Giants won 9 against LA during the regular season, in which they won 101 games. The final season total, 103 - 62.

Harrah's Tahoe featured Guy Lombardo, Polly Bergen, Lonesome George Gobel, Louis Armstrong and Harry Belafonte. Imaging staying at the Lake for two days and catching Louis Armstrong and Harry Belafonte on consecutive nights! You could have done it on November 7 and 8, 1962.

The winner's share was $9883 and the loser's share was $7291. Righteous bucks!

A few other advertisements of the day: Roos-Atkins; Laura Scudder's Potato Chips, "The noisiest chips in the world"; soft whirled Wonder Bread; RCA Victor "Mark 8" color TV. And, your Chevron dealers, featuring "no increase in price, just driving pleasure." That was because they were using Methyl. Not Methyl-something, just Methyl, their trademarked antiknock compound before Techron came along. Methyl, by the way, was the first research breakthrough in antiknock compounds since Ethyl.

How about some more of those groovy San Francisco World Series programs in 2012?

Panda Unimpressive

At the risk (or perhaps the enjoyment) of generating some flak here on the ol' blog, I must register my general dismay over our cuddly Panda's attitude & bulk. Let's face it - this guy came into camp last year in about as good a shape as he can be. The result was increased agility in the field & vastly improved hitting. The fact that he clearly gained some weight during the season (with some drop in his production in the latter stages) was not lost on me. I hoped for another off-season of hard work & conditioning.

Now, with healthy new contract in-hand, he has basically declared that 'he is what he is' ... which is clearly out-of-shape again, with little intention to get back into shape. Fortunately, he looks better than the 2010 Panda, but nothing like the pre-season 2011 Panda. His supposed workouts were much more secretive this time. Even if his claim about muscle mass is true, he cannot possibly be as nimble in the field. He is a 3B, not a 1B, C, or a DH. Nimbleness is a required tool.

More than anything else, I am put off by his attitude about the whole thing. The 'work hard to get in shape, perform well, get a big contract' progression does not seem to have had a lasting effect on him. He comes off as less humble & more brash about the whole thing.

I am put off by it. With question marks all over the lineup (whether about new guys & how they'll fit in or guys coming off of injuries or guys coming off of unproductive seasons), he is really the cornerstone. He needs to be ultra-ready.

P.S. - Zo's diversion on the trivia test was not lost on me. Game 6 was not the 1-0 finale. It was a game that the Giants won. That being said, I didn't have too many of his answers without looking them up. Mike Murphy was the only gimme.