Special Report from St. Louis

I was in St. Louis last week, for a cousin's wedding over the Memorial Day weekend, and when I was booking plane tickets, I thought I might just look at the Cardinals' schedule and see if they were in town, and sure enough, they were!  And playing the Giants no less!  I have seen the Cardinals in 2 other stadia in St. Louis (I am old enough to remember seeing Stan Musial rove left field in Sportsman's Park), but had not seen a game in the new Busch stadium.  And here it is from the south:

The Cardinals have won 11 World Series Championships, more than any other team except the Yankees.  But 11 is do-able for the Giants, don't you think?  Friday, June 3 was overcast and there were slight sprinkles throughout the day, but in St. Louis in the summertime, that is not a bad thing.  It was a perfect 75 degrees at game time, and did not cool off more than a few degrees by midnight.   The ballpark is right downtown as was the big, round, 1966 Busch Memorial Stadium.  In fact, they had to tear down that stadium to finish this one for the 2006 season.  The out of town scoreboard from the last game at Busch Memorial is on display in the concourse.  Here we are with Stan the Man Musial and my cousin Kelly:

They have a bunch of little statues, too.  As you may be able to tell from my posts, I love pitching.  And here I am with Bob Gibson:

And here is Akemi with George Sisler, a St. Louis guy with the hits record that was broken by Ichiro Suzuki:

In the background, you can see Ball Park Village.  They have a bunch of bars, which all seem to serve Anheuser-Busch products, and restaurants.  It is a hoppin' place.  For fun, you can stand on the balcony overlooking the central room and pick out the Giants' fans.

Our seats turned out to be pretty good, and they didn't seem as expensive as at the Phone.  Maybe resellers just aren't as greedy as in San Francisco.

The stadium is bigger than ours, and much more spacious (as are almost all stadiums).  It seats 46,000, and there were a good number of empty seats.  I did not sense the energy that is in ATT at every game.  The Cardinals have had a rough start this year, the cubs are 9.5 games up on them (in 2nd place) this morning and my cousins characterize this year's club as "beating the bad teams and losing to the good teams."  Still, you look at their line-up and see a bunch of good, powerful hitters.  Their pitching has not been as good as they would like.  Adam Wainwright is their #1, and he has struggled, although he looked pretty good last night.  Wainwright struck out 6 Giants, mostly fooled by his big loopy curve.  Cardinals fans are NOT fond of Johnny Cueto.  Here's why.  Still, the booing was pretty unimpressive as he was introduced, a bit better when he took his first at-bat.  And here is his first pitch:

Great seats, and the Redbird Club, right behind us has the best food in the stadium (which is not saying much compared to the Phone's offerings.  The seats are cushiony, and we were right under the announcers!  I could lean forward and see Flem's head!   Here is a picture of our view at twilight, as I sat there perfectly comfortable in my 2012 Championship T-shirt:

And finally, the best picture of all, just after the final out:

Giants Power Past Dodgers

9-6 win in SF
Johnny Cueto had a nightmare 1st inning in his San Francisco debut. It started when he hit Chase Utley, the first batter, and ended with him giving up five runs on five hits and a walk. He even looked bad in the field, failing to cover first base on a bunt. We weren't happy campers, but we knew that the best time to be behind 5-0 was the 1st inning, so we had not gone over to despair. Sure enough the boys answered with two runs in the bottom half. Dodgers starter Scott Kazmir gave up a two-out hit to Buster Posey, walked Hunter Pence, then gave up singles to Brandon Belt and Matt Duffy. We had the feeling that if Cueto could settle down the lads would get more chances to do some damage.

Sure enough JohnnyC hit the reset button and threw six excellent innings,five scoreless, giving up one run in the 4th and notching eight strikeouts. The lineup, meanwhile, stepped up with three to tie it in the 3rd on two spectacular home runs, one by Buster Posey and one by Brandon Belt. We had a great view of both, Buster's was a high, soaring blast to left that stayed up forever, Brandon's was a screaming liner to center that got out in a hurry. Even the run the Dodgers got in the 4th was answered right away by Angel Pagan's solo shot. Whatever LA could conjure up the Giants seemed to have an answer. In the 6th the Giants knocked out three more runs off reliever Louis Coleman, the big blow a double to deep center from Joe Panik.

The bullpen was up to the task and go the last six outs, one by Sergio Romo, two by Josh Osich, and a neat 1-2-3 9th from Santiago Casilla. All in all it was a fine day at the yard. The Giants take three of four and come within a whisker of a sweep. We had an excellent group of old friends in section 148 today and the mood at the Park was festive. The youngster next to me got a ball tossed to him by Hunter Pence, that was a nice moment (excellent work by JC to make it happen!). The weather was overcast and pleasantly cool, very comfortable for sitting and watching the action. We got to jump up and down a lot and celebrate. The Giants had 12 hits including three doubles and three homers! JohnnyC looked bad and then he looked great and finished strong.

Here's a few shots of the group:

 

That's JC on the selfie-cam with Jim behind him, then Susanna and Ron to the right and Zo in front of them.  

That's me on the left and Steve behind me, JC on the cam and Jim on the right.

The Giants have hit 14 homers in 7 games. I don't think we can count on that sort of pace, but I do think this team will be able to thump it. They can also do the small-ball thing and the keep-the-line-moving contact hitting thing and the gappers-and-speedy runners thing. It's a versatile lineup. If they get consistent pitching they will be very tough. Cueto showed, for the last six, what it can look like. It's too early in the year to get too high or low, but damn if the team didn't show us something this weekend!

More tomorrow,

M.C.

Final Report

Our nation's Capitol Dome from Nationals Park.

The stadium was designed by Populous, which is what HOK Sport is now called, as have been all the newer "retro" stadiums.  It opened in 2008. 

As with the Phone, it is open and accessible.  It is hard to tell the barriers that actually define the stadium as you walk in off of the street.  Between the 2 block walk from the Metro Station and the park, there is an outdoor area surrounded by stacked up boxcars in which they sell beer, some food and has bands and a big screen set up for these games.  As can be imagined for a playoff game, it was a very festive mood in the boxcar area and as you approached the stadium.  Guys drumming on plastic pails, a dixieland jazz band set up on the sidewalk, guys on stilts, guys on bullhorns encouraging everyone to repent, and an unrelenting sea of red.

Not too many Giants fans, but I have to say that we were treated well (perhaps it helped to be walking next to my friend and host, who is just large enough to give one pause).  I was a bit surprised that I was not engaged more in conversation as one of the few black and orange clad spectators, but neither was there the kind of nastiness that one can expect in, say, southern California.  I saw one Pirates fan who looked a bit out of sorts.  Our seats were what would be the equivalent of the View Boxes at ATT, right behind the Giants' batting circle.  Excellent seats.  You know how the announcers complain about the location of the press box here?  It's true, I was way closer to the ground that Jon, Kruk and Kuip who I could see in their window.  Unlike ATT, however, the concourses are wide and movement is easy, and the seats can accommodate the generally heftier bodies in this part of the country.  What was crowded, however, was the Metro Station.   There is only one stop at the ball park and after the first game, it was pretty tight until trains gradually moved people away.  After the second game, many fans had left as it was in the low 40's.

The pace of the first game was not brisk.  Both Peavy and Strasburg piled up the pitches, unlike both Hudson and Zimmerman.  I remember looking at the clock in the second game, at 5 minutes before 8 in the middle of the eighth inning and thinking that we could probably get to dinner near my friends house in Virginia by the same time we did the evening before.  That did not prove to be the case.  I was very impressed with Hudson.  I did not expect more than 5 innings out of him.  I think that is an example of where a seasoned manager can make a significant difference - I like the roster construction that gives us plenty of long relief without burning through starters.  When Williams replaced Zimmerman with  (and it was a mistake, part of the deal with managers is that they get judged in hindsight) Nats fans looked at each other - he was the same guy who blew the save against the Cardinals two years ago (although he had an impressive season).  The home run by Harper to the third deck was impressive, Nats fans had said they had never seen one that far.  Strickland used mostly fastballs, although his slider is perhaps his most devastating pitch.  You don't want to give Harper enough pitches to time a fastball, even a 99 mph one.  That is why he needs a change up or something.  Later, I was remarking to my friend about Belt's power to right and how he could put one out there, although I wished it for quite a few innings before it happened.

Quiz: Do you know what they refer to the Nationals logo as?  The curly W.  That seems to be an official thing.  It was a delightful weekend, and I am not normally a spontaneous type of person. The Nationals are a powerful team, with a deep rotation and lots of hitters.  We saw 27 innings, 8 runs total, and fortunately, 2 wins for the Giants.  I would have been thrilled to get a split.  And as the lady on Southwest Airlines said, "Welcome to San Francisco, Go Giants."

Game of My Life

Thanks to the nice folks at Skyhorse Publishing** I was treated to a review copy Matt Johanson's Game of My Life: San Francisco Giants. Originally published in 2007, the new edition now includes vignettes from the 2010 championship season. Each chapter focuses on a particular player and their most memorable game in orange-and-black. It starts with Orlando Cepeda's debut in 1958--which was also the first Giants game in San Francisco--and ends with Brian Wilson's save in Game Five of the 2010 World Series. Along the way the reader is treated to terrific stories from the likes of "Dirty Al" Gallagher, Tito Fuentes (a childhood favorite of mine), Dan Gladden, Robby Thompson, Darren Lewis, Kirk Rueter, Rich Aurilia, and many other fan favorites and interesting characters. I particularly enjoyed reliving Bob Brenly's "greatest Humm-Baby performance of all time" game (9/14/86) since I was in attendance with much of my regular Candlestick posse (you know who you are). Frank Gunther, one of the crew, actually caught Brenly's game-winning homer when it bounced up to our seats in Section 30 in the LF bleachers. I will also never forget Mike Krukow's complete game victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game Four of the 1987 NLCS. We were lucky enough to have scored tickets in Section 2, right behind home plate. After Jeffrey Leonard's improbable, wind-aided home run that gave the Giants the lead my buddy Ron (yes, that Ron) was so excited he started beating on me and I collapsed to the concrete in a fetal position. Never was getting the wind knocked out of me so worth it! Giants fans will recognize many of the great moments: Will Clark's big hit off Mitch Williams to win the pennant in 1989, Brian Johnson's homer in extras to beat the Dodgers in 1997 (and Rod Beck's miraculous pitching in the same game), Kenny Lofton's hit in 2002 to send the team to the Series, and Jonathan Sanchez' no-hitter against the Padres in 2009. Players from the obscure Brian Dallimore to all-time great Willie Mays share their anecdotes, making Game of My Life a must-read for Giants fans. Mr. Johanson has done an excellent job assembling all the stories and adding his own take on the colorful history of the many who've worn the Giants uniform. He's also--like me--a California public high school teacher! That's extra credit, for sure.

--M.C.



**Game of My Life is published by their subsidiary Sports Publishing.

By the numbers

Brian Wilson just blew the save so I'm back at my desk and keyboard. Don't worry--it's only a 'Giants Classic' on Comcast. I was recently asked what I do when there's no baseball on TV and I said "wait for baseball season." It's nice that the crew at Comcast fills in the post-ASB doldrums with some baseball. This re-broadcast is the Home Opener on April 8th. I was lucky enough to be there, in the CF bleachers, section 141. Buster Posey just worked a 9th-inning, two-strike, two-out walk after an Aaron Rowand hit. Oh, I miss that lad. Get well soon, Buster. Pablo Sandoval flashed the new, improved 2011 Panda model with a game-tying hit. We are going to extras, folks. I also was lucky enough to see Matt Cain whiff eleven guys in a complete game win over the Nats. That was June 8th, this time in section 108, some very nice lower deck seats (scored by Zo). Jim Riggleman was still at the helm in D.C. Finally, I got to see Tim Lincecum beat the Mets on July 9th. It wasn't flashy, but it was a win, and that's what counts. The Giants scored all their runs on ground balls that could have been double plays but weren't, baseball prowess worthy of saga and song. This time it was the upper deck, section 310. I got the very cool striped socks--when you see them on me you will want them. Not bad for living 300 miles away, eh? The Giants just turned a hit, a blown DP, an error, an intentional walk, and a booming drive to the wall in left-center (all with two outs) from the aforementioned Rowand to win in the 12th. You knew they would, right? If it had been Cody Ross or Andres Torres (or Rowand) out there, we all would have expected it to be caught. Colby Rasmus just didn't have the magic that day.


52-40 (.565) after 92 games is a 91- or 92-win pace (91.565 to be more precise). Here's an inning-by-inning breakdown:

1st (games  1-18): 10-8

2nd (games 19-36): 10-8

3rd (games 37-54):  9-9

4th (games 55-72): 10-8

5th (games 73-90): 11-7

The team is already up 2-0 in their next set of 18 games. They will finish the 6th inning on Sunday, the 31st of July (game 108) in Cincinnati.


The Giants have played 92 games and have 70 remaining. If they play .500 ball they will finish 87-75, which will likely not be good enough. To get to 90 wins (that's what the 2nd-place Padres finished with in 2010) would require a 38-32 record (.543), and 92 wins (last year's total) would take 40-30 (.571). Last season the Giants played 74 games in the second half and went 45-29 (.608). If the 2011 Giants play .600 ball they'll win 42 games and finish 94-68. I like that. Let's shoot for 42 wins--after all, it's the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.

How about March 0-1, April 13-12, May 16-12, June 17-11, and July 6-4? Slow and steady wins the race.

The Giants have played 48 road games scoring 205 runs and allowing 184. They are 24-24 despite the plus-21 run difference, an average score of 4.27 to 3.83 (so much for my obsession with RS > RA). The Giants have played 44 home games and boast a 28-16 record despite allowing 138 runs and scoring only 127, or a minus-11 run difference. That .636 win percentage comes on the heels of an average score of 2.89 to 3.14, surely a thumb-nosing of the baseball gods, those cruel, cruel creatures. May the magic continue. Dominus vobiscum, et cum spiritu tuo. Om mani padme hum. Hare Rama, Hare Krishna. O, Great Spirit. For those about to rock. Whatever! Keep it going, that's all I ask.

--M.C.

p.s. Oh, and a hearty congrats to Bruce Bochy for guiding the NL squad to victory. And to all the Giants for representin' the orange & black. Way to look like champions!

Opening Daze

 

It was certainly one of the craziest games I've ever attended. Being in the CF bleachers I got both sunburned and chilled to the bone--the late-game breezes were quite cold and cut right through my jacket. We had a wonderful view of Brian Wilson's sprint across the field with the flag and the ball Aaron Rowand hit to win it seemed to come straight for us. We couldn't see the warning track from row 26 and so I had to wait for the replay to sort it all out. By then we were dancing, high-fiving, and hugging complete strangers. After 4-1/2 hours of torturous baseball, only the crazies and dedicated fans were still around. Brian Wilson's agonizing 9th seemed routine at the time. He had several chances to get the final strike or the final out and got burned with a couple of rather pedestrian-looking ground balls. Even with the bases loaded the home team's win expectancy was 77.7%. Ryan Theriot's single was the biggest hit of the day in terms of Win Probability Added (.628), plunging the Giants win expectancy to a mere 14.9%. Fortunately the lads rallied in the bottom half, with eventual hero Aaron Rowand stroking a ball up the middle to get things going and setting the stage for Pablo Sandoval's clutch RBI. Walking out of the park after a blown save by Wilson would have been a real downer, and I remember thinking at the time that an extra-inning loss would be far more palatable. In the 11th, Andres Torres led off with a double and advanced on a wild pitch to third. I was certain of victory, and a quick look at FanGraphs confirms that the WE for that situation was 92.8%! Tony LaRussa brought LF Allen Craig in to guard the line, leaving only two OFs and stacking the left side of the infield with three guys. It was certainly the situation for it, but I can't recall ever seeing that in person before. With one out, Aaron Rowand obliged with a sharp smash to 3B and Torres inexplicably broke for the plate and was put out. I remember feeling my lowest at that point. Blown chances like that really piss off the baseball gods and usually the bad karma results in a crushing loss. Or so I thought. A fine inning of relief by Dan Runzler set up another chance in the 12th, and two errors by the Cardinals (one by Albert Pujols) opened the door and Mighty Aaron Rowand delivered his second big hit to send us home happy. Kudos to Javier Lopez for two innings of scoreless relief, and a nod to The Panda for a superb day with three hits and a walk. It would have been a great game under any circumstances, but that kind of up-and-down drama on the Home Opener by the defending champs made it an instant classic.

Naturally the team had to follow up one gut-wrenching, heart-stopping adventure with another. Saturday night's game lacked the free-wheeling weirdness of Friday's, but it was equally as dramatic. Matt Cain was locked in a brilliant pitcher's duel with rising star Jaime Garcia, and the booming late home run by Colby Rasmus (another young stud) seemed to seal the deal. I remember composing the post in my head ("Matt Cain made the mistake of giving up two runs in his seven innings rather than only one and was thus handed another defeat . . ."). Hah! What silliness! The whole thing was mere prelude to a glorious bottom of the 9th. Buster Posey hadn't had a hit since San Diego, and when he stroked a single off snakebit closer Ryan Franklin, you had to believe something good was going to happen. The big bomb by newcomer Miguel Tejada that ticked off Rasmus' glove was hit to almost the same spot as Rowand's winner the day before. I remember thinking "oh my god it's not a homer" and cringing with anguish, but it all worked out. Special mention to Nate "Olympic Great" Schierholtz for a superb day. His triple in the 8th was beautiful. I remember thinking the same thing as Tejada's ball ("oh my god it's not a homer") and my joy at watching that loveliest of hits--the three-bagger--was tempered by my disappointment that it would not tie the game. You have to like the big performances by Sandoval, Schierholtz, and Rowand this weekend. Everyone is going to get their chances on this team, and with Andres Torres going down people are going to have to step up. Depth is one of the team's strengths. I was also happy to see some excellent relief by Ramon Ramirez who has filled in ably for the injured Santiago Casilla. Dan Runzler managed another scoreless inning as well, let's hope he keeps it up.

The Giants have been under the spotlight this first week, their first ever as defending champs. They've had a lot of distractions with all the ceremonial folderol. Not that I minded the folderol, the organization seems to have done an excellent job with all the pomp and fuss, and it was a lot of fun to boot. The team has partied with class and style, I'll give them that. The bit last night with Al Attles, Jim Otto, Steve Young, and Reggie Jackson was clever and surprising, and the Neukom & Baer ring-bearing trips to the broadcast booths were very cool. It's a great time to be a Giants fan, but it's also time to get back to the business of winning ballgames. Here's another look at last night's come-from-behind thriller:

--M.C.


p.s. Special thanks and a shout-out to my friends Deann and Al for sharing their Opening Day ticket bonanza with us! You have no idea what a wonderful gift that was. GO GIANTS!!

p.p.s Charts by FanGraphs.

Road Trip '010

Here are a few pictures taken during the latest roadtrip to the Homeland. MOC and I enjoyed ourselves immensely while reconnecting with an old college roomie. The game (Friday's heartbreaking loss to the puds) wasn't everything we hoped, but the trip will never be forgotten.

A Gothic Spaceship? .............................................The traditional visit, this time with Rick!



Pablo was bubbly during pre-game.................... A new jacket but the same old beer, Anchor!






Long toss: JSanchez and The Kid .....................Pat, Aubrey and Andres chat it up




Biggest thrill of the day: Just being this close to Buster. Corny but true.

Advanced Statisical Analysis

In April, the Giants played three games at home on Friday nights. These are called "Orange Fridays" because of the garish orange jerseys they wear on those occasions. In April, they won all three games. In May, they played two such Orange Fridays, and won both games. In June, they also played two Orange Friday games, winning both. In July, again, they played two home games on Fridays and were victorious in both the Orange Friday events. Yesterday evening was the first Orange Friday game that the Giants have played during the month of August. They were not victorious. For the record, they were 9 and 1 on Orange Friday.

The author of this blog, Mark, and principal contributor, Jon, have made note of the string of victories prior to last night. However, during the succession of victories, neither were in attendance at any of the games. Last night, both saw the game in person at ATT Park on McCovey Cove. As previously noted, the Giants lost.

A clear-eyed rationalist might find a cause-and-effect relationship here, such as: When Mark and Jon do not attend game on Orange Friday, Giants win, but when Mark and Jon attend game on Orange Friday, Giants lose; therefore, Mark and Jon cause the Giants to lose by attending on Orange Friday. I am not a clear-eyed rationalist, I only note the correlation.

Housekeeping...

Which my wife likes to remind me is never done. So, I say let's keep SWEEPING !!!

RECAP: Matt Cain finished off the sweep of the A's (as in annoying) with another sweet start: 7 innings, 8 hits (only 2 doubles), 1 run, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. Even without electric stuff, Cain was able to wriggle out of every tight spot. Matt has certainly earned All-Star consideration. Another guy that deserves recognition (but probably won't get it) is Aubrey Huff. He has certainly proven why he we MUST keep him in the lineup...hell, maybe he can play short when Uribe needs a rest.

PRECAP: This next series against the lowly Baltimore Orioles has special significance around RMC due to the presence of our fearless leader, MOC, at the ballpark on his yearly pilgrimage. We all look forward to his report, however I feel I must warn our faithful readers (both of youse guys) that he does not always, shall we say, bring good things with him to the park. What I mean by that is that...well, HE'S A JINX. So, if we lose to the worst team in baseball (especially on Monday with Sanchez or, god forbid, Wednesday with Timmeh) now you all know why. Of course, if we win, that just shows that his lovely wife was with him!

Let's keep cleaning house!! SWEEP, SWEEP !!!

Road trip ends, road trip begins

You get 13 hits and 8 walks you figure to score some runs. Six, though, wasn't enough. The Reds caught a bit of a break with Wellemeyer having to leave the game, as Denny Bautista wasn't sharp (2 walks, one to the pitcher leading off, 2 solid hits) and had some wretched luck as well (2 infield hits, one a blown bunt). The 4-0 lead was suddenly a 4-4 tie.The G-men fought back and reclaimed the lead, but the Reds got to Guillermo Mota, who's pitched well this season, and they managed a split. A 4-3 road trip is damn good, it's just that it should have been 5-2 with a win today. Alas, this one got away. Nice to see Buster get two hits, the 7th time he's done that in 12 games. Rest seemed to do both Aaron Rowand (HR, walk, 2 runs scored) and Bengie Molina (2 hits, RBI) some good. Aubrey Huff keeps raking (.381 wOBA), and Juan Uribe keeps walking (20 with 3 today, career high 34).

Speaking of road trips, that's what's ahead. We are going southward to see family, friends, and Giants baseball. We'll be in section 109 on Monday the 14th, and in section 139 on Wednesday the 16th when the Giants play the Orioles. It's a battle of the orange-and-black squads. If the rotation holds it is Jonathan Sanchez on Monday and Tim Lincecum on Wednesday. Wish us luck we get to see them both!

Keep the faith, lads, I'll be back in due time.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

 

PhoneCo history

The Giants are making a fuss today about the debut of the park, which was called "Pacific Bell Park" or simply "PacBell" back then. April 11, 2000 was a cool and overcast day, and Kevin Elster of the Dodgers hit three home runs. Not only did Elster hit three homers that day, he hit the first homer in the new park in the top of the 3rd inning. Barry Bonds had doubled in a run in the 1st inning, but had to wait until the bottom of the 3rd to hit the first Giants home run. The Giants lost 6-5, but my main memory of that day was leaving. The staircase down from the upper level (we had "View Box" seats) to the O'Doul gate was jammed with fans and hit gridlock almost immediately. I never used that exit again, learning that a dash down the escalator and out to the Plaza was a lot faster. We had "Charter Seats" for the first six seasons (up to 2005, when it was "SBC Park"), but the distance and expense got to be too much and we had to give them up. It was a great run, and we got to see a lot of exciting baseball. These days it is mostly electronic Giants, with satellite TV, internet radio, and blogs, but we manage at least one road trip south for real-live ballgames each summer. We had the chance to see baseball in some other great venues like (old) Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Safeco Field, and Petco Park, but nothing compares to our emerald gem by the Bay. We've also seen baseball in Vancouver, Canada (Nat Bailey Stadium) and Oaxaca, México (Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos), but still we longed for views of Berkeley and the Bridge. I've spent far, far more of my life in Candlestick Park than I care to admit, and that place had its charms. Dollar nights in the bleachers for one, and wide seats with lots of leg room. And easy egress. Otherwise, the Giants built an outstanding place to see a game. Now we just need a "World Series Champion" banner to complete the décor. Go, Tim, lead us to the Promised Land!

Kevin Elster and Barry Bonds were both born in 1964. Elster retired after the 2000 season. Bonds went on to win four more MVPs and set the all-time home run record.

--M.C.

Two outta three ain't bad

Matt Cain was popping 95 mph on the stadium gun in the 6th inning on Monday night. Gameday says he peaked there at 94, but who's quibbling? It wasn't subtle, it was plain ol' country hardball. Big Sugar finally got Big X and I was there to see it. We sat in section 112, lower box: home plate at twelve o'clock behind the screen, the pitcher's mound at one o'clock in clear view. I got to see The Tennessee Stud up close and personal and I gots to say I loves me some Matt Cain. I loves me them big, tall, black socks and the squared up stance and the way he holds the glove in front of his face just like they showed you in little league. And I loves me that snap, crackle, and pop when M.C.'s cheese hits leather. I had a moment of rage at Ol' Boch for yanking him in the 7th with 2 outs, but the crew here at RMC knows that Jeremy Affeldt is the best pickup of the year, and he barely broke a sweat swatting the Piscine Nine around for a handful of outs. Wilson gave us a taste of old Nen in the 9th, but it hardly made a dent in the joyous tenor of the evening. PABLO SANDOVAL HIT A GRAND SLAM!!! If that doesn't put zinc in your dink you're dead already.

The next night we enjoyed the low-brow nuttiness of the LF bleachers, section 138, only two rows from the fence. Nothing compares to the alcoholic anarchy of the 'Stick's sunswept seats back in the day, but it was great to have a lively, full-throated bunch around. There were mellow families and dignified oldsters sprinkled in amongst the over-eager youth brigades, and the result was a great night of baseball viewing. BZ was at his best, snapping off 77 mph hooks and spotting a lively fastball on the outside corner, keeping the Fish at bay. He pitched into the 9th! We had a productive out festival in the 4th (Winn 2B, Pablo SF, Bengie SF-RBI) before Uribe's 2-run jack put it out of reach. Yeah, 3-0 was "out of reach" with Zito on the hill, can you believe it? Got to see Sergio do his funkified thang, 10 pitches and 2 Ks. We are all Romosexuals!

Despite the weak effort today, we had a great series. Miller and Flemm brought us the game on KNBR during the long drive home. Radio baseball is still the best way to chew up road miles. We had a lovely stay in Castle Granville with Lord Z & Lady A, soaking up the San Francisco scene. We got bridges, fog, steep hills, Anchor Steam, trolley rides**, and a full moon over Mt. Davidson. The Giants are the second-best team in the toughest division in the NL. Life's good, eh?


**The Muni highlight was Monday, when a drunk Canadian tourist, showing off for his girlfriend, hollered at the packed streetcar "tell me when we get to 2nd Street!!" We didn't have the heart to tell him he'd started his ride at the corner of 2nd and King, and he went on to moan "I need a pub!!" My sharp-eyed bride spotted Gordon Biersch in neoned yellow just across the way and hollered back, encouraging him to exit at the next stop. The rest of the train, seeing the wisdom of the advice, jumped on that with a collective cheer. They seemed happy to leave and we went on our merry post-game way.

Road trip split

Splitting with the Cardinals is not too shabby, despite getting beaten today. Zito was Zito and we only managed two late runs with our 9 hits. A .500 road trip is not bad, really, not bad at all. When you think about how poorly we played on the road earlier in the season that is a big improvement. Sure, the road trip started in Oakland and we took 2 of 3, but I'm willing to cut us some slack because of the two huge wins in St. Louis. I'm cutting the digital connection for the next several days, you guys will have to pick up the slack. Monday and Tuesday we will be at the Park for real-live baseball!

Our guys 6, their guy 3

It takes a fookin' village, eh? The Great Old One got 16 outs including whiffing El Hombre in the first. Must have pissed him off, as Phat Albert spent the rest of the game vainly trying to beat us single-handedly. The old, non-hitting Giants would have collapsed like a bad soufflé, but this version, this new, big-hitting team brushed aside the 2-HR, 3-RBI onslaught like the President swats flies. We pounded the crap out of Chris Carpenter! That's no mean feat, buckos. We quickly reverted to form against their bullpen, but as Chris Q points out, there's some serious cheese in that crew. We've surged past the Padres (.694) for 15th place in team OPS (.702), but I like our trend line.* The bottom line is wins, and we are racking them up with far more frequency (55.3%) than I would have guessed. I liked the three DPs we turned, especially the one induced by Affeldt in the 6th. Who knew Juan Uribe would get the coveted "slick-fielding second-sacker" moniker? We haven't tossed that one around since the days of, I don't know, Manny Trillo and Duane Kuiper perhaps? Romo struggled with his control of all things, Righetti's Visit of Doom in the 8th was good-bad, as Sergio got the K and then gave up the double. Not all RVODs are alike, apparently. Wilson's 4-out save was his league-leading 6th of the "more than three outs variety," 21st overall if you are counting.

Jason Marquis beat Chad Billingsley last night to nab the NL X-prize. Matt Cain gets another shot tonight. If the rotation holds, I will get to see Matt Cain pitch in person on Monday!

*check out the trendy Giants showing rare power of late story!

Rash Review: 6/15/09 home vs. LA

For premise, please see post below. Life is too short.

* Sorry, Ron but life does not mock me. Barry Zito does. I will never again say a kind word about that shit. He was crap. I may never forget how he got schooled by Lackey, an AL pitcher that had NEVER had a hit previously. I feel the need for a third reference to feces but I'll leave that up to you guys. Be creative.

* On a positive note #1 : Pablo is a God. His first homer was a fat pitch that he crushed but the second one was the one that was amazing. Inches above the outside corner, yet he still got enough to get it barely over the fence. He feels like the real deal to me.

* Aaron Rowand is painful to watch and I may stop doing it. ( I have been known to take short absences for "special" cases.) Apparently he has been hot lately, BFD! I saw him look like a fool and strikeout three times. He was yanked early ( a big part of our comback) or else he would have had four for sure.

* On a positive note #2 : Merkin Valdez is a God. Everybody is all talking about how great the Angels hit, and they are pretty damn good, but for a while they looked very human. That was when Valdez was out there. He hit 98 mph a couple times. A viscious slider that is almost Nenn-like. I am pretty sure I was watching next season's closer.

Bulleted Road Trip '09

I used to go to a whole boatload of games. Even after I left the Bay Area, I shared season tickets for awhile. But for this year, I will only be going to one: last Monday, June 15, 2009. In addition, I no longer have any TV coverage, only internet radio. Since my attendance has become so rare I have decided that I should GROSSLY OVER-PRIORITIZE the impressions and insights that I garner from them. Seeing is believing, right?

Given that premise I decided to deliver a quick and dirty, rash, impulsive, opinionated and poorly thought-out journey. Shades of grey be damned!

* The BEST way to and from the Ballpark is the ferry. Free parking at Larkspur, comfy seats, hella view. Sweet!

* Indian food is fabulous! We found this place Masala next to Golden Gate Park and had it all to ourselves. Shrimp tandoori. Check out the naan.

* I want a living roof! I want it, I want it, I want it. The new Academy of Sciences is way cool. I practically grew up there so it was a trip to see this version. The rain forest is outstanding! JCP says check it out.

* Paying homage to deities in the Haight apparently doesn't overcome the incompetence of Zito.

* This was our first time on the Club Level. Nice, weirdly exclusive but nice. It must be the best place for foul balls, we had several near us in Sec 207. (Perfect view of Torres's splash! It was obvious the second he hit it.)

* Robyn made the wise choice of a Portabella sandwich. I blew it with a gratuitious garlic fries that sucked but enjoyed a Sheboygan (I love to say that.) Needless to say the Anchor Steams were perfect.

Whew, I need a break. I'll be back in a cyber second with my rash game review. Smoke 'em if you got 'em and remember sharing is caring.

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Today is NUMBER TEN with the ever-lovin' wife, Robyn. Pretty cool, huh? She is a truly great partner and makes me a better man every day. Who could ask for anything more? Ok, maybe she would be even more perfect if she was a slugging firstbaseman...nah, then I would have to share her with the rest of the world.

Yesterday we had our semi-annual pilgramage to the City and the Ballpark. I didn't take the big camera (too much public transportation for that) but our phone cameras did pretty good. This one at the right was taken THE EXACT SECOND that Pablo hit his first homerun that night. I shit you not! I heard the crack of the bat right as the shot was taken...check out my eyes. I'll post a few tomorrow, as well as Monday's game review. We had a great trip and the game was a doozy, so I'll have alot to discuss.

But right now I'm going to go give my favorite Giants fan a kiss. Why don't you do the same?

MMIX

Happy 2009, Giants fans! Our Home Opener is the 7th of April against the Brewers. Speaking of Opening Days, here's another bit of nostalgia for you, a few more old ticket stubs. The top is from 1981, back in the old "dollar" days in the Candlestick bleachers. The bottom one is from the first game at the new park.

1981 ended in a strike. 2000 ended with a soul-crushing loss to the Mets in the playoffs. We were one game over .500 in 1981 and had the best record in baseball in 2000. I don't think either of those is very likely in 2009. I know Chris at BCB makes a convincing case that we will win 82 or 83 games, but that assumes everyone is healthy and plays reasonably well. I think we will be lucky to score four runs per game. David Pinto at TSN thinks 4.2 rpg is a reasonable guess for the 2009 Giants, and he projects us to give up 4.5 rpg. That, my friends, is called a losing record.

Perhaps I'm partial to the Pinto prediction because it confirms my bias. Chris' work is conservative and meticulous, and it would be great if we did indeed play that well. I'm a skeptic, though. This team, as currently constituted, can't hit enough to win. That's what my gut says, and since the BBWAA officially sanctions "gut-votes" for HOF and MVP, I'm sticking with my gut vote.

So, me buckos, how many games will the MMIX Giants win?

Rummagin' around in the old treasure box . . .

Nothing to report in GiantsLand. I'm going crazy thinking of something to write about. So, you're stuck with nostalgia. Like all fans, I've got piles of souvenirs. Check these out. They are from Opening Day 1987. I like the Candlestick Parking Plaza receipt. For some reason, we saved a bunch of those. Spent a lot of hours in that lot, excuse me, plaza, especially that year. I'm not sure why we have Lower Reserve ($9.00!) stubs, we usually sat in General Admission (left field bleachers, Section 30), which were then two-and-a-half bucks apiece, an outrageous increase from the glory days of dollar seats. We probably anticipated the big crowd, and bought seats in advance to make sure we got in. Tailgating was a huge part of the adventure. My lovely bride and I would arrive early, enter on the bleacher side of the lot (plaza!) that had the freaky control tower. This involved coming from Berkeley over the Bay Bridge and down the Bayshore to the Third Street exit, doubling back over the freeway and hitting Jamestown Avenue, turning right and heading for the park. We had an even more convoluted exit strategy, which depended on a mad sprint down the dirt path next to the Gate E staircase and out across the damn plaza. Ah, Candlestick, such a lovable dump! Our coveted parking spot was next to the cyclone cage "protecting" the big gray gas fittings. We never knew exactly what that thing was, but we knew it had something to do with PG& E and we always eyed it warily while barbecuing next to it. We'd cordon off a half-dozen spaces with lawn chairs and whatnot, and wait for the gang to arrive. Those days died quickly as the team became more successful. The increased crowds meant more "crowd control" and the wide-open nuttiness that was Giants home baseball in the really bad years (1972-1986) started to fade. I certainly don't miss the lousy teams, but I remember the adventures fondly.

The "Bleeding Eyes Photo Exhibit" continues...

Back by Popular Demand!!! The third installment of digital shenanigans by yours truly. This one DOES NOT contain a single shot of Tim Lincecum ( "Since 1956, Tim Lincecum is having the best season of any young Giants pitcher, ever. - a quote from a must read BCB entry about Tim ).

First Row: Classic (corny) shot from Land's End: My sweetie (no, not the squirrel) under Sather Gate (Go Bears!)

Second Row: Zo and Akemi enjoy a cool display in the dugout store; 7th inning stretch view


Third Row: Nice pieces of stone...where does BLB's go?

Look for the next installment soon, back to Tim and the boys!!