Opening Day . . . Not!

Today was supposed to be Opening Day for Major League Baseball. The Giants were to open against the Dodgers in LA this afternoon. Opening Day has been marked in my calendar since I knew the date. I remember more than once, back when I was a working stiff, calling in sick in order to attend the Home Opener. I'm sure many of you have done the same!

This extraordinary response to the COVID-19 pandemic has robbed me of my favorite pastime--following the San Francisco Giants. That's a real bummer! At the same time I am encouraged by my fellow humans. People are really trying to do the right thing and fight off this virus. I'm not often proud of the human race, but lately I've been impressed. Folks are taking this thing seriously and doing what needs doing. Look past the callous shortsightedness and the vainglorious posturing of our so-called leaders in this crisis. Look to your neighbors, friends, and families. Listen to people who actually know something about diseases**. Communities will take care of business, all we can hope is that the apparatus of government will help and not hinder those efforts. (Don't forget to give a shout out to all those folks who have to leave home every day and go to work in order to provide us with essential services. They have to risk infection so we that we can be safe. I gave my mail carrier a big thumbs up and hearty thank you yesterday. From ten feet away, naturally.)

Tonight we are firing up the DVD player and putting in the Matt Cain Perfect Game disc! That was a special night, one of the greatest moments ever for all Giants fans.

Stay safe. Stay home. Stay positive.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.


** WHO, CDC, HSPH, UCSF, for example

25 in 2014

You must have figured that I had the 2014 World Series on DVD as well and that I'd post something about that team. You were right. The Giants won Game Seven on the road. That doesn't happen all that much in the post-season. Something to savor!

Current Giants in italicized bold. *Starred players were on the 2010 post-season roster. †Daggered players were on the 2012 post-season roster.

There were 12 pitchers:

*†Jeremy Affeldt: retired.
*†Madison Bumgarner: signed through 2017 with options for '18 and '19.
*†Santiago Casilla: signed for 2016, eligible for free agency in '17.
Tim Hudson: retired.
*†Tim Lincecum: a free agent.
*†Javier Lopez: signed for 2016, eligible for free agency in '17.
Jean Machi: signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs.
Jake Peavy: signed for 2016, eligible for free agency in '17.
Yusmeiro Petit: with the Washington Nationals.
*†Sergio Romo: signed for 2016, eligible for free agency in '17.
Hunter Strickland: pre arb-eligible.
†Ryan Vogelsong: with the Pittsburgh Pirates.


Two catchers:

*†Buster Posey: signed through 2021.
Andrew Susac: arb-eligible in 2018.


Six infielders:

†Joaquin Arias: signed a minor-league deal with Arizona Diamondbacks.
†Brandon Belt: third year of arbitration.
†Brandon Crawford: signed through 2021.
Matt Duffy: arb-eligible in 2018.
Joe Panik: arb-eligible in 2018.
*†Pablo Sandoval: with the Boston Red Sox.


Five outfielders:

†Gregor Blanco: signed for 2016, eligible for free agency in '17.
*Travis Ishikawa: a free agent.
Michael Morse: with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
†Hunter Pence: signed through through 2018.
Juan Perez: signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago Cubs.


The 2016 infield will be anchored by the Fabulous Brandons--Belt at first and Crawford at short--each sporting rings from 2012 and 2014. Joe Panik will be flashing his 2014 ring at second and Matt Duffy, be-ringed from 2014 as well, will hold down the hot corner. With Buster Posey behind the plate showing off three rings that's one hell of a group. Youth and experience (BCraw just edges out Buster as the oldest at 28) with a championship pedigree. Backup backstop Andrew Susac has his hardware, too. Buster, by the way, started every playoff and Series game. Susac got in two innings at the end of the 10-0 loss to KC in Game Six, otherwise it was Posey back there. The Giants will be very strong "on the dirt."

No slouches in the outfield either as the Giants greensward patrol is jewelry-laden. Angel Pagan was a stalwart on the 2012 team but did not make the 2014 post-season roster unlike his teammates Hunter Pence and Gregor Blanco. Those two started every post-season game in both 2012 and 2014. Pence played every inning and Blanco missed only the last two innings of the 2012 LDS (Xavier Nady! finished up). Again, you have to love the championship experience. Pagan is the old man at 34 with Pence and Blanco two years younger.

Pitching is the key, as we have learned, and the 26-year old Madison Bumgarner is the unquestioned ace, bedecked in rings (three, like Buster) as well as glory. Matt Cain, of course, was a stud for the first two championships but had to watch in 2014. The bullpen trio of Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, and Javier Lopez have nine rings between them (ten if you add in Lopez' time with Boston) and some life left for 2016. Losing Affeldt from the Core Four certainly hurts but I think the 'pen will survive and thrive once again. Note that the The Key Three are all free agents in 2017. Jake Peavy has had his post-season struggles but he earned his 2014 ring (and still has one from the 2013 Red Sox). Newcomer Johnny Cueto's last start of 2015 was a World Series shutout for his winning side, the Royals. Flash that sporty jewelry, man! Again, a deep and experienced bunch of champions. Lopez gets oldest man honors at 38.

Tim Lincecum pitched in all three post-seasons. Ace. Stud reliever. Mop-up man. I think the Giants should bring him back as a closer. Don't you think he'd be great at that? I think he should embrace his inner finisher. Pablo Sandoval is of course the other player who was there on all three 25-man rosters but we moved on from that divorce. His .344/.389/.545 line in 39 games (167 PA) is all-time great territory and will be fondly remembered. I suppose we are all wondering if he'll last in Boston--last year's abysmal .658 OPS was 133 points below his career mark. He turns 30 in August.

There you have it. Bring on 2016!

--M.C.

25 in 2012

I've got the 2012 World Series on DVD of course and just finished re-watching the whole thing. I thought I'd do for the 2012 team the same thing I did for the 2010 club. Current Giants are in italicized bold. Starred players were on the 2010 post-season roster.

The Giants carried 12 pitchers on that squad:

*Jeremy Affeldt: retired.
*Madison Bumgarner: signed through 2017 with options for '18 and '19.
*Matt Cain: signed through 2017 with an option for '18.
*Santiago Casilla: signed for 2016, eligible for free agency in '17.
George Kontos: first-year arb-eligible
*Tim Lincecum: a free agent.
*Javier Lopez: signed for 2016, eligible for free agency in '17.
Jose Mijares: a free agent.
*Guillermo Mota: retired.
*Sergio Romo: signed for 2016, eligible for free agency in '17.
Ryan Vogelsong: signed with Pittsburgh for 2016.
Barry Zito: retired


Two catchers:

*Buster Posey: signed through 2021.
Hector Sanchez: signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago White Sox.


A whopping seven infielders:

Joaquin Arias: signed a minor-league deal with Arizona.
Brandon Belt: third year of arbitration.
Brandon Crawford: signed through 2021.
*Aubrey Huff: retired.
*Pablo Sandoval: with the Boston Red Sox.
Marco Scutaro: retired.
Ryan Theriot: retired.


Only four outfielders:

Gregor Blanco: signed for 2016, eligible for free agency in '17.
Xavier Nady: a free agent.
Angel Pagan: signed for 2016, eligible for free agency in '17.
Hunter Pence: signed through through 2018.


That's a dozen players still with the team. All of them, in fact, are important pieces for 2016. Speaking of 2016 I don't see much more happening on the roster/trade/free agent front. The Giants grabbed two big pieces in Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto during the Winter Meetings and ought to feel good about a job well done.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

--M.C.

Que Es Mas Improbable?

Mark notes that he was watching some of the Giants postseason successes recently.  Which raises the question:
Que Es Mas Improbable?
Que Es Mas Increible?
Que Es Mas Macho?

Lucky Fans

Siskiyou County is a great place to live. It's over six thousand square miles in size and holds fewer than fifty thousand people. That means hardly ever waiting in line, or short waits when there is a line. That was sure the case with The Trophy Tour on all three occasions. The first two were held in Mt. Shasta City Park and the latest was at the College of the Siskiyous in Weed. Most of the places on The Tour are larger cities and near metropolitan areas. We northstate fans are particularly fortunate. A gentleman by the name of Mike Rodriguez made this possible. He is the Parks Administrator for Mt. Shasta City, a Junior Giants supporter, and obviously a big fan. I'd like to say "Thanks, Mike!" on behalf of all the happy fans who live here. Here's are pictures from 2012 (top) and 2010 (below). I unfortunately did not get one this time. My bad. Next time, I suppose!

Trophy Man!

M.C., Mike R., JC

 

 

 

 

 

 

--M.C.

Trophy Time, Part Two!

Love the socks!

JC and his lovely bride Robyn.

It doesn't get old.

Me (on the right) and Sue and our pals Rick and Nancy Meredith. Sue's got the 2010 cap and I've my 2010 t-shirt on underneath, just peeking through, and the 2014 cap.


--M.C.

Trophy Time!

"A picture is worth a thousand words."

--M.C.

The Holy Trinity

 

Click to enlarge.

--M.C.

Stop Me If You've Heard This Before

Matt Cain pitched a great game but the other guy did, too, and the Giants lost. Wily Peralta wasn't doing anything fancy, just throwing hard and changing speeds, but it was enough to keep runs off the board for six innings. The lineup left eight men on base and was 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Two misplays in the field led to runs: Joaquin Arias booted a routine grounder in the 9th, and more shockingly, Buster Posey chucked a pickoff throw into left field in the 4th. Buster had a tough night. When he struck out in the 1st, he visibly sighed and slumped his shoulders. When do you see that? He also got plunked in the ribs with a fastball in the 6th, and grounded out feebly in the 8th with the tying run at third base. I suppose even the All-American Boy is mortal. The only offense was from the youngsters: Brandon Crawford had two hits, so did Roger Kieschnick, and Brandon Belt had a hit, a walk, and a run scored. The veterans (Marco Scutaro, Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence, and Posey) were 1-for-15 with four strikeouts.

Cain looked sharp and generated a lot of pop-ups and weak contact. There were three hard-hit balls in his seven innings of work, doubles by Jean Segura and Norichika Aoki (who scored on Buster's bad throw), and the solo home run from Carlos Gonzales. In his last three outings (22 IP, Game Scores 67, 71, 67), Matty has allowed 16 hits, three walks, four runs, and struck out 20 batters. Regardless of the outcome, it's nice to see him looking like his old self. I wonder if Boch and Rags have considered reducing the big fella's workload come September. You know, an extra day between starts, or drop a late-season road start to give a call-up a look-see. That sort of thing. With 219-1/3 IP in the regular 2012 season on top of 30 IP in the post-season, that's a lot of wear and tear, especially when you add in the six full seasons before that. He's a $100M investment--might be time to think about 2014 and beyond.

Madison Bumgarner tonight. GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Helpless Team

Barry Zito had a magical run last season, and earned a spot in the franchise's pantheon with his start for the ages in Game Five of the LCS, and his gritty showdown with the game's best in Game One of the Series. But now he's done. Finished. Kaput. His career as a Giants pitcher will come to an end in two months, as it seems impossible to imagine the team offering him $18M to stay when they can pay him $7M to go. And it seems increasingly likely that he will miss some starts. Ol' Boch was cagey about that in the post-game interview, but you have to think they've already pencilled in a few extra rest days for the beleaguered lefty. Since beating Miami at home on June 22nd, Zeets has thrown 25-1/3 innings over six starts, allowing 39 hits and 21 runs, and the team's gone 1-5. He's still listed as the starter for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay, but if it were me I'd find a Mike Kickham, Eric Surkamp, or Guillermo Moscoso for that duty. The team is home against the Brewers right after that--why not give Barry-Z an extra day off and a chance to pitch in friendlier confines? His road WHIP is 2.352 and teams are hitting like Ted Williams against him. Literally, his road BAA is .406!

The Giants have seven wins in the month of July. They have a chance to make it eight today behind Chad Gaudin. They had ten wins in the month of June. They are 19-32 on the road. They are in last place, eleven games behind the Dodgers. What, exactly, are the Giants going to do at the trade deadline to change that? I'll tell you: nothing. They can't acquire any player or combination of players that will make a big enough difference. If they sell, they are building for 2014, not for the rest of the season. If they are going to salvage the last two months (57 games), they are going to do it with the hand they've got. You don't throw good money after bad in poker, and you don't reinforce failure in war. This team has players who can win baseball games. The fact that they are not winning baseball games does not change the truth of the first statement. If the Giants win 35 of their remaining games (.614 ball) they'll finish the season with 81 wins and a .500 record. If the Dodgers win only 25 of their final 57 games (.438 ball, exactly what the Giants are doing now), they will finish with 82 wins. That's what "11 games behind" means. Like I said before, the math ain't pretty.

C'mon, Giants. Win some goddamn games.

--M.C.

42

A few days ago I was astride a granite boulder that rested in the scree along the edge of a Sierra lake. I was craning my neck to examine a small plant through a hand lens--it was a wild orchid, the tiny white flowers spiraling up a short stem that clung to a crack in the rock. The afternoon sun had crisped my forearms umber, and the wind whipped my hat enough so that I needed my chin strap. Down the mountain was a stream strewn with Tiger Lillies in the shady spots, and I soaked my hot, tired flesh in a surging pool eddying out from a small waterfall. The butterflies abounded along meadow verges, iridescent Melissa Blues and stately Lorquin's Admirals, and warblers chased each other among the lodgepoles. A few days before that I was dumping my companions and the beer cooler from the canoe and into the Russian River with an unfortunate maneuver. Fortunately, all was recovered, the summer levels being quite low, and we wrestled our craft back to action and finished the float. There were Fourth of July fireworks from an Oakland Hills vista, a famous play in a small theater in the big City, a Sonoma wine-tasting excursion, a seafood dinner along the Carquinez Strait, and many wonderful long days and late nights with family and friends. In short, it was a hell of a holiday.

And speaking of hell, how the hell did this happen? This 2013 Giants team? Poor performances, sure. Key injuries, of course. But collapse? This is not one of the scenarios I envisioned. At the very worst, I thought this a .500 club. I did not believe this team was capable of playing this poorly. Every baseball team puts up stretches of .350 ball. Sometimes it even lasts a whole season--just ask the Astros. But this sustained run of bad baseball is a shocker. On May 12th, the Giants had just taken three of four from the Braves and were 23-15, in first place in the West by two games. They've gone 19-35 since, including a stretch where they lost 16 of 19. They are now in fourth place, 6-1/2 back, fighting it out with the Padres for the booby prize.

The 2009 Giants won their 42nd game on July 1st (Game 77). The 2010 Giants won their 42nd game on July 5th (Game 82). The 2011 Giants won their 42nd game on June 24th (Game 76). The 2012 Giants won their 42nd game on June 26th (Game 75). The 2013 Giants piled it on in San Diego last night, finally racking up win 42 on July 12th, their 92nd game. That's the kind of math I don't like. In terms of seasonal innings, Games 73-90 constituted their fifth 18-game cluster, and cluster it was. They went 3-15, an unimaginable stretch of bad luck and worse ball-playing. That's 11-7, 10-8, 8-10, 8-10, and the unfathomable 3-15 for the five innings. On a bright note, two wins in Games 91 and 92 gets the sixth frame started off with a nice 2-0 record. If you break it down by month, April was 15-12, May 14-13, June a swooning 10-17, and July a wretched 3-8. If any team could use an All-Star Break, it's San Francisco.

I'm back home, my friends. I'm plugged in again. I'll admit that I took a vacation from the Giants as well--when I go AWOL I go all the way. I did not know about Homer Bailey beating Tim Lincecum and his mates with a no-hitter. I did not know about Zack Wheeler besting Matt Cain and the boys, Matty throwing his shortest start ever, on the heels of getting clobbered by the Dodgers. What's up with Cain? I'm dumbfounded. We watched Tim be just about the lousiest starter in the NL last year, now we get the pleasure of doing it all over again, this time with no. 18. I swear I have not insulted the gods! In fact, I make my regular offerings, just like always. Perhaps more drastic measures are needed. Thanks for holding down the fort in my absence.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Padres Wear Down Giants

The Giants played 13 innings and had 44 at-bats yet only managed 10 hits, all of them singles. They strung together a rally against Edinson Volquez in the 4th and took a 3-0 lead but that was all they could do. They sent only three men to the plate in seven of those innings. Meanwhile the Padres had 18 hits, 14 singles and four doubles, and had only one 1-2-3 inning. They kept the pressure on all night and finally wore the Giants down and collected their seventh straight win. The Pads bullpen threw eight scoreless frames, giving up four hits, no walks, and striking out six. The Giants got a good start from Barry Zito, who deserved better, but spent the final 7-1/3 dodging bullets. If it weren't for a terrific play from rookie Juan Perez in center to throw out Logan Forsythe at third in the 9th, the game would probably have ended in regulation. The Giants 'pen struck out eight, but gave up 12 hits, three walks, and three runs. One of the runs charged to Zito was the result of a wild pitch from Jean Machi. Perhaps a better play by Hector Sanchez would have kept the ball from going to the backstop, but you really couldn't give him a passed ball there. Other than that, I thought Sanchez looked a lot better with the glove and seemed to be in a good groove with Zito. He also seems to have stopped moving around in the squat and is giving a cleaner, steadier target. Brandon Crawford got the call for the three-spot in the lineup with Buster Posey sitting and went 1-for-6 and scored a run. Hunter Pence, right behind him, was 0-for-5 with three whiffs.

San Diego sends the Giants to fourth place, 1-1/2 games behind Arizona. Colorado is a half-game out in second, with the Padres half a game behind them. San Francisco was 38-31 at this point last season, 4-1/2 back of LA. That's right, the Dodgers (29-39, 7 back) were the West leaders then. Fortunes change fast in this game.

Matt Cain gets the ball tonight. GO GIANTS!

--M.C.



p.s. I was done by the top of the 11th and so I missed Will Venable's catch. Apparently he saved the game.

Dickey Downer

R.A. Dickey did it all today, mesmerizing Giants hitters with his arsenal of drunken butterflies for 8-1/3 as well as executing a perfect butcher-boy RBI double in the fateful 5th. Barry Zito didn't pitch badly, but got burned by a couple of walks and two two-out hits, one by former Giant Mark DeRosa. He also failed to keep an eye on Jose Bautista who stole two bases in that same 5th and ultimately scored. That was it--one bad inning and the game was effectively over. Dickey had the ball diving and corkscrewing and the local lads were over-matched. Giants have another off-day and then head to Arizona for a showdown Friday night with the division-leading Diamondbacks. Lefty phenom Patrick Corbin is 9-0 and has allowed only 18 runs in 11 starts (74-1/3 IP). Matt Cain gets the call for San Francisco, he's allowed 46 runs, the third-most in the NL (behind Wily Peralta and Edwin Jackson). I never thought I'd type that sentence. Oddly, today's winning knuckleballer and 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner has allowed 47 runs this season. It's an upside-down world, my friends.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Recurring Cardinals Nightmare Sinks Cain and Giants

Matt Cain had the freakiest inning of his career at home against the Cardinals in April, and damn close to the same thing happened again today in St. Louis. He cruised through the first six batters, looking sharp and in command, then all of a sudden he was in the stretch and the hailstorm of hits would not stop. Is he mechanically unsound? Mentally unfocused? Tipping his pitches? What the hell is going on? I wish I knew. It was not fun to watch, that much I can say. Maybe the Cards are still pissed about losing the LCS and save their extra-special efforts for the Giants. Then again, they are the best team in baseball right now, and hit the snot out of the ball no matter who they play. The lineup was missing both Angel Pagan and Pablo Sandoval and surrendered feebly to Shelby Miller's fastball, making the first game of the doubleheader a mismatch. They say "hitting is contagious," so perhaps bad starting pitching is as well. The Giants have not been able to keep the quality starts coming, something quite out of character for this club. Cain looked like he'd righted the ship the last two times out, yielding a total of six hits and zero homers and the team won both games. He had four good starts out of five for the month of May, and the team won all five, but flipping the calendar to June released the Hounds of Hell. Cain has now given up 46 runs (7 today, all in the 3rd) in 74-1/3 innings!

After our boy signed his mega-extension, he responded in Year One with a one-hitter in the Home Opener, followed it with The First Perfect Game in Franchise History, then a win in the All-Star Game, and finally a World Series Title. Not bad. Not bad at all. Hell, that's almost worth a hundred mill right there! But Year Two is not going according to plan. Not according to plan at all.

Matty darlin', I could never be angry with ye. Disappointed now and then, for sure. We all have our ups and downs, this I know only too well. Right now, though, I'm feeling something new. I'm shaken. Aye, that's it. Shaken. Like if Caruso hit a sour note, or Picasso's pencil ran off the page. Come back to us, lad, and soon.

--M.C.

Giants Finally Tame A's

It was looking a little scary for a while, contemplating a sweep at the hands of the Oaklanders, but the lads put together a big rally and pulled off the win. Props to Barry Zito for a fine start (Game Score 61), something that's been missing for much of the month. Hey, Timmy, how about you follow BZ around and see how he does it? After all, he was on top of the world at one point, and rock bottom not much later. Sound familiar? And he is the same guy with the same tools (only older) and now, somehow, he can be an effective pitcher, a stopper, and a big-game winner. If Barry can rediscover his mojo, so can you.

I don't mean to pick on Tim Lincecum. I will always love the guy, he will always be in the pantheon of all-time Giants greats. But he is NOT a lost cause. Zeets is living proof of that. But as much as I'd like to see The Freak be in orange and black next year and beyond, unless he delivers the goods he will hit the road in search of a "fresh start." The bullpen thing was great in the post-season, but I'm not sure it works over the long grind of June, July, August, and September. Tim needs to chew up innings and string together some starts. In fact, they all do. Matt Cain has not been up to snuff so far this season, and when you throw a hundred million bucks at a guy, you expect better. But I'm not worried about Cain, he is Mr. Consistency. He will "regress to his mean" and start pitching more like the Matt Cain we know and love. Madison Bumgarner has mostly been himself, with a few horrid outings, but I'm not worried about MadBum either. He's good. He's very good. He will deliver down the stretch. Obviously those two will have to carry the load for the other two, and hope those other two can find a groove where they can be positive contributors. As far as a fifth starter goes, I don't see the Giants doing anything rash anytime soon. They will stick with duct tape and band-aids until Ryan Vogelsong comes back. Now Vogie was absolutely terrible in his nine starts, but I think he will find his form again. Here's another guy who hit rock bottom and then became a champion. I like that sort of mental makeup in a player--it gives me confidence that they can "turn it around."

Let's look at some numbers. First, the good: the Giants are fourth in the NL in runs scored (243), and first in OPS+ (112). They are tied for first in wRC+ (104) and are fifth in wOBA (.318). They don't hit a lot of homers (42, 12th), but they do hit a lot of doubles (101, 3rd). Doubles were a big part of the offense today. They are only 8th in walks (155), but they are tied for first in sacrifices (46). The offense has been carrying the load. This is not the San Francisco Giants we are used to watching, although we should remember that this was the best-hitting road club in all of baseball in the second half of 2012. Now for the bad, and brace yourselves: the Giants have allowed the second most runs in the NL (245) and rank last in ERA+ (82). They are 10th in FIP (3.95) but only 8th in xFIP (also 3.95). If you use FIP- (FanGraphs version, roughly, of ERA+, but flipped over so below 100 is good and over is bad), the Giants are third from the bottom (107), topping only the Brewers and Padres. Here's a simpler look: San Francisco pitchers lead the NL in walks (185!!) and have allowed the fifth-most homers (53). Obviously that has to change if the Giants expect to stay in the hunt.

Today was Game 54, and that's the first third of the season. Three innings are in the books. Here's what they've done:

1st inning: 11-7
2nd inning: 10-8
3rd inning: 8-10

That's 29-25, .537, 1-1/2 games back. I did not talk about the terrible fielding we've seen so far, mostly because we saw it last season, too, then it turned around and they caught just about everything in the second half. I'd like to see more quality starts going forward. I think we all would, and we know that's the backbone of this team and their two championships.

Keep the faith, me buckos. Lots of baseball left.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Vogie TKO'd in Giants Victory

Ryan Vogelsong was getting the results last night that we are more used to seeing, like double-play grounders instead of doubles. He even pitched around a Marco Scutaro error (that's eight for him, if you are counting) in the 5th. Then he got hit on the hand by a pitch from Craig Stammen. Actually, he swung at a high, inside pitch and failed to put the bat on the ball--he used his pitching hand instead. (It was the kind of thing that makes you want the DH rule. Then again, Vogie laid down a beautiful RBI bunt in his previous plate appearance.) CRACK went the knuckles and just like that he needs surgery and will be out at least a month. It was great watching Vogie look like Vogie and it was terrible watching him get hurt. Giants starters have been remarkably healthy and have mostly avoided injuries these last few seasons and have been the mainstay of two championships. 2013 is shaping up a little differently in the early going as the hitters have carried much of the load. Let's hope Vogelsong can come back and be effective again. The part that worries me a bit is that he's 35 which is senior citizen territory for ballplayers. But if fortitude and desire were quantifiable, Vogie would lead the team, and that gives me a ray of hope. And despite leading the league in runs allowed (Tim Lincecum did that last year), we know what the guy can do when it's crunch time:

That's innings pitched in four games in the 2012 post-season, followed by hits, R/ER, homers, BB/IBB, strikeouts, hit batters, balks, WP, and BF. 99 batters faced, only 16 hits allowed and zero home runs. Damn! That was some fine pitching! Get well soon, man.

The good part about last night was very, very good. Brandon Belt hit the ball very well, as did Andres Torres. The Giants scored against all three Nats pitchers and Scutaro, Angel Pagan, Buster Posey, and Pablo Sandoval had two hits apiece. It was fun. Nice work from the 'pen, too, Javier Lopez in particular. The road trip from hell is now just a memory. Tonight Washington trots out Baseball Jesus--Stephen Strasburg--and the Giants counter with Matt Cain. Should be a great matchup!

--M.C.



p.s. At least we don't have to deal with this shite. Our guy broke his hand playing the game.

Matt Cain pitches like Matt Cain!

Matt Cain brought an end to the second inning of the season with a flourish, giving up only two runs on three hits to the powerful Braves lineup. The Giants finally solved their nemesis Tim Hudson, sending him to the showers with a six-run 4th inning. It was a good comeback for the club after a lackluster opening to the series. The Giants went 11-7 in the first 18 games of the season, and followed that with a 10-8 record over the next 18. Their 21-15 record overall puts them in a tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The .583 win percentage trails St. Louis (.647) and Atlanta (.600) in the National League. Last year the Giants never did worse than 9-9 in a seasonal inning.

After 8 starts, Cain's line looks ugly: 50 IP, 29 runs, 10 HR. Strikeouts (7.7/9) and bases on balls (2.7) are OK, within career norms, but those long balls are an outlier. Matt has averaged about 18 gopher balls per year since he became a full-time starter and his career number is 0.8 HR/9 (139 in 1586-2/3 IP). What does it mean? I don't know. It's a lot of homers. Then again, take a look at Jim Hunter, the HOF Catfish: 1.0 HR/9, or 374 in 3449-1/3 IP, including leading the league twice with 39 in 1973 and 28 in 1976. What does it mean? I don't know. Good pitchers can give up home runs and still be good, I suppose. It will be good to see Matt give up a few fewer going forward. Otherwise, he looks a lot like Matt Cain lately, and that's got to be good.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Flags Fly Forever

Here's a photo from Opening Day:

The credit for all shots goes to my old pal and ex-roomie, the estimable Mr. R.H. Levine, who joined us in the nosebleed seats for the last half of the game. (T'anks a million, Rick!)

Next is the scene from View Reserve, Section 321, row 14:

Sure is a beautiful goddamn park.

No Giants photo gallery would be complete without Buster Posey, American Hero:

Fie upon you, foe! Buster shall vanquish you!


You get to party hardy when you win the World Series:

Remind yourself every single day that the Giants are the defending champs. Those guys in red know:

Check out Ol' Boch ambling in with the 2012 Trophy. Good times, man.


GO GIANTS!


--M.C.

Your 2013 Giants

I'm a thirteen guy. It's my favorite number. I suppose having a favorite number is a little too far along on the nerd spectrum for most folks, but I'm a little too far along on the nerd spectrum to worry about what most folks think. I was born, you see, on a Friday the 13th. Family lore has it that my maternal grandmother (born in the West of Ireland in the early aughts of the previous century) was angry at my mother for not "holding on" for another day. My dear mother, to her credit, was sufficiently modern and American to accept that babies come out when babies come out and was more concerned about me having ten fingers and ten toes than what the nurses would write on the birth certificate. Alas, I was born at 1:54 p.m. (PST), thus falling within the 13th hour. So, like I said before, I'm a thirteen guy. You can imagine, then, my bubbling excitement about the 2013 season for the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants. I'll admit to a still-lingering 2012 party hangover--I've hardly touched the keyboard these last several weeks. After all, you can only write about the joy and giddiness associated with the Giants winning the World Series so many times. Certainly I can obsess over it and revel in it, but communicating my self-indulgent wallowing to my loyal readers here at RMC would be tiresome. And would reveal me to be a silly, shallow, and narcissistic nincompoop. That may indeed already be the case, after all, I'm a grown man and I devote hours of my life to a blog named after my favorite ballplayer.

Mox nox in rem, as Caesar and Cicero would say, or "get on with it, you twit." Yes, 2013 is here. Pitchers and catchers have set up spring shop in the southern desert and the rest of the crew is soon to show. I like this team. I said that this time last season. The Giants have pitching, fielding, hitting, and baserunning. And that other stuff, too. Chemistry. Intangibles. Veteran Savvy Clutchness. Leadership. And don't bet against self-actualized, cosmically aware, and spiritually receptive. Throw in some tabouli and lentil nut loaf on the post-game spread and they'd get a PETA stamp of approval and a rung up on the ladder to heaven. That doesn't get you anywhere in Vegas, however, because the under/over on wins for the club is a mere 86. The moneychangers in Las Temple like the LA Dodgers (90) better, proving once again that Satan has orifices in both cities.

Eighty-six wins? Are you fucking kidding me? The Giants won 86 games in 2011 with Buster Posey's ankle tendons playing hide-the-salami with a demon-possessed Cuisinart. But it's fine, really. It's all good. Let the rabble eat their cake. When Hanley Ramirez jukes like an arthritic water buffalo at balls hit up the middle and Andre Ethier flails like a narcoleptic samurai at pitches from lefties, they'll switch to beach volleyball and UFC throwdowns. OK, to be fair, they've got some talent in the LAtrine. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the NL. That I'll grant them. And guys like Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez are the real thing. But excuse me for thinking that the Giants are better. It's a team game, y'know. They had all those guys last year and played .500 ball in the last three months of the season. Donnie Baseball didn't exactly dazzle at the helm, and even his bosses have some doubts about him, choosing not to extend his contract. Earvin Moneybags and His High Dollar Homies have publicly declared it's "World Series or Bust" for the blue-clads, and there's nothing like a little pressure added to the mega-media mix that is the City of Angels. If Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett thought that playing in Boston was tough, they are in for a wake-up. Laid-back Californians are just as ruthless as insecure New Englanders when it comes to $200+ million payrolls and dreams of glory. Hollywood has no shortage of buried bodies when it comes to the bottom line.

Since we are on the subject of the bottom line, here's mine: the Giants will win the West. The defending champions are the best team and, if they stay healthy, the rest of baseball will have to go through them if they want the big prize. I'm fresh out of Spring Training stories, I'm afraid, you'll have to go to the Comical Sporting Green for good stuff about Brandon Belt and karaoke. Seriously. That's what the professionals are scribbling about these days. I'm just an amateur hack so I don't have that kind of insight. I'll stick with pitching, fielding, hitting, and baserunning. The Giants did those things in 2012, and will do them again in 2013. And I'll take them over any other club in The Show, thankyouverymuch.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

The State of Jefferson Rocks the Trophies!

Lots of locals came to Mt. Shasta City yesterday for the Unveiling and subsequent Viewing. It was party time in the North State, and folks were flashing the colors. I really like the look these two sported (note the winter coats--it was cold):

The Deadheads were out with some spiffy swag:

Me and the Missus got our turn. That's 2010 on the left of the photo, 2012 on the right:

You needed four-wheel drive just to navigate the icy parking lot. Here's us posing with the fancy ride that carried the goods:

I forgave my friend Tom for his ridiculous red coat. After all, the 49ers were hosting a playoff game later in the day (way to go, SF!). I'm telling you, it was cold:

It was a happy crowd (sorry it is a little fuzzy, I'm still getting used to the camera):

And then there's the Man of the Hour, the Administrator of the Mt. Shasta Recreation and Parks District, Mike Rodriguez, who put it all together:

GO GIANTS!!

--M.C.