Opening Day.....

Well that sucked. But then I remember, we dropped how many to start the season last year? Let's get them tomorrow.

Can't let the Dodgers have all the fun.

 Go Giants!

Giants Win the Pennant!

Buster Posey

So its almost been 24 hours since Scott Cousins, of the Florida Marlins, ended Buster Posey's season with a devastating hit. As the rules stand right now, it was a clean, legal play.

Now, baseball does not have a lot of contact. And I am one of the first to say that the MLB has gone overboard in protecting the players. For instance, that ridiculous rule where the umpires can warn the benches, meaning that any further hit batsmen will result in automatic ejections, is a mistake. It allows cowards to get away unpunished because the Leagues never do anything to them.

56 YEARS OF WAITING AS THE GIANTS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

56 years since the last one.

25 years since I finally learned what it meant to be a fan.

First game was June 5, 1985. Giants lost 6 - 0 to Montreal, Mike Krukow took the loss. My Dad took the day off and told me he had a surprise. We were going to go to the game. It was a Wednesday afternoon game. He showed me how to score. Even though we missed the top of the 1st, I made him stay to the end because somewhere in the game I got hooked on them.

I was at that game where Brenly made four errors in an inning playing third only to come back and hit a grandslam (upper deck on the first base side). Oddly enough, we weren't sitting in our season tickets, which were back in section 16 where I sat almost every Friday night home game eating malts to the dismay of the occasional tourist who'd wander into a section full of hardbitten season ticket holders. And in the eight years we had the tickets, I only got one croix de candlestick (I never left early.).

I watched them lose in the NLCS in 1987.

I saw them get demolished by the Bash Brothers in the 1989 World Series.

I missed watching them in person in the late 90s when I was in grad school, but got back to see them make the runs in 2002 and 2003.

And I never thought this team would win the World Series this year. I thought they'd be good. I thought maybe a wild card slot. But they just kept surprising me. Sometime in June, things started to feel different about these bums (and this team is a collection of bums in the best sense).



Thank you San Francisco Giants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ashkon's Giant's Anthem

Saint Clarkian's Day Speech

Enter POSEY

ROWAND
O that we now had here
But one more hit with RISP in San Francisco
That we’d be up 2-0 to-day!

KING POSEY XXVIII
What’s he that wishes so?
My teammate Wallnoseand? I ain’t havin’ it, my fair-to-poor cousin:
If we are mark’d to lose, we’ll pitch well enow
To Torture the McCoven; and if to live,
The fewer runs, the greater share of honour.
God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one run more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for series sweeps,
Nor care I who doth jump on or off my bandwagon;
It yearns me not if men my jerseys wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires:
But if it be a sin to covet a storybook World Series run,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my schnozz, wish not a win from Game Two:
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one easy win more, methinks, would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Wallnoseand, through my locker room,
That Guillen, who hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And the Royals’ money for convoy put into his purse:
We would not lose in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to lose with us.
This day is called the feast of Clarkian:
Fans that outlive this day and the next, and see us come safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse them at the name of Clarkian.
The fan Tortured these next two days, yet sees the NLCS,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Clarkian:’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show the spot Huff was HBP by Farnsworth.
And say ‘that was in a scoreless game with the bases loaded on Clarkin’s day.’
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But fans will remember with quickly-deleted YouTube videos
What feats we did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in their mouths as household words
Posey the king, Burrell and Torres,
Wilson and Romo, Sanchez and Bumgarner or possibly Lincecum,
Be in their flowing microbrews freshly remember’d.
This story shall the good fan teach his son;
And Clarkin Clarkian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that wins this game with me
Shall be my brother; though he yells that a woman’s pussy is jealous,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And pessimist fans in San Francisco now a-bummin’
Shall think themselves accursed they were not watching us here,
And hold their manhoods as cheap as we do Favre’s whiles any speaks
That cheered for us upon Saint Clarkin’s day.
Re-enter BOCHY

(Stolen shamelessly from McCovey Chronicle's poster, WhereThere'sAWIllieThere'sAMays)

Giants Win!

What happens when you take:
- A rookie catcher
- A washed up 1st basemen that no one wanted during the offseason
- A 32 year-old 2nd basemen who recently underwent serious knee and shoulder surgeries
- A fairly chubby shortstop who was signed to a minor league deal last year because no one thought he could cut it in the big leagues anymore
- A very chubby 3rd basemen who has underachieved all year
- A left fielder who was released earlier this season and was signed to a minor league deal
- A career minor leaguer center fielder who had his breakout season as a 32 year old
- A right fielder who was released by the ROYALS!!! (Granted, everyone hates him)
- An ace who is supposedly too small to be a pitcher
- A #2 pitcher who has a career record of 57-62
- A pitcher who has a $126 million contract despite the fact that he has performed like a replacement level player over the past few years
- A pitcher who is used as trade bait every season
- A pitcher who reached the legal drinking age a month ago
- A batshit crazy closer and a bunch of no names
- The highest paid position player doesn’t even start and may not even be on the playoff roster


You win the National League West!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mrs. Angrybell finally gets to see a team I got her hooked on win something!!

Go Giants!

Tim Lincecum, You Idiot

You idiot!!

Here the ace pitcher a major-league baseball team, the reigning Cy Young winner, in-line for endorsement deals and major contracts. Not little contracts with just six euros after them, but potentially a contract that would make Barry Zito look like a pauper.

So you can't be bothered, do not drive while smelling of marijuana and carry your car?!!

You idiot.

Not to mention the fact a lot of people look up to you. I mean you project a skater Stoner looke when your on the mound, with shaggy hair and a goofy grin, did you really have to confirm that in all our minds?

Velez Needs To Go... NOW!!!!!

Apparently, Eugenio Velez thinks he is to pretty and too valuable to play defense. Apparently, he thinks that he is so important, that he cannot take a sliding runner. So instead of playing the ball, he didn't keep his eye on the ball.

Its the Fracking D-dgers!!!!!!! YOU DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE BRUISES! YOU GET THE OUTS!!! YOU DON'T WASTE A PITCHER'S EFFORT LIKE THAT!!!!!

Velez = gutless showboating wuss. If I was the manager, he'd never see the plate again. He doesn't know how to sacrifice, play defense, or steal bases. He is a waste of space.

Where the frack is Schierholtz?

Bring me the head of Bochey!!!!

Help Kung Fu Panda Out!

Pablo Sandoval has a shot at going to the All-Star game. Take a few moments and submt your votes for at mlb.com's Final Vote. Tim and Matt need a friend at the All Star Game.

Help Get A Giant to New York

My Thoughts On The Mitchell Report and the Hall of Fame

So I have had a few days to think about the implications of the Mitchell Report.

A few things have to be accepted if you accept that Mitchell is correct. First, banned substance usage in Major League Baseball was widespread. Some of the best players, and some of the not so great, of the 1990s and early 2000s are implicated in the report. If anything, I would not be surprised to learn that more players were involved for the simple reason that the Major League Baseball Players Association was telling the players not to participate in the investigation.

Second, this was not something where there were a few "bad apples" who were participating in it. The management of the teams, as well as Major League Baseball, were turning a deliberate blind eye to what was happening. As long as McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds were hitting the balls out of the park, no one wanted to look too closely at how they were able to do it. The same with Roger Clemens and Andy Petite racking up World Series victories and Cy Young Awards while pitching for the Yankees.

So with all that out there, lots of people are mumbling about not letting many of these people into the Hall of Fame, about tagging records with asterisks, and possibly other things. To me, this seems wrong. Because it seems that their usage was so prevalent that the argument that there was an imbalance in the playing field seems to fail because it appears that to get on the field you had to be doped up in the first place.

This is what I think should be done: let the records stand, let those who offended go in to the Hall of Fame on the merits of their career (even with the use of performance enhancing drugs) but include on their plaque their offenses (or alleged ones).

The new regime in baseball should mandate random tests and an actual penalty for first time offenders (as opposed to a warning) and much more severe penalty (say a 60 game suspension), with a third offense getting a year and a half suspension and the team is allowed to void the contract. Now, if the team allows it to continue, say by hiring now peddlers of the illicit substances, they too should be penalized. A first time offense costs the team a first round draft pick. A second reduces the amount that it takes in as part of revenue sharing (or has to contribute more).

Of course, that would require the Commissioner of Baseball to be an actual commissioner for baseball as opposed to a member of the owners. Almost makes me wish for Judge Landis to come back from the dead.

Although if he did, he would not be nearly as lenient as anything I have heard.

Yeah, its been a while

It has.

I got busy.

Baseball season ended. And for me, that is always a downer. Now I am counting down the days until Spring Training starts in Scottsdale with pitchers and catchers reporting (74 days I think). Man I hope that Lincecum and Caine are still in the orange and black. But... then again I remember back in the winter of '96-'97, when I hoped that Matt Williams would still be wearing our colors...

And then there was a trip. And that was fun.

So now I am back. I think. But still busy.

With crazed and crazy clients. Some certifiable, some actually certified.

Known By The Company They Keep

So, without commenting on whether either of the parties are innocent or guilty, I was thinking about what these two guys are going through. Both face the destruction of their careers for allegedly committing illegal acts. One of them has been given up by his so-called friends. The other's is being protected by his.

Say what you want about Barry, but it looks like his friends have his back. Vick's on the other hand...

Happiness

The Giants swept the Dodgers. At Chavez Ravine.

Things are very good.

Spring Returned Tonight... Unfortunately, It Brought An Unwanted Person Back

Tonight, spring returned. How did I know? Simple, I went to my first baseball game tonight over at Pac Bell (yes, I know it is know AT&T Park, but I like the old name better).

It was a great game, for eight innings. The Giants ended up winning. I know this is a meaningless pre-season exhibition game, but there was one thing in it that I just have to shout about.

And not in a good way.

Returning to the show as a member of my beloved Giants is Armando Benitez. Now, if you have read my earlier post on this so-called closer, you would know my feelings on him. Unfortunately, Brian Sabean must have ignored my plea last year. Therefore I have to make it again.

MR. SABEAN, PLEASE GET RID OF THIS USELESS, NO-GOOD, BRAIN-DEAD, WEAK ARMED, LOSER.

Yes, I said loser. He has a loser mentality. A closer cannot have that. A closer has to be the equivalent of a predator, caring only for the kill.

What does Benitez care about? Apparently his feelings get hurt when the fans boo. Too bad he does not use that discomfort to do anything to improve himself.

Yes, I know, tonight (in a meaningless pre-season game) he faced four batters to end the game.

Whopity-frakking-doo!

As the local night-time sports talk guy, Damon Bruce is fond of quoting, sports only reveal character. Year after year, game after game, Benitez's character has been revealed. He is not a winner. A winner would not care what the fans did. He would go out and get the job done.

Benitez, unfortunately, has the mindset of a loser. He goes out, pays attention to anger of the fans instead of getting down to business. Other players can do this. Other players do do this.

That is Benitez's history. Put him in when there is nothing at stake and he shines like a gem. Put him in to any sort of a pressure situation and he crumbles faster than Greg Minton. On a good night, he resembles like Jeff Brantley in 1992. (Yes I know, obscure Giants' references. For those not initiated... think Greg Minton as Franz von Pappen and Jeff Brantley as Ross on Friends or the Band of Brothers' version of Captain Sobel).

And to add insult to injury, the local sports radio people are toeing the party line on this one. With the exception of Ralph Barbieri, they are saying that Benitez is the closer and should remain so until something changes that.

What will it take for Mr. Sabean and the broadcasters, including Damon Bruce (oh how you disappoint me Mr. Bruce. Are you now revealing your true character?) to finally turn on this guy? Will it take another nine blown saves (five of which end in Giants' losses? Because blowing 12 of 48 save opportunities (or 1 out of every 4 four opportunities is blown) in the last two years apparently is not enough to convince management that this man should be dismissed.)? Will it take another year of him thumbing his nose at the organization and the fans by not giving his best on the mound? More wasted efforts of the starting rotation because this loser cannot get it together to withstand the pressure of crucial games.

Its simple. Look at his statistics. When he pitches well, it is only for teams that are not going to post-season. If Mr. Sabean is serious about this team competing for the post-season this year, then Benitez has nothing to offer.

Get rid of this guy. He is a cancer to this team. He will never be what we and so many other teams' fans hoped he would be. Ship him off to Tampa Bay or Kansas City. If we were to get even a minor league prospect of dubious value it would be worth more than anything that Benitez could possibly contribute.

Mr. Sabean....

Did you have to do this the loyal Giants fans? Could you not help yourself? Did Mr. Sabean insist on bring back the horrible, awful, unreliable, ill-tempered Armando Benitez?

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Benitze threw for the first time in 172 days. Did you have to let the counter stop there? It would have been better had you simply ate the contract and spared the fans another season of watching this s0-called pitcher blow save opportunity after opportunity. Of watching him throw pitches that even I, who never made it past little league in organized baseball, would have a chance of hitting?

As Captain Mallory would have said

We're in it now, up to our necks...

The Giants have just finally, formally announced the signing of Barry Bonds. Its like the full employment act for sportswriters.

Sad News

So this might not mean much, but for long-time Giants fans some sad news came over the wire today. Apparently Jose Uribe, who played most of his 10 years for the San Francisco Giants died yesterday in a car crash.

He never made it big, but for ten seasons he was a solid shortshop who always made the play (to the tune of .996 fielding average). And I always liked watching him play. Had it not been Ozzie Smith of the Cardinals, he would have earned a few more gold gloves over his career.

All Hail Vizquel

He doesn't just field his position flawlessly. He doesn't just hit for average. On a team that was going nowhere fast for most of the season, he was the one that hung in there and kept trying to provide that spark that a team needs in order to win games.

At least he got some recognition this year. Congrats Mr. Vizquel on your 11th Gold Glove award.