GAMEBALL and JOKER--> ROCKS at GIANTS 8/30

I often hear than fans can allow themselves the luxury of having their emotions swing with the outcomes of games, whereas players as professionals can't let those things effect them. Well, that may be true to a certain extent but after Monday nights loss you can't tell me the players didn't have their heads down and their tails between their legs. But when faced with a situation like that in baseball, or in life in general…. you can go two ways…..roll over and die, or get mad get up off your ass and fight….. and dammit if the Giants didn't do just that….. fighting back with 2 late wins versus the DBacks, and then after two dominating performances, coming back from what seemed like a loss in the books to SWEEP the team responsible for the bad feelings in the first place and the teams emotions as so high, they probably didn't need a plane to fly to East Coast tonight

After a game like that, its Fangraphs time



Giants best performers
Renteria +87.4% WPA (that’s more than 1 1/2 wins)
Lewis +15.8%
Affeldt +12.4%

Giants worst performers
Sandoval +17.5%
Whiteside +17.2%
Cain +16.6%

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> ROCKS at GIANTS 8/30

GAMEBALL

EDGAR

In the Bottom of the 6th inning with runners on second and third and no outs, down by two…..Molina and Sandoval both struck out, not even managing a sac fly or a run scoring grounder……and then the pinch hitting Garko hit a easy broken bat grounder to third to squander a chance to tie the game with a simple basehit……Then in the 7th inning the Rockies pushed across another run to extend the lead to 3……the game was over right there…..but in the 7th the Giants would have another chance……the first two runners would reach, and the after a Whiteside K, and a Lewis HBP the Giants had the based juiced and the tying run on base for Velez……Another K with a runner on 3rd and less than two out and up stepped injured Renteria in the midst of his worst season in the majors …..he had hit the ball hard twice in three at bats, so perhaps we might have seen this coming…..but no way, this would not happen…..the Giants would surely squander this chance as well……on a 0-1 fastball location mistake belt high inside edge of the plate, Renteria UNLOADED on the ball hitting a NO DOUBTER over the cars in left, clearing the wall by at least 20-30 feet, and at that one moment everything changed, the park came alive, and with Affeldt warming in the pen you suddenly had the belief that we COULD beat this juggernaut of a team…..not only BEAT this team, but actually dominate and demoralize this Rockies team that has been rolling since May……so who knows how this season will end, or how Renteria will finish the year, but I know one thing…..despite the numbers and the disappointment, Edgar won a lot of fans today……..and by the way, the Rockies have now lost a season high 5 in a row….

TIP OF THE CAP :
URIBE
A tough AB to draw a lead off walk in the 7th to get the ball rolling for the rally, a single/ triple thing to right to help extend the lead in the 8th…but overlooked at the time and forgotten later, was a SLICK double play in the top of the 7th to hold the lead at 3……with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd and Medders just in the game, he ranged to his left to snare a hard hit 1 hopper, spun and fired a strike to Renteria, who relayed to 1st to just get Hawpe and send the Giants to the bottom of the 7th for the game turning rally….we can forgive the misplay on the popup in the 9th where Renteria and Uribe combined for the drop…..

MEDDERS
Came in 1st and 3rd and 1 out…..let the one run score, but got out of the 7th keeping the damage in check……

AFFELDT
With a fresh 1 run lead, Jeremy gave every one a scare…..a double and a single and there was 1st and 3rd with 1 out……and Jeremy got mad…..and proceeded with Back to Back punch outs and then a full body fist pump celebration to end the inning and send it to the 9th….

ROHLINGER
BIG add on double…..after looking bad twice on two swing and miss sliders, Rohlinger hit a hard line drive to Left Center to drive in 2 and give the Giants some breathing room….

LEWIS
Doubled and scored in the 6th, and then took a 97 MPH fastball in the ribs during the grand slam rally…and no Monkey, I don't think he rubbed it…..

VELEZ
Double plated the 9th run, and when it bounced into the stands he put me on TV….for about 1.7 seconds……..


JOKER

WEIRDO in LEFT

If you were at the game, you saw something ALMOST as stupid as the Kruk & Kuip bobbleheads…between every 1/2 inning…..1st row down the left field line..a Dude with Mickey Mouse Hands and a Fantasia style Wizards Hat…was doing his imitation of Michael J Fox being Electrocuted…..ok, I could understand if he was being paid by Red Bull or GoldenPalace or something like that, but as far as I could tell this was just the biggest attention whore I have seen since Paris Hilton…..lets just hope he doesn't make a sex tape……and yes, I did see something on his shirt, but searching the net I can't figure out what he was promoting…..I am thinking he is one of these court jester guys you hire for parties…..you know the jackass doing magic, trying to do sing alongs and generally acting like the village idiot……whatever he is, he should have been kicked out of the park once he started doing his "dance"….or at least taken out back and maimed…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
CAIN
Been a horse all year, but dug the Giants an early hole after being hit HARD, allowing 2 Homers and a double that was as close as you can come without going out…..

HINSHAW
3 baserunners vs 1 out does not keep you in the bigs….sure 1 was a nice bunt, but then the one out was a pickoff too…never got a batter out….

UMPIRES
I can understand the missed call on Cain, but do they ALL go against us…..the ratio of getting the short end of a ball call seems to be 2:1 at least …..and why do we have the same umps for the WHOLE HOMESTAND????......but the real reason you are here is the called 3rd strike on Pablo….looked inside, but the Center Field camera is at a slight angle so I went to PitchFX to be sure….the ball was 6 inches off the plate according to Pitchfx…..and that system is pretty damn accurate in regards to inside outside and it is set to judge the strike zone on a plane with the FRONT of the plate….and that ball was moving even MORE inside when it hit the mit…..bad call……rookie umpire…..


FINAL THOUGHTS
After being at the game on Thursday….watching Friday's game on TV and then missing yesterday entirely, I felt I NEEDED a good game today as I took it in from the Left Field Bleachers……and the Giants delivered….a good crowd even when we were down got FUCKING LOUD when that ball left Renteria's bat, and then EXPLODED when the ball went over the wall….after that point, the place just kept BUZZIN with a playoff like atmosphere (an overused but in this case apt analogy*)……this was the BEST game I have been to this year, and actually its been years since a game this good and I go to a lot of games……the only game in recent memory that comes close would be Timmy's 15 K game this year……before that it was May 16th 2006 when the Giants scored 4 in the 9th to beat the Dodgers…..


*Analogy, Simile, what the fuck do I know, I ain't no goddamn fucking English professor….juts read the damn thing and smile….


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(The fine print: There will be cussing and bad taste. This is written with the heat of the moment feel you may have during the game, with rational though sprinkled in now and then. This is entertainment folks, sure there is a lot of truth and I am a genius, but this is all about having a laugh and enjoying the ride…….now lets go heckle Jeff Kent in when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> ROCKS at GIANTS 8/29

What a perfect day in San Francisco today. The temperature was not too hot with a cool breeze blowing to keep you comfortable with just a t-shirt and shorts. The day started off with the honoring of Jeff Kent with a plaque on the wall of fame outside of the ball park.

I wasn’t there for the whole thing, but I caught a little bit of it. Bill Neukom was speaking about why they were there today. Then he introduced J.T. Snow to talk about Jeff Kent. J.T. said that they played against one another in high school and then in the big leagues when Jeff was an Indian.

OK, that’s about all I stayed for and then headed to pick up my gym bag. Yeah, I know I’m not much fun. When I did leave the park and the ceremony was over I noticed a steady line of people obtaining Kent’s autograph. He seemed to look neutral with no smile as he was giving out autographs. I couldn’t really read his facial expression. Well he was signing autographs, but I didn’t notice any pictures.
Folks, he’s trying to get back on Giants fans good side and I think it’s working.

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> ROCKS at GIANTS 8/29

GAMEBALL:

BARRY

WOW…a shut out going into the 9th inning. Who saw this coming? Honestly, I didn’t. He had pitched great previously in his past few starts, but to throw a complete game shut out? It didn’t happen, but the fact that he tried his hardest in the 9th inning shows you he’s changed and he really has changed. The last time Zito got a complete game was while he was with Oakland in 2003 (thank you Krukow).

The pressure from Timmy and Matt maybe even how well they’re pitching is rubbing off on this “old man”. When he gave up a homerun to Brad Hawpe I’m sure everyone was thinking, “DAMN IT!”

Well Zito, you’ve made a believer out of me since I didn’t believe in you, but this year you’ve changed it around and made a lot more friends than enemies.

TIP OF THE CAP:
PANDA
Was it déjà vu? I could’ve sworn I’ve seen this before. Pablo hitting a homerun for his first at bat am I watching a game on Saturday? This is the second night he’s done do. He crushed the ball! Pablo took one deep and got it WET! You’ve now tied Felipe Crespo on the Splash Hits list. Merkin you’d usually ask for “More please!” and tonight they delivered just for you. If you missed it here it is: Hey kid, if you can’t run full speed it’s ok. You can be just like Barry Bonds. He was great and didn’t run fast either. Just keep hitting them out!

Rollinger
That catch to throw to Uribe to get the out. That was beautiful! You couldn’t have made it better! Off your knees to Uribe. Welcome to the big leagues kid. You’re going to do ok defensively, but just work on that offense.

WHITESIDE
You made a great double play. Strike them out, through them out. You threw out Clint Barmes and that was beautiful. You nailed guys again tonight. You hit a triple later on to clear the bags. Eli, you’re proving that you can make some noise as well. Keep up the good job.
If you missed the double play check out the link.

Here’s the triple to clear the bags.

JOKER

ROMO

So you got a save in your last outing. You’ve been doing sooooooooooooo good. Tonight you blew it. You almost gave the Rockies a chance to come back and beat us. You gave up two runs to make the game too interesting. Did you get Bob Howry disease from the beginning of the year? Were you channeling Matt Herges as a Giant?

AFFELDT
You had a ball ricochet off your left foot. You said you were ok, but obviously you weren’t otherwise you’d be able to close out the game. Instead Bochy had to pull you out and bring in Wheezy who almost didn’t get the job done. Great going you freaky soul patch face.

SMACK OF THE STICK:
NATE

Hey MEAT! Velez said he got the ball and yet you still had to come in to steal it from him? Do you know the rules of the outfield are? Centerfielder is IN CONTROL of traffic. Zito gave you a WTF look. WTF were you doing? BACK OFF! If you were to get hurt I’m sure a lot of Giants fans will go, “If he only let Velez catch the ball he wouldn’t be hurt. His arm could be making killer throws.”

By monkey (pinch hitting for merkin)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> ROCKS at GIANTS 8/28

With the Giants playoff aspirations on life support, the Fanbase woke from the lethargy of the aftermath of last week and the woeful night before to come up with a much needed win. With offense as lifeless as the Taco Bell Chihuahua*, you knew that Tim would have to be lights out to convert that elusive 13th win and keep the Giants breathing……

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> ROCKS at GIANTS 8/28

GAMEBALL

TIM

Pearl Jam at Outsidelands weren't the biggest longhaired rockstars from Seattle performing tonight. That honor went to our own Tim Lincecum at AT&T park, as he gave a virtuoso performance holding the mighty Rockies offense in check for 8 innings strong, and despite racking up 112 pitches over 7, Tim came out for an encore in a perfect 8th which ran his pitch count to a season high 127 pitches……Far from his best tonight, as he was worked hard by Rockies pitchers, he had the dimensions of the park and a solid defense at his back for the Win……Good job and Congrats on win 13

TIP OF THE CAP :
PANDA
Back from the injured Calf (from official injury report) and the Flu (from Bochy in pregame)…. his bat vastly changes the complexion of the lineup from a Coyote Ugly to Homely with a nice personality…..Hacking at virtually everything all night, he managed to put a charge into a 1-2 curveball and used his often untapped prodigiuous power to send a solo shot opposite field for a 1-0 lead, which is all the Giants would need…..

WILSON
That was fucking impressive, after giving up a single to Helton and a long shot to Left Center, he came back for back to back K's with nothing but pure gas…..say what you will about the damage he has done to your cardio vascular system, but the guy has been money in the high pressure games the last week…..well, except for the one day after throwing 107 pitches or something

VELEZ
Panda and Tim had a little support from the only guy on the roster skinner than Lincecum….I am really hoping he emerges as the 4th legitimate major leaguer on this roster just so we can make fun of the body contrasts of Velez Tim Panda and Cain……oh and BTW single and stolen base to lead off the game, and the base hit in the 6th to plate run #2, we will forget the other 2 times at bat where he barely made a whimper

WHITESIDE
That was a horrid bunt….. but not only avoids the negative side of the ledger, but actually makes it up to the top with a walk and not running like Bengie to score from 2nd….. but mostly for making two near perfect throws to nail Tulowiski at 2nd twice and thereby saving Timmy from extra pitches and maybe even giving up some runs……..

HOMER BAILEY
After lackluster performances versus the weak Giants offense, Homer had it all come together tonight with his career best 8 scoreless innings versus the vaunted Dodger offense for the win……good job, now lets hope the Reds can figure out the knuckleballer Haeger tomomrrow……

KENT
Didn't hear the whole interview (yet) but what I did hear made me warm up a little. Glad to hear that 2002 haunts him as much as it does us…..

JOKER

WINN

And WHY is Winn in there over Nate??? Let alone batting #3….. his bat has gone stone cold, as evidenced NOT ONLY by Bochy bunting but Stewart actually playing way in at 3rd guarding against the 1st pitch bunt with 2 men on….. So is it Winn's defense???? Surely has the speed to cover the lateral ground in left and a pro at playing the weird angles, but Nate has shown to be nearly his equal plus a canon for an arm important in a game that could have been decided by 90 feet…. No somewhere somehow, that magic Veteran Pixie dust is going to kick in and produce a that .300 hitter Winn has been "proven" to be…… but as we wait the Giants continue to lean almost on sheer luck to plate a run or two to win a game……..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
ROCKIES PATIENCE
If this was a football game, this was the 1986 Chicago Bears Defense matches with the 2007 49ers offense……The Giants offense was 3 and out over and over, and the Rockies held the ball all night working Timmy's to the point where I had to ice MY arm,……the Rockies dominated time of possession with 146 pitches seen versus a grand total of 109 pitches…..Seth Smith and Todd Helton alone combined for 50 pitches seen in 8 at bats

*Ted Kennedy, DJ AM, Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, Micheal Jackson, Dom Deluise, Walter Cronkite, Les Paul, John Hughes, Steve McNair, Karl Malden, Billy Mays, David Carradine, Bea Arthur, Marilyn Chambers, Paul Harvey, and Ricardo Montalbán were all edited out before settling on the Chihuahua

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(The fine print: There will be cussing and bad taste. This is written with the heat of the moment feel you may have during the game, with rational though sprinkled in now and then. This is entertainment folks, sure there is a lot of truth and I am a genius, but this is all about having a laugh and enjoying the ride…….now lets go heckle Jeff Kent in when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> DBACKS at GIANTS 8/26

No, I can't let go of the Rockies series….. and I think most of the Giants fan base has gone from disbelief and anger, to something bordering depression and apathy…. Now Monday was a dramatic win for the Rockies no doubt, and must have been one hell of a jolt of euphoria for the fans and the team…. so what about us?.... where's our dramatic win? where's our shot of euphoria? our history is littered with games where the Giants are that "other team".. dramatic walk off's, playoff wins, momentous occasions…. Hell even the Jonathan Sanchez no-hitter was upstaged less than two weeks later…but tonight was a little consolation, as Bengie did his best Gibson impression limping around the bases after launching a 0-2 pitch just over the left field wall…… nowhere near as dramativc as Sanchez's not hitter, and sure it wasn't a walk off, and it had a bit of a "too little too late" feel to it, but hell we are starved for anything positive, so we will take it thank you very much…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> DBACKS at GIANTS 8/26

GAMEBALL

MOLINA

Contract drive 09 is alive and well, and Molina added "dramatic pinch home run" to his list of credentials….. Molina did the expected after getting in a quick 0-2 hole…. but what followed was unexpected…..a high fly ball that just seemed to carry and carry until it nearly scraped off the back of the outfield wall……this wasn't a "towering shot," and that would imply majesty and power…..this was more like the longest popup you have ever seen…..Probably a ground rule double off the roof in Tampa, or a "do over" off the jumbotron in Cowboys Stadium ….but that doesn't matter….in ATT it’s a game winner……..

TIP OF THE CAP :
SANCHEZ
One of his best starts since the no-hitter with regards to consitency…pounded the zone all night with 9 strikeouts and 2 walks….his best strikeout total since the no-hitter, and the second time issuing 2 walks or less….and his strike % of 64.2% was his best since the no hitter where it was 70%

BOCHY
Pinch hitting Molina, sheer genius…..manager of the year, baby!

MILLER
Actually I had planned to give a sarcastic Gameball to Miller, but Molina bailed him out….now in retrospect, with the pen gassed Millers scoreless inning actually is a big deal…..so tip that cap, and go back to the end of the bullpen where you belong….and tell Howry he still sucks while you are there

MEDDERS
1-2-3….no threat to Wilson's job, but got it done in clean fashion, saving Giants fans everywhere from flashbacks of Monday and Tuesday…..

URIBE
Those 2 solo shots the last 2 nights, didn't seem like much when they happened, but both shots foreshadowed the heroics to come…..so Dale Long holds the National League record for consecutive games with a HR at 8….only 6 more to go…

JOKER

WHITESIDE

Well unlike Uribe's 2 game streak, Whiteside has his own little streak going…..two games in a row with an error…but tonight he added a dumb shit flubs not scored as error when he swipe-tagged without a ball….….…gone is the glee of his big night in Houston, and he is actually making us miss Steve Holm…..…..and when Sabean signs Molina to that 3 year deal, he should buy Whiteside a Buick or something….
(and if I just give him the joker again, I don't even have to change the pic)

SMACK OF THE STICK :
ROHLINGER
I am looking at that box score, and I see his name, but I swear I didn't see him in there…..apparently he got 3 at bats, but I never even noticed them….and since I never miss anything, I have to assume that NBC cut away for commercial he Rohinger was hitting……errr, not hitting….. at the plate pretending to hit…….

BOCHY
For playing Winn over Nate and Freddie……Nate has proven he can hit lefties and Lewis is something like 4 for 9 versus Doug Davis (that’s what Krukow might call "Ownage")

WINN
For having a noodle arm, for being in there because of the leftie and not being able to hit a leftie SO OBVIOUSLY that he resorted to popping up foul bunts


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(The fine print: There will be cussing and bad taste. This is written with the heat of the moment feel you may have during the game, with rational though sprinkled in now and then. This is entertainment folks, sure there is a lot of truth and I am a genius, but this is all about having a laugh and enjoying the ride…….now lets go heckle Jeff Kent in when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> DBACKS at GIANTS 8/25

Back from the game and I am beat..... considering this is only the first game of the homestand where I will be attending at least 50% of the games thats a sad state of affairs.....this was a good crowd for a Tuesday night with 37K+ ":attendance" of course that wasn't quite how many people were really there but you had people all the way up in the corners of the upper deck and the bleaechers and arcade were fairly packed....and hey even rich field club seats were 80+% full......but this crowd wasn't here to celebrate....they were blood thirsty......and it was either going to be Dbacks or Giants blood depending on the outcome......this was a crowd remincient of some of the games late in 2004 where the Giants started to blow chunks late (see Benitez)....where every small error was met with something ranging from disapproving murmurs to lusty boos....... but in the end was some semblance of relief, and perhaps the best cheers you heard for the Giants were in when the game was 100% over and the fans were congratulating and cheering on the ramps and in the stairwells on the way out......I got spontanious high fives from 3 strangers... when you passed them by they saw the same look on your face as they had on theirs.....just plain relief from the final out come......and disbelief it was last night was and what tonight almost was........

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> DBACKS at GIANTS 8/25

GAMEBALL

ISHIKAWA

The forgotten man with his 2nd start in 9 days came through big time with TWO big hits.....the first a leadoff double against Haren in the 7th.....he would come around to score the tying run......the Giants could have easily rolled over to lose 2-1......and then the tie breaking SHOT off Rauch over the bricks and good for 3 runs which were just good enough for the win.....
Garko hasn't been as good as advertised, while Travis seems charged up by the competition......and Travis' last start? only a 1 for 5, but was the only win in Denver.....I don't give a shit what I said before, after a performance like tonight, you need to play Travis until he shows the job isnt his.....

TIP OF THE CAP :
URIBE
Solo shot got the Giants on the board, and then actually put the ball in play for the error on the third baseman.....

CAIN
Pitched a solid game overall and game the bullpen some much needed rest

FANS
Came out in force tonight, nice to see the yard full after a night like last night

GIANTS
Those $5 tickets are great, keep it going and they will come.....

JOKER

WHITESIDE

Catchers interference set up the DBacks only 2 runs of the game, making it 2-1 instead of 1-0...... and with Haren dealing things looked grim.....

SMACK OF THE STICK :
BOCHY
Wilson was chewed up, you should either have put Romo in to begin with or had him in the game a batter or two sooner.......1st and 3rd with 1 out and 1 run down, and you put a gimpy Sandoval up there when the DP is your worst enemy??? I go with Garko there, career 0.68 GB/FB.......

WILSON
Sure he was gassed but he still was the man on the spot

LEWIS
Misplayed the ball in left, but made a quick recovery.....luck? I think so.....

SCHIERHOLTZ
Missed the cutofff man in the 9th allowing the lead run to get to 2nd

FRANDSEN
Rohlinger????....BWHAHAHHAHA.....man they really do hate you

MILLER
F YOU from last night still

DUDE SITTING 3 ROWS IN FRONT OF ME
Decided he wanted to stand up and give his buddy a headlock right as Ishikawa Doubled......and then did it again when Uribe hit into the Error.... Missed both plays.....and this guy doesn't have any idea what "DOWN IN FRONT" I actually got out of my seat and walked over to him and explain that he shouldn't stand up while the batter is hitting when everyone else is sitting......I don't care how much UFC shit you are wearing, just try to headlock this fucking pissed off Giants fan.......


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GB and JK ARCHIVES AT THE GIANTS BOARD BLOG

(The fine print: There will be cussing and bad taste. This is written with the heat of the moment feel you may have during the game, with rational though sprinkled in now and then. This is entertainment folks, sure there is a lot of truth and I am a genius, but this is all about having a laugh and enjoying the ride…….now lets go heckle Jeff Kent in when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at ROCKIES 8/24

If you have been anywhere near a local Giants broadcast the last month you have heard the proclaimation over and over "WE'RE IN THIS".... the timing almost celebrating the piddling moves made by the front office to put the Giants "over the top"......well kids they almost had it right, but they were slightly off...."we WERE in this"......but after a game like tonight and after a weekend like we just had, and after Cain and Lincecum go winless in 8 starts.....I don't think are many Giants fans that really think "WE"RE IN THIS"..... Sure the Giants are still are only 4 back with 6 home game against the Rockies left.....but the Rockies are clearly a superior team...... The Giants had their chances and lost two games they should have won....and I don't mean they deserved to win, I mean they were the kind of games that the Giants NEED to win.....they had the Rockies playing 2009 Giants baseball....low scoring affairs and the Giants failed.....sure the offensive woes are nothing new......but the Giants failures on defense, on the mound doomed them this weekend.......
And its not just the Rockies we have to worry about, don't forget the Marlins and Braves have both pulled within a game of the Giants and by this time next week you can expect to be passed.......

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at ROCKIES 8/24

GAMEBALL

VELEZ

Hard to hand out any kudos on a night like tonight, but Velez did his part scoring 2 of the Giants runs and knocking in the other 2 just when it seemed like it no one was ever going to score..... I even give him a pass on that error, as it was a nice play to get to it and you have to try to make that throw......you will never confuse him for a gold glover ......I give him an A for effort

TIP OF THE CAP :
WILSON
DP Bunt stumble out of the box aside, he was nails when he had to be, and I have alot more confidence in the guy in what he has shown me the last week or so..... I always worried how he would react in a big game....well, I think he has come a long ways towards settling those fears.....

ROMO AFFELDT
Got their work in early and got out of the inning......


F YOU

MEDDERS/MILLER

Both of these players clearly deserve a big fucking middle finger.....handed a 3 run lead and all you have to do is throw a strike now and then....
.....The Giants held the powerful Rockies lineup in check all night with timely pitching and defense..... and the Giants come up with runs FINALLY in the 14th, and it all goes to hell.....A walk to a clearly injured leadoff hitter, a walk to put the tying run on base with 1 out, a walk to the pitcher....and a fucking grand slam..... the only thing that inning needed was a boot by Cody Ransom......if the Giants lose this 2-1 in extras, you can salvage something in the fact you were able to shut down the Rockies so long, but after BLOWING......just fucking completely FUCKING UP that 14th inning, any semblance of confidence that these players have in themselves and each other is GONE......

SMACK OF THE STICK :
F SANCHEZ
What the fuck is going on???? This is the EXACT reason you are are here, to give SOMETIME to this goddamn lineup..... Traded for damaged goods? perhaps...... but on the bright side.... Freddy is 156 PA short of his option for next year kicking in....with 37 games left thats over 4 PA per game.....looks like he just might fall short..... of course that means that Sabean will give him an extension for even MORE money.......

MERKIN
At least he threw a strike.....it went a LONG WAY......but it least he didn't walk em all in......

URIBE
A long time ago, booted the ball in like the 4th or 5th or something....not sure if it would have saved that 1 run, but I would have liked to have found out.....

PANDA
Losing your best hitter that early in the game left the bench short and changed the complexion of the lineup dramatically......Dehydration???? Good god, drink some fucking Gatorade......

BOCHY
So many things.....1st of all, using Romo and Affeldt quickly took the depth out of your pen.....I was thinking at the time, this is a TIE GAME, you sure you wanna burn your best two setup man by the 8th??? little did I know....... and another was NOT bunting Rowand with Garko on 2nd and PINCH RUNNING for Garko in the first place further depleting your bench......and of course the handling of the pitching staff in the 14th...... Medders was clearly gassed, and Miller entered a high pressure situtaion.... you can hit Cain for Medders and then pitch Merkin or Miller to start the 14th clean...... there are probably 15th other things I missed, but I can tell you right now...... Neukom is watching too, and I don't think he has any ties to you......


BONUS RANT
The Giants have no business being in the race, sure you can ride a great pitching staff a long way, but you have to EXECUTE in order to win...... and the games they NEED TO WIN they are dropping left and right...... if you look at the standings tomorrow, it would seem the Giants are "IN THIS" but don't be fooled..... The Rockies, Cardinals, Phillies are the class of the National league, and the Dodgers aren't far behind.... add that to the resurgent Braves and Marlins and it doesnt look good for a Giants team stuck in reverse......so the Giants return home tomorrow to face Dan Haren and give no support to Cain in ANOTHER must win.....but be assured.....this isn't the year.....and unless a few real hitters fall from the sky, next year won't be it either.......get used to it Giants fans, we are just good enough to break your heart and stamp out whatever hopes you had, yet again......

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GB and JK ARCHIVES AT THE GIANTS BOARD BLOG

(The fine print: There will be cussing and bad taste. This is written with the heat of the moment feel you may have during the game, with rational though sprinkled in now and then. This is entertainment folks, sure there is a lot of truth and I am a genius, but this is all about having a laugh and enjoying the ride…….now lets go heckle Jeff Kent in when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at ROCKIES 8/21

For a team that rarely draws a walk, the Giants have been getting a good number of runners on ….in the month of August the Giants have a .333 OBP …but what they do with the runner once they are on is anybody's guess…..The Giants have played 19 games in August…..and in those 19 games the Giants have managed to have 10 or more baserunners while scoring 2 runs or less 5 different times…..let me repeat that a different way to make sure I explain this properly……5 of 19 August games Giants have at least 10 baserunners and at most 2 runs…….now they have broken out too with 5 games over 7 runs and 15 baserunners……
Well tonight was the exception…..as they got 14 runners on but were able to convert enough to get 6 runs… which was enough to hang on to the game in the thin air of Coors……

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at ROCKIES 8/21

GAMEBALL

GAMER

Came through with the 3 run bomb that changed the game….Rowand's big fly came on what looked like a curveball from Fogg on the outside half……to me this was the critical spot in the game…with the Giants holding onto a 2 run lead early, you know that you were going to need more to win in the thin air and add to that Sanchez's propensity for an early exit…..additionally Cook was freshly pulled and if Fogg found his rhythm it could have been a long night……instead the Giants got their second 3 spot of the game which proved to be enough for the win…..

Rowand also kept up with the 7 hole magic.bumping up the numbers of the 7 hole with a 3 for 4 night ……in fact the 7 hole in the lineup IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SPOT in the Giants lineup when measured by AVE, OBP, SLG, OPS, MBA, LSD, NWA,\ and OPP (yeah, you know me)……
And here is the murders row that have started in the 7 spot, with starts in parenthesis……
Aurilia (7), Bowker (3), Burriss (2), Downs (3), Frandsen (3), Ishikawa (23), Lewis (5), Renteria (6), Rowand (22), Schierholtz (8), Torres (4), Uribe (30), Velez (3), Whiteside (2), Winn (1)

TIP OF THE CAP :
SANCHEZ
A little wild, but this kid was pumping BB's striking out 8 in 5 solid innings……and that radar gun was hot, but only a couple MPH……Sanchez was 93-95 all night via Pitchfx

RENTERIA
Two hits and started the 1st inning rally

MOLINA
Big double on a fly to center in the first, and a great take of second by the slowest man in baseball

AFFELDT/ WILSON
Both came up with BIG BIG outs…..

FULD
Centerfielder for the Cubs…..down by 1 run in the bottom of 8th held the game to one run buy going up and over to steal a Ramirez Homer…..

JOKER

CUBS

$134,058,500….and you got this piece of shit….in the Post Dusty/ Wood/ Prior/ Bartman era the Cubs lean on the fruits of two bad trades in D Lee and A Ram….. a underappreciated hot head workhorse in Zambrano….and the rest of the roster is basically filled out with whichever free agents were willing to take their cash…..just a band off spare parts and 1 trick ponies…..come on, Lilly Bradley Fukudome Soriano Harden…..they all basically just ended up here without rhyme nor reason to building a cohesive team…..and now as the Cubs fall from the race…. Beaten in back to back nights and held to 3 runs in 18 innings by the likes of Randy Wolf, Jeff Weaver, and the the beaten tattered Dodger bullpen……good job Cubbies…..you might be waiting until next year, but we want ours and we fucking want it now…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
DUDE WAVING PANDA
ok, bro….we all love Pablo…..heck a few of us might even wear a panda mask or shirt or hat…….but when it comes down to taunting the opposition by waving a stuffed Panda in their face????....first of all, not very intimidating…..and more importantly do you think the average fan in the stands in Denver knows the nickname of the Giants almost all star? I am sure there are a number of Colorado fans driving home wondering….."Why in the hell was that Giants fan waving a teddy bear in our face? Was he trying to sell them or something???"

AFFELDT/ WILSON
Both came up with BIG BIG outs…..but made us all soil our shorts a little first…..

VELEZ
What's colder than Eugenio's bat?......yes, you got it….his stone glove…..

COWBOYS
What the hell was that…..the $40 million dollar jumbotron…..weighs 400 tons…that’s about the weight of 200 cars……..and now it looks like its too low and interfering with punts????? Good work idiots…..hope you have a fun time moving that thing……

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GB and JK ARCHIVES AT THE GIANTS BOARD BLOG

(The fine print: There will be cussing and bad taste. This is written with the heat of the moment feel you may have during the game, with rational though sprinkled in now and then. This is entertainment folks, sure there is a lot of truth and I am a genius, but this is all about having a laugh and enjoying the ride…….now lets go heckle Jeff Kent in when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at REDS 8/20

Yes, I watched the whole goddamn thing on Tivo….what a pathetic performance….I can only imagine how much more frustrating it would have been to watch live…..I was watching the replay and found myself screaming at the TV…….

Just simply fucking amazing…..the Giants have only been shut out 6 times….but have been held to 1 run an amazing 22 times…..but this 1 run game was a little bit different as the Giants actually had 13 baserunners on 11 hits, but season highs for a 1 run output…..…. it was almost as if the Giants offense was doing everything it could NOT to score……. I don't know how you can go through that many scoring chances without coming through at least once, even if just by accident…. hell the single run the Giants did manage to push across the plate came on a wild pitch……its only 1 loss but after watching this kind of performance versus a pathetic Reds team, there is no way you could think this is a playoff team…..hell, after watching such a lethargic performance I can hardly get up the effort to write something up…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at REDS 8/20

GAMEBALL

CAIN
A damn solid performance from the Ox of the pitching staff, working through trouble a number of times and pounding the strike zone limiting the walks and the pitch count…..Matt did everything he could today, including a perfect sacrifice in the 7th to move Whiteside to 3rd with 1 out in a tie game…..that was Cain's 5th attempt to nail down his 5th win, and the 2nd time he has gone 8 or more allowing 1 or less runs…..he should at LEAST have 14 by now……

TIP OF THE CAP :
SANDOVAL
Looks like the day off did him some good, 3 hit day……

WINN
Maybe he really IS heating up…..after yesterday's performance the 3 hit performance was nice to see….now if he could just work on timing……

NATE
Got his start and 2 more hits……but all for naught…..

JOKER

ROADKILL

The best way I could describe today offense, was road kill….. as soon as you thought the Giants were going to break through and push a couple runs across, they got squashed flat…..so many fucking times they had their chances……

So honor of Cain being stuck on 12 wins, we give you 12 flavors of offensive failure…..

1) Sandoval, 1st and 2nd and 0 out, weak fly out to center on a curveball

2) Garko, 1st and 3rd and 1 out, strikes out on slider in the dirt and a foot off the plate

3) Whiteside, 1st and 3rd and 2 out, takes fastball down the pipe for strike 1, and then pops out in a 0-2 curveball for the 3rd out

4) Garko, 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Weak fly out to center on first pitch

5) Rowand, 1st and 2nd and 2 out, Deep fly out to left on a first pitch curveball on the outside half

6) Velez, 3rd and 1 out, Pops up on high fastball on 1st pitch

7) Uribe, 3rd and 2 out, Lines out hard right at the Rightfielder

8) Renteria, 1st and 3rd and 1 out, in a pinch hit appearance hits a tailor made double play ball to the shortstop

9) Whiteside, 1st base and 0 out, fails to get down a bunt, which is followed by a single that would have likely scored a run

10) Velez, 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Sinking line drive right at the left fielder

11) Uribe, 1st and 2nd and 2 out, swings at a 1-2 pitch a foot off the plate for strike 3

12) Winn, 1st and 1 out, swings though belt high fastball on a hit and run leaves Sandoval out to dry…

Individually, you would just write off the at bat and say get them next time, you take them together and it makes you want to write this team off all together….. this is the stuff of 100 loss teams, not playoff contenders…….

SMACK OF THE STICK :
URIBE
Being part of the Joker wasn't enough, I will take extra stab at Uribe…..pulled up at 3rd when Flannery was waving him in….maybe he gets gunned, but I trust Flannery's judgement……and then flailed badly in the Giants last good scoring chance of the day

WHITESIDE
Another for Whiteside as well, you GOT to get that fucking bunt down…..

HOWRY
a 2nd inning was just pushing your luck…..melts down with the game on the line again….belt high fastball on a 2-0 pitch ……and the Rookie takes you deep……

BOCHY
see Howry

BIP
"He (Padilla) really doesn't have much left" First, don't tempt fate…. Second, he was released as much for his attitude as performance……Third, he still throws 95+MPH, the stuff is there, the performance hasn't been….all that being said, don't be so sure that Padilla doesn't find his groove for a couple of months, this guy reminds me a little of Tomko…..Million Dollar Arm, Ten Cent Head….. will put it together for short stretches but can't keep it together for extended periods…..heck, even Weaver was able to keep it together long enough to help give the Cardinals a World Series ring

SABEAN
Coulda used Freddy tonight…..what did he get Ray Durham's old locker?

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GB and JK ARCHIVES AT THE GIANTS BOARD BLOG

(The fine print: There will be cussing and bad taste. This is written with the heat of the moment feel you may have during the game, with rational though sprinkled in now and then. This is entertainment folks, sure there is a lot of truth and I am a genius, but this is all about having a laugh and enjoying the ride…….now lets go heckle Jeff Kent in when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)