GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> DBacks at Giants 09/29

The days grow short and I must admit that I am kinda sorta glad the Padres won tonight…..yes, I certainly want this over and locked away……but with the Magic # now at 3 the Giants must clinch ON THE FIELD and Versus the last team to be eliminated….…..if the Padres had lost tonight there was a possibility the Giants could clinch with a Padres loss Thursday Night long after the Giants were on the field Thursday Day……hey, I will take a Division Title anyway I can get it……but part of me is glad that IF it comes, it will be sweet…….

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> DBacks at Giants 09/29

GAMEBALL

PAT

Earl Weaver couldn't have scripted it better…..pitching, defense, and the 3 run homer…..and tonight that Homer was a BOMB in the 4th inning off the bat of Pat…..man, can you believe that Tampa just let this guy go…..and not just that, he signed with the Giants and agreed to prove himself all over again in AAA for a couple weeks……this guys bat and eye haven't aged a day as far as I can see…..sure he's not stellar in Left…..but fuck the damn defensive metrics, I will take that power bat in the lineup any day of the week…….good work Mr Burrell…..and now lets sew up this division……..

TIP OF THE CAP :
TIMMY
Bounced back from a leadoff shot by Drew to go 7 strong in what was likely his last regular season appearance at ATT in 2010……

HUFF
2 hits including a single in front of Burrells BOMB

POSEY
The work has ground down his bat speed, but still found a way to contribute offensively working a walk……something tells me an early clinch will do wonders for his bat in the postseason…….

WILSON
The man…..enough said

SANDOVAL
His swing is coming around……yes we have said this time and time again, but at least for the moment he is spraying line drives around the field…


JOKER

THE TEASE

You GOTTA love Giants fans…..as you look around baseball, fans of the teams heading to the playoffs are using words like Destiny and Believe…….but Giants fans???? no, this is a team that I think is even more jaded than the Cubs faithful……The mood of Giants fans right now is elated to be sure…..but as the Giants get closer to reality with the clinch, I think the mood of the Fans will shift to more along the lines of…..can we JUST get past that First Round??? man, I swear I wouldn't be surprised to see someone show up with a sign saying "HOW THEY GONNA SCREW US THIS TIME"……well the Giants haven't yet clinched the division…..but they have already assured us of one thing……this will either be the greatest year in the history of the San Francisco Giants……or just another in a long line of heart breaks…….but hey, I get ahead of myself…..enjoy these last few games of the Regular Season, and if the Giants get there…..enjoy the playoffs……they will come and go faster than you think, and one can only hope that it finally ends with that parade down Market Street…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
LATOS
Back to the regular season for a moment…..lets enjoy the downfall of a team that has tormented us in the last few years…..and the Pads are sure making it sweet….. I assume you have read Latos comments this kid skull is as think as his arm is talented…..love to see the ace of the Padres staff follow his meltdown in September with sour grapes……..

AGONZALEZ
Man, this keeps getting better……them Padres aren't showing any signs of a last stand…. Hell their best hitter is already making plans to jump ship…... Hell Yeah you would be interest in offers….come on, who wouldn't…..but you are smart enough not to answer the question…..that is unless you are trying to help expedite your way out of town……so A Gon, ever consider San Francisco???

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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 thought 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 when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)



by merkin

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> DBACKS at GIANTS 09/28

Man, its been a while… work is finally lightening up some, got my head above water and the brain is still functioning late in the day……but you don't want to hear about that……you want to hear about the GODDAMN GIANTS……Fucking Amazin…..right when the Padres and Rockies pitching staffs have gone south, the Giants staff has found its form and hung around long enough to peak their nose past the Padres as they close on the finish line…….that's 5 games left people, and I think I finally smell a Division Title and a Postseason in San Francisco…

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> PADRES at GIANTS 09/28

GAMEBALL

NATE

Man, hell of a year for Nate…..all last offseason he was penciled in as the starting Right Fielder only to be beat out by Bowker in spring…..getting shots to play here and there he never put together a big enough hot streak to convince the brass he was the answer in right…..he has take up residence in Ishikawavilla by being reduced to Jose Guillen's caddy and pinch hitter…..and much like Ishikawa, he hasn't bitched or moaned, just gone out and made the best of his role…..and tonight Nate came up with THE hit of the night with a pinch hit 2 out RBI single to Left Center to plate the lead run that would prove to be the game winner……Bit hit on a big night, and way to keep your head in the game kid…..

TIP OF THE CAP :
FAN IN RIGHT
Fucking hilarious…..Cole Gillespie falls into the stands and drops the catch….the fan grabs the ball and pops up to show the Umpire no catch as the surrounding fans lobby for the call……of course Jose grounds out a couple pitches later….but that was a couple more pitches in the inning the Giants took the lead and chased Lopez from the game…..

TORRES
A welcome sight at the top of the order and flying around center field…..Got the Giants on the board with a Triple in the 3rd to get that 1st run of the game, always the hardest run to get…..

URIBE
Big Fly tied the game in the 4th to tie his career high with 23 dingers….not bad for a offseason afterthough "reserve" infielder

PABLO
Suddenly looks good with a pair of hard hit doubles…..don't think, just swing……

RAMIREZ
Came in with a dominant inning after the Giants took the lead

WILSON
with one of those throw back saves…..man this guy is a horse…..can we talk about him in the same breath as Nen and Beck yet? I think so……

SANCHEZ
Was a bit shaky at times, but he has at least gotten better at avoiding implosion….and that’s a BIG deal for a starter……

JOKER

LATOS

Man, the Ace of the Padres has lead the retreat in September……Big Bad Fucking Latos ….with his 15 straight starts with 2 runs or less allowed came into the Game versus the Giants in San Diego and got his streak broken and tagged with the loss…..the first of his new streak of 4 losses in a row……and during that time he has given up 20 runs in 4 games just when the Padres needed him most……and now Latos is lined up for one more start of the season…….the Final Day of the regular season in San Francisco…..and if that game is still relevant, is there any reason to believe that Latos will break that new streak, or will just continue the meltdown?......well either way, lets hope they clinch before Sunday and get a little rest before October…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
COLE GILLESPIE
Looked like he might have had that Torres Triple gloved and looked like he had that Guillen foul gloved….and both times had the ball pop out of the mitt……dude, hire a professional to form that pocket for you, you got fucking skillet hands out there……

ROCKIES
Wow…..after a hard late charge…..with Tulowitski and CarGo in the middle of the lineup,…with Ubaldo leading the staff……with Street and De La Rosa back from injury to bolster the staff…..everyone thought that the Rockies were going to be there at the end……well, they pulled up lame around the last turn and were mathematically eliminated from contention tonight…..and that’s a good thing…..a hot Rockies team would have been feared in the NL Playoffs……now, if the Giants make it the only team to fear is the Phillies……I take my chances with anyone else right about now

PS
On a final note, not only did the Giants catch the Padres in the standings…..the Giants have now pulled into a tie with the Padres for the league lead for fewest runs allowed……all square at 571…….

And here is the updated graph…..





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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 thought 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 when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)



by merkin

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> BREWERS at GIANTS 09/18

Pathetic, just fucking pathetic…..just when I thought the Giants offense might be back on track, we get this….. back to back nothing efforts versus the Brewers….the pitching has been brilliant and we aren't asking for 10 runs a night, but good god when the Giants scored their 1st run it was almost as if the heavens opened and angels decended to serenaded us with the Hallelujah Chorus ……..of course if the Giants had scored a second run a wild pack of rabid badgers would have flown out of my fucking ass…..and now, no one wanted to see that…….

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> BREWERS at GIANTS 09/18

GAMEBALL

PEN

The bright spot of the night was the pen getting some work in and keeping the Giants in the game…..Ramirez, Ruzler, Romo, and Wilson all put in good efforts…….in my opinion right now this pitching staff from top to bottom is the best in baseball and that’s going to keep the Giants in the race even if the offense continues its slump……

TIP OF THE CAP :
BOCHY
For pulling Timmy after 5, was the right move for a team desperate for runs


JOKER

PABLO

Sure if the Giants could score some goddamn runs, maybe this wouldn't even be on teh radar.....and maybe you don't even agree, but there is no way Pablo made the right play in the 4th……now I have seen this a few times this year, and I am sure you have as well…..on every fucking pitch you got to think the situation…..in this case if it’s slow hit check home and go to first…..if its medium hit or hard hit away from the bag then go home…….but on a sharp hit ball 1 step from the bag, shuffle step and plant on the bag and fire to first…..I don't fucking care of Carl Lewis is running, on that ball you HAD TIME to shuffle and throw…..the mental error wasn't making the wrong choice, the mental error was not thinking BEFORE the play…..you don't have time to think after the ball is in your mitt, you react……and Pablo at times has no idea what he is doing out there……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
URIBE
Stranded runners at 3rd in two straight at bats
BUCKNER
One pitch doesn't make a game…..but that strike zone was moving all day…..and hell, by my count that looked like ball 5, not strike 2…….

BOCHY
For putting Uribe in the 2 hole and Ross in the 8th…somehow that seems upside down, and probably to them as well…..

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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 thought 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 when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)



by merkin

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> DODGERS at GIANTS 09/16

FUCK YEAH…..1st place by themselves in September…..15 games left and anything could happen……but with the Padres fading, the biggest threat to Giants Postseason is the Rockies……and lost in the Giants take over of first place in the West is the fact they are now in a flat footed tie for the Wild Card Lead with the Braves……I don't want to jinx anything, but I got to say I like our chances…..and if we make it to the postseason, this team CAN do some damage…….

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> DODGERS at GIANTS 09/16

GAMEBALL

HUFF

The Dodgers early lead was quickly answered with a deep shot into triples alley that turned into a run, and then next time around in the order Huff crushed one through the fog and over the bricks to give the Giants a lead for good……Huff has been THE MVP of this club, and talk about Posey or Torres is just that, talk…..no Doubt this 2010 Giants team revolves around Huff's all around game and clubhouse presence……

TIP OF THE CAP :
POSEY
Since his arrival, the Golden Child has been Huff's wingman…..Seems like when the Giants offense is going good, Posey is knocking Huff home anytime Huff doesn't bring himself home……and it was that way tonight with Posey's picking up Huff with 2 out in the 1st…..and then following Huff's 3 run shot with 1 of his own……and Man, Posey has LEGIT power, did I mention this before…..and love that Back to Back homer on the 5th pitch of the AB…..man, Posey worked that count so far it barely felt like back to back……

SANCHEZ, J
Close runnerup to the gameball…..Things could have gotten ugly quickly after Uribe's errant throw in the 1st…..but Sanchez went 0-2 on the next two hitters before striking them out and then got Loney 0-1 before a sharp ground out…..the Dodgers wouldn't msuter a threat until the Giants had a 5 run lead and perhaps Jonathan's concentration wavered a little……

RENT
The bunt ahead of Huff's bomb was a masterful sneak attack…..tack on 3 more hits for a 4 hit night in a romp, and lets hope Edgar gets himself a little hot streak going

SANCHEZ, F
Doubled to left in front of Huff's tater, walked with the bases juiced, and then doubled home a couple of his own to give the Giants a 10 spot…..

GUILLEN
With his lack of speed, shoddy defense, and garbage time numbers, I just haven't warmed up to the guy……but he hit the SHIT out of that ball……he would make one hell of a bat off the bench in the postseason…..but having him play right field on a day in day out basis is like having a Pit Bull watch your children….


JOKER

DOGGIES

Fucking Dodgers……yes they realigned the rotation to stack the deck against the Giants…..but now comes the Kicker…..they play 9 of their remaining 15 games versus the Rockies and Padres……and 6 of those are against the Rockies…….what are the odds that they even come up with a couple wins versus those teams……heck, we will probably field their B lineup just try to fuck us over……but you know what…..Giants have the lead, have head to head games with the Padres and Rockies and hold their destiny in their hands……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
JOURNEY
Yeah, we know……first the White Sox and then the Dodgers ….."I see her in a smoky room……" Fuck you Journey. I will kick you sorry turncoat asses in that smoky room…….Nope, the Giants have my approval on this one, the song they are playing after the Foghorn subsides and the Water cannons have shot their wad……Fuck Yeah, you don't hear a funky bassline like that from Neal Schon's boys and there is something about a funky bassline that says homerun trot…….good work Giants Inc……

URIBE?
Nah……fuck it, we can let that slide for the day……Juan has been a fucking clutch part moved all over the infield……15 more games my man, lets go get em

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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 thought 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 when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)



by merkin

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> DODGERS at GIANTS 09/15

You may not have noticed, but many of the postseason races are pretty close to being wrapped up….according to the Baseball Prospectus playoff odds the Yankees Rays Rangers and Twins at least a 97% chance of making the playoffs……and in the NL the Reds are at 98% and the Phillies at 92%....which leaves the Padres Braves Rockies and Giants battling for the last two spots in the tourney……so as we head down the stretch, expect to see the Giants at the top of Sportscenter…..at least on the days that Clinton Portis isn't talking about 53 packages ….and I gotta think that Clinton would be a perfect spokesperson for UPS…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> DODGERS at GIANTS 09/15

GAMEBALL

CAIN

What's left to say…..Matt Cain was quietly efficient and dominant…..going 7 strong on 91 pitches…..walking none and allowing just 3 singles……yes Cain was in control all night and he wasn't letting anyone near 2nd base…..which is about all he has in common with the Jonas Brothers…..wait….what does that actually mean??? What would be second base on a guy anyway ….and what does that have to do with Huff's thong…..all things I really don't wanna know…..

TIP OF THE CAP :
FONTENOT
For a moment looked like he had broke through with a drive in the 5th that brought Gibbons to his knees on the warning track……then was finally able to plate that 1st run of the night in the 7th with a fist shot over whoever the hell was the second baseman for the Dodgers……Hey, its September……it's all a blur……

ISHI
Pinch hitter extraordinaire with the 1 out double pinch hitting for Cain

HUFF
Double and nice slide at home to give the Giants a cushion they sorely needed….

ROMO
3 up 3 down, 6 pitches 6 strikes……I think he is on a roll…….


JOKER

GIANTS FANS

Yes, you heard me….. the Giants have only drawn 35K in back to back nights…..now that would be great for some teams, but in the heat of the race versus their bitter historical rival I expect better than that…………yes, it’s a weekday…..yes, school is back in session…..yes, ballgames ain't cheap…..but I expect these to be sellouts or very close to…..I admit I have been guilty as well, but unusual workloads have kept me into the evening with no chance of going…..I guess it’s the economy in general, it just surprises me that Giants Fans didn't show up large the last couple nights….hell we probably had more Giants Fans this past weekend in San Diego as we had in the stands tonight

SMACK OF THE STICK :
BOCHY
Yes, I understand you wanted to shake things up a bit…..but playing Velez on defense is playing with fire….this is a guy who despite his speed is a liability out there……Honestly, I would rather see Burrell in the leadoff spot with his ability to work a count and draw a walk….hell, give Ford a shot for a game or two….drop a bunt, take some pitches……but hey, I guess with Guillen out of the picture we had to have a butcher in the outfield out there somewhere…..and really a Velez Ross Schierholtz alignment is still probably better than Burrell Torres Guillen…….he just scares the shit out of me….

PABLO
Man he looks lost up there for the last week or so….and tonight was no different, and it seemed like every threat the Giants had ended with Pablo….but hey, at least he hit that last ball slow enough to avoid the DP and draw a throw that Huff was able to beat out…..

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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 thought 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 when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)



by merkin

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at PADS 09/10

A watershed night for the 2010 Giants as they backed up their opening game with a second in a row versus the Southern LA Padres….yes, a great night but not the time to get overjoyed…..no, now is the time to put your foot on the throat of the Pads and take game 3……and every win is huge this time of year, and not just because it’s the Pads…..but because the NL Playoff landscape is in upheaval… The Braves, Reds, Phillies, Padres, and Giants are all within 2 games of each other and the hard charging Rockies are only 2 back of the Giants in the loss column…….




GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at PADS 09/10

GAMEBALL

HUFF

The battle of 90 feet was won by the Giants tonight…..and Huff snagged the 2 biggest chunks of 90 feet of the night….after being hit by pitch, got a good jump and stole 2nd on Gregerson….and then on a grounder to short gambled and just beat the tag at 3rd…….both pieces of 90 feet could be considered ill advised, but Huff got aggressive decisive jumps both times and as it turns out the gambles were exactly what the Giants needed and brought home the W……

TIP OF THE CAP :
NATE
For blowing up Eckstein like a Chinese Catcher (that was monkey) and likely taking some steam off the DP relay and allowing Huff to score…..

URIBE
For picking it clean at 3rd and legging out the run scoring Fielders choice….even though he got a little too creative trying to break up a home to 1st DP……

WILSON
Well…..not for his hitting…….and he's about 2 weeks of beard growth short of Joaquin Phoenix …..and about 50 cheezeburgers away from Zach Galifianakis

CASILLA
Man, when this guy is throwing strikes he is a big time weapon out of the pen…..and Santiago just notched his 7th win of the season…..which is 1 less than Zito……and since July 1st… he is actually LEADING the Giants in W's with 6 Wins compared to Cain and Bumgarner with 5………

JOKER

SANCHEZ

Man……hard to get too pissed off when a starter goes 5 scoreless…..and yes, I have to acknowledge he had nasty stuff and was able to bear down to get out of trouble……but good god, is this kid always going to be a head case…….since his infamous guarantee, Sanchez has been pitching fairly well with 3 great efforts out of 4 starts……but tonight was a joke…… asking Sanchez to find a consistent release point was like asking Burrell to have a bad hair day…..just not gonna happen….and what the hell is up with scrubbing the SD logo off the back of the mound…..great, another reason for the Padres to be motivated to beat your ass…..not a good move, anyway you look at it……certainly the Pads took notice, and who knows is they take offense…..but that’s a good way to get one in the earhole……and it certainly didn't do anything to help your game…..hey here's a thought…..concentrate on YOUR OWN GAME….and when you get that shit squared away you can bust out some trash talk and pull some TO celebrating on the 50 yard line in Dallas kind of shit all you want……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
TEJADA
Was Uribe's bitch on grounders to 3rd most of the night, especially on that Baltimore Chop Stumble…….and playing the ball deep in the hole and wide throw opened up 3rd for Huff and the Giants win…..

SANCHEZ
Yes, 2 hits……but with the Giants needing a bunt to set up an insurance run in a tense game…..well…….2 fouls and a swing and a miss and it was done……


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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 thought 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 when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)



by merkin

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at PADS 09/09

Now THAT is what I am talking about….the Giants broke out the whooping stick to club 4 homers in a game in San Diego for the first time since 09/09/03 at Qualcomm….Yes that is exactly 7 years ago…..Kevin Correia was the winning pitcher for the Giants, and Bochy was the Manager in San Diego….and that was also the last time the Giants made the playoffs……the Giants actually had 5 Homers that night. Aurillia, Alfonzo, Snow, Grissom and Torrealba……Bonds? 2 singles and 3 walks……

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at PADS 09/09

GAMEBALL

HUFF

BIG fucking game from Huff….already showing signs of life in the Desert….Huff got his 2nd homer in 3 days in the third inning to give the Giants offense a shot in the arm……man love that swing with the little flick of the wrists to hook that ball over the wall….and then the flick of the bat to start that trot……Glad the whole women's undies thing is working for you…..but honestly, some things you really shouldn't be sharing……you are now skirting that line between funny and a little disturbing……lets go ahead and draw that line right there……I don't want to be picking up a paper and reading an article about your lucky nipple rings or how you shaved Pat Burrell uniform number into your pubes…..and be careful with adventurous undergarments…..you are playing in San Francisco and it’s a slippery slope that leads from Huff Daddy to Leather Daddy……hey, anything to work in an Arrested Development clip…….


TIP OF THE CAP :
CAIN
Bet you Cain don't need no thong…….he just stands tall and backs up his stellar 2009 with a similar 2010…Walks falling, K's steady, WHIP Down…..and that BABIP is around .270 for a second year in a row…..looking more like ability that statistical artifact to me,…suck that Voros McCraken…..

SANCHEZ
3 hits…..sure not all the hard hit variety, but got the first run of the night home in the first and then singled and scored on Huff's Ding in the 3rd……

POSEY
I keep hearing the Giants announcers talking about Burrell's shot…..and yes, it was pretty bad ass……but that Posey shot was a fucking BOMB……a BIG HIGH ARCHING Tater into the San Diego Night…..any questions about his power???.....hell, my only question is when his first 30+ HR year will be……

BURRELL
Pile on runs always welcome versus the Padres…..
URIBE
Just to the right of straight away center…..right into the Padres' young'uns

JOKER

PADRES

Well that didn't work……and that was as big a game for the Giants as it was for the Padres…..Confidence shifts to the Giants side as they come up with their first win versus the Padres by more than 1 run……and the Padres, fresh off a losing streak snapping sweep of the Dodgers, now are back on their heels with the panic button firmly in the down position….LeBlanc and Correia out of the rotation, Stauffer and Luebke in their sted……couple fresh rookies shuffled into the rotation in September in a pennant race doesn't exactly send the troops a message of confidence……and surely the amount of orange and black in the stands doesn't help things…..and after drawing 20,000 a game for the Dodger series……how many of the 26,000 tonight were Giants fans….5,000? 10,000??.....bet it felt like 26,000 to both the Padres team and fans……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
REDS
Wow, inventive way to lose…..on a straight steal of home by a rookie off a righthander in the stretch…..DUDE….STEP OFF AND LOB THE DAMN THING HOME……HELL, DON'T STEP OFF AND LOB THE DAMN THING…..EITHER WAY HE IS OUT……good god……

PABLO
I thought he busted out of it……well……looks like he is deep in it again….bouncing into a pair of DP's on balls that were no where near the strike zone……


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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 thought 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 when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)



by merkin

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at DBACKS 09-07

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at DBACKS 09-07

GAMEBALL

TIMMY

Now that felt good…..Timmy got an early lead and was throwing strikes keeping hitters off balance with the Fastball Curve and Change and pounding the strikezone…..and there was something I hadn't noticed before. Looks like he may have added a 4th pitch to the mix….. PitchF/X is calling it his slider…. I don't think its really a slider, because it has similar velocity to his change….but does have slider movement down and in to righties,….pitchfx picked up 12 such pitches, of which 10 were strikes and 7 were swinging strikes……maybe its nothing unusual, but I will dig more when I have time……and I bet $20 that Monkey will say it’s a slurve…....but whatever it is….Tim looked solid through 6 but ran out of steam pretty quick in the 7th…..and sure he has found some success with diminished velocity, so this graph is more indicative of fatigue than loss of fastball……and good work Tim, whatever you are doing keep it up my man……



TIP OF THE CAP :
HUFF
2 run shot in the first was a welcome early lead and welcome thunder from a bat that needs to get back on track……

TORRES
The glove scraping double in the first……and went 5 AB's without a K..may not seem like much…..but that breaks his 6 game K streak where he has racked up 14 K's in 25 AB's

BURRELL
Man this guy can hit the ball a long way

GUILLEN
For stinging the ball multiple times….get that playing time in now…..I pray you are sitting on the bench in a couple days instead of trying to cover Right Field in San Diego……

VELEZ
For being alive

JOKER

PADRES

I didn't dare make them the joker during that streak…I wasn't going to be that jinx that helped them out,…..but man, just when the last of the Padres doubters admitted they were wrong…..they were right….and the Padres hit a skid for the ages….losing 5 games in the standings in 8 days……and ask yourself a question…..would you rather be in our shoes or theirs…..yes, they have a 2 game lead in the loss column…..yes, they still have their Anti Giants Mojo mostly intact…..but this is a team that must be struggling with confidence and with the Giants on their heels the pressure is on for the first time all year……and good god, did you see that game??/ there was NOBODY in the stands…..a 1st place Padres team in a beautiful ballpark on a warm September night versus rival Los Angeles Dodgers drew 20,000 ppl…..thats less than 50% capacity…..and the stands there are huge and spread out…..so it looks a lot bigger than the 44000 or so it holds….when you have a reported crowd of 20,000 which is more like a crowd of less than 15,000….the place looked like Oakland Coliseum…..but don't fret too much about attendance Pads faithful…..surely the stadium will fill up this weekend…….as Giants fans invade and make it ATT South…….

SMACK OF THE STICK :
BRAVES
A new entry into the Wildcard lottery….the Braves finally lost their grip on 1st place in the east and are now in danger of losing that wild card lead as well……and those last 3 games of the season when the Giants play the Padres could loom large for the Braves……if the race stays this close, it’s a godsend for the Bravos…..if they more than a couple games back, it could be a curse……..

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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 thought 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 when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)



by merkin