GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at BRAVOS 08/06

The Wise Hall of Famer Casey Stengel's has one of the best quotes in baseball. "Most ball games are lost, not won." and the Giants put that quote into action tonight, being just good enough not to lose…..but as much as this feels like a gift from the Braves, the Giants put themselves in a position to win by playing good clean baseball, and capitalizing on mistakes….you think the Cardinals are giving back those 2006 World Series rings after scoring 8 unearned runs in the series? Think the Mets are upset that Buckner was the focal point of the series in 1986? Its part of the game, and sometimes being the team that doesn't screw the pooch is good enough…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at BRAVOS 08/06

GAMEBALL

ZITO

It may not have been the prettiest game he has pitched, and he may have been in line for the loss before some late innings….ummm…"heroics"…..but I have to give the Gameball to Barry for notching his 3rd 10 strikeout game of the year and holding the Braves in check only allowing Gonzales jack and Chipper's wall scraper….this was the first time he has notched 3 double digit strikeout games in a single year since 2001….and in a Giants uniform he had only notched 1 double digit strikeout game before this year……and honestly, not getting the win may be a good thing….as it seems that Barry pitches best when he has a big old chip on that shoulder…..and in the big picture, Barry doesn't need W's on the resume to get fans on his side, all that has to happen is Barry keep pitching like he did tonight and for the GIANTS to get those W's…..cause the more W's the Giants get, the more people stop thinking about that price tag…….

TIP OF THE CAP :
HUFF
Started his day with a pretty cool interview on KNBR ….then got a RBI Ground out in the 1st and then ended the day with the two biggest plays of the night…..a Hit By Pitch to lead off the 9th…..and a Walk to lead off the 11th…..both times coming around to score critical runs

TORRES
Was a 1 man wrecking crew in the 1st inning with a single, 2 steals and a run……and along with Huff, the Giants have 2 players in the top 20 in runs scored in the National League…….the last time the Giants had ONE player in the top 20 in runs scored was Bonds in 2004…..and the last time the Giants had TWO players in the top 20 was Bonds and Kent in 2002……Torres and Huff…..Bonds and Kent…..betcha were making those comparisons in spring training….

BURRELL
Never take that sac fly for granted…..especially in a extra innings tie ballgame on the road

BULLPEN
Romo, Ray, Wilson, and Lopez…..4 solid…..and suddenly with Romo and Ray finding their form, and Lopez looking more than a Loogy…..the Giants pen is looking better than it did even BEFORE the injuries to Affeldt and Runzler…..maybe those injuries turn into one of those weird positives where guys step up and find themselves when the going gets …..tough

LOPEZ
1 inning 3 lefties outs and a single to the right hander……he is looking like just what the Giants needed…..and sorry Bowker and Martinez, Lopez has already proven more useful this year to this team......as Lopez is plugging a critical hole, where Bowker and Martinez would be extra pieces without a role……

PABLO
Put the ball in play……which ….well…..lets just say that Pablo doesn't always put the ball in play

JOKER

LARRY

Oh man, gotta love that shit……the man with the go ahead homer……Mr Atlanta Braves (sorry Dale Murphy)……future hall of fame gamer……the best Braves Position Player since Hank Aaron (sorry again Dale Murphy)….blows the play of the night ….charging a Pablo grounder trying to cut the run down at the plate……he gives us that Ole' Bullshit to tie the game that the Braves would lose in extras……would Huff have been out on that play…..yes…..did he need to go the backhand on that play…..probably not…..with your momentum heading to the plate, with the play right in front of you in your field of vision, with the angle in fair territory giving you a natural throwing lane….that's the easiest throw on the diamond…..and with 1 out, Huff didn't get a good jump and WAS LESS than HALFWAY down the line……yes, the backhand is the natural most comfortable play for a vet……but he had time to hang back a little square it up and make a throw…..sure you see vets backhand that all the time, but you better be sure to catch it on a short hop, and not the in betweener that Chipper tried to come up with…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
ISHI
Made a nice play on a Hayward one hopper early in the game……but with the bases juiced and the Giants in need of sac fly in the 9th…….hit into the DP……..never take those Sac Flys for granted…..

ALEX GONZALEZ
First of all……quit changing teams…….I lost track of which Alex Gonzales you are……are you the one that fields shitty and can hit a little that was with the Marlins? or the one who fields shitty and can't hit that was with the Cubs?…..well, after watching tonights game I am guessing you were the guy that was with the Marlins…….popped a Homer in the 5th…and by the way, that was probably the only homer that woulda been out of ATT of the 4 the Braves have hit in 2 days….and then bounced a throw to Infante to keep the 9th innings alive and setup Jones Miscue

INFANTE
And by the way, you HAVE to catch that ball……sure it was a throw in the dirt, but that’s a makeable play….you should get 1/2 of Gonzales Error on that play…..or at least 1/4………



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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 in when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)



by merkin