GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at RANGERS 10/31 WORLD SERIES GAME 4

It was a night of celebration for San Francisco Giants fans…. everyone texting, phoning, and emailing each other in anticipation of the Giants first World Championship in San Francisco…..but as excited as we all are…..just something to remember…the Last Time the Giants were up 3-1 in the World Series….umm…errr….well.. It was 1933 and Carl Hubbell just Finished pitching an 11 inning complete game in a Series the Giants would win….well, that doesn't really illustrate my point….my point is, as Giants Fans we all know it ain't over until its over and no game is as important as the next game…..so yes, be happy and enjoy the moment, but until that last out is made you keep the pressure on…..and DESPITE having tickets in hand for Games 6 and 7…..I hope the Giants finish this thing off tomorrow and those tickets remain unused oddball keepsake of games never played…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at RANGERS 10/31 WORLD SERIES GAME 4

GAMEBALL

BUMGARNER

Man, what they heck can you say about this kid….his crossfire slingshot 94mph hitting the inside corner to righthanders…..his offspeed pitches on the outside breaking down hitters…..his awshucks demeanor with the press….Electric Stuff and Cool Head….and the kid was just straight up Money tonight going 8 strong and dominating the vaunted Rangers offense in their own backyard……all at the tender age of 21……I mean what were YOU doing when you were 21?....hell what was Timmy, Matty, and Sanchez doing when THEY were 21……hell, even Mozart was a late bloomer compared to Madison……Ahhh to be Young, Talented, and on the Verge of a Championship…….

TIP OF THE CAP :
HUFF
Huff into the DH role which is easier that it sounds, but Aubrey was up the task Hammering a Curveball from Hunter into the Texas night for the Giants first runs of the night

SANCHEZ
Hitless on the night, and failed to advance Torres from second twice with no one out….but that didn't matter tonight, as Sanchez was the man with leather tonight, with great play after play … a snag and turn on a Hamilton hot shot….a vertical leap and snag on a Francoeur liner….and shot hop and tag on Hamilton's Stolen Base Attempt…..a catch on the deflected ball and tag on Hamiltons grounder…..and then starting a DP with a quick feed on the 6th…..man, Freddy was about as game changing as you can get from an infielder on defense…….


TORRES
Was all over the bases tonight, single and a Stolen Base…..and a pair of Doubles, including driving home the 3rd run of the night……Andres has found his stroke again just in time for the series, and it sure is a beautiful thing…..

WILSON
What…..1-2-3??? guess it doesn't ALWAYS need to be torture……

POSEY
Hit a Fucking Titleist Golf Ball to Center Field and that thing just carried……but the most BEAUTIFUL DEFENSIVE PLAY I have seen in a while is the SEED it throws to Second to a Sanchez Shorthop tag on Hamitlon….I swear I have been watching that thing over and over, and am just sit there in disbelief…..man, that is fucking BADASS…….

RENT
3 hit night for the Kid, and 2 of those were truly blistered……and solid D in the field…..never seen Rent play this well in a Giants uniform for this long…..

URIBE
Took at 0 For, and did blow an exchange on a grounder……but he has been SOLID at 3rd and since Bochy has been running him out there, he has looked more and more comfortable….

TJ
For representing Giantsboard deep in the heart of Texas…..and for giving me the Vlad line I will use in a moment…..

JOKER

VLAD

Choose your own punchline
1) I hear Wash has petitioned Major League Baseball to play National League rules in Texas in Game 5……
2) I hear Vlad decided to go as Pat Burrell for Halloween…
Man, Vlad is piling onto the Brian Sabean redemption tour with his play in Right Field added to his embarrassment at the plate……not looking like a quarter of the Player he was in Montreal…..sure, we wanted him back in 2004 and that Angels contract expired last year…..but just hearing his name makes you think of that whole lunatic fringe quote and the shit Sabean took over the years….but enough about that……I;m going on my Tivo and watching Vlad crack a hamate bone trying to check swing on a change up one more time before bed……just fucking awesome…….

SMACK OF THE STICK :
OGANDO
Biggest stage, and with the Rangers still in the game….with its offense just itching to put up a crooked number…Big chance to make a name for yourself….…and you blow out a ribcage muscle……http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ETfiuc7hqg#t1m55s>We know Brian Wilson says you go warrior here

HUNTER
Looks like Sidney Ponson, sweats like Tyler Walker, gets beat like a Drum…..

RANGERS FAN
Got Posey's HR and then gives it up for a simple Auto Ball….shit dude, you coulda got Catchers gear…bats…..maybe some World Series tickets…..hell, if you played your cards right you mighta gotten something you woulda really loved…..Super Bowl Tickets…….and you are pretty much guaranteed not to watch your home team lose that one……


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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 09-06

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at DBACKS 09-06

GAMEBALL

BUM

Bum picked a good night to be lights out….going 7 scoreless for the 2nd time in his career……yes, the teams in the race are coming up with inventive ways to get rest to their rookie arms….. the Reds put Leake in the pen and now on the DL…….the Pads had Latos miss time with a mysterious injury and now pushed back a day with the "Flu"…..but Bumgarner keeps right on pumping past his 2009 inning number of 141 up to 168 and counting……and with about 6 starts left he is likely to push 200 innings in the Majors and Minors…..and tell you what, I say go for it…. they have kept his pitch count at or below 100 for 8 straight starts….and he is far from a max effort guy and who knows when we will get this close again…..and flags fly forever……..

TIP OF THE CAP :
NATE
Came up with the big hit in the 11th to put the Dbacks out of misery…….

PEN
Lopez and Ramirez bailed Bumgarner out of a 1 out and a runner at 3rd situation. Affeldt and Casilla made quick work of their innings, and Wilson appeared in his 17th consecutive game for the save….

HUFF/ RENT
2 hits is a big game these days……

POSEY
The one his that fell in the 11th, and the one that was robbed in the 9th….

TORRES
Couple big time plays and a couple he made look easy……

JOKER

DODGERS

The big news in the NL West tonight was the Padres stuffing a pathetic Dodgers team into the wound and stopping the bleeding at 10 games…. with Latos pushed back a day due to the "flu," the Dodgers couldn't capitalize on emergency starter Stauffer and a band of 6 relievers…and Padilla was yanked early after giving up 3 early runs……and in an interesting coincidence Latos will now be facing Tim Lincecum next Sunday in San Diego……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
BATS
Sure Kennedy has been shutting down the league in general, but the Giants bats have been asleep for a week and managing just enough runs to support a pitching staff that has been pitching their balls off……guess it would be too much to ask that we hit and pitch at the same time……but hell, 1 game back in September is a good place to be and there is still time to get hot…..in fact, lets get hot in about a week and then keep it rolling right into the playoffs…….ok, that CERTAINLY was too much to ask……..


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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 ==> ROCKIES at GIANTS 08/31

And you thought the Giants were going to let you off easy….. End of August, and they fold up shop on the season letting you deflate your hopes for the season and focus on more fruitful endeavors….. but that’s not Giants baseball…..nope, they will find a way to torment your soul until the final days of the season…..holding out hope that somehow someway this is going to be their year…..and the screwed up thing is, as painful as last night was…..they are still in this…..and with the Padres sudden swoon, the Giants are not just chasing the Phillies….but also the Padres for the division……the Giants are only 4 games back of the Padres and they still have 7 games to play against the Padres…..that only leaves us virtually 11 games back……

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> ROCKIES at GIANTS 08/31

GAMEBALL

BUMGARNER

Brad Who? Think back to early in the year when Penny was dealing, Bumgarner couldn't break a plane of glass and Wellemeyer was getting torched…..well maybe Sabean knew what he had but maybe he didn't……but looking back seems almost silly to think about……and with all the fuss about the Super 2 status on Posey……that late year call up of Bumgarner almost assures him of avoiding that extra arbitration year……
Bumgarner bounced back tonight weaving in and out of trouble and pitching in a double smoked to Right Center for the go ahead RBI……yeah, this kid is a keeper……and yeah, Sabean probably didn't want to cough up more money for pitching, especially with Penny's injury history…..and yeah Bumgarner was talented……but he didn't know that Madison would be good so quick…….he got lucky…….

TIP OF THE CAP :
TORRES
Could have given the gameball here as well, with the Giants losing the late lead things could have turned for the worse VERY quickly…….but Andres answered RIGHT BACK with a sky shot over the wall in left…..and he is outhomering his house mate the Panda 14-10….and yes, still has a higher SLG than Howard .502 - .499

POSEY
And yes, perhaps the popular choice for the gameball……GUNNED down Gonzales in the 6th……and they gave the Giants the sorely needed 9th inning cushion with a 2 run double off the bricks…..

SANCHEZ
Man he turned that around quick….just 2 weeks ago he was on the pine sporting a .261 average and Big Head was talking about Freddy trying to "find his swing"….well I don't know who's swing he found, but its been good for a 23-48 stretch which has his batting average up to .289 and made what was looking like his worst full season into an average one for Freddy…..which is a hollow batting average with little speed, power, or on base ability other than his BA……so keep that BA up Freddy…..and lets see if we can add a few more points while you are at it……

RAMIREZ
Made quick work of the 7th after Bumgarner's exit

WILSON
Made quick work of the 9th….

JOKER

CORREIA

The Padres extend their season long losing streak to 6….and their starting pitching suddenly looking mortal…Latos is still dealing…Richard remains solid……Garland is still giving short solid outings……but at the back end of that rotation, it is starting to come apart….LeBlanc has been roughed up not getting past the 4th inning in 3 of his last 4……and Correia has laid 3 stinkers in a row…..giving up 20 runs in his last 3 starts……and with Chris Young on a rehab, Correia is the likely candidate to get bumped…….hey, I didn't say the Padres were falling apart, but that NL best staff is suddenly not so strong…….of course it means nothing if the Giants can't capitalize….

SMACK OF THE STICK :
PABLO/ URIBE
With the Giants up by a run in the 7th…..runners on 1st and 3rd……failed to get a single run home on back to back K's

MORA
I believe my exact words were…..MELVIN FUCKING MORA…..good god, is this guy still in the league?? it isn't just the marginal Haristons and Ecksteins……but the goddamn washed up vets like Garret Anderson, Giambi and now Mora???....fuck, and if I remember correctly he had a game winner against us early this year…….man, apparently its easy to hit Giants pitching……just make sure you SUCK versus everyone else and play in the NL West….


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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 07/24

Good teams get fat on the weak…..I have heard that 100x, usually when we are losing to the weaker teams…..so figured I would say it when the Giants are actually getting the job done, going 9-1 in their last 10 versus teams under .500, and are a NL best 27-9 versus teams under .500……of course they have gone 5-2 versus teams above .500 during that same timeframe….well 6-1 if you ignore Cuzzi's vision impairment…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at DBACKS 07/24

GAMEBALL

BUMGARNER

The Big Leftie keeps on dealing and tonight he breezed through 5 throwing strikes and challenging the DBacks to swing….a couple doubles a single and a bunch of strike outs……then after a solo shot in the 6th, the Giants lengthened their lead and after a Sac Fly Madison handed the game over to the pen with just 2 innings to pitch…..which was critical for a Pen missing Affeldt and Runzler, and with Romo going 30 pitches the night before……

TIP OF THE CAP :
URIBE
Chase Field plays like Coors Field Light….and with the state of the Giants pen, scoring runs and then more runs was critical…..and Uribe did the piling on tonight golfing a first pitch fastball into the left field seats for the granny

POSEY
2 MORE hits 2 walks and a RBI……and tied some guy named Cepeda on the Giants Rookie hit streak list with 17 games……and list no one has talked about since Gladden hit in 15 straight in 1984…..3 years before Buster was born…..I just made half of you feel really really old, didn't I…….

HUFF
3 hits….but the run scoring ground out in the 1st was the most critical piece…..the team that scores first, won't be shutout……that’s a fact

RENTERIA
Double in the corner to start the party…..and the box score says he had another hit, but at this point its all a blur…….

TORRESS
2 hits for the little man as well…….and a rocket to the plate to keep Young from tagging in the 1st……big play too keep the DBacks off the board in their best threat of the first 6 innings……when it was still close……

ROWAND
Didn't do shit at the plate, as usual…..but ran down a couple shots deep in center that looked like they were gonna fall……not the fastest guy on the field, but good instincts and sure hands……

JOKER

ROCKIES

The Rockies are the team that most people were looking to as the West favorite….and when they are hitting on all cylinders, they are a legitimate World Series threat……but so far this year, they have been a 1 cylinder engine going 16-4 when Ubaldo starts and 35-41 in all other games……Hammel, Cook, Francis, Smith, and de la Rosa all sport ERA's above the league average with only Chacin just a hair better than average…..So the Rockies owe most of this season success to Ubaldo…..garnering not only Cy Young talk, but even perhaps an MVP…..and rightly so as he has been nearly untouchable in 2010….but things have turned and in five of his last six starts he has been touched more than Macaulay Culkin on a long weekend at Neverland ….and today his 2 innings was matched his career shortest outing from 2007 when he was just getting his feet on the ground…..but don't count Ubaldo out quite yet, as he is still throwing as hard as ever and throwing strikes…..but lets hope it takes him a little while to get straightened out….

SMACK OF THE STICK :
LIFE
Man, always full of bummers…..Velez's unfortunate incident is a good example…..I hear the damage is only a concussion….."ONLY" only applies if its not your head…..ouch…….glad to hear you are otherwise ok…….

PABLO
I don't know any details, and shouldn't pass judgement on people…..then again, that never stopped me before…..sounds like Pablo hit the big time, and decided to upgrade to a new woman……too bad the old woman didn't like being the trade in model…..good luck in Venezuela……and hope its just a simple case of love gone wrong…..

GIBSON
score is 7-2…..7th inning…and you ARE PLAYING THE INFIELD IN????? yeah gotta hold it to 5 runs, cause its hard to come back from 6 down……dumbass…..single past the drawn in infield and a few batters later its 10-2…….



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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

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at NATIONALS 07/11

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> GIANTS at NATIONALS 07/11

GAMEBALL

BUMGARNER

Man, this kid is looking good….just a few months removed from talk about how he was likely hurt and a waste of a pick, he has turned that story around with a strong follow up to his best career start……I have a hard time believing what I am seeing…..low 90's with movement from a low 3/4rs extreme leftie angle from the left side of the rubber…looks like he is out of control, but when you look up……well, he's a strike thrower with 0 walks on the day and a total of 8 walks and 31 K's in 38 career innings…..that's less that 2 walks per 9, and over 7 K's per 9…..so he throws strikes and don't walk people…..yes, and he is also a GROUNDBALL pitcher, as evidenced today with two well timed Double Play balls to snuff would be Rallies in the 1st and 2nd and get him setlled in……his Ground Out/ Fly Out ratio is just about 1.00 in the bigs this year, but he has a career minor league ratio of 1.23 and a ridiculous ratio of 1.60 in Fresno this year……which is critical, cause when you look at Madison, the one thing we HAVE seen in the bigs so far is coughing up the big homer…..keep it on the ground, keep the walks to a minimum, and punch out a decent amount, and you got yourself something special……and the kid can't even buy a beer for another month……hell, he's so young he doesn't even know who Francisco Liriano is…..and maybe he can make me forget…….

TIP OF THE CAP :
ISHIKAWA
Tough pass on Ishi…..came up with the big single to get the early jump on Livan….but I don't feel so bad, cause the way things are playing out, I think Travis might win a few more gameballs before the year is through…..

POSEY
I think this says it all


FSANCHEZ
Sac bunt in the first…..may have seemed strange, especially since he 4 for 10 lifetime versus Livan…..but he knows just like we do…..believe in Buster and he will set you free…..

WILSON
The man who drives us nuts, has turned into Mr Ace in the Hole of late……

ROMO
Great sequence to get Willingham……but that second slider to IRod was a location mistake across the belt and IRod had it timed…..and a little juice to that swing and its long gone…..

HUFF
All he does is score runs……

URIBE
Got the 2 out base hit for insurance and a change of momentum in the 8th

ZACK WHEELER
Nice inning for the kid…..and I do mean kid……95-96 on the gun…..what the heck is he dong in the futures game anyway? 8 career pro games…..well, he didn't embarrass himself….

FRANCISCO PEGUERO
1 for 2 against much more advanced competion….

JOKER

PABLO

Been a year since Pablo was an All Star Snub, and his second half last year was even better than the first as he found his power stroke and was working counts while maintaining his ridiculous batting prowess …..Alongside Timmy, he became the face of the Giants with Camp Panda in the news all offseason, his own bobblehead day, commercial spots, and thousands of Panda Hats sold…….here was the budding star spraying the ball around the field picking it at 3rd and bouncing around the dugout…..well, today is was the ball through the wickets…another 0 fer… no power to speak of……and his lowest batting average since opening day……Keep this up and we will be in the market for a 3rd baseman, and all those Panda Hats for sale will end up in the Rubber Chicken warehouse collecting dust……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
AFFELDT
Got Dunn to reach for one, but went all Xavi on the ball for a run scoring single and bring the tying run to the plate

RAY
Not untouchable……I say we file a complaint about the trade to the commish office

NATE
With Ishi hitting and Huff in left, you got to stay ahead of Burrell for at bats……and sure the D is superior, but you gotta hit sometime, or we are looking at a lot of Huff in right……and nobody wants to see that, especially at home….

BURRELL
Man, you've been sitting for awhile…..guess when Posey is on fire, we can afford a defensive piece out there in the outfield…but don't get too comfortable, have the feeling some playing time is comin your way soon

JSANCHEZ
Who's my #5,…..yes, you are…….with the emergence of Bumgarner, ….a solid Tim and Matt…..and a less than sucky Zito……well, you my friend are the last man on the totem pole ……sorry Jon, keep those bags packed…….

PS Bumgarner as a Control Strikeout Groundball Pitcher? That’s more rare than Pablo eating Salad


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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

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> RED SOX at GIANTS 06-26

GAMEBALL and JOKER ==> RED SOX at GIANTS 06-26

GAMEBALL

BUMGARNER

4 runs in 7 innings is not exactly your run of the mill gameball performance…..but these were exceptional circumstances…..after months of hand wringing about Bumgarner being able to pitch in AAA let alone the Bigs…..against THE team with the most runs scored in the majors…..on National TV……in his first start of the year and second career start…..well…..Mad Bum did pretty fucking well…..couple location mistakes lead to a couple bombs…..but the stuff was there and the control was fairly good…..sure we didn’t see any 95MPH heaters….. but topping out at 92.4 and averaging 89.7 beats the crap outta the fastball we saw in spring that couldn’t break a plane of glass…….he took the L, but there was plenty of positives to take from this game and build on …..and more importantly what he showed today solidified a place in the rotation, which is now his to lose……

TIP OF THE CAP :
GIANTS BRASS
Figured they would call up a Bullpen arm, and Joe Martinez gets called up and announced and starter….and then pitches out of the pen…..pretty sure Joe and Madison were both told the truth from day 1…..not sure if the gamesmanship was necessary…..but kudos for the right move bringing Madison up to the show an throwing him in the fire….if anything he is better than Wellemeyer….and I don't think he had anything to learn at AAA……sorry, I believe that a player having success at a level isn't likely to adjust for adjustments sake….but if they get challenged and adjustment becomes needed to have success….well, the strong adjust and the rest fall off the radar…..in other words…..you need to be in the Majors to learn to pitch in the Majors……and welcome to the Majors Madison

PEN
Couple strong innings kept the Giants in the game……

PABLO
Yeah a 1 for 4, but SMOKED a couple balls….1 hit and 1 amazing catch from Cameron

GHANA
Hey, tip your cap…..they were the better team…..Sure the US had their chances…..but they still lack a world class finisher/ goal scorer….you can do everything else right….but until you get that elite striker…..well….you are lucky to get out of group play…..or so my soccer buddies tell me……

GIANTS FANS
Yes, Red Sox nation invaded…..yes, the game went their way…..but they far from took over….yeah, annoying….but far from a take over……

JOKER

BATS

Sure they score 2 runs…..better than 14 games where we scored 0 or 1…..but when you consider we faced the bullpen for 8 innings….its fucking awful……the bullpen is the soft underbelly of any team, and especially when the pen is pitching innings 2-6….you HAVE to do some damage against these guys….premier starter out of the game after an inning??? come on, you don't get chances like this often…..a championship team capitalizes on this kind of opportunities……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
TORRES
0 for 4 with 2 K's……I don’t know what to say, but I blame Rowand…..

POSEY
Yes, you shouldn't take a runner on 3rd scoring for granted….so good work plating those runs…..but when you got runners on 1st and 3rd and 1 out ….2 different times….and you are down multiple runs……well, you hope for better than trading a run for an out…..

BOCHY
OK Aaron's 3 hit day wasn't really that good….couple grounders through the left side and a slap double down the line…..now he is playing everyday??? when are we going to see the alignment everyone is waiting for????
RF Burrell, CF Torres, LF Huff, 3B Uribe, SS Renteria, 2B Sanchez, 1B Panda, C Posey…ok, maybe not the perfect setup, but the best we got offensively ….and we need offense more than anything right now……

MERKIN
Sold my tix for the game for a few bucks profit…..missing the series…..but had to work today anyway……and good god, haven’t been home last few weekends….lawn getting out of hand…..so yard work tomorrow……

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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

Giants Starters and Catchers 2010 GAMER or HEADCASE

Enough of this optimistic happy feeling…..goddamnit, we want real baseball already……I want to complain about REAL games…… but alas, all we have is preseason…….well, that and GAMER or HEADCASE……

TIM LINCECUM
Man, they grow up so quick…..and from the rumbling about lost velocity over the offseason you would think Timmy was pushing 36 instead of 26…but all that being said, I am concerned about Timmy's arm, not so much because of lost velocity, but because he is so damn good and so much of the Giants fortunes ride on Timmy tiny little back…..Timmy will lose velocity as he ages, like every non-chemically altered pitcher in the world…..but Tim is a smart competitive kid who knows how to pitch….he can lose a few ticks on the heater and still get outs…..so quit worrying. and enjoy the ride……
VERDICT: GAMER

MATT CAIN
Everything is golden in Cainland, fresh new contract, best season of his career, his wife still has that new wife smell…Velocity isn't an issue here….what could the internets be talking about that could make you worry? BABIP? K's/ 9? Strand rate? xFIP? AARP? Come on people, walks are down, ground balls are up, he's a hard throwing, big strong kid, so relax already, he will be fine….and like Lincecum he is a smart kid, and perhaps even more competitive….This kid seems like an old school pitcher… you know the kind that truly hates the opposition?.....tell you what, look at all the peripherals you want…..I tell you right now that last year's all star game won't be his last…..
VERDICT: GAMER

BARRY ZITO
You could almost for feel sorry for this guy….if he wasn't such a self important ass….2009 was a watershed year for Zito as he transformed himself from and pompous overpaid unproductive ass into a pompous overpaid mostly unproductive ass…. But seriously, Velocity was up, K's were up, BB were down….basically about a league average pitcher, but he was up and down big time with 8 Bill James game scores under 40, and 12 games with game scores 60 and above……we are already getting screwed over on the contract, if Zito can just hold onto last year for a few more years he can be an asset…..but don't expect me to like him….
VERDICT: HEADCASE

JONATHAN SANCHEZ
NASTY NASTY NASTY…..Dude, this kid is just scratching the surface…..the best raw stuff on the staff…. but still raw…..time will tell if he turns into the disappointing Oliver Perez or the moderately successful Sid Fernandez or into something approaching the future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson … If he does put it together this year, it would be one of the few areas of potential improvement in a pitching staff that is already so good…..and when and if he does put it together, then and only then can you talk about this Giants rotation in the same breath as those Maddux Glavine Smoltz rotations of the early 90's Braves….until then the VERDICT: HEADCASE

MADISON BUMGARNER
Yeah, not in the rotation…. but did you really want to read about Todd Wellermeyer???? Madison's promise is clouded by a mysteriously disappearing K's Rate and a big time drop in velocity…..still young enough that this isn't a death warrant, and sure he can be successful with that deceptive delivery…..but with lower velocity, you have a lower ceiling and worse yet……when you have an arm this young and a drop this dramatic…. you just wait for the other shoe to drop…..
VERDICT: TINSTAAPP

TODD WELLEMEYER
I put off Wellemeyer as long as I could... Well, don't really know the guy that well…. but I hear that he blamed 2009 on lost velocity…. after working in the mid 90's in 2008, he dropped to the low 90's a self professed "5 mph drop"…..why the drop? Well he missed some time late in the year with Elbow tenderness, so who knows….Sounds like this guy is a Poor man's Brad Penny….. hard thrower who don't strike people out and has history of arm trouble…..all in all, cross your fingers and watch the speed gun
VERDICT: HEADCASE

BENGIE MOLINA
I think I actually like Molina… I mean his is what he is…..much like Pedro Feliz, he was miscast as the main cog of the offense, which made his shortcomings or speed and not walking get pushed to the forefront… on a better team, he would just play solid D, hit an occasional tater out of the 8 hole…..for all the shit he has taken as a Giant, I would say that he has actually met as much as we could have asked for considering his track record before San Francisco…….now if he could just zip it with the Victim routine, he might get a few more sympathizers…..hard to feel sorry for someone with over $30 Million in career earnings
VERDICT: HEADCASE

ELI WHITESIDE
Just change your name to Whitehead already….make it easier for the kids to remember your name
VERDICT: DOES ANYONE REALLY CARE?

BUSTER POSEY
Yeah, not on the club….but you wanted to hear something good, didn't you? Buster is the fucking MAN…. this kid can hit will have some power and promises to get the 2nd home grown GOOD hitter in the lineup…. and with Sabean talking about his "Window of Opportunity" with this pitching staff under contract, you know that Buster's time is this year….. don't matter where he plays, he will be good anywhere…..probably can even play a decent Center or Short..
VERDICT: GAMER


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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--> PADRES at GIANTS 09/08

Since the home sweep of the Rockies, the Giants haven't exactly lit the world on fire… just holding their own on the road before coming home and splitting the first 2 with the Pads….. …..unfortunately, after the Rockies got swept in SF and sent to a season high 5 game losing streak, THEY went back home and put together a "Giantsesque" run of 7-1 with 2 still to play…..this has pushed the Giants back from a tie for the wild card to a 3 game deficit, MAGNIFYING the NEED for a DOMINANT home stand of our own…. well the Giants got off on the right foot with a win in the 1st game versus the Padres, but with the news of Tim being skipped and now the 1 run loss, and despite Bumgarner valiant stand in performance……. things don't look as cheery as they did just 24 hours ago… but its really far from over, as those Head to Head matchups still LOOM LARGE and anything is possible……but time is short and they need to get hot QUICK…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> PADRES at GIANTS 09/08

GAMEBALL

BUM

Ladies and Gentlemen, we present to you Madison Bumgarner…..and "He's no Tim Lincecum"…..I have been repeating this phrase to anyone that asks me about Madison….as Giants fans we have been a bit spoiled with the success of Tim, Matt and even to a lesser extent Jonathan Sanchez Sergio Romo and Brian Wilson…..The Giants have been fortunate to have such bounty of pitching come from the minors in the last few years….Add this track record if success with the sky high scouting reports, and you would expect that this kid would be the second coming of Lincecum…..but this kid is no Lincecum, in fact he is the Anti-Lincecum….. Throws Left, Bats Right, Stands tall, and doesn’t' throw as hard as you would expect from his frame….. short strider, cross over step….not a bit of drop and drive in him…..he is a pitch to contact guy, coming from a low 3/4ers angle….with a curve with a ton of lateral movement, compared to Timmy's 12-6 oclock bender….He did a solid job in his much anticipated Major League Debut…showing poise and the ability to throw strikes despite bouts of wildness…..time will tell what kind of pitcher he is, but so far so good…..if he can tighten up and get some horizontal movement on the Curve, there is not reason he can't have a long career......Personally, I think he could use at least another year on the farm getting his offspeed stuff worked out…..and I debate whether or not he should try to get rid of that crossover and get some more stride in his delivery…..I think he might gain some velocity and maybe have longer term arm health….but then again, he would loose some deception…..The Giants probably figured they would just leave well enough alone…….

TIP OF THE CAP :
VELEZ
1 hit ….2 walks……that’s 26 pitches in 5 PA……and I still say he was safe…..

SANDOVAL
Couple hits, and didn't miss any scooped throws….of course he didn't HAVE to scoop any throws…..

ROWAND
2 Hits 2 runs including a Homer to straight away center…..

JOKER

MOLINA

Was a bit torn on this one….the bonehead play of the game belonged to Rowand, but a homer a single and 2 runs scored saves him from the outright Joker……Molina had positives as well…..handling Bum, and an early RBI Single….but in late innings with the game on the line, Bengie was anything but clutch…..on a curveball that literally would have bounced in front of the plate he lunged out and Popped up with a man on 1st and 1 out in the 5th…And then on a belt high curve down the pipe, he popped up to end the 7th with 2 men on….but the clincher was the play at the plate in the 8th to give the Padres the lead…..Nate made a decent throw about 5 feet up the line and about 6 inches off the ground, but in PLENTY of time to get a lumbering Gonzales…..Bengie turned and tagged before the ball was in the mitt……sure it wasn’t a good throw, and it wasn't an easy play to make, but at that point in the game Bengie needed to clutch up and make a play……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
WINN
0 for 3 with 2 K's…..congrats on the Baby….Family is more important than baseball, you should really go spend some time with them… 4-5 weeks should do it…..

URIBE
Tough Play(s)…the one hopper to lead off the 8th was a SEED, but a makeable play …the second shit past you to your left, I am not so sure about…..but I bet Pablo makes the first play at leat

PUCETAS
Bumgarner eh??? …..well I guess someone has to pitch for the Grizzlies in the playoffs….no? Seasons over? Your on Full Rest???....well maybe it has something to do with giving up at least 5 runs in 5 of your last 7 starts…..including 16 runs in your last 2 2/3…..not exactly the way to get a September callup….

ROWAND
Hacking at the 3rd strike pass ball…..PAY ATTENTION, YOU RUN……Don't wait for the appeal you dummy!!!....you WANT them to call it a swing……you run to first and if the umpire calls it "no swing"….you get to argue with the umpire "I DID TOO STRIKE OUT!!!"

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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..)