GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/11 DODGERS at GIANTS

FUCK….I really don't know what to feel…. at different times tonight I have been angry, disappointed, embarrassed, frustrated, despondent, scared, depressed, ashamed, vindictive, and jealous….I don't know if I just described the 7 stages of grief, the 12 step program, or the 12 days of christmas but it feels somewhere between the 4th and 5th plane of hell, you know the plane where you waste pitching with bad defense and an anemic offense???? but really after all those emotions I am just tired….tired of watching this team simultaneously playing over its head and not up to its potential…..tired of pretending I don't know the outcome of the game before it ends…..tired of blaming players, coaches, front office, and umpires….. tired of hoping and wishing and cheering only to have those pleas once again go unanswered…..but whatever…..the really fucked up part is the Giants remain just 1 game behind the Rockies for the wild card and despite their pathetic performance since last Friday night they are still in the thick of things and could still pull this out……too bad they won't……

OK, folks, late again and this time I have a couple drinks in me….really need to get some sleep…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/11 DODGERS at GIANTS

GAMEBALL

POSEY

Looks like he is on top of AAA pitching with his average approaching .300……now if this kid turned into the next BJ Surhoff….I am really going to be pissed……

TIP OF THE CAP :
RENTERIA
2 hits and looked like a major leaguer…….

JOKER

VELEZ

BAD Eugenio…..BAD BAD……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
BOCHY
Winn…..#2…….really?.......

PANDA
gone cold at the wrong time…..and should have barehanded Furcal's bunt, and almost threw away the grounders from Blake…..



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2009 Food Review #4 Bacon Wrapped Hotdog

2009 Food Review #4 Bacon Wrapped Hotdog


Name: Bacon Wrapped Hotdog
Price: $6.75
Location: Tres Agaves, Promenade Level, behind Section129
Condiments: Onions, Roasted Jalapenos, and Chipotle Mayonaise
Cooked: Looked to be Grilled
Size: Med/ Small
Detail:
Well, this one just sounds evil….Bacon??? Hotdog????? My arteries clenched as I ordered……Nice presentation with peppers and onions and some orange Mayo……with some chips in the side….not bad…….Now I figured the Jalapeno's would overpower the sausage and Bacon, so I ate those first with the Chips…..not a bad appetizer…..pretty hot, but not scorching…..I do like hot food, but not insane hot….this was probably a little more than my tongue would have liked and I got a sweat going, but it WAS NOT AN OH MY GOD TOO HOT experience…..after eating the peppers, I let my taste buds recover for a few minutes…and into the sausage…The bread was nice……a thick slick of a Jalapeno Loaf that was split halfway and hinged to form a bun…clever……the Pepperless dog was still dressed well with onions and mayo……The bread was just a little dry, but nothing to complain about especially with the added moisture of the Mayo……the dog had good charred skin, and the onions added a nice texture to the bite……the flavor, well….was disappointing…..basically it tasted as if I was eating a standard Oscar Meyer Weiner with some onions and Chipotle mayo…..in fact the Mayo was the best and most prominent flavor…….Sure the Mayo was good, but not really what I was looking for ……. I finished the dog fairly quickly, and could not detect the faintest hit of bacon…..a let down to be sure for Bacon lovers…….my first experience with this "Mexican Street Classic," perhaps that’s the way it's supposed to be….either way…not worth the time, money or cholesterol…….next time at this stand, I go for the Borracho Nacho's which looked pretty good….

OVERALL RATING
2 sombreros (out of 5)

GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/10 DODGERS at GIANTS

I'm tired, I'm pissed, and now I need to sleep so I can work tomorrow
But first a quick write up….although the game deserves much more…..sorry for the brevity folks I need sleep……

GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/10 DODGERS at GIANTS

GAMEBALL

ISHI

Tough one, I will go with Ishi who hit the HR to get the Giants on the board and drew THE ONLY GIANTS WALK of the night……which of course was punished by being pulled from the lineup……

TIP OF THE CAP :
MONKEY
Well, when a few Dodger fans in front of us got uppity, all they needed was a blast from the Monkey Lung Cannon to set their ears ringing and shut them up for the rest of the game….and if you think I am kidding, try sitting in front of her when she is mad at an umpire……

MILLER
Kept the Giants in the game….well, if the Giants were capable of scoring runs that is

DRAVECKY
Was it really 20 years ago?

MOLINA
Couple hits and a bomb.,.....and notice on that HR, he actually took two pitches first……

JOKER

HOHN

FUCK, what the hell is going on with Umpires and the Dodgers, just ask Bobby Cox what he thinks about the umps over the weekend……well the good "fortune" for the Dodgers keeps on coming with Freddy Sanchez and Rich Aurilia both being run up on misplays by the Dodgers……and in each case the Giants actually had a REAL HITTER coming up next……Sandoval and Velez respectively…….
and what the fuck is up with this clown's mustache…..looks like a reject from a Nintendo game, guess his brothers Luigi and Mario got those sweet gigs chasing Monkeys named Donkey and eating mushrooms, while you are stuck traveling city to city 6 months out of the year…….wonder if the mushrooms they slipped you made you hallucinate those plays at first…..or perhaps they just made you go blind……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
MANNY
umm, nothing witty or fancy……just a good old fuck you greasy self important bastard….thanks for coming back to the Dodgers and fucking up the good thing they had going…….

SANCHEZ
Hard to get too upset with a kid still so raw, but come you walk 2 back to back in that inning and you are going to hear it…..

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GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/07-08/09 GIANTS at REDS

I'm back, that was kinda fun I think….. went to 2 games this weekend and ended up stranded in the city Saturday night without a decent hotel room available anywhere on the Peninsula….ended up finding a hotel in Oakland, so hoofed it over to BART and got over to the other side of the bay in time to catch the Dodgers at a sports bar…..and of course we end watching the game with some Dodger fans, after some shut eye it was back to the city, but this time we mixed it up with a Ferry Ride ….and after getting my car situation figured out it was back home…….

Was a strange weekend for the Giants as well, as we look back on these 3 games and we really don't feel like we were outclassed by this Reds team….the Giants out homered and out hit the Reds, but it was the smaller parts of the game where the Reds killed us…..drawing more walks, turning more Double Plays, throwing fewer wild pitches and committing fewer errors……. the Giants were doing everything a contender cannot do, when they really pissed away a series they could have won…..Are the Giants in this? Well not for long if they keep shooting themselves in the foot…….

GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/07-08/09 GIANTS at REDS

GAMEBALL

VELEZ

This kid is just kicking ass and taking names….ever since his recall, with a 56 game hitting streak (I think, I didn't actually count the games) and this weekend he was a force with 3 singles, 1 double, and 2 homers with a stolen base and a nice play Saturday against the fence in left fighting the Sun……Probably not the first to mention this, but Velez reminds me a little bit of Alfonzo Soriano……now I don't think that Velez has the same power potential as Soriano, but Soriano wasn't exactly a slugger in the minors either…..both from San Pedro De Marcoris Dominican Republic, the the most prolific city in the DR at producing Major Leaguers….both were miscast as 2nd baseman, toyed with conversion to Center Field, before settling in Left (We hope)……free swinging leadoff men with low OBP's but the ability to generate loud contact and tremendous bat speed with a small frame……They both were relatively late bloomers with Velez making his splash at 27, and Soriano made his splash at 26……of course its WAY too soon to say that Velez is even half the player that Soriano became, but it is nice to dream and the parallels seemed too compelling to ignore…….

TIP OF THE CAP :
ZITO
What the hell is going on here…..Zito is our ace???? well, since the Giants have returned from the Break Zito HAS been the ace on a team with Lincecum and Cain…….way to step it up Zito and good job being the only Veteran to give out Autos at the picnic, even it if was to promote your buddies wine…..and guess what, the word FREE was enough to move the wine……you and Wilson just made the crowd happier to drink the wine……

MOLINA
I take full responsibility……Friday and Saturday in warm-ups I yelled encouragement to our cleanup hitter from the first row, and in both instances he uncharacteristically looked over, smiled, and pointed at me in acknowledgement…..despite his act of ignoring the fans jeers, the guy can hear you……sure we get frustrated with him, but personally I always try to be encouraging to our own and as disheartening to the opposition as possible…without profanity or peoples mothers getting involved……I think it part of that home field advantage that our guys enjoy….

SANCHEZ
Lots of hits left in that stick of his, and seems to be a solid defender at 2nd as well……and I guess that one knee slide to his right, pop up and throw is his little style move…….lets hope it doesn't end up like Candy Maldonado's favorite…the slide catch…….(see Tony Pena Triple 1987 NLCS Game 6)

HOWRY
Came through with a Solid performance on Saturday bridging Zito to Wilson and Affeldt….and then handed out autos during the picnic, and rumors or passing the autographs through bullet proof glass while being protected by 12 security guards was greatly exaggerated……

HOBART BUILDING
Never even noticed….in my random wanderings in San Francisco, looking for a warm doorway to sleep in for the night I saw 3 flags atop the Hobart Building……USA, GIANTS, and WIN……..too funny……I wonder how well known this is, I certainly never heard of it…..and you can even see the coke bottle down 2nd street…..


JOKER

PANDA

It’s a new life for our offensive leader……and on this offensively challenged team we look to Pablo to come through with the big hits…….but this was a weekend to forget…….after a coming through with the go ahead hit on Friday it all started to unravel….in a tie game to start out the 9th…...little used rookie Drew Sutton laid down a bunt hit to Pablo, a play he thought he should have made judging by his body language as he walked back to his position……and then later in the inning, he made two less than perfect throws to home, one which Molina needed to make a stretch for and dropped with that big old catchers mitt and a second that hit the base runner square in the back……if those two plays get made, it’s a 6-5 game…….then on Saturday Pablo took at 0-4 with 3 AB's coming with runners on and 1 AB leading off right in front of a Molina Homer……And then on Sunday ….that was the killer…..in a off game for Cain, the Giants threatened to come back on the Reds in the 6th and 8th getting multiple runners on with no body out and Pablo at the plate…..and both times Pablo bounced into Double Plays basically countering all the work done by Velez and Freddy Sanchez to set the table…….
\
SMACK OF THE STICK :
GARKO
Oh boy, 1 hit on the weekend, and the argument Ishikawa's defense being worth the "offensive" downgrade is gaining traction….with a Renteria's 2 base throwing error on an scoopable ball and then today on a not shot from Nix hit right at Garko that could have been the 2nd out turning into the Reds big inning……both tough plats…..both plays Ishikawa probably makes……and the fans notice that Ishikawa's 0 for 3 included 2 line drive at em balls to the outfield, a walk and no strike outs…….That Garko trade may payoff yet…..and the payoff may be the fans finally appreciating Ishikawa…..and Ishi taking nothing for granted……

WILSON
Wasn't exactly wild, but without a decent offspeed pitch you have to be prepared for hitters to be able to just foul off pitch after pitch….I don't care if its 100 MPH or 500 MPH, if they know its coming they can just spoil it until you walk em….and that’s what happened on Friday's meltdown……

RENTERIA
After a 2nd inning single on Friday, proceeded to go hitless the rest of the weekend…..a costly error on Friday, and noticeably hurt on every throw to 1st…….just put him on the DL and get Uribe in the lineup already….he has about the same range, a better arm and at least is a threat to go deep now and then…..


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GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/05 GIANTS at ASTROS

Weekday Day games are sort of a pain for me, I am at work and depending on how busy I am I may or may not even be aware they are playing. Well I can say today was a fairly busy day, and I knew the Giants were down early. When a co-worker walked into my office and asked "Hey, the Giants are playing now right? What's the score?" I clicked on sports and saw 7 Astros, I immediately loudly said FUCK! before what I was looking at settled into my brain…which was Giants 7 Astros 3……at which point and laughed and explained…..well I saw a 7 and assumed it was against the Giants……and what else could we have expected….with Joe Martinez pitching, with the Giants road woes, and with our "powerful" cleanup hitter on the bench…….but no, the Giants battled back from a 3 run deficit for the first time all year (thx Baggs from an earlier post)…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/05 GIANTS at ASTROS

GAMEBALL

WHITESIDE

Backup catcher in the major leagues…..it's a lot like winning the lottery of baseball…..These guys play week after week after week, just hoping their number comes up and they get a chance….and when they do get a chance, they play so sporadically if they just happen to run into a couple pitches at the right time they could make a career out of it…….and with a Major League minimum salary of $400K+ it ain't a bad living……….but for every backup catcher that makes the show, there are 20 toiling away in the minors just hoping to get a spring training invite when there are 100 pitchers in camp……well Whiteside has taken advantage of his opportunity, running into a few pitches at just the right time and Whiteside record as a starter now lies at 10-6, of course most of that is due to the fact he was toiling in AAA when the Giants were sucking early……but I digress……good job on your first homer, your first grandslam, and that hair and that accent just makes you a more interesting character for the Fans……just keep it up and pretty soon you can add "proven veteran" to your "backup catcher" title……

TIP OF THE CAP :
MARTINEZ
Welcome back to the show, and the kid has some balls showing no ill effects of the incident earlier this year…..working in the low 90's and mixing in a little slider and a couple of change ups….really only made one really bad pitch for which he was punished, the double to Michaels which was a fastball that leaked out over the plate……Looks like the kid has pretty good movement on the fastball, the slider is average at best, the key will be control…..and he could be an important cog down the stretch…..that #5 spot will get about 4 more starts versus the Dodgers and Rockies…..we don't need a shut out from this slot, but a solid 5-6 innings would do wonders for the Giants playoff chances……

SANDOVAL
Man, all this kid does is square the ball up and get hits…..you don't have to kill the ball to get hits, good wood solid contact will do the job and even though the Panda was caught off balance a few times, he still was able to notch 3 hits 2 runs, 2 rbi and BTW this kids speed and defense is still underrated……at least league average on both counts…..at least

SANCHEZ
I am liking this kid, he is just line drive after line drive…..and today he got three hits going with the pitch all three times…….lets hope he rubs off and leave him in the 3 hole, at least until he cools off…..

GARKO
I am liking this kid as well…and he has hit more balls hard than his average would indicate…...and Garko was rewarded with 2 hits for his trouble today……and come on, he's not THAT slow…..I mean, I bet he can beat Molina to the post game spread by 20 feet…..

JOKER

SCHMIDTY

Maybe I am going soft…..but I kinda feel bad for the guy…..he was one bad ass pitcher on a team that needed an ace….no Schmidt, no run to the series in 2002, no 100 wins in 2003, no Fathers Day 1 hitter of the Red Sox….and if you remember 2003, he threw a 3 hit shut out versus the Marlins in Game 1 while injured…….he was a gamer……..so when I heard he was hitting 89, my mind thought back to 2005 when he was effective working in the 88-90 range for most of the season……well, I got to watch him pitch for the first time tonight, and he is not back…..he topped out at 89, but worked in the 87-88 range most of the night…..and without much control……he might be a passable 5th starter…..but he will have as many bad starts as good starts…….too bad a player that good is looking so bad……he still might be able to be decent, but he is going to have to do a lot better with his control than he had tonight……with 9 walks in 14 innings coming INTO tonight, it doesn't seem like he is going to figure it out anytime soon…….

SMACK OF THE STICK :
HOWRY
Well there goes the Howry save idea….plunking Keppinger was intentional….2 out in the 9th and on the hip…..but the adrenaline got to Howry and he started fucking the pooch……and we needed Wilson to come in and shut the door…..

BIP
Good God……I can't believe this lasted another day….somebody has GOT to talk to him…..winning innings has nothing to do with anything……and my co-worker…who asked me whats the score….I asked him if he had heard Bip the night before…..the response….."I just watched a little of the game…(pause)….was he the Winning Innings guy?"….I just started laughing my ass off…..even people just passing through are pointing and laughing……. I think Kuiper has to bite the bullet and tell Bip SOMETHING…..but its like when your friend has really bad breath, you try to hint at it, buy a few mints, ask if they had garlic, but in the end they really don't get the message until you say something, or some stranger asked them if a small rodent crawled into their mouth and died……

COOPER
Good job walking Renteria…..sure it was by the book, but I hate how it is always automatic to walk the bases juiced to set up the force….you also back a pitcher in a corner where he HAS to throw strikes and the hitter knows it…..

JOE MORGAN
What the fuck???? did you see this commercial….. Joe Morgan is as good a pitchman as he is a broadcaster…..and my god,looks like a cross between a A Weeble (tm Playskool), a inverted ice cream cone, and a batting tee. What a monstrosity of a device….. and all for the low low price of $150 and that’s with a $50 discount….makes me think of those 70's players who used a contraption on their bat in the on deck circle that kinda looked like this

REDS PITCHING STAFF
Just saw the projected starters…..each of them have an ERA worse than Zito……man we got it good…..of course after a series with the Giants those ERA's will look much better on Monday

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GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/04 GIANTS at ASTROS

Giants break out on the ROAD FINALLY…. you couldn't pick a more unlikely location (well besides 2009 Petco)….the Giants had lost 7 of 8 and 9 of 13 in Minute Maid Park which included a 4 game sweep in 2008…..and after last nights woes you would think the Giants were cursed by the weird angles, the glare from the windows in left and maybe even that dumbass choo choo train (yes, I said choo choo)…..but those demons seemed to be gone in the first innings after the Giants rallied for a 2 out run on a Double by the much maligned Molina. And then in the bottom of the 1st just as it seemed that Tejada has a Crawford Homer, Velez snuck around the corner of the stands that jut out into left to make an easy catch for the third out to win the 1st inning……

GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/04 GIANTS at ASTROS

GAMEBALL

SANCHEZ

Sanchez got over a personal hurdle as well today, breaking his 9 game road losing streak…in fact this was his best road game ever with a game score of 74 and his 3rd best game score ever. After a shaky 1st inning where he threatened to fall apart quickly, Sanchez was filthy nasty dirty mowing through the Astros never letting a runner past 1st base and facing just 1 batter over the minimum from the 2nd to the 7th, but then with a fat lead and after walking 2 runners in the 8th he was pulled with 102 pitches on the counter and a job well done……after his performance last week versus the Phillies and today versus the Astros it looks to me like Sanchez's magic bag has a few beans left in his bag……he seems to cruise as long as unstressed……I am really looking forward to how he fares in the pressure cooker of the Dodger series on Monday…..tensions will be high for sure, and if he can walk away from that game with a head of steam, we just may have one hell of a #4 starter……

TIP OF THE CAP :
MOLINA
The proud backstop heard the whispers of criticism become open talk of moving him from his cleanup throne, and he responded…..nothing like the threat of losing your rung on the ladder to get your tired old fat ass in gear……First 2 out double to plate Sandoval in the first, then Molina would add 2 more hits plus a long fly ball to center and it making me think we should talk about Molina's suck in the press more often

VELEZ
Man, its hard to get a gameball these days, but Eugenio is making a run at it everyday….and today he was a hit machine again with 3 more hits and of course that catch in left…..which looked easy, but could have become an adventure…..

ROWAND
Made his own bid for the gameball with big hits in 3rd and 5th……

The MOLE/ The PANDA
Back to Back Homers for the Giants for the first time since 1987…..or at least it feels like it……

MILLER
A starting pitchers best friend…..2 on 0 out….and nobody scores…..way to keep the Sanchez line clean……

JOAQUIN
Welcome to the bigs, and now back to Norwich????? Nah, give this kid a taste of Fresno…….

JOKER

BIP

The stupidity began before the game as Bip announced the Giants had left 19 runners on base last night…..WTF that doesn't sound right, and he made me go back and check…. It was 10 runners, you can't just add up individual player LOB and say its team LOB…ok so math isn't his strong suit…..too bad his other two weaknesses are public speaking and baseball analysis……innocently enough he made a comment about focusing on an inning and outscoring an opponent….silly but harmless on its own…..but somehow this became the "THEME" of the night…..Where the fuck did THAT come from…. did Bip sit up last night and say to himself….."You know what, I need a THEME….hey, lets talk about the game like it’s a 9 round boxing match!!! Damn I am such a fucking genius!!!"……nah, don't think he actually is capable of forethought…..honestly, he started babbling and babbled himself into a corner……and as he mixed his WINNING INNING bullshit, with the "Heh Heh Heh" annoying ass laugh responses to Kuiper…you would think someone would say SOMETHING to keep him from digging this hole…….I mean, Kuiper must hear this shit…..but then again, Bip is job security…….
And trying to be fair for a moment, we are spoiled with Kruk, Kuip, Flem, and Miller…..most of baseball has dumbass announcers…..Bip is no different than dozens of broadcasters spewing crap on the airwaves nightly…..I mean, think about it…..its like when you got out of College…..there attractive co-ed population you saw every day was like 15 chicks deep...... so many good looking females, you're view of the world got warped…..and then you graduate, and were working with middle aged women named Marge with secretary spread, and cankles……where did all the hot chicks go???…..after a while you appreciate Carla the slightly overweight intern with a cute face and nice voice you wouldn't have looked twice at in your college days……well…..There are lots of Bips and Marges out there, so enjoy the Co-eds when you can…..and maybe someday Bip might even be good enough to be a Carla…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
GALLARDO
Brewers "ace" got blown out of the box by the Dodgers……with 7 runs in 5 1/3....thanks for the help, Jackass/......

MOYER
Same goes for the Moyer, getting pulverized by the Rocks




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GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/03 GIANTS at ASTROS

[big>

What the fuck happened????…. The Giants felt like they were in control all day, and they were….with runners on base all day, a 2 run lead, and Cain on the mound….it feels like we won……but I am pretty sure we didn't……if you know Hockey, I feel like we just lost after out shooting the opponent 32-7 on three goals from the blue line on Nabokov…..and if you don't know Hockey, lets just say that, well…..this really sucks…….and Hockey is pretty sweet, (but not as sweet as baseball)

GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/03 GIANTS at ASTROS

GAMEBALL

GARKO

Welcome to San Francisco, too bad you saved it for Houston…..Garko looks like he is officially off the schneid on base 4 times going a 2 for 2 with a walk and a HBP, and he didn't even loose any popups on the roof at Enron, er Minute Maid Field……

TIP OF THE CAP :
SANDOVAL
3 for 5 with all 3 hits coming with runners on base, and the outs coming with the bases empty…….and you know what would really make up for that All Star Snub? How about a playoff birth and an MVP???? You go work on that will ya?

CAIN
Went the distance and the pen is rested entering Sanchez and Martinez days

MARTINEZ
Everything but official, Joe gets a chance at the rotation, and if the Giants are serious about the playoffs they are going to need his contribution

JOKER

ROWAND

Ugly day for Mr. Gamer taking a fat 0 for 4 with 4 plate appearances with runners on…..just 1 hit would have been the difference in this close matchup….instead we got 2 K's LOOKING and 2 easy bounce outs…….and the K's were UGLY both coming on 0-2 pitches and the 2nd one a fastball right down the goddamn pipe…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
LANSFORD
I have to give an assist to Carney on this one….you think at some point SOMEONE will go…..OK EVERYBODY HUDDLE UP….THE UMPIRE IS GIVING HAMPTON ABOUT 6 INCHES ON THE OUTSIDE CORNER TO RIGHTHANDERS, MAKE SURE TO PROTECT……maybe a vet says something, but at the very least the goddamn hitting coach……but instead no one adjust and Hampton took advantage with 6 K's including 5 looking and Rowand, Renteria, and Cain all getting strike 3 called on pitches off the plate……

FLANNERY
Ouch…..such a good day on Saturday making all the right calls….well tonight they weren't so good…..getting Renteria GUNNED at the plate on a BAD Throw 7 feet up the 3rd base line…..and STILL Plenty of time to nail him……and then on a Renteria double, Garko was held up at 3rd just as Carlos Lee came up with the ball out in that weird corner in Left......Sure Garko ain't exactly Carl Lewis, but then again Carlos ain't exactly Jesse Barfield…….

CAIN
Ouch, what can you say……He's one of the horses that makes this team go, and when you spot him a 2 run lead you almost expect a win…….and honestly, the reason I have him here is the 6th inning…..after striking out looking with the bases juiced and 1 out, he looked he was still thinking about the at bat when he gave up the triple and home to the 1st and 2nd hitters in the Astros lineup…….

WINN
Like that 1986 Chrysler you had…..once the payments ended, things just started breaking down…..just it wouldn't hit from the right side….then its already weak arm became pathetic…..soon it wasn't hitting left handed either…..just a matter of time before it stops running all together….the weird thing is Winn seems to be running as well as ever…..you would figure that would be the first thing to break down on a 35 year old outfielder

BIP
Don't know anything about curses……but I do know t\hat Bip sucks….and without that Giants fans good will to fall back on like JT Snow…….


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[/big>

by merkin

GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/02 PHILLIES at GIANTS

What a glorious day at the yard, going for the series win versus the Phillies, Giants fans were out in full force . The slightly overcast misty morning gave way to a warm cool sunny Sunday unique to summers at AT&T Park. The Pablo shirt giveaway went without a hitch and 22 of the 25 seats were occupied. We had some fun cheering the home team and jeering the visitors, put a few names to faces and called each other by pseudo embarrassing screen names in public……

GAMEBALL and JOKER 08/02 PHILLIES at GIANTS

GAMEBALL

SANCHEZ

The newly minted 2nd baseman and #2 hitter overcame an early miscue and came up with the hit of the game, a 2 out 2 run double that tied the game and set the Giants offense in motion…. Sanchez looked as good as advertised in his Giants debut and lets hope that magic wand of his is working down the stretch……20 more doubles, yes I think that would make me happy.……

TIP OF THE CAP :
VELEZ
Freddy has been a welcome addition, but the best trade deadline move was when we sent Matt Downs to Fresno for Eugenio Velez. this kid has been playing all over the diamond and hitting every time he has been given the chance…recalled at the beginning of the homestand and with a hit in every game since…..thats .461 with 7 RBI, 5 Runs, and 3 BB…..if this kid keeps it going, the Giants are going to be tough to beat down the stretch…..

ZITO
I think we learned a little about Zito today…..first of all he twice had the chance to melt down and stayed with em….in the 4th following the Home Run and Error, and in the 5th following back to back hits and the take of 2nd on a throw to the plate that shorthopped Whiteside to allow a runner to advance…..in fact, after each miscue I almost expected Zito to melt down…..but he held fast and not only got out of trouble he started the game changing 2 out rally with a single up the middle and then after the Giants took the lead…..came back out for a shutdown 1-2-3 inning with 2 K's……Zito might have been able to go another inning or two, if it wasn't for a bases loaded no out situation knocking him out in the bottom of the 6th……

BULLPEN
Romo, Affeldt, Medders, and Howry were able to keep the Phillies bats at bay with 4 solid innings

ROWAND
Got the Giants on the board with a 0 out triple that woulda been out of about 29 other parks…..

RENTERIA
Love those doubles down the line and a nice 1 hop snag in the 9th

JOAQUIN
Welcome to the show, although only the interwebbing baseball geeks even know you are on the roster

BOCHY
Belated kudos for yesterday….pulling Timmy after 118 with a shutout through 8….visions of that 138 pitch outing in my head……

JOKER

MANUEL

So how many all stars does it take to take a series from the Giants at home???? Well obviously more than the Phillies could muster as they got humbled by every Giants starter not named Sadowski…… but really that’s not why I have him here……and, not its not about the all star nepotism…. for me the Phillies have been a team that has won DESPITE Charlie….. loaded with talent for years, 2008 was going to happen sooner or later…….So what influence does a manager have on his team? Well handing the pitching staff is at the top of the list, and using your pitchers wisely and keeping them healthy is paramount……So here we have Phenom Cole Hamels, who at one point was considered the equal or even superior to Lincecum as far as rising young pitching star.….but after Hammels was after being ridden all year 2008 is struggling to maintain league average numbers….…..Well at least they got a ring out of Hamels' arm……. But the one move that drives me nuts to this day is when he took Opening Day starter and Staff Ace Brett Myers and shifted him to the Pen as the Closer after 3 starts in 2007…..what the fuck, your best starter is now a reliever???? Well guess what happened……Myers went down 2 months with a sore elbow and hasn't been the same pitcher since……FUCKING GENIUS MANUEL…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
VICTORINO
Poor little Shane…..went down with a "bruised knee" on Wednesday and expects to return as soon as the Phillies leave San Francisco……depriving Giants fans from getting a good heckle on your sorry ass…….don't worry we won't forget……

GARKO
OOooo boy, be careful Ryan, first impressions can stay with you a long time….better walk carefully around those reporters and stick the "Bull Durham" script….happy the team won, just taking it day to day, all that shit…..cause if you ain't hitting and ain't scooping, you have better get used to those AT&T Wind popups really quick, especially when your Right Side Partner is also a new comer to the winds and is just as likely to yell "YOU GOT IT" as "I HAVE IT"……..

HOWARD
Looking horrible at the plate and in the field...... K's whiffing on a 86 MPH fastball, K's watching a 0-2 curve down the pipe, and his "overlobbing" Hammels plated the go ahead run....... Howard, you can be MY all star anyday....

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