Throwing out the first pitch. A baseball tradition.

10 Worst Ceremonial First Pitches

I know NASCAR has something similar, letting celebs yell "Start your engines". But what is the equivalent in some of the other major sports? Does hockey let somebody drop the first pock or slam a wrist shot into the goalie? Does basketball let somebody simulate the opening toss or take a ceremonial free-throw? How about the opening kickoff for football? Maybe let some politico take a whack at that one and fall on their keister? 

Some of these pitches that follow are just horrifically bad. If your kid is a developing pitcher, you might not want to have him/her watch these clips. Carl Lewis was a world-class athlete for crying out loud. And yet, a terrible pitcher. I've seen better at T-Ball tryouts. Carl Lewis would get CUT from a T-Ball tryout for his effort. Make a new league rule if you can't throw the ball two feet or in the right general vicinity, never mind zip-code, you get your money back. For the safety of the other children, of course.

The politicians, I'm going to cut some slack. The reaction of the catcher for the Cincinnati mayor is priceless. 

A classic, "You cannot be serious" moment. 

I was hoping for a wardrobe malfunction out of Mariah Carey, and of course didn't get it. But the pitch was moderately entertaining, if not predictable. No wonder Jeter gave her a version of the home game. Or something.

http://www.yourtango.com/2011121654/what-does-derek-jeter-give-his-one-night-stands

Not a bad starting lineup for the Captain there. So whatever he is doing, he is doing it right. This lineup is strong up the middle, as you would expect from a SS, but handles well around the corners too.  It does look like he may need some pitching help here, but he is still young. And single. 

Anyway, back to the first-pitch bloopers.....

John Wall (NBA star) and Denard Robinson (Michigan QB) highlight this list with some dupes. The Cincinnati catcher was none other than a dapper former Red, Eric Davis.

Davis looked just as surprised on this day in 1986, when umpire Eric Gregg (strike zone as big as his butt - pre-Questec) tells him HE'S been ejected after this classic Mets-Reds brawl.

1986 Ray Knight vs Eric Davis Fight - BRAWL

Not sure if this is # 1 or #2 Mets-Reds brawl, after the Pete Rose-Buddy Harrelson dust-up, but that's another post. 

Back, once again to the first-pitches. 

TOP 10 All-Time Worst 1st Pitches | LIVE 7-15-13

Why some teams have multiple pitchers and multi-catchers, I don't know. Just asking for an injury there, Chief. 

This is the best one I could find. Hubba-hubba, right guys?

Girl Throws Best Dodger Stadium First Pitch of the Year - June 6, 2013

This one I graded high for style points, but I had to mark her down for the dismount, as I always do, and she didn't quite stick the landing. I hate it when that happens.  

The greatest flipping first pitch you've ever seen

In the future ladies, watch the language on the titles of your videos. After all, you ARE ladies. 

And two words -- De-caf. De-flipping caf. 

This next one I actually liked the best, mimicry is a lost art. I didn't like a couple of minor but important points.

-- 6 minute video, the kid doesn't throw until about the 3:45 mark. You buried the lead folks and almost lost me. 

-- He chose a Dodger, Clayton Kershaw to mimic. As if going through life left-handed wasn't tough enough, he chose a Dodger to mimic. The kid is going to grow up without a chance in life. Nice parents. - JK.

3 year old boy throws best first pitch at MLB game - baseball prodigy

Oh and BTW, don't write to me Dodger fans. I don't read anything in crayon, or written with letters cut out from the newspaper. 

Pitchers' guide to cheating: How to do it right - Yahoo Sports

PED for pitchers!! "Let's just change the rules", right?

All those pitchers who were whining and all those bed-wetters in the media who carped on-air on their behalf have now been exposed for the hypocritical, morality-twisting frauds they truly are. I guess the message to kids should be, "When I cheat it's for  a good purpose, when others cheat, they're just cheating scumbags".

Very nice. Sorry folks, you can't have it both ways.

Plus, Pineda is should be banned for stupidity, at least Palmieiro never came up to the batters box with a needle sticking out of his ass.

from Yahoo Sports:
Pitchers' guide to cheating: How to do it right - Yahoo Sports:

Kids these days. It's just shameful. They have no respect, no sense of history, no appreciation for their forbearers. Used to be pitchers in Major League Baseball treated cheating like an art form. Nowadays they're happy to act like finger-painting kindergarteners in a smock.

Look at New York Yankees starter Michael Pineda on Thursday, with the giant mess of gloop on his hand – his pitching hand! – that he said, with a straight face, was "dirt." Note to cheaters: There is this thing called a high-definition camera. It shoots moving pictures at 1,080 pixels per square inch. Dirt is not viscous.

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The Beast has been unleashed

This is what it looks like when a RH hitter squares one up just right.  The Beast has been unleashed.



Of course -- this being the Giants -- Morse's good early start and Belt's belting around of the ball has been counter balanced by Posey, Pence and Sandoval's  slumping starts.



Therefore, the Giants pass two runs like a geriatric patient passes...well you get the idea. It's often painful and digusting to watch this offense in action.



from Bleacher Report:

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/dcYgR?

After just 22 games with the Giants, it already is crystal clear why Michael Morse is nicknamed The Beast. The new left fielder hit two homers Wednesday, but they weren’t ordinary shots. Few with Morse are, actually.

Morse’s first homer off Tyler Chatwood went a long way the opposite way, and was measured at 458 by ESPN’s home run tracker, which calculates distance using analytics and atmospheric data. His second blast, a three-run shot that tied a game the Giants would later win, went 450 feet.

'via Blog this'

NL HOME RUNS		HR
Brandon Belt	1. Brandon Belt, SF	7
	1. Mark Trumbo, ARI	7
	3. Ryan Braun, MIL	6
	3. Neil Walker, PIT	6
	3. Pedro Alvarez, PIT	6
Complete Leaders

Brian McCann should have planted Carlos Gomez when he had the chance....

Benches clear after Gomez's solo home run
9/25/13: Carlos Gomez hits a homer off Paul Maholm and benches clear after Gomez exchanges words with Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann and several Braves players.

McCann should have planted Gomez last year. Then maybe today's display by the jackass that is Carlos Gomez would not have happened. I doubt it, but maybe. Maybe a Gerrit Cole fastball in the ribs is the behavior modification Mr. Gomez is looking for. Might up his baseball IQ by a few points, He has a long way to go.

Pimp your HR, wear a FB. That seems fair enough.

I'll side with McCann and Cole over Gomez all day, every day.
And Carlos Beltran over Yasiel Puig before...
And Carlton Fisk over Deion Sanders before that.

The jackass didn't even hit the ball over the fence. I can't wait to hear his teammates or their weak manager defend the Gomez Cadillac trotting of a ball that remained in the ball park - the Brewers commentators already did. You don't Cadillac trot balls that don't even leave the yard, that's just plain moronic and embarrassing to yourself and your family.  

MLB Video of today's Gomez antics are embedded in the story from Yahoo Sports:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/carlos-gomez-ignites-benches-clearing-brawl-with-pirates-after-showboating-on-triple-191523558.html

Could cost your team a valuable run there, Chief. Turning a possible In The Park Home Run into a triple.

Way to go, Champ. But you looked so fly doing it. Kinda like showboating a missed dunk? Or spiking the ball after you've fumbled it away?  I guess I don't understand this showmanship shit.

Carlton Fisk Deion Sanders confrontation

Fisk appeared on The Joe Morgan Show to discuss a number of topics, including Sanders, who was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The former Red Sox and White Sox catcher said that Sanders used to saunter up to the plate like he owned the stadium and would draw a dollar sign in the dirt at home plate. "So he comes up again and draws a dollar sign in the dirt," Fisk said. "And you know what [Sanders] says? He says, 'Hey, man, the days of slavery are over.' I stood up and walked up to him face to face and I said, 'I don't care whether you are black or blue or pink or red. If you don't start playing this game right, I'm going to kick your butt right here.'" Fisk and Sanders, of course, had a verbal alteraction back in 1990 that resulted in a bench-clearing brawl between the White Sox and Yankees (whom Sanders was playing for at the time). Fisk said he could no longer take Sanders' style and showboating.

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2011/08/carlton-fisk-still-irked-by-deion-sanders-showboating-tendencies-questions-how-much-respect-he-had-f/

I doubt Brewers manager Roenicke or all the bed-wetting commentators who think a Ca.rlos Gomez should just be allowed to to continue to be a Carlos Gomez (which if to say a total jackass) will ever understand the culture of the game.

It's not the NBA and it's not the NFL. Thank God for that. Disrespecting your opponent is all the rage in those two leagues. Because there are no effective means of retribution.

Try the same thing in MLB or the NHL and your health is immediately placed at risk. If you know what I mean.

#1. Respect your opponent at all times.
#2. Respect the game at all times.
#3. Never forget rules #1 and #2. NEVER!!

It was worse back in the day. Ask former Giant Jim Ray Hart.

http://fingerfood.typepad.com/finger-food/bob-gibson/

Now what’s the first thing a person thinks about when Bob Gibson’s name is mentioned? If it isn’t intimidation, brush back pitches, a nasty fastball and intensity. His teammates were afraid to talk to him and opponents were just afraid of him. Jim Ray Hart, a slugging third baseman for the Giants in the 1960s and early ‘70s, tells the classic Bob Gibson story:

“Between games, Mays came over to me and said, ‘Now, in the second game, you’re going up against Bob Gibson.’ I only half-listened to what he was saying, figuring it didn't make much difference. So I walked up to the plate the first time and started digging a little hole with my back foot... No sooner did I start digging that hole than I hear Willie screaming from the dugout: ‘Noooooo!’ Well, the first pitch came inside. No harm done, though. So I dug in again. The next thing I knew, there was a loud crack and my left shoulder was broken. I should have listened to Willie.”

Hart should have called time out and filled up the hole the way it was.

The manager from the team that the guy in this classic Deadspin post played for certainly understood the Culture of the Game.

"I didn't like what Richie did. It was a thing done by a young player," Edwards said. "Basketball is in-your-face, but not baseball."

from Deadspin.com:
http://deadspin.com/nobody-has-ever-pimped-a-home-run-as-hard-as-this-guy-d-1564712442?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_facebook&utm_source=deadspin_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Update: We now have all the details about this game, thanks to Mike Harrington of theBuffalo News, who wrote a story about this game back in 1994. Some highlights:

"I had to cherish it. I took just a few steps and I probably shouldn't have, but I was milking it a little," said Aude, 22. "Nothing would have happened if he (Wishnevski) hadn't said anything to me."

"He should round the bases, step on home plate, go in the clubhouse and then celebrate," Pettini said. "Somebody should tell him that's not how a professional acts."

Bisons manager Doc Edwards said he intends to do just that.

"I didn't like what Richie did. It was a thing done by a young player," Edwards said. "Basketball is in-your-face, but not baseball."

Wonderful.

Mel Kiper Mock Draft: Eric Ebron, Xavier Su'a-Filo to New York Giants

What would the NFL draft be without a picture of Mel Kiper's hair? One of the most follically gifted commentators in the business, maybe of all-time. That hair looks like it could deflect a gun shot, to be honest. The commentary is usually pretty good too.

from Bleacher Report:
Mel Kiper Mock Draft: Eric Ebron, Xavier Su'a-Filo to New York Giants:

In this mock, Kiper explains that he is doing what he believes NFL teams will do based on the information he currently has and not drafting the players he would personally choose for each team. Here is how Kiper explains each pick for the Giants.

Eric Ebron

Kiper writes: Here's a case where you can accuse me of projecting a team to take the same player I would if it was my decision. Ebron is a potential difference-maker for the next stage of Eli Manning's career, a big target in the passing game who can create constant matchup problems with his size and quickness underneath, and down the field with his speed and catch radius (again, size). The Giants have had four different tight ends catch the most passes at that position over the past four years. They could use a really good one.

'via Blog this'

In order, this is where I would like the Giants to go in the first round:

Tight End Eric Ebron, North Carolina:

Wide Receiver Mike Evans, Texas A&M:

Defensive Tackle Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh:

Offensive Tackle Jake Matthews, Texas A&M:

Offensive Tackle Taylor Lewan, Michigan:

Tampa to Montreal? Sacre Bleu!!!

Just so my friends in Tampa - St. Pete understand that this is not just conjecture by a bunch so slide-rule toting SABR-metricians, here is a local story from ABC News. Not that you should believe everything you hear from them, but.......where there's smoke?



from ABC Action News:

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/rays-targeted-by-montreal





from Seamheads.com

Tampa to Montreal? Trotting Out the Same Old Tired Narrative | Seamheads.com:

What an insult to the people of the Tampa-St. Pete area. How low have you sunk when you are worse than Montreal? Well, let’s look at the numbers. Attendance in Tampa is the worst of any major league city and has never been above 2 million for any season other than their inaugural season when 2.5 million came to see the Rays lose 99 games in 1998.  But there are still about 19,000 people who will come out to see the Rays play on average. Montreal in its best years could draw more than 20,000, but they never topped 30,000 and in their final seven seasons when the team was buffeted by the same winds of change as have begun now in Tampa, they barely managed 10,000 a year.

In his interview on the subject Steinberg actually spoke lovingly about Stade Olympic where the roof crashed down on the field and halted play for more than a month while the mess was cleaned up and the place was declared fit for baseball again. MLB is at least true to their mantra and is demanding that Montreal commit to a new stadium before any serious talk is made about another team in Canada.

My guess is that this is just the first ante in the poker game between Steinberg and the mayor of St. Petersburg–who will not let the Rays out of their contract to play at Tropicana Field, which is owned by his city. The ante will be upped when a more realistic alternative location for the Rays is found in the next round of betting. It might be Charlotte, the 23rd largest metropolitan area in the US (Tampa-St. Pete is 18th) with a population of 2.3 million. Charlotte has hosted an NBA team successfully twice and with Michael Jordan as the principal owner of the team they have bee relatively successful. They are just an example of a large city that does not rob from an exiting MLB team’s TV market area and has many of the attributes for success.

'via Blog this'



My guess is this is typical war-games tactics from the MLB playbook to help an existing owner wrangle concessions from local politicians.St. Petersburg has experience in these type of affairs, but they were on the Montreal end of the proceedings. Now they are on the other side.



Seems like they are going to get it AGAIN, and good and hard.



That's what happens when you put things in the hands of politicians and oligarchs.

Mikie Mahtook ready for the Rays?

Maybe he gives them a little offensive shot in the arm which the Rays do need right about now. Add this guy in there with Longoria and Wil Myers and you have some young, but talented RH bats.  He'll have to serve his time in AAA until he loses FA time. I wouldn't wait too long if I were Rays management. Not in that division.



Baseball America Prospect Report
Compiled by Baseball America   April 15, 2014

PITCHER OF THE DAY: Bryan Mitchell, rhp — Double-A Trenton (Yankees)
When Mitchell finds command, it's sure to be a long night for the opposition. He did just that last night in Akron, and the result was one of the best individual games of the season. Mitchell, a 22-year-old righthander with a mid-90s heater and a hammer hook, fanned 12 hitters in six shutout innings.  

HITTER OF THE DAY: Mikie Mahtook, lf — Triple-A Durham (Rays)
The former LSU Tiger and 2011 first-rounder was a perfect 5-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI in yet another Bulls win. He lacks a carrying tool and profiles more as a second-division regular, but he's hitting .356/.396/.444 so far, and that's plenty good.

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Jackie Robinson Day - Baseball reflects America's racial diversity like no other major sport

I'm not sure that baseball gets the credit that it is due for reflecting our nation's racial breakdown almost to a tee across the board. White, black, Hispanic, Asian. No other sport comes close and when TIDES grades the sports it gives A grades to the NBA and the NFL when they don't come close to our national demographic breakdown. Makes you wonder.......

Baseball, still America's pastime and always will be America's Greatest Game.

from Giants Extra:

POSTGAME NOTES: Sanchez was “the man” for Giants, and he took the best kind of beating – Giants Extra:

— Jackie Robinson day is always a cool one at the ballpark, and the Giants and Dodgers added a twist tonight. Jon Miller and Vin Scully took turns introducing the starting lineups over the PA system, with each player getting a “Wearing No. 42″ from two of the broadcasting greats. Scully, by the way, received a half-standing ovation and loud cheers. That might have been a first for a Dodger at AT&T Park.

'via Blog this'



Dr. Mark Perry explains the absurdity of this type of "racial grading" better than I can.....

from Carpe Diem:
http://www.aei-ideas.org/2014/04/should-the-nba-wnba-and-nfl-get-race-letter-grades-of-a-for-the-racial-diversity-of-their-players-vs-us-population/?

Should the NBA, WNBA and NFL get race letter grades of A+ for the racial diversity of their players vs. US population?

Mark J. Perry | April 4, 2014, 11:32 am

	US POPULATION	NBA	WNBA	NFL
% White	63.0%	19.0%	20.0%	31.0%
% Black	13.1%	76.3%	73.0%	66.6%
% Hispanic	16.7%	4.4%	0%	0.7%
% Asian	5.1%	0.2%	0%	1.1%

MP: There seems to be some rather inconsistent and twisted “diversity logic” here that TIDES is using for assigning its “race grades” for racial diversity in professional sports. The NBA, WNBA and NFL all get “race grades” of A+ for the racial diversity of their players, even though blacks are significantly overrepresented relative to their share of the US population (13.1%) in all three sports (76.3%, 73% and 66.3%, respectively), and all three of the other racial categories (whites, Hispanics and Asians) are significantly under-represented relative to their share of the US population in all three sports leagues.

By any realistic metric or concept of “racial diversity” that reflects America’s racial representations in the general population (e.g. the racial diversity standard that is usually applied to university student populations, etc.), it would sure seem that the NBA, WNBA and NFL all deserve letter grades of F for racial diversity, which I have assigned above. Apparently, the only minority group that matters to TIDES is blacks, since the NBA, WNBA, and NFL all get letters grades of A+ for racial diversity, even with the significant under-representation of other minority groups like Hispanics and Asians. This seems like a pretty Orwellian approach in the sense that apparently according to TIDES, “all racial and gender groups are equal and important for purposes of diversity in professional sports, but one group is apparently more equal than all of the others.”

Bottom Line: Does this type of mechanistic, head counting of professional athletes by race/skin color, and then assigning race letter grades to professional sports leagues for their racial diversity, really move us further in the direction of Martin Luther King’s vision of a colorblind society? I really can’t see how it does. Am I the only one who finds this “racial head counting” and assigning of “race letter grades” to professional sports both simplistically childish and offensive? Does anybody else object to the fact that this institute is probably funded at least in part by the taxpayers of Florida, and the students paying tuition at the University of Central Florida?

Giants pitching prospects giving mixed signals

Clayton Blackburn continues to pitch well at AA. He won't WOW!! anybody, but he is a very efficient pitcher with what he has and does his job better than some of his more highly touted brethren. Edwin Escobar, who both scouts and the "prospect-razzi" seem to love, continues to struggle at the AAA level. Escobar scares me at this point. He seems to be a bit of a tease in terms of display of talent. The kind of guys who pitches just well enough to not win. He may be destined to be a prospect-razzi heart-breaker.



Baseball America Prospect Report

Compiled by Baseball America   April 11, 2014

SF		AA		Blackburn, Clayton		4		6		4		2		0		6		3.00		L (0-1)
SF		AAA		Cordier, Erik		1		0		0		0		0		3		9.00
SF		AAA		Escobar, Edwin		4		5		3		3		2		7		7.27
SF		HiA		Gregorio, Joan		5		6		2		1		2		6		1.00		W (1-0)

We see this divergence throughout the organization as far as the pitchers go. The more highly touted guys, like Kyles Crick and Heath Hembree are flashing the control/command red flag. Martin Agosta and Edwin Escobar seem to give up a bunch of hits, the antithesis of getting guys out, Chris Stratton seems to have a higher propensity for giving up the gopher ball than you would like, plus he's a lower level than you would like to see given his age and experience. 

Now if these things are happening to guys at a higher than average level in the minors, you can only imagine what major league hitters will do to them. 

In contrast, guys like Ty Blach, the aforementioned Clayton Blackburn, Derek Law, Kendry Flores, Aldaberto Mejia and Santiago's little brother Jose Casilla seem to fly under the radar as far as generating ink and / or making prospect lists. However, these guys have demonstrated, at least from an advanced metric standpoint, an ability to pitch, get guys out and keep the ball in the yard. Three major components of and predictors for guys who have long / productive big league careers.  

I like this 2012 write up from scout.com generally and the comp to Derek Lowe specifically. 

http://sfgiants.scout.com/2/1176965.html

We see his skillset comparable to an in-his-prime Derek Lowe. While Blackburn is not as big as Lowe, he has a similar style: he is not overpowering, but is able to induce a lot of ground balls while also posting a good strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Lowe has won 176 major league games over his career.  He looks somewhat like Rick Reuschel. "Big Daddy" won 214 games, 44 of them with the Giants late in his career. I think we would take either comparison and win total from Mr. Blackburn.

A Cub pitching prospect shines....for the Cubs

It's good to see the Cubs a pitching prospect they received in a trade for a change after watching Chris Archer develop for the Rays and Casner continue to develop for the Padres. I can't fault them for trying with Garza and was surprised he didn't provide enough return on the king's ransom the Cubs paid to get him and Rizzo at least provided a piece of the puzzle in the everyday lineup, but still.....



Baseball America Prospect Report
Compiled by Baseball America   April 12, 2014

PITCHER OF THE DAY: Corey Black, rhp — Double-A Tennessee (Cubs)There are several pitchers who could easily have been the choice, but the former Yankee prospect—traded for Alfonso Soriano—pitched five no-hit innings in his second Southern League start to get the nod as PoD today. He did not figure in Tennessee's 6-5 win over Chattanooga, but did enough to nose out Archie Bradley (Triple-A Tucson, Diamondbacks); Vince Velazquez (high Class A Lancaster, Astros), and Rafael De Paula (high Class A Tampa, Yankees), other very worthy candidates.

HITTER OF THE DAY: Austin Wilson, of — Low Class A Clinton (Mariners)Wilson, the toolsy 2013 second-rounder from Stanford, was 4-for-5 and knocked in three runs as the LumberKings beat the TinCaps of Fort Wayne 7-1. In his past two games, Wilson is 7-for-9 with a homer and five RBIs. Others in the picture include low Class A Greenville's Manuel Margot (Red Sox), who homered for the third time in the past three games, and low Class A Dayton 1b Sebastian Elizalde (Reds), who was 3-for-5 with a homer.

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Among the Poco Gigantes, Gary Brown continues his good start and Mac Williamson and Ryder Jones continue to struggle. The pitchers bring more encouraging news with Derek Law adjusting well to AA and Keury Mella doing good work in Low-A. Cody Hall gets lit up and Aldaberto Mejia is scuffling a bit at AA, the "seperator" level. It's where the men get sepated from the boys as far as prospects go.  So we continue to watch and wait to see who separates themselves from the pack of prospects.

SF		AAA		Brown, Gary CF		3		0		1		3		.317
SF		HiA		Williamson, Mac DH		4		0		1		0		.200		2B (2)
SF		LoA		Jones, Ryder SS		5		1		3		3		.207		2 2B (3)

SF		AA		Hall, Cody		1		2		3		3		2		0		9.00
SF		AA		Law, Derek		1.1		0		0		0		0		2		0.00		W (1-0)
SF		AA		Mejia, Adalberto		1		2		1		1		0		1		6.00
SF		AA		Osich, Josh		1.1		0		0		0		1		1		3.38
SF		HiA		Agosta, Martin		3		2		2		1		2		3		3.00		L (0-1)
SF		HiA		Okert, Steven		1		1		0		0		1		2		0.00
SF		LoA		Mella, Keury		5		1		1		1		4		7		1.69		W (2-0)

POSTGAME NOTES: A classic Matt Cain start, in just about every way – Giants Extra

This is good news for the Giants. I have been reading some analysis of Cain's mechanics and the "lower arm slot" evidence is out there and it is somewhat concerning, especially when combined with diminished performance and a change in his mix of pitches. Whew....that was a mouthful. It is good to see him closer to his old self than his new self.

He may be entering the same stage that Lincecum has been struggling with for the past couple of year, changing from a higher-K power pitcher pitcher to a lower-K finesse pitcher who is not afraid to hit bats,



from Giants Extra:

POSTGAME NOTES: A classic Matt Cain start, in just about every way – Giants Extra:

"The long-time ace is cleaning up his mechanics and he showed some serious stuff Saturday — including a 94 mph fastball in the first inning. Cain threw 22 of 28 first-pitch strikes and 116 pitches in all, his highest total since September, 2012. He insisted in Los Angeles that he would stick with his approach, and it seemed he was being stubborn. But today, as Cain pounded fastballs over and over again — 63 of them in all — it was pretty clear that Cain can still be effective this way. That’s a good lineup he faced today, and without a mental mistake in the third inning, Cain probably keeps the Rockies off the board."

“He gave us a great effort,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He just had good command of all his pitches. He worked hard early in the game but he still got in a good groove. He just threw quality strikes today.”

Cain got off to a rough start last year, too, and then he turned in a 2.36 ERA after the break — a reminder of what he’s capable of. Saturday was another reminder, and it made it a lot easier for the Giants to walk out of the park after a 1-0 loss with their heads held high.

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Giants Prospects du Jour

Panik and Susac running hot at AAA for the Giants.

Panik is currently blocked by Adrianza and Hicks, leaving aside the venerable Marco Scutaro at 2B.  But not for long if he hits .300 or better in AAA ball. 

Baseball America Prospect Report

Compiled by Baseball America   April 08, 2014



SF AAA Panik, Joe SS 4 0 2 1 .350 3B (1)

SF AAA Susac, Andrew C 4 1 1 1 .500 HR (1), BB (2)



'via Blog this'

Susac may be blocked by Posey behind the dish, unless Panda eventually walks and there is a need for a guy with soft hands and a hard bat, who used to play some SS in college. Don't laugh, it may be in the disaster plan for the off-season. It looked like 1B might be an option for Mr. Posey, but Mr. Belt's offensive outbursts are putting a crimp in any of those plans. 

I guess you have to hope Mr. Morse has a disappointing year and leaves, but think of the young ladies of SF. Why they'd be heart-broken. 

I mean, who would they look to for hair grooming tips and inspiration?

Oh yeah, I forgot about Angel. You know his cap sure does come off a lot. You'd think they could size a cap a little better in the big leagues.

Oh dang, I forgot about Brandon Crawford too. Wonder what he uses to keep his hair looking so marvelous.

from Meet MeAt3rdandKing:

http://meetat3rdandking.tumblr.com/post/16991838436/dan-runzler-what-hair-product-does-brandon

Dan Runzler: What hair product does Brandon Crawford use?

        

Apparently, it's a hot topic after a long, hard game. Not that there's anything wrong with that.....

Plus it hasn't hurt the numbers of one Joe Mauer.



The MLB All-Hair Team 2013:

http://itsalwayssunnyindetroit.com/major-league-baseball-all-hair-team-2013/

No, that doesn't look like it hurts one little bit. Yeeeeeeaaaaahhh!!!

Really though, Lincecum and Sandoval on the all-hair team and not Morse or Pagan?

But this shit makes it? What the hell is going on in Washington D.C.

And Oakland???? This is what beat out Michael Morse. I mean who voted on this shit?

All of this hot-stove speculation is a long way off....but it's still fun. 

Plus it's the only way some of these young guys will get their shot. And apparently on this year's Giants squad, it helps to have luxurious hair. 

It's like the 6th tool for the modern Giant player looking to make the lineup and yes, eventually to score.