The Slav's Baseball Blog - BASEBALL 24-7-365
The Slav's Blog about anything relating to the great game of baseball
- and other less important issues from outside the diamond.
The best baseball blog that you have never heard of.
If anyone had told you that at the beginning of the season, you'd have laughed at them. But it's true and they are giving every indication of being in this thing for the duration of the campaign.
Rocco Baldelli may add something to the roster in the stretch, but if Gabe Gross keeps coming through in the clutch as he has, why bother?
They really need the bullpen to remain healthy and the Rays have some young arms in the minors yo offer pitching depth if needed later in the season.
The Cubs and the White Sox maintain Windy City hopes of an all Chicago Series.
The Mets and Yankees seem poised to fall off the pace in their respective divisions and given the Mets treatment of Willie Randolph, I'll root for that to happen.
The Twins and Tigers are showing signs of life in the AL Central as are the Brewers in the NL Central Division. The Indians seem to be trying to figure out whether to pack it in for this season (trade C.C.) or hang in there for the long haul (keep C.C.).
In the AL West, the Angels and A's will battle into September, I'm not sure if Texas has the pitching to join them. In the NL West, the division of apathy, whoever can strng together an 8-10 game winning streak should be able to hold off the also-rans. look for the D-Backs to right the ship eventually.
So, that's 18-10 (.643 record or 104 win per season pace) when the first three guys are pitching. But, 4-19 when the other two slots trot out to the bump.
Theoretically, with two guys who could just pitch .500 or 11-12, and the Giants record could be 29-22 instead of 22-29. The bullpen is 12-15, figure them for .500 record in their decisions, with a better 4-5 combo.
So you could go from 29-22 starter plus 13-14 relievers = 42-36 record. Instead of 22-29 plus 12-15 = 34-44 record, an 8 game swing.
Arizona leads the division at 40-39 as we speak.
I'm not saying anything. I'm just saying.
Two guys at the bottom of your rotation have to improve from horse-shit to average MLB quality. That's the difference between contention and also ran status. AMAZING!!
1 month ago: San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Hinshaw makes his major league debut and throws against Houston Astros' Michael Bourn during the eighth inning of their baseball game in San Francisco, Thursday, May 15, 2008. Houston won the game 8-7.
Maybe it's just me but does this guy look like a left-handed version of Tim Lincecum?
Hinshaw has that sort of wiry build that Lincecum brings, so maybe I'm just looking for lightning to strike twice. He's a 6-4, 190 left-hander from San Diego State and was the Giants 15th round pick in 2005. Generally, his K/IP number is over 1.0 and his WHIP is ~1.0. He had 50 K's and allowed 22 H and 19 BB in 41.1 IP in Class AA ball this year with a .155 AVG against so he appeared to dominate hitters there. We'll have to see if that translates to the bigs.
In the real world, the Giants rotation would be Cain, Lincecum, Sanchez, Correia and Hinshaw. But since the Giants management does not have the stones that the Tigers and Jim Leyland have demonstrated, we get the Big Zit in the rotation every fifth day.
The Tigers, by contrast, were willing to send an effective, out of shape Dontrelle Willis down to Class-A ball instead continuing to let him stink up the joint at the major league level.
I'd rather see the kids play at this point, just so we have an idea of what the future holds. A decision needs to be made on Noah Lowry once he comes off the DL as well. Lowry was frequently mentioned in trade discussions, that may change once he comes back unless he can show anything near his old form.
There are a plethora of prospects for the Giants who either are around or past 25 years old, some of whom are still toiling in AA ball. The team really needs to find out what these guys can do, it's time to fish or cut bait. We'll take a look at some of these guys and the overall state of the Giants farm system in the weeks to come.
A major deal or free-agent signing is doubtful in the next couple of years given the Giants current roster, the farm system is the only way this team will advance.
Durham, Winn, Aurilia maybe Molina in a year or so should be out, the fruits of the last couple of drafts, needs to be mixed in. ------------------------------ RAYS UPDATE:
I found the statistical breakdown I was looking for the other day when I asked if the Rays were for real. The Rays record vs. the presumptive AL contenders are as follows:
BOS 3-6 NYY 5-5 LAA 4-2 OAK 2-1 CWS 4-3 MIN 1-1
That's 19-18 overall, they have not played CLE or DET to date. Add in 8-3 vs. BAL, 5-1 vs. TOR and 4-2 vs. TEX and you have a pretty good record vs. their peers.
Not so fast my Windy City brethren, what about those Rays from Tampa that ran through both teams like a runaway freight train?
The Rays completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs at the Trop this week after having taken three of four from the Chicago White Sox earlier in the season. Both the Cubs and White Sox are in first place in their respective divisions. The Cubs had the best record in baseball at the time of the Rays series. The Rays have also played the Red Sox and Yankees, the networks favored children, on better than even terms.
So the question that is beginning to develop is "How serious a contender is this Rays team?" Can a rotation of Kazmir, Garza, Shields, Sonanstine and Jackson continue to carry this team through the dog days of July and August, and into the white-hot heat of a September pennant chase?
They are winning the close games, the mark of a strong bullpen and generally a versatile offense that can score runs in a variety of ways. They are better than .500 against every division in the American League, demonstrating dominance across the board against the other contenders.
They generally play the Yankees very well, which will be important as they try to hold them off down the stretch. The only concern at this point may be the home/road splits. The are playing extremely well at the Trop, but they need to bring the road record closer to .500 to close the deal.
I think they will be able to do this as the season progresses primarily because after the All-Star break some team will begin to pack it in somewhat (Royals, Mariners, etc.) and the Rays should be able to pick up some momentum there.
The longer this team hangs around, the longer these younger guys who have not been beaten down by the Rays prior tradition of not being competitive are allowed to see themselves atop the division and in the pennant/wild card chase, the harder it's going to be to knock them out down the stretch.
The Rays youthful exuberance and energy, I believe, will trump the Red Sox, Yankees and Angels experience. As long as the testing for amphetamines is as serious as we've been led to believe.
Good to see the old St. Petersburg Pelicans uniforms from the Senior Professional Baseball Association used as throwback uniforms. The league, which I believe was patterned after the Senior Golf tour, was a good idea that never quite caught on. But I do remember going to a couple of the games at Al Lang Field and it was a lot of fun.
Go RAYS. My favorite team in that league that uses the goofy DH.
This is former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly's latest submission to ESPN, his new employer. The WWLIS committed millions to lure this guy over, read the excerpt below and see if you can't guess where I believe they should have committed a few extra dollars. -------------------- http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3450245
You've heard of Kill the Ump, Lynch the Ump, and Strangle the Ump, right? Well, get ready for the latest thing—Bean the Ump.
It happened on May 31 in the Georgia high school Class AAA championship game. Stephens County was losing to Cartersville 9-1 early, partly because nine straight SCHS batters had struck out. The last ring-up so hacked off superstar shortstop Ethan Martin—who had just been drafted 15th overall by the Dodgers—that he threw his helmet in protest. But that figured. Martin and his brother, Cody, who was pitching, reportedly had been complaining about balls and strikes the entire game.
So now it's the bottom of the fourth, with Ethan playing short and Cody on the mound. The catcher is Matt Hill. There are no outs. The count is 0-1. Cody winds up and flings a very high, very hard fastball. Hill comes out of his squat, puts his glove up to catch it, then does a very funny thing.
He doesn't. -------------------------- Did you get it?
Well, maybe it's because your reading a blog, written by someone who is probably typing away from his Mom's basement. No thanks, I have my own basement.
In my opinion, ESPN and/or the esteemed Mr. Reilly ought to seriously consider allocating more of the company funds to proof readers and maybe a fact checker or two.
PARAGRAPH 2, LINE 1: It happened on May 31 in the Georgia high school Class AAA championship game.
Check, that's true, it's so true. OMG this guy is so good. He's all over this.
MIDDLE OF SAME PARAGRAPH: The last ring-up so hacked off superstar shortstop Ethan Martin—who had just been drafted 15th overall by the Dodgers—
Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, stop the presses, Stop the F$%^king presses!!!!
Hey dingbat, most baseball fans know the MLB Draft is in June. ESPN covered it and everything. So how could this hot-shot SS have been already drafted in a game held on May 31st, when the draft was not held until early June??
Explain that one to me hot-shot. Explain it to me like I'm a six-year old. Did this kid have one of those flux, capacitor, DeLorean cars from Back to the Future or something?
What is wrong with you people at ESPN!!! This is amateurish work at best. Why I wouldn't wipe my blog with this crap. This is shoddy journalism that I wouldn't expect from a blogger. --------------------------- I'm firing off a letter to the folks at ESPN and Mr. Reilly as we speak.
It reads as follows:
Interesting that you would choose a story that has been all over the blogosphere (mine included) for your first choice with ESPN.
Aren't you afraid of the backlash from Costas and his crowd?
Also, on a minor point, the SS had not been drafted yet. The game occurred May 31st, I believe and the draft was early June.
Not that the kid wasn't aware that he was likely to be a high draftee and this may have been in factor in his attitude about being "rung up".
I can imagine he gave him a ration of his "don't you know me, I'm a potential first-rounder" smack that may charm the local teenage girls, but really doesn't sway too many umpires that I know of.
Now, if someone would proof-read my work and check all relevant facts, this is a go people. I think our work is done here. AND DON'T FORGET TO RUN THE SPELL-CHECK BEFORE YOU LEAVE.
The top of this draft looks like it could provide solid help for the G-men quickly. Buster Posey should make a near immediate impact behind the plate. If Conor Gillespie can approach the Bill Mueller comparisons, that would make most Giant fans very happy. If the system is able to squeeze out one solid starter from the combination of Crawford and Kieschnick, then this draft goes from very good to GREAT.
The farm system is helped even further by the report that the Giants signed 16 year old Rafael Rodriguez as a free agent. He has been compared to "Vladimir Guerrero because of his size and power with the bat" according to one ESPN report.
He would immediately join 18 year old phenom Angel Villalona at or near the top of the Giants prospect list.
After a strong Cape season, Gillaspie has followed up with an excellent junior campaign. He's a terrific hitter and has been over .400 for most of the year. His lack of power makes it hard to profile him anywhere other than as a Bill Mueller-type third baseman. There are worse things to be, of course, and a team that values what Gillaspie can do will surely take him.
Kieschnick is a potential five-tool corner outfielder who could hit for power and steal a few bases. He plays a fearless outfield, getting to plenty of balls and showing off a good arm at times. The one knock is an issue with his mechanics at the plate that concerns some about his hitting ability at the next level. Still, an aggressive college outfielder -- in a weak class of outfielders -- who has those tools should get plenty of interest.
After his first two seasons at UCLA, Crawford seemed poised to be one of the top collegiate middle infielders in the class. But a rough Cape season appears to have carried over and he's lost some confidence in his game, both at the plate and in the field. Some added thickness to his lower half has taken away a little of his quickness, though he's still a solid shortstop. If he can right himself, he's the kind of player who usually sees himself go off the board within the first couple of rounds.
It is with great sadness that our nation receives the news that the collegiate career of Buster Posey has tragically come to an end with today's loss to the Miami Hurricanes in Omaha.
What makes this disaster even more senseless is this--IT DID NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN. The Florida State coaching staff will have to live with the shameful fact that they had the ultimate weapon at their disposal--LOCKED AND LOADED--and yet, chose not to use it with their season on the line against their most hated rival.
Listen, everyone knows that Posey played nine positions in one seven inning game against Savannah State, causing the panty-waists at ESPN to utter their disdain for the FSU program.
Remember this rant?
What was stopping Coach Martin, who is greatly respected, from handing in a lineup composed of Buster Posey playing every position on the field AT THE SAME TIME!!!
Especially in this game of games. You had him warmed up to the task by playing all nine positions over a seven-inning stretch in the tune-up against Savannah State. Why not turn him loose now?
I realize this approach has only happened one time in baseball history, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Remember this episode, boys and girls?
THE CLASSIC ALL-BUGS BUNNY BASEBALL LINEUP EPISODE:
It can only be the fear of public outcry and possible reprisals against the university that stopped them. But I ask you, Seminole Nation, is this the Florida State University you grew to know and love? The same Seminole Nation which most of the rest of the nation grew up to know and dislike with a passion?
When has the FSU program let public outcries like the PTI-style rant stop them in the past in their quest to over-hype FSU athletes. This is the program that uber-hyped J.D. Drew after he hit like a 900-foot home run one time. And who can forget the time Marshall MacDougall hit like ten home runs against Maryland once.
What they forgot to mention in the media hype was that J.D. Drew hit his home run with 120 MPH plus hurricane force winds at this back and that the game Marshall MacDougall hit his home runs, the game was played at a local Little League field, after Maryland's on-campus baseball field was overrun by angry Terrapins. But who cares? Both events happened. FSU won both games. And if they had to rub an occasional opponents face in the turf in pursuit of Garland and Gold glory, well tough titties, right?
Florida State is the same university that allowed Deon Sanders to engage in glorious fits of self-aggrandizement and spasmodic touchdown dances with body parts gyrating like a Dice-K gyroball. You can't tell me that most, if not all of America--including the knuckleheads on PTI--did not completely enjoy that era.
Can you just imagine a lineup of nine copies of Buster Posey and the baseball havoc such a lineup would wreck? They would theoretically defeat a lineup of every human being, living or dead, with the possible exception of a lineup consisting of nine Mike Ditka's.
To attempt to find out if our theoretical lineup would prevail, we used the famous Sagarin number to estimate what carnage such a lineup would produce. The Sagarin number essentially tells you how many runs per game would be scored by a lineup that consisted of nine copies of the same player.
THE SAGARIN NUMBER COMPUTATION: 25 * (SLG *OBA) / (1- AVG)
Using Buster Posey's Season Numbers as of June 16th:
SUCH A LINEUP WOULD PRODUCE APPROXIMATELY 23 RUNS PER GAME.
INSTEAD OF LOSING 7-5 TO MIAMI, CLEARLY FSU WINS BY 23-2.
WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND CHOOSES TO LOSE 7-5 WHEN THEY CAN WIN 23-2??
And with Buster Posey pitching just his average game, which is all that would be required with a line-up of nine other Buster Posey's providing more than adequate run support, the all-Buster Posey team would have easily:
a) Defeated the Miami Hurricanes
b) Defeated the other college boy teams currently in Omaha
c) treated Erin Andrews to the weekend of her wildest dreams (no Rick Sutcliffe, you're not in them)
and
d) whet the nation's appetite for the all-Buster Posey vs. all-Mike Ditka team which would be held on pay-per-view the proceeds of which would
e) retire the National Debt with enough coin leftover to
f) fund national health care for everyone, including illegal aliens, visiting aliens, E.T. and
g) cure climate change
So as you can see, the FSU coaching staff has committed a blunder of near biblical proportions by not listening to the FSU sports marketing machine.
But FSU has not committed nearly as big a blunder as the Baseball Hall of Fame. No, I'm not talking about Pete Rose again. But seriously, how can the Baseball HOF, in good conscience, allow the Abbott and Costello comedy routine to enter the hallowed Hall, and continue to keep out the classic Bugs Bunny episode?
Baseball Fans of the World, it's time to rise up and end this injustice. Tell the Hall it's time to right this wrong. Send them cards, letters, e-mails and faxes until they scream Uncle. It's the right thing to do.
WILL THE WORLD SERIES VISIT WRIGLEY FIELD THIS SEASON??
A few surprises so far as we near the mid-season point. On the positive side, why not lead-off with the Rays who are playing at a 90-95 win pace? This should be enough to put them in the playoffs for the first time in team history. That qualifies them as the biggest positive surprise in baseball so far.
Next, as strange as this sounds, even though I picked the Cubs to win their division and advance to/win the World Series, their best record in baseball status qualifies them as the next biggest positive surprise.
Not to be outdone, the South side Chicago entrant, the White Sox, leading the AL Central has to put them at or near the top of the positive surprises this season as well. A Chicago vs. Chicago World Series would certainly be a great match up. But, there's a long way to go.
The other positive also-rans so far would have to be the Cardinals, the A's in the AL West, and the Astros.
OK, the Giants too. By using some form of twisted, convoluted logic, since they are not on a 100+ loss pace, are currently in third place in their division, they have some credibility to claim themselves as a positive surprise. This does seem like damning the team with faint praise though, does it not? Also, the fact that they are in third place in their division says more about the fortunes of the Padres and the Rockies this season than the Giants......
Which provides a smooth transition to the negative surprises this season.
The Rockies and the Padres, by virtue of their being behind the Giants in the standings, have got to be the front-runners. You don't see anyone else struggling behind the Royals or the Pirates or the Nationals now, do you? So who else should I pick?
Maybe from amongst the Tigers, the Indians and the Brewers? Fair enough, but only on the basis of their pre-season expectations. And in fairness, all three of these would be contenders have started to show signs of life lately, especially the Tigers.
How about the New Yorkers, with both the Mutts and the Yankees treading water around the .500 mark? Perhaps, but I'm not sure either of these two have or had much more to give then that. They seem to be right about where you would have expected them to be.
Give the salary and the expectation level, how long will it be before either of these two teams start making serious roster moves? My guess is the All-Star break, plus or minus a couple of games. ------------------------ In fairness, I had the Cubs and D-Backs as Division winners :) along with the Mutts :(, with the Brewers in the Wild Card spot. Hey, two for four so far.
In the AL, we had the Angels and Red Sox as Division winners :), with the Tigers :(, and the Indians as the Wild Card, damn White Sox. Again, two for four.
SEEMS LIKE WE'RE WILLING TO FALL FOR THE SAME TRICKS OVER AND OVER AND OVER
The story reminds me of a quote by former Oakland A's third-baseman Sal Bando made in June 1974, after a disappointing loss. Bando said that A's manager Alvin Dark "couldn't manage a meat market."
And this is somewhat frightening to me because by my calculations, it seems like we're destined to get a President who was once a U.S. Senator, no matter what happens from now to November.
It seems the Senate apparently cannot run a simple restaurant and catering business. Something I'm sure many people on Main Street, USA are able to do on a daily basis.
Yet, we the people (Charlie Brown), are willing to turn over important pieces of our lives (health care, energy policy, environment) for these these Senators and Congressman (Lucy) to control (hold the football). And then we'll act surprised, like the aforementioned blockhead Mr. C. Brown, when we end up flat on our collective backs again.
These are the same folks who want to take over the management of health-care in this country. The same folks that want to confiscate "windfall profits" from the oil companies, presumably to micro-manage our nation's transition from carbon-based fuels to cleaner sources. Both are major tasks that would make them responsible for large chunks of our overall economy and our futures. And as we see from the story, they can't even run a restaurant and catering business profitably. Remarkable.
At least the House of Representatives seems to have understood how to get things done right a long time ago. Which makes sense because in terms of composition and personalities, the House is made up of folks who are closer to the people then the know-it-all, prima-donnas in the Senate. Real people that have run real businesses and achieved results in the real world know how to get things done, they know how things work. Senators clearly don't and they historically have made piss-poor Presidents. God help us. ------------------------- Story in the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/08/AR2008060801765.html
Year after year, decade upon decade, the U.S. Senate's network of restaurants has lost staggering amounts of money -- more than $18 million since 1993, according to one report, and an estimated $2 million this year alone, according to another.
The financial condition of the world's most exclusive dining hall and its affiliated Capitol Hill restaurants, cafeterias and coffee shops has become so dire that, without a $250,000 subsidy from taxpayers, the Senate won't make payroll next month.
The embarrassment of the Senate food service struggling like some neighborhood pizza joint has quietly sparked change previously unthinkable for Democrats. Last week, in a late-night voice vote, the Senate agreed to privatize the operation of its food service, a decision that would, for the first time, put it under the control of a contractor and all but guarantee lower wages and benefits for the outfit's new hires. ----------------------------------- I suppose one of the fortunate things is that these neophytes can't seem to accomplish their way out of a wet paper bag. It didn't seem to matter which debate--mainly the Democratic side with Barry, Hillary and Michael J. Fox (when he was still in the race)--but in listening to these knuckle heads speak about the economy or world events, it always seemed like I was watching folks running for student council President instead of President of the United States, the leader of the free-world.
--------------------------------------- Apparently, even though the Dems have a majority in both houses and a presumptive President on the way, they can't get much in the way of their stated agenda accomplished.
Big oil companies dodged an attempt yesterday to levy a windfall profits tax and take away tax breaks in response to record gas prices.
GOP senators shoved aside the Democratic proposal, arguing that punishing Big Oil would do more harm than good and won't lower the $4-plus-a-gallon-price of gasoline that is sending economic waves across the country.
The bill would have imposed a 25 percent tax on any "unreasonable" profits of the five largest U.S. oil companies - Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhilips and Dutch-based Royal Dutch Shell plc and British-based BP plc - which together made about $36 billion during the first three months of the year. It also would have rescinded tax breaks expected to save the firms $17 billion over the next 10 years.
----------------------------------------------- Then today after failing to push through the “windfall profits” tax on oil companies, they figured they would try to help the unemployed.
And all they really seemed to accomplish was another swing and a miss for STRIKE TWO.
According to the New York Times, "The House on Wednesday narrowly defeated a plan to provide added unemployment aid for Americans whose benefits are running out after Republicans, bolstered by a White House veto threat, opposed the measure,"
"As part of an escalating Congressional fight over economic issues, a Democratic plan to provide an additional 13 weeks of benefits to Americans out of jobs -- or another 26 weeks in states where unemployment exceeds 6 percent -- fell 3 votes short of approval in a 279-to-144 vote."
I guess it seems like we''re destined for more gridlock and incompetence no matter who gets elected. I don't know when we'll learn not to get fooled by the same old rhetoric, the same old games.
We should just throw all the bums out and start over. I'm not sure what the bums average is with an 0-2 count, but it can;t be good.
He plays for the the Florida State Seminoles.
And they're going to OMAHA.
That's like the World Series for college players, dude.
So he's playing in the College World Series.
And Buster's not his for-real name, it's like a nickname, but it's kind of cool.
And he's like 6-2, 200 lbs, OMG. 6-2.....
And he plays all nine positions on the field.
Which, like, pisses off Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon.
Which, incidentally, is another reason to like him, OMG.
SEE PTI RANT - I USED TO LIKE THIS SHOW - BUT NOT ANYMORE
These guys are just jealous because they can't play nine positions
like Buster Posey can
And they're not 6-2 and 200 lbs.
like Buster Posey is
And they're not in the College World Series.
like Buster Posey is....
So, I think I (heart) Buster Posey, already, and technically, he's not even a Giant.
OMG, do you think he likes us???
I hope so.
I hope we sign him.
I heard he wants $12 million dollars, just to sign.
OMG, I think we should give him like, $12 hundred million dollars.
I hear that, he was going to be the very first pick, by the Devil Rays, but they didn't have $12 million dollars, do they tried to find someone who would work cheaper.
WAY TO GO DEVIL RAYS!!!!
THEY'RE SO STUPID!!!!
It's weird, when I see FSU play now and Posey comes to bat, it's like this song becomes the soundtrack in my head:
I hope that doesn't make me GAY!!
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I mean, we are talking about Buster Posey, right?
I think my wife is getting angry and jealous already.
Or maybe that "Why don't you just change your name to Mrs. Buster Posey?" crack was meant to be a joke.
Or maybe I am mentioning his name a bit too much.
OMG, I wasn't always this mental, but being a Giant fan lately is killing me.
It used to be so easy. I mean we always had a superstar player to hold onto. So even though we weren't winning World Series--which is the whole point of playing, I'm told--we could always point to that one guy and say "yeah, but we have (fill in the blank)". And now we don't have that guy anymore. Let's review:
GIANTS HISTORY OF STARDOM IN MY SPORTS FANATIC LIFETIME:
1965-71 Willie Mays
1972-74 Bobby Bonds
1975-76 Bobby Murcer (traded for Bonds-WTF were they thinking-drinking?)
1977-84 Jack Clark
1985 Jeffrey Leonard (One Flap Down)
1986-93 Will "The Thrill" Clark
1993-07 Barry Bonds
2008 NOTHING, NADA, BUPKUS
If you look at it, this is only the third year in the last FORTY TWO or FORTY THREE YEARS I've been a fan, that we didn't have a bona-fide, every-day player as a hitting star.
OK, so maybe I'm on the rebound as a fan. Feeling like a middle-aged, newly-minted divorcee, thrust back into the dating pool, after the Bonds years. Maybe I don't know how to act anymore, or what to look for. Am I being to easy, or should I play hard to get?
I don't know any of THE RULES anymore. This sucks, life is SO HARD.
Oh, don't get me wrong, Aaron Rowand is so cute and bless his heart, he'd run through a wall for you. He's going to make some fan REALLY, REALLY happy someday. But he doesn't scare anybody with his bat. And neither does Bengie Molina. And I need a super-star who carries a big bat....wait a minute, let me re-phrase that....Aw hell, you know what I mean.
You know, from 1965 to 1971, we had Willie Mays. As a fan, how would you like to be walking down the street with that on your arm, huh? The ultimate shut-up to the other teams front-running fans. Those were great years. We were all so happy.
Then Willie left, he had to go to New York. He didn't really want to go and we didn't want to let him go either, but Horace Stoneham was drunk one night or had some financial problems or something and like a really evil step-dad, he sold Willie to the Mets....3,000 miles away....so we couldn't see him anymore. And all we got was some cash and Charlie Williams, a two-bit pitcher in return. CHARLIE WILLIAMS!!! I can't be seen with a Charlie Williams. And the cash part just made being a Giant fan feel dirty or something. Selling our best players for money to the rich teams, like we were a bunch of two-bit whores.
But we did have Bobby Bonds. The next Willie Mays, we were told. And boy did he look it...at first. I mean he could run and throw and hit and field pretty much like Willie.
And did you see the body on that guy?
OMG, dude was chiseled.
And this was before baseball dudes were supposed to be chiseled.
But you always got the feeling something was wrong. Maybe we were in denial and somewhat on the rebound then as well... still not quite over Willie....so we didn't quite see the signs....or we ignored them in the name of convenience....Like when you were dating that hot chick and you kinda sensed she was psycho....but the SEX was wild so you ignored the fact that you just might wake up some morning with a screwdriver driven into your neck or a hatchet embedded in your skull.
So eventually, Bobby had to go too....to another team, the Yankees....for Bobby Murcer.....Tell me that wasn't humiliating? But Bobby was never the same as when he was with us. Which is a form of redemption, but it still was painful to see him struggle.
And all we got back was Bobby Murcer. Bobby Freaking Murcer. Don't get me wrong, great guy and OMG he tried so hard to please, but he brought his over-inflated 30 HR per year stats, hitting half the time into the short porch in RF that was Yankee Stadium, into real-man sized ballparks and the guy couldn't break 10-15 homers per season. Qu'elle disappointment!!!!!
Life was messed up then, we were kind of confused. The only thing we had to hold onto was the pitching staff. We had Montefusco and D'Acquisto and Halicki. But damn it boys, these guys were pitchers.
Who's the guy we're going to root for every day?
Where was the big stick in the lineup?
This was the team of Mays and McCovey.
Hell, we might have settled for another Jim Ray Hart.
1975 and 76 were some pretty sorry years to be a Giant fan, I can tell you that. Much like today.
Then along came Jack Clark. The way he hit, they called him "Jack the Ripper". Now that's the kind of guy, with the kind of nickname, that you could just wrap your arms around and hold onto for a few years.
And all was well from 1977-1984...
With Jack....
But then Jack left. I'm not sure where Jack went. But I do remember he had some good years with the Cardinals, and that was nice. We were actually kind of happy for him really. But when he went to the Dodgers, and I knew he wasn't coming back. Good riddance.....we couldn't take him back after he'd been with THEM!!!
So in 1985, we had a brief but productive fling with Jeffrey Leonard, who took us to the playoffs.....titillated us with his "One flap down" home-run trot...and then he was gone....quicker than a one night stand really.....But it was OK.... Really, it was. Because he was just keeping the seat warm for the new kid.
Will "The Thrill" Clark came to the big club from Mississippi State, to take us through the 80's and into the 90's. From 1986 to 1993, with that sweet-swinging Cajun, all was right again as a fan.
Will sure gave us some good years, boy...
he could really hit.....
but once he started to lose it...
he just didn't fit in amongst cosmopolitan San Francisco anymore....
Somehow his Cajun, tobacco-spittin' ways stood out like a sore thumb....
Funny, didn't seem so weird when he was hitting well.....
And so....The Thrill...was soon gone....
Once again, we tried to to find the ultimate hitting machine. And we did, in Pittsburgh, toiling for the Pirates, but longing to come home and make his name with the Giants....BARRY LAMAR BONDS.
So briefly in 1993, we actually had Barry Bonds and Will Clark in the same lineup. Can you believe it? BARRY BONDS AND WILL CLARK. At the same time.
But you knew it couldn't last....
It's like a three-some with you and two red-hot, super-models.....
who used to be gymnasts.....
great while it lasted, but you knew it wasn't going to last for long...
something had to give.....
So old Will had to go play for Texas and later, the Cardinals.
He never really looked the same in those uniforms as he did when he was with us though.
He really didn't hit that well, either.
Seemed kind of old and used up.
HEHEHEHEHE.
The last fifteen years (has it really been fifteen years?) were some of the best years a Giant fan ever had, in spite of what the outside world tried to make us think.
A World Series appearance, a near decade long dominance of the Dodgers.
Oh yes, that was such sweet icing on the cake.
Everything but a World Series Championship, I suppose.
And so, as Giants fans, we keep looking...
You see, something about being a Giants player...
there's a history of greatness....
A legacy to uphold and build upon.
Which brings us back to Draft Day and Buster Posey.
Do you think Buster Posey will fit into this legacy?
Apparently his college coach thinks so, this from FSU coach Martin on Poseys' chances of making it in the bigs:
"I've never been so sure of something in my life," Martin Jr. said. "He is a classic inside-out hitter, a Derek Jeter type, who really gets inside the ball and makes a lot of solid contact. That's what I tell people, he's Jason Varitek behind the plate and he's Derek Jeter as a hitter, and I really believe that."
HOLY HOT HANNAH!!!! PART JASON VARITEK, PART DEREK JETER????
1. Joey Bart 6-2, 215 C Power arm and a power bat, playing a premium defensive position. Good catch and throw skills.
2. Heliot Ramos 6-2, 185 OF Potential high-ceiling player the Giants have been looking for. Great bat speed, early returns were impressive.
3. Chris Shaw 6-3. 230 1B Lefty power bat, limited defensively to 1B, Matt Adams comp?
4. Tyler Beede 6-4, 215 RHP from Vanderbilt projects as top of the rotation starter when he works out his command/control issues. When he misses, he misses by a bunch.
5. Stephen Duggar 6-1, 170 CF Another toolsy, under-achieving OF in the Gary Brown mold, hoping for better results.
6. Sandro Fabian 6-0, 180 OF Dominican signee from 2014, shows some pop in his bat. Below average arm and lack of speed should push him towards LF.
7. Aramis Garcia 6-2, 220 C from Florida INTL projects as a good bat behind the dish with enough defensive skill to play there long-term
8. Heath Quinn 6-2, 190 OF Strong hitter, makes contact with improving approach at the plate. Returns from hamate bone injury.
9. Garrett Williams 6-1, 205 LHP Former Oklahoma standout, Giants prototype, low-ceiling, high-floor prospect.
10. Shaun Anderson 6-4, 225 RHP Large frame, 3.36 K/BB rate. Can start or relieve
11. Jacob Gonzalez 6-3, 190 3B Good pedigree, impressive bat for HS prospect.
12. Seth Corry 6-2 195 LHP Highly regard HS pick. Was mentioned as possible chip in high profile trades.
13. C.J. Hinojosa 5-10, 175 SS Scrappy IF prospect in the mold of Kelby Tomlinson, just gets it done.
14. Garett Cave 6-4, 200 RHP He misses a lot of bats and at times, the plate. 13 K/9 an 5 B/9. Wild thing.
2019 MLB Draft - Top HS Draft Prospects
1. Bobby Witt, Jr. 6-1,185 SS Colleyville Heritage HS (TX) Oklahoma commit. Outstanding defensive SS who can hit. 6.4 speed in 60 yd. Touched 97 on mound. Son of former major leaguer. Five tool potential.
2. Riley Greene 6-2, 190 OF Haggerty HS (FL) Florida commit.Best HS hitting prospect. LH bat with good eye, plate discipline and developing power.
3. C.J. Abrams 6-2, 180 SS Blessed Trinity HS (GA) High-ceiling athlete. 70 speed with plus arm. Hitting needs to develop as he matures. Alabama commit.
4. Reece Hinds 6-4, 210 SS Niceville HS (FL) Power bat, committed to LSU. Plus arm, solid enough bat to move to 3B down the road. 98MPH arm.
5. Daniel Espino 6-3, 200 RHP Georgia Premier Academy (GA) LSU commit. Touches 98 on FB with wipe out SL.
2019 MLB Draft - Top College Draft Prospects
1. Adley Rutschman C Oregon State Plus defender with great arm. Excellent receiver plus a switch hitter with some pop in the bat.
2. Shea Langliers C Baylor Excelent throw and catch skills with good pop time. Quick bat, uses all fields approach with some pop.
3. Zack Thompson 6-2 LHP Kentucky Missed time with an elbow issue. FB up to 95 with plenty of secondary stuff.
4. Matt Wallner 6-5 OF Southern Miss Run producing bat plus mid to upper 90's FB closer. Power bat from the left side, athletic for size.
5. Nick Lodolo LHP TCU Tall LHP, 95MPH FB and solid breaking stuff.
