Scout.com: SF Giants Prospect Profile: LHP Josh Osich

Scout.com: SF Giants Prospect Profile: LHP Josh Osich:
Position: Pitcher
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 235
Born: 9/3/1988

Background

Osich was beginning to hit an upswing in his career in 2009 with Oregon State. Used almost solely out of the bullpen, he posted a 2.05 ERA and held opponents to a .170 batting average against.

However, Tommy John Surgery kept him out for the 2010 season.

Osich rebounded in 2011, throwing a no-hitter against UCLA in which he struck out 13 batters. However, elbow soreness caused him to fall in the draft, where the Giants took him in the sixth round (207th overall).

Scouting report

Injury is perhaps the only reason Osich was not a first round pick in 2011.

Heading into the draft, he was projected to be a first round sandwich pick, and ESPN’s Keith Law had him rated as the #49 draft-eligible prospect.

However, his elbow soreness, coupled with his previous Tommy John surgery, caused teams to stay away.

While Osich started during his fifth-year senior season at Oregon State, he spent the majority of his college career as a reliever. That also might be the best route for his professional career to go to help preserve his elbow. Osich sits in the high 90s with his fastball.

Future outlook

At this point in his career, it appears that Osich will continue his path to the big leagues through the bullpen. He began the season in the bullpen for single-A San Jose, and has not yet given up a run in 7 2/3 innings, recording 10 strikeouts with two walks. However, he is currently on the disabled list with an elbow strain -- something that will likely always be a concern for him in his career.

If he can manage to stay healthy, he has the raw ability to have success at the big league level. Osich has a strong fastball-changeup combo, and has a good grasp of the strike zone.

His situation reminds us of Mike Gonzalez, a talented left-handed reliever with elbow trouble. Like Gonzalez, if Osich can stay healthy, he has the ability to have a successful major league career.

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Baseball cards found in attic sold for more than $566K at auction - ESPN

Had I known you were supposed to hide your baseball cards in the attic so your mother couldn't throw them away on you...Oh well, this is a cool story anyway.

from ESPN:
Baseball cards found in attic sold for more than $566K at auction - ESPN:

"TOLEDO, Ohio -- The discovery of century-old baseball cards in an Ohio attic isn't going to make anyone super-rich even though it's being called one of the most exciting finds in the history of sports card collecting. That's because the cards and the money are being evenly divided among 20 cousins."

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WWJD? IDK it seems so hard to figure out, right?

It seems pretty clear what he "would" do, based on what he "did" do. The whole chasing the money changers out of the temple thing. Multiple times, it seems, because like cockroaches they kept coming back.

It actually seems silly to ponder WWJD as a question anymore when we live in a world that ever increasingly seems more inclined to answer the question more along the lines of  "What would Judas do?"

Seems as if Herr Emanuel has an interesting perspective we may all want to model. You've come full circle Rahm-bo. Spinning like a freaking top. Good job, good effort!!! You should be so proud of your choices. There's no hate in that crowd of yours, right?

Here's the kind of results you get from implementing these highly vaunted "Chicago values".

from nbcchicago.com
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/The-Deadliest-Global-City-163874546.html

Among what are considered Alpha world cities, Chicago has the highest murder rate -- higher even than the Third World metropolises of Mexico City and Sao Paolo.

Here’s how we rank in murders per 100,000 among cities we consider our peers, based on a projected murder total of 505 for this year.

Singapore 0.4
Tokyo 0.5
Hong Kong 0.6
Berlin 1.0
Sydney 1.0
London 1.4
Toronto 1.7
Amsterdam 1.8
Paris 4.4
New York 6.0
Los Angeles 7.5
Mexico City 8.0
Moscow 9.6
Sao Paulo 15.6
Chicago 19.4

We could be doing worse: Caracas, Venezuela has a murder rate of 130 per 100,000. But its undeniable that the Windy City is under seige.

WOW!!! We're comforted by the fact that we aren't Caracas, Venezuela. Yet!!! Because Emanuel and Company read from the same play-book as Hugo Chavez. Chavez must just be better at executing the plays.

Yes, WWJD indeed. It's pretty clear in many ways WWJD, we just have a consistent listening and comprehension problem to deal with. Too much "political correctness" shit in our ears and our heads.

It's not too difficult to understand folks.

Sabean on Pence move: “Right now, we needed all the help we could get.” | Giants Extra

I like the deal, I like Hunter Pence a lot. Always have from back when he was with the Astros.
However, it still smacks of 'the dog chasing his tail' of mistakes. If we don't let Cody Ross walk away, we don't have to give up two additional prospects for Pence.

The prospects were (over?) payment for the prior mistake as well as compensation to get the more premium player in the Pence vs. Schierholz tale of the tape.

Pence will add some heart, some soul, some flavor that's been lost since Ross left and Huff hit the couch. Sorely needed, as it seems as if the Giants were becoming a tad corporate lately. Time will tell.

from mercurynews.com:
Sabean on Pence move: “Right now, we needed all the help we could get.” | Giants Extra:

"The Giants had their eye on Pence a year ago but weren’t able to pull the trigger. As the Phillies fell out of the race, a deal came into place. Schierholtz was said to be “a required piece” and the Phillies were high on catcher Tommy Joseph. Sabean feels that Seth Rosin, the third player in the deal, has a chance to pitch in the big leagues at some point and the Phillies agreed.

“It was talent we had prepared ourselves to be able to move for various reasons,” he said. “And that’s what it took.”"

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Chicago Values.....

Chicago values suck. At least those that Rahm-bo seems to embrace. A cesspool of corruption continues it's proud, storied history.

Monty Pelerin's World » Chicago Values:

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Allen West and Rick Santelli on CNBC:

Allen West On Chick-Fil-A

Here is another demonstration of why West should be the next POTUS. Unfortunately, in the current system / environment, we are left with a party too dumb to even want to include him as VP on the ticket. Maybe he would overshadow the #1. from PJ Media: The PJ Tatler » Allen West Doesn’t Always School CAIR Apologists, But When He Does…:

"Allen West Doesn’t Always School CAIR Apologists, But When He Does…" The cuddly-named CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case. It’s executive director, Nezar Hamze, tried to trap Rep. Allen West at a recent public meeting. That, as you’ll see in the video, was a mistake. Exit question: Is the Romney campaign sure that a “boring white guy” is really the way to go on the veep pick? h/t MRCTV

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Giants Acquire Marco Scutaro: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

I like Marco Scutaro. And in isolation, this is a good pickup. However, on the heels of the Dodgers acquisition of Hanley Ramirez, you have to ask yourself where this leads? They make a spectacular deal - we make a solid deal. Another one or two of these type of transactions and the answer to the question leads us to a position somewhere behind the Dodgers. So I have some mixed feelings.

Giants Acquire Marco Scutaro: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com:

"The Giants have acquired infielder Marco Scutaro and cash considerations from the Rockies in exchange for minor league second baseman Charlie Culberson.  The money will help pay a portion of the approximately $2.2MM that Scutaro is owed for the rest of the season.  According to MLBTR's Transaction Tracker, this is the first time since 2006 that the two NL West rivals have been trade partners.

Scutaro, 36, has a .271/.324/.359 line in 411 plate appearances with the Rockies heading into Friday's play, though he has just a .570 OPS away from Coors Field.  Scutaro has played mostly second base this season and has also seen some time at short in place of the injured Troy Tulowitzki.  The veteran could see time at either position in San Francisco, as shortstop Brandon Crawford and second baseman Ryan Theriot have little offensive value, though Crawford has a solid glove.  Scutaro also has experience at third base and could see time at the hot corner with Pablo Sandoval injured. "

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You Didn’t Build That « azizonomics

Those Freudian slips are a real PITA for this President. Keep 'em coming Chief!!

You Didn’t Build That « azizonomics:

"Obama:

If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business–you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the internet so that all the companies could make money off the internet.

Much of the blogosphere — especially the liberal fringes — has defended Obama’s statement, along one of two lines:

That Obama didn’t mean that business-owners didn’t build their businesses — he was talking about infrastructure creation and the wider economic, legal and political system.
That Obama is right, and businesses owners are really not responsible for building their businesses.
Both of these arguments are nonsensical."

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So it seems like the Re-distributor in Chief had another "Freudian slip", Joe the Plumber moment and the election may hinge on whether you believe in the so-called "Top-Down", "Trickle Down" economics (which worked pretty well for Reagan / Volcker -- who BTW, "inherited" a far worse economy from Jimmy Carter. 

At least under Reagan, we had some semblance of a recovery from the "Misery Index" years of Carter. Lately it seems as if everyone is all to willing to give credit for this Reagan recovery to President Clinton of all people, the guy who planted many of the seeds for the current disaster) or maybe we would rather have the current iteration of "Bottom-Up" economics espoused by Obama. 

This seems to be where we are heading IMO as well.

It really seems as if rather than debating whether Obama is as "great" a President as Reagan or Roosevelt, the debate more likely may eventually revolve around whether he ends up being considered "worse" than Carter or Nixon.

from wikipedia.com:

Misery index - era by U.S president

Index = Unemployment rate + Inflation rate

President	Time Period	Average	Low	High	Start	End	Change
Harry Truman	1948–1952	7.88	3.45 – Dec 1952	13.63 – Jan 1948	13.63	3.45	-10.18
Dwight D. Eisenhower	1953–1960	6.26	2.97 – Jul 1953	10.98 – Apr 1958	3.28	7.96	+4.68
John F. Kennedy	1961–1962	7.14	6.40 – Jul 1962	8.38 – Jul 1961	8.31	6.82	-1.49
Lyndon B. Johnson	1963–1968	6.77	5.70 – Nov 1965	8.19 – Jul 1968	7.02	8.12	+1.10
Richard Nixon	1969–1974	10.57	7.80 – Jan 1969	17.01 – Jul 1974	7.80	17.01	+9.21
Gerald Ford	1974–1976	16.00	12.66 – Dec 1976	19.90 – Jan 1975	16.36	12.66	-3.70
Jimmy Carter	1977–1980	16.26	12.60 – Apr 1978	21.98 – Jun 1980	12.72	19.72	+7.00
Ronald Reagan	1981–1988	12.19	7.70 – Dec 1986	19.33 – Jan 1981	19.33	9.72	-9.61
George H. W. Bush	1989–1992	10.68	9.64 – Sep 1989	12.47 – Nov 1990	10.07	10.30	+0.23
Bill Clinton	1993–2000	7.80	5.74 – Apr 1998	10.56 – Jan 1993	10.56	7.29	-3.27
George W. Bush	2001–2008	8.11	5.71 – Oct 2006	11.47 – Aug 2008	7.93	7.49	-0.44
Barack Obama	2009–Present Incomplete data Data updated through May 2012	10.75	7.30 – July 2009 index offset by negative inflation (-2.10)	12.97 – September 2011	7.73	9.9	+2.17

^[4]

[edit]Misery and crime

Some economists posit that the components of the Misery Index drive the crime rate to a degree. Using data from 1960 to 2005, they have found that the Misery Index and the crime rate correlate strongly and that the Misery Index seems to lead the crime rate by a year or so.^[5] In fact, the correlation is so strong that the two can be said to be cointegrated, and stronger than correlation with either the unemployment rate or inflation rate alone

San Francisco Giants - Team Report - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

Looks like we're going to need every bit of the confidence and 2 1/2 game lead they have built up over the Giants.

San Francisco Giants - Team Report - MLB - Yahoo! Sports:

"It feels like we have a chance to win every day, no matter the lineup, no matter the score."
—Madison Bumgarner on the first-place Giants, who lead the Dodgers by 2 1/2 games."

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Sandoval joins the Giants ever-growing DL, while the Dodgers add Hanley Ramirez. Without giving up too much in return, I might add. Hmmm..... And Ichiro goes east, to the Yankes, for a song as well. Hmmmm..... I guess Ichiiro wouldn't have moved the needle much attendance wise, but he can still rake. Hmmmmm...... Does Brian Sabean's phone work?

Solutions for healthcare from baseball? It got my attention...

---   from ted.com:   http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/en//id/1481   TED PARTNER SERIES Ivan Oransky: Are we over-medicalized?

Reuters health editor Ivan Oransky warns that we’re suffering from an epidemic of preposterous preconditions -- pre-diabetes, pre-cancer, and many more. In this engaging talk from TEDMED he shows how health care can find a solution... by taking an important lesson from baseball. Ivan Oransky is the executive editor of Reuters Health, and has done pioneering work in covering scientific retractions. Full bio »

----- Hat tip to cliffkule.com and Ted.com "Ideas worth spreading":   http://www.cliffkule.com/

Are we over-medicalized? Reuters health editor Ivan Oransky warns that we’re suffering from an epidemic of preposterous preconditions -- pre-diabetes, pre-cancer, & many more .. shows how health care can find a solution - by taking an important lesson from baseball .. Ivan Oransky is the executive editor of Reuters Health, and has done pioneering work .. OOB .. 11 minutes

Tim Lincecum’s dad says San Francisco is ‘crucifying’ his son over poor start to 2012 season | Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports

SERIOUSLY Daddy-O?!?!?!? With a 3-9 6.08 ERA?

It seems as if Timmy and crew took a calculated risk in not signing longer term than they did.

They didn't strike when the fire was hot -- hoping for a continuation of the Timmy magic -- at which point they could have played SF vs. Seattle (home-coming) in a mega-bidding war.

Now that strategy, in hindight, is not looking so great. Stop whining and help him out with some of those magical, dollar picking up drills.

The Giants, and / or the Mariners will come around -- check-books in hand -- and all will be well. Ask Matt Cain.

Or is that what this is REALLY all about? A little green-eyed monster in the Gigantes locker room? I don't remember which teams Cain played against the Giants, but I'm not in the inner circle, so IDK everything.

From Yahoo Sports:
Tim Lincecum’s dad says San Francisco is ‘crucifying’ his son over poor start to 2012 season | Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports:

Here's what pops had to say in the pages of USA Today :

""Here's a two-time Cy Young winner, a four-time All-Star, a World Series champion, and send him to the minors?" Chris Lincecum said, his voice rising. "You do that, and what you're basically telling the player is, 'We don't need you or respect you.' And this is the kid who helped bring a championship to the city of San Francisco for the first time in over 50 years?

"It's like people forget what he's done. It's like, 'What the (expletive) do I have to do. What more do you want? I gave you two Cy Youngs. I was a major contributor to the World Series. And you crucify me now?' " [...]

"You keep saying (expletive) like this, and he'll want to go away. This is the face of the franchise … and now that he's struggling, as all players do at some point, this is the (bleep) respect he gets? You're crucifying him.

"It's like the media is hoping he fails so they'll have something to write about. If they're trying to get him to leave that city, they're (bleeping) on their way.""

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