The NBA

Is the Draft Rigged?  True loyal Golden State fans will never forget how the team got the royal shaft from the NBA in the draft of Patrick Ewing to the New York Nicks.  That was done on national television with the person picking the envelope kept feeling for some type of mark on the envelope.  New York needed help and so did the NBA and they got it with Ewing   That's history!

So there would not be any suspicion in the future the NBA now draws the envelopes in private with a few friends and a  company that certifies that the drawing took place.  Even the new owners of the San Francisco "Rainbows" thought it could be rigged and said so publicly.  On Chronicle Live before the lottery drawing was over the basketball experts on the show openly said that it is rigged for New Orleans.  A headline in the Orange County Register said, 'Well, well, well.  What a shock! David Stern's New Orleans Hornets were awarded the first pick in the NBA draft.'  The owner of the Hornets was paid off big time with the number one pick in the draft and his representative at the draft almost looked embarrassed when he was congratulated by the assistant commissioner of the NBA.  He must be thinking how did he ever get involved with the unethical NBA and must have wondered when he too would become a victim.

The Ellis Trade Works:  The day Monte Ellis was traded the Warriors were in the playoff hunt.  They traded for the future and then a number of first stringers got hurt and were 'out for the season' so the Warriors became a team from the Developmental League.  Those players tried hard to win but usually came up short.   The Warriors currently owe the Utah Jazz a first round pick but it cannot be higher then #7.  The Warriors lost just enough games to tie Toronto for 7th and 8th spot in the draft   A coin flip gave the Warrior the seventh pick.  Then during the lottery the Warriors drew #7 position so that they keep this year's high pick which three months ago seemed impossible. New owners do get paid off.  Only in the NBA!

Homer Sweeney 

Dodger Update

"The Team Needs Me":  These Matt Kemp words were reported on this blog on May 14, 2012.  We commented at the time that odds are good that he will return early and like so many in the past injure himself more seriously.  Kemp returned after the minimum of 15 days on the DL played one game and injured himself again running  in the first inning of his second game.  Now it is reported that he could be out for at least a month. They Never Learn!

Where are the Dodger Fans?  There was another incident at Dodger Stadium recently in the parking lot following the game.  Two cars got together in a fender bender and a brawl followed.  The District Attorney of LA decided not to proceed with the case making Dodger fans even more nervous.  It seems it's who you are in LA not what you have done that will be protected.  The caliber of fan that attends Dodger  games has deteriorated and the loyal fans of the past know it and are scared to go.  Good luck Magic!  Come to think of it isn't it Laker fans who are known for destroying business property around Staples.

Dodgers Lose Again:  The Dodgers lost four in a row to the Brewers who currently have seven players on the DL.  Now it's time for a Rocky Mountain High! 

Homer Sweeney

Giants Diamondbacks Series

The Return of Milkmen:  The Giants took two out of three games from the Diamondbacks.  Zito again did his job of keeping the Giants in the first game a 4-2 victory.  The second game win by the Giants featured a very strong performance by Vogelsong and the return of milkmen to San Francisco baseball after an absence of sixty-six years.  Arizona won the last game of the series proving again that sometimes things never change.  Goldschmidt homered off of Lincecum and Kennedy pitched a gem against the Giants. Cabrera recorded a record tying 51 hits in May to end the month with a league leading average of .373.

Borden's milkmen or SF Seals ?

Many of the fans in attendance at Tuesday's game probably never even heard of a milkman.  A group of about six loyal Giant fans dressed in all white as milkman with white caps and orange ties sat in the left  field stands and brought attention to themselves and TV in order to promote votes for 'Melky' Cabrera for the upcoming All Star game in Kansas City

Part way through 1946 season the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League changed their cap color from the normal blue to white pin strip with a blue visor. Many Oakland Oaks fans of that era said that the Seals looked like milkman with their new caps and that the picture shown is really that of the Borden's milkmen of San Francisco. 

The Miami Trip

Home Run Sculpture Miami

The first game belongs to Vogelsong. He got Stanton to pop up with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning that changed the direction of the game eventually won by the Giants 14-7.  Lincecum who did not have  his fast ball or control lost the second game of the series on Friday. The game marked the return of second baseman Theriot hitting .179 to the starting lineup because as Bruce Bochy put it,"we need his bat".  Talk about the unexpected -The Giants remained 6 1/2 games behind the Dodgers because the Astros beat Kershaw and the Dodgers. Cabrera and  Posey went hit less leaving four runners on base as the Giants lost game three of the series. Cabrera raised his season average to .369 getting four hits and scoring all three Giant runs in their 3-2 victory Sunday giving the "g" men a series split.   

A Plan for Oracle

Oracle Arena Oakland

The Sacramento Kings of the NBA have failed to negotiate a deal with the city of Sacramento to build a new arena.  Both Anaheim and Seattle are just waiting their turn to grab the team.  Why not Oakland?  Even if they could not break their current lease with the Warriors, Oracle Arena could host two teams just like Staples hosts both the Clippers and the Lakers. Although the Kings' fans will have lost their Sacramento home it would be relatively easy to keep the same TV outlets and to see them play in Oakland which is must better than the alternatives down south and up north.

Homer Sweeney

Comments on the Giants

Power Wins Again: Both Posey and Sanchez the two Giant catchers hit home runs last night to lead the Giants to a 14 inning win over the Brewers. The 'g' men should have won in nine but poor defense and lack of clutch hitting hurt them again.  The reliable part of the relief corp was used so Cain better be ready to go nine tonight

Posey Hurting the Team?  Buster Posy's insistence on catching rather than playing 1st base is hurting the team.  The Giants are much better when Sanchez is catching and Posey is on first.  Bochy needs to start finding another position for his second string catcher because it is a crime to have him sit on the bench  five days a week on such weak hitting ball club.

The Plan:  This blog outlined a plan for the 2012 Giants which was primarily to stay in contention until June1st when all the positions problems were to be solved.  Not going to happen.  There will be numerous changes after Pablo returns in a few weeks.  It is easy to imagine changes at first, second and short by the middle of June. It's harder to imagine who will be playing first.  The list grows with Belt, Pill, Huff, Posey, Sanchez, Sandoval and even Todd Linden could be playing first by July 1st. Roger Kieschnick .324 hitting Fresno outfielder with 11 home runs would be with the Giants now if he hit right handed.

Can't Miss Future Giants:  
#1 Prospect - Gary Brown center fielder with Richmond hitting .254 with 0 home runs
#2 Prospect -  Francisco Pequero  Fresno outfielder hitting .229 with 3 home runs.
#7 Prospect - Joe Panik infielder with San Jose hitting .250 with 0 home runs.


The Giants Plan:
Fans are complaining about the lack of power and runs.  The Giants have been honest about their future plans in which pitching is their #1 priority.  The money is spent on pitching since it is the reason the Giants won the World Champions in 2010  The 2010 team was not noted for its power but it certainly was much better than 2011 and 2012 Giants which is a major concern of the fans.  In 2010 Huff at 1st base had 26 home runs, Torres and Rowand combined for 27 in center field, Urbie at short had 24 and Sandoval  had 13 at 3rd base in his off year.  Posey came through with 18, Scherholtz 13 and Burrrell 18.  The team hit a total of 162 home runs which was much better than last years Giants who hit 116 and the current team which is on a pace to hit 103. By way of comparison The New York Giants of 1947 hit 221 home runs.

Two in a Row Over the Brewers:  More Giant Power!  The Brewers out hit the Giants 11-5 however two of the Giants hits were gigantic home runs by Posey and Arias.   Melky Cabrera made the throw of the year on the fly from left field to prevent the Brewers from scoring in the first inning.

Giants Lose...What's the Headline? The big story is that the umpires were terrible missing  a number of calls at first base and behind the plate.  I have never seen so many blown calls at first base as I have seen this season. The internet headline says Zito was belted in the first inning and that was it.  Baloney! Zito had plenty of help. Burriss not covering first in time on a bunt,  Crawford making another error and Arias missing a drive he lost in the shadows were major factors that contributed to the Brewers 6 run first inning. You  can't give team 6 outs!  Burriss is playing like he wants to get cut.  I am sure the Giants will oblige soon. (added May 23,2012)


Homer Sweeney
Art Work:  Emily Knous

Notes on the Basketball Move to SF

They're Lying Already:  Builders who have tried to develop piers 30-32 in recent years have abandoned their projects since the cost to upgrade the pier was estimated to be over $200 million.  The press release from the NBA franchise say between $75-100 million.  That's $125 million short on the first day.

Name Change:  Everyone anticipates that the name Golden State will be dropped for San Francisco.  Don't be surprised if the name Warriors is also dropped for not being politically correct.  The San Francisco emblem in 1960's was an Indian Chief and they were forced to drop that logo for Captain Marvel.  The San Francisco power base will never allow the name Warriors so look for them to change the name to the Rainbows just the reversal of the University of Hawaii who changed from Rainbows to Warriors because the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii did not want visitors to know that it rains on the islands. 

Warrior Fans Protesting Move

Fan Support:  The biggest asset the Warriors currently have is their fan base which has filled the Coliseum for decades.  Without their unbelievable support the team would currently be located in Tampa Bay.  These fans have been given "the bird." by the new ownership.  Remember San Francisco never supported NBA basketball in the past.  In fact the Warriors had to play some of their home games in San Diego just to pay the bills.  There is no evidence that they will support a team in the future.  Many of my friends are loyal Giant and 49er fans but I hardly know anyone who follows the Warriors or NBA basketball. The Giants may draw at AT&T but that's no guarantee NBA basketball will be supported.

Some Other Thoughts:  David Stern Commissioner of the NBA was at today's press conference. Wasn't he recently in Sacramento?.....  If a site in San Francisco is not available by 2017 there is always the Carrier Plan outlined yesterday on this blog.....  The new arena is going to  be used for concerts and conventions.  That's a stretch to say the least. Doesn't San Francisco already have a large Convention Center and all kinds of concert halls at a  more reasonable rate.  As mentioned yesterday the new arena will also be used for The Bulls hockey team and St. Ignatius College Prep Volleyball. ... Will the arena every be built at piers 30 and 32?   Look for them to move to the site the Giants control  near the O'Doul Bridge....Numbers I have heard which is strictly rumor is that the cost of seat license will be upward to $30,000 and the City will receive slightly over$1.00 a year from the Warriors to lease the area.... Business associates visiting town who don't  know a basketball from a soccer ball will make up the future Rainbows' fan base.

Homer Sweeney

The Giants and Other Observations

A Repeat  Lets Do It Again is still a great idea.  Another cocktail to celebrate my wife picking the Preakness winner  and the Giants victory over the A's.  We will have a triple if Lets Do It Again wins the Belmont in three weeks.

Site of 1967 NBA Championship

New Arena for San Francisco:  Discussion are now taking place to build a new arena for San Francisco on the waterfront which would house the San Francisco Bulls ice hockey team, St Ignatius College Prep volleyball teams and the NBA Warriors or Rainbows. Los Angeles is wondering if Staples Arena is enough having hosted  six NBA and NHL playoff games over this last weekend.  All plans are very tentative but it has been overheard that the arena would be designed after the City's famous Cow Palace.


AT&T: The outfield grass is three shades of green this week. I understand the Giants brought over the basketball floor from the Cow Palace to experiment with different locations. The problem of possible rain and wind has complicated their planning. AT&T continues to sell out every baseball  game but have you noticed a number of empty seats during the night games.  I did some further checking and discovered that the bathrooms are packed.  That explains it!  

The Carrier Plan:  The Rainbows or Warriors whatever they are going to be called are determined to move to San Francisco.  Arenas are not easy to build especially when the team wants somebody else to pay for it so they can 'rip us off'. It's called welfare. The Carrier plan would bring the team to SF.  They would obtain an aircraft carrier from moth balls and dock it either at piers 30 and 32 or in McCovey Cove.  The team would play on the deck and could move the ship around the Bay to places such as Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Vallejo and Oakland for fans that can't always get to San Francisco. There would be plenty of standing room available but court side seats would be a premium. The NBA players could live on the carrier saving expensive rent and the team could save on airfare and hotel costs by sailing to games in Los Angeles against the Clippers and Lakers.

Live with Kelly:  Last Friday disgraced USC and current Miami Dolphin running back Reggie Bush was the co-host while auditioning to be Reggis Philbin's permanent replacement.   During their monolog Kelly with her warped eastern liberal attitude asked Reggie if he had any tattoos.  Reggie responded to the shock of Kelly that he could not be bothered and he didn't need them to remember any of his friend's name.  Kelly didn't know that Reggie probably took Health 666 Tattooing taught by renowned expert Dr. Pagan Ritual when he was at USC.  The course teaches that tattooing is related to the ancient Roman practice of making slaves as the property of their master.  This practice survives into the modern day in the branding of dumb animals as the property of their master.  Reggie did not want to be associated with dumb animals or lay awake at nights worried that his life might be at risk.  Tattooing ink contains carcinogens such as led and mercury that involve unnecessary medical risks. Viruses such as HIV and Heptitis C can erupt at any time or can lie dormant in the body for twenty or more years.  So dangerous is this practice that tattooed persons are not allowed or should not give blood as not to transmit the virus to others.

The Bay Bridge Series:  The Giants won two out of three from the Athletes.  Friday night the Giants received nine walks that led to the victory. Vogelsong was masterful  for the Giants on Saturday and the A's literally knocked  Lincecum out to win the final game of the series.  The bad news is that during this same period the Dodgers with a number of starters on the DL still were able to sweep the Cardinals.  The Dodgers again got a break from the ridiculous major league schedule.  They played last year's World Champion while the rest of the west had to play powerhouse teams from the American League such as the Angels, Royals and Mariners.  The Dodgers are currently seven games in front and look almost impossible to catch.  Melky Cabrera had eight hits in the A's series to raise his batting average to .353.  Blanco hit the lone home run for the Giants during their seven game home stand bringing the team's total for the season to 25.

The Golden Gate Bridge: It might have been the Bay Bridge series but the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge was recognized by the Giants.  The anniversary emblem was painted on the grass behind home plate and the team wore the same logo on their orange jerseys Friday night.  I have a very feint recollection of watching the 1937 opening parade from the a rock pile at the corner of Lombard and Van Ness.  When I got older I remember reading that the bridge would be free once it was paid for. And we believed it!  It was never free and the cost of crossing the bridge keeps escalating.    I always tell visitors to San Francisco that the one thing they should do is walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.  To me that is the most refreshing and glorious walk in the world.

Homer Sweeney
Art Work:  Emily Knous

Brad Penny Signs

This blog on November 9, 2011 suggested that ex-Giants Brad Penny and Livian Hernandez be considered as possible candidates to be the Giants fifth starter.  Herndandez has since joined the Atlanta Braves and currently has 1-0 record with an ERA of 3.09.  Brad Penny had a 11-11 record with Detroit last year but by the time of the playoffs his arm was tired and was rarely used by the Tigers.  He signed this year to play in Japan was belted and released.  Now he has joined the Giants. The fans loved him in 2009 when he came late in  the season to record a 4-1 record which the Cardinals recognized and signed him for 2010 to the disappointment of Giant supporters  He loved to pitch at AT&T and was a master of 410 foot fly ball outs. Can he still pitch?  That's the unknown.  In 2010 the Giants signed Pat Burrell  and we wondered at the time if he had 20 home runs left in his bat.  It turns out that he hit 25 before retiring.  Does Penny have about 75 quality innings left in his arm?  If he does the Giants have made smart move.

Homer Sweeney

The Giants

The Diamondback Series:  Milky Cabrera raised his BA to .348 with a nine hit series helped a little by a hard infield to lead the Giants with a 2-1 series victory over the DBacks.  Cain was the hero Saturday night with his pitching, hitting and base running and on Sunday the Giants got a season high 14 hits in their  7-2 victory.  Blanco was the star by twice getting  two out hits to knock in three runs.  Pill and Cabrera hit home runs for the Giants during the series to  raise the Giants season total to 24 and keep them six ahead of Hamilton who has been stuck on 18 for one day.

The Infield:  Culberson was brought up from Fresno to start at second base.  His spring training was delayed about a month due to a weightlifting injury but he has rebounded well at the AAA level.  In an earlier blog we mentioned that this was a key month for the Giant infielders.  Arias passed the test with some outstanding plays at third during the DBack series.  He will be there until Pablo returns.  No Freddy Sanchez is not going to play third or second. Theriot was place on the DL which is much better then getting a pink slip.  Burriss days are numbered unless there are further injuries.  Crawford needs to settle down in the field to keep his job.  When Pablo returns Arias could be the shortstop or the second baseman depending on how well Culberson performs.  


It Better Be a Long Season:  Right now the Giants are the only threat to the Dodgers winning the West Division wire to wire.  The others teams in the division are already five plus games under .500.  There might be hope with the fact that the Dodger star Kemp pulled a hamstring Sunday.  Like all great athletes he doesn't want to go on the DL, "the team needs me".  Odds are good then he will return early and like so many in past injure himself more seriously. 

The NBA Before Tattoos

The San Francisco Rainbows?  The Mayor of San Francisco and the Board of Supervisors  following the wishes of the Warriors owner came out in favor of  a waterfront property for the NBA franchise.  As mentioned on this blog last week the Giants will offer AT&T Park for three NBA games next year.  According to an unreliable Giant source they feel the Warriors could play about 38 regular season games and some playoff games at AT&T that would not conflict with baseball.  The few games that could not be scheduled could be played at the Cow Palace, the Civic Auditorium, Kezar, or Oracle Arena  The biggest strength of the Warriors has been their loyal fan support over the years now they are getting shaft.  The owner keeps putting up his right hand with one finger indicating to the fans that they are "#1".  It's no wonder the owner is booed!

The Colorado Series:  The Giants and Rockies split their short two game series.  Both games were looong and drawn out.  Monday the Giants hit the one home run of the game and won while on Tuesday it was the Rockies winning with a homer proving once again that power wins!  It's the same old story for the Giants poor defense and the lack of run producing hits.  As Dave Fleming Giant broadcaster said on the post game show the bottom of the Giant order this year has been a wasteland.  (Added May 16, 2012)

In and Out:  Before you could finish a burger the Cardinals and Giants had split their two game series.  Power won the first game for St Louis on Wednesday while two homers weren't enough Thursday afternoon since the Cards committed three errors and their pitchers walked ten Giants.   It was the only visit this year for World Champions who were rushed out of town in order to make room for American League teams on the Giants schedule which start tonight with Athletes coming to AT &T.  (added May 18, 2012)

Homer Sweeney

Six Behind

Josh Hamilton of the Rangers currently has 16 home runs to lead the majors but he is still 6 short of catching the Giants team who currently have hit 22 homers in their first 31 games.  The World Champion Giants of 2010 hit 162 homers or an average of one a game.

Homer Sweeney

Dodgers Win Series!

The Giants scored 5 runs amazingly it was enough to win one of three games from the Dodgers.  The Giants don't hit for power, they don't hit with runners in scoring position and come to think of it they don't hit much at all. Thanks to Pill's 2-run homer Tuesday night they salvaged one game.  His  reward for getting the big hit...the bench.

Homer Sweeney

Cooling Off Hamilton

The Orioles silenced Hamilton's bat  last night by having their prayers to the rain gods answered.  Even if the Orioles are successful in cooling off Hamilton it won't stop the Rangers for long since they have players such as  Kinsler, Andrus, Young and others that combine power and small ball to be the envy of major league baseball.  Russ Jackson contributed to this article.

Homer Sweeney

Thank You Shawn Estes and Don Mattingly

The Giants defeated the Dodgers 2-1 behind the pitching of Vogelsong and relievers Lopez and Casilla before a sparse Dodger Stadium crowd of 32,799.  This much needed win was aided by advise provided by Shawn Estes and the strategies employed by Dodger manager Don Mattingly. 

During the Giants pregame TV show Estes was asked how to you get to Kershaw?  He answered early.  Kershaw has had a strong tendency recently to throw fast balls early in the count.  In the second inning Posey swung at the first pitch and singled to left breaking up the no-hit bid early. Then Pill stepped up to the plate and hit the first pitch he saw a fast ball for the game winning home run.  Kershaw finally wised up but it was too late and the Giants had the two runs needed for the win.

In the seventh inning the Dodgers had runners on first and second with none out and Urbie at the plate.  Giant fans know that Urbie is a great clutch hitter especially in the late innings.  The Dodgers have not learned that yet and Mattingly had Urbie attempt to sacrifice which turned into a double play killing the inning.

Then again in the 8th inning the Dodgers had runners on first and second with none out.  Ellis the #2 batter in the lineup successfully sacrificed the runners along while avoiding the double play in order for the Giants to walk Kemp currently hitting over .400 to  set up a double play.  Mattingly's strategy had taken the bat right out of the hands of the current best hitter in the game.  Then Ethier obliged by hitting into the inning ending double play.

If the Dodgers continue with this type of strategy then perhaps they will not lead the West cradle to grave and many expect them to do.  My Texas Rangers adviser Russ Jackson loves their manager Ron Washington because they play some small ball but seem to have the smarts to allow Hamilton to swing the bat.  He hit four homers last night which makes five in two days.  Do you realize how long it takes the Giants to hit five home runs.  If they can't hit any home runs this weekend at homer friendly Chase Field then the Giants are in big trouble.  Pill showed  again last night that power wins.

Homer Sweeney

Will It Happen Again Tonight?

Cover 1963 Dodger Program

Giants Scorecard

Another  No  Hitter?

The Giants were a complete embarrassment losing the first game of the series to the Dodgers 9-1.   Tonight the Dodgers will start arguably the best pitcher in the league lefthander Clayton Kershaw.  Only Cabrera and Arias look like they have a chance to get a hit for the Giants.

History may be repeated.  It was almost 49 years ago May 11, 1963 that another great Dodger lefthander Sandy Kolfax pitched a no-hitter winning 8-0 against the Giants.  My good friend and Texas Rangers expert  Russ Jackson attended that game and shared his score card with me so I could put it on this blog
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Giant lineup Harvey Kuenn LF, Matty Alou RF, Willie Mays CF, Orlando Cepeda 1B, Ed Bailey C, Jim Davenport 3B, Joe Amalfitano 2B, Jose Pagan SS, Juan Marichial P.  Marichial lasted 5 innings and Ed Bailey walked in the 8th inning to ruin the perfect game.  McCovey pinch hit in the 9th inning and walked.


Homer Sweeney

Giants-Dodgers

Within a space of one hour on Sunday afternoon the complexion of the upcoming Giants-Dodgers series changed.  During that hour the Giants won and Dodgers lost both in 11 innings.  The Giants now enter the series trailing the Division leading Dodgers by 4 games.  If the Dodgers had won and Giants lost on Sunday the lead would have been 6 games with the real treat of the Giants being swept right out of the race in May.

Homer Sweeney

Brewers - Giants Weekend

Melky Cabrera is our Player of the Week for the Giants.  He made a great catch yesterday in the 11th inning and threw to first base to double up Hart of the Brewers. During the week he raised his batting average back up to .315 and made a number of exceptional plays and throws from the outfield.  He is quickly  becoming a fan favorite.  Vida Blue on the Giants post game shows thinks he should be the center fielder.  Lets hope that Sabean and the Giants change their mind about their plans not to offer him a contract for next year.

I'll Have Another:  What a great idea!  That's exactly what we did Saturday evening since I could not refuse another old fashion to celebrate the Giants breaking their four game losing streak and my wife picking the Kentucky Derby winner.

Great TV: Dave Fleming of the Giants broadcasting team was the lead announcer on the Fox Network game of the week Saturday and he along with Bill Schroeder the exceptional commentator of the Brewers did a great job.  Congratulations to both! The Giants Friday night and Sunday afternoon  telecasts featured a blimp and the pictures of AT&T from above,  the city, the lights, MoMo's, the water front, the bridges, Alcatraz etc were fantastic.

Other Observations:  Connor Gillaspie has been in the Giant organization for years and why haven't they taught him to hit to all fields.  He seems to want to pull every pitch which usually means a weak grounder to second. Maybe he should take a lesson from Cabrera.  The Giants defense continues to be horrible and relief pitching is not reliable like in recent years.  Who will Huff replace on the current roster?   

Homer Sweeney

Instant Replay

If you watched the Giants play the Marlins and the Brewers this week you know the first base umpires had a horrible week.  In one game they missed a fair ball and called it foul in the 9th inning which would have put the tying run on base for the Giants. In the Brewer series the umpires missed every close play at first base.  It really was embarrassing..  This always brings the call for Instant Replay. We have Instant Replay on all the putting greens at the golf course I play and it has certainty helped my score. However Instant Replay for baseball will  just make the game even longer.  Players make errors and umpires miss calls.  That's all part of the game. 

Homer Sweeney

Soon To Be News!

You heard it here first

1)  The Giants will trade Schierholtz if they can get a player in return that can help immediately.
2)  The Giants will finally give up on Freddy Sanchez by the first of June.
3)  The $8.00 tickets will soon be $6.00
4)  The Giants will approach the Warriors with the proposition to have three outdoor NBA basketball games next season at AT&T park since the team has reached an agreement with MoMos for rental of the heaters.
5)  Fresno outfielder Roger Kieschnick hitting with .342 with 6 home runs will be called up soon.


Homer Sweeney

The 49ers

The 49ers just completed another excellent draft.  The team keeps adding quality players which means a Super Bowl appearance within two years.

Homer Sweeney

The Marlins Disaster

Disaster  -  The Giants were swept by the Miami Marlins in a three game series.  In the first game Matt Cain lost 2-1 showing that it doesn't matter if you pay him 2 million or 20 million a year you still have to give him some run support.  The Giants are built on pitching not scoring.  This is very evident.

In the second game the Giants lost 3-2 in 10 innings after tying the game in the 9th inning.  They had a chance to win it in the 9th but left the bases loaded when Theriot failed in the clutch.  The game marked the return to the Giants after six years of a left handed reliever armed with ugly tattoos from Australia,

Thursday was really no different with the Giants losing again 3-2.  The Giants had their best opportunity in the 7th inning when Pagan and Belt singled.  Bochy blew any chance the Giants had to win with his moves.   He orders one of the Giants better hitters Arias to give up his bat and bunt putting men on second and third with less than two outs but also giving the Marlins a much desired out. This left it up to Schierhotlz marred in gigantic slump and weak hitting Theriot to come through and they both failed. Game lost!

Sandoval being out for 6 weeks gives the Giants a good excuse for not winning.  Connor Gillaspie another  hitter with limited power was called up. I thought Gillaspie had a good chance to make the Giants team this year especially if he could learn to fill in at second base.  He had a very disappointing spring, started slow at Fresno but has gotten hot lately.  He now has the opportunity to prove he belongs in the majors.

Homer Sweeney





 

The First Month

At the start of season I wrote that the Giants will need until June 1 to settle on who is going to play the majority of the time which means the month of May will be crucial primarily for players such as Theriot, Arias, Crawford and Burriss. 

The first month has shown the following:
Starting Pitching:  Five solid reliable starters  :
Relief Pitching:  Disappointing
Biggest Need:  Clutch hitting with men in scoring position
Biggest Problem:  Lack of power
Defense:  Surprisingly poor
Injuries etc:  Don't count on Huff or Sanchez contributing anytime soon.

Homer Sweeney