Revenge!

It was revenge time for the Dodgers after getting swept and shut out three times last month at AT&T.  The combined salaries of the three Giant starters is over $50,000,000 (42% of the entire teams salary) this year and still they could not salvage one win in the three game series with the Dodgers.  The loss of Sandoval hurt and the bats went to sleep over the weekend.  The lack of a home run threat is killing the Giants.  Vida Blue remarked early in the season that the Giants line up would not scare him.  Who will step up against the Mets?

Homer Sweeney

Giants Win Padres Series and the Olympics

We attended the final game of the Giants Padres series on Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Park and knew immediately it was not going to be a good day with Sandoval and Posey not in the lineup and Pagan batting clean up.  Lincecum got batted around and the "g" men looked helpless at the plate for most of the game.   Any chance of Giants catching the Padres during an eighth inning rally was curtailed when Arias was thrown out at third base on a ball hit to deep short.

The series began with Crawford being the focal point of two controversial calls.  In the first inning his ball hit to left field was originally ruled an out. In an unusual action the umpires gathered and made the right call as shown on replay and changed the ruling to a hit.  Later in game Crawford was ruled out for missing first base.  According to talk radio in San Francisco the ruling was made by a new umpire apparently trying to make a name for himself.  Replay showed that Crawford touched the inside of the base although the San Diego announcers after reviewing the same replay said that he clearly missed the base.  The second win on Tuesday evening featured a great catch by Pagan that turned out to be a crucial double play.

Olympic Flame Squaw Valley

Signing at MoMo's

Notes -  Before the game on Wednesday we were busy signing  autographs at MoMo's. . . Followers of the Giants are in denial if they don't think the addition of Hanley Ramirez to the Dodger line-up is going to make a big difference in the NL West race. . . Gary Brown after a hot few weeks has leveled off at .290. .  Vince Scully of the Dodgers mentioned during Friday night's game that Belt was being booed by the Giant fans.  At the game Thursday all I heard was  encouraging cheers for Belt.  Not sure where Scully got that information  but it was bogus.

Olympics - I thought the Olympics Opening Ceremony was long, drawn out and very boring.  The costumes change from year to  year but otherwise it was another replay of  recent Olympics.  Nothing like the creativity of all those pianos that were featured at the Opening Ceremonies of the LA games in 1984. . .   I felt sorry for the Queen and those in attendance who sat for hours just waiting to see the Olympic flame lit.  I am sure they didn't realize that they can see an Olympic flame ignited at the start of the fourth quarter of USC football games played at the LA Coliseum. . .   The Olympic flame pot from the Squaw Valley Winter games of 1960 (pictured above) was auctioned off as a barbeque grill to help pay the enormous expenses of hosting the games. . . This flame was centrally located at Squaw Valley and could  easily be viewed for all the events unlike the current London flame that can only be seen from inside the track stadium. . .The Olympics seem to be more about sex then the games.  Bob Fitzgerald reported on his affiliated station KNBR how great it is for the Olympics to spend your donated money to purchase condoms for the athletes so they can enjoy their experiences at the games.  Fitzgerald  is the Golden State Warriors TV announcer who is covering Olympic basketball for NBC.

Homer Sweeney

Lead Shrinks

San Francisco hit three homers Saturday but it was a drag bunt that drove in  the lead run in a 10 inning win over Philadelphia. The Giants failed  in an attempt to sweep the series as the Phillies salvaged the last game with a 12 inning win while the Dodgers were taking all three of their games from the Mets in New York cutting the Giants lead in the NL West to 1 1/2 games.

Notes:  Can you believe it? The Oakland A's started three rookie pitchers and a veteran cast off and swept the New York Yankees who have the best record in baseball. . .  The Giants are noted for their excellent pitching staff but it costs millions while the A's pitchers are paid minimum baseball wage. . .  The Bay Area Yankees fans have always been very vocal in selling out the Coliseum in the past were missing this week.  . .   This year the series only drew between 24,000 and 30,5000 on Sunday and it is evident that the talk of moving to San Jose has really hurt the fan base in Oakland. . . Gary Brown has cooled off going hit less in his last two games which dropped his average to .290

One Shock After Another

Those Giant fans that read this blog were probably shocked last December when we predicted that  Hector Sanchez would be the Giants backup catcher.  The media and experts who follow the Giants didn't figure it out until the end of spring training. The reasoning was simple.  If Crawford was going to be the shortstop and Posey was a question behind the plate the team could not afford a light hitting catcher.  Last year the 7, 8 and 9 hitters in the lineup  for the Giants were always around the Mendoza line which was one reason the Orange and Black were near the bottom in runs scored.   Sabean was embarrassed and was not going to let it happen again.  We were shocked yesterday when we heard that Crawford, Whiteside were again at the tail end of the lineup just like last season.  We were further shocked by the results.  Whiteside hit a double to drive in the Giants first run to tie the game and later Crawford hit a grand slam and a solid single to drive in five more runs which was plenty to support Lincecum's second strong outing in a row. 

Homer Sweeney

Just Can't Resist

Most likely responding to criticism from this blog that they were getting old, the Lakers announced that they had signed Antwan Jamison who is only 36 years of age as part of their 'youth' movement.  Jamison started his NBA career with the Warriors during the 20th century and has been an above average NBA player. . .  You  probably have read the fact that USA Olympic uniforms were made in China  has upset some politicians.  The Chinese too are receiving complaints especially from the USA Olympic basketball team members saying that they cannot get  their pull over sweaters on because their heads are too big. . .Jermy Lin who set the New York Knicks and the NBA on fire last season with his play is now with Houston because New York Knick and US Olympian 'hog' Carmelo Anthony didn't want him on the team.  

Homer Sweeney

Copy Cats

It's really hard to believe but a .200 hitter who hadn't hit a homer in over 6 weeks and a reserve infielder who enter the game as a pinch runner and who had never hit a round ripper in the majors homered to beat the Rangers and give Oakland a split in the battle of the bombers.  Those A's homers were watched on TV in Atlanta by Giant players who were in their clubhouse waiting for the rain to stop.  You could just hear them, 'If those guys can do it so can we.'

Atlanta homered first and then Cabrera tied with a homer.  The Giants took the lead in the 10th but the Braves scored two on a homer to tie the game.  You could just hear the Giants fans screaming or maybe even swearing at Bochy for he had taken both Posey and Sandoval out of the game.  How are we going to score they wondered.    The Giant players remembering what they had seen on tv decided to copy the A's in the 11th inning when Crawford who replaced Sandoval hit a home run and Blanco who ran for Posey also homered as the Giants scored six runs  in the 11th inning to win going away.

The Giants out hit the Braves 9 -3 in the final game of the series but two of the Braves hits were home runs which was enough for them to salvage the final game of the three game series.  On to Philadelphia!

Notes:  Gary Brown the Giants #1 prospect has now raised his batting average to .295.  He has been on  fire!  It was on June 21 I commented  that I thought Gary was over rated.  Looks as if I was wrong.  If he keeps it up maybe Sabean's big move to improve the Giants for the stretch run will be within his own organization.. .  There is excitement in baseball because there will be two wildcard teams this year.  Wow!  If baseball adopted this blog's suggestion for updating the sport there would be 24 playoff teams each year.  Now that excitement!. . .  The Giants TV duo K & K were recently discussing the Giants upcoming schedule and Krukow noticed that it was not fair for the Giants to play the Cardinals four times in St. Louis while the Cards only played twice at AT&T. Where have you been Mike?  The schedule is unbalanced and unfair and has been that way for years.  Baseball tradition was thrown out the window by Bud Selig and his gang of cutthroats.  This is the price for having inter league play. . . Late  update - Gary Brown got two more hits last night which raised his average to .297.

Homer Sweeney

Same Attendance for A's and Giants

The A's lost and the Giants won last night before 20,000 empty seats both in Oakland and at the site of 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.  The Giants scored nine runs without the benefit of a home run in their easy win while the A's were out homered 2-1 in their loss to the Rangers.

Homer Sweeney

Are the Oakland A's For Real?

It is really hard to imagine with the second half of the season underway that the Oakland A's are a serious playoff contender.  Billy Beane of Money Ball fame has to be considered a genius and hats off to Bob Melvin for the terrific job he has done managing the team.   Those that read my blog know I am a great believer in the three run homer right out of Earl Weaver's play book.  The A's have five players with ten or more home runs and as a team have hit 92 to date and their current  first baseman who has played only 27 games has 11.  I believe Moss is the fifth first baseman the A's have had this year but they kept changing until they found one someplace that could hit with power..  How can the A's find power hitters while the Giants continue to search?   Giant fans know the team needs more power having hit only 52 homers this year with Buster Posey being the only player with 10 or more.   The Rangers who come to Oakland tonight have hit 105 round trippers so these two games could be the battle of the bombers and give us an idea if the A's have just been red hot and are due to cool off or if they are for real.  Over 10,000 loyal A's fans are expected to root on their favorites tonight while in Atlanta the Braves expect nearly 10,000 Giant fans to be in attendance.

Homer Sweeney

Catchers Lead Sweep

It was Posey and Sanchez who led the Giants to a three game sweep of the Astros.  Posey got the second half off  to a flying start with a home run in the first inning and Giants never looked back.  Hector Sanchez collected four hits Saturday including the winning rbi in the 11th inning in a game that might have seen the return to form of Tim Lincecum.  The final game Sunday saw Posey get key singles to drive in two of the three Giant runs to give Cain his 10th victory of the season.

Notes -  Following the game Bochy commented that the Giants offense needs to pick it up.  That's an understatement.  The Giants just had enough hitting to win three games but in most  innings they looked like  hit less wonders especially with runners in scoring position. . .  Perhaps the hot humid air in Atlanta will get the bats fired up. . . My patience with Belt is running thin. . . Don't think the Dodgers got shook up after their unbelievable loss on Saturday night against the Padres?  If you didn't see it, the Padre runner stole home while the Dodger  pitcher held the ball on the mound. According to the plate umpire the throw home was in time because the runner was called out.  Only one problem the throw went over the catchers head which also allowed the winning run to score from second. . . The Dodgers still had a hang over Sunday committing five errors in their loss to the Padres allowing the Giants to move 1 1/2 games in front in the NL West.. . .  Speaking of the Dodgers what ever happened to Urbie?  We wrote at the time that he left that it was a big mistake on his part to leave the Giants where the fans loved and supported him.  His two years with the Dodgers have been a disaster. . . Gary Brown the Giants #1 prospect continues his torrid hitting for Richmond and has raised his average to .288.

The Second Half

The Giants needs for the second half have been well chronicled to include the return of Lincecum and to hit a few more home runs.  Pitching will keep them in the race but will they have enough power to win the west? The bad news is that the Dodgers  Kemp and Ethier are back tonight and they are still in first place.  They will be tougher now.

Homer Sweeney

The All Star Game

In a night that will long be remembered by thousands of loyal Giant fans the National League shut out the American League and will again  have home field advantage in the 2012 World Series. Cain led the parade of NL pitchers and MVP Cabrera and Sandoval provided some timely hits. Which NL team will thank the Giants in October?

Homer Sweeney

Warrior News

Comments - I have one word to explain the Warriors recent draft --- spectacular. . . I read where people who live near the proposed new arena on Piers 30 & 32 are concerned that it will be too high and will block some of their view.    What do they expect?  Some basketball players are 7 feet tall.  . . The Warriors biggest rivals the Lakers are thrilled about obtaining a 38 year old point guard in one last desperate effort to win another NBA title during the Kobe Bryant era.  For the Lakers its too late since the NBA today is a young man's game.

Homer Sweeney

Giants Win One Game!

Barry Zito was hit hard but got the win on Friday evening as Melky Cabrera's home run led a Giant counter attack that was protected by the bullpen.  Vogelsong pitched another strong game Saturday but the Giant hitters gave him no support and then on Sunday Lincecum and the Giant relievers were bombed by the Pirates enabling Pittsburgh to win the series 2-1.  It's time for a break!


Comments  - Vogelsong was visibly upset because he was not chosen to represent the National League in the All Star Game saying "they do not respect me."   What then does he think of the Giants who listed him as either #4 or #5 starter?  I would have had him pitch the first game after the break. . . The Giants are in a state of denial regarding Lincecum who is listed to start game two . . Pagan looking like he did in spring training has seen his average drop quickly from .316 to .284. . . Posey could use the day offs instead of playing in the All Star game. . . Sandoval hit a home run Sunday after the Giants trailed by ten runs but he did not look like an All Star on the trip either at the plate or in the field making another bonehead play when he tried to tag a runner instead of throwing to first base.  He has done that in the past indicating that he doesn't seem to learn from his mental mistakes. . . Dave Fleming hit the nail on the head Sunday on television when he said the Giants are getting beat by the home run ball.  They were out homered 12-3 by the Nationals and Pirates which is a prime reason they lost five of six games.. . The Giants trail the Dodgers by 1/2 game so all will be forgiven if they can win this Friday against the Astros. . . The Giants road trip to the east brought out large crowds in both Washington and Pittsburgh which was wonderful to see.. . . The Yankees and Red Sox were on national television over the weekend so perhaps you saw Andrew Jones hit four home runs for the Yankees.  Remember Andrew?  He was compared to Willie Mays as a center fielder with the Braves and he was also a pretty good hitter.  Then he lost his stroke was released and ended up with a number of teams including the Dodgers.  I really felt sorry for him when he played for Los Angeles as he looked completly lost at the plate and fans booed him costantly.  This again illustrates what a difficult sport baseball really is to play and how rewarding it is to see Andrew again experience some success.

Homer Sweeney

Gaints Notes

Freddy Sanchez - The Giants finally announced that Freddy Sanchez is out for the season which is  no surprise for those that read this blog.  On March 19, 2012 we revealed that there was a big concern about his condition and then on March 30 we reported that  he may never play again and finally on May 14 we concluded  that he would not play either second or third base this season.

Gary Brown one of the Giants can't miss prospects has recently been hitting the cover off the ball according to reports from the Giants who might have been responding to a report made June 21 on this blog that implied that Brown was highly over rated.   This recent surge has brought his average up to .273 which is a big improvement since he has been batting under .250 for most of the season.  Brown noted for his speed has been successful only 71% of the time in his attempts to steal while on the major league level Pagan is at 88%, Blanco 83%  and the Giants as a team have a 77% success rate.

Stolen Bases - Stolen base statistics have never impressed me because in many situations stealing a base may not be the best strategy for the team.   Nobody knows how many bases Willie Mays could have stolen during his career.  When he was on first he did not attempt to steal since he wanted to protect the next batter Willie McCovey.  By staying on first he kept the hole between first and second open and if he did steal a base they would most likely pitch around McCovey.  Bochy has done a masterful job for the Giants this year successfully applying the stolen base strategy when it can be most beneficial for the team. 

Homer Sweeney

Giants Swept

Giants 1924 Uniform

The Nationals won the home run battle 7-1 which was the key in their three game sweep over the Giants knocking them out of first place in the NL West.  The Giants lost the final game in the the ninth thanks to some very sloppy fielding but the goat of the game was Sandoval who failed twice with the bases loaded to deliver a run.    The Giants wore the New York Giants uniforms to commemorate the 1924 World Series against the Washington Senators.  The cap worn by Belt at the right looks very much like the 1946 San Francisco Seals 'milkman' caps.  (See related article May 31, 2012).  On to Pittsburgh where the Giants are counting on Vogelsong to prevent another sweep. The All Star break cannot come fast enough.

Homer Sweeney

All Star Complaints

All major league baseball teams show support and protect their players so they will complain when they feel  a deserving player is not chosen to play in  the All Star game.  This year was no exception.  Dusty Baker manager of the Reds complained that two of his players pitcher Johnny Cueto and infielders Brandon Phillips were left off the NL squad  because they were involved in a brawl last year with the Cardinals.  I think Dusty has a legitimate complaint since LaRussa NL manager this year holds grudges as evidence by all of his head hunting pitchers that played for him both at Oakland and later with the Cardinals.

Homer Sweeney

The Giant Fans and the Vote

The Giants have great fans and support which  is evident with sell outs every game at AT&T, the attendance at Scottsdale during the spring and the support they receive when they are playing  in Oakland, San Diego, Anaheim, and Los Angeles.  A small energetic group of  fans dressed out in milkman uniforms with orange ties led the charge to get out the vote for 'Melky' Cabrera and other Giants so it was no surprise that Posey, Cabrera and Sandoval were voted starters on the National League All Star team.

The Giant fans not only voted for their stars but voted for Giants over more deserving National League players.   Belt came in second at 1st base, Freddy Sanchez who hasn't played in over a year and won't play this season received 2,287,147 votes to place fourth among second basemen, Crawford a .220 hitting shortstop came in second and Huff with nine hits for the season was 14th among outfielders.  I was guilty of giving Sandoval 50 votes when I thought that Wright of the Mets deserved to be the starting third baseman. Our  plan on how to revise the selection process was outlined on June 25, 2012.

Homer Sweeney

A Split with the Reds

The grounder up the middle was the only hit Bumgarner allowed in pitching  a great game to give the Giants the first game of the series and the National League West lead.  The bats were very quiet for a couple of days then on Sunday the strong pitching of Vogelsong, Theriot scoring three runs and Posey key hits gave the Giants a split in the four game series.  The Giants travel to play Washington if power is restored in the area and Pittsburgh for a tough six games before the All Star break.

Homer Sweeney