by
Greek Giant
The Giants face Puerto Rico and former teammate Angel Pagan in an exhibition game today. Pagan will lead off and play left field. Team Puerto Rico is loaded with stars: Francisco Lindor, Carlos Beltran, Javier Baez and Carlos Correa, to name three. Jeff Smarge will be starting for the Giants.
I’ll post the Giants line up when I see it.
Rerun: what’s up with Angel Pagan? (Breckeroni needs to know.)
My understanding is that Angel does not have a contract with anyone, so his playing for Puerto Rico is either a “swan song” or he’s hoping to look worth an offer from some organization. I admit to pulling for Angel quite a lot more than for Carlos B. today.
One lesson from the WBC rosters is that we have taken quite a few guys into Americal ball from the other countries. P.R. has a pretty decent team today.
Lefty commented to that effect.
Also – screw Beltran.
If one is going to HBP a Carlos in the first inning, it should be this one!
Word!
Pagan right now is just receiving minor-league offers.
Sounds appropriate enough. Samardzija has me a little worried!
2 hits and a hit batter? He’s ready : )
He said he has gotten lots of offers, but all are Minor league deals, he thinks he should get a MLB deal with guaranteed money, but no MLB team agrees with him yet .
Pagan has never been short on ego.
What do you know? Pagan leads off with a base hit.
In past WBC tournaments he has been great even with the glove .
Yeah, we really need to get him back.
Attababe, Sharky.
He dodged a bullet.
Kind of a dukey inning anyway–two infield hits and a HBP.
True.
49ers have a new QB…Brian Hoyer.
Who?
He was the QB for Kyle in Cleveland a few years ago , and had a good year, just missed playoffs .
Tx
ughhhhhhh
Who did you want ?
Not the Todd Wellemeyer of QB’s
Do your homework not as bad as you think .
My homework included watching him have the worst playoff game performance in the history of football for Houston in 2016 , which made the Texans panic and overpay Ortmeier. QB’s are made or broke in high leverage situations…he broke. Bad
Hoyer had best be nothing more than a Clipboard Yoda….
On the positive side, I don’t think the 49ers need to worry about him having a bad performance in the playoffs.
Heard on the local sports talk we also signed Pierre Garçon? I think appx $9-10MM deal? Also Ughhhhh…
Garcon, there’s a Hoyer in my soup
Sounds like they are still trying to trade for Cousins….
Shanahan already said he views Hoyer as a backup QB. And Garçon had 113 catches and 1100 yds in Shanahan’s last season in Wash. I like what the Niners are doing. Already better than last season when Baalke signed Beadles then sat on his hands.
People that are against the WBC , have never watched it, I have, it is great baseball, the Latin teams and players go all out, they have rosters with All Stars and MVPs, and they all want to play in it, unlike the USA team, the Dominican Republic just scored 9 runs in one inning vs Pirates .
I’m betting, Peter, you will like this report from Alex 14min ago:
Even if you don’t care about WBC, watch Puerto Rico’s games. Lindor and Baez are already doing ridiculous things defensively.
One thing that’s always weirded me out about Doug Greenwald, besides his need to spell out names, is his detailed description of what the players are wearing and how they look:
“Jeff Samardzija, with his long black hair under his black cap…”
What is this, a Harlequin Romance novel or something?
“The strapping and tall, muscular man on the mound with one buttin undone on his jersey top and…”
Um, okay I’ll stop there.
Exactly. When I was in high school, I had an after-school job at the town library. Middle-aged women would come in after work and check out stacks of those things. I mean, 10-15 at a time. It was really something.
You can learn a lot about people at the library.
Now they can just listen to books.
But then they will miss the Future-Ex-Step-Daughter-Oracle-Desert-Princess cover!
My girlfriend’s daughter is on the cover of a Harlequin Romance that’s coming out soon. I think she got $500 for it. She’s Desert Princess Tahira. I’m sure it’s a great read.
Sounds like a Dr. Lefty dream sequence
Pat Hughes does that at the start of a Cubs radio broadcast. Not individual players or their hair, but he tells the colors of the uniforms, if it is sunny, and maybe describes the park. Originally from Northern California, he’s a bit of a closet Giants’ fan, and can be pretty poetical in describing Willie Mays Field.
I kind of like it.
“His firm but supple buttocks, straining against the fabric of his double knit uniform trousers with every delivery.”
Sighhhhh. I miss Angel already.
Bum loves well manicured feet
Good riddance. You need to find another “one”. Five years of Angel, more than enough.
I won’t miss Angel the player. But I will miss some of his, um, attributes.
Hey Doug read my tweet on the air … “WBC in November in Australia” ,,, Ends up Doug has lived in Australia too. I would still stay use the MLB players that just retired and the College All-Stars. It is the national pride and competition that gets people going PJ, not the big names only; although Papi, Jeter, ARod, Hudson … are not Nobodies.
Just printed out our game tix for Friday, Saturday and Sunday and booked my pedicure for tomorrow afternoon (temps in the high 80s in Scottsdale all weekend, sandals coming out the closet). I’m halfway there!
80s?! Sandals?! California is ridiculous.
Technically it’s Arizona, but it’s not Montarctica, for sure
Oh, I see. You’re right, Matthew. Technically Scottsdale is Arizona, not Sacramento.
But the Sac area is looking at mid 70’s today, so sandals are an option, assuming the toes pass muster.
There were people in shorts last week when it was 60 with the sun shining. One of them looked good.
Snowstorm overnight here. It was furiously snowing big thick flakes when I woke up at 6 am. Right now 36° and windy. Windchill. Snow forecast every day this week. Parka weather.
BRRR!
It’s kinda cold here too, but no snow:
https://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=20.6042354,-105.23645099999999
77.7 °F in p.v. which “feels like 80° for some reason. We have different definitions of “kinda cold,” paul.
Just bein’ cruel, deeg.
Lo siento mucho.
I thought she was making a fashion statement, not a weather one.
Next GG Post needs to be:
Baseball Harlequin Paragraphs
(I would ABSOLUTELY put my money on Just Peachy for Most Likely To Push The Boundaries Of Appropriate)
Judging from below, this might also be The Oracle’s genre?
It could be that Just Peachy has us all fooled and is some Large Lumberjack Dude from Yakima Washington.
A leadoff single, I wonder what that’s like
I guess we’ll never know. Or what an RBI by a SS looks like. Or a HR from our RFer….
Ask Billy Hamilton, no …… wait …
OFF TOPIC
Close your eyes – Open – When is the last SF QB that had this kind of throwing motion including “throwing guys open” IE letting the ball go before the wide out makes his move?
One of many moves that won’t be met with any props in the fandom but Shanahan has politely said good by to Bethea – Smith and Martin.
It is all about the offensive and defensive lines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUu_qDBnjr4
Hey! That was LAST season’s marketing campaign
Your Forty Niners – Close Your Eyes
Or….”Hey I am Trent Baalke, trust me – I am going to use a high draft on a smurf nose guard named Marcus Martin”…..
I tried to find one with a torn ACL. Can’t win’em all.
that wasn’t the best home run call ever. who is that?
Rocky Koblik.
googled and came up empty. sure of that spelling, doc?
Rocky Bullwinkle
i can always count on you 2..
if he goes to prison, he’ll be Koblik-con
If’s a Marketing guy for the Giants, you know, like Matthew. is for some diet root beer.brand
Nope.
Dang – I was just on a 30 minute call and missed the end of an incredible Euro league knockout game…Barcelona – who came into the day down 4-0,and then trailed 5-3 very late on aggregate, and 1-0 in away goals scored 3 times in the last few minutes – the only possible way to advance… so they HAD to score 3 in about 7 minutes…and did (Neymar in the 88th and 90th, Roberto in the 95th). The last one was on a last minute free kick deflection. My son and I blew up our phones with texts…epic and historic
This post was for PJ
Just because…it’s 5 minutes of fun highlights
http://www.espnfc.com/video/champions-league-highlights/149/video/3078189/barcelona-6-1-psg
Really sorry I missed it. Did anyone roll around on the ground in fake agony?
How the HR has fared in recent history, an analysis by strike zone location, low, middle, and upper zone.
https://i.imgur.com/jy4Vaqx.png
Gregor being interviewed on MLB Network in game
Yes….I do work hard
We’ll miss Gregor. Can any of the other contestants play all 3 outfield positions?
Beckham…
Chuckleing.
No updates on the game, went to ESPN .com , it is 5-4 Puerto Rico, what happened ?
Just go to here
http://m.mlb.com/gameday/puerto-rico-vs-giants/2017/03/08/509914#game=509914,game_state=live,game_tab=
David Hernandez happened. 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 B, 3 R. Ughhh
I was way wrong on him, picked him to make 25 man, because Bochy loves vets, but he has no chance .
AARP cards ensure his eligibility
Me too, and yep.
WHO IS THIS MARRERO GUY ANYWAY???
our new left fielder
Very unlikely.
WHY? I predict 5 outfielders, he platoons with Parker in LF
He’s 4th on the depth chart at 1st base, 5th on the depth chart at LF. That’s who.
MR. Knows it all, production does not matter, name 4 LF in front of him, do it, so I can laugh !
You never laugh, PJ.
Parker, Mac, Ruggie, Morse,
I
This should be good for a great response.
Meh. I only give it a six outta ten.
I love Morse, big hint mostly DH and 1st base in Spring, has he played at all in LF .
I don’t think they view that as a viable option.
Yeah, Marrero has better chance in LF, Mike does not get ,that Mac has options, and Giants will stash him in Sacramento !
The most likely scenario is Marrero and Mac both in Sacto. But Mac and Parker might both make it.
Ruggie is your pick in LF backup + CF , but he looks done to me !
I never said that he would be the LF backup + CF
I thought I saw your 25 man roster pick, but I guess I am wrong again .
Well, one of us is wrong. Which is a first because both of us are always right.
Classic.
I bought a 40″smart TV. Big mistake- it’s smarter than I am. Not to mention every appliance in the house and one in the shed. And I have a bunch of stuff that talk to me. And candles that I can light from remote control. Yep, it’s quite romantic here.
I think I hear some Barry White in the background.
Ruggie has done nothing in Spring, Morse before today has done nothing in Spring, and LF for him now may be a reach defensively, Management has said Mac going to AAA, with his options !!
If you base this on early Cactus League stats, we’ll have a VERY different team from 2016.
Morse was DFA ‘d last year, Ruggie has big injury issues , and has been barely hanging on last couple years in MLB !
Buzz-killer.
BOOM! Walk-off two-run HR for Marrero!
Whoa….
2nd walk-off HR he’s hit this spring.
That’ll win over the manager. And the fans.
And the blog.
The most important thing, of course.
He should now start rotating around the infield, then catcher and P and then LF CF and RF – to see if he could one day play a different position every inn,
He plays 1B and OF?
Yes, would have to be 4th outfielder, and team would need a 5th outfielder that plays CF, he might be RH platoon partner for Parker .
He’s on my 25 b/c I am hoping some of their backups are under 35. My 25 was more of a wish list b/c it also has Cain on the DL and Blach in the starting rotation.
The pitcher for PR who gave up the walk-off? Pagan.
Did Koblik say “I don’t believe …what I just saw!”…?
Teaching the ins and outs of the Hit and Run on the amateur level
http://baseball.coachesdirectory.com/article/hit-and-run-drill–chris-hanks–colorado-mesa-univ-video.html
Easily a 500-600 dollar mitt for BCraw https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5bcabd1cb0f5647daceafab5e03a99ea0416d2163786582c8f55a8336b4d3012.jpg
Is this from Big 5?
Most likely all customized from Wilson or Rawlings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjn973wgojQ
Do they have to commit to one or the other?
Not sure, what do you think? IMO Crawls has probably had his own relationship with one of them as soon as he left UCLA.
Rawlings would be my choice too.
4 1/2.
Team USA plays Twins on MLB Network at 4PM
Thanks, PJ
Your are welcome for the link to the Giant’s game.
Thanks, it was a gameday, not video, but thanks, went to pick up my son off bus it was 4-5, came back and it was 6-5 Giants
Chris Marrero 2 run HR bottom of 9th Giants win
Okert WP
http://m.mlb.com/gameday/puerto-rico-vs-giants/2017/03/08/509914#game=509914,game_state=final,game_tab=play-by-play
Getting tougher and tougher to see him not making the 25-man roster.
For anyone who can’t access Pavs’ tweets:
Michael Morse walked past me in clubhouse: “Let me go hit a homer.” No joke, he walked outside and hit his first homer of the spring.
Pretty awesome. Impossible to not root for Morse.
Mike has a legit chance to make it as A part time 1st baseman, RH power bat off the bench, and emergency LFer, IMO.
nope, too limited physically. Will be Marrero and Gorkys, mostly because GH can play center.
Gorkys has not hit at all, but Giants need a CF backup, so might make it, unless Giants pick up another CF, I just remembered Parker actually has lots of CF time in Minors, and played 35 innings in CF with Giants last year .
That doesn’t make Parker a CF. Don’t forget the Giants really value D. If Span gets injured, Parker would not be a full time solution till Span came back.
Neither would Gorkys (as you said he does not well). That’s why I keep saying that the Giants don’t have every OF they will finish the year with.
Yes, there’s no way Hernandez doesn’t make the team if they don’t sign up someone else to back up Span.
Making conclusions based on a couple weeks of spring play is foolhardy. Give it couple more weeks.The only thing that I would say for sure is that Pence and Span will be here come opening day.
The homer today is gonna have to be the first of a few more in order for him to make it. If he can make loud, consistent contact he’ll be in the mix. But if Marrero continues to hit, he’d cancel out Morse.
It’s just as likely that neither of them will make it. They just might keep only 4 OFers.
Crawnik is the only one Officially putting faith in Morse to make the team.
I could easily see him batting .225 with 8 HRs. Terrible for a starter but pretty good for a bench player with about 100 ABs.
Do you think he will move to Sac and Wait in the Wings?
I could see that.
I think he would do it too; hoping to be a help along the way to another ring.
Did he hit for a sick tyke?
Oakland can claim that OLD line that goes “if we didn’t have bad luck we’d have no luck at all”
(1) Retired Police officer pleads no contest http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/03/07/police-sex-exploitation-scandal-ex-oakland-cop-sentenced-allowed-to-substitute-court-watch-for-jail-time/
(2) New “Funny talking” Chief backs into scooter http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/03/07/oakland-new-police-chiefs-minor-crash-prompts-investigation/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1386967/Oakland-introduces-new-Police-Chief-Anne-Kirkpatrick.html
Johnny Baseball http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Giants-Cueto-reaches-65-pitches-in-tuneup-for-10986962.php
Sentiment of the day, perhaps.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C6U5y50VAAA19V6.jpg
Nolan Arenado is a violent hitter
Posey batting 5th,
Choked, man at 3rd one out , no RBI, to many grounders.
Choked is a strong word.
He does that a lot, so it drives me crazy, he tends to hit way to many weak grounders in those situations .
Definitely have to DFA that has-been schmuck.
You gotta treat these at bats as gentle strolls through a meadow, and not death match battles…this sport is a marathon.
I am talking about his tendency to hit grounders in RBI sitiuations, I can remember 5 times he has grounded into game ending double plays with tiieing runner on.
LOL. About 75% of all swings of the bat are ‘chokes’.
With a man on 3rd with 1 out ?
Yes.
Weak grounders that do not score runner from 3rd, I doubt it .
But having a man on 3B is irrelevant to the outcome.
Having a runner on 3rd, it is key to get the ball in the air, to get the run in .
Not with Posey.
Well, that’s why he has failed a lot in those situations .
He hits his average, more or less.
Is anyone else having trouble with the feed? Mine keeps stopping and repeating.
I am watching on TV
Is it a smart TV?
Yup. The Big Brother 5000
Crawford batting 9th
He looks just like he did with the Giants last week at the plate, awful, He and Posey not hitting at all yet, team USA might be in trouble, got a lot of players in early 30s on team , Posey turns 30 in a few weeks, but as a Catcher is an old almost 30 player .
Relax. Really. It’s a spring AB.
Good hitters can hit period, Bonds never needed a month to get his swing going, I am seeing very slow bat speed , MC cutch too , look late on everything .
The comp on Posey is maybe Thurman Munson, not Bonds.
No small planes, Buster…
Great ball player though. Posey gets there, he’s special.
I’m amazed you’re not a GM on a team!!!
Relax, it’s exhibition baseball.
Worry more about the Giants not hitting when the season starts.
Who turned the torrent on?
Looking at dribblers by Posey every at bat , hitting the ball straight down every time, bat speed very slow.
Well, one could say Buster did, but upon further investigation, it appears to be a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens in the Pacific region called El Pedro…it usually doesn’t hit land masses until early April, but this is an unseasonably wet winter, so it came in March
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyXg7eD0Q7Q
USA using lousy Twins minor league pitchers to fill out the roster…so I guess I’ll pass on caring about results
Posey calling all those high fastballs, has killed the pitch count on the good pitchers, to many foul balls, and 2 out hits .
another double play ball by Posey , luckily it was with 2 outs .
Hall of Fame.
Posey hits into a triple play. Luckily, there were two outs and nobody on base.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko_YsP6f7so
Took a look at Marrero’s stats in AAA last year. I was going to double down on my comments but I may have to walk it back. At the end of the day.
He can hit, good track record
Kazmir (Dodgers) has a problem.
http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/scott-kazmir-injury-update-hip-mri-exam-dodgers-no-serious-damage/kgjzzl1h17ao1ez3riyd6arjo
Who bombed them?
ICE.
VOGEY ON THE BUMP!!!!!!
All of you folks seem to eat dinner at the same time.Look, even I can blog with food in my mouth. Get over here, already.
USA loses 3-2, Posey and Crawford the Goats, looks like all you anti WBC people will be happy the USA team will be knocked out in 1st round, and Posey will be back with the Giants hitting into double plays for them .
LOL, will he catch too?
Calling high fastballs on 0-2 counts, that end up over the fence!
May God bless you with perspective, my friend
The odds of hitting a high FB over the fence are lower than hitting a low or mid zone FB. Data below for 2016.
Not when Posey calls of with Pitchers that only top out at 87 MPH, seen it happen a lot in the past , Hudson, Peavy, Cain, Petit .
You have your whole dinner in your mouth, don’t you ?
Nope , just calling like it is , Posey looked pathetic and Crawford hit a pop up that you would see in a T ball game not high and not far .
The Howard Cosell of the baseball blog world.
elToupo?
Yay for Vogey, though!
Happy if they don’t get injured? Hell yes
I’m about 15 minutes shy of a taco salad for dinner, be brief.
OK, I had it wrong, I thought that the WBC was a Wrestling Federation . Our guys would get destroyed by those Japanese Sumo Wrestlers.
With that, GNite all.
Funny how different the sexes are. I saw Lefty’s post from this morning about her innocent dream with Bumgarner. It reminded me, I had a dream just a couple of mornings ago and I was in some mundane setting with Helen Hunt. I had forgotten all about her but saw an ad recently for some new movie she is in and I’m sure that was the trigger. Anyway, I woke up remembering the dream and thinking “idiot, it was a dream and all you did was talk to her…” I’m sure Matthew can relate judging by the earlier responses to Lefty’s story.
Helen Hunt? She did nothing for me, but to each their own.
What a desultory fourth quarter by the Warriors. I know Boston’s good, but this is a home game, and they were right there after three. This is a disgusting loss–careless, sloppy basketball. I feel bad for the fans who paid hundreds of dollars to watch that slop. Shame on the team.
Calling it: The Warriors do not make it out of the second round. They’re just not that good.
Geeeeezzz. The sky isn’t falling and Durant will be back by the POs, so no need to worry. This team is talented enough to learn from their mistakes and move on unlike the rest of us who don’t play this game.
No, it’s falling. There is no chance they’ll hold onto the one seed. As for Durant coming back, maybe, but as we saw last year with Steph, that doesn’t mean he’ll gel and be his old self–and KD’s injury is worse than Steph’s was.
The Atlanta game is the only good game they’ve played since KD went down. They only barely beat the Knicks. The KNICKS!
I wasn’t convinced about them before KD went down, and now that he’s out, it’s all over but the whimpering.
Durant will return, and he’ll still be Durant. The biggest difference with the Warriors this season is that Curry’s performance has slipped a little below the standard he set the past two seasons.. He and Thompson were a combined 4-17 on threes tonight, which hasn’t been unusual. That makes a huge difference.
…and Thompson’s.
Thompson is a very good but complimentary player. Curry was the difference maker. And, as Peter pointed out above, Thompson is much closer to his typical numbers than Curry, who is now below 40% on threes for the season.
…and thompson’s
Not sure you’re watching the games. Curry and Thompson, regardless of what the stat sheet says, are both having workload/carry-the-team issues that to my eyes are borne of a reliance on KD (understandable) and this recent nuts kick has them searching.
I also believe Curry’s numbers are down because teams continue to “focus on” (code words for “beat the s*#t out of”) him.
The biggest of all issues is an bench that is both aging AND too young.
So teams weren’t focusing on Curry the last two years? Is it possible that he just isn’t playing nearly as well, without excuses?
I certainly have not and will not make an “excuse”. he’s playing worse. There appear to be many reasons (most he owns himself)…but any reason ever given about any player in any sport that you have an Oracle-On for is deemed an excuse.
I’d be interested in seeing a breakdown on his three point percentages on stand still shots vs. off the dribble, and how those numbers compare to what he did the past two seasons. He’s been the best shooter ever, and certainly the best off the dribble. In fact, I don’t remember another NBA player that ever came close to his ability to hit contested threes off the dribble, but if the leg strength starts to slip even a little bit, it would have a significant impact on the ability to hit those shots. I think he needs to adjust his game a bit in response to what appears to be the new reality.
I totally agree….
I agree with you that the ATL game was the only game, so far, that was the Warriors best. I think the team relied too much on having KD around. It’ll take some time, but I think there is some adjustment to playing without Durant, and this Warriors team is too talented enough to lose game after game.
If Durant doesn’t make it back to near 100% then the title is out and you’re probably right about losing in the second round. That guy is the key. If I was Kerr I’d shine the one seed goal and start resting guys. Starting tonight with Steph and Klay. Steph is missing open looks by a lot, his shot is often way off the mark in every direction. He is gassed. The schedule is absurd, just back from a long roadie and and an immediate back to back all the way to MN? Wow, just rest your remaining stars.
the warriors always seem to be more gassed then their opponents lolol
You should worry because if you remember curry had a bad ankle he played through and was clearly not the same in the playoffs from a mobility and shot perspective. I would not expect Durant to be himself when he comes back.
I’ll wait til April-June to worry, and I consider this period of time KD’s time to rest for the playoffs.
I’m sure Kerr and the rest of the staff are aware of the severity that Curry’s injury during last season, so I think they’ll treat this injury as careful. There’s no rush to put KD back in the lineup since it’s only the regular season vs Curry being injured during the POs.
no guarantee that he will be back! KD is a very slow healer from what i understand.
More time to rest as long as the rest of the team can step up.
Gonna have to remind you of this down the road.
That was their 6th game in 6 cities in 9 days with travel to every corner of the country , after losing their best player to injury, against a tough team.
No, they didn’t play well down the stretch. But, I certainly don’t think the fans have any complaint , given the fact that the Warriors, over the past 2 1/2 years, have the best home court record in the world.
Having the best record over a three year period, best home court record, and countless stat records will mean crap if they only have 1 ring to show for it.
Instead of what could have been one of the best teams ever will be merely a sideshow.
Just boring and uninspired ball being plyd right now by GS. Sold their soul to the devil for Durant now you hv a crappy bench with little depth! McCraw starting in place of KD is a fricken joke!! McCraw , Clark, McAdoo and comp part of your bench and Looney is terrible. Andre is old and inconsistent and Livingston is not playing well. Start the playoffs already because im tired of the regular season.
You guys are beyond “tough crowd”…you’re simply unwilling to concede there are other very talented opponents…THEY LOST DURANT.
They’ll probably be playing Houston in the 2nd round (as 2 seed) and they’ll beat Houston “with” Durant. They seem to get fired up for Houston.
The bottom line for me is they have played some phenomenal games when fully healthy and even with their no-love-from-most folks bench. They haven’t sustained that performance, but it’s there. A lot of me thinks (and I’m not a psychologist) that the season is long and these guys are getting bored with all their regular season success…and are just doing the veteran “waiting for the playoffs” thing.
Are they making me nervous? Yes. Do they piss me off with their sloppy play? Yes. Do they have the talent to win this thing? Yes. Can they just blow this by being unfocused and sloppy? Absolutely!
Now it’s just a matter of sitting back and seeing what happens. The Clippers also seem to have the Spurs number and they would play in the 2nd round if everything works out.
Not intending to “blow smoke”, but they aren’t done…even with the 2 seed.
No Giants game today; a practice game for team USA at 10:05 PT.
Early Trends…
Long Shots?
Hernandez (the pitcher) looks shaky; sorry PJ and Lefty
The three Marrero My25ManGuy pickers got to be happy but fitting him on means dropping Conor [App7] or Parker [Ef] or Mac [giantc]
We nine Osich fans saw some good news yesterday.
Beede 6 IP and 0.00 ERA.
Panik is dialed in at .471 after 17 AB’s.
It is Early still but what else is trending?
I dropped Conor in order to dial in Hwang – that was my “tie breaker” move, and it’s not looking completely idiotic, although Gillaspie is hitting well too.
Span and Buster and Brandon C. ought to ask Joe P. for some advice? But that’s a good point: the universe does seem better balanced when Panik is playing well.
And CG is having shoulder issues so you might be right yet about the Opening Day 25-Man at least.
Hwang has been good but he also is able to be a AAA reserve player and may get pushed that way due to that option. Depth is really important and he may be a DepthGuy™ in the end. I think if Mac and Parker stay equal that is also Mac’s fate … depth and let Parker take the job for Opening Day.
I was thinking about the bullpen. I agree that my cynical pick of D. Hernandez isn’t coming to anything (thank goodness). I think Cory Gearrin might be in trouble. Some dark horse candidates might include Neil Ramirez and Dan Slania. Also, I still think Okert over Osich to this point, but a lot depends on how/when Will Smith appears. If Smith isn’t ready for Opening Day, could be Blach in the bullpen.
Yes, the Opening Day DL questions will be much clearer on March 25 when we all have to settle on our final list.
Wow Hernandez stunk it up yesterday. Back to the dumpster, buddy.
Like seriously el stinko.
Definitely not buying the Team Israel “Cinderella” story. Not sure anyone is aggressively selling it, but there’s nothing to buy. That teams is loaded. Well, maybe not loaded like Puerto Rico or DR or USA, but they have current and former MLB players, as well as AAA, and minor league prospect talent up and down the roster. No surprise they would be able to put together a few games of sound baseball and defeat teams that look better on paper. That is the essence of baseball.
Bam-Bam looks sharp in his Dutch jersey. Jurickson Profar looks poised for a breakout, so long as he can stay in one piece. For Team Israel, their 2nd baseman was a teammate of Giants prospect Steve Duggar at Clemson. Tyler Krieger was taken in the 4th round of the 2015 draft, 2 rounds before Duggar. There was a moment on the broadcast when the Clemson program was being touted. Perhaps these two learned their stroke and poise in the batters box from the Clemson staff. Krieger also put together a high average in the minors last year and is rated by John Sickels as a B-/C+ prospect.
Speaking of Team Israel, does anyone know what qualifies a player for an international squad. If you have an Italian surname, you’re good for Team Italy. What about Ike Davis and Jason Marquis for Team Israel? Is 1/8th Jewish descent enough for eligibility? Not that it matters, we’re all part of one diaspora or another.
Good to have your Train of Consciousness comments again.
You are probably drying out like us; enjoying the spring flowers all over?
I am building some high expectations for Duggar … a great CF defender and contact from the lead off spot for 2018 through 2028.
Great CF defender may be pushing it. Still profiling as 4th OF type.
Fiddlenecks push first. I hear the poppies are late. Those come in abundance near Pine Flat Reservoir.
13 assists in 122 games last year … He has something going on.
Desert superbloom this Spring!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/03/08/this-park-in-the-desert-southwest-is-experiencing-a-wildflower-superbloom/?utm_term=.0d92b4250fcc&wpisrc=nl_az_most
I am driving SF to AZ maybe I can see some on the way?
There was one in Death Valley a couple years ago.
Also – there is a kinda lost valley in central Calif., I think between 101 and Rte. 5, where the flowers go nuts every spring. We stayed there overnight but I can’t recall the name – begins with “C” – Caranza?
Carrizo Plain: https://www.blm.gov/nlcs_web/sites/ca/st/en/prog/nlcs/Carrizo_Plain_NM.html
That is what internet searches are for. Good memory is overrated. Thanks, I will take a look.
Don’t hold your breath on Dugger. Next Giants LF and CF of the future are not on the team yet.
Piscotty?
Well they went and got Pagan and then Span as experienced CF’ers. [Mixed results}
Maybe this time they will stay in-house.
Look at his consistent wRC+ at every level so far.
one name for you: Chili Davis
THE LAST STARTING OF OF NOTE THE GIANTS DEVELOPED.
You know what I am going to say …
Whir Doo!
You are forgetting Duvall too.
I’m not trust me. He had a good year for a guy the Giants never developed as an OF.
A career of note has to be more than 3+ years of consistent production. Plenty of guys in the history of baseball have had a good year and fallen off the map. Not sold on Duvall.
Duggar, drafted in June of 2015
2015 Salem/Keizer … wRC+ 125 in 267 PA’s
2016 San Jose … wRC+ 130 in 311 PA’s
2016 Richmond … wRC+ 131 in 276 PA’s … batting .321 (fourth in league)
The Netherlands does this fairly legitimately, using players from Aruba and Surinam which are still sort-of Dutch colonies.
Italy seems a big cheat, using Americans with Italian sounding names doesn’t really seem quite right.
So I too am curious about Israel. I think CC posted a story here a couple of years ago about some school in Israel trying to get baseball going: if my memory is right, they can hardly have developed a world-level indigenous team.
Japan and Korea and Taiwan and Australia of course use actual players from those countries. Our ex-Giant Aokiさん was a hero in Japan’s first win, over Cuba: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2017/03/08/baseball/leader-aoki-proves-worth-samurai-japans-opening-win/#.WMFsmUjx7D8
See comment above – beneath the Dire Straits image.
Why would someone choose to apply the “Cinderella” label when talking about the “people of the book”? A better underdog most should know is the boy who would be King, David. That said, some of us are tired of the underdog label, hasn’t Israel proved it has the brains and brawn to be player on any world stage it wants to, without being labeled “surprising power”?
Moving from another post:
I found an article I read yesterday about the composition of the Israeli baseball team:
https://theringer.com/ameri…
“Only two players on the current team have participated in non-WBC tournaments for Israel: Dean Kremer, a California-born Dodgers farmhand with Israeli parents, and Shlomo Lipetz, an Israeli-born 38-year-old pitcher who works as a vice president of programming for New York’s City Winery. Kremer pitched an inning in the qualifying tournament in Brooklyn last September; Lipetz’s services weren’t needed. The other 34 players on the provisional roster don’t have Israeli citizenship, but they’re eligible due to the WBC’s extremely lax rules.”
Hey Lefty … Have a great trip to AZ.
I am excited for your Sac team being more Prospects than ever:
What do you think?
1B – Hwang/Ryder and Shaw [soon]
2B – Slater
SS – Arroyo / Hinojosa
3B – Hwang/Ryder
CF – Duggar
LF – Mac
Thanks–we’re off tomorrow morning and should just barely get there in time for the game.
I agree that the R’Cats will be fun to watch, but I’m not sure about your lineup. Seems like they’d want Arroyo playing 3B nearly full time, and Slater in the OF.
The rotation will be interesting: Blach(?), Beede, Blackburn, Stratton, one or both Suarezes, Gage(?), Coonrod(?), Slania, Gregorio…seems like some are going back to Richmond because of lack of room or moving to the bullpen.
Pen will include Ray Black, maybe Crick(?), Osich or Okert…
Yeah I was just going off the top of my head.
Arroyo? Maybe but seems the Giants are shorter at SS than 3B.
Send us word of what you see in AZ but do not feel obligated; your are there to enjoy Mr. Lefty, fellow fanatics in the seats nearby and the wonderful movements of The Game. Break out the iPhone only when there is a lull in that better stuff.
Good call–I’ll take photos but probably do updates from my iPad in the hotel later.
You have the memory for it.
I think I will have to get a score card and make a note and share my thoughts later that night like you said. I will be with my two sons whom I dearly lack time with these days.
Have a GREAT time with the family HAAK!
Hey, that’s right …you had the family there last year right?
Any recommendations?
We are staying at a friends house so we will be BBQ most nights and scrambling eggs most mornings to save $.
This team might play .500 against its parent team…
With that lineup, the RiverCats should compete for their division title. They’ll have their hands full with the likes of Fresno, OKC, Nashville and maybe Iowa for the PCL title.
If Marrero keeps hitting ST bombs he may find himself there too…
I checked and he did sign a minor league deal and was initially marked for Sac. So there is your 1B and make Hwang and Ryder Jones share 3B unless Lefty is right that Arroyo has that job.
Are you still near San Jose and up for a game? Maybe we can find one where someone is rehabbing?
I’m up near Sac now so I’m on board Lefty’s River Cats train now. That being said, I have to visit SJ frequently for work so I’m sure we’ll hook up again for some SJ Giants and Turkey Mike’s BBQ! Have a safe drive to AZ and enjoy time with the boys!
Then just let me know when you think you have time for a game when the Giants are in San Jose. I am fairly flexible at work right now. Even a day game if you can take a looooooong lunch.
In the spirit of Rachel Carson and International Women’s Day yesterday, and always in the spirit of science, or the pursuit of truth and knowledge, I am linking an article written by a heroic, passionate, and brilliant author. You can read Dr. Helen Caldicott’s CV here:
https://independentaustralia.net/profile-on/helen-caldicott,408
And you can read a frightful article about something you may have forgotten about in the whirlwind of the Trump disaster, Fukushima:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/helen-caldicott-the-fukushima-nuclear-meltdown-continues-unabated/5574756
What’s the longest period of waking time you can go each day without thinking about Trump? Is it more than 45 seconds?
Why do you care?
Why do you care why I care?
Zack Greinke hasn’t hit 90 yet on his FB this spring. The Giants may end up very, very glad that they lost out on that bidding war, even if Cueto opts out after this season.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/cactus-league/2017/03/08/zack-greinke-calls-diminished-velocity-not-ideal/98930502/
Prediction: The Giants will get more out of five years of Samardzija than the Snakes will out of six years of Greinke–for less than half the price.
Wow … I was very wrong in ZG.
Me too. And $ack was THIS close to signing with S.F., before he realized his wallet was really in AZ. Mercenary bastardo.
(Not Antonio.)
Well, he was ridiculously good in 2015 (great timing) and very good the whole three years he was on the Dodgers.
On Grienke’s sparkling years with the Dodgers, I’ve always wondered how much that had to do with being #2 behind Kershaw.
Buster Olney’s column focuses on how it’s a bad idea to pay big $$$$$ to “older” pitchers (30+), talking specifically about guys like Price and Greinke.
Then he goes on to mention Strasburg, who isn’t “older” yet. The Giants paid big money to Barry Zito at 28 and to Matt Cain at 27. So maybe the issue is “pitcher,” not just “older.”
He also pointed out that the industry is changing, with teams not wanting their starters to go a third or fourth time through the opposing lineup because of the metrics. Only 15 pitchers went over 200 innings last year. (Interestingly, 20% of that were the three Giants starters–and Moore almost hit 200 for the year and went over the line in his playoff start.). So do you pay over $200 mil for a guy who maybe gives you 160-180 innings?
So essentially, the Gints had 25% (!) (counting Moore) of 16 pitchers with 200 IP. That is saying something – and I hope it’s good…
It’s interesting because the Giants seem to be going against the grain, stacking up the innings-eaters instead of pulling starters after the sixth inning and stacking up fireballing relievers. Old school.
And yet we carry 57 relief pitchers as well.
Hope this is the year that changes, especially after dropping all that money for Melancon.
It also highlights how truly badly the BP pitched last year.
I feel like Moore had at least one more inning in him last year.
I’m guessing he’d agree with you there.
as would a few of us..
Dear Paul in PV (or Seattle),
Yes, a superb album. The title track sensational, my favorite. Gives tingles. A beautiful chord progression, such ascending rhythmic quality; fun to play on the guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amVqlbGBHbw
Gracias, Foots.
I found an article I read yesterday about the composition of the Israeli baseball team:
https://theringer.com/americans-are-dominating-the-wbc-but-they-dont-play-for-the-u-s-e12243b29465#.m09dbdal9
“Only two players on the current team have participated in non-WBC tournaments for Israel: Dean Kremer, a California-born Dodgers farmhand with Israeli parents, and Shlomo Lipetz, an Israeli-born 38-year-old pitcher who works as a vice president of programming for New York’s City Winery. Kremer pitched an inning in the qualifying tournament in Brooklyn last September; Lipetz’s services weren’t needed. The other 34 players on the provisional roster don’t have Israeli citizenship, but they’re eligible due to the WBC’s extremely lax rules.”
p.s. I get the TM rights to “Shlomo Lipetz” for all future TWG posts.
As well you should. In perpetuity.
You’d better hurry and sign-in with the new name or “You Know Who” will beat you to the punch.
Thanks for the pro tip.
Damn. Who won?
Who is care?
Well, Dufus, you spelled it wrong!
You think I wanna get sued by that other guy? Get a grip!
Wait !! You spelled it wrong. Now I have to wonder who it really is.
Buster in mid season form with grounders to the SS lol against Minnesota.
E. A. S. Y. Young Blood.
😉
Drinking from the chalice of Father Peter, my friend! Bustah will be fine and start bustin’ his Rhymes
One needs only to look at his career spray charts.
Hi Fitz , love your excuses for Posey and Curry, and you like to most of it on Thompson, but Curry is way down this year, FG% .504 last year, .463 this year, 3 point .454 % last year, .397% this year, average 30.1 last year, 24.9 this year, Thompson slightly down from last year, FG%..470 last year, .463 % this year, 3 point % last year .425%, this year .403%, average last year 22.1, this year 21.8 .
My body fat is not in the same hemisphere at Pudge
Fitz is a great guy. You know about hardships. He’s raising three sons in Foster City after his wife – their mom died.
2 sons 1 daughter, no problem with him, he works for the Warriors and will make excuses for them, since on the payroll, I hate excuses, and Matthew likes excuses too
I disagree. He sees what he sees and reports it the way Joe Lacob would want him to in order to keep his job.
You on the other hand would handle the same 300K a year job by speaking PJ speak and then lose your job.
Erin, Ryan and Quinn
Does his wife’s death automatically make him a great guy?
I heard Rod Brooks give a very heartfelt tribute to Fitz on KNBR the day after his wife died. It sounds like they both went through absolute hell for four years, as she fought to try to see her kids grow up and graduate high school (etc.). Fitz moved the family from the East Bay to Foster City so they could be closer to Stanford for her treatments, and Brooks spoke of many times Bob came in to do the show after being at the ER in the middle of the night with his wife.
It sounds brutal and it sounds like he was (and is) a trouper, being there for his wife and kids while holding down two jobs to support them. That, I’d say, elevates him to “great guy” status. I’ve never been a huge fan, but I’ll never say another negative word about him.
Not automatically, but since your comment is such that it is – I won’t try to explain it to you.
I am SURE you have some characteristics that drive your family crazy but it does not detract from you being such a swell man and role model to your kids and coworkers.
I don’t subscribe to MLBN, but they seem to be granting us access to the WBC. May have to watch a few games. Yet another excuse to ignore my chores.
“The ability to perform astonishing feats of memory, such as remembering lists of several dozen words, can be learned, researchers report. After 40 days using a strategic memory improvement technique, individuals who had typical memory skills at the start and no previous memory training more than doubled their memory capacity, going from recalling an average of 26 words from a list of 72 to remembering 62. Four months later, recall performance remained high.”
Damn. I wish I could remember where I read this.
See Dr. Carson for assistance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NG29iyldsc
OK, Now I ‘member.
http://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(17)30087-9
Based on the fact that Peter said that Posey and Crawford were goats for not getting hits in a practice game that featured a bunch of A-Ball subs, i hereby declare we remane the team:
Chivas USA
Is that Israeli or Scotch?
Hey, Mr. Borderline! It’s Spanish for “goats”
And we’ll “remane” them too.
USA started 1st inning with 2 runs and a man on 3rd and 1 out , then Posey hit a dribbler and USA never scored again .
Thank you for reinforcing your diatribe for the 47th time
Anything worth saying is worth re-saying and re-saying and re-saying and re-saying and re-saying….
I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you
PJ: Posey just hit into a triple play. Luckily, there were two outs and nobody on base.
Not his first rodeo. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6ddcb889f921dd190b4d35340e4d33ea615e0f40c43e588f98ce7058c8a1f110.jpg
This picture makes it pretty clear what they saw in one another. Cute kids
***Off-Topic***
If anyone likes Boston (the band)…they’ll be playing at Shoreline (with Joan Jett) on June 14tth.
I saw them last year at Thunder Valley Casino and they were really good. As with most bands of that era, not everyone is still in the band, but they have at least 2 legacy members (Tom Scholz and Gary Pihl) and they sound really good. I hooked up with my siblings and cousins…and we had a great time.
I would highly recommend, if you like Shoreline.
Arrieta lays down the law on bat flipping.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/03/jake-arrieta-young-players-bat-flip-cubs-mlb-jose-bautista
I hope he leads with his chin….
Maybe he has interest in a kevlar vest company.
I’d love to see Harper or Puig hit into the third deck and follow it up with a majestic flip, then stare him down as they slowly round the bases.
Staring is free if it’s your last at bat.
Arrieta should just stop talking.
I suppose he thinks that is better than beaning someone, like Aioki.
Looks like Sonny Boy will miss his Opening Day start.
Yikes! A’s Sonny Gray shut down with lat strain, will miss Opening Night https://t.co/fi4CNP3Qqu via @SFGate
May 1976 https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/accd17cdc330a1932543226c654353f69f4d2283469a18d9948433a8a9b811d3.jpg
I need to note my concerns about the lack of robustness of the discussions here. We also need to increase the fruitfulness of the talk. BTW, I’ve been asked about what I think about the chances of KT making the team. I’ll get back to you on that. OK, I’ll take more of your dumb questions tomorrow.
Arseloch!
No need to be vulgar, peckerhead.
i think Arseloch is either a Norse god, or a Scottish double malt.
Arseloch is German for shithead, asshole, etc.
Yeah, but I’m feeling half cup full today.
That is a less than robust comment.
That’s because I was partial to arabiica. Anyway, some days chicken, some days feathers.
If one were fluent in German vulgarity, one might reply “Du bist einen Arschloch! VERPISS DICH! ”
That’s not something that I would never say, of course.
Relaxo, meat. It’s a term of affection.
I presumed that you were referring to Spicer.
Getting ready to pack my new River Cats gear for Scottsdale. Here’s the front and back of the new shirt, along with my new hat. Note that my MyGuy™ pin is on the hat–I thought it appropriate since MyGuy™ focuses on the minor leaguers and also the last time I saw Allen was at a River Cats game (a GE outing).
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3a57b35d20776230ec97c01ba498b81293020cea8335ef091d768d764d703401.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/375b6eb5f135d6288522fa77b62cd733d177a6e8d9aea77aa9705c1a538a50fa.jpg
Love that shirt!
Me too!
Where’s the Toes Picture????
Later. My appointment’s this afternoon after class.
Great shirt.
You also need something like a Joe Panik Back Pack for Spring Training …
Funny. I just happen to have one! 🙂
Whoa! Rarefied air. 🙂
Have a great time down there.
Niiiiiiice!!
KIR’s channeling Midnight the Cat.
http://www.closecallsports.com/2017/03/tmacs-teachable-moments-crucially.html
Crucially Calling Time – Teachable Moments looks at a confusing “Time” call at a crucial time in the 2017 WBC.
Umpires Ted Barrett & Chikara Tsugawa. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c6921377f3734e050b23e2af0d0f8e6820e6ed104ab98c6841702a9eded5c8d7.png
The Play: With none out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th inning of a tied pool play game between Chinese Taipei and Team Netherlands, Dutch batter Jurickson Profar stepped to the plate against pitcher Hung-Wen Chen and appeared to swing at and fly out on the first pitch of the at-bat as Netherlands baserunner R2 Randolph Oduber requested “Time,” which went unacknowledged by 2B Umpire DJ Reyburn.
Not baseball, but a really cool graphic about oil recovery vs oil price.
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-oil-rigs/
Not baseball either.
https://qz.com/927923/ibm-has-figured-out-how-to-store-data-on-a-single-atom/
I saw that this AM, pretty cool.
I’d like to see that oil map go back a century.
Jon Heyman, who in his two previous round-ups, talked about Tim Lincecum’s status as part of the “Giants’ news,” has moved on to another player who’s not on the team, Angel Pagan:
Mac Williamson is showing some spring power. Maybe he works out in left field … Hard to believe Angel Pagan doesn’t have a job. Pagan is said to be looking for an MLB deal with hopes of getting close to $5 million.
https://www.fanragsports.com/mlb/heyman-7-teams-surprise-2017/ (He did the same thing with the Angels, talking about Josh Hamilton, who’s long gone from their team, if not their payroll.)
In contrast, check out his huge, detailed paragraphs about the Dodgers, the Cubs, etc. It would have more integrity if he just wrote: “The Giants bore me. I don’t care what’s going on with them. I’ll take a quick look at a box score…oh, Mac Williamson hit a home run. Done.”
Cubs word count is off the charts!
Well, naturally. They’re sooooooo FUN.
The Giants will have the last laugh this year.
I’ve got my HQ Barf Bag ready for the crap I have to endure…
not too surprising, the Giants, for being one of the 8-10 teams geared for a post season run are sorta a snooze fest: Their best players, Posey and Crawford lead by example, they have a good rotation that be in many tight games due to lack of hitting, and have no real young players in the system of national interest.
The Giants need Beede & Arroyo to make it in a bad way, to show they can still produce in house talent of note. We are gong on three years now with only Duffy and maybe Tomlinson, as the only in house talent that has actually produced at the ML level. Heston being the only starter (and not even on the team anymore) and Blah just too small of window. Guess you can throw Law in there too. Not much.
Whatever. It’s just lazy journalism by Heyman. There are things to discuss and say about the Giants, the Angels, and every team. We have the Internet now–use it and look up the beat writers, the local bloggers, etc. He just doesn’t care–fine, but don’t pretend to be a “national” baseball writer and do a “major league roundup” and do a lousy job on it.
Is there any doubt that after Williamson goes 0 for 10 one week before the season starts, the Giants will sign Pagan and start him immediately?
Yeah.
That’s not nice…Dr. Lefty is hoping for a calm afternoon with a pedi and massage.
She should stay away from the internet…
I’m sure that you are right.
There’s no fookin’ chance of that.
New Post: http://fe0.84e.myftpupload.com/2017-giants-offseason-news/how-are-the-veteran-signees-doing-so-far-in-spring-training/
I consider this Sunday to be the official start of the barbecue season. Time to clean up your BBQ grills, smokers, and BBQ equipment- and get it on!
Brisbee’s got an entertaining post on S/T competition:
http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2017/3/9/14871366/sf-giants-spring-position-battles
This jumped out:
“Fifth starter
Ty Blach — 6⅔ IP, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 1.35 ERA
Matt Cain — 7⅓ IP, 7 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 7.36 ERA
You know how this race is going. You also know that the Giants might not care.”
Do ya think?