Curveball low and inside- strike one.
Slider low and inside- strike two.
Fastball at the eyes, swung on and missed, strike three.
Repeat, lather, rinse.
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This post was written by Hank on July 23, 2009
Looking for a unique Pablo Sandoval t-shirt?
PMBQ, one of my artist friends, has put together this cool Pablo Sandoval t-shirt design. Check it out!
(No referrals or promotional considerations here, I’m just plugging it because I like the shirt)
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This post was written by Hank on July 14, 2009
A quick thought on each of the Giants
With the All-Star Break, it seemed a good time to step out of the batter’s box for a moment and share a quick thought on each of the Giants.
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This post was written by Hank on July 14, 2009
Congratulations Jonathan Sanchez!
Who’d have thought that out of all of the Giants’ talented pitchers, that it’d be Jonathan Sanchez who throws the no-no.
He’s always had the stuff, and tonight, he put it all together. In the past, I felt he didn’t really use his slider as much as he did tonight, and relied primarily on fastballs to blow away hitters. Tonight, his slider was breaking well and he used it to devastating effect against the Padres hitters.
With his father in the stands watching him starting a major league game for the first time, a Hollywood screenwriter couldn’t have scripted it any better. Congratulations!
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This post was written by Hank on July 11, 2009
Campaigning to be an All-Star
I hope everyone has already voted early and often for Pablo Sandoval. If not, you should go vote at least five times, and then come back to this page! Looking at how the other candidates are “campaigning”:
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This post was written by Hank on July 9, 2009
The story of another struggling Giants pitcher
A few years back, there was a struggling young pitcher for the Giants. He had tremendous stuff and was regarded as one of the top Giants prospects in recent memory, but was struggling to realize his potential. As his struggles continued, there was talk of sending him down, or even trading him for another bat to support Barry Bonds.
What happened ultimately? It was decided to keep him with the Giants, but skip him for a couple of starts and give him a chance to work out his issues. He threw some sessions on the side with Dave Righetti, made one appearance in relief, and then was reinserted into the rotation.
Who was this pitcher? Matt Cain.
In Cain’s case, the Giants showed patience and it paid off big time. Hopefully the same course of action can help Jonathan Sanchez.
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This post was written by Hank on June 29, 2009
What A’s Fans and Giants Fans Resent
Giants fans resent that the A’s have overall done better than the Giants. Even if you count the entire history going back to NY and Philadelphia, the A’s have still won more World Series (9) than the Giants (5).
A’s fans resent that despite that fact, nobody really cares, and the Giants are still the “alpha” team in the area. The Bay Bridge Series is typically the few days where all the A’s fans pound their chests and point out the fact above…and then once interleague play is over, everybody goes back to paying attention to the Giants.
It’s like being the very capable, but somewhat low-key guy at work, who stands up during a meeting and says something completely reasonable and correct, and then the entire room just nods and then goes back to listening to the guy who’s flashier and more personable.
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This post was written by Hank on June 25, 2009
Time for a new 2B!
Emmanuel Burris was sent down and Matt Downs was called up to take his spot. To make room on the 40-man roster, Steve Holm was designated for assignment.
A couple of observations:
Whiteside pretty much made Holm expendable, as they’re both essentially the same level of talent, except Whiteside has hit a little better in his time up in the majors than Holm did. However, Holm has probably shown enough to be a competent, if not capable, backup catcher in the major leagues. I’d be pleasantly surprised if nobody claimed him.
As for Burriss, he was essentially rushed to the major leagues. Folks forget that he jumped from Class A ball to the big leagues in 2007, so he really didn’t get much of a chance to really develop a game. It’s really shown these past few weeks. He’s already shown that he can play great defense- I think this stint in AAA will help him figure out his offensive philosophy, which needs to evolve. If I were his hitting coach, I’d recommend that he work on bunting for base hits, baserunning, and perhaps adjusting his swing to hit a few more ground balls that he could beat out. He should get another chance post-Renteria, if not sooner.
Downs was a 38th round draft pick out of Alabama in 2005. HIs minor league stats showed some power (20HRs last year splitting between San Jose and Fresno), and a little speed (24 steals, though caught a lot). He is of no known relation to former Giants pitcher Kelly Downs. Like how the Giants gave him Kelly’s old number though.
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This post was written by Hank on June 17, 2009
On the ‘89 team reunion
That was just classic when Craig Lefferts sprinted in- as he did in every relief appearance he made back in ‘89. One of my fondest Giants memories from the 80s.
Most poignant moment was when Jose Uribe’s wife and daughter appeared with Juan Uribe, and Mrs. Uribe put on the number 23 jersey.
Rick Reuschel looks like he could still pitch. I think he actually still does, on the fantasy camp circuit.
Roger Craig still has the same walk he did when going out to the mound. He just needed those black vinyl sleeves underneath his jersey.
There was an eclectic but long list of the ‘89 Giants who appeared. From utility infielder Ed Jurak, who had exactly 42 at bats with the Giants that year, to Will Clark, Robby Thompson, and of course, ‘89 NL MVP Kevin Mitchell. Roger Craig and his coaches, heck, even the trainers were invited. Here’s the complete list:
Coaching Staff: Roger Craig, Wendell Kim, Norm Sherry, Bill Fahey
Staff: Greg Lynn, Mark Letond, Mike Murphy
Infielders: Will Clark, Robby Thompson, Ernest Riles, Ed Jurak, Greg Litton
Outfielders: Pat Sheridan, Kevin Mitchell, Donnell Nixon
Pitchers: Rick Reuschel, Don Robinson, Scott Garrelts, Kelly Downs, Atlee Hammaker, Bob Knepper, Mike Krukow, Dave Dravecky, Randy McCament, Ernie Camacho
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This post was written by Hank on June 14, 2009
Giants Rain Delay Outdraws the A’s?
An interesting item from the Merc:
Rating for the A’s-White Sox game on Wednesday: 0.82
Rating during the Giants rain delay on Wednesday: 0.79
Of course the Wednesday Giants game, had it been played, would have had the obvious historical implications. But you’d think folks would at least watch the A’s game first until the Giants game started. Are Giants fans really that indifferent about the A’s?
Original article from the Merc
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This post was written by Hank on June 5, 2009
