You Have to Be Thrilled!

The Giants starting lineup for the 2015 season is really exciting.  You can bet with your friends almost every night if they will be up or down 2.5 runs.  The Giants aren't the only team with run scoring problems.  Last year there were less runs scored in major baseball then in the past 33 years.  There is no doubt that small ball is back and the baseball drug prevention program is really working.

The first three Giant games against Arizona will be an early season test.  Chase Field is a hitters paradise especially in the early months of the season.  If the Giants are going to get any big hits this would be the time.  If they average only 2 or 3 runs in this series the Giants have BIG problems.

I see that Sabean got kicked upstairs and Bobby Evans is the new General Manager.  I am just wondering who had the final say to keep Duffy on the 25 man team.  Since he is on the team --- play him!  Don't let him sit and pick up blisters on the bench.  In the past the Giants have a horrible habit of calling up a hot hitter from the minors and then let him cool in the dugout.

Remember the busy Leprechaun we featured in the March 20th edition of this blog.  He told Bochy that he found his #2 starter in Vogelsong.  As of this writing it looks as if Bochy will fulfill the prophecy and start Vogelsong in the second game.

Report from Texas -  The Rangers were 9-19 beating out the Giants for the worst spring training  record.  All will be forgiven if Texas sweeps the A's this week in Oakland.  If you're planning to visit Arlington to see the Rangers play April 15th is the perfect day.  Its early in the season beating the heat and all hot dogs are $1.00.  What else do you want?

Wrigley Field opened the season on national television.  It turned out to be a night to forget.  The Cubs found out that spending $155 million for a pitcher might not be worth it.  The fans found out not to drink a pitcher of beer since hardly any bathrooms were working and people waited four or five innings in line.  With construction going on its hard to think of everything. 

Stanford's 2015 NIT Champions

Richard W a real supporter of the blog reminded me that Stanford won the NIT this past week. If I was a  coach especially with a young developing team I would rather play in the NIT  then be a bubble team in the NCAA.  Its a real challenge and congratulations to The Cardinal for their big victory.

I remember how exciting it was for USF to win the NIT in 1949.  It was a lot different in those days because the NCAA tournament teams also played in the NIT.  In 1994 I visited the NCAA Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA driving across the state in pouring rain.  I enjoyed the exhibit on the NCAA champions USF Dons of the 1955-57 era and the University of California of 1959 but I could not find a word about the 1949 NIT champions.  Other teams that won the NIT were displayed but not the Dons.  The reason being I am sure that this was the year of the point shaving scandal and the 'know it all's' who run the NCAA assumed that USF would have never made it that far except for the scandal. I am sure it didn't have anything to do with the fact that USF was a Catholic University in those days.   They punished USF for the sins of some college basketball players from other schools for taking bribes.  There was a display about Pete Newell the great coach at Michigan State, USF and Cal that listed his accomplishments that did include the 1949 USF NIT team.   That was it!  I did write to USF years ago and told Rene Herrerias a star guard on the team at a social event years later about the team being blackballed but I don't think anything was ever done about it.

That's was the year of our New England trip which we chose Fenway Park over the fall color season.

Fenway Park during 1994 strike

A very good friend of ours had been begging us for years to come to Boston.  George was an attorney for the IRS who handled tax situations of major league baseball teams.  So he knew a lot of the baseball owners.  We had Kennedy box tickets for the game.  Only one problem --- Strike.  I had to argue with the guard at  Fenway since I came all the way from California to at least let me in for a minute so I could get a picture of an empty Fenway. 

Soccer News -  Congratulations to my cousin John Sweeney who was one of eight to be inducted into the Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame on March 14, 2015 at the Monona Terrace in Madison, WI. I believe John is currently in charged of the intramural program at Marquette University. One of his sons Thomas was recently hired by the Golden State Warriors and his long time girl friend Beth Alexander is currently teaching math at Saint Ignatius College Prep and loving it. John is the older brother of Tom Sweeney the well known door man of the Sir Francis Drake and Jim Sweeney who runs the souvenir stand in front of MoMo's restaurant across from AT&T.  When you attend a Giant game this year stop in and introduce yourself.

My granddaughter Emi had to reschedule her visit to Notre Dame which was scheduled this week. She will be spending her spring break week in Chula Vista playing with and against 24 of the best players of her age in the country.  It is from this group that 18 girls will be chosen to represent the United States in the Under 17 World Cup Soccer tournament in Jordan in the summer of 2016.

Congratulations are also in order for Russ J our Texas correspondent whose granddaughter Mattie is tearing up her soccer league in the Dallas area with goal after goal.

The Juggling Violin Player -  Emi performs a special treat for those that made it this far on the blog.
http://youtu.be/tMmlt-ctHZk

'Tell Him Good-bye' - Lon Simmons -  May God have mercy on his soul!