The bad news is that the Giants ended April in last place in their division. Considering they lost 10 of their first 14 games the good news is that they are only 4 1/2 games behind the leading Dodgers. The return of Pence sometime in May and the play of Maxwell are positives. Third base is still a problem but starting pitching is the real headache. If I was the new general manager Evans I would be on the phone to the managers of Sacramento, Richmond and yes even San Jose begging for help. Is there anyone you think might help us?
On February 10, 2015 before spring training began, I wrote on this blog that in order for the Giants to have an effective starting staff they needed the following:
1) Bumgarner to continue his dominance. No problem this is happening.
2) Cain would recover from surgery and be an effective #2 starter. Cain was re-injured and he is now back to December just picking up a baseball. The Giants can't count on Cain returning. If he does its a bonus.
3) A rookie pitcher would wow them in Arizona. Heston did not wow them in spring training but showed enough to be brought up the first week of the season and looks as if he could be a reliable starter.
4) The remaining two starters would come from Petit, Vogelsong, Peavy, Lincecum or Hudson. We were hoping for the law of averages would work. Peavy has a bad arm and can't be counted on coming back. Vogelsong is getting belted and Lincecum is hot and cold. Hudson has pitched better then I expected but the question how long will his 40 year old arm hold up. For some reason they won't give Petit a start.
Is a starting staff of Bumgarner, Heston, Hudson, Lincecum and Petit good enough to keep the Giants in the race? Our blog member Toby C from Monterey seems to think its going be a long year.
The pre and post game shows on Comcast Sports with Tim Flannery as a guest are a must for Giant fans. You really don't need my blog with his analysis which can also be found on the stations website.
Will They Ever Give Up?
My friend Sue who is an active member of the North Lake Blue Baggers here in Irvine stopped me on my walk and asked what I thought of the Federal prosecutors in the Barry Bonds case asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate Bonds' obstruction of justice conviction in the famous decade old BALCO drug case. Before I could answer she said to me, "Do they really hate blacks that much?" "Don't they have anything better to do?" I replied by saying that I really think it is the fact they have nothing else to do and they still can't believe they lost their case and are trying to save their careers and they know the Supreme Court justices are unpredictable. "If prosecutors have any prejudices its more then likely against Americans who do things they don't agree with such as going to Church, driving cars to work, having a cocktail before dinner, getting married to a member of the opposite sex, eating at McDonald's, supporting the 2nd amendment, going to the circus, listening to Rush Limbaugh and watching Fox News to name a few."
Memories of Candlestick
The big headline in baseball this week is the fact the Orioles played the White Sox before an empty stadium. Baseball must be careful before they report that this is the smallest crowd in history. Remember baseball counts tickets sold for the game as part of crowd attendance. I have not seen that number but I am sure some of those Giants freezing cold night games at Candlestick in the late 70's could come pretty close to the record low attendance for modern major league baseball.
50,000?
George L. one of our Los Angeles area blog members attended the Kershaw - Bumgarner classic at Dodgers Stadium on Tuesday night. He felt that the play by Arias at short to throw a runner out at third early in the game and Belt's overall play at first were the keys to the Giants 2 -1 victory. Perhaps the Baltimore riots had an effect because George observed that there were many empty seats in the crowd announced at 50,000 on a beautiful Los Angeles night. There was also an alert from police intelligence sources in California reporting that radical Muslims were planning to kill every U.S. Citizen in Los Angeles. Police officials feared the death toll could be as high as nine.
The Kentucky Derby
I mentioned recently on this blog that I took calculus as a third grader and therefore never learned to count. So it is with my Kentucky Derby picks. I have no idea when I last picked a Derby winner.
Looking at my family history it should be the opposite. My grandfather and his sons besides operating the saloon at 4th and Mission in San Francisco starting in 1895 were very active in the 'Sport of Kings' for some 75 years. You have been warned. My pick to win the 2015 Kentucky Derby is Mubtaahij because like my grandfather he is Irish bred. My wife Barbara is picking Carpe Dei. I mention this because she picked the winner last year California Chrome.
Are the 49ers Desperate?
Did the 49ers blow their pick in the draft? Certainly sounds like it. Anik Armistead needs lots of development according to the teams GM. Is that the best the team could do with the 15th pick? I just wonder when the USC great and likely future All Pro Williams was not taken # 4 by the Raiders were the Niners ready to trade up? No! Oh how we miss Bill Walsh.
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The 49ers have almost always worn either red or white jersey. But the new black ones are not a first. The picture on the right shows 49er great Frankie Albert with a navy blue jersey (take my word for it I was at the game) running against the LA Rams in a October 1, 1950 game at Kezar. When games started to be televised in black and white it was required that one team have a dark jersey and the other wear white. In 1950 before massive television the 49ers alternate jersey was not white but navy blue. We know they wore them at least twice once against the Rams and the other time against the Cardinals who had the same red color jerseys as the Niners. Even when the Redskins played with dark maroon jerseys the 49ers wore red.
Father Nicholas Gruner R.I.P. 1942 - 2015.
I was sadden this morning by learning of the death of the "Fatima Priest". If it wasn't for Father Gruner and the Fatima Center I would have never been able to study Fatima which I have for the past thirteen years. I had an opportunity to talk to Father on more than a couple occasions and he was very gracious to me. He was loved by relatively few and despised by the leaders of the Church including popes, cardinals, bishops and many who write about Church activities because they reject the message of the Virgin Mary. I have begun to write a book, "Fatima- 49 Years of Deceit" because about ten years ago it was discovered by comparing pictures that there were really two sister Lucy's that changes the official story of Fatima dramatically. Our research indicate that the real Sister Lucy was most likely killed in late 1958 by Free Masons or by the Holy Office who was ordered to "take care of everything." 'May his soul and souls of all the faithful departed to the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen' .
Google 'two Sister Lucy's Fatima' for pictures of the two Sister Lucy's
Ron Muckenthaler R.I.P. 1930 - 2015
I first met Ron around 1960 when he was President of the National Association of Catholic Alumni Clubs and I was President-elect and chairman of the convention to be held at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After many years we finally lost contact but then renewed our friendship when we moved to southern California in 1997. Ron was big USC alumni and since my daughters were also Trojans it really meshed. The Cardinal Gold parties before the football games at the Coliseum, the Rose Bowls, the trip to Boulder for the Colorado game and to Hawaii were all great. You met everybody that was anyone in LA at the Notre Dame-USC Friday luncheons. I remember talking Notre Dame with Regis Philbin my wife's favorite entertainer and baseball with Tommy Lasorta. Thanks to Ron this was all possible. Ron made us part of the Muckenthaler family and we have become friends with many of his brothers and sisters. The Muckenther family settled in Anaheim in 1879 and a few decades ago established the Muckenthaler Culture Center in Fullerton. In 2008 Ron compiled a 600 page book "Muckenthaler Family" which is a tremendous resource for those studying the history of Orange County. Thank you again Ron for all the great times! May God have mercy on his soul.
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