The Giants are currently 4 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. If they continue playing as they did in the first half of the season they will never make the playoffs. But the Giants are optimistic with the return of Pence full time and the strong possibility that Peavy and Cain will be reliable starters. When Pence plays everyday like he has for the past two years he is taken for granted. When he returned recently to the lineup after being on the DL for weeks, it was very evident that he is really a very special player.
Tim Flannery commented the other day that he learned from a veteran baseball writer never to evaluate a player until the season is over. Comments on some players to date:
Belt - A big disappointment. So streaky!
Panic - So consistent and an All Star
Duffy - We knew he would be a good player but he has surprised all of us.
Crawford - Batting average has dropped but still getting important rbi's. Deserves to be All Star
Blanco - Quietly having a very good year
Pagan - Must be playing hurt
Posey - Better then ever and a deserving All Star
Susac - Wasn't hitting much until he hit the big home run yesterday
Bumgarner - Can't go more then 6 innings. Is last year's innings pitched catching up with him?
Heston - Getting better as the season progresses
Hudson - Will giving his arm a few weeks off help? We will soon know.
Romo - Have the batters caught up with him?
Vogelsong - Always gives his best but doesn't always have it.
Casilla - Will the Giants wear him out?
Lopez - Doing his job well in the absence of Affeldt
Affeldt - When he returns, will he have anything left?
Machi - Gone?
Lincecum - Finished?
Strickland - Lacks confidence because he still has bad dreams about last years playoffs.
Petit - What has happened? Usually much better in the last half of the season.
Osich - Did the Giants find another diamond in the rough?
Kelly - Horrible third base coach showing some improvement
Wotus - Bench coach is a defensive genius.
Bochy - Has kept calm through all those losing streaks which has helped the team rebound
Hayes - First base coach needs to lose 15 lbs.
All Star Game
Major League Baseball chose a National League city Cincinnati to host this years All Star game when it was suppose to be an American League city. So the NL will wear grey and the AL white. Is this the reason that the latest weather report indicates rain, wind, thunder and lightening for both tonight's Home Run Derby and tomorrow's game. They will find a way to play. They always do.
There were 39 American League players and 36 National League players chosen to be All Stars this year.
Report from Texas
Russ J our loyal Texas blog reader writes that the Diamondbacks came to Texas and looked like World Series champions. Even though they collapsed in New York this weekend, I was very impressed with what I saw as the supporting cast for Goldschmidt. The Giants must be licking their chops at the prospect of coming to Arlington the end of the month. All, they, or any other team for that matter, have to do is have a lefty do the pitching to the Rangers all lefty lineup. Bring up an AA lefty to give the right handers a break. The Giants may not be happy playing here the end of July if the 100 degree temps at game time are in full swing, and there is a good likelihood of that.
The Redskins
The Redskins are fighting for their life. The ruthless federal government officially objects to the name of the Washington Redskins. That is the same godless government which has "Tomahawk" cruise missiles and "Apache", "Blackhawk", "Kiowa" and "Lakota" helicopters -- and used the code name "Geronimo" in the attack that was supposed to have killed bin Laden. Those politically paid judges even refuse to have pictures of the dead 'bin Laden' shown. What's the big deal? ISIS is our enemy now. Do you think the government lied again? Do they ever tell the truth?
High School Mentality
DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers reneged on a gentlemen's agreement with Maverick owner and TV star Mark Cuban to play for Dallas next season. All of us know if we took Business Law 101 that a contract to be valid needs to be in writing so the Mavericks had no comeback legally. He resigned with Clippers. It reminds me of high school kids dealing with those money hungry ruthless college coaches. These high school athletes renege all the time after telling a college they would attend only to change their mind. The Jordan episode illustrates that much of the NBA has a high school mentality. But what is strange is that today even written word means nothing. Lets say that Cuban got a signed contract with Jordan. Is that legal? According to the Supreme Court they can determine what it really means. Jordan could say, 'Oh, I wanted to sign with the Clippers.' Take to the Supreme Court and Jordan will be a Clipper. Sounds like the Supreme Court has a high school mentality. How could that be they all went to best universities in America. Oh! Maybe that explains it. And who can argue with the Supreme Court? They have the last word and in fact told God to go shove it recently. Judge Scalia's dissent used the word "putsch' to infer an attempt to overthrow our sysstem of government.
History and Follow-up
I wrote recently about the Gothman Bar that is behind the scoreboard in right filed at AT&T. One of our loyal blog readers Pat O wrote, I was thinking of an article, perhaps in the Chron, on the old score boards. As a kid bat boy for the visiting clubs, I was ordered by some exec to take care of Seals Stadium score board. Did it for a couple of days. As you entered the gate, you encountered lumber 2 x 6's to climb up to the elevated area where scores could be shown. Here a sort of walk-way to get back and forth was supported but still kind of creaky. A phone was there was that someone from somewhere could tell what had to be done. I could look through the open area to see what was happening. It was so boring with always the fear that I'd miss the official ruling of the scoring. I think I got about two or five dollars per game. But being a hermit did not suit me and so I told Mr Miller, the vp, that I didn't want to do it anymore. He was not pleased. But either was I so I went back to batboy for the visiting clubs. That was 1944 when I was a in junior high at Denman.
We just did a piece on sports broadcasters and another loyal blog reader Clem G from Alamo wrote. The Bay Area has been blessed with awesome broadcasters for decades. Lon and Russ for the Giants. Bill King for the Raiders and later the A's, but most especially the Warriors with Hank Greenwald. King was erudite with the broad array of interests ranging from opera to sports. Today, Jim Barnett (against whom I used to play years ago) is perhaps the best basketball color guy I have heard. I'll be watching a game and I'll make a comment and five seconds later he would make the same observation. It drives my wife Nancy nuts. Then Lon as 49er announcer and A's announcer. I just heard he died in April. I was out of state in trial, so I missed that said news. Age 92. Kruke and Kuipe are absolutely the most entertaining baseball announcer I've heard, and Krukow does indeed have the book on every ump and every player. I've been amazed at how much he knows about hitting. Greg Papa does a lot of studio stuff and used to do games, and he's terrific. Even the former Warriors PA guy, my buddy Dick Callahan ("Shooting two") was great. He does the A's PA now.
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