The July Swoon

Baseball

It really is ironic.  The New York Times writes a beautiful article about Brandon Crawford being the  best defensive player in baseball on the day  he arrives in New York and then he makes three errors in one game at Yankee Stadium.  Brandon Belt after being the final  player elected to the All Star game goes on an eight game hitting slump losing close to 30 points on his batting average bringing back memories of the Brandon we use to know.  It all started in the first game at San Diego.  I believe Belt struck out four and maybe five times in the game.  Two of the K's were  called strikes that were nowhere near the plate frustrating Belt who got tossed from the game for the first time in his career.

This is the reason I have opposed instant replay.  More mistakes are made on balls and strikes then on plays at first base.  The game isn't perfect and calls missed on the bases weren't worth contacting New York to the brandy drinking umpires.  That was before I began to realize that five or six calls were being overturned by replay not just one or two a game.  So I have changed my mind.  I would certainly change the system that had to have been developed by Ivy League grads. Hire three trained college kids at $15. an hour to watch a monitor in the press box.  They watch the replay and make a decision with 45 seconds.  Calls that look different from five or six angles are time consuming an if a play is that close and it can't be determined immediately on the monitor go with the umpire's  call.  I understand the purpose of replay from the beginning was to correct the obvious errors.

Giants

Injuries are part of the game and there are other teams worse off then the Giants.  The loss of Duffy at third and Panic at second really shows defensively when they don't play.  Plays that they make look routine aren't always made by others.  Pence is missed because he is a threat at the plate.  Pagan, Blanco and Span don't scare any pitcher.  In fact the scout that recommended the Giants sign Span should be fired.   Months ago I wrote that Span had shown me nothing.  He still hasn't either at the plate or in the field.

The Giants had come from an eight run deficit against Boston and looked like they would take the lead when they loaded the bases with none out.  Mac Williamson who had already hit a 3-run homer in the game was due up.  But heaven forbid a right hander was brought into pitch.  Can't  have Williamson face a right hander. So Bochy decides to have left hand hitting Blanco bat for Williamson.  He hits into a double play first to home that kills the rally and denies the Giants any chance for a historic comeback.  After the game Bochy was asked why he bated Blanco and he answers because he is our best pinch hitter.  The question really was why did you pinch hit in the firstplace.  Michael Urban on CSBA talk show after the game trying to defend Bochy said that he probably looked at Williamson's .229 batting average like Blanco .247 was earth shattering.

The Giants  were very lucky to win one game on the trip.  They have to thank the Yankee manager for the victory.  He reminded me of Frank Robinson when he managed the Giants. Its the last of the 10th inning and the Yankees have runners on first and second with none out.  He has Ellsbury one of the better hitters on team bunt the runners along. Then the Giants walk Beltran the best hitter on the team.  The Yankees took the bat right out of the hands of their two best hitters. Bases loaded and the Yankees .230 hitting clean up  man pops to left and the number 5 batters flies to right.  No runs.  Giants eventually win in 12 innings thanks to Mac Williamson timely hit.  Frank Robinson used a similar strategy. The number 4 and 5 hitters get on base with none out.  The #6 batter bunts them along and #7 batter is walked to load the bases with one out  Who batted 8th for the Giants?  If you been around you remember it was Johnny LeMaster who was a great fielder but got about two hits a week and then the pitcher was an easy out. Frank used to have his #3 batter bunt after the two leadoff men got on base that forced the bat out the cleanup hitter hands which normally led to the #5 hitting into a  double play. If you read my blogs in the past you know that I have called Frank Robinson the worst manager in Giants history. Those that read this page know I am death against giving a team an out to get a runner to third with one out.

Is Pence ready to come back?  I think his leg is so fragile that even when he comes back he won't last long.  Hate to say but that's the way I see it.  I would start Pence in right, Pagan in center and Williamson in left.  It won't happen.  The Giants have too much invested in Span to bench him and Pagan would have a tantrum if benched.  So Williamson sits, Parker is sent to Sacramento and the Giants continue to struggle.

Will the Giants trade Parker to get a pitcher like they traded  Duvall to the Reds for a pitcher last year and he ends up in the homerun hitting contest?

Tim Lincecum gave up 8 earned runs yesterday in 1.1 innings raising his ERA to 8.70 for the season.  But once a Giant always a Giant.  My neighbor attended an Angel game recently in which Timmy started.  Angel Stadium is usually a sea of red but he told me that orange and black could be seen through out the crowd.

The NBA

The NBA has moved the All Star Game thanks to a new law that discriminates against men who  want to go into little girl bathrooms.  Steph Curry was participating in a celebrity golf tournament in Tahoe and was contacted by CSBA for his reaction.  Curry said he was disappointed with the decision.  They were hoping he say that the law is wrong the game should be moved.  But he didn't   If I was Curry I would have excused my self and said I have to go to the bathroom.  We spend millions of our  tax dollars on the Secret Service to protect a guy who tells us what bathrooms we can use.  Oh what a country!

Olympics

Warriors players Durant, Thompson and Green are practicing for the Olympics.  Take a break play golf instead.  Curry is the smart one.  Lets hope the games  are not known as the Zika Games.  They could be known as the Toilet Games because they don't work in the Olympic Village, or the Drug Games because of the Russian athletes or maybe the Sex Games since three times more condoms were ordered for this year then the last games.

49ers

Jed York did take the lead against No Carolina by sending a letter to the governor.  I was hoping he would say that the Niners would forfeit the game to the Panthers because of the bill.  It would be a lot easier to forfeit the game then lose 50-0.

I see the 49er fans are still complaining about the heat.  The new Miami Stadium has the same problem and now they are adding  a canopy over the stadium.. Niner fans according to an article are asking for the same thing.  If your a season ticket holder don't sell your $250. ticket on Stub Hub for $5. because someone will show up.  Just don't show or sell your tickets so the stadium is half empty.

Las Vegas has the 49ers an underdog in every game they play.  They are honest because money is involved.  Do you really think the Niners can go 0-16?  Or is 3-13  more realistic?

I noticed one of the voices of the 49ers was fired because of age according to the suit. It says York  wants to have young appearance around the  offices.  If this is true it helps explains why the Niners are so screwed up from top to bottom and why a friend of mine who had not missed a home game since 1951 wasn't even offered tickets to the New Orleans Super Bowl.

The Giants 8 game lead has now been cut to 3.