Winter Is Over

The Giants

Spring has officially arrived and now it is time to get serious about baseball and professional basketball --- the Giants and the Warriiors

I have not followed the Orange and Black that closely this spring but have had a chance to catch parts of a few games on television viewing the Angels, the Mariners, the Rangers, the White Sox, the Giants stations and MLB.

These comments are only spring training reflections and as we know can really mean nothing.  Anyway here are my thoughts about some of the players.

Span --I keep hearing he will better this year.  I am still waiting.
Panik --Started the spring like the player we know and love and now can't buy a hit.
Pence.-- He shaved and look like an 18 year old kid at the plate.  Problem is he has played like one.
Parker -- Winning the job in left and hitting well then he strikes out three times in a game.  That's Parker.  Hopefully there is more good than bad.
Williamson --  Hear he is hurt again.  Is he injury prone?
Belt -- Hasn't changed and the umps don't give him a break even in the spring
Hernandez --Has played his way off the team.
Crawford -- Playing for the USA in those horrible Arizona grey colored uniforms.
Gillaspie --Looks solid dependable
Nunez -- Shows real potential
Blach --  Looks like a winner
Bumgardner -- He is ready for the World Series
Cain -- Read an article that he may not be the same pitcher that he was in past.  What gave the writer the clue?
Law -- Showing a lot more confidence
Samardzija -- Lets hope he is experimenting with his pitches.
Hill -- Trying him in the outfield now,.  Versatility, power and experience may win him a job.
Marrero --Bochy loves guys on the bench that hit the long ball.

The NCAA

Yes, I filled out my bracket.  I lose interest after my first game loss because I am striving for perfection.  One of the first results in was that Notre Dame had edged Princeton.  I had picked the Ivy League team. I discovered the secret in completing a bracket is timing.  Its better to wait until the game is over before you make your selections.   I had Duke winning even though  I didn't think they would but I played the brackets game and they came out on top.  Thought of changing to Villanova but that was just as bad.

This has been a great tournament.  I can't remember so many games with just one minute left that either team could win.  Television ratings are way up. I really enjoyed the Red and Blue game because they are the colors of both St. Mary's and Arizona as well as St. Ignatius College Prep.  The red and blue Gaels showed a lot of white in their game. You had to see it to believe it.  Thought they were a team from the 1940s.

The Warriors

The official NBA season starts in a few weeks.  Will the Warriors be ready?  Did they practice too long and too hard ?  Is it possible they could be eliminated after the second round?  Can Kerr rest Thompson and Curry enough during these final warm up games or will the pressure to be the #1 seed be too great?

The Angels Stadium of Anaheim

Arte Moreno owner of the Angels ended any speculation that the Angels would be moving any time soon having solved their lease problem until 2029.  The stadium is the fourth oldest in the majors behind Fenway, Wrigley of Chicago and Dodger Stadium.  Development in the area is starting to surround the stadium making it worth plenty and the city fathers would like Arte to pay his fair share.  It was estimated that it would be a lot cheaper for Moreno to build a new stadium on the site rather then remodle the current one because he would not have to purchase the land.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim is located in a prime location right off the 5 freeway with direct access to the stadium from the Mexican and Canadian borders.  The 22 freeway can get many Long Beach residences to Anaheim a lot quicker then to Dodger Stadium and the 57 brings thousands from the Inland Empire.  It is easy to understand why not many people really believed the Angels were looking seriously for a new location.

The stadium use to be known as the "Big A" and still is to many.  That's when the Angels were the California Angels and the scoreboard in left field stood out with a gigantic A.  Then the Rams moved to Anaheim and the stadium was enlarged to include football much like Candlestick Park and the big A was moved to be viewed along the 57 freeway.  After the Rams left, the stadium became a baseball only facility hosting the Anaheim Angels and then the new named Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

To a San Fraciscan like myself the Angels are part of unique history showing how things have changed over the decades.  In 1943 I kept of baseball scrapbook so it is easy to remember that year.  The Pacific Coast League Angels won the title by some 22 games. The San Francisco Seals won the playoffs.   They were known as the Shaughnessy Playoff and dating back to 1937 decided the winner of the Pacific Coast League. However by 1943 the rules had changed and the winning team  got a trophy and the Angels were the Pacific Coast League champions.  Today we know that it has changed drastically with all sports and the playoff winners bring home the bacon.

Wrigley Field Los Angels

On a family trip to the southland around 1950 I talked my parents in to allowing me to walk over to Wrigley Field Los Angeles to see the Angels play. Little did I know that about ten years later it would become a stadium watched my millions for the next sixty years.  We are referring to Home Run Derby a show which featured sluggers like Willis Mays, Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron and ran from 1959-61  It was filmed in an empty Wrigley Field Los Angeles where you could hear the echo of bat hitting the ball.  Today tickets for the Home Run hitting contest during the All Star weekend  are in as great demand as the game itself.  If the producers of Home Run Derby were still alive today I wonder what they would think.  Oh, how things have changed.  If you missed one of the thousand  reruns just google in Home Run Derby and you can watch the show.

Bll Rigney Oakland 1942 photo 

In 1963 I was in Los Angles and wanted to see the new Dodger Stadium which had opened in 1962.   The Los Angles Angels were playing that night.  It was their second year having played their initial year as a major league team at Wrigley Field.  It was like old home week.  Bill Rigney was the Angels skipper having played for the Oakland Acorns in 1942 and was the first manger of the San Francisco Giants.  Playing in centerfield for the Angels was 5'6" Albie Pearson who was a spark plug for the last San Francisco Seals team in 1957.


We will review the Oakland Stadium situation in the next post. 

Streaks

Winning and Losing Streaks

In my last post I mentioned that I thought the Giants would have an excellent spring  training record because they have so many free agents trying to make an impression.  The Giants then go on to lose 8 straight games.  So much for that theory.  During the same time the Angeles 18 game Arizona winning streak was finally stopped.  The halos had won their first seven game this spring and that coupled with winning their final 11 games in Arizona last spring which eventually propelled them into a last place finish in the AL West.

Turn Off  Sports

The NFL lost 1 out of 10 fans last year and the layoffs at ESPN are every extensive. If you watch CSN Bay Area you have noticed the cut in programing that has reduced my ability to comment on the current Giants.  What's the reason?.  Its politics.  These networks and others have taken very strong positions on very controversial  problems facing this country.  When they take a strong stand they're turning off 50% of their audience.  Its being proven that many are finally saying that's enough!  People watch sporting events to relax and get away from their every day problems at least for awhile. These networks know it all's  live in their own atheistic glass bubbles that doesn't necessarily reflect the feelings of many.  Even Steve Kerr coach of  the Warriors got into the act by showing his disrespect  for  people who might disagree with him and have you noticed the Warriors have not been the same since he made those comments.  The hatred in this country is unbelievable.

NCAA Basketball

Have you filled out your bracket yet?  Always take 1 over 16 is my advise.  Its is amazing how this has become a national pastime.  Is it good or bad for college basketball?  It certainly is an exciting time that makes a lot of money for someone during March.  It almost seems to me that it is more important to get a good seed in the tournament then to win your own conference championship which is not good for college basketball.  I cannot get the Pac 12 network so I miss some games  that I would normally have watched this year which means I saw exactly 0 college games.  During my life I have watched literally thousands of basketball games.  Perhaps I just reached my limit.

The Warriors

 I was just wondering if the Giants Brain Sabean was watching the Warriors game when Kevin Durant got hurt.  He might have had a flash back of Posey getting run over  at home plate by the Marlins rookie trying to make a name for himself.  If you might remember Sabean the General Manager was furious and he let it be known publically because he knew at that moment the Giants had been eliminated from the pennant  race.

They are speculating that Durant will be back in time for the playoffs.  At a recent press conference they didn't seem too confidence that this would occur.  But does it mater?  The Warriors are already tired because they play fast and very exciting basketball.  The problem is the NBA season is too long to keep up that pace.  When you start seeing Curry and Thompson missing their three point shots you know that their legs are tired.  Can they be rested enough during the last few weeks to recover?  Its the Warriors only chance.

The 49ers

The new GM Lynch of the 49er is off the a good start. He stated that the philosophy of the team is to draft the best player available and fill in the needs with free agency.  I could not agree more.  The 49er I believe signed six free agents on the first day.  They still need to sign 30 more.

The Giants

I noticed on Sunday that Kyle Banks had three hits including a home run for the Giants.  He is one of a number of intriguing players trying to make the squad.  I remember him well at San Diego.  In fact he hit a homer or two against the Giants.  I really thought the Padres had caught themselves a very good player.  Injuries have virtually ruined his career.  If he can stay healthy he may be that diamond in the rough the Giants are looking for. I just read that they reassigned Banks to the minor leagues.  The Giants have a history of playing favorites.

Report on the Angles Stadium will be part of the next post.