The Usual Suspects

With the Giants' nightmare season finally over with an 11-2 win over the Dodgers, it's time to look ahead to a team the Giants want to be. Yes, they're from diametric sports, but nevertheless: the 2008 Golden State Warriors. Young, speedy, and downright exciting.

Most casual NBA fans probably rarely heard about the Warriors up until late last season when they went on the magical playoff run. After an intriguing offseason that included swapping Bay Area favorite Jason Richardson for unproven, big-eared Brandan Wright, dumping the contracts of Adonal Foyle and Sarunas Jasikevicius, re-signing Nellie, and taking on veterans Austin Croshere and Troy "You Know What I'm Sayin'" Hudson, long-timers and newbies alike are wondering, "How is this team going to look like this season?"

The Warriors' return to respectability hinges on some key issues that should be resolved, or at least partially answered, during the 2008-09 season.

1. Is Baron Davis going to stay healthy for at least 70 games? If not, can Monta Ellis, Baron's heir apparent, be trusted to take over?
2. Can the combined play of Marco Belinelli, Stephen Jackson, and Kelenna Azubuike make up for the scoring and rebounding void left by J-Rich?
   
3. Will Brandan Wright show that he is worthy of some playing time, even though Nelson already said that he didn't think Wright was ready yet? Will he be able to help Biedrins snag those rebounds?
   
4. Are Kosta Perovic, Stephane Lasme, and Patrick O'Bryant capable of being Andris Biedrins' backup?
5. Can Stephen Jackson maintain and even increase his level of play from last year? Same goes for Al Harrington, Matt Barnes, and Mickeal Pietrus (assuming he re-signs).
   

Finale

I’ll miss the play.

The games.

The non-games.

The maybe games.

The at-bats.

The swings.

The walks.

The chickens.

The splashes.

The catches.

The steals.

The cameras.

The highlights.

The cheers.

The boos.

The power.

The singlesdoublestriples.

The anticipation.

The home runs.

The home run.

The media.

The controversy.

The interviews.

The press conferences.

The attitude.

The identity.

The mark.

The Giant.

Here’s to Barry Bonds’ last night at Mays Field. Here’s to the fifteen years.

[Update] Well, that's it.

Barry’s last at-bat as a San Francisco Giant in Mays Field ends on the warning track, a few feet short of the front-row. For one moment, it felt like what we Giants fans have felt 762 times before. The wait and the accelerated heart rate. The knowledge that whenever Barry stepped into the batter’s box, he would make things interesting, no matter if the Giants were deep into the postseason grind or playing a meaningless game in September. And then the ball dropped into the glove of Brady Clark on the warning track. Just short, just short, just short….

That’s what it feels like. A metaphor. Giants fans have been witnesses to power, greatness, and towering heights for 15 years. As tonight’s game winds down, those 15 years and 2430 games feel too short. Not enough. One more shot.

Thanks for the 15 years’ worth of memories, Barry Bonds. It’s been awesome.

[Update] I don’t believe how genuinely sad I am about this right now. SFGiants.com has taken down their 756 background image. The grounds-crew is probably clearing up the Bonds 25 image on the outfield grass. No more Road to History signs save for the home-run tracker out in right field. No more waking up every gameday and wondering if Barry’s gonna play. No more rubber chickens hanging from the arcade wall. No more jersey No. 25. This hurts.

How is Ray-Ray All Clutch All of a Sudden?

That was the question I asked my dad last night when we were at the game. Let me say, that was a fun game to be at.

Game notes:

• Kevin Correia is making a strong case for a spot in the 2008 starting rotation. He wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the 2nd, getting Cantu and Arroyo to leave Reds fans wondering why they couldn't get a run with less than two outs. Correia was on cruise control for the rest of his 5 shutout innings, lowering his starting ERA to a stingy 2.41.
• Fielding fly balls looks much more difficult in person than on TV. Granted, with the way Correia was pitching, not many balls were hit hard to the outfield. The only two hard hit flies were a line drive that Nate Schierholtz caught by leaping into a padded section of the brick wall in right field, and a long fly that Dave Roberts caught in left-center
• Kevin Frandsen is starting to look more and more like a Major League player. After a career 5-hit night, he went a modest 1-3, but found a way to get on base a second time: getting hit by the pitcher. I don’t know how many times he’s gotten hit this season, but he’s starting to resemble Craig Biggio (in getting HBP). On the defensive side, Frandsen took away a base hit by fielding a tricky ground ball that rolled to the outer edge of the infield.
• Brad Hennessey is still handling his business. After accepting his switch from closer to setup man, he performed admirably in the eighth inning. He got two quick outs before Encarnacion doubled on a ground ball down the left field line. Hennessey wasn’t rattled, and proceeded to end the inning with comebacker. Hennessey pitches much better in no-pressure situations, so the 8^th inning job could be a perfect fit.
• I don’t know where Ray Durham got his clutch powers all of a sudden. This was the second night in a row where he sent home two runners in a pinch-hit situation.
• If Brian Wilson is not the closer next year, I will be very, very sad.

Experience notes:

• Left-center bleachers aren't too shabby. You're surrounded by the diehards who know every player's name, in addition to the names of the rest of the diehards in the section. We had two Reds fans sitting in the row in front of us, so you could expect that we heckled them a bit.
• I got an autograph from Tyler Walker. He’s a cool guy. He was signing for about 10 minutes already, and I was one of the last people to get an autograph and he still signed my baseball anyway.
• It was raining a bit, so batting practice was cancelled. So unfortunately Tyler was my first and last autograph of the day.
• I almost caught a ball that Dave Roberts tossed to our section. I was about two feet too far from it. A little boy ended up with it, so that makes up for my ineptitude with a glove.
• There were two little kids with awesome signs. “Dave Roberts is Awesome”, “God Bless the Giants”, and “I am President of the Tim Lincecum Fan Club”. A camera guy was walking around, and the kids wanted to get on TV. The sad part is that the Roberts sign had ESPN written on the corner, so the guy wouldn’t film them. Naturally, we told him to let the kids on TV, but he said he couldn’t and walked away.
• I saw the Dog. No explanation necessary.

I’ll get pictures up tomorrow.

Wow...

Dear Fans,

This journal will be one of my last entries as a San Francisco Giant. Yesterday, I was told by the Giants that they will not be bringing me back for the 2008 season. During the conversation with Peter Magowan I was told that my play this year far exceeded any expectations the Giants had, but that the organization decided this year would be my last season in San Francisco. Although I am disappointed, I've always said baseball is a business -- and I respect their decision. However, I am saddened and upset that I was not given an earlier opportunity to properly say goodbye to you, my fans, and celebrate with the city throughout the season as I truly believe this was not a last minute decision by the Giants, but one that was made some time ago. I don't have nor do I want any ill feelings towards the organization, I just wish I had known sooner so we had more time to say our goodbyes and celebrate the best 15 years of my life.

I consider the City of San Francisco and you, the fans, my family. Thank you for loving me and supporting me throughout all the highs and lows. I feel a deep connection with you as I have grown up with all of you since the days my dad first became a Giant. The Bay Area has loved my family and friends for so many years and I thank you for that. It is now a time for change, as many athletes have experienced. It is comforting to know that those who have come before me -- Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, to name a few -- have forever remained in the hearts of the fans, as I know I will too.

During my career as a Giant, so many people made significant impressions on my life. I'd like to thank all my past and current teammates. I've had the opportunity to play with some amazingly talented ballplayers who have treated me with respect, supported me and rooted for me throughout the years. Mike Murphy, our devoted Equipment Manager, used to baby-sit me as a little boy at Candlestick Park. There are no words to describe the love and respect I have for him. Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper are the two best broadcasters in the business. Their professionalism, integrity and love for the game, puts them in a league of their own. I thank them for their support and I'm honored to call them friends. It is also important to thank all the men and women behind the scenes at the stadium who come to work every day and make it possible for us all to enjoy a day at the ballpark. I love walking to clubhouse hearing their "hellos" every day.

I would have loved nothing more than to retire as a Giant in the place where I call home and have shared so many momentous moments with all of you, but there is more baseball in me and I plan on continuing my career. My quest for a World Series ring continues.

Until next time,

Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds' blog

Now That's a Bat Flip

Martin Prado shows off some serious sleight of hand skills. Keep your eyes on the bat.



[Ballhype]

New Unis, Old Look

Brian Hayward reppin' the Sharks' first uniform.


Joe Thornton rockin' the new retro uni. (oxymoron, anyone?)



I’m a big fan of retro unis, so I think these look pretty fly. The little bits of burnt orange they incorporated sets off the teal and the white nicely without overwhelming the color scheme (see: Warriors’ alternate jersey). I'll give the teal home jerseys the edge here. Though the white jerseys are aesthetically pleasing as well, I'm not too fond of the shiny material used on the name and back number. Maybe it's over-enhanced by the TV and camera lights, but I'm sure it looks better in person. Props to RBK and the Sharks design team for fusing new jersey technology and retro themes together so well.

Official press release [SJ Sharks]

This One's for Her

There are wins where you know you won because you were flat out better than the other team and played as such. Then there are wins that make you feel like you're living on borrowed time.

Toss the 49ers 17-16 win over the Rams into that latter category.

It wasn't all bad though.

• Frank Gore scored two touchdowns, one of them being a 43-yard running beauty while shedding multiple tackles.
• The defense played much better than what they showed in the preseason. Though Bulger threw for 368 yards, he was sacked 6 times and generally got harassed by the linebackers.
• Patrick Willis, last week's Rookie of the Week, got a game high 8 tackles.
• The special teams harried Dante Hall throughout the game. There was one punt return in the 4^th quarter where he was cornered and tackled on the St. Louis 8. Then he had that game-changing dropped punt return where Lady Luck decided she was a Niners fan.

Well, a win is a win. Especially for Frank Gore.

Niners (quickie) 4 Bagger: 9/16

• Defense comes up big
• Do 49ers deserve first place?
• Gore heads to mom's funeral
• Better to be lucky than good
  

Headdesk: Why Does Matt Cain Always Get the Short End of the Run Game

Question: Which pitcher gets tagged with a loss in a 6-0 game?

Pitcher A: 6 IP, 3.71 ERA, 1 H, 6 K, 0 BB
Pitcher B: 6 IP, 5.40 ERA, 4 H, 5 K, 0BB










Answer: Pitcher A, Matt Cain.

That statline says it all. Cain pitches another gem, his only blemish being a questionable triple by Adrian Gonzalez. The Giants, fielding the veteran lineup with two weeks left in a meaningless season, fail to provide any run support despite facing Brett Freakin' Tomko. After failing to score any runs with the bases loaded and one out, the Giants bullpen gives up 5 runs to put the game out of reach. Now the 6-0 loss makes it look as if Cain had imploded in the third inning.

All of his starts versus San Diego this season have resulted in losses.

4/4 3-5
4/9 0-1 (L)
6/27 2-4 (L)
8/3 3-4

Totals (not including tonight's): 28 IP, 18 H, 8 ER, 9 BB, 28 K, 2.57 ERA, .96 WHIP, .188 BAA. 0-2 record. 8 runs of support.

Though Cain doesn't have enough starts left to potentially reach 20 losses (thank God), his season is comparable to these 4 unlucky pitchers. As of now, Cain is sitting on 15 losses while maintaining a 117 ERA+. These four pitchers all have 20 losses, all with an ERA+ over 115:

Player	Year	Team	ERA+
Kaiser Wilhelm	1908	Brooklyn Superbas	124
Eppa Rixey	1917	Philadelphia Phillies	124
Bobo Newsom	1934	St. Louis Browns	124
Turk Farrell	1962	Houston Colt ’45s	124

If Cain had 5 more starts, would his record look like these guys'? Probably, but I'm glad that we won't have to find out.

Sharks 4 Bagger: 9/15

Go Sharks!

- Ralph Barbieri's catchphrase (in a somewhat bronchitis-laden voice)

• One of the Sharks’ greatest strengths is stockpiling blue-chip prospects and setting them up to contribute at an elite level. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Joe Pavelski, and Matt Carle were just three of the Sharks’ most recent successes last season. Here is the top 20 list of the organization’s most highly-touted prospects:

Sharks Top 20 prospect list:
1. RW - Devin Setoguchi
2. C - Logan Couture
3. G - Thomas Greiss
4. D - Ty Wishart
5. D - Nick Petrecki
6. RW - Jamie McGinn
7. C - Torrey Mitchell
8. LW - Lukas Kaspar
9. G - Timo Pielmeier
10. G - Taylor Dakers
11. RW - Mike Morris
12. G - Tyson Sexsmith
13. C - P.J. Fenton
14. C - Steven Zalewski
15. D - Dan Spang
16. D - Derek Joslin
17. C - Tony Lucia
18. G - Alex Stalock
19. D - James DeLory
20. LW - Patrik Zackrisson

• First-round pick Logan Couture wants to stick around for a while. [SJ Mercury]

• Some video footage of a training camp scrimmage at Logitech Ice Center. [Sharkspage]

• Media Day interviews: Jonathan Cheechoo, Evgeni Nabokov, Coach Ron Wilson, and new signee Jeremy Roenick.

• Roenick can't wait to get back on the ice. [SJ Sharks]
• What to look for during training camp. [SJ Sharks]
• Soccer + hockey = sockey? The group that owns the Sharks is going to buy a minority share in the San Jose Earthquakes. [Soccer Silicon Valley Blog]
  

Many thanks to sharkspage.com for providing the videos and links. Go check them out for more Sharks news!

Guess Who's Back?

After weeks of not-so-intense negotiations, Nellie's agreed to come back for one more year. Even though Nellie was holding all the cards, he relented and signed for virtually the same offer he received a few weeks ago.

Nelson, who last season led the Warriors to their first playoff berth in 13 years and a first-round upset of the Dallas Mavericks, will get a $2 million raise on his base salary for the upcoming season, from $3.1 million to $5.1 million, but the final year (2008-09) of his three-year contract is now a team option (at $5.1 million) rather than guaranteed cash.

As a Warrior fan, this comes as a relief. He's not leaving the team to flounder in the beastly Western Conference and the front-office is continuing to hold firm when it comes to contract negotiations.

The franchise is set for both the short and long term. The players get to play in Nellie’s system for at least another year and Nellie gets one more shot at the playoffs and some extra cash. He’ll probably be too burned out by the end of the season to coach anymore, but Keith Smart should be ready to take over as his successor. Nellie’s also been offered a job as team consultant after he really retires from coaching. Even if Smart is heading the team, Nellie will be around for another 5 years to keep things together.

What does this all mean? We get to watch some organized chaos, wacky lineups with four guards and a big man, and patented Jedi mind tricks for a whole ‘nother year. I can dig it.

I don’t like no coaches, but I looove this man.

-Stephen Jackson after the playoff clinching game in Portland.

RIP Momma Gore

Frank Gore’s mother passed away on Wednesday after a fight against kidney disease. TFRJ’s condolences go out to Gore and his family, as he and his mother were extremely close.

Letters and cards can be sent to Frank via this address:

49ers Public Relations Dept.
4949 Centennial Boulevard
Santa Clara, CA 95054

Giants 4 Bagger: 9/13

Media: In losing to the Diamondbacks yesterday night, the Giants were officially eliminated from contention.

Giants fans: And the bad news is?

• A la Moises Alou and Vladimir Guerrero, Nate Schierholtz doesn’t wear batting gloves. He also has an endorsement deal with Franklin batting gloves. [SFGate]
• Scientists reveal that urea, a component of urine, does not toughen skin. Sorry Moises. [McCovey Chronicles]
• Dan Ortmeier is giving Ryan Klesko a run for his money over at first base. The Giants are committed to giving him some burn, having JT Snow as his mentor and giving him a spot in the Arizona Fall League. Some telling stats: Ryno- 6 HR, 108 games; Ort- 5 HR, 49 games. [SF Giants]
• Rajai Davis’ time from home plate to first base: 3.5 seconds. [SJ Mercury]
• The Diamondbacks’ youth project is a good model for the Giants’ 2008-10 plan. [Giants Talk]
• If Todd Linden hits a game-winning single, does anyone see it? [McCovey Chronicles]
• The Giants have 16 games left. Can they go 10-6 in the next two weeks to beat last year’s record of 75-87? [SF Giants]

Niners 4 Bagger: 9/11

I can’t believe my cable went out when the offense started to put it together.

• After watching one hell of a finish, Fooch over at Niners Nation handed out the virtual game ball(s). [Niners Nation]
• And the “morning after” player analyses. Where in the world was Vernon Davis? [Niners Nation]
• I wish my cable hadn’t gone out during the 4^th quarter. [SFGate]
• We want to see more of the 4^th quarter, final 3 minutes Alex Smith. Not the previous 57 minutes Alex Smith. [Ray Ratto]
• "This field is dedicated in honor of legendary 49ers Head Coach Bill Walsh and the players he inspired to greatness. His genius brought three world championships to San Francisco and forever changed the game of football. His legacy lives on with those who set foot on this field. September 10, 2007." [SFGate]
• This is why Niners fans love Frank Gore. [Gwen Knapp]
• Unsurprisingly, the real game ball went to the 49ers secondary. [SFGate]
• Press Democrat’s Matt Maiocco with his notes. [Instant 49ers]
• And more notes. [Instant 49ers]
• Even though he didn’t look comfortable at times and made some weak passes, we saw flashes of an improved Alex Smith. [Sac Bee]
• Make sure to vote for Patrick Willis as the Rookie of the Week. Nine tackles and a forced fumble is just the beginning. [NFL.com]
  

A Very Special Day, Indeed

Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of sweat, turf, and Monday Night Football.

7:15? Check.
Arizona Cardinals? Check.
Throwback uniforms? Check.
On-field dedication to Bill Walsh? Check.
National TV coverage on ESPN? Check.
Frank Gore returning? Check.
49ers' secondary versus the Cardinals' wide receivers? Check.
Alex Smith versus Matt Leinart? Check.
The return of the San Francisco 49ers to a playoff berth? Well, we'll just have to wait and see, right?

GO NINERS!

I Like Rajai Davis

He makes defensive plays for the Giants.

You probably remember this running, diving, belly-sliding catch against the Pirates.

And this highway robbery of Andruw Jones.

In today's oh-so-satisfying series win over the Dodgers, 4-2, Rajai's gone and put himself right into the rivalry.

They got to see it live, in person," Davis said about the fans. "It's always good when you make a great play, but making it here, hearing the roar of the crowd, it's an amazing feeling. Honestly, I was expecting that everyone was expecting me to catch it. If I didn't, I'd let everyone down.

If he can keep up his defense and become a legit lead-off man, I see a Gold Glove in his future. Keep on doing your thing out there, man.

Ort Ort Ort Ort!

Now that had to be the best game of the year.


Giants 5 - 4 Dodgers



What made this game so memorable? Jonathan Sanchez pitching a strong 7 innings, giving up only 3 runs but walking none. Nate Schierholtz nearly gunning an in-the-parker on a broken bat triple. Brian Wilson protecting a 4-3 lead in the 8th. And Dan Ortmeier’s cherry-on-top, the first walk-off home run by the Giants the entire season. More kids please.

Giants, Niners, Warriors 4 Bagger: 9/5

• In a rare offensive display where Barry Bonds, Bengie Molina, and Pedro Feliz each hit a home run, the Giants snapped their 4 game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Rockies. The night was special for Bengie, since he hit his 100th career home run. Nate Schierholtz recorded 2 hits, the first one a double that ignited the offense. Rajai “Fast-Forward” Davis nabbed another bag, and Eugenio Velez, the AA call-up got his first major-league at-bat, in which he grounded out. The kid can run though. Correia got his 3^rd win as a starter this season, and Hennessey recorded his first save after losing his consecutive save streak the night before. [SFGiants.com]
• Lowry’s status is up in the air right now. It’s not likely he’ll pitch again this season, but Bochy hasn’t confirmed it yet. Hopefully this forearm strain doesn’t Morris down his trade value too much. [SFGiants.com]
• Here’s a beautiful essay written by Bart Giamatti on the cruel and benevolent game that we call baseball. [mccoveychronicles.com]
• Will the 49ers improve this season? They certainly have the pieces to do so. [SFgate.com]
• Coach Nolan is a rebel. To heck with 5 captains! [SFgate.com]
• The Latvian national team is finally ousted by Portugal in the Eurobasket, 77-67. After picking up a nice turnaround jumper and some confident flair, Andris Biedrins will be coming back to Oakland early and healthy. He’s really improved throughout the tournament, as shown by his statline for the game against Portugal: 14 pts; 18 rebs; 3 blks; 10-16 ft (62.5%!!). [goldenstateofmind.com]
• Marco Belinelli is also putting up a solid effort in the Eurobasket. In Italy’s win over Portugal, Marco put up a game-high 20 pts on 3-5 three-pts, 3-6 fg, and 5-6 fts. Keep lighting it up, Tiratore! [goldenstateofmind.com]

Headdesk: Why Umps Need Oxygen Masks at Coors Field

These last two games were sketchy... at best.

9/3 @ Rockies: Matt Cain is pulled after getting shelled in the 3^rd inning. After a long at-bat by Jeff Francis resulting in a double, Willy Taveras hits a single after a ball that should have been a strike based on the ump’s calls the last two innings. If Cain had the same strike zone as Jeff Francis, then I wouldn’t be so ticked off. I’ll get some Gameday pictures of the strike-zone up later.

9/4 @ Rockies: Tim Lincecum is pulled one batter into the 4^th after throwing too many high stress pitches in such a short amount of time. The strike-zone was still a bit sketchy, but not as bad as yesterday. The thing that bugged me was the bad judgment calls in the 8^th inning. After issuing a walk, Brian Wilson hits a batter and is promptly ejected, even though he had no intention of hitting the batter and advancing the potential go-ahead run. Bochy (rightfully) goes out to argue and is thrown out too. I maybe can see why Wilson was ejected (see the Kline-Torrealba incident), but he showed no signs of intentionally drilling the batter. I mean, isn’t that apparent after walking a batter and not seeming to have command of your pitches?

I’ll add more to this rant tomorrow. I want to listen to Kruk and Miller rip the umps on the post game wrap.

Sharks Sign Veteran Jeremy Roenick

I know the guy who drew the old Sharks logo. This one's cool too.

Every great team has the obligatory loudmouth and/or hotheaded player*. The Warriors, hopefully a soon-to-be great team, have Stephen Jackson. When the 49ers were still in playoff contention, they had T.O. The Kobe and Shaq Laker days had, well, Kobe. Now it's time to throw the Sharks into the mix.

Enter Jeremy Roenick, a 37-year old center, who signed with the Sharks today for one more shot at the Cup. He's been a great player in his 18-year career: an All Star nine different times, a two-time US Olympian, and a 495-goal scorer, trailing only Mike Modano and Joey Mullen for most goals scored by an American-born player. His mouth, however, seems to be more famous than his achievements. He's made more than a few criticisms about the US team, fans, and other players.



When fans were accusing hockey players about being "spoiled":

We're going to try to make it better for everybody, period, end of subject. And if you don't realize that, then don't come. We don't want you at the rink, we don't want you in the stadium, we don't want you to watch hockey... I say personally, to everybody who called us 'spoiled,' you guys are just jealous ... we have tried so, so hard to get this game back on the ice.

Everybody out there who calls us spoiled because we play "a game", they can kiss my ass. They can all kiss my ass.

When he was not selected to be a member of the US hockey team:

I know nobody on that team has more points in the National Hockey League than me. So if they want to go that way, good luck... [t]o not have the opportunity to go back one more time and try and win the gold is obviously, in my opinion, very disrespectful.

When talking to the media after Game 3 of the 1996 Western Conference semis between the Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche:

I'd like to know where Patrick was in Game 3 (a game in which Roenick had scored on Patrick Roy), probably up trying to get his jock out of the rafters.

Despite all the controversy around him, he seems like he’s an outgoing guy. He sings along with the music played in the arena during a game, dances, and makes jokes about his whiteness.

Reading his bio, I’m actually starting to like Roenick. I don’t mind his snarky comments since he brings toughness and veteran savvy** to the Sharks that could advance them further into the playoffs. He’ll probably become one of the more vocal leaders on the team, even though he said he’ll tone it down a little bit. I’m hoping that his critical eye helps keep the team focused, but not lead to any distractions on and off the ice.

Here’s one more quote about him, this time from coach Ron Wilson:

You bring in guys that are at the end of their run, and they don't want to look back and have any regrets. Nobody can question Jeremy's willingness to compete. ... We're building on the experience we had last year. We had some success, but Jeremy — certainly one thing about him, he's not tentative. He'll run over his best friend if he has to.

* Every team except the San Antonio Spurs. Those guys just keep plodding along, winning championships every other year.

** “Veteran savvy” should be read with a positive connotation in mind. Damn Sabean for corrupting an otherwise acceptable phrase.

A (Late) Recap of What Went Down at Dolce

as narrated by others.

KCE, from mccoveychronicles.com:

This has very little to do with this thread, but I went to that charity event at Dolce last night. I got pictures with and autographs from both Cain and Lincecum and a number of other players. Brian Wilson, Pat Misch, Kevin Frandsen and Noah Lowry all made cocktails for me. I gave Jack Taschner $5 as part of the "Let's pay Matt Cain to do the nipple dance" fundraising effort at the end of the night. Great, great event. Most worthwhile $15 cover charge I have ever spent. The 13 year old fanboy in me is still wondering if it actually happened.

And also from KCE:

• Cain is looking all right. He doesn’t look so tall when he pitches, but he looks huge in this picture. Maybe it’s his shirt? You won’t believe how much I cracked up reading that nipple dance campaigning.
• Roberts looks much younger in this picture than he does on TV. He always has that nice smile though.
• Keep growing that scruff, Frandsen. The Baron Davis beard worked wonders for him, so hopefully it pans out for you. I’ve been teased about liking Kev because his eyes are gorgeous (and they are), but too bad he’s a Bellarmine boy. He’s got to lose that open collar look though. It makes him look like a sleazebag. Keep the scruff though, Frannie. I love the scruff.
• The camera was not good to Taschner in this picture.
• Ah, Timmy. As I’m working on this “analysis,” you guys just lost on another walk-off. Just trust your stuff and don’t nibble. I know Coors probably should be torn down deters pitchers from throwing strikes, but you totally owned them back in May. Keep the high-stress pitches and innings down. I’m not sure if Bochy and Rags will run you out there for one more game, but if they do, get that ERA back down under 4. That won’t look good on your resume for Rookie Pitcher of the Year. A few more strikeouts should do it.
• Okay, back to what I was doing. I have to admit I laughed at the how the whole picture screams “preppy” all over it. I also have to admit that when I first heard about the Dolce gig, I thought Timmy’s allowed into bars? and Timmy wants to know if they have root beer. I like the sunglasses-on-collar look though. It sort of balances out the Lacosten preppiness with a little badass.
• Lowry was another one of the players who were mixing drinks, but I’m guessing he was surrounded by a gaggle of screaming fangirls, suffocated, and had to be taken to the hospital for extra oxygen, therefore being unavailable for pictures. No wonder his next start was so shaky.

I’ve probably just lost all of what little blogging credibility I had with this post. It had to be done, though.

The 2007 Scouting Report: By the Fans, For the Fans

Baseball's fans are very perceptive. Take a large group of them, and they can pick out the final standings with the best of them. They can forecast the performance of players as well as those guys with rather sophisticated forecasting engines. Bill James, in one of his later Abstracts, had the fans vote in for the ranking of the best to worst players by position. And they did a darn good job.

Every year, Tom Tango asks for some fan-based defensive analysis for every team in the MLB. It doesn't matter if you're not a stathead, since the entire survey is subjective. Go give Omar and Pedro what they deserve. For all their offensive woes, they make a mean left-infield tandem.

A Letter to Bruce Bochy and the Giants FO

Dear Mssrs. Bochy and Giants Front Office,

I am not an MLB scout, writer, or team-affiliated official. I’m just a fan with too much time on my hands.

Both you and I know that this 2007 season is what everyone expected. I would have said that it wasn’t what anyone expected, but it was. Again. And again. And again.

The main reason for this miserable year is the veteran lineup. 52% of this season's 25-man roster are over 30 years old. 71% of the position players on the 25-man are over 30. 60% of those players over 30 are having subpar seasons offensively, ranging from mildly repelling to utterly repulsive. What makes it worse is that those guys are still being run out there, even though it is now the second day of September.

When told before the game that a certain percentage of fans, with the Giants way out of contention, might want to see kids play every day, Bochy said, "You know what, though, we're playing pretty good ball and getting things turned around. We'll work them in."

"Sure, we'd like to get them some playing time to show their skills," Bochy said when asked if younger players will get more time in September. But he added, "We still have some goals here. We want to finish strong and, it may be a little lofty, but getting to .500. Crazier things have happened as far as making some noise this late."

The Giants are 62-74. To be .500, they must finish 19-7.

It's not as if the veteran lineup got all those wins. And it's not as if they're going to magically bring the team back to .500. Because they won't. What confuses me is that you've promised to play the kids in August and September. I can understand why you didn't play them to showcase the veterans, which was an absolute failure, but why not now?

Take today's loss versus the Nationals. Rajai Davis, Dan Ortmeier, and Kevin Frandsen accounted for 2/3 of the total offense. Rich Aurilia accounted for 1/3. Yes, this is an example of extreme cherry-picking, but the boxscore speaks for itself. Ray Durham is not part of the future. Neither are Pedro Feliz, Ryan Klesko, nor Dave Roberts. The kids are ready to play. Let them make errors and run into slumps, but also let them hit that clutch RBI double or steal a potential home run from the warning track. Let them play.

Sincerely,

Catherine
The Front-Row Johnson

NBA 2k8 Trailer Released

TFRJ is getting a few superficial touches here and there. While you're looking out for those, check out the new 2k8 trailer, fresh out the production room.

PS: The Dunk.