Interview with Airplane Mode

Behavioral science is defined as a branch of science that deals primarily with human action and often seeks to generalize about human behavior in society.[1] Two strangers walk into a behavioral science class and are instructed along with their classmates to stand against the wall and introduce themselves to each other. What began as a mundane first day of class orientation exercise, soon became a meeting of the musical minds. With every human action is a human reaction and on that fateful day Airplane Mode was born.

Airplane Mode is a rap group started by members Nikolai Bonds and Alex Belisle and they just celebrated their one year anniversary. One of the group members has a last name that many San Francisco Giants fan will recognize. Nikolai is the son of Giants legend and Major League Baseball's all time home run leader Barry Bonds. Although he was he was born into a family of baseball greats, Nikolai is not riding anyone's coattails and is not overshadowed by those that came before him. Airplane Mode will be successful in its own right and on its own terms.

"If you look at Alex and then you look at me - Alex is a short, super-tatted out, white boy from Maine, grizzly Adams. I love him to death. Then you got me - 6'2", from California, black, but we're the same person on the inside," says Nikolai about the unlikely pair.

Alex builds on that point, "We love being musicians. We heard that beat and with the time that we were having, it was easy. That's what's so easy about this friendship me and Niko have. It really makes being in this group and writing songs easy. We're like brothers."

The first song the rap duo wrote together was a remix of Wiz Khalifa's hit song "Black and Yellow". Airplane Mode's "Green and Shiny" was a hit on campus and they just kept writing and making music. Soon they became best friends and all of sudden this casual rap thing was a career.

"Last October we were all downtown and one of my buddies was having girlfriend issues and he was in the group at the time. And he's looking at me and he was like "I'm putting my phone in Airplane Mode" so he didn't have to deal with her. Ya know what I mean? That's the perfect group name. Ever since then we were called Airplane Mode."

Airplane Mode is all about good times type of hip hop. Nikolai is a little bit more new school with some West Coast flavor and Alex has more of an underground rap style. They recently released their very first music video for the song "Free Ones" and they can feel their music careers accelerating. As Niko says in their new single, "It's like I'm sippin' on a genie bottle yo [sic]. Everything I wanted, all my dreams are feelin' possible."  

The song was written in their friend's garage and only took Niko twelve minutes to write his verse and Alex an hour. They were in the studio a couple weeks later and the video came a month after that. If this is the type of quality music coming from an hour of music writing then this is not the last time you will hear from these guys.

When asked how they come by songs Alex responded, "Not really a set way that we do it. Sometimes we will write a hook. Sometimes we will get a beat and know we have to use it. Different every time."

Airplane Mode's music influences are Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Curren$y, and J Cole who they also said would be the one artist today that they would like to collaborate with. Similar to Curren$y and J Cole, Airplane Mode is starting out independent and are working on building their fan base. Not signing with a record label will allow Airplane Mode to maintain their artistic freedom and work on their music.

The groups just recorded a song with Bay area favorite Ashkon and in the words of Niko, "Airplane Mode is coming out with some wild stuff." Ashkon is the YouTube sensation who wrote the cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" in 2010 which currently has over 2.5 million views. Ashkon also does regular segments for CSN called "The Authentic Fan" during San Francisco Giants games and so he was a natural fit for Airplane Mode.

Airplane Mode is looking to hit it out of the park with their next single just like Curren$y in his song Audio Dope II, "Greens rolled under the gazebo/Lemonade level vodka/Badgammon playin Keno/Musical Mafia/Loaded bases bring my Team home I'm the great bambino."

Sometimes the most unlikely pairs can create the most extraordinary results. Airplane Mode is no different. Although they grew up on opposite coasts, Nikolai and Alex are anything but opposite in the studio and are building their fan base with a new and fresh sound.

"I go for things that I've never seen, cause then I can't be disappointed on what it brings," raps Niko in Free Ones. And you won't be disappointed in what Airplane Mode brings.

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[1] Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Player Profile: Interview with Johnny Monell

Photograph from Richmond Times-Dispatch

In the baseball film The Sandlot, Smalls is the new kid on the block and decides to make friends with the neighborhood kids by joining their baseball game or as Smalls calls it - the "endless dream game." They did not keep score, pick sides, or even keep track of the innings; they just played forever.  On that sandlot Smalls would learn that baseball was more than just a game.

As Smalls does in the beginning of the film, most kids learn how to play baseball from their fathers and usually begins with a backyard catch. Smalls resulted in a black and blue eye and mine resulted in a black and blue middle finger. Johnny Monell's story is no different except having a catch with your Dad has a slightly different meaning for him.

Monell's father played in the minor league system for seventeen years, chasing the dream of one day playing in the major leagues. Growing up, he found himself spending days at the ballpark with his dad and was immersed in everything baseball,

"At a very young age I was able to learn from him and his experiences. And now I'm doing the same thing. I like the way that I'm progressing through the system and it shows that hopefully, one day, I'll have the opportunity to play in the big leagues."

 When he wasn't at the ballpark, he called the Bronx his home, also home to the New York Yankees. I asked him the obvious question of whether he was a Yankees fan or not and of course the answer was yes. Passed down from generation to generation, he was born into a Yankees family and that even includes his great-grandma. Although he may have dreamed of someday wearing navy pinstripes it's all about black and orange now.

Monell wasn't always a catcher. During his freshman year of high school he played centerfield and then transferred to Christopher Columbus High School. That summer he learned to catch and has been behind the plate ever since.

The San Francisco Giants actually drafted him twice, once in 2005 and then again in 2007 where he was chosen in the 30th round. He signed with the Giants in 2007 and has been in the organization ever since.  Through hard work and determination, Monell has steadily progressed through the farm system and in 2011 was the starting catcher for the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels.

In 2011, Monell batted .249 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs. He was named an EAS Mid-Season All Star. I asked him what is his greatest moment of his baseball career to date,

"This year was the first year I hit a walk-off home run. It was against Harrisburg. It was definitely the best feeling ever, especially being in Richmond our home field. The fans there are unbelievable, it's the best city to play in. Guys all around the league know that."

From the beginning of the interview I could tell that Monell was a great teammate. I asked him questions such as who was the most talented player he has shared the field with and who he was closest to the team. Not that he was dodging the question but, like a good teammate, he found it too difficult to single out individuals on the team. If there ever was an individual who believed that no man is an island it would be Johnny Monell.

At the time of the interview, the season had just ended and the Flying Squirrels had lost in the playoffs to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. I asked Johnny what he was doing in the offseason to prepare for spring training,

"First couple weeks after the season I try to shut it down, get my mind right. And then I start thinking about how I want to improve my offseason as far as strength goes. The one thing that I try to concentrate on is to regain that strength that you lose all season, getting banged up behind the plate. You have to get your mind right as far as getting ready for next season."

I then asked him if there was a specific part of his game that he wanted to improve on in the offseason and he responded,

"I want to be more consistent behind the plate. I'm not going to lie, I'm very humble but at the same time very confident. I know I can hit well. I'm getting better every year and with every at-bat I'm getting more confident at the plate. "

Being a baseball player may sound like a glamorous job to have but it is anything but. Minor league players do not fly first class or stay in five star hotels. They bus from city to city and off days are few and far between. They eat, sleep, and play baseball. Baseball, baseball, and more baseball.

The next question was one of those questions you sort of know the answer to but you have to ask. I asked him what is the most difficult aspect of being a minor league baseball player and the answer I received was incredible and going to college in the Bronx I appreciated it that much more,

"I grew up in the Bronx, New York ya know [sic]. I went through a lot of things, seen a lot of things. Nothing really is going to bother me. As long as I'm happy with what I'm doing, that is me personally. I've seen my Dad go through the grind I know what to expect. I feel like I belong here, I'm comfortable. I feel like I'm in my realm when I'm in season."

Every response was better than the last.

In late May, the San Francisco Giants were devastated when Buster Posey collided with Scott Cousins of the Florida Marlins and severely strained the ligaments in his ankle. The 2010 Rookie of the Year would be out for the rest of the season. Every catcher, past and present, was asked about his view on the collision at the plate and this was Monell's perspective,

" It was clean. Bang bang play. Schierholtz has a strong arm and Posey is probably thinking that too. He's very accurate. I've played with Schierholtz and I know what kind of arm he has. I thought it was clean. When I'm coming around third base I'm going to try to score. I'm not trying to run anyone over but if you're not giving me home plate I'm going to do what I need to do."

Monell also mentioned that management had sent a message down to the directors of the farm system that they wanted the catchers to apply swipe tags instead of blocking the plate. It was apparent from our conversation that for catchers who've been told since high school to block the plate, it's just not that simple to change. Try telling a catcher to give up the outside of the plate.

We then spoke about who he likes to watch play on the Giants and who is favorite player is on the team. Keep in mind that this was at the end of the season, post roster expansion.

"Justin Christian. Justin Christian is the man. He is the man. He is the man. Once I found out he played for the Yankees, ya know, respect level went through the roof before I even got to know the guy. This guy had my full out attention when he spoke. I have so much respect for that man and especially with the year he's been having and playing in the big leagues. I stole a couple of tricks from him when he was down here in Richmond. He's a great influence on a lot of people as far as how he goes about his business."

Moving towards levity as the interview was winding down I asked Monell if he had any traditions on the field (e.g. jumping over the foul line, not washing baseball hat, etc.) being that baseball players tend to be superstitious,

"When I am hitting the baseball hard I'll keep the same bat I'm swinging with. When we do the national anthem and they go 'the land of the free' (this was sung, don't quit your day job Johnny) I take my hat off my chest and I raise it up and bring it back down. Nothing crazy."

We then spoke about how all the players play golf in the off-season or even on off days. Many players in the minor league system play golf, partly because it's the one "sport" that they are allowed to play off the field. There seems to be some healthy competition on the golf course between some of the players. Monell has an idea for all the minor league golfers,

"I came up with this concept. I told somebody. No one wanted to listen to me. I said listen, at the end of the season, when the entire minor league season is over we have a golf tournament to see who's the best golf player. We bring in the sponsors and get it on TV."

I wished him luck in the offseason and the conversation ended.

As the conversation started I completely forgot that I was interviewing a professional baseball player, probably because of his candor, and by the end I left with the confidence that the Giants have another great catcher in the organization.

It's been said that champions are made when no one is looking. As I write this Monell is preparing for winter ball where he will be playing in Puerto Rico. He doesn't need to be told what hard work is and what it takes to get to the big leagues. He watched his father play for years and now it's his turn.

However elusive it may be, a minor league player is only a single moment away from playing in the majors. One injury. One decision by management. One moment of greatness. One leap of faith.

This kid from the Bronx is working hard every day for that one moment. That moment when he puts on the same uniform that the likes of Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey, and Orlando Cepeda wore. That moment when he steps on the field as a Giant.

Season in Review: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes

The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are the San Francisco Giants Single A Short Season team. The team is mostly for newly drafted or signed players because it allows the college players to finish out their season. The team finished the season with a 34-42 record in last place in the West division despite having the best offensive team in the league - very different story than the Giants. Four members of the Volcanoes were named Northwest League All-Stars and two of which were voted in unanimously. Panik, Murray, Galindo, and Krill were all voted to be All-Stars and Panik was named league MVP. The first round pick has so far proven his first round status.

Here are the All-Stars stats:

Joe Panik - SS
AB: 270
AVG: .341 (1st)
HR: 6
RBI: 54 (1st)
R: 49 (T-1)
H: 92 (1st)
OBP: .401 (1st)
SLG: .467 (4th)
TB: 126 (T-1)

Mike Murray - DH
AB: 242
AVG: .326 (3rd)
HR: 6
RBI: 48 (2nd)
R: 29
H: 79 (3rd)
OBP: .394 (2nd)
SLG: .459 (6th)
TB: 111 (4th)

Brett Krill - OF
AB: 207
AVG: .304 (7th)
HR: 6
RBI: 43 (7th)
R: 38 (10th)
H: 63
OBP: .350
SLG: .488 (3rd)
TB: 101 (10th)

Jesus Galindo - CF
AB: 239
AVG: .276
HR: 2
R: 49 (T-1)
OBP: .353
SLG: .364
TB: 87
*SB: 47 (1st)
CS: 8

I'm just mentioning four of the players here but there are many more who contributed a lot to this team. Panik will be playing in the Arizona Fall League. Should be interesting where these four end up playing in 2012. This is the first season review for the Giants farm system, I'll be doing one for each level.

Giants Short Season Team not Short of Talent

Outside of getting brought up from the minors baseball fans rarely hear about minor league players and don't even know that there is a Class A short season league. What is the short season league for? Look at it as a prep class for the minor leagues. The short season team allows newly drafted players and other rookies to begin playing in the minors right after their college season ends. The minor league seasons start before the college playoffs and world series so draftees can continue to play for their college team and then are able to play in the Class A short season league.

Just a little summary of the Giants minor league system in case you are interested. The AAA team for the Giants is the Fresno Grizzlies where injured players will rehab before coming back into the majors. The Grizzles have a ton of players with major league experience right now - Zito, Bill Hall, Ishikawa, Runzler, Hector Sanchez, Manny B, Brandon Crawford, Conor Gillaspie. The AA team is the Richmond Flying Squirrels and in single A are the San Jose Giants and the August GreenJackets. Down at the bottom of the list are the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, the short season team. (along with the 2 rookie league teams)

The Giants first round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft was Joe Panik (29th overall), a shortstop for St. John's University in New York. He currently plays for the Volcanoes on the Giants short season team where he has proven that he deserved his first round pick designation. He is currently the league leader in BA, RBIs, runs, and hits, 4th in SLG, 2nd in OBP, and 2nd in TB. He is exactly what the Giants have been missing for most of this season, a contact hitter who can hit for average and has over .400 BA with RISP. The Giants have lost most of their games this year because they have one of the lowest averages with RISP.

Panik isn't the only player playing well for the Volcanoes. Mike Murray is batting 2nd in the league, 3rd in SLG, 5th in OBP, 3rd in TB, 2nd in RBI behind teammate Joe Panik, and 2nd in hits. Brett Krill is batting 3rd in the league, league leader in SLG, 7th in OBP, 9th in TB, 5th in RBI, and 9th in 2B. Another notable Volcano is Jesus Galindo who is leading the league in stolen bases.

Giants fans should remember these names as they will be coming up into the minors soon. If you are interested in hearing about Panik's game stats follow me on Twitter @SFGfaninNYC where I send a daily tweet.

Review of The Franchise on Showtime

The San Francisco Giants reality TV show is now in full swing. I was on the fence of whether or not to purchase Showtime just to see The Franchise and of course I caved in. This also allowed me to see if I was missing anything by not having Showtime and it is confirmed, I will be cancelling my subscription after the show is over. Little redeeming value in the seven or so Showtime channels you get.

The “reality” show format has been done before but I can’t remember a show that followed a baseball team or in depth as they do in The Franchise. Hard Knocks is the closest show in the reality sports tv show genre. One of the best takeaways from the show is the human aspect of the players. Fans rarely get a glance into the private lives of their favorite baseball players and The Franchise allows fans to see professional athletes in a new light.

We’ve already seen the Cain family struggle with him being away for long away trips and the wives basically being single moms half the season. The show has covered the Vogelsong story which now is getting a little old but still compelling. We also get to see Zito during his stint on the DL and his journey back into the lineup. I have to admit that the show hasn’t changed my opinions of any of the Giants players. My favorite players on the team are still my favorites and vice versa. Of all the players on the team Zito comes off as the least likeable. His “I don’t care what anyone thinks or says” attitude is obvious in the TV show and I don’t think he will increase his fan base with how Showtime develops his narrative. Between the sunglasses, the car, the Beverly Hills/LA montage, the yoga scene, and his desire to be a restaurateur, it’s not going to be easy to win fans back. Honestly I don’t care what he does off the field but on the field he makes me want to vomit. I know he knows how the fans feel about his performance and the $120mm plus contract – it can’t be easy but having that attitude only makes it worse.

You also get to see Posey and his ankle. I have to admit I have never seen a more disgusting looking ankle in my life. He seems to be taking it in stride and he thinks the most difficult part will be when he has more mobility and stopping himself from over working. He’s dying to get out there and you can see there is an obvious hole in the offense and defense. I would like to think that the pitching hasn’t been affected by his departure but I’m sure it has as well. (Not that it’s been bad or anything)

As far as the “reality” goes it seems to be less scripted than most other shows because the players each have their own struggles and narratives that provide for enough drama and interest. The pranks and the clubhouse tomfoolery (great word) have been what a lot of fans wanted to see and they get plenty of that.

It’s a good show, not amazing but it’s worth watching. Wednesday nights at 10pm. Tough time for us east coast fans because it directly conflicts with 7pm PST games.

Side Note: As I’m writing this on the train a kid wearing a Marichal t-shirt walked by me. Nice to see some love for the Dominican Dandy in Nueva York. I’m curious to know what his knowledge of Marichal is.

Giant Baby Contest

Did you get lucky on the night of November 1, 2010? A bit personal but if you did CSN would like to know and you could win yourself some cash. The Giants became World Series champions on that night and CSN has started a contest to see who the official World Series baby; that is whose baby is born closest to nine months after the date.

Baseball is a very sensual sport. Add the sweet perfume of garlic fries and the steady consumption of your favorite ballpark beverage and you've got the perfect recipe for some baseball chemistry. Baseball promotions just got weird.

There are already quite a few entries into the contest. How do I know? There are a bunch of pictures of women with their world series champion baby bumps on the CSN website. The winner will have given birth closest to 7:54PM PST on Aug 1, 2011. You have to prove that you actually gave birth so I'm assuming they are looking for birth certificates. The winner gets a $2,010 Visa gift card, a baseball brick with the baby's name, and a certificate from the Giants.

What would be more impressive than proof of birth? Proof that the original act took place the night of the World Series. Technically you could have conceived the world series champion baby before or after the date. This contest has baby fraud written all over it. Besides the fact that it's sexist and 50% of the human race cannot participate. ;)

This coming year you might want to reconsider your post-World Series activities. Unlease your natural hormonal instincts on a fellow Giants fan and you might be able to win $2,011. I can see why this promotion was promoted after the event and not before. Double your money if you're carrying Pat the Bat's child. I keeed, I keeed. Talkin about moral hazard.

Art Imitates Life

So I was watching the San Francisco Giants play the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in an unusual day where the Giants offense exploded with 30 hits and 19 runs during a day-night doubleheader, when Miguel Tejada came to bat. Starting the previous sentence with so was a bad idea because a normal sentence became a run on and now I am completely averse to punctuation but that is besides the point so let's get back to baseball and one of the greatest baseball movies ever.

Miguel Tejada crushed a ball to left field and started his home run trot. It landed in the first couple of rows and a very aggressive Cubs fan went after the ball because this was a man on a mission. Possibly a man stuck in 1993, hey it was a great year. It was the year Barry Bonds came to the Giants. I went to Disney World that year. One of the best baseball movies ever came out that year: Rookie of the Year.

First here's the clip of the Cubs fan yesterday throwing the ball back.

I wish I could interview this human. So many questions to ask: Question #1: What was your thought process? Q2: Were you trying to nail Tejada? Q3: Baseball resume? Q4: Is your name Henry Rowengartner? Q5: Did you break your arm recently? Q6: Did you buy that women next to you another alcoholic beverage? Q7: Have you been contacted by the Cubs scouts yet? Q8: Are you related to Bartman? Q9: What is your occupation? Q10: Did you have to ice your arm later that night? Q11: Would you do it again? Q12: Have you ever seen Rookie of the Year? Q13: Who throws harder you or Rowengartner? Q14: Is your go to line "Funky butt lovin'"? That's enough for now.



Let's discuss Rookie of the Year for a bit because I need to point out a couple of interesting connections the Giants have to this movie. The child prodigy pitches for the Chicago Cubs and from what I remember there is a strikeout montage. One of the hitters is a one Barry Lamar Bonds. In a Pirates uniform. The year is 1993. I guess the movie people assumed he would have been on the Pirates still or completely missed that or just didn't watch baseball (which would be ironic). Here's the trailer, look out for Bonds at the end:







I know what you are thinking: how did this not win an Oscar? Quality baseball movies get no respect. Almost exactly 18 years after Rookie of the Year premiered (if they even had a premiere) an over zealous Cubs fan pulls a Rowengartner and throws back a home run ball almost into the away team's dugout. When art imitates life it's never as gracious or magnificent as reality but it's so much more surprising. Anything can happen in movies but you just wouldn't believe it if someone told you what they just saw. Yesterday the phantasmagorical was real.



Kung Fu Pandamonium

Yes he is back. Pablo Sandoval was back in the lineup last night after a strange hamate (blogger doesn't recognize this as a word that's how rare it is) fracture injury. And it looks like Kung Fu Panda has laid off of the Kung Pao Chicken during his time on the DL. In his post-injury debut, Sandoval went 1-4 with an RBI and a walk. He looked comfortable at the plate and in the field.

It's nice to see someone actually coming off the DL than being put on it. Sandoval should be a good morale boost for this battered and bruised roster. As I'm writing this he just hit a single up the middle, thank you Pablo for helping me prove my point. He's now hitting .400 since coming back, small sample size though. And he just scored from second on a single by Huff to left field. Panda was cruising around the bases.

The middle of the lineup has been struggling most of the year and it's nice to see a batting average in the lineup that begins with a three and not a two (or unfortunately a one, not naming names). If Sandoval can continue his offensive performance that he began in the beginning of the season we should have a much better offense going forward. It will take the pressure off Huff and hopefully the hitters around him will see some better pitches ( I was going to mention names but the lineup is different everyday).

With Sandoval back in the swing of things it looks like Tejada and Crawford are going to be splitting time at shortstop. Tejada will most likely be playing third when Bochy decides to rest Panda.

I will leave you with a tutorial on Sandoval's handshakes with his teammates from 2010 Spring training. I never noticed that he has a different handshake with each player. I have to start paying attention to the Pandashakes.

The Walking Wounded

The 2011 San Francisco Giants began their post World Series season injured and then they got a little more injured and then they got even more injured. Baseball no longer feels like a sport in the Bay Area but rather a war. The team is taking casualties and just when some of the soldiers are ready to get back another goes down. This season has been equally unpredictable as the last and yet the Giants are in first place.

If you were presented with the DL list before the season started very few would think that the team would be eight games over .500 and in first place of the NL West. This team is in a better position than it was in 2010 and this is a team without Buster Posey. The 2011 Giants will never be truly healthy with Posey out for the year but have once again proven to be resilient - a resilience Coach Bruce Bochy mentions often in his post-game press conferences. The magic hasn't left China Basin because it's hard to come up with reasons why they are playing so well with so many missing pieces. It would be like playing chess without your queen and bishops and still thinking that you are winning.

The pitching staff has kept this team in almost every game and that makes all the difference on a team that has to fight tooth and nail for every run. Although inconsistent and all-star less, the offense has been clutch and scored when they needed to. The Giants enjoy scoring late and seem to be averse to scoring against starting pitchers, they prefer to score against relievers. Not every team has the stellar bullpen that the Giants do and when they don't the Giants get to work.

Although no one would wish any of the players to get hurt it has given some of the utility and minor league players some major league experience. Here is the list of The Walking Wounded and their current status:

Brandon Belt (Hairline fracture in left wrist) - Belt is hoping to return to this hurting Giants team and to provide some much needed offense. He's on the 15 day DL and is expected to return in July.

Buster Posey (fractured fibula, strained ligaments) - Out for the season. Stewart was brought up from the minors to split time with Whiteside. Neither have really stood out offensively or defensively, leaving the Giants with a catching problem.

Mark DeRosa (torn left wrist tendon) - There are times in baseball when as a fan you witness an injury take place and you can feel the player's pain. There are few times that I can remember feeling as sad for a player than when DeRosa re-injured his wrist. He worked so hard to get back on the field and Bochy gave him his shot when Panda went down. Giants fans hearts dropped when he dropped his bat in pain. DeRosa's baseball career is in jeopardy.

Mike Fontenot (groin) - When the backup gets hurt you know your team is short on bodies. Fontenot is playing in the minors and hopefully will be joining the team soon.

Darren Ford (ankle strain) - The Giants speedster received a cortisone shot this week and is expected to re-join the team in a couple of weeks. The team misses his speed right now.

Freddy Sanchez (dislocated shoulder) - Freddy went down this week when he dove for a ball up the middle. At the time he was the Giants best hitter and so now the team has another player they have to fill in for. Burriss has stepped in when Fontenot got hurt and the Giants just signed Bill Hall. Sanchez has opted for rehab to see if it works - his return is unknown at the moment.

Pablo Sandoval (hamate fracture) - Coming back tomorrow, this is a big deal for the Giants. The team is going to be looking forward to seeing his bat in the lineup and his smile in the dugout. A fan favorite, the team is not the same without Panda.

Barry Zito (foot sprain) - Currently rehabbing in the minors and is working on building his velocity. What does Bochy do when Zito returns? Vogelsong is pitching very well and is sporting a sub 2.00 ERA. Who goes to the bullpen? Who stays in the rotation? Bochy said they will be open to many different options but the decision will upset either the Zito or Vogelsong camps. They both can't win.

Giant Johnnies

The San Francisco Giants have an infrequent yet strong connection to St. John's and this bond was renewed in the 2011 MLB Draft when the team drafted shortstop Joe Panik of the Red Storm in the first round. The most famous St. John's alumnus to don the orange and black is Rich Aurilia.

Born in Brooklyn, Aurilia was a baseball star at St. John's and was later drafted by the Texas Rangers. In 1994, he was traded to the Giants for Burkett and would go on to become the everyday shortstop. Aurilia would end up playing most of his career for the Giants with the exception of three seasons of his 15 year career. His biggest year came in the infamous year of the home run and probably overshadowed by Bonds' 73 home run record. In 2001, Aurilia hit .324 with 37 HR's and 97 RBI's. Let's hope that Panik can follow in his footsteps.

Even though Panik is listed as a shortstop it now seems less likely that he will remain one with the emergence of Brandon Crawford. In a couple years Panik may be the second basemen for the post-Sanchez San Francisco Giants. Here's the scoop on Panik:

He's a native New Yorker and his favorite player is Derek Jeter - we can forgive him for being a Yankees fan. Here are his stats from his junior year at St. John's:

BA .398  OBP .509  SLG .642  HR 10  2B 19  3B 3  RBI 57

Here is a St. John's Baseball video of their journey to the NCAA tourney. Panik is #2.

Every soul is a melody . . .

. . . which needs renewing. This is a 19th century thought by Stephan Mallarme that has been renewed on the 2011 San Francisco Giants team with the emergence of their accidental fifth man in the starting rotation - Ryan Vogelsong.

After today's gem, Vogelsong is now 4-1 with an 1.68 ERA and .214 avg against. He now has the lowest ERA amongst the Giants starting five and is a breath of fresh air after Zito's injury. He is the most unexpected member of the Giants team and is now creating a major problem for management and the coaches. Zito is in the beginning of his minor league rehab assignment and according to the team he is pitching better after the injury than he was before. Zito's velocity is up but can they send the highest paid pitcher to the bullpen?

Bochy and Sabean do give veterans playing time to show that they deserve to be in the lineup and this year some have remained and others have found themselves sitting on the bench more than playing in the field. Pat Burrell started the beginning of the year as the everyday left fielder and now he has been delegated to pinch hitter status after posting poor numbers. Same situation with Huff at the beginning of the season when the Giants decided to give Belt a chance in the majors. Huff's batting average has been in the low 200's for most of the season and is not a quality middle of the lineup hitter right now.

DeRosa was given a chance and couldn't hit above the Mendoza line. Tejada is on borrowed time at this point with the success of Brandon Crawford at shortstop and Pablo Sandoval starting rehab. A healthy Giants team is a crowded Giants team. There will be many roster changes in the coming weeks but there are positives that will come out of this - healthy competition. No one is safe on the Giants team and Sabean/Bochy have proven that it doesn't matter how many zeroes are on your contract.

Back to Vogelsong. Vogel in German means bird and this bird is singing a melody that will earn him a permanent spot in the Giants stellar pitching rotation. Vogelsong's narrative is so typical Giants. He is the ultimate underdog and now after his pitching success is a fan favorite. Watching the Giants is never dull and it is such an easy team to root for with their roster of misfits. As the underdogs continue to over perform, the team is fighting for first place in the weak NL West division.

Going with the underdog theme, here's a Vogelsong for the Giants:

Sabean vs. The World

The Buster Posey collision with Scott Cousins attracted an enormous amount of media attention. All news sources covered the injury and even some brought in medical experts to discuss the surgery and the time or recovery (some used props). There were instant rumors that MLB would review the rules on running over catchers. The reactions were what you would expect from both sides but then as time went on every coach, player, former catcher had to put their two cents in and then Sabean. I will discuss Sabean's controversial comments he made on KNBR, the San Francisco radio station, as well as a summary of many opinions from players/coaches/journalists. There are so many articles right now I thought I would consolidate them and make a list of the peanut gallery.

What Sabean said:

"Why not be hard-nosed?" Sabean said. "If I never hear from Cousins again or he never plays another game in the big leagues, I think we'll all be happy."

"He chose to be a hero in my mind, and if that's his flash of fame, that's as good as it's going to get, pal," Sabean said. "We'll have a long memory. Believe me, we've talked to (former catcher Mike) Matheny about how this game works. You can't be that out-and-out overly aggressive. I'll put it as politically as I can state it: There's no love lost, and there shouldn't be."

What the Giants said today:

This is a very emotional time for the Giants organization and our fans. We lost for the season one of our best players to a serious injury and we are doing everything we can to support Buster Posey through this very difficult time. We appreciate Scott Cousins’ outreach to Buster Posey and to the Giants organization. Brian Sabean’s comments yesterday were said out of frustration and out of true concern for Buster and were not meant to vilify Scott Cousins. Brian has been in contact with Florida Marlins General Manager Larry Beinfest to clarify his comments and to assure him that there is no ill-will toward the player. He has also reached out to Scott Cousins directly. (from San Jose Mercury News)

What I say:

Of course we will never know what Cousins was truly thinking or if he was just acting on his natural baseball instinct to plough through the catcher. In my opinion it was unnecessary (as Sabean said in the now infamous interview) but using the word "malicious" seems to be a bit aggressive. Cousins did reach out to Posey after the game and Posey, needing some space, hasn't responded yet. It's hard to find a reason why it would be malicious especially since the Marlins are not in their division and the Giants don't have any big rivalry with them. Naturally all the Giants fans are upset and want to see consequences and then there are some crazy fans who have threatened the lives of Cousins and his family members. Cousins' family resides in the bay area and he seemed to be worried that Sabean's response to the incident would incite further negative reaction towards him and his family. I agree on this point. Sabean definitely got caught up in the moment and had a momentarily lapse of honesty. Unfortunately, GM's can't always be honest or say what is on their minds. You can't say that Sabean isn't allowed to have an opinion but you can say that as the front office leader he should think twice before attacking players on other teams. (his inner-Steinbrenner came out, his former colleague) Don't get me wrong I am not defending Cousins because I think it was unnecessary and Posey didn't even have the ball. I think the issue needs to be put to rest and let MLB deal with rule changes if necessary.

What everyone else says:

Mike Matheny:

You know what, it wasn’t a dirty play, he didn’t come high spikes, he didn’t come high elbow. But it wasn’t a necessary play. He was hunting. Buster gave him an option and he didn’t take it...I think you just put a mark in the column that that kid took a run at a catcher. To me as a catcher I know the next time I get the ball I’m going to stick it to him

Brad Ausmus

...injuries happen in sports. I'm sorry this happened to Buster Posey. He's an exciting young catcher. He's an exciting young hitter. He's one of the best young players in baseball. But it's part of the game

Mike Scioscia

When something like this happens, it's unfortunate, but I don't know if there's enough there to rewrite the rulebook

Scott Cousins

"I hope and believe that Mr. Sabean's comments were made in the heat of the moment and are based more on his fondness for Buster Posey than on any animosity towards me.
"This situation is still an open wound for many, including myself. As I have stated previously, nobody outside of Buster feels worse about his injury than I do."
"I do believe, however, that the play was clean and totally within the rules of the game,"
"Explaining over and over that I would never intentionally hurt another player for any reason won't change the minds of those who doubt my sincerity or intent.
"I have a responsibility to myself, my teammates, and my organization to play the game hard. This is what has gotten me to the big leagues, and hopefully this is what will keep me here."

Logan Morrison (Cousins' teammate on the Marlins)

"When has he played in the big leagues? When has he played in the minor leagues?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but he's never been in a situation like that. It's terrible.
"Why would you wish anything like that on anybody?" 
 "He's getting death threats from people. This is his hometown, San Francisco. He's worried about his family and his friends that are there. And now (Sabean) is going to make comments like that? It's ignorant, it's inappropriate and he has no idea what the hell he's talking about."

I have to break this up with a personal anecdote about Morrison. I happen to follow him on Twitter and the following occurred. First he had a comment about Cousins:

For the record, I hope Scott plays many more games in the big leagues for us. Very talented ballplayer, great teammate & even better friend!

Then he had the following to say shortly after that:

MILF's love the Marlins!! RT @jacs88 @LoMoMarlins @gabysanchez15 already voted with each of my kids(3) all 25 times, for both of you:)

Enough said. Back to the quotes.

Rob Johnson (Padres catcher)

“For a general manager to go as far as he did with those comments is unacceptable and disrespectful to guys who play the game hard. Those comments were totally uncalled for.
“I thought it was a great baseball play. As catchers, we sign up for that. I respect Cousins. I tip my cap to him. He didn’t go out of his way to injure Posey. I’ve been cleaned out before. It’s part of the game.”

Here's the audio of the KNBR interview with Brian Sabean:

 KNBR - Sabean Interview on Posey Collision

Sources: San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, ESPN.com, Twitter, KNBR

SFG's support LGBT's

The San Francisco Giants have come out as the first professional sports team to support the It Gets Better Project, a non-profit aimed at helping Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender teenagers "imagine a future for themselves." Eyebrow raise, think twice.

The Giants have been very philanthropic of late. The team has heavily promoted and supported The Bryan Stow Fund after a fan was beaten into a coma after an away game in Los Angeles. Lincecum donated $25,000 personally and Barry Bonds offered to pay for the college education of each of Stow's children. Brian Wilson has started a scholarship program at the Air Force academy in honor of his father. Affeldt is always creating awareness about human trafficking and clean water initiatives. It's good to see players giving back and taking leadership off the field.

Is there a place for social causes in baseball? Sure as long as it doesn't get political. It is not a secret that San Francisco has a large gay population and the team decided to give back to a community that doesn't receive a lot of recognition, especially in professional sports. It's a good cause and a smart marketing campaign for the team that is expanding it's fan base. (Not that they need it right now with the home attendance sell outs) I think each player should show off the field leadership and support a cause that is important to them. I almost want to say it's their fiduciary duty as professional athletes to step up to the plate.

The game of baseball is not foreign to social causes and ending social injustices. Jackie Robinson. Although I hate to admit it the Dodgers actually did something right. Brooklyn not LA. In 1947 Branch Rickey asked Robinson to join the Dodgers to become the first African American baseball player in the major leagues. Baseball began desegregation in the 1940s, now tell me that baseball hasn't played an important role in civil issues.

Here's the website for the It Gets Better Project. The Giants video is currently being promoted on the site's homepage. Here it is as well:



FiliBuster

Many people probably don't realize that today is a special day in San Francisco Giants history. On May 28, 2010 Giants management decided to call up Gerald Demp Posey from the minor league system. At that point the Giants were 25-22 and trying to keep their heads above water. Coaches/owners knew that they needed an offensive jolt and so they brought up Posey who would eventually force out veteran Bengie Molina.

The Giants finished their 2010 championship season with 92 wins and 70 losses. If you do the math, after Posey came up the Giants were 67-48. Were there many other key components to their post-Posey record? Of course. Would they have made the playoffs and won the World Series without him? No chance. Here is his stat line: .305 BA 18 HR 67RBI 124 Hits 23 2B's. How do the Giants replaces 124 hits? One weird stat is that he averaged one RBI per win.

Buster Posey has yet to play a full season worth of games. Posey has appeared in a total of 160 games and that will remain until he recovers from his injuries. All of a sudden 2011 feels like 2010 all over again. Baseball deja vu.

On May 25, 2011 Posey was tackled by Scott Cousins in the bottom of the 12th at AT&T. He severely strained the ligaments in his left ankle and fractured his fibula. Almost exactly on the anniversary of his 2010 arrival. How do you Fill in for a Buster? The Giants are currently 28-23 and find themselves hanging on to first place in a weak NL West division.

Crawford, Belt, and Stewart are now up from the minors. Crawford hit a grand slam in his first major league at bat - not done by a Giant since a one Bobby Bonds did it in 1968. Who was on base? McCovey, Mays, and Hart. Giants will look for some new life from Crawford and Belt amidst the tired looking group of vets. Belt's prodigal son moment should interesting as I believe he will be starting tomorrow - his first game of his second coming.

The same way that Posey injected life into the Giants in 2010, Belt/Crawford will need to do the same. It's a tall order but this Giants team will live or die by it. The Giants are currently 1-2 since Posey went down and everyone will be paying attention to those post-Posey stats. Can the Giants recover from losing their best position player or will they have postposey depression? That remains to be seen but this team is not known to give up. If 2011 turns out to be 2010 we have a lot more great baseball to come.

Here's a retro Buster Posey FSU video. Check out his stats at the beginning of the video - unreal. Also listen to the announcer saying "Are you watching Major League Baseball?". Oh and the Buster chant is great, surprised it hasn't been picked up in SF.

Nightmare on King Street

So anyone have a Plan B? It was a normal San Francisco Giants game with the game tied at zero in the twelfth inning. A sacrifice fly was hit to short center field and Florida Marlins' Scott Cousins came at Buster Posey as if a mad dog was biting his butt. Somewhere between third base and home plate Cousins forgot that he was playing baseball and morphed into a linebacker. Cousins tackled Posey at home plate as he was catching the throw from the outfield. Posey never got a chance to face Cousins and was slammed as he was turning. Posey twisted and crashed to the ground in excruciating pain. A fractured fibula and severely sprained ligaments later, the Giants have a giant problem.

The initial estimate is that Posey will be out 6-8 weeks and may be able to return before the end of the 2011 season. What do the Giants do til then? The Giants have called up Stewart from the minors to back up Whiteside and there are already rumors flying around the blogosphere that Sabean is looking to pick up Pudge. To add insult to injury, Fontenot also injured his groin during the game so the Giants have also called up Brandon Crawford. Bochy also called up Brandon Belt to provide some offense for this offensively challenged team.

The Giants will be looking forward to see Pablo Sandoval returning. The past month has been full of injuries for the reigning World Series champions. Before the season started the talk around town was that the Giants pitchers are going to get hurt after pitching so many innings last year. It's May 26 and and it's the position players that can't stay healthy. With the exception of Zito who hurt himself on a pop bunt (lame), the pitching staff has remained healthy and pitching well.

Posey's injury is not only a huge setback for the team and Giants fans, it's also a bad thing for baseball in general. One of baseball's rising stars is out for most of the rest of the season. Injuries like Posey's hurts ratings especially for the World Series champs. What will come of all this? I'm sure there will be a review by the commissioner's office to see if the rules need to be adjusted to protect the catchers. One thing is for sure, Posey's transition to the infield just went from long term to short term.  The ligament sprains can't be good for the catcher's daily squat.

Everyone in the sports world will be making comparisons to Pete Rose's famous or infamous catcher steamroll. The only difference is that Rose is the enemy and Posey is the hero of China Basin. Giants will have to do without their sophomore hero for some time but until he returns the fans will look for leadership on and off the field. My heart goes out to Buster. Please come back soon, we need to repeat.

Part II: All the Commissioner's Men

This blog post is the second of a series of posts on the ongoing dispute between the Dodgers and Major League Baseball. Even though this is a San Francisco Giants blog, it's just as fun enjoying the soap opera in SoCal. See May 9th post for Part I.

The drama in Los Angeles continues. Bud Selig has brought in Tom Schieffer, former Rangers president, to go through the Dodgers' finances and operations. Now that Selig's steward is in place there are rumors flying around that McCourt will file for bankruptcy to avoid MLB intervention. In the meantime, Mrs. McCourt is trying to force her husband to sell the team. It just gets uglier everyday.

I also did a little research about MLB teams filing for bankruptcy. It seems that there wouldn't be any issues with a team continuing to play and operating as normal. If the team defaults on it's payroll the players can automatically become free agents after a certain period of time. Then there would be a run on the team and I'm not sure if MLB would allow that. Chapter 11 is certainly an option for the Dodgers and it has happened more than you think.

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the Stow family is now suing the Dodgers for criminal negligence and that they provided the perfect opportunity for a criminal act to occur. Dodgers have already contributed $125K for the reward for tips on the Stow beating. The Los Angeles police have arrested the primary suspect in the case. Dodger killer, Barry Bonds, has now agreed to pay for the college educations of each of Bryan Stow's kids.

I'm not sure who is worse off the Dodgers or the Mets. The Dodgers are getting hammered from every direction and it's difficult to tell if the team is being affected by the off the field antics. They started off alright but have fallen fast in the past couple of weeks, they are now seven games below .500. I don't think that this is the team that Don Mattingly was hoping to manage.

I leave you with a nursery rhyme that reminds me of the Dodgers situation right now:

Frank McCourt spent all the team's cash
Jamie McCourt wants half her hubby's stash
All the Commissioners stewards
And all the Commissioners men
Won't put the Dodgers on top again.

Dominican Dandy

On July 2, 1963 the San Francisco Giants took the field in the top of the first inning at Candlestick Park and the Dominican Dandy, Juan Marichal, took the mound. Little did they know that this game would not end until July 3rd and not a single relief pitcher would step on the mound.

On Thursday, the KNBR radio station in San Fran interview Juan Marichal for his upcoming book about the greatest baseball game ever played. Before the interview Fitz and Brooks were pitching the upcoming segment and one statement seemed to resonate - Giants fans are lucky to have living history. Many of the Giant hall of famers are still around and are retelling their great baseball stories - Mays, McCovey, Cepeda, Marichal, Alou etc. A lot of other teams don't have this "living history" so it is important for baseball scholars to extract as much knowledge from these living legends.

Marichal spoke about that day as if he pitched the game yesterday. He was facing the great Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves that day. There may never be a pitching performance as great as there was that day for an individual or for both teams. Both starting pitchers stayed in the entire game and refused to allow relievers to relieve. Marichal said that in the ninth inning Alvin Dark came out to the mound to take him out and he said no way he's leaving now. Marichal said that in those days you never spoke back to the manager in the way that he did so he knew he was in trouble. Dark kept him in.

The logic that went through the Giants' pitcher's head was that he was a young 25 year old pitcher and there was now way that was going to let this old guy beat him - Spahn was 42 years old at the time. How many 42 year old pitchers can throw 16 innings of shutout ball? Almost 16 innings.

After the ninth inning Dark didn't approach him again until the 14th where Marichal agreed to come out. The thirteenth inning finished and Marichal could see the reliever coming in from the bullpen and he changed his mind. Marichal ran out to the mound before the reliever could even get there. He wasn't about to hand over the game to someone else, this was his game to win.

In the bottom of the 16th inning, Willie Mays walked over to Marichal in the dugout and told him that he was going to win the game for him. He did just that. Walk off solo home run off of Warren Spahn in the bottom of the 16th. In the interview Marichal said that he wandered why Mays didn't just say it in the 9th inning and save him a couple of innings but then again it would never be considered one of the greatest games ever played.

One of the greatest anecdotes about that day was that McCovey crushed a ball so hard that it landed in the parking lot at Candlestick and the hit was called foul. The ball actually was fair inside of the stadium but landed foul in the parking lot so the umpires incorrectly called it a foul ball. The game would have be a normal nine inning game but the baseball deities were scheming that day.

The conversation continued with the difference in the pitching styles between now and Marichal's era. He used to "brush" up the players with inside pitches to back them off the plate all the time. It was a different baseball era where that was a regular occurrence unlike now where the batters take it personally. Contemporary players are concerned about getting injured and hurting that multimillion dollar contracts. Marichal didn't care, he had to protect his own teammates.

My favorite line of the entire interview was when he was discussing why we was able to throw inside all the time. It was because he had Orlando Cepeda in the infield and he knew that he would be there right next to him if the opposing batter charged the mound. And no one would want mess with the Baby Bull. You mess with the Baby Bull, you get the horns.

Imagine a game played today that went to 16 innings and both starting pitchers never came out. You can't. One of the most unbelievable stats of that game was that home run king Hank Aaron went 0-6 with two strikeouts that game. Marichal said, "I was lucky that night."

Whether it was pure luck or talent, Marichal threw one of the greatest games in the history of baseball.

Don't mess with Marichal, he'll smash your head in with a baseball bat. Ask Johnnie Roseboro . . .

From Denver with Baseball

This will be my last blog from Denver as I am at the gate of my flight back to NY. In the past two weeks I have been to four Giants games in two different cities. I did something similar last year when I travelled to San Diego and San Francisco. I chose to come to Denver because of the timing, frequent flier miles, and to see a unfamiliar city and ballpark. And of course the Giants.

This is my review of Coors Field. Good food, the Rockies dog was above average for a foot long processed meat product. First time seeing Coors Original at a ballpark and of course I had to have it at all places Coors Field.  I like the setup of the park and location is great with a lot of bars/breweries for pre/post game mayhem. Not many negatives besides an excessive number of grown men wearing the color purple. Oh and the purple dinosaur mascot. Can't they get the Old Prospector or a Rocky Mountain man? I don't understand the mascot. We have a similar situation where there is no Giant but LouSeal makes sense. The Rockies fans also had a below average knowledge of baseball. I wanted to intervene many times but I held back and let them remain in their original state of baseball ignorance.

This is my review of Denver. Clean city, population is very active and athletic. It's hard not to be out here. Probably not my favorite city I've been to, I think I like Boulder more. (I hope no one is looking over my shoulder at the airport right now as I write nasty things about them) Similar to SanFran, large number of bums and hippies. Note to self: Go to Denver after Memorial Day. Cold winds from the mountains made for some chilly mornings/nights.

At the end of every trip there is that sad feeling that the journey is about to end and you have to return to reality. The Giants performance in the series didn't help much either. The mini-sweep by the Rockies did not go over well with the coaches/management. The team will look different in the not so distant future as the lackluster offensive performance is taking its toll on all. Fans always have the least amount of patience when it comes to poor performance on the field but when the coaches are fed up you know changes are on the horizon.

This post is going to have to come to an end as my eyelids are slowly lowering over my eyes. If anything doesn't make sense it's because I'm half awake. This entire trip I had no idea what time it was. My watch, Blackberry, iPhone, laptop, and hotel clock all had different times. The hotel clock was set fours ahead of time when I first got in. That was the last thing I needed when I first arrived with the time change and everything.

Trying  . . . . to . . . . stay . . . a . . w . . a . . k .  . . . . . . .

-Blogging from Denver International Airport

Cy or Relief?

This two game series against the Colorado Rockies proved to be a real test of coaching and how the lack of run production is taking it's toll on the win column. In both games Giants pitchers pitched well and kept the team in the game until they got into trouble. Bochy kept Lincecum in the game and the Rockies exploded with a five run inning. Bochy kept Sanchez in initially and then brought lefty expert Javier Lopez to extinguish the flames.

Ex post facto it's easy to say Lincecum faced one or two batters too many and Bochy made the executive decision to trust his number one pitcher. Logically it all makes sense, from the stands is another story. The Giants fans at Coors Field could see the game unravelling quickly and it did with a three run blast into the life size Rocky Mountain diorama in center field. The coach can't win in this situation. They get flack for keeping the guy in when he gives up runs and yelled at for not keeping them in. Baseball analysts constantly talk about how different pitching is now and of the 100 pitch count parameter. It's true the old pitching records will never be broken again. Pitchers just don't get enough starts or innings in to even get to that level.

Just like every other sport, baseball is constantly evolving. There is an enormous emphasis on a pitcher's health and durability over the life of his baseball career or contract. This trend shifts the importance from the starting rotation to the bullpen. Of course you want to have the best starting rotation as possible but if he is never pitching bast the 6th inning then you better have a good bullpen. The fewer pitches thrown by a starter, the more important the bullpen becomes. This is one of the Giants greatest weapons - just when you think you got rid of the starter then you have to face the Giants bullpen. Relentless.

So backseat drivers think twice before you blast the coaches for not managing the game correctly. Still have one of the best pitching staffs in the league. They do make mistakes sometimes and they can't always offset this sub-par offense.

-Blogging from the Mile High City

2002 Giants vs. 2010 Giants

A week or two ago I caught myself thinking about the 2002 Giants team that went to the World Series, seems like a lifetime ago. They are now an afterthought, being overshadowed by the recent champions. The 2002 team was very close to winning the series and if they had, who would have been the better World Series champion? This led me to the following concept what if we were to freeze both teams in time with a little Field of Dreams magic. We are in a field in the middle of Iowa and the 2002 Giants walk out of the cornfields and then the 2010 Giants walk out as well. (Please no hot dogs allowed in the bleachers) They play a best of seven series, who wins?

To make this a little less time intensive let's take the exact lineups and rotations based on each series. Hopefuly this won't go to seven games because I'm going to have to improvise on the 2010 team for the last two games. The following assumptions also apply: 1) Umpires are impartial and always make the correct call 2) There are no fans watching except me sitting in the bleachers creating the fantasy (Inception). 3) There is no home field advantage 4) Players' regular and postseason histories are taken into consideration 5) Of course these are important factors but let's keep this reasonable

Jason Schmidt vs. Tim Lincecum
This is an interesting match up. This really is a tale of two teams with the '02 Giants being the more offensive team while the '10 Giants being the pitching team. The key to beating the 2002 Giants was really to survive the Kent-Bonds duo in the middle of the lineup. The pitching was great but not 2010 great and would be expected to give up a couple of runs per game. I believe that a Lincecum on his A-game can out pitch any player/team. He has the greatest change-up in baseball, if not in baseball history. Schmidt pitched very well that year and alright in the postseason, his best years coming the two years after where he put up Cy Young numbers. I would give the pitching advantage to Lincecum, although if the '10 Giants offense doesn't show up to play then the story changes.

Advantage: Lincecum

Russ Ortiz vs. Matt Cain
Two workhorses. Very similar stats, almost identical during their World Series years. Cain may be more clutch. Tough call.

Advantage: Tie

Livan Hernandez vs. Jonathan Sanchez
Workhorse vs. Wild Card. Livan historically always gave up a lot of runs but could throw 120 pitches without breaking a sweat. He always had a high ERA and usually had more losses than wins but he ate up a ton of innings. Sanchez may be a good matchup for Bonds and Snow if he has good stuff that day. If he walks people, it's game over. Honestly, I would still choose Sanchez over Livan even though he is the torture ringleader.

Advantage: Sanchez

Reuter vs. Bumgarner
The Vet vs the Rookie. '02 was probably Reuter's best year and Bumgarner wasn't even in high school yet. Bumgarner was lights out in the playoffs last year (probably more excited for him than any other pitcher on the team). I want to say MadBum but a coach would have to pitch Reuter if he had to choose between the two. Not sure if MadBum would navigate well against Bonds-Kent-Snow-Sanders-Bell-Aurilia-etc

Advantage: Reuter

Bullpens
The '02 Giants had one of my favorite setup man-closer combos. Hard throwing Felix Rodriguez and Robb Nen. Nen HoF material? Not sure, his career was pretty short and still recorded over 300 saves. The '02 pretty much stops there though, I liked Worrell but most of the rest were expendable. '10 Giants bullpen was stellar. Any one of them could be closers or setup men. Very versatile. Priceless during the year and postseason.

Advantage: 2010 team (not even close)

Offense
Just going by the regular season performance you have to pick the 2002 Giants. This was the year after the 73 HR season for Bonds where he batted a mere .370 with 46 HRs. Kent batted .313 with 37 HRs. Those offensive numbers are completely foreign to the 2010 team. You have to add multiple players together to get close to them. It is also hard to ignore the clutch performance of the 2010 Giants in the postseason who conquered Cy Young pitchers and aces from every team. Looking back it's unbelievable the pitchers that they beat on their way to the World Series. Here's my player-player match up:

LF: Bonds vs Burrell
Advantage: Bonds

CF: Lofton vs. Torres
Advantage: Torres. Lofton past his prime at this point.

RF: Sanders vs. Ross
Advantage: This is a tough one, I was never a huge Sanders fan. Power hitter, lots of strikeouts and didn't hit for average. Can't ignore his HRs and RBIs. Ross hasn't played a full season but was extraordinary in the postseason. This is a tie until we see how Ross does for a full year in orange and black.

3B: Bell vs. Uribe
Advantage: This one is weird beacuse Sandoval was benched so Uribe isn't the true third baseman. Based on the playoff matchup I would give the advantage to Uribe but it is close. Both are good hitting third baseman. I would take the .330 hitting Kung Fu Panda over both of them.

SS: Aurilia vs. Renteria
Advantage: Again this seems wrong because Sandoval was benched. I would probably take Aurilia even though his career peaked the previous year. Renteria was clutch in the playoffs and was one of the keys to that World Series run. I know he was MVP but he is damaged goods and at the end of his career. If you throw Uribe in the mix, I have to pick him. Hurt me saying this now because he's wearing Dodger blue.

2B: Kent vs Sanchez
Advantage: Kent

1B: Snow vs. Huff
Advantage: This one is tough also. Snow was at the tail end of his career at this point and struggled offensively. One of the best Giants first baseman and a fan favorite. Had a great World Series, even better than Huff. If you were to base it strictly on the World Series performance you have to go with Snow on both offensive and defensive fronts. Huff was far better during the year. I'm conflicted.

C: Santiago vs. Posey
Advantage: Posey. Santiago is the veteran but Posey plays like a veteran so that neutralizes that argument. Both solid defensive catchers. Posey a smarter hitter and more clutch.

So who wins? The question can also be worded can the 2002 Giants offense offset the 2010 Giants pitching? Or can the '02 offense offset its own pitching? Or can the '10 pitching offset its own offense? Which offense shows up to play that day? In the end pitching and defense wins.

-Blogging from the Mile High City

Field Trip

I just arrived last night in Denver, Colorado home of the Colorado Rockies. My first welcome to the great state of Colorado was by a heavy set man wearing a bright yellow t-shirt that read I Beat Anorexia. This was the first of many paradoxes to come in my first hours in the Mile High City. I arrive at the hotel where the 20 year old behind the desk tells me that they hired chefs to prepare the free breakfast every morning. Paradox #2 Prestigious chefs for a free breakfast. Paradox #3 It's May 15th and it's 35 degrees. Paradox #4 I read that Denver has more sunny days than San Diego, it's foggy.

Breakfast was a buffet with Styrofoam plates and plastics utensils. First time seeing biscuits and gravy at breakfast, my arteries clogged looking at it. The hoard of conference goers and visiting college athletes stormed the buffet line and stuffed their faces with the free breakfast prepared by hired chefs. The word free seems to bring out the worst in people, it's like a mandate to indulge and acquire as much of the free good/service as possible.

As the temperatures hit a Rocky Mountain low, I wandered what was the coldest game played in the history of recorded baseball. In October 2009, the NLDS was played at Coors Field. The Rockies were playing the Phillies and the game time temperature was . . . . 35 degrees. This tied the post season record set back in 1997 in Cleveland.

I'm attending the 2 game Rockies-Giants series at Coors Field starting tomorrow. Yesterday the Giants only needed to play 7 innings to win and in very similar weather. The Giants went up 3-0 on throwing errors and the game was called in the 7th due to rain. The Giants ace in the hole, Ryan Vogelsong, was credited with a complete game. Drafted in 1998 by the Giants, Vogelsong has pretty much been a career minor leaguer jumping from team to team and playing in Japan. Thirteen years later the Giants offered him a minor league contract and with Zito's pop bunt foot injury he is now a starter. Vogelsong is 3-0 with a 2.36 ERA.

Questions are now swirling in the Giants blogger universe about Zito's return. Upon return should Zito be automatically granted his spot in the starting rotation? Giant fans and bloggers are loving the emergence of Vogelsong, if anything to spite the $126m elephant in the rotation. He is the Rudy of the Giants staff. (it's on TV right now, this entire blog has been written to the soundtrack of the movie) Vogelsong fits in with this team that is mixed and matched with veterans, rookies, has beens, over the hills, and what have you. Giants have shown over the past couple years that camaraderie takes a team far and that statistics only tell part of the story. Vogelsong's future in the rotation is uncertain but Giants fans would certainly like Sabean and Bochy to give him a chance. The argument among the beat reporters has been that Zito can't be in the bullpen so he has to come back to the rotation thus sending Vogelsong to the bullpen or back to the minors.

Giants ownership and management have certainly taken substantial risks over the past two years. Bringing up Posey and Bumgarner. Getting rid of Molina. Signing Burrell, Huff, Ross, etc. These risks paid off. I know the fans would like one more. Will the veteran be replaced by the career minor leaguer? This Vogelsong has yet to be sung.

L-L-L-Lenny and the Feds

Routine is defined as a course of action to be followed regularly. One example of a routine is to read the newspaper every morning and if you are a New York resident the NY Post is a beautiful way to start your day. Endless entertainment and required reading here in NYC. Today there was a special gift on page 15, especially for content hungry sports bloggers who yearn for their next feeding. (picture True Blood's Bill unconsciously sucking on Sooki to survive)

Lenny Dysktra decided to "address the people of the great City of New York." Right away you know that you are about to read something Amazin'. "I was wrong when I thought God put me on this earth to entertain people at Shea Stadium." Why does God always have to come into play? Leave Him alone. So Dykstra does even self-identify as a baseball player but rather an entertainer? On second thought, after reading this article I agree. And it only gets better. "I have come to realize that God put me on this earth to help people, to be a factor." Come again? A factor?

"Talk is cheap; I am about walking the talk." Did he pay for this shameless self-promotion on page 15 or did the Post publish it pro-bono for the entertainment value? "Bottom line: When all of the evidence is brought forward, the jury will be told by the judge to make an example out of these corrupt people so this does not continue to happen to other Americans." So now judges instruct juries on their decision. I'm no legal expert but I've watched enough episodes of Judge Judy and Law & Order to know that the judge doesn't tell the members of the jury how to vote. (And yes I can perform open heart surgeries after years of watching ER) Plus isn't Dykstra on trial? Not the Feds.

"It is also important for you to know that I did not get stupid overnight." Wow. "To begin with, I had $100 million in assets when I filed my Chapter 11." Re-read the first quote of this paragraph and then the second one again. Smart people file Chap 11 with $100mm of assets? I'm starting to see a pattern here.

And now drum roll please [cue drum roll . . . . . .] "I didn't make bad investments; every company that I have ever created or owned was and still is a winning company." WINNING!?!?!?! Did Dykstra just make a a Charlie Sheen reference? If winning is going bankrupt and facing 20 years in jail, then what is losing? Or maybe we are just jaded by the incessant media coverage of Charlie Sheenisms. "The corrupt world of bankruptcy is best described as 'the death chamber'." In that case, Lenny Dykstra welcome to the death chamber.

"The theft was committed by them, as they stole a car I was leasing from Ford. Heck, it was only a Ford Flex." The use of the word "only" is important here, I guess the Flex is below him. The Flex SE costs $29,995 and the Platinum starts around $41K. Mr. Dykstra could lease the Flex for $369/mo with $4249 due at signing (Ford.com). Side note: Claiming objectivity here. Do not own one and not promoting them either, just stating facts. I don't want to get sued and sent to the death chamber with Lenny.



He goes on to complain about not being able to shower for seven days. Also claims that they tortured him and that he told them to shoot him in the head because he's not going to back down. I didn't realize bankruptcy and obstruction could lead to mental and physical torture.

That's enough from me. I'll leave you with Nails . . . .