I never give up a chance to ooh and ahh about one of my very favorite baseball guys. Buster’s got it all. And he’s an honest-to-goodness family man to boot. Go ahead Buster ~ keep setting an example for all those youngsters needing a real live hero to look up to. And for us old folks too. God knows we’re as desperate for a hero as the next guy. Kudos to Men’s Health Magazine who hit the nail on the head with this one!
Thousands of San Francisco Giants fans decked out in orange and black showed up for the 2013 Fan Fest this year at AT&T Park. I’m posting my own photo’s along with a smathering of those from the San Jose Mercury News. Maybe you’ll spot yourself in one. A special thank you for those who so kindly allowed me to get a quick snapshot – usually because of something that really struck my fancy, like the “Kings Wear Rings” guy with the big smile or the guy with the great “Giants Know October” shirt. Giants fans are great and so much fun to be around, especially when it’s beautiful weather, not a cloud in the sky, and smiles everywhere! I can’t honestly think of a better place to be on a beautiful sunny day than at AT&T Park. And the Giants players gave so much of themselves with the interviews, autographs and just taking the time to stop and chat with their fans. Whatta great bunch of guys we have here! And that’s exactly what you’d expect from the reigning World Champions and the best fans in all of baseball.
GFBB Update: The Giants have estimated nearly 40,000 in attendance at this year’s Fan Fest. See more Photo’s on the MLB Blog Website.
“Congratulations to the AL Champion Detroit Tigers and the NL Champion San Francisco Giants!”
The Ship means “Championship” at least that’s what Sergio Romo told us back in 2010. This is going to be fun!
The Tigers posted a regular season record of 88 Wins and 74 Losses and ended up beating the socks off the New York Yankees, a team with 95 Wins and 67 Losses, for the American League Pennant. Not only did they beat the Yankees, they beat them really, really bad. Try 4-0 in a best out of 7 series. Weapons ~ Justin Verlander, last year’s Cy Young award winner AND MVP; Miguel Cabrera, first batter to win the AL Triple Crown since 1966 and Prince Fielder, who finished the 2012 Season with .313 Batting Average and 30 Home Runs.
Excuse me while I pinch myself. I still can’t figure out how the Giants ended up in the World Series this year. Spring training showed a recuperating Buster Posey, an out-for-the-year Brian Wilson and a pretty good, but not as-good-as-they-used-to-be pitching staff. There were no individual stand-outs, with maybe the exception of Posey, until these past few months and things just started to happen. That’s how they do it in San Francisco. They got together in the clubhouse, put their heads together, posted a 94-68 record and “believed”.
After one of the wildest Championship Division Series ever my prediction is the Detroit Tigers will win the first three games and the Giants will win the rest. I don’t know why, that’s just the way they do it in San Francisco.
First Game: Wednesday, October 24, 2012, Time TBA, at AT&T Park.
Golly Geez! I try really hard to play fair on my blog, but sometimes,when it comes to the Giants, the devil makes me do it. So in spite of all the setbacks this year, the Giants are back in the playoffs for the 2nd time in three years. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Buster Posey was here the first year, gone the second, and back the third.
But everyone knows it’s a team effort and for that we Giants fans applaud our San Francisco Giants ~ 2012 National League West Champions!
And a special thanks to niece Tammy for sharing the “dogs” from Lamont & Tonelli’s FB Page!
Posted in A1 Baseball, General, A3 Ballpark Food, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants
Tagged 2012 mlb playoffs, 2012 mlb postseason, 2012 Playoffs, BASEBALL, BUSTER POSEY, division champions, dodger dogs, Giants, giants hot dogs, National League West, october baseball, Playoffs, San Diego Padres, San Francisco, San Francisco Giants
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By Daniel Brown dbrown@mercurynews.com
San Jose Mercury News
Posted: July 10, 2012
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All Photo’s Courtesy of San Jose Mercury News
“KANSAS CITY, Mo. — To repay the fans who stuffed the ballot box, the Giants stuffed the box score Tuesday night.”
Melky Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey and Matt Cain propelled the National League to an 8-0 victory in the 83rd All-Star game at Kauffman Stadium, silencing a weeklong uproar from a sour Big Apple.
Sandoval, who surpassed Mets third baseman David Wright in the controversial final balloting, hit a three-run triple to key a five-run first inning.
Cain, who got the starting nod over Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey, pitched two scoreless innings and became the first Giants pitcher to win an All-Star game since Vida Blue in 1981. Continue reading
I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen Buster Posey on a lot of interviews and he’s a really nice guy. The impression one might get from watching this commercial is that Buster’s kind of a self-centered jerk, which he isn’t. So I’m wondering;
To tell you the truth I’m not a huge ESPN fan (still a little testy over the 2010 World Series treatment they gave us Giants fans) and this little spot doesn’t help much. I’d like to see something that represents the true Buster Posey; something like what Amy G. does on her “Buster Knows Squat” series.
Joey Mauer’s “Head & Shoulders Shampoo” Commercial
I guess we’re all a little protective of Buster Posey here in the Bay Area. I hate to say it but I’d almost rather see him doing some of those Joey Mauer commercials, you know, the Head & Shoulders thing. Not that he has dandruff or anything but it would make him appear more like the really nice guy he is.
Nice Guy Buster
I mean Joey gets to smile in all those shampoo commercials, and I’m sure Buster has just as much to be happy about as Joey. Seeing nice guy Buster Posey laughing and smiling on a national TV commercial after all he’s been through. Now that’s a commercial I’d really like to see. How about it ESPN?
I thought the World Series win would be the ultimate thrill for this San Francisco Giants fan. But tonight at AT&T Park, Matt Cain pitched the first perfect game in the history of the franchise, and believe you me, it’s got to be the best feeling in the world for any true-blue Giants fan.
Matt’s pitching was dead-on perfect all night, but It didn’t really hit me until around the seventh inning, that this was going to be something really, really special. It wasn’t just the pitching, but the Giants’ bats were hot all night and the incredible fielding, particularly in the 7th and the 9th innings, well all of it really, was spot-on. An incredible team effort.
When the ball hit Belt’s mitt for that final out in the ninth, I could hardly see what was happening as my emotions got the best of me. But I managed to see Buster Posey charge to the mound and physically lift the 6′ 3″, 235 pound Cain up and carry him probably 10 feet before everyone let their emotions rip. Matt said later that he trusted Buster’s calls all night, never questioned one, and just let it happen. Of course, every pitch he had was near perfect on this night, so between the two of them it was destined to happen.
Said Matt after the game, “It was an all out effort tonight and it turned out perfect. It was awesome!” Said Buster when asked if he was nervous, “I was as nervous as I’ve ever been on a baseball field. It’s a different kind of nervous, different from the World Series.”
As for me, I’m exhausted, stoked! Have to go watch that game again!! Thank you Matt Cain. This is almost better than the World Series!! Almost :)) Or as Chelsea Cain, Matt’s wife, expressed after the game, “This is insane!”
Here’s a great re-cap from Alex Pavlovic at the San Jose Mercury News.
Who ever heard of Leesburg anyway? The name kept going through my head all week as I was anxiously awaiting the results of this year’s American idol winner. Philip Phillips is one of the two finalists. Philip is from Leesburg. Where have I heard that name before? And then it hits me ~ our very own Buster Posey is from Leesburg, GA. A quick search on Wikipedia confirmed it. But for Pete’s sake, the total population of Leesburg according to the last census is only 2,965, so I can’t help but wonder what the heck they’re feeding those kids down there. Or maybe it’s something in the water. Whatever it is the place is oozing with talent.
Buster’s sister, Samantha, is on the Valdosta State Softball team that just won the 2012 NCAA Division II National Softball Championship this year. Well it appears they’re doing something right in Leesburg. Maybe the rest of the country should take note. I mean, what’s the odds of having these (and who knows how many others) like-able, humble kids make it to the big time, at the national level, from a little podunk town in Georgia.
So hats off to the parents, teachers and townsfolk of Leesburg, GA. Send some more our way. Let’s spread, whatever it is you’ve got, around a little bit!
2011 World Champions St Louis Cardinals
The media’s full of articles and videos of the most newsworthy items about baseball this past year. You might think this would be those articles you and I found the most interesting and representative of baseball throughout the country, but not necessarily so.
I compiled a list from a survey today of the “top 10” from USA Today, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN.
Here’s the results and below that I’ve listed my own personal “Top Ten”. How does your list compare?
TOP TEN FROM SURVEY
Posted in A1 Baseball, General, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals
Tagged American League, Bryan Stow, BUSTER POSEY, Derek Jeter, Jim Thome, Justin Verlander, Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award, Mariano Rivera, National League, NLDS Game 5, Ryan Braun, scott cousins, Shannon Stone, St Louis Cardinals, Tony LaRussa, Top Ten, World Series
I was so excited about Buster Posey’s twins this morning, almost missed this great little ditty of a video, compliments of Frisco Fastball, one of my favorite blogs. It reminded me of that Abbott & Costello “Who’s on First” comedy routine, except this is for real ~ I think.
“Even though Casilla could not have reached a pitch over the plate, he said with a straight face, “I was looking for a fastball away,” drawing howls of protest and laughter from teammates nearby. ” Hank Shulman, SF Chronicle.
And yes, please welcome into the world two more Posey’s, Addison Lynn & Lee Dempsey Posey, born yesterday, August 14, 2011. Congratulations to Buster and Kristin! It was rumored Brian Sabean was up really early trying to come up with an MLB contract for infants. But it’s just a rumor, probably nothing to it.
#28 Buster Posey
First, let me begin by saying I don’t believe Scott Cousins is irrelevant as a person, as a human being. Of course he’s relevant. But the story these past two weeks that has taken baseball hostage is about something else. It’s about a love story that’s taken hold on every person who ever thought of being a Giants fan and it has everything to do with Buster Posey. Buster’s the ultimate “guy”. He’s become our knight in shining armor, our Casey at the Bat, our savior of all things baseball. I don’t know exactly how this happened, but it happened. I started collecting Buster Posey memorabilia when he first came into our farm system after the 2008 draft. And he lived up to everything we expected of him. He was our hope for the future and our promise of all good things to come. He was what it meant to be a San Francisco Giant.
So on May 29, 2011, during a Florida Marlins – San Francisco Giants ballgame, at the top of the 12th inning, with the score tied, and the game on the line, when Buster Posey endured a career-threatening injury, the collective gasp of everything “Giant” was heard throughout the baseball world and beyond. We’re still reeling from the ramifications of that injury. Some of us deal with it better than others, but of course the one who continues to suffer the most is Buster Posey, both physically and emotionally. I was surprised when Buster came out with his statement the day after the injury with a not-so-charitable attitude toward Cousins, the agressor in the play. But when Brian Sabean, General Manager of the SF Giants, hurled his scathing comments directly to and about Scott Cousins, a line was crossed. Now, all of a sudden, Scott Cousins has become irrelevant and the play at the plate has become irrelevant.
Have we learned nothing from these past couple months? I’m thinking about that awful incident involving one of our own, Bryan Stow, who was brutally beaten after a Dodger-Giants game March 31, 2011, in the stadium parking lot. The outpouring of love and support for Bryan was incredible and this included a huge contingent of support from the Los Angeles Dodger fans. Everyone banded together in support of this SF Giants fan who was involved in this terrible crime. Baseball was at its finest.
And now, the SF Giants are involved in a truly unfortunate “accident” and not only the fans, but the Giants management, are showing nothing but indignation and outrage that it could possibly happen to them, to one of their own. Well, I’m sorry, but it did. It happened. And we’re all hurting. We miss Buster. We miss seeing him every day, in the dugout, behind the plate, at the plate. But why do we insist on having a villain in this scenario? Why can’t we get past this and accept it as an unfortunate accident and move forward? Scott Cousins did 
not intentionally get up in the morning , arrive at the ball park, and decide this was the day he was going to nail Buster Posey with a career-threatening hit. Cousins did what he was trained to do. He’s a competitor and he’s supposed to try his very best to do everything he can to help his team win games. And that’s what he was doing when this incident occurred. That’s all he was doing. There was no malicious intent to destroy anyone. He made a split-second decision just like all the other split-second decisions that are made on the ball field on a daily basis. The end result was disastrous, but it was not intentional.
Not that it matters, but this morning I read an article by ESPN.Com quoting Johnny Bench (link to one of my favorite Posey Cards here) that puts Buster Posey at fault. Johnny Bench is considered an expert in this area, being one of the all-time greatest catchers who’s ever played the game. He’s also an avid supporter and fan of Posey and has been quoted many times these past few years acknowledging what a fine young person and athlete and catcher he is. Everyone has an opinion; 100 bloggers, 100 different opinions. The reason I bring this up is because everyone makes mistakes; I make mistakes and you make mistakes, Scott Cousins makes mistakes and Johnny Bench makes mistakes.
Will MLB change the rules? Maybe. But how this injury to Buster Posey happened is not as important as how we’re going to get past it. And we will. But the sooner the better.
Well, to be honest with you, I’ve always liked Roy Halladay, even if he is a Phillie! I saw this video for the first time today and wondered if all Major League pitchers feel the same way about their catchers as Roy feels about his. I can see Lincecum and Cain showing Buster a little love, but all bets are off when it comes to Wilson. Can you just see Brian Wilson in the kitchen, making pancakes while discussing the morning with a balloon replica of Buster Posey?
I saw an interview with Buster Posey after the season was over, and as I recall, Buster said at one point he started to go out on the mound to talk with Wilson, took one look at those dark green eyes glaring off into space, promptly turned around and went back behind the plate. Later he explained, he just thought it was something he should do, not that Wilson wanted it or needed it. Posey didn’t say he was intimidated, but that was the implication.
One can only hope Roy Halladay spends a lot of time in the kitchen talking to blow-up dummies for the next six months. Is it post season yet?
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