Tag Archives: San Francisco Giants

UPDATE ~ Here we go again! ***

Posted on February 1, 2025 | Leave a comment

I love Baseball and it’s probably been in my blood since forever. The Blog started back in 2010 and I’ve posted over 425 articles since then. Some whimsical, some serious. This is my first update.

In response to my most recent post Pitcher Blake Snell, has signed a 5 year, $182,000,000 contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thank you God and thank you Buster Posey. Well, I can’t be positive Buster was involved but in my mind he was and, as I tried to explain in my last blog, I think it’s a blessing we let this one go. I know, good grief, he’ll probably take the Dodgers to another World Series, but in my mind the spirit of the team will remain intact. It’s about time we started another run like we did in 2010. Life is good and with Buster and Bob Melvin at the helm and running the show, we’ve got the right stuff.

February 9th is Super Bowl Sunday, Spring Training starts on February 22nd for the Giants, and then we get to start all over again. I have a small income tax practice so never get really excited until mid April, when we break for Extensions and baseball really gets going. This might be a building year, but the possibilities are exciting.

Thanks to all of you who’ve been with me for so long, like family:)) I can hardly wait to get back into this again. So much to do, so little time!!

*** Note! This is getting so popular it appears an overzealous “fan” hacked into my website!! Awful huh? Anyhow, I had to change the official “Domain” from Garlicfriesandbaseball.com” to the new Garlicfriesandbaseball.FAN ! Catchy huh? They’ve even published my Photo and Biography on their site. I can’t afford to hire an expensive attorney so I’ve decided to take this route. Check it out and let them know what you think. I’m a bit testy about it right now:))

Super Bowl next Sunday! Who’s everyone cheering for? Results posted on my next Blog!

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BACK IN THE BATTER’S BOX…..ER, CAGE!

Posted on February 24, 2024 | 2 comments

It was a short process, nursing the wounds from the Super Bowl but honestly, it was a really good game so it’s sort of hard to be disappointed for too long. And besides, today was the first exhibition game of Baseball’s Cactus League and the San Francisco Giants were in it, kinda, sorta.

So I’m reading Evan Webeck’s article in this mornings Sentinel that casually mentions our newest center fielder, Jung Hoo Lee, was nursing a sore side from, (get this) “from swinging in the cage”. Really? Swinging in the cage? He should be ready in a couple days according to new Manager, Bob Melvin. And the other new member of the team, Jorge Soler, was in “bubble wrap”. Melvin had already explained when they acquired Jorge he’d be bubble wrapped to “ensure he breaks camp healthy”. Whoa. It sounds like it’s going to be a long season folks.

The final score of this exhibition game was Chicago Cubs 8 – SF Giants 4; with the Giants scoring all of their 4 runs in the 9th inning.

There is a bright side though and it happened back on October 25, 2023, when Bob Melvin was announced as the new Manager for the Giants. You can’t help but love this guy:)) His first press conference brought it all home as he actually played for the Giants back in 1985 for a few years. The reason I’m so excited sounds corny but it has to do with the differences between him and previous Manager, Gabe Kapler.

This goes back a few (okay many, many) years to when I was a teenager. It’s mentioned in one of my early blogs. I used to score daytime games for my dad so when he got home we could talk about it. And the only way I could do that was to get the line-up from the morning paper and have my scorecard ready to post. Back in the old days the lineup was fairly static, not a lot of changes from game to game except for the Pitcher of course. But the catcher, basemen, fielders, were pretty much established for each game. At least that’s how I remember it, those many years ago:))

It was a disappointment to see Blake Sabol and Patrick Bailey, Joc Peterson and others sitting on the bench, not always of course. I’m sure every Manager has their own way of doing things. But I’m hoping for a familiar line-up most games. I never did figure out the Roger twins, unless they were pitching, then it was easy.

I’m blabbering I know, but I’m just excited about the possibilities our new Manager brings. He reminds me a lot of Boche and what else could we ask for? Welcome home to San Francisco, Bob Melvin! We’re so glad to have you in our organization:))

“PLAY BALL” !!

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50 Years Ago Today in Baseball History!

Posted on October 18, 2023 | 1 comment

10/18/1973 – The Mets’ Jerry Koosman and Tug McGraw combined to three-hit the Oakland A’s and take 3-2 lead in the World Series. The A’s won that World Series in 7.

I miss the good old days. Referring to 1973 as the “good old days” is a bit of a stretch but back then the World Series meant something. The teams played within their own Division, not interleague, so when it came time for the playoffs, the teams in each Division earned the right to represent their Region, eventually the Pennant and a trip to the World Series. The American League vs the National League. The World Series truly represented the “best” of each League back then.

On June 12, 1997, Interleague play was introduced.   The first MLB Interleague game took place between the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants in Arlington, Texas.

Another change in Major League Baseball was the addition of the Designated Hitter. It was first adopted by the American League in 1973 on a trial basis for three years. 50 years later we’re still stuck with it. The National League didn’t adopt it until 2022, making it universal in MLB. National League fans all knew it was coming but it didn’t make it more palatable. (See Previous Post on DH ~December 10, 2012 ~ refers to 1972:))

So much has happened in the past 50 years. The Giants won not only one or two but three World Series! And they’ll win again. In the meantime, let’s support our San Francisco Giants and all of our Major League Baseball Teams and be thankful for the entertainment they bring us each year, win or lose.

Any Niner fans out there? (I have a friend who’s asking ………:))

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MOST AMAZING CATCH!

Posted on September 27, 2023 | 1 comment

https://www.mlb.com/video/jurickson-profar-grounds-out-pitcher-alex-wood-to-first-baseman-lamonte-w?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share

Look Quick or you’ll miss it! Tonight during the SF Giants and San Diego Padres game, Giants Pitcher, Alex Wood, was pitching against Jurickson Profar in the 4th Inning. Profar hit the ball and as Alex Wood was turning away from the pitch, with his mitt still behind his back, he caught the ball. Probably a better description would be the ball accidentally fell into his mitt as he was returning to the pitcher’s mound. No kidding!! It happened so fast I had to rewind it several times to see what actually happened. Needless to say the fans gave total approval with a standing ovation at Oracle Park.

 

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“ENOUGH ALREADY” ~ PLEASE!

Posted on September 15, 2023 | 2 comments

Earlier this week I watched the Giants vs the Rockies game on ESPN. I subscribe to Direct TV’s Regional Sports Channel so I can watch Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper ~ the Giants regular announcers and the best in the business, truly. But that day I was at the mercy of ESPN. These are the guys that mic up certain players in the field while they’re actually playing and chat about nothing really. I always worry someone’s gonna get beaned or worse!

When we’re not listening to the guys in the outfield chatting about nothing, we have to endure the two in the broadcast booth, who are also chatting about nothing, and a bit irritating as they’re doing that, especially when there’s action at the same time on the field.

We ended up winning that game which put us back in contention for the playoffs, sort of. ESPN’s headline promo for this game was: “Mic’d up: Nolan Jones joins ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball Telecast for an In-Game Conversation During Tonight’s Colorado Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants Broadcast.”

It’s frustrating when your favorite player comes up to bat and the camera and sound is focused on the opposition in the field who’s chatting with someone in the booth about nothing, really. And then your favorite player gets a double and the mic’d up player huffs and puffs to get the ball, still mic’d up, and all the attention is focused on the fielder. That didn’t actually happen, but it could have.

So after the game, I turned to social media to see the reaction of Giants fans and I guess we’re all peas in a pod because they were expressing themselves exactly the same way I’d been feeling throughout the entire game. Here’s some examples: (actual quotes from the fans):

  1. CAN WE JUST WATCH THE GAME!!
  2. Terrible! Can we just watch what’s going on in a game?
  3. How do we contact ESPN to shut up? We’re trying to watch the game.
  4. Please! These announcers suck!
  5. Keep the cameras on the GAME! And shut up
  6. I don’t know which is worst. ESPN or FOX ugh!
  7. So Painful!!!!
  8. Too much talking
  9. How much do you pay for a channel? Asking for a friend.
  10. I have audio muted. Listening to KNBR
  11. Final score please?
  12. We are stuck with a bunch of old wannabees. Seriously. I shut if off and turned on the radio KNBR
  13. Totally agree. This is ridiculous
  14. These guys are just awful
  15. Remember when local sports were Free!
  16. Really! Is this the best you can do?

And these were just from one venue. There was a lot more, but you get the general idea. Save the interviews for after the game. And No. 15 was right! I DO remember when local sports were FREE, back in the good old days:))

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The First Baseman’s Stretch…….

Posted on April 29, 2017 | Leave a comment

This has been happening a lot lately.  Almost every game in fact.  The announcer bellows what a fantastic throw the shortstop has made to 1st base to throw someone out.  And it’s usually true.  They have.  And it doesn’t have to be the shortstop.  Could be the 2nd baseman, 3rd baseman catcher.  You get the picture.

But the third time it happened tonight in the Giants vs Padres game I was compelled to grab my camera and take a snapshot of the TV screen.  It was important to me to validate what a fantastic job the 1st Baseman does in catching (more like salvaging) a ball that, without his outstanding athletic ability, would have ended up in the dugout or worse.

 

I call it the First Baseman’s Stretch.  And if you’ll watch for it, you’ll be surprised how often it happens. That’s probably why it’s a really good idea to get a 6’5″, left-handed guy to handle that base.   Even while doing the splits this guy needs the wingspan of a 747 for the reach to make the play.

I just wish the commentators would be more aware of giving credit to the player that’s miraculously avoiding a pulled groin every time he stretches to make that catch while at the same time keeping at least one of his toes on that first base bag.

Above, Michael Morse makes it look easy ….. kinda …..  sort of.

 

 

 

 

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The “Supposed” Agony of Defeat

Posted on October 14, 2016 | 2 comments

Let’s face it.  How many of us really believed the Giants were going to make it to the 2016 Playoffs?  You’d have to be the eternal optimist to even suspect there might be a chance after the disastrous play the last half of the season.  I mean, really, the team went 0 for 60 in games where they were behind in the 8th inning. That must be an all-time record.   Sure, there were some bright spots and there’s always hope in baseball, but really?

bochy-citifieldWe know how to win.  And this was our time, being an even year and all.  The year started out with a bang and we had the rest of the baseball world believing it too, with our best record in major league baseball at the All Star Break.   So when the bottom fell out in the 5th game of the NLDS we were in shock and disbelief and we were angry.  My anger was directed toward our dear quiet, unassuming Manager, Bruce Bochy.  The team played their hearts out that last game.  Matt Moore’s pitching was incredible throughout, but was pulled at the top of the 9th to make way for our not so incredible bullpen, at which time I left the room and started cleaning up the kitchen.  I knew it was over.  We all knew it was over.  What was he thinking?

In retrospect, in my heart I  don’t think the 3 time World Champion San Francisco Giants really deserved to be there. And I don’t think they thought so either.  Okay.  I said it.  But that’s how I felt.  When you compare it to the Chicago Cubs season, the Cubs belonged there.  They deserved to win. And they did win, fair and square.  Did Moore have another 10-12 pitches left in him?   Probably.  But we’ll never know and it doesn’t really matter.  It pains me to say it, but the best team DID win and good for them.

I love my Giants.  Always have.  Always will.  Ann Killion wrote this in her SF Chronicle post today:  “Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard said on social media: ‘Baseball has a way of ripping your heart out, stabbing it, putting it back in your chest and then healing itself just in time for spring training.”

epic-fail-baseball-failMy point is this.  The Giants had a real weakness in the bullpen this year.  It was apparent in 60 of 60 games.  It won’t happen again.  They have an amazing staff that will build on this and they’ll be back.  Not all of them, of course, but enough that another world champion team will emerge again.

And when it does, and if we lose then, we’ll really know the true agony of defeat. Because in this defeat, we should have felt honored just to be sitting at the table. Personally, I can hardly wait for the NLCS to begin tomorrow with the Chicago Cubs against ….. wait for it …….a worthy opponent, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

My bet is on the Chicago Cubs who have the best record in Major League Baseball this year.  But like Syndergaaard said ……baseball has a way of ripping your heart out ……..

Good luck to the Cubs and Dodgers.  It’s gonna be a great series!

 

 

 

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SAY “NO” TO RYAN BRAUN ….

Posted on June 17, 2016 | Leave a comment

Ryan Braun Speaking at a Press Conference after his Appeal was upheld.

Ryan Braun Speaking at a Press Conference after his Appeal was upheld.

It’s not that he did the Peds …. it’s that he lied about it so very eloquently. He lied so well he should have been awarded the outstanding Thespian award of the decade.

I was totally taken in after that “poor little old me” speech ~ brought tears to my eyes.  How could they possibly say those awful things about him? Must be a conspiracy.  Poor dear.  See my proud post here.  “The Brewers’ Braun and Those Whinging Critics” published May 1, 2012

So much for blind faith huh?

After he admitted he lied, I wondered then and will always wonder, what the hell else does he lie about?  Who is this guy? We have a great group of guys in the Giants organization who support each other and stick together.  We don’t need a Ryan Braun.  It’s a lot about trust, you know? And we’ve done fine with our home grown talent. Let’s stick with them and let the chips fall where they may.

Hang in there Hunter Pence.  Were waiting for you!

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Video: Yasiel Puig made a fantastic throw last night to nail Brandon Belt at the plate

Posted on September 23, 2014 | Leave a comment

That Pesky Puig just won’t go away. I was trying to explain this play to someone today, but nothing I could say did it justice.  It was just one of those plays dreams are made of.  Thanks to Hardball talk here’s an instant replay ….. if MLB will let us use it for awhile and not delete it.

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Name Origins of all 30 Major League Baseball Teams

Posted on September 22, 2014 | Leave a comment

Cincinnati Red Stockings. 1st Professional Baseball Team

Cincinnati Red Stockings. 1st Professional Baseball Team

Cincinnati Red Stockings Photo Courtesy “www.todayifoundout.com” Daven Hiskey.

I “Stumbled” on this great post that lists the origins of all 30 Major League Baseball Teams.  It appears the Boston Red Sox hold the oldest named team dating back to the 1860’s, popularized by the Cincinnati Red Stockings from 1867-1870 and used by Boston’s National League franchise from 1871-1876.

But the actual team name origin that’s  with the same team is the San Francisco Giants, formerly the New York Giants, that dates back to 1885.    

Read the original Post  Stumbleupon.com, written by Scott Allen. 

 

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Woo Hoo! Hunter Pence Gets his Multi-Year Contract!

Posted on September 28, 2013 | 1 comment

This is huge!   Breaking news for sure, and it follows the day his teammates voted him winner of this year’s Willie Mac Award.

Hunter Pence and the San Francisco Giants: Five Year, $90 Million Extension on his Contract, that’s what they’re saying.

Oops! He's all ours now!

Oops! He’s all ours now!

I remember vividly last year when Hunter Pence signed with the Giants and flew into SFO to play in that night’s game.  However, the flight was delayed and Pence arrived about 30 minutes after the game ended.  But thanks to our loyal Comcast the cameras were on him as he arrived through the gate enroute to the clubhouse, duffel bag thrown over his shoulders, with our loyal “gonna be” fans waving and asking for autographs.

They obviously knew more about Hunter  than I did.  I mean, who was this guy?  I liked his persona  immediately as he dropped everything to sign autographs, shake hands, and basically just endear himself to the fans.   And this was late, like 11:30 PM, most of the park lights had been shut down, and you know he must have been tired.  I mean it was 2:30 AM Philly time.

Huggable, lovable Hunter with Xavier Lopez

Huggable, lovable Hunter with Xavier Lopez

So that’s my first exposure to Hunter Pence and it’s been all uphill since as we remember  his rousing speech to the troops to keep going last year.  This was the speech that got them to and through the playoffs for a chance to win the World Series, and win the World Series they did.

And 2013 has been another great year.  Well, not such a great year according to the standings, but who cares about that?   Our team has character, charisma, compatability, and the loyalty of 41,000 fans on any given day.

baseball heart imageSo welcome to five more years in San Francisco Hunter Pence!  We, the best fans in Major League Baseball “softly” love you (sorry Buster)  and open our hearts to you as you’ve opened yours to us.

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“This Day in History ~ 50 Years Ago Today”

Posted on July 2, 2013 | 2 comments

Pitching Duel of the Century

Pitching Duel of the Century

“50 YEARS AGO TODAY: 42-year-old Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves and 25-year-old Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants hooked up in a 16-inning duel ended only when Willie Mays homered leading off the last inning. Both pitchers went all the way. Jim Kaplan wrote a great book on the event: “The Greatest Game Ever Pitched.”  Courtesy of Dan Schlossberg, Facebook”

Nothing like promoting one of my favorite books to get me back in the blogosphere.  I’ve been adrift for nearly a month now and missed it terribly, but had to take a minute to comment on two of my favorite baseball heroes and one of the many special moments in baseball history. 

I was one year out of high school when I witnessed this game (via the sports section unfortunately and not in person) but I remember the stats well.   The book takes a few chapters to get into the game, dwelling on the individual pitchers, Marichal and Spahn, instead.  But Kaplan’s insight is purposeful and steady and I found myself grasping each page instead of skipping directly to the game which is what I intended to do when I cuddled up to spend the entire day recapturing the memories of the game.

My enthrallment with Juan Marichal began a few years ago when I watched an in-depth interview Bob Costas had with him.  He’s really a very humble man and the honesty he portrayed when talking about the awful incident when he lost his temper and went after an opposing player, with a bat no less, that put the fellow in the hospital was painful to listen to.  But I didn’t doubt his sincerity when he spoke about it saying it was the one regret he had during his baseball career.  And it didn’t surprise me that the two of them ended up being good friends in the end.

As usual, I won’t go into details about the book or the game since there’s huge amounts of readily available data written about both.  I just wanted to take some time to comment on the game and also to thank you for the kind notes I’ve received as I’ve been on a mini-vacation from blogging this past month. 

It’s nearly time for the All Star break when baseball starts to take shape for the rest of the season, and when, hopefully, the Giants (and others, of course) start getting their act together .  When you look at the Divisions, it’s amazing to see that the Dodgers are only 3 1/2 games behind in the NL West, but are in the cellar, with the Giants 3 games behind and only 1/2 game ahead of the Dodgers. 

So it’s going to be an interesting and fun rest of the year for all of us baseball fans.  Will there be a sequel to this greatest game?  Maybe.   I’m sure the thrill of victory and agony of defeat had its origins in baseball so why should we possibly expect anything less?

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