When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

05.25.2007
Rocks for Jocks

A few matchups to watch this weekend:

* Garrett Atkins vs. Matt Cain: .409 BA / 9 for 22 with 5 XBH

* Tonight’s Rockie starter Jason Hirsh vs. Barry Bonds: So far, Bonds has faced Hirsh three times and walked each time. Pitch to my daddy!

* Noah Lowry vs., well, most of the Rockies: much will be made of his lifetime 6.87 ERA vs. the Rockies with 94 walks + hits in 55 innings, but much of that damage is Coors-related. At home, he’s at 4.07 ERA with 29 W+H in 24 1/3 innings vs. Colorado.

* Aaron Cook vs. most of the Giants. It’s either feast (Bonds, Durham, Vizquel) or famine (Feliz, Aurilia, Winn). Saturday night’s lineup should be interesting.

Best non-Giant to watch this weekend…

* Sammy Sosa is two HRs away from 600. (Thanks to Marc Normandin for reminding me.) Sammy’s still slammin’, but quietly, and having a nice year in the Metroplex, and despite his ignominious departure — literally — from the Cubs and his connection with all sorts of shadiness, proven and unproven, I have a soft spot in my heart for the lug. One of my favorite TV spots of all time (and I don’t have many) is Sammy’s appearance in a tourism ad, I think for his native Dominican Republic, in which he gives a bat to a kid and says, “Now ees yo turn to tae de bat an heet de jonron.”

(Sorry, political correctness police, that’s not Stepin Fetchit English; it’s my approximation of his thick Carib-Spanish accent.)

Call it calculated if you want, but Sammy’s enthusiasm for the game when he was at his peak on the North Side — his sprint to right field, his repartee with the bleacher fans, his funny bunny hop out of the batter’s box a half-second after a home-run swing, the trademark fist-chest-finger-kiss thing he did for the cameras — it was all great for the game.

If you think Bonds’s chase of Hank Aaron is getting underplayed by the media, how about Sammy’s approach to 600? Question: if you were in the ballpark watching your team play the Rangers, would you root for Sammy to hit 600?

***

P.M. UPDATE: Andy Baggarly of the Merc bagged an interview with Tim Lincecum’s father, Chris, whose modesty is as restrained as his son’s fastball. He’s done great work to get Tim to where he is now, no doubt, but what happens when thd kid hits a sour patch or has troubles that Dave Righetti et al can’t seem to fix? I can’t imagine Papa Lincecum sitting quietly on the sidelines. It should make for interesting theater.



Also on the Network:



[May 25, 2007 2:27 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Pat said

I would definitely cheer for Sammy. He's been great for the game and fun to watch. big series this weekent, the Giants gotta win at least 2 of 3. i'm also ready for Cain to show that he's still got the best stuff on this so far impressive staff.

[May 25, 2007 3:35 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian said

No matter how many stupid decisions Sammy has made, he and McGwire saved the game in '98 and provided probably the most dramatic August/September of my lifetime. I'll still root for the guy to get 600, as long as it isn't against the Yanks.

BTW, McGwire's 62nd HR is still the baseball "Where were you when he did it?" moment of the past two decades if you ask me. Juice or not.

[May 25, 2007 3:36 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Steve said

“Now ees yo turn to tae de bat an heet de jonron.”

lol!

[May 26, 2007 1:54 PM]  |  link  |  reply
reeky said

Good Lincecum article...it's interesting to read about other families, and the father/son thing is a cauldron of possibilities, everything from Oedipus to the Mannings.
So are you gathering tapes for El Malito?

[May 29, 2007 4:12 AM]  |  link  |  reply
SharksRog said

I wouldn't get overly excited about problems with Chris Lincecum. Tim gives his dad "100%" credit for his delivery, and it appears to me that with his dad's help, Tim has a pretty good head on his shoulders.

When Tim pitches, it appears to me that he is a kid helped, not hurt, by his father. Some have recommended the Giants hire Tim's dad to help their young pitchers. That is an idea whose validity I also endorse.

Chris works with a few local (Seattle area) youngsters gratis, and he has helped at least one Northern California kid via e-mail.

If I were the Giants, I would hold Chris Lincecum tight. His mechanics appear to be a work of both art and science -- and something it is quite possible others aside from Tim could benefit from.

[June 27, 2007 7:10 PM]  |  link  |  reply
levaquin joint said

I've just been letting everything happen without me these days. I've pretty much been doing nothing , but oh well. More or less nothing notable going on to speak of. I just don't have anything to say these days, but maybe tomorrow.