Giants 13, D-Backs 0. Quoth Bruce Bochy: "We got the runs we've been looking for for a while. This is more like the offense we thought (we had)."
And only 11 games out. It’s like exploring the wreck of the Titanic and calling out, “Hey, I found the lifejackets!” OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But Lincecum throwing the best game by any Giant starter this year (7 shutout IP, zero BB, 12 Ks, 3 H) was its own reward. Or second-best: ESPN’s “game-score” stat has Matt Morris’s complete game two-hitter against Oakland as an 86; Lincecum falls just short with an 83.
This is the theme of the second half, and the reason this team is worth watching: on any given day the Giants could get a stellar pitching performance. If that’s what turns you on, you have a reason to tune in. If you prefer 13–run outbursts, don’t get your hopes up.
Thoughts from the weekend: We’re all amazed by Barry Bonds’s ability to block out distractions, so perhaps it’s no surprise how calm he remained when a fan jumped the fence Friday night to have a chit-chat. For those who missed it, Barry put his arm around the guy, said a few soothing words, and led him off the field. After the game, Bonds said the conversation with the 24–year-old from North Dakota went like this:
"He said, 'I've got no money. I've got nothing in life, I just want to shake your hand,' " Bonds said. "I said 'Fine, man,' because I lived down in that neighborhood. I said, 'Let's just walk back together, since these (security) guys are going to get itchy to throw you on the ground, and show you mean them no harm. So let's walk back together and we'll escort you out of here, because it's not a big deal.'"
Asked if he ever felt threatened, Bonds said, "I (felt) safe with him. You come at me one on one, you better come at me with a lot, jack. More than one on one, I'm starting to get nervous."
Um, Barry, exactly which neighborhood did you live down in? The one where you had no money? Would that have been Hillsborough, Atherton, or your current neighborhood in Beverly Hills? Perhaps Barry was referring to the time he lived right around the corner from The Sun Bonds Cleaners.
Can you imagine if the kid had made a sketchy move and Barry had clocked him? Headline in NY Post the next day: BONDS ‘ROID RAGE! Sigh. Whatever happened to the days of generously endowed “kissing bandit” strippers — pardon me, ecdysiasts — jumping on the field? How would Barry have handled Morganna? Would he consider her a one-on-one threat or two-on-one? (Thanks very much; I’m here every Tuesday night. Don’t forget to tip your waitress.)
We also learned yesterday that Bonds will start the All-Star Game, thanks to a massive ballot-box-stuffing campaign engineered by the Giants. Perfectly legitimate by baseball rules, of course — yet another instance of baseball’s nudge-nudge-wink-wink relationship with cheating. I have no problem with what the Giants did; any team would have done the same for its biggest star. It’s certainly amusing to watch with all the furor in the background regarding other types of cheating and the complicity of the MLB powers that be.
Is All-Star voting legit? Should it be changed to one fan, one vote? Are you happy Bonds will start? Discuss.
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SMALL PRINT UPDATE: Aurilia and Lewis up, Figueroa and Schierholtz down.
