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

07.02.2007
Post-Game 7/1: Any Given Day

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.

***

SMALL PRINT UPDATE: Aurilia and Lewis up, Figueroa and Schierholtz down.



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[July 2, 2007 2:57 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Chris said

Personally, I'm glad that Bonds got the start. He's by far the best LF in the National League this year and add in the fact that the game is being played in SF made it a lock for me.

I've seen a lot of people mad about Bonds getting picked over Soriano but it's really not that close.

The top 3 LF's in the NL sorted by VORP

1. Bonds (40.6)
2. Holliday (35.5)
3. Byrnes (26.4)

Soriano actually comes in as the 4th best LF in the National League with a VORP of (24.8). When Eric Brynes is having a better season than you, I don't think you should start the All Star Game.

I'm neutral on fan voting, they often make poor choices and only vote on popularity, but this wouldn't be as big of a deal to me if the All Star game ditched the moronic "This time it counts!" routine. Thats my real gripe with the All Star game.

[July 2, 2007 6:29 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM said

Leading all LFs? How about second in the whole damn league, just behind Chase Utley? If Barry keeps kicking ass, it will be awfully hard to say no to him for one more year. Keep in mind VORP is a counting stat, the more you play, the more VORP you get. Imagine what he'd be like if he could play every single day.

[July 2, 2007 6:49 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Chris said

And to add fuel to the fire, Barry is 5th among all major leaguers when ranked by VORP.

Ahead of guys like David Ortiz, Grady Sizemore, Vladimir Guerrero, and Miguel Cabrera just to name a few.

Only A-Rod, Magglio Ordonez, Ichiro, and Chase Utley have had better seasons.

A lot of bitching and moaning commenced when we signed Barry to the 1 year deal but its looking like a bargain right now. I wonder if after the dust settles on this year if a AL team won't make a hard run at him for a DH? He can still hit at 43, it's amazing to watch him.

[July 2, 2007 6:51 PM]  |  link  |  reply
pantalones said

Imagine what he'd be like if he could play every single day...

With that in mind... here are the ML EqA leaders:

Bonds: .384
ARod: .349
Magglio: .348
Chipper: .341
Cabrera: .329
Utley: .327
Vlad: .327
Pujols: .323
Big Papi: .322

And to put these numbers into perspective, here are some career EqA numbers:
Ruth: .368
Ted Williams: .364
Bonds: .357
Mays: .328

[July 2, 2007 6:57 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM said

I'll play my own devil's advocate. Given his age and ouchy knees, Barry might well slow down significantly in Aug. and Sept. The Giants would be prudent to see how he holds up through the summer before they talk contract extension.

[July 2, 2007 7:54 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Matt Schiavenza said

Barry (like me) grew up in San Carlos, which, while hardly a Les Miserables-style refuge for the poor and wretched,is far more modest than Atherton, Hillsborough, or Beverly Hills.

But the greater point stands.

[July 3, 2007 9:32 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ogc said

Don't forget that Barry was already 4 years old when Bobby made the majors, and probably around 10 (+/- 2) by the time his father started making really good money, good enough to move to better environs, which means he probably started life in Riverside, CA, which, while not the slums, was not middle class upbringing either, I would think.