September 2009 Archives

It has begun. Sabean, Bochy. Bochy, Sabean. Will they, won't they? The talk will continue all week and into next, perhaps, as long as it takes Bill Neukom to decide the fates of Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean. I have...
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A highly-paid doctor or two opened up Edgar Renteria's right arm the other day and found all that money he could have been saving with Geico, in the form of quarters and nickels. At least that was the size of...
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Giants 5, Cubs 1: Sunshine everywhere in the bleachers, nine innings of rambling baseball talk with El Papa Malo on my right, and Matt Cain on the mound throwing 94-MPH fastballs. For two and a half hours, all was right...
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I'm back. Whew. Driving home from the airport late Friday night, I rolled down the window and inhaled cool moist salty air rolling eastward from Ocean Beach. I needed that. The night before, on a windless muggy East Coast night,...
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Sorry for the dead air lately, folks. A family wedding, tons of work, and a bit of travel (I'm on the East Coast at the moment) have all conspired against me. I missed the Angel Villalona news. Let's hope...
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Rockies 4, Giants 3: The small hardy group that calls itself the Edgar Renteria Fan Club is having a crisis of the soul tonight, while the rest of us sadly shake our heads or fists. His at-bat in the bottom...
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Giants 10, Rockies 2: Carney Lansford is finally getting through to these palookas. Sheesh.But seriously, I wonder if this is the most runs -- 26 -- the Giants have scored over three consecutive games this year. I'm exhausted so someone...
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Nothing like a couple of blowouts to return a bit of bounce to your Dr. Scholl's. We all know the numbers: a sweep of Colorado puts the Giants 1 1/2 back with 16 to go. Doable. Split the next two,...
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Last night we cooked a leisurely dinner after La Malita Monkeypants fell asleep, drank wine, and watched season two of The Wire on DVD. No radio, no TV, no Internet, and after The Greek double-crossed the Colombians and Frank Sobotka...
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Since the epic three-game sweep of the Rockies capped by Edgar Renteria's grand slam, the Giants are 4-5, and the Rockies are 8-1, a home hot streak against three palookaville opponents. There's your four-game deficit right there. I'm not making...
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Remember this, from Andy Baggarly's blog on Aug. 31? Also, no word yet on September callups, but I'm told there's nothing unexpected -- ie, no Posey, Bumgarner. Ha. Maybe we were wrong to trust Baggs, but it sounds like the...
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Giants 9, Padres 4: Exhausted and working late tonight for an early workday tomorrow, but here's one question: Juan Uribe, starting third baseman next year? It's not optimal, of course, but if the Giants strike out on the trade front...
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Sorry, the pictures accompanying this post were removed by my Internet service provider. But they let me keep the text! I understand the griping (including my own) about Bruce Bochy's lineups. But put aside whichever one of Fred Lewis or Eugenio Velez or Andres Torres...
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Giants 3, Brewers 2: Wasn't that the score last night? Welcome to Giantland, where sometimes you lose by a run, sometimes -- a bit more often than not -- you win by a run, and fercrissakes, it's never easy. The...
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Giants 3, Brewers 2: Congratulations to Dan Runzler, who made his big-league debut in a tough spot and possibly recorded the key out of the game. It's a remarkable story: Runzler started the year in Low-A ball and climbed five...
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Phils 2, Giants 1: It's tempting to say that Pedro Martinez "outdueled" Tim Lincecum tonight, but when you adjust for degree of difficulty, it was as if Lincecum were fencing in a suit of lead armor custom-made for Brad Penny...
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Giants 4, Phillies 0: Every night -- every single goddamn night -- the Giants opponent is in danger of being completely shut down. Lincecum, Cain, we know about them. Zito? If you're reading this in New York or Atlanta and...
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I'd like to take credit for this. Less than 24 hours after I write that "by all accounts" we wouldn't see Buster Posey in S.F. this month, the Giants call him up. Well, then. Let's try this: There's no way...
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Phillies 1, Giants 0: If the score were reversed we'd say "Jolly good show, Giant pitcher(s)!" and chalk up the shut-out as yet more proof of the overwhelming awesomeness of the team's hurlers. But with the Giants on the bad...
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