2011 is fun now...

After 2 incredibly frustrating games to begin our title defense, 2011 is fun.


With the 10-0 drubbing of the Blue Bastards on Saturday, we all exhaled an elongated sigh of relief. Like our beloved Gyros, we all needed to get off the schneid too. Just because we sit around and eat and drink alcohol while watching other people exercise on TV doesn't mean we aren't physically involved in these games. I feel better already. It's like a weight off our shoulders. Almost like when you get off the treadmill and then walk around and you feel really light and weird and fast.

Anyway, Saturday's victory did other encouraging things.

It was great to see HurriCAIN Matt still in Postseason form. He was sharp from the beginning, and ended up allowing only 5 measly hits in 6 innings with no walks.

It really is a beautiful thing that we have such good pitching. Even Sanchez on Friday with his walks and bad defense, he was still dealing pretty well.

What I liked about Saturday was the way those 10 runs were produced. It was small ball... but I like to call it "effective ball". Getting on base. Not trying to pull the ball all over the place. Singling in runs. Amazing when that works.

I was shocked to see no Sandoval or Torres in the lineup this morning. I really was. I was like, "Well Torres AND Sandoval got two hits on Friday..."

But once I stop thinking like a fantasy baseball manager and start thinking like Bochy, I'm like, oh yeah, I forgot, Torres hit .226 against lefties last year and Sandoval hit .227.

Makes sense. There are a lot of reasons to sit those two against Ted Lilly, and it's pretty obvious that Bochy wants everyone to get in, shake the excitement off and get back to business. That's why Rowand and DeRosa played (in addition to them being righties). And hey, it worked. "DeRow", all $18MM of them went 4-10 with 3 runs scored. That's what we like to see! That's why Whiteside and Schierholtz replaced Posey and Huff, Torres came in later to force Burrell out, and Panda got a random end of the game at bat.

I can't say that I'm in favor of straight L/R platoons for Torres/Panda, especially because they're both switch hitters. The Giants are very deep this year, and while professionals like Rowand and DeRosa need to get in the game, the starters need a rhythm too.


As much as I railed on Boch last season (and he deserved it), when he finally stopped moving like a slug stuck in molasses with his lineup moves, he made all the right calls. I trust him now. He got it done, and for that we should give him more benefits of the doubt. It's natural to question these things, but we all just need to remain calm.

Anyway. It was nice to see the following things:


Tejada getting two hits, knocking in two dudes, and scoring twice

He was not exactly beloved by Giants fans in the first two games at Chavez Latrine. And it's pretty easy to see why. He looked a step slow at short, and looked like a GIDP waiting to happen. The defensive lapses were ugly, but we have to remember who this guy is.

He's not the MVP he used to be. He's old balls now, but he's still a serviceable SS and a veteran bat. He hit 15 HR last year. He's not Juan Uribe, but Boo-Ribe is now dead to us, so what does that matter? You can't compare Tejada to a dead ghost.

Saturday's game gave us hope that he will be an okay short-term player for us. The range at short is a concern, but if he's horrendous and costs us games, Sabean will take care of it. It's easy to find a light-hitting SS that won't hurt you on D.

He also looks really good in a Giants uni. Come on. You know you agree.


Brandon Belt could be our second ROY in a row...

It's been a series of firsts for Brandon Belt. First hit, first walk, first stolen base, first RBIs... but most impressively, his first home run. Wow. That was just awesome on Friday night wasn't it? I don't know about you, but it gave me chills.

In only three games, Belt has answered the question I asked a couple days ago. He's not going anywhere. I know you hear the Front Office say things about their intentions with Belt, but once you see all this for yourself in meaningful games, you're like... "Whoa. This guy IS for real. And he's good NOW!"

He's so patient; so poised. His swing is beautiful. I see a little Palmeiro in that swing. Maybe a touch of Will Clark. I think I've nailed down what he looks most like.

Belt, to me anyway, really looks like John Olerud. @JohnnyUtah530 suggested that to me on Twitter Friday and he was right on. We forget how good of a pure hitter Olerud was. The helmet in the field is his real legacy unfortunately.



And I know this seems like a lazy comparison, but Belt has a similar swing to Buster Posey. While Olerud's front foot is quiet and he takes a short stride toward the pitcher, Belt's is more like "stepping in the bucket" like Posey's. And yes, you can compare the lefty Belt to the righty Posey.



And here's Buster:



I'd say Belt's mechanics are combination of Olerud/Buster and he's got a beautiful damn swing.

Anyway, there's a ton to be excited about, and to get that first W, and to do it in 10-0 style with HurriCAIN Matt pitching like an ace, well that was just Cholula on the omelet (or icing on the cake to you weirdos that eat cake a lot).

Beat LA!

Random Thoughts

-- I feel teased by the fact we only got Kruk & Kuip for the game on Friday. I love being on National TV, but no one comes close to our collection of broadcasters. They're the best.

-- Orel Hershiser, being the Dodger that he is, said on Thursday's ESPN game that Brandon Belt has "...a slow minor league bat...with only gap power."

How'd that dong to deep center look to you on Friday Orel? Or should I say ORAL. Because you suck big time. Belt rules.

-- I love how Huff made two dives in RF on Saturday and caught the second one. Karros was right to point out that he hit his face both times on the turf.

Aubrey Huff? Gamer.

-- I'm scared about Zito starting on Sunday. The guy was in a neck brace two days ago... I mean, he wasn't very good when he was healthy, what makes us all think he can be okay with a sore body/neck?

-- Zeets has the sleaziest mustache ever. Cain says it's called "The Stache". I'm down. It's heinous, but aren't all mustaches? It's entertaining to me.

-- I will write a separate article regarding our fellow fans who were assaulted by felons in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. I have to really cool down about it because I don't want to be part of an FBI investigation because of something I said in blind rage.

*Deep breaths*

BEAT LA!

I think I'm going to continue running the "Live Blogging" thing on here. I may do it every game, or I may permanently incorporate it into the site so that it's always picking up fan takes and thoughts on the Giants from Twitter or from you directly on the site.

If you're reading this on Facebook and didn't see the embedded YouTube vids above, click here to come directly to the site.

Real time live blogging tonight!

I haven't tried this before but this is a cool new way to see what everyone is saying about the Giants during the game. You'd be surprised how awesome it is when you're getting a bunch of different fan viewpoints during the game. Definitely enhances it. Soooo. Here is the window. It will go live at 7:00 PM Pacific. I have included about 15 good Giants fans that I talk to on Twitter, if you'd like your twitterings to appear on the live blog, tag it with #BeatLA and it should show up! Hope this is fun!



Click here to open this in a new window

Brian Wilson and his Beard Bracket

Brian Wilson has his own beard bracket for March Madness. I don't think he's shaving that bird's nest any time soon. Haha. From his website:




I don't know who half the sleazes are in this competition, but I definitely just voted for Chuck Norris in the Orange Beard division.

It still hasn't advanced past the first round, so get into the scene.

Zito gets himself into a wreck

Looks like another guy might be injured before the season starts.

According to Hank Schulman of the Chronicle, Barry Zito was in a two car auto accident in West Hollywood. We don't know if he was boozing, or how badly he was hurt, but he definitely was in a pretty happening area... on Sunset Blvd.

Right now all we know is that he was taken to Cedars-Sinai, where they take all the famous jerks in LA.

Let's hope he's okay... or maybe he'll get Henry Rowengartner syndrome and throw 98. Hey it could happen!

The Bonds Trial is Asinine & You Know it

Barry Bonds is a lot of things... a baseball player, father, and polarizing figure.

He is also a surly, mean guy that makes even the douchiest ambulance-chasing news reporter look like a sympathetic figure.

There are a lot of people that flat out DO NOT like the guy... and I get that. But the Bonds perjury trial has reached a pinnacle of asininity.

The Federal government doesn't enjoy being made a fool of... and I get that. The basis of our legal system is people telling the truth. The fear of God is enough for most people to tell it the way it really happened, but for the select few that are able to lie to entire courtrooms, punishment should come.

Look I get it. Barry probably lied. But you know what? I don't give a shit.

Neither do you. And neither does the Chinese lady on Sacramento Street cutting the heads off live chickens Or the douchebag hedge fund guy with the expense account walking down New Montgomery with a $7.00 coffee in hand and $300 silk tie fluttering in the San Francisco breeze. 95% of Giants fans don't approve of this trial, and I'd be willing to bet that nearly as many taxpayers, baseball fans or not, feel the same way.

And unless this dog and pony show is part of President Obama's economic stimulus package, spending millions of taxpayer dollars on this absurd trial is not only irresponsible, but in direct conflict with what the population wants.

This isn't about Bonds lying. This is about the government and IRS agent Jeff Novitzky not looking like idiots. They were the ones that spent a minimum of $6MM on this trial (although the figure could be as high at $60MM including BALCO investigation).

Imagine how bad it'd look if they spent all that money and they only managed to slap a couple dudes on the wrist, and let Adolf Hitl---- I MEAN Barry Bonds off on an acquittal.

I remarked on Twitter at the beginning of this trial, "I wonder when this pissing contest is going to turn into a shitting contest."

It already has. The prosecution, the defense, Novitzky and his powertripping IRS bretheren-- every one of them comes to the courtroom with a ruler, measuring their johnsons every chance they get.

It's just ridiculous.

Imagine what that money could've been spent on! How about solving murders? Maybe funding a Boys & Girls club in the inner city. Beautifying parks. Painting the Golden Gate Bridge to save Fastrak users 50 cents to cross it for 6 months.

Instead, they're going after a guy with everything they've got just to save face. The government is already a wasteful laughing stock, I'm pretty sure knowing when to walk away from an unnecessary money pit of a trial would be seen as a small step in the right direction.

And lest we forget, as Giants fans, what Barry Bonds did for us:

-- He with Peter Magowan saved this franchise from moving to St. Petersburg, Florida and becoming the Devil Rays

-- He always gave us hope when he came up to bat, even when we were down by a seemingly insurmountable lead
-- His presence on the roster made us relevant every year

-- He, with Willie Mays, were two of the 3 greatest baseball players of all time, and were both Giants, through and through. Not even the Yankees can say they that.

-- He always put people in the seats, even when the team sucked

-- Even when opposing teams took the bat out of his hands, he started rallies from first base

His biggest contribution however, was that he had a huge part in our stadium known as AT&T Park being financed and built.

Without Bonds, would the Giants have been able to secure the massive financing needed to privately build our jewel of a ballpark? Probably not. Without Bonds, would the right field wall be as close as it is? Would there be a "Splash Hit" counter? Would people be floating in McCovey Cove? Would there even be a McCovey Cove?

As much of an asshole as Barry was to teammates, the press, and fans, he truly was the best thing to happen to the Giants since Mays. Without the guarantee of people in the stands for years, the loans to Magowan and Company would have been extremely risky. From there, the options would've been to move to San Jose, desperately seek public assistance for a new park, or relocate to another area for good.

And that nice, burgeoning area known as China Basin? That new UCSF complex wouldn't be down there. Neither would those nice condos or Momo's or any of that. The man may be a bad person, a liar, and totally unlikeable, but what he's done for the Giants organization, us fans, the game of baseball, and the City of San Francisco is totally immeasurable.

I will never forget what he did for our fine organization and neither should you. This trial is asinine and it shouldn't be happening. They should've reached a plea deal 2 years ago. Put the guy on probation for 10 years, make him pay $500,000 toward court fees, and let this be over with.

With opening day around the corner, we shouldn't be talking about this.

Free Barry!

Belt stays in the bigs, but for how long?

Firstly, I'm sorry for being a slacker. I haven't written much all winter. Truthfully, up until now, I haven't really found anything worth writing about. We basically had the same team coming back after we won it all. I was just basking in our championship's glow, wishing the offseason would never end.

The big news heading into Thursday's opener in Chavez Latrine is that our newest golden goose Brandon Belt has made the roster, leaving Travis Ishikawa the odd man out and his future as a Giant in limbo.

Ishi is a solid backup player, so if he doesn't wind up in Fresno, either by his own doing or otherwise, he will probably find himself backing up a defensive liability somewhere in the majors.

As for Belt, I can't say I'm surprised that he made it. The injury to RF Cody Ross to begin the year basically opened up a spot for Belt to show he belongs. Our newest lanky Texan first baseman (Huff being the other) did everything right in Arizona. His .282/.338/.479 line was excellent, as were his 3 dongs and 13 ribeye steaks, which were good for 2nd on the team-- both categories tied with Pablo Sandoval (another good sign).

The real question remains... is Belt here for good? When Ross Returns, does Huff move back to 1B? Then what? Does Belt get sent to Fresno to play every day?

The Giants have never wavered with their blue chippers recently. When Bumgarner and Posey were called up, even two years ago in September, they stayed on the roster. Sending young guys up and down is not ideal, but then again, it's less than ideal to have Belt spending time riding pine when he could be playing every day as a member of the Grizzlies.

As I see it, there are three scenarios:

1) Belt beasts around and makes himself indispensable, giving Bochy yet another good problem to have.

2) Pat Burrell struggles to find his stroke early on, Ross comes back, and Huff moves to LF, leaving Belt at 1B, at bare minimum against right-handers.

3) An unfortunate injury occurs to one of our OFs, leaving Belt in the same scenario he's in now.

If I had to wager an educated guess, and that's what I'm not paid to do on this site, I'd say that Belt meets and/or exceeds all of our expectations. This guy has done nothing but crush pitching at every level since entering the minor leagues. This meteoric rise is no fluke, and he's shown repeatedly that he belongs at the highest level. And there's no level higher than starting first baseman for the WORLD EFFING CHAMPIONS.

Godspeed Belt. Godspeed.