San Francisco Giants dynasty status four wins away

How did we get here?


I'm not sure I can answer without shaking my head incredulously and rambling uncontrollably. I'm not sure if the Giants themselves can answer that question. Although the simple answer may just be "Champion Blood".


To put it more simply, they just have "it".


"It" could mean anything. Difficult to define, but you know it when you have it. In the Giants' case you've got a great mix of players-- many of whom have won a World Series in San Francisco before. You have an excellent, and successful coaching staff-- one of the best in baseball. You've got a home field advantage, chemistry, an electric atmosphere, and a little bit of luck. It's in many ways, a perfect storm.


Kansas City may have "it" too though. They don't have the experience, the coaching staff, the big names, or the success. What they do have, however, is an exceptional mix of young players, who literally don't know any differently-- which could be a huge advantage. Fearlessness is something is to be feared by an opponent.


Furthermore, KC's style of play is conducive to winning close games-- much like the Giants. Bunts, stolen bases, hit & runs and the like all put pressure on defenses, on pitchers, catchers, and everyone else.


A single by Lorenzo Cain or Jerrod Dyson is more than a single. That single has the potential to take scoring position by force. Any further hits have the potential of driving in a run when a similar hit would only move most runners up. Couple that with a nasty bullpen, excellent defense, and timely hitting... well... the Royals start sounding a bit like the Giants.


As similar as these teams are in some facets, the Giants have a distinct advantage overall.


The advantage isn't about Bumgarner or Posey. This advantage isn't an intangible such as experience or chemistry. In fact, it has nothing to do with players at all.


The Giants' most significant advantage over the Kansas City Royals is Manager Bruce Bochy.


If you're reading this, you know I'm right. You've seen it, just like I have. You saw Bochy's steady calloused hand guide this mess of ship with a scurvy-afflicted crew and tattered sails straight into the World Series.


When this team started taking on water halfway through the season, his only response was, "Steady as she goes."

When people started jumping overboard and giving up. He didn't flinch.

Instead, he found a way to plug the holes with a Petit, a Peavy and a Panik, and made it into the Wild Card round to face Pittsburgh-- doing so without Matt Cain and Angel Pagan. He did so saddled with an ineffective Tim Lincecum, an injured Mike Morse, and Travis Ishikawa playing left field.

Even with this seemingly desperate situation at hand, his low, gravelly vocal chords barked out,  

"FULL STEAM AHEAD!"


And they haven't looked back.


After distinctly outmaneuvering and carving up inexperienced ex-Giants Matt Williams and Mike Matheny in the NLDS and NLCS respectively, the Giants' fearless old captain has Ned Yost squarely in his sights.


People who know things about baseball know that the Royals have accomplished what they have at times in spite of Ned Yost, not because of him.


Think of how we got here in the first place. Ishikawa hits a HR off of young starter Michael Wacha, who never should have been put in the game by Mike Matheny. Bochy never makes that move in a hundred years.


Well Yost made the same boneheaded move earlier in the playoffs with his young starter Yordano Ventura, who'd never made a bullpen appearance and was pitching on two days rest.


Again, the Royals are here in spite of Ned Yost.


I'm not going to sit here are tell you he's the worst manager ever and that he's useless. His players love playing for him, and his aggressive NL-style small ball parade has been successful.


I just know that Bochy knows what he's doing, and nearly everything he touches in the postseason turns to gold.


This will be the biggest difference in this series, and you would have a helluva time trying to prove me otherwise. With this unthinkable third World Series on the horizon getting closer and into view, the Giants have the Royals exactly where they want them. Forget the numbers, forget the talking heads. Remember where this team has been, and where you know they're going.

They're about to pull into port and raise that third flag; he flag of the Giants Dynasty.


The Giants didn't come this far to lose, and they're not going to. We have that Champion's Blood running through us, so let's saddle it the hell up. We're burnin' it down.

Giants "House Money" run boggles the mind, makes me happy

People will ask me in passing, "Getting nervous for tonight?" or "This must be nerve-wracking. Isn't it crazy?"






I've finally come to grips with my actual feelings recently, and they're not what I usually expect to happen.






Over the years, I've driven myself to tears and even to dry heaving over playoff sports. You could say I'm pretty into it. This year though, there's something different.


That feeling is, I'm just happy to be here, and I'm enjoying it, win or lose.






Obviously I want them to win the World Series, and I'd be disappointed if they didn't, but honestly, this most recent "even year" run is so unexpectedly awesome, that I'm happy no matter what. It's sort of the difference between the 2010 and 2012 title runs. With the first one, I was a nervous wreck and could hardly be around other people, followed with the euphoria and disbelief of victory being one of the best feelings I've ever experienced.






The '12 World Series? Whole 'nother ballgame. I enjoyed that one so much more while it was happening, because in effect, we were playing with house money.


I could already die a happy man after 2010, so 2012 was just gravy on this magnificently unexpected train to baseball immortality.






So you can imagine that this trend has continued for me-- as strange as that may seem.




No one, absolutely no one in their right mind thought that this particular Giants team would be 2 wins away from the World Series during the Great Depression they put us all through this season. It was such a low point of such sickening losing, that I almost just wanted the season to end. We all did. It was so depressing.






How could a team go from so good, to so horrific, to magically successful all in one season? It all defies logic, and because it makes no sense that we're here, I'm enjoying every bit of it.




I can't help thinking though about how much more nervous I should be; how I should be more upset when the ball doesn't bounce our way. Why aren't I a basket case like I used to be?




The answer is simple: we weren't supposed to be here.




Not only that, but we aren't beloved underdogs like the Royals either. America is soooooo over us. Luckily though, America is even more over the Cardinals, so I think people root for us by default.


But come Series time, America is rooting for those underdog Royals, or possibly Orioles, if they pull off the unthinkable. We're no longer cute and intriguing underdogs. We're weirdly successful and confusing to the mind.




We're the quirky, socially awkward team that's never been good enough on paper, but continue to run said paper through the shredder, then make accidental recycled works of art that sell for millions.


That's why I'm having such a good time. We're on the verge of creating another one of those accidental recycled masterpieces out of the paper we never look good enough on.


Dealer, let's let it ride. We're playing with house money.




Thoughts and musings


LOL Dodgers!




Seriously! How great was it when they lost? I was almost more excited about the Dodgers losing than the Giants beating the Nats. It was amazing.


Part of being "The Dodgerhater" means that those bastards winning the World Series is the worst possible thing ever-- similar to the feeling I got when the Seajerks beat the Niners en route to their Superbowl win. Damn you Broncos. Damn you for losing.




But I digress.




There's nothing better than the failure of such a star-studded group over overpaid a-holes. It damn
near brings a tear to my eye, it's so beautiful. Thank you Cardinals, thank you for that.




Also, thank you for Randy Choate's poor throw to first base.




Also, thank you for Mike Matheny's questionable managing decisions with pitchers.


----------------------------------------------------------------------


Bruce Bochy has apparently caught Mathenyitis, because he too has made some questionable pitching moves. You know, with the Stricklands, and the Romos and such.




My question isn't so much to do with those things, but WHY ARE TIM LINCECUM AND YUSMEIRO PETIT ON THE NLCS ROSTER IF THEY'RE NEVER GOING TO PITCH?


Lincecum, I get. He's a liability. Fine, don't put him in the game. But then why is a rookie who never pitched in Fresno getting the call? Why is Lincecum on the roster instead of oh, I don't know, SOMEONE WHO WILL PLAY?




It's truly bizarre to me.




Also, can we get Petit into the game? The guy has been nails, and he hasn't even been seen in the bullpen in Christ knows how long. What is going on here? Give me Petit after the starter gets the hook, and save Javy Lopez and Affeldt for lefties later on in the game. It's just plain weird.




Long series though. We'll see how it goes. Just an interesting use of personnel.




I won't question Bochy anymore though. If there's anyone who could turn Joe Dirt's lucky meteor into an actual meteor, it would be him.


PS: Joe Dirt's "lucky meteor" wasn't actually a meteor.

Time for Giants to talk contract with Hunter Pence

Hunter Belushi

 You hear it all the time. You'll never see a guy do things quite like Hunter Pence. Hell, even Hunter himself said as much after being traded to the Giants at the deadline last season.

“I have to be honest. Every now and then, I do things that you don’t see very often.”

Everything from his lumber-chopping practice swings, to his fidgety wiggling in the batter's box, to his crazy eyes and spirit-inspiring speeches; Hunter Pence is one of a kind.

Like Pence, the Giants themselves are one of a kind. Their maddening style of play and uniqueness is a reflection of the city they play in-- a place I'd certainly call maddening and unique in its own right.

Nothing against Houston and Philadelphia, but Hunter Pence belongs here.

He belongs here because of his crazy ways and his crazy eyes. The fact that he rides a go-ped to the ballpark just seals the deal. Oh yeah, and he's a good baseball player.

"He's all out, and he's contagious." as Bruce Bochy put it after Wednesday's walkoff win against Philly in which Pence clubbed his 7th HR.


Last season after being traded, Pence struggled with his stroke a bit, but made up for it in a myriad of ways-- the aforementioned inspirational speeches and timeless weirdness like that triple hit broken bat Texas leaguer against St. Louis.

This year is another story. He's been arguably the team's best hitter this year, if not a close second to the .320 hitting Pablo Sandoval.

There's something very timely about Pence's hitting this year. It's not always situational success or crazy clutch, but if no one else is doing much of
anything, he seems to be the guy to rely on.

Obviously, it's early May, so there's no guarantees, but you have to be thrilled with Pence's 7 HRs and 22 RBIs to go along with an average hovering around .290 and an OPS around .825. Not just that, but he has increased his percentage of line drives by 5%, he's playing a righteous right field and is 5 for 5 in stolen base attempts (which equals his 2012 total).

The man once heckled by a Giants fan as "Bird Legs" as a member of the opposition, Pence's defense has perhaps entertained and impressed me most. As with everything else we see from Pence, his throwing motion is a bizarre, side-winding body heave that people just don't run on. He covers a ton of ground for a guy his size, and has learned to properly play balls off the right field archways and how to safely pursue foul balls near the bullpen mounds.

For you Saberjerks out there that need some sort of bizarre, contrived formula to satisfy your question about Pence's defense other than his 1 error or .988 fielding %, he's got a career high +3.7 UZR going. OKAY? 3.7!

To me, it's safe to give "Ol' Bird Legs" the ultra rare label of Five Tool Player.

Long story short is that Hunter Pence needs to remain a Giant for the foreseeable future. Not just for his personality, well-documented and impressive work ethic, and hot start. It's a significant factor in this situation that he genuinely loves it here. He feels like he can be himself, he loves the fans, and for God's sake, he hits well at AT&T Park. He's hitting a full 60 points higher in San Francisco (.318 vs.258 ) with 4 dongs (vs. 3) in San Francisco this season.

As for money, you have to expect that he's not going to be taking any paycuts-- as he shouldn't. The notion of a "hometown discount" won't exist here, but since the guy wants to stay here and buy some real estate, I don't think an in-season contract extension is out of the question.

It seems to be the new trend that guys don't want to "negotiate in season" to "avoid distraction". That to me is BS, and it's a politically correct excuse to be wined & dined following the year to get the biggest offer from the other 29 teams. That's fine, but for guys like Pence, that's not going to be an issue.

Just so we know where we are with Pence, the talks probably have to start at 4yr/$60MM and could go up a bit from there. If you look at the deal Pagan got (4yr/$40MM), you'd have to say Hunter is worth more than that. Keep in mind as well that he's making $13.8MM this year in the final year of arbitration.

As far as potential OF competition for Pence in free agency next year, the crop is deeper than usual.The likes of Nelson Cruz, Curtis Granderson, Jason Kubel, Shin-Soo Choo, and Carlos Beltran are all expected to be available. This will likely play in the Giants' favor, and if the conversation begins at that 4yr/$60MM figure, Pence would be remiss if he didn't try to get a deal done.

Let's hope we see UnderPence's googly eyes under that black Giants hat for years to come. Godspeed Sabean.

Drawn out ceremonies, Timmy & Hector, St. Louis, & other early observations

Well, it's been a few games now, and we've gotten to know our 2013 Giants a little better. Sure, they're almost the same team as last year, but every year is different. Guys get better, guys regress, and you just never know how things will shake out. Here's what I've seen so far:

-- Starting pitching has been a little up and down. Cain had one great start against LA, then gave up a historic 9 ER against St. Louis. Timmy won a game while walking 7. Bumgarner was a monster against the Dodgers and was a little shaky against Colorado. Vogelsong got lit up pretty badly.

The only guy with an unblemished statline thus far is Barry Zito, who apparently now owns the Cardinals. Let's hope this dominant Zito sticks around all year.

...Speaking of the Cardinals and our home opening series...

-- They got a little revenge for last season's NLCS. Believe me, these fans and that team are still bitter at their collapse, and they immediately got subjected to a three game, pre-game lovefest the likes unseen by Major League Baseball.

There's been some talk about the three ceremonies and how they were a little much. I agree.

Three days of flag raising, Buster, and an extended ring ceremony is deserved, but a little much when they last 20-30 minutes apiece and delay the beginning of the game. Again, I'm not saying I didn't enjoy every second of  it and that I didn't tear up when they raised that championship flag, but I wouldn't want the Giants to get stuck with another team's home opening series and 3 extravagant ceremonies in a row.

I feel like the flag-raising and the ring ceremony could've all been on the same day (Friday) and that Buster's MVP ceremony could've been pushed back to the Rockies series or on Sunday. Just my opinion.

-- Interesting factoid: The Cardinals also were at AT&T Park in 2011 for the Giants home opening series in which they watched the Giants ring ceremony. And then won the WS themselves in '11.

-- The Dodgers still suck. They've got all kinds of fancy toys that will cost them an arm and a leg for years, and the only one worth a damn is Clayton Kershaw, who they haven't even paid yet. Pathetic.

-- I like Chad Gaudin. He's looked good thus far. Andres Torres on the other hand...

-- There's still a "thing" between Timmy and Buster, whether anyone in the Giants' clubhouse wants to admit it or not. Sanchez caught Lincecum in his 1st two starts, and this brilliant Baseball Prospectus article (which you need to read) basically breaks down how and why Hector Sanchez is an unacceptable catcher thus far in his young career, especially for Lincecum. A lot of it has to do with framing, but the thing that gets me is that Buster has to sit or displace Belty in order for this to happen.

All this why there's a 3rd catcher named Quiznos sitting on the bench, useless.to the world and to himself. He should be getting reps in the minors.

Whether Bochy just wants to avoid Buster getting beaten up by crazy breaking pitches in the dirt, or whether Lincecum just can't handle being told what to do, this thing is detrimental to both the Giants' offense and defense.

I think a lot of us have this feeling that Hector Sanchez can hit, and he's still just a baby, but the fact remains that he hit .280 last year, but had a .685 OPS to go along with it. That's like backup middle infielder territory...

-- Brian Wilson didn't respond to the Giants' invitation to be included in the ring ceremony. That was the final nail in the coffin to his career in with the Orange & Black. It was immature and unacceptable. We loved that weirdo and he'll never be as happy with anyone else as he was here. If he wasn't so obsessed with himself, he'd have signed a minor league deal with the Giants and pitched his way back into a setup role. Instead, he made it about him, and still thinks that despite the fact he isn't capable of pitching, that he should be offered guaranteed millions. Good luck Wilson. I won't even call you Weez anymore.

It was nice while it lasted... all two years of it.

-- Speaking of which, where was Barry Bonds on Buster's MVP Day? For as much controversy as his name conjures up, he should've still been there. Jeff Kent, might have been a great Giant,but he also played for the effing Dodgers willingly-- Bonds never did that. Who better to give a keynote MVP speech to Buster than a guy who won 7 of them and lost an 8th to Jeff Kent.

I know he's a salty bastard and he has outstanding legal issues, but the Giants give rings to Kruk and Kuip and bring back Gaylord Perry all the time. Bonds deserves to be there. He built that ballpark and paved the way for these two Championships.

-- The Giants need to start their own division of eBay for highly sought-after giveaways like the Buster bobblehead. Nevermind the fact that they were giving away 40k of them, there will still morons lined up for LITERALLY a mile down the Embarcadero before the gates were opened. All for a bobblehead.

Crazier still was that there were sleaze merchants with garbage bags waiting inside the gates offering everyone $15-$20 for their bobbleheads. Last time I checked, they were going for $40-$50 on eBay. Just crazy.

Buster is protecting my flavored booze section now.

-- Stay hot Hunter Pence, catch fire Marco Scutaro... pretty self-explanatory, Pence has been a monst, and Scoots doesn't look comfortable at all. Also, Pagan is off to a hot start, giving me plenty of opportunities to use my #PaganWorship hashtag on Twitter.

Remember to read this Baseball Prospectus article about Timmy and Hector.

That old familiar feeling

This feels weird. Don't you think?

It feels right, but it feels weird.

How the hell did we get here? This wasn't supposed to happen, but it has. It's feels familiar, but it's just plain crazy. I don't know how to describe it, but the way I'm feeling is almost like I'm jetlagged or stoned off of prescription pills like after one of my knee surgeries.

Truthfully, I can't believe we're here, and it seems like the Giants have somehow managed to capture lightning in a bottle twice in three years. It's a phenomenon like fog or sourdough bread-- something virtually unique to this place and this team. It's something truly that lacks logic; of course logic and the lack thereof being the ongoing theme of this team in this postseason.

The Game 7 show we all witnessed was completely unexpected, but embraced by all, as if that 9th inning downpour was made of nothing but condensed water vapor and destiny itself.

Perhaps rather than logic or non-logic, the theme of this postseason should be to expect the unexpected.

The previous two opponents the Giants faced were capable and talented. One outperformed us all season, and the other was the reigning champs-- seemingly peaking in the same manner in which they did last year. I knew (and predicted) that each series would go the distance. Of course I had no idea why or how they'd go to 5 and 7 games respectively, but I just had that feeling.

To me, this upcoming series with the Tigers has a different feel. They are certainly more offensively talented. They have two guys in Fielder and Cabrera that scare the living hell out of me. They have an ace (with a capital 'A') in Justin Verlander, that could potentially pitch 3 games.

Justin Verlander is capable of shutting us out 3 times and then leaving the clubhouse with Kate Upton on his arm. That's how good he is.

Right now, we have 3 reliable starting pitchers and one of them is Game 1 starter Barry Zito.

The Tigers have a spontaneously combusted Jose Valverde removed from the closer's role and defensive liabilities.

You can break down this matchup however you want, but all you'll get is right back to where you started.

I can't put my finger on it, but I feel like the stars are aligning for us once again. Naturally I could be wrong, but just like 2010, there's just an 'it'  factor about this team that cannot be ignored.

Just like 2010, the Rangers were better than us on paper-- laden with sluggers and Cliff Lee. I see almost a mirror image of Texas in the 2012 Detroit Tigers.

I'm no expert, and I watched less than 10 Tiger games all season, but that's basically what I've gathered.

All I'm saying is it's happened once under similar circumstances, with a similar hodgepodge of players-- a veritable David/Goliath story. Why couldn't it happen again?

Prediction: Giants in 6

Forget logic, this is Game 7

From the moment we discover sports as children, we dream of this kind of situation. I remember the night before little league games, not being able to sleep as I fantasized about hitting game winning HRs and being mobbed by teammates. I remember shooting hoops in the driveway before dinner, narrating a farcical playoff moment out loud as a attempted a turnaround jumper. 

I usually missed the shot, lol.

At some point, we've probably all imagined a Game 7 winner take all contest-- either as a player or as a fan. There is nothing like it. The urgency is off the charts and the emotions are immeasurable. The rollercoaster effect of depression and elation is incomparable for those of us invested in our team, like we are.

For both the Giants and Cardinals, there were times this season when it was hard to imagine them managing to get to this point. Just 4 days ago, as the Giants lost another demoralizing game to go down 3-1 with one left to play on the road, I couldn't envision them doing what they've managed to do (AGAIN). I wanted it to happen of course, but the logical part of my brain prepared me for the ultimate disappointment of not making a comeback. 

I HATE that logical part of my brain. It sucks.

It mostly sucks because we had just seen our boys make a valiant comeback against the Reds on the road-- winning 3 tough games against a good team to advance. 

And of course, back from the dead, they do it AGAIN. 

This team has taken that little logical part of brain matter that we all have, surgically extracted it, and thrown it into a giant slurry grinder that makes wet cat food in cans. 

"You won't be needing that anymore, will YOU??"

I guess not.

The logical thing to think was that Tim Lincecum, relegated to the bullpen and seemingly thriving, would go all "vintage freak" on their asses and save us all. Unfortunately, he failed to pitch well in a game that was beyond important for both his career and the team. He wasn't good, and we've seen him be well... not good... most of the year. At the time, it seemed logical. Timmy was a big game pitcher, he'd build on his bullpen success and whip us all into a frenzy and make us think twice about supporting the expiration of his contract in 2013! Not so.

With our backs against the wall and a seemingly impossible scenario staring us in the face, we all turned to Barry Zito.

As I sprawled in my bed after that Game 4 loss, depressed and half-heartedly listening to the KNBR postgame show, I began to see my Twitter timeline filled with funny pictures of Zeets. A #RallyZito movement was underway. What had started as a funny and good-natured way to keep each other off the ledge, transformed into something bigger than the game itself.

That #RallyZito movement was something that I'll forever remember, because of the baggage attached to that Game 5 start. We all know the Zito story, and we even know how lame he was in his start against the Reds the series before. What transpired on that chilly St. Louis night by the most maligned Giant since Armando Benitez, was nothing short of heroic... and illogical.

It was probably the most incredible and gutty performance I've seen because of the demons he exorcised on the mound and the context that he accomplished it within. You could almost see pale spirits exiting Zito's body on the mound, as the weight began subsiding from his shoulders.

It was a moment that made me proud to be a Giants fan and it really made me happy for Zito himself. For all the work he puts in and all the hell that he's been through trying to live up to an impossible contract, that HAD to feel amazing for him. Sometimes confidence cures what ills you.

After a beastly, strikeout filled romp by a suddenly impenetrable VogelStrong in Game 6, he we are. 

We have our horse, Matt Cain on the mound. We have our crowd with its orange rally rags, and there is seemingly nothing that we would change about the scenario.

Of course, I wish that we were facing an emergency starter or something, but we aren't.

Kyle Lohse has had an inconsistent career, but he has had an incredible season, and has only given up 4 ER in 18 innings this postseason. He's from Chico, and the story would be just as great for the Cards, if they manage to win.

It's a matchup for the ages, and both teams will be up to the task. If we happen to lose, obviously I will be crushed. 

The way in which this team has rallied and banded together however, has made me proud regardless of the outcome. The ultimate goal is always to win the World Series, but win or lose, this team has had a successful season. 

I don't think that'll happen though. 

I feel like once again, this is some sort of crazy team of destiny that extends beyond the NLCS. All I know, is that tonight, throw logic out the window, because you aren't going to need it.

Go Giants!.

A little too much leash

Loyalty and trust are two of the greatest things in the world. You trust your gut, you're behind your guys and you believe in them. I get it.

It's a long series and Sunday's loss in Game 1 doesn't kill us. Far from it.

I have to say though, this first loss against the Cardinals lies squarely on Bruce Bochy's shoulders. Obviously Bumgarner gave up the six earnies and two back-breaking home runs, but he shouldn't have been in the position to let Carlos Beltran go yard.

Am I an armchair quarterback? Yes. Absolutely. I'm not on the team. I'm just like you. This is what I was saying during Bumgarner's disastrous inning chronologically (bottom to top):

Not trying to toot my own horn, but you know, I'm just saying. I couldn't have possibly been the only one thinking these things? Right?

So many times we second guess our managers and coaches during games. We don't have anywhere near the experience or knowledge as these leaders, but it's still easy to see when a guy just doesn't have it that night.

I think of all of Bochy's flaws as a manager-- as minor as many of them are in the grand scheme of things-- his loyalty to his starting pitchers is simultaneously the most positive and detrimental.

Hell, he's an old catcher and he fights for his starters the same way he did back when his knees allowed him to squat and catch nine innings. I think it's admirable, I really do. All season, he allowed Lincecum to hang himself with the extra leash-- same with Vogelsong and Bumgarner in the second half.

As admirable as that quality is in a manager, it seems like probably 6 or 7 times out of 10 letting a guy work out his problems on the mound ends in failure. There of course are times when a guy will have a lousy couple innings and then right his ship, but this is the playoffs. Time is of the essence.

That's all I'll say about Boch. I don't want to rag on the guy, because he's gotten it done before and he's gotten us to this point. He's a great manager, he really is. He doesn't trust youngsters and he likes his pitchers and catchers, and that goes hand in hand with being an old-school backstop.

Random thoughts

• Daniel Descalso and Pete Kozma are not going away. They were clutch against the Nats, they contributed down the stretch, and they are going to be pesky little weirdos the rest of this series
• I found out that the Peninsula's own Descalso grew up an A's fan. Not cool bro...
• I know a guy named Danny Descalso. No relation. 
• Lance Lynn is probably better suited coming out of the 'pen and the Giants took advantage of him. No Jaime Garcia will do that to you. Too bad a certain someone was left in the game too long and gave up six runs.
• Chris Carpenter won't give up more than 3 runs. Bank it.
• If there's one weak spot in the Cards' pitching staff, it is poor situational pitching and mismanagement by Mike Matheny. At some point this series, Mike will put the wrong guy in at the wrong time and we will benefit.
• Is Jason Motte the best closer ever to only have one pitch at one speed? He's obviously better than Jose Valverde.
• Seriously, he has a 98 mph fastball, and that's IT.
• Beltran has now taken Zack Wheeler AND Game 1 of the NLCS from us. Time to give something back dude. How about a costly error?
• Tony Bennett is a beast.
• Can you remember a more disappointing sports day? Niners getting embarrassed by a new arch-enemy during the afternoon and the Giants losing a playoff game at night? BRUTAL.
• I blame Joe Buck, who called the 49ers debacle at Candlestick, then proceeded to ruin our day further by taking a "trolley" to AT&T and imposing his lousy announcing, stupid face, and Cardinals cheerleading on us.

• It was pretty obvious that a lot of people were coming from the Niner game based on the early inning empty seats. Lucky bastards.
• Bumgarner didn't get any better after his awful outing against Cincy. He now has a postseason ERA of 11.25. That is the ERA of a guy who just doesn't have it. AT ALL. He belongs in the bullpen until further notice. I love you Madison, I do, but we both know you're lost.

Let's get Game 2!

The NLCS: Fighting magic with magic

"Amazing that we've gotten to this point," say...

...both the Giants and Cardinals.

"There were a couple times that we looked dead in the water," say...

...both the Giants and Cardinals.

"But we love the makeup of this team, and we've done it before," say...

...both the Giants and Cardinals.

It's true. I can't think of two teams whose recent postseason exploits more closely resemble one another. One team was down 2-0 with the task of winning 3 in a row on the road, the other was down by 2 and down to its last strike on the road. Both teams pulled it out and now the battle of postseason magic will play out in the 2012 NLCS.

No offense to the American League and its fancy Prince Fielders and Bronx Bombers, but this NLCS is the hands down must watch series and WILL go down as one of the greatest playoff series of all time. You thought the Giants' NLDS series was torture? Wait'll you get a load of this one.

How improbable is it that the last two World Series champs will face off in this series? Most Cardinals fans had given up long ago this season. Trust me-- I know (my girlfriend is a Cards fan, more on that next post).

I've watched more Cardinal games than you, and heard waaaaayyyy more about them than I care to. That benefits me now as I size up our opponent heading into Sunday.

This is a very evenly matched pair of teams and both have the "it" factor I talk about. There's magic in both of them and both teams are laden with postseason heroes up and down the roster.

They've got the bigger sluggers, we have the better bullpen. We perhaps have the edge in the starting rotation now that Lincecum seems to be progressing up to the mean, but other than that, these teams match up very well.

The one thing that Cards fans will tell you is that they don't win many close games. They blow teams out early and hold on. Despite their recent postseason performances (and 2011's for that matter), they've struggled to reach their potential all season, despite a deadly lineup.

Conversely, you could say our lineup has overachieved and that our pitching has failed to live up to its ability. We've gotten the clutch hits we've needed and have overcome horrendous performances from Timmy all season to run away with the West.

You can certainly say that the NL Central was much tougher than the NL West-- a valid point. How then do you explain how the Cardinals struggled to land a secondary Wild Card berth when their only competition was the useless losing Dodgers and a surging Brewers team that had come back from like 233 games back?

Not to take anything away from what St. Louis has done in the playoffs this season, but they had a pretty disappointing season-- while I can say that in general, the Giants have had a successful 2012.

Granted, the Cards were without Chris Carpenter most of the season (until now) and are now without both Rafael Furcal and Lance Berkman. We'll see your injuries with the losses of Brian Wilson and Melky Cabrera.

Speaking of Carpenter-- what an absolute gamer. He had a rib removed to alleviate pressure on a nerve that affected his pitching arm. Once declared out for the season and potentially headed for retirement, he pulled something resembling a Ronnie Lott to get back on the field. Commendable.

FYI, that rib is now in a jar in his daughter's room.

The point of all this is that we're in an up and down series that will likely go the full seven games. In order for the Giants to win, they need to keep STL's sluggers in check early and prevent late inning magic by the likes of Allen Craig and David Freese (or Kozma... or Descalso... as the Nats found out).

If the Giants hit anywhere close to what they did in Games 4 and 5 in Cincinnatti, they win the series, no doubt. We all know we can't expect that to happen. We need all hands on deck to win this series, but we can take care of it.

Cain and Bumgarner need to get it together and Affeldt needs to be healthy. Other than that, I'm confident that we can take care of business. Never give up!

With my intimate knowledge of both teams, here's how I stack them up with letter grades below:

Prediction: Giants in 7

Overall Offense

Giants: B-
Cards: A

Offensive Power

Giants: C-
Cards: A-

Overall Defense

Giants: A-
Cards: B

Starting Pitching

Giants: A-
Cards: B+

Bullpen

Giants: B+
Cards: C+

Closer

Giants: B
Cards: A-

Bench

Giants: B
Cards: B-

Manager:

Giants: B+
Cards: C

Come-from-behind-ability

Giants: A-
Cards: B+

Bonus Category: Team Broadcasters

Giants: A+
Cards: D+

The good and the downright scary

Nothing like playing a going-nowhere team without its manager, best hitter, two traded-away middle infielders, and horrendous bullpen to really make you examine the state of your team.

I can't remember a Giants team changing its problems and strengths so frequently, and so unexpectedly. It's just so damned weird. We go to Atlanta, pitch pretty damn well, and can't hit a lick. We come home, pitch at an average to below average level, and smack the tar out of the ball like it's going out of style.

All the while, we managed to take 3 of 4 from a collective walking disaster called the Chicago Cubs. In all seriousness, this should have been a relatively easy sweep. On the other hand you've got to give Chicago a little credit for sacking up, having a little pride and playing their tails off. They know they suck, but their young players really stepped it up.

With this ESSENTIAL three game series against San Diago looming, we've gotta examine the good and the downright scary.

The Good: Pat Burrell & Pablo Sandoval

Doesn't it get your goat even more that Bochy was benching Burrell after his initial tear as a Giant? So dumb. The guy can flat out hit, and he's truly in a groove. Honestly, we haven't had 2 hitters like Huff and Burrell since the days of Bonds and Kent. Granted the Burrell/Huff combo of power hitters is a poor man's version of Barry and Jeff, but still. I just can't say enough about what Burrell has added to this team after his midseason acquisition.

Even Huff, who himself is a clubhouse sparkplug, seems re-energized by Burrell. My favorite part of the veteran Burrell is his even-keel approach to hitting. As Krook has pointed out, the guy's demeanor is dialed in, unfazeable, and simply professional-- for lack of a better term.

Take the grand slam he hit in the final game of the Chicago series. He calmly stood in the box. There was no fidgeting, no long walks outside the box, no batting glove readjustments. He stoically took two fairly close pitches. Boom. 2-0. Hitters count.

He knew he had to get something good to hit, or else he'd let it go. Hence the hitters count-- the pitcher either comes in to steal a strike, or risks running up a 3-0 count with the sacks full of Gyros.

We all know how that ended. Yup. Great scene.

Here I am, gushing like a schoolgirl again. OMG! OMG! Pat Burrell!

Perhaps Burrell's patient success has something to do with Panda's recent resurgence.

Now look. I'm going to be EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS about Pandoval and his recent play. The man tripled and donged one into McCovey Cove on Thursday. He drove the ball on Wednesday. He is 13 for his last 35 at Mays Field (.371 avg). In fact, his pattern of non-awfulness stems back to the Mets series about a month ago. From that time through the Cubs series, Pablo is hitting .284 with 11 extra base hits. Most importantly, he tripled and homered on Thursday, finally... FINALLY driving the ball like a man!

Again, I'm going to be cautiously optimistic about him. I was seriously on the verge of writing an article advocating that the Giants send him to Fresno for a week to send a message. Honestly. I was like 5 or 6 more groundouts away from doing it. Instead, he somehow managed to stop swinging at crap 100% of the time and actually waited for the ball to reach the plate before swinging.

Honestly, the difference between Panda's swings on those two hits versus the Cubs was night and frickin day to the garbage he's been pulling the whole season. He was relaxed, waited on the pitches, and transferred his power from the back leg to his front leg, and effing turned on those pitches... LIKE A REAL HITTER!

It was so beautiful, I nearly teared up watching the replays. That's the swing. That's was it. Now quick, do it again.

That's my main concern with Panda. I've seriously advocated for a medical evaluation of him for a couple months. As 22Gigantes pointed out a few days ago, ritalin is the main reason for Andres Torres's development as a baseball player. Before the pill popping, Torres was a distracted career minor leaguer. With hard work and the help of the medication, he's now a top line leadoff hitter and gold glove candidate in CF.

This relates to Panda because he has an uncanny ability to totally forget about his past successes and failures as fast as I change GAC when a Rascal Flatts music video comes on. I just worry that as soon as he's found his stroke, it'll disappear again into a grey washout of dribblers and 6-3 putouts. Let's hope I'm wrong, and that Panda really is back.

The Downright Scary: Tim Lincecum

I don't even know what to say. The other 3,447 Giants blogs out there have talked about it ad nauseum, so I'm not going to go through stuff you already know. That's why you read this one and not that other regurgitated crap on the internet.

There are a number of theories as to what exactly is wrong with Timmy. Some just say he needs to start smoking dope again. Some think he doesn't take his workouts and mechanics seriously enough. Some say he's been overworked and that he has a tired arm. People think his velocity is down because he can't control a 95 mph fastball anymore. The likely theory that's been floated is that he simply has lost his fine-tuned mechanics and hasn't been able to find them on his own.

Coming off two Cy Young seasons, this is just not the type of article I ever expected to have to write.

Carl Steward of the Merc really made a good point filling in for Baggs the other day, and it's an idea that the blogging public has floated as well (including myself). The guy needs his dad to put in for some vacation days up at Boeing and fly his ass down here to work with Timmy.

This is something that Dave Righetti can't fix. Why Tim has always been so amazing is his crazy windup and his crazy torso torquing and over-extension. The analogy is that he's a finely-tuned sports car, and you don't bring that into the Speedee Oil Change & Tuneup for service.

The interesting aspect of this story is that it seems like Timmy and his dad Chris aren't getting along these days for whatever reason. A lot of it has to do with the fact that fathers and sons have been pains in each other's asses for thousands of years. Timmy just wants to fix it himself, but unfortunately Chris knows best, and is the only one who can fix him and his complicated ass.

I would even go so far as to suggest that Lincecum should skip the start against San Diego on Sunday. I know you may think I'm nuts, but he's not right, and he didn't last 4 innings against the Cubs. If Zito can go Sunday on 3 days rest, and a day off Monday, this would give Timmy time to rest, and hopefully work out his kinks.

The reason I say this is because, yeah, I don't know if you've looked at our upcoming schedule, but, what can I say, it's a bear.

Following San Diego, we have 3 in Philadelphia and St. Louis. Both are playoff-bound teams in hot weather cities. Then we have the potentially playoff-bound Cincinnata Reds in San Francisco for 3. Those are 3 powerful teams all fighting for playoff position, and a bad Lincecum would not help our cause... at all.

Look, I know it's a radical suggestion, but it's just one skipped start...

Think about it?

Wellemeyer has a legit shot at the #5 spot?

Before I get to Wellemeyer, check this out. It's The Dodgerhater's second appearance on HotStove.com commenting on Giants issues. This time about Aaron Rowand leading off. See my answer, as well as El Lefty Malo's and others right here.

The Giants have signed former Cardinal non-great Todd Wellemeyer to a minor league deal, similar to the one Juan Uribe signed last year. It would guarantee him a cool mil if he makes the team, but after Obama's tax increases, his salary should net him like $20k. Ha. Sorry. Sometimes I can't resist.

What's interesting about Wellemeyer is that he has been a swingman throughout his career and has had a little success both in the pen and as a starter. With the #5 spot now a tossup between Madison Bumgarner, Kevin Pucetas, Joe Martinez, and Wellemeyer, it'll all come down to whether The Carolina Kid is ready to do this thing on the big stage.

Despite the good things he saw from MBG last year in limited action, part of me thinks that if he's thrust into the #5 spot from the get go and struggles, that it could be a real confidence killer. The last thing we need is a talented sadsack. Those are the most frustrating.

It may be best for Bumgarner to start off in Fresno, get his confidence rolling, then promote him in May or June, so that he's in the groove, but doesn't have a tired arm like he did when he was promoted last September.

A look at Wellemeyer's career numbers gives us something concrete to work with. Last year he sucked, and upon further review, he sucked in the following seasons as well: 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2009. Keep in mind, he's only pitched in parts of seven big league seasons, and his rough going early on was simply due to inexperience.

So, how do we figure this guy out? His 5.89 ERA in '09 was hideous, but his 4.14, 4.54, and 3.71 ERA's in '06, '07, and '08 are at least palatable. Let's take a look at him when he's at his best.

Wellemeyer is one season removed from his best as a pro. Interestingly, it game when he was exclusively used as a starter (a pattern in his career). In 32 starts, he sported some truly respectable stuff: 1.25 WHIP, a nearly 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio, and stranded 77% of runners on base.

He's a three pitch guy, (fastball, slider, change), of which his best is an 85 mph slider that he threw for 26% of the time in '08. Last year, in which he blew big time, he only threw it 17% of the time. This would indicate that he either lost confidence in it, or simply couldn't command it worth a damn. Confidence is a bitch.

It's really hard to say what exactly happened to T-Dub last year. He did deal with an elbow injury where he missed 25 days on the DL, but his strike percentage was nearly identical to '08, and his velocity was only down about 1 mph overall.

This just looks like a common case of lost command and a little bad luck.

In '08, his BB/9 rate was an excellent 2.91/9 innings. In '09, this rate ballooned to nearly 5 per 9. This, coupled with a rise in BABIP up from a below average .273 in '08 to a high .346, shows me that the man was just getting the ball up in the zone, and he was losing batters to walks that in '08 he was able to get out.

It could've been injury, confidence, fatigue, whatever...

I will end the most epic post about a minor league signee/potential 5th starter ever with this:

If we get the '08 Todd Wellemeyer who went 13-9 with a 3.71 ERA, Sabean has unearthed another gem off the scrap heap, a la Juan Uribe, Brandon Medders, Justin Miller, etc.

If not, it's another minimum risk/high reward signing. A pattern this offseason.

Now, we eagerly await the outcome of Timmy's arby case in Tampa...
----------------------------------------------------------------


Also, a melancholy happy trails to one of my favorite TV personalities of all time, Captain Phil Harris of The Cornelia Marie and of Deadliest Catch fame. It is not often that a total stranger's passing makes you feel this crappy. Allow me to say a few words.

Phil was a man's man. A brash, chain-smoking, tattooed outlaw of the seas. A father, a husband, a skipper.

A guy you'd work hard for, even if it meant staying up for 36 hours hauling crab pots during 20 degree weather in 30 foot seas.

People like us only knew Phil for a few years on television, but those of us who watch Deadliest Catch religiously, felt like we knew him well.

I speak for myself when I say, I'll miss you skipper.

Smoke a Camel Filter, pound a redbull, and slay those crab up in heaven. We'll miss you buddy.

That's what I'm talking about... Giants on verge of signing Wagner Mateo

First of all, let us all bask in the failures of Los Doyers. They sucked so bad against the Phillies, that we could not help but beam with pride and malevolence toward them. Good effing riddance. Looks like a Yanks-Phils Series. Don't particularly want either city to win, just because they're so obnoxious, but we gotta got Phils here. If for no other reason than they sent the Dodgers home crying.

Onto more important Gyros-related news:

According to Jorge Arangure (via Twitter) and MLBTradeRumors.com, the Giants are on the verge of signing 16 year old center fielder Wagner Mateo out of the Dominican.

This is a pretty legit report because Arangure is a senior writer for ESPN The Mag and covers the Latin American baseball scene.

This is a particularly interesting story because in September, the Cardinals had Mateo all locked up to a $3.1MM bonus, but ended up voiding the contract almost immediately after. Wagner failed the physical because of vision problems. Just their luck. The biggest amateur bonus ever given to a Latin American player and the guy can't see...

Here's an excerpt from Joe Strauss' piece from the Post-Dispatch:

"...the Cardinals learned that Mateo wore corrective lenses and that without them he could not read past the 'E' on the eye chart.

Mateo was found to possess 20/200 vision. Even with contact lenses, Mateo's vision was 20/30, good enough for most professions but considered deficient among major league players.

The Cardinals said nothing at the time but other organizations heard of a problem.

For most of a month, Mateo shuttled between eye specialists in St. Louis, Baltimore and Boston. Specialists at Johns Hopkins and Harvard reached the same conclusion as those in St. Louis: Mateo's vision could not be improved.

General manager John Mozeliak had little to say on Sept. 18 when the Post-Dispatch reported that the club was investigating whether it could void Mateo's contract. No money had yet exchanged hands. And language in the agreement allowed for an out in the event of physical defect or pre-existing injury. Mateo's eyesight represented a defect, according to the club. Damage caused by ill-fitting contacts to his eyes represented an injury. Mateo was not deemed a fit for Lasik surgery, according to sources familiar with the club's medical findings."

Okay, fair enough. But this kid with 20/30 vision is still a huge prospect. For a 16 year old, based on the vids below, he appears to be extremely well-built, polished, and physically developed in a way that very few 16 year olds can be.

Apparently the Gyros had their eye on the kid the whole time and were in a bit of a bidding war with St. Louis, but "got cold feet" at the last minute and backed out. Perhaps now they can get him a little bit more of a bargain. Interestingly enough, the Giants were offering $3.5MM to Mateo versus the $3.1MM of the Cards. This kid is among the top 3-5 prospects in Latin America, even with his supposed vision issues.

For God's sake, the kid is 6'2, 190 at age 16. We'll get him some decent contact lenses or send him into Genentech to get some eye implants or some hocus pocus crap.

Also, I may add, that the Giants' organizational philosophy has changed so much in the last three years. During the Bonds era, this would not have happened. I have an article coming soon about this, but do not discount these changes. The questions about why we never produced positional players from our farm system are not going to be an issue in near future. So, in my opinion, the negativity coming from some of the big sites, (ahem... you know, the "other Chronicle"...) is getting old and more irrelevant by the day.

Anyway, I like this deal. I hope we get this kid on board. He seriously looks like a left handed Alfonso Soriano.

Click here to directly visit The Dodgerhater.



And this one. Again, you're gonna wanna check these out, so click here if you can't see the videos.

Wagner Mateo from Kiley McDaniel on Vimeo.