Happy Mother’s Day To Me!
What a fantastic Mother’s Day I had! My sis and I went to the game today. I had several good omens before we arrived so I was sure they were going to win it (I’m starting to get as superstitious as my boys are!). First, I saw a Stellar’s Jay right outside our door. Haven’t seen one near our house in a few months. Next, as I was leaving Starbucks this morning, a dragonfly hovered right in front of me. Then finally, when we pulled into our parking spot in the pier building, there was an X marked in tape on the wall. I was sure all these signs meant that my boys were going to pull it off, and indeed they did!
There were so many wonderful things about the game today. Haven’t done one of my lists in a while, so I guess I’ll list them all for you. Plus seeing how long the list is will make my day even better:
- We treated ourselves and sat in Lower Box seats – section 108 right before 1st base. I’ll have to remember that section because those seats were AWESOME! We both love Brandon Belt and he was right in front of us. Geez, that boy is tall!
- Before the game, several cancer patients and survivors each went out to a player position and the guys signed baseballs for them and gave them hugs (it was Strike Out Cancer Day). Love my boys!
- Timmy did a fantastic job, pitching 7 shutout innings and giving up only 2 hits. We were so happy for him. Keen and I have decided that we are his good luck charms because he also pitched really well the last game we went to together. Guess we’ll just have to attend every home game he pitches!
- We got to witness 3 home runs – from Pablo, Marco, and Brandon Belt. Homeruns at AT&T are always wonderful, and Pablo’s was even a Splash Hit, so we got to see the counter go up to 63. I had never noticed before, but they play the song “Bye, Bye Baby” at the end of every inning where the boys get a home run (Am I clueless? Has everyone else noticed this?). They just kept playing it today! It’s the ringtone on my phone, so I kept thinking my phone was ringing!
- I tried a new taste sensation – a Chicago dog. Not that I’ve never had a Chicago dog before, but I’d never had one at the ballpark before. It was extra yummy – the dog itself was so much better than the regular hotdogs you can buy there. Will definitely do that again.
- We topped out hotdogs off with a Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae. Pure bliss. And no calories on Mother’s Day, right??
- We got a cool charm necklace with SF, 2012 World Series Champs, and Strike Out Cancer charms on it.
- We got to see Brandon Crawford break a bat that went into the crowd right below us. The girl got to keep the bat piece and didn’t get hurt. And it was a pink bat (in honor of Mother’s Day). Cool beans.
- We got to witness the umpires walking off the field for an instant replay when that idiot Dawg interfered with a hit out to center field. Idiot. Had only witnessed one other instant replay before.
- They did a little video where the players talked about their moms which brought both my sister and me to tears. They’re all so adorable. Plus they showed pics of several players with their moms.
- We got to watch a 90-year-old lady have a karaoke competition with Andres Torres singing “I’m Sexy and I Know It.” She was pretty amazing. Andres, not so much (sorry, Dude!). We also got to watch this other older woman dance on the dance cam. They would show her, then show someone else, then go back to her. So much spunk, waving her orange pom-pom and all!
- We got to watch Sergio Romo close wearing pink shoes and listen to “El Mechon” and dance to it.
- We got all this free stuff from Genentech – pens, mini staplers, highlighters, a pedometer. Thanks, Genentech! We also entered a raffle Genentech had to win some baseball memorabilia, with the proceeds going to cancer research. We didn’t win, but I’m listing it because we were able to donate to a good cause.
- I got to spend the day with my sister whom I adore.
So lucky to have been able to spend Mother’s Day with my boys and my sis. My record for wins at games I’ve attended this season now stands at 3-1. WOOHOO! They are off to Toronto where my brothers will be watching them play in person. They’re on another of their baseball roadtrips. They saw a Mets’ game and a Yankees’ game in New York, then they went to the Baseball Hall of Fame today, and they’re off to Toronto to watch both Giants’ games that they play there. Luckies! Hope they share their luck with my boys.
I set a new personal Beat the Streak record this week. I got my streak up to 21, but sadly it ended today. Still have hope that I can make that 57 by the end of the season!
I’m so thankful that the starting pitchers are finally getting their stuff together. With the exception of Vogey (who I’m sure will come along soon), the starting pitchers did a fine job in their last rotations. If they can keep it going and the boys can keep hitting like they are, we are going to have a rockin’ season. Congrats to Marco Scutaro for continuing his hitting streak today which now stands at 12 games. He’s sure looking like the Marco of last season again! Everyone has been doing their part to win these games. Until next time, GO GIANTS!!
BRANDON CRAWFORD ANSWERED MY QUESTION!!
So I get a text this afternoon from my sister: “I think Brandon Crawford might have mentioned you in his blog!” Backstory: I think I’ve told you all that Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt have a blog that I follow. Remember the question I had about the weird pad thing that Brandon Crawford has been wearing over the batting glove of his left hand when he bats? Well, I posed the question to him on his blog. AND HE ANSWERED IT!! So that we can all be informed about what that weird thing is, here’s the answer straight from the horse’s blog:
“A blog reader asked about “the weird pad’’ on my left hand when I’m batting. I think he’s talking about the thumb guard (see the photo). A lot of guys wear them. It keeps the handle of the bat from sinking into the webbing between your index finger and thumb. I think it makes for a quicker bat. And you don’t feel the sting as much when you get jammed. I’ve been using it my whole pro career.”
Here’s a link to the picture of the thumb guard (and I guess that’s his hand on the bat). Couple of things. First, I’m a she, not a he. Guess he couldn’t tell that from my Word Press name (giantsfancarm), and I guess I’m kind of honored that he thought the question came from a guy. I posted a response letting him know I’m a she so maybe next time he won’t assume those type of questions are coming from guys only. Second, I guess he’s been wearing that thing all the time and I just noticed it recently. Third, the reason he wears it is totally different than what I thought. I thought it was to grip the bat better. Fourth, BRANDON CRAWFORD ANSWERED MY QUESTION!!
There was another roster change this last week. Jose Mijares had been away in Venezuela for seven days on bereavement leave (he lost the grandmother that raised him). Sending him my sincerest condolences. He came back to the team yesterday, meaning that someone else had to move down. Since he had remaining minor league options, Jean Machi was chosen. He’s gone back to Fresno. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of him this season since he’s done a great job. Regarding Machi, the latest pronunciation of his name that I’ve been hearing from the Giants announcers is “John MaCHI”, with the accent on the “chi”. They keep changing their minds!
As of today, my Beat the Streak record stands at 15, and it’s still going strong! HEEEEEEEEEEE!! On my way to winning that $5.6 million! Only have 42 more hits to go!! But even better, on my way to winning bragging rights with my brothers and cousin!
So glad my boys could pull off the win today and prevent the Phillies from sweeping them. I have to admit that I had given up on them today, though. I was listening to the game in my car between jobs, and it was the top of the 9th, with us ahead 3-1. I had to leave when the Phils scored a run and had a guy at third with one out. As I left, I figured they were about to get swept. Shame on me! You would think I would know better. I didn’t get to find out the outcome until I got home at about 7 (the woes of having a dumb phone). So even though I’m sure they have given me yet another ulcer today, my faith is restored. I am so looking forward to the game on Sunday. Timmy will be pitching, and I know he’s had his struggles, but the last time my sister and I went to a game this season when he pitched he did great. Hoping we’re his good luck charms. Until next time, GO GIANTS!
Sweeping the Dodgers Back to LA
No. They couldn’t give us a stress free game. I thought they were finally going to do it tonight. 4 to 0 all the way into the eighth. Finally some relief for all of us. NOT! Those stinkin’ Dodgers had to get 3 runs in the eighth to yet again raise our blood pressure! Thankfully it wasn’t much of a roller coaster tonight, and Sergio did a fantastic job of holding them in the ninth to finish them off. WE SWEPT THE DODGERS!! WOOHOO! Kudos to Matt Cain on making it through 7 1/3 innings and ending up with his first win of the season. And more kudos to Hunter Pence for bringing in all 4 runs that scored. And even more kudos to Andres Torres for getting 3 hits tonight. It’s always a team effort with those boys!
I hate to mention this, but we can’t lower our guard against our arch nemesis. They have a lot of key players out with injuries right now, so the next time we meet them they’ll be a different team (Adrian Gonzalez gave us a taste of this tonight). Way to take advantage of the situation though and get the sweep. The boys have been so scrappy though I’m sure they’ll be able to handle them next time as well.
I have a new spit count for you from tonight’s game. Many interesting observations:
May 5th
Giants:
- Sandoval 10
- Quiroz 6
- Bochy 4
- Posey 4
- Romo 3
- Belt 2
- Peguero 2
- Kontos 2
- Meulens 1
- Reyes 1
- Scutaro 1
- Cain 1
- Machi 1
- ? 1
Dodgers:
- Ethier 11
- Kemp 8
- Gordon 5
- Mattingly 2
- Sellers 2
- McGwire 1
- Ellis 1
- Gonzalez 1
- Ramirez 1
Misc.:
-Giants Fan 1
-Umpire 1
Game Spit Master General = Ethier at 11
Giants Game Spit Master General = Sandoval at 10
That’s a total of 73 spits during a 2 hour and 55 minute game for an average of 1 spit every 2.4 minutes (pretty spit-filled).
Peguero logged his first spits today in his second game as a Giant. I was hoping there would be at least one new guy who doesn’t spit, but alas, it is not so. Quiroz showed off his spitting prowess today, logging several of his spits through his catching helmet again and one into his mitt. Pablo had a couple of “fountain spits” – three times in succession he took a swig of water then made it flow out of his mouth like a fountain. Gordon of the Dodgers possibly set a record tonight for the longest series of spits in succession at 4. The ? for the Giants was someone out of the camera frame that spit into the frame (he was standing next to Nick Noonan in the dugout). Tonight the first fan spit of the season was logged. The cameras were looking through the crowd for fans wearing panda hats when Pablo came up, and when they landed on one girl she proceeded to spit out sunflower seeds. Nice. I had high hopes for Matt Cain this evening, but he ended up letting me down. He didn’t get caught spitting once during the entire 7 1/3 innings that he pitched (pretty sure that he’s never been spitless while pitching before),then during the first shot of him in the dugout he proceeded to expel his oral contents. Guess he couldn’t take it anymore. Silly boy.
I’m so excited to be going to the game on Mother’s Day vs. the Braves with my sis. Kind of funny that we’re leaving the families behind on that day, but they all know how much we want to be there. They’re giving away a charm necklace – more Giants bling for me! We’ve already decided we’re going to treat ourselves to Ghirardelli sundaes for the occasion. Those things are fabulously delicious! And there are no calories on Mother’s Day!
Next up this week are the Phillies, and then the Braves. Hope the boys can continue grinding them out and keep the wins coming. I’m so proud of them. Since the Rockies lost today, we sit alone atop the NL West. YAY! Stay up there! Until next time, GO GIANTS!!
They Did It Again!
Couldn’t let the night go by without commenting on the win tonight. They did it again! How is this possible? Everyone had a little part in this, and they got yet another comeback win! Congrats to the new kids on the block: Francisco Peguero hit a double in his first Giants at bat to bring in the tying run. Then not to be outdone, Guillermo Quiroz (who just got the backup catcher job) hits the game-winning walk-off home run. And against the Dodgers to boot! I seriously knew that they were going to come back and win it – they’ve done it so many times now. Still think my blood pressure is going up, though!
I went back and read the Tweet that I had sent to George Kontos earlier today. Here it is, word for word: “Can I make a request? Can you guys get an early 5-run lead today and give my heart a rest? These nail-biters are murder! BEAT LA!” Well, they got that early 5-run lead and then lost it, taking us on another roller coaster ride. Guess I’ll have to be more specific on the Twitter next time! Get the lead AND KEEP IT! LOL!
Since Colorado won tonight, we’re still tied for first place. I just know we’re all going to be chanting SWEEP after tomorrow’s game. These guys are really coming through and clawing for these wins. What spunk! I’ll be watching from home tomorrow. Can’t get enough of them. Just hope Matty has a solid performance tomorrow. Stomp those Dodgers and make us proud. And maybe the Rockies will lose and we’ll be atop that flagpole by our lonesome! GO GIANTS!!
What a Difference a Week Makes
The title of my last blog was “Heavy Sigh.” What a difference a week makes when you’re talking baseball! I think they listened to my pep talk! After being swept by the Padres (who stink) and losing 5 in a row, my boys came back and swept the D-Bags (who don’t stink) and then smacked the Dodgers last night. They took to heart Metallica Night last night and rocked it! It’s gotten to the point where you just expect these tight games, and I usually expect them to pull it off. Can you imagine what their record would be if they could just get the pitching and offense to click at the same time??? I’m sure that will happen at some point during the season, hopefully sooner than later. Until then hopefully they can keep pulling off these close ones. I tweeted to George Kontos to please get an early 5-run lead tonight and give my heart a rest!
Guys have moved back and forth from the minors to the majors this week. Jeremy Affeldt came off the disabled list yesterday and pitched in the game last night. He gave up a hit and a walk in 0.2 innings pitched, so he may take a bit to get back into shape. Glad he’s back, though. This move caused the Giants to option Sandy Rosario back down to Triple A. He did get the chance to pitch in one game where he faced one batter who grounded out. And he got a win for it! Might see him back up with the big boys if someone is injured again. Also Hector Sanchez went down to Triple AAA this week. He had hit only .150 in 11 games this season and has been having shoulder issues. Guillermo Quiroz, who’s had a much better go of things this season, will assume his role as backup catcher. I love Hector and hope he can work things out down there. Replacing Hector on the roster is outfielder Francisco Peguero. You may recall that Francisco impressed the Giants during Spring Training, but since they knew he wouldn’t be playing every day with the big boys, they decided to give him time to play in Triple A. He has continued to impress so they’ve decided to give him his chance, batting .415 with two home runs, 14 RBI, and a 1.017 OPS in 16 games for the Fresno Grizzlies. Welcome back, Francisco! I’m anxious to see how he performs.
I was able to get some answers to the questions I posed in my last blog (brothers to the rescue!). The first question was if you hit the ball and get to first but then get tagged out at second, does that count as a hit. Nick said that yes, this counts as a hit, and you get credit for the last base that you passed before being tagged out. For instance, if you were tagged out running to third you would get credit for a double. Next question was about the weird thing Brandon Crawford has been wearing over the batting glove of his left hand when he bats. They weren’t really sure about this one, but said it is probably something to help him grip the bat. I Googled “bat grip” and found this. I think that’s it. And what a deal at $8.99! Whatever it is, he should definitely continue using it! I’m going to ask the question on his blog and on the Twitter and I’ll get back to you if he answers it.
Forgot to mention it in the last blog, but did anyone else see Ace, the fastest squirrel in the world, during one of the Padres’ games last week? In the middle of the 4th inning during one of the games, Ace (a guy dressed up in a squirrel costume who’s face is clearly visible) raced a Padres fan across the outfield. Even though he gave the fan a huge head start, Ace won. I was blown away! You can watch Ace’s antics here. Before the race, the Padres were down 5-0 vs. the Giants, then after the race they proceeded to win the game. I think Ace is great and should be a permanent feature at Padres’ games, being one of the more interesting mascot acts in baseball, but maybe during Giants games they should kidnap him and keep him off the field! I’m sure Lou Seal could handle that!! Wonder how Ace would do against Torres, Pagan, or Blanco??
Beat the Streak update: My record this season still stands at 11. My brother, Paul, threatened with a 10-game streak this week, but it was ended when Dustin Pedroia failed him. My current streak is at 6, and I’m hoping I can at least beat 11 this time. Come on, folks – join in on the fun! The “beat me and you win a Coke” deal still stands!
I have one new spit count for you. It’s from that amazing walk-off win against the Dodgers last night. Here you go:
May 3rd
Giants:
- Scutaro 6
- Sandoval 5
- Belt 5
- Pagan 4
- Posey 3
- Zito 2
- Gaudin 2
- Arias 1
- Bochy 1
- Kontos 1
- Casilla 1
Dodgers:
- Kemp 14
- Ethier 7
- Cruz 3
- Ellis 2
- Sellers 2
- Mattingly 1
- McGwire 1
- Kershaw 1
Game Spit Master General = Kemp at 14
Giants Game Spit Master General = Scutaro at 6
That’s a total of 62 spits during a 3 hour and 25 minute game for an average of 1 spit every 3.3 minutes.
Kemp spits in succession a lot, up to 3 times. Yummy. Ethier does these weird short spits – very low saliva volume in succession. Why not get it all out at once? Nervous habit? Fascinating.
We’ve got 2 to go against the stinkin’ Dodgers. Hope we can stick it to them another two times. But please, quit trying to give me a coronary with these close ones! Just get it over with early! Actually, as long as you win, you can do whatever you want. Just win! Looking forward to seeing Brandon Crawford back in the lineup after his day off (and I’m sure Ginny is, too!). Hope Vogey and Matty can settle down and pull off the wins. And hopefully the boys will hit better since we’re done with Kershaw. As of today, we’re tied for first place with the Rockies in the NL West. Wouldn’t it be sweet if we could be at the top by ourselves thanks to the Dodgers?? GO GIANTS!! BEAT LA!!
Heavy Sigh
It’s now 10:00 pm as I begin to write this. The game started at 5:40 pm. After watching the roller coaster ride for 4 hours and 20 minutes through 12 entire innings, after surely giving myself an ulcer from all the torture, we lost. I’m so depressed right now. But I was determined to blog after the game today (expecting it to end around 8:30), and I’m not going to give up. So here goes. Sigh. OK – pushing the depression aside. Tomorrow is another day, right? RIGHT???
I have two new spit counts for you. Here goes:
April 26th
Giants:
- Sandoval 12
- Lincecum 11
- Pagan 3
- Belt 1
- Romo 1
- Lopez 1
- Zito 1
- Righetti 1
- Scutaro 1
- Noonan 1
- Posey 1
Padres:
- Cashner 9
- Gyorko 4
- Thatcher 4
- Venable 3
- Cabrera 2
- Baker 1
- Headley 1
- Denorfia 1
- Black 1
- Gregerson 1
- Alonso 1
- Street 1
Game Spit Master General = Sandoval at 12
That’s a total of 63 spits during a 2 hour and 20 minute game for an average of 1 spit every 2.2 minutes (highest average this season)
Several of Timmy’s spits were especially disgusting – what I call “hangers.” You can imagine what that looks like, and it’s not pretty. Lots of players got into the action today. FYI – “Gyorko” is pronounced “Jerko.” HEEEEEEEE!! George Kontos played an entire inning and didn’t spit once. I thanked him on the Twitter.
April 27th (the game from hell)
Giants:
- Sandoval 15
- Posey 9
- Casilla 6
- Gaudin 4
- Pagan 3
- Arias 3
- Torres 2
- Scutaro 2
- Kontos 2
- Machi 2
- Zito 1
- Righetti 1
- Bochy 1
- Romo 1
Padres:
- Hundley 14
- Alonso 12
- Gyorko 10
- Cabrera 5
- Bass 4
- Headley 3
- Cashner 2
- Blanks 2
- Quentin 2
- Thatcher 2
- Stults 1
- Gregerson 1
- Kotsay 1
- Venable 1
- Baker 1
Game Spit Master General = Sandoval at 15
That’s a total of 113 spits during a 4 hour and 20 minute game for an average of 1 spit every 2.3 minutes.
Such a high spitting game, even before the extra innings. Everyone was getting into the action again. Almost everyone on both teams logged a spit today. Alonso visibly had a huge wad in his mouth, so I’m assuming his spits were due to chewing tobacco. Plus they were all nasty. Pablo is making his mark as the spit leader in most of this season’s games. Unfortunately, my boy George was back to his old habits, logging 2 spits today. Poop. My thanks for not spitting last time via the Twitter meant nothing to him.
I decided to try out the Brian Wilson gnome as a good luck charm today, and had it next to me during the entire game, rubbing his beard occasionally when my boys needed help. This worked really well last season, especially during the post season. Epic fail. Guess he’s still ticked that the Giants didn’t sign him this year. Won’t do that again. He’s back on the beautiful shelf above my desk (that Dan made for me!) with all my bobbleheads. Bad gnomey.
One highlight of the last two games – some great diving catches made by Angel, Hunter, and Pablo. Apparently the one yesterday where Pablo dove to catch a foul ball and landed flat on his belly coincided with an earthquake in Southern California. Coincidence? Hmmmm… Noticed that each time Pablo made one of those amazing catches, he spat right afterwards. Crazy boy. I missed them originally, but caught them in the replay and added them to the count.
Another highlight – Gaudin and Machi were stellar today, pitching several innings in relief after Barry came out early. Love both those guys. Machi doesn’t spit much, but when he does they’re doozies! Finally figured out a way to get the pronunciation of Gaudin’s name right. It’s Go-Dan. And I can remember it because he has a red beard like my Dan. Tee hee.
Went to the game on Tuesday with my hubby, Dan, and my brothers, Nick and Paul. We had a great time, even though the boys lost. That ninth inning when Brandon Belt hit the tying homerun was probably one of the most exciting moments at a game for me. Everyone left in the stands was high fiving and losing their minds. And a big Ha Ha goes out to all those who left in the 7th inning. You missed it! So my record now stands at 2 – 1. Not bad. Tried a new taste sensation while I was there. I tried the SF “Giant” roll – a roll the size of a small burrito made with ahi tuna, avocado, bok choy, shiso (Google it), green onion, fried tofu, and yummy orange sauce (it’s called “scichimi aioli”, but thought you might be tired of Googling). It was expensive but really delicious. However it was difficult to eat without making a mess, so wouldn’t suggest it for a first date! And it went great with my margarita!
Besides short food lines, one of the benefits of a club level seat is being able to see lots of Giants memorabilia. I loved seeing all the bobbleheads and momentos from the two World Series. It was also interesting to see some bases that they had on display that you could actually touch. I don’t know why, but I always thought bases were made of cloth over padding. These were made of plastic that is pretty darn hard. It must be awful to slide into those things!!
I’m going to watch tomorrow’s game at my mom’s house with her, my siblings, and my nieces and nephew. Should be a lot of fun. Hopefully the boys can pull off a win for us. Needless to say, the Brian Wilson gnome is staying home. I have a couple of questions for my brothers tomorrow. I’m sure they will be able to answer me. First off, I noticed that Brandon Crawford had this weird thing over the thumb of his left batting glove tonight. What the hell is that thing? He should keep using it, cause it’s working like a charm! That kid sure has been hitting! The second question concerns something Pablo Sandoval did tonight. He hit the ball, ran to first, then tried to get to second but was tagged out (not even close – work on that running, Pablo!). Is that scored as a single or an out? I’ll get back to you with the answers after tomorrow.
Now, I’m going to have a little 1-on-1 chat with my boys. Please, no more torture this season! Don’t give up a 5-run lead again! I hate to resort to the tough love, but I’m desperate! Get it together! Quit it with the errors and get the pitching and hitting in sync! I know you boys can do it! GO GIANTS!!
New Kids Log First Spits
I’ve got two new spit counts for you. The boys sure have ramped it up since last time:
April 14th
Giants:
- Sanchez 12
- Sandoval 8
- Bochy 5
- Lincecum 2
- Pagan 2
- Scutaro 2
- Kontos 2
- Pence 1 (NOOOOOOOOO!!!)
- Posey 1
- Belt 1
- Righetti 1
- Gaudin 1
- Romo 1
Cubs:
- Navarro 28 (!!!!)
- Castro 9
- Sveum 4
- Jackson 2
- Schierholtz 2
- Bowden 2
- Soriano 2
- Bell 1
- Marmol 1
- Valbuena 1
Misc.:
- Umpire 2
Game Spit Master General = Navarro at 28 (new season high)
Giants Game Spit Master General = Sanchez at 12
That’s a total of 93 spits during a 4 hour game for an average of 1 spit every 2.6 minutes.
Now granted this game went into extra innings, but there was so much more spitting going on today than in the previous two games. Guess it takes them a little time to warm those tongues up. That’s the first time Hector has led his team in spitting. Most of his spits occurred during the final innings of the game. And there was one exceptionally juicy hanger that he emitted that almost made me look away from the TV. Though Navarro posted a tremendous number, it’s nowhere near the all-time record. Our friend, former Giant Nate Schierholtz, made an appearance with a couple of his stealth spits. Both Castro and Soriano exhibited the phenomenon of spitting into their batting gloves for the majority of their spits. New-Kid-On-The-Block Noonan logged his first spits as a Giant today (sigh). And the first umpire spits of the season were logged today.
Most disappointing though was the spit logged by Hunter Pence, one of the few who went spitless last season. The spit occurred after he slid into second. He looked at his hand and spat into it, then brushed it on his uni. I would guess he did this in order to get some dirt out of a scrape. Regardless, it has to be counted as the cameras picked it up. HUNTER!! Needless to say, I’m devastated about it.
April 18th
Giants:
- Sandoval 6
- Cain 6
- Vogelsong 3
- Noonan 2
- Lincecum 2
- Pagan 2
- Quiroz 2
- Belt 1
- Posey 1
- Sanchez 1
- Machi 1
- Torres 1
- ? 1 (Giant whose head was off camera – spit fell into frame)
Brewers:
- A. Gonzalez 5
- Lucroy 5
- Braun 4
- Axford 4
- Weeks 2
- Aoki 1
- Gallardo 1
- Gomez 1
Game Spit Master General = Tie between Sandoval and Cain at 6
That’s a total of 52 spits during a 2 hour and 50 minute game for an average of 1 spit every 3.3 minutes.
Unfortunately, another newbie, Guillermo Quiroz, logged his first spits as a Giant today. Guess the Giants didn’t acquire any non-spitters this season. I was able to observe a rare phenomenon exhibited by Quiroz I’ve only observed once before, by Pirates’ catcher Michael McKenry. He can spit through his catcher’s mask. One of his spits was logged this way. I find this fascinating. How does he not hit his mask?? What spitting prowess! His fellow newbie, Nick Noonan, was caught spitting up a storm even before the game started. A pregame clip of Noonan showed him spitting 3 times, and they showed that clip twice. Plus they showed him again right before the game started for a few seconds, and he spat again! Lucky I don’t count pregame spits, Dude!
I’m surprised Ginny didn’t call me on this, but I forgot to mention another hitting streak in my last blog – that of Brandon Crawford. He had an 11-game hitting streak, causing Bochy to take notice and move him up in the lineup (bumping the other Brandon down a bit). The announcers keep mentioning that if he can keep it up, he’s got a great chance at getting a gold glove this season. Hope so. We shall see.
Jean Machi who came up to fill in for Jeremy Affeldt while he’s on the DL looked fantastic in Thursday’s game vs. the Brewers. Great to see that we have some strong backup in relief. Great job, Jean (pronounced “Hay-on”)!
If you’re ever feeling down, just watch this Giants gif that my cousin Katerina sent me. Here it is. Loved it for two reasons: 1) Eli’s in it and 2) shows how much of a goofball Timmy can be! Enjoy! Also, check out the classy way Tony Gwynn deals with a heckler here. So creative and hysterical!
I have a question for anyone out there who might know: Why do several baseball players wear ripped shirts under their jerseys? I’ve noticed this on both Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Their jerseys are ripped not only at the sleeves but in areas around the collar, like little nicks have been taken out. It looks like they don’t have enough money to buy a new shirt (and we all know this is NOT the case). Just wondering.
Dianna asked me if I could find out how many total World Series rings were given out this year by the Giants. I’ve researched and have failed to come up with an answer. I even Tweeted the question to Andrew Baggarly and Marty Lurie with no response. But I haven’t given up! I’ll keep checking around until I can answer you, D! And keep those questions coming!
Keen, Lizza, and I had a fantastic time at the game last night. Lizza lasted through the entire game and didn’t complain once! Pretty impressive for an 8-year-old! I leant her my foam fist and she would fist bump us when something good happened or just because. Loved it! And the boys won! Timmy did a fantastic job – hope there will be more great outings like that to come. That means my record currently stands at 2-0 for the season. WOOHOO! Always love hearing Tony sing. Going to the game on Tuesday night and hoping the win trend will continue!
My new favorite song during the games (probably tied with Romo’s “El Mechon”) is Angel Pagan’s walk-up song this season. I couldn’t find it on the internet (the only one I could find was from last year, and it’s changed since then), but it’s Latin and got a great beat. Keen and I were dancing in our seats to it last night. Hopefully someone will put out an updated list of all of them and I’ll put them in my blog. Until then I’ll just enjoy it at the games!
I learned yet another new baseball saying from Mr. Krukow the other night. He was talking about Brandon Belt’s hitting woes and after he got a hit, his BA rose to .195. He said he was now one hit away from getting off the interstate. Love that!
So unfortunately, those pesky Brewers swept my boys. On Thursday I was hoping that that pesky Bernie Brewer had a bruised butt from sliding down that slide (3 homeruns – 3 slides). Poor Matty! But the boys were able to steal that broom and sweep the Padres. Hoping they can do the same to the D-Bags this week (even though I am looking forward to seeing Cody Ross at AT&T on Tuesday – how can you not love that guy??). GO GIANTS!!
The Come-back Kids
The boys have had a great start to their season so far, with a 9 – 5 record, second place behind the Rockies in the NL West. Hoping they can get their banner back up to the top of the pole soon (love seeing that on TV or when I go to a game). Just about everyone has been contributing, definitely a key for them since they don’t have a ton of power on the team. Pablo’s even got a 9-game hitting streak going. So much for that extra weight! Ginny’s boy Brandon Crawford has been hitting up a storm as well. Still waiting for Buster to get hot, but Marco has shown some improvement with the bat recently as well. And there have been so many outstanding defensive plays so far. Brandon Crawford continues to amaze us with his effortless put outs, and Gregor has made some fantastic catches in the outfield. Pablo made a great catch in foul territory the other day, flipping over the fence into the stands. And the newbies have continued to impress, with Gaudin going strong for multiple innings and Noonan getting his first RBIs on Sunday plus multiple hits. The boys have also proven that they can come from behind and take a game. Unfortunately they’ve had several opportunities to demonstrate this, but they’ve come through (they got close last night). I know this was not the case in the 2011 season, but I never give up hope any more if they are behind. I’ve really enjoyed the games I’ve been able to catch so far.
I attended the game on the 8th with Manny, his friend Glen, and my brothers Nick and Paul. We had a great time. Got a cool magnet schedule for my fridge. I took my foam fist and was fist bumping everyone when something great happened. Lots of opportunities for that! Got to see Hunter hit a home run. They won, so my record stands at 1-0 so far. Hope I can keep a winning record throughout the season. I’m planning on going to the Padres game on Saturday with my sis and my niece Lizza (she’s become a real Giants fan and actually watches entire games at home – even passed up a trip to the mall to finish watching a game!). They’re giving out a really cool umbrella that day with pics of some of my boys on it. Also Dan got some sweet Club Level tickets for next Tuesday’s game vs. the Diamondbacks, so he and I will be going that day with my brothers. And that will be the rubber snake’s first game this season!! Life is good!
I’m sure by now everyone’s heard about the fight that broke out between the Dodgers and the Padres the other day when Zack Greinke tagged Carlos Quentin with a pitch. These things always fascinate me – the dynamic of flowing testosterone. Everyone’s got their opinion about whose fault it was. I think both should share the responsibility. Quentin led the league in hit by pitches in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The consensus is that he leans over the plate when he’s at bat, so it’s his own fault. Thus he should expect to get hit a lot. Apparently it was the third time he had been hit by Greinke, but the situation didn’t lend itself to hitting a batter. It was a 3-2 count in a 2-1 game. So I would assume the hitting wasn’t done on purpose. However, Greinke is not guilt free. After he hit Quentin, instead of just turning around and going back to the mound, he said something to him, and I would assume it wasn’t something nice. That’s what set Quentin off. So we have yet another case of out-of-control testosterone wreaking havoc on two teams. The aftermath – Greinke has a fractured left collarbone and will probably be out for eight weeks plus he got kicked out of the game. Quentin got an 8-day suspension. For their contribution to the fracas, Matt Kemp got ejected from the game and Jerry Hairston got a 1-day suspension. Just think how much money was lost to those two teams because of this silly altercation?? And someone was physically injured. Knock it off, guys! Control those tempers! It’s just not worth it. Use your brains for once instead of letting your manly hormones take over!
We lost one of our key players to the disabled list today. Jeremy Affeldt is out with an oblique strain, apparently due to something he did on his day off. Who knows what that could have been, considering how accident-prone the guy is! Hope he’s back soon because he is really an asset to the team. Get better, Jeremy!
I have a new favorite Giants commercial. Buster has done several ads for Toyota, and here is my favorite. This just cracks me up! And the boy really can act! I also found a side-by-side comparison of the awesome Big Speech commercial with the original scene from Animal House. Here it is. They did a pretty great job, didn’t they?? Who knows what silliness is in store for us next!
I really enjoyed the game on Sunday, especially since the boys pulled off a win. I was so glad to get to watch an entire game. And that was a doozy! It was a tug-of-war with the lead going back and forth so many times, but my boys hung in there and got the win even with Timmy’s initial struggles. There were so many great offensive and defensive plays made by both teams. There was even a crazy balk in the 10th by the Cubs’ pitcher to bring in what turned out to be the winning run! Hunter’s tying homerun late in the game was outstanding. The boy’s really gotten it together this season. And he was so humble in the post-game interview. He never takes credit and always acknowledges the rest of the team. What a good boy!
I learned a new strategy that I hadn’t thought of before during this game. Crawford was hit by a pitch with two outs. This brought Timmy up to the plate. The strategy was that Crawford should not attempt to steal because if he’s out, Timmy would be up at the beginning of the next inning instead of the top of the order. You’d rather not start out an inning with the pitcher at bat. Always learning here! Thanks, Kruk!
I also have some new sayings for you. I had never heard these before – I wonder if my brothers have (they know everything baseball!). Andrew Baggarly mentioned in an article about yesterday’s game vs. the Brewers that Ryan Braun earned the first “golden sombrero” of his career. I couldn’t even guess as to what this meant, so I Googled it. A golden sombrero is earned when a player strikes out four times in one game. It’s derived from the term “hat trick” in hockey where a player scores three goals in a game. Since four is bigger than three, they coined the term using a bigger hat! In addition, five strikeouts in a game earn you a platinum sombrero and with six you are awarded the titanium sombrero. On my golden sombrero quest, I came across the term “take the collar.” This term is used when you go hitless in a game. It comes from the fact that a collar is shaped like a zero. Surprised I hadn’t heard that one since this is much more common than the golden sombrero (and it’s especially painful when it happens to one of your Beat the Streak players!). Thanks for the info, Baseball-Reference.com. So you can add those to your baseball dictionary of crazy terms!
Speaking of Beat the Streak, my record for this season now stands at 11, and I’m in the lead for my group. WOOHOO! Still waiting for someone to challenge me. Remember – if you can beat me, there’s a Coke in it for you! And you have the chance at winning $5.6 million!
If you haven’t figured it out yet from reading this blog, Andrew Baggarly is my idol. I want to be him. His writing abilities are amazing. Wanted to share this with you as just one example of why I love the guy (and my brothers will definitely appreciate this quote) – he’s talking about yesterday’s game vs. the Brewers (Zito got rung up, Buster went 1 for 4, and Braun went hitless): “I don’t usually think in terms of fantasy baseball, but I’ve got to imagine someone out there just picked up Barry Zito based on two scoreless starts and also has Ryan Braun and Buster Posey on their team. And after looking at Tuesday night’s boxscore, they probably want to punch themselves in the face.” My dream is to someday be able to write like that! Love you, Andrew!
I’ll end with some words about the ring ceremony that I inadvertently left out of the last blog. Aren’t those things lovely!?! I love seeing the looks on the guys’ faces when they finally see them. Especially poignant was the look on Ryan Vogelsong’s face as he admired his for quite some time, probably all the while reminiscing about what it took to get him that ring. And I was especially touched by this: The rings were delivered by cable car (well, wanna-be cable car anyway!), by cable car workers, and have a cable car on them. For those that don’t know, my dad was a cable car mechanic most of his life. I’m sure Pops was pleased.
Will have some spit counts for you later this week. GO GIANTS!!!
Spit is in the Air!
They’re back! I was able to watch both games this weekend in their entirety (today’s was definitely challenging to sit through!), so I have the first two spit counts of the 2013 season for you. Here goes!
April 6th
Giants:
- Pagan 3
- Sandoval 2
- Cain 2
- Kontos 2
- Scutaro 1
- Posey 1
- Casilla 1
- ? 1 (someone standing next to Barry Zito in the dugout)
Cardinals:
- Y. Molina 7 (mostly spitting out sunflower seeds)
- Miller 6
- Kozma 4
- Craig 3
- Beltran 3
- Carpenter 2
- Jay 1
Game Spit Master General = Y. Molina at 7
Giants Game Spit Master General = Pagan at 3
That’s a total of 39 spits during a 3 hour game for an average of 1 spit every 4.6 minutes.
Pretty low spitting game overall. I guess they take a while to get into the swing of things. My boy “Cutie Pie” George Kontos made it into the first spit count, unfortunately. Lots more spitting from the Cardinals than the Giants today, thankfully. Though I noticed that Matt Holliday does not spit. Regardless, he’s still a jerk in my book! Notice the Giants starting pitcher on this day, Ryan Vogelsong, is missing from the count. He went spitless. I noticed at the end of last season he started chewing gum while on the mound, and he has continued this habit into this season. I’m wondering if the gum chewing keeps him from spitting. Hope this continues and he can stay out of the count the entire season! Maybe that’s the trick – everyone needs to start chewing gum! And I’m relieved that my 3 spitless boys from last season continued their spit-free ways during this game.
April 7th
Giants:
- Pagan 3
- Cain 3
- Posey 3
- Sandoval 2
- Sanchez 2
- Kontos 2
- Scutaro 1
- Torres 1
Cardinals:
- Wainwright 3
- Jay 2
- Wigginton 1
- Kozma 1
- Craig 1
Game Spit Master General = 4-way tie between Pagan, Cain, Posey, and Wainwright at 3
That’s a total of 25 spits during a 2 hour and 50 minute game for an average of 1 spit every 6.8 minutes.
Today’s average was the lowest ever recorded. Progress! And it’s the first time we had a 4-way tie for the lead, probably because overall counts were so low. So no one’s standing out as a spit count leader so far this season. I’m pleased with that result.
Did anyone else catch Madison Bumgarner’s interview with Mindi Bach before the game today? During the interview, at least three times he bent out of the camera ‘s view to spit! Seriously?? You couldn’t remove the contents of your mouth for a televised interview?? Mindi was a trooper and just ignored it. Guess that’s one of the downfalls of dealing with boys all day. BLECCCCHH!!
Speaking of Mindi Bach, I’m assuming she’s replaced Jaymee Sire as a Giants on-field reporter. Jaymee has taken a job with ESPN. I loved Jaymee, but I also think Mindi is great and is a really good interviewer. What do you all think?
Today’s game was definitely torture to watch (and I had to watch the entire thing as I was doing a spit count!). There were a couple of highlights, though (always looking for the positive). Two of the new guys got their first hits of the season – Nick Noonan (his first in the majors) and Guillermo Quiroz. Congrats, Boys! Chad Gaudin had another stellar performance, pitching 3 innings, giving up only one hit, and striking out four. Looks like he’ll be a dominant force in relief. And Brandon Belt got his first hit of the season as well. His batting average now sits at .071. Not so great, but so much better than .000! I learned a new saying from Kruk during the game today that had to do with Belt’s average. He said it was “still on a bingo card.” Love that! For those that aren’t as bingo savvy as I am, bingo cards go up to 75. Hopefully he’ll make his way off that bingo card soon. And it was interesting that Brandon was smiling through that entire at bat. Is he psychic?? I asked him about it on the Twitter. We’ll see if he responds.
The movie “42” (Jackie Robinson’s biography) comes out on April 12th. It’s on my list of must sees. Maybe I can even drag Dan along. Looking forward to the game tomorrow – first of the season! Taking my newly-acquired foam fist along to cheer on my boys. The Rockies have a 5 – 1 record so far. Hope Madison can repeat his stellar performance from the other day and take them down. GO GIANTS!!
