IT's OFFICIAL ACCORDING TO CSN's Mychael Urban

MOLINA HAS BEEN TRADED TO THE TEXAS RANGERS FOR CHRIS RAY rhp relief pitcher.

(KOOL AND THE GANG CELEBRATE MUSIC GOING LOUD IN THE BACKGROUND as is THE SOUND OF CORKS POPPING)

RUMORS

We don't discuss Rumors here at the GIANTS CAFE. But hopefully tomorrow we will have GREAT NEWS to RELAY.

TEAM MORALE

Sometimes called "Esprit de Corps" , Morale is something that is reflective not created. You can create the conditions for good MORALE and certainly you can destroy MORALE but you can't create MORALE. When they say happiness comes from within, it means you're happy because there is nothing stopping your happiness from being the dominate feeling in your life. How many people have said: "I've given you everything in life you want; Why aren't you happy"? Without getting all new age on you, lets say good MORALE comes from being in harmonic vibration with your surroundings? (please, don't sing Kum-by-yah)

Good vibrations - Excitations

From May 29th to June 15th the GIANTS had "good, good, good, .......Good Vibrations! Yes GOOD,GOOD,GOOD........ GOOD VIBRATIONS!!!!!! Nsw naw naw naw naw etc.......

The only Buzz kill in the line up was Bengie the Burrito Belly. When the camera would do close ups on Molina after the NKOTB came up you would see "fear", "anger", disgust", "shame", "envy" and above all "Jealousy". Even though playing Molina moved Posey to first and Huff to a corner outfield position, smiles still shined in the the San Francisco dugout. Except for Bengie who went through a horrific 4 for 59 slump.

With Huff in the outfield, the other collateral damages included Aaron Rowand and Nate Shierholz. Instead of one guy being a starter, he became the 4th outfielder while the 4th outfielder became the 5th outfielder. But to their credit, Rowand and Shierholz didn't complain.

I think the Streak was highlighted by Aubrey Huff saying, this is the most fun I've had playing Baseball.

June 15th ! Edgar Renteria comes back from the DL. Ya know Wally Pip wasn't a bad guy. He was actually a pretty good 1st baseman. But he never played first base again after Lou Gehrig took his place. But you see, Edgar DID complain. I believe the exact words were: "How come I'm not starting"? Bochy caves in the historic June 16th t0 June 30th SWUNE, SLIDE, SLUMP, LOSING STREAK BEGINS.

Same camera in the GIANTS dugout shows everyone with BENGIE MOLINA FACES. Renteria who's found NEW WAYS to hit into double plays has caused more outs than At-Bats. It was noticeable that first week after Renteria's return that both Panda and Uribe were nervous. They each bobbled easy routine grounders. Both started swinging for the fences. (which usually results in a K or a pop out)

NO MORE GOOD VIBRATIONS, EXCITATIONS or CELEBRATIONS.

Bochy was forced to make someone that was contributing Big in the first 2 weeks of June feel like a square peg in a round hole. Buster Posey who was the Catalyst of the WIN STREAK seems to be taking it for the team. But it seemed apparent to sportscasters, talk show hosts and 40,000 Giant fans that Buster Posey was the spark the GIANTS needed. The shot in the arm that gave the GIANTS a NEW LOOK. In a word LEGITIMACY.

Buster Posey was like SAGE SMOKE vanishing the evil lingering presence of the DARK STEROIDAL OVERLORD and his *Home run record with his born again innocence. He gave GIANT fans a REAL REASON TO BE PROUD. They wouldn't take us for fools any more. We're a team damn it, and not just the Fat Head's back up band.

People were calling Posey "THE TRUTH". Some at KNBR even called him "THE MESSIAH". But the seeds of failure were planted in this organization when Molina was given 4.5 million Burritos and a starting job out of training camp and the front office didn't have the huevos to tell Edgar Renteria to shut up and sit down.

CHEMISTRY V 2 The 1988 Dodgers vs. 2010 GIANTS

On paper, the GIANTS have what appears to be a very dominating crew in this match up. In the 88 World Series, The Oakland A's had one of the mightiest Teams in the History of Baseball. But with all the HGH and forearm bashing that went on, The 88 Bums had Orel Hershiser, John Tudor, Ramon Martinez, Tim Belcher and a bunch of little punks named Micky, Franklin, Sharpie and guys that will never make the hall of fame except of course one Kirk Gibson.

The 88 Dodgers had exceptional pitching. The 2010 Giants have better pitching. The 88 Dodgers had a better manager and pitching coach. The 2010 Giants have position players that can go deep. So there's no need for talk about trades for more expensive meat. In fact, the GIANTS could do better with less. Have you ever had to much of something and you had to just hack part of it off and throw it in the freezer? I'm going to take the GIANTS during their recent productive stretch and compare that line up to the 88 World "Series" Champions.

Pitching is a draw

88 Dodgers vs 2010 GIANTS

Mike Scioscia vs. Buster Posey..... advantage DRAW

Franklin Stubbs vs Aubrey Huff ..... advantage GIANTS

Steve Sax vs Freddy Sanchez .......advantage GIANTS

Alfredo Griffin vs Juan Uribe.......... advantage GIANTS

Mike Hamilton vs Pablo Sandoval....advantage GIANTS

Micky Hatcher vs. Pat Burrell.......... No Contest GIANTS

John Shelby vs. Aaron Rowand........advantage DODGERS

Mike Marshall vs Andres Torres.... advantage GIANTS

*The Dodgers did have an injured Kirk Gibson who would have comped to Pat Burrell in leftfield.

With an obvious position player advantage and equal if not better pitching, you can see why I say there is no need for the GIANTS to make a foolish trade. It does however; make good sense to find new homes for Edgar Renteria and Bengie Molina.

The Yankee organization (love them or hate them) has been successful over the years because it forced it's starters to help the new guys. The Yankees put a priority on winning and didn't care who played where or how they got it done. Wally Pip actually taught Lou Gehrig how to play first base. Jerry Coleman took Billy Martin aside and taught him how to play 2nd base.

It wasn't until personalities got involved that the Yankees started losing. Reggie Jackson vs. Dave Winfield. Billy Martin vs. George Steinbrenner. And of course the most obvious being AROD vs. Jeter.

In Baseball more so than any other sport, the team that plays together stays together. It's about having players that give their best; as opposed to having the "best" players.

BTW, for those of you too young to remember the 1988 world Series, The A's had Jose Canseco - 42 homeruns, Mark McGwire - 32 homeruns, Dave Henderson - 24 home runs, Dave Parker - 12 homeruns in 377 abs and Terry Steinbach- 9 homeruns in 350 abs.

The Dodgers "Series" team only had Mike Marshall with 20 homeruns. Everybody else (except Kirk Gibson-25) had less than 10 homeruns. This team had no power and no .300 hitters (again Gibson who was injured for the Series only hit .290)

The 1988 A's won 104 games. Yet lost to the Dodgers in 5 games in the World Series.

If I were a betting man and the 1988 Dodgers (the weak playoff team) played the 2010 GIANTS I would not hesitate to take the Bums because they did it by working together. As I said earlier, the 2010 GIANTS are playing like the cast of "Survivor". They're worried about who's going to get voted off the Island. The 1988 Dodgers were playing like a bunch of kids playing "Sandlot" ball. They were having fun.

When Young Arms Go Bad

Any pitcher that's had Tommy John Surgery (MCL/UCL elbow reconstruction) has as good a chance if not better than the virgin elbow that is drafted out of Highschool. This is one reason there is a premium on College pitching. College pitcher are drafted between the ages of 21 and 22.

Most pitchers break into the Major League level at the age of 25. The human body is mature at the age of 25. In fact, the body begins to reverse and deteriorate at the age of 25. Everything from spinal disc degeneration to Male pattern hair loss begins around or at the age of 25.

When a professional pitcher with high velocity comes up at the age of 20-24;he runs a very high risk of tearing or avulsing (ripping off) his MCL or UCL ligament. It's a piece of soft tissue that holds the forearm to the elbow joint. It also stabilizes the two bones (ulnar/radius) in the forearm.

Little League Elbow. A recent study showed that 40% of kids between the ages of 9 and 12 suffer from an MCL tear or inflammation. This symptom is known as Little leaguers elbow. One of the major culprits of the symptom is a child learning to throw a hammer before his MCL matures. In fact, the MCL is often one of the slowest ligaments to mature. There's a period when young boys appear quite "Gangly" this is because their skeletal growth exceeds there soft tissue growth. These are real "Growing Pains".

Major League Baseball has a recent history of recognizing this and certain educated franchises have been quick to shut down young arms. One perfect example would be Felix Hernandez in Seattle. The King was brought up at the age of 20. However;as he was putting up incredible minor league numbers as a "teenager" in 2005 he developed shoulder bursitis and was put on the DL. After his inflammation subsided, he was called up and America saw the newest AL phenom at the age of 20. Following the Twins practice with Johan Santana, the Mariners let Hernandez work briefly his first year. In the following two years, Hernandez proved that he could own most American league batters. He possessed a 90 mph slider that was unhittable. It was also unsustainable for a 21 year old. Seattle wisely not only shut Felix down after his first bout of elbow pain, but took away his slider for 2 years. Felix who is now 25 is finally leaving the danger zone for pitchers.

But for every young arm that is shown this kind of attention, there are hundreds that get flat out "ABUSED". We saw in 1981 Billy Martin take 5 of the brightest pitchers in Baseball, Steve McCatty, Brian Kingman, Mike Norris,Rick Langford and Matt Keough and brutalize their arms all in one season. The group of pitchers made baseball history by setting the record for a pitching staff in complete games.(94)
By 1982 the "Class of 81" became the orthopedic ward of 82 leading the A's to a 5th place finish and the firing of Billy Martin as Manager and GM. None of the A's 81 staff ever came close to repeating their 81 performance.

In 2003 another Rookie phenom was brought up in Chicago. Mark Prior who was drafted as a 20 year old was brought up at the age of 22. 2003 was the year that made Major League clubs take a serious look at pitch counts. In 2003 the Rookie was averaging 113.4 Pitches per start during the regular season. In September Prior's pitch count went up to 126. Both Prior and Kerri Wood (Chicago Heat) would continue to work with high pitch counts thru the 2003 season. Prior would never repeat his Rookie year performance as a collision with Marcus Giles in 2004 would put him on the DL for what would be his primary residence for the rest of his MLB career. In 2004 while on the DL for an "Achilles strain" there were documented reports that Prior needed Tommy John Surgery. Both Prior and the Cubs denied this. Prior would return for short periods then return to the DL for pitching arm related injuries including a concussion fracture from a Brad Hawpe Line Drive.

Kerri Wood who DID have TJ surgery in 1999 came back in 2003 setting a career high in strike outs (266) and made the all-star team. In 2004 Wood sat out 2 months with a "Strained Triceps muscle". Wood's career would never recover from the punishment he took in 2003.

In Tim Lincecums first two full years of work he pitched 452.1 innings. By comparison; Felix Hernandez thru 381.1 in his first 2 full years at the Major league level. The additional 70 innings thrown by Lincecum averages out to 1050 pitches or an extra 525 pitches a season. In Hernandez's first year he thru 84.1 innings as opposed to Tim's 146.1 innings. Again, in their rookie seasons, Lincecum would throw almost 1000 pitches more than Felix.






STEPHEN STRASBURG was called up in June of this year. Washington has already said that they will INCLUDE the 21 year old Strasburg's minor league pitch count in his 2010 season and shut him down accordingly.


Tim Lincecum's recent problems come as no surprise to anyone who has been watching his usage by Bruce Bochy (who took the Giant's helm in 2007, Lincecum's rookie year)

The 2010 Barnstorming Victory Tour....and Implosion

I'm never one to head hunt the manager. It's simply to easy to blame one person. Bochy did a fine job in San Diego in the first part of the decade, it's hard to believe this is the same skipper that turned around the Padres.

In May the Giants were offensively anemic. However strangely enough, things started falling into place for the Orange and Noir with the May 29th call up of "mega-prospect" Buster Posey. On the night of Posey's 2010 debute he put on a hitting clinic. He took 0-2 counts to the opposite field like an 8 year veteran. Then in a controversial yet serendipitous move, the Giants landed Pat Burrell. Burrell was seeing the ball well and hitting with authority. This had a synergistic effect on Aubrey Huff who transformed into the ghost of Lou Gehrig. With Edgar Renteria on the DL; Juan Uribe became the sweetheart shortstop of the national league. It was not uncommon for the Giants to have back to back home run production out of the 3/4 spots occupied by Huff and Uribe. Between May 29th and June 15th the Giants won all but 5 games including a sweep of the cross bay rivals in Oakland who were in 1st place and had earlier swept the Giants.

June 15. Edgar Renteria returns from the DL. The party literally ended. San Francisco has not won a series since Renteria's return.

Chemistry. During the Giants barnstorming victory tour; Bengie Molina was experiencing a 4 for 57 slump. The effects of Buster Posey on Bengie Molina (who stopped blogging on June 2nd) can be seen on everyone Renteria is having an effect on. Molina caused a domino reaction. Bochy made catching time for Molina and played Posey out of position at first base. Aubrey Huff (an excellent DH)was put in the weak out field corner. (strong RH line up, Aubrey plays RF and etc...) Bochy even went so far as to swap multi-tasking superstar Andre Torres with Huff when ever a pinch hitter came up and the game was on the line.

With a catcher playing first,it caused the first baseman to take a position normally held by an outfielder. The Giant clubhouse was already filled with disgruntled out of work outfielders. Back to June 15th. Renteria returns but sits as the Giants would win the last game of their 2010 Barnstorm Victory tour. On June 16th, Renteria went into Bruce Bochy's office and asked why he wasn't playing. The first report was Bochy saying something like "We've got a good thing going; I'll play you when I need you". It was said that Renteria turned and walked out of Bochy's office without saying a word.

This writer questions those reports as Renteria was back in the line up in Toronto and the 2010 version of the June Swoon began. Giants lose 2/3 to Toronto. They lose 2/3 to Houston (WTF?) Ah the home stand. Giants lose 2/3 to Boston.

All I can say is Heads need to roll. It sounds to me like agents are involved and calling the shots. If Bochy is being userped; then Sabean needs to intervene. If he's not Bochy needs to be fired. If Sabean is trying to make everyone happy; Sabean needs to be fired. The bottom line is, The Victory tour will not come to your town again until Renteria, Molina and possibly Aaron Rowand have found new employers.

POSEY 3 for 4

Buster Posey dispelled any rumors of a sore wrist by going 3/4 against Boston in the home opener. Tonight at 4:00 PM PST Watch Buster catch Madison Bumgarner in his 2010 Major League Debut.

Rumor has it that Buster Posey nursing sore Left Wrist

I only have 3 questions:

1. Is it true

2. How did it happen

3. Is it a rumor to cover for the Uribe/Renteria bottle neck.

If it is true, why are the Giants trying to play it down?

If it's not true, then Bochey is trying to buy time while he screws with line-up to make crabby Veterans happy.

If it's true, is this a result of a "Golden Spikes" catcher playing out of position?

If it's just a cover, the real question is, who's going to get the axe and when?

GIANTS LOSE TO HOUSTON AGAIN

2-4 on this road trip and 2-4 with the return of Edgar Renteria. The Giants were a happy family 3 weeks ago. This dysfunctional family seems to have 2 common denominators.

Don't look for things to improve with Boston in town. Not unless Sabean trades Renteria and waves Molina.

The Making of a DYNASTY

During my days as an avid Oakland A's fan, I joined the team when they were once called the "Boat People" of the American League. 1977. It was an awful year. Elvis Died. And the A's won 63 games losing 98. For those of you who happened to frequent the east bay it looked like this in 77.

1977 .....................................Early 80's ................1988
C Jeff Newnamm.............. Mickey Tettleton....Terry Steinbach
1B Dick Allen .....................Bruce Bochte ......Mark McGwire
2B Marty Perez .................Donnie Hill ..........Tony Phillips
3B Wayne Gross ................Carney Lansford .....Carney Lansford
SS Rob Picciolo....................Alfredo Griffin..........Walt Weiss
LF Mitchell Page ................Rickey Henderson ...Ricky Henderson
CF Tony Armas ..................Dwayne Murphy ......Dave Henderson
RF Jim Tyrone ....................Mike Davis ..............Jose Canseco
DH Manny Sanguillen .........Reggie Jackson........Dave Parker


This is a caveman to Neanderthal to Champion progression of the talent acquired between 1977 and 1990. It's safe to say that in between these groups were transition players hardly anyone would remember such as Johnny Lemaster, Shooty Babbit and Luis Polonia.

But it's safe to say that the first wave of upgrades came when Billy Martin came to Oakland in 1980. Billy had a fine crop of starting pitchers in 1981 that made the cover of SI called the "Class of 81". Matt Keough, Steve McCatty, Mike Norris, Rick Langford and Brian Kingman would lead all the majors in complete games. 1981 would be the Billy Ball era most remembered as Billy Martin took his A's to a playoff game against the New York Yankees. The A's were defeated. There was controversy over Billy's use of the A's starters. Steve McCatty was the only starter from the class of 81 to have some what of a career. Billy would be back in New York in 1984. Not only was Billy the field manager, but Martin was the General Manager as well.

The next wave of maturation would come in 1986 as the White Sox would Fire their Manager Tony LaRussa. Tony would go on to win 3 American league titles and 1 world series.

The unsung hero who would join the A's organization in 1983 would be "Richard Lynn Alderson" a Dartmouth grad who would be the General Manager of the A's from 1983 to 1997 at which time he would be promoted to president of the Oakland franchise. In 1998 Sandy would leave Oakland for a job as Executive Vice president of Major League Baseball Operations. Sandy is credited with all of the acquisitions between 1983 and 1997. Not only is Sandy responsible for signing Canseco, McGwire and Weiss 3 back to back to back Rookie of the year recipients, but he receives great credit for literally stealing talent from other teams in the make up of the 1988 Championship team. Most of his great trade acquisitions came from the Dodgers in the pitchers of Honeycutt and Bob Welch. Sandy's first brilliant pitching acquisition was Dave Stewart, who had been traded around the league from L.A. to Texas then to Philadelphia. Stewart was the mainstay of the A's Dynasty.

Alderson went to the Chicago Cubs to bring home Fremont native and multiple Rolaids and Sporting News "fireman of the Year" and Cy Young winner Dennis Eckersley .

I believe the secret to Alderson's success is not his ability to find who the best available free agent was and sign him; but rather Sandy went after the best fit for the A's as well as the free Agent. (Win/Win) Eckersley was an average pitcher until he "came home" and connected with Dave Duncan. Dave Stewart had the raw intimidating talent but couldn't put it together until he was appreciated by the Oakland Community and was sat down with Dave Duncan. Alderson saw a new Ricky Henderson in New York and brought him home to Oakland.

Alderson addressed his glaring weaknesses with the draft. Proof of this is in the 3 R.O.Y. awards won by Alderson Drafts.

In retrospect, many speculate that Tony LaRussa left Oakland for the reason many managers left Steinbrenner. Sandy Alderson acquired good young talent and Tony felt comfortable with veteran players. While Sandy was using the same paradigm that created the dynasty, he couldn't get Tony to go along with the DB&R of aging players. (death, burial and resurrection) Part of any dynasty's plans are to infuse new talent while veteran talent is still there to train them. We saw this masterfully done in the 49er organization in the 80's. (just look at the many supposed replacements for Jerry Rice)

Alderson kept the A's competitive well into the 90's only now the east coast was catching up. Small market teams like Minnesota copied Alderson's/Beane's "Money ball" strategy. Then after Tony left and took Eck and Mac with him, the re-instated Steinbrenner made his presence known in Baseball. It wasn't long before Steinbrenner had the best team big money could buy.

GIANTS unable to beat 5th place Houston

The Giants brought Edgar Renteria back to the 25 man roster on June 16. Since then, the Giants lost 2/3 to Toronto, and have now split with next to last place Houston. What happened to the Giants that swept Oakland then Barnstormed through Pitt and Cinnci? What happened to the team that was 12 and 5 after Buster Posey and Pat Burrell joined the club?

Bochey lost his focus (mind) and went back to the losing line up he had before Renteria's stent on the DL. (sans DeRosa) The Giants were blown out by a rebuilding Houston squad. The truth is, Houston played with more Chemistry than the Giants.

Buster Posey has been benched for 3 days now. Bochey must have thought that the winning streak in late May was a fluke, or he caved to Renteria in the closed door meeting.

It appears the underachieving millionaires are showing the manager who has the power on the team. This must be crushing the spirit of the guys that carried the team through the winning streak. Huff, Burrell, Torres, Uribe, well pretty much everyone except Molina and Renteria.

What separates Championship teams from losing teams is Chemistry. Not the kind that turned Barry Bonds into a size 9.5 hat size. I'm talking about guys feeling good around each other. The problem is, the manager has to be firm with those who don't know their place.

Perhaps as soon as Bruce Bochey grows a set, he'll tell the overpaid millionaires that they're in a holding pattern waiting to be released or traded while the producers carry on putting games in the win column. If not, the season will be long. Sabean will try to over compensate by spending more money on former steroid users and by August the Giants will be 12 games behind Los Angeles and San Diego. It wouldn't surprise me to see Colorado in 3rd as the Giants and D-Backs fight it out for a draft pick.

On the other hand; If Sabean finds new homes for Molina and Renteria and decides to bring up Madison Bumgarner, the Giants might be playoff bound instead of the same old same old.

The Giants had that Chemistry for one game. The game Buster started behind the plate. There was balance in the universe. Huff at first, Freddy at 2nd, Uribe at Short and Panda being panda.

The birds were singing and sun was shining.

That's how it was for 1 game in June.

Nightmare Line up AGAIN

Bochey thinks he's a genius because he pulled off a win with his Ace against a team that is .5 games out of last place. Perhaps he could use the Lineup that Beat AZ 12-1 ? Ah but what to do with the millionaires. Screw them. Send them to the Yankees. They like to pay good money for useless talent. Only unlike Sabean; Steinbrenner cans their but as soon as he finds out that they're useless bums.

Like Molina and Renteria.

The Beginning of the END? Or The End of the Beginning?

According to a tweet by SF GIANT BEAT WRITERS, Bochy is doing a major screw job on the roster. All of this to make Renteria Happy. I say, what ever it takes to start a losing streak. As soon as the Giants start losing consistently, They will see that this shotgun approach to the 25 man roster will not work. Panda at first? Uribe at 3rd and the has been at Short Stop. And of course Fat boy behind the plate.

Sometimes you need to look at what worked when you were winning and try to build on that foundation. Sticking injured players back in the line up just because they're off the DL is not good logic. Good logic is putting Molina and Renteria on the DFA list.

STEROIDS 2010

The great news is, The era of the HULK is over.

The Bad news is, Steroids are here to stay.


In the late 70's and early 80's, Cocaine usage was rampant. It was at parties every where. It wasn't until John Belushi, and other popular celebs were found dead because of Cocaine did the public start to respect Cocaine. Cocaine was glorified at Studio 54 in NYC. It was glorified in the movie Scar Face. In the early 80's, I didn't know many people that hadn't done Cocaine.

Is Cocaine still around? Sure. There are still some people that end up selling their kids college tuition to get one last wire. But it's still here.

Steroids had it's glory days as well. Long before Barry saw Mac beefing up at the Home run hitting contest in Pac Bell. Once again we can go back to the early 80's. Steroids have been prescribed to help the body heal faster. HGH (Human Growth Hormone) aided in the maturity of muscle tissue. So almost over night; the average lanky baseball player started looking like Hulk Hogan or at the least, a power hitting linebacker. In the early 2000's I asked a ball player from San Mateo College if he saw much juice at the college level. He told me he and his friends had been injecting since high school. When it comes to multi-million dollar bonuses, whats a little testicular shrinkage anyway? But unfortunately steroids go beyond just minor annoyances.

Take Bret Benoit. (1967-2007) Bret was a soft spoken Canadian WWE wrestler that was being treated with testosterone for low hormone levels as a result from illegal steroid abuse. When police entered the Benoit residence the once loving father had killed his wife and only son before taking his own life. This fueled speculations of "Roid-Rage" .

In the early 1st decade, Steroid use in Baseball was ubiquitous which led to a congressional hearing in March of 2005 and strict testing in 2006.

The Players are smaller now. Even the He-men that are still playing look like shadows of themselves. But offensive numbers have dropped. Is this proof that the game is steroid free?

NO!

In fact, steroids are there if you have the right chemical connections. The scam is to find new steroids that haven't been put on the list of 58 PEBs or 30 Stimulants. Add a molecule here or there and the substance becomes something else with the same results. That's how certain home run records were broken. Chemistry combinations are endless and the Chemist is the chef.

But like Cocaine in the 80's; better education of long term steroid abuse has encouraged more players to play clean. In fact, those who put up steroid numbers are watched like the KGB. It's not worth getting caught. The era of steroidal promiscuity is over. Steroidal use isn't, but the attitude of "everybody else is doing it so I have to" is gone.

More runs are being scored by "little ball" and "base running".

This is great news and an even better reason for fans to come back to the park. Baseball is and has always been a team sport. With less steroid monsters in the league; the more "team play" you'll see on the field.

The FUTURE of the GIANTS

Soon to be 21 year old Madison Bumgarner, was a first round pick for the GIANTS in 2007. The Left handed pitcher out of Hudson N.C. has a mid 90's fastball, a nice slider and change up that is still a work in progress. Baseball America has comp'd Bumgarner to Kevin Brown as far as being a tough competitor. He is a front of the order starter so unless something happens to Lincecum, Cain or Zito; do not look for Bumgarner to come up any time soon. Just recently the Giants called up Joe Martinez when Todd Wellemeyer was sent down. Bumgarner will probably come up in August if the Giants are looking at the playoffs.

Zack Wheeler is 15 months younger than Madison Bumgarner and throws from the Right side. Unlike Bumgarner, Wheeler is further advanced than Bumgarner was coming out of highschool. Wheeler is also a front of the order prospect. Wheeler acquired in the first round of the 2009 draft, has a mid 90's heater, a hard breaking curve and a change up that is quite advanced for such a young prospect. Zach started 2010 in Low A Augusta and will not be rushed. With all the concern over Jonathan Sanchez and Todd Wellemeyer, the GIANTS are in no hurry to rush Wheeler at all. With all the tools Wheeler has developed at such a young age, he still needs to work on his command. It's possible to say that when the time comes, Wheeler and Bumgarner will become the new Lincecum/Cain tandum.

With all the competition this year at shortstop between Juan "ooooh" Ree-bay" and Edgar Renteria, the Giants are blessed with a 23 year old college draftee named Brandon Crawford out of UCLA. Brandon was originally slated to go in the early 1st round of the 2008 draft having received national attention with both his defensive and hitting skills. Then came the Cape Cod league. (a Showcase for potential college prospects) The general consensus was that Crawford was struggling with the transition to wooden bats. So instead of going in the first round of 2008; the GIANTS got a steal in the 4th round enabling the GIANTS to draft Buster Posey in the first round. Offensively, Crawford has the power to hit 15 to 20 homeruns a year. He has good speed on the base paths and is learning to bunt for hits.

He has been compared to J.J. Hardy.

Happy Fathersday/Birthday

Today is my birthday and Father's day. My father use to take me to Candlestick on my Birthday. On rare occasions, Father's day would land on June 20th. A win/win situation.

The GIANTS CAFE is observing father's day and the writer's birthday.

BTW, The Giants beat Toronto 9-6. It wasn't pretty. J.Sanchez only made it 2.2 innings. However, Freddy Sanchez hit his 6th HR, Huff hit his 12th and Pat Burrell his 3rd.

Jeremy Affeldt struggled in the 9 and had to hand the ball over to Brian Wilson to get the final out.

Tomorrow is an off day before heading to Houston for 3.

Ace out......

CHEMISTRY

"It's not about having the BEST players; it's about having the RIGHT players".
Herb Brooks, 1980
Coach, Team USA Hockey


"I was shocked when Jerry (Coleman)came up to me when I was a rookie and told me to meet him on the diamond. He wanted to teach me all he knew about playing 2nd base. I couldn't understand why the guy who's job I was trying to take was helping me take his job. Jerry told me that it's more important for the Yankees to win no matter who's playing 2nd base. If he got injured, it was Jerry's responsibility to have prepared me to step in and play 2nd base. It's just the Yankee way".

Billy Martin,
2nd Baseman, New York Yankees 1950-1957

The above quotes are from winners on historical championship teams.

"If I have to teach someone else how to catch in the major leagues; I'll retire".

Bengie Molina
Catcher, San Francisco Giants

"Apparently Edgar Renteria went into Bruce Bochy's office this morning and asked him why he wasn't in the line up. Bochy told him and Renteria turned and walked out without saying a word".

F.P. Santangelo
S.F. Giants Post game commentator.

The GIANTS DROPPED THEIR SECOND GAME IN TORONTO 3-0.

I've been saying for a week now that all is not one big group hug in the GIANTS clubhouse. I'm only speculating as I haven't actually been in the clubhouse; but with perennial starters coming back off the DL while their replacements have "Grabbed the Bull by the Horn" (to quote F.P.) you can tell on the road that there is tension in the air. You can tell by the bobbled grounders that infielders are hearing footsteps over their locker.

This is what happens when you have a situation like the GIANTS are now experiencing. As childish as it sounds (see the Molina statement) players sitting are wishing negative thoughts (eg, errors, injury etc...) on the guy who's playing his position, while the starter is watching his step, worried about making errors and trying to "over-produce" at the plate. (often leading to popups, flyouts and of course swinging strike-outs)

This is not a productive culture. This is not a Championship culture. A Championship culture is when all 25 guys in the stadium want to do what is right for the team. As long as you have players putting their egos before the team, you don't have a team. You certainly don't have a Championship team.

The post game commentators had me laughing when they said they were frustrated because of how the GIANTS couldn't score runs in Toronto after having a successful home stand. Ummmm Edgar Renteria returned to the roster on 6/16. Molina vs. Posey is not a heavy weight boxing match. (although one of them would qualify) And you've got outfielders being displaced because Sabean won't waive Molina. So Posey (the golden Spikes award winner) is forced to play out of position at 1b, while Huff, the GIANTS 1b (at best) takes up an outfield billet. Andres Torres is the only GIANT who deserves to be a GIANT outfielder, while DH Pat Burrell fills in where ever needed and occasional bonus PT is divided up amongst Nate Shierholts, Aaron Rowand and even a recovering Mark DeRosa.

Nothing kills moral faster than having to compete with your teammates as well as another team. At home, the tension between Posey and Molina was only at the park. When Renteria came back, he didn't play so the team seemed loose. Being on the road is like living with the attitudes and emotions. Teams need to be like family when they're on the road. The GIANTS are acting more like contestants on "Survivor". Each one of them (except Aubrey Huff) are wondering who is going to get voted off the Island. I can think of about 6 that could be DFA, including one in the bullpen.

Ace out

Game 2 in Toronto CAIN 6-4 vs.LISTCH 0-1

Today Matt Cain takes the mound against Jesse Listch. Matt who threw a shut out in his last outing against Baltimore will try and go for a split in the Toronto series.

The GIANTS trail L.A. by .5 game and are 1.5 games behind the league leading Padres.

Mindless errors and Nerves cost Giants,Zito Win

In Toronto, Barry Zito and the Giants were given a gift in the first inning. A bases loaded walk brought in a 1-0 lead that would last into the 5th inning when a comedy of hey moes cost the Giants 2 runs. The Giants would get one back in the 6th and eventually lose the game on an Encarnacion solo home run in the bottom of the 8th.

Mental errors cost Zito this win. In the 5th with Blue Jays on 1st and 2nd, the Panda fields a 2 hopper cleanly. Instead of making the tag on Alex Gonzalez who was going to 3rd, Panda seemed to almost step out of Gonzalez's way to try and force Bautista at second. Gonzalez basically waltz by Panda untouched and the throw to Sanchez at 2nd was not even close to getting Bautista.

With the bases loaded; Encarnacion hit a shot into left scoring 2.

It's important to note that in addition to Panda's blown play at 2nd in the bottom of the fifth, Uribe also bobbled a grounder for an infield hit which set up the 1st and 2nd situation.

Panda and Uribe were far from relaxed tonight. Could it be the presence of Renteria in the club house?

This is what I wrote about earlier today. The chemistry needs to come together. Not turn to oil and water. The Giants wasted a great pitching performance by Barry Zito. I think several of the starters on the field were aware of those in the dug out.

SABEAN NEEDS TO PUT OUT THAT FIRE NOW.

How Good are these GIANTS .....REALLY

It's easy to get excited about the last Month of Giants Baseball. Buster Posey, Who many have nicked named "THE TRUTH" has given the Giants hope for a bright future. Aubrey Huff has done everything but sent Limousines to the guys homes to take them to the park. Uribe has become an all-star in Renteria's absence. (If Renteria isn't Wally Pipped the Giants are fools) Panda has gotten his stroke back, Andres Torres has played everywhere in the outfield (WITH AUTHORITY) while hitting .300 and showing off that Gazelle speed on the base paths.

"NOTE TO BOCHY; don't put Torres in the line up BEHIND PANDA OR BENJIE.

But in the last month, the Giants have played 4th place Colorado, Last place Arizona (15 under .500) Oakland (.263 as a team and 28th in HR's) Baltimore (Worst of the worst,for now) Pittsburgh (last place) and struggled with Cincinnati.

Tonight the GIANTS face the Toronto Blue Jays, a team that hit 50 home runs in the month of May alone. The Jays are currently in 4th place, but in any other division would probably be in first place. The Jays are sporting some great young arms in Ricky Romero and Shawn Marcum.

The GIANTS are going to need to be playing as a team tonight. If they're not, Toronto will expose their holes. We will see if the FRONT OFFICE can straighten out who they need to keep and who they need to show the door. (no matter how much they've been paid) Then need to cut the crap with Posey not catching. They need to put Aubrey at first where he belongs and they need to fine tune the outfield with outfielders. (This means getting Aaron Rowand back in the saddle, or trade his ass) Perhaps the GIANTS could package Molina, Rowand and Renteria to Florida for Cameron Maybin.

One can only wish, right?

My Inside Source tells me

Buster Posey was just taking the day off. He'll get two days to regenerate his swing. (Today is an Off Day)

We'll See How the "TRUTH" does tomorrow in TORONTO.

POSEY GETS DAY OFF. GIANTS BARELY WIN

When did TRIPLES ALLEY BECOME DOUBLES ALLEY? OH YA, When Bengie hits a ball into right center.

I'm looking forward to an exciting 3 game series in Toronto. This would be a good chance for Bochy to let Posey catch 3 in a row. (ok, 2 in a row, sorry Eli) He can let Molina hit DH. Too bad there's no DR. (designated runner) Buster got his first day off today and tomorrow is a scheduled off day. We should see a revived Buster in Toronto.

Aubrey Huff has become the guy. We were all saying in May that the Giants were just one impact player away from greener pastures. If Bochy could get his A line up in there, the Giants could easily catch the Padres and maybe even put 8-10 games between them. Who is in this A line up?

Buster Posey Ca
Aubrey Huff 1B
Freddy Sanchez 2B
Bear Panda 3B
Juan Uribe SS
Andres Torres RF
Pat Burrell LF
Aaron Rowand CF

I think this is the line up you'll see in the Play offs.

I Predicted this Last Night.....

The reason the Orioles are struggling so helplessly is bacause of those STUPID CAPS WITH THE BIG FAT ZERO on the front. When you wear a hat that makes you look like you're the ZEROS, You're not going to score much of anything. Baltimore wore their Bird caps tonight and won 4-1.

Then again, Molina started behind the plate.

OK, enough of that. Did you notice that Bochy has now dedicated Eli Whiteside as the official Bengie Molina Seeing eyed base runner? How humiliating? But I guess putting Molina on base is a good defensive move. You're pretty much making the next 3 batters look for walks, or swing for the fences. I would imagine it's tough being the team's handicap and making 4.5 million to boot. What do you say to Bengie? Don't get on base? Hit one out Bengie? Don't constipate the base paths Bengie? How come you're making more money than me Bengie?

Unfortunately, as long as the GIANTS are winning, Molina will be around to help them lose. In fact, The Giants have only lost games Molina has started since Posey's arrival. Is this indicative of a chemistry shift when Molina is in the line up?

Ah but Molina is the Obvious issue. Once Sabean grows a set and actually does something with Bengie; I'm sure the focus of game loss will be the Bull Pen. But it will be nice to see Posey behind the plate, Huff at 1st, Torres in RF, Rowand in CF and Burrell in LF.

BUSTER POSEY is NOT a FIRSTBASEMAN

There are 4 unsung heroes on winning teams that often get no respect or the accolades they truly deserve.

1. The reliable set up reliever. This is the guy that does everything from mopping up a 3rd inning blow out to saving an east coast day game for the team's closer who pitched at 11:00 PST last night. His ERA is usually .275 to .350 and he can keep it in the park.

2. The Utility infielder. He's able to step in for a Troy Tulowitsky and turn the double play after playing for an injured 3rd baseman all week. THEN Make a Willie McCovey style stretch at first to retire the side. Nobody cares about his .238 batting average because his value is in his versatility. He usually makes his offensive living "getting them over or getting them in". Can you say Marco Scutaro and Ried Brignac?

3. The Fourth Outfielder. Truly an unsung hero. If he's used strictly as a bench player his role is being diminished. Ideally the 4th outfielder should play every outfield position every 3rd to 4th day keeping the starting outfield fresh. Guys LIKE Andres Torres are more than just impact players, they enable guys like Pat Burrell and Aubrey Huff to keep their level of play at an impact level.

Many teams are now starting to see that the act of starting every game like Gehrig and Ripken did is not exactly a virtue. How much more productive could both of those players have been had they had a day off?

Lastly, and this is for the two Yayhoos at KNBER in the noon to 3 slot, A 5 tool catcher is like the key to the city. It's like the Pink Panther Jewel. The catcher is the true essence of any ballclub. Behind any great staff, you'll find a great backstop. The Craig Biggio experiment in the 80's I felt was a failure. We'll never know what kind of seasons Houston would have had with Biggio behind the plate. But Most great catchers are associated Championship teams. Bench and the Red Machine, Carter and the Mets, Freehan and the Tigers, Steinbach and the A's, Ray Fosse and the A's, Varitek and the Red Sox,etc....
Should the Twins put Mauer in the outfield just to preserve his productivity, it will end up being a mistake. BUSTER POSEY SHOULD BE CATCHING EVERY DAY with Whiteside giving him a day off when Jonathan Chez pitches.

Great first basemen are easy to find. First base is often a "Default Position" (see Albert Puholz, Jim Thome,etc...) But an all-star catcher is truly a baseball blessing. Your caller said Johnny Bench could have extended his career another 3-4 years if he played in the outfield. But who would have been as good a catcher? Would there have been a BIG RED MACHINE?

Right now SABEAN has a serious, yet simple decision to make. He must trade Molina or just eat the 4.5 million. The Giants are winning because the flow of traffic on the base paths are not being obstructed. Had Molina been on first last night when Panda hit the double scoring POSEY from first, do you think it would have looked pretty for anyone?

Buster will be fine behind the plate just as Russell Martin, Brian McCann and Joe Mauer have been. They're not only the "BEST" players at that position; but the "RIGHT" players at that position. Every player represents 1/25th of the active roster. When you start giving leverage to one player over the rest, you end up with non-team players. You have a divided collective.

BUSTER POSEY IS A CATCHER. A DAMN FINE ONE. Tell SABEAN to spend his money on Adrian Gonzalez if he needs a first baseman.


Ace out

Is Umpiring really that bad?

I remember Gary Cooper's line in the Movie "The Pride of the Yankees". He says:"One thing I've learned is no matter how much arguing you do, you can't change the call of the umpire".

Lou Gehrig is lucky he never got to see digital high definition replays. I do believe this one principle to be true; Umpires blow calls. But I still believe they blow calls indiscriminately. Last night in the GIANTS V ORIOLES GAME I saw what could have been possibly the ugliest called game in history. You would have thought that there was a "FIX" in on this game. Poor Juan Samuel couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Now folks remember; THIS IS A GIANTS BLOG.

But we don't want to win games this way. The first case that Samuel argued at 2nd base was more than legit. Freddy Chez was nowhere near 2nd base when he made the pivot on the double play.

The double off the RF wall should have/could have been a Home run. Krukow was announcing "hurry up and pitch the ball".

The play at first was so badly blown, it was worse or more blatant than the call that lost Galaraga his perfect game.

Are the Umpires afraid to make safe calls now? An even better question would be; was it always this way? Are we just seeing it better on replay with HD and a 60 inch screen?

As much as I think we're seeing a lot of bad calls, I don't think we need to rush to using video replay. I think what we saw last night was just sloppy umpiring. It all went against the Orioles which is unfortunate. At least the Umps didn't try using 2 wrongs to make a right. I don't think the Umps were against the Orioles. I just think the Orioles were unfortunate to be on the receiving end of some pretty bad calls.

WHY THE GIANTS ARE WINNING

One huge reason the GIANTS have won 11 out of there last 16 is NOT the power of Aubrey Huff OR Pat Burrell. Although their arrival as well as Buster POSEY's did neutalize the slumps of Molina and Panda bear.

In tonight's game we got to see a serious problem defined. After Burrel led off with a solo homerun off of Chris Tillman, Buter Posey got on base with a single up the middle. Behind Posey was the Panda who drove a triple that was stretched into a double into triples alley. POSEY scored easily from first. He scored standing up with NO THROW. My point is not that we're winning games because of Posey's great speed; but rather Molina's absence is keeping the flow of traffic moving at a steady/winning pace. Had Molina been on first he probably would have been thrown out trying for third. Either that or looked rediculous forcing Sandoval to hold to a 3 base single.

The question has been for management for the longest time. Where do you bat Molina? The smarest thing for the opposing team to do would be to walk Molina. That would stop any chance of a rally. I think Bochy Knows this which means he has a very serious 4.5 million dollar problem on his hands.

My other concern which the Giants need to address now is their Bull Pen. When called upon in the eigth inning to do their thing, the pen has been suspenceful to say the least. What happens when you have great young starters and NO faith in your pen is you get several starters going on the DL with elbow pain. Then TJ surgery. Then you have the 2004 Chicago Cubs starting staff or worse, the 1981 Oakland Staff. It's a shame that the 81 A's Rotation will be known not as the "Class of 81" like they were billed by S.I.; but as great pitching coaches that had their professional careers ended early by Billy Martin.

Many still wonder what kind of numbers Mark Prior, Kerri Woods and Carlos Zambrano would have put up had Dusty not driven Prior and Woods to Surgery.

As a side note, Is it just me, or does Buster Posey look like he's starting to tire? When he came up he was stinging line drives to all fields. Tonight going 1 for 4 he bounced out easily to the infield. He seemed to start his funk on the road trip to Pitt and Cinci. He looks like he's just trying to make contact. I hope the Giant's hitting coach Hensley Meuller hasn't F'd with his mechanics. If so, he should be fired.

Ace out.

The 8th Inning Horror show continues

The day before it was Guillermo Mota giving everyone in Green and Gold and free ride. Yesterday in the 8th LHP Runzler takes a Sweeney bouncer back to the mound. Takes a deep breath, collects his composure, then fires Mr.Spalding into the right field Bull Pen. LOL, Sweeney ends up on 2nd, then scores on a base hit making the score 5 - 2. It really looked like the start of another bad day in the pen.

They left Runzler in to get out of it, but he couldn't. So lets try Guillermo Mota AGAIN. Mota made thins so exciting getting 1 out and giving up 2 free base on balls.So in comes Hyro Garcia. I mean,,,er,,, Santiago Casilla. (same guy) Santiago struggles but only gives up a hit and a walk but closes out the came.

Brian Wilson had gotten up in the 8th but with Huff's solo shot in bottom of the 8th, Wilson sat down and Casilla finished of the game.

Matt Cain only gave up one earned run in 7 innings and lowered his era to .205 while Vin Mazarrow who truly pitched his but off, pitched 6 innings giving up 6 hits and 3 runs. Two of his hits were gondies to Aubrey Huff (10) and Juan Uribe (10).

Buster Posey is on an 0 for 8 streak, but so are many great hitters during this interleague play.

Note to Brian Sabean: The Giants are 10-5 since May 29th when Buster joined the club. If you subtract Molina's O for days and insert Burrel or Huff's productive days, the Giant record might read more like 13-2.

But hey that Molina sure can call a game ya know?

The GIANTS' BULL PEN

BRIAN WILSON...........Then everybody else. Unlike the A's that can call on (with confidence) guys like Craig Breslow, Brad Ziegler, Adam Bailey and Jerry Blevins, The GIANTS AND GIANT FANS must hold their breath with taking a 6 run lead into the eigth. Chances are one of these 3 arms will give up a game tying fat pitch.

Gillermo Mota - (who needs to control his temper)
Santiago Casilla ~ (Or what ever his name is this year)
and
Denny Bautista ~ "El Petrol"


This is why Lincecum was forced to throw 500 innings in his first 2 seasons. Unless El Gigantes can bring up some bull pen help they can rely on, you're going to see a deterioration of a once fine starting staff, or the complete melt down of Brian Wilson.

I'm sure Brian sees it coming.

BTW, The GIANTS took a 5 to 1 Lead into the top of the 7th.

ENTER GUILLERMO MOTA (Spanish for "Hey, you base runners feel like running"?)

Santiago Cassilla (Spanish for, "Hey look at those empty bases")

Finally ENTER BRIAN WILSON: " Spanish for SIT DOWN"

The Giants win 5-4.

Where did 40 years go?

In the 1970s, we use to have these really cool bar-B-que grills from Japan called "HIBACHI" GRILLS. They were cheap, convenient, durable and got the job done. I'm sure most beaches in America have at least one battleship's worth of cast Iron burried from Hibachis.

What made Hibachi's so different from a Weber or Coleman grill was that the grill itself had wooden handles. So when your protein was medium well; you picked up the whole grill by the handle and took it inside the house sort of like a serving tray. They are perfect for front porch grilling. Sometimes you don't want to get out the big battleship barbeque just to grill a couple of New Yorks. What's really cool is that, since it's so small, you can cook on your porch in the rain or snow. So it seems like summer all year long.

The grills were adjustable from the top. If you wanted less heat, just mount the grill a notch higher. The entire grill was 10" X 18" by maybe 10" tall. Perfect for the apartment patio.

The other great thing about Hibachi's were that in the 70's, they sold for about 6.95 and were available EVERYWHERE. I MEAN EVERYWHERE. You buy them where ever charcoal was sold. The grocery store, the Liquor store, Drugstore chains use to have 8 ft. stacks of card board boxes filled with Hibachis.

Try and find one now. I dare you. (without going on-line)

They are no longer to be be found in the non-asian community like in the 70's. In the 70's, picking up a new Hibachi was as easy as grabbing a quart of milk.

Now they're rare.

My theory behind the vanishing Hibachi is the price of cast Iron. In the 70's the Hibachi sold between 5 and 10 dollars. Then they quit making them out of cast iron. Then the price went up to 15 - 20 dollars. Well for another 10 dollars you could buy a Weber grill with a lid.

Today I went looking for the elusive Hibachi. I went to Home Depot, Target, OSH,CVS,Rite Aide, Safeway,I even went to an old school department store that hasnt changed much in 40 years, (except they quit carrying hibachis) I tried everywhere but with no success.

I finally found one for 26 bucks on Amazon.com . The great news? It was over 25 bucks so I got free shipping and didn't have to pay tax.

COOL.

BTW, Hibachi's are perfect for the "Tailgate party". And I say TAIL GATE Literally. They use to fit perfectly on the tail gate of your truck.

Mine was delivered in about 4 days. It was sturdier than the liquer store hibachis from 1977. One thing that was comically the same, It came with extra long screws and shorted 2 short screws. (this was common in the 70s) The design was a little different. This hibachi is less tapered than the old school hibackis. But it's easier to clean. It looks like it will last a couople of years. (most hibachis broke by the end of summer)

Overall; it's not the same, but it's close enough. The things that differ are actually better and easy to get use to. They say you can never go home. This was close. It was like going home and finding that your parents moved into the more expesive house next door.

BUSTER POSEY BATTED 3RD LAST NIGHT

The 3rd spot is where you put your most dangerous hitter. The first 3 spots in the line up will get the most "at-bats" in the order. The #3 hitter will have the most chances to come up with runners in scoring position.

Bengie Molina hit his 3rd Homerun. His first in 99 at bats. Good for Bengie.

The GIANTS TOOK GAME 1 of the 3 game interleague series.

My Top Ten Favorite Baseball Movies

10. Damn Yankees (Tied)

10. Safe At Home


9. The Fan


8. Little Big League

7.Major League

6. 61*

5.The Natural

4. Sand Lot

3. Field of Dreams

2. Bull Durham

1. PRIDE OF THE YANKEES

The Greatest Line From a Baseball Movie

"I would have played for food money"

~ The Ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson, Field of Dreams

It's a Game

Dear Mr.Sabean,

How many players on your 40 man roster love what they do? I mean, how many of these guys would be playing in a softball league if they never had a chance at the Majors? I know better than to ask how many would play the game for free. The Union would never allow that, but how many players appreciate the game? If they can't appreciate the game how can they appreciate the fans? How many of them have the attitude Barry had that all fans just want to sell his signature on EBAY for 50 bucks? (There was a Giant to be proud of)

Right now you have 25 individuals. About 8 of them act like a team. The next time you go signing someone elses cuts, how about signing some "team players" and not just some old guys who use to be good before the league started testing.

13 Hits, 8 Walks, 6 Runs and THE GIANTS LOSE

And Buster Posey gets 2 hits and "LOWERS" his batting average to .444 incredible !

The Giants lost starting pitcher Todd Wellemeyer after going 2 complete innings allowing no runs. Wellemeyer left with a strained quadracept muscle. (thigh) and handed his 4 to 0 lead over to Denny Bautista. After a 5 hit, 4 run barrage by Cincinatti in the bottom of the 3rd, Bautista settled down in the 4th and retired the side.

Romo and Cassilla would hold the Reds scoreless as The Giants put up a run in the 5th and one more in the 7th.

Enter Guillermo Moto.

The Giants not only lose their 2 run lead in one inning but Moto allows the go ahead run to score from third Blowing the save/Win all in the 8th. Mota gave up 4 hits, 3 Runs all earned in one inning of work. He earned his 2nd Blown save.

I don't know this for sure, but it appears the Giants are having problems in the clubhouse. Bochy has had a different catcher behind the plate every night this week with the exception of tonight. (Whiteside caught) Molina who is making 4.5 million dollars this year is sitting on the bench with his .052 BA for the last 54 at bats. It was good to see Panda bear get a couple of hits today. Unlike Posey, Panda's average went up with the 2 hits to .280 while Posey's dropped to .444 .

There is no reason why a team with this kind of talent should lose a game after getting 13 hits, 8 walks and 6 runs. I would love to know what is going on in the bull pen.

In the other dugout, it's interesting to see the rookie sensation Mike Leake give up 5 unusual runs in 4.1 innings.

The Giants should be happy to get out of Cinci with a split.

The Steroid Exodus

Steroids did considerable harm to baseball. Besides making most baseball rookie cards worthless for the last 25 years; it drove off the serious fan. I spoke with the commissioner of Baseball's office today and recieved materieal I'll be sharing with you regarding the current drug testing program. Look for a multi segment blog on "The Post Steroid" era in baseball. A New Beginning !

BTW, Buster Posey hit his first Major League home run today in Cincinatti and went 2 for 4. Aubry Huff and Andres Torres also went 2 for 4. After 10 days the kid (Posey) is sporting a .500 on base percentage.

The Panda remains hitless as was Freddy Sanchez.
The big mystery is, What the Heck is Bochy doing? Monday Buster Posey gets his first start behind the plate. Yesterday Bengie Molina started behind the plate. Today Eli Whiteside started behind the plate. Who's going to catch tomorrow? Panda Bear?

An evening of pitching supremacy

The 21 year old Stephen Strasberg was electrifying in his Major League debut. He struck out 14 batters, the most in a debut appearance since J.R. Richards in 1971. Although he gave up a 2 run homer to Delwyn Young, the Nationals gave Strasberg enough run support to beat Pittsburgh 5-2 and give Strasberg his first MLB victory.

In Cincinatti, Matt Cain held the Reds scoreless over 9 innings bringing his era down to .211 . Buster Posey was 1 for 3 scoring a run off of a rare molina rbi single. Posey was replaced late in the game at first base by Travis Ishikawa. Andres Torres continued to hit belting a double; however the game winning rbi was provided early by Short Stop Juan Uribe's solo Homerun off of the Reds' Sam Lecure who was charged with the loss and one earned run.

Tonight Aubrey Huff found himself in RF with Andres Torres in Center. Pat Burrell started in Left and would later be lifted for a pinch runner in Nate Shierholz. This was a rare night when Freddy Sanchez found himself hitless on a night when the entire starting lineup got hits including the Panda, who went 2 for 4.

Congratulations Matt Cain AND Stephen Srasberg.

Washington Nats Phenom STRASBERG

To pitch on MLB LIVE tonight at 7PM EST 4PM Pacific. This pitcher is the most talked about pitcher since Mark Prior in 2002. The young 21 year old shows off his 4 pitch attack tonight against the Pirates in Washington DC.

In the 24th pick of the First round San Francisco picks

GARY BROWN CF FROM CAL STATE FULLERTON


Gary could be the replacement to the aging Aaron Rowand in centerfield. He's a speed outfielder that looks like he comps to Jacoby Ellsbury of Boston.

Welcome the New Era.

Buster Posey Starts behind the plate for the first time at the major league level. He caught all 9 innings.

The Giants beat the Reds 6-5. Buster went 2 for 3. Zito went 5 and 2/3s giving up 5 earned runs.

The Giants came from behind in the top of the 7th when Juan Uribe drove in Freddy Sanchez and the Pandabear. Casilla and Mota Held the lead while Brian Wilson picked up his 15th save.


If the Giants can do something with Aaron Rowand and the Panda it looks like a run at the west coast title in easily within reach.
Clubhouse chemistry is vital at this point. It's not that people are against change; it's that people don't want to be forced to change. Molina needs to be reassigned to AAA or moved.

If Madison Bumgardner gets the call, we could see yet another dynamic in the Giant clubhouse.

Perhaps now Aubrey Huff can go back to first and Pat Burrell can get some PT in LF.

Ace out.