August 12th, 2009
As much as I am annoyed by overly pessimistic fans, I must say that was a swift punch to the gut last night, and places a ton of pressure on Tim Lincecum today to shut down L.A. As bad as this homestand has been, every Giants fan has to be a little bit nervous, even with the ace on the hill. A loss, and many will be panicking before the longest road trip of the year.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still optimistic. I was just pumped up for this series, thinking the Giants were ready to beat L.A. on our home turf. Losing the first two is so deflating, I didn’t even want to wake up this morning. I can’t even look my dog in the eye anymore. Gawd, I hate the Dodgers… and although, I’m not giving up on catching them, I’m disgusted because we were holding that card, the “6 of the 9 head-to-head games left at AT&T”, in our back pocket. Well, now it’s 4 of 7, and the Giants HAVE to win today to have any long-shot at the division
And… Then… There’s the wild card. “Wild Card” is a couple of dirty words that are tough to acknowledge for any die-hard baseball fan (McCovey Chronicles notes as much), but we do pay attention to it. The Wild Card is like a drunk relative that no one wants to talk about or confront, but we know of their presence, and we know in the end, that drunk relative is capable of some very solid entertainment (or in the wild card’s case, a postseason).
Okay, maybe I’m reaching… but I’m still optimistic.
On to last night’s notes: (more…)
Categories: San Francisco Giants, Uncategorized |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Aaron Maybin, Alex Smith, Anton Peterlin, Barry Zito, Bill Hahn, Cal, Dallas Braden, Dodgers, Eugenio Velez, Giants, Hiroki Kuroda, JaMarcus Russell, Joe Torre, John Marshall, Justin Duchscherer, Kory Sheets, Matt Kemp, Michael Crabtree, Nonito Donaire, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, Randy Wolf, Rich Aurilia, San Jose State, Stanford, Thomas Clayton, Thomas Howard, Tiger Woods, Tim Lincecum, Trevor Cahill, Willie Mays | 1 Comment
August 11th, 2009
Maybe it’s because they haven’t won a championship in San Francisco. Maybe it’s because of all the heartbreaking conclusions to seasons past. Maybe it bugs me more, because I’m too optimistic. (I even joked about the negativity just a few weeks ago.) Whatever it is, Giants fans are, by and large, pessimistic, and the 2009 Giants deserve better. The Giants play the game the right way, and has positioned itself for a pennant chase, despite mostly low expectations.
Sure, I’m as disgusted with Edgar Renteria’s at bats as anybody else. Bengie Molina’s inability to take a pitch drives me nuts. Randy Winn’s plate appearances can take away the optimism from even some of the most ardent fans. Jonathan Sanchez’s inability to get out of fourth and fifth inning jams, despite great stuff, is maddening. The Giants aren’t the only team with problems, however. The Dodger bullpen and rotation depth has been frustrating for their fans. Rockies fans have just about had it with Chris Iannetta, and Jason Hammel certainly doesn’t make them feel any better. You think Cardinals fans enjoy Rick Ankiel, Todd Wellemeyer, and Kyle Lohse?
As said before, every contender in the National League is flawed. There is no reason for Giants fans to feel worse about our problems than anybody else. It’s okay to point out the various inabilities of the team when at the office or the bar, but I have a problem when a packed house, in what is the biggest game of the year to that point, seems to lose all optimism because of one swing of the bat… in the fourth inning! Understandably, this team hasn’t mounted many comebacks this year, but they did come back from two runs down eight days earlier, and from three runs down just five days earlier.
While perusing the McCovey Chronicles Game Thread last night, you’d think the game was over after the Matt Kemp double (which, some would say, it was). There was even an “Open Depression Thread” started in the later innings with the team only down three runs. While I don’t care as much about what is said by those who aren’t at the game, it does give you an idea of the pessimistic nature many, and maybe most, Giants fans have about this franchise.
The Giants are probably the underdog in this 2009 playoff chase. However, that’s a major reason why they the fans to give them that extra adrenaline. Think of the 2007 Warriors upset of Dallas. The Warriors were the underdog, and it might have been a little hyperbole, but the players did say they couldn’t have done it without the fans. For that series, the Dubs had the greatest home-court advantage the NBA had seen in the last ten years. The Giants have a lot of these same types of fans, who try to get the crowd riled up. The problem is for every 7,000 loud die-hards, there are about 20,000 fans who are waiting to jump at the first sign of trouble.
All I ask, as a die-hard Giants fan, is for all of you who go to every game, or just go once in a while, to throw total support this team’s way for these final 21 home games. As an underdog, this team needs it more than others. Sure, the offense will be frustrating, but when we groan about it, we’re not filling in the Giants players on anything they don’t know. In a baseball world that has been obsessed with home runs, this team is still refreshing because they play solid defense and thrive on good pitching. Not to mention, this is still a mostly young team, that is going to need our full support for the next several seasons, when they are consistently in pennant races. So why not cheer as if we’re starting our rebuilding success a year early? After all, whether your optimistic or pessimistic, as die-hard fans, we’re going to be equally disappointed if this team misses the playoffs, right? (more…)
Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Alex Smith, Bengie Molina, Bill Hahn, Bruce Bochy, Buster Posey, C.J. Watson, Cal, Cardinals, Casey Blake, Dave Dravecky, David Forst, Dodgers, Edgar Renteria, Eugenio Velez, Giants, Gio Gonzalez, Jahvid Best, Jonathan Sanchez, Kirk Morrison, Kory Sheets, Mark Ellis, Matt Kemp, Mike Johnson, Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary, Nate Schierholtz, Orlando Hudson, Raiders, Randy Winn, Rich Aurilia, Robert Gallery, Rockies, Shaun Hill, Stanford, Stephen Jackson, Terry Donahue, Travis Ishikawa, Trevor Scott, Warriors, Will Clark, Zach Miller | No Comments
August 10th, 2009
I hate the Dodgers because that’s what I was born to do. But, there are plenty of other good reasons.
I hate the Dodgers because Tommy Lasorda is an uncoordinated, obnoxious fat ass.
I hate the Dodgers because of Eric Gagne. Remember those retarded Gagne “Game Over” shirts? Funny, I don’t see anyone wearing those these days. Even more hilarious, is that ebay seller wants $13.99 for that shirt. Do you get a free bottle of HGH with that shirt? Amazing how nobody was making suspicions on a guy who’s fastball jumped 10 MPH after a failed career as a starter.
I hate the Dodgers because their organization has welcomed a “Raider Nation” fan mentality at Dodger Stadium. Actually, that’s a major insult to Raiders fans because they aren’t even this bad. If you wear an opposing team’s colors, you could get stabbed, or get shot, or, at least, have a beer poured on your head. The stands in the upper level and bleachers are filled with gang-bangers. If you look at the story of the stabbing from this year, you’ll find that the stabber, Arthur Alvarez is an unemployed gang member. Is there any other kind? And that wasn’t the only incident. When fans complain to Dodger security, security asks the threatened fans to leave instead of disciplining the hoodlums who are causing this mess. I can’t believe this isn’t a bigger deal because most Dodger fans do act in a civilized way, and they are disgusted when they hear about these antics.
I hate the Dodgers because some of their fans, again these hoodlum types, are so ignorant that their most used comeback for Giants fans is “faggots” or “homos”. Amazing how these morons apparently have never visited West Hollywood.
I hate the Dodgers because their fans also use the “at least we won a championship” comeback. Admittedly, this one hurts, but isn’t there a statute of limitations when you haven’t won one in 21 years? Or have only won one playoff series in 21 years. The Rockies have won more playoff series than the Dodgers in the last two decades.
I hate the Dodgers because of Ross Porter. When I was going to college in L.A., a buddy (dodger fan) and I were heading to a friend’s house to watch the Giants/Dodgers on TV (the Bonds 2-run homer and pirouette game in 1997). While listening to the pregame on the radio, Porter is discussing who should be on the Dodgers playoff roster. Even my friend said, “Why is he talking about this right now?” You have a two-game lead over your rivals with two weeks left in the season, and a huge two-game series against your rival, and you’re talking about the playoff roster and whether Eddie Murray should be on it? It was sweet, not only because the Giants swept the series and won the division, but because Murray hit into the rally-crushing double play that turned the pivotal second game around. Thanks, Ross.
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Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: Andruw Jones, Barry Bonds, Brian Johnson, Bruce Bochy, Carlos Perez, Casey Blake, Chad Billingsley, Chan Ho Park, Darren Dreifort, Delino DeShields, Dodgers, Eddie Murray, Eric Gagne, Eric Karros, Eugenio Velez, Fred Claire, George Sherrill, Giants, Guillermo Mota, Ismael Valdes, James Loney, Jason Schmidt, Joe Morgan, Joe Torre, Jose Offerman, Journey, Kevin Gross, Kevin Malone, Mark Sweeney, Matt Kemp, Mike Piazza, Ned Colletti, Pablo Sandoval, Rich Aurilia, Rockies, Ross Porter, Scott Proctor, Steve Perry, Tommy Lasorda, Trevor Wilson, Vin Scully | 4 Comments
