SB Nation User Blog: Goofus

Update: McC Night at the Yard Monday 7/27

Goofus — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:47:53 -0000

The 4th Annual McC Night at the Yard is a month away and shaping up to be simply smashing once again. The game will be Monday July 27th vs. The Pirates. As required by the laws of tradition, we'll be meeting up for pre-game cocktails at Zeke's (3rd & Brannan). Everyone is welcome to join us, even if they're not able to make the game.

The Mayor of 311 and I have donated our own season tickets. On top of that, Kitspool and I were able to score additional great seats, so a total of 15 people are loving life. Here's the breakout of who's sitting where:

Field Club on the Giants' Dugout

My friend who works for one of the owners scored her boss' tickets. (This grouping will be known as "Beauty and the Beasts"):

Grant
The Mayor
Kitspool
Mrs. Goofus
Goofus

Lower Box 123, Row 24

Kitspool snagged tickets directly behind us. This grouping will be called "grougthink" and include the biggest gathering of Mods since Quadrophenia. Sitting there will be:

Howtheyscored
Natto
Walrusman
Groug

Lower Box 117, Row 26

Sitting in my regular seats will be proof that there are indeed girls on the internet. We'll call this grouping "Brute's Angels":

tk
jponry
Baronvoncurrentevents
BruteSentiment

View Box 311

These are The Mayor's seats and will be occupied by:

Delorean
Mrs. Delorean

Since they'll able to see us from above and since Mrs. Delorean is a trapeze acrobat, we'll call this "Aerialist Surveilance"

If anyone with extra tickets or people looking to connect to thers in order to sit together, use the comments section here.

OT: P90X two weeks done

Goofus — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:42:22 -0000

OT: P90X two weeks done

As a continuation of this previous fanshot, I thought it was time for an update now that Mrs. Goofus, Goofus Jr and I have completed the first two weeks. I'm also eager to hear how it's going for mjosh34 and redhornet and anyone else doing the program.

My main reason for taking up P90X was to improve my conditioning after a ski crash and left me pre inactive for about two months. I was also hoping to improve my core strength, tighten my mid-section and increase my flexibility. So far, I think the program will end up improving all these areas for me.

The 90-day program consists of varied daily workouts and a nutrition program (diet and supplements). They are divided into three blocks of about 1 month each.

Workouts
For the first three weeks of the program, you do a different workout each day of the week:
* Day 1 - Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X - This is about an hour of warm-up/stetch, lots of push-ups, pull-ups and a few other exercises, followed by a cool down/stretch. It was hard the first time through because you're supposed to pace yourself, yet work real hard. The second time through in week 2 was much easier to concentrate on the work and not wonder whether I was capable of finishing. The 15-minute Ab Ripper X routine is really hard! The routine requires hip and leg flexibility that I'm lacking. Most of the sets are 25 reps and I often find myself doing 15 reps, resting for 5, than completing the final five.
* Day 2 Plyometrics - This is a high-impact, hardcore aerobic workout that consists of a lot of jumping. I love it as this will really help my volleyball game and it mixes in fun imaginary sports activities (pitching, jump shots, etc.). According to my heart-rate monitor, this routine is burning about 1,000 calories each time. Wow!
* Day 3: Arms & Shoulders, Ab Ripper X - This one really concentrates on shoulders, triceps and biceps and is mostly dumbbells work, followed by Ab Ripper X. (ugh)
* Day 4 Yoga X - I've never done yoga in my life and had no idea how hard it would be. Mrs. Goofus has done lots of yoga and said this was the hardest she'd ever done. At 1.5 hours, it's really long. The first half is strength stuff and the second half is balance stuff. Mjosh34 said he tends to skip this one. I'm sticking with it since I really want to improve my flexibility.
* Day 5 - Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X The leg work is a lot of squats and raises and the back work is pull-ups. Then you get the fun of Ab Ripper X!
* Day 6 - Kenpo X This is a fun cardio routine based on martial arts. (I'll be able to kick ass and look good doing it!) My heart-rate monitor said this burned 850 calories.
* Day 7 Rest or Stretch X The optional 1-hour stretch routine is kind of a toned-down yoga routine. I did it the first week, but skipped it today since I'm recovering from surgery yesterday.

I'll do one more week of this, then end "Block 1" with recovery week, which is mostly yoga and cardio stuff. I've really enjoyed the first two weeks even though I was sore and first and have lived with a certain amount of muscle fatigue the entire time. Block 2 will add some new work and I'm thinking of doing "doubles" and adding cardio to the strength days.

Nutrition
We've been sticking to the suggested general plan where we eat certain portions of proteins, carbs, dairy, fruits, veggies, etc. The hard part for me is limiting myself to just one carb and one fruit per day, but I've been able to do it. In block 2, it goes up to 3 carbs a day.

We didn't buy any of they're nutrients or supplements. We're taking Safeway performance vitamins, Accelerade recovery drink, Clif Builder's Bars and Whey protein drinks. This is saving us a lot of money.

After two weeks, I've dropped two percentage points of body fat, my flexibility has improved and my strength performance improved from week 1 to week 2. So far, it's going well.

Ishikawa to miss AZ series. Who you gonna call (up)?

Goofus — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:54:52 -0000

In today's Giants Notes in the SF Chron was this:

Travis Ishikawa will go on bereavement leave today and miss the Arizona series to attend his paternal grandfather's funeral in Los Angeles. The Giants will summon a replacement from the minors

So who gets a little big league time in his absence?

Bowker - He fills the LH bat role at play 1B, if you want to call it that. Dude's been hitting, too.
Guzman - Everyone's own personal Jesus has been Fresno's most consistent hitter. He didn't get of a chance last time up. (As his father, maybe I should have complained to the coach like parents do in Little League.)
Frandsen - Will the squeaky wheel get the grease?
Someone else? A reliever would not be out of the question since the team has played so many games without a break and have more to go.. The rain delays didn't help.

Two extra tickets to Giants/A's Saturday 6/13

Goofus — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:49:23 -0000

I'm using two of my tickets to this game but have the other two avaiable and willing to sell them to a McCoven for my cost of $39 each. They're good seats; Premium( Lower Box 117 behind home. (The Giants are Premium Lower Box Seats to this game for $65 each.)

Priority will be given to "known and trusted" members here and not someone who's vulturing in just to get the tickets cheaper than what's avaiable elsewhere. (If I wanted a profit, I'd try to sell them elsewhere.)

The only drawback is you'll have to sit next to Mrs. Goofus and me.

If you're interested, leave a comment here and I'll contact you. (You don't have to leave your email in the comment as long as the email you registered under is still valid.)

Cheers.

OT: P90-X

Goofus — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:02:12 -0000

OT: P90-X

A ski injury messed up my back and I had to take it easy for a couple months, leaving me in the worst shape I've been in quite some time. Mrs. and I just purchased Wilson and Zito's favorite work-out program and are getting ready to get going on it.

At an hour or more per day, it's a fairly substantial commitment, but is done from home. There are different levels that can make it pretyt hardcore by my standards.

Anyone else using it?
If so, any feedback, tips or suggestions?
Did you do the supplements?

Mark Your Calendars: McC Night at the Yard will be Monday July 27

Goofus — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:07:57 -0000

We've settled on the evening of Monday July 27th as the date for this year's big event.

Already scheduled to appear:

Grant
Howie
Natto
Walrus
The Mayor of 311
Dancing Goofus

I know this date won't be great for everyone, but it works for the above-mentioned people and that had to be the starting point. In addition, it's a Monday game vs. The Pirates, so tickets should be readily available.

For those who are new, our night at the yard consists of meeting up at Zeke's before the game, then heading to the yard where we occupy various seats and root for the Home 9.

Details will be filled in as the date draws closer, but mark your calendars now.

Strasburg pitching in Santa Clara tonight

Goofus — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:08:36 -0000

Strasburg pitching in Santa Clara tonight

I'm going to be at the Giants game, but this sounds like a fun event.

"Strasburg's numbers are right out of a video game. He's 9-0 with a 1.54 ERA. He leads the nation with 135 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings with 13 walks. He struck out 23 in a game last season."

Dude's striking our 2 batters an inning!

Poll: Pablo's Defense

Goofus — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:55:48 -0000

One of the biggest topics of discussions during the offense was the propspect of Sandoval manning the hot corner this season. Opinions ranged from "he'll be fine" to "he'll suck". In my opinion, we optimists are looking fairly smart so far, but it's still a subject of debate.

Pro-Pablo Argument:

According to the mlb stats, he has no errors. (I thought he had one.) He's made a few nice diving stabs and, with his low center of gravity, is able to return to his feet quickly and throw. While his range on grounders is not that great, he appears to have adequate left and right quickness and a sure glove on sharply hit grounders. He has a smooth transer from glove to throwing hand and his arm is both strong and accurate. The most pleasant surprise with Pablo so far has been the agility he has shown charging bunts and throwing out runners at first. He's shown an ability to throw off-balance and his decsion-making has been good.

Anti-Pablo Argument:

(I'll guess at this since I'm not in this camp.) His range is a joke. He doesn't have a body that can play 3B regularly. I don't care what you've observed, the defensive stats show him to be a full run below replacement value. Did I mention he's fat?

The Future

As we've discussed before, Pablo at 3B has important long-term ramifications for the Giants. With Molina at the end of his deal and Buster progressing nicely, Pablo's value to the team will be high if he can catch or play 3B next season and beyond.

How comfortable are you with him at 3B? I've tried to give a range of opinions that cover the possible gambit.

Poll

Do you like Pablo at third base?

Yes - He's showing he can hang there and I wouldn't mind seeing there beyond this season.

169 votes

Yes - But only for this season, then move him to C or trade him

37 votes

Yes - And I still like the idea of a Buster/Pablo C/3B platoon that Goofus proposed during the off-season. (That Goofus is so smart...and cute too!)

76 votes

No - Pablo's been ok so far and the team didn't have better options, but I don't like him there

45 votes

No - This was a bad idea from the start and still is.

1 votes

328 votes | Poll has closed

Appreciating Bengie now

Goofus — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:33:17 -0000

A few months back, there was some discussion around who was the "heart of the team". There was disagreement on what the definition was, but if we're talking about someone who's a good teammate, gives 100% all the time and cares about the team and its fans, it has to be Bengie Molina.

My recent experience sitting near the Giants dugout sealed it for me. I observed him constantly talking to younger guys, especially Sandoval. I observed his true excitement when the team scored runs (even though it was an exhibition game). I observed him interacting with the fans numerous times; waiving to people and getting balls to give to kids.

The one moment that was most telling was upon returning to the dugout after scoring. He acknowledged the fans cheers, pointed at the "Giants" on his jersey and pointed back to the crowd. As if to say, "We're in this together."

I saw a lot of the same stuff yesterday.

He may be an inappropriate cleanup hitter, but that's not his fault. He may be the slowest player in the league, but so what? He may not be patient enough at the plate, but I don't ever mind seeing him at the plate in a "clutch" situation. He may not be the most skilled catcher, but he worked his ass off yesterday preventing wild pitches.

In the final year of his contract, this will surely be his last year as a Giant since the team has Pablo and Buster ready to get behind the dish.

It would be easy to not truly appreciate him until his final game or even after he's gone. I'm going to try and appreciate him all season long. In just two years, he's been a good Giant and is truly the "heart and soul of the team".

Thursday Night From The Good Seats

Goofus — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 06:40:47 -0000

Through a friend, I scored 5 seats in the owners' section behind on the Giants' dugout. Since I had my seats, I took Goofus Jr. and seven of his teammates from his Pony League (13 & 14 year-olds) team. Even though it was just pre-season, it was a lot of fun sitting in these seats. Half the kids sat with me in these seats for the first half of the game and then we switched so all the kids ended up getting to sit in there. I'll post pics some pics here are some pics I took from the evening.