good friend of mine is a hopeless, mid-thirties Cubs fan who truly believes they have had ample opportunities to cash in on a championship over the last decade or so. Every summer/fall, I find myself talking him off the ledge, as things often don't pan out as he had hoped. After a season where his Cubbies miss the playoffs or get bounced early in the post-season, he and his kids wear the collective face of a man who has recently lost his spouse. It is truly sad to see the beloved game of baseball trash someone's outlook on life in this manner, but I think that as a caring Giants fan, I can help.

Lately, I have been getting emails and voicemails from him that go a little something like this:

"Holy smokes, it's the GIANTS year! Have you seen the way they KILLED the Astros! After that great spring! Wow, you must be STOKED. They look unstoppable! Renteria has the MVP locked up!11! I thought the Cubs might be decent this year, but Heyward sucked the life out of them with that HR in game f@%king ONE. They are going to suck horribly this year."

Now, truth be told, I enjoyed the HELL out of the Giants' first week. They played so well that I should be thinking about how this pace will stretch into a division title, but I know better. The small sample size police will prevent me from even thinking about 100 wins. The thought of who they are going to match up against in the World Series will not cross my mind. I have always hope for an above-average year from this group, and nothing more.

 

How my expectations have been set (the shallow, formative childhood years):

Item 1: As a kid, I would usually buy/steal a copy of a Sporting News baseball preview in February, and as far as I can recollect, the Giants have never been picked to win it all. I think only once were they picked to appear in the World Series (the Bonds/Clark/Williams lineup may have been the factor - can't recall).

Item 2: I also don't recall ESPN/Fox/MLB columnists ever picking the Giants to be a front runner in the NL, at least to the point that they would challenge for a championship. (Gammons, you are a prick for this). Whomever the talking head was, there would always be one or more pieces missing, and that helped me come to grips as to why the Giants wouldn't win it all in any given year.

Item 3: Video games that rank MLB teams's strengths have always listed the Giants as a middle-of-the-pack team.  No higher than 6th (Sega World Series baseball, I think?), no lower than 20th. As a youngin', I knew that my team was a fair team, sometimes even a playoff-caliber team, but if the folks at EA don't think the Giants are the best, then damnit, I guess they were not. A big F.U. to the video game industry for setting such a low (albeit realistic) bar for my fandom. (Note: this is a lame reason, but it worked to lower my expectations as a youngster).

Nowadays, if the division is within reach and the Giants are a few games out in September, then all-in-all it was a good year and I didn't invest my precious summer watching excessive losing. If the stars align and the Giants win the division, then I get a few more games to enjoy. Bonus baseball in October is nothing I ever expect, and it helps me keep a level head.

When I hear a Cubs fan say "This is OUR year!", my heart certainly goes out to them. Both ball clubs (as well as their fan bases) share a somewhat defeatist mentality. Ask around and you won't find many Giants fans (outside of SF-area sports bars) that think the Giants will be crowned in any given year. The glass will be perennially half-empty, but the product on the field should remain enjoyable, Sabes be damned.

In summary, all I can ever expect is decent entertainment value during the summer, an occasional winning streak, flashes of absolute brilliance on the mound, and for my kids to enjoy the game without worrying about some rogue fire sale consuming their favorite players (see Padres, San Diego).  Fans of the Chicago Cub franchise should really try this on and see if it fits. To go into any season expecting an outright run at a world championship , you set yourself up for a self-medicating off-season that could land you in a 12-step program.

Photos here

I attended my first Minnesota home hockey game since the North Stars played in Bloomington, and I must admit, I was floored. I picked a great game to attend (my uncle has great seats), and thankfully the Wild put up a better effort than they did against Atlanta. At any rate, I brought along my camera and took a few pictures of today's game.

(I just moved to MN from San Diego where admittedly hockey isn't too popular. I am glad to be back in the State of Hockey....haven't lived here since I was in elementary school.) 

I'm happy to see frequently updated info on this blog. It's important to have a non-StarTribune/FSN/etc non-biased source of info. :)

We all know oodles of stories about Barry Zito. Fat-pocketed pitcher, accomplished guitarist (!), dated Alyssa Milano and Hillary Duff, 120+ million-dollar contract, satin pillows and stuffed animals on the road, and other various idiosyncracies. Retelling the tale that is to follow isn't nearly as much fun if you have to explain who the guy is to the layperson (even worse if the guy end's up being another Kevin Appier).

But I mean, how do you not know who BARRY ZITO is, Mr. Immigrant Guy at the deli? Cy Young winner, gets paid $5000 per pitch, etc. Further, with the countless stories over the past year of his signing by the Giants being among the worst ever, a little part of me dies inside.

Then again, the same guy would be scratching his head if I lived in the boyhood home of Mickey Mantle.

I live in Barry Zito's old house. OK, there. I said it.

--

Flash back to December of 2004. I was returning from my then 6 year-old son's baseball practice. With the bed of my truck loaded with baseball gear, we pulled into our driveway when a man walking up the street started toward our house. He was the man who sold the home previously, twice actually. I gave him a few words about how tired we were in an effort to shoo him away, trying to avoid whatever sales pitch he was obviously crafting.

He noticed our baseball gear and quipped, "Do ya watch much baseball on TV?"

"Yeah, probably too much." I replied.

"You know, there's a guy who pitches for the Oakland A's...Barry Zito...he used to live here years ago."

The man I was speaking with was the property manager back then and the house used to be a rental. Joe Zito lived there with his son and daughter while they attended Grossmont High School. I learned from the guy that Barry was a pretty wild teenager back in his high school days, constantly having friends over and partying into the wee hours when his dad was out of town. Apparently the La Mesa Police made many a visit to young Barry's house.

--

Oakland at Seattle, 2006

My buddy Pete in Seattle called me and told me he spoke to Barry Zito during Mariners batting practice and mentioned that I live in his old house. Although Pete wasn't able to recall my address, he told Barry that it was in La Mesa. Barry acknowledged and let him know that he stills drives by on occassion when he is in the area, and the last time he did so, he stopped to take pictures. When Pete told me this, I was floored.

--

The news came across the wire in the offseason in 2006. Barry Zito had been signed to the richest contract ever provided to a pitcher, and he was going to pitch for my beloved San Francisco Giants. This was just too perfect, an obsessive-compulsive Giants fan like myself, living in the boyhood home of my team's ace pitcher. Are you kidding me? I made it my personal mission to meet Barry at some point and let him know that his former home was being tended to by one of his supporters. I tried a couple of times during 2007 when the Giants were in playing the Padres, but to no avail. He never seemed to get within earshot, and I didn't want to count myself among many of the other jackasses barking at him. Not my style.

--

August 1, 2008

An errant throw by Jack Taschner during pre-game long toss sends Barry my way, front row on the third base side of the infield at Petco Park. Without so much as a millisecond of hesitation, I blurted out, "Barry, I live in your old house!"

"Really. The one on Xxxxxx Drive?"  (street name hidden to protect the current occupant)

"Yup." I replied, verifying the house's address.

"Since when?"

"Since October of 2004. Had no idea until the local realtor told me, and then we started junk mail with your dad's name on it."

We spoke for a few minutes as batting practice was winding down. He let me know that the smallest of the three bedrooms was his, and that he used to have a mound in the backyard, exactly 60 feet from where they had slapped down a home plate. I told him that my oldest son currently inhabits that same bedroom, and that he practices his left-handed pitching on that same stretch of soil. He let me know that it was incredible that a left-handed young Giants fan now pitches there, and said "maybe we'll see him up at this level someday!"

Here are the two lefties in question:

via farm4.static.flickr.com

In closing, I let him know that he is welcome to stop by anytime if he wants to walk the halls once again, figuring he might need to revisit his past to better propser his future (or some Zen-like crap like that). He ate it up, and said he will likely take me up on that.

August 2, 2008

Pitcher         IP H R ER BB SO HR
===================================
Zito (W, 6-13) 8.0 3 0 0   4  5  0 

Barry turns in his best outing as a Giant. Coincidence, or divine appointment?

 

 

I know of a few displaced McCovenites who live in the whale's vagina like myself. If you meet this description, do you have any tickets you might be willing to part with?

I have sweet tickets to Friday's game (Timmeh) as well as Sunday, but would like to go Saturday as well. If I can't acquire pimped out dugout seats, I prefer to sit in LF with my SF brethren.

Please let me know if you have up to 4 tickets. I live in University City near UCSD if we can meet up.

Casually Yours,
oooreebay

Story:
Dodgers send pair of prospects to Indians for Blake

If I read this article right, the balance of power has shifted in the NL West? The division is all but the Dodgers now? This equates to a rental and makes sense if either Project LaRoche or Project DeWitt pan out in the long term.

In the deal, assistant GM-turned-mole Ned Colletti sends AAA strikeout artist Joe Meloan and legendary guitarist Carlos Santana for the bearded 3B. The article irked me a bit with this pearl of tainted sportswriting from the desk of Jayson Stark: 

With the trade of Xavier Nady to the Yankees on Friday, Blake was possibly the most highly sought-after bat on the market.  

Funny, I don't recall possible deals involving Blake making headlines, but the bat of one Barry Lamar Bonds made all kinds of noise. In his world, "sought-after" doesn't equate to much.

Also, this happened:

"Casey Blake is a gamer," Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said. "His experience and character will be a plus as we head down the stretch in the final two months of the regular season."

Gamer my arse, Blake doesn't play home games in China Basin. I 'spose Colletti hasn't been watching his mandated Giants broadcasts to know gamers throw player-hating fastballs and assist you at the grocery store.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/2008/07/barry-bonds-cou.html

 

GM Josh Byrnes didn't exactly say no. The door is open for this to happen with their injuries, and as VIc Frank can attest, Phoenicnians will jump on any bandwagon.

As badly as I want to see Barry Back in uniform, I would hate to see him in our division attempting to douse our postseason hopes.

Could it be worse? Yeah, he could be courted by the Evils, Fathers or the Fahkin' Red Sox.

What are your thoughts about this?

 

If you could compose a lineup of players who never played for the Giants, but you WISH did at some point, what would that lineup look like?

This doesn't necessarily mean that these players were the greatest players of their era. It could just be that they signed a ball in a parking lot for you or dated your mom. It could be that they grew up in the Bay Area and would have made an interesting storyline if they suited up in the black and orange.

1) Players past or present
2) Never played for the Giants
3) Oddball choices  - say why! (E.g. if Tom Niedenfuer shows up, you got some 'splainin' to do.)

Here's mine:

C - Izzy Alcantara (karate-kicking cathcer, dude can fight)
1B - Mark Grace (my mom babysat him when he was in elementary school, no joke)
2B - Ryne Sandberg
SS - Barry Larkin (solid player, always seemed like a good guy)
3B - George Brett (gamer)
LF - Carl Crawford (met him at San Diego Zoo, actually took a picture of my son since he was wearing his Devil Rays Little League hat)
CF - Grady Sizemore (we have the same birthday, hustles like a MF)
RF - Roberto Clemente (no explanation needed)

SP - David Wells (was a great tipper when he came to the bar I used to work at)
RP - Turk Wendell (just for being a nut)
CP - Jeff Reardon (signed a bunch of cards for me when I was a kid...this was pre-armed robbery arrest)

Yours?

My oldest son has been collecting baseball cards for a few years now, so I figured he might be interested in seeing my collection. It was a trip down ye old memory lane for me, as I haven't looked at my cards in 10 years. I don't have any
extremely valuable cards, but I do have my favorites in the lot.

My favorite card of a Giants player:

Noosh was always my favorite player, and this always stuck out as my favorite card of his. Not the most valuable, not the best design nor photo, but this has always been on page one of my
Will Clark card binder. The picture makes you want to let him date your daughter of give him an interest-free loan.

Favorite non-Giant card:

I never really liked Griffey much, but as a kid collecting cards I had as many as 12 of these at one time, and I was able to sell them for +/- $80 each time I got one. I think I still have one left, and opening a pack of '89 Upper Deck and pulling one of these out was like hitting the jackpot for me. Same went for the '86 Donruss Jose Canseco, although that card was beastly in nature.

The picture makes me wonder why he is wearing his mom's wig on photo day.

Best card of a registered sex offender:
A few to pick from here...

So whether it's a Billy Ripken error card or a vintage Nap Lajoie cigarette card, I'm sure we all have a card or two that stand out as our favorite for different reasons.

Feel free to mention yours, or better yet, embed/link to a picture.

The beginning of February is when my wallet starts it's leather cringe as my thoughts turn towards the annual baseball video game purchase. This annual ritual had been quite joyous in the past, but nowadays it seems like I am just laying down the money out of habit. I'm not nearly as amped about picking up the "exclusive" title as I once had been.

As a 30 year-old long-time baseball video game player, I am quite frustrated by the lack of an "it" title. Baseball gamers have no Madden series to lean on...that is, a game that everyone buys every year that is the undisputed champion across all platforms. I have been waiting for the last 7-8 years for a game that I couldn't set down, a game that I could recommend to other completely.

If you beg to differ, allow me to provide a bit of background.

The Nintendo/SNES/Genesis Years
I believe that RBI Baseball (NES) was the first game I owned, followed by the Bases Loaded series, and then Baseball Stars. As the years went on, I acquired a Sega Genesis and started to get in to the World Series Baseball and Sportstalk Baseball games, neither of which completely engulfed me like Baseball Stars did. Regardless of what new release came out for the latest next-gen system, my friends and I always gravitated back to Baseball Stars for the original Nintendo.

The Playstation 1 and 2 Years
Then came the Playstation 1/2 years, when EA put out a very solid Triple Play game every spring. The improvements year after year were pretty impressive, and I was an annual customer without a second thought. The last game I bought for the PS2 was MLB: The Show, which was a fantastic game that I still play from time to time. It is a much simpler game than many of the next-gen release, with it's simple user interface and Now that we are in the PS3/XBox 360 era, the graphics are getting ridiculous. Looking at re-release screenshots puts me in an art appreciation mode. When the argument used to be, "Kent Hrbek looks exactly like Gary Gaetti - how weak", it has evolved into..."OMFG, Jose Reyes' forearm tattoo is of a RIGHT-facing dragon, not a left-facing dragon - bush league".

The PS3/XBox 360 Era
Now that 2K Sports has the exclusivity rights to MLB, I am becoming increasingly impatient, constantly waiting for that flawless grand slam release. EA Sports now produces an NCAA baseball game, but I'm not drawn to that, as my heart lies with MLB for better or for worse.

Things I love about MLB 2K7:

Umm, the graphics.

Jon Miller's broadcast is top-notch. Very fews audio boo-boos.

In-season options: TONS of them, calling up guys from as far down as AA, and many of them are actual prospects. I'd like to see ALL of them be actual prospects some day. I'd rather call up Tim Lincecum than have to create him.

Having the catcher call the pitch and give me a target: So badass.

Managing warm-ups in the bullpen

Getting your manager tossed for arguing with blue

My main beefs with MLB 2K7:

Way too many homeruns for guys who average 20+/season, no pop at all for guys who average 10/season.

Very little variety in the grounders/flyballs hit. It seems like I know exactly where every ball hit by Omar Vizquel is going. It's either a grounder to 2B/SS, or a shallow flyball. Guys with no power are no capable of extra base hits it seems, even when you guess the pitcher's pitch. This sucks the replay value right out of a game faster than you can say TINSTAAPP.

No view of stadium backdrops on balls hit to the outfield, thanks to a low camera angle. This is what makes playing in each "life-like" stadium so unique, yet the only shot we are treated to is that of the outfielder approaching the fence. Web Gems be damned...I want to see how far that ball went! Did I make it into the Cove, or just the arcade? Also, don't just tell me it's foul, give me live visual proof!

The controller shaking like crazy with the pitcher's heartbeat in a tight situation (and the cursor going friggin berserk the whole time): This makes it absolutely impossible to throw a damn strike - need to shut this option off, especially when playing against a friend. This is complete bullshit. Do I sound grizzled here?

Too many Web Gems...any low hit liner is going to be caught, and it gets ridiculous after a few games. Any HR hit just over the fence is going to be coming back when playing the CPU.

Summary (?)

Graphics and MLB rights be damned, Baseball Stars (and Baseball Stars II) are still the most
enjoyable physics engines to date and the gold standard for the unpredictability a baseball game
should showcase.

If you are a baseball gamer, what are your thoughts on the current offerings?

1. What is your favorite baseball game of all time?
   
2. What is lacking from to make the "Madden" for our beloved baseball?

If you're like me, baseball has you by the shorts.

Not only is it your favorite sport, it is BY FAR your favorite. You live it, breath it and plan your vacations around it. You dig online for news and opinions about our national pastime 365.25 days a year at all hours. In the offseason, you find yourself actually watching BaseballChannel.TV, and any hot stove news takes precendence over personal hygiene.

Yet after the 2007 edition of Giants baseball, I actually felt I needed a break. A season that held such promise at the outset transformed into, well, exactly what I thought would happen. The McC gameday threads helped me survive some pancreas-weakening losses, and the "superwonderful" imagery and Photoshop skillz of howtheyscored and natto provided us with ample relief. Nobody likes playing out the string, but at least we had solid comic relief.

At the close of the MLB season, I had NFL fever for a bit, caused mostly by the promise that the 49ers were showing. That, along with a steady dose of Fresno State football success (suck it, Georgia Tech), carried me through December. As soon as the NCAA bowl season started winding down, the focus of my sporting cerebellum naturally turned toward baseball. I damn near forgot what that felt like.

My to-do list now reads as follows:

1. Wake up
   
2. Print out exhibition schedule from sfgiants.com
   
3. Renew MLB Audio subscription on MLB.com
   
4. Calculate how many days until pitchers and catchers report
   
5. Shave
   
6. Swing by newsstand to see if Athlon/Sporting News 2008 MLB Baseball Preview is available yet (shiny, shiny)
   
7. Go to work

And so I pose this question to you...(poll below)

Poll

When does baseball fever set in for you?

16%

The day pitchers and catchers report

14 votes

4%

Opening day of the MLB exhibition schedule

4 votes

2%

Opening day of the MLB regular season

2 votes

59%

It never ends...it...just...keeps...festering...

52 votes

9%

The day after the World Series ends

8 votes

5%

The day after the Super Bowl

5 votes

2%

The day after NCAA football season ends

2 votes

87 votes | Poll has closed

I was lucky enough to have a customer of mine drop 6 tickets on me for tonight's game, and I only need 4 of them. Any 49er fans in San Diego who wants to go can have them - no charge.

30 yard line, press level.

I'll be tailgating in parking lot section A2 at 4:30pm with tickets in hand. Swing by if you want to grab them from me.

The last time I unloaded some $$$ on a 49er jersey, I went for the Garcia #5 jersey back in the late 90's. Then it was T.O. I could wear either jersey around San Diego (where I live) without hearing much snickering from the bandwagon Charger fans then.

Neither jersey gets much time out of the closet any more (for obvious reasons), and I am looking to invest in a new jersey of a current 49er that I can safely wear for a few years without regretting the spend. Having just turned 30, I don't have a favorite player like I did in the fanboy days of my youth.

I'm not completely sold on anyone other than Gore, but I see Gore jerseys everywhere, even here in SD. I almost went with the Manny Lawson last year.

I saw a rack full of these home jerseys (below) last time I was up in the Bay Area. Who should I go with?

Alex Smith
Gore
Lawson
Haralson
Willis
Jackson
Battle

Until then I'll continue to rock the Steve Young away jersey.

P.S. If you see an Andy Lee jersey, pick it up for me and I'll pay you back. ;)

If any of you McCoven are in the SD area on Sunday, I have 2 extra tickets 3 rows behind the visitor's bullpen 1B side for Sunday. Free tickets can be a hard sell, but let me remind you that you'll be in the sun pretty much the whole game, so SPF 45 is your friend.

My seats are elsewhere, but I will leave these at will call (Attn: Insert Your Name Here) if you are interested in attending a Barry-less game. Germano is expected to start, so young Justin will be in charge of handcuffing the G-Men on this particular date. These tickets belong to an executive at Qualcomm who is a good friend, so try your best not to act the fool. (Just sayin')

I live in Del Mar if you would rather meet up for the exchange prior to the game.

I'm off to tonight's game. I'll check back tomorrow for responses.

Prediction: Natto (et. al.) will be busy adding a buttload of K's to Matt KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKain.

Since talking about Baseball Present has become so disheartening lately, let me open the vault of Baseball Past. A friend who shall remain nameless resurrected a memory I was hoping to forget. Here's a little tale from 14 years ago.

Early October is probably my favorite time of year. Baseball season is met gracefully by football season. Leaves change color. It's the best time of the year to live in Fresno, typically with highs in the low 80's and a lil' breeze. Quite a reward after enduring the drawn-out nastiness that makes up a summer in the Central Valley.

October 3rd, 1993
San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Rectums (Salomon Torres vs. Kevin Gross). How I remember the last day of that season. The "good guys" needed a win to sneak into the playoffs after an incredible 103-win year, Barry's first in black and orange.

I was at my dad's friends house, for whom I washed his big ole truck every weekend for $15.  I always tried to get there as early as possible so I'd have my whole day left, but being a junior in high school, I typically woke up closer to noon than 8am. I slept in until right before game time, so I screwed myself and had to hit the road right before the first pitch.

To keep myself informed during the game, I tuned in to the broadcast with Ron Fairly and Hank Greenwald on KYNO 1300, but felt myself needing visuals for this ever-important game, what with the postseason on the line and all. After I started my work, I kept running inside his house every 15 minutes or so, asking him if I could change the channel from whatever crap NASCAR race he was watching. He would oblige, but I could see the confusion building in his glare.

After an hour or so, he asked me why I was so obsessed with this game, the Giants and moreso with a boring sport like baseball. Many of my dad's friends wouldn't have really cared, but this guy was  pretty intuitive and curious like a cat. To my knowledge, the only sports he cared for were boxing and auto racing, so he needed a little help understanding my obsession for Giants baseball.

After talking about the nuances that attract me to baseball (strategy, teamwork, hatred for the city of Los Angeles), we shared a beer and it was back out to finish up washing his truck. About 20 minutes later I hear a faint scream from inside the house. It was right around the time Mike Piazza hit a long 3-run HR off of Dave Righetti, basically ending the Giants' season. I stepped back in the house and asked Mike what the heck he was hollering about. He said that "Mike Pizza" just "had a nice homerun hit" and that I would be thrilled to watch the replay. After I threw up in my mouth a little bit, I explained that watching this replay would pretty much ruin my weekend, when all of the sudden Legendary Tool Raul Mondesi goes deep. The Rectums eventually won and you know the rest of the story.

I didn't really feel like explaining to this guy how much I hated the Dodgers and how this would not "thrill" me, much like the Piazza homerun would not thrill me. Mike said that I shouldn't care who wins or loses, but that I should enjoy the game for what it was. He went further, explaining that he doesn't have a favorite NASCAR driver, but he sure does enjoy watching auto racing.

If you've never experienced a "sports fan" of this ilk, I recommend that you don't use what breath God has given you to explain why you root for a certain team. Just nod your head, smile at any commentary that been offered and move on.

I tried my hardest to explain baseball to him on that October day, and I was rewarded with nothing more than a nod of the head and a smile. Damn frustrating if you ask me.

The day after the All Star Game has traditionally been the most miserable day on the sporting calendar. After experiencing the highs of the Pepsi Futures Game, Sinclair Petroleum Home Run Derby and the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese All Star-Game, baseball fans are left on the curb huddling in a torn blanket with an empty bottle of ripple.

An entire summer day without ONE SINGLE BASEBALL GAME has really worn on me for years. I understand the logistics of players and coaches returning from their brief vacation can be a headache, and maybe they deserve the extra day. I get that mega stars such as Dmitri Young and Gil Meche deserve the break after hustling through the first half of the season and sweating out zero AB and zero IP during the Midsummer Classic. But cripes, can we make up at least ONE rainout or snowout on this day? I need to know that somewhere an MLB game is being played, even if it is played by AA teams like the Nationals or D-Rays.

Side note: Watching SportsCenter tonight would be a HUGE mistake. With no real sports highlights to report, they don't shorten the show. Prepare to be treated to "special interest" stories about NASCAR drivers giving back to rural TN, or learning where Dick Vitale annoyed someone today.

Sitting through another Stuart Scott "Who's Next" roundtable with Keyshawn, discussing whether Beckham or Michelle Wie is a bigger star, would be enough for me to drive 90mph into a farmer's market.

Story here

Not in the same vein as a Lincecum, Phillip Hughes or Homer Bailey debut, but I'll be in front of a TV for this one.

Gallardo, 21 years old and a right-hander, is 8-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 13 starts for Triple-A Nashville and leads all of Minor League Baseball with 110 strikeouts. If the Brewers can avoid using him out of the bullpen this weekend in Minnesota, Gallardo would make his Major League debut on Monday against the San Francisco Giants at Miller Park.

MiLB strikeout leader: This distinction certainly would have been all Timmeh's if he remained at AAA. Agree or agree?

This is unacceptable. I would love to know how this was accomplished.

WTF? This is NOT good.

The latest National League All-Star team voting update has a distinct shade of Dodger blue.
According to the latest results released Monday by Major League Baseball for the 78th All-Star Game, to be played on July 10 at San Francisco's AT&T Park, several Dodgers made big moves at the ballot box, led by Russell Martin, the new leader at catcher.

Alfonso Soriano of the Cubs took over the third spot in the outfield balloting, replacing San Francisco's Barry Bonds, who slipped to fourth. Soriano trails Carlos Beltran of the Mets -- who leads all NL candidates in votes with 1,017,795 -- and Ken Griffey Jr. of the Reds.

I plan on doing my part to ensure Bonds gets in by voting at least 200x today. Anything short of Bonds starting in LF for this All Star Game is an absolute nightmare for the city of SF and for Giants fans everywhere. DO YOUR PART, MCCOVEN.

(Side note: I love the Homerun Derby, but the actual ASG is a joke.)

So I bit the bullet and decided to "work from home" today so I could watch the 2007 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft of Anaheim.  Good lord, can we please just call it the MLB Draft?

I tend to play Ferris Bueller from my office job when the Giants have an East Coast morning game, so this was a natural move for me. It was the first time ever being televised, and would be shown mid-morning and mid-week, so it would be unfair of me to expect much. Beats the hell out of hitting refresh on the DraftTracker all day long like I have done in years past.

As I write, Sabean has selected:

10. Madison Bumgarner, LHP, North Carolina
    
22. Timothy Alderson, RHP, Arizona
    
29. Wendell Fairley, OF, Mississippi
    
32. TBD

The $30 Question: Would ESPN do this telecast any justice?

PROS:

The G-Men have a slew of picks, which ought to alone pique my interest.

TONS of information about each of these prospects, turning viewers into instant quasi-experts. Having video highlights was all I could have asked for, but getting a few minutes of analysis on each pick was a bonus.

Haughty projections for some of these big-eared, pimple-faced kids make for great entertainment (I may or may not have heard "He projects like a young Warren Spahn.") I would have liked to hear, "it seems like he could be this year's Brien Taylor, Gammons.

It was nice to see Felipe Alou awake, but I'd rather see him floating out to sea.

The Giants drafted the love child of Wendell Kim and Ron Fairly. Kinda. That guy reeks of Calvin Murray BTW. Let's hope he's more Vernon Wells than Jason Ellison.

Watching a recap of TIMMEH's early season highlights never sucks.

5 minutes between picks is PERFECT. Not that I have a short attention span, but I realize when I watch the first 8 picks of the NFL Draft and the sun has gone up and come down, I realize I didn't get a damn thing done that day.

CONS:

Tommy Lasorda.

The whitest TV production since the Golden Girls. Tall, athletic white kids getting analyzed by oversized white guys. Basically it's what I expected, now that Harold Reynolds is a full-time DVD salesman. Latin players come through the floating island camps, so at least I could pronounce all of the draftees' names.

Bud Selig. Does that guy really even WANT to be there? What a miserable man he must be, and he shows his exuberance with the crooning of each name. Hate that guy.

Tommy Lasorda.

The locale. I didn't catch the beginning of the telecast, so I couldn't tell you where they are "broadcasting live from", but it looks to be the dreariest corner of the Disney WWOS complex in Orlando. The convention/meeting room had the same pulse as a late November wake, as it lied motionless and without life for hours.

Seeing Brian Sabean's mountain man mug on the screen made by blood pressure rise into an unstable range. I ate some hot Cheetos to right the ship. Well, for now at least.

Giants didn't shoot for position players with either of their 2 top picks, making me believe that they just don't care about scoring runs.

How much is ESPN paying some of these newly-retired players to linger and be seen amongst the suits? It is rough to see Barry Larkin and Dave Winfield simply filling a seat in this oversized reception hall when they could be solving the game's black player deficiency (an epidemic of HIV/SARS/Mad Cow proportions if you care to listen to Winfield's sermon).

I guess finding a qualified stat-head with overflowing personality is a very tall order for the network. Using a small sample size of gifted bubbly McCoven, getting a personality on my screen would seem doable.

To expect this to have the pizzazz of the NFL or NBA draft would be unfair, as this is ESPN's first shot at this and 95% of the sports world hasn't seen a single one of the draftees perform live. Add the fact that it will be at least a couple years (if ever) before you seen any of these guys again on your TV, and this broadcast could never get any sort of ratings, but I am damn happy that it is finally on TV.

Anything's better than watching Judge Judy, The View, The NEW Price is Right (who's takes over for Bob Barker? - I vote Wink Martindale), or the worst option, TB at TOR.

In my fanboy days in elementary school/junior high, I used to set my Will Clark Starting Lineup figure (out of the package) on top of my TV when the Giants needed a couple runs. It was my good luck charm, and damn if it didn't work a couple dozen times. I used it selectively.

The unopened figure would sit in my closet with the rest of the collection. Thoe figures were part of a buttload of Nuschler memorabilia that included:

An autographed glossy photo, personalized with "Go Git 'Em, (my first name)!"

Two autographed baseballs, also signed in person at Giants Dugout store at Stanford Shopping Center

Every baseball card he had in circulation through 1994 (including an uncut sheet of Donruss and an uncut sheet from Mother's cookies)

Four posters, including one that was life-sized like a growth chart

A Will Clark flip book that included that sweet swing from the sideview  

A cartoonish t-shirt with Will and Kevin Mitchell as the Bay Area Bombers (never worn, now full of moth holes)

Nine VHS tapes of Will Clark-only highlights recorded from SportsCenter, GiantsVision and SportsChannel

Anyhow, the luck of my Starting Lineup figure ran out when he was abducted by the Rangers. It hurt even more when he went to the playoffs with the Rangers twice. Damn, it still burns.

Did the impending platoon of J.R. Phillips and Todd Benzinger really look that atttractive to then-GM Bob Quinn that we let him walk? Was it a money issue after acquiring Barry?

My memory doesn't serve me well here, because I can't remember why he was allowed to leave (subsequently ruin the lining of my stomach while watching those 2 buffoons hold down 1B after his departure.)

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Andy Petitte's? Pretty shocking really.

A co-worker brought to my attention an Anna Benson-laden men's magazine, which featured several other sports wives. All are (for the most part) knockouts who fall on the side of extreme foxiness. Upon exiting my office, the gent mentioned to me that there are "no Mrs. Andy Pettites in there", which startled me and forced me to search the internets for a photo to appease my curiosity.

My assumption is that Mrs. Pettite must be dazzling in the kitchen, and a wiz at cleaning.

Or a her moonlighting as a Rosie O'Donnell impersonator must have torn Andy to shreds to the point that it was time to settle down. Feel free to insert your theory.

Also, did you hear about Roger Clemens? I hear he's close to deciding on who to pitch for this year.

(I sure hope it's the Sox)

I couldn't help but think what might have been if Grant had chosen the great Orlando Cepeda to immortalize the most prominent Giants blog on the internets...

There's also a "chronic" joke lingering out there, but I've done enough damage for one afternoon. Without having seen Cepeda play in person, I can't say that his arrest affects me much emotionally.

However, if it had been the great Tiny Felder or Scott Garrelts getting popped, this would NOT have been appropriate at all.