a little perspective
Written on 28 June 2009 by AneelLast night’s loss was admittedly pretty tough to swallow… but before we start calling for Wilson’s head on a platter, there’s something you should know: The Giants are 33-1 this season when leading after 8 innings. Yes. 33-1.
Every team, a couple times a season, has to endure a late, blown-lead, loss. It hurts, it’s painful… but it’s no reason to make big changes. San Francisco’s problem remains its bats (or lack-thereof), not its arms… its bats.
Speaking of bats… how about our young Pablo? He now leads the majors this month with a 1.254 OPS. His batting average this month (.405) trails only Ichiro (.414) and his SLG (.786) trails only Pujols (.807). Amazing.
And please Bochy, play Schierholtz every day, okay? Seriously. Play him everyday.
god wants YOU to pack heat
Written on 27 June 2009 by Aneel… more proof that American Christians are just down-right confused. The Bible and the Bill of Rights… yeah, those are two separate documents.
Koo-koo!
There’s also this, as it seems more and more churches believe their members should pack heat to “protect” themselves.
Christians… please… turn off the Fox News.
Above .500
Written on 11 June 2009 by AneelAfter winning in Arizona again last night, the Giants sit at 31-27, a full four games above .500. While that’s nothing to write home about — it is something the team did not accomplish at all in 2008. The last time San Francisco was four or more games above .500 was April 26, 2007, when they were 12-8.
Anyone care to guess when the Giants were last five games above .500? I’ll give you a hint.. Jason Schmidt won his 18th game… Marquis Grissom patrolled center field.. and the name of this blog actually made sense…
The last time the Giants were five games above .500 was the end of the 2004 season!! Geesh. It’s been a miserable couple years, hasn’t it??
these kids don’t comeback
Written on 10 June 2009 by AneelOne of the HUGE downsides to living in the central time zone is that I often head to bed somewhere around the middle innings of the Giants game. Last night, I turned in after watcing the D’Backs jump out to a 4-2 lead on Matt Cain and the Gints. As I climbed into bed, I thought to myself “Man, I can’t remember the last time the Giants won a game they trailed..”, and that made me sad. It’s not easy to watch/root for a team that folds as soon as the opposition gets an advantage.
Much to my delight this morning, I saw that the Giants HAD come back to win, 9-4 — in a truly unusual offensive explosion! But, my interest had been piqued… are the ‘09 Giants battlers, or do they fold?
Well, here’s what I found… and it’s not good news. Below is a season by season breakdown for percent of wins in which the Giants trailed at some point:
2004 50.5%
2005 58.7%
2006 44.7%
2007 54.9%
2008 43.1%
2009 36.7% (11/30)
Including last night, the Giants have fought back to win just 11 times after trailing this season — only 36.7% of their wins are of the comeback variety. That’s the fourth lowest percent in baseball.
I’m not sure what else to say… except don’t fall behind Giants!
double-header sweep
Written on 5 June 2009 by AneelThe last time the Giants swept a double-header was all the way back on July 4, 2000 against Colorado. San Francisco started the day five games back of the first place Rockies - swept the day, then the four game series, and went on to win 97 games and the NL West by 11.0 games. Sigh.
three cheers for the southern baptist convention!
Written on 2 June 2009 by AneelI’m tired of this.
To quote the insane Wiley Drake, former VP of the SBC:
“This man, George Tiller, was far greater in his atrocities than Adolf Hitler,” Drake said. “So I am happy. I am glad that he is dead. Now I am sad that he went to hell, because he had a choice just like everybody else did. He could have chosen Jesus Christ and when he died went to heaven. But he chose the devil. He chose to neglect, he chose to reject Jesus Christ. And therefore on Sunday morning when he breathed his last breath there in the Lutheran church, he breathed his last breath, and he slipped into the presence of the devil. And I have a strange hunch and a strange feeling that there is a special, superheated, super-hot place in hell for people like George Tiller.”
This man, Wiley Drake, is confused, mixed up, and backwards. He does not speak for all members of the SBC, but he speaks for large number of them, and other far-right conservative Christians.
Here’s an exercise… replace “Jesus Christ” above with “Allah”, and tell me how you feel about Wiley Drake.
Extremism, in any form, is scary! I admire those with strong convictions, I have some of them myself… but what sets strong convictions apart from extremism (and terrorism) is the ability to understand how/why another human being might believe something different. It’s narcissism at it’s most basic level.. “How can anyone NOT believe exactly what I believe?” It’s slightly ironic how much the far, far right has in common with radical Islam.
I don’t pretend to know the heart of George Tiller, nor do I have any idea where he stood with God… and memo to Wiley Drake (in my best Jim Rome impression), neither do you.
oh crap
Written on 25 May 2009 by AneelIn the past, I’ve suggested that the Giants like to sign players who do well against them (because our ownership is too lazy to watch other games)… and now I’m quite concerned about Adrian Beltre’s home run on Sunday. The Giants’ two most recent free-agent pick-ups (hitters) were Edgar Renteria and Aaron Rowand.
* Since 2002, Edgar Renteria hit .325 in 30 games against the Giants.
* In his career, Aaron Rowand hit .316 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI in 17 games versus the Giants.
Beltre has hit .344 in his last 24 games versus San Francisco. Oh crap.
this cannot happen
Written on 24 May 2009 by AneelIt feels inevitable now, doesn’t it? In an attempt to save his job/reputation, Brian Sabean is going to mortgage the future in order to stay mildly “competitive” now.
The latest rumors include Matt Cain. MATT CAIN! Are you freaking kidding me?? It’s not like the Giants are one bat away from the World Series… they are easily one of the worst offensive teams this decade… and Sabean is considering trading MATT CAIN for Mark DeRosa, Adrian Beltre, or Matt Holliday.
This is my team… but if Sabean trades Cain for some POS veteran bat… I might not be able to handle it.
just watch…
Written on 11 May 2009 by Aneelrecent thoughts
Written on 10 May 2009 by AneelBeen a while since I’ve had the time to put any thoughts on paper… here’s a few things I’ve been thinking about lately:
*** Last Tuesday, I watched the Giants beat the Cubs at Wrigley Field. I also sat in front of four of the dumbest, most racist idiots I’ve ever met. And yeah, I lived in ‘bama for two years.
In between degrading women and telling taking jabs at anyone who isn’t white, these idiots proclaimed their undying love for Aaron Rowand. I could handle the racist jokes — but the Rowand-love? That was just too much. They praised his heart, his guts, his love for the game. I pointed out how bad he looked at the plate. But – whatever, they still love Rowand on the south-side… and they like to use the n-word. So… fun!
*** I’m slightly worried about Tim Lincecum. He seems to be falling behind a lot of hitters, especially early in the game. A quick check reveals he’s thrown a first-pitch strike to only 50.3% of opponents this season – the second LOWEST rate in the National League. That’s not how you win a Cy Young.
*** Randy Winn and Aaron Rowand COMBINED are putting up this spectacular line: .218/.294/.352. Yeah, that’s right – two of our three starting outfielders are combining to post a .294 OBP. That’s absolutely disgusting. Isn’t it time for Schierholtz to play every day? Oh, and enough with the off days for Pablo, eh Bochy?
*** How about our boy Zito? He’s strung together a couple good starts in the past, but he’s never *looked* as good as he has lately. He’s working quickly, his curve-ball is biting, and he’s getting ahead of hitters. The result? A 1.37 ERA with 16 strikeouts and 6 walks over his last four starts. I’m crossing my fingers that he pitches HALF this well for the rest of the season.
