Reflections on a Championship Season

Nine years ago, I saw a future first-ballot Hall of Famer pitch the series of his life, rallying his team back from three straight heartbreaking losses and showing the whole world why he might just be the greatest left handed pitcher of all time.  I saw a team that had no quit, a team that never said never, and I saw a mighty empire toppled by a mere bloop.

Eight years ago, I saw a king still enjoying his golden years, untainted by the scandals ahead.  I saw my very own hometown team surge into the playoffs, carrying the spirit and hopes of an entire city with it.  I saw the magic of an October run and I found myself engulfed irreversibly by its allure.  I saw a closer selflessly give his arm up in an attempt to save his team... and then, I saw the brutal meaning of "six outs away" - the cruelty of false hope and heartbreak.

Seven years ago, I saw a chance at redemption fall short thanks to a dropped fly ball.

Six years ago, I saw a comeback attempt end in a heartbreaking collapse at the home of a hated rival.

In the few years after that, I saw the beginning of the end to an era permanently tainted by a steroid scandal, to the misguided philosophy of building a team around one person, and to the reign of a homerun king.  I saw a fallen hero take one last swing in the spotlight, before giving way to the inevitable change ahead.

From the ashes of the previous era, I saw the birth of a new team.  I saw a ray of hope sprout with the emergence of an oft-overlooked workhorse who flirted with history before history had known of him - a pitcher who now anchors the rotation with his strength and consistency.  Slowly, but surely, the young began to replace the aging, and a revolution had begun.  And of course, I saw the debut of a superstar, who couldn't have looked older than 12 and yet possessed an aura unlike any I had ever seen...

Two years ago, I saw the re-emergence of hope for the first time in half a decade.  I saw a kid take the reins as the staff ace, captivating an entire city en route to becoming the city's first Cy Young award winner in over four decades.  But, even so, I had stood by miserably and watched as the team fell well short again...

Last year, I saw a real team begin to take shape, a team filled with both energy and talent at its core.  I saw a bullpen gain its teeth.  I saw a true closer emerge for the first time in nearly a decade, bringing back memories of the legend that sacrificed himself in 2002.  I saw a starting staff that, even in its prematurity, showed enormous potential and stood up to any lineup thrown against it.  But, again, I saw a team still a stretch away from the promise land...

And then there was this year.  I saw a freak show his vulnerability for the first time in his career.  I saw a team struggle daily to find offense.  I saw an overpaid pitcher regain the trust and love of a city, only to lose it again in a matter of months.  I saw a beloved catcher traded away in hopes for change.  I saw a team of nobodys that flirted with .500 as late as June, a fanbase frustrated with the apparently complacent moves of a general manager, and a six and a half game deficit at the start of the season's final month.

But, at the same time, from a group of misfits, I saw the emergence of a real team.  I saw a team invigorated by the ascension of two veterans disguised as rookies.  I saw a team scratch and claw through more nail-biting moments than anybody's nails could take.  I saw a team that reminded the whole world how baseball was meant to be played.  I saw a team that didn't just feature one great player, but an entire supporting cast that proved just as important as the stars themselves.  I saw a group of players that refused to quit, that believed even when nobody else did, that spurned all critics.  I saw former rejects turn into postseason legends, their feats forever embedded into the hearts of fans.  I saw half a century of misery erased by a magical month and replaced by an incomparable rush of joy and elation.

I saw a championship year.

They did it.  They really did it.

--------------

But so much has changed since then.  NLCS hero Juan Uribe is now a Dodger.  World Series MVP Edgar Renteria probably isn't coming back.  Postseason pitching god Cliff Lee is now in Philadelphia.  Miguel Tejada has joined the mix.  The national spotlight is back on the east coast again and the Red Sox and Phillies have already surpassed the Giants as next year's World Series favorites.

Everything seems like it happened so long ago - yet, in reality, it's only been about 7 weeks.  I can still recall so many specific details from the games - Javier Lopez walking off the mound in NLCS Game 3 after another perfect inning, Uribe's walkoff sacrifice fly in Game 4, Uribe's series-clinching homerun in Game 6, Uribe's 3-run shot in Game 1 of the World Series (We're going to really miss your bat, Uribe), Renteria's towering shot that stayed just fare in Game 2, Bumgarner's curveball for a called strike 3 to end the 8th inning of Game 4, Renteria's series-clinching 3 run shot and Dave Fleming's shiver-inducing call in which he loses his voice midway through, and, of course, Brian Wilson's final strikeout of Cruz that sent an entire city into an incomparable frenzy....

These memories will never fade away; they are forever ingrained in my mind (partly because I can't help but rewatch highlights every other day).  Yet, sometimes, it's still so hard to bring myself to believe that it actually happened.  With each passing day, these memories grow more and more unfamiliar.  Their vividity remains untarnished, but their reality continues to diminish.  Did that really happen?  Did Brian Wilson really close out Game 5 of the World Series?  Did we really just just win it all?

It's an indescribable feeling, a heart trying to embrace a joy it had been deprived of for as long as it could remember.  Perhaps it's because this is all so new to me.  It's the first time in my life that everything I wished for, all the unlikely things that I held out my hopes for, actually came true.  It's the first time that I have something to look back on, something to tell my grandkids about in the future, and something to be truly grateful for, even if nothing else goes right.

And perhaps all of this serves as a reminder of how fragile and transient life can be.  Moments come and go in a blink of an eye; it is up to the human heart to choose which moments to hang onto.

2010 was one hell of a ride, but we have to remember - in a few more months, we won't be World Series champions anymore.  It'll be a new season, a new year, a new journey toward glory.  This new season will carry with it another year's worth of amazing feats to celebrate and another year of dreams from baseball fans across the country.  The game will be the same - strikes and balls, outs and hits.  The fans will be the same - millions glued to their television, hoping for a chance to win it all.  The story will be the same - 30 teams, 162 games, and one champion.  It's all part of the beauty of how life works, and how baseball works.  With the fulfillment of one dream comes the birth of another; every championship comes with a chance to repeat as champions.  And I simply can't wait for next season, even if it means we won't be able to call ourselves the World Series Champions anymore.

The Quiet Ace

Shane Victorino stood at the plate, the count 3-1.  Matt Cain prepared himself to deliver the pitch.  It was to be his 118th of the day and though he refused to acknowledge it, fatigue had probably begun to set in for him, as he had hit Ibanez with a pitch and walked Gload on 7 pitches before facing Victorino.  He went in motion and delivered - a fastball on the inside part of the strike zone, clocked in at 90mph.  Victorino swung - foul ball.  3-2.  Cain readied himself again, knowing this would likely be his last batter of the afternoon.  It was the 7th inning and the Giants were hanging on to a 3-0 lead, having scratched out 3 runs off the 2008 World Series and NLCS MVP Cole Hamels.  The bullpen was ready to take over and send the Giants to a 2-1 series lead, but Cain was not finished yet.  One more pitch.  From the stretch, he unloaded again - this time a fastball on the outer half of the strike zone, and Victorino swung.  Ground ball to second, fielded by Sanchez, a throw to Huff - inning over.

Another 7 scoreless innings in the books.  Not as headline grabbing as Lincecum's 14 strikeout performance, but effective and clutch nonetheless.  And in Game 2 of the World Series, Cain would do the same - a clutch, effective 7 and 2/3 scoreless innings, leaving the bullpen with a small but more-than-viable lead.  Though he gave up his first extra base hit of the postseason, he held the Rangers to just 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out two along the way, and continued his postseason dominance.  Cain has yet to allow an earned run this postseason , delivering three high-quality ace-quality starts and has helped put the Giants in a favorable position in the NLCS and now the World Series.

Yet, half of baseball fans in New York probably have no idea who Matt Cain is.  Isn't it all about Lincecum?  Or that beard man?  Or that new rookie Buster Posey?  Or that Cody Ross fellow?  Well, let me tell you who Matt Cain is.  He has logged 200+ innings 4 consecutive seasons, after making his major league debut in 2005 and contributing 190+ innings in 2006.  He has posted a strong 3.45 ERA over 5+ seasons with the Giants, not including his latest postseason starts, and has been a king of consistency.

In 2007, when Barry Zito flopped and failed to deliver on his big contract, Matt Cain quietly stepped in and anchored the beginnings of what would later become one of the best starting rotations in the league.  And when Lincecum emerged and captivated the baseball world in 2008 and 2009, Cain took a backseat in the spotlight, but his pitching never went away.  He continued to give the Giants high-quality start after high-quality start, giving the Giants a powerful 1-2 punch atop their rotation.

And in 2010, when Lincecum appeared to have lost some of his magic touch, Cain stepped up his game once again - though perhaps it was not that Cain had suddenly gotten all that much better,but that his ace-like consistency had suddenly become that much more important in the absence of another ace.

He has been a workhorse ever since his arrival to the big leagues and he led the Giants this year in innings pitched with 223.1, a career high for him.  Though homeruns and control have been problems, Cain has battled and worked to limit them.  His changeup has blossomed into a deadly weapon that complements his high fastballs.  A fly ball pitcher, Cain has found a way to make full use of AT&T park, as its spacious grounds act as a deathbed for most balls popped up in the air (see: Kinsler's double).

And on the nation's biggest stage, Cain has simply been brilliant.  Only four other pitchers can boast the feat of having gone 20 or more consecutive innings without allowing an earned run (Matthewson with 27 in 1905, Hoyt with 27 in 1921, Kenny Rogers with 23 in 2006, and Carl Hubbell with 20 in 1933) - three current Hall of Famers, and one potential Hall of Famer to be.  And yet, despite having the numbers to warrant conversation in the context of other pitching greats - there continues to be a feel that many do not consider Matt Cain to be an elite level pitcher.  Most fans continue to see Cain as a second string pitcher behind Lincecum; they don't consider Cain on equal footing with pitchers like Halladay, Hernandez, or CC Sabathia.

I'll admit - I, too, have been guilty of this.  And why not?  Lincecum has been nothing short of remarkable and deserves every bit of attention he gets.  But that does not mean we should ignore what Cain has done.  Actually younger than Lincecum, Cain has been through more with the Giants than any other current Giants player.  He is currently the longest tenured Giant on the team, having experienced both the end of the Bonds era and the emergence of the incredible and torturous pitching-dominated culture that lives in San Francisco today.  A consistent victim of low run support, he neither complained nor whined.  He simply kept at it and quietly put together ace-like season after ace-like season.  He pitched like an ace when all eyes were on the dazzling Tim Lincecum or the flops of Barry Zito.  And he pitched like an ace when it mattered most - in the playoffs, shutting down opponents at a rate that legends tell of.  People have spoken endlessly about Cliff Lee's 7-0 playoff run, but perhaps it is time to discuss the emergence of a new legend, one that quietly excelled in the background.

If/when the Giants win the World Series this year, the MVP award might well go to Freddy Sanchez or Edgar Renteria, but if we really wanted to give an MVP award, one that truly told the story of the past 5 seasons, there is no doubt that Matt Cain would win it.

Redefining Convention: the 2010 San Francisco Giants

There are not enough words in the English dictionary to describe the paradox that is the San Francisco Giants.  (While we're at it, let's cross out "Convention" from the title of this article and replace it with "everything".)  

An offensively challenged team kept alive by incredible and timely pitching, the Giants knocked off the Phillies in Game 6 of the NLCS last night in their usual fashion.  NLCS Game 6 featured neither dominance nor power, but grit and stinginess. The Giants stranded 11 baserunners, had just one hit in 8 tries with runners in scoring position, grounded into two rally-killing double plays, and gave the Phillies numerous opportunities to score.  Starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez lasted just two innings and left the third inning after hitting Utley in the back to put two runners on with nobody out and the Giants were forced to use their bullpen for 7 innings that night.

By no means should the Giants have won, but here's the thing - they did.  And they've been doing this all season.  After falling in a 2-0 deficit, almost an insurmountable obstacle with the Giants' anemic offense, the Giants "rallied" in the 3rd.  Pitcher Jonathan Sanchez led off the inning with a single, Torres hit a fly ball to the center field wall that Victorino could not handle, and a sacrifice bunt by Freddy Sanchez put runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out.  Up came #3 hitter Aubrey Huff, who singled up the middle to score Sanchez.  Torres was thrown out at the plate thanks to a fortuitous bounce on the pitcher's mound on Victorino's throw and Huff moved up to 2nd on the play.  Buster Posey followed up this with a slow roller along the 3rd base line and after Polanco's throwing error, Huff scored the tying run.  2-2.  No big hits, no homeruns - not even an extra base hit.  Just more scratching and clawing and grinding (and a bit of help from lady luck and the Phillies defense).  Typical Giants baseball.

From that point on, they stranded runner after runner after runner, squandered opportunity after opportunity, and seemed destined to fall to the powerful Phillies offense.  But the pitching staff would not have any of that.  They countered the 11 Giants runners stranded by stranding 11 Phillies baserunners themselves.  A starter turned reliever, Madison Bumgarner worked his way into trouble in the 5th and 6th innings, and with his inexperience, both as a reliever and as a major leaguer in general, the Phillies seemed poised to break loose.  But just as the Giants pitching staff has done all year, he would work out of trouble, stranding the bases loaded in the 5th and a runner at 3rd with one out in the 6th.

And then came in the 8th inning.  Phillies reliever Ryan Madson was in his second inning of work and had dominated the Giants the entire series - having struck out the heart of the Giants lineup in order in the 8th inning of Game 5.  And after two quick outs, the batter was Juan Uribe.  Though he had his moments, he had struggled mightily in the postseason (then again, so has the entire Giants offense minus Cody Ross) and was battling an injury.  But none of that mattered - Uribe took the first pitch he saw and drove it to right field for a homerun - just barely over the wall, but a homerun nonetheless.  And just like that the Giants were on top 3-2.


But the night was far from over.  After escaping Lincecum's jam in the 8th inning, Wilson, with two outs in the ninth, walked Utley, putting the go-ahead run on base and pushing the tying run to second base with Ryan Howard, the Phillies big slugger, coming to bat.  He quickly worked the count 3-2 (the usual Wilson count), but struck out Howard looking with a backdoor breaking ball to send the Giants to the World Series.  Howard could not believe it - he stood there, hands on his hips, in disappointment at the strike call and the realization that his team, heavily favored by any standard, had just lost to a team featuring Cody Ross as their best hitter, a team that actually scored less runs total than the Phillies in the series.


The Phillies had stranded 11 runners on the night and were just 7 for 45 (.156) with runners in scoring position during the series.  They can blame themselves all they want - for their lack of clutch hitting and untimeliness, but the fact of the matter is, the Giants were simply better.  There may not be any statistics or expert analysis that could have predicted or justified this - save for the 4 tallies in the win column - but the Giants were better.  The Giants know that and the Giants faithful know that.  Their offense dwarfed in comparison to the Phillies and their starting pitching seemed to have finally met their match against the Phillies' experienced "H2O", but the Giants found a way to be the better team, and they did so four times before the Phillies could.


But this is just the tip of the iceberg; I could go on for days about how the Giants have grinded their way through the season in unconventional fashion.  Their best hitter in the postseason was added to the team in late August not as an upgrade but as a surefire way to keep him away from the Padres.  The Giants won the NL West only thanks to an epic Padres collapse that featured a 10 game losing streak while atop the division.  Their cleanup hitter is a rookie catcher that took over the catching duties midseason.  Their leadoff man was a 30+ year old journeyman who showed no signs of breaking out.  And the #5 hitter?  A reject from the Rays.  They have almost half their payroll sitting on the bench in the form of Edgar Renteria, Aaron Rowand, and Barry Zito.  Their usually dominant ace Tim Lincecum had a subpar season ("subpar" by Lincecum standards, of course), going 0-5 in August.  And when it seemed like the Giants simply needed more offense, general manager Brian Sabean went out and added two bullpen arms.  The list goes on.


But none of that matters, what matters is that the Giants stand atop the NL, with a chance to take home the World Series crown for the first time since 1954.  How they did it will be left up to debate for years, but that's where we are now.  Duane Kuiper has cleverly coined the term "Giants baseball: Torture" as the motto of the 2010 season, but in light of the previous seasons, this is the best that Giants baseball has ever been.  The hearts of Giants fans still ache from the oh-so-close-just-6-outs-away-goddamit moment of 2002, their frustration amplified by the quick exit from the playoffs in 2003, their faith questioned by the heartbreaking end to 2004 at Dodgers stadium, and their determination strained from the lackluster finshes from 2005-2009.  


This year was different.  It was the same - great pitching and barely viable offense - but different.  The Giants have a chance, a chance to end their half-century long drought.  On paper, the Giants pale in comparison to the Rangers, who possess a powerful and deadly offense and a postseason pitching god in Cliff Lee.  Many have already begun to write us off already, but this has been the case all season long.  They wrote us off before the season even began, pointing out our offensive incompetence, they wrote us off when we slumped our way out of the race temporarily in late June, and they wrote us off again at the beginning of the NLCS.  The Giants proved their critics wrong time and time again - and there's no reason they cannot do it now.  Statistics may tell a story over a season, but in 7 games, anything can happen.


If this is truly torture, then call me a masochist, because I'm loving every second of it.

RIP Bobby Thompson

He gave the Giants possibly the greatest moment in all of baseball and the years may pass, but we'll never forget what he did for us.

"There's a line drive... it's gonna be, I believe... THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!"

July Recap: Rejuvenation

So.. I've been really lazy and haven't been writing down what's been happening, but I suppose I'll start changing that now.  The Giants had an amazing July, winning 20 (21*) games in a month for the first time since 2000.  In just a month, they've gone from barely above .500 to being the Wildcard leader, 2 games above St. Louis as of today and just 2 back of the NL West leading Padres.  They own a better record than both the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves and the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds and even made it up to the #5 spot on this week's ESPN Power Rankings.  So, here's a quick summary of what happened this month:

Pre-All Star Break:
July actually started off slowly for the Giants, as the first two games of a four-game set in Colorado, and it appeared that they would drop a 3rd consecutive game, as they had to face the untouchable Ubaldo Jimenez.  But, to everybody's surprise, the Giants rocked Ubaldo, at least in the 3rd inning of the game, scoring 7 runs in the inning, capped off by Ishikawa's grand slam.  The Rockies got Jimenez off the hook by rallying from a 6 run deficit to take a 8-7 lead, but the Giants would respond and win the game 11-8.   Though the final game of the series resulted in a heartbreaking 15-inning loss for the Giants, they showed incredible resiliency throughout the game, escaping jam after jam and rallying from a late 3-0 deficit to force extra innings.  These two games marked a turning point for the Giants' fortunes, as they found both their offensive stride and their swagger.  The Giants rolled through Milwaukee, sweeping the 4-game series thanks to an impressive display of offense and sloppy defense from the Brewers, and, despite a setback against Strasburg, took 2 out of 3 from the Nationals.  Posey made a mockery of major league pitching, hitting 5 homeruns for the week (one, two, three, four, five) and winning the NL Player of the Week award.  Bumgarner notched the first two major league victories of his young career with strong starts against both the Brewers and Nationals.

Post All-Star Break:
The All-Star Game ended well for the NL, as they finally won an All-Star Game behind strong pitching (except for Kuo and his inability to throw to 1st base, of course), McCann's clutch bases-clearing 3-run double, and David Ortiz's obesity.  Even more surprising, Brian Wilson actually pitched a quiet and quick 8th inning to preserve the 2-run NL lead. The Giants remained hot, taking 3* (again, f*** you, Phil Cuzzi) out of 4 from the Mets thanks to their usual mantra - superb pitching.  The Giants started off the second half with 2 shutouts and cruised to a series victory  (should have been a sweep).  Up next were the reeling Dodgers, having been swept in a 4-game series in St.Louis by the Cardinals, and the Giants took two out of three - the first thanks to a good start from Bumgarner and the second in hillarious and dramatic fashion, as noted by the previous post.  Billingsley pitched a shutout to prevent a sweep, but the Giants were on a roll and the Dodgers woes would continue for the rest of the month.  The Giants then took three out of three in Arizona, capped off by Ishikawa's clutch RBI-single for a 10th inning win in the series finale.  The Giants suffered a minor setback against the Marlins and settled for a series-split against another hot team.  Posey's hit streak ran to 21 games, but ended there with Anibal Sanchez's 1-hit shutout of the Giants in the series finale, one shy of the record for Giants rookies.

And then in came the Dodgers, seeking to reverse their fortunes in a place where they have reigned over the Giants this past decade, but the Giants would refuse to relieve the Dodger woes.  The Giants escaped with a 6-5 victory on Monday despite Lincecum's shaky start and a Wilson-less bullpen that put the tying run on third after entering the ninth with a 4-run lead.  The Giants won in dramatic fashion on Saturday, in front of a national FOX Game of the Week audience, thanks to a clutch 2-run homer off closer Jonathan Broxton in the bottom of the 8th inning.  It was sweet revenge for the Giants, as the Dodgers had hit Buster Posey, the previous batter, to bring the winning run to the plate, and even sweeter for Zito, who was spared of another undeserved loss.  The Giants and Dodgers would play the series finale in front of another national audience, this time on ESPN's Sunday Night Game of the Week with hometown Hall of Fame announcer Jon Miller doing the play-by-play.  Renteria's two-run triple proved to be the only offense in the game, as Matt Cain outdueled Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw for his first win against the Dodgers in 15 tries (now 1-8 against them), shutting the Dodgers out over 7 and 2/3 innings.


The Giants emerged from the series a season high 16 games above .500.  The offense proved to the primary surprise, as the Giants led the NL in runs scored in July with 149, one shy of the Yankees for the MLB lead.  Though Sabean elected not to trade away one or more of major pitching prospects for another hitter, the offense has proven this month that it can deliver when it needs to.  Despite Lincecum's apparently reduced fastball velocity, the pitching looks as strong as ever, with 5 starters wielding ace-caliber talent, the bullpen receiving reinforcements in the form of left-handed specialist Javier Lopez and right-handed middle reliever Ramon Ramirez, and left-handed reliever Dan Runzler expected back from the DL soon.  It remains to be seen whether the Giants success can hold out to get them into the playoffs, but the outlook is certainly bright.


Interesting Notes:

• Giants pitchers lead the majors in walks issued at 417, but they rank first in strikeouts and 3rd in ERA at 3.41.
• Giants pitchers sport a collective 1.41 WHIP after the 6th inning, despite leading the league in saves - a sign of the torture they put fans through.
• Andres Torres is on pace to hit about 50 doubles, which would be a franchise record.
• The Giants had not swept a home series against the Dodgers since 2004.
• Mota is a slang term for pot in Spanish.
• Matt Garza pitched MLB's 5th no-hitter this year in a 5-0 win against the Tigers.  The Rays have been on a tear and are now neck-and-neck with the Yankees for the AL East lead.  
• Teams in 4 of the 6 divisions in baseball are further back in the Wild-card standings than they are in the division standings.

A Game for the Ages - the Century-Old Rivalry at its Best

Things were certainly bleak.  2 time Cy-Young award winner Tim Lincecum was nothing of his old self; he gave up 5 earned runs in under 5 innings, racking up a measly 2 strikeouts against 3 walks.  He gave up 3 runs before getting an out in the first and even uncorked this humorous (but concerning) pitch.  Lincecum also hit Kemp with a fastball that ran inside after narrowly missing the pitch before, prompting the umpires to issue warnings to both sides.  The Giants had just one hit (and a run, thanks to a walk that preceded the hit and a sacrifice fly) through 5 innings against the Dodgers' young left-handed ace, Clayton Kershaw.  Kershaw was cruising, having retired 11 straight Giants until Freddy Sanchez's one-out single in the 6th, and the Dodgers held what seemed to be a comfortable 5-1 lead.

Paul drops the ball.

Then, things got interesting.  In the sixth inning, after Posey and Sanchez both reached base, outfielder Xavier Paul dropped a crucial fly ball that allowed the Giants to score 2 additional unearned runs.  Burrell had hit a fly ball that looked to be nothing more than sacrifice fly (which was still good considering the Giants' offensive woes); instead, Paul's error would put runners at 2nd and 3rd with just one out.  Sandoval made sure the Dodgers would pay for the mistake, ripping a 2-run double down the left field line on a high fastball from Kershaw to cut the deficit to one.  (A positive note: Pablo seems to have figured out how to hit that high fastball.)

In the bottom half of the frame, Giants reliever Denny Bautista threw another controversial pitch, running up and in toward Russell Martin's head and forcing him to jump back to get out of the way.  Surprisingly, it was neither Bautista nor Bochy that would be ejected in this scenario - Dodgers bench coach (and backup manager) Bob Schaefer got into a heated argument with the umpires from a distance, as he furiously called for the ejection of Bautista, and was ejected as a result.  Kershaw, despite struggling the previous frame and running his pitch count to over 100, stayed in the game to bat in the 6th.  This set up the 7th inning, in which Kershaw promptly hit Rowand, the first batter he faced, prompting the automatic ejections of both he and Dodgers manager Joe Torre and leaving the Dodgers with batting coach Don Mattingly as their temporary manager.  (All three ejections here.)

(Joe Torre argues with the umpire after bench
coach Bob Schaefer is ejected.)

This would prove crucial in the 9th inning.  After two perfect innings by All-Star reliever Hong-Chih Kuo, the Giants were left to face with Broxton.  Though widely considered to be an elite closer, Broxton had not been himself lately, blowing important saves recently to both the Yankees and the Cardinals, and would not get the job done tonight either.  A leadoff single by Uribe, a walk by Renteria, a perfect bunt by Rowand, and an intentional walk to pinch-hitter Aubrey Huff would load the bases with just one out.  Andres Torres began walking toward the plate in an apparent matchup with Jonathan Broxton - emphasis on the apparent.  Acting manager Don Mattingly went out to the mound to talk to Broxton and, as he began to walk away, first baseman James Loney asked him a question, leading to the gaffe of the night, as Mattingly naively returned to the mound after stepping off in order to add a few final words.  He completely forgot about a strict MLB rule regarding mound visits, which dictates that a manager cannot pay two consecutive visits to the mound without making a pitching change.  Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who played an important role in facilitating the Giants victory tonight, argued that Mattingly's additional action constituted a second mound visit, thus necessitating a pitching change, and won his case.  Broxton left the game and in came George Sherrill with his 7+ ERA.  The rest, as you know, is in the books.  Torres promptly put the Giants on top with a dramatic, crowd-silencing 2-run double on the second pitch from Sherrill and Posey added an RBI single for insurance.  Affeldt, filling in for closer Brian Wilson, who had pitched 4 straight days, closed out the game despite a 1-out double from Furcal by striking out Andre Ethier, and that was that.  Casilla, who pitched two scoreless innings, escaping yet another self-created jam in the 7th by coaxing a double play ball, got the victory.  With this, the Giants have won 11 of their last 13 games and handed the Dodgers their sixth consecutive loss.  They remain three games out of the NL West and half a game out of the Wildcard.

(Andres Torres celebrates after hitting the go-ahead 2-run double and scoring on Buster Posey's base hit.)

(Images taken from MLB.com)

Random Topic 2: Gay Marriage

Marriage - the ultimate symbol of love between two (or more, depending on what you believe in) people.  But should it be restricted to the union between a man and a woman?  Should two men or two women have the legal right to marry?  Who defines marriage?  Who has the ultimate say in the definition of marriage?  These questions - this debate - have been a central conflict in today's world, especially in California.  But I'm here to present a new opinion - that both sides feature complete idiots wasting their times on a meaningless issue.  Yep, that's right.  This whole debate has no significance whatsoever; it's equivalent to two sides arguing over the name of a street - nothing but a waste of time in an era where there exist so many other problems that need our attention.

For those of you who argue that gay men and women deserve the same rights as heterosexual couples, I completely and wholeheartedly agree.  Any two people - heck, it can even be between a person and a robot for all I care - that love each other deeply deserve protection and benefits from the state; gay couples deserve to be recognized as equals to heterosexual couples.  This isn't the issue I want to focus on; gay rights are already a given - it's the right thing to do.  If they aren't equal under the law right now, then something should be done to make them equal under the law.  End of debate.

The real issue that I would like to discuss is the issue of "marriage."  Let's take a hypothetical situation: there are two couples, each in deep, loving relationships.  Both share the same benefits - both file their taxes together, both enjoy tax credits to help raise their children.  The only difference?  The state recognizes one as a "marriage" and the other as a "domestic partnership."  But is this really a difference?  Honestly, why do people care about what it's called?  First of all, if you love someone, why do you need the government to tell you that you love him/her/it/whatever?  Love transcends the law; a piece of paper cannot tell you what to love or not love.  The word "marriage" is nothing but overhyped legal jargon.  Who says you can't love someone fully if you're not married to them?  Heck, what difference would it make if they changed the word "marriage" to something ridiculous like "asdkfuweiortuaiodjfaklsdjfkasd"?  Would people stop loving each other?  I certainly hope not.

My point is - why are we bitterly bickering and fighting over terminology?  We're wasting everybody's time, we're wasting campaign money, and we're not getting anywhere.  It's as if we're spending millions of dollars and hours just to figure out a correct definition for a useless word in a dictionary.  This whole idea is pointless - and the blame for this ridiculous debate doesn't fall on one side either.  Both sides deserve equal blame. (How's that for equality?)  On the one hand, you have the gay marriage supporters, the Prop. 8 opposition, the liberals, whatever the hell you want to call them.  I agree that if gay couples do not have equal rights as heterosexual couples, then they should definitely lobby for equal rights.  But, why the whole hissy-fit over the recognition of "marriage" by the government of all things?  Who cares what the government labels you as, so long as you have equal rights?  It's not like the government is your mom or something - do you really need the government's approval to love someone?  If you guys want equal rights, fine.  But please stop wasting our time about the whole "marriage" thing.  On the other hand, you have the gay marriage opponents, the Prop. 8 backers, the conservatives, whatever you want to call them.  These people are just as, if not more stupid than the gay marriage supporters.  These heterosexual couples are happily married. (Or well, you're supposed to be happily married...)  The government says they're married.  They get legal benefits, tax cuts, wills written out to each other - the whole package.  Why in the world must they care if two other men or two other women, that they've never seen before and probably will get to never know in their entire lives, get married?  What can two random strangers getting married as a homosexual couple possibly do to damage the lives of a heterosexual couple?  There is absolutely no logical reason for them to stop people from giving themselves a silly label - honestly, who cares what the government labels people as?  If two men get married, will you stop loving your wife/husband?  I really hope that's not the case.  And for those of you planning on making some ridiculous argument with the bible (<--I'm leaving this uncapitalized on purpose to offend people who care about labels) - please don't.  I mean, these gay couples - many of them are devout Christians, faithful to God, church attenders - you know, decent people who are probably going to heaven.  Why fight so hard to deprive them of this little "sin" when there are devil-praising heretics out there spreading violence and hate?  Why not spend some time and money going after those guys?  Get your priorities straight, people.

So that's about all I have to say - it's a little less formal this time because I'm a bit lazy.. but yeah.  Please feel free to leave comments.

One last note, though: to those of you who think that equality will only be guaranteed if the couples are placed under the same label - take a look at race.  Do we need to call all black people "white" in order to guarantee their equality?  No, and the same should apply to couples.  We shouldn't need to label something to guarantee equal rights.  It might be a bit easier, but it certainly isn't necessary.




Last last note: I actually had no idea about the Argentina thing when I wrote this..

Random Topic 1: Confidence

A man walks up to a pretty girl and asks her out on a date.  Nearby spectators remark and compliment his "confidence."  We've all seen something like this before, whether through the movies or in real life - a "confident" man getting a date.  This idea of "confidence" persists throughout society: interviewees are often taught to exude "confidence" in order to get a job, lawyers must appear "confident" in order to win a case, and an athlete's success if often attributed to his "confidence."  Our society places a high value on society; a "confident" personality or demeanor is often viewed as positive.

What exactly is "confidence"?  According to Dictionary.com, it is the "belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities." But really, it is a useless word.  It's a word that is unnecessary, misused, and falsely praised.  It's nothing but a illusory euphemism for arrogance.  In nearly every case, a simple substitution of the word "confidence" with "arrogance" can be made.  Arrogance provides a justification for all the scenarios mentioned above.  An arrogant man views himself so highly that he believes himself to be worthy of the reward in each scenario listed above; he believes himself worthy of a girl's affection, of being hired, of his argument in a trial being undeniably correct, of being recognized as the world's best athlete.  He cannot possibly fathom the possibility of failure and he will never admit inadequacy.  This is the real driving force of confidence with its euphemistic shield deprived. Confidence is nothing but arrogance, though it may come in smaller and more subtle doses at times, and arrogance derives from ignorance, from the inability to foresee or accept potential failure.  Our ignorance causes us to see this as a good trait; we hail the "confident" person as the epitome of success and we ignore the fact that confidence is nothing more than a sugar-coated form of arrogance, an evil figure covered by a cloak of unjust praise.  And for this reason, we must open our eyes.  Confidence does not, and should not, exist as a separate entity from arrogance.  They are completely intertwined - they are one and the same.  

But what about the good aspects of confidence?  What about the rookie that has the "confidence" to pinch-hit in the bottom of the 9th inning with the game on the line?  What about the lawyer with enough "confidence" to deliver his argument in a way that convinces the jury?  What about the new worker who has the "confidence" to stay calm during the interview and answer all the questions properly?  What about the nerdy average-looking kid that is "confident" enough to ask out the love of his life?  If confidence is arrogance, then does societal success depend entirely on arrogance?

The answer to that is, simply, no.  The issue here is that confidence is a misused word.  A rookie does not have to believe in himself in order to hit a home run; he must simply focus on his fundamentals.  A lawyer only has to appear self-assured in his argument; deep down, he knows there are always counterarguments.  A prospective employee does not have to believe he is undeniably the best applicant out there; he only has to answer the questions presented to him to the best of his abilities.  The average guy knows he won't always succeed, but he knows that he has to try.  When it all boils down, the good in society depends not on arrogance or confidence, but on courage and determination.  It depends on one's courage to attempt a task to the best of his or her ability regardless of the odds or the situation.  It depends on one's determination to persist and endure even if the situation appears destined toward failure.  These are the values that society must value - not confidence, but courage and determination.

The world today is plagued by an evil in the form of ignorance; we deceive ourselves by seeking "confidence" in those we depend on.  If we continue to do so, our world will begin to become overrun with arrogant, ignorant people.  The forces of evil will slowly weed out the forces of good; arrogance will supplant courage and determination as the foundational values of society.  Thus, we must abolish the notion of confidence.  We must strip off its illusory coat, the misleading positive connotations that perpetuate our own ignorance in a vicious cycle.  When we see an arrogant person in a position of power, we bring ourselves to believe that arrogance, or "confidence" as one might say, is a force of good, one that gets us where we want to go in life.  Ignorance breeds confidence and confidence fuels ignorance.  For the sake of humanity, and for the sake of the world, we must delete this word from our vocabulary or, at the very least, shed light on its evil, hateful nature.

Giants Baseball - the Leading Cause of High Blood Pressure

Just a quick summary with how the Giants tempted with fate today:

• The Giants scored their three runs in the first inning thanks to:
• Posey's RBI single up the middle - perfectly placed line drive/grounder that went perfectly between Sandoval's leg at second
• Two infielders colliding on a ground ball up the middle.
• A perfectly placed bunt single by pitcher Jonathan Sanchez with the bases loaded.
• A throwing error on the same play allowing the tying run to score.
• The Red Sox loaded the bases 3 times in the last 4 innings, trailing by a run in each case, and failed to tie the game. (See Casilla's Houdini act here.)
• They also had two runners or more in three other innings and failed to score in two of them.
• The Red Sox stranded 11 baserunners in the final four innings.
• Every Red Sox starter besides Wakefield and Hall finished with at least 2 LOB.
• Giants pitchers issued 10 walks this game and four wild pitches - three by Casilla.
• Wilson somehow got a save despite giving up six baseunners.
• After facing three hitters just to get one out in the 8th, Wilson was one out away from a clean 9th.  However, a triple, two singles (one coming on a fastball down the middle in an 0-2 count... seriously WTF Wilson??), and a walk later: the bases were loaded.  Wilson managed to escape the jam by coaxing a grounder to short from Darnell Macdonald to end the game.
• Here's the box score for reference.

Two Simple Reasons for why Ice Hockey > Soccer

1.

The typical hockey score, while relatively low, is nothing compared to the typical soccer score:

2.  This is hockey:

And this is soccer:  (Note that he BARELY grazed the guy.)

I rest my case.

List of Evil: 15 teams to boo

Barring extraordinary circumstances, one must always boo any team on this list.  It is the right thing to do.  If two teams from this list are playing each other, boo the team higher up on this list.  For tiebreakers, root for the underdog or the team with the better feel-good story at the time.

1.  L.A. Dodgers
2.  New York Yankees
3.  New England Patriots
4.  USC (all sports)
5.  Brett Favre's current team
6.  Stanford (all sports)
7.  L.A. Lakers
8.  Detroit Red Wings
T-9.  L.A. Angels

T-9.  Boston Red Sox
11.  Dallas Cowboys
12.  Boston Celtics
13.  Anaheim Ducks
T-14.  Pittsburgh Steelers
T-14.  Arizona Cardinals

On the bubble: L.A. Clippers (too weak to be evil), Oakland A's (in recent years, its been a relief knowing that we're not as bad as a certain team across the bay), Oakland Raiders (see: Oakland A's), New York Mets (overshadowed by much eviler Yankees), St. Louis Rams (see: Clippers), Chicago Blackhawks (the sweep was brutal, but not much history against that team), L.A. Kings (see: Clippers, but it's important to note that they did manage to make the playoffs in 2010)

Weeks 9 and 10: Sweep Revenge

• Giants went a nice 8-5 during the past two weeks, thanks mainly to a sizzling Matt Cain who went 3-0 and lowered his ERA to 2.05.  At this rate, he's beginning to put his name back into Cy Young consideration. They began week 9 with a 3 game set against the Rockies.  Lincecum failure to keep his end of what was supposed to be an epic pitcher's duel with Jimenez and the inability of the Giants offense to back Barry Zito's stellar start caused the Giants to drop the first two games of the series.  They followed that series up by taking 2 out of 3 from Pittsburgh; Lincecum finally began to snap his funk, throwing 7 good innings and giving up 3 runs.  Giants could certainly have done better in Cincinnati - they won the first two games of the four game set but dropped the other two, failing to make much off Harang and blowing a late lead in a game where Wellemeyer left early due to injury.  But, we should be satisfied - splitting a road series with a division leader isn't bad at all.  To conclude week 10, the Giants exacted sweet revenge on the crosstown rival A's, sweeping the series and making up for three-game sweep they suffered in Oakland a month ago.  Lincecum, Zito, Cain provided excellent starts - three LQS (Lincecum-Quality Start: defined by me as 7+ IP, 2 ER or less, and a 4:1 K:BB ratio), I might add  - and the Giants offense provided just enough to overcome a semi-shaky bullpen.  
• Zito earned his first win against the A's this weekend.  With this win, Zito now has a win against every team in the MLB.
• Buster Posey, despite his 0 for 4 today, continues to impress, and hit his first major league homerun on Thursday - a second decker.  He's got a cannon for an arm too.
• With Wellemeyer injured, Joe Martinez is expected to pitch in his place on Tuesday against the Orioles.  If you remember, he's the pitcher that got a concussion last season after taking a line drive at his head.
• Wilson did it again on Saturday.  He protected a 1 run lead by escaping a bases loaded, 1 out situation in the 8th inning and worked 1.2 innings for the save.  I think the broadcasters sum it up nicely after the game here.
• Huff has done very well since his poor April; he hit two two-run homers (one two) today to back Cain's start and has raised his average to .300.
• Golden Tate?  Seriously?
• Oh yeah, the Angels swept the Dodgers too.  It was a good weekend.  Giants now sit just half a game back of the Dodgers in the Wildcard and 1.5 back of the Padres in the NL West.
• Galarraga's spoiled gem shows that a perfect game requires a total team effort, and that includes the umpire too.  Galarraga got an apology and a new car though, so all is well.
• Diamondbacks dropped 10 games in a row, including 3 straight in walkoff fashion, before finally walking off themselves in a 9th inning comeback against Manny Corpas.
• Jose Bautista continues to surprise everybody with his early season success.  He has 18 homeruns for the Toronto Blue Jays, good enough for 2nd most in the majors behind Cabrera's 17.  Looking at his career track record...... WTF? (Dare I say steroids?)
• With the Red Sox heating up, the AL East has become one scary division.  They arguably have four top-ten teams in the majors: the Rays and the Yankees continue to stand on top but the Halladay-less Blue Jays have been a nice surprise and the Red Sox sit just 4 games back.
• Awesome headline: "Jimenez wins 11th as ERA rises to 0.93"  When your ERA rises to 0.93 for your 11th win of the season, that's pretty damn amazing.  Jimenez was "roughed up" a bit on Friday, however; he gave up 3 runs in a rain-shortened win over the Blue Jays.
• Greinke finally wins a game.  He's now 2-8 on the season.  Yes, 2-8.  Some of those losses were his fault, but come on, 2-8???  How can a team possibly screw their pitcher over that much?
• Here's why you shouldn't throw a fastball down the middle to a guy, even if he's never seen a major league pitch in his life:  Daniel Nava hit a grand slam on the first pitch he saw from Joe Blanton, becoming just the second player to do so on their first MLB pitch.
• We nearly had a double-no hitter in Chicago today; both Gavin Floyd of the White Sox and Ted Lilly traded no-hit innings until the 7th, when Chicago scratched out two hits and a run off Floyd.  Lilly would lose his no-hit bid in the 9th thanks to a Juan Pierre single, but Marmol's excellent relief work would work the Cubs out of a 2nd and 3rd, nobody out jam to preserve the 1-0 win.

Other News:

• Lots of headlines in college football:
• Nebraska leaves the Big 12 for the Big Ten.
• Colorado joins the Pac-10.
• Many other teams (including Oklahoma and Texas) might leave the Big 12 for the Pac-10 - we could potentially have a Pac-16 superconference by 2012, with two subdivisions consisting of the 8 original teams (UCLA, USC, Cal, Stanford, WSU, Washington, Oregon, OSU) and the 8 newer teams.
• USC caught cheating.  Numerous wins forfeited, including some from 2004.  Two year ban on bowl games.  Loss of numerous scholarships.  Cal, by default, is the 2004 Pac-10 champion (YEAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!), even if the conference refuses to recognize that.
• Jeremiah Masoli released by the ducks.
• Giant sinkhole in Guatemala.
• Lakers down 3-2 to the Celtics.  Just one more and the Baby Killers will be defeated.
• College rhetoric sucks, the readings make no sense and neither do my essays.
• Karate Kid was nice, but I expected more comedy, not Jackie Chan actually crying - touching scene though.

Week 8: Posey, Cain spark San Fran renaissance; Doc paints perfection in Florida

• A 5-1 week places the Giants back in the realm of competence as the Giants finished off a sweep of the Diamondbacks with a thrilling come-from-behind win that featured a 2-run 9th-inning rally and a walkoff hit from outfielder Andres Torres.  Offense highlighted the final two innings, but it was the defense that set them up - Schierholtz and Sanchez threw out key runners (highlights here and here) trying to take an extra base, keeping the game within reach.  Lincecum had a bad day on Wednesday and the Giants needed a 3-run rally in the 7th inning off former Giant Tyler Walker to overcome a semi-poor start from Zito on Thursday, but the bottom of the rotation rose to the occasion.  Wellemeyer preserved his job status with two quality starts at home to start off and end the week, Sanchez held the Diamondbacks to one run in 5 innings in a 12-1 rout on Saturday, and Cain topped them all with a dominating one-hit shutout of the Diamondbacks on Friday.  Other notes:
• Perhaps the headline of the week, if not Cain's one hitter, should be the call-up of long awaited prospect Buster Posey - tasked with providing a stimulus to an oft dormant offense.  The result? Two three-hit games (highlights here and here) and 4 RBIs.  When can we start calling him our savior?
• Andres Torres appears to have turned a corner, seemingly becoming the leadoff hitter the Giants desperately need.  Torres batted .417 this week, scored 9 runs, and stole 2 bases.  His season average is now at .307 and he currently leads the team in both doubles and stolen bases.  Combined with apparent resurgences from Freddy Sanchez and Pablo Sandoval, the Giants have a very solid 1-2-3 punch in the top of their lineup right now.
• Aaron Rowand continues to struggle - I believe that it's time to bench him.  The Giants need to put Torres in center and Schierholtz in right.  This gives them their optimal lineup of: Torres (CF), Sanchez (2B), Sandoval (3B), Huff (LF), Uribe (SS), Posey (1B), Molina (C), and Schierholtz (RF).  Schierholtz has done well at the plate this year and his defense in right field - especially that cannon of an arm - cannot be understated.  Perhaps Rowand will regain his stroke again with some time off.
• Of course, the other big story: Roy Halladay, who I've always thought of as a workhorse rather than a no-hit type pitcher, etched his name in history with a perfecto - 27 up and 27 down in Miami against the Florida Marlins.  (Let's not forget the effort of his counterpart Josh Johnson either - he pitched 7 stellar innings himself, giving up just one unearned run.) It's the second perfect game this month (the other being Braden's perfect game in Oakland on Mother's day).  This a bit of a surprising statistic, considering that there have only been 20 perfect games in over a century of baseball.  In fact, 3 of those perfect games have actually occurred within the last year (see Buerhle vs. Rays last season).   Coincidence?  Maybe...
• Not really sure what to say about this.  Joe West  (if you remember, he also called out the Yankees and Red Sox for taking too long during games - I completely agree with him on that, but I'm not so sure about this.) comes under fire again after ejecting Buerhle and hotheaded manager Ozzie Guillen for arguing two questionable balk calls.  Heck, even the announcer called him out, saying that he "deserved a suspension."
• The Nationals survived a 9th inning scare on Friday with some wild pitching from Capps, who gave up 4 singles to start the inning but retired the next 3 to preserve the save.  That didn't save them from dropping the next two games against the Padres, however; the Pads still hold the division lead, 2 games over the Dodgers and 2.5 over the Giants.
• Santana throws 8 shutout innings - and loses.  Brewers countered with a complete game shutout from Gallardo and two-run walkoff homerun in the 9th to win it.
• Greinke gives up one run, loses.
• Max Scherzer made the most of his 5.2 inning start today, striking out just about everybody he faced (14 to be exact) without giving up a run.
• Pujols hit 3 homers today, perhaps his "slump" is finally over.
• Perhaps the catch of the year: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8476941
• How to hit a game winning homerun: http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8527779
• How not to hit a game winning homerun: http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8493341
• Squirrels are evil.  Not only have they attacked neighborhoods, now they're trying to invade our national pastime.  They must be stopped - join the war, end the terrorism.

Other news:

• Another Lakers-Celtics matchup for the NBA finals... it's getting old guys, just about anybody else would've been less boring.
• Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead in the NHL finals on Saturday... hard to get interested in though, now that the Sharks have choked again.
• Heartwarming story of a boy and his childhood hero........ wait, what? Ochocinco?
• Jet + fast = awesome.
• Iron Man 2 was good, but not as good as the first one.
• Season finale of Chuck was AWESOME.  Can't wait for next year.
• Tomorrow is Memorial Day.

Weeks 6 and 7: How Quickly Things Change...

I got lazy last week after a weekend up in Davis.. so yeah, here's two weeks packed into one post.

• A terrible two weeks that included five painfully-difficult-to-watch losses against the Diamondbacks and the A's have the Giants barely treading above the .500 mark with a 22-21 record.  Pieces just aren't meshing together.  It seems like every time the starting pitching has a good day, the offense is nowhere to be found, and whenever the offense finally breaks through, the pitching gives it right back.  But in a way, that's a good thing - it's a sign that this might just be a slump, that they'll figure it out eventually.  Well, we can hope for that to come true, but right now, with the way the offense has been going (1 run in 3 games against the A's? WTF?) it seems like this guy might make a ton of money.   The Giants absolutely need a spark - whether its a callup of Posey and/or Bumgarner or a firing of Bochy (highly unlikely), something needs to change.
• The Reds, a surprise success story early on, are continuing to give the Cardinals a heated battle in the Central, and remain half a game out of the division lead.
• To add to the miserable week, the Dodgers have begun to heat up.  Their offense has been hot all season long, and now, their pitching seems to be getting it together... it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this isn't good for us.
• Why you should never walk the bases loaded in front of A-rod, even if he hasn't been all that great: http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?c_id=mlb&content_id=8017143&query=game_pk%3D264332
• While we're on the topic of grand slams, proof that Mariano Rivera is human: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?c_id=mlb&content_id=8059633&query=game_pk%3D264362
• With offensive powerhouses such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, nobody could have predicted that at this point in the season, the Toronto Blue Jays are far and away the league leaders in home runs.
• Zach Greinke finally won a game... and then promptly proceeded to earn another no decision in a quality start.
• Why wins are meaningless: Tyler Clippard, a Nationals reliever, has more wins (seven) than all but two starting pitchers.  He also has 5 blown saves and 3 losses accredited to him.
• The Rays continue to rule the AL East, having put up an incredible 32-12 record and sweeping the Yankees in a two game set this week.
• Speaking of the Yankees losing, the Mets took 2 out of 3 in the subway series at home this weekend thanks to timely hitting and strong outings from Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana.  Mets continue to sit at the bottom of the NL East, however.
• Random fact: Nomar is Ramon backwards.
• As epic as the Braves comeback was, it does not excuse this pre-game abomination:

(He's wearing a Hannah Montana backpack, if you can't tell. Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/games/300520115/photos;_ylt=Am4eWjVy9doyfbFmuuRsJ8O4u7YF?slug=reds_braves_baseball )

Other News:

• Phoenix finally won one against the baby killers.  Lakers continue to lead the series 2-1, however.
• Sharks choke again... yep.
• 7th seeded Philadelphia has taken a 3-1 series lead behind backup goalie Michael Leighton's three shutouts in the Eastern Conference finals.  They will look to wrap up the series at home tomorrow and move on to face the Chicago Blackhawks for the Stanley Cup.
• Summer school is starting...... one week after school ended.  This'll be fun..... ha-ha-ha...

Week 5: East Coast Swing

I have finals to study for so I'll try to keep this brief...

• Giants went 4-2 this week, sweeping the Marlins in Florida and squeaking out an ugly win today in New York to avoid being swept themselves.  The Giants won on both Lincecum starts, but he failed to get the win in either one of them, thanks to defensive and bullpen meltdowns.  On Tuesday, the Giants survived two three-run shots thanks to a game tying homerun with 2 down in the ninth from Aaron Rowand and a 12th inning rally.  On Wednesday, Sergio Romo preserved a shaky 3-1 Giants lead in the 8th by escaping Zito's bases loaded 0 outs jam without giving up a single run.  On Thursday, Cain's stellar pitching allowed the Giants to cruise to a series sweep.  Two consecutive walkoff losses would dampen the Giants' roadtrip in New York, but the Giants rallied for a win today, despite blowing a 4-0 lead and trailing 5-4 heading into the 8th.  Rowand hit a 2 run shot that put the Giants up for good and Wilson solved the bullpen problem himself, recording a 5 out save with 5 strikeouts.
• More good news: Dodgers still suck.  The pitching continues to be a problem, as Kershaw got lit up by Milwaukee on Tuesday, giving up 7 runs in just 1.1 innings, and Charlie Haeger could not record a single out in the first inning last night against the Rockies.
• Padres are still on top of the NL West, but the Giants were able to pick up a game on them today thanks to Pedro Feliz's (Remember him?) game-tying sacrifice fly in the 9th inning.  Giants are now half a game back in the NL West and will play the Padres at home in a 3 game set on Monday.
• Surprise: Scott Olsen (who??) almost pitched a no-hitter for the Nationals (What??) on Thursday, lasting 7 innings before giving up his first hit.  The Nationals would go on to win in the bottom of the 9th despite blowing a 2-0 lead.
• Bigger Surprise: Livan Hernandez is now 4-1 with a 1.04 ERA.  WTF?
• Sign that the end of the world is coming: Nationals are tied for second place in the NL East and only two back of the Phillies.
• Ubaldo Jimenez is now 6-0, and going for his 7th win against the Dodgers as I type this.  Dodgers are currently leading 1-0 in the 7th, however.
• Brad Lidge is back - recording his first save of 2010 today.  Question is: will we see 2008 Lidge or the Pujols/injury-scarred Lidge?
• UPDATE: Dallas "GET OFF MY MOUND" Braden has just thrown a perfect game in Oakland against the Rays.

Other news:

• Sharks made it to the conference finals.  Seriously.  No joke here.  They wrapped up their series against Detroit at home last night with a remarkable performance from goalie Evgeni Nabokov despite his horrific play in Game 4.  They will await the winner of the Chicago-Vancouver series.
• Awesome quote from my SI calendar: "Bayarmaa Tsogtbaatar, Mongolian beach volleyball player, on how she expects her country to fare at this week's Asian games: "Beach volleyball in Mongolia is very difficult, because we don't have any beaches." "
• Oil spill still uncontained in the Gulf of Mexico.. BP is in some serious trouble.
• Iron Man 2 is out.. I haven't seen it though...

A Divergence from Fate

Last night, a story was written - but not the usual story.  No, it wasn't the usual inspirational triumph of the underdog David over the mighty Goliath or the magical tale of a young knight going up against a big bad dragon.   No, this time our task was not to pull off an improbable upset, but to keep little David down, to quash the hopes of the naive young knight.  The Sharks and the Giants were by no means underdogs last night- neither Davids nor unknowns.  The Sharks went into Detroit with a 2-0 series lead for Game 2 of the NHL conference semifinals, looking to build on its already formidable lead, while the Giants sent its best to the mound - Tim Lincecum - to make a statement in the first of a three game set in Florida.  We were not just hoping to win - we expected to win.

And in the beginning, things appeared to be going our way.  The Sharks, despite trailing 2-1 after the first period, clearly had momentum their side.  Setoguchi had scored yet another goal from the seemingly unstoppable San Jose second line with just seconds remaining in the first period and Nabokov made a nifty save on a Zetteberg penalty shot to keep the score close.  They looked poised to make a surge after intermission and to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series over the desperate Red Wings.  The Giants had a 3-0 lead thanks to timely hits from Aaron Rowand and the usual superb pitching from 2-time Cy-Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, who had racked up 11 strikeouts in just 5 innings.  Nobody in their right mind would believe that the Florida Marlins could have any chance at winning this game.

But, as you all know, these are also the beginnings from which underdog stories are told - the longer the odds, the greater the story.  And so, it began, like any underdog story - the weaker team fighting valiently to win over the hearts of viewers, to unravel what was surely expected to be a night of triumph for the stronger team.  The Red Wings scored early in the second period to regain the momentum and to take a 3-1 lead.  The Marlins, seemingly with fate on their side, got two runners on board thanks to a ground ball that found a hole and a perfectly placed unintentional swinging bunt.  Hanley Ramirez would capitalize on Lincecum's only mistake of the day (and it wasn't even much of a mistake) and blast it over the wall for a three run homer.

Of course, as no great underdog story is without continued adversity, the Giants and Sharks made sure the fight would not be easy.  The Sharks outshot the Red Wings 12-9 in the second period and drew three power play opportunities.  The Giants negated the Marlins' strategy of intentionally walking Huff and retook the lead with Uribe's two-run double, setting up ace Tim Lincecum once again for the win.

The underdog, assuming its own role as well, however, would continue to play its part.  The Red Wings, despite all the opportunities for the Sharks to score, held their ground and would allow no goals in the second period, going into intermission with their two goal lead in tact.  The Marlins had plenty of magic left in their hat, hitting yet another three-run homer - this time coming off the bat of Dan Uggla.

All signs pointed toward a triumph for David, and another day of disappointment and regret for the Goliath, who had let the games get away.  It appeared to be just one of those nights where you shake your head and move on - the story seemed to be coming to a close, the unsung heroes had made their say, and on this day, on this night, fate wanted the underdog to win.  Had things gone as usual, the Sharks would have just faded away, conceding victory to the more desperate team, and the Giants would have been too shaken by the barrage of three-run homers to do anything more.  The Davids of the world would have a night to celebrate and journalists were ready to publish their underdog stories for the world to clamor over.  The last pages were finally being written...

...but, wait.  It didn't turn out that way.  Not this night, not this year.

No, the Sharks and the Giants refused to let fate dictate their destinies.  These were not the same teams as last year - not the same perennial primetime chokers, not the same good-but-not-quite-there-yet teams.  These teams were different.  They refused to accept their storylines - they refused to accept their supposed fate.  Not this night, not this year.

On a night where what could have gone wrong - allowing a desperate underdog at home to take a solid lead and the momentum into the final period, giving up two three run homers to make all of Lincecum's strikeouts go for naught - did go wrong, the Sharks and the Giants did not give in.  Instead, they rebounded, doing everything possible to make sure that what could go right did go right.  The Red Wings, looking to stamp out another scoring opportunity for the Sharks in the heat of the 3rd period, were ready with Thornton sitting in behind the goal.  They knew that Thornton loved to make assists from behind the goal, and they were ready for it.  In Florida, the Marlins brought in their closer Leo Nunez and were within one out away from a thrilling 6-5 victory over the great Lincecum and the Giants.  Things looked bleak, and by all means, two losses were in order, but that was not the case.  Not this night, and not this year.

Thornton, as if knowing he had to do something different to shed his playoff curse, took the puck himself, skated in front of goalie Jimmy Howard, and scored to bring San Jose within one.  Logan Couture would add a goal of his own minutes later, capitalizing on Howard's rookie mistake of not protecting the goalpost.  And just like that, the game was tied. In Florida, Rowand, with two already gone in the top of the ninth, launched a ball into the left field bleachers - no save for Nunez.  The games would go on, as the Sharks and the Giants refused to give in.  Not this night, not this year.

But of course, many expected the underdog story to continue.  The games headed to overtime and the bottom of the 9th, respectively.  The Red Wings and the Marlins were set up for thrilling walk-off victories to complete their tales, but things didn't turn out that way.  Not this night, not this year.

The Sharks and the Giants made sure of that.  Thornton, looking to further dispel his image as poor playoff contender, made a perfect pass on a 2-on-1 breakaway to Marleau, and just like that, it was the Sharks who would be celebrating a thrilling overtime victory.  In the other arena, Wilson, Runzler, and Mota made sure the Marlins wouldn't get their say, shutting down Hanley and company over the final three and a third innings.  Aubrey Huff delivered a clutch two run single in the top of the 12th inning to put the Giants up for good.

And just like that, it was over.  No underdog tale, just the story of two great teams that recorded expected wins - two teams that battled and battled - two teams that decided their own destinies, that refused to let momentum and fate dictate their futures.  And this is why I'm excited for this year.  These aren't the same Sharks and the Giants of last year - these are true playoff teams.  They're going to do great things - I can just feel it.

Let this also be a lesson for your own life.  Don't let a situation dictate what you can or cannot do.  Greatness is born from what you make of the situation, not from what the situation makes of you.  Create your own destiny, and let nothing get in your way.  No story is prewritten - nothing is scripted.  The only question is: Will you let someone write the story for you, or will you write it yourself?

Best T-shirt Ever

http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_fantasy_experts__27/ept_sports_fantasy_experts-260145914-1272904445.jpg?ym.7IFDDMY3ALELn

2 puns in one for those of you that aren't baseball literate or don't see it:
1.  The best pitcher on a team is usually referred to as the "ace."  Greinke was a Cy-Young Award winner last year (given to the best pitcher in each league).
2.  He plays on a team called the Royals... it's a ROYAL flush.. get it?

Credit to Nam for finding this.

Week 4: A Passing Grade

• The Giants have passed their litmus test - a 9 game stretch featuring three of last year's playoff contenders - the Cardinals, Phillies, and the Rockies.  The Giants took two of the first three against all three opponents (though the bullpen and Velez really blew it on Wednesday, costing Lincecum a much deserved win), going 6-3 in the stretch.  This bodes well for the Giants, who look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2003.  Lincecum will lead the team into Florida on Tuesday (Wellemeyer's start to be skipped to prevent Lincecum from getting too much rest - Wellemeyer pitched 2.1 innings in relief in a loss today) for a three game series, and they'll head to New York for a three game weekend series after that.  Notes:
• Zito continues to roll, as he limited the Rockies to two runs in 8 innings on Saturday.  For the second game in a row, he brought the AT&T crowd to their feet, as fans filled the stadium with chants of "BAR-RY! BAR-RY! BAR-RY!"
• Jonathan Sanchez was wild today, walking 5 batters, and was unable to pitch past the 5th.  Medders came in for "relief" and promptly allowed both inherited baserunners to score.  The troubling issue here is whether Sanchez is headed toward another May slump - his career ERA in May (5.54) is over 2.5 points higher than his career ERA in April (3.01).
• Speaking of Sanchez-es, Freddy Sanchez is expected back soon, while Aaron Rowand returned to the lineup for the first time since being hit in the head by Vicente Padilla.  Hopefully, the return of Sanchez will give the Giants a much needed offensive boost.
• Huff hit another homer today (albeit a useless one) and now has 4 on the year.  Huff has always been a slow starter in his career, so hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.
• Don't test Schierholtz's arm.  Here's why.
• The Pittsburgh Pirates snapped a 22-game losing streak in Milwaukee (yes, 22 games.), thanks to more struggles from Trevor Hoffman.  Ronny Cedeno led off the 9th with a game-tying homerun and Ryan Doumit put the Pirates on top for good with a grand slam to end their misery in Milwaukee.  Hoffman would proceed to blow a second straight save against Pittsburgh the following day, prompting a temporary change in closers in Milwaukee and putting his quest for 600 saves at a standstill for now. Latroy Hawkins will most likely manage closing duties for the time being.
• The A's snapped a 4 game losing streak against Toronto yesterday, but they have certainly fallen from their quick start.  They are now 13-13, having gone 1-5 this week, but they're still only half a game back in an AL West where nobody seems to want to take control of the division.  Look for the Mariners to make a move now that they have Cliff Lee back... although, they're going to need their offense to do better than it has of late.  Mariners starters tossed 26 scoreless innings this weekend, and yet they lost all three games.
• Ubaldo Jimenez is now 5-0.
• Tuesday was a good day.  Why?  The Dodgers lost not once, but twice!
• Astros and Orioles still suck.
• Lidge is back - he'll be eased back into the role, however, despite Ryan Madsen's self-inflicted anger tantrum injury.
• Padres stay hot, winning 5 of 7 and holding their ground atop the NL West.
• Greinke remains winless this year, despite throwing 8 innings of 1-run ball today.  The Royals offense was shut down by Wade Davis and the Rays bullpen.  Evan Longoria's homerun accounted for the only run.  Meanwhile, Jaime Moyer won again, despite holding a 5+ ERA, and now is 3-2 on the year.  I wonder how pissed Greinke must be.

Other news:

• Sharks performed admirably this week in the second round of the playoffs.  In Game 1, the Sharks got to rookie goalie Jimmy Howard early, scoring 3 goals in a span of about 90 seconds in the 1st period, and managed to hang on for a 4-3 win.  In Game 2, the Sharks won another game by the score of 4-3, but this time they played from behind, needing to overcome a 3-2 deficit in the third period; 10 power plays as well as 43 faceoff wins out of 69 faceoffs allowed the Sharks to dominate play throughout the game, while Joe Thornton chose an opportune time to score his first goal of the playoffs, giving the Sharks a 4-3 lead 12:37 into the third period.  Overall, however, it was the other Joe - "Little Joe" Pavelski - that proved to be the hero on both nights, scoring two goals and notching an assist in both contests.  He became the first player since 1992 to have three consecutive multi-goal games in the playoffs, the first player since 1996 to get three points in three straight playoff games, and now leads all of the NHL with 9 playoff goals this year.  (Check out this awesome Pavelski commercial by the way.)  San Jose will now head into Detroit with a 2-0 series lead, looking to put an end to their playoff ineptitude.  (Highlights from the first two games here and here.)
• March madness will now consist of 68 teams instead of 65.
• Tiger Woods is struggling.
• Only two more weeks of school left for me, I'm actually not really looking forward to summer since nobody gets out of school this early except Berkeley kids...