The World Champion San Francisco Giants (13-13) beat the Washington Nationals (12-14) today at Nationals Park 2-1, but that was not the story of the day. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval (.313 avg., 5 hr, 14 rbi) will be out 4 to 6 weeks with a fractured hamate bone in his right hand. This is really a tough break because Sandoval was off to a great start after working hard in the offseason to get into better shape.
The Giants have been rather putrid on offense lately and this only makes matters more difficult. It's actually pretty remarkable that the Giants are at .500 right now as well as 3-2 on this current road trip with how poorly they have been playing on offense at times. That is once again a testament to the pitching staff. I don't think everyone will stay cold forever, though. Andres Torres will hopefully be off the disabled list before long and Mark DeRosa shouldn't be out too long either. I think the team will be in the race throughout the summer.
Jonathan Sanchez was all over the place today, but only gave up one unearned run in five innings of work. Sanchez surrendered six walks, including four in the first inning, and hit two batters. He only gave up two hits, once again proving that his stuff is electric but that control is the central issue. Hopefully he works on that and is able to more consistently locate pitches.
Brian Wilson sure made things interesting in the bottom of the 9th, walking two and hitting another batter to load the bases. Wilson struck out Adam LaRoche on a 3-2 pitch to end the game. Just another day at the office, I suppose.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Darren Ford uses his wheels to give Giants a win
Darren Ford had a good night tonight. Since I'm tired, here's a link to read about his trip around the bases that may just become legendary.
Canucks beat Blackhawks in thrilling fashion
The (1) Vancouver Canucks defeated the (8) Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in overtime tonight in Game 7 of their first round playoff series. Alex Burrows scored the game-winner less than six minutes into the sudden death overtime period. This series was particularly exciting because the Canucks jumped out to a 3 games to none lead before the Blackhawks won Games 4 and 5 by five goals apiece and Game 6 in Chicago in an overtime thriller.
The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup last year and had defeated the Canucks in the playoffs the last two years. It would have been easy for the Canucks to think it was deja vu when the Blackhawks forced Game 7. However, they played hard and showed a lot of grit in getting the win.
The Blackhawks were not without grit themselves as they didn't seem interested in the series at all during the first three games before ratcheting things up and nearly coming up with an incredible series comeback. The Canucks led virtually the entire game tonight as Burrows scored not even three minutes into the game. The Blackhawks netted a pressure-packed goal from captain Jonathan Toews with under two minutes left in regulation to tie it and force overtime. Making it even more remarkable was that the goal was scored shorthanded. Toews' goal was one of the more spectacular hockey plays I've seen in a while, particularly considering the pressure of the circumstances as well as his team being down a man at the time.
This game and this series had everything if you ask me. Seeing how excited the Blackhawks were to tie the game showed how much it meant to them. And then seeing the elation from the Canucks and the entire arena in Vancouver when Burrows' second goal went in was something special. The Canucks had a great regular season but needed to get the Blackhawks monkey off their backs. The Hawks showed a lot of heart in attempting to defend their title. One of the Sedin brothers on the Canucks was asked after the game if it meant more that the win came against the Blackhawks and he admitted it did and that it was big for the team. I was happy to see a player acknowledge that there was a rivalry that had been brewing and that beating a particular team meant a lot to his team. I also enjoyed seeing that a bunch of the Blackhawks players were immediately consoling goalie Corey Crawford after the game-winning goal was scored (although Crawford shouldn't be expected to shoulder a lot of blame for that goal). Those guys showed a lot of character there. Just good stuff all around in Vancouver, really enjoyed watching it go down tonight.
The Canucks take on the (5) Nashville Predators in the second round. Elsewhere in the west the (2) San Jose Sharks will take on the (3) Detroit Red Wings in second round action. In the east, the (2) Philadelphia Flyers (defending Eastern Conference Champions) defeated the (7) Buffalo Sabres tonight 5-2 in Game 7 of their series. The (1) Washington Capitals have already dispatched the (8) New York Rangers 4 games to 1. The (3) Boston Bruins and (6) Montreal Canadiens go to Game 7 tomorrow night at 5 p.m. MT on Versus as do the (4) Pittsburgh Penguins and (5) Tampa Bay Lightning at 6 p.m. MT. I imagine Versus will have some bonus coverage of the Pens and Lightning as well. However, I'd be surprised if either of those Game 7s tops the excitement that was there with the Canucks and Blackhawks tonight.
The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup last year and had defeated the Canucks in the playoffs the last two years. It would have been easy for the Canucks to think it was deja vu when the Blackhawks forced Game 7. However, they played hard and showed a lot of grit in getting the win.
The Blackhawks were not without grit themselves as they didn't seem interested in the series at all during the first three games before ratcheting things up and nearly coming up with an incredible series comeback. The Canucks led virtually the entire game tonight as Burrows scored not even three minutes into the game. The Blackhawks netted a pressure-packed goal from captain Jonathan Toews with under two minutes left in regulation to tie it and force overtime. Making it even more remarkable was that the goal was scored shorthanded. Toews' goal was one of the more spectacular hockey plays I've seen in a while, particularly considering the pressure of the circumstances as well as his team being down a man at the time.
This game and this series had everything if you ask me. Seeing how excited the Blackhawks were to tie the game showed how much it meant to them. And then seeing the elation from the Canucks and the entire arena in Vancouver when Burrows' second goal went in was something special. The Canucks had a great regular season but needed to get the Blackhawks monkey off their backs. The Hawks showed a lot of heart in attempting to defend their title. One of the Sedin brothers on the Canucks was asked after the game if it meant more that the win came against the Blackhawks and he admitted it did and that it was big for the team. I was happy to see a player acknowledge that there was a rivalry that had been brewing and that beating a particular team meant a lot to his team. I also enjoyed seeing that a bunch of the Blackhawks players were immediately consoling goalie Corey Crawford after the game-winning goal was scored (although Crawford shouldn't be expected to shoulder a lot of blame for that goal). Those guys showed a lot of character there. Just good stuff all around in Vancouver, really enjoyed watching it go down tonight.
The Canucks take on the (5) Nashville Predators in the second round. Elsewhere in the west the (2) San Jose Sharks will take on the (3) Detroit Red Wings in second round action. In the east, the (2) Philadelphia Flyers (defending Eastern Conference Champions) defeated the (7) Buffalo Sabres tonight 5-2 in Game 7 of their series. The (1) Washington Capitals have already dispatched the (8) New York Rangers 4 games to 1. The (3) Boston Bruins and (6) Montreal Canadiens go to Game 7 tomorrow night at 5 p.m. MT on Versus as do the (4) Pittsburgh Penguins and (5) Tampa Bay Lightning at 6 p.m. MT. I imagine Versus will have some bonus coverage of the Pens and Lightning as well. However, I'd be surprised if either of those Game 7s tops the excitement that was there with the Canucks and Blackhawks tonight.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Thoughts on Ryan Braun's new deal
I am pleased to hear that Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum agree with me in that baseball shouldn't expand the playoffs. Good stuff there, worth a read. Expansion just serves to water down the regular season and a play-in round makes the early scheduling of the playoffs weird and if you ask me isn't exactly the true nature of the game because the division winners would be sitting for a long time in between games.
Anyway, I wanted to comment on leftfielder Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers (11-10) signing a five-year contract extension to keep him in Milwaukee through the 2020 season. Braun really is a superstar right now and it is very good for baseball that he will be staying in a smaller market like Milwaukee long-term. I was happy that Joe Mauer signed a long deal with the Twins last year, and I'm glad to see that team loyalty isn't dead. It's just not good when teams like the Yankees and Red Sox soak up all the best players as soon as they're eligible for free agency (or close to it via trade). Braun has always seemed to me like he has a good head on his shoulders and this is just further evidence of that.
Of course, on the other end of the spectrum is Braun's teammate, first baseman Prince Fielder who is in the last year of his contract and unlikely to re-sign with Milwaukee. Fielder is a great player, but he seems to be the type to try and exploit the free agent market and attempt to get a huge contract. Fielder's agent is Scott Boras, who is notorious for getting every last penny he can from the highest bidder for his clients. Boras is not good for baseball, just more of a money guy. Not that I think guys shouldn't get paid, but I think loyalty should play at least some role. Braun is still making more money than he can probably ever spend, but he is also showing loyalty and that he is content and happy in Milwaukee. I like that.
Anyway, I wanted to comment on leftfielder Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers (11-10) signing a five-year contract extension to keep him in Milwaukee through the 2020 season. Braun really is a superstar right now and it is very good for baseball that he will be staying in a smaller market like Milwaukee long-term. I was happy that Joe Mauer signed a long deal with the Twins last year, and I'm glad to see that team loyalty isn't dead. It's just not good when teams like the Yankees and Red Sox soak up all the best players as soon as they're eligible for free agency (or close to it via trade). Braun has always seemed to me like he has a good head on his shoulders and this is just further evidence of that.
Of course, on the other end of the spectrum is Braun's teammate, first baseman Prince Fielder who is in the last year of his contract and unlikely to re-sign with Milwaukee. Fielder is a great player, but he seems to be the type to try and exploit the free agent market and attempt to get a huge contract. Fielder's agent is Scott Boras, who is notorious for getting every last penny he can from the highest bidder for his clients. Boras is not good for baseball, just more of a money guy. Not that I think guys shouldn't get paid, but I think loyalty should play at least some role. Braun is still making more money than he can probably ever spend, but he is also showing loyalty and that he is content and happy in Milwaukee. I like that.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Baseball shouldn't expand playoffs
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig stated this week that it is likely that the playoffs will expand from 8 to 10 teams starting next season. The new format would add an additional Wild Card team to each league. The two Wild Cards in each league would then duke it out for the right to advance on to play one of the division winners in the Division Series. It is unknown how long these play-in series would be.
I am fully against any expansion of the baseball playoffs. I think that expanded playoffs tend to water down the regular season. Just look at the NBA where roughly half the teams qualify, many without any realistic chance of winning the title. Even so, a team should not be able to have mediocre regular season and still have a chance to win it all.
Now, detractors could point to the fact that the St. Louis Cardinals were 83-78 in 2006 and won the World Series. However, they still had to win their division to get in and only eight teams were allowed into the playoffs. The unbalanced schedule with roughly 18 games being played against each divisional opponent is one of the strengths of Major League Baseball. Winning a division title means something in baseball -- particularly as you have to play a great deal of games against teams in your division. It is also hard to accomplish as they are typically more than four good teams in both the AL and NL. Having it be hard to accomplish is also one of the strengths of baseball. I like that good teams are left out, it means that the regular season is relevant.
Last year when the Giants won the World Series, they didn't clinch their division or a playoff spot until the final day of the 162 game regular season. The San Diego Padres had a good season and were a good team, a real rivalry developed throughout the season. To me, that is part of what baseball is all about. You could tell it mattered when the Giants went nuts after the game and celebrated with champagne and loud music in the clubhouse. When is the last time you saw an NBA team do that after clinching a division? That's what I thought. If you're half-decent in the NBA, you're pretty much guaranteed to make the playoffs before the season starts.
Now, do I think this new 10 team proposed playoff format will completely compromise the regular season? Certainly not. But it will devalue it some. And a play-in round would force the division winners to sit it out for a few days before their series started, which I think would hurt the integrity of the game. Baseball is meant to be played every day. That's part of the beauty of it. Managers should have to adjust to pitchers and players fatiguing and getting banged up and then having to play the next day. Even if this change happens, baseball will still have the best regular season out there and qualifying for the playoffs will still be a big deal. It would just be better if it was a more exclusive club.
I am fully against any expansion of the baseball playoffs. I think that expanded playoffs tend to water down the regular season. Just look at the NBA where roughly half the teams qualify, many without any realistic chance of winning the title. Even so, a team should not be able to have mediocre regular season and still have a chance to win it all.
Now, detractors could point to the fact that the St. Louis Cardinals were 83-78 in 2006 and won the World Series. However, they still had to win their division to get in and only eight teams were allowed into the playoffs. The unbalanced schedule with roughly 18 games being played against each divisional opponent is one of the strengths of Major League Baseball. Winning a division title means something in baseball -- particularly as you have to play a great deal of games against teams in your division. It is also hard to accomplish as they are typically more than four good teams in both the AL and NL. Having it be hard to accomplish is also one of the strengths of baseball. I like that good teams are left out, it means that the regular season is relevant.
Last year when the Giants won the World Series, they didn't clinch their division or a playoff spot until the final day of the 162 game regular season. The San Diego Padres had a good season and were a good team, a real rivalry developed throughout the season. To me, that is part of what baseball is all about. You could tell it mattered when the Giants went nuts after the game and celebrated with champagne and loud music in the clubhouse. When is the last time you saw an NBA team do that after clinching a division? That's what I thought. If you're half-decent in the NBA, you're pretty much guaranteed to make the playoffs before the season starts.
Now, do I think this new 10 team proposed playoff format will completely compromise the regular season? Certainly not. But it will devalue it some. And a play-in round would force the division winners to sit it out for a few days before their series started, which I think would hurt the integrity of the game. Baseball is meant to be played every day. That's part of the beauty of it. Managers should have to adjust to pitchers and players fatiguing and getting banged up and then having to play the next day. Even if this change happens, baseball will still have the best regular season out there and qualifying for the playoffs will still be a big deal. It would just be better if it was a more exclusive club.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
World Champion Giants take 2 of 3 in Denver
The World Champion San Francisco Giants (10-8) took 2 of 3 from the Colorado Rockies (13-5) at Coors Field in Denver this week. I was impressed with the way the Giants won the first two games. I still feel good about the series overall, even though they got hammered today -- can't win them all. Matt Cain had an off day today it seemed, but Tim Lincecum and Jonathan Sanchez were lights out in their starts. Pablo Sandoval seems to be reverting to his 2009 form, which is a good omen of things to come. I'm excited about this team and still think the Giants should be considered favorites to win the National League West this year.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Musings on the World Champion Giants' recent play
Hasn't been a good month for me on the blogging circuit. Apologies to those of you who check it on a regular basis. I will be better about this in the future. Anyway, the World Champion San Francisco Giants (8-7) lost in 12 innings today to the Arizona Diamondbacks (6-8). It was a tough loss to swallow as the Giants really should have won the game. I'm pleased they won 2 of 3 in the series, but it feels like they let the finale slip away.
Next up is a big series with the Colorado Rockies (12-3). Big for April, anyway. Still, it could kind of serve as a measuring stick for the Giants. The Rockies have been red hot to start the year and look like a very dangerous team, particularly on offense. Troy Tulowitzki has particularly had a strong start and could very well have an MVP caliber season. Fortunately for the Giants, they have the front end of their rotation lined up for the series with Lincecum, Sanchez and Cain schedule to pitch. Game times are 6:40, 6:40 and 1:10 p.m. MT Monday through Wednesday and can be seen on Root Sports in the rocky mountain region. Outside of my region, it's MLB Extra Innings or mlb.tv.
I think the Giants have been playing much better since that first road trip of the year, as is evidenced by having a four game winning streak that was snapped today. I think they will be fine, but I sure hope the Rockies cool down a little bit before too long. I'm excited to see how the Giants handle this road series and I'll be tweeting updates throughout it.
Next up is a big series with the Colorado Rockies (12-3). Big for April, anyway. Still, it could kind of serve as a measuring stick for the Giants. The Rockies have been red hot to start the year and look like a very dangerous team, particularly on offense. Troy Tulowitzki has particularly had a strong start and could very well have an MVP caliber season. Fortunately for the Giants, they have the front end of their rotation lined up for the series with Lincecum, Sanchez and Cain schedule to pitch. Game times are 6:40, 6:40 and 1:10 p.m. MT Monday through Wednesday and can be seen on Root Sports in the rocky mountain region. Outside of my region, it's MLB Extra Innings or mlb.tv.
I think the Giants have been playing much better since that first road trip of the year, as is evidenced by having a four game winning streak that was snapped today. I think they will be fine, but I sure hope the Rockies cool down a little bit before too long. I'm excited to see how the Giants handle this road series and I'll be tweeting updates throughout it.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
World Champion Giants update
At left: A look at what the rings look like that were received by the World Champion San Francisco Giants on Saturday night.The World Champion San Francisco Giants (5-6) have opened up their home schedule by winning 3 of the first 5 games. I was glad they were able to win Friday and Saturday in dramatic fashion against the Cardinals (4-7). It would have been a shame to lose on Opening Day at home after the Giants raised the World Championship banner, it likewise would have been a shame to drop the second game when the players got their rings, which by the way look awesome. Tough loss Monday against the Dodgers (6-5), but I was impressed with their resiliency in overcoming a 3-0 deficit last night to win 5-4.
Aaron Rowand has had a very good start to the year and got a triple in the late innings last night and then scored on a wild pitch to provide for the final margin. If Rowand keeps this up, he could be working himself into the mix for more playing time even when Cody Ross and Andres Torres are fully healthy. Those two are expected back in the near future, which is certainly good news.
Brian Wilson got his first save of the year last night in a lock-down 1-2-3 9th inning. Wilson had been struggling with an injury and it was good to see him look like he was at the top of his game last night. I think he's going to have another good year. I think the Giants will be fine also, hopefully they get back to .500 tonight against the Dodgers (8:15 p.m. MT, MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv).
Friday, April 8, 2011
World Champion Giants to raise banner
The World Champion San Francisco Giants (2-4) will host the St. Louis Cardinals (2-4) Friday afternoon at 2:35 p.m. MT on MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv. It will be the home opener for the World Champions and the first time they have played a meaningful game at AT&T Park since the 2010 World Series last fall. I'm told there will be a number of awesome festivities before the game even starts, including the raising of the Giants' World Championship banner, which will be an awesome thing to see.
The game is almost secondary to me at this point, but I do think it would be a real shame if they were to lose their home opener. Jonathan Sanchez (0-1) will start for the World Champions and Jake Westbrook (0-1) will go for the Cardinals. It seems to me that the Giants got hosed by the scheduling process. I don't think they should have had to start out on the road against two division rivals that each were having their home openers. Oh well, I guess. Even Commissioner Bud Selig can't ruin what should be a great Friday in San Francisco. The Giants have started a little slow, but there is a lot of baseball left to be played and I think they will be just fine and be right there when the season winds down. And I think they definitely will benefit from playing at home. Go Giants!
The game is almost secondary to me at this point, but I do think it would be a real shame if they were to lose their home opener. Jonathan Sanchez (0-1) will start for the World Champions and Jake Westbrook (0-1) will go for the Cardinals. It seems to me that the Giants got hosed by the scheduling process. I don't think they should have had to start out on the road against two division rivals that each were having their home openers. Oh well, I guess. Even Commissioner Bud Selig can't ruin what should be a great Friday in San Francisco. The Giants have started a little slow, but there is a lot of baseball left to be played and I think they will be just fine and be right there when the season winds down. And I think they definitely will benefit from playing at home. Go Giants!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
UConn wins National Championship
Connecticut defeated Butler last night to win the National Championship for men's college basketball. It was a pretty ugly game. Here's an article with some thoughts on the whole UConn thing including thoughts on head coach Jim Calhoun.
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