A quick look at the spring stats for the Giants finds some curious tidbits.

Eugenio Velez & John Bowker are leading the team in at bats. Why is this? Both are long shots to make the team, at best. Why give them so much playing time?

On the other hand, Nate Schierholtz has only 7 at bats, fewer than guys such as Andres Torres, Matt Downs and Scott McClain. What has Nate done to upset the Giants’ brass?

Ishikawa will probably be the opening day first baseman. He’s raking with a .324/.324/.622 line. Oh, and he’s tied for the team lead in homers, with Ryan Rholinger of all people.

Burriss has the early lead for the 2B position, I think. He’s hitting .371/.405/.457. However, his 50% steal rate leaves something to be desired.

Sandoval continues to mash. He’s hitting .406/.441/.625. I think it’s a little unreasonable to say he’ll hit .406 all year, so I’m gonna be conservative and say he hits .390 with 55 homers. Anyone disagree?

Lastly, Buster Posey seems to be fitting right in. He hit his first spring homer yesterday and is hitting .385/.400/.692 so far over 9 games. Not bad for a kid who was in college this time last year.

I just added an app that let’s me update this site from my iphone. I couldn’t be happier

In other iPhone/baseball news, MLB on deck ‘09 will have live gameday audio for every MLB game right on your phone. Honestly, this device has changed my life.

I don’t really blame ESPN.  I mean, who’s really going to watch the Japan vs. China matchup at 1:30 am (besides me)? So when they have Orestes Destrata, or whatever his name is, doing color commentary, it’s not like they expect anybody to hear him.  However, his commentary borders on Joe Morgan level of asinine.  When asked why Japanese pitchers tend to throw the forkball as an out pitch as opposed to American pitchers throwing the slider, here’s my paraphrasing of his reply:

“Well, it’s about the overall objective of the game.  No matter how you play, in Japan, the objective is the same.  It’s about trying to reach that objective, of course, which is making outs.  So because they throw the forkball more they are better able to reach that objective.”

I wish I had DVRd that so I could give the exact wording, but it was along those lines.  It was basically a moron trying to explain that Japanese pitchers throw more forkballs because they are better at throwing forkballs.  He did nothing to actually enlighten us as to WHY they Japanese are better at throwing forkballs than Americans (or worse at sliders).  All he did was give us a nice heaping pile of bullshit.  I wonder how much he got paid to come up with that.

From what I hear, there is this Manny guy out there in free agent land.  I don’t get out of my study-cave much, but last I checked, quality free agents just aren’t available in March.  Things like that just don’t happen.

So, say, hypothetically, this Manny character is out there.  Let’s just say that he’s predicted to provide 5-8 wins to whichever club signs him (thank you PECOTA).  Should the Giants jump on this guy and sign him?

Today I heard Dave Flemming talking about this “Manny.”  He said that signing him would cause a problem in that the Giants have too many outfielders.  This is like saying my dad has too much hair, even though it’s on his back and not his head.  Dave Roberts does not count as an outfielder.  Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn are barely passable.  Nate Schierholtz and Fred Lewis only qualify because they are cheap and home-grown.  Flem said singing Manny would force the Giants to move either Winn or Lewis.   Winn could probably be traded for a two-star prospect, saving the Giants $9mil to put towards Manny guy.

Then I hear a rumor that the Dodgers are after this Manny, also.   Considering the Dodgers currently have Juan Pierre lined up as their opening day starter, the upgrade to their lineup would be pretty considerable.  Taking 5 wins from the Dodgers and giving them to the Giants could make all the difference in the division.

So, like a drunk redneck watching a Sham-Wow ad, you’re probably wondering how you can acquire this item and at what cost.  What if I told you that this “Manny” character would only cost your favorite ball club $70 million?  What if I dropped the price to $55 million?  What if I told you no to both of those, but that this Manny can be yours for the low low price of $45million dollars!!  Not only that, if you order in the next ten minutes, I’ll throw in a stinky set of dreadlocks for free!

How could you pass on something like that?

I had my fantasy baseball draft last Sunday.  Now I spend all my time starting longingly at my lineup.  Price, Kinsler, Braun, J-Roll…. how I want their stat lines to start filling up.

Today, however, we get something almost as good.  At noon, I will leave class and go straight to my car to turn on the radio and listen to the introduction to the first spring training game of the year.  Even the thought of hearing Jon Miller, Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper or Dave Flemming fills me with a giddy excitement I haven’t had since October.  So I’m going to enjoy the rebirth of baseball, despite the media’s overwhelming attempt to make me think about steroids, cheating and Bud Selig.

I’m going to be as excited as a little kid and all will be good in the world again once I hear that sweet sound of baseball.

“Selig also told USA Today that as the March 2 trial date for Barry Bonds approaches, he was considering the reinstatement of Henry Aaron as the rightful home run king in the official record books. Bonds faces charges of lying to a federal grand jury about his alleged use performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds currently holds the career record with 762 home runs, having passed Aaron’s mark of 755 in 2007.”

How would we, as Giants fans, appropriately respond to this?  We can’t exactly boycott MLB, because that would hurt the Giants as well.

My suggestion: replace the Coke bottle in left field with a Selig effigy that burns with a never-ending flame.

So, if tomorrow, someone came up to me and said, “Hey, I have this drug, it will make it so if you work your ass off in medical school and residency (which I’m sure you would anyway), you’re not just going to be a great doctor, you’re going to be one of the best doctors ever to practice medicine.  This drug isn’t really illegal, but other drugs SIMILAR to it are.  However, this drug is used therapeutically, and the side effects are minimal.  Also, the AMA hasn’t outlawed anything like this, so you’re not gonna be punished by them.  Well, but they are thinking about MAYBE outlawing similar drugs to this in the future if they find out too many doctors are doing this.  Oh, and by the way, about 20-50% of your class is on this or something like it.”

You telling me anybody would turn down the drug in that scenario?  Not only that, if I took that drug, my patients would probably be happier that I did and whatever hospital I ended up working for would be happier that I did.  The only thing I think Yankee fans have to be upset about is that A-Rod isn’t still taking roids when so many people in baseball are.  It’s not like the sport is clean now.  It’s not like the sport was clean when Hank Aaron played, or Babe Ruth, or Ty Cobb, or Joe Jackson, or Willie Mays, or, well, ANYBODY.

The game, as a theoretical concept, is pure.  18 men, 27 outs, 90 feet between bases.  Bunt, hit, throw, slide.  It’s simple enough to be played by boys and complex enough to be studied by ivy league mathematicians.  It reminds us of summer, warmth, the out-doors, dirt, grass, hot dogs & beer.  It makes us laugh, cry, scream and dance.

The game, as it actually exists, as a corporation, is a reflection of American culture.  It was racist, dirty and it lied to us, repeatedly.  It gave us Ty Cobb, Pete Rose, the Black Sox, segregation, the cream & the clear, ephedrine, andro, greenies, Darryl Strawberry, Jose Canseco and Joe Buck.  These things are unique to the sport, however.  They simple reflect the racist, dirty, lying world that we live in.  So get off your high horse.  Alex Rodriguez is one of the hardest working players in baseball.  So were Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire.  They left nothing on the table when it came to being the best players they could be.  Most Americans would have tried to cut the same corners that they did.  However, most American’s wouldn’t have worked so damn hard to be so damn good at their jobs.

I’m no football fan.  If pressed, I could name the two teams playing this Sunday but the only player I could name would be the defensive end on Arizona that I went to high school with.

However, I have always enjoyed the all-American holiday that is Superbowl Sunday.  It combines my love of beer with my love of snacks to create a superpower, high-calroie man fest.  Plus, I usually find some obscure reason to develop a sincere hatred towards one of the teams so I get legitimatelly into the game (the state of Pennsylvania does NOT deserve two titles in one year).  I’m not someone that just shows up to watch the ads (although, I’m sure Adam Smith would even be blown away by the reflection that makes on our free-market economy).

This Monday, though, is my respiratory physiology and thorax anatomy theory mini-exam.  Yes, the exam is about as “mini” as the rest of it’s name suggests.  So, adding another list to those things sacraficed for medical school, I will be missing superbowl sunday to study.  I’ll probably get myself a plate of nachos just to hold myself over, but there will be no beloved beer as I never drink the day before a test.

I’m not upset.  I knew what I was getting in to when I accepted this as my career path.  This will only be one of MANY sacrafices.  I know there will be days & nights in residency when I wish I could just quit.  There will be holidays and birthdays spent in a hospital.  I’ll be lucky if I get to see another superbowl in the next decade.

But it’s totally worth it.

Today I got to take a bone saw to a human cadaver’s head.  I got to peel back a flap of skull and peer at a piece of flesh that, at one point, used to give this man his thoughts, feelings, personality, fears, memories and everything else that made him human.  How many people get such an opportunity in life?

I think I’ll be just fine with missing the superbowl.

The beard is unique as a facial accessory.  Those of us that have one share a kindred camaraderie, a common bond built upon cheek stubble.  For something so ubiquitous amongst those with the Y chromosome, very few can actually pull it off.  Many have tried, but like trying to hit a Lincecum heater, most fail miserably.

Barry Zito tried growing one when he was in his depths of sucktitude.  Jack Taschner had one for a good portion of aught eight.  Kevin Frandsen sported on the year prior.  However, the fullness of the beard can only be envied by those that grow the porno-esque Kent-stache or the Velez chin pubes.  Brian Wilson, I’m convinced, would shave a point of his ERA were he to return to the full beard over the rediculous sol-patch.

I write of this because there are very few people with whom I share both a passionate love for the Giants AND the muzzle bristles.  In fact, there is only one, and he happens to have a blog that he updates every DAY, rather than every six months or so.  His beard has inspired this post and perhaps his dedication to his blog will inspire me to update this page more often.  I encourage you to read his posts, even if he writes too much about American Idol and not enough about the orange & black.

Here’s his page: http://craftyleftysthoughts.blogspot.com/.  Enjoy his posts even if you can’t enjoy his beard.

Cy Young!

Bitches!

I felt something odd last night.  Here it was, an evening in late October, and I was actually happy.  Shit, I was overjoyed.  Seeing the Rays dogpile, their joy painted all over their faces, I was getting choked up.

I really like the Rays.  I don’t know why, but I’ve liked them for a long time now.  The most obvious reason is I can see some alternate universe where the Giants hadn’t been saved by Peter Magowan and those Rays we just saw were actually wearing Orange and Black.  That initial empathy I had with Tampa Bay fans quickly morphed to pity as the Devil Rays put up season after losing season.  There was simply no way, I thought, a team in that division could EVER get it turned around.

Then, in college, I got the MLB Extra Innings package so I could watch my Giants.  Well, it turned out I liked watching the Rays too.  The Giants were perennial contenders while I was in college.  The Devil Rays were just losers.  I liked them more each day.  It was an odd, masochistic love affair.

Now the Rays are actually GOOD.  They’ve defeated both evil-empires in route to their first world series.  I’m proud to be on their bandwagon.  The depth of their team and their minor league system is scary.  I like the fact, though, that I was able to snag Longoria, Shields and Price for my fantasy baseball keeper team.

So now we have an October where the good guys actually made it to the World Series.  We got to see both the Dodgers and the Red Sox vanquished.  It’s certainly and odd felling, and I’m enjoying it.