I LOVE this new guy. And of course I’ve always loved Patrick Bailey, but there’s something about his demeanor, his self-confidence that makes you want to believe in him. Especially during his SF Giants debut last night. His name’s Blake Snell. I didn’t know much about him but there was hype all day in the Bay Area. So he throws his first pitch, and the second and the third, all balls, and then throws three strikes in a row and the batter’s out. What a way to start a game as the newby huh?
Then it begins and it was really unbelievable. It was SO obvious it seemed intentional on the part of the umpire. His calls were SO bad it was almost comical but obviously not to the new kid, who waves to his catcher, Patrick Bailey, to come to the mound.
That was the first clue that this guy was something special. I’ve never seen a pitcher do that before. I mean, he’s standing there, glaring at the umpire (me too) and then waves his hand to Bailey like “c’mon, we need to talk” and catcher Bailey trots out to the mound like it’s a common everyday thing. This is all in the first inning or so, I can’t really remember. That umpire was way out of bounds, blind as a bat, so I was thrilled to see the pitcher take matters into his own hands.
It didn’t go too well after that. I think it was an 8-1 loss for the Giants last night. But I’m going to keep my eyes on this kid. He’s got whatever it’s called, “chutzpah” or something like that.
I found out later these two guys, the pitcher and the catcher, have a history and have played together before but it’s still a really great thing to see the comaraderie between the two. Maybe the next time Blake Snell’s in the line-up or even when he’s not, they’ll line up a really good home plate umpire for the game. Most of them are johnny on the spot so it’s not an issue and besides life’s too short for the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s.
It was a short process, nursing the wounds from the Super Bowl but honestly, it was a really good game so it’s sort of hard to be disappointed for too long. And besides, today was the first exhibition game of Baseball’s Cactus League and the San Francisco Giants were in it, kinda, sorta.
So I’m reading Evan Webeck’s article in this mornings Sentinel that casually mentions our newest center fielder, Jung Hoo Lee, was nursing a sore side from, (get this) “from swinging in the cage”. Really? Swinging in the cage? He should be ready in a couple days according to new Manager, Bob Melvin. And the other new member of the team, Jorge Soler, was in “bubble wrap”. Melvin had already explained when they acquired Jorge he’d be bubble wrapped to “ensure he breaks camp healthy”. Whoa. It sounds like it’s going to be a long season folks.
The final score of this exhibition game was Chicago Cubs 8 – SF Giants 4; with the Giants scoring all of their 4 runs in the 9th inning.
There is a bright side though and it happened back on October 25, 2023, when Bob Melvin was announced as the new Manager for the Giants. You can’t help but love this guy:)) His first press conference brought it all home as he actually played for the Giants back in 1985 for a few years. The reason I’m so excited sounds corny but it has to do with the differences between him and previous Manager, Gabe Kapler.
This goes back a few (okay many, many) years to when I was a teenager. It’s mentioned in one of my early blogs. I used to score daytime games for my dad so when he got home we could talk about it. And the only way I could do that was to get the line-up from the morning paper and have my scorecard ready to post. Back in the old days the lineup was fairly static, not a lot of changes from game to game except for the Pitcher of course. But the catcher, basemen, fielders, were pretty much established for each game. At least that’s how I remember it, those many years ago:))
It was a disappointment to see Blake Sabol and Patrick Bailey, Joc Peterson and others sitting on the bench, not always of course. I’m sure every Manager has their own way of doing things. But I’m hoping for a familiar line-up most games. I never did figure out the Roger twins, unless they were pitching, then it was easy.
I’m blabbering I know, but I’m just excited about the possibilities our new Manager brings. He reminds me a lot of Boche and what else could we ask for? Welcome home to San Francisco, Bob Melvin! We’re so glad to have you in our organization:))
I’m back!! Just a quick note to let you know my blog got lost in WordPress hell due to a “Google/Squarespace” transaction!
Here’s a quick link to our dear 49er intro’s! Turn up the volume to hear the crowd’s applause when the Niners are introduced:)) More to come ~ can hardly wait for Super Bowl Sunday ~ 4 more days folks!
I was torn between the Diamondbacks and Rangers World Series this year. The Rangers were coached by our beloved former SF Giants Coach, Bruce Bochy, who took us to 3 great World Series Championships. But since the D’Backs were the winners of our own National League Division it seems only right to cheer them on. It’s over now and the Texas Rangers won their first World Series in their franchise history. Congratulations to another Bruce Bochy win, this time with his outstanding Texas Rangers team!
Along the lines of World Series play is a wonderful documentary that’s been out since May 23, 2023, and until a few weeks ago, I’d never heard of it! I mean there aren’t many players who’ve played in more World Series games than the New York Yankee’s catcher, Yogi Berra!
Some of the more famous quotes attributed to Yogi Berra:
I never said most of the things I said.
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
You can observe a lot by just watching.
It ain’t over til it’s over.
It’s like deja vu all over again.
No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded.
Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical.
A nickel aint’ worth a dime anymore.
Always go to other people’s funerals, othewise they won’t come to yours.
We made too many wrong mistakes.
I knew the record would stand until it was broken.
You’d better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.
You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.
I usually take a 2 hour nap from one to four.
Never answer an anonymous letter.
The future ain’t what it used to be.
It gets late early out here.
You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, cause you might not get there.
We have deep depth.
Why buy good luggage, you only use it when you travel.
How can you think and hit at the same time?
There’s a lot of baseball history in this movie. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 98% rating with average 7.9 to 10% favorable. “IT AIN’T OVER”A definite “10” in my opinion:)) You’ll like this one:))
Note: I’m a bit behind on my blogging …… sometimes life has a way of continuing on without us, hence the 2022 World Series is still showing up as an item on this page. Hang in there ….. changes are on the way:))
10/18/1973 – The Mets’ Jerry Koosman and Tug McGraw combined to three-hit the Oakland A’s and take 3-2 lead in the World Series. The A’s won that World Series in 7.
I miss the good old days. Referring to 1973 as the “good old days” is a bit of a stretch but back then the World Series meant something. The teams played within their own Division, not interleague, so when it came time for the playoffs, the teams in each Division earned the right to represent their Region, eventually the Pennant and a trip to the World Series. The American League vs the National League. The World Series truly represented the “best” of each League back then.
On June 12, 1997, Interleague play was introduced. The first MLB Interleague game took place between the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants in Arlington, Texas.
Another change in Major League Baseball was the addition of the Designated Hitter. It was first adopted by the American League in 1973 on a trial basis for three years. 50 years later we’re still stuck with it. The National League didn’t adopt it until 2022, making it universal in MLB. National League fans all knew it was coming but it didn’t make it more palatable. (See Previous Post on DH ~December 10, 2012 ~ refers to 1972:))
So much has happened in the past 50 years. The Giants won not only one or two but three World Series! And they’ll win again. In the meantime, let’s support our San Francisco Giants and all of our Major League Baseball Teams and be thankful for the entertainment they bring us each year, win or lose.
Any Niner fans out there? (I have a friend who’s asking ………:))
Note: This is a Repost of a Blog written back in 2010 but sentiment’s the same.
“I couldn’t see well enough to play when I was a boy, so they gave me a special job – they made me an umpire.” President of the United States, Harry S. Truman.
As a player I probably would have said the toughest position in baseball is catcher. I wasn’t particularly afraid of the ball, but when you’ve been beaned a couple times and missed a ball that was impossible to catch anyhow and the other team scores, you realize even when things are going right, they can still go really, really wrong. But looking at this as a spectator the toughest job has to be, without a doubt, the lowly umpire.
My first exposure to this was at age 10 watching my dad at my brother’s games giving the ump the going-over, beer in hand, standing up yelling obscenities and setting a stellar example for a couple of kids learning by example. Totally mortifying! So years later when I became the parent in the stands cheering my heart out in support of my little darlings at T-Ball I was very cognizant of these memories. Imagine my shock and humiliation when I was thrown out of a T-Ball game for, you guessed it, yelling at the umpire! The embarrassment is still with me.
So all of these memories came flooding back as I watched a replay of a Cleveland/Detroit infamous tag at first. The missed call denied the young pitcher the rarest of rare “perfect game”. This mornings sports headlines would have been all about Ken Griffey Jr’s retirement had this incident not occurred. Well maybe not. A perfect game for sure demands a certain amount of headlines. But no matter. History has been made and it won’t be changed.
I feel for the Tiger fans. I hope the Commissioner’s going to step in and make things right. And he should. It’s the right thing to do. But please, please don’t bring in the instant replay. For crying out loud this is baseball! What really strikes me about this scenario is the candid manner in which the umpire immediately spoke up about the matter on seeing the replay. But then, what else could he have done? (Now’s the time we probably should give this guy a name. He has, after all been a major league umpire for 22 years without any, well, almost any, controversy).
But I didn’t really want to talk about the umpire, or the kid who threw the unrealized perfect game. or instant replay. This story’s about the DETROIT TIGER FANS. What would baseball, or any sport for that matter, be without the fans? Today when the same players, same umpire(s) and the same fans sat for another round of Cleveland/Detroit baseball, the umpire Jim Joyce was introduced among a smattering of boos, it’s expected, always happens, not a surprise. But what was a surprise was the standing ovation and cheers that went up for this guy. I’m emotional just writing about it. And so was he. He had to wear sunglasses to hide the tears for a press conference later.
I’ll bet Jim Joyce didn’t get two hours sleep last night. As much as we love to razz the umps, they have the reputation of being the most honest trustworthy bunch of guys (a little nearsighted at times) but never ever do we believe they make a bad call “on purpose”. And for all those split second “how did they do it?” johnny-on-the spot calls, they get no special recognition. It’s their job and they love it and they do it better than anyone. Detroit Tiger fans know this. They know the umpire has the toughest job in baseball so they cut him a little slack and on they go to the next game. That’s what’s so great about baseball. The Detroit Tiger fans. A real Class Act…….representing the best of baseball ….. “back in 2010”!
“….The toughest call an Umpire has to make…. It’s having to throw a guy out of the game after you blew the hell out of the play.” American League Umpire Bill Kinnamon.
Look Quick or you’ll miss it! Tonight during the SF Giants and San Diego Padres game, Giants Pitcher, Alex Wood, was pitching against Jurickson Profar in the 4th Inning. Profar hit the ball and as Alex Wood was turning away from the pitch, with his mitt still behind his back, he caught the ball. Probably a better description would be the ball accidentally fell into his mitt as he was returning to the pitcher’s mound. No kidding!! It happened so fast I had to rewind it several times to see what actually happened. Needless to say the fans gave total approval with a standing ovation at Oracle Park.
And I’m not talking about a win, though we did, and I am, but this is about the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants game on Thursday night football. Evidently, this particular game had a few brawls going but these were in the stands, not on the field, and involved two “ladies” throwing blows at each other, who were eventually pulled apart when a beer drinking man fan, pulled one by the hair and yanked her down the stairs. Seriously? According to the Mercury News there were a lot of “fan fights” going on during that game.
What’s this got to do with Baseball you ask? On April 2, 2011, a local Santa Cruz fellow was the victim of a vicious crime while attending a Giants/Dodger game in Los Angeles. It was a heartbreaking story: https://garlicfriesandbaseball.com/2011/04/01/a-dodger-fan/ and received national attention, rightfully so. The end result being brain damage and disability to the victim and 8-and 4-year prison sentences to the perpetrators.
I guess the compelling reason I felt so strongly about writing on the subject relates to a passion for sports and also for politics and the same question, “What’s being done about it?” An obvious answer for the sports mania might be to stop selling booze at the games but you know that’s not going to happen. Maybe harsher sentences for the perpetrators? Or how about banishing them from future games? If you have an idea you can always write it up and send it to the powers-that-be at the NFL or the MLB.
Politics? Not so much ~ It just seems to go on and on with the best of intentions. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes it rains (Bull Durham). It seems to be a game that can’t be won, even when you win. If you have an idea you can always write it up and send it to your Congressional representative who may or may not be there. It depends on whether the government’s still open after a looming shutdown.
Earlier this week I watched the Giants vs the Rockies game on ESPN. I subscribe to Direct TV’s Regional Sports Channel so I can watch Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper ~ the Giants regular announcers and the best in the business, truly. But that day I was at the mercy of ESPN. These are the guys that mic up certain players in the field while they’re actually playing and chat about nothing really. I always worry someone’s gonna get beaned or worse!
When we’re not listening to the guys in the outfield chatting about nothing, we have to endure the two in the broadcast booth, who are also chatting about nothing, and a bit irritating as they’re doing that, especially when there’s action at the same time on the field.
We ended up winning that game which put us back in contention for the playoffs, sort of. ESPN’s headline promo for this game was: “Mic’d up: Nolan Jones joins ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball Telecast for an In-Game Conversation During Tonight’s Colorado Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants Broadcast.”
It’s frustrating when your favorite player comes up to bat and the camera and sound is focused on the opposition in the field who’s chatting with someone in the booth about nothing, really. And then your favorite player gets a double and the mic’d up player huffs and puffs to get the ball, still mic’d up, and all the attention is focused on the fielder. That didn’t actually happen, but it could have.
So after the game, I turned to social media to see the reaction of Giants fans and I guess we’re all peas in a pod because they were expressing themselves exactly the same way I’d been feeling throughout the entire game. Here’s some examples: (actual quotes from the fans):
CAN WE JUST WATCH THE GAME!!
Terrible! Can we just watch what’s going on in a game?
How do we contact ESPN to shut up? We’re trying to watch the game.
Please! These announcers suck!
Keep the cameras on the GAME! And shut up
I don’t know which is worst. ESPN or FOX ugh!
So Painful!!!!
Too much talking
How much do you pay for a channel? Asking for a friend.
I have audio muted. Listening to KNBR
Final score please?
We are stuck with a bunch of old wannabees. Seriously. I shut if off and turned on the radio KNBR
Totally agree. This is ridiculous
These guys are just awful
Remember when local sports were Free!
Really! Is this the best you can do?
And these were just from one venue. There was a lot more, but you get the general idea. Save the interviews for after the game. And No. 15 was right! I DO remember when local sports were FREE, back in the good old days:))
I’ve spent the past few days researching a Blog I wrote back in 2014 about the Baseball Reliquary in Whittier, California. I’ve always loved the idea of it and was interested in its survival, whether it made it or not (the institution, not the blog:)) To tell you the truth, when I wrote that particular piece I was a bit concerned as I’d included a rather risque photo and a kinda, sorta irreligious quote. I mean, you know, reliquary defined is about religious stuff.
But I posted it anyway and hoped for the best. It had to do with Annie Savoy’s now famous “Church of Baseball” in the movie “Bull Durham“. Come to find out the man who wrote the screenplay, Ron Shelton, also produced and directed Bull Durham and, get this, he’s also a Member of the Advisory Board for the “Baseball Reliquary”. Who knew? Whew! It made me feel at least a bit vindicated for my sort of religious transgression. I mean, he did it first:))
Check it out online ~ the Baseball Reliquary. It’s a fantastic tribute to everything baseball. Also, “The Baseball Hall of Fame’s Mischievous Cousin” by Scott Miller, New York Times, gives us some entertaining background of what’s been happening with the Reliquary these past few years. It will make you want to go there!! …. if you haven’t already decided to.
A special thanks to Joe Price, Director of the Baseball Reliquary and The Institute for Baseball Studies, for his interest and support in what I’m trying to do here.
The Giants had some good moments this past week, but not enough to go back and rehash their series with the Atlanta Braves. They’re still called the “Braves” though their tomahawk chop may soon belong to the woke archives.
Instead, here’s a totally irrelevant Post from 2017 you might like:
Last night the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox by a score of 14-2. Nice score, but that’s not the headline here. The Mariners to date have won 71% of their last 45 games, or specifically 32 of 13.
Here’s some pretty amazing statistics according to online sources; “During their last 7 games the Mariners have 93 hits, 39 extra base hits, 17 home runs and13 stolen bases. No other team in MLB history has this record over a 7 game period.
Tonight they’re playing the White Sox again, hoping for an 8th straight win. Tune in at 8:10 pm, that is if you’re lucky enough to get the game. Unfortunately, MLB has a lock on a lot of the out of area games as I found out scrambling to catch the Giants/Rangers game last week. Don’t get me started ~ we’ll save that for another day.
It’s okay to shine. The baseball world knows Seattle’s paid their dues. Stay tuned. We’ll keep an eye on them. They’ve already beaten the Giants 2 out of 3 this year!
"I was the worst hitter ever. I never even broke a bat until last year when I was backing out of the garage." Lefty Gomez, Yankees pitcher.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. ~George F. Will.
"Does Pete Rose hustle? Before the All Star game he came into the clubhouse and took off his shoes and they ran another mile without him." Hank Aaron.
More Baseball Quotes!
“You see, you spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time.” - Jim Bouton
"I was such a dangerous hitter I even got intentional walks during batting practice." - Casey Stengel
"This isn't a job. This is a privilege, that's what this is!" - Mike Krukow, TV Commentator, on being at the ballpark each day.
"I've found that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats." -Bill Veeck, Chicago White Sox owner.
"Derek Jeter's accomplishment puts Pete Rose's hits record in perspective. 3,000 hits is phenomenal. 4,000? Freakish!" - Anthony Castrovince via Twitter
"The best possible thing in baseball is winning the World Series. The second best thing is losing the World Series." - Tommy Lasorda
"You teach me baseball and I’ll teach you relativity.... You will learn about relativity faster than I learn baseball." - Albert Einstein
"Baseball is a game of race, creed, and color. The race is to first base. The creed is the rules of the game. The color? Well, the home team wears white uniforms, and the visiting team wears gray."
Joe Garagiola
GARLICFRIESANDBASEBALL is written by a long-time fan who simply loves the game. I write my own articles (hence the grammar and occasional misspellings). If I include an article from another source, credit is given to that source and will include links when appropriate. The opinions are my own.
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