If this is your first exposure to the SF Giants Centerfielder, Jung Ho Lee, you’re in for a treat. When I first saw this live, they repeated it in slow motion and it was truly an unbelievable sight! It was snatched out of the air so fast I wasn’t able to get the slo-mo for you here, but it was phenomenal! .
Try it and see if you have any luck. It was like a game itself just trying to slow it down long enough to see the actual position of that mitt when the catch was made. His hand was turned upside down, eyes on the ball, as he’s fast approaching the wall. You might describe it as a “back handed, behind-the-back catch”:)) Giants Pitcher, Jordan Hicks appeared to be in shock after the play was made in the 4th Inning. The Giants ended up losing to the Phillies 4-3.
Looking at Jung Ho Lee’s #51 jersey, you might believe for a second you’re watching Ichiro Suzuki reincarnated as a Giant. An absolute honor to witness that play.
Well, okay, this one’s actually Willie Mays, but if you stretch it sideways, it’s about the same catch as the one we’re talking about:))
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:))
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.
Okay. I’ve been a little busy these past few months. Well, really busy. But when this tweet came across my desk I couldn’t resist. And you have to admit it has a “little” to do with baseball. I’ll take time to read the article later because I’m busy, but I’m dying to find out how much the thing weighs. I’m sure there’s a reason she’s sitting down, with stiletto’s no less! They’re all New York Mets baseballs, not that the Mets have anything to do with it.
Anyhow, just trying to get through tax season and make it to the start of baseball season. Thanks for indulging me. Now back to work.
A few weeks ago my son, while watching a Seattle Seahawks clip, said “I just can’t get enough of this stuff.” And that’s exactly how I felt while watching this interview with Madison Bumgarner. Like a lot of baseball fans who’ve been in a dry spell waiting for Spring Training, I’ve been craving some little tidbit, picture, video, or article about baseball, but especially about Bumgarner. He was in the face of the baseball world everywhere, non-stop for weeks and all of a sudden there was ………nothing!
So when I came upon this 10 minute interview I was in my element. This was ten minutes of Mad Bum responding candidly to questions we’ve all been wanting to ask about him, his family, his feelings, teammates and the game in general. Good Stuff.
And a special thanks to the KNBR staff for putting this together on You Tube so it can be shared with everyone. Spring training just around the corner folks …… See you soon!
A few weeks ago my grandson said this exact same thing. I took into account his passion was basketball and surmised he watched only a few baseball games each year, if he had to. Jake lives in Oregon and, granted, there’s not a lot to get excited about in Oregon except maybe Oregon Duck football and OSU Beavers during baseball season, and maybe once in a while the Trailblazers.
Juan Marichal. Just your Basic Pitching Form
But having grown up in a baseball family I just don’t get it. I don’t get that others don’t get the athleticism of baseball players, the finesse of a perfectly thrown ball, the artistry of a catch that was so impossible to make, even the opponents keep playing it over and over in the clubhouse the next day. Once-in-a-lifetime stuff. So when I read this comment on Hardball Talks,one of my favorite blogs, I had to ponder again what Jake said, and meant, about baseball not making it more than 5 or 10 years. And to Scott Conray who posted this little ditty, I have to tell you we have not seen baseball’s most famous player yet.
LA Dodger Yasiel Puig on an ordinary day.
One example, and there are many, is the rookies coming up from the farm teams. These kids are exciting to watch. And they’re winning games. And they’ll continue doing this. If you have any doubt about the fans love for the game read “Casey at the Bat”, again and you’ll get it. The poem was written over 100 years ago with the same passion and fervor that baseball fans still experience every time they watch a great play, a fantastic pitch, an out of the park home run or a rookie walking to the plate making the sign of the cross and blasting it out of the park. And I don’t care which sport you’re passionate about, it just doesn’t get any better than that. In my humble opinion, of course ……
I’m remembering a game I went to this past season. During the entire game a fan sitting in front of me had his cell phone in hand, either as an extension of his ear or taking pictures with it. When it was attached to his ear he was talking, loudly at times, and listening the rest of the time. It seemed odd since the game was at AT&T Park and it can get really loud and I kept wondering how he was able to hear anything on the little contraption.
I’m not a huge cell phone fan. I don’t even know my number. My husband bought me one as a nice gesture, but against my objections, and I think I’ve used it maybe five or six times in the past seven years. His idea was I could use it for roadside emergencies or keeping in touch, just in case. You know, the usual stuff.
AT&T Park. Cameraman and his Cell Phone.
But I’m looking around the ballpark and cell phones were everywhere. Lots of picture-taking and flashes going off, mostly just fans walking around, or in their seats, didn’t matter, attached to their trusty cell phones. You see the same scenario everywhere, it’s epidemic. The phone companies must be making millions. You see them at the grocery stores, hospitals, theaters, schools, churches, airports, on the bus, at the restaurants. And they’re at my office.
This used to irritate the heck out of me. But this year has been an eye-opening experience and I’ll never look at cell phones the same way again. You see, I’m a tax preparer and I have 100 days to get those pesky taxes worked up, prepared, completed and out the door until next year when it starts all over again. In the past, the number one thing clients would forget when they showed up for their appointment was their W2. It’s the truth. But not anymore. Just last week a client took out his cell phone, called his employer, and the W2 almost instantly appeared via fax.
And it’s been happening a lot lately. Need Grandma’s social security number? No problem. Forgot the interest from the bank, car tags, tuition and/or scholarships received? No problem. Just dial it up on the handy-dandy little thing.
But here’s the really great part. Last week a woman came in with her little two-year old who was acting like two-year old’s are supposed to act; I mean all over the place, up and down like a yo-yo, until…….until mom put her cell phone in the little boys hand. It was like magic! It worked better than Prozac or a tranquilizer or binky or something. The little fellow poked his app (I think that’s what they’re called) and was tuned in for the rest of the interview.
I’m not saying that sedating a kid with a cell phone is necessarily a good thing, but if you’re a tax preparer in the middle of tax season and you’re trying like the devil to get through an interview, it is truly a miraculous thing.
Well, okay, not really. But haven’t you noticed that ever since MLB “recommended” limiting use of tobacco on the field and in the dugout there’s been ever so slight a change? Some day they’re going to ban tobacco in any form much the same as they’ve banned those nasty PED’s, and that’s a good thing.
But, in the meantime, here’s a few guys that have decided to do something about it and it looks like they’re thoroughly enjoying themselves in the process, setting an example for the youngsters to boot. It must feel pretty good to sit without having that can of crud sticking you in the behind and following you everywhere you go. And imagine having to walk through that nasty dugout with spit and chew and spit sticking to your cleats, not to mention the smell. Have at it boys ~ it’s bubblicious all the way! And that’s a good thing.
"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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