Wow! Matt Duffy can write. I found this in my email box this morning and couldn’t wait to share it. Please take time to read it. We don’t often get to view the experience from the player’s point of view. This one not only gives insight into our Duff Man, obvious choice for 2015 “Rookie of the Year”, but also into the Giants organization.
Take a look! “THE NEW KID”, Courtesy of “Player’s Tribune”.
Posted in A4 Uncategorized
Tagged 2015 rookie of the year, Bartolo Colon, brandon Crawford, BUSTER POSEY, Casey McGehee, Chris Heston, Citifield, don't look up, Duff Man, giants organization, Hunter Pence, Joe Panik, Kelby Tomlinson, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Duffy, Milwaukee Brewers, Player's Tribune
To tell you the truth, I’m not really into hip-hop, heavy metal, alternative or other stuff such as “rap” but this video sort of fell into my lap last week and it got my attention.
This one’s about Pete Rose and it’s definitely “rap”. It’s written, performed and produced by PahlaJohnny and it has me mesmerized. He generously contributed this work to our “Sounds of Baseball” website and it’s been getting some attention so I wanted to share it with you.
Be sure and check out his website, PahlaJohnny.com. And it’s not just baseball he’s into ~”Hoops India” section is a good one. Over his career, he has designed live video streaming products for companies like Red Bull and ESPN, worked with Kenzo Digital on the NYC screening of City of Godson, launched Hoops India in Delhi and Mumbai.
I have to rethink this rap stuff. Wonder if he has anything on MadBum & Posey?
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!
Posted in A1 Baseball, General, Kansas City Royals
Tagged BASEBALL, KNBR, Madison Bumgarner, Seattle Seahawks, Spring training, YouTube
Madison Bumgarner can add another accolade to his growing collection. Sports Illustrated named him the 2014 Sportsman of the Year and with good reason. But I’ll disagree with one statement in the article:
……his Sportsman candidacy was so sudden and seemingly out of nowhere ……
Madison Bumgarner, South Caldwell H.S. North Carolina
If you’re a San Francisco Giants fan, you’ll get this. Affectionately known as “Mad Bum” he’s been on the fans radar since he was drafted as a 1st round pick back in 2007 where he’d already made a name for himself.
” In his junior season, he had a 12–2 record, an 0.99 earned run average (ERA), and 120 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched as he led his team to a runner-up in the 2006 4A State Championship. Next season, he went 11–2 with a 1.05 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 86 innings while this time helping his team win the 2007 4A State Championship. He batted .424 with 11 home runs and 38 runs batted in. He was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the playoffs and the Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year.” Courtesy of Wikipedia.
One of my favorite quotes was back in 2010 when asked about being a rookie and pitching in his first World Series, Mad Bum said something to the effect “Well, I don’t know, I pitched in the High School State Championships and we won, so I don’t see how it can be much different that that.” You’ve gotta love the humility and innocence of that statement.
In 2013, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association included him on its “100 To Remember” male athletes list, which included Michael Jordan, Carl Eller, and Jim Beatty.
And this year Madison Bumgarner hit two grand slam home runs in regular season, and mid-season, at one point, had a batting average better than half of his teammates. Another argument against the DH rule, in my hunble opinion of course.
Not bad for a country boy from North Carolina, but “sudden and seemingly out of nowhere” isn’t something San Francisco Giants fans would probably use to describe him.
Congratulations Madison Bumgarner! You wear the honor well.
Here’s a list of the 2014 salaries for the Major League Baseball teams. You can get a look at the individual player salaries from USA Today’s website. Individual rankings are interesting because you have to look past 65 players to get to the Royal’s top paid player, James Shields at #66. To find the highest paid “active” player on the Giants roster you’ll go to #29 for Tim Lineceum and further down to #89 for Buster Posey. But the real surprise was Madison Bumgarner who’s way down the list at #271. I’ll bet that’s going to change in the near future huh? Of course, you have to look at the total number of years in the individual contracts to see what the actual value is.
So the question is “Did they get what they paid for?” I’d say the Kansas City Royals management is feeling pretty good about themselves right now, ranking #18 out of 30 for highest salaries and still producing the top American League team in the nation.
| RANK | TEAM | CURRENT | DIFF | AVG SALARY | |
| 1 | Dodgers | $241,128,402 | $ – | $7,778,335 | |
| 2 | Yankees | $208,830,659 | $ – | $8,031,948 | |
| 3 | Phillies | $179,521,056 | $ – | $5,791,001 | |
| 4 | Tigers | $163,078,526 | $ – | $5,824,233 | |
| 5 | Red Sox | $154,380,395 | $ – | $5,717,792 | |
| 6 | Giants | $148,239,158 | $ – | $5,490,339 | |
| 7 | Nationals | $134,366,735 | $ – | $4,798,811 | |
| 8 | Rangers | $132,491,596 | $ – | $4,140,362 | |
| 9 | Blue Jays | $129,427,700 | $ – | $4,793,618 | |
| 10 | Angels | $128,046,500 | $ – | $4,415,396 | |
| 11 | Reds | $112,378,771 | $ – | $3,405,417 | |
| 12 | Diamondbacks | $111,798,833 | $ – | $3,726,627 | |
| 13 | Cardinals | $108,020,360 | $ – | $3,857,870 | |
| 14 | Orioles | $105,084,121 | $ – | $3,389,810 | |
| 15 | Brewers | $102,724,338 | $ – | $3,804,605 | |
| 16 | Rockies | $99,579,071 | $ – | $3,688,113 | |
| 17 | Braves | $97,855,673 | $ – | $3,156,634 | |
| 18 | Royals | $90,481,500 | $ – | $3,351,166 | |
| 19 | Padres | $89,881,695 | $ – | $2,899,409 | |
| 20 | White Sox | $89,551,982 | $ – | $3,316,740 | |
| 21 | Mariners | $89,539,642 | $ – | $3,087,573 | |
| 22 | Twins | $84,912,500 | $ – | $3,396,500 | |
| 23 | Mets | $84,281,011 | $ – | $3,121,518 | |
| 24 | Indians | $82,500,800 | $ – | $3,055,585 | |
| 25 | Rays | $82,035,490 | $ – | $2,828,810 | |
| 26 | Pirates | $77,845,999 | $ – | $2,883,185 | |
| 27 | Athletics | $77,220,900 | $ – | $2,490,996 | |
| 28 | Cubs | $74,546,356 | $ – | $2,662,369 | |
| 29 | Astros | $44,985,800 | $ – | $1,606,635 | |
| 30 | Marlins | $41,836,900 | $ – | $1,549,514 |
Posted in A1 Baseball, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, General, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals
Tagged BUSTER POSEY, james shields, Madison Bumgarner, mlb player salaries, MLB Salaries, mlb team salaries
The Royal Giants
“I’m a baseball fan first, and a Giants fan second”. You’ve heard it over and over again right here on this blog and no matter what anyone says I meant it. I meant it when I said it, and I mean it now, but to tell you the truth this World Series stuff was getting right down to the wire when I realized I knew everything about the Giants and nothing about the Royals. Due diligence required I take a crash course in Royalspedia and I’ve been doing my best.
For example, I know the Kansas City Royals team are faster than lightening, I mean, not just the runners, but the entire team. Even the mascot. Scary stuff. Well, maybe not the mascot so much. But they lead all of Major League Baseball in stolen bases and they even run to first base on a walk. They also have not only one, but three starters in a lights-out bullpen. And all week long I’ve been playing that “Kansas City Here I Come” song in my head. It won’t go away, just over and over again.
So now that I’m feeling a little more knowledgeable about the Kansas City Royals It sort of gives me a sense of kinship with both teams and I’m appreciating the true competitive nature of this series, something that was eluding me before.
Bum & Morse
But this morning I’m hearing that the Giants have named Michael Morse as the Designated Hitter for the series and I’m just a little in shock. For some reason I’ve had this feeling all along the DH should be Madison Bumgarner. Not to take anything away from Morse who should, by all accounts, be named the happiest most fun-loving and most cordial of all the Giants team members. He’s my pick for Mr. Congeniality anyhow.
But imagine if Bum were to pitch a no-hitter and hit a grand slam in the same game…….and in a World Series game to boot, the thought of the thrill of it is overwhelming! And it could happen! But not if he’s warming the bench on offense.
So there it is. The lady’s gonna politely clap for a Royal good play, but her fingers will always be crossed for that Giant triumph.
Bums Error to 3rd
Photo Courtesy JEFF CHIU/AP
Classy guy this Madison Bumgarner. I read the article this morning from Baggs about why in the world Bumgarner, with his 20 straight games – no- runs stat this year, would throw the ball away with such purpose and intensity ending in such disastrous results.
This article explains it well. Evidently his catcher, Buster Posey, yelled “three, three, three” at him and since Buster calls the shots and usually knows best, Bum instinctively threw it to third, or at least threw it AT third. When asked what Buster was yelling at him, he refused to incriminate Buster, instead saying you’ll have to ask Buster about that.
In the end Bum’s classic response; ” Doesn’t matter. He didn’t tell me to throw it to left field”. Class act you say? And I’d say you’re probably right. And now on to Game 4.
Madison Bumgarner , the Pitcher
Madison Bumgarner, The Hitter! (Photo Courtesy Getty Images)
I love this guy! What about this? To Bruce Bochy: How about putting Bum in left field on his days off? That will get him in the line-up and God knows we can sure use him. AND NO MORE BUNTING PLEASE!
Madison Bumgarner’s a cowboy, down on the farm, strong as an ox type guy. He can do this. And it probably wouldn’t hurt to let him get that pitch count up there a little more either.
I mean, seriously, we’re getting down to the wire here and it’s never too late to think outside the box. Just saying …….
And take a look at another take on the subject from Hardball Talk. Great stuff!
National League All-Star pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw watch the Home Run Derby Monday July 15, 2013, at Citi Field in NY. Photo by SF Giants/Andy Kuno
I love this guy! Okay, so I’m a Giants fan, but who can argue with the stats? Not to take anything away from Madison Bumgarner, but Clayton Kershaw rocks and if we don’t make it (and things aren’t looking too good right now) I’m cheering for the Dodger blue. Well, at least for the rest of the season. And I’m trying to figure out how the Giants are going to be able to acquire Kershaw while keeping Bumgarner. Yes, I know. One thing at a time.
Voicing an Opinion!
It’s time, once again, for the annual Baseball Blogger’s Awards, sponsored by the Baseball Blogger’s Alliance. I usually manage to vote for a few in sync with my fellow bloggers and this year will be no exception, I’m sure.
For no particular reason other than these are guys that I like and have pretty good stats to boot, and probably because they’ve had the most game-day exposure on network television, I submit the following National League (because I’m supposed to) choices:
1. CONNIE MACK AWARD (Top Manager). For the life of me I still can’t figure out why Bruce Bochy hasn’t won this award or really even been nominated for 2010 or 2012 when he so ably brought his team to the World Championship both years. I mean he by-passed GO and lead those Giants straight to the top. Oops, sorry, got carried away because now it’s 2013, and my choice for Top Manager is Mike Matheny, St. Louis Cardinals.
2. WILLIE MAYS AWARD (Top Rookie). Yasiel Puig. And not just for his amazing stats, especially that first week, but I have to consider his entertainment value. He was benched a few times due to his behavior on the field, but you have to attribute most of his training, or lack thereof, to being raised on Cuba baseball. When I watch him play I’m not sure what training he’s had because he appears to just have incredible raw talent that needs to be cultivated and refined. I’m sure it will come. In the meantime, he’s just a lot of fun to watch.
3. GOOSE GOSSAGE AWARD (Top Reliever). I had to look over everyone’s stats for comparison and it looks like there is none, or, at least, very little. It will be interesting to see if Brian Wilson contributes as a Reliever next year or makes the cut as a starter, but, in the meantime, Craig Kimbrel for those reasons just listed.
4. WALTER JOHNSON AWARD (Top Pitcher). And the winner is, has been and probably will be again in the future, Clayton Kershaw. I love watching this guy pitch and he rarely disappoints. My favorite pitcher is Madison Bumgarner because of his calm, cool and collected demeanor, (at least on the mound!) much the same as Kershaw. My guess is he’ll end up third to Kershaw’s 1st place in the Cy Young vote.
5. STAN MUSIAL AWARD (Top Player). And the winner is ……once again, Clayton Kershaw. I love this guy! Based my vote on gut feeling and sentiment and lots of stats.
I know, not a lot of depth, statistics and comparisons here folks. Much like my blogs. Strictly from a fan’s viewpoint with the usual prejudices and sentiments.
Thousands of San Francisco Giants fans decked out in orange and black showed up for the 2013 Fan Fest this year at AT&T Park. I’m posting my own photo’s along with a smathering of those from the San Jose Mercury News. Maybe you’ll spot yourself in one. A special thank you for those who so kindly allowed me to get a quick snapshot – usually because of something that really struck my fancy, like the “Kings Wear Rings” guy with the big smile or the guy with the great “Giants Know October” shirt. Giants fans are great and so much fun to be around, especially when it’s beautiful weather, not a cloud in the sky, and smiles everywhere! I can’t honestly think of a better place to be on a beautiful sunny day than at AT&T Park. And the Giants players gave so much of themselves with the interviews, autographs and just taking the time to stop and chat with their fans. Whatta great bunch of guys we have here! And that’s exactly what you’d expect from the reigning World Champions and the best fans in all of baseball.
GFBB Update: The Giants have estimated nearly 40,000 in attendance at this year’s Fan Fest. See more Photo’s on the MLB Blog Website.
Dodge Ram gave us an academy award-winning performance with their Super Bowl ad this year. I was wondering how I could tie this into a baseball story when I remembered an incident at AT&T Park a few years ago. I was sitting in the stands, anxiously awaiting the start of a SF Giants game,when I heard some fans behind me chatting about the new pitcher, Madison Bumgarner. It went something like this, “Yah, he doesn’t belong here. He belongs back on the farm. I heard he gave his wife a cow (actually it was a prize bull calf) for their wedding present”. This was following by hysterical laughter and hoots and hollers from the enthusiastic, but misguided, fans. The little incident would have probably ruined the game for me, but Bumgarner pitched a masterpiece and he spoke for himself, saving me from having to turn around and give them my two cents worth.
Madison Bumgarner
So I’m wondering how many other pro baseball players lives began down on the farm. I can tell you emphatically there were a lot of them, these young kids from the midwest farms and others who grew up with that sense of hard work, physical discipline with a sense of community. It wasn’t all about them, it was about getting a job done. And it still is. I remember listening to an interview with Bumgarner before he pitched his first World Series Game. When asked if he was nervous and whether this was the most exciting thing he’d ever been through, Bum answered with that slow southern drawl, something like “Well, I dunno. I pitched in the high school world series and I did okay there. I was pretty nervous then and I don’t see how it can be any worse pitching here today.” In other words, in his mind, he didn’t see any difference in pitching in high school or the World Series. In his mind he had a job to do. That was it. Don’t you just love it?
I started researching on-line to see how many farmers I could come up with and immediately found Sergio Romo, the SF Giants reliever who aced this year’s World Series. The title of the article was “In Sergio Romo’s Small Hometown, No. 1 Crop is Pro Baseball Players“, and it was written by Valerie Hamilton, California Report. Here’s an excerpt:
“Brawley would be probably like a slightly bigger version of Mayberry, although not quite as nice,” says Rudy Seanez, who pitched in the major leagues for 17 years, ending in 2008. Like Romo, he grew up in Brawley. So did Alan Fowlkes, who pitched for the 1982 Giants. And so did Sid Monge, who pitched in the 1970s and 80s. It turns out Brawley’s sugar beets and melons have some competition for the town’s top-produced crop. The town, and the Imperial Valley around it, have sent more than 20 players to the major and minor leagues.
I didn’t spend any more time looking for baseball farmers. I was satisfied that my instincts were justified, but it’s definitely a subject for another blog. Don’t you just wonder what the percentage of those old-time ball players born down on the farm might be? I imagine the numbers are staggering, huge!
Clydesdales down on the farm
Thank you Dodge Ram for giving us the best Super Bowl advertisement we’ve seen in a long time. It goes really well with the Budweiser “Clydesdales”, because, after all, what could be more down on the farm than that?
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