Blog Archives
When Can The Baseball Writers For The Hall Of Fame Consider Cheating Through PED Use, Or Not?
Barry Bonds once admitted to a Federal Jury that he used PED’s. As MLB’s ALL-Time HR King with 762 Round-Trippers, will the BBWAA ever consider looking past this and elect him into Cooperstown? He only received 36.8 % of the votes last year – and will be in his 4th year of balloting this season. The 7 time MVP, the 13 time ALL – Star, 12 time Silver Slugger, and 8 time Gold Glove Winner had a career 3 slash of .298/.444/.607 – and is also the ALL – Time Leader in Walks with 2558 – and is in the top 5 for several other categories lifetime.
Prof. Wes Reber Porter and Dan Dressman (Special Guest Writers): Follow @WRPspdADVOCACY and Follow @DannyDressman
When the 2016 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot is announced tomorrow, the heated discussion will begin about which controversial candidates, if any at all, should have been inducted into Cooperstown (HOF).
While isolated athletes have come up in previous years, this year represents the fourth year tension between the modern era of baseball – the “steroid era” – and traditional standards for admission into the Hall. With no one that has been connected to PEDs still having been inducted in
The 500+ baseball writers are, and should be, entrusted to weigh cheating and use of PEDs against the HOF’s criteria of “character,” “sportsmanship” and “upholding the integrity of the game” (the integrity standards).
These writers each will struggle, however, with a preliminary question that falls outside of their expertise:under which circumstances may a HOF voter consider, at all, a candidate’s connection to cheating and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs)? Read the rest of this entry
My SILVERCAR Rental Experience in San Francisco: The New Wave Of The Future In Car Rentals!!
SILVERCAR rental car company is the 1st establishment to offer the exact same vehicle for any duration of a car rental. They have services currently in Austin, TX, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas Love Airport, Dallas FT Worth Airport, Denver International Airport, Ft Lauderdale Int’l Airport, New York City – Brooklyn Easy Out, Phoenix Sky Harbor Int’l Airport, Miami Int’l Airport.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
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Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (217 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
So about 2 months ago I found out about this car rental company called SILVERCAR, locate on the Interwebs at http://www.silvercar.com, I was definitely intrigued by the idea of the idea of having the same rental car always as an option. The problem was the cost at first. It was a premium rental vehicle that was in the $90 a day for all the costs included. But I downloaded their app anyway, while doing some more investigation.
We all have been stuck with a rental car that wasn’t to our liking at all right? It is a catches-catch-can at the rental locations, and if you are not a preferred member of a rewards program, you don’t stand a chance to receive your ideal car.
I was sitting on 40 free rental car days at National Car Rental this year. have 5 other free days from a Canadian Base Rewards Program (also using National Car Rental as my designated rental location), while also possessing a long term rental car that is at my brothers in Sicklerville. This is when SILVERCAR offered me a nice coupon discount for half-off a 2 day rental.
Knowing that San Francisco Airport carries a $20 Airport recovery fee for another car rental ensures that even my wicked National free days will still see a monetary hit when I rent from that location.
It set up perfectly to give them a shot because i needed a car from June 25th – June 27th, while I was also picking up Scott Bultman (going to 60 games and 21 parks with me) at Oakland – then dropping him off in San Francisco on the 27th. I began to think it was even better when I determined using public transportation in the BAY area was going to run me $40 anyway.
In staying with my buddy Tike’s family in San Leandro (about 4 miles from Oakland downtown), we also all wanted to hang out – scurrying around in only one vehicle on June 26th. The Audi 4 selection at full size was looking like a perfect selection.
On Thursday June 25th I dropped a rental car off at National, proceeded back to the SFO terminal, and my Silver Car experience began. I took an off-site parking Park ‘N’ Fly shuttle bus to the location. During my trip over there, i touched a button on the app to let them know I was coming. My phone assured me they were waiting.
I was greeted by a nice young lady that knew my name, and had a car waiting for me. It was this car pictured below.
She quickly informed me of the features of the car, and i scanned the barcode on the windshield to start my rental. It was that easy, no fumbling around with credit cards, after I quickly just proved i was who I said I was the agent.
I was blown away by the options on this car. First off, having free WiFi is a baseball bloggers dream on a rental car. It virtually means anytime that you are in your car – you are connected to the superhighway. I started envisioning long weekend roadtrips with several ballpark chasers, and all of us being plugged into our social media network. This alone is worth a lot of cash on a daily basis.
The beautiful brand new Silver Audi 4 only had 2500 miles on it, and had the aura of a new car smell.
It was time for me to leave, and the lady ran down that I she already saved the rental car companies address into the favorites for the GPS navigational system, and I was out of there. By the way, for those people who are not familiar with directions to rental car locations, this alleviates any strenuous pressure in finding your drop off point when your contract is up.
During the drive, I was able to listen to satellite radio – and of course the MLB Network. This is a must have in any rental I have, owning a baseball website, and also going to a game every year. Even with the best of car rental places I belong too, there is never any certainty the satellite radio will work for all – or parts of your trip, based on trial subscription.
Right after that, i noticed the transponder toll pass for the California highway. Having one of these can run $5 – $7 a day, and it was included in this rental. You still have to pay for tolls encountered along the trip, but also at a time-saving rate in the FASTPASS lanes. Having this for a place like New York City would be ideal.
The car had plenty of entertainment gadgets from the navigational guides, to dc volts to plug adapters in, a USB port as well. Yes, these are standard in premium cars, but there was 3 different portals to choose from.
This ride was a smooth one back to San Leandro from San Francisco this night. I showed it off to my buddies, and we all agreed it was a nice looking car, and that the Wi FI feature was worth about $7 – 10 for us. The reception strength for the internet was strong. On Saturday morning, I was in the car for 3 hours at o.Co Coliseum catching up on blogs.
We ended up using the car to pass over 4 different toll bridges, and the use of the navigational guides was key in avoiding several bad traffic jams over the day.
This vehicle fit 4 adults, and one kid very comfortably, and all of us had enough room.
One of the features I did not use was there value play of a $5 fill up option. Instead of worrying about filling the car up, you could have them do it, and they would only charge the rate of gas at the nearest gas station, and then just add $5. This is a convenient service, especially if you are just too late to do it yourself. All other rental companies would make the $5 off you after pumping just $8 worth of gas to begin with.
Because I had a coupon, it knocked my price of the 2 day rental from $162 – $92, but the price point of $81 all in at that location is very competitive with the leading car rental companies. Of course I am thrilled to have had the bill under a hundred, but the extra’s we had during the time i had the Silver Audi was well worth the price difference of the cheapest rate i could get even having free rental days.
When I returned the car, a young man named Lamar greeted me at the drop point, and he couldn’t have been more cool to help me with all I needed to know. This team of Silver Car may be a young organization, but they have bright, intelligent people working for them.
In the end, I probably wouldn’t rent a car from SILVERCAR if it were just me going into the car, yet the more people who get added to a roadtrip, suddenly this idea seems a lot better as an overall deal.
I definitely recommend everyone to try this new rental company out at least once.
When you go to reserve your first car rental in any of the locations, use the code HALF-OFF.
cities to rent in:
Austin Airport, TX
Chicago O’hare
Denver Intl Airport
Dallas Love Field & DFW
LAX
SFO
MIA
PHX airport
Newest Location
New York City – Brooklyn Easy Out,
Price with discount was $92 all total for the premium based car, with $20 of that coming with that out of SFO< other locations will be cheaper.
You receive Free WIFI in the car, satellite radio, navigation system, transponder (tolls for the city you are in).
I only had to pay the tolls that were added, not for the transponder rental
All of us in SF loved the rental car maneuver here the last 2 days
Random Travel Tips I Have Stumbled Across In 2015 MLB Roadtrip Planning
Milwuakee is one of the cheapest cities to travel in, (if not the cheapest), and I routinely start a big tour there, for rates within car rentals, hotels and of course the doubleheaders that can be done with the Cubs or White Sox. MKE Airport is also one of the only airport that has a rental center within the airport that you can walk to among the 30 teams, Sometimes it cheaper to fly into Chicago 1st and make your way to this city via Amtrak.
I have said it many times before, but having Amtrak and Greyhound available for travel on the Eastern Seaboard is a life saver for the MLB Roadtripper.
Another company I like is http://www.hihostels.com. This place is instrumental for cheap accommodations in San Diego, Houston, Chicago, Boston and Baltimore specifically, and to a lesser extent in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.
The dumbest new thing is the airliner http://www.spiritairlines.com. Sure they will be the cheapest on several flights for websites like http://www.kayak.com, but then you realize that is just a price for your personal being and belongings. These guys are the only carrier that gets with you carry on charges (hidden from the normal fee) Just include the price like everyone else jackball’s.
The best airline is still southwest.com They offer the free luggage check ins, being able to change flights, and they have the most modern gates in any airport, and all have free WiFi. The whole plane is coach, and I personally love that on a budget. Read the rest of this entry
Top 5 Holds Leaders In MLB 2014
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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It is the secondary stat category to Saves for Relievers, but it most cases, the guys pulling down innings in the last few frames play just as an important part of game – if not more.
Last year, two Tampa Bay Rays were in the top 5 – with Jake McGee sitting in 5th with 26 – while Joel Peralta was the clubhouse leader for the MLB at 41.
The guys have to be at the forefront for the 2014 race as well.
Lets just see who we the MLB Reports take for Holds Leaders in 2014. Read the rest of this entry
When Can The Baseball Writers For The Hall Of Fame Consider Cheating Through PED Use, Or Not?
Barry Bonds once admitted to a Federal Jury that he used PED’s. As MLB’s ALL-Time HR King with 762 Round-Trippers, will the BBWAA ever consider looking past this and elect him into Cooperstown? —Photo by sportsagent.com.
Prof. Wes Reber Porter and Dan Dressman (Special Guest Writers): Follow @WRPspdADVOCACY and Follow @DannyDressman
When the 2014 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot is released in November, the heated discussion will begin about which controversial candidates, if any at all, would be inducted into Cooperstown (HOF).
While isolated athletes have come up in previous years, this year represents a first real tension between the modern era of baseball – the “steroid era” – and traditional standards for admission into the Hall.
The 575 baseball writers are, and should be, entrusted to weigh cheating and use of PEDs against the HOF’s criteria of “character,” “sportsmanship” and “upholding the integrity of the game” (the integrity standards).
These writers each will struggle, however, with a preliminary question that falls outside of their expertise:under which circumstances may a HOF voter consider, at all, a candidate’s connection to cheating and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs)? Read the rest of this entry
Should Angel Pagan Come Back In 2013?
Angel Pagan led the NL in Triples with 15 in 2012 amongst his 61 Extra Base Hits and 95 Runs. This year he had scored 30 runs in 46 Games played despite a .262/.314/.688 3 Slash. The team was 25 – 21 with him in the lineup – and now have gone 31 – 51 since.
With the Giants so far out of the playoff picture this year, many may ask why Angel Pagan coming back makes sense. Why risk a guy getting reinjured? Why not give him more rest to come back 100% next season?
While these are legitimate questions, it only makes sense that Angel Pagan returns this September to play with the Giants.
Angel Pagan is a long term asset for the Giants. He is just one year into his four year deal, and will be counted in the next few years to help the team compete for another World Series title.
Buster Posey Can’t Do It Alone
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Wednesday, July.24/2013
Between his incredible performance in 2010 that led the Giants to the World Series title, and led him to the 2010 Rookie of the Year award, and his MVP-worthy performance in 2012 that gave the Giants their 2nd championship in 3 years, it seems that whenever the Giants have Posey on the field, they have a fighting chance. The only time before this season the team struggled was in 2011- after Posey was smashed in a home plate collision. But he need helps this campaign.
By Jon Schifferle ( Giants Correspondent – visit his own personal website here.) Follow @jonschifferle
It would not take someone very long to find a time that Buster Posey has made a tremendous contribution to the San Francisco Giants. It seems that ever since his callup in 2010, Posey has been able to provide exactly what the Giants have needed.
His entrance into the MLB has coincided with 2 World Series in the 2 full seasons he has played, however this year is not looking as promising. The pitching has been suspect – and the offense has been anemic and hurt.
The team enters play today 6 Games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, while the lead is in single digits, they must start the charge now, considering Los Angeles has won 22 of their last 27 games.
The Giants conclude a series at home versus the Reds tonight, before the Cubs come to town. After that, the Defending Champions hit Philadelphia and Tampa on the road in a 6 game span.
They still have 6 games versus Arizona, and 7 versus the LA Dodgers the rest of the year, it is imperative this club wins the majority of these head to head matchups.
How the Giants Can Improve Their Roster + Deal With Injuries To Vogelsong + Pagan
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Wednesday, July.03/2013
Johnny Monell has been a great contributor to the Fresno Grizzlies this season, and deserves consideration for a roster spot.
The Giants did not have a great month of June, but I don’t have to tell you that. In fact, it was the worst winning percentage for the team in a month since July 2008, according to Andrew Baggarly.
This does not put the Giants out of contention, though, and the team still plans on competing this season.
With that in mind, the club does not have very much depth in their farm system, and likely do not want to give up the little potential that they have their, so the best way to boost the lineup would be through callups.
Two Giants Who Need A Promotion: Giants Injury Roundup
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Follow @mlbreportsWednesday, June.12/2013
The Giants currently sit in 3rd place in the NL West – 2 Games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks. With the amount of extra baseball games they have played the last three years in the Post Season, it would be okay to inject some fresh youth into the lineup. Players like Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pagan and Ryan Vogelsong are currently on the Disabled list for awhile. Santiago Casilla is also on the DL with a cyst on his right knee.
By Jon Schifferle ( Giants Correspondent – visit his own personal website here.) Follow @jonschifferle
Some organizations move prospects very quickly. They aren’t afraid to push their players, and love to show them a new challenge. That is definitely not the way the Giants operate.
While I generally agree with this philosophy, I do feel that moving prospects mid season can benefit the organization. Some players need to be challenged.
Not only this, but the sooner they are moved up, the sooner they can contribute at the MLB level. At this point in the season, there are two guys who definitely are showing that they are ready for the next step.
Right now, there are two players that are definitely showing they have the tools to play at the next level.
Why Isn’t Heath Hembree In The Giants Bullpen?
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Follow @mlbreportsFriday, May.31/ 2013
Heath Hembree is easily the most talked-about reliever in the Giants farm system.
By Jon Schifferle ( Giants Correspondent – visit his own personal website here.) Follow @jonschifferle
With all of the changes to the bullpen and rotation recently, mostly stemming from the current issues in the rotation, many Giants fans are left to wonder why Heath Hembree has not come up and pitched in a late inning role.
The Giants Best Options to Replace Ryan Vogelsong
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Follow @mlbreportsTuesday, May.21/ 2013
Ryan Vogelsong has been struggling this season, but finally looked good again in his last start.
By Jon Schifferle ( Giants Correspondent – visit his own personal website here.) Follow @jonschifferle
Ryan Vogelsong was having his best start of the season, and finally looked like his old self.
And then he fractured his pitching hand.
While many could look at this situation and see a few options to replace him like Chad Gaudin, who has been great out of the bullpen as a long reliever and has experience starting, and Chris Heston who led AA in ERA last season, the clear option that I see is Michael Kickham.
Yankees Update: Week 4 – The Injuries Mount Yet They Are Still The Bronx Bombers!
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Follow @mlbreportsWednesday May 1,2013
After a hot start to the 2013 campaign, Francisco Cervelli has broken his hand and added his name to the long list of Yankee injuries in 2013. The man worked his way back to the Majors and won the Yankee starting job out of training camp. Now only time will tell whether Cervelli can return from injury with the same skill that he opened the season.
By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent): Follow @nross56
The end of April was supposed to signal the beginning of the end of the Yankee injury woes. Upon breaking camp, it was thought that Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira would all be returning in the next week or two.
Now, it has become clear that the Yankee injury woes are just beginning.
As discussed in last week’s piece, Jeter’s set-back already has extended his time table until the middle of July at the earliest. Big Tex has been unable to meet his time table as well and is not prepared to take live swings yet.
Granderson is the only player on track to return from injury based on the original timeframe. Grandy is slated to return in at some point in May.
Frankie Being Frankie:
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Giants Farm System Update
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Follow @mlbreportsFriday April. 18, 2013
The Augusta Greenjackets are the official low-A team for the San Francisco Giants.
By Jon Schifferle ( Giants Correspondent – visit his own personal website here.) Follow @jonschifferle
It seems that we are probably far enough into the season to start looking at the farm system and start making some assumptions about players at their new levels. While it is definitely too early to make big judgments on players, it is always fun to speculate, isn’t it?
For this article, I will take a look at players at Low-A Augusta, and will look at the other teams later on. I won’t go over every single player, or else this series of articles could be 20 pages long. For now I will just take on top prospects and potential breakout candidates. Let’s take a look into the Giants Low A team to start:
Joan Gregorio Highlights:
WBC 2013 Final Results, Recap And Review
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Follow @mlbreportsWednesday March 2oth, 2013
- Congrats to the Dominican Republic: The 2013 World Baseball Classic Champions!
Jonathan Hacohen (Lead Baseball Columnist, Oakland A’s Correspondent and Website Founder): Follow @Jhacohen
After the initial WBC in 2006, the tournament returned in 2009. The decision was made to have the WBC played three years after the inaugural edition and then four years later from there.
As result, after a long wait for baseball fans…the third World Baseball Classic was back for the 3rd edition in 2013.
It was a thrilling March- with the final 2 countries facing off for global baseball supremacy: The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The DR won the game 3-0 behind the MVP bat of Robinson Cano.
Congrats to the Dominican Republic on being crowned the 2013 WBC Champions!
Cuba Is Ready To Win The 2013 World Baseball Classic
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Follow @mlbreportsSaturday February 16th, 2013
Pedro Luis Lazo. One of Cuba’s greatest pitchers of all-time. Considered also one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball not to pitch in the big leagues. A legend, he represented Cuba in the 2006 and 2009 WBC tournaments. He will be missed in this year’s edition.
By Jonathan Hacohen (Lead Baseball Columnist, Oakland A’s Correspondent and Website Founder): Follow @Jhacohen
Going into the 3rd edition of the World Baseball Classic, the #1 question that I get asked on a daily basis is: “Which country will win it all?” A fair question, as all sports fans (not just baseball ones) love to predict champions before the first game is even played. Given that Japan has won the first two WBC titles (2006 and 2009), they have to be the favorites going into this year’s tournament. But as every new WBC edition begins, every country begins to get hungrier and hungrier. We had a qualifier tournament recently, the inaugural one for a WBC. 16 countries battled it out to win the 4 coveted spots into the tournament. Chinese Taipei, Brazil, Canada and Spain will field teams next month.
Canada and Chinese Taipei were two of the four countries that did not receive automatic entries and were required to qualify. Brazil and Spain were the newcomers that got their first taste of the WBC…and evidently loved it. So who will be it folks? Japan beat Korea in 2009 and Cuba back in 2006. Ironically, Cuba lost to Japan twice back in the 2nd round of 2009. If not for Japan, Cuba would have at least WBC title under their belts. Maybe two. So who does Cuba get in their group as part of the 1st Round of the 2013 WBC? Japan, of course. This time around, things will be different. Cuba is ready to knock the Japanese gorilla off their backs and take the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Brian Wilson’s Legacy In San Francisco
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Friday January 25, 2013
Brian Wilson suffered a season ending injury in April of 2012. He could only scrape together 1 save in 2 opportunities. The Giants wound up winning the World Series even without their star closer.
Kyle Holland (MLB Reports intern): Follow @TheKHolland13
Brian Wilson has been a member of the San Francisco Giants since the summer of 2006. He started off as a reliever, beardless might I add, and gradually made his way up to the closer he is today. Back then he wasn’t the big name player that he is now. Back when they still had the likes of Barry Bonds on the team. Only recently has he made his way to one of the best closers in the league, and one of the craziest.
2010 is when he really made his way onto the scene. Sure, he was an All-Star in 2008 but quite frankly; the Giants weren’t nearly good enough for him to be noticed. San Francisco finished fourth in the NL West with a 72-90 record, a little surprising considering Tim Lincecum won the Cy Young Award. Out of those 72 wins, Wilson saved 41 and got the win in 3 of them.
Best Brian Wilson Interview Of ALL-Time:
Nick Swisher to Washington: The Nationals Are Looking to Add a Key Free Agent Bat to Their Lineup
Tuesday November 13th, 2012
Kyle Holland: On Saturday, the Nationals announced that they were re-signing manager Davey Johnson for the 2013 season. With the Nats clearing up the managerial situation it leaves the rest of their offseason for signing free agents. One free agent they will start with is outfielder/first baseman Nick Swisher.
Swisher would be a great fit in a Washington uniform. He just recently rejected the Yankees offer of $13.3 million for one more year in New York. With Adam LaRoche declining his qualifying offer from the Nationals, they could let him walk and sign Swisher. Swisher has been known to play first base along with his usual outfield, so he could be a great replacement for LaRoche. Added versatility is always a bonus in today’s game. Read the rest of this entry
2012 NLDS Wrap: Giants Defeat the Reds and Will Face Either the Cards or Nats in the NLCS
Friday October 12th, 2012
Bernie Olshansky: Game One: Reds 5, Giants 2: The first game of the National League Division Series looked to be a pitchers’ duel with Johnny Cueto of the Reds matching up with Matt Cain of the Giants. This possibility quickly went out the window when Cueto was seen in major discomfort after throwing a pitch to the second batter of the game. Out went Cueto with back spasms and in came Sam LeCure. Lecure pitched very well bridging the gap to probable game three starter Mat Latos. Right as Cueto came out, this became a must-win game for the Giants. These first two games would be the only two home games of the series for the Giants, and the ace of the Reds’ staff was out of the game after a third of an inning. While the Reds bullpen and Mat Latos continued to keep the Giants’ offense at bay, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce delivered all the offense that the Reds needed with a two-run bomb to left and a solo shot to right-center. Latos and the bullpen did the rest, only giving up a solo shot to Buster Posey and a run in the ninth inning. It looked as if the Reds had all the momentum taking at least a tie back to Cincinnati.
Game Two: Reds 9, Giants 0: The Reds picked up just where they left off starting the scoring with a Ryan Ludwick solo homer to dead center. In a fall evening in San Franciso, a hitter needs to get all of it for it to be a home run and Ludwick did just that, putting the Reds up 1-0 in the second inning. A few innings later, the Reds continued to pummel Madison Bumgarner scoring three in a rally started by Joey Votto. In what was a weird turn of events, Tim Lincecum came in to pitch in the sixth inning in relief of George Kontos. Lincecum went to the bullpen and only threw a few pitches before heading back to the dugout. Then, to what looked like his surprise, Bruce Bochy inserted him into the game as part of a double switch that put Xavier Nady into left field. Lincecum pitched very well for the limited warm-up tosses he had, shutting down the Reds and keeping the deficit at four. Unfortunately for the Giants the Reds kept going, shelling Jose Mijares and Santiago Casilla for five more runs, bringing up the total to nine. As of Sunday night, it looked like the Giants were completely dead.
The 2012 San Francisco Giants Postseason Update
Wednesday October 10th, 2012
Kyle Holland (Guest Writer): In 2012, the San Francisco Giants had one of their best year hitting in recent memory. Melky Cabrera, before his suspension, was hitting .346/.390/.516 with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs. Buster Posey, NL batting champ, hit .336/.408/.549 with 24 home runs and 103 RBIs in route to his MVP hopeful season.
In the postseason though, the bats have yet to come alive. Through the first 3 games in the NLDS, the Giants have just 12 hits, including just 3 in game 3, 2 of which came in the 10th inning. They had only 2 hits in game 2. Add to the fact that in both games 2 and 3, they were getting no-hit through at least 5.2 innings. Read the rest of this entry
Barry Zito: Reborn in San Francisco?
Thursday October 4th, 2012
Bernie Olshansky: If you asked a group of Giants fans who was the biggest disappointment on the team over the last few years, you would most likely get a unanimous decision: Barry Zito. When the Giants signed him after the 2006 season, they thought they were getting an ace. Zito had a stellar career with the Oakland Athletics, posting a 102-63 record to go along with a 3.55 ERA. He was a three-time All-Star with the A’s and won the 2002 American League Cy Young award. The Giants went all out to sign Zito, offering him a seven-year $126 million deal. Big mistake.
In his first year with the Giants, Zito was not horrible, but he definitely was not what the Giants expected. He went 11-13 with a 4.53 ERA. After this year, Zito never posted an ERA lower than 4.03, and did not win more than ten games (until this year). In 2008, Zito lost 17 games. It was that year that many of the fans turned on him completely. Fans doubted Zito earlier, but it was this year that really established his pattern of poor performance. No one could believe that the Giants had signed him to such a large contract—the largest for a pitcher at the time—and that he could regress so much. Zito was more than bad—he was awful. There were talks of taking him out of the rotation and putting him in the bullpen. By this time, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain were with the Giants and were performing well. Zito had been passed up.
2012 MLB Playoffs: Predicting All of the Division and Wild Card Champions
Thursday September 20th, 2012
Bernie Olshansky: As the season wraps up, the divisional races become tighter. Some races are close while others are blowouts. Here are the teams that I believe will be playing in October (and their predicted final records).
AL East: New York Yankees 93-69
The Yankees are too good to not win the division. Although Mark Teixeira is injured and Mariano Rivera is not coming back for the rest of the year, the Yankees have enough pieces to make it to the ALDS without having to go through the Wild Card game. The Yankees have the pitching that the Baltimore Orioles lack in C.C. Sabathia. The powerful Yankee offense will be enough to help the team avoid the Wild Card game. Read the rest of this entry
Buster Posey is Keeping the Giants in Contention
Wednesday August 22nd, 2012
Sam Evans: When Buster Posey broke his fibula in 2011, it was a crushing blow to a Giants team fighting for a playoff spot. The Giants ended up missing the playoffs that year, largely due to not having any production from catcher. In 2012, Posey was expected to regain his old form immediately and help bring the playoffs to San Francisco. So far in 2012, Posey has exceeded previous expectations, and deserves a lot of the credit for the Giants’ success. With the N.L. West looking like it’s going to come down to the wire, and Melky Cabrera out for the regular season (and part of the playoffs), Posey needs to keep up his performance in order for San Francisco to make the playoffs.
Buster Posey has always been a hitter. At Florida State, Posey was moved from shortstop to catcher so he doesn’t have as much experience behind the plate as a typical catcher. Posey’s defense at catcher has improved year by year thanks to his work ethic and athleticism. This year, Posey has shown no signs of his previous injury, and has continued to play solid defense behind the plate. Not to mention, Posey is having his most valuable offensive season ever, and one of the more impressive batting lines in the National League. Read the rest of this entry
Top 10 Stat of the Week ( Career HRs With One Team )
Sunday June.24/2012
‘Hammering’ Hank passed the legendary Babe Ruth as the ALL-Time HR leader in 1974. Some still feel that he is the ALL-Time HR leader with the admitted steroid use from Leader Barry Bonds. –Photo courtesy of goldenagebaseballcards
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Seemingly gone are the days where most of the MLB players stick with one team for their whole careers. As of right now there are not too many superstars that have spent their entire careers with one organization. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are 1st ballot Hall of Famers. Chipper Jones should make the BBHOF. Todd Helton is close to retiring but I am not sure the voters will see him worthy. There are some promising chances that Ryan Braun and David Wright might play their entire careers with their current clubs, however with Braun’s PED fiasco last year I just don’t see him entering Cooperstown. Wright must re-sign with the ownership hemorrhaging, this will prove hard for the Wilpons funds thanks to Bernie Madoff. When it comes to starting pitching, the list is shrunken that much further. Justin Verlander is the active win leader with a player only having played for one team. He has 114 wins with the Tigers, anybody above him on the active ALL-Time Wins list has pitched for multiple teams already. The next active leader for one team pitched for is Ervin Santana with 91 wins for the Angels franchise. Felix Hernandez has 90 wins for the Mariners. Tim Lincecum, Cole Hamels and Matt Cain have played their entire careers for the same team so far and have CY Young titles amongst them, but have a long way to go in establishing Hall of Fame Careers.
That brings me to my next stat. There are 9 players in history who have hit 500 HRs or more for one team. All of them are in the Hall of Fame except for Barry Bonds (who becomes eligible next year.) I am not sure the writers will cast a vote for him because of his steroid use. When I got the idea for this article, it came to be because I was amazed that Paul Konerko has hit over 400 HRs with the Chicago White Sox. Again at age 36, Konerko has a look at 500 HRs with the Chicago team. Right now he can end the season with about 410-420 HRs. Provided he can play 3-4 years more and have productive seasons, he may reach the milestone. Chipper Jones is the only other active MLB Player to have 400 HRs with one team. Larry is slowing down though and will most likely retire after this year. Read the rest of this entry
Barry Bonds Should Return to the Giants as Their Hitting Coach
Ryan Ritchey: When you look back at Mark McGwire’s career as a great hitter and now the hitting coach of the World Series Champion Cardinals, you must think of Barry Bonds. The same Barry Bonds who in my opinion was a cheater in the game of baseball by using steroids, but was still a great hitter. Even if you do use steroids, you still have to hit the ball solidly for it to leave the park and that is just what Bonds did. Bonds, the career MLB leader in home runs, was no doubt a great hitter. With that great hitting ability he could help many players in becoming great hitters as well.
The one team you could see him helping is his beloved San Francisco Giants. As anyone who has watched the Giants, you know they are a terrible hitting team. So far this season the Giants are 25th in the majors in runs scored with only 119 runs scored. Bonds could help this team out a whole lot with just mechanics. Learning how to hit the ball and pitch selection is a huge part in hitting. If you have a weak pitch selection, you aren’t going to be a good hitter. In my estimation, Bonds could help out a lot of the young Giants hitters and turn this team into a World Series winner again. Read the rest of this entry
Chuck Booth’s Game and Streak Updates for MLB Parks 6-10
Follow me-@chuckbooth3024 on twitter
Follow my streak all the through to the bitter end. Schedule is this link:
https://mlbreports.com/gwr-tracker/ or at my official website for all updates!
Tuesday April 17, 2012
Chuck Booth and Lori Martini are interviewed by Sports NY
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- “In what technically is Park #1 on Day #1 of the streak after a retro-active option I capitalized on, this game is the 6th write-up. So let us go back to April.5th First. I watched the New York Mets Season Opener with Lori Martini and we were both interviewed by Sports Net New York and were featured on Mets Weekly Episode 2 on SNY.tv . This episode aired on Sunday April.15th. After the incredible adrenaline rush of being on camera for an extended interview, the Mets won the season opener on a well-pitched effort by Johan Santana of the Mets. Directly after the game, Lori and I were taken to Don Peppe’s in Queens by her friend Mike. This place serves great Italian platters and was featured on the hit TV Series “Entourage.” A nice meal with some great new friends then saw me make the trip to Boston. I had to take a Greyhound Bus to Boston(for only $15) because that airport was the only one in the radius that Southwest could fly to Phoenix in time for the opener.”
MLB Reports 
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