Matt Cain Wins!

I went to the Giants game last night. Man, was it a cold one. About 15,000 were there and it dwindled down to just a few thousand at game's end, even though an announced attendance of over 30,000 was given. But the big news is that the Giants actually scored enough runs - combined with the bullpen not torching a Cain lead - to give him a very rare win. Usually when Cain throws a shutout the Giants lose. This time, he threw a shutout and the Giants won it for him.

Voice Of God Back

It is good to again hear Roy Steele doing the PA at A's games. I heard him do the opening day lineups, and it brought back a lifetime worth of memories. It must be hard to live up to the nickname "voice of God", but Steele is a former preacher and his name was given to him by Jon Miller while Miller was a radio announcer for the A's way back in 1970. I pointed out to Mrs. Scott beforehand how when he does the lineup he breaks his "batting second... batting third", etc., when he gets to fifth and instead says, "in the fifth position..." He followed through.

Extra Inning Games

I love extra inning games. They are one reason baseball is such a great game. As I type, the Giants are in jeopardy of blowing a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 13th inning in San Diego. Fresh in memory is still the Padres 22 inning game against the Rockies last week where all kinds of records were set. Extra inning games are so wonderful because nobody knows when they'll finish. During long extra inning games, managers can deplete both their bench and bullpen by substituting for players in strategic situations, only to have strategy fail inning after inning. Crazy things can result.

Extra inning games can magically (on insanely) push fans past that point of no return where they decide that they'll stay until the end no matter how long it lasts. It's even better when one or both games of a double header go extras. I have fond memories of extra inning games. One Giants/Dodgers gem I attended went 16, and the teams fell one player short of an all time record. Pitchers were playing the outfield, and Lasorda had the left and right fielders switch positions depending on whether a right or left handed batter was up. Giants closer Greg Minton played a hand in the end, when he had to bat for one of only a few times in his career, with two out and nobody on, trailing by a run. He got a hit and eventually scored. What a hilarious sight.

I used to tell people that I went to games with that I never left early, even if the game would go to the 25th inning at 3am. Well, the Giants just won, 3-2, gaining the final out after the Padres had the bases loaded and one run in. Now Mrs. Scott can watch Top Chef.

Eco-Friendly Giants Help The Environment

It all came to me these last two days. The Giants m.o. in losing Bonds and keeping worthless old men around all the while neglecting their farm system for a decade. The Giants suck so bad that nobody wants to come to the park to see them, and the lack of those people using polluting forms of transportation helps the environment.

Giants Weakest Offense

Through three full weeks of ball, the Giants have scored the fewest runs in the major leagues, while only six teams have allowed more runs. With a record of 8-11, on a pace to lose 94 games, the Giants are doing much better than their runs scored/runs allowed totals would suggest. Homers might blame the low run total on AT&T Park, but they can't do that for the pitching's high run total from a supposed great rotation.

Giants Loss Projector

I've decided to keep track of the Giants projected losses for the year based on each day's record. A few posts ago, they were 1-6, with a projected loss total of 139. After today's loss, they are 6-10, with a projected loss total of 101. Mike thinks they'll lose 103. I think they'll break the 100 mark. Anyway, for the first 16 games, their daily totals - won/loss/projected losses - are:

0-1, 162; 0-2, 162; 1-2, 108; 1-3, 122; 1-4, 130; 1-5, 135; 1-6, 139; 2-6, 122; 3-6, 108; 4-6, 96; 4-7, 103; 4-8, 108; 5-8, 100; 6-8, 93; 6-9, 97; 6-10, 101.

How To Heckle - Knowing The Minor Leagues

Knowing the minor league teams of the visiting team can be useful for heckling their players. A young or inexperienced player can be needled by reminding him that he is only one screwup from being sent down to the minors. Ahhh, yes, the minor leagues. Long bus rides and cheap motels. A far cry from the big show. Once back in the minors, it's a long way back to the majors.

"Hey, Johnson, can you spell 'Albuquerque'?" Or maybe, "It's a looooong bus ride back to Bakersfield!" That I chose traditional Dodger minor league teams is a mere coincidence. A good way to make an impression on the visiting target is to start with the AAA team. Then threaten demotion to the lower levels like AA and A ball. Players in the minors who have spent time up in the bigs will do anything to get back. But players in the bigs who are on the bubble are not looking forward to minor league hassles and minuscule salaries due to falling from grace.

My First Foul Ball

My first foul ball came in 1982 at Candlestick Park. It was Giants pitcher Bill Laskey's first major league start, against the Montreal Expos. I was there with Mike. A foul ball came our way off the bat of an Expo and it landed in the stands right in front of us. We both jumped in to the scrum of a few fans, and each caught hold of part of the ball. We started a "fight" between us, punching each other to get the other to let go of the ball. I won the struggle, although I'm not sure that is a great accomplishment to get the ball. My friend is out of a ball. Anyway, it is good to remember getting even a chance, and with Bill Laskey's first start, it was something to remember. It turned out even better when Laskey pitched a complete game shutout. See the box score here.

Lose 139 Games?

At 1-6, the Giants are on a pace to go 23-139. No team has ever lost more than 120 games. My friend Mike got a bet at 4:1 for a Giants/A's over/under of 200 losses. If each team lost 100 games, he would win the bet. But if the Giants lost 139 games, the A's could have the best record in baseball and win the World Series and he could still win the bet. I don't think the Giants will lose 139 games, but maybe 103.

Opening Day 2008

Today the Giants had their home opener. It was a celebration of 50 years in San Francisco, 1958-2008. This celebration will last all year. It was a real treat to go to the game today. We secured the help of babysitters, and Mrs. Scott and I sat together without children for the first time in several years. The weather was sunny but cool. A perfect day for baseball until the sun made its way behind the light towers, making things a bit chilly. Mike and Nora were there too as was the family that always sits behind us. Although the Giants got killed - predictably so - there were a few highlights to take the mind off the pain of the impending tragedy known as the 2008 season.

The fans were sarcastic about this year's team, but individual players seemed to gain the endearment of the fans. We also got to ruthlessly heckle Trevor Hoffman while he was warming up in the bullpen in the ninth inning. We reminded him about his two blown pennant blown saves the last 3 games of last year's season.

Red Sox In Last Place

So said today's headlines. Cool!

Saturday Night Baseball?

For decades, three teams have traditionally played more than half of their games during the day. The Chicago Cubs, the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants. The Cubs didn't get stadium lights put in until 1988, and day baseball is still the tradition on the Northside. The A's and Giants have always played a high percentage of day games, and always a day game on Saturday, because of the cool, foggy nighttime weather in the Bay Area, with the midweek getaway day usually played under the sun, too.

Saturday afternoon at the ballpark in the sunshine has always been a treat. But things have changed, and the Giants have just this year started playing a large majority of their Saturday games at night. Why? The short answer is television. FOX has the rights to the daytime slot and teams are forbidden to televise their own games during that time. Since the Bonds era is over and the Giants really suck, FOX isn't going to show the Giants anytime soon. They were on FOX nearly every Saturday in at least a regional game for years. Now the Giants have nothing more than their historic name as a national TV draw. So, to take in TV revenue, they're moving most of their Saturday games to a night starting time so either the local FOX Sports Net or their new channel 11 can carry the game, and the Giants can still pull in some revenue. TV money rules baseball. Just my guess, anyway.

One Game Series?

Aside from the dumb regular season games in Japan, the opening game this year was the Braves in Washington for the opening of the Nats' new ballpark. What was truly strange about this is that each team played a different team in its next game. They played a one game series. Kind of a waste of travel, huh? But then, a one game series really isn't a series because it takes two things to be in series.

Speaking Of Wire To Wire

Yesterday was opening day, and the Giants were the only team in the NL west to lose, so they're all alone in last place. Long season?

This Apocalyptic Day In Giants History - March 31, 2003

This day in Giants history, March 31, 2003. The Giants opened the season on the road. The very first batter in the top of the first on Opening Day, Ray Durham, hit a season leadoff home run to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. And, how fitting that was, because they quite literally never looked back all year long. The first at bat of the season gave them the lead, they won that opening day, and went on to become only the ninth team in major league history to hold first place wire to wire.

They were in first place every single day of the season and clinched the division. They won their first playoff game. From that first homer, they never looked back. Until Jose F***ing Cruz dropped that f***ing fly ball against the expansion wildcard Florida F***ing Marlins and started a World Series derailing collapse for the second year in a row. So much for opening day. ****!

p.s. ****!, #%@&! and #$%@!

Giants Wacky Week

The Giants promise to really suck this year. A few days ago they lost to their minor league team, and their ace Zito was roughed up by a bunch of kids. The Mariners blew them away on Thursday, as the Giants played Little League ball, with a Little League homer by the M's, and plenty of mindless play. Of course it's still spring training. Then Tim Lincecum pitched 5 innings of no-hit ball against the A's. But the two losses this weekend to the A's put the Giants well into the cellar of spring training ball, finishing with the worst record of all. But Opening Day changes into hope, even if for only a day.

A's Fight Back

The Oakland A's fought back in game 2 of the series against the Red Sox in Japan. Good for them. What has been a one-sided media event turned out to be a statement by the A's that they're not to be taken lightly. The four game series continues next Tuesday at the Oakland Coliseum, or whatever the hell they're naming it these days.

Regular Season Games In Japan?

Why are the A's/Sox games in Japan part of the regular season? This makes little sense. Exhibition games would sell out just as easily over there. Plus, the A's lose two games off their home schedule and the game is on at 3am. Both teams now come back to the States and play a bunch more spring training games. The standings sit with two teams at 1-1 for a week. There is no standings competition between any teams during this series. That the Red Sox took first place a week before the season even starts is meaningless. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

The Claw

When I was a kid I knew that my dad still had his first baseman's mitt from high school. We brought it back out in the mid 80's. It was a 1941 Rudy York model. It had three separate "finger" looking sections to it. It was about two thirds the size of today's standard fielder's glove, but was the biggest thing ever seen back then. My dad let me use it and I brought it out to the bleachers to show my friends. They nicknamed it "the claw." I had it out there for a few games and it paid off big. I caught a line drive homer off Dave Winfield. If you know how Winfield hit his homers (screaming line drives), and that there was only the palm to catch the ball in, then you can figure out that my hand hurt for not just a few hours.

How To Heckle - Doing Your Homework

One of the categories of heckling is the target player's personal performance. They might be in a slump, for example, so knowing that will help generate heckling material. Watching the box scores every day can be a great tool. Let's say Detroit is coming in next week. Watch their box scores to see what each player is doing. If your target is 0 for his last 15, or if he makes a game losing error in Anaheim prior to flying into your hometown, you'll know about it. Reminding him of his recent failures is a good way to get at his inner psyche and cause him to lose again.

How To Heckle - Categories of Heckling

There are four basic subjects in heckling. The first is general heckling of a player. Things like "you suck" or "you're a bum". The second is a personally pointed heckling. Using things unique to that player, but still in a general sense. These two subjects cross over and are blurred in distinction. Each player wears a uniform, and with a number, and has a name. One can heckle using the player's name, like, "hey, Smith, you suck!" in a general sense or in a more specific sense like, "hey, Smith, your baseball card is blank on the back!"

The third is being specific with a player's performance. "Hey, Smith, you popped up so many times yesterday, your new nickname is 'The Toaster!'" The fourth is dealing with a player's personal life. Tabloid news junk, bizarre family stuff, drug problems, trouble with the law, bad blood in the clubhouse, etc. Heckler beware here. For example, back in the 80's when Luis Polonia was caught with a fifteen year old girl in a Milwaukee hotel room, a favorite heckling line of mine was, "Hey, Polonia, fifteen'll getcha twenty!"

Tickets Are Here - Draft Day

My season tickets arrived a couple of days ago. Last night the main players (myself, Mrs. Scott, Mike and Nora) had our annual ticket draft party where we divided up games for the season. Each of us has other buyers that take a few, and we speak on their behalf. We had burritos and beer and each kept a list. Mike and Nora each brought their laptops, but I stuck to the pencil and paper. Each year, the four of us take in Opening Day together. We have some "the four of us" games, some "girls night out" games and some "guys night out" games. It should be a fun season watching a losing team play in a half filled ballpark. The beer line will probably be shorter. Can't wait.

Vegas Line on The '08 Season

I heard on the radio, during the Razor and Mr. T sports talk show on KNBR, some Vegas odds on the upcoming season. In the NL West, the odds were reported as such: to win the division, San Diego Padres 2:1, Colorado Rockies 2:1, Arizona Diamondbacks 2:1, Los Angeles Dodgers 2:1 and San Francisco Giants 20:1. Hmmmm. Not only that, but no team in all of Major League Baseball had longer odds (they were tied with a couple of other teams) of winning the World Series than the Giants, 100:1. Got a Benny?

How To Heckle - Different Reasons For Heckling

There are different reasons for heckling opposing players. One is to make other fans laugh. Another is to set yourself up as one who will regularly heckle. Yet another is to encourage others - even many others - to heckle as well, so that group heckling can occur. But the underlying idea behind all of it is to make the atmosphere as uncomfortable as possible for the visiting player (within reasonable limits), so that his performance is lessened. This adds real meaning to the term, "home field advantage." Fans doing what they can to help their team win is a mark of good fans.

Cast and Crew: Centerfield Bums

Just as there was an identifiable group of left field bleacher bums, there was one in center field as well. They sat just on the left field side of the "tunnel" in straight away center field. This tunnel was the gap between bleacher sections that provided the hitter's backdrop and the path for bringing things on and off the field through the center field gate.

Anyway, we could hear the centerfield bums yell, not always being able to make out what they yelled, and they had everyday regulars, just like we did. Before I got to know any of them, I knew them by nicknames given to them mostly by John and Mac. How these nicknames originated were sometimes beyond me and even beyond John and Mac too. Nicknames like Walsh, Grip and Mom. Mom was easy to understand because this lady always brought lots of kids to the game. I later found out that she ran a daycare out of her home, sometimes with special needs kids, and would bring them all to every day game. Walsh, whose name was really Dave, was the main heckler and the leader of group heckles. He always wore an old, faded felt A's hat from the early 70's, and was a hippie Berkeley attorney. Grip was a high school kid from Oakland. I later found out that Walsh had a brother there (the family name was White) who called himself Egg. So he was Egg White, and had an annual brain teaser trivia quiz. Another woman was Pegirae. There were a number of others who were there all the time that I never got to know. They had their special heclkings and group cheers, many of which we adopted.

Later on in the late 80's/early 90's another centerfield group arose, just on the right field side of the tunnel. They were early 20 something's who worshipped A's center fielder, Dave Henderson. They called themselves "Hendu's Bad Boy Club" and hung signs from the front row railing. They got to know Henderson personally and went out drinking with him, etc. I never got to know any of them. They were young and rowdy but had no sophistication beyond yelling "ooh, ooh, ooh" with their arms pumping like apes, as was the pop culture fad of the time. They also had the lowered Japanese pickup trucks with the loud subwoofers and the "bad boy" icon stickers (crew cut, scowl and protracted Popeye forearm.)

Baseball On The Radio!

Today marks the first radio broadcast of Giants baseball from spring training. One of the greatest joys of winter is listening to the first game. Oh, what a day. Can't wait!

Evolution of Ballpark Beer

I had my first beer was when I was 17. It was in the left field bleachers at the Oakland Coliseum. It was Old Milwaukee. It came in what was known as a bucket, with a perforated lid that you could poke holes in to pour. Small plastic cups came with a bucket so it could be shared with other people. I think it was 32 oz. Old Milwaukee? Yuck! It was the A's cheap beer.

The Giants had Hamms as their cheap beer. Equally yucky. It came in those wax cups, which made it especially urgent to drink. The wax/paper combo would get soggy, and if you nursed your beer for more than four innings, the bottom would melt out, spilling all the beer. The cheap beers would get flat fast, so you had to drink them in a hurry. All this was in the early 80's.

The mid 80's saw a change in cheap beers. Now it was Bud or Miller. Plastic souvenir cups also came on the scene, so a beer could be free from that waxy taste. The 90's saw a greater availability of microbrews and specialty beers. Now in the 00's, you pretty much got yer pick. You pay, though. My ballpark favorite is the Lagunitas IPA on tap at PacBell/SBC/AT&T/Oprah Magazine Park. Hoppy & yummy.

How To Heckle - Getting Started

The first thing you need to start heckling is a voice. A loud voice. Yell. Yell loud. You will lose your voice before the end of the game, but over time you'll hopefully learn to pace yourself and yell "from the diaphragm" (just like singing) and maximize the decibels of sound to strain on the vocal chords ratio. A well trained bleacher bum yelling voice can yield nine innings per game of yelling over a 162 game season. Maybe a few days off for a bad cold, etc., just like being a player.

The best phrases to start with are, "You suck!" and "You're a bum!" These are standard and most people will laugh at least a little bit at these. It's best to use an identifier, like the player's name or uniform number. "Hey, Smith. You're a bum!" or "Hey, 39, you're a bum!"

How To Heckle - An Online Blog Tutorial Series

I've decided to take all my favorite heckling sayings, subjects and methods and turn them into a tutorial. Learn for yourself how to heckle and what to say while doing it. But whatever you do, don't try this at home. Take it to the ballpark.

More to follow soon.

Turn Out The Lights, The Party's Over

1985 was the worst season in Giants franchise history. Attendance had declined to near nothing and owner Bob Lurie, who was frustrated at the failure of the city of San Francisco to either build him a new ballpark or renovate the 'Stick, declared that Candlestick Park was not fit for baseball and that the Giants would not play there in 1986. Whether this meant an attempt to play at the Oakland Coliseum or to move the team to another city, nobody knew. What it did mean was that the last game that year would be the last game at Candlestick ever.

Kevin , Louie and I were at that last game. The Giants lost their 100th game of the year that day, and I bought the last hot dog ever sold (read the story here) just after the game. We decided that we would stay as long as we could; until we were kicked out of the stadium. People left, and the security did their sweep of the stands, just ahead of the cleaning crew. They started in left field and swept around the staduim toward right. We were told to leave, so we went down to the right field corner to buy some more time. We were told to leave again. So we headed up to the upper deck. Since attendance was so small that year the centerfield stands were essentially blocked off. But a gate held loosely with a chain and lock had a bit too much slack on the chain. So we slipped through and made our way to the upper deck in centerfield and hid in a tunnel. This particular tunnel had a crawlspace access in it, so when the security crew looked down the tunnel, he couldn't see us.

We watched the cleanup and the grounds crew water the field, then leave. We were the only ones left. We made it down to the field, ran around the bases and went into the dugout. We each used the toilet in the dugout. After our fun, we decided to leave. But we encountered a problem. All the exits were closed and locked. Oh, no. So we started trying to open doors to ticket windows and equipment rooms. We found one door unlocked. It was to a small empty room. This room had a light bulb in the ceiling with a chain. It was on. There was a rear door that led out of the park. We sang, "Turn out the lights, the party's over" as we exited. Yes, we locked the door behind us and turned out the light. Of course the Giants played at Candlestick in 1986.

Giants Fan Fest

Our family attended the Giants Fan Fest on Saturday at AT&T Park. It was free, so we thought we'd go. The kids love taking the trains to the game. First, BART, our rapid transit system. Then we transfer to MUNI, San Francisco's transit system, to a subway train that daylights to surface streets along the Embarcadero on San Francisco Bay. It's a beautiful ride. We took our little one in a stroller, which turned out to be a challenge with all the stairs and steps in the clubhouse and dugout. The only way out for us was up from the field to the main concourse through the stands. A kind man helped me carry the stroller up.

All in all, it was kind of a cattle herd. A line formed for what was called a "self-guided tour" of the clubhouse and dugout. It was not. It was guided by the employees who urged us to keep moving. There was a constant stream of people with little time or space for taking photos. The field was covered a foot deep in dirt from a recent tractor pull. It ruined the whole charm of seeing a diamond prior to the season. Our friend Shelly tells of fan fests in years past, but wasn't able to attend this year. Would we go again? I don't know. The best thing about it was an excuse to get out of the house and see the ballpark.

Fifty Years, Forty Years

This year celebrates the Giants' fifty years in San Francisco. The team moved here in 1958. This means that the A's, who moved here in 1968, have been here forty years. A quick recap of each team's performance over such a time period will prove noteworthy.

The Giants are the winningest team in baseball history. They've been around longer than the Yankees (who have the highest winning percentage ever), and have the second highest winning percentage ever, and first in the NL. Yet they haven't won a World Series here in SF. How can the winningest team ever go over fifty years without winning a championship? They had the best record in baseball during the 60's, winning over 900 games (that's an average of over 90 wins per season for ten years!), yet could only tie for one pennant after a miracle. During the Bonds era, the Giants had the third best winning percentage in baseball, behind the Braves and Yankees, yet no rings.

The A's, on the other hand, have won four World Series since moving here. They have endured one of the most hated owners ever, a bad color combination for fashion, a terrible football stadium remodel, no fans, yet they're one of the most succesful teams in baseball since moving here.

The Giants have had some of the greatest sluggers ever to play for them, including three hall of famers in successive slots in the batting order. Mays, McCovey, Cepeda. No rings. The A's have succeeded mostly on pitching. Four rings. The teams have been as different as night and day, which is great for Bay Area baseball.

Will Pete Be Happy?

Pedro Feliz (aka Pete Happy as translated into English) has signed with the Phillies. Although Citizens Bank Park is a hitter's park and AT&T a pitcher's park, Feliz' pending increase in offense might more than be offset by Phillies fans and their relentless heckling of their own players. Feliz is a decent player, but has more than one flaw. Chasing that outside breaking ball that the Giants were never able to cure will be headline news in Philly.

Cast and Crew: Clara

Moving the cast and crew scene to Candlestick, a little old Filippino lady in her 70's named Clara with season tickets sat directly behind me for 13 years. She was very small, frail, even more frail of a voice, moderately thick accent. But she knew her baseball and was very vocal at the game. She had coke bottle glasses, couldn't read the scoreboard, but she could see every pitch to within a millimeter of the black of the plate. "Dat ball was looooow! Dey are cheating the Giants!" She could only be heard for a few rows, but she loved to yell. She attended at least 70 games per year and never complained about the cold weather.

She was a widow and her husband set her up well. She lived in a good neighborhood and always took the bus with a friend. Her nephew set her up with tickets, and with her husband gone, she always had a very interesting character sit next to her. No matter how badly the Giants played, she managed to scalp her extra ticket (we were 7 and 8 rows behind home plate, respectively). What cop would harass an elderly Filippino lady scalping tickets outside the park? It happened on occasion, but they mostly left her alone.

Clara was a sweet lady and with the new ballpark, I miss her.

The Missing Piazza Trade

Back in May of 1998, I spent a week in the Caribbean with no access to baseball news. I flew through West Palm Beach (very close to Miami) and my return flight into Florida required an overnight stay. Obviously, I scheduled a Marlins game for that night. The Dodgers had just traded Mike Piazza to the Marlins before my trip. I was looking forward to seeing him play for his new team against the Mets.

I arrived back in Florida and was the only passenger on the shuttle from the airport to the car rental agency. The driver asked about my trip and I said I was going to the Marlins game. He said, "Oh, you'll get to see Piazza on his first trip back into town" after the trade. I replied that I knew about the trade, but what did he mean by "back" into town. I agreed that I knew that Piazza was traded, but what I didn't figure out for a few minutes - and what I had missed while in the Caribbean - was that Piazza had been traded a second time, to the New York Mets. The wild scenario in this case was that the Mets' first series after getting Piazza was a road series - back into Florida! He basically remained there, just changing uni's. I was shocked to discover this trade from the shuttle driver.

I made it to then Pro-Player Stadium. The Marlins had that infamous fire sale after winning the Series in '97, so the fans re-named the stadium "Semi-Pro Player Stadium" after the talentless team. This was hilarious. There were only 14,000 fans there that night, 10,000 of them Mets fans. They were rude and, well, New Yorkers. They owned the call-in show that night and spoke of the game as if it were a home game for the Mets. After a week in poverty stricken Haiti, I never felt so good to drink a Bud and have a sausage.

Hearing Yourself On The Radio

Back in the mid-80's in the A's bleachers, we discovered a fun little pastime. One day, one of the bleacher bums brought a walkman to listen to the game. One of us yelled, and the bum with the walkman said he could hear the voice over the radio. Each of us took a turn to listen. The distance from the bleachers to the crowd mike behind home plate used by the radio station was great enough to cause a delay in the sound. So, we could yell loud, then hear ourselves a second later on the radio.

The Longest Drive Home

One of the greatest pennant races in my life took place during the 1993 season. The Giants and Braves were hot that year, the Giants' first year with Bonds, both winning over 100 games and entered the last game of the year tied for first place with records of 103-58. The Giants closed out their season with a four game series in Los Angeles against the hated Dodgers. The Giants won the first three and the Braves won the first two of their three against the Rockies.

I drove the nearly 400 miles down to LA to witness that fateful last game of the year and bought tickets from a scalper. I stayed with some friends - not big Dodger fans but they cheered for them nonetheless. The first three games of the series were amazing in that there were more Giants fans in attendance than Dodger fans. The last game, however, was fan appreciation day and Dodger fans had bought tickets to that game all year long. Still, there were at least 15,000 Giants fans there. Dusty Baker made a controversial decision to start young head-case Salomon Torres instead of veteran Dave Burba. The Giants were nuked, 12-1. Meanwhile the Braves completed a season sweep of the Rockies, winning all 13 games and the division on the last day. The Giants won 103 games and watched the playoffs on TV.

The long drive home was painful. There were thousands of Giants fans on I-5 for hundreds of miles. I stopped at a gas station and a rest stop and both places were packed with fans.

Ballpark Ages

Here's a list of all the major league parks and the year(s) they were either built or introduced to the majors.

Fenway Park, Boston (1912)
Wrigley Field, Chicago (1916 - built in 1914 for the Federal League)
Yankee Stadium, New York (1923, remodeled 1976)
RFK Stadium, Washington D.C. (1962)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles (1962)
Shea Stadium, New York (1964)
Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, or whatever it's called right now (1966)
Oakland Coliseum, Oakland (1968)
Kaufmann Stadium, Kansas City (1973)
Metrodome, Minneapolis (1982)
Skydome, Toronto, or whatever it's called now (1989)
Comiskey Park/US Cellular Field, Chicago (1991)
Camden Yards, Baltimore (1992)
Dolphins Stadium, Miami (1993, built in 1987)
Jacobs Field, Cleveland (1994)
The Ballpark at Arlington, or whatever it's called now (1994)
Coors Field, Denver (1995)
Turner Field, Atlanta (1996)
Tropicana Field/whatever dome or whatever, Tampa (1998, built in the 80's)
Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field, Phoenix (1998)
Safeco Field, Seattle (1999)
Pacific Bell/SBC/AT&T Park, San Francisco (2000)
Enron/Minutemaid Field, Houston (2000)
Comerica Park, Detroit (2000)
Miller Park, Milwaukee (2001)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh (2001)
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati (2003)
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia (2004)
Petco Park, San Diego (2004)
Busch Stadium III, St. Louis (2006)

Coming very soon:
Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. (2008)

Congratulations Goose

Congratulations to Goose Gossage on making the Hall of Fame. I remember him as being one badass pitcher. He claims that his trademark mustache wasn't to scare hitters, it was to tick Yankees owner George Steinbrenner off. But it scared hitters too.

Andre Dawson and Jim Rice came close, but didn't make it. I tend to be a "small-hall" type of guy with stricter standards for the Hall. Or so I tell myself. I'm not sure whether I think these guys should be in, but if the existing standard(s) is an indication, then Goose is borderline in, and I think Jim Rice should be borderline in as well.

Last year I heard one talk show host make an interesting point on qualifications for the Hall. He said that he just knows a hall-of-famer when he sees one. It's just obvious if somebody belongs in the Hall. Ruth, Mays, Cobb, Walter Johnson, Koufax. These guys are obvious. Rafael Palmero, despite the number of homers, just doesn't feel like a Hall kind of guy.

Candlestick Wind Tunnel

I recently wrote about how the wind used to swirl at Candlestick. It vaulted over the hill behind the park, landed in center field, slammed into the center field stands, split in two, and rotated around the park in each direction. On more than one occasion, the two flag poles just beyond the center field fence, which were about 25 feet apart, could be seen blowing full force in opposite directions. A mind blowing sight.

Swish This

Today the Oakland A's traded Nick Swisher to the White Sox for a handful of prospects. Swisher was a fan favorite in Oakland and I really enjoyed watching him play. I heard a description of him on the sports talk show tonight, calling him the blue collar player that went all out. This is the player that grew his hair long only to shave it off and donate it toward cancer patient wigs. He was a spark plug with a certain infectious charisma. He'll be missed, but I'm not going to jump harshly on Billy Beane because he's pulled off quite a few good ones before. Beane admitted the A's are rebuilding and they can't afford to play status quo. Are you listening Brian Sabean?

Baseball 2008

Happy New Year. It's now 2008 and that means that pitchers and catchers will be reporting next month. This should be an interesting season for fans. It's now the post-Bonds era for Giants fans, and the baseball world has yet to know what will happen with all the steroids crap that we've been hearing so much about. This will be Yankee Stadium's last year. The House That Ruth Built will be no more. It's fitting that the All-Star game will be played there. A new Evil Empire has risen in Boston and will surely be the target of the rest of baseball. They've now won two Series since the Yankees last time. We'll surely be hearing more about instant replay. Five new ballparks will open in the next three years, leaving Skydome as sixth in seniority in the bigs. A new park in Washington will open this year. Opening Day is three months away!

Candlestick Snow Globe

Candlestick Park was notorious for being windy. Not like in Wrigley Field where the wind blows either in or out, but it would blow in every direction at the same time. It swirled. The wind would come in over the hill behind the park and drop downward into center field. It would hit the enclosed center field stands and split into two, each half of the wind rotating around the stadium until they collided behind home plate. The result of the collision was wind that swirled in every direction, filling the rest of the ballpark.

One night it was very warm, about 70 degrees, and the wind was the strongest I ever experienced at the 'Stick. At a typical Candlestick game, all the hot dog wrappers (which then were 8" squares of wax paper) and other garbage would be blown by the wind and would collect in the front rows several inches deep. Most of the garbage would end up in the left field corner, sometimes a foot or two deep. On this night, the wind blew quite a bit of the garbage up into the air, and was quite a spectacle for the fans. Random flying shopping bags and hot dog wrappers swirling everywhere.

Then a few fans in the front row got the idea to throw handfuls of collected garbage up into the air. This caught on and hundreds of fans started doing it. The result was an incredible scene and the fans were cheering wildly. Candlestick Park looked like a huge snow globe that was freshly shaken. It was so awesome I got the idea of selling Candlestick snow globes with a caption that had the word "snow" crossed out and "hot dog wrappers" written in. I never followed up on my invention and kick myself. It coulda sold thousands.

Is The A's New Stadium For Real?

A good question to ask is if the A's new stadium is for real. Is it? The owners seem to impress upon the media that it is. Unlike the Nationals, Yankees, Mets and Twins, the A's have no definitive date for the opening of their new yard, Cisco Field. Sometime in 2010 or 2011, I guess.

Giants Season Tickets Available

If anybody is interesting in sharing in a partial season ticket plan for the 2008 Giants season, please contact me through a comment. Up to a quarter of the season is available. Some of our ticket partners have cut back this year on how many tickets they want, so there are some available.

Cast and Crew: Other Characters

Many other characters inhabited the left field bleachers at the Oakland Coliseum. Among them are a couple named Alan & Halle. Alan was as much a real life hippie as there is. (See him here in a bleacher picture) He made his own tie-dye t-shirts, and for other people too. Halle was a folk singer who put out an album and performed in local clubs. They were funny and fun to talk with. Wendy and Doc were a lesbian couple. Wendy was a huge baseball fan, and when weather permitted, she wore a bright blue Cubs jacket and/or hat. She was a social worker, and Doc was a doctor who, if I remember correctly, worked in medical clinics. Wendy had a great sense of humor. Dennis and Priscilla were a married couple. Dennis was a particle physicist at a big lab, and I forget what Priscilla did. Jay was a carpenter turned contractor who always had time to come to the game. He was a ball hound and always wore an Orioles hat. He was a friend of Young Mike.

Marvin and Evelyn were David's parents. They attended quite a few games and always had opinions on players and strategy. Others included a guy named Kevin and a friend. They always heckled Phil Bradley. Early on in the early 80's, a girl named Desiree was there. We had a nickname for her: the bleacher queen. Occasionally she would wear a halter top, shorts and high heels, attracting attention. Also Rick and Myrna.

Mitchell on Steroids

So former Senator George Mitchell released his "independent" report on baseball's steroids situation. Independent? Yeah, right. Commissioner Bud Selig hires a politician who works for the Boston Red Sox to investigate baseball. His "findings" aren't in the least surprising, despite the attempt of the media to make it look like it. The "list" consists of mostly aging or retired players, or nobodies. No Red Sox and tons of Yankees at that. The "proof" comes from putting the squeeze on a former bat boy. So gossip and hearsay are okay to skewer players in the court of public opinion? That's why Selig is a spineless weasel and Mitchell is a wanker politician. But the players' "crimes" occurred mostly while steroids were completely legal in baseball.

And completely known. We've known about the rampant use of steroids since the 80's. Owners like Bud Selig and commissioners like Bud Selig purposefully ignored the "problem" as it certainly didn't hurt the ticket sales. Now, President Bush is troubled by the findings. He said, "The players and the owners must take the Mitchell Report seriously. I'm confident they will." It's too bad you didn't take the issue seriously, Mr. President, when you were the owner of the Texas Rangers. Remember your star player Mr. President? Jose Canseco? The player for whom the "steeee-roooids" chant became popular even before then? Maybe a member of your staff can remind you.

The biggest problems by far are the hypocrisy of baseball's leadership and the zealousness of the feds' prosecution Nazis. Leave Bonds, Clemens and F.P. Santangelo alone and take a look at Selig, Mitchell and the prosecutors. Spring training is a few months away. Let's have a cold beer and watch some baseball.

Giants Newest Centerfielder

The Giants recently signed Aaron Rowand to a contract. He joins Randy Winn, Dave Roberts, Rajai Davis and potentially Fred Lewis in centerfield. I know Willie Mays was the greatest centerfielder ever, but there really is something to the saying that quality is better than quantity.

Bonds to A's?

There was an article in the paper a few days ago stating that the A's were interested in Barry Bonds. This makes sense. He would instantly be their best hitter - or one of the best, could DH without any requirement to play the field. He could even play the outfield in NL cities during interleague. He wouldn't have to move. The A's are in need of attendance as they ready themselves for their new yard. Many Giants fans would show up in Oakland to see him. The A's may work out some kind of non-guaranteed contract in case he shifts to pursuing the prison softball home run record. It's a win-win idea.

Lincecum for Rios?

Uhhhhm...

Big Red Machine

A friend reminded me of the Big Red Machine today. They played during my fever pitch collection of baseball cards. I knew the lineups of every team, including the Big Red Machine. I can rattle off - completely off the top of my head - the 70's Reds in the field. Bench, Perez, Morgan, Concepcion, Rose, Foster, Geronimo, Griffey. I can vividly remember each player's batting stance and swing. Concepcion's one-hop throws to Perez off the gawd-awful astro-turf. I also remember those awful double-knit polyester pullover pajama uniforms and the symmetrical outfield fence with that stupid yellow line at the top.

Rumors: Not the Fleetwood Mac Kind

Miguel Cabrera a Giant? Santana? Trades? What about the prospects the A's traded Marco Scutaro for? Will Bonds set the all time prison softball home run record? Each of my ticket partners for the Giants season tickets have told me that they want fewer games next year. I'll have to get more bodies. Any takers?

Reggie? Yawn...

During the 1986 season the then California Angels came to Oakland and one of the games was to be on ABC's Monday Night Baseball. Even though it was late in Reggie Jackson's career and he sucked by then, the media still gave him top billing as an attraction. So Kevin and I had a great idea for a prank. We saved up newspapers for a month or so and got together for a newspaper sorting party. When the game arrived, we stationed ourselves at each of the entrances to the bleachers and quickly gave each fan a single folded sheet of a newspaper and told them to act like they were reading it when Reggie Jackson came up to bat. We cut a tiny hole in each paper so the fans could really watch his at bat.

Well he came up the first time, and it was hilarious to see thousands of fans in the entire bleachers section from foul pole to foul pole reading newspapers! The message was that Reggie was washed up and boring. This was at a time that the networks decided not to show aberrant fan behavior like streaking and other things, so ABC didn't show us on national TV. But 40,000 other fans at the game saw us. It was worth every minute of prep.

Baseball Cards

I collected baseball cards when I was a kid. It started in 1971, and Topps were my favorites, and almost the only brand I ever collected. In Little League, we bought cards at the snack shack after games. My fever pitch year was 1974 when I collected the entire '74 set through individual packs. In college in the 80's I collected old cards to fill in voids. I preferred commons to stars because I could get so many more cards.

My most valued card is a 1975 George Brett rookie card. It was a part of the mini-size set issued on the West Coast and is more valuable because of it. I almost threw all my mini cards away at one time because they always fell out from a handfull of cards. I always refused to put baseball cards in my bicycle spokes. I used playing cards instead.

Longest World Series Droughts

Here's an updated list of how long it's been for each team not to have won a world series. Years in parenthesis mean that franchise or specific team has never won, and the year listed is the year when they were an expansion team or moved to their current city.

1908 Chicago Cubs
1948 Cleveland Indians
1954 New York/San Francisco Giants
(1958) San Francisco Giants
(1961) Washington Senators/Texas Rangers
(1962) Houston Astros
(1969) San Diego Padres
(1969) Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers
(1969) Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals
(1970) Milwaukee Brewers
(1972) Texas Rangers
(1977) Seattle Mariners
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates
1980 Philadelphia Phillies
1983 Baltimore Orioles
1984 Detroit Tigers
1985 Kansas City Royals
1986 New York Mets
1988 Los Angeles Dodgers
1989 Oakland A's
1990 Cincinnati Reds
1991 Minnesota Twins
1993 Toronto Blue Jays
(1993) Colorado Rockies
1995 Atlanta Braves
(1998) Tampa Bay Devil Rays
2000 New York Yankees
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks
2002 Anaheim Angels or Los Angeles or whatever
2003 Florida Marlins
(2005) Washington Nationals
2005 Chicago White Sox
2006 St. Louis Cardinals
2007 Boston Red Sox

A-Rod to Yanks, Bonds to Giants?

The publicity stunt that was Alex Rodriguez promising he wouldn't play for the Yankees and the Yankees telling him to kiss off, only to sign him to a record contract says something about the possibility of Bonds returning to the Giants. Now that Bonds is indicted on federal charges, no other team would touch him. Except maybe the Giants.

I could see the Giants signing Bonds at a low salary - one they could take a risk on - with no guaranteed pay for prison time, taking advantage of his fallen name. The Giants are used to his antics and I'm wondering if refusing to resign him wasn't a ploy to resign him - for less.

Ten Games In History I Would Like To See

Here's a list of ten games in baseball history that I would like to have seen in person.

10 - Game 1 of the 1909 World Series - the war between Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb.

9 - Giants/Braves game in the 60's where Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn dueled a 16 inning scoreless affair (both pitched complete games). Willie Mays won it with a homer in the bottom of the 16th, 1-0. Probably the greatest game ever pitched.

8 - 1984 All-Star Game in San Francisco, because I didn't go.

7 - Nolan Ryan's sixth no-hitter in Oakland. I was going to go but stayed home because I felt ill.

6 - Game 7 of the 1962 World Series, even though the Giants lost.

5 - A game at Ebbet's Field.

4 - Hank Aaron's all time home run record, 1974

3 - All time record for lowest attendance. The St. Louis Browns game in the 1930's that drew 34 fans.

2 - Babe Ruth's "called shot" - 1932 World Series vs. Cubs

1 - Bobby Thompson's "Shot heard 'round the world" - Oct 3, 1951 - Giants vs. Dodgers

Proposed Stat: Incomplete Plate Appearance

I've thought of a new statistic that could prove some use for baseball. I'll call it the "Incomplete Plate Appearance." Baseball has a stat called the "At Bat" which consists of all hits, outs and fielder's errors combined. An expanded stat called the "Plate Appearance" (is this the "AP" for "Appearance at the Plate"?) includes "At Bats" but adds walks, hit by pitch, sacrifices and sac flies." This is commonly viewed as the number of times a batter appears at the plate. But it is not.

Another incident in baseball that has no official accounting anywhere is the time when a batter comes to the plate, sees pitches, but the third out of the inning is made on the bases before his at bat concludes. This has no category. Because the third out is made during the at bat, he leads off the next inning, and that plate appearance is counted. But I'm wondering if his "appearance" the previous inning isn't counted anywhere because he doesn't decide the out. This unaccounted for "thing" may actually have a large effect on the game. It could eat up the pitcher's pitch count.

Say a batter comes up with a runner on and two out. He works the count to 2-2, fouls off five pitches, and the next pitch sees the runner caught stealing for the third out. He just ate up 10 pitches. If the pitcher has a 100 pitch limit, that one "thing" that isn't counted for is responsible for 10% of the opposing pitcher's time out there. And if he leads off the next inning with a five pitch "real" accounted for plate appearance, he could chew up 15% of the other pitcher's value, get him yanked an inning early, setting up a bullpen meltdown, resulting in a victory. The most valuable plate "appearance" could go unnoticed in the stats. The pitches he uses up are counted against the pitcher's pitch count, but the plate appearance isn't.

Better yet, let's say this player is a pinch hitter who doesn't stay in the field for the next half inning. He could prove to be the most valuable player of the game, but shows up nowhere in the stats. Let's account for this by creating the "Incomplete Plate Appearance."

Slime-Rod and The FOX Sox Nation

This is old news by now, but I don't know what was more slimy, the announcement by A-Rod's agent during a World Series game that he would not pick up his option to play with the Yankees, or FOX's coverage of it with the immediate suggestion as to the Red Sox being just about the only team capable of affording him. A shot of owner John Henry just happened to be on the video in the truck, so they switched to it.

Right in the middle of a World Series game is not the place for a TV broadcaster to be interviewing a player agent. He wasn't doing his job. His job was covering the game. Now if FOX put him up to it, FOX wasn't doing its job. FOX's ratings were in the toilet, anyway. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess.

Number Nine: Yankee Announcer's Voice on Beatles' White Album

I'm convinced that the voice saying "number nine" repeatedly in the Beatles' White Album song "Revolution 9" is none other than the Yankees PA announcer Bob Sheppard. The White Album was put out in '68, so I'm guessing that the voice is an audio clip from Sheppard announcing a Roger Maris at bat sometime in '66 or earlier.

I Googled and surfed to find some confirmation of this. I did find a YouTube clip of him announcing a game in '06. At about 0:41 on this clip you can hear him announce a Texas Ranger player who wears uniform number nine. Forty years later, it sounds just like the White Album. After my discovery, I found this on Wikipedia.

Joe Torre Is A Bum

Joe Torre is a Bum. That's right, with a capital "B." Why would I say such a thing since I have recently said I have respect for him? Well, he's a Bum in the sense that the Dodgers are 'Dem Bums. I don't hate Joe Torre. Yet. But he's a Dodger now. I'm sure it will change.

All-Star Game Prevents Sox From Winning at Home

The really dumb rule of letting an exhibition game decide who has home field advantage in the World Series has failed again. Miserably. If fact it hasn't worked yet. In 2003, the AL won the ASG, eventually giving the Yankees home field advantage in the WS. It certainly didn't work for them, as the Marlins clinched in the Big Stadium. In 2004, it prevented the Red Sox from clinching their sweep at home. Great gift to fans waiting 86 years to see it. It happened on the road. Same thing in 2005 for the 88 years White Sox fans waited. Their "home field advantage" forced them to win on the road. In 2006, the AL won again, but the Tigers "home field advantage" allowed the NL team to win at home. Now the same thing in 2007 for the Red Sox.

Wonder how long it will take for fans to demand the All-Star game revert to alternating years between leagues for home field advantage so that somebody could see their team win at home?

It's Now Football Season

One of my rules of baseball is that football season doesn't start until the last out of the World Series. I don't understand football season starting so early in the year. With so much happening in the last two months of baseball, there's just simply no time to watch football. Now that it's football season, I have to catch up on half a season of what already occurred. But this takes too much time, so I'm not able to get into football as much as I like.

The Red Sox Are The New Yankees - Or Maybe Worse

It's gotten beyond the point of contemptful toleration. The whole Red Sox thing is sickening. With all the attention, media coverage, East Coast bias, fan idiocy, transplants worldwide, and the like, the Red Sox are the new Yankees. But I'm going to say that it might be worse.

The Yankees are those pinstriped bunch that the whole world loves to hate more than any other team, Dodgers from Giants fans excepted. I've hated the Yankees my whole life, and for all the regular reasons. They're always on TV, in the media, constant press. ESPN is their superstation. Their fans are everywhere. They always get the prime time TV slot for the post season; no wacky day games in bizarre time zones for them. They have the highest payroll. They are the first topic of conversation even when they aren't involved. Jealousy? Yeah, maybe. Wanting David to beat Goliath is normal. And now the Red Sox have all this.

But there's a difference. As much as I hate the Yankees, I can have respect for them in the very reasons I hate them. "And how many rings has your team won?" This isn't arrogance, it is accomplishment. New York is the largest market there is by way far. So I can expect them to be on because of ratings. I expect them to sell out. I expect their manager and players to be the highest paid. Their fans have the confidence and swagger. And they have won 26 championships after all.

The current Red Sox thing goes beyond this. It took them 86 years to win one. And now they (Red Sox Nation) think they deserve the same. They think they're America's sweetheart losers now on top. They assume that their own terms of endearment are everybody's. They're not. "Big Papi" is to them more than simply their nick name for Ortiz, it is assumed that it is everybody's. It's one thing to say, "Big Papi Ortiz" as a nickname because it ties his nickname to his real name, but quite another to use "Big Papi" by itself, as if I would, too. He's just not my big papi. Or "Manny just being Manny." Huh? Papelbon's dance, the permanent image of the bloody sock, the steal. As I heard one fan say, it used to be that watching the Red Sox in the post season meant seeing 35,000 fans terrified of the next pitch. It took faith. Now it's all presumption. I might be rooting for the Yankees to beat them next year.

Rox vs. Sox - A Fan Torn In Two

Douglas Dinsmoor at Open Stance, one of my first blog reads (and on my favorites list), has come over time to be a fan of both the Rockies and Red Sox. Originally from Denver, he moved to Boston before Denver ever had a team, and became a Red Sox die hard. Then, back in Denver, he followed the expansion Rockies and even became an usher at Coors Field. Now, his two teams are playing each other and he's torn about the Series. Read his interesting thoughts here.

Sox in Five - or - Rockies in Four

My prediction(s) is(are): game 1 will decide whether the Red Sox win in five games, or the Rockies in four.

Wanted: Third Base Coach - Apply Cleveland Indians

Losing the pennant in game 7 is one thing, but when your third base coach chokes the obvious pennant tying run and holds him at third, it's time to fry him. Joel Skinner is the inside favorite for the Pirates managerial job for next year, but if I were the Pirates, I would think twice (instead of not at all). Bill Buckner, Steve Bartman, Joel Skinner?

A Night of Drinking with George Brett

One of my favorite stories is when I spent a night drinking with then future Hall of Famer George Brett. Back in about '86, the Royals were in Oakland to take on the A's. John was an autograph, ball, bat and attention hound for ballplayers. He tried to get a bunch of us bleacher bums to go with him to the lounge of the Royals' hotel after the game to schmooze and get autographs from the recent World Champs. Well, only Margaret and I went along with it, and insisted on driving separately.

The hotel for the visitors in Oakland was in the middle of crime infested industrial Oakland, so ballplayers were confined to the hotel lounge for fun. There was nowhere to go "out on the town." Most of the Royals that night were there. John brought his canvas gym bag full of balls, baseball cards and various other souvenirs with him. Sharpies in big supply. He had nicknames for all the Royals: "Saber" (Brett Saberhagen), "DJ" (Danny Jackson), "Goobie" (Mark Gubicza), etc., and after about five seconds of his trying to make advances toward the ballplayers, Margaret and I retired to the bar.

As we sat, a man came up next to us and plopped a beer glass down, then ordered another one. While he waited, he turned to us and said, "Hi, how you folks doing?" We turned to find out it was none other than George Brett. And when megastar George Brett asks how you're doing, you answer. He engaged us in conversation, and when he received his beer he hugged the stool with his rear in a way that suggested he'd be sitting a while. It was obvious that he already had a few. Giddy with circumstance, we talked baseball. He bought us a round of beers. Early on, Brett Saberhagen came up and ordered a Corona and walked away, forgetting all about it. I asked George if he thought Brett would mind if I had a sip of his beer. George flicked the lemon off, took a strong swig, pounded it on the bar and said, "HELL, NO! It's yours!"

We talked about many things. I asked George who the worst fans in baseball were, hoping to see where A's fans ranked. He replied that the Yankee fans were worst, but if you asked Royals outfielders, they would say the bleacher bums in Oakland. YES! What a confirmation of what we did every day. He mentioned specific fans that said specific things to Royals players. He also mentioned a fan who heckled him once with "Hey, George, you got your Preparation H and your pine tar mixed up!" There was no way I was gonna tell him that fan was me! I'm glad he remembered!

Meanwhile, John was frustrated with being turned down by every Royals player so far. They all knew him and his m.o., and made fun of him subtly in front of him without him noticing. John was such a character. Anyway, his frustration brought him to the bar to tell us that he was going home. Then he saw who was sitting with us. "Awwww, you dogs!" he said in green envy. True to his method, he started in on George by asking for an autograph. Then a ball, then a bat. George replied with a really loose, "If I'm gonna give anybody a bat, it's gonna be Marrrrrgaret!" and flopped his arms around her shoulders with one of those big, fat, wet been-drinking hugs. John was pissed. So he split, and let us know how lucky we were for days.

We continued sitting there with George, and he kept buying beers. In California the bars close at 2am. Last call and he bought a final round. When George Brett buys, you let him. The bartender finally closed the bar. But George stayed. When George Brett stays, you stay with him. The bar tender then ordered us out. But George ignored him. When George Brett ignores the bartender, you ignore him, too. At long last, the bartender finally called down the hotel manager to kick us out. George reluctantly complied. When George Brett reluctantly complies, you comply. George was a bit tipsy, so to say. The next day was a day game. We wondered if he might be a bit hung over the next day, but remembered that this was probably the norm for many ballplayers. I've always liked George Brett and will never forget that memorable night.

Cast and Crew: Drunk Buddy Ed

Drunk Buddy Ed was one of the most animated characters, not just in the bleachers, but probably in all of human history. He was the only person I ever heard who had a louder voice than me (now there's a Giants peanut vendor that's easy #1). He was perpetually bombed out of his gourd, but at the same time had the highest tolerance for alcohol and drugs ever. He had a friend named Terry, who usually accompanied him, who drove a Budweiser truck. Ed was the perfect combination of lovable drunk and obnoxious drunk.

Ed usually made his entrance, a half inning late, by running down the aisle with a giant beer, the beer sloshing from side to side, yelling "aaaaaaAAAAAAAAA's!" in his patented way. He got to the front row and yelled the same thing several more times. He always started "Let's go A's" chants, and when it was rally time, he yelled, "Raaaallllly time. Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling!", stomping his foot on each "-ling." He was so hilariously drunk that multitudes joined him in cheering. Before each game, he drank a six pack in the parking lot, and smoked several Peruvian hash balls, then had four or five giant beers during the game. You could tell he was really blitzed when he dropped the "s" from "aaaaaaAAAAAA's." He also heckled the other team's players mercilessly, usually with old, corny yells.

Back in '85 he was safely in the next section over. But in '86, I had to invite him over once. To the dismay of all my other friends because he was so obnoxious, he made our section his new home. I was in the dog house from then on.

Drunk Buddy Ed: Bleacher bum

Cast and Crew: Margaret

Margaret was an interesting, if a bit eccentric, woman who joined the crew in '85. One night, John and Mac were reading the A's magazine, and came across an article about an A's fan. A woman who was sitting about 8 rows behind us matched the photo. We decided to investigate. It was her.

She was originally from the South and moved to Berkeley and became a hippie in '68, the year the A's moved here from Kansas City. So she was a bleacher bum from the beginning. She did all kinds of computer work at UC, along with a bunch of other hippies, and I remember her having email back in the mid 80's. She also saw Catfish Hunter's perfect game along with only a few other fans. She had a huge memorabilia collection, and was a very literate person.

It didn't take very long for her to move down to the front row to become a part of the gang. She had many stories from the Finley era, and for years was the only woman to play in the A's fantasy camp each year.

Margaret: Bleacher bum

Congratulations Rockies

The Rockies win the pennant! The Rockies win the pennant! Okay, it doesn't have the same ring to it. What a finish to a season. I feel good for Todd Helton.

Now, with every other team in the division having made the playoffs since the Giants have, maybe this will make the Giants jealous enough to do something about their situation. I wish the Rockies well in the Series, but just may want the Indians to win if they play them. Might snow.

Baseball's Post-Season Problems Made Worse

The two biggest problems with baseball's post season - too many off days, and Series games being played in ever-cooler weather - were made worse this year by baseball's addition of three off days in the playoff schedule. The three off days added were one extra day off between the end of the season and start of the playoffs (playoffs started on Wednesday instead of Tuesday), another day off between games four and five of the division series, and a third day off between games four and five of the LCS. [update 10-15-07: Oops, I counted wrong. There have been four off days added. I didn't see the extra day between the LSC and World Series.]

Baseball already has a problem with too many days off. With all the sweeps in the division series, we sat around all week waiting for the LCS to start. And with already two days off in a seven game series, a third in the LCS is completely unnecessary. This was done, of course, with TV in mind. Why are multiple days off needed in a playoff series? They're called "travel days," but there are few of these during the regular season. Post season scheduling favors teams with fewer good pitchers, because all the days off allow them to max out on their 1-2 starters. The Two Headed Monster in 2001 was a good example. Johnson and Schilling won the four games.

Playing late into October has been a problem, too, with all the cold weather. Now with the extra days off, even a season that ends in September will push the World Series into November. What baseball needs to do is cut the days off in a seven game series to a max of one, maybe between games five and six. Each series should start only one travel day after the previous serieses end. This year, the NLCS would have started on Wednesday instead of Thursday and the ALCS could have started on Wednesday instead of Friday. What difference does it make to start a series on a date set before the season even starts when playoff starting times aren't even announced until the last minute?

United Countries of Baseball

I found a cool site on mlb.com that shows a map of the country divided up, not into states, but according to fan loyalties. The site is called United Countries of Baseball, and the map can be found by clicking here. Fans can help define the areas by filling out the survey stating their favorite team by zip code.

The area covered doesn't necessarily translate into number of fans because of metro area populations. I don't know how accurate this map is, but I wouldn't argue with most of the areas. The Giants take the coast, while the A's, being in the East Bay, go further inland. The big orange knob in the middle is the Sacramento area, even though the A's AAA team plays there. The Cubs take the entire state if Iowa, which figures, since they have heavy minor league representation there. Why the Marlins would take part of Georgia is anybody's guess. Alaska? Hawaii?

Mountain Time Series

Only two teams in baseball play in the Mountain Time Zone. And they're playing each other in the NLCS. The Rockies are the hottest playoff team in history, now having won 18 out of their last 19 games. How long can they keep it up? Time will tell, and so will FOX.

I'm not a fan of the Diamondbacks, so I don't want them to win. They're not one of my hated teams, it's just that there's nothing to like about them for me. They're an expansion team. They've already won a World Series. Their uniforms are blah. So is their ballpark. So is their name. I could go on.

Game 3 in Denver should be a rocking good time for the Rockies fans. They've never experienced anything like this. Can they hold up to a Red Sox lineup?

No Sympathy

It is very difficult to have sympathy for the New York Yankees for almost any baseball reason. I do have respect for Joe Torre and Mariano Rivera, but none others. King George must be royally pissed right now. But he's partly to blame. He has more money than everybody else but can't assemble a winner. It's been seven years since their last ring, and have had seven consecutive October disappointments. It's funny, but the Yanks are out and the Rockies are still in.

George said in the media before today's game that Torre's job was on the line tonight. Nice way to instill confidence in you main man. But in another way, to whom much is given, much is required. So although I respect Joe Torre, I don't have sympathy for him. He's the highest paid manager with the highest payroll and an annual winner. Managers are always canned when the owner is pissed, even if it's not their fault. Everybody knew this was coming twenty years ago.

too little, too lAte-Rod

Sorry, Alex, but your first post season RBI in three years came as a solo homer behind by enough runs in the late innings to not make a difference. Your pop-out to right field in the ninth with Joe Torre's job on the line was impressive. I'm not sure I want the Giants to sign you, and if they do, you'll have to change your m.o. to one of winning in October. Heaven knows we have enough problems with that.

O-Rod

A-Rod is 0-for October. Yet another post season without performing. Yes, there are still possibly three games left in the Cleveland series. But an interesting point can be made about A-Rod. The Yankees just might not re-sign him this off season. Best player in baseball or not, the Yankees don't need help making it to the post season. They've done it 13 years in a row. What they need is somebody to help them win it all. If A-Rod can't do that, he is meaningless to them.

My new name for the man who blows in October, going O fer, is O-Rod

The Disneyland Angels of Orange County

Or maybe the OC Angels of Disneyland? Whatever their name is, I want them to lose this October.

Post-Season Picks

Here are several types of picks for not only this, but any post season in general. First, for this year: Indians over Yankees, Red Sox over Angels, Diamondbacks over Cubs, Phillies over Rockies; Indians over Red Sox, Phillies over Diamondbacks; Indians over Phillies.

Now for playoff teams for best TV ratings: Angels, White Sox, Yankees and Red Sox (this happened in '05); Giants, Dodgers, Cubs and Mets. Worst TV ratings: Rangers, Royals, Devil Rays and Twins; Rockies, Pirates, Marlins and Milwaukee.

Season Ends Wild, Wicked and Weird

Trevor Hoffman spewed a playoff berth for the second time in three days in a blown save far more tragic than the previous one. I actually feel sorry for him. And the final play of the season was as bizarre a play as I've seen in years, and topped a thrilling 13 inning game. The wild-card winning sacrifice fly involved three individuals at the plate. Would be Rockie scorer Matt Holliday, Padres catcher Michael Barrett and ump Tim McClelland. Each one acted in a mysterious way.

Holliday slid (slud?) head first into Barrett's foot, which blocked the plate. Holliday missed the plate completely, but Barrett dropped the ball, and it squirted out. Holliday lay dazed in the dirt without the slightest attempt to return to tag the plate. Actaully, though, this may have been a wise move, proving to the ump that he touched the plate. Or he could have been laying there too injured to care about a possible World Series victory. McClelland saw the ball squirt away, and in body language that is only used when both the tag isn't made and the runner misses the plate, McClelland did nothing, indicating that the play was still on. Barrett knew that Holliday missed the plate because he retrieved the ball and tagged Holliday. But McClelland signalled a weak, non-challant safe sign just before Barrett tagged him. Barrett let up in his effort as McClelland made his call. Why didn't McClelland make the call right away? And why didn't Barrett protest the blown call? Or at least tag Holliday vigorously in celebration of the out? After all, the season was on the line. Holliday was attended to by medical personnel as the rest of the team celebrated wildly, completely ignorant of Holliday's injury.

And by the way, TBS's coverage of the game was the weirdest, and least interesting I've ever seen. Who were those clowns in the booth and why were those guys so bizarre? Anyway, it should be a great set of playoff series.

What a Finish This Season Has

I never would have guessed the Mets would collapse like they have. I always ask the question of what will happen if a team folds at the last minute. I had the Mets still winning the wild card. But now they're in a position of buying 25 new plasma HD TV's to watch the post season. I'm not feeling sorry yet. On the other hand, the Padres were one pitch away from the post season on Saturday with Trevor Hoffman on the mound in the 9th inning against the Brewers. Tony Gwynn Jr. was the party pooper, of all ironies. If the Pads lose tomorrow, Hoffman's blown save will be one of baseball's biggest. I'm hoping for a Rockies victory. It would be great if they kept it up and won it all.

The Philllies were in first place all of about 2 seconds this whole season. But the last 2 seconds of the season is good enough. The Brew Crew went non-alcoholic in the second half, and allowed the mediocre record Cubs in as NL Central champs. I hope the Cubs are swept by the D-Backs. It'll be interesting to see the attendance for the tie-breaker in Denver. The Rockies spent years selling out as an expansion team.

On Saying Good-Bye to Barry

I've got some things to say about Barry Bonds' farewell that will take more time than I have right now. I'll delay them to a future post. Of course, that may just be all the less effective on readers of my blog, but that's the chance I'll take. Old news is old.

Shirt-Sleeve Weather In San Francisco

Mark Twain is attributed with the quote, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." As a Giants baseball fan who lives about 30 miles inland on the east side of the Oakland Hills, I can agree. As summer winds down and temperatures drop in the rest of the country, San Francisco is getting its warmest weather of the year. As ocean currents in the northern hemisphere run clockwise, we on the west coast get our ocean water from Alaska. It's cold. This gives San Francisco its famous fog. But an autumn reversal of airflow brings hot air in from California's central valley.

The last several Giants night games were warm enough for people to wear shirtsleeves. I've been to nearly a thousand games in my life and I can count on my fingers the number of night games comfortable enough to wear shorts. The cold fog, high winds, coastal range, Oakland Hills, hot inland weather, and breaks in the hills make the Bay Area the toughest micro-climate area for meteorologists. It's not uncommon in the summer for temps to vary 35 degrees over a half mile in some areas. It might be 105 out here, then we go to a night game with layers of sweaters, jackets and blankets to freeze our fannies off with fog and wind in the low 50's, then return home only to go swimming. It really is true that the 49ers have better weather than the Giants.

A Seven Team Race

The National League has hot pennant races during the last week of the season, with all three divsions and the wild card still undecided. I'm hoping for a three-way tie for the wild card between the Padres, Phillies and the very hot Rockies. A tie for the Central between the Cubs and Brewers would add another playoff game. There would be two days of single game playoffs before the divisional playoffs started on Wednesday. That would be awesome.

Cleanup Hitter?

I took the kids to the Giants game on Sunday, with one week left in the season. With Bonds still nursing his foot, our cleanup hitter, Rich Aurelia, who they signed this year to protect Bonds in the lineup, was batting .248 with 5HR and 33RBI. Comparable to Bad Vlad, I'd say.

End Of An Era

Yesterday the Giants announced that they won't be signing Barry Bonds for the 2008 season. With only four home games left and Bonds still nursing his injured toe, I'm wondering how many Giants fans will get the chance to say goodbye in person at the game. We're going tomorrow, but with such short notice it's not likely that we'll see his last game on Wednesday night. I wish they would have given more notice so that fans could take advantage of it.

Cast and Crew: David

David was this redheaded high school kid who sat about ten rows behind us in the A's bleachers. He heard our cheering and heckling, and some of us talked to him a few times. He found that our group would be a good circle of people with which to interact, given his love for baseball. So he moved down to join us regularly. This was in about '87.

A couple years later he went off to college (to study sports broadcasting, I think), and was there only June to August. After school, he was back for full seasons. He became an outspoken - by the minute - critic of manager Tony LaRussa. He later went to work for the A's doing stats for TV broadcasts, later becoming their play-by-play internet broadcaster, and finally and currently doing TV production for the A's. He was a character in his own right.

David: Bleacher bum

[Update 07-10-09: his name is David Feldman, and he was the official scorekeeper for the Giants' Johnathan Sanchez's no-hitter tonight]

Why Late Inning Sub For Bonds?

Barry Bonds is often replaced in the late innings when the Giants are leading for "defensive reasons." But why? Any defensive liability due to Bonds' age is much smaller than the offensive liability of not having his bat in the lineup to help with a comeback after the bullpen coughs it up.

Freudian Slip Describes Giants' Season

Many parents sing a lullaby to their toddler at bedtime. Not our house. We sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." Last night, Mrs. Scott made a Freudian slip while singing. "Root, root, root for the home team, if they don't win it's the same..." Sums up the Giants season very well.

Spoiling Dodger Dreams

This weekend the Giants and Dodgers tangled up for the millionth time. The Gyros took two of three in spectacular fashion from the pennant contenders, with a walkoff homer on Friday and a pinch-hit, three run homer in the 8th on Sunday. It's September, and that's what baseball is made of. The Giants and Dodgers beating each other up to kill the other's dream. It's because of playing spoiler that I think it's a greater rivalry than the Yankees/Red Sox.

These two sets of teams have finished first/second more times than any other sets of teams ever. They're the two greatest rivalries. But the Yankees usually beat the second place Sox by 15 games, and they have relatively fewer pennant races against each other. Each set has had monster playoffs against each other; major history. But where the rivalries really tilt toward Giants/Dodgers is in the area of spoiler. Every several years, one of the teams knocks the other out in the last series of the season. This is almost non-existent with the Yanks/Sox. In the last 20 years alone, the Giants and Dodgers have had either pennant races with each other decided in the last weekend of the season, or have directly knocked the other out of the race on the last weekend of the season six times ('91, '93, '97, '01, '02, '04) compared to the Yanks/Sox whopping zero. They play the last series of the year again this year and the Dodgers are still in the race. Time to add '07 to the list.

Pizza Face Down

One of the most hilarious bleacher stories happened to Mike. It's not one of those "you had to be there" stories. It was funny, period. One day, with a packed crowd in the bleachers, Mike went up to get something to eat. He returned with an extra large pizza and a drink. The pizza was so large that he couldn't carry it between his thumb and fingers, but had to center his hand under the box, palm up and fingers spread out to balance it. He had a drink in his other hand.

When somebody walks down the aisle in the bleachers with an extra large pizza, everybody notices. His seat was on the aisle, and trying to take his seat with his food items was a slight challenge. First, he had to put his drink down, so he set it on the ground under the bench. Then he could concentrate on the pizza. He wanted to put it on the bench first so he could get into it to give some pieces to other people. But with his hand under the box, he couldn't set it right down onto the bench. So he took both hands and grabbed each side of the box so that he could set it down flat and centered on the bench.

A pizza box is constructed with the bottom folding up to make the sides. The lid then has flaps that fit inside of the folded sides. Well, there was one small problem. It seems the person at the concession stand gave him the unmarked box upside down. What this meant was that when he grabbed the box by the sides, the lid's flaps were inserted inside of the sides. In one quick sequence, he moved his hands to the sides of the box. The lid, which was on the bottom, acted like a trap door under the weight of the pizza, and fell out, the pizza sliding out, toppings down, SPLAT! Right in the middle of the aisle! With everybody already staring at him, this made for one of the most embarrassing, and funny, events possible. We still bust up to this day.

Bonds in 2008?

Will Barry Bonds play in 2008? He seems to think so and the Giants have yet to comment. If history is any indication, the Giants will start talking about this in December or January. I'm not sure it will be in the best interest of the team to sign him. Yeah, he'll put some butts in the seats, but not as many as in the past. He's already broken the record so each new homer is a yawner.


Although he's as potent a hitter as there is in baseball, and his on-base percentage is second to none, he as no lineup around him to make him effective. His defense is lagging because he's not an aging star - he's an aged star. He misses every third game and the games he does play in he's out by the late innings, usually substituted for defensive purposes. But I think substituting for him for defensive purposes backfires because the bullpen usually blows the lead, then the offense is short his bat in trying to come back. Then they lose. The bullpen is more of a liability than Bonds' defense.


He's still one of the better players in the game, and because of his popularity (in San Francisco, that is) and his ties to the Giants, I'm willing to bet that the Giants will sign him again and try to make him a Giant for the rest of his life. It'll be a bit awkward letting him DH in the AL only to have him immediately return for a lifetime involvement as a legend and mentor like Mays, McCovey and the rest of the Giants hall-of-famers.

Upcoming New Ballparks

With the construction of Skydome in Toronto, opening in 1989, a flurry of new ballparks have been built. A majority of teams have built new parks since then. There are a few more on the horizon for the next several years.

In 2008, the Washington Nationals will have a new park, followed by both New York teams in 2009. A new Yankee Stadium is being built in the parking lot of the existing one, and the same thing is happening for Shea Stadium. I'm not sure it's new name will be Shea. The Minnesota Twins just broke ground this week on their new open-air downtown park which is scheduled to open in 2010. The Oakland A's are planning Cisco Field in Fremont, and the schedule is a bit sketchy, but it looks like it will open in 2010 or 2011.

Once these parks are built, all but six teams will have a new or newish park. Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are quite old and the classics of classics, and many want never to build new ones. The Dodgers and Angels each have older parks from the 60's. Then the two Florida teams each have parks built in the 80's, but not specifically for baseball, so I don't really place them in the "new ballpark" category.

Baby's First Game

Today, I was scheduled to bring my oldest sons to the game, and Mike had the other ticket. He was out of town and we didn't find out until a few hours before game time. So Mrs. Scott grabbed her stuff and our 8 week old boy and we decided to buy a single ticket to get her in the game, then sit in our friend's empty seat. Well, some guy was giving away free bleacher tickets, probably from group sales that fell a few people short, and we went in.

Guest Services will give you a certificate of baby's first game. We did that after the game. Sundays also feature kids under 14 getting to run the bases right after the game. One kid got trampled, and I stopped to see if he was okay, and it turned out to be somebody from our church that we spotted earlier in the game.

When No Fans Show Up

The Giants just played one of those weird four game weekend series with the last game on Monday. The Marlins scheduled the game as a day game. Monday is the worst attendance day, and a day game on Monday is the worst possible. It was also the first day of school in Miami, and it was extremely hot. I listened on the radio, while Mrs. Scott watched on TV. We talked on the phone, and she was very surprised to see so few fans there. The official attendance (okay, MLB, you really mean tickets sold) was 10,000. But there were a majority of no-shows, and just a few thousand in a huge football stadium looks even smaller.

Mrs. Scott didn't become a baseball fan until the early 90's, which is after baseball's revival here in the Bay Area. She doesn't recall the days of 3000 fans per game (or less) when both the Giants and A's sucked. She asked about what the players thought of so few fans, and many other curiosities.

As I explained to her, the joys of small crowds are merely a memory to me. Those were my favorite games of all. I went on to recount to her the many blessings. There is no parking problem, no lines for food or restrooms. You're guaranteed a great seat. Each fan has personal vendors. And with no crowd, there's no noise. So when you yell, everybody in the ballpark hears you. The chances of getting a foul ball increase greatly (as do the chances of getting a fair ball). Foul balls down the line are great entertainment, because nobody is sitting within ten sections. Kids stream through the seats to retrieve the ball. But because the ball rolls between the rows, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Finally, about ten minutes later, somebody finds it and holds it up high. Everybody gives a standing ovation. And at last, there's no traffic when you leave.

Take for example, I told her, the game with the smallest crowd that I ever attended. A's vs. Texas, September, 1986. I counted the attendance myself in less than an inning (1603). The fan in the upper deck left in the second inning. I don't think he went home, he just found a better seat downstairs. Sitting in the bleachers, I got to heckle the left fielder the entire game instead of only when he was in the field. Nobody was there so he could easily hear me from the dugout, so I yelled at him from across the stadium and reminded him that he could hear me. When I finished my first beer, my favorite beer vendor, named Tommy, was on the other side of the stadium, behind the first base dugout. No problem. I just yelled, "Heeeeey, Tooooommmy, I wannanother beeeeeer!" He looked up across the stadium at me and waved. He walked all the way around the stadium to sell me a beer. It's not like there was anybody else to sell to, so it was a good sale. Then, we talked for a few innings because it wasn't like there was anybody else there that wanted a beer. Three home runs were hit that day. And since there wasn't anybody else there, as school was back in and it was a day game, there were no other kids with gloves. Heck, there were only 33 people in all the huge bleachers that day. So I got to take all three home run balls home with me as souvenirs. That might have been my favorite game ever.

Some people just don't know what they missed from back in the day.