Alex Rodriguez at third base
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Giants vs Cubs - March 4th, 2005
Well, a day late is better than never I guess. We had early dinner reservations with some friends from Ohio, and were then out very late. I didn’t get to my computer until about 1:00 am and by then I was too tired to write a game review. No photos today either, since I knew I would be short of time, I didn’t even take any photos at the game.
Pretty darn good 7-2 win against the Cubs yesterday. Jason Schmidt had a very encouraging outing. I wish I had a radar gun, because it looked to me like he had more zip on his fastball than he did for most of last year. Jason was throwing free and loose and pitched 3 very tidy innings giving up only 2 hits. In the first he had to get 5 outs, when he was slow to cover 1B and allowed Juan Pierre to have a bunt base hit. Then Ray Durham booted an easy groundball for an error. Schmidt still got out of the inning easily. In order to make up for the first inning, Jason had a 7 pitch second inning, which included a 1 pitch groundout and a 1 pitch fly out. He allowed another hit in the third inning, but was never really in trouble. He only had 1 strikeout, but that is because his pitches were crisp and well located and the Cubs were swinging and making outs early in the count.
The published boxscores continue to be very inaccurate. I was surprised to see that ESPN.com had Nate Shierholtz pitching the first 3 innings of the game. I assure you Nate is still an outfielder. Nate is still #46, Schmidt is still #29. I have no idea how the scorekeeper can make such a mistake. The Spring Training uniform numbers are a little hard to read…..but no way does 29 look like 46.
The next 4 innings were pitched by the twins; 2 by Matt Kinney and 2 by Brian Cooper (they look nothing alike, but I always mix those 2 guys up). They pitched pretty much the way they always seem to pitch in the spring. Nothing spectacular, but efficient. Both gave up single runs. Kinney on a solo HR and Cooper on a couple of hits. Jonathan Sanchez pitched the 8th, giving up a hit but getting 2 strikeouts. Sanchez looks like a good, young lefty; but remember, by the end of the game he was facing the Cubs Minor League replacements. Dusty Baker is just like Alou, in that veterans are rarely in the game in the late innings (or even in the middle innings) in the spring. The game was finished off by Brian Wilson. Wilson pitched a scoreless inning, but was not overly sharp, giving up 1 hit, 1 walk and getting 1 strikeout.
The hitting star of the game was Lance Niekro. In his first at bat he had a bloop opposite field hit for an RBI. In his second AB he hit a shot in the hole between 3B and SS for an RBI single. Then one AB later, he smacked a 3 run HR to straight away LF. 3 for 4 with 5 RBI is a good day in anyone’s book. How big would it be for the Giants if this guy could keep hitting like that?
Our new 4th outfielder, Steve Finley, had another good day in the black & orange. At the plate he was 1 for 2 with a double and a run scored. He also made three Gold Glove caliber catches in the outfield, including a fabulous running grab of a liner into the left centerfield gap that I thought there was no way he could make that catch. Finley saved at least a double and a run with the catch. He may be 40, but the man has not lost much speed.
Daniel Ortmeier was the DH and went 2 for 4 looking comfortable at the plate. I really like this kid. I hope he gets a good long look this spring with Barry taking it slow and Winn and Alou vacationing in the WBC. Ray Durham went 1 for 3 with a RBI double and a run scored. Jason Ellison, Abraham Nunez and Jose Vizcaino had one hit each. Ellison’s hit was a standup double that I am pretty sure goes for a triple during the regular season when the coaches aren’t being so protective of the players’ health. Todd Linden came back down to earth today with a 0 for 3 performance. Linden did have a walk, so he continues his string of reaching base in every Spring Training game.
Other than Durham’s error and Schmidt’s tardiness in reaching 1B on the Juan Pierre bunt, the Giants played a clean, crisp game, with timely hits and good defense. Today, the Giants play split squad games against the Cubs in Mesa and Team USA in Scottsdale. I will be in Scottsdale. Hopefully, I can get a post up earlier today with a few photos. I can’t guarantee it though. As many of you who have been to Scottsdale know……there is a lot more to do in this town than just baseball!
Pretty darn good 7-2 win against the Cubs yesterday. Jason Schmidt had a very encouraging outing. I wish I had a radar gun, because it looked to me like he had more zip on his fastball than he did for most of last year. Jason was throwing free and loose and pitched 3 very tidy innings giving up only 2 hits. In the first he had to get 5 outs, when he was slow to cover 1B and allowed Juan Pierre to have a bunt base hit. Then Ray Durham booted an easy groundball for an error. Schmidt still got out of the inning easily. In order to make up for the first inning, Jason had a 7 pitch second inning, which included a 1 pitch groundout and a 1 pitch fly out. He allowed another hit in the third inning, but was never really in trouble. He only had 1 strikeout, but that is because his pitches were crisp and well located and the Cubs were swinging and making outs early in the count.
The published boxscores continue to be very inaccurate. I was surprised to see that ESPN.com had Nate Shierholtz pitching the first 3 innings of the game. I assure you Nate is still an outfielder. Nate is still #46, Schmidt is still #29. I have no idea how the scorekeeper can make such a mistake. The Spring Training uniform numbers are a little hard to read…..but no way does 29 look like 46.
The next 4 innings were pitched by the twins; 2 by Matt Kinney and 2 by Brian Cooper (they look nothing alike, but I always mix those 2 guys up). They pitched pretty much the way they always seem to pitch in the spring. Nothing spectacular, but efficient. Both gave up single runs. Kinney on a solo HR and Cooper on a couple of hits. Jonathan Sanchez pitched the 8th, giving up a hit but getting 2 strikeouts. Sanchez looks like a good, young lefty; but remember, by the end of the game he was facing the Cubs Minor League replacements. Dusty Baker is just like Alou, in that veterans are rarely in the game in the late innings (or even in the middle innings) in the spring. The game was finished off by Brian Wilson. Wilson pitched a scoreless inning, but was not overly sharp, giving up 1 hit, 1 walk and getting 1 strikeout.
The hitting star of the game was Lance Niekro. In his first at bat he had a bloop opposite field hit for an RBI. In his second AB he hit a shot in the hole between 3B and SS for an RBI single. Then one AB later, he smacked a 3 run HR to straight away LF. 3 for 4 with 5 RBI is a good day in anyone’s book. How big would it be for the Giants if this guy could keep hitting like that?
Our new 4th outfielder, Steve Finley, had another good day in the black & orange. At the plate he was 1 for 2 with a double and a run scored. He also made three Gold Glove caliber catches in the outfield, including a fabulous running grab of a liner into the left centerfield gap that I thought there was no way he could make that catch. Finley saved at least a double and a run with the catch. He may be 40, but the man has not lost much speed.
Daniel Ortmeier was the DH and went 2 for 4 looking comfortable at the plate. I really like this kid. I hope he gets a good long look this spring with Barry taking it slow and Winn and Alou vacationing in the WBC. Ray Durham went 1 for 3 with a RBI double and a run scored. Jason Ellison, Abraham Nunez and Jose Vizcaino had one hit each. Ellison’s hit was a standup double that I am pretty sure goes for a triple during the regular season when the coaches aren’t being so protective of the players’ health. Todd Linden came back down to earth today with a 0 for 3 performance. Linden did have a walk, so he continues his string of reaching base in every Spring Training game.
Other than Durham’s error and Schmidt’s tardiness in reaching 1B on the Juan Pierre bunt, the Giants played a clean, crisp game, with timely hits and good defense. Today, the Giants play split squad games against the Cubs in Mesa and Team USA in Scottsdale. I will be in Scottsdale. Hopefully, I can get a post up earlier today with a few photos. I can’t guarantee it though. As many of you who have been to Scottsdale know……there is a lot more to do in this town than just baseball!
Friday, March 03, 2006
Giants vs Brewers
Well, same two teams today, this time at Scottsdale Stadium. Yet another beautiful day in Arizona, mid-70’s, not a cloud in the sky. Just a great day for baseball.
Today was a good example of why no one should place any great stock in Spring Training results, ESPECIALLY this spring. With Winn, Vizquel, Feliz and Alou gone to the WBC, the Giants started ZERO starters, only 2 position players that were sure to make the team and only 2 other position players that have a chance to make the team. By the 6th inning, the only position player left on the field that has a realistic chance to make the team was Jason Ellison.
Not only that, but some of the starters were certainly not the players that I would have hoped to see starting these shorthanded games. Instead of Nate Schierholtz or Daniel Ortmeier or Adam Shabala in RF…we were treated to Abraham Nunez (with the Seattle organization in Tacoma last year) starting in RF, his second straight start. Instead of Jake Wald or Angel Chavez at SS…..we were treated to Tomas De La Rosa (in the Colorado system at Colorado Springs last year). Instead of Brian Buscher or Pablo Sandoval at 3B, Angel Chavez started at 3B instead of SS. I’m not quite sure I get what it is the Giants are trying to do with all of these free agent Minor Leaguers starting instead of rewarding the home grown talent.
The pitching, however, was mostly frontline Major Leaguers. Matt Cain started and threw 2 scoreless innings. He gave up 2 hits, but it seemed like he had a full count on every batter. I didn’t keep a pitch count, but Matt must have thrown 50 pitches in the 2 innings. Armando Benitez followed and immediately gave up a double followed by a walk. After the runners were sacrificed to 2nd & 3rd, Benitez got out of the inning with no runs scored. I think he was concentrating on his slider for much of the inning, but the strikeout came on some SERIOUS high heat.
Jeff Fassero then started out exactly like Benitez. Double, walk, sacrifice…Fassero also would have made it out of the inning without a score, except for a wild pitch. I won’t say that Todd Greene should have blocked the ball, but I am pretty darn sure Matheny would have. I thought Steve Kline was also going to have a shutout inning, but he gave up a solo HR to Damien Miller with 2 out. Pedro Liriano followed with a 1 hit, shutout inning.
The most encouraging performance, for me, was Scott Munter. He looks totally over his injury as he faced 3 batters and got 3 ground ball outs. He looked like the same “double play machine” that I saw in the Arizona Fall League 2 years ago. The worst performance of the day was Tyler Walker. After getting 2 quick outs…….he just lost the strike zone. After a walk, a hit batsman and another walk, he gave up a bloop single, followed by a hard hit double. Tyler allowed 4 earned runs and allowed a close 2-1 game, to turn into a 6-1 done deal. Merkin Valdez had to come in and finish off the inning, retiring the only batter he faced. Jeremy Accardo finished the game off with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Offensively, the Giants had 9 hits and 7 walks…..and only managed 2 runs. One of the runs was on a solo HR by Derin McMains of all people. Other than the HR…the Giants had no extra base hits. They only hit into one double play, but the kids just couldn’t get the big hit to score runs. After he came into the game, Brian Buscher tried to break it open, with 2 men on he hit a line drive smash down the 3B line. Bill Hall made a great lunging catch of the ball that I thought was a sure double off the bat. Todd Linden pinch hit for an RBI single for the only other Giants run of the game. The Giants had FIFTEEN men left on base. Lots of baserunners….no timely hits.
All in all, I thought it was a very competitive game considering the lineup the Giants trotted out there. The pitching was mostly good, with the exception of Tyler Walker’s sudden inability to throw strikes. I think we may be looking at a lot of games like this, until Bonds gets on the field and the four WBC bound starters return to camp.
DISCLAIMER: Every year when I start reviewing Spring Training games, I get a number of people reminding me it is only Spring Training and I shouldn’t worry about player performance. Before the first of those comments arrives, let me assure you that I am not at all worried about player performance until the last week or so of games. I am merely reviewing the performance of the players I have seen. If they perform well, I will say that…….and if they stink……I will also say that. As a matter of fact, being an old athlete and coach, I am a superstitious guy. The Giants always have their best seasons after having terrible Spring Training records. Last year the Giants had their best spring record in years……..but look what happened in the regular season. I would rather the Giants had a losing spring……..the superstition in me believes they will have a better year if they do.
Today was a good example of why no one should place any great stock in Spring Training results, ESPECIALLY this spring. With Winn, Vizquel, Feliz and Alou gone to the WBC, the Giants started ZERO starters, only 2 position players that were sure to make the team and only 2 other position players that have a chance to make the team. By the 6th inning, the only position player left on the field that has a realistic chance to make the team was Jason Ellison.
Not only that, but some of the starters were certainly not the players that I would have hoped to see starting these shorthanded games. Instead of Nate Schierholtz or Daniel Ortmeier or Adam Shabala in RF…we were treated to Abraham Nunez (with the Seattle organization in Tacoma last year) starting in RF, his second straight start. Instead of Jake Wald or Angel Chavez at SS…..we were treated to Tomas De La Rosa (in the Colorado system at Colorado Springs last year). Instead of Brian Buscher or Pablo Sandoval at 3B, Angel Chavez started at 3B instead of SS. I’m not quite sure I get what it is the Giants are trying to do with all of these free agent Minor Leaguers starting instead of rewarding the home grown talent.
The pitching, however, was mostly frontline Major Leaguers. Matt Cain started and threw 2 scoreless innings. He gave up 2 hits, but it seemed like he had a full count on every batter. I didn’t keep a pitch count, but Matt must have thrown 50 pitches in the 2 innings. Armando Benitez followed and immediately gave up a double followed by a walk. After the runners were sacrificed to 2nd & 3rd, Benitez got out of the inning with no runs scored. I think he was concentrating on his slider for much of the inning, but the strikeout came on some SERIOUS high heat.
Jeff Fassero then started out exactly like Benitez. Double, walk, sacrifice…Fassero also would have made it out of the inning without a score, except for a wild pitch. I won’t say that Todd Greene should have blocked the ball, but I am pretty darn sure Matheny would have. I thought Steve Kline was also going to have a shutout inning, but he gave up a solo HR to Damien Miller with 2 out. Pedro Liriano followed with a 1 hit, shutout inning.
The most encouraging performance, for me, was Scott Munter. He looks totally over his injury as he faced 3 batters and got 3 ground ball outs. He looked like the same “double play machine” that I saw in the Arizona Fall League 2 years ago. The worst performance of the day was Tyler Walker. After getting 2 quick outs…….he just lost the strike zone. After a walk, a hit batsman and another walk, he gave up a bloop single, followed by a hard hit double. Tyler allowed 4 earned runs and allowed a close 2-1 game, to turn into a 6-1 done deal. Merkin Valdez had to come in and finish off the inning, retiring the only batter he faced. Jeremy Accardo finished the game off with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Offensively, the Giants had 9 hits and 7 walks…..and only managed 2 runs. One of the runs was on a solo HR by Derin McMains of all people. Other than the HR…the Giants had no extra base hits. They only hit into one double play, but the kids just couldn’t get the big hit to score runs. After he came into the game, Brian Buscher tried to break it open, with 2 men on he hit a line drive smash down the 3B line. Bill Hall made a great lunging catch of the ball that I thought was a sure double off the bat. Todd Linden pinch hit for an RBI single for the only other Giants run of the game. The Giants had FIFTEEN men left on base. Lots of baserunners….no timely hits.
All in all, I thought it was a very competitive game considering the lineup the Giants trotted out there. The pitching was mostly good, with the exception of Tyler Walker’s sudden inability to throw strikes. I think we may be looking at a lot of games like this, until Bonds gets on the field and the four WBC bound starters return to camp.
DISCLAIMER: Every year when I start reviewing Spring Training games, I get a number of people reminding me it is only Spring Training and I shouldn’t worry about player performance. Before the first of those comments arrives, let me assure you that I am not at all worried about player performance until the last week or so of games. I am merely reviewing the performance of the players I have seen. If they perform well, I will say that…….and if they stink……I will also say that. As a matter of fact, being an old athlete and coach, I am a superstitious guy. The Giants always have their best seasons after having terrible Spring Training records. Last year the Giants had their best spring record in years……..but look what happened in the regular season. I would rather the Giants had a losing spring……..the superstition in me believes they will have a better year if they do.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Giants @ Brewers - First Spring Game
It was an absolutely fabulous day for the first Spring Training game. Bright blue sky.......gametime temperature of 73 degrees (high of 78) and a 10-5 Giants win. What more could you ask for? My seats were 5 rows behind the Giants on deck circle....so I kind of fell in love with closeup photos of Giants players in the on deck circle.
The Giants never really had a chance to lose this game, even with Todd Linden's defense. They took a 1-0 lead on a leadoff HR by Randy Winn. I thought Randy was leaving the team for Team USA and was not going to appear today.........I guess I was wrong. By the way....I don't think I saw Winn hit a HR in batting practice this spring.....and he goes and hits one on his first at bat. Go figure.
After a 1-2-3 first inning, Noah Lowry gave up 3 earned runs in the second, thanks to 2 errors by Todd Linden (1 scored error). Todd lost an easy flyball at the warning track in the sun. The sun was actually more of a problem for the centerfielder....but the Arizona sky is tough......so Linden gets the benefit of the doubt. Shortly after that, Todd got a scored error when he pulled up short on a linedrive he should have caught. When he pulled up short, he tried to shorthop the ball and the ball bounced off his hands and skipped away from him allowing runners to advance. Without Linden's 2 mistakes......Noah does not give up any runs in the game.
In the very next half inning, the Giants scored 5 runs and essentially put the game away. The big blow of the inning was Ray Durham's bases clearing double. I really like Ray in the #5 slot. It seems to me that his conscentration is better with men on base.
The game was pretty much over after Ray's double. The Giants really put on their hitting shoes today, with 16 basehits, including 4 doubles and 2 HRs. The boxscore says Michael Tejera got a double. I assure you that Michael Tejera is still a pitcher and Brian Buscher played a couple of innings of 3B and actually hit that double. After his fielding gaffs in the second inning, Linden went 3 for 3 with a really nice sliding catch of a sinking flyball down the LF line. I just don't know about that guy. He can go from doghouse to penthouse and back faster than any player I can remember. The other HR was hit by Justin Knoedler who also had a single to go 2 for 2 in the game. Knoedler's swing is prettier than I remembered. He looks like a hitter. He allowed a wild pitch that was charged to Matt Anderson, that he really should have blocked. Being a converted pitcher, Knoedler still has to work on his catching fundamentals.
All in all the only disappointments in the game were Linden's defense, Kevin Frandsen's 0 for 3 while hitting into 2 DPs and the pitching of Matt Anderson. Anderson is more than likely cannon fodder for AAA Fresno, so I wouldn't worry about it. It was the first game of the spring, so I wouldn't worry about Frandsen's 0 fer. Linden's defense is slightly worrisome. For all his tools, he seems to drift mentally and just do stupid stuff that he really shouldn't do given his talent level. I really don't know what to think about the guy. He drives me nuts.....and my friends will tell you that is a VERY short trip.
That's about it for today. I have many more photos than I posted. I really enjoy watching the kids play, so I tend to post more of them than the vets. If anyone has any specific requests for a player, I will post the photo if I have it. 1-0 good guys........nice start.
PS.....there are a number of errors in todays boxscores (at least the ones I saw). Hopefully it will get better as the spring goes on. The game was also officiated by only 2 umpires. I can't remember the last time I saw only 2 umpires in a spring game (3 is not unusual though). I hope MLB isn't cheaping out on the "non-essentials" this spring. I know Uncle Bud is conscentrating on the WBC this March.....but the regular spring games ARE still important.
PSS.......I totally forgot to mention Brad Hennessey. The man was in total control for his 3 innings. I have no doubt that Giants management did not expect him to go 3 innings the first time out, but he only gave up 1 hit and 1 walk and had an economy of pitches. Really inpressive outing. I think he really wants that #5 spot in the rotation.
The Giants never really had a chance to lose this game, even with Todd Linden's defense. They took a 1-0 lead on a leadoff HR by Randy Winn. I thought Randy was leaving the team for Team USA and was not going to appear today.........I guess I was wrong. By the way....I don't think I saw Winn hit a HR in batting practice this spring.....and he goes and hits one on his first at bat. Go figure.
After a 1-2-3 first inning, Noah Lowry gave up 3 earned runs in the second, thanks to 2 errors by Todd Linden (1 scored error). Todd lost an easy flyball at the warning track in the sun. The sun was actually more of a problem for the centerfielder....but the Arizona sky is tough......so Linden gets the benefit of the doubt. Shortly after that, Todd got a scored error when he pulled up short on a linedrive he should have caught. When he pulled up short, he tried to shorthop the ball and the ball bounced off his hands and skipped away from him allowing runners to advance. Without Linden's 2 mistakes......Noah does not give up any runs in the game.
In the very next half inning, the Giants scored 5 runs and essentially put the game away. The big blow of the inning was Ray Durham's bases clearing double. I really like Ray in the #5 slot. It seems to me that his conscentration is better with men on base.
The game was pretty much over after Ray's double. The Giants really put on their hitting shoes today, with 16 basehits, including 4 doubles and 2 HRs. The boxscore says Michael Tejera got a double. I assure you that Michael Tejera is still a pitcher and Brian Buscher played a couple of innings of 3B and actually hit that double. After his fielding gaffs in the second inning, Linden went 3 for 3 with a really nice sliding catch of a sinking flyball down the LF line. I just don't know about that guy. He can go from doghouse to penthouse and back faster than any player I can remember. The other HR was hit by Justin Knoedler who also had a single to go 2 for 2 in the game. Knoedler's swing is prettier than I remembered. He looks like a hitter. He allowed a wild pitch that was charged to Matt Anderson, that he really should have blocked. Being a converted pitcher, Knoedler still has to work on his catching fundamentals.
All in all the only disappointments in the game were Linden's defense, Kevin Frandsen's 0 for 3 while hitting into 2 DPs and the pitching of Matt Anderson. Anderson is more than likely cannon fodder for AAA Fresno, so I wouldn't worry about it. It was the first game of the spring, so I wouldn't worry about Frandsen's 0 fer. Linden's defense is slightly worrisome. For all his tools, he seems to drift mentally and just do stupid stuff that he really shouldn't do given his talent level. I really don't know what to think about the guy. He drives me nuts.....and my friends will tell you that is a VERY short trip.
That's about it for today. I have many more photos than I posted. I really enjoy watching the kids play, so I tend to post more of them than the vets. If anyone has any specific requests for a player, I will post the photo if I have it. 1-0 good guys........nice start.
PS.....there are a number of errors in todays boxscores (at least the ones I saw). Hopefully it will get better as the spring goes on. The game was also officiated by only 2 umpires. I can't remember the last time I saw only 2 umpires in a spring game (3 is not unusual though). I hope MLB isn't cheaping out on the "non-essentials" this spring. I know Uncle Bud is conscentrating on the WBC this March.....but the regular spring games ARE still important.
PSS.......I totally forgot to mention Brad Hennessey. The man was in total control for his 3 innings. I have no doubt that Giants management did not expect him to go 3 innings the first time out, but he only gave up 1 hit and 1 walk and had an economy of pitches. Really inpressive outing. I think he really wants that #5 spot in the rotation.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
March 1st, 2006 - Giants Idol Part Deux
I am way behind today. I spent about 5 hours at the park today. That put me behind schedule, so I will keep it short.
The Giants Idol competition today was funny.....but I don't think the contestants got into it nearly as much today as they did yesterday. As you can see from the photos, for the most part, the players didn't put as much effort into the costumes or performances today. The best performance of the day was Travis Ishikawa who sang "I'm too Sexy". He did a partial striptease as he sang. When he sang "I'm too sexy for my shirt" he took off his shirt. When he sang "I'm too sexy for my pants"....he took of his pants. Travis can't sing a lick......but he gets the award for the largest huevos of the competition.
Barry, once again was just hilarious. I gotta tell you.......besides dressing in drag, Barry had the best lines of anyone. Everytime he was handed the microphone to review a performance, he came up with another hilarious line. Each time he commented, the punchline was different, each time it was funny, he never repeated himself once over the two days, and he always remained in character. At one point today (it may have been Ishikawa), after a favorable review....Bonds stood up, looked at Jeff Fassero and said (in falsetto) "If you screw this up Simon, I'm going to kick your ass!". Funny, funny stuff. Barry's sense of humor and ability to adlib funny lines is amazing. He should let this side of himself be seen more often.
There was no real "winner" of the competition. When the last act was over.....that was it. No announcement of a winner...nothing. By enlarge the acts were funny..but there were really no good singers in the group. The two day event looked a lot like the out takes from the real show. You know.....the really funny people who think they are good but couldn't carry a note in a bucket. They claim this is to be the "first annual" Giants Idol competition. If they do it again.....I would highly recommend it. It was great to see all of the guys laughing and cutting up. This team seems to be getting closer and closer all of the time.
After "Giants Idol" they had a little batting practice followed by a short intrasquad game. Both teams were made up of the youngsters with no veterans taking part. I was very disappointed in the performance of Billy Sadler and Justin Hedrick. If the pitchers did poorly, and threw too many pitches, the coaches terminated the inning without 3 outs being registered. Sadler gave up 4 walks in his inning of work and the coaches stopped the inning with only 1 out being made. Hedrick did even worse. He gave up the four hardest hit balls of the game, including 2 singles, a double and a grand slam. Also sandwiched in there someplace, were a walk and a hit batsman. The coaches, thankfully, terminated Hedrick's inning after 5 runs had scored without a single out being made. I felt really bad for Justin. He looked totally crestfallen.
I was surprised that they let Rob Schneider participate in the game. He played one inning in the field and also had one at bat. He made a putout at 2B in his inning in the field....but a real ballplayer would have made the relay to 1B for a doubleplay. In his at bat, Rob actually made contact once for a foulball, but never really came close to actually putting the ball in play.
Willie Mays showed up today to watch Giants Idol. He stuck around during BP and hung around the batting cage. He gave ponters to any player who wanted him to comment on their technique. He spent a lot of time with Ray Durham.
That's about it for today's practice......and that's about it for the Spring Training workouts overall. The games start tomorow with the Giants facing the Brewers in Maryvale at 1PM. I will be there and hope to write a review of that game late tomorrow. Go Giants!!
The Giants Idol competition today was funny.....but I don't think the contestants got into it nearly as much today as they did yesterday. As you can see from the photos, for the most part, the players didn't put as much effort into the costumes or performances today. The best performance of the day was Travis Ishikawa who sang "I'm too Sexy". He did a partial striptease as he sang. When he sang "I'm too sexy for my shirt" he took off his shirt. When he sang "I'm too sexy for my pants"....he took of his pants. Travis can't sing a lick......but he gets the award for the largest huevos of the competition.
Barry, once again was just hilarious. I gotta tell you.......besides dressing in drag, Barry had the best lines of anyone. Everytime he was handed the microphone to review a performance, he came up with another hilarious line. Each time he commented, the punchline was different, each time it was funny, he never repeated himself once over the two days, and he always remained in character. At one point today (it may have been Ishikawa), after a favorable review....Bonds stood up, looked at Jeff Fassero and said (in falsetto) "If you screw this up Simon, I'm going to kick your ass!". Funny, funny stuff. Barry's sense of humor and ability to adlib funny lines is amazing. He should let this side of himself be seen more often.
There was no real "winner" of the competition. When the last act was over.....that was it. No announcement of a winner...nothing. By enlarge the acts were funny..but there were really no good singers in the group. The two day event looked a lot like the out takes from the real show. You know.....the really funny people who think they are good but couldn't carry a note in a bucket. They claim this is to be the "first annual" Giants Idol competition. If they do it again.....I would highly recommend it. It was great to see all of the guys laughing and cutting up. This team seems to be getting closer and closer all of the time.
After "Giants Idol" they had a little batting practice followed by a short intrasquad game. Both teams were made up of the youngsters with no veterans taking part. I was very disappointed in the performance of Billy Sadler and Justin Hedrick. If the pitchers did poorly, and threw too many pitches, the coaches terminated the inning without 3 outs being registered. Sadler gave up 4 walks in his inning of work and the coaches stopped the inning with only 1 out being made. Hedrick did even worse. He gave up the four hardest hit balls of the game, including 2 singles, a double and a grand slam. Also sandwiched in there someplace, were a walk and a hit batsman. The coaches, thankfully, terminated Hedrick's inning after 5 runs had scored without a single out being made. I felt really bad for Justin. He looked totally crestfallen.
I was surprised that they let Rob Schneider participate in the game. He played one inning in the field and also had one at bat. He made a putout at 2B in his inning in the field....but a real ballplayer would have made the relay to 1B for a doubleplay. In his at bat, Rob actually made contact once for a foulball, but never really came close to actually putting the ball in play.
Willie Mays showed up today to watch Giants Idol. He stuck around during BP and hung around the batting cage. He gave ponters to any player who wanted him to comment on their technique. He spent a lot of time with Ray Durham.
That's about it for today's practice......and that's about it for the Spring Training workouts overall. The games start tomorow with the Giants facing the Brewers in Maryvale at 1PM. I will be there and hope to write a review of that game late tomorrow. Go Giants!!
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