San Francisco Giants

These days, going to a baseball game isn't what it used to be. Seldom will a pitcher throw into the 7th inning; the score is usually 7-6 or 10-9; and your favorite slugger is likely to hit one, if not two balls, out of the park. The game is shamelessly jacked up on HGH, and its obvious. The best hitter (Bonds) and pitcher (Clemens) of our generation used it, and more players are getting busted by the day (A-Rod, Manny). However, most fans don't care. They still go to the ballpark. That's because baseball, and pro sports in general, is merely another form of entertainment.

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The weekend sports started off real well, Calaveras dropped Bret Harte to sew up 2nd place in the MLL.  The Redskins will travel to Escalon on Friday to take on the powerful TVL Champion Cougars.  It will be a tough battle for the Redskins, but you every once in a while David takes out Goliath.  The first key is for the players and team to approach the week with the idea that this is what we need to be successful and not focus on anything else.  The coaches will put together a game plan that will give the players a chance to win.  The players needs to trust the coaches and focus on executing the game plan. The focus is not to win, but to execute and when you prepare correctly and execute, the winning will take care of itself.

Continue reading "Monday Hangover"

Each year the Calaveras Redskins and the Bret Harte Bullfrogs meet on a Friday evening in November in a cross county rivalry that dates back a few generations.  To victor goes the bell.  The bell has resided in San Andreas almost permanently for as far back as most of us can remember.  Every year, all teams enter their seasons with great hopes and dreams, and this season was no different.  Every year, the residents of Calaveras County wonder if this will be the year that Bret Harte beats arch enemy Calaveras.  And remember this is a rivalry that goes to the soul of both schools. There is nothing like a loss to the other school that eats at your gut more. 

Continue reading "The Bell Stays in San Andreas"

Let’s start off today with a thank you to all the men and women who have represented our country in the Armed Forces.  If it weren’t for the sacrifices that these Americans have made, we would be able to live our lives with the freedom and choice that we all enjoy.  Thank you.

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In the past week, we have ended the 2008 Major League Baseball Season, begun the 2008/2009 NBA Season, ended a 33 year streak of Bowl Appearances by Michigan, ended the Calaveras Redskins string of MLL Championships and started the second half of the NFL Season.   

Continue reading "Hot Stove Season"

t didn't make it to the playoffs, could have used him and unlikely he helps.  If anything, the San Francisco Giants should have signed him for September, let him make a farewell tour of the league as a pinch hitter for the Giants.  He could have retired as a Giant with a ceremony fitting the player he was with the Giants.  Then rode off in the sunset.  Instead he chooses to leave the game in a cloud.

Continue reading "Sunday Morning"

For the last few day the Red Sox looked like a mirror image of the Dodgers.  Dying and quickly being pushed out of post season play.  A finally, a kid from Woodland, Ca battles his way to a two out RBI single and the Red Sox wake up.  Ortiz temporarly breaks out of his slump at the right moment and breathes life back into Red Sox nation.  JD Drew has found a home in Boston and calmly belted one over the right field fence to get the Sox back to within one run.  Drew looked very comfortable at the plate while working Howell to a 3-1 count.  You knew he was going to hit the ball hard somewhere. And he did and Boston will go back to Tampa.

Continue reading "Wow"

With the MLB playoffs set to begin, there is a subtle difference in the air compared to start of any other postseason. In the NHL, fans can potentially look forward to a great Canadians/Bruins series that is not only exciting, but has a historical kick to it. Likewise basketball fans always have the chance to see if the Suns can finally get past the Spurs and football fans love seeing the rivalry of the Eagles Vs the City of Philadelphia when the Eagles so much as get tackled for a loss.

Continue reading "The Ups and Downs of the MLB Playoffs"

It’s the annual midpoint of the baseball season, and for the brief span that is the All-Star break, all eyes are upon the Bronx. As everyone is well aware of, this campaign is the last go around for the world’s most famous, largest, and most prominent ballpark, Yankee Stadium. It seems hard to believe, and even more sacrilegious that this living legend’s days are numbered. Built in 1923 and christened by the greatest ballplayer to ever live, Babe Ruth, the cathedral of baseball will never truly be replaced. Although the Bombers will move a block to Yankee Stadium’s heir, the Mecca of America’s Pastime will still live on in our hearts. Whether you’re a diehard Yankee fan, or Yankee-hater, you still can respect the history and awe that the stadium brings. So when the All-Stars take the field Tuesday night, sit back on your couch, crack open a cold one and soak up the history of Yankee Stadium, as its final chapter is unveiled to all of us.

Continue reading "National League Looks to End Rut"

One of the All-Star Break traditions: Reassessing our predictions from the first half of the season. Some of mine have changed, some have stayed the same—and some were just damn wrong. Living in the West, I will take the contrarian position and roll from west to east in my choices.

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On the eve of the Dodgers playing the Giants a few hours from now, and the NBA turning on it’s head with constant movements, I find myself watching: The 2008 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Championship. I always seem to catch myself watching this every year, totally disgusted with what I’m watching and with myself for being so interested. This is one of the reasons the rest of the world hates what America stands for. Gluttony. People are eating more hot dogs in 12 minutes than the rest of the world sees in their entire lifetime. ESPN tries to make this a legitimate “sporting” event like rock, paper, scissors tournament, but generally people don’t buy it. Not even the “athletes” believe themselves to be partaking in anything but a gorge-fest.

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                After coughing up a five-run lead and heading for extra innings, you’d think the Dodger offense would just roll over and die, and drop their fifth straight game to Houston.

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First things first, the Dodgers won a game against the American League! Not only that, but it was a complete game shut out by “blink and you’ll miss him” starter Eric Stultz, who is making Brad Penny, Hiroki Koruda, and Jason Schmidt look as worthless as their arms (in all fairness, Koruda is pretty much EXACTLY what the Dodgers and fans expected him to be). Without knowing when or how the Dodgers will win again, considering that this team is as inconsistent as an Tommy Lasorda’s bowel movements, I spend today rejoicing as the Dodgers are now 2-6 against the American League and the National League is a combined 12-infinity against AL as well. While it feels that there has been a dominance of the AL over the NL has been progressively consistent since the new millennium, although the exact opposite is true with the NL posting a 1,104-1095 record over the AL. Since the 2005 season however, the AL hold the advantage with a 292-213 advantage. Never is it more clear in any sport that baseball is held pretty strictly to the “law of large numbers”.

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In news obscured by the thrilling conclusion to the U.S. Open and sandwiched between the hype that is the NBA Finals, Bill Bavasi got fired for his failure to produce winners as the general manager of the Seattle Mariners. Bavasi assembled a Mariners team that is falling well short of expectations, as many picked Seattle to win the AL West, and is underperforming in many facets of the game. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise; since becoming GM in 2004, Bavasi has produced one team over .500, last year’s 88-74, and no playoff berths.

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In one of the most exciting Series, a seven-game battle with the San Francisco Giants, in their first series since relocating from New York in 1958. The two teams alternated wins until New York won Game 7 in Candlestick, 1-0. Skowron, however, went only 4-18 in his six games, with a lone triple as his only extra-base hit.

Continue reading "Around The Horn With The '61 Yankees: 1B"

his belt, Kouzmanoff should give the Padres some extra pop in the middle of the lineup this year.

San Francisco Giants

Where will the offense come from?

For the first time in 15 years, th

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Preview Part One: National League West"

When the San Francisco Giants held its first full squad work out on Tuesday, there was one thing all the players noticed what was gone: the media.  " That's the biggest thing," infielder Kevin Frandsen  said. "When you walk in here, you can actually walk in here."  With the Bonds era finally ending, the clubhouse can finally relax.  Barry Zito mentioned that some San Francisco players weren't "totally comfortable in their own skin" around Bonds, and reliever Brian Wilson said players will no longer have to walk around "on eggshells." 

Continue reading "Gone Bonds Gone: Giants Now able to Relax"

Surprise! Surprise! Guess what everyone; professional baseball players are using performance-enhancing drugs. Oh, the horror! Who’da thunk it?

Alright, before you all get on your high horse, let’s take a step back here and examine this closely. What everyone needs to realize is while San Fransicso Giants slugger Barry Bonds may have taken steroids to increase his power, these drugs do not manufacture hand-eye coordination. Remember that he was a more than adequate player beforehand that could already hit home runs – just not as frequently.

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