Results tagged ‘ a's ’
The Hyper-Fast Rundown
Time to do a hyper-fast rundown. Ready? Okay. I’m tired out already. Whew. Where to start?
There are the obvious woes of the Giants, the ah-mazing hit streak of Pablo Sandoval, the creepily good resurgence of the big Z, what’s wrong with Timmy… all that good stuff. But what’s really taken over the news today is the announcement that Aubrey Huff is on the 15-day Disabled List with an anxiety disorder. I don’t think it’s what anyone was expecting out of the Huff announcement and it certainly raises a lot of questions. Personally, I would hope we can all back off a little at the moment and just send positive thoughts his way, for whatever he might be dealing with. He is a person first and a baseball player second.
With that said, Andrew Baggarly, over at CSN, reported this afternoon that Huff is going through a divorce at the moment and raised a good deal of ire within the fan ranks – people saying that was an invasion of privacy or just classless/in poor taste to report. I think a lot of what is being said about Huff should carry over to Baggarly, honestly. Bottom line, he’s trying to do his job. They both are. The whole thing is unfortunate, to say the least, but empathy all around is the best tactic, I think. Aside from the fact that I absolutely adore that word, even. Isn’t “empathy” a fantastic one?
Onwards! For a short and wonderful time, the A’s were the first team in MLB history to have three Aussies on the team. (As my brother quipped, “Because the A’s are so aussie-ome.” Score, darling. You should read my blog more.) Then they DFA’ed one of ‘em, so they’re not quite so down-under heavy anymore. But they still have two. And two is making me grin and be glad to be in the Bay Area, even if I’m only vaguely A’s sympathetic. Don’t shoot me, guys. Vaguely.
Lastly, a shout-out to Joe Martinez, former Giant extraordinaire, who was called up by them Diamondbacks today. I am not the least bit D-Back sympathetic, but I do hope Joey does well because I love that guy. It’s okay if the Diamondbacks beat us just a couple times this season, right? In completely non-key games and stuff. Yeah, it’s okay? Good. I am glad to agree on this.
Diamond Girl
Opening Day, Bud Selig? (A Photo Story)
(No comments on the messy hair or the lopsided handwriting, people. I am still under a hot chocolate hangover. You can’t expect me to actually write straight.)
Diamond Girl
The Lowdown on the Get Stepped on by Taller Giants Fans Event, aka Fan Fest
I have detailed my feelings towards Fan Fest previously on the blog- you can read that here or my account of last year’s Fan Fest here (which I wasn’t at but made an account of all the same).
A few things that are now on my mind…
Firstly I have no excuse like I did last year. I am available, I know where and when it is happening and cannot claim to have had an aunt in a freak skydiving accident, because some number of y’all have seen Confessions of a Shopaholic and would catch me in my lie.
Secondly I do know not whether it is Fan Fest or FanFest. A quick search on my blog demonstrates severe schizophrenia on my part as to this particular dilemma. Now how I can I go if I don’t even know how to spell it? This could be a good excuse. Another quick search shows that the Giants call it Fan Fest- two words- while the A’s, contrarians that they are, spell it as one word, FanFest. What to make of it all?
This is the official logo which, of course, conveniently evades the issue by making it completely unclear whether or not there’s a space, with their cute logo. Which is cute. But that’s beside the point.
Thirdly I miss my KNBR fix and if I stay home, there is the upside of following the whole thing on the radio, rather than braving the sandy field in my fabulous boots and the lines as long as the playoffs Bud Selig is proposing/promising/guaranteeing. I repeat, we need a new commish, people.
But fourthly Fan Fest is the baseball equivalent to a horrible family tradition that you do just so you can show your battle scars in the future and be all, I survived!
This is all to say I am, as of yet, undecided. Perhaps if I make some cupcakes and listen to lots of calming Enya beforehand I will go. Or perhaps I will make some cupcakes and give them out to add positive vibes to the event and play Enya over some portable speakers, to amp up the whole positive vibe thing even more.
No one will mind if I wear my antlers too, right?
Yes, it’s Instagramed. Yes, I am occasionally a hipster. And a Rangers fan. That too.
Diamond Girl
Caught Between Rock (Kepp) and a Hard Place (Font)
No offense to Jeff Keppinger and Mike Fontenot, because I’m sure they are both wonderful guys, but do you all know the phrase “between a rock and a hard place”? The Giants were distinctly there last night, at the (not especially tender) non-tender deadline.
Because San Fran is apparently really tight on cash these days, they could only keep one of the aforementioned guys and in the end, it was Fontenot. Personally, I was more partial to Kepp, but I mean, really? That’s not, er, the most fantastic pool to choose from right there. In addition to which, they’re pretty much the two people on the roster who I always forgot about, so I’d be lying if I said this move was going to have a big impact on my life.
The other guy they let walk was Eli Whiteside, who I did actually have a bit of an affinity for. I’m not sure if it was the grey hair or the occasional homerun, but I did like having him on the team. Then again, you know how I feel about Chris Stewart, so if this means for playing time for him, then I’m happy. Who knows, Whiteside could get a better gig somewhere else. Looking for a catcher, Rangers? I know you are.
Speaking of which, we have a bit of other news in the former-Giant vein! Aaron Rowand signed a minor league with the (wait for it) Marlins yesterday. I hope he has a good time in Miami and all but, well, they do have a lot, a lot of players. I would guess that’s going to be the hardest team to make, out of spring team. Seeing as they have an 80 man roster or so, what with the players they had before they went on the spending spree and the players they have now. They’re going to need a couple of planes and buses to take the team anywhere!
And Travis Ishikawa signed a deal with the Brew Crew, which makes me inordinately happy. Stop it with the Prince Fielder comparisons already, people. Trav (fab nickname, right?) was one of the best pinch hitters in the game in 2010 and I think Milwaukee is lucky to have him around.
Yes, I’m still mad about how the Giants (mis)treated him at the ring ceremony at the beginning of the season. Take note, Milwaukee. If you win a championship he needs to be there, uniform and all. Please and thank you.
In other news, Oakland may soon be entirely team-less with the Warriors mulling a move that would put them side-by-side the Giants, the Raiders talking Santa Clara and the A’s, of course, pushing San Jose. Nothing seems imminent and the city of Oakland is making their own push now (with a glitzy mock-up featuring a fantastic hotel, no less) but it’s a pretty feeble push on their part.
I’m a Giants fan and all, but it still seems pretty stubborn for the Giants to block the San Jose move so firmly. Especially if they get the Warriors next door. Share the love, folks. There’s room for everybody. And how much more revenue could they possibly lose? They’re already too pressed for money to get Kepp and Font, both.
We have a strange train of events playing out here. But welcome back, Mike Fontenot. I’m sure I’ll stop forgetting about you when you completely over-perform in 2012.
Diamond Girl
coughBaseballWivesIsAJokecough
Dear TV Execs,
I admit it, I didn’t watch your new show tonight, Baseball Wives. That’s because Google told me all I needed to know about it. Yeah, I know. Google rocks.
But really, you’re a smart bunch, right? Then get us some girls who are actually dating baseball players, m’kay? Or else rename it “Woman Who Didn’t Make the Desperate Housewives of Atlanta Cut” or something and we can all leave happy.
Or better still, get a real concept and film Hideki Matsui eating breakfast pastries or Thad Levine being coerced into staying with the Rangers. I’m mean, that’s real drama, right there! I suspect a) a knife to his back b) a new BMW- which would crack me, too or c) guaranteed, all expenses paid vacays in Hawaii for a few months on end. I mean, it could have been loyalty too, but that seems awfully boring/unexciting. Let’s just suspect things instead.
Alternately, you could film Barry and The Fiancée getting their marriage license and discussing, um, hair poufing techniques for beauty pageants. Or do a baby-name consulting show with special guests Brian and Amanda Sabean, because, come on, Declan is fantastic.
I am coming for your job, cupcakes. You wait and see. Although I can’t guarantee I can get a cab very fast, so the show may already be cancelled by the time I get there. But I’ll be there soon, have no fear.
xoxo
Diamond Girl
p.s. Speaking of that Hideki Matsui deal… am I the only one who things maybe they should have kept that story under wraps until if or when Matsui wins the batting title? Because if he has, well, difficulties next year, that story will be torn to pieces by the yowling dogs that are baseball fans. Seriously.
It’s Magic Inside, 2.0 and My Ivan Basso Moment
You know the way it feels when you lie down on the beach in perfect sunshine and there’s a bit of an ocean breeze, just so it’s not too hot and you wonder, does life get any better than this? If that analogy confused you, it’s just that I’m missing the Malibu. Darren Ford and Manny Burriss combined for the winning run this afternoon and watching minor leaguers have a moment of triumph at the major league level is a feeling like that. It’s what baseball is all about, you know? Ford getting a hit and then using his speed and Burriss walking that field at all after all his foot trials and tribulations are just beautiful moments. I want “It’s Magic Inside” plastered all over those walls again.
I’m sad the Bay Bridge series is over because it is too much fun, but it is another landmark in the season towards the inevitable end that is exciting. June baseball is comin’ up. Now I’m hoping for a Giants- A’s World Series. I don’t think the odds are super high on that (Oakland is in, um, last place.), but I would kill (not literally) to see that.
And then the question of why the heck the Giants walk off so much is still standing. I am full out of theories. Which is a first, for me. I am perplexed, but in a happy kind of way.
I miss AT&T Park almost as much as Malibu. Actually, more. So I just bought my tickets for Tuesday’s game against the Marlins, who are a game and a half back in the NL East. I am confident. Isn’t it something how fast baseball can turn around?
The damper on the day was the 60 Minutes interview with Tyler Hamilton this evening which I watched because I come from a cycling family and I nearly cried. It was so incredibly sad. I never liked Lance Armstrong, personally, and none of what Tyler said came as a big surprise to me. Cycling is just a broken sport and as a sports fan, it feels cautionary to me. Obviously they’re different sports but my worst nightmare is watching someone do that about current baseball (leaving aside the steroid era, it’s happened). Could they at least just not lie so blatantly? (On a lighter note and speaking of dopers, I stood a few inches from Ivan Basso as he prepared for the San Francisco Grand Prix in 2005 and it was one of the greatest moments of my life.)
Diamond Girl
p.s. I went thrifting for quirky clothes for a photo shoot the other day and came upon a beautiful Brewers cap and just had to buy it, even if it doesn’t look the least bit (and I mean the least bit) couture. It’s making its debut this July.
Happy Anniversary to Me! And The Scoop On The Really Very Odd Roadtrip.
I can’t believe it’s been a year. It’s been an incredibly fun- and fast- 12 months for me and my blog and, you know, the Giants. They, um, won a World Series. I harbor a (secret? No longer.) belief that it has to do with me and my li’l blog. But don’t tell anyone I said that. I’m also guessing the Really Very Odd Roadtrip is somehow attributable to me.
They won in an injury-ridden train wreck tonight in Los Angeles, as luck would have it. No wonder Bochy is so into leaving his starters in too late. Wilson blew the lead and then came back, got maybe injured, and got the win. Huff made atrocious defense plays. But people hit, which is always in improvement. And Rowand got injured. I hope it’s not serious. Please. Please. Please. Then there was Mark DeRosa weirdness. Everyone’s saying that’s his last Major League at bat, but I’m hoping against it. The Giants still owe him piles of cash and it’s in everyone’s best interest if he’s available to perform in some dimension. Never mind those 0-fer numbers. I’m aware. But him and his freaky wrist sittin’ out all year just isn’t a positive alternative, to me. We shall see.
Otherwise, today was depressing because Armando was DFA’ed (something I blissfully failed to notice until my brother broke the news to me, with remarkably little tact. He could have done it more gently). Remember when I said the Giants should pick him up in one of my personal favorite blog posts (check it out because it’s my anniversary and I can bully you into anything for a few more hours) that I’ve written? Same thing applies. They can ditch MadBum or Vogelsong or Lincecum or whatever and make room for Armando. Okay. Maybe not. Now that I think about it, the Giants probably aren’t the best fit for him right now. But I hope he finds a job. And succeeds. I really do.
And then I read that Billy Beane had shoulder surgery today. I’ll resist the insane urge to make some cracks about the A’s (hell, look at the Giants) and their injuries and suffice to say that I hope he gets better real fast and that when he becomes a total celebrity after Moneyball comes out, a la Mark Zuckerberg after The Social Network, I will say I was a fan before. You’ll vouch for me, right? Thanks.
And I ever so slightly retract my sarcasm about Cody Ross’s brilliance. I see it, a little. But don’t say I told you so.
Diamond Girl
I Had A Ball.
Not like an I-am-Scarlett-O’Hara ball. Like I went to baseball game and had a great time. Which, now that I think of it, is a ball(game). No pun was intended.
The baseball game was in Anaheim which seemed like a bit of a dismal place (sorry, Anaheim-ians) but that may have had to do with the fact that I was half-asleep on the way there.
Let’s just say it’s impossible to be half asleep at the actual stadium because there are so many attendants. Everywhere. Talking you to. All the time.
Our seats were in the second row, second deck which is the deck I’ve never sat in and it was something else. There was a nice little restaurant overlooking right field which we watched BP from and the waitress told us her name about 50 times in 10 minutes. It was impressive.
Our section was right next to the suites and walking through the halls I saw carts with these really fancy cupcakes on them, being delivered to the suites. I was sorely tempted to pilch a few, but I settled for an ice cream sandwich with chocolate chip cookies. Whose idea was it to freeze chocolate chip cookies? Because it’s weird.
When it came down to it, I basically rooted for the Angels. I have Erick Aybar nostalgia from 2009 ALCS and they have a sweet rookie named Alexi Amarista. Then again, when the Rangers vs. A’s score (A’s won 7-2) popped up in center field, I switched allegiances. I gotta stand by my beautiful people who inhabit Texas.
This also helped me root for the White Sox.
Bitter. Very bitter.
May I also say that I have never been to an even semi-warm baseball game and I was so excited for this one? Well, when I sat down at 7:00 I had a coat and a blanket. And it just got colder from there.
Really?
I think I bring the cold weather wherever I go.
Overall, I liked the stadium. The fans were really mellow (read: totally silent) and the giant Angels caps in the front and yes, the fountain are undeniably a lot of fun.
But they could work on the whole scoreboard situation.
That black bar was there for several innings.
And has anyone else noticed that the clouds look exactly the same, no matter what city you’re in or what the weather’s like? I think it must have something to do with the stadium lights.
So thank you for your hospitality, Anaheim. You are definitely the preferable stadium in Southern California.
Diamond Girl
I Am Starting To Forget How It Feels For the Giants To Be At Home And Other Assorted Depressingness
At nine o’clock this morning I was totally perky with my Madden Girl pumps, a new Banana Republic salmon colored mini and cheerleader ponytail to go be a cheerleader at a student music recital. At three o’clock this afternoon I was still being a cheerleader, this time sitting in Little League bleachers, totally wilted, unable to think from pollen allergies, with winter boots more suited for a Transylvanian winter than a Bay Area May 1st and hair that was limp as spaghetti.
Which is all to say I only heard about five minutes of today’s game and it was in the third when the Nats tied it up. Which is not to say that I am a bad luck charm. Just that it was depressing. And it seems a lot of other things were depressing about this game. Aubrey is under .200 (what? Yes, he is.) Darren Ford got caught stealing for the second day in a row and the Giants scored a dismal two runs on seven hits with a sore luck losing Matt Cain. Ugh. That is all.
Yesterday’s game was one that triggered a brilliant, Giants Baseball: WEIRD! on Twitter (@Mikayla_Trimble) and left me scratching my head. I don’t even know where to begin with that one. All I’ll say is that win or lose this team is desperately off and Sabean and Bochy have to be putting their heads (I wouldn’t want my head near Bochy’s. It’d look really… small.) together and plotting a makeover. And I’m not talking the kind that includes a fresh t-shirt and hip bangs. I mean things like figure out how to get Ishi on this team or maybe how to get Whiteside in there a little more often and maybe a pass for a nice little two week vacation to the Seychelles Islands for Aubrey to celebrate his new batting average. Seriously. I just think he needs a few days on the bench. If you’re that adverse to the idea of a few days at the beach. And it’s beyond unfortunate about Travis. Gurus, help me out. I know he’s out of options and off the 40 man, but does that really (or effectively) mean that he can’t rejoin the Major League team for the rest of the season?
Meanwhile the Rangers are in Oakland. And having some miscommunications through the press. Again. What is their problem?
They also hit homeruns like there was no tomorrow yesterday and now that it is tomorrow they hit none.
It was a bad day in baseball but the good(ish) news is that the Giants are tied for second place and the Rangers are in first, if only by half a game. Tomorrow will be better, right?
And I am so over the roadtrip. I am starting to forget how it feels for the Giants to be at home. Not like I miss it. I just can’t quite remember it. It’s like when homesickeness turns into that dull ache. This is getting more depressing by the second. Have a delicious dinner and we’ll talk again tomorrow.
Diamond Girl
sfdiamondgirl
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