Yu Darvish was named a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year award this evening.
Photo proof. It’s for reals. I’m not making this up, guys. You can read about it ici.
That is all. Thank you, ladies and gentleman, and good night.
Diamond Girl
p.s. Oh, and Buster Posey was named a finalist for MVP. Butweallknewthatwasgoingtohappen.
Filed under Uncategorized
Hide your catchers, people, because Brian Cashman is coming to steal them away. First Chris Stewart and now Eli Whiteside? Cashman needs to start preying on players at other positions. Second basemen, maybe. Or left-handed relief pitchers, perhaps. That would be good. But if we don’t watch out, Buster Posey might disappear from right under our noses any minute, so we need to watch out backs.
You know how Oakland fans say they always lose their stars to New York? Across the Bay, we lose our… non-stars to New York, I guess.
In all seriousness, though, Eli Whiteside is one of those affable players who has lingered through a pretty amazing run for the franchise, never close by but never exactly far away either. Whiteside doesn’t have any huge highlights, but there was a memorable fight somewhere in there against them Phillies and I, for one, always think of his homer against the Twins last June as well. Safe travels in New York, Eli. I hear they have, ahem, some really fabulous Italian restaurants on the Upper West Side.
In my very own New York news, I progressed from a crossing the street on foot when the light was yellow to crossing when the it was full-on red, but I figure it’s okay, I’m just prepping for my late hour Manhattan trip next month. Which is probablykindasortahappening and if it does, it will be awesome and Eli and I can go to aforementioned Italian place together.
You hear that, Eli? Everything will be all right. I will be there to comfort you with ravioli when you begin to miss giraffe hats and San Francisco.
Aside from the big Whiteside news, the hot stove has been pretty much silent. Like, completely silent. Like, drop a pin and we would all hear it. I ate too many vegan energy bars today – I’m not a vegan, but those things are devilishly good – and changed my Tumblr URL and that was all. (I mean, there was the real life work/school stuff I did, but that doesn’t count.) Life is lonely without baseball. ::hot stove hugs::
Diamond Girl
Filed under Uncategorized
Hello there, Sabes. It’s been too long, hasn’t it? Time for a little talk.
We’ve had our ups and ours downs, you and I. Strangely enough, after you won the 2010 World Series was one of our downs. As I said at the time, despite the fact that we’d won it all, I didn’t agree with how you’d managed the team and with the (extremely notable) exceptions of the pitching staff and Buster Posey, I didn’t see the other key players as being a part of a recipe for long-term success.
Some people say that after a GM wins a World Series, he should get no-questions-asked benefit of the doubt for the entire offseason. Aside from the inherent impossibility of that, because we’re baseball fans for Pete’s sake, I don’t agree with it. I think a GM’s team can win the World Series and you can still disagree with how they went about it and whether or not the way they went about it was in the best interest of the team for the years to come.
But this offseason? I would like to personally extend a Get Out of Jail Free Card to you.
Sorry, you cannot sell this card, no matter what treasures Theo Epstein offers you in exchange for it. You must keep until needed.
Because you showed us fans up this season. Big time. And I mean that in the best way possible. I mean, we could just start with the 94 wins and leave the World Series as an afterthought, because there were precious few people who predicted that. The team was very, very good and I think the pieces of it, with just a couple of exceptions, probably, are pieces that are absolutely built for long-term success.
The exclusive negotiating period for teams with their free agents ends on Sunday (you know that, Sabes, I’m just reminding my dear and devoted readers) and so the offseason is kicking off in earnest. But Giants fans? They’re pretty quiet. We’re pretty quiet. We’re pretty quiet because In Brian Sabean We Trust. You didn’t make qualifying offers to any of our free agents and while within the fandom we’re discussing it, we’re also waiting to see what you decide to do with a good deal more patience than we usually display.
The offseason is long (and the days are long / and I’ll sing you a song / about how all our troubles are gone… song interlude, don’t mind me) and it has just begun. Happy offseason, Sabes – er, Sabean. Sorry. I try. I really do. That nickname is so… sorry, am I making it worse? I’ll just stop talking now.
xoxo,
Diamond Girl
Filed under Uncategorized
What amazingly lucky fans we are. I’ve gotten to blog about two World Series wins and now, two World Series parades. I want to pinch myself, because that is marvelous and crazy. Hats off to the 2012 Giants – an absolutely wonderful team that will leave us with memories for years to come.
After the parade was over, we got to walk down the middle of Market and confetti fell like snow. Truly magical.
And why yes, I am carrying a coffee cup in each hand in my photo-op with The Adorable Little Brother. No parade would be complete without two coffees. Money on Hunter Pence agreeing with me.
Diamond Girl
Filed under Uncategorized
Nearly 24 hours ago, now, the Giants became World Champions. It always takes me a little while to collect my thoughts after a game like that, because there is so much to be said. First of all…
Congratulations to the 2012 San Francisco Giants.
Not only are they World Champions, but they are a group of guys I could not be happier for. To a man, they are all class acts and the kind of people I want to root for. This team captured my heart in every way, even more than that 2010 team. I mean, how on earth could you not be thrilled for Sergio Romo when he got to pitch the last one of the game? How could you not be elated for Ryan Theriot (THE RIOT) and Marco Scutaro when they combined for the winning run in the 10th inning?
Just a magical, unexpected season – at least to me, maybe some of you wizkids expected it – and it’s still a little surreal to think it’s over. The most amazing part to me, perhaps, is what Henry Schulman at the Chronicle called “a sense of inevitability” when the Giants had a commanding seven game lead with nineteen left to play. That phrase stuck with me. There was a moment when that inevitability began to set in during the regular season and to me, it never quite left. Even against the wall versus Cincinnati and then against St. Louis.
When #RallyZito hit the scene, it took it to a whole new level: there was no way they could lose. And they did not let us down. They did not lose a game after that. It was not luck. This was quietly a very, very good team. The best in the Major Leagues, in fact.
I think I’ll remember this as the postseason of rain, but also for the opponents we faced. The Reds and Cardinals obviously put up quite a fight and I am sure, even as a Giants fan, the Tigers are better than they played. See you next year, Motor City, because I have a feeling you’ll be back.
Lastly, I would like to thank all you marvelous people for following along through this season. It’s always bittersweet when it comes to an end, even though this one is more sweet than bitter. Still, it’s been a wonderful ride and not least of all for all your comments and tweets. I am an enthusiastic offseason blogger, though, so you won’t have a chance to miss me.
See you all parading down Market on Wednesday – I will hopefully be a few inches taller than I am now.
Diamond Girl
p.s. I will never stop using this GIF.
Filed under Uncategorized
