Kuzul

Last year, the San Francisco Giants experienced several problems that hampered their quest to defend their 2010 World Series title. Notably, some devastating injuries prevented the team from even returning to the playoffs, highlighted by the collision heard ‘round the Bay—the mowing of Buster Posey last May.

As a result of the play, the Giants’ star catcher was knocked out for the remainder of the season. By itself, Posey’s absence would hobble any roster, but he was not the only player who suffered significant injury in 2011. In fact, Posey’s broken ankle and three torn ligaments is the least worrisome for San Francisco. Going into spring training, the Giants were confident that Posey would be able to bounce back from the horrific setback and would ultimately regain the form that led him to the 2010 National League Rookie of the Year selection.

In actuality, the more troublesome road to recovery is being driven by second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who sustained his own grotesque injury while diving for a ball last June. The result of the play was a torn labrum and capsule in his right shoulder, which ultimately required surgery performed last August.

Like Posey, Sanchez did not see action for the rest of the 2011 campaign. Unlike Posey, Sanchez has not been able to demonstrate during this spring training that he can perform at a high level. While Posey has seen action at his projected position of catcher, Sanchez has yet to take the field at second base, instead opting to work on his hitting while appearing as the team’s designated hitter in six games. Incidentally, he is batting .278 with a double and three runs scored so far this spring.

But the Giants, as we all know, are not an American League team; thus, no matter if Sanchez bats .923 for the rest of March, it won’t mean a heap of anything if he can’t take the field. As of Monday, Sanchez recognized that he is further away from complete health than he and the Giants would have liked and hoped for. According to CSNBayArea.com, Sanchez the likelihood of being ready to man second base on Opening Day is shrinking.

“We’re getting late,” Sanchez admitted. “It’s got to be in all of our minds, whether, ‘Hey, will I be out there or not?’”

The main issue in his defense is his ability to turn the double play. Obviously, handling the pivot requires some timing, agility and, above all, arm strength. Additionally, the torque that is used in throwing across the body can be extreme, especially when concerned with a shoulder injury. Recovery from such surgeries takes some time, and Sanchez is realizing that it might be a bit longer before he is able to play the field.

What would happen, then, if Sanchez is deemed not ready in time for Opening Day?

It’s probable that Sanchez will have to start the season on the disabled list. Until he is fully recovered, there’s no need for him to occupy a roster spot, especially since the team already has a couple serviceable middle infielders in veterans Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot. The question from there will be how soon will Sanchez get back to 100 percent health?

Make no mistake—Sanchez is a very important cog to the Giants’ defense and offense. He makes solid plays in the field and handles the bat well at the plate. It would be devastating for the Sanchez and the team if he continues ailing in his recovery. Posey and all of the other Giants who are coming back from off seasons or minor injuries will undoubtedly find their footing. But it’s Sanchez’ revival that means a lot to the balance of the Giants lineup.

As long as Sanchez is unable to play the field, San Francisco’s chances to win the NL West will be thrown out the window.

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It has only been a few days of baseball, but fantasy owners are already looking for players to add from the waiver wire.

You always want to be that owner who picked up the Buster Posey’s or the Neil Walker’s on the free-agent list.

It makes you look like an absolute genius. 

Below is a list of players should be available in most leagues:

Freddy Sanchez: 2B San Francisco Giants:  After signing his extension with the Giants, Freddy has been on a tear in the opening week.  He is tearing the cover off the ball with seven hits in fifteen trips.  For those of you who are thin at second base, Sanchez is your best bet.

Brandon Belt: 1B San Francisco Giants:  Could the Giants have another Rookie of the Year candidate this season?  Brandon belted his first career home run against the Dodgers on Friday, and it was not a cheap one either.  The strong and powerful lefty has a chance to make some noise this season, however, his playing time will be limited.

Ramon Hernandez: C Cincinnati Reds:  Hernandez was the weekend hero with his game-winning, three-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers. 

In a year where the market of catchers is thin, Hernandez could provide decent pop and a respectable average.  He is in a dangerous lineup with Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, and Brandon Phillips which will allow him to get numerous opportunities with men in scoring position.

Chase Headley 3B/LF and Nick Hundley C San Diego Padres:  When you think of offense, a player on the Padres does not usually formulate in your head.  However, Headley and Hundley can hit for average and come across home plate often.  Both categories are vital in fantasy baseball.

Alberto Callaspo SS Los Angeles Angels:  It’s a shame the Royals never gave Callaspo a shot, because he could be one of the promising short stops of the future. He caused problems for the Royals in the opening weekend series and may be a headache for opposing hitters all season.  He is a great contact hitter who also has surprising power.

Justin Masterson P Cleveland Indians:  Masterson was able to halt the Chicago White Sox arsenal on Sunday after they shelled the first two starters they faced. He did not record a strikeout in that game, and that will be a category he will not help you with.  But, if you are short of arms and you are looking for a person who will give you innings, Masterson is your man.

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As stated in the previous Giants piece, readers will agree that the San Francisco Giants have taken more steps forward than other teams in their National League West Division.

Part II to this series will introduce three more reasons why the Giants can only improve their record from last season.

Part II to this series will introduce three more reasons why the Giants can only improve their record from last season.

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Congratulations to the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, who beat the Texas Rangers four games to one to win the title.

Any World Series Championship team has to consist of talent players who like to play the game of baseball together, and this Giants team was exactly that. The Giants played with a lot of heart.

The Giants won on pitching, just as they did all season long, but they would not be where they are without the veteran hitters.

Aage and experience should not be brushed aside as too many fans and media do in baseball. Appreciate infielders like Audrey Huff (34), World Series MVP Edgar Renteria (35), Freddy Sanchez (33), Pat Burrell (34) and relief pitchers like Javier Lopez (33).

My hope for 2011 is that the Yankees can get back to being World Champions again, with all the great veterans in pinstripes. Maybe watching the Giants take what was still theirs up until a few hours ago will get the Yankees to start to believe in themselves again.

The Giants never stopped believing, just like the 2009 Yankees wouldn’t give up until they were on top.

New York’s championship crown has been passed to the new kings on the West Coast. The Yankees reign feels like forever ago again, But hopefully the fans and players will get back again in 2011.

But for tonight, it’s all about the city of San Francisco, and their mighty Giants. You have earned the right to be proud, because you are the best in the World.

The most sincere congratulations, from me, a Yankees fan.

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Fake bearded towel waving Giants fans watched as Matt Cain was able to deliver a crushing defeat to the heavy hitting Texas Rangers, and for many fans, the idea of capturing their first World Series since 1954 is but a stone’s throw away.

Cain kept his 0.00 postseason ERA intact going nearly eight as he dazzled and confounded the Rangers’ hitters, while postseason veteran Edgar Renteria did the rest, going 2-4 with a key home-run in the fifth inning that got things going.

And boy did they go.

Another game in which the Giants overwhelmed the Rangers with a monster inning—seven runs in the eighth inning this time—and they did it with no men on and two outs, leaving some very critical questions on the table as the Texas Rangers head back to Arlington.

This Rangers team was supposed to out hit the Giants, but instead have been out hit themselves.

This Rangers team was supposed to, at the very least, match arms with the Giants rotation, but have seen two of their best postseason pitchers literally man handled.

And that was inside a very pitcher friendly park.

Now the series moves back to an Arlington Park that is known for affording hitters with great success, and one has to wonder if this Rangers team can slow down the torture that cometh.

But it isn’t just about slowing the Giants down.

The old adage location, location, location has been the key to every team’s demise who has faced the Dirty Dozen, so every pitch simply has to be perfect. These Giants hitters are patient, crafty and have found a way to adjust to pretty much anything you throw at them.

But that’s not all.

Their defense is nearly impenetrable, their pitching is nearly unhittable, and 20 runs in two World Series games is unthinkable.

Right on par for Halloween.

So the question now is how will the Rangers reverse what has been done. It seems as if they have done all they can to win a ball game, but to no avail.

Well this is also a team that can’t be overlooked.

Much like the Phillies, the Rangers have extremely good bats in their lineup, and extremely good pitching left to be used, so the Texas Rangers’ bats will have to come alive in Game 3 if they are to believe they even have a shot at winning this thing.

The pitching is a no-brainer: stop pitching these guys inside and over the middle.

It’s almost as if everybody still wants to challenge this team’s legitimacy as a true hitting ball club. Well guess what, they are!

If you’re going to pitch to the dirty dozen, then you must dig deep for that nasty, dirty stuff.

Sloping curves to the corners, changeups and breaking balls that break to the outside and anything else you can whip up that doesn’t sail over the middle of the plate. And hang in the zone like a feather without any wind under it.

The series is quickly turning into a lopsided contest, something the Giants want. So if the Rangers want to show up, now would be a good time.

For the Giants, the only stigma left to be avoided is turning into the 1981 Yankees.

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Getting an opportunity to play in Major League Baseball doesn’t come without sacrifice and hard work. Everyone that gets there goes a different route in realizing their dreams.

Some players have more obstacles in front of them than others, which make the success of San Francisco Giants’ second baseman Freddy Sanchez quite remarkable.

If Sanchez is to go on and become the most valuable player of the World Series, it would top an already incredible career that has included three All-Star appearances and a National League batting crown.

Born with a pigeon-toed left foot and a club right foot, Sanchez’s parents were faced with the fear that he might never walk. But surgery at a young age helped correct the problem.

Sanchez grew up across the street from the baseball field at Burbank High School, about 20 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles. Having covered many of Burbank’s games during Freddy’s four years there, the Bulldogs were definitely on tough times, even though they made a brief playoff appearance during Sanchez’s junior year.

In his four years, there were three varsity baseball coaches, the last of which passed away just a short time after Sanchez graduated from high school.

Success was not something Burbank was used to. It hadn’t produced a big leaguer since Ralph Botting, who briefly appeared for the California Angels in 1979 and 1980.

The talent around Sanchez was clearly the worst in the five and later six-team Foothill League, which included schools from the Santa Clarita Valley, a baseball hotbed.

But Sanchez, who played shortstop, managed to earn the Foothill League’s Most Valuable Player award his senior year. The honor was remarkable because Burbank did not finish amongst the league’s top three teams, and thus missed the playoffs.

It was even more remarkable because of the division of the six teams in the league. Four of the six were based in Santa Clarita, with Burbank and its crosstown rival, Burroughs, being the others. Some within the two programs in Burbank felt they were at a clear disadvantage when it came to voting amongst coaches in the all-league meeting since it was perceived that the schools in the two cities stuck together in the voting.

Sanchez was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 30^th round out of high school, but did not sign and decided to go to nearby Glendale Community College. This way he was able to stay close to his parents and his high school sweetheart Alissa, who was a grade behind him. They would later marry.

After two years at Glendale, Sanchez transferred. But he didn’t make the jump a Division I program. Instead he ended up at Dallas Baptist University, an NAIA school for his junior year. He stayed just one year and spent his senior year at Oklahoma City University, where he was named an NAIA All-Star in 2000.

From there Sanchez was drafted in the 11^th round by the Boston Red Sox, an organization that generally spends money on high-priced free agents and is generally not prospect friendly.

Sure enough, Sanchez was eventually shipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates, a club that was very similar to his high school team.

But it was in Pittsburgh where Sanchez thrived, winning the 2006 batting title and earning three All-Star appearances.

However in 2009 the club had continued to struggle and with doubts over whether Sanchez wanted to sign a long-term contract, it decided to rebuild again by trading him to the Giants.

More than a year later, Sanchez became the first player in Major League history to collect doubles in his first three World Series at-bats.

Miracles are no longer linked with Freddy Sanchez, so it would not be a surprise to see him win his sport’s ultimate prize.

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There’s something beautiful about the Giants.

More than the beards and the rally thongs, an intangible has sparked not only this team but an entire city. The Giants have been the underdog this entire season. But time and time again they have shown that they are a real championship contender.

With that, let’s break down the Giants’ Game 1 victory over Cliff Lee and the Rangers.

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NOTE: PLAY THE  BELOW MUSIC WHILE YOU READ THIS ARTICLE

The San Francisco Union-Giants marched onto the fields at AT&T Gettysburg under an orange and black sky on this day of 27 October 2010.

General Lee (Cliff) looked to continue his invasion northward after successful campaigns against Fort Tampa and the Yankee outpost in the Bronx.

In the opening rounds of battle, General Lee attempted to flank the Union-Giants with cut fastballs and outlandishly wild curves.

But Calvary Captain Freddy Sanchez and Colonel Aubrey Huff were prepared for this tactic and managed several counter maneuvers, firing doubles to right field.

Lee’s face revealed his thoughts, “this is not going to be like previous battles.”

Furthermore, the doubles were the beginning of an onslaught to the right flank that left Confederate grunt Vladimir Guerrero bloody, limbless and concussed.

With the Confederate Rangers rolling through the countryside of late and Lee evoking the ghost of Julius Caesar, winning this critical battle would be a huge turning point in this World Series War.

Both Generals Lee and Lincecum seemed a little spooked by the magnitude of the battle in the early rounds.

After the first two rounds of battle General Lincecum was in mid-retreat and losing 2-0, but several of his mates,  Cannoneer Juan Uribe and Major Edgar Renteria, made dazzling saves in the field to prevent an even greater deficit.

Meanwhile, General Lincecum took several buck shots to the leg, but bravely fought on.

In the third round of battle, the tide began to change for the Union-Giants.

They spotted Lee with grunt Michael Young, and witnessed Young abandon his General with a costly error. With Lee alone, Scout Andres Torres cornered him and took one for the team in close combat.

That set the stage for Captain Sanchez, who took aim and blasted Lee with a double shot to left center field.

Private First Class Gerald “Buster” Posey, a Southerner by birth but fighting for the North, got his opportunity. He pounded Lee with a golden bullet from his revolver and the score was tied at 2.

Lee’s Confederate mates finally dragged him off his mound bloody and bruised, but not beaten.

The night was still young and the battle would rage on.

General Lincecum kept the pressure on by breezing through the next two rounds of battle.

Then in the bottom of the fifth round of battle, the entire Union-Giant Cavalry arrived with the sound of blaring horns and pounding hooves. Scout Torres fired and landed a double round, followed by a Captain Sanchez double bayonet cut to Lee’s left shoulder.

The tide had turned with the Union-Giants taking a 3-2 lead. Smelling and seeing Lee’s blood, the Union soldiers fought with extra vigor and spirit.

Major Pat Burrell managed a freebie, then Colonel Cody Ross whipped his hatchet into Lee’s left shoulder. The battle score now rested at 4-2 Union-Giants.

Lee’s entire left side was now bleeding profusely. Yet Confederate Senator Ron Washington foolishly believed that Lee could still fight on.

The inspirational leader of the Union-Giants, Colonel Huff, then approached General Lee surreptitiously.

Lee could barely muster a response as Huff grabbed his throat. Lee fired off a harmless shot, which Huff batted right back at him and down his throat.

In close combat, Huff removed his U.S. Union-Giant issued hunting knife from its sheath and cut deeply through and across Lee’s throat, severing his jugular veins and leaving him to gargle and choke to death in his own blood, urine, and feces.

Lee was defeated. His legacy would never be the same. The Union-Giants shouted, “he is not a God!” just as the natives once said after drowning a Spanish Governor.

General Cliff Lee came to Gettysburg an immoral marauder, and left a bloody corpse.

He came to know the meanings of team, divinity, and faith through the acts of the heroes that slayed him.

The world was at peace.

But the Confederate army refused to wave the white flag. So President Bruce Bochy brought out the canons and Cannoneer Juan Uribe.

Uribe fired one massive blast into the heart of the Confederate Army. It was final.

The Union-Giants defeated the Confederate Rangers on 27 October 2010 by a battle score of 11-7.

AT&T Gettysburg would not give way to the invaders.

President Bochy rose to the podium and addressed the gathered:

Two score and twelve years ago our fathers brought forth to this coast a new team, conceived in wood and leather, and dedicated to the proposition that Giants are created superior.

Now we are engaged in a great baseball war, testing whether the Giants, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that World Series War.

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those Giants who here gave their lives that the team might live: Mays, McCovey, Marichal, Bonds Sr and Jr, Clark, Krukow, Mitchell, Williams, Kent, Nenn, Aurilia, and more than can be listed.

It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave Giants, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what the Giants did here.

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which the Giants who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead Giants we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead Giants shall not have died in vain—that this Giant-nation, under God, shall have a new championship—and that their Superiority, of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Battle Commendations

Freddy Sanchez: Silver Star

Juan Uribe: Congressional Medal of Valor

Aubrey Huff: Silver Bullet

Tim Lincecum: Purple Heart

Message delivered via Pigeon Post…. from Union-Giant Scribe Ray Brennan…

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Cliff Lee jogged off the field.

This is what Cliff Lee does.

But Cliff Lee jogging off the field in the bottom of the 5th inning in the World Series?

What happened?

The San Francisco Giants had scored more than four runs just once since September 24th. Lee had allowed just nine earned runs total in his previous 7 postseason starts, all of them wins.

And yet, in Game one of the 2010 World Series, the Giants touched the untouchable for 6 earned runs in just 4.2 innings.

After pitching around doubles in both the first and second inning, Lee ran into trouble in the bottom of the third. The man who dominates with precision control did not have his typical command, and Freddy Sanchez made him pay.

Sanchez doubled in runs in the third and the fifth and his teammates got in on the act as well. Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff each singled in runs in the decisive fifth before Lee was pulled from the game with 2 on and 2 outs.

Juan Uribe welcomed Darren O’Day into the game by launching a 3-run shot to deep left field to put the Giants up 8-2.

AT&T Park was rocking and the Rangers wouldn’t recover.

On a night when Tim Lincecum also took the mound with less than his best stuff, the diminutive ace enjoyed a 6-run cushion when he went back to work in the top of the 6th.

While Lincecum couldn’t survive the inning, Giant relievers came to his rescue. It wasn’t pretty, but the bullpen got the job done just as they have all postseason long.

The game ended with Brian Wilson on the mound. And no, it wasn’t Brian Wilson closing out a 2-1 pitcher’s duel. It was Wilson mopping up an 11-7 marathon that included 12 total pitchers, 6 Giant doubles, 4 Ranger errors, and multiple Vlad Guerrero adventures in right field.

________________________________________________________________________________

Notes:

This article was tentatively titled “Ode to Cliff” or “I miss you Cliff” (I’m a Phillies fan) before the game started but Lee decided to throw a wrench into that plan, didn’t he?

I’d be absolutely shocked if Ron Washington sticks with Vlad in right in Game two. Matt Cain is scheduled to pitch for the Giants so expect to see David Murphy in left and Nelson Cruz in right.

It’s easy to praise Sanchez after a game like this but I really do love his approach at the plate. He’s the definition of a contact hitter and punches the ball around to all fields.

I’m still picking the Rangers in this series. I believe in their offense. I also believed in the Phillies offense.

I do miss Cliff Lee’s patented jog on and off the field.

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Much has been said and written about the Giants lackluster offense.

The team batted .257 in 2010, finishing sixteenth while the Rangers hit .276 and finished first.

On the other hand, both teams did hit 162 Home runs finishing tied for tenth.

But pushing aside generalized offensive statistics, something strange happened during the course of the year that only keen eyes were privy to.

The Giants cut up opposing teams’ aces.

Here’s a list of the best ten National League pitchers in 2010 using Earned Run Average, then what the Giants did against them.

1. Josh Johnson, FLA, 2.3
2. Adam Wainwright, STL, 2.42
3. Roy Halladay, PHI, 2.44
4. Jaime Garcia, STL, 2.70
5. Roy Oswalt, HOU, 2.76
6. Tim Hudson, ATL, 2.83
7. R.A. Dickey, NYM, 2.84
8. Ubaldo Jimenez, COL, 2.88
9. Clayton Kershaw, LAD, 2.91
10. Mat Latos, SD, 2.92
    
    

Josh Johnson: The Emperor’s New Clothes

From May 13th, 2010 to July 22nd, 2010, Josh Johnson pitched six innings or more and gave up two earned runs or less in 13 straight starts, a major league record.

Yet, on July 27th he came into AT&T Park in San Francisco and got roughed up.

He gave up three earned runs in seven innings and his historic streak was over.

During his streak he dominated the Phillies (twice), Rangers, Colorado, Dodgers, and Tampa Bay among others.

Sure, the Giants lost the game 6-4 with Johnson getting a No Decision, but the point is they roughed up the best of the best, ended the streak, and showed the Emperor without his clothes.

Johnson’s season began to spiral downward after that with his ERA going from 1.61 to 2.3.

So how did the supposedly anemic Giants manage eight hits and three walks versus the hottest pitcher in the universe?

Adam Wainwright: Good is not Great

On May 24th, Adam Wainwright laced ’em up versus Barry Zito at AT&T park.

Nine innings later, Wainwright had his first loss of the season as the Giants won 2-0.

Zito’s stuff that night was electric as he gave up only three hits while striking out 10 in eight innings of work.

The offense didn’t pound Wainwright into the ground, but they scratched out a respectable two runs and seven hits to get the job done.

The cast of no name misfits proved their mettle against arguably the best pitcher in baseball over the last three years.

Roy Hallady: Meet Cody Ross

Not only did the Giants beat Halladay in game one of the NLCS, they marred him in game five and scorched him on April 26th for 10 hits, five earned runs, and his first loss of the season.

His ERA went from 0.82 to 1.80 on that night in April.

How did such a mortal offense give such an immortal legend fits all season?

Jaime Garcia: Not so Fast, Rookie

On April 23rd, the Giants got to the rookie phenom for 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned runs, and 3 walks over 6 innings.

They won the game 4-1. And while it was still early in the year, Garcia’s ERA jumped from 0.69 to 1.42.

Garcia would shut them down later in the year to finish 1-1, despite his 2.7 ERA for the year.

Roy Oswalt: Wile E. Coyote

Roy Oswalt must really, really, really hate the Giants.

Not only did he go 0-3 against them during the regular season with Tim Lincecum showing him the difference between owning Cy Youngs and wishing, but they eventually knocked him out of the playoffs.

Even when he finally got a win against them in Game 2 of the NLCS, he turns right back around a few days later and earns the loss in the ninth inning of Game 4.

Then, he gets cut up again in Game 6 and while not getting the loss he certainly didn’t pitch well enough to get the victory.

How much is he wishing he forced his way onto the Texas Rangers instead of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Twenty years from now Roy Oswalt is still going to have nightmares about the San Francisco Giants.

The funniest thing is he’ll think back to their average offense and just scratch his head in bewilderment.

Tim Hudson: Kryptonite

Hudson is the only pitcher in baseball this year who the Giants just didn’t get. Not ever. All year.

Including the playoffs, Hudson went 1-0 with two no decisions.

In 22 innings, he gave up only 10 hits and two earned runs.

Yet even though he was untouchable, the Giants won Game 2 against the Braves in the NLDS.

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

R.A. Dickey: Speaking of Lucky

Giants didn’t play him this year. Lucky for him.

Ubaldo “U-boat” Jimenez: A Game He’d Like to Forget

Jimenez starts against the Giants in 2010 netted a 2-2 outcome with him earning two wins against one loss.

His no decision against the Giants on July 3rd, however, was his worst of the year.

The Giants massacred an erratic Jimenez while feasting on seven earned runs in six innings. It was the most earned runs he gave up in 2010.

In his two wins, Jimenez was his typical dominant self. But on September 1st with the stretch run beginning, the Giants beat him 2-1.

Lincecum beat him in that game and also showed him the difference between owning Cy Young awards and wishing.

Clayton Kershaw: Dodger-meat

The Giants went 2-2 in games started by Kershaw in 2010. His two losses include a combined 13 innings, 11 hits, 6 walks, and 6 runs.

Despite his dominant stuff, the Giants kept him honest.

Mat Latos: Keep Your Mouth Shut, Kid

Mat Latos had the Giants number early in the year, but by the end of the year he wished they would just go away.

He faced them six times during the season, and in those six starts the Padres went 2-4.

The Giants offense got to him enough and at the right times, to keep him vexed. Even to the point he started trash talking.

Then on the last day of the year with the Padres still holding an outside shot at the postseason, the Giants clawed him into his grave, beating him 3-0 on October 3rd.

Conclusion

So what gives? How does an average offense manage to cut up aces. Reason, common sense, and statistical analysis would suggest the Giants struggle mightily against aces.

But they don’t. They didn’t.

Because… heart, courage, and pride don’t cater to reason.

The Giants offense is an overweight, poor, uneducated father who God has blessed with the most beautiful daughter in all the land.

He knows he is barely worthy to be her father, which makes him all the more stalwart and prideful in protecting her.

He would cut any man’s throat who even thought to impugn his daughter’s beauty and grace.

He is humble, but always ready to defend her, especially against other maidens across the land.

Cliff Lee is a very pretty princess, but he comes nowhere close to matching the beauty of the Giants pitching staff.

And so the overweight, poor, uneducated father that is the Giants offense will cut him, again and again, until he’s dead.

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