10-29-12: World Series Game #4
Oct 29, 2012 Baseball
The fat panda has sung. World Series MVP winner Pablo Sandoval and his San Francisco Giants have won the crown for the second time in three years sweeping the Detroit Tigers in Motown last night in ten innings. There was a moment when Detroit was actually winning this game and it was the first time they went ahead in the series when Miguel Cabrera hit a blast over the right field wall at Comerica Park. The lead didn’t last too long as Buster Posey knocked one out over the left field wall to tie it up. Eventually as the game went into extra innings Ryan Theriot got on base and Marco Scutaro drove him in for the go ahead run and Sergio Romo shut down the Tigers in the bottom of the tenth.
I picked the Tigers to win the series in five games, but the tough team from the bay area who came back and won three in a row from the Cardinals in the NLCS to advance to the dance, won four more straight in the World Series. Pitching is everything in the post season, and San Francisco’s staff and bullpen were lights out. From the starters to the pen to the closer, they just mowed down whoever was in their way. Give credit to manager Bruce Bochy for keeping his Giants loose in the dugout and for having a great game plan throughout the playoffs.
Sandoval got the MVP even though I would of given it to Lincecum for having coming out of the bullpen and doing his job by keeping the Tigers at bay in the late innings of games. The “Freak” didn’t complain about going to the bullpen after winning two Cy Young Awards so far in his career, he is a team player. Give credit to Detroit’s pitchers who for the most part did great, the team just couldn’t hit the baseball for the most part.
Its always the saddest day of the year for me when there is no more baseball to be played. Now we wait 15 weeks until pitchers and catchers report to spring training. I’ll miss the games, the bratwurst, the nice weather and most of all the fans. After all, the fans are the backbone of this wonderful game.
10-28-12: World Series Game #3 and #4
Oct 28, 2012 Baseball
Where oh where are the Tigers hitting we all knew from a week ago? I can’t understand, are they exhausted? Have they had too much time off between games? Are they injured? All these questions and more will be answered tonight in game #4 of the 2012 World Series. Ryan Vogelsong was spectacular with his pitching performance last night for the Giants, as was Tim “The Freak” Lincecum out of their bullpen. The Giants who are not overpowering offensively seem to get enough runs and hits from their hitters, while Detroit’s batmen seem lost at the plate and that includes Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. The Tigers starters these last couple of games have been very good themselves but haven’t gotten the run support they need from their offense.
Tonight is game #4 on FOX, live from the Motor City in what should be a chilly evening and more chilly if the Tigers can’t get a win. Detroit is throwing their blue and brown eyed stopper in Max Scherzer who has had a wonderful season while hoping for a big game in his last start of the year. I know the statistics, no team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win the coveted crown, however if they can win tonight and throw Verlander tomorrow and get a win, they go back to San Francisco in hopes to get two in a row and win it all. These playoffs have had their share of major comebacks, but its mainly been the Giants doing the coming back. The Tigers have been good with their backs against the outfield wall all year and its going to take four in a row to salvage this series, maybe there is a first time for everything?
To get a win tonight the Tigers are going to have to do it against San Francisco’s ace Matt Cain who seems to be calm and collected. Detroit is going to have to figure out how to solve his coolness and rattle his cage early. We all know Lincecum won’t be able to come out of the bullpen tonight, so maybe, just maybe the Tigers get this one. I hope so, as I wish for baseball to continue as long as possible this season. Plus, I want a friend and his father who are the biggest Tiger fans I know to have a night of happiness.
Being a White Sox fan, as I’ve mentioned proudly over the course of this blog in October, I know how good Detroit is, I just didn’t think that the Giants had the bats to beat the Tigers. Maybe Detroit sits Cabrera and Fielder and replaces them with Al Kaline and Mickey Stanley. Maybe they move the game to old Tiger Stadium just for one evening. Maybe just maybe Sparky Anderson and Ernie Harwell look down from the heavens and help persuade the baseball gods to bless the boys of Detroit one more time. We will see, and we will be watching.
10-26-12 Game #2 World Series
Oct 26, 2012 Baseball
Pitching, pitching, pitching… Both pitchers did a great job in game #2 of the World Series, but Madison Bumgarner was better than Doug Fister. Bumgarner gave up only two hits in seven innings to lead his Giants to a 2-0 victory over Detroit. Doug Fister pitched great also, along with taking a baseball off the side of his head the wound up going into center field. There weren’t three home runs hit in this game, no theatrics, but just an old fashion baseball game that one team scored two runs in, and the other nothing.
It could of been very different. In the first inning Prince Fielder was trying to score from first base on a Delmon Young double with nobody out. Marco Scutaro took a rely throw from left field and fired a perfect throw home to Posey who tagged Prince on the bottom of his foot just before he could touch home plate. I don’t know why third base coach Gene Lamont sent him with nobody out, especially a guy who is as big as an actual tiger. If Fielder scores and Young is on second with nobody out in the first, this game could of been wide open from the start.
I watched the game with my buddy who is a huge Detroit fan, and he was amazed at the decision. But baseball is like life in where sometimes you just have to take a chance. This time it failed.
Detroit and San Francisco take the series back to Motown for game #3 on Saturday with the hopes of winning 2 if not all three games in front of their fans. Let’s see if they can make this a series, I do and think that they can. Remember as in life and baseball, there is always hope.
10-25-12 World Series Game #1 Recap and Game #2
Oct 25, 2012 Baseball
The Panda and The Freak!
Reggie Jackson, I mean Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs, two of them off Tiger ace Justin Verlander, to lead the Giants to victory 8-3 in game #1 of the fall classic. The Panda went 4-4 driving in 4 RBI’s as Barry Zito did a good job shutting down a powerful Tiger lineup. Then The Freak came in and shut the door with 3 innings of great pitching. I like the way the Giants use Lincecum in these playoff games, he comes out of the pen, he starts, he hits he is amazing. Sandoval has done what only three men before him have done ever in the World Series to put him in legendary status.
I don’t know what happened to the Detroit pitchers in game one? Verlander who is as good as a big game pitcher can get, just didn’t have his stuff. It happens. My goodness the guy has been pitching lights out this whole month so he was due for one bad game. Don’t look for that to happen again. The Tigers looked a little confused early on in the contest, but maintain hope for game two tonight on FOX.
Tonight’s contest will feature Doug Fister going up against home town fire baller Madison Bumgarner. Don’t expect the Giant’s fans to go too crazy if Detroit can score some runs early, which I fully expect them to do against San Francisco. After winning 4 games in a row, the Giant’s are due for a loss before taking the series back to Motown.
10-24-12 WORLD SERIES GAME #1
Oct 24, 2012 Baseball
The Biggest show starts its run tonight on FOX as The San Francisco Giants host the Detroit Tigers for the first time ever in a World Series.
Tiger ace Justin Verlander takes the rock tonight against the Giant’s Barry Zito at AT&T Park by the bay. The Tigers are loaded with pitching and have a nice trio of Verlander, Scherzer, and Fister and have great 3,4,5 hitters in Cabrera, Fielder and Delmon Young. Detroit can get you out and knock you out with both pitching and offense. San Francisco plays very good defense with Posey behind the plate leading the charge. Not only that they have luck on their side with the ability to win three games in a row twice when their backs are against the outfield wall.
This all being said, and game #1 being very crucial in this series I am going to pick the Detroit Tigers to win the crown. Its been a short 2 years since the Giants won it all against the Rangers, but the Tigers have been waiting since 1984 to win another one. I have to think the baseball gods are smiling down on the motor city this year. As a White Sox fan I’ve seen a lot of these Tigers over the last several years and think that the building process is complete. I see how they are tenacious and also managed by great baseball guy, the old school Jim Leyland.
My pick, Detroit in 5 games.
10-23-12 NLCS Game #7
Oct 23, 2012 Baseball
Just as the runs poured in early for the Giants, the rain poured down late on the Cardinals season and chased them back to their nests. I don’t want to say I told you so, so I’ll write it. At the start of this year’s playoff games there were 10 teams and I predicted the final two spots being San Francisco against Detroit, look it up.
The Giants behind their great pitching with Matt Cain and hitting by Marco Scutaro find themselves in the World Series, hosting games one and two in San Francisco at AT&T Park on Wednesday night. The Cardinals were pegged early with hits and more hits that eventually lead to their demise after a great post season. I am not taking anything away from St. Louis, they played their tails off to get to this point, but the pitching of San Francisco, both starters and relievers did an outstanding job. Manager Bruce Bochy had a great plan going into this series and it worked out just as it did in Cincinnati. How about that Marco Scutaro? What a story! First he gets nailed at second by the Cardinal’s Matt Holiday who slid right at him knocking him from game #1 and missing game #2, and Scutaro comes back and makes the final out by catching Holiday’s pop fly. Storybook ending to the NLCS. Oh by the way, Scutaro gets the MVP of the series.
St. Louis with a new manager and without Albert Pujols deserves high praise. Nobody thought back on July 15th that the Cardinals had a chance to make the playoffs. I think some folks were thinking Atlanta, the Dodgers and even the Pirates were going to go to post season, but you never can count the redbirds out. Good job St. Louis you should be proud, and definitely even more so than the New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, & Cincinnati Reds. Those three teams felt and played like they were owed a trip to baseball’s biggest dance… you were just one victory shy and did a nice job trying to defend your crown.
I’m so looking forward to this World Series, I really like both the Tigers and Giants chances. Find out tomorrow how I think things will shake out between these two clubs who will face each other for the first time in post season.
10-22-12 NLCS Game #6 and #7
Oct 22, 2012 Baseball
Well its happened again, there will be another elimination game tonight and its going to be in San Francisco. Game #6 last night on FOX of the NLCS was controlled from the start by the Volgelsong and the Giants. The winner of tonight’s game will go on to the World Series against Detroit. But who will it be?
My money is got to be on the Giants, and my heart says the Giants who have Matt Cain taking the mound. Though the Cardinals have been so good when it comes down to the wire in every situation in this playoff run. St. Louis is throwing Kyle Lohse who is said to be ready to throw the game of his life tonight by the bay. I think the crazy Giant fans will help vault San Francisco into the series against Detroit. Let’s see if I’m right.
10-20-12 NLCS Game #5 and The Tigers
Oct 20, 2012 Baseball
The Tigers await for their feeding yet another day as the Giants and Barry Zito shut the Cardinals down in St. Louis last night. Kung Fu Panda says ” I can’t wait to eat a Tiger and we will win the next to games. And if the Giants can’t pull off two in a row in SanFrancisco, the Tigers will eat birds. The The Giants will have to do what they did against the Reds and that’s win 3 in a row. It can be done, but this St. Louis group of players are grinders who seem to keep fighting hard.
As the Tigers await that feeding, head zookeeper Jim Leyland has his team practicing against some minor leaguers to keep his team loose and focussed. So they called up some of the Cubs and White Sox players to come over to Detroit and play some scrimaage games. I heard even former player Jack Morris is throwing a simualtion game in Lakeland, in hopes he can start game #2 of the World Series, I’ll keep you posted on that.
10-18-12 : ALCS GAME 4 and NLCS Games 3
Oct 18, 2012 Baseball
THE ALCS GAME 3 WAS POSTPONED DUE TO RAIN. HOWEVER HERE ARE A FEW THINGS ABOUT WHAT SOME PLAYERS DID LAST NIGHT IN DETROIT:
1. Miguel Cabrera, Delmon Young, Prince Fielder, and Jose Valverde went back to third base coach Gene Lamont’s house and worked on their rendition of the national anthem barbershop quartet style for tonight’s game. They also ate 12 pizzas and had some cheesecake.
2. Jim Leyland yelled at kids to get off his lawn while he put up some early Halloween decorations for his wife.
3. Alex Rodriguez went with Derek Jeter to the Motor City Casino and put ten thousand dollars on the Tigers for game #4.
————————————————————————————————————-
Last night’s rain soaked game in St. Louis was, well, rainy. But that didn’t stop the Cardinal bench from soaking up a victory off of Giant pitcher Matt Cain in game 3 of the NLCS. Matt Carpenter carved out the go ahead run with a blast over the right field wall. Even though Cardinal pitchers didn’t have their best stuff, their defense got them out of some tight jams. After Beltran went out of the game, Carpenter picked up the slack with the wood, which has always been hot against Cain. 16 of the last 21 teams to lead in a series two games to one have gone onto the World Series. These teams definitely have a distaste for one another, and you can feel it just watching the game. I like the Giants to tie up the series tonight with game #5 going back to the Cardinals. St. Louis is really a bunch of grinders and refuse to give up, and that is what makes them different from last season’s team, their fun to watch.
10-17-12 ALCS Game #3 Recap & NLCS Game #3
Oct 17, 2012 Baseball
Instead of the Yankees sending C.C. Sabathia out to the mound this evening for game #4 in Detroit, the Yankees should hang his underpants on a bat and have A-Rod wave it from the dugout. This series is done. Even by the accounts of Tigers fans, who like any other fan in baseball, has a deep down fear of the Yankees, can see the giant oak tree falling to the ground. I can’t say enough about the pitching for both teams tonight, but once again Justin Verlander was just to good. Think what you want about Jeter being out, Swisher being benched, A-Rod sitting because his dick is getting in the way of his stroke, the Tiger pitching has dominated the opposing players on the field and in the dugout. New York may win the next game, maybe even two games, but start spreading the news, this series is over.
Today’s afternoon game on FOX has a Matt Cain driving the train for San Francisco into St. Louis against Kyle Lohse for the hometown Cardinals. Busch Stadium is going to be rocking with the greatest fans in the world, rumor has it that Chuck Berry will play the anthem on his guitar and Toby Keith is going to belt out the seventh inning stretch, oh wait wrong ballpark. This series is tied up at one apiece and I could see it going back to the bay area for game six and seven. Pitching will win out every time and as I stated at the beginning of the playoffs, I like the Giants all the way.