Monthly Archives: October 2011

Oct 26

2011 Fan[girl] Awards, Part Two

Matt Kemp may be a shoo-in for the NL MVP this year, but you won’t find his name here. Without further ado, the results from the 2011 Fan[girl] Awards:

Worst Injury – Buster Posey

Most Surprising Player – Ryan Vogelsong

Best Series – September 15-18 at Colorado

Most Promising Rookie – Brandon Crawford

Oddest Move by Management

Okay, this one wouldn’t actually fit on the tiny virtual trophy, so drumroll on your desk as you read my pick: giving Miguel Tejada and Aaron Rowand the boot! You know it was your favorite day of the 2011 season, admit it.

That concludes this year’s awards! Stay tuned for some awards that matter even more, shortly following the final games of the World Series.

Oct 25

Postseason in Peoria

While the Scorpions are scraping the bottom of the AFL East with a 5-12 record, the Peoria Javelinas–affiliate team of the Seattle Mariners–are hanging onto second place in the AFL West quite nicely. After 18 games, they have a 9-9 split, topped with an 8-4 victory against Scottsdale last night.

Catcher Adam Moore and LHP Danny Hultzen are the only representatives from Seattle’s 40-man roster, but six other notable Mariners grace the Javelinas: outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang, shortstop Nick Franklin, RHP Steven Hensley, LHP Brian Moran, and RHP Forrest Snow.

Chih-Hsien Chiang leads the offensive charge for Seattle, batting .341/.438/.439 over 11 games. His most valuable play to date was during a 6-3 loss to the Mesa Solar Sox, when he scored on a triple, thanks to a throwing error by center fielder Aaron Hicks.

On the mound, Forrest Snow tops the AFL with a WHIP of 0.23 and a 0.00 ERA. Granted, he has amassed just 4 games and 8.2 innings, with one hit, one walk, and 10 strikeouts. Let me reiterate that these numbers mean squat so far, and may not indicate anything significant when the AFL concludes, either. Even so, they’re fun to examine in the hope that each of these players will only continue to improve over the offseason.

Peoria faces Scottsdale at 6:35 PST this afternoon for Game 2. Until then, head over to Twitter and follow Forrest Snow and the Arizona Fall League for updates around the league. Oh, and if you want to get some firsthand reports, check out the AFL Prospects blog, where you can find sporadic updates and insights from players on each AFL team.

Oct 19

Jumping Off the Bandwagon

It’s been a fun ride, but I’m done.

In a few hours, Game 1 of the Rangers-Cardinals World Series will begin, and I will do my best to watch without a hint of bias toward either team. It’s not just that I’m torn between the pros and cons of rooting for the Rangers: they’ve never won a World Series title; they effectively beat the Mariners in the NL West; they made it to the WS one more time than the Giants; they play flashy, offense-driven baseball (I’m looking at you, Nelson Cruz). It’s not because these teams have more or less flown under my radar until the past month.

Mostly, it’s because I picked the Rays, Tigers, Phillies, and Brewers to go far in this year’s postseason. Sure, the Tigers battled in the Division Series and hit for the cycle in one inning against the Rangers. The Rays didn’t do much of anything, and the unbeatable Phillies fell by one run in Game 5 of the NLDS. My hopes were pinned to the Brewers, with their tacky but catchy “Beast Mode,” until the Cardinals had a 12-6 slugfest at their expense.

I played the part–donning the rally caps, cheering for players I still can’t name, even acting sad when each of those teams lost. Which brings me to my point: each of those teams lost. Superstitious as it may be, I’m afraid that by picking a favorite team to win the championship title, I will somehow jinx their chances of succeeding.

So in the spirit of fairness: Good luck, Texas. Good luck, St. Louis. I’m looking forward to seven exciting games, and promise to give you equal amounts of grief for flashing the “claw” sign and chanting “Happy flight!”. And I can already tell that the best moment of the 2011 World Series will be the moment Jeremy Affeldt receives the Roberto Clemente Award in Game 2. Because you all remembered to vote for him, right? Right?

Oct 15

2011 Fan[girl] Awards

Last year, I decided to give out my own awards to players, teams, and moments I felt contributed to the Giants’ memorable season. Although the Giants didn’t reach the postseason this year, I still want to highlight some of the highs and lows from 2011.

Worst Injury

Buster Posey vs. Scott Cousins. Need I say more? Didn’t think so.

Freddy Sanchez vs. his shoulder. Sixteen days after losing Posey to the DL, Sanchez rolled over a ground ball from Brandon Phillips, dislocating his shoulder in the Giants’ second season-ending injury of the year.

Jeremy Affeldt vs. frozen hamburger patties. I’m sure there’s a list of forbidden activities on off days, things like bungee jumping, playing with knives, or any other high-risk hobby. Unfortunately for Affeldt, this now includes trying to separate frozen hamburger patties with a knife, which he accidentally drove into his non-throwing hand.

Most Surprising Player

Pablo Sandoval. It was surprising enough that Panda managed to slim down over the 2010 offseason. What put him over the top, though, was watching his AVG spike from .268 to .315, with an OPS of .909 (.732 in 2010). Keep in mind that he played 35 fewer games this year, but factoring in a nasty hand injury in late April, it makes his accomplishments even more impressive–not to mention hitting for the cycle!

Ryan Vogelsong. Ryan’s was the ultimate feel-good story of 2011. He jumped into the rotation after Zito went on the DL this spring, finishing the year with a 13-7 W-L record and 2.71 ERA. He was warmly accepted by fans and teammates, recipient of the Willie Mac Award, National League All-Star, and ranked 6th overall for lowest ERA. Not too shabby for a guy who hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2006.

Miguel Tejada. Well, I never said the surprises were good ones. It makes me sad to think how excited I was about Tejada at the beginning of the season, only to see him slide from a .269/.312/.381 season with Baltimore and San Diego to a .239/.270/.326 season in San Francisco. And then there was the way he left the team in September… but more on that later.

Best Series

May 20-22 vs. Oakland. Take your pick: there was Huff with the walk-off single in Game 1, Lincecum with 6 K’s and 3 hits in a Game 2 shutout, and Burriss with another walk-off single for the sweep.

June 28-30 at Chicago. Not as sweet as a sweep, this was a 4-game split with the Cubs. However, what makes this series so remarkable is June 28–a doubleheader where the Giants’ winning streak expanded to 7 games, Zito earned his first win of the season, and the team dominated with a total of 30 hits and 19 runs.

September 15-18 at Colorado. Injuries, slumps, and struggles aside, this was not the team we’d grown accustomed to in 2011. Pablo lead the charge, hitting for the cycle in 6 innings of Game 1, then hitting 2 homers in the 4th inning of Game 4. Altogether, the Giants emerged from the series with 35 runs, 48 hits, and 8 consecutive wins… not to mention a very pleasantly surprised fan base.

Oddest Move by Management

Sending Belt to Fresno. And bringing him up. And sending him down. And bringing him up. And sending him down. And bringing him up. I’m not saying Belt would have thrived on the team had he been allowed to play a full season, but you can’t blame his numbers (.225/.306/.412) on a lack of readiness alone.

Releasing Tejada and Rowand. It was the day we all hoped for, but didn’t dare dream of. After an unfruitful season by both players, management ate over $15M in contracts and designated them for assignment before the final month of regular season games.

Giving the boot to Bill Neukom. Sorry, that’s supposed to read, “Bill Neukom chooses to retire.” Only his retirement came in the middle of September, a shock even to the team. The problem? None that was outlined clearly, as Larry Baer’s transition to CEO needed to be made smoothly. According to Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy: “The action is believed to be the fallout from a series of disagreements with the committee during Neukom’s three-year stewardship of the team.”

Most Promising Rookie

Brandon Crawford. In his first major league game, Crawford ripped a grand slam. It would be his first of only 3 home runs in 66 games, but the flashy glove at shortstop didn’t hurt–especially with a .972 FP. He spent the entire month of August in Fresno, and is polishing his fielding and batting skills with the Scottsdale Scorpions this offseason. My only hope is that he can pull up his AVG from .204 when we see him in the starting lineup in 2012.

Eric Surkamp. Surkamp made his major league debut in August, issuing 3 walks, 1 earned run, and 4 K’s over 6 innings. He fared slightly better in his subsequent five games, pulling out two wins against the Padres, but slipped in the last few games of the season, giving up 6 runs to Arizona for an embarrassing 15-2 loss that ended any thought of the playoffs. Despite leading the minors with a 1.94 ERA in 2011, his slip-ups in the majors mean we probably won’t be seeing Surkamp in a starting role anytime soon.

Brandon Belt. Belt has been heralded and defended and championed throughout the 2011 season, even as he was often passed over for Aubrey Huff (41 times, by my calculations). Whether or not those decisions were justifiable, Belt has had a decent season, considering all the traveling he’s done from SF to Fresno and San Jose. He debuted on Opening Day as the starting first baseman, and split the remainder of his games between first base and left field. Now, Belt is honing his skills in the Dominican Winter League, which will hopefully give him the edge he needs to be seriously considered in 2012.

What do you think? Vote in the comments, and stay tuned for the results!

Oct 12

Scorpion Watch

For those who want baseball 365 days a year, the Arizona Fall League is here to help. From October 4th to November 19th, Arizona’s spring training stadiums fill with teams comprised of prospects, minor league and potential major league players looking to hone their skills and earn consistent playing time next season. Each team features the players of five major league teams–and coincidentally, the Giants’ Scottsdale Scorpions are defending champions this year.

This season, Giants fans should be familiar with quite a few faces in the Scorpions lineup. Gary Brown is the star center fielder, as CAL Rookie-of-the-Year and Baseball America Minor League All-Star, boasting a .336 AVG and .407 OBP in his 131 games with the San Jose Giants. Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik share the shortstop position, but word has it Panik has been working his glove at second base while Crawford tries to cement his spot on the Giants 40-man roster.

The Giants also have four right-handed pitchers on the Scottsdale roster: relievers Stephen Harrold, Austin Fleet, Seth Rosin, and starting pitcher Daryl Maday. Maday had an unfortunate season in Fresno and Richmond, posting a 4.75 ERA over 28 games, 4 wins, and 12 losses. Now, his ERA is down to 0.00 after a single win against the Phoenix Desert Dogs… but with a total of seven games played in the Fall League, this is hardly the kind of sample size that makes numbers meaningful.

As a team, the Scorpions are hanging onto second place in the AFL East, 2.5 games behind the Salt River Rafters with a 3-4 W-L record. In tonight’s 10-5 loss to Salt River, Gary Brown was the only San Francisco representative, stealing second after going 1-for-5 with an RBI single. Thirty games remain, and how much the Giants’ players improve remains to be seen. I’ll post periodic updates over the next month, but until then, follow the Fall League on Twitter and check out the AFL Prospects Blog for in-depth reports.

Oct 11

Coming Soon: West Coast Fan[girl] Relaunch

The single hardest thing about blogging is not deciding what to write about. It’s not about remembering to proofread your posts, responding to comments in a timely way, or even trying to write well. It’s coming up with a name.

When I started West Coast Fan[girl] last July, I had no idea how to brand myself. I wasn’t a full-fledged baseball fan, and had only followed the Giants for a month. I couldn’t just call myself West Coast Fan, since that URL was, and still is, owned by a writer whose only post is a three-year-old complaint against Barry Zito. So I tacked on “[girl]” and hoped it would make my blog stand out from the crowd.

My favorite thing about this shirt is that a man is wearing it.

Now, however, I’m beginning to realize that I don’t want to identify myself as a “fangirl.” Urban Dictionary defines a fangirl as “a female who has overstepped the line between healthy fandom and indecent obsession.” (Fangirls are also said to frequently “glomp” people, which as best as I can figure out, is some kind of forceful and unwanted hug.) In sports, fangirls tend to be the ones who focus exclusively on a player’s appearance, rather than his abilities on the field, or who cheer for a team because their uniforms look cute and their colors are awesome.

So call me a geek. A baseball nerd. A fan. Perhaps I’m making too much out of this, but in the months to come, you may see some changes around the blog. Feel free to suggest alternate names in the comments, and I’ll try to come up with a few options you can vote on as well. In the meantime, answer this question: what comes to mind when you think of a fangirl?

Follow me on Twitter, and don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll!
Oct 10

Boycotting Beast Mode: Brewers vs. Cardinals

Confession: I haven’t been a very good faux Brewers fan. It kills me when I see the players in “Beast Mode,” and as of this moment, I can name only three Brewers on the postseason roster: Ryan Braun (he drove in four runs yesterday), Prince Fielder (he tried to run over Eli Whiteside once), and John Axford (well, have you seen the ‘stache?). Still, I’m doing my best to retain some knowledge of the Brewers, if only because the more you know about a team, the more apt you are to care if they win or lose.

So, here’s what I can tell you about the Brew Crew–at least as far as it relates to the postseason. In 1982, Milwaukee reached the World Series for their first and only time to date. As an American League team, they faced off against the St. Louis Cardinals. Neither team had much of an edge; Milwaukee’s Mike Caldwell threw a shutout for Game 1, giving the team a 10-0 win, but the Brewers faltered in St. Louis, surrendering a 3-2 lead in the last two games of the Series. Should the Brewers advance again this year, they will join the Dodgers and Cardinals as one of the only teams to play for two leagues in a World Series.

As in ’82, Milwaukee has taken Game 1 of the NLCS, relying on the sheer energy of an air-hugging crowd and the slugging power of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Their weak spot? Zack Greinke, who lost control of the game with 6 runs, 8 hits, and 2 walks over 6 innings pitched. On the other hand, the Cardinals were not to be brushed aside. They held a 3-run lead for, okay, half an inning before handing Milwaukee 6 runs in the 5th. Let me try that again…

This evening, St. Louis will try to even up the series with the arm of Edwin Jackson, a right-handed pitcher who threw 6 innings with 5 hits, 2 runs, and 4 K’s in Game Four of the NLDS. With an average of 4.16 runs per postseason game, they’re not quite at Giants offense levels, either. It’s just a matter of holding back the Brewers’ bats enough to pull out a win. If anything, the Cardinals are a team who has proven they can come from behind–whether to overtake the Braves for the NL Wild Card, or demolish the Phillies’ 2-1 Division Series lead.

Since all this talk about the Cardinals is piquing my interest in the team, perhaps I should quit while I’m ahead. Good luck, Milwaukee!

Oct 8

Playing Ball with the Boys

This is more than a book about the power of women. Author and former ESPN anchor, Betsy Ross, is as passionate about sports as she is about the women who are rising as experts in the sports industry. From Janet Guthrie, the first female driver in the Indy 500, to sports journalist Selena Roberts, Ross provides an in-depth look at the struggles and incredible triumphs of twenty-four women who are too experienced and determined to be dismissed in a “man’s world.”

Here, passion and determination are the key words at play. As Guthrie puts it, “Many motivational speakers are always saying, ‘Well, you can do anything you set your mind to.’ That’s not actually true. You have to have A, the talent, and B, the desire.” These women didn’t exploit their gender to get what they wanted. No one reached the top by whining about being shut out of the press boxes or accepting defeat when an idea or article received criticism based solely on the author’s gender.

In fact, I think the best thing that can be said for each woman is that her drive to succeed was not only fueled by a desire to participate, but also to improve sports. Dr. Michelle Andrews commanded the respect of the Baltimore Orioles as the first female sports surgeon in Major League Baseball. Tina Kunzer-Murphy joined UNLV as assistant athletics director, and eventually became the executive director for the Las Vegas Bowl. And Kari Rumfield rose to the level of general manager for the Florence Freedom, a baseball team in the Frontier League.

There is still much to be done by and for women in the world of sports. I fully believe a day is coming when women will be viewed as equals on and off the field–and it will take all the passion, creativity, and resolution of women like these to make it there.

Oct 7

A Guide to Bandwagon Jumping

So your team didn’t make it to the postseason either, huh? Join the club. No, really. There are about six clubs you can join to relieve that offseason ache when you start thinking about the long, cold months until spring training begins.

I’m fairly new to the whole idea of bandwagon jumping, and while I’ve settled on the Tigers and Brewers as my seasonal favorites, you may want to test the waters a bit before rooting for just any home team.

American League Contenders

Last World Series Win: Never. Can we still call the Rangers a “Cinderella” team after they made it to the postseason twice in a row? Perhaps not, and though I am happy to see Texas get another chance to prove themselves in the Championship Series, I wish the Rays (the “Cinderella-est” of AL teams) could’ve stuck it out a little longer.

Last World Series Win: 1984. Any team that beats the Yankees is a team to root for, in my book. Plus, they have former Mariners pitcher and Giants draft pick Doug Fister, who held New York to one run and a handful of hits during the final game of the Division Series. Now that the flashy team is out of the race, however, it comes down to two underdogs in the ALCS. Who gets your vote?

National League Contenders (a bit more skewed since there are two Game Fives left to play today)

Last World Series Win: 2008. Let’s face it, these are the top dogs of the NL. The only reason to root for their success tonight is to see the Brewers take them down in the next round. Though I have to admit, I’m a sucker for good pitching backed by a solid offense. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to see a Tigers-Phillies World Series after all…

Last World Series Win: 2006. The favored underdog in this match-up, St. Louis has been battling hard to even out this series. I really don’t know much about the Cardinals, but I’ve caught rumors that upon winning, fans chant “Happy birds!” (or “Happy flight!” depending on who you ask). Nothing would entertain me more than watching the fans start yelling, “Angry birds!” following a loss tonight.

Last World Series Win: Never. I have yet to wrap my mind around “Beast Mode” or air hugs or whatever meaning is behind the ridiculous gestures the players keep making, but I like a team that can play seriously without taking themselves too seriously. Need more reasons to cheer them on? Not only have they never won a World Series, but they also used to be the Seattle Pilots (okay, it was one season in 1969, but it counts!).

Last World Series Win: 2001. While I am more than willing to give credit where credit is due, I am nowhere near generous enough to support the team that took first place in the NL West this year. Still, Arizona has earned their place in the playoffs and fought their way to Game 5 after the Brewers began with a 2-0 lead. I won’t make the mistake of underestimating this team again, and I have the feeling they’re not quite done yet.

And there you have it–six teams vying for your cheers, tears, and half-hearted devotion in the weeks to come. Have a happy (and pain-free) postseason!

Oct 6

This Year in Review… Kind Of

It’s been a week since the Giants began their offseason, and I’ve had sufficient time to pick up the pieces of my heart that were shattered this year. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but with the constant injuries, deflated offense, and untimely slumps, 2011 hasn’t been the year that, well, 2010 was. However, I’m not here to talk about what made 2011 awful. (If you’re looking for a blunt evaluation of the Giants, check out Hank Schulman’s blog, Andrew Baggarly’s notebook, or this article, so cleverly titled “11 reasons the Giants folded in 2011.”)

Instead, let’s talk about the positives. We didn’t reach the postseason this year, but that doesn’t mean it was a complete disaster. Here are some of my favorite moments in 2011:

The Franchise. Some have argued that filming a reality series in the midst of a contending season hampered the Giants’ performances this year. While I don’t know how accurate that is, I do know every Giants fan relished the behind-the-scenes looks at our team. Now, if I could only find the link to watch those last few episodes online…

My first Giants game. That’s right, after a year of cheering this team on, after being in San Francisco during the postseason run (and watching the clinching game of the NLCS outside a bar in the pouring rain), after walking around AT&T Park three times but never having a ticket to get in… I finally made it inside those gates. Bumgarner blew out the Pirates 6-0, Chris Stewart hit his first major-league home run, and even Huff heated up enough for a solo shot of his own.

Panda hit for the cycle. In my last post, this was overshadowed by the Giants’ overall success as a team, but it bears celebrating. During an 8-5 victory against the Rockies, Panda crushed a home run in his first at-bat of the game, advanced Beltran to scoring position with a single in the 2nd, doubled in the 5th, and made an incredible dash for a triple in the 6th. Still not impressed? The last Giant to hit for the cycle was Fred Lewis in 2007–also against the Rockies, oddly enough. Oh, and if you haven’t voted for Pablo as the 2011 Hank Aaron Award recipient, do it now.

Those incredible eight games in September. Remember with me to a happier time, when the cynical fans had checked out of the season and the incurable optimists (myself included) thought the Giants would overtake the Diamondbacks. This was by far the best week of the season. Not only did we watch Sandoval hit for the cycle, but the Giants collected 57 runs, swept the Padres and Rockies, and topped off the streak with a 12-5 win in Colorado. Short of actually overtaking Arizona, there’s just nothing better.

Bragging about our World Champion team for a full season. Granted, it’s not as satisfying as bragging about another World Series win, but it’s close. It drove every other baseball fan nuts, and after all the road blocks and missed opportunities, I enjoyed remembering each detail of a championship in our very recent past.

With 183 days left before the Giants get their next shot at leading the NL West, it’s time to kick back with a stress-free postseason. My newly-adopted team, the Tampa Bay Rays, fell to the Rangers after only four games, so I’m jumping on the Brewers bandwagon for the rest of October. Whether your team is off taking a vacation or battling it out in the Division Series, enjoy your offseason!