Tag Archives: Padres

Jan 31

Sportswriters Needed!

If you’re a sports blogger, chances are you know about the myriad of blogging sites available for baseball, football, basketball, and hockey fans alike. There’s SB Nation, filled with insight, snark, and a lot of stats that go over my head. There’s Bleacher Report, which has perfected the art of 10-picture slideshows. There’s FanSided, which has just about every bit of breaking news you could ask for. And then there’s Aerys Sports—the only female-run sports network on the web.

As a writer, I know that personally, the biggest two needs I have to fill are 1) finding topics to write about, and 2) getting people to read those thoughts. However, when it comes to applying for blogging networks, I’m finding that the really successful sites also have tight-knit communities where you can bounce ideas off each other, help promote great work, and improve the quality of your own writing.

Back to the point… this great site I write for called Aerys Sports is gearing up for Spring Training, and it’s their goal to cover all these MLB teams by Opening Day. Check out the openings below and see if your favorite team needs a writer!

National League Teams 

American League Teams

Contributing Writer Openings

You can apply if: You love baseball!

Teams: All MLB teams

Who to contact: Click on the website you’re interested in, and contact the Lead Writers through Aerys.

Lead Writers

You can apply if: You’re a girl who loves baseball! (Sorry, guys…)

Teams: Colorado Rockies (hurry, this one might be filled soon!), Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (this might also be filled soon!)

Who to contact: Reply to us at @AerysSports, @Aerys_MLB, or through Tumblr.

Questions? Leave them in the comments!

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 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!

Sep 16

It’s Rally Time

If you’ve followed the Giants at all in 2011, you know it’s been a rollercoaster of inexplicable injuries, silent bats, and startling roster moves. Now, with a five-game win streak and only twelve games remaining, they’re finally starting to show that September spark we saw in 2010.

Three Reasons the Giants Could Still Make the Postseason

Credit: Jeff Chiu/AP

#1. They’ll make it because… Carlos Beltran can hit.
The novelty of owning a guaranteed offensive threat has waned with the Giants’ losses earlier this month, but there’s still no denying Beltran is the best hitter on the team. He’s batting .325, with 10 RBIs and 9 extra-base hits in September–including two homers that helped the Giants sweep the Padres on Wednesday. According to his interviews with beat reporter Andrew Baggarly, Beltran doesn’t appear to enjoy playing in AT&T Park, won’t return to SF in 2012 unless the Giants buy more offense, and generally doesn’t seem all that thrilled to be single-handedly saving the team from certain elimination. As long as he keeps putting up big numbers, however, neither fans nor players will have much reason to complain.

#2. They’ll make it because… fresh talent > seasoned veterans.
That is, if Bochy and Sabean agree to let the new kids see consistent playing time. Justin Christian is the new Torres, Brett Pill is the new Huff, and Eric Surkamp a solid addition to an already star-studded pitching staff. Whether this means we’ll see a younger team in 2012 is yet to be seen, but the smattering of runs and RBIs (4 of each in September) certainly don’t hurt. All that remains now is to get Belt off the bench. It’s getting so bad that I’ve started catching myself writing “Bench” instead of “Belt.” To be fair, he was able to snag a home run last night, the icing on an 8-run win with hits from Beltran, Vogelsong, and Sandoval (who not only hit his 20th home run, but also hit for the cycle!).

#3. They’ll make it because… they can pitch.
What seems to get lost in the constant flux of Giants offense is the steady pitching from the starting rotation. Lincecum, Cain, and Vogelsong top the NL charts for lowest ERA, and as a team, they stand in 2nd place with 1,235 strikeouts in 2011 (Atlanta leads with only 1,243 Ks). Get the Giants a little run support, and we could be watching another postseason run. Then again, isn’t this what we’ve been saying all year? Continue reading »

May 7

Celebrating MLB Mothers

I love how creative MLB gets for Mother’s Day. Although going to a baseball game is probably last on my mom’s wish list this weekend, it’s great to see all the ballparks making their Sunday afternoon games extra special for the baseball-loving moms. Well, most of the parks, that is.

I decided to take a quick poll of all the teams hosting Mother’s Day games to see who is offering the coolest promos this year. For the American League, we have rhinestone visors from the Rangers, earrings from the Mariners, and pink-lined tote bags from the Royals. The Orioles aren’t giving away anything (or if they are it must be a see-it-when-you-get-there kind of thing), while the Blue Jays are upping their game with pink rally towels and roses.

As for the National League, neither the Padres nor the Mets will be giving away anything super special for moms, and the Giants just want to give everyone World Champions tote bags (I can’t really complain about that, I guess!). The Phillies have pink keychains, the Cardinals are offering pink mini bats, and the Pirates follow suit with the Mariners in the jewelry department. Looking at the giveaways for the Marlins, I was a bit perplexed–it only says “Mother’s Day at the Ballpark.” I hope this goes beyond stating the obvious and is just a hint of the spectacular surprises in store at Sun Life Stadium!

The point of this post, of course, is not only to pit the AL against the NL or make fun of the teams not celebrating their mothers this weekend. As great as all the giveaways look, there’s something even better you can get your mom for Mother’s Day: the Baseball Rose. It’s just what it sounds like–a rose made from an actual baseball. You can even order them in bouquets and special floral arrangements from the website. Sure, it’s a little corny, but definitely a cute way to show your appreciation for Mom and baseball at the same time!

Apr 8

Watching Baseball in Europe: Attempt 1

After four internet-less days, we finally reached our hotel in London at midnight, and I raced to plug in the laptop to catch the last few innings of the Giants home opener. One word to sum up the game?
Torture.
I know, I know, that word is so last season, but I can’t think of a better way to describe it. Brian Wilson (and his spectacular orange cleats) gave up two runs in the 9th, and I was certain we had lost our grip on the game. Then Pablo drove in the tying run with an RBI single, and four runs and three innings later, Aaron Rowand was the hero of the game with an RBI single of his own. This is baseball at its gut-wrenching, headache-inducing best. This is Giants baseball.
So far in my European baseball experiment, it’s actually been more fun watching games here than at home (for that matter, doing just about anything in London is more fun than doing it at home). For some reason, I was expecting a big trial–no internet or mixing up the time zones or something, but with no blackouts and crystal-clear video, the only thing I have to contend with is staying awake to finish a game at 6am. Sounds fun, right?
Here’s hoping the rest of the games run a little earlier, the Giants follow up their usual torture with a dose of triumph, and the Dodgers/Padres game finally ends!
Mar 30

Getting To Know You: Your 2011 Giants

Opening Day is 48 hours away! Is anyone else finding this hard to believe? I’ve been giddy for days, especially after watching the Giants return to the Bay for their final spring training series against the A’s. Before the 2011 season kicks off, let’s take a look at some of the fresh faces we might be seeing around AT&T Park this year.

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Brandon Belt, 1B
If Posey was hyped up during last year’s spring training, he’s got nothing on Brandon Belt. In January, Belt ranked as the 3rd best first baseman prospect for 2011, and has been backing the enthusiasm this spring with 20 hits, 13 RBIs, and the Harry S. Jordan Award (an official vote of confidence from the Giants). Now, the question is whether he can use another season in the minors to sharpen his bat, or whether he’s ready to break into the big leagues. From the fan’s perspective, it would be nice to see Belt prove he can hit his way to fame in his first major league year, as he did when advancing through minor league levels last year. From the Giants’ perspective, it might be wiser to keep him locked in the minors for a while longer, if only to delay his free agent status an save a few (million) bucks in the long run. Either way, I’ll be holding my breath until we see the roster Opening Day.

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Miguel Tejada, SS
Miguel is coming off a season in San Diego, with 171 hits, 71 runs, and a batting average of .269. Not shabby for a 36-year-old infielder, although spring training has proved to be a mix of triumphs (20 triples in 64 at bats) and trials (3 errors in 21 games). All things considered, I’m thrilled to see him out on the field. The season is young and I’m fully confident he’ll only continue to improve over the next 162 games.

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Steve Edlefsen, P
I only caught a glimpse of Edlefsen during his solitary inning against Oakland this Monday, but I like what I see. He’s been cooped up in Fresno for the past two years, with 8 saves and a 12-2 record over 71 games. Last year, he shared the spotlight with Brock Bond as Giants reps in the 2010 PCL All-Star game. In spring training, he’s only played 11 games and a paltry 9.1 innings, but retains a strong WHIP of 0.75. The bullpen is already locked and loaded with Lincecum, Cain, Zito, Wilson and the rest, but it’d be fun to see Edlefsen try his hand at a few relief opportunities.
Whichever way the roster swings, I’m just happy to see the Giants out on the field again. It’s a fresh start, a new year, and anything is possible!
Photo credit: Ezra Shaw
Dec 30

This Week in Baseball Headlines – December 24-30

As 2010 comes to a close, I thought it’d be appropriate to dig up a few news stories that focus on giving back–to the fans, communities, and members of MLB that have made a difference this season.

Brian Wilson & Santa Save Christmas.
In the spirit of the holidays, Brian Wilson hosted a youth party at the Janet Pomeroy Center in San Francisco. Usually, the celebration is hosted by KNBR, but limited donations left the event in danger of being cancelled. Never fear, Wilson came to the rescue with snacks, gifts, and Santa Claus himself. The reason for our closer’s burst of Christmas charity? In a quote from Chris Haft, Wilson says, “The gift of giving is not about the actual gift itself. It is not about feeling like you did something good. It is not about looking better in the public’s eye. To me, it is about the moment of happiness you can create in a person’s life by the simple gesture letting them know that they matter… to you.”
The Doc is Back.
2010 has been a year of triumph, from San Diego’s strong season run to the Giants’ rise as champions. What you may not have seen splashed across the front pages is the trying tale of Dave Roberts. Roberts, the future first-base coach for the San Diego Padres, battled a severe case of Hodgkin’s lymphoma this year. The cancer was first discovered during spring training last year, and kept the coach in constant chemo and radiation treatments. Today, “Doc” Roberts is back in the game, ready to begin anew in 2011 and prove that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.
Santa Clauses of the Mariners.
Mariners’ broadcaster and Toys for Kids founder Rick Rizzs spends each holiday season playing Santa Claus. Okay, so maybe he doesn’t suit up for the occasion, but he makes his rounds to the Ronald McDonald House and Children’s Hospital to brighten the day of children suffering from life-endangering diseases, like leukemia and cancer. His co-founder, Dave Henderson, was inspired to begin the foundation after watching his 5-year-old son struggle with Angelman Syndrome in 1996. Now, Rizzs, Henderson, and fellow Mariners Dan Wilson and the Moose pay annual visits to children in need, distributing toys and playing games for an afternoon or two. In Henderson’s words, “It makes you feel good about your existence when you can be Santa Claus.”
Dec 25

An MLB Christmas

This December, it took 24 days to convince my parents to buy a tree for our house, so in the middle of wrapping presents and frosting sugar cookies I constructed a temporary Christmas tree of paper and cardboard. I think Charlie Brown would be proud. (My parents admired the tree, then called it the most pathetic thing I’d ever done and promised to buy a living one. It’s the perfect tactic, and I’m using it next year.)

Of course, no holiday celebration would be complete without a little baseball. This morning ESPN sportswriter Jayson Stark completed his five-part series on odd facts from the 2010 season with stories of unusual injuries. My favorite incident was Mat Latos’s mishap, when he strained a rib-cage muscle after trying to hold back a sneeze.
On our way to Christmas dinner, my mom gave me a copy of MLB Bloopers: The Funny Side of Baseball. My sister groaned at first, but even she was chuckling after watching Manny Ramirez climb into the Green Monster during a pitching change. There’s also footage from the bee infestation last July, Bruce Chen’s unofficial “I live for this” commercial, and more pratfalls and pranks than I thought I’d ever see in one sitting.
In the end, it was a perfect day spent admiring many trees, enjoying the company of family and friends, and laughing for hours at baseball antics. And the best present of all? Knowing that the Giants are still World Series champions.
Dec 15

The Everlasting Question… Can They Win It All Again?

The road to the World Series is a long one. As fans, we’re all about the game of baseball. Early in the season, we brush off losses as minor setbacks, flock to the ballpark on Snuggie giveaway nights, and sometimes leave the game as early as the 6th inning (well, perhaps only if you live in Seattle). We have the luxury of forgetting about the postseason every now and then.

For a team, every moment is focused squarely on that sparkling Commissioner’s Trophy. In the offseason, managers and owners agonize over the perfect starting rotation and count out their millions to snag a power hitter that will add just the right touch of pizzazz to the roster. Spring training becomes a proving ground, a chance to brag about the inevitable success of every team or hotshot player, no matter their previous track record. And from Opening Day to the final out of the World Series, every team is fighting to live up to those promises, promises that were made not only to each other, but to every fan supporting them.
Of course, once the champagne is showered and the confetti is scattered, the one question on everyone’s mind is, “Will they do it again?” In the Giants’ case, there seem to be mixed opinions. Sabean and Bochy are understandably upbeat about the opportunity to rise to stardom once again, especially as much of the roster has remained untouched so far.
Outside of San Francisco, hopes aren’t soaring quite as high. Big League Stew, a MLB blog on Yahoo!Sports, believes that the Giants need to be more productive in the offseason. “It’s rare that a team can repeat as World Series champs these days,” Kevin Kaduk writes. “It’s a task that’s made even more difficult when a team doesn’t make changes where changes are definitely warranted.” The main concern is that SF has yet to bolster the roster with solid, seasoned hitters (not an outrageous request considering their many low-scoring games in 2010). On the other side of the fence, many claims are made that the Giants only reached postseason performances because of the teams that “chiseled at the Giants’ rough spots,” like the Padres or the Phillies (Gwen Knapp, SF Chronicle).
As a newcomer to this game, I don’t want to fall into the trap of assuming that the Giants will have an easy go of it in 2011, simply because they enjoyed the magic–and the torture–of 2010. Even with Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner and Sanchez back on the mound, Posey catching, and Huff and Torres fielding, this won’t be the same team we saw defeat the Rangers in November. Hopefully, with all fingers crossed, it’ll be a better one.
When it comes to polishing up the roster, the key to strengthening the Giants in 2010 was found through mid-season acquisitions. Cody Ross provided that extra offensive boost in the Championship Series, while Buster Posey strutted his stuff as soon as Molina was sent to Texas. So maybe Bochy now hopes to tweak the team as the 2011 season unfolds. I certainly wouldn’t put it past him. However, I do think it’s unnecessary to fret about the Giants’ waning chances next year. Nothing’s happened yet, teams and their rosters are nowhere close to locked down, and with the way this offseason has progressed so far, we may be in store for a few more surprises.