GiantsRMyGuys wrote:I read a book called 'Odd Man Out' a couple of months ago. It's about a year in the life of a young man in Single A ball. The narative was so genuine when describing how players reacted to being sent down to his level from AA or AAA. It was so sad I had to put the book down a few times. 24 years old and your life long dream ends because you just aren't good enough.
And so the excitement wore off pretty quick. The boys got home from Modesto at 1:30 Tuesday morning. Vladdy took a very long time getting out of the ballpark...that can never be good news. Another thing that can never be good news is when they come out with a piece of paper in their hands. In this case, it was his flight information ...to Augusta. For 9:00 AM.
For those of you who have never experienced it, this can be one of the saddest days in a ballplayer's life...and in the life of the families that host them. Moving up--that's great. Moving down...not so much. They told him it would give him the opportunity to play more, which he needs. But it hurt. And believe me, I still get weepy when I think about it.
Moves on the San Jose front
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 SLOGiant |
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Posts: 2506 (05/20/09 4:29 PM) Nuschler |
'Baseball must be a great game to survive the fools who run it.' Bill Terry
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MarcoPolo666 |
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Posts: 700 (05/20/09 6:18 PM) |
GiantsRMyGuys wrote: Before, between Angel, Ambort, Gillaspie & Posey they had no problem swapping players out to DH and covering every position. Maybe Ambort is injured, since he's split time between 1B & C this year. |
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GiantsRMyGuys |
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Posts: 71 (05/21/09 5:56 AM) |
Matt...
Well, Mr. Ambort was in street clothes VERY early after the end of last night's game, so we think he may be hurt/nursing a boo-boo or something. Vladdy was pretty good at giving me info...I will have to cultivate CJ. CJ played last night, and was named "defensive player of the game"...he is a big boy, but plays first base like a, well, I don't know how to describe it. He made some freaking amazing leaps in the air to catch balls over his head. We weren't sure how he did it--but it was cool to watch. And tho he had no hits (and very few did last night!!!) he DID hit one like a rocket to the VERY deepest spot in center, where it was unfortunately caught. I'm chalking it up to first-night-in-new-yard jitters. His defense was stellar, although he was charged with an error when a ball took a bad hop and hit him in the stomach. That was the one excusable error the team made last night. The rest looked like the keystone cops out there. Sorry. It was just plain frustrating to watch. SLOG... That is a book I could not possible read right now...or maybe ever. I'm just not sure what the organization is doing right now...the roster in Augusta is turning over very fast, and it's filling up with guys from San Jose AND Norwich. And what I heard last night is, at least some of them are being told they have three weeks to show what they have...then what??? Are they just going to release a bunch of guys? When they are moving Advanced A and AA guys down to Low A, there's not many other places for them go to...Extended Spring Training is full of guys that want to play, also. Just crazy. And maybe I've said too much already...if you all never hear from me again, you will know they have come and arrested me or banned me from every posting on the internet or something.
...With all due deference to the baseball gods...
Last Edited By: GiantsRMyGuys
05/21/09 6:03 AM.
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MarcoPolo666 |
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Posts: 701 (05/21/09 11:54 AM) |
GiantsRMyGuys wrote: Ambort & Ford were placed on the reserve list on May 15 - they aren't eligible to play until they are re-activated. The San Jose Giants are playing a LOT with the reserve list (adding & removing players every few days). I guess this basically means that there are too many players for the team (placing a guy on the reserve list means he doesn't count on the "active roster" - so it's a way for the team to have several "extra" players than would fit on the roster). Looking at the league transactions on milb.com, SJ has made 17 transactions involving the reserve list in May alone (generally in groups of 2 or 3, including such names as MadBum & Alderson). No other team in the league has made a SINGLE reserve list transaction in May. But the point I was trying to make is that Ambort CAN'T play at the moment (until they take him off the reserve list - which means they probably have to put somebody else ON the reserve list first). |
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MarcoPolo666 |
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Posts: 709 (05/22/09 3:17 PM) |
I see that SJ has continued their "reserve list tango". In the last 24 hours :
Ben Copeland & Romo sent to Grizzlies. {above means roster slots are now available, so ...} activated CF Caleb Curry & LHP Clayton Tanner (Sunday's starter) from reserve list. (hey, our scheduled starting pitcher for Sat isn't on the active roster, oops!} activated RHP T.J. Brewer {hey, these guys just pitched, lets make some room on the active roster} RHP Garrett Broshuis placed on reserve list RHP Oliver Odle placed on reserve list Seriously, this is ridiculous. |
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GiantsRMyGuys |
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Posts: 73 (05/22/09 9:53 PM) |
Hey Matt...CJ promised me tonight that he CAN hit, and someday I will see that!! LOL!! Hope you made it home safe and sound.
...With all due deference to the baseball gods...
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MarcoPolo666 |
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Posts: 710 (05/22/09 10:50 PM) |
Yup, safe and sound. Check your email, I sent you the addresses for those two restaurants I mentioned (and one is pretty close to your place).
And tell CJ that I SAW that he could hit - he was *robbed* twice. I can't believe either ball was fielded for an out. In the 4th or 5th, C.J. hit a rope to left-center and the CF laid himself out flat in a running dive and caught the ball. Robbed him of a hit AND two RBIs. He made good contact, hitting the ball well all night, unfortunately he hit it to the guy I've decided to nick-name "Hoover" : the SS that sucked up any ball hit remotely near him. |
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GiantsRMyGuys |
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Posts: 74 (05/23/09 11:10 AM) |
CJ realizes he was totally victimized by that ss....says he is on the Rockies 40-man. Oh well! maybe tonight!
...With all due deference to the baseball gods...
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GiantsRMyGuys |
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Posts: 75 (05/23/09 8:54 PM) |
Or maybe tomorrow.
SLOG...check your inbox
...With all due deference to the baseball gods...
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SLOGiant |
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Posts: 2540 (05/25/09 6:29 PM) Nuschler |
On Saturday my family and I decided to take the 150 miles or so
trip to see San Jose play the Modesto Nuts. It was a great last minute choice on how to spend a Saturday. Before we left I quickly went over the thread that gave advice on where and what to eat, pricing, parking, etc. There's some good info there.
Next I needed to pay homage to the reigning monarch of minor league ball, our very own GiantsRMyGuys. She was holding court in her excellent seats with a Giants hat for a crown and grandkid as her scepter. We caught up for a bit and when the Athem was ready to roll, I rejoined my group. The game was everything a minor league game should be. The 'tween inning entertainment was so funny that even the opposing dugout was laughing. A women's college choir sang God Bless America at the seventh inning stretch along with a rollicking rendition of Take Me Out To The Ballgame. THE BEER BATTER STRUCK OUT AND THE CARPET TRUCK HEADLIGHT WAS SHATTERED!!!!! Now the game itself. We didn't get to see Sharon's new boy play tonight. Angel Villinova started at first. I kept a close eye on Connor Gillaspie and Buster Posey. Connor is good but Buster is the real deal. He should be on a faster track. He's one of those guys that just has instincts on where to be and where the opponent is going. He frames the pitches and makes nice with the umpire. Buster also has one of those Matt Williams kind of humble home run trots. Great body language on the field. The Giants won.
'Baseball must be a great game to survive the fools who run it.' Bill Terry
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Missy and Boo |
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Posts: 2558 (05/25/09 6:36 PM) Official Giants Pessimist |
I love the humble home run trot.
Good times, SLOG!  
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mikey920 |
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Posts: 749 (05/25/09 7:59 PM) |
So... am I going to get yelled at if Mrs. Mikey920 and I were there Saturday too and didn't tell anyone?
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SLOGiant |
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Posts: 2542 (05/25/09 9:56 PM) Nuschler |
mikey920 wrote: Yell Mikey? Of course not dear boy. Sigh. Just so disappointed in you. What would your mother say if she knew that you didn't pay your respects to two doddering old women who would just pinch your cheeks and ask if you're eating well. I would have got a kick out of having someone else to sound off on some of the obvious talent, some talent, and just enough talent to get them this far. I was having that conversation with myself and ending a game with Posey guarding home .
'Baseball must be a great game to survive the fools who run it.' Bill Terry
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giantfan9 |
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Posts: 3916 (05/25/09 10:57 PM) Member |
"What would your mother say if she knew that you didn't pay your respects to two doddering old women who would just pinch your cheeks and ask if
you're eating well."
I don't know....but I have a pretty good idea of what his father would say. 
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GiantsRMyGuys |
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Posts: 77 (05/26/09 6:17 AM) |
Ahem, Mikey...yelled at? Someone ought to take you over their knee and spank you!!! I can't believe you didn't at least say hello!!!!
And Hank...why have I not seen you there? You keep saying you should come down, and I keep telling you there is always a ticket for you, and yet.... Sheesh! You people! I just don't know. I mean really, if SLOG can make it to San Jose from SLO, surely the rest of you could get there!!!
...With all due deference to the baseball gods...
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mikey920 |
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Posts: 750 (05/29/09 9:08 PM) |
Uhh... in that case we definitely were not there.
Question: Thomas Neal. I know he had shoulder surgery 2 years ago. He played nothing but 1B and DH last
year because of it. Now, he's back in the OF, and in that game (that we weren't at) he absolutely hosed a guy at home plate with a throw showing an arm
that I didn't think he had. It shocked the crap out of me. Was that an aberration?
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MarcoPolo666 |
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Posts: 715 (05/29/09 10:20 PM) |
I've only been to 5 or 6 games so far this year, but I haven't seen any situation yet where Neal had to use his arm. I haven't seen any bad
defensive plays from him at all this year, though (no mis-judged balls, no errors - good play, overall).
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GiantsRMyGuys |
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Posts: 81 (06/06/09 9:16 PM) |
...Maybe it's me???
CJ leaves Monday for a week in Arizona, and from there he will take off with the team for S-K (where he says he will hit the hell out of the ball and be back in SJ soon). So I will once again be "boy-less"... SIGH Everyone is trying to figure out what the heck the Giants management is doing...they are moving players around like crazy, using the "reserve' list like it was not important to the players. CJ arrived on the 20th of May, played one game at first, two games as DH, and hasn't played since...except for a late inning replacement in a game that was basically over. How do they expect guys to perform when they don't get a chance to perform?? Frankly I don't care how much money they paid someone (Angel Villalona!), THAT boy needs a day off, and they have someone who can replace him, so why not DO it? And even for the guys who are getting the big bucks and all the playing time, they have no idea what's going to happen to them next week--or even tomorrow! And this is going on up and down the whole system. I've never really felt too much annoyance about what Sabean has done over the last few years, outside of the fact that there have never really been any open spots for up-coming players. That changed last year when they brought up so many guys, AND they drafted a lot of position players. But now, NOBODY knows what's going to happen next, they are moving guys from San Jose to Fresno, for one day or 10 days or whatever--and not necessarily a AAA level move!! Or from Fresno to Connecticut, or SJ to Augusta, etc, etc. The players are freaked out, their families are freaked out (there are quite a lot if married guys in the minors now--even in the Single A level). Guys with minor injuries don't know if where they will be playing when the get back. It's NUTS!
...With all due deference to the baseball gods...
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GiantsRMyGuys |
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Posts: 86 (06/15/09 10:19 PM) |
Matt,
Re: our conversation tonight...when Alderson and Mad Bum went to Connecticut, we got Edlefson and Bocock. BUT we also gave them Brandon Crawford. Guess we had enough "riff raff" on the San Jose reserve list that we didn't need to replace Crawford. But if you want to see heavy usage of the reserve list, you should check out the Connecticut transactions for May. It's crazy. I don't know why they do that!!! Also, one of the games at Stockton is going to broadcast on Comast, we think it's the Friday game...and Craig Clark will be pitching if you want to watch him. He's pretty stoked about it. S~
...With all due deference to the baseball gods...
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SLOGiant |
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Posts: 2687 (06/16/09 5:10 AM) Nuschler |
For those of you with Direct TV --CNBA channel 696 has a classic Giants game on their listing for that night with no description. The Big Boys are playing in
Oakland at 3 (yeah I checked-it's Pacific Time) so I've got my fingers crossed that it's Stockton Ports/San Jose game. The following schedule is
the for the SJ Giants televised games from their website.
Thursday, June 25, 7:00 PM, Stockton Ports @ San Jose Giants Saturday, July 4, 6:30 PM, Modesto Nuts @ San Jose Giants Friday, July 17, 7:00 PM, Modesto Nuts @ San Jose Giants Friday, July 31, 7:00 PM, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes @ San Jose Giants Saturday, August 1, 6:00 PM, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes @ San Jose Giants Friday, August 14, 7:00 PM, Stockton Ports @ San Jose Giants Friday, August 21, 7:05 PM, San Jose Giants @ Stockton Ports Friday, August 28, 7:00 PM, Lancaster JetHawks @ San Jose Giants *SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
'Baseball must be a great game to survive the fools who run it.' Bill Terry
Last Edited By: SLOGiant
06/16/09 9:18 AM.
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