Tag: san francisco giants

Just Another Day At the Office

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Quite a day.  I teed off with Yang and Watney at 12:41, played 18, then came home to watch Matty Cain pitch a perfect game. I’m exhausted!  Mom told me there’d be days like this.

Wait, mom never said any such thing! Today was a GREAT, completely unusual day to be savored and remembered… even if I really didn’t play in the US Open.  I just walked around the beautiful golf course, taking photos of the players, until my camera was like an anvil and I couldn’t take one more step.

Then I handed things over to Matt Cain…

US Open Practice Day Schedule

I Was Mad… But Then Came Madbum!

On By In Write FieldIn Baseball, Sports, Sports Photography2 Comments

Rory McIlroy and Sergio RomoI have more than 100 reasons to dislike San Francisco Giants Chief Operating Officer Larry Baer tonight, and each has a dollar sign in front of it.

It was Irish Heritage Night at AT&T Park, and I went to the game in search of a Rory McIlroy bobblehead, and a photo-op of him (Rory, not the bobblehead) throwing out the first pitch.  I splurged on a seat in my favorite section by the Giants dugout.  It’s Larry territory — perfect for photo taking.

Rory threw pretty well for someone who once divulged on Twitter that the only sport he doesn’t care for is… baseball.  Then, I couldn’t believe it – he joined us all in Costa del Baerville, taking a seat four rows in front of me, next to Larry!

Unfortunately, this is when the trouble started.  It was crazy.  Streams of Larry Baer’s BFFs appeared out of nowhere, and stood fawning over Rory and air kissing one another — even after the game started.

For the rest of us, the expectation that one should wait until an at-bat is finished before getting up/returning to one’s seat applies.  Don’t time your restroom break just right? You may be forced to crawl back to your seat on your belly.

Not so for Larry and friends.

Baer was positively giddy, glad-handing and moving his friends and family around constantly.  At one point, while he was standing and blocking everyone’s view, Melky Caberea hit a smoking foul ball that whizzed no more than five feet from his head.  I don’t wish Larry injury, but I’m not sure getting bonked on the head would necessarily do him much harm.  (ZING!)

I’ve always been fairly ambivalent about Baer, but after tonight I know this for sure:  There is not a down-to-earth bone in his body.  He flamboyantly worked the crowd in “his” section.  The problem is, no more than 75% of the folks sitting there appeared to be his guests.  The rest of us paid a substantial amount of money for our tickets and wanted to watch THE GAME instead of Larry pressing the flesh.

The next time Larry Baer decides to throw a party during a Giants game, I would respectfully suggest that he rent a luxury suite upstairs.  He can certainly afford it.

Despite my feud with Larry and his entourage, I would be remiss if I didn’t say… it was a great game for the Giants.  I got a bobblehead, albeit a slightly defective one. Rory’s tiny driver keeps falling out of his hand.  I think a dab of Liquid Nails may be in order, but I suspect that’s not regulation and the USGA will disapprove.

Madison Bumgarner hit his first Major League home run tonight.  How could I stay mad, when I was so happy for Madbum?  Brandon Belt hit one too, and more than one helpful fan yelled down to Manager Bruce Bochy — just to make sure he saw it.

Rory McIlroy gives a pre-game interview to CSN Bay Area, before throwing out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Park. (June 2, 2012)
Rory McIlroy
Sit Down Larry, The Melkman Needs To Make a Delivery!
A Tender Smooch For Matt Cain
Brandon Belt Rounds Third After His Home Run
Madbum Tips His Cap

Not The Giants’ Sunday Best

On By In Write FieldIn Baseball, Sports Photography1 Comment
Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum

I caught Sunday’s San Francisco Giants game against the Oakland Athletics.  The weather cooperated, but the As did not.  They beat the Giants 6-2.

My seat was just to the right of the Giants dugout, deep in Larry Baer territory.  So while I’m pleased with the photos I took, I’d be a fool if I didn’t give proper props to location, location, location.

Sunday was my first time being in such close proximity to Tim Lincecum on the mound.  It was the perfect vantage point from which to watch him get creamed by Collin Cowgill.  Ouch.

It wasn’t Timmy’s finest hour… but I still had fun, and at those prices (ouch, again) THAT is what counts…

That, and scoring a Brian Wilson gnome!   I arrived one hour before AT&T Park’s gates opened, and waited patiently in line for one.  No small children were injured in the capture and taming of my gnome.

A San Francisco Giants promotional giveaway: Brian Wilson Gnome (2012)

Timmy Takes It On The Chin

On By In Write FieldIn Baseball, Sports Photography1 Comment

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum has to cover home plate from time to time, and I always cringe when he does it.  These photos of his collision with Collin Cowgill in the fourth inning of today’s game against the Oakland A’s illustrate why.

Timmy’s ankle, especially in the second shot, stirred some intense flashbacks of last season’s Buster Posey collision at the plate.   And I could see his head snap back after Cowgill’s batting helmet struck his jaw.

Those few seconds when Timmy was face down in the dirt felt very long.  He’s a string bean.  But he’s our string bean.  And he’s tough.

My Thoughts On Aubrey

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Aubrey HuffI’ve been dreading this all week.  Ever since Aubrey Huff’s implosion on the field (Saturday) and off the field (starting Sunday), most fans have known that trouble is on the way.

Huff has had two tough seasons since being one of the unlikely heroes of the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.  His 2011 was abysmal, something GM Brian Sabean and Manager Bruce Bochy blamed on poor off-season conditioning and lack of commitment. In 2012, his batting average is just .182.

On Saturday, in the 9th inning against the New York Mets, 35-year-old Huff played second base — perhaps for the first time in his professional career.  On a crucial play in the tied game, he failed to cover the bag.  San Francisco fans know all about it, so there’s not much I can add here.  We lost.

On Sunday Huff was given a day off.  On Monday, he was a no show against the Mets.  We were told he informed Bruce Bochy via text message that he was dealing with a family emergency.  On Tuesday, he again did not join the team.  Uh oh.

Twitter was remarkably, uncharacteristically restrained.  The coincidence of his absence following a huge career blooper, and heavy public criticism, was evident to all.  But no one really wrote about it.  What if there really WAS a family catastrophe, and we wrongly accused Aubrey Huff of simply taking a dive to save face?

Most Giants fans know Aubrey Huff’s personal story.  He was raised by a single Mom after his father’s tragic death when Aubrey was just seven years old.  Oh God, was his Mom ill?  Or one of his young sons?

Now, I guess, we have our answer.  Aubrey Huff is reportedly suffering from Anxiety Disorder, and has been put on the 15-day disabled list.  Are career pressures at the root of this anxiety, or the retirement of fellow Giant and BFF Pat Burrell… or something else?  Is it even something the public should be debating?

Shortly after the announcement of Huff’s placement on the DL, information surfaced that his wife Baubi filed for divorce earlier this year, leading to much debate; Did columnists who reported this news cross a line, given that divorce filings are public information in Florida?  If a professional athlete implodes, is the media not entitled to report on what may have caused it?

You know what?  For once, I am not sure.  I don’t feel ENTITLED to know about Aubrey Huff’s personal life, but at the same time… it’s not like I dug through his trashcan to get the information.   Truth is, as a fan I’m a pragmatist who wonders… So does this mean Belt will play first on Thursday?

At the same time, I feel sincere sadness for the Huff family.   Aubrey purportedly suffers from a devastating disorder that afflicts approximately 18% of Americans.  He and his wife are splitting up, something far too many families endure in this day and age.  Plus he’s had a couple of really embarrassing professional face plants recently.

While most of us can identify with some – if not all – of these hardships, we get to suffer through them in relative obscurity.  We crawl off into a corner and lick our wounds for a while but – with luck, and thanks to the support and encouragement of our friends, colleagues and family — we emerge feeling a little stronger.

My hope is that the media, the team, and my fellow San Francisco Giants fans continue to treat Aubrey Huff’s situation with the sensitivity and empathy it deserves.  So far, I’m proud of all of us.

Play Ball!

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The San Francisco Giants 2012 home opener against the Pittsburg Pirates was everything I’d hoped for… starting with sunny and dry.  For several days prior, I had monitored the Weather Channel, while also chanting “ohpleaseohpleaseohplease”.  I guess it worked.

Bryan Stow’s son Tyler movingly threw out the first pitch.  It looked like a change-up.  Seriously, he’s 13 and I think he may have a future in baseball.

Matt Cain threw a gem – a one-hitter complete game.  Aubrey Huff homered, and Buster nearly did.

I splurged on my seat, under the auspices of trying out a new camera lens.   Really, I was just ready for some baseball and I wanted to be close to the action.  I can now say my investments in the lens – and the Opening Day ticket – were wise ones.

On a personal note, my apologies to the nephew of Bob in section 126, row 10.   According to the season ticketholders seated around me, Bob couldn’t attend yesterday’s game, and gave his nephew his ticket.  It eventually became MY ticket, through the magic of StubHub.   When I told my seatmates where I bought it, eyebrows shot up.   Uh oh.

Sorry if I outed you, crafty nephew of Bob.  If you didn’t split the ticket-sale proceeds with your uncle, your next conversation with him could be a little awkward!

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Deconstructing Barry

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Barry Zito, Spring Training

There once was a Giant named Barry
A burden the team had to carry
From season to season, we all know the reason.
His contract was ironclad. Very.

Pitching was his chosen vocation
But his fastball lacked speed and location.
Back in 2010, he tried to be Zen
Then walked his way out of rotation.

This season he’s back and he’s “tweaking”
His delivery, technically speaking.
He hopes he can be taught, to maintain his arm slot.
If he were a ship, he’d be sinking.

He’s still throwing more balls than strikes
A thing that opposing teams like.
We Giants fans grieve, we will get no reprieve.
He has no plans to hang up his spikes.

Fonte-Not

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Many Americans are waking up with a Mega Millions hangover this morning.  But imagine the kind of morning you’d be having if yesterday you had missed out on lotto millions AND been fired, like 31-year-old infielder Mike Fontentot.  The San Francisco Giants put him on release waivers on Friday, just one day before his $1.05 million contract for 2012 would have been guaranteed.   Now he’ll make only about one quarter of that.

Fontenot seems like a good guy, and he made important contributions to the Giants in 2010.  But his batting average in 2011 was just .227, and the Giants need bats — so Ryan Theriot had better bring his!

I took these photos of Mike Fontenot at this year’s spring training.  You can zip though them quickly to get that choppy, 8mm effect.  Prepare to have your mind BLOWN.

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(Lotto) Fever Pitch

On By In Write FieldIn Random Stuff5 Comments

This evening I picked up the latest ESPN Magazine, featuring Timmy Lincecum — and some other guy — on the cover.  It’s suitable for framing, so colleagues should expect to see it proudly displayed on my desk next week.

I felt a bit giddy afterward, and a little lucky too, so I did something unusual.  I bought TWO lotto tickets.  I often forget to play the lotto at all, and when I remember I usually only buy one ticket.  But tonight I wanted to double my odds…

Early in my career, I worked in the institutional retirement division of a large financial services company.   While there, I stumbled across a survey suggesting that around 3% of working Americans are relying on the lottery for retirement income in their golden years.   It wasn’t a joke.  That 3% was serious, and seriously deluded.

The guy in front of me at the newsstand tonight was apparently among the deluded.  He did not waste his money on magazines with cover photos of eye candy.  He bought 40 — that’s 4-0 — lotto tickets.   The funniest part was, the clerk thought he wanted four tickets, and asked for $4.  The customer looked at him like he was completely nuts.

He responded, “No man, I said 40 tickets.”   But his incredulous expression said, “Do the MATH dude!  There’s no WAY I could win with only four tickets!  I play for keeps so LET’S DO THIS.”

I reassured myself that buying 40 lottery tickets is a pretty bad financial plan.  I contribute to a 401(k) because I am responsible and I live in the real world.  But that doesn’t stop me from dreaming of what I’d do if I ever won the lottery, every time I play.

In case you are wondering, I would take the lump sum payment.

I would:

  1. Pay a lot of taxes.
  2. Quit my job.  (If you are wearing your surprised face right now, get over it.  Your boss can’t see you, you suck up.  You’d do the same thing!)
  3. Stalk homeowners on Liberty Street in San Francisco until one of them agreed to sell his house to me.
  4. Three words: Buy Season Tickets… in the Giants dugout AND on the team plane!
  5. Fund a memorial bench in Princess Street Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland.
  6. Purchase a decent golf swing.  (Is that possible?)
  7. Make donations to my alma maters.  You know who you are.
  8. Give huge wads of cash to my parents… although I still doubt it’d erase my debt.
  9. Alert Planned Parenthood.  BIG check coming their way!
  10. Buy a pug puppy, and take him with me all over the world.

I’ll check the lottery numbers tonight, but I fear I have jinxed my chances of winning with all this blogging.  Which means it’s back to work on Monday. The Giants and pug puppy will have to wait.

Red Morphsuit

Get Your Morph On!

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I thought I’d seen (and unfortunately, smelled) everything at my local gym. I’ve encountered 40something men in stinky fraternity t-shirts so thin and frayed you could read fine print through them, and women in get-ups so outrageously revealing I expected to see dollar bills sticking out of their oh-so-low waistbands. But today I observed something that sent me running to Google immediately after my workout: a personal trainer wearing a bright green Morphsuit.

I didn’t recall ever seeing a Morphsuit before, except on members of Blue Man Group. I knew the name only because it was printed in large letters across the trainer’s derrière. I assumed it must, in some way, promote more efficient burning of calories. But why did it need to cover her hands… and at times, her entire head?

Prepare to be amazed! Morphsuits provide no discernable athletic benefit. They are intended to produce nothing more than attention for the person wearing them. (Mission Accomplished!) That’s great if you are on stage at the Venetian in Vegas… but maybe not ideal if you are standing next to your client, who is paying $100/hour for the privilege of grunting and sweating her way through TRX training while you watch.

You’ll be relieved to know that you can “breathe, see and even drink through” Morphsuits, which explains how the Equinox trainer could wear one, and still pounce like a drill sergeant whenever her client appeared to be slacking during her workout.

The suits come in plain colors, and patterns such a camouflage and tie-dye. For Morphmen and Morphwomen who need to carry cash or a Muni pass, fanny packs are also available.

MLB baseball pitcher Brian Wilson, of the San Francisco Giants, arrives at the 2011 ESPY Awards in Los AngelesThere are flag Morphsuits (Alba gu brath, Scotland Forever!), and even a black tuxedo Morphsuit.  Wait, hang on. It’s all coming back to me. I HAVE seen a Morphsuit before… on Brian Wilson at last year’s ESPYs! The fact that I haven’t run across a one since July suggests that, even with B-Weezy owning the look, Morphsuits have failed to set the world on fire (despite being synthetic and highly flammable).

Still intrigued? You can consult the handy Morphsuit FAQs online. They address such burning concerns as how a wearer might zip/unzip the suit without assistance, and how to respond when someone asks to have his/her photo taken with you, while you are Morphed.

I hope the Equinox trainer takes her cue from Brian Wilson, and makes today’s Morphsuit experiment her last. She’s in great shape, but the suits are unforgiving to say the least. Unless you are a 6’2”, 200 pound closer with legs like redwood trunks, buns of steel and an arm like a cannon… a 100% Lycra body stocking with words across your backside is not a good look for you.