! ! ! ! Can’t get any lower. Still I feel I’m sinking ! ! ! !
Outshined by Chris Cornell and Soundgarden. The theme song for your SF Giants 2026 team.
In a season full of pitching debacles and crushing losses, they managed to pull one out for the ages.
Yes, the biggest blown 9th inning league in the 125 year history of the team. They were 2,208-0 when leading by 6 or more in the 9th. Til today.
Up 9-3 in the top of the 9th, the team could not even get an out before Cincy tied it. Bivans came in and really had no clue. Not sure why whoever the interim manager even was didn’t pull him a little faster, but I think it was pretty obvious Bivens didn’t have it. He gave up the longest home run into the cove that I’ve ever seen. Then again, Smith came in and nuked the joint. And the rest was errors, walks and general rookie ball crap.
I guess the lockout is a blessing.
For Dolly . . .
Forty Niners Forever 
I was probably the biggest Devers supporter on the Flap; paid attention to him during his Boston years (since Sox are my AL team), loved the trade at the time. Figured he’d be like our “Manny being Manny” player: tolerate the oddities because he’s the team’s best power bat since Barry Bonds. But yeah, to paraphrase others, that there thing that happened at 1st base was not a good look, for Devers but more so for the team. Not many people are defending Devers, and it might well be true that he needs to go, though I’d say V needs to go more strenuously (he hasn’t lost the team, he probably never had it).
So I’ll give one little possible defense of Rafi: he actually has a good baseball mind, and his thinking at that moment was, no, don’t take me out because if you do and this goes to extra innings (which was pretty much the goal at that point), then you’ve taken the best pure power bat out of the lineup for extra innings. I would agree with that thinking (Devers is not a bad baserunner, actually, and Cox didn’t go anywhere anyway). Well, whatever….. it is in fact a total shit show now, but I find it refreshing. If the team is going to suck, I’d prefer this than just the same ol’ boring non-performance day after day. This way is likely to result in some action to change things up…
Good post Paul. Of the 3 amigos I wrote about earlier, I would keep Devers too. That being said. I am so tired of this shit show going on long before Buster became President of Baseball Operations (or whatever the fuck his title is).
When Buster took over, I think I remember Sabean saying something like you gotta give him at least 3 years….
Paul, I agree . . . Buster is making big moves, particularly in comparison to Zaidi, who almost always shopped in the discount Brebbia aisle. Frankly, his heart is in the right place and I think like us, he is dumbfounded by the 180 degree opposite results of most of his moves.
Me? I want his contract extended. Baseball is different from Basketball and football, where potential/chance/luck is not as big of a factor in those sports. I know this shit season is tearing him apart.
Unless there’s consistent irrationality in the decision making or gross mismanagement, I’d say every regime should get at least 10-15 years. It usually takes 3-5 years for draft picks alone to demonstrate value. Since so much depends on how lucky you get and your budget, in general there’s no need to change leadership with every stretch of mediocre baseball. What large scale business is well-served by instability at the top? The “lunatic fringe” is something to be handled and then ignored. Revenue seems less sensitive to PR than we think. Hell, I’m going to the game tonight!
Buster is passionate about everything he does, e.g., he’s an avid hunter like myself, enjoys his family, being in nature up north on his property, and running this baseball team. What I’m saying is that I’m not certain if he would choose to do this job for that long, but frankly, I have no problem with him being the boss for however long he chooses to do so. James, have fun at the game tonight! Bring us a win!
Does another good outing from Ray count as a win?
No, but beggars (us and the Giants) can’t be choosers. So, who knows???
…..
Wanna feel 14 again?
Nice, thanks.
The reporter with an intuitive, pre-Sabermetric understanding of Pythagoerean W-L projections! Willie brings the cake proverb to life.
All time favorite player. Everyone else is a distant second.
Awesome thanks. Nice to see Bonds from those days, tremendous talent. cool mays mentioned Newk too.
I had to go back and review the video again . . . Didn’t realize at first, that was Chris Speier fielding a couple of questions. At the time, Mays and him were 1, 2 players I really liked. Got Speier’s autograph in his 2nd season with the team.
I can’t remember the Giants doing a lot of stuff at the trade deadline. I remember one year we picked up 3 relievers that pushed us over the top, maybe ’97’ or ’02.’
Lineup fu from Steven Kennedy at MCC. As it turns out, Giants top hitters Lee and Schmitt struggled in their turns at lead off while they’ve been fine elsewhere. Lately it’s mostly been Arraez at the top lately (7 of last 8 iirc) though he didhave an 0-5 in first game of Marlins series, where he led off all 3 and was 2-12.
Kennedy suggestion for leadoff–Eldridge! Could follow him with Schmitt Lee Chapman Devers in L/R mixed order yada yada. Leading off doesn’t seem to bother Ohtani much, nor Nats awesome James Woods. Hey why not?
Slusser said on KNBR today that Vitello before this Devers/Cox thing happened, told her he’s had multiple off-field animated discussions, or whatever metaphor he used, with Devers. About what, he did not say. That makes sense to me, if they’ve butted heads some. I don’t think anybody wags fingers at somebody else, as in a warning, if there hasn’t already been something going on with them.
IMO wagging fingers is a gesture that is not something that just pops up out of nowhere with no history, no back story behind the motivation of doing it. Devers obviously walking into the dugout after the wagging in an agitated state seems to confirm there was something simmering in him before all that.
At least the Devers Diva and Genesis caps controversies takes away from focus on the daily game crapfest and 15 games underwater.
Buster is talking to the press today at 2 pm. This should be interesting.
What on earth would he have a beef with Vitello over? Eldridge getting occasional starts at 1B? I can’t imagine he counseled Devers on his abysmal K/walk ratio.
I have no idea for what reason(s) they would have a scrum or two. Apparently he didn’t volunteer details to Slusser…
Thanks. good for posey, if a bit overdue. this is the team (and coaching staff) he put together. As others have said, vitello has Wash Bochy and dusty available, and Wotus was here for bit too. Are they backing off or is he just not making use of resources he has on hand?
Dollars to donuts, the more controversial issue will be the Pride day matter. Per one outlet . . .
“As the team now returns to the scene of the debacle, the Giants front office has still not said a word. San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Ann Killion said the Chronicle had tried to talk with President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey, but he’s declined every request.
The silence is defeaning.
“It’s one thing to lose baseball games at an astonishing pace,” Killion wrote this week. “It’s another thing to lose your dignity and your culture.”
Reports are that Posey will address the media today at 2pm. It’s unknown if he’ll address this topic.”
Buster puts rainbowgate in the past. And Rafi’s snit was a mistake. Tells a story about Casilla and Bochy. Shit happens. Move on. Reporters return to rainbowgate and Buster says forget it. Baseball questions only. Reporters hammer it in vain. Clubhouse Qs — V has respect of the clubhouse. “But when you play this poorly….” he says.
apparently the point of the press conference was to prove that Buster’s still breathing, not to show that he can answer hard questions. Strange.
no Webb trade
he answered that question instantly and definitely.
I thought he bullshitted around other big trade questions.
apparently Shea and Killion were the two reporters pressing on the Pride hat issue. Not surprising. Hyena-like hacks, both.
Well, that was swell.
Sorry to say, but Buster Posey is a joke in dealing with the press and the public.
His interview several weeks ago on KNBR was a disaster.
This one was no different. Maybe worse. He has NOT talked with Devers, the biggest contract and the trade he made? Go talk with Tony about this? WTF?
He won’t talk about the bigots and the Genesis verse situation. At all. Nothing in response to what Manfred said. “Only baseball questions”, over and over and over. What?
He might as well not have had this presser. He said effectively nothing, and evaded everything else.
Complete and utter face plant.
If he’s as good at trades and managing this entire organization as he is at pressers as the face of the organization — we are screwed…
Didn’t see it, but I get your “drift,” along with xoot’s . . . Well, I have to remind myself of Zaidi’s 1/2 dozen years here. Yes, he was a silver tongued, Phd., but I will still take Buster over “Mr. Brebbia Aisle,” if only by this “” much.
10-15 YEARS? Surely you jest, James. If you can’t show marked improvement in 5 years, you aren’t doing a good job. MLB is akin to basketball in that you’d better be able to reach the playoffs within 5 years af a regime change because .500 gets you there. As John McKay answered, to a question about his plan with the Buccaneers:
“I have a five-year plan. I have a five-year contract. If I had a three-year contract, I’d have a three-year plan.”
The moves at the time were what they were. Getting Chappie was important because he was a fairly big deal at the time. Not Ohtani/Stanton/Harper, but a big enough deal. Same with Adames. Not monumental but a splash move.
Devers WAS the one that was supposed to move the dial.
None have panned out and this last offseason was a flat disaster. Bader is lost in the ozone and Dookie/Mahler are two shits on a shingle.
This all may be bad luck but it still doesn’t address the drafts that have been terrible and the non-existent teaaching these guys get in the minors.
No idea if/how things have changed scouting/teaching/coaching-wise in the farm system, but that will be a couple years.
I mean really, the scapegoat will be Vitello. And that doesn’t bother me too much as he appears to be completely lost.
I don’t think they should move from Buster, but Buster needs to (I guess) assert himself more about what the team needs.
I cannot honestly believe that Buster thought this team had a legit pitching staff when the season started.
“Shit on a shingle” was big here too many years ago. I may bring it back…
Hah! ‘Pathetic’ used to drive Twinfan nuts.
Buster’s pressers remind of the pressers with Jim Tomsula.
At one point towards the end today, some PR guy was basically sensing the session was a mess and tried to shuss the press and end it quickly.
The only thing missing today from being really an embarrassing Tomsula-like adventure was Buster didn’t loudly fart in the middle of it…
a year or two back I happened to hear Susan Slusser mention during one of her KNBR phone ins (which I always find worth listening to) that she’s bi-sexual and that the Pride celebrations mean a lot to her.
The tradition in SF started way back at Magowan era Candlestick, with an until there’s a cure AIDS day at the park. Went over better than Poetry Day. I also remember seeing big sections of the AIDs quilt laid across the OF pre-game in the very early days of China Basin. Goes way back. Their screw up this year is unfathomable. Poor Roup was hung out to dry. If he’d known the uni rules, he would’ve been fine. Heads may roll now, but I don’t think that’s Buster’s jurisdiction.
All set up for Warriors to get good player in draft. Don’t eff this up MDJ.
Perfect, Burries goes #10. Get a big, any one of them.
Yax, like it. He can help Draymond ride off into the sunset.
Yup. Plug and play.
Per Pavlovic . . . Giants tonight: Arraez 2B, Eldridge DH, Schmitt LF, Devers 1B, Lee RF, Adames SS, Chapman 3B, Gilbert CF, Susac C. Ray LHP
I almost like this LU, except for Adames batting in front of Chapman and Cox continuing to be held hostage in the team locker room or where ever they’ve stashed him.
Buster easily could have farted after eating his Shit on a Shingle Sandwich 🥪 before walking into the presser! I didn’t see it as well, but he’s never going to throw his players under the bus are even his overmatched manager,yeah the yada yada the buck stops with me in the long run, but does it really when you’re F.O.only cares about butts in the seats,and how much they make off that property behind McCovey Cove,,
Gawd I was 1O when my dad took me to my first Giants game in 1966 and I was just in awe to see how many Star players they had.(Mays #1 player ALLTIME just did it all everygame the right way) McCovey bigger then life to me his under arm throws from 1B were legendary and fast to all his infielders when they were on the field between innings.And WOW when he was in the on deck circle swinging 3 bats like toothpicks my eyes lit up and my jaw dropped!
Then seeing the likes of Marichal,Perry,Bobby Bonds,Davenport/Hart /Fuentes and really a special shoutout to SS Chris Speier from Willie Mays who doesn’t give out compliments that easy,basically saying SS was a black hole for years(Cue Hal Lanier) and here comes Speier a rookie that was the key in 1971? that got them to the championship series before they lost to the Pirates who went on and won the W/S in ,Clemente’s last year before the plane crash,Pops Stargell,Doc Ellis,Manny Sangullen,but the dude that destroyed my memory the most was Bob Robertson hitting the snot out of the ball with killer HR’s.. Yeah when Fucking Baseball ⚾️ was played between the lines, unlike today’s weirdness of politics/stupid rule changes( though I will support the pitch clock, don’t need “The Human Rain Delay,Mike Hargrove?,crotch grabbers,adjusting wrist bands 10 times! Pitchers were awful as well!/ghost runners WTF??
Clemente played in ’72, Kat…
Opps your right.. Nothing gets by the Wizard of Loo!..Well atleast Clemente ended with 3,000 hits on the nose instead of 2,999 ..
That guy interviewing Mays was cracking me up when he asked Mays what was the funniest thing you ever saw on the field. Mays response? I am there to do my job. Then the tool asked him in a different way (but the same question). Willie wasn’t buying . . . Responded something to the effect, “. . . I am there to do my job. I have too many things related to the game to think about, so I don’t pay attention to other things not having to do with the game.”
Every God damn player today ought to watch that interview. Mays was all business and yes, what AK said is spot on. Mays didn’t hand out compliments like candy. However, if you did your job between the white lines, he would let you know it and tell reporters that you were an asset to the team.
Lastly, I can’t remember him ever being out of the game due to injury. Mays, McCovey, Marichal, Perry, Speier, Bonds, Hart, Cepeda, etc., they were all business. Shame they didn’t win one in San Francisco. My grandfather, who lived with us until he died, loved that team and always had his 8 transistor radio in his shirt pocket, with the ear phone plugged into his ear. Good times.
The month of June has proved challenging for Buster. I believe it was about a year ago now that some were calling for Melvin to be fired (I can’t remember exactly what was going on, maybe similar losing pattern as now). Fire him by the All Star break, hell fire him immediately, etc. And instead, he came out with a statement defending Bobo. Obviously that lasted only about 3 months….
A lot of us have said something similar to what BassBaldy said the other day, outlining his preferred lineup: on paper, this lineup looks potent as hell. Somewhere (besides obviously the pitching) something is wrong. The manager will always get the first look when that’s the case. Unfortunately, no way they’d fire V, they’d have to face an awfully large “told you so”. They could reassign him to a more appropriate role, I guess. So who would we want to see come in as manager for this lot?
Financial hit too Paul. they’re still paying Melvin, and vitello was not cheap, 3 years at $10 million. Giants also paid UT $3 million buyout of his 5 year deal he had signed year ago I think. ouch
That’s like me dropping a quarter in a sewer grate to the fucking Johnsons.
Paul I never wanted Melvin as manager in 2023 just thought he was too old to relate to the younger players.My pick back then and I was probably in the minority with the Flap was Steven Vogt,same year the Giants took the usual safe pick philosophy of a dinosaur,Guardians hire Vogt still young enough at 41 now, but a fantastic communicator with players and he’s won 2 straight MOY awards! Yeah the Ship has sailed on yet another Giants Fuckup..
what a booming HR Jung Hoo Lee!
outside the ballpark tonight.
All two of them.
Way this game started would not have thought it would still be 2-1 in 6th.
Pettis got that one right.
helluva good game from Ray tonight. Just struck out Kurtz for the third time, and in the 8th inning? Only one run due Lee’s error? Man.