Thoughts From the Game

by Grant Brisbee on Apr 5, 2005 5:59 PM PDT in News

Thoughts from the...wait, I already wrote that:

Congratulations to Ricky Ledee, who went 1-for-3, and now has more hits as a Dodger than he did as a Giant. Alfredo Simon is thing keeping me from sending the guy a care package of my used Kleenex.
Can you imagine the gametime conversation between Dodgers GM Paul Depodesta and a typical drunken bleacher monkey?
Drunken Bleacher Monkey: Aw, man, the Giants have it ALL OVER the Bums this year. Those bums can't field.
Depodesta: Actually, my Omniscient Zone Rating was developed by former Soviet mathematicians who defected before the end of the Cold War, and it tells me that Jeff Kent is the top fielding second baseman in the league. And that Adrian Beltre wasn't as good a fielder as Jose Valentin! That's why we gave Derek Lowe that seemingly absurd contract. Emphasis on "seemingly".
DBM: Yarrrrraghayyyy!!!!!! Valentin just booted a ball to give the Giants a run! BEAT L.A.! BEAT L.A.! Don't you wish your defense was as good as the Giants? Omar Vizquel, baby!
Depo: Actually, my Simultron 3000 program tells me that Vizquel has lost a step in the field.
DBM: OHMIGAWD! DID YOU SEE VIZQUEL FINISH THAT DOUBLE PLAY! WOOOOOOOOT! BEAT L.A.! BEAT L.A.!
Depo: Well, this is merely a function of sample size. In the world of statistics, you see....
DBM: BEAT L.A.! BEAT L.A.! 162-0, YOU SORRY SON OF A....
Depo: Really, there's no need for...
DBM: BEAT L.A.! BEAT L.A.!
Depo: I hate you! I hate you all!
(takes ball, and goes home)
That thing Jason Schmidt throws at 88 mph is not a changeup. I don't care what he tells you, or what Dave Righetti tells you. If it leaves your arm, and it travels over 85 mph, it's a fastball. From here on out, it shall be known as the funk-grip fastball. That name kind of stinks, so if you have a better one, I'd like to hear it. Read it. Whatever.
I love an Opening Day win. The day was perfect, and things really started to liven up after the Alfonzo homerrun. Vizquel was a stud at the plate and in the field, 2007 be damned. And the chatter was mighty lively here! I'm proud of you bastards. ...sniff...

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pop the corks

It's all over, Topes win! Topes win!

It would be nice to think of this as a blueprint for the season, what with the Giants winning with defense (and the Fodgers losing with theirs).

Schmidt didn't seem stellar, but nice work out of the pen made up for it. Just like last year for the Bizarrogiants.

by BlackDougal on Apr 5, 2005 7:02 PM PDT reply actions

i love it

I thought it was a pretty well-played and pitched game considering all the slugfests going around on Opening Day. Yeah!

I didn't take the Izturis leadoff homer as a good omen, but Schmidt's final line actually seems quite impressive. (And what is it with the Giants giving up homers to Dodger middle infielders? It seems like they accounted for 50% of Izturis' and Cora's homers in '04 all by themselves.) In postgame comments he claimed to have felt fine all throughout (which is good), although he did throw a lot of those funk-grip fastballs 55 feet.

Snow didn't exactly have a bad game, but I'd hoped he would have done even better against Lowe. I figure J.T. is the killer of right-handed sinkerballers...

by non sequitur on Apr 5, 2005 7:30 PM PDT reply actions

From Baseball Primer's Game Chatter....

I wish I had written this, from Primer regular Vaux...

From Valentin to Benitez to Vizquel, this game was a disgusting triumph of conventional wisdom.

Obviously written by a Dodger fan, but the conventional wisdom tag is what I was searching for.

by Grant Brisbee on Apr 5, 2005 9:37 PM PDT reply actions

Actually...

Vaux is a Tigers fan. But I agree, it's a nice line.

by Salemicus on Apr 5, 2005 10:02 PM PDT up reply actions

Conventional Wisdom...

Broken clock, blind squirrel, etc., etc.

by Bhaakon on Apr 5, 2005 10:58 PM PDT reply actions

Changeup?

How about the not-quite-as-fastball? Oh, nevermind.

How about Scott Eyre humpin' up to 94 on the gun on one pitch? It took him 84,657 pitches to get through the 8th, but he looked pretty good.

I'd be the best at everything, if only there weren't so many people better than me. Or, if everyone died, just for a few seconds.

by Daniel on Apr 5, 2005 11:31 PM PDT reply actions

how about ...

just calling Schmidt's non-fast, fast ball a :

Schmidter pitch ....
so he has four :

heat

splitter

change

and a schmidter

by leftcoastrules on Apr 5, 2005 11:43 PM PDT reply actions

pitch name

I like it. I like it a lot. He threw a "Schmitty!"

by Aadik on Apr 6, 2005 7:07 AM PDT up reply actions

Well

And a curveball, even if he doesn't throw it much.

by JakeS on Apr 6, 2005 7:58 AM PDT up reply actions

Fonzie

I'm adopting Fonzie as my favorite player this year. Kuip was on KNBR this morning, and he was saying things about Fonzie idolizing Vizquel and wearing his number prior to this year, when he forced Vizquel to take it. Stuff I hadn't heard before, and it makes me very encouraged for the rest of the season with those guys.

First time since 2002 I didn't Fonzie traded. The lug has grown on me. ::wipes tear::

by tomzilla on Apr 6, 2005 8:37 AM PDT reply actions

Touchy feeley Fonzie

In 2003, Fonzie attributed his second half success to feeling more comfortable in San Francisco after his family moved out here, and feeling more comfortable as a Giant after the acquisition of Matt Herges. (??????) Anyway, I think he may belong in the sensitive wing of the clubhouse with Herges and Brett Tomko, so if playing next to Vizquel makes him feel comfortable, this could be a good thing.

"Robb Nen is going to get you" - Benito Santiago to Chipper Jones, 10/7/02

by Pants Man on Apr 6, 2005 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions

Acrobtics

Nice to see J.T. scoop up that last ball -- especially during a time in the league that shows a glut of power-hitting 1Bs available. Justify. Dooooo it!

Omar is well on his way to making Sabean look good, again.

Jury is out on Matheny, but I think the best litmus test for that issue will be Tomko's start.

"I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well made." - Bond

by Hayes on Apr 6, 2005 11:10 AM PDT reply actions

Matheny

"Jury is out on Matheny, but I think the best litmus test for that issue will be Tomko's start."

I'm one of Matheny's biggest critics, but any effect he does have on the pitching staff is probably going to be virtually indistinguishable from normal annual variation. His on the field defense isn't really better than Torrealba (in fact, I'd argue that Torrie is actually a hair better, which is no insult to Metheny, Yorvit is simply an outstanding fielder), so any advantage he has will be in the realm of game-calling and pitcher preperation, which are notoriously diffcult to pin down.

by Bhaakon on Apr 6, 2005 2:45 PM PDT reply actions