Travis Denker's Bat
by tobias on Dec 18, 2008 12:18 PM PST
51 comments
For the last several years, I've played in a softball league. Last season, I noticed one of the guys on my team started wearing a Giants cap. This is Orange County, so it always merits a comment when someone else (besides me) sports a Giants lid. Anyway, he tells me that a friend of his is the father of a guy in the Giants' farm system. I ask him who, and he says "Travis Denker".
Fast forward to about a month ago, when the Giants released Denker, and I'm lamenting with my friend about what an idiot Brian Sabean is, to let a bonafide middle infield bat get away when middle infield bats (well...bats in general, really) are in such short supply with the Giants. So my friend, goes, "Hey, you want one of his bats? Now that he's on the Padres, he's not going to need his SF Giants model bats." I go, "Yeah, sure, that'd be awesome." So last week, my friend drops by my house and hands me this brand new Travis Denker Louisville Slugger. It's really a nice looking bat--blond maple, real smooth, with the hollowed out end. And it's autographed.
Pretty sweet--oh, what might've been!
This FanPost is reader-generated, and it does not necessarily reflect the views of McCovey Chronicles. If the author uses filler to achieve the minimum word requirement, a moderator may edit the FanPost for his or her own amusement.
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You should introduce the bat to Sabes.
They say some players get out of bed hitting; Pablo Sandoval doesn't wait that long
by bgunn on Dec 18, 2008 12:26 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Oldjacket needs this bat.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 18, 2008 12:27 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Under no circumstances should jcb9 get this bat. There’s no telling what he might trash with it.
GROUGTHINK ALERT
by groug on Dec 18, 2008 12:28 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
It’s cool guys, dropping Denker allowed us to…umm…uhhh…
by AndOnTheDrums... on Dec 18, 2008 12:36 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
denkir kitteh is sad, me thot u sed no denkir cat
i adopt brian sabean... take that dramatic irony!
by Headhunter Rollins on Dec 18, 2008 12:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Sergio Romo will gladly hand you a bench to sit on / GIANTSPACE™ / Adopted brother of the AnVil
by SoFa King Mike on Dec 18, 2008 3:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Denker's Bat
This belongs over in the Giants-themed band names thread.
Josh Phelps is the new Scott McClain.
by EliminateMe on Dec 18, 2008 12:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
or another fake poster.
“I would have hit that”
by Denker’s Bat
"ever so cynical yet whimsical giants related signature"
by The Gene Hackman on Dec 18, 2008 2:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
That’s really cool.
I’m also amused that our last two FanPost’s were “Barry Zito’s Changeup” and “Travis Denker’s Bat.” I think we should continue this trend with other “[Giants player]’s [baseball related thing]” FanPost’s, such as “Fred Lewis’ Plate Discipline” or “Aaron Rowand’s Buttface.”
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Dec 18, 2008 1:01 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I’ll take things that will never get better for 200, Alex
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
by Mike Hawk on Dec 18, 2008 1:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Funny but that bat did not come with a glove
by wilriv21 on Dec 18, 2008 3:11 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I bet if his initial’s were EME you wouldn’t bring that up.
Check out The Examined Life. Or don't. Whatever.
"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK
by Josh from Hollywood on Dec 19, 2008 12:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Please don't kill me for asking
Everyone on this site has such a vast knowledge of everything baseball. Personally, I’m not really a stat person. I love watching baseball and over the years feel like I’ve accumulated a strong familiarity with the game and the players. When I evaluate a particular player in my head (or when talking to anyone even remotely interested in baseball) I go more off of my feelings about them from what I’ve actually witnessed them do as opposed to their stats. For example, I hate Ray Durham. To me, he was a complete waste of space, never hitting well in the clutch and only playing well in his contract years, but if you look at his stats he was a good player overall. Anyway, this post isn’t about Ray Durham. I’m just trying to set up my question.
Why is there so much love for Travis Denker?
I remember hearing his name as the return we got for throwing Mark Sweeney away. When he came up last season he didn’t really impress me. He seemed like a free swinger who had some pop, but didn’t really make much of an impact.
OK so keep in mind I have made no effort to look up any of his stats and am solely basing my opinion of him off of the small window of playing time he had last season. I’m not trying to say he sucks, I’m just asking what it is about him that was so good?
by Norm Median on Dec 18, 2008 3:22 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
He was a young-ish (22/23?) hitter with a nice little minor league track record showing modest OBP and power. He wasn’t Chase Utley or anything, but the Giants don’t have a lot of depth at 2B near the top of their farm system. They basically discarded Denker for no good reason.
Again, he wasn’t going to be a star, but because of his age and track record he’s way more interesting than the speedy Velez.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 18, 2008 3:37 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I see people who are the adoptive father of certain players, but I have no clue what it means. Would you mind explaining?
PS- Your t-shirts are AWESOME. I’m gonna order a Linceborg shirt.
by Norm Median on Dec 18, 2008 4:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
A couple years ago, we started an “adoption” program borrowed from another blog where we’d choose a player in the Giants organization (or in some cases, non-player Giants personnel) to adopt. The idea was to have someone for whom to root and defend against criticism. We’re probably going to have a re-draft or something sometime at the beginning of next season.
by Natto on Dec 18, 2008 4:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
To your larger point, I’m not much of a stat person either, but think that balancing what your eye tells you with a little stat knowledge is helpful in understanding a player’s value. I’ve grown to appreciate stats more since hanging out with all these nerds (I’m looking at you, xanthan!)
The easiest stat for me to understand, quickly find for free and relate for comparison purposes is OPS+. It takes into account on-base ability, power, and adjusts ballpark factors.
My adopted Giant: "Raptor Jesus" Guzman
by Goofus on Dec 23, 2008 8:59 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I've got a bat that I got after a game at SJ one time..
It was my birthday and went early like always. We got out seats, conveniently next to Bill Mueller’s mom (in the general admission, come on boy spring a little) and there was a foul ball that was stolen from me by an older couple. So Bill Mueller’s mom said she’d get me a signed baseball, so I got that plus a broken bat that had been taped up and signed by Jay Canizaro. I’ll have to take a picture of it and maybe make a baseball memorabilia thread sometime this winter.
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
by WalrusMan on Dec 18, 2008 9:34 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
maybe make a baseball memorabilia thread sometime this winter.
Great idea/reminder…that was one I thought of as well.
I was also pondering whether Steve Decker had what it takes to manage at the major
league level. Looks like he’s fast tracking through the system.
They say some players get out of bed hitting; Pablo Sandoval doesn't wait that long
by bgunn on Dec 19, 2008 7:34 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I LOVE the late-70’s / early-80’s Giants unis.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 19, 2008 7:55 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
And, here’s the old STATS lair with some other memorabilia stuff.
You’ll be glad to know that the new lair is in a basement.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 19, 2008 7:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I always pictured the lair as the batcave.
by Lars The Wanderer on Dec 19, 2008 12:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I like your desk.
Still in despair.
BRING BACK MARMOL!
konakona:「つかさに教われと...なんか非常に負けたような気がする。」
by Zetsuboushita on Dec 21, 2008 11:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Me, too. Where’d you buy it, if I may ask? That looks like the kind of setup I’d want.
Oh, and bonus points for having MCC displayed on the computer when you took the picture!
Sergio Romo: striking out professional hitters since 2005.
by Lyle on Dec 21, 2008 1:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
It was a cheapy $100 desk from Staples. If you search for L-shaped desks on their site, you might be able to find something similar. It’s a pretty good desk for the price.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 21, 2008 1:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks!
I don’t have any Staples in town, but it’ll be a good starting point for looking/comparing.
Sergio Romo: striking out professional hitters since 2005.
by Lyle on Dec 21, 2008 2:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Pst...
OfficeMax.
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
by WalrusMan on Dec 22, 2008 4:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Or Office Depot…or Ikea
My adopted Giant: "Raptor Jesus" Guzman
by Goofus on Dec 23, 2008 8:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
NO NOT OFFICE DEPOT.
Ehrm….yea.
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
by WalrusMan on Dec 25, 2008 6:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I must be
playing too much Fallout because I read “looking” as “lockpicking”.
FIRE BRIAN SABEAN... UNLESS HE KEEPS DRAFTING WELL. .. AND SIGNS UNDERRATED PLAYERS LIKE AFFELDT OR PHELPS. .. OR ALRIGHT WHO'S PLAYING WITH THE ALIEN MIND-SWITCHING RAY?
by zenbitz on Dec 23, 2008 9:59 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Just don’t start punching Raider fans in the head, zenbitz, and you’ll be OK.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 23, 2008 10:12 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Please start punching Raider fnas in the head.
by chilibean_3 on Dec 23, 2008 10:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t see how it would affect us them.
Who has the fun?
Is it always the man with the gun?
- The Stranglers
by victor frankenstein on Dec 24, 2008 1:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I got drunk with Travis Denker.......
during spring training.
Just sayin’
Adopted father of Brian Bocock, Brad Boyer, Sharlon Schoop, Shane Jordan and Jeremiah Luster.
by RichH on Dec 19, 2008 10:50 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
was he good?
Giants: World Series Champions...in 2011.
by Giants_Junkie on Dec 19, 2008 1:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
denker's bat
Send the damn bat to me and I’ll use it as kindling to get a fire going in the old wood burning stove. It’s as useless as he is.
by thehondohurricane on Dec 19, 2008 2:24 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Quoi?
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Dec 19, 2008 3:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Because he once said Connecticut was cold, and that makes him evil.
Check out The Examined Life. Or don't. Whatever.
"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK
by Josh from Hollywood on Dec 19, 2008 4:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
i worked an internship for the A’s AAA team a couple of summers ago and took a fred lewis partially chipped bat from the clubhouse
"But if he's swinging at real flies, well, in that case there are two definite solutions: 1) Fresno 2) Ritalin." - howtheyscored
by CPGiant756 on Dec 21, 2008 9:01 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
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