Cain
by baetown415 on Sep 30, 2008 8:48 AM PDT
Email
PrintI have a test in less than two hours for which I have not studied, but I felt I needed to let my emotions ride out.
Simply put, I love Matt Cain.
I love how Matt Cain straddles the line between Gamer and good without giving in to too much Gamer and always holding two bags of good.
I love how Matt Cain hits home runs for himself.
I love how Matt Cain loves San Francisco, despite the fairweathered-ness of many of the ballpark-goers, despite being from the South and probably not initially a Giants fan, and despite receiving .02 non-Cain runs of offense per game (statistic may be a little off).
I love how Matt Cain gives me hope for the Giants' future.
Most importantly, I love Matt Cain, the American story: the story of rising up amongst the tribulations, perservering through adversity and grabbing problems by the neck and yelling, "Listen here partner, I'm in charge of this party now!". All on a smaller scale, of course.
I love Matt Cain, 3rd-- at best!
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.
76 comments
|
4 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
The Giants hate Matt Cain and makes him get his own run support.
Sergio Romo will gladly hand you a bench to sit on / GIANTSPACE™ / Adopted brother of the AnVil
I don’t get it. Where’s the trade proposal?
by Evan on Sep 30, 2008 9:00 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
yeah
needz moar JJ Hardy!
Mischievously implosive purple pitching staff.
by SloIsLonelyForTheOrange on Sep 30, 2008 9:05 AM PDT up reply actions
Prince Fielders too? lulz!
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Sep 30, 2008 9:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Hey, isn’t he fat or something?
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Sep 30, 2008 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions
No that's not what's wrong with him.
He’s a vegetarian!
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
How is my adopted son almost twice as old as I am? Nevermind...Go Omar! Warm the Bench!
that reminds me of one of the best dugouts
Mischievously implosive purple pitching staff.
by SloIsLonelyForTheOrange on Sep 30, 2008 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions
ROFL
OnlineHost Prince Fielder and the jar of sugar have been compromised at the molecular level and re-bonded.
OnlineHost The right side of the infield is peppered with fun-size “Blue’s Clues” fruit snacks.
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Sep 30, 2008 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions
I will eternally be amused that the book that turned him to the veg side was Skinny Bitch.
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Sep 30, 2008 1:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Is it wrong for me to say I eat less meat because of that book?
Sergio Romo will gladly hand you a bench to sit on / GIANTSPACE™ / Adopted brother of the AnVil
by SoFa King Mike on Sep 30, 2008 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions
However, your signature rocks so hard that it more than makes up for it.
Travis Denker can hit a little. That's why I drive his bus.
Nah
People act like I’m a freakshow because I just plain don’t like red meat. When I do eat animal flesh it’s poultry or fish.
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Sep 30, 2008 9:37 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m in the same boat.
I gave up red meat and pork. If it’s poultry, I’ll try my best to eat free range. I’m trying to ween myself from that as well, but it’s taking some time. As for seafood, I really can’t live without it. I’ve been upping my soy and legumes intake a lot more to compensate for protein and iron.
Honestly, something clicked in my head when that book described the animal cruelty part during a mass slaughter. I mean, the family on my mom’s side is from what is considered a third world country. I’ve been there and I’ve killed and gutted some free range bessies for dinner, but what happens on a mass market scale is just beyond disgusting. I’m reminded of that everytime I pass Coalinga on I-5.
Sergio Romo will gladly hand you a bench to sit on / GIANTSPACE™ / Adopted brother of the AnVil
by SoFa King Mike on Sep 30, 2008 10:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Well I’m not gonna lie to you. I’ve read Fast Food Nation, and I’m aware of the horrors that go into American agriculture. But that wasn’t my motivation to stop eating meat, nor to clean up my diet in general. I never really liked meat (aside from poultry and fish, you’re right, there’s NOTHING better than a great piece of fish, to me) and I recently got really sick from eating too much crap with the food additives and high fructose corn syrup. If my body could still take it, I would probably still eat the disgustingly slaughtered and processed food.
But hey, I’m on your side now.
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Sep 30, 2008 10:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Segue way: Fast Food Nation the film. Is it me, or does Luis Guzman portray the same character in every movie he’s in?
Sergio Romo will gladly hand you a bench to sit on / GIANTSPACE™ / Adopted brother of the AnVil
by SoFa King Mike on Sep 30, 2008 10:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes
I was disappointed by the film, and yet there were some good performances. The whole storyline with the illegal workers was the best part of the film.
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Sep 30, 2008 10:27 PM PDT up reply actions
I’ll eat it if it didn’t grow up eating it’s own shit
Sergio Romo will gladly hand you a bench to sit on / GIANTSPACE™ / Adopted brother of the AnVil
by SoFa King Mike on Oct 1, 2008 1:08 PM PDT up reply actions
ewwwww
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Oct 1, 2008 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions
I have a Matt Cain Jersey
I could’ve asked for a Lincecum on my birthday in March, but no, I went for Cain – and I’m happy i did.
Go Matt Cain. Best. 3rd starter. Evar.
Tentatively adopting Dan Ortmeier. And Boom Goes the Dynamite.
Still rock my number 43 cain shirt
i dont know how to quit you matt cain
Rafael Rodriguez: More tools than Home Depot.
by BrianBokake on Sep 30, 2008 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions
My 43 shirt is a little faded
But I still rock it.
Sergio Romo will gladly hand you a bench to sit on / GIANTSPACE™ / Adopted brother of the AnVil
by SoFa King Mike on Sep 30, 2008 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions
hells yeah
Trent Kline: Decentish. Also, my website is called ChatterBalks Dot Com. It's not being updated right now. Hope for more at your own risk.
Solid #2
Matt Cain has been a very solid #2 starter, an above-average #2 starter. And he loves being a Giant and would like to remain one forever.
That’s pretty darn good, isn’t it?
V. good
I believe in Matt Cain.
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Sep 30, 2008 10:08 AM PDT up reply actions
Now that the regular season is over
I can finally come clean and admit that every time I typed “Matt Cain sucks,” I didn’t really mean it. I actually think Cain is awesome, and I was just going along with the groupthink. I feel like a fraud.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
that was groudthink friend
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Sep 30, 2008 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions
No wonder I don't agree with it
Trent Kline: Decentish. Also, my website is called ChatterBalks Dot Com. It's not being updated right now. Hope for more at your own risk.
Something to think about...
If Lincecum wasn’t drafted by this team, Cain would be the undeniable “savior” and fan favorite of the franchise. The only reason some are down on him is because of the bar The Enchanter has set. I’m a Lincecum apologist, to be clear, but I will be very, very sad if Cain is one day traded, no matter what we get in return.
STEVE HOLM! refuses to be the odd man out.
by UnleashTheGore on Sep 30, 2008 10:32 AM PDT reply actions
To be honest
To be honest, I think even if the Giants didn’t have Tim Lincecum, Giants fans would be hoping for more consistency from Matt — and that is something I don’t think we can reasonably expect until he makes a considerable control improvement.
Matt’s fastball is darn near as good as Tim’s. But his off-speed pitches don’t compare. Tim has three 40+ swing-through pitches in his curve, change and slider. Matt doesn’t have any pitch that is much more than a 25 swing-through pitch.
IMO Matt is going to be very good when he has his control, and mediocre at best when he doesn’t.
I believe the biggest problem we Giants fans have with Matt is that your expectations are too high. If we remember back to that epic 14-pitch battle he had with Todd Helton to end his very first outing as a Giant, we saw the lack of swing-through stuff, whether we recognized it at the time or not. We saw a battler, a fine pitcher.
But we didn’t see an ace, even though we set our expectations at that level. IMO the bad isn’t Matt’s; it’s ours.
If we remember back to that epic 14-pitch battle he had with Todd Helton to end his very first outing as a Giant, we saw the lack of swing-through stuff, whether we recognized it at the time or not. We saw a battler, a fine pitcher.
To be fair, Todd Helton was been a pretty damn good hitter in his career. I don’t think you can extrapolate anything from one 14-pitch AB.
If you want to talk about “swing-through stuff” consider this.
StatCorner has outcome data for pitchers in a stat called kS%. This is defined as:
kS% (SP: 11.5, RP: 14.5)
The percentage of batters faced that are struck out swinging.
This year Tim had a kS% of 21.67% and in ’07 it was 18.12%, fantastic percentages.
This year Matt had a kS% of 15.43%.
League average for starters is 11.5%, I think you could argue that Cain has above-average swing-through stuff, irregardless of a 14-pitch AB to Helton in ’05.
#1 JUDY STEFFES FAN
My favorite pie is (name of pie flavor)
Bay City Ball
Zing:
heretofore: Matt Cain Sucks!
Eugeniooooooo!!!!
by FairweatherFan on Sep 30, 2008 12:24 PM PDT up reply actions
DON'T CORRECT ME IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN
#1 JUDY STEFFES FAN
My favorite pie is (name of pie flavor)
Bay City Ball
OR ILL TEXT MSG YOU A PICTURE OF A GUN
BITCH /chokes a bitch**
Eugeniooooooo!!!!
by FairweatherFan on Sep 30, 2008 12:33 PM PDT up reply actions
I would think that a computer would have gotten that right.
Trent Kline: Decentish. Also, my website is called ChatterBalks Dot Com. It's not being updated right now. Hope for more at your own risk.
I’m the worst computer, ever.
#1 JUDY STEFFES FAN
My favorite pie is (name of pie flavor)
Bay City Ball
In retrospect, I should have gone with this joke
Looks like someone needs a WORDS Lair!
Trent Kline: Decentish. Also, my website is called ChatterBalks Dot Com. It's not being updated right now. Hope for more at your own risk.
I also forgot to add, that you can also sort StatCorner by Strike Swinging% and I believe Cain had a 9% rate, which is still above average by about 2-3%
#1 JUDY STEFFES FAN
My favorite pie is (name of pie flavor)
Bay City Ball
Good for #40 out of 131 pitchers with more than 100 IP. And he’s #31 in ball% – is it possible that he got a bit unlucky with the BB’s this year?
Another pleasant surprise was #9 on the Strike Swinging% list – Jonathan Sanchez. We all know he has great stuff, but I didn’t think it was that good.
..so allow me to present Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain as two sweet, sweet bottles of warming hooch.
I agree and disagree
I agree that Matt Cain has above-average swing-through stuff. I just don’t think his stuff is ace-like.
Tim Lincecum is so great because all three of his off-speed pitches are 40+ swing-through. I don’t think Matt’s best pitch is much above 25.
As for the 14-pitch Helton AB, it concluded Matt’s outing, in which he hadn’t shown great swing-through stuff. Let’s put it this way: I proclaimed after that first big league game that Matt might be “only” a #2 rather than the #1 everyone expected him to be. Coming to that belief that early has saved me a lot of frustration.
I think the only way Matt becomes a true #1 is if he can cut his walks per nine by over one full walk. I’m not certain it would get the job done, but I’d like to see.
Tim Lincecum is so great because all three of his off-speed pitches are 40+ swing-through. I don’t think Matt’s best pitch is much above 25.
What do you mean by “40+ swing through” – are you talking about swings-through (swing-throughs?) as a percent of pitches thrown? If that’s the case, then your numbers are off. You are right that all three of Tim’s off-speed pitches generate a lot of swinging strikes, but >40% is crazy – no one is that good, not even Tim.
Tim’s strikes swinging% in 2007:
Fastball – 4.6%
Curve – 17%
Change – 23%
2008:
Fastball – 7.1%
Curve – 15.3%
Change – 21.4%
Slider – 32.1%
Tim doesn’t get 40% swinging strikes with any of his three off-speed pitches. Don’t get me wrong, though, these are fantastic numbers – I’m almost positive that Lincecum is the only pitcher in the majors who has three different pitches that get swinging strikes over 15% of the time. His new slider looks very promising, though there are some sample size issues here – Lincecum threw the pitch only about 50 times this year.
..so allow me to present Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain as two sweet, sweet bottles of warming hooch.
Hi Cooky,
Are you using Josh Kalk’s site for your percentages (total pitches by type / swinging strikes) ? I meant to ask Sharksrog where he was getting his numbers from.
#1 JUDY STEFFES FAN
My favorite pie is (name of pie flavor)
Bay City Ball
Another reason NEVER to trade Cain
If Timmy ever goes down…
CAIN is all we have.
But it’s plenty.
Anagram for "Matt Cain is God"
MANIAC DOG TITS
I like it.
..so allow me to present Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain as two sweet, sweet bottles of warming hooch.
HEY
That’s not your job!
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
How is my adopted son almost twice as old as I am? Nevermind...Go Omar! Warm the Bench!
Chuck Norris wishes he were Matt Cain.
your 2008 SF Giants: this isn’t totally insane, just really stupid
Mat Cain can kill two baseballs with one bird
Sergio Romo will gladly hand you a bench to sit on / GIANTSPACE™ / Adopted brother of the AnVil
by SoFa King Mike on Oct 1, 2008 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions
A few weeks ago I had one of my best baseball experiences: the Giants were doing a watch batting practice from the field as a reward for being a season ticket holder, and although I am not a season ticker holder, I do have a friend whose roommate works for the Giants, and so I was on the field to watch batting practice, which wasn’t that cool (watching Brian Wilson play ss and fool around was cool, as was watching Gillapsie watching Brian Wilson play ss and fool around was interesting), but the best part was when Matt Cain and then later Tim Lincecum came over and signed autographs (both signed my ticket stub). Awesome. But different. Matt Cain was happy, smiling, talking to the fans, I told him he did a good job on my fantasy team this year (half-true), and he said he started doing fantasy football and that it was addicting…Timmy didn’t say anything to any of the fans and seemed moody and distracted, barely any smiles, stand-offish, signing autographs like it was his job and not because it made the fans happy. It doesn’t mean his off-speed pitches aren’t better than Cains and it doesn’t mean he isn’t the Cy Young this year, but it does mean that I want Matt Cain to do better and root for him more than Lincecum. It also means I used a lot of double negatives, or confusing triple negatives?
I also got selected with my girlfriend and friend to catch/drop flyballs in the contest they do before the game. I was only 5 weeks off dislocating my kneecap and tearing my mcl, but who would pass up an offer like that?
Don't worry
We just like to pick on people because we are envious of your story.
Eugeniooooooo!!!!
by FairweatherFan on Oct 3, 2008 8:52 AM PDT up reply actions
A few weeks ago I had one of my best baseball experiences: the Giants were doing a watch batting practice from the field as a reward for being a season ticket holder, and although I am not a season ticker holder, I do have a friend whose roommate works for the Giants, and so I was on the field to watch batting practice, which wasn’t that cool (watching Brian Wilson play ss and fool around was cool, as was watching Gillapsie watching Brian Wilson play ss and fool around was interesting), but the best part was when Matt Cain and then later Tim Lincecum came over and signed autographs (both signed my ticket stub)
WOOOOOOOOOOO FOO SHOOOO
Eugeniooooooo!!!!
by FairweatherFan on Oct 3, 2008 8:51 AM PDT up reply actions
Nice story Paul, and a memorable addition to the Cain Lore around these parts — almost all of it positive.
And with a busted MCL, you probably looked no worse than Rowand out there…
Thanks, I was definitely impressed by Cain’s countenance.
I looked more like Marvin Benard; I kept running in on the ball first, and then it went over my head. Well, not running in, more like awkwardly jogging.
I’m somewhat new to McCovey’s lair, what are the best Cain lore stories?
Cain Lore
He sucks (3rd starter at best)
He loves chick flicks
Everyone loves Mark Sweeney, and no one likes Matt
He looks like Bobby Hill
Oh, and he’s a simple-minded Southerner who will show us all what is important in life. After signing with the Giants, he creates a famous shrimp fishing fleet, inspires people to jog, create the smiley, write bumper stickers and songs, donating to people and meeting the president several times.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
sounds fun
Wilson playing shortstop, huh? I wish I could have seen that. He’s probably athletic enough.
I went to game 161, and the players seemed to be having a lot of fun in warmups. Steve Holm stood in as a fake batter (no bat) while Bengie and a bullpen catcher threw, and he would duck under all the pitches by several feet.
Also, several guys were racing. Velez left Omar in the dust in a straight sprint. Then Manny joined them and they started in basestealing positions. Manny had the best jump, but Velez passed everybody halfway through. Fun to watch.
Less arm, more talk. Raisingcain is a GAMER.
Adopted Giant: Henry Sosa
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
