Wright the whole time....

During Matt Cain's flirt with a no-hitter this season, I realized the curse of TiVo. Watching a game mostly on fast forward can be convenient, but it's far too easy to miss the subtle tics or great plays that make baseball great. Around the sixth inning of Cain's domination, I caught a split-second of a scoreboard shot. Cain hadn't given up a hit yet? Dang. Not only did I have to go back and pay closer attention, but there was a good chance I wouldn't see the conclusion of the game in real time.

Last night was an example of the TiVo that improves lives, saves time, and cures disease. Watching a lifeless debacle like last night's at warp speed removes a healthy part of the emotion. Imagine how irritated I'd be if I had to watch the Giants get an additional out in the first inning, and still not score. The first inning took about a minute to watch, and I realized I was most likely in for a pessimist's delight:

I had no idea that Pedro Feliz was thrown out on a play at home, for example. I just knew an out was made. Good. When it comes to stupid, incompetent, or just plain unlucky Giants baseball, I'm accepting information on a strict need-to-know basis only. The reasons for stopping the TiVo when the Giants are losing by more than a couple of runs:

1. Home runs or other run-scoring plays.
2. After an opposing hitter strikes out against a young pitcher or Jason Schmidt. Kevin Correia strikes someone out? I want to see what pitch he used. Steve Kline strikes someone out? Not interested.
3. To see who hit into a double play. The name of the player is then muttered into a tape recorder, and kept in a safe place until my clock tower moment.

If I had to invest the full three hours in a game last night, I don't think I'd be up for writing about anything Giants-related today. I'd probably wake up at noon, put a link to a dancing baby .gif up, and crawl back into bed. That doesn't sound too bad, actually.

So the Giants made another pitcher with 4+ ERA look like Jim Palmer, the pitching ranged from acceptable to suspect, and the sun came up again today. It irritates me that the Giants are still able to see the rabbit going around the greyhound track, and still ostensibly in a division race. Worse teams have won seven or eight straight, so giving up is for weenies. Smart, well-rested weenies, but that's not the point. We're forced to watch by our own sick sense of loyalty. Give me an eight-game winning streak, or give me an eight-game losing streak. This treading water stuff isn't fun for anyone.