Game 5

The Giants rise to the top of the Baseball World began the day they called up Buster Posey. I truly believe that.

There has been a lot of talk of torture... but I see this team as redemption... so many players who "redeemed" themselves...

I'll enjoy this one a long time... as I said to my daughter this morning, the last time the Giants won the world series, my parents were in high school...

Don't Stop Believing

I heard a local interview with Molina this morning. If you noticed in that late at bat of Renteria, Lee was shaking off Molina. Molina said he wanted to put Renteria on and pitch to the 9 hole (who flew out). Lee’s ego got the best of him…he wouldn’t agree with Molina's advise to put Renteria on. Had he trusted his catcher and put him on, Rangers win 1-0.

It looks like our little secret is out. These kids can pitch! If we can keep them all healthy, the next few years should be exciting. I don't know about capturing lightning in a bottle again, but it sure reminds me of what a very talented young staff did in Atlanta a while back. A boy can dream can't he?

Tx-Husker, it doesn't necessarily work that way...

I agree pitching to Renteria with the base open and the 9 hitter, a considerably weaker hitter, standing on deck, was a mistake. That's why teams have managers. Washington should have put him on.

Lee should have put his ego aside and listened to his catcher, who knew the opponent better than anyone. But you're right, Washington should have made sure. If you look back in the thread, I said that.

I agree completely.

Long time Giant fan here - too young to have direct memories of '62 Series (only two years old at the time), but heard over and over again as a child just how close Willie Mac's line drive came to beating the Yankees in game 7. You all know the more recent heart breaks - up five late in game 6 in 2002 being the worst. You know what? I wouldn't change a thing - all those years of "torture" made the 2010 special brand of "torture" all the more sweet! Go Giants! This one was for all the generations of Giants' fans: for my Dad who is no longer with us, for my high school buds in the 70s who braved those frigid Candlestick nights watching the hot dog wrappers pile up on the chain link fence, and for my son, who cried tears of disappointment as a 11 year old boy in 2002, and shed tears of joy during a sleepless night last night before dragging himself to early morning conditioning to chase his own dream. Baseball - Wow! Nothing more to say.

quote:

Molina said he wanted to put Renteria on and pitch to the 9 hole (who flew out). Lee’s ego got the best of him…he wouldn’t agree with Molina's advise to put Renteria on. Had he trusted his catcher and put him on, Rangers win 1-0.

You don't know that. Lincecum might not throw a meatball tied 0-0. At 3-0, he can lay one in there and hope it'll find a fielder and if it backfires, he's still up 2 runs like it happened.

And you don't know it wouldn't have, zomby. But we know for sure the final score wouldn't have been 3-1. My point wasn't the Rangers should have won. My point was Lee's massive ego got the best of him. He should have listened to his catcher.

quote:

Originally posted by Tx-Husker:
I heard a local interview with Molina this morning. If you noticed in that late at bat of Renteria, Lee was shaking off Molina. Molina said he wanted to put Renteria on and pitch to the 9 hole (who flew out). Lee’s ego got the best of him…he wouldn’t agree with Molina's advise to put Renteria on. Had he trusted his catcher and put him on, Rangers win 1-0.

You can't assume one can change one element of the past and nothing else would change.

For all we know, he could have thrown wild during an intentional walk, moving up the runners and causing him to pitch differently to the 9 hole.

What happened, happened.

quote:

Molina said he wanted to put Renteria on and pitch to the 9 hole (who flew out). Lee’s ego got the best of him…he wouldn’t agree with Molina's advise to put Renteria on. Had he trusted his catcher and put him on, Rangers win 1-0.

Its a different game if they walk Renteria. Lee's approach to Rowand is likely different with the bases loaded than with no one on. He has no margin for error.
Just because Rowand flew out with no one on does not mean the same result with the bases loaded.
Rowand's approach at the plate is likely different.
Rowand had a triple in game 2 at AT&T in his only AB and during the last series against San Diego, he entered the game as a pinch hitter with the Giants down 4-0 and crushed a HR.
On a different note, Lee and ego, if that is the issue here, is what had most folks picking the Rangers before game 1. I will take him on my team.
My view is the Rangers didn't lose because of Cliff Lee.
If there is "blame" or "responsibility" to be placed, it would be with their 3-5 hitters who were dominated by Giant's pitching.
I happen to view this differently.
I think the Giant's pitching did their job better than the Rangers hitters did theirs, just as they shut down the Phillies and Braves. That is a lot of good hitting that did not produce over a lot of AB's and innings.
Sometimes you tip your hat and the credit goes to those who got the job done and there isn't blame to be placed.

quote:

Originally posted by Three Bagger:
The Giants rise to the top of the Baseball World began the day they called up Buster Posey. I truly believe that.

Yes indeed! I totally agree, and even pointed out on the PG messageboard that not keeping Buster on the Major League roster out of spring training was a big mistake! Heck, BP practically carried the team on his back "offensively" during his 2010 spring training campaign.

The Giants organization can also thank PG Jerry Ford and Mike Martin for putting Buster on the map. A far cry from his 50th round pick out of Lee County High School.

PG Jerry's recommendation to place Buster Posey on the AFLAC ALL-AMERICAN H.S. baseball team was a turning point in Buster's career, and pole-vaulted a talent that could no longer be hidden under anyone individuals bushel, including mine.

Truthfully, I never dreamed Buster would end up catching when I found him in a summer tournament playing SS & pitching after his 7th grade year. When I worked Buster out as a pitcher in the bullpen at that tournament, he asked me about FL STATE'S camps. I highly recommended that he attend those camps and learn from the best! He did just that, now the rest is history! Nice job Mike Martin, and also, his super camp instructors!

Mike Martin saw an intelligent baseball player who understood the aspects of the mental game of catching. Knowing how to handle pitchers and read hitters is a gift Buster has. He was special beyond his years that very hot day(100degrees+) in Perry, Ga. when I happened to be in the right place, at the right time. No other scouts were there that day, and Buster registered for FL STATE's summer camps, shortly after that special day in my scouting endeavors-lol. I was still an associate with Baltimore and didn't ever receive any compensation. I thought to myself, what the heck! I contacted Jerry Ford immediately after having my broken-down truck towed back to Macon, Ga that very same day after this "once in a lifetime encounter" with a prospect with MLB tools, even then. At least PG Jerry gave me a free subscription to "Prospects Plus". That was more than the Orioles gave me. Good thing I had an education to fall back on because it is almost impossible to break in to scouting full-time, unless someone hires the true scout, rather than a relative-lol! The position I was led to believe would be mine when the veteran Supervisor I helped out for 10 years + retired, was given to someone else. A brother of another scouting director of another team, at the time. Life went on. I never left scouting. It's in my blood. It's what I enjoy doing next to my full-time profession of 17 years.

WAY TO GO SF GIANTS AND GOD BLESS MY BROTHER BRUCE BOCHEY!!!

WE ARE PROUD OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS BUSTER POSEY!

Good point Zomby. I agree that the right move would have been to walk Renteria (although he did hit into a DP in his prior AB), but after that you never know how it would have played out. Rowand might have been a hero with the circumstances changed. Timmy might not have given up the Cruz HR (Timmy also mentioned adrenelin (sp?) kicked in after Edgar's bomb and he had to re-calm himself). I have a feeling it was going to be Timmy's and Giants' night one way or the other.

Congrats to TRHit for calling this one before the playoffs - very few did. I WANTED to believe the pitching (mixed in with some "D" and timely hitting) might be enough to get it done, but it was hard to say that out loud or put it in writing - felt too much like a dream to be real.

Absolutely the Freak should have had the MVP...no matter now.
Mike Martins camps are really legendary down here...and Buster Posey..wow...Cody Ross..steppin up when called..Giants..No one will learn the lesson though..hard work and team-mates make champs not $$$$$..nearly every time..thats why Bruce B has no worries about his future the same way that the man in Detroit need not ever worry about a job.

quote:

Originally posted by Three Bagger:
The Giants rise to the top of the Baseball World began the day they called up Buster Posey. I truly believe that.

Since I have already posted about my impressions of Buster Posey, I am not going to disagree with you, Three Bagger.
But there is one guy getting overlooked. It isn't Huff, Burrell, or anyone like that.
It is Freddy Sanchez.
He came into the season trying to come back from knee and shoulder surgery. Was not ready in April.
From June to August, he was just plain terrible(by his standards) the plate. His average dropped to .250 and he hit in the low .200's during the period from June to August, at a point when the Giants found themselves 7 games back to San Diego.
He ended up at .292 for the season, meaning he hit close to .350 for the last 2 months, and that guy makes as many line drive outs as anyone is baseball. He is line drive machine. Couple that with his ability to play 2b, as we saw in game 4, and Freddy Sanchez is an unsung guy on this team. He is the product of a brilliant trade and showed he came to the Giant's with a true hunger to win.

It is Freddy Sanchez.
He came into the season trying to come back from knee and shoulder surgery. Was not ready in April.
From June to August, he was just plain terrible(by his standards) the plate. His average dropped to .250 and he hit in the low .200's during the period from June to August, at a point when the Giants found themselves 7 games back to San Diego.
He ended up at .292 for the season, meaning he hit close to .350 for the last 2 months, and that guy makes as many line drive outs as anyone is baseball. He is line drive machine. Couple that with his ability to play 2b, as we saw in game 4, and Freddy Sanchez is an unsung guy on this team. He is the product of a brilliant trade and showed he came to the Giant's with a true hunger to win.[/QUOTE]

Freddy Sanchez was a flat out stud. Sometimes at the plate, sometimes in the field. He played awfully well through the playoffs and we don't get the ring without him....

quote:

Originally posted by GrabSomePine:

Congrats to TRHit for calling this one before the playoffs - very few did.

[Ahem] One of the few times TR and I have been in almost complete agreement: Both picked SF prior to the playoffs and disagreed only slightly at the start of the WS...I had SF in 6 and I believe TR had SF in 7. I believe we are both willing to take the 5 game win as a victory.

Good job TR!

Infielddad,

You're right about Sanchez being an unsung hero of the Giant's run. I know I have a greater appreciation of how good and overall ball player he is. I hated to see him come up to bat during the Series and defensively, he was in the middle of so many key plays. I stated on this site pre-Series that for the Giants to score runs, they had to have big games by Torres and Sanchez and man, did they come through. I like both these guys style of hustling play and hope they stay with the Giants for awhile.