'A' nother nice win

Hey guys, Jax here.

It was great to see the Giants pull it out against the A's last night in Oakland. The place was packed and Tim Lincecum went the distance after struggling through the sixth and seventh innings.

Luckily I didn't get to just see the box score, we watched a lot of the game on TV! Thank God "So You Think You Can Dance" wasn't on--that totally ruins my baseball watching. One of these days I'm just going to snatch that remote with my teeth and change it back to baseball. They'll probably think it's cute!

Amyway, last night in Oakland there were so many Giants fans, chanting "Let's go Gi-ants" and "Beat L.A." I love it. Especially after they violated us last year when A's fans took over AT&T Park. Last night, Timmy (7-2, 2.57 ERA) just had the grit to not worry about letting a few guys on base. Announcer Mike Krukow had a great way to describe Timmy's change-up:

"What is hitting? Timing. What is pitching? Upsetting the hitter's timing," Kruk said. Timmy's change ups and curveballs were on point, then he just blows by batters with a 96 mph fastball. We're witnessing something really special here, and it's been two years in the bigs, so it's not just facing batters who haven't figured him out yet. He's just that good.

Could it by Cy Young No. 2?

I'm feeling pretty good, I've been on deer patrol and taking a leak on some trees etc. My walks have been standard lately, a lot of sniffing going on. I'm kind of lazy, as usual.

I'm looking forward to this Giants road trip to Milwaukee and St. Louis, especially the earlier start times. I'm just sitting in the garage here, so why not start the games in the afternoon, right?

Jax

Big hike

Hey guys, Jax here. The Giants lost to the A's last night because they couldn't score any runs. News flash.

Giants GM Brian Sabean has told reporters that the team will probably wait until closer to the non-waiver trade deadline (July 31) to make any moves. Let's hope it involves Jonathan Sanchez.

I'm feeling a lot better. No more ear problems or anything else. Yesterday I went on the hike to end all hikes with Brooke. We walked on trails that became no trails, we hiked through poison oak, we ran down to a reservoir and I jumped in the water with all these people on boats watching me. I swam like halfway across this huge lake, it was great. Even Brooke waded across part of the lake with her cell phone held out of the water.

I have no idea what she was doing, but I had a blast. I slept so well last night, just exhausted.

Anyway, I hope the Giants can win the rest of the games against the A's. Cause then they start a road trip to Milwuakee and St. Louis, where they just might get pounded.

Adios,

Jax

I hate the vet

Hey everybody, Jax here.

I know it's been a while since my last post, I've been busy. I had to go to the vet yesterday because Brooke thought I had an STD. It turns out it's totally normal to have a little discharge happening down there, who knew?

I thought I got it from Chili, or Healey, or whatever his name is. And the vet put this liquid in my ears to dry them out, one of them was kind of infected. Damn floppy ears...

Anyway the Giants have been struggling lately but at least they're above .500. They could make a real run for the Wildcard if they can make some savvy trades. Even Giants Manager Bruce Bochy seems tired of pumping up Jonathan Sanchez (2-7, 5.43 ERA). There is speculation he was just talking him up to raise his trade value, but that time has passed. He's just a headcase, like I've been saying for months.

I'm not sure what team would want him unless he was packaged with a Giants prospect like Buster Posey or Madison Baumgartner. Maybe Sanchez could become a reliever? They can't send him down to Class AAA ball because another team could snatch him on waivers, so the Giants are kind of stuck.

The question is whether the Giants should go for it this year and get a bat or two, or just slog it out and hope that they build to a division title next season. Patience is hard!

Hopefully the Giants can get some Ws from the Rangers, who are in town this weekend. Meanwhile, I'll be picking foxtails out of my fur, eating, snoring, and shaking my head a lot to try to get the water out of my ears. I think I woke up 25 times last night shaking the shit out of my ears.

I hate the stupid vet.

Adios,

Jax

Reach for the stars, or the food

Hey everybody, Jax here.

Not a lot going on today, the Giants are playing the Washington Nationals tonight with Tim Lincecum on the mound against some guy named Craig Stammen.

The Nationals starting pitchers are looking for their first win, so I'm hoping the Gigantes can get a few hits and win some games here. The National are also DFL in the National League East, so ... let's start this road trip off right.

I've been jumping on the kitchen counter lately for food, and generally being a horse's ass by chasing cats, barking at deer, not coming when I'm called ... No one cares though, because I'm so darn cute. Even at 125 lb.

I've learned that everything can be cured with a few big face licks. That's right.

Adios,

Jax

I love Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano is one of my favorite players. The guy gets so fired up sometimes! He's an animal, like me. Check out this clip of him getting tossed on Wednesday. He tries to toss the umpire!

Then he chucks the ball into the stands and takes a bat to an innocent drink dispenser in the dugout. He da man! The man with a six-game suspension, it turns out.

Jax

Lazy day

Hey everybody, Jax here.

Things are good. We listened to the Giants beat the Braves yesterday on the radio. I was lying under a tree in the shade, it was great. Hopefully the Giants can win tonight with Lincecum starting.

Travis Ishikawa (nickname: Eeesh) hit his first dinger of the year on Monday, a three run homer just days after Jesus Guzman was called up from Triple A to try to take his position. Coincidence? The world may never know.

I'm going to hibernate in the garage now.

Adios

Jax

Well, that wasn't fun

Forget it. Playing the Padres just doesn't work, even with Tim Lincecum on the mound. On to the Mariners.

Randy Johnson will start tonight in Seattle, chasing his 300th win. From what I hear, the road to 300 is already starting to be a drag for all involved. Johnson has been giving all kinds of interviews about this feat he hasn't done yet, he spent an afternoon with a Sports Illustrated scribe, he's flying his family out to Seattle for the series ... He has indicated that he just wants to get the thing over with. Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images.

The 6'10" lefty sits at 298 wins, but his stuff hasn't been the greatest lately. Baseball is obsessed with milestones, but given the wins and losses for pitchers is a fairly useless stat, what's all the fuss about? I mean, I get that R.J. (Don't call him Big Unit) is a hall of famer, I get that his longevity is amazing, but how many of those losses were because he got no run support? How many runs did he give up in his wins?

Speaking of useless stats, I heard Texas Rangers Club President Nolan Ryan is calling bullsh*t on pitch counts. Too many managers are pulling starters when their pitch count gets in the 80s or 90s to "protect their investment," even if the guy is still getting guys out.

Ryan calls it an experiment, I call it a return to common sense. Barry Zito, of all people, pitched a complete game the other night for the Giants, and C.C. Sabathia has pitched like 10 complete games from last season to now. You don't need to be as huge as Sabathia (and God knows he's not perfect), but if pitchers keep keep nailing strikes, let them play. They're ballplayers! Just give the catcher a rest now and then. Alot of baseball is about numbers, but a manager has to go with his gut sometimes.



Speaking of guts, at about 6:30 this morning I was snoring peacefully downstairs when I had to heave my guts all over the floor again. I ate a dixie cup or something out of the trash and it came back out. Whew, I do feel a lot better now.

Those bastards are barbecuing again. I hope I can get a piece of that ...

Jax

Padres stink

Hey everybody, Jax here, blogging on the deck for a change.

The only thing worse than getting beat by the Padres is watching a perfectly good complete game by Barry Zito go to waste. Last night Scott Hairston continued to own the Giants with two walks, a hit and a home run to down the Giants 2-1. Hairston photo by Pictopia.com.

The Padres are barely out of the NL West cellar (don't worry, it's May) and I hope to God the Giants can win the rest of the series. Unfortunately, we've got Jonathan Sanchez starting tonight, who is a head case if I ever saw one. This guy will be lights out for an inning, then completely lose his cool and walk like five guys and just swear at himself on the mound. He has decent stuff, but I can tell just by watching him on TV when he gets frustrated and has no command. Imagine what the hitters can tell!

He is the like the opposite of Andy Pettite, who's got that hat pulled down so low you wonder how he can see at all. Sanchez (or "Sanchy" as Giants Manager Bruce Bochy likes to call him) has been rumored for a trade.

However, SF Chronicle Giants beat writer Henry Schulman pointed out on KNBR last night that May is no time to trade anyone--especially with Sanchy's stock sinking. The time to trade is closer to the trade deadline. Teams will be more desperate and the Giants can get a better deal to trade him for a hitter. Who knows, maybe the Giants will be in contention. They're second in the NL West right now, 7 1/2 games back. Maybe the wildcard is doable.

The Giants also can't afford to lose Sanchy right now because their next best starting pitcher is Madison Bumgarner, who is a prospect with exactly one start so far in Double A. He has a lot of hype surrounding him, but still.

So, in other words, we're in for Headcase Sanchez tonight. I hope this guy doesn't play poker--he'd lose his shirt.

Jax

Feast

Oh man. I had such a good breakfast of cat food this morning. It was so tasty. I'm not supposed to eat that stuff, and I get scolded when I do, but it was sooooo worth it. It's so moist and delicious, and a big bowl of it was just sitting in Brooke's closet like a forgotten candy bar. After a meal like that, I like to have a big bowl of water (see photo) and light up a nice cigar.

Speaking of getting lit up, that's pretty much what happened to Giants closer Brian Wilson last night in the top of the ninth inning. The Mets took a 4-4 tie and cranked out 3 more runs to win the game 7-4. It wasn't all Wilson's fault, but what a deflating defeat. Wilson photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images.

The Giants have the weekend games to redeem themselves, and on Saturday Randy Johnson is facing Johan Santana. Sunday's game is on ESPN at 5 p.m. PST. Lick it up.

Jax

My shearing, Panda's walkoff

Baaaaa.

Since we're easing in to summer and I was looking like a black sheep, I got sheared on Monday. I feel so much cooler now, like a new dog. Hello, summer, and Thank You Brooke.

Panda (Pablo Sandoval) hit a three-run jack over the left field wall at AT&T last night to beat the Nationals 9-7. It was a helluva hit, and it puts the Giants in a position to sweep Washington. Photo by Stiv.com.

Hey, I know it's just the Nationals, but there's no degree of difficulty points we're going for here. The Giants are just trying to win some games. By the way, Pablo bats switch and he was hitting right handed when he launched that one in to the seats. Long live Panda!

Jax

Manny, Brian Wilson, death march hikes ...

OK, so I didn't exactly break the news that Man-Ram tested positive for HCG, the female fertility drug used to mask steroids. But like Damon Bruce of SportsPhone680 said, it's not a sad day for baseball. It's an ordinary day for baseball.

This stuff is common.

Now, that out of the way, too bad the suspension won't last more than 50 games. Maybe Manny will get fat and complacent in the downtime, that would be great. Then maybe the Giants can get a handle on the NL West. Right now the Giants are 4 1/2 games back to the Dodgers, even though we took 2 out of 3 from them in Chavez Ravine this weekend. I listened to Sunday's game on the radio in the shade, next to Stephen, who totally stole my hammock. He had a beer and I had some ice cubes in my water dish. We were exhausted from work, so it was great to just chill and listen to the game go into 13 innings. And, by the way, I'm hot here in this fur coat I can't take off. Can somebody shave me already?

The only other news (read: gossip) that came out the game was that Giants Closer Brian Wilson apparently got a photo sent to his cell phone from the Dodgers' Casey Blake. The photo showed Blake mocking Wilson with his arms crossed and fingers pointed, the way Wilson does after every save to honor his dead father and his Christianity. So Blake, really classy buddy. F-ing Dodgers.

Between that and Dodger fans heckling Aaron Rowand in center field, the rivalry is alive and well. Our pitchers cannot stop Juan Pierre, but at least we won the series.
The Giants have won or split their last 8 series, and Manager Bruce Bochy said that would be the goal going in to each series, so I think the Giants are doing OK. The next month is going to be key though. They face the Nationals, who are actually hot right now, then the Mets, then at San Diego.

Let's go Giants.

Jax

Ordinary people

I'm sidelined again, with this stupid Jungle Paw.

I was running around in the rain a lot last week and it just got red and chapped between the pads of my paws. It seems to be getting better though, Stephen and Brooke have been drying them off all the time and putting this dang spray and lotion on it. I think they're drying out, and the weather is drying out, so I should be good. I really like to lick my paws a lot, since it's all I can do, but maybe that's actually making them more raw. Hmmm. I'll have to think about that. Maybe I'm doing the wrong thing here. Hmmm. Naah. Hold on, let me lick my raw paws some more ...

I just really need my paws for everything: Walking, running, typing, pulling the slot machine, dealing hands of poker to my friend Healey, mixing drinks, turning on the hot tub ...

Anyway, in my downtime I've been reading Giants players' blogs. Catcher Bengie Molina has one, you already know, called Behind the Mask.

Now outfielder Fred Lewis has one too on the Comcast site, called FdotLew.

Lewis' posts, like Bengie's, make him out to be a regular guy, which I appreciate. Fred talks about getting a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass recently that he wants to restore. He talks about visiting a children's hospital in L.A. on a off day (Rookie charity stuff is common, but still).

Bengie, who is in a contract year, talks about writing "All Out Everyday" under the bill of his ballcap, and he looks at it before every game. Bengie photo by BaseballMusings.com. Everybody (SF Chronicle's Bruce Jenkins, SJ Mercury News' Tim Kawakami) is saying Bengie's contract should be renewed, and I have to agree. He gets clutch hits all the time.

Bengie's not the lightest guy out there (about a deuce, deuce and a half), and when he rounded second base for a triple the other day announcer Mike Krukow said he looked like a "runaway beer truck."

That's about right. But we love beer.

Lawd, what a race!

Hey everybody, Jax here. Yeah, so my Derby predictions weren't quite on the mark ... Even though I lost my shirt at the sports book, I was truly happy to see Calvin Borel win at 50-1. I'll jump on that bandwagon.

The guy was just oozing with joy as he took a victory lap. The way he talked right after the race just shook me up. And three Top 3 finishes at the Derby in three years is impressive.

Also, you gotta love the hasty interview with Mine that Bird's trainer, Bennie Woolley Jr., after the race. The NBC guy kept saying how Woolley drove there 2,700 miles from New Mexico and nobody knew who he was, pretty much making him look like a fool. Woolley just stood there straight faced under a black cowboy hat, holding crutches under his arms. He leaned into the mic and said, "Well, I guess they'll know me now."

Awesome stuff.

Want to see what pure joy looks like? Borel gets interviewed at about the 3:30 mark.


He has also drawn some comparisons to Waterboy, but I dunno about that ...


Also, Pacquiao did win by TKO, so close but no cigar. There are rumors he might run for president of the Philippines ...

Last minute picks

I know it's last minute, and by the time many of you read this it will be Monday morning, but here we go.

Pacquiao/Hatton bout: I like Manny Pacquiao over Ricky Hatton, by decision. Hatton's weight has been swinging around too much and Manny is more determined. The fight is in Vegas on Pay Per View, for those of you living under a rock.

Kentucky Derby:Jax's Superfecta--Pioneer of the Nile, Dunkirk, I Want Revenge and Desert Party. Those four hourses are in a class by themselves. I'd like to say that is a "stone cold lock" (thanks, Tony Bruno) but Friesan Fire likes the mud, so we'll see what happens. A certain Daily Racing Form writer seems to think those four are the best, so if you're betting today ...

Barry Zito's tweets about Brian Wilson's tweets

Barry Zito tweeted on Tuesday:

BarryZito: Hey guys great win for the team.. WIlson deleted his account as that was the way for him to prove all the media wrong in their assumptions12:22 AM Apr 28th from web

I guess that means no more tweets from Giants Closer Brian Wilson on twitter. As you may know, Wilson used twitter earlier this week to talk about drinking all night, then he went out and blew a save. Then he canceled his account on Tuesday. Wilson photo by AP. Oh, well. At least we can still enjoy the soothing tweets of Zeets:

BarryZito: In a Nob Hill cafe...Jamiroquai just got trumped by John William's sweet sounds of his nylon string guitar..10:53 AM Apr 28th from mobile web

or

BarryZitoBrian will be missed. I'll pass on the love from you guys... Off to enjoy the day in the city. Jamiroquai will be my soundtrack today. 10:15 AM Apr 28th from web

I also enjoy Shaquille O'Neal's tweets, who describes himself as "Very quotatious, I practice random acts of Shaqness":

THE_REAL_SHAQ: Just had a bowl of heart to heart kashi cereal, not bad, on my way bak to shaq 24 hour fitness, 8 pack here I come 7:43 PM Apr 27th from TwitterBerry

USC football coach Pete Carroll has had some really insightful ones too. I can't find it, but it was like "Just watched some film, now I'm off to lunch. Hope it's good!"

Really insightful stuff. Thanks guys. Am I the only one who's kind of glad there's a media filter? Sometimes the media saves celebrities from themselves ...

Jax

Beat L.A.!

What a satisfying 5-4 win against the Dodgers last night at AT&T Park. I was watching the game in the living room with my jaw on the floor, as usual. Stephen got home from work late and he told me he heard Barry Bonds on the radio being interviewed by Jon Miller during the sixth and seventh innings. Stephen said he tried to record the audio while he was driving but his recorder was out of batteries. Typical.

Anyway Barry was in a great mood, and even he said that people have told him how different and nice he has been since he stopped playing. Because when he was playing he was such a jerk to reporters, fans, teammates, coaches, basically everyone except his employee/friend Greg Anderson, who is still in jail because he won't testify against Bonds. It's been years.

Bonds has stopped playing, but he hasn't "retired" because he's still not letting go of the idea of playing again. Bonds, who is 44 for goodness sake, hopefully will start his 10-year personal services contract with the Giants soon. I take it that means hitting instruction, and not, um, nutrition. He will be really valuable to young hitters if he can do it the right way.

Last night on the radio he said Bobby Bonilla once told him "you can't get hits unless you swing." Hopefully the advice will be a little better than that. Part of the reason Bonds was such a phenomenal hitter was his eyesight, and you can't teach that.

While Bonds is the home run king, he is not a .300 lifetime hitter. He said part of that was because teams put the shift on him, moving 7 fielders toward right field (e.g. the pitcher and catcher don't move, but the third baseman is at shortstop, the shortshop is at second base etc.). They did the same thing to Ted Williams.

Bonds also said since he stopped playing he has watched every Giants game on TV. He sat next to Giants Managing General Partner Bill Neukom and part owner Larry Baer on Monday night, and he wore a blue shirt and blazer. Photo by AP.

Chatting with Jon Miller, Bonds said again that one of his most memorable at-bats was against the Dodgers' Eric Gagne, which was the best pitcher in baseball at the time meeting the best hitter in baseball, if Bonds did say so himself.

He also said the Giants, who are 9-9 and third in the NL West right now, will warm up as the weather warms up. Everyone says Barry Zito is pitching better, pitching angry, and the team has the tools to contend in August. Bonds said the team just has to be in contention in August, then shift in to overdrive through August and in to the playoffs.

Want another pitcher/batter matchup for the ages? Check out Wednesday night's Giants-Dodgers game with Tim Lincecum facing Manny Ramirez. 7:15 p.m. PDT on CSN. I call shotgun on the TV, folks, and I want to finish off that knuckle bone while I'm at it. Can't we record 90210 or something? I mean this is baseball history unfolding.

Bonds, by the way, told Jon Miller it was too bad the Giants didn't sign Manny in the off season ...

Jax

It's been awhile

I have been so busy sniffing out barbecue lately--it's practically every night around the house here. Those steaks looked soooo good. I totally missed out. I got Dogfood, again.

Anyway the Giants have been doing a little bitter, taking a two game "set" (not a series if it's two games) from the Padres. I have a little bet going that the Giants will beat the Padres a lot this season, so I'm looking OK with that.

Big Money Bengie Molina hit the game winning hit yesterday in the bottom of the 10th. I think Bengie got that hit because Manager Bruce Bochy said he would finally have a day off from catcher, and Bengie really, really wanted to go home for the off day today. Ice those knees, man.

Bengie said on his blog he was pretty happy to hear backup catcher Steve Holm was being called up from Triple-A. I'm pretty happy too. How the hell can the Giants have third baseman Pablo Sandoval get in a squat? Are we trying to kill all our players?

Peace out,

Jax

Chasing Tail

I hope I can make this my new background. Wouldn't that be great.

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been busy chasing house guests.

-Jax

Only 161 games to go

Hey everyone, Jax here, shaking off the rain. I hope I don't get Jungle Paw again from all the moisture in there ...

Anyway, opening day was full of surprises. After all that talk about how the Giants have no offense and would rely heavily on pitching this season, they bang out 10 runs and Lincecum only lasts three innings in his first start. You never know.

Travis Ishikawa and Aaron Rowand had 2 hits and 3 RBI a piece, and Rowand had been cold as ice at the plate all spring. (He hit for .189 this spring, not .170 as previously posted--sorry Mrs. Rowand.) But who cares? Now is what counts.

And the best thing about the Giants this year? Can you imagine being the Brewers, or any team that comes to SF for a series, and having to face Lincecum, followed by Randy Johnson the next day, followed by Matt Cain the next day? The visiting team loses the first two of those games and their spirit is just crushed for the next one.

But maybe that's wishful thinking. The Giants had a bad record at home last season (Paw is sore, can't find stat.)

The Giants actually had a lot of offense this spring, and if yesterday was any indication, let's keep that rally alive!
Here's a shot of Travis Ishikawa (left) who was a San Jose Giant not long ago. This was taken in 2005, and he is with Brian Munhall and Nate Schierholtz (right). Photo by Dave Nelson/Flickr.

Jax

Opening Day, folks!

Baseball fans, Happy New Year!

It's opening day and the Giants are facing the Milwaukee Brewers at AT&T Park. There was some rain earlier, but right now it's in the Top of the 4th and the Giants are up 4-3.

I'd love to be at the ballpark, but alas, here I am in the garage listening to the game on the radio. I listened to some of the spring training games in the last few weeks, it really calms me down while Brooke is Furminating me with the Furminator brush. It's kind of like a spa day (yawn). Photo credit: Flickr.

Anyway, let's go Giants! Our good friend Andy Baggarly wrote a good preview of the Giants in Sunday's Mercury News, if you haven't read enough of that already. Bengie Molina is in a contract renewal year, and Randy Winn can be a free agent at the end of the season, so expect production from them. If only we could get Aaron Rowand to get his .170 average up.

This season's all about starting pitching and reaping the Giants' farm system, which is ripe with players (need I mention Lincecum, Sandoval, Buster Posey). If the Giants can get through April without a backup catcher (Sandoval is playing third base and catching when Molina can't) and the relief pitching is decent, and they can sweep the dooomed Padres, I think the Giants can set themselves up for a good season.

Opening Day lineup/batting order:
RF Randy Winn
SS Edgar Renteria
LF Fred Lewis
C Bengie Molina
3B Pablo Sandoval
1B Travis Ishikawa
CF Aaron Rowand
2B Emmanuel Burriss
P Tim Lincecum

Also, here's a kind of funny economic argument for the Giants winning the NL West with an 85-77 saeason. Bernie Madoff took the Mets owner for half a billion dollars, and other financial calamities that means less money's flowing in to trades and player acquisitions for other teams. Maybe Manny will have a lackluster year in LA, who knows?

Go Giants!