Chicken Scratch of the Day

Today's special guest:
Joshua Vitters
Daytona Cubs Class A Advanced Florida State League

I seriously don't know how some people can even pick out his name from that "gracious " signature. If you look closely you can slightly make out a little of his last name. However on the bright side at least it's not auto penned.

Chicken Scratch of the Day

Soooooooooooooooo much effort on the part of Chafie Fields to sign. It looks like Anthony just scribbled the same thing twice. Take a good look at Derrick's manly auto! Aye Aye Aye!

Sanchez Bounced to Bullpen

It's been under consideration for the better part of a month now, and on Sunday evening in Milwaukee, Bruce Bochy finally made the decision. Jonathan Sanchez is temporarily out of the Giants' rotation, and will pitch in relief for the time-being.

Filling in for Sanchez on Sunday was 26 year-old Ryan Sadowski, and he was brilliant in his big league debut. Sadowski shut down one of the best hitting teams in the NL, in one of the toughest parks to pitch in. The right-hander gave the Giants 6 solid innings, in which he allowed just 4 hits, while striking out 2 batters and keeping the Brewers off the board. The quality start was good enough to give Sadowski, who's been in the minors since being drafted by the Marlins in 2003, his first big league victory, and also saved the Giants from being swept by the Brew Crew. Not only was Sadowski impressive, but the guy who's spot he took, Jonathan Sanchez, was pretty darn good out of the pen in his own right. Sanchez pitched the 9th inning for the Giants, and went 1-2-3, striking out the side on just 15 pitches. I don't know that moving Sanchez to the pen will last all year, but after the way they both threw yesterday, I think it would be wise to give Sadowski the ball as a starter, and Sanchez as a reliever until they both prove otherwise.

Providing the offense for the Giants on Sunday, and really all of June, was Nate Schierholtz. Nate just keeps getting better and better with the more playing time he's receiving and at this point, as he's pretty much taken over for the struggling Fred Lewis in the outfield. Schierholtz went 4 for 5 with a homer, an RBI and two runs scored while hitting out of the clean-up hole. The performance raised the Giants' right-fielder's average to .316. His 12 RBI's are already more than Lewis has provided on the year, and Lewis has had double the at-bats of Schierholtz. In-fact, Schierholtz has been on such a tear, that he and Pablo Sandoval are 1-2 as far as National League batting leaders for June go. These two have really stepped it up and have been the main cogs in the middle of the order in June, picking up for some other Giants who haven't been swinging as well. Bengie Molina and Randy Winn, who have really been steady offensive contributors for the Giants during their tenure's here, have been struggling lately. Winn has 4 hits over his last 2 games, so hopefully he's working out of it, but Molina's average continues to spiral down. The Giants catcher is hitting just .219 since May 1st, and has just 2 long-balls since May 12.

On-Tap: The get another tough road test, as they take on the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis for four, starting Monday night. The Cards' just added Mark DeRosa to an offense that was already one of the better ones in the league, so the Giants' pitching will be in for a good battle. Tim Lincecum takes the mound Monday night, opposed by Brad Thompson in a pitching match-up that heavily favors the Giants. It's crucial that they take advantage tonight and get Timmy his 8th win of the season...

Giants Still Need 2 Bats

We're just a few days away from July, and about 5 weeks from the MLB, non-waiver trade deadline. The Giants have been discussed a lot over recent weeks, as they try to find another bat to help their below-average offense, but I think that they need more than just one stick.

Sure, bringing in a guy like Nick Johnson, or Aubrey Huff (two potential rent-a-players who the Giants could probably attain without parting with one of their premiere prospects) would give a boost to the clubs offense, but I don't think that an addition of one solid bat alone, unless on course it's a game changer and premier bat, will put this team over the hump. So I have been scanning the league a little bit, and found a possible trade partner for the Giants, in which they may be able to realistically add a couple of impact-type bats without giving up Bumgarner, Alderson or Posey. That team is the Baltimore Orioles. The O's are in last place in a tough AL East division, and probably will be looking to part with some of their high-priced veterans at the deadline. The two guys I have in mind are Brian Roberts and Aubrey Huff, not the best hitters in the game, but two solid bats who would drastically improve the teams' offense at first and second base. And Roberts could be a guy they may have interest in keeping around for a while.

Now, Huff has been linked as a possible target for the Giants for a while, as he can play either corner infield position and even handle right-field in a pinch. I wrote a bit about how I wanted to see the Giants make an offer to Huff when he was a free agent in 2006. Brian Roberts is an all-star caliber second basemen, who could bat atop the Giants lineup, and provide them with an offensive catalyst in the mold of Kenny Lofton, circa 2002. Neither of these guys, on their own, would put the Giants over the top, but the addition of both, could really supercharge their offense. Huff's on pace for another 20+ home run, 100+ RBI season, which no other Giant currently is besides Bengie Molina (on the home run part that is). Roberts is hitting near .300, with pop and plenty of steals (15) for the O's right now as well. I'm not quite sure what kind of package the O's would want in return for these guys, but as I said earlier, I do think the Giants could create something competitive to offer, without including their top 3 prospects. Maybe a package of Jonathan Sanchez, Emmanuel Burris, Henry Sosa, Fred Lewis and Travis Ishikawa would be a start, as all of these guys (besides Sosa) are young, have had some success at the big league level, and all have upsides that haven't been reached yet. They're also guys that the O's can control (contractually) over the next few years as well. Again, I don't have any idea what it would take to get these two guys from Baltimore, but the potential lineup with the addition of those two sure looks a lot more "playoff worthy":

1. CF Aaron Rowand
2. 2B Brian Roberts
3. 3B Pablo Sandoval
4. 1B Aubrey Huff
5. C Bengie Molina
6. LF Randy Winn
7. RF Nate Schierholtz
8. SS Edgar Renteria

Notes: The Giants will try to get back on track tonight as they send Barry Zito to the mound to face a team who's tore him apart in his short Giants tenure, the Milwaukee Brewers. Zito will also try and play stopper as the Giants lost the first game of the series Friday Night. The Brewers are on the Giants' tail in the NL's Wild Card race as well, which spices up the weekends series a little bit. Hopefully Zito can get it done tonight, cause the Giants send Jonathan Sanchez to the mound on Sunday, and he's 1-7 with a 6.47 era and a 1.88 WHIP over his last 10 outings. I can't help but think that he may be on his way to the bullpen if he can't put forth a decent effort tomorrow.

Chicken Scratch of the Day!

Just plain sick. Topps quality--- they put it on uneven.

Shaq + Lebron = Too many jesters on the court

If you have not heard the breaking news.... Shaquille O'Neal is being sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers. King James and Big Daddy Diesel....this might be a relationship that could.......flop? Only time will tell.

Chicken Scratch of the Day!

Here is the next batch of cards in a long line of "who signed that" cards.

Alvin Pearman
Sam Baker
Syvelle Newton

See even the scrubs have learned to sign like the pro's!

LSU Wins the National Championship

The LSU Tigers outlasted Texas tonight, beating the Longhorns 11-4 to bring another national title to Baton Rouge. This is the 6th championship in the program's history, the first since 2000, and the 1st career title for coach Paul Mainieri. The Tigers (56-17) lost just once in the season's final month.

The game was actually much closer than the final score indicates. LSU got up early on a 3-run homer off the bat of CWS Most Outstanding Player Jared Mitchell, and they had that advantage for a couple of innings. That's when starter Anthony Ranaudo got very shaky in the middle of the game. He walked 4 in the 3rd inning and surrendered a 2-run home run to Texas OF Kevin Keyes in the 5th. Ranaudo had an elevated pitch count, UT starter Cole Green had already been lifted, and it looked like anybody's game.

The turning point came in the 6th. LSU OF Mikie Mahtook lined a 2-strike pitch from Brandon Workman into center for a double, driving in Mitchell. The Tigers tacked on more with an error, sac fly, 2 HBPs, and a 2-run single from Sean Oc

hinko. (All year long I was on the Ochinko bandwagon, and he definitely came through tonight; 4-for-5 with a HR and 3 RBI.)

LHP Chad Jones, the football safety/outfielder continued to emerge in a setup role. He recorded 5 outs of relief (and 2 strikeouts) with a fastball for strikes up to 92-93 mph and a pretty nice breaking ball. Fittingly, though, Mainieri put Louis Coleman on the mound for the last two innings. Coleman is probably the team MVP. He's a senior who came back to school specifically to get another chance to win a national championship, he was the SEC Pitcher of the Year, and he was extremely consistent and reliable all year long. The 6-4 righty got Texas OF Connor Rowe to wave at a slider for the final out of the game, and set off a wild celebration for the Purple and Gold and their thousands of rabid fans. It was a great end to a great CWS and a great season. Here's the box score from the game, which, unfortunately, will be the last for awhile.

College-wise, we've got the Cape Cod League and recruiting/draft signing to look forward to. Other than that, I'll just start counting down the days till the next season.

*Photo courtesy of www.espn.go.com

Lincecum Dominates The A's

After losing game one of the second Bay Bridge Series of 2009, the Giants took game two, ensuring their season victory over their cross-bay rivals.

The star of the show was once again, '08 Cy Young winner, Tim Lincecum. "The Franchise" threw his second complete game of the season (fourth of his career) en route to beating the A's 4-1. Lincecum struck out 12 batters, while walking just two, and needing only 108 pitches to get through the 9 innings. There were a few times late in the ballgame in which the A's put some runners on base with less than 2 outs, but Lincecum had the double-play ball going for him when he needed it as well. The only run the A's mustered off of him was a mistake fastball that he left up to Jason Giambi, in which Giambi put in the right-field bleachers. Other than that, the kid was once again nails, and furthered his case for starting for the NL in the All-Star game, which is just 3 weeks away. I think Timmy should get the nod for a couple of reasons. Not only did he win the Cy Young award last season, but he's picked up right where he left off and is putting himself in the race to win again this year. The kid has really been the NL's best pitcher over the last year and a half (no disrespect to Johan Santana, but look at the numbers). If Lince' doesn't get the nod, it better go to Matt Cain. I might be showing a partial bias, but if there's anyone more deserving than Timmy, it's Cain, who's got 9 wins and a 2.28 era heading into his next start on Friday.

The Giants have been playing pretty good ball lately, so it hasn't been a big issue, but I don't quite understand why they're sticking with Matt Downs at second base over Kevin Frandsen. Downs has shown some signs of capability, and could end up being a fine utility guy down the line, but Kevin Frandsen has been a second base prospect for this team for years, and now there's actually an opening for him, and they're letting him rot in Fresno. Now, I'm not a huge advocate of Frandsen's, as I haven't been overly impressed with him at the big league level yet, but I do feel he's earned a shot, and since they're bringing Burris back slowly, why not give Frandsen a look? He's hitting .400 with 3 homers and 6 RBI over his last 6 ballgames for the Grizzlies, which has his average up to .332. He did have a string of less-than stellar at-bats up here earlier in the year, but I really hope they're not writing him off because of that showing (heck, it took Burris almost all of April to find his stroke). I just think he's in better position to help the team win than Matt Downs. He's got the experience, he's been tearing up AAA pitching, and most of all, he's hungry for that job. I talked to K-Frand late last season at a Giants-benefit event, and when I brought up the future of second base for the Giants, Frandsen went off party mode and into focused mode. You can tell that this guy wants that job. Why not give him a month to see what he's got?

Also catching some news today was Giants' third-round draftee, Chris Dominguez. Andrew Baggarly reports that the Giants have signed the third baseman from Louisville to a contract and that he'll report to Salem-Keizar immediately. It's great to see the Giants ink one of their top picks so soon, and I hope it will be the case with the other guys. Buster Posey didn't sign until late last season, which delyaed his professional debut about 2 months. Let's hope they can get Zach Wheeler inked a little quicker than they did Posey last year.

Chicken Scratch of the Day!

I'm doing a little new feature called, "Chicken Scratch of the Day". It will consist of an authentic autograph of an athlete's and you job is to figure out if that's his name signed on the card as they have so patiently and passionately scribbled on.

Our first candidates: Chris Johnson and Gartrell Johnson. Who copied who's auto style?

Jungmann Deals To Help Texas Tie It Up

LSU was one win away from a national title entering tonight's game against Texas. They are in the exact same spot now, as UT freshman Taylor Jungmann threw a masterful complete game to beat the Tigers 5-1. That sets up a decisive, winner-take-all game tomorrow night.

Jungmann, a 6-6 righty, was in control from the beginning, striking out two batters in a perfect first inning. He struck out 9 and allowed only 5 hits the whole way. Jungmann's 4-seamer ranged from 92-95 mph, and his 2-seamer got groundouts in the 87-89 range. He spotted his curve and change at will, and left the Tigers' vaunted bats hopeless all night. The only run came directly from an error in the field, but Jungmann shook it off and whiffed the next hitter. It was simply a dominating performance, especially for a freshman, and the 'Horns will now have a rested staff for tomorrow. Offensively, Russell Moldenhauer and Preston Clark were the stars, as they each pulled homers.

Moldenhauer's shot was his 4th of the year. Amazingly, all have come in Omaha. Clark's homer was his 3rd, and his 2nd in Omaha. The cozy dimensions at Rosenblatt are a stark contrast to Disch-Falk Field in Austin, and the Longhorns are showing that with their recent power surge.

LSU, on the other hand, was in a hole from the beginning of the game. Their #3 starter Austin Ross, a pretty good but inconsistent righthander, got the start while ace Anthony Ranaudo watched from the dugout. Ranaudo will pitch on 4 days' rest tomorrow. Ross was roughed up a bit, and so was LHP Ryan Byrd. I predicted LSU to win the series, but I definitely liked the Longhorns' chances tonight. They are swinging extremely hot bats, and their pitching was in a much more favorable situation coming into the game. Now it all comes down to Game 3. Buckle up, tomorrow's going to be an exciting night.

Who signed that card?

Nothing like opening a pack of UD SPX or EXQUISITE or Topps Chrome and pulling out an autograph of a player where the signature consists of this; _)(__))__ ??? What the heck is that garbage? It seems that many of the autographs being pulled are absolutely horrible. In my opinion the athletes should not be paid until they sign decently at least on the cards/stickers. Let's take a look at some good autos and some not so good autos.

Bad:


Good:


Bad:


Good:

Donald Fehr - Now that you have my money.....LEAVE!

Donald Fehr worked as the director of the MLB Players Association for 26 years and is finally retiring. He's also well known for this: Players' strikes, performance-enhancing drug use and congressional hearings. He was a greedy man. It took the US government stepping in to knock him off his "no big tests needed" campaign. He looked like a winged duck in front of congress while making his presentations. You screwed us fans out of the 1994 World Series. You made the million dollar cry babies. Hope you rot! NEXT TO GO....BUD SELIG and SCOTT BORAS! Oh yeah, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper are clients of Mr. Borass.... I wonder if these names sound familiar...Ben McDonald, Todd Van Poppel, Brien Taylor, and Mark Prior. Ha ha Good times.

Tigers Take Back-and-Forth Game 1

Just when you thought the College World Series couldn't get any better, it did. Last night's LSU-Texas tilt, the opener of the championship series was a classic. The Tigers prevailed 7-6 in extra innings.

Ryan Schimpf got it started early for LSU, crushing a homer as the game's second batter. (The junior is only about 5-9, but he packs a ton of punch, and he's a good 5th-round pick for the Blue Jays.) Texas took Louis Coleman deep three times in the 4th inning, though, to dramatically shift the momentum. Travis Tucker, Russell Moldenhauer, and Kevin Keyes all hit solo shots. UT starter Chance Ruffin was on his game, fanning 10 and leaving with a 3-1 lead with 2 outs in the 6th.

Augie Garrido's choice to bring in LHP Austin Wood at that point, however, backfired. The Tigers brought Jared Mitchell, a lefty-swinger with a much lower average versus same-siders, to the plate with runners at the corners. Mitchell stayed on an outside offering beautifully and laced it into the left-center gap for a 2-run triple.

The teams kept trading homers until it was 6-4 Texas heading into the 9th. LSU got a couple of baserunners off Longhorn RHP Austin Dicharry, but Texas still seemed to be in control with 2 outs. At that point, LSU turned to D.J. LeMahieu, and he came up clutch, turning on a Dicharry changeup to deliver a game-tying double. (LeMahieu had a great day overall, going 2-for-4 with a homer and a stolen base.)

In the 11th freshman Mikie Mahtook lined a go-ahead RBI single to center off Texas reliever Brandon Workman. Mahtook was battling cramps and struggling to catch up to Workman's mid-90s heat, but he stayed back on a curve to get the big base-hit. LSU freshman closer Matty Ott worked 3 scoreless, hitless innings of relief to pick up the win. Texas hit 5 homers in the game, but they were all of the solo variety, ensuring that the Longhorns came up just short. They'll go with Taylor Jungmann tomorrow with their season on the line. LSU, which is resilient and seemingly unbeatable right now, will play for a national championship. Now this is Omaha.

Mikie Mahtook shook off 3 Ks to come up clutch late in the game tonight

*Photo courtesy of www.lsusports.net

Giants Back on Track, Sweep Texas

The Giants reverted to their early-season form during their previous series with the Angels, but definitely got back on track vs. Texas over the weekend. The Giants swept the Rangers and put themselves back atop in the NL Wild Card standings.

The Giants received some rock-solid pitching over the 3-game set with Texas and got just enough hitting to make that pitching stand-up. The two starting performances that really stood out were Matt Cain's 8 inning, 3 hit, 1 run, 9 strikeout performance Saturday, followed by Barry Zito's 7 inning, 2 earned run, 8 strikeout performance. Unfortunately, as was the case in so many of his starts over the last 2 seasons, the Giants offense couldn't come up with enough support to supply Cain with the victory, although they did end up winning the ballgame.

It wasn't just the starters who carried the team this weekend though, the relievers played a big part as well. The Giants bully provided 8 1/3 innings of scoreless relief this weekend, with set-up man Sergio Romo reeling in a couple of victories. Romo has picked up right were he left off last season after missing the first 2 months of the year with injury, but return to the bullpen has really solidified things. And after Bobby Howry's scoreless inning on Sunday, the Giants have gotten all their relievers era's under 4. I know bullpens aren't as exciting to discuss and don't ever really get the credit they deserve, but the Giants' bully has been as key to their success as any other area on the team, and it may actually be their strength.

The pitching staff shined for them this weekend, but the Giants also had some hitters come through with clutch hits. Randy Winn, who has really been struggling lately, showed up in a big way late in Sundays' game. He provided a 2-out, go ahead RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, immediately after the Rangers had broken Barry Zito's no-hit bid and shut-out by tying the game in the top of the inning.

Other than Winn, it was all about Aaron Rowand and Pablo Sandoval, as it has been for most of June. Rowand 6 for 12 over the weekend, with 2 jacks, 5 runs and 2 RBI's. Sandoval had another 5-hit weekend, and although he didn't drive in any runs, he raised his average to a season-high .338. Both Sandoval and Rowand have really been the key cogs in the Giants offense over the month of June, and both may just find themselves on the NL all-star team because of it. Outside of a couple of Mets in David Wright and Carlos Beltran, there aren't any third basemen or centerfielders in the NL that are having a better all-around years than Sandoval and Rowand. Rowand has been a force on defense as well. After his sub-par 2008 season, I think a lot of people wrote him off as another free-agent bust, but it's safe to say he's earning his money this time around. And while he isn't your prototypical lead-off guy, I think he's found his niche there with this team.

Giants' Draft Interview

For the final chapter of our 2009 MLB amateur draft coverage, I had a chance to catch up with Brian Foley of The College Baseball Blog for our annual draft recap interview. Brian's been extremely busy over at the College Blog, covering the CWS, but made some time to answer a few quick questions on some of the college kids the Giants drafted:

Q: There were some other polished college arms (Aaron Crow, Alex White and Mike Leake etc..) and a 5-tool shortstop in Grant Green available to them. Who would have been your pick at 6 if you ran the Giants?

BF: I would have picked Alex White as I think he was the best college pitcher available after Strasburg. I saw Leake's performance against Texas in the College World Series and was less than impressed as he is undersized and really doesn't have the front of the rotation stuff to be worth the eighth pick like he was.

Q: I know you've seen a lot of the Giants third round pick, third basemen Chris Dominguez from Louisville. What type of player do you see him developing into? Will he provide the same kind of power as a pro that he did in College?

BF: Dominguez will be a Rob Deer type that will be able to hit about 30 homers a year and have a batting average of about .250. He tends to strikeout a ton and has some major defensive weakness. He had a fielding percentage at .878 with 23 errors at third base. His future is either in the outfield as he has an outstanding arm or at DH which the Giants don't need as you know.

Q: Two selections that I really liked for the Giants were Jason Stoffel (Arizona) in the fourth round and Brandon Belt (Texas) in the fifth. What do you expect those guys to do at the next level?

BF: Stoffel was an excellent selection as bullpen guys tend to fly through the system. He finished the year with 11 saves but a slightly high ERA of 4.67 in his 39 relief appearances. This is an extremely high number for a collegiate pitcher as the team only played 55 games. Belt has been underused at Texas as Auggie Garrido plays a very different offense which didn't show you what Belt could do. He had to lay down bunts (11on the year) while only hitting eight homers and hitting at a .335 clip.

Q: Outside of the first few guys taken, give us an arm and a bat that you really like?

BF: One of the guys that the Giants picked up that is interesting is Chris Gloor out of Quinnipiac. He is 6'6 and 220 pound lefty. He can develop into a power left handed pitcher if he gets some good coaching in the minor leagues. He has problems with control right now and is a little raw but he could be outstanding. Kyle Vazquez out of Franklin Pierce is another interesting pick. He had an outstanding career with the Ravens and played in a wood bat conference so his numbers are more "true". The bat that I really like is Diego Seastrunk as the kid is a perfect line-drive hitter and could move into the field from his college catching position since it is blocked by Buster.

Traditional Powers Ride Into CWS Finals

This year's College World Series Championship Series will pit two of the sport's heavyweights. LSU, unbeaten since the SEC Tournament, will face Texas, which has won 6 national titles all-time, one more than the Tigers.

LSU convincingly swept through its half of the bracket, going 3-0 against Arkansas and Virginia. The Tigers are clicking offensively, conjuring up Gorilla Ball memories from the '90s, and OFs Ryan Schimpf, Mikie Mahtook, and Jared Mitchell are all on a tear. The Tigers are performing strongly as a defensive unit as well, having played error-free baseball so far in Omaha. Making LSU even more dangerous, its pitching staff is lined up perfectly for the upcoming best-of-3 series. Ace Anthony Ranaudo bounced back from a rough intro to Omaha by stymying Arkansas yesterday, and the sophomore righty will be ready for either Game 2 or 3. Louis Coleman, who has been money down the stretch, just like he has been all year, is rested and ready for the opener. You can count on him getting the Tigers off on the right foot. Matty Ott, Austin Ross, Chad Jones, Paul Bertuccini, Nolan Cain, Daniel Bradshaw, Buzzy Haydel, Ben Alsup, Chris Matulis, and Ryan Byrd give the LSU staff surprising depth; the Bayou Bengals are really steady in all facets of the game. They are playing with extreme confidence, and if nothing goes awry, my national champion pick from Selection Monday will come true.

Texas, however, is also playing well. (What title contender isn't?) The Longhorns have found their power strokes in Omaha, especially in a thriller versus ASU last night. Trailing by a run with 1 out and nobody on in the 9th against Sun Devil closer Mitchell Lambson, the 'Horns bashed two solo homers to come out victorious. C Cameron Rupp bombed one over the batter's eye in center to tie it, and OF Connor Rowe walked off with a blast to left. Texas won't be a pushover. That offense is suddenly a factor to go along with their amazing pitching and defense. Look for Chance Ruffin, Taylor Jungmann, and Cole Green to get the ball in the championship series. Expect a healthy dose of Austin Wood and Austin Dicharry out of the bullpen, of course.

It will be fascinating to see the two superpowers duke it out for national supremacy in this year's finals, which begin Monday night. While underdogs are awesome to watch, the favorites prevailing restores your faith in normalcy and actually makes predictions look good. I can't wait for the games to begin, as it should be a classic, action-packed matchup. I'm picking (and rooting for) LSU.

LSU's defenders have been flying all over the place to make the plays this week

*Photo courtesy of www.mlb.com

ASU, Arkansas Stave Off Elimination

ASU and Arkansas will both live to play another day. The Sun Devils just got done taking care of North Carolina, while the Razorbacks outlasted Virginia last night in the most riveting game of the CWS so far.

Arkansas freshman lefty Drew Smyly got the ball last night against a fellow southpaw, freshman sensation Danny Hultzen. Hultzen turned in a gem (6.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) to solidify a spot on the Frosh All-American Team. 1B John Hicks and OF Dan Grovatt both went deep, and the Cavaliers held a 3-1 lead in the 9th. RHP Kevin Arico, usually a reliable closer, had the Hogs down to their last strike with nobody on base. 3B Zack Cox singled up the middle to keep it alive, and then CF Brett Eibner launched an absolute moonshot to left. Eibner was hitting .220, but it was definitely not a soft .220. The sophomore has incredible tools, and the homer was his 11th.

The Cavaliers still had plenty of chances to redeem themselves. They had the bases loaded with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, but Hultzen grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. (To be fair, he did hit the ball sharply.) In the 10th, Virginia runners got to 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Jarrett Parker and Hicks both struck out to end that rally. The Cavs also loaded the bases in the 11th and got a leadoff double in the 12th to no avail. Credit LHP Dallas Keuchel, the Razorbacks' ace, for getting through 4 pressure-packed innings performing numerous escape jobs. OF Andrew Darr hit a go-ahead double in the top of the 12th to join Eibner as an offensive hero. Last night's game was definitely Virginia's to lose, and, boy, did they ever lose it.

Tonight's ASU/UNC rematch was really a tale of two games. Carolina led 4-0 in the middle of the 5th inning. Sun Devil OF Kole Calhoun (a breakout star of this year's CWS) blasted a game-tying grand slam to tie it in the 5th, then ASU poured on 8 more in a crazy 7th inning to run away with the "W". Josh Spence (7 IP, 3 ER) was spectacular on short rest. Calhoun, 2B Zack MacPhee, C Carlos Ramirez, and OF Jason Kipnis all had good offensive games, but UNC's normally-stellar pitching was the real culprit. Matt Harvey walked 5 and gave up 3 runs in an abbreviated start; Colin Bates, Patrick Johnson, and Nate Striz all gave up multiple runs; and Brian Moran surrendered the grand slam. It has to be incredibly disappointing for UNC to get knocked out again after being so close. The Tar Heels made it to Omaha 4 years in a row (with college baseball's best hitter and an All-American pitcher for the last 3 of those), but they still haven't captured the national championship. That just goes to show how elusive the title is.

ASU's Seth Blair and Mike Leake will be counted on to beat Texas the next two days. Meanwhile, Arkansas will be a longshot against LSU, which hasn't lost since May 20 in the opener of the SEC Tournament. The Razorbacks have burned their 3 weekend starters, plus T.J. Forrest and Mike Bolsinger in the bullpen. Dave Van Horn will have to cobble together some pitching if his team wants to have a prayer against a rested Tigers team.

Brett Eibner was super-pumped after his 9th-inning bomb knotted the score at 3

*Photo courtesy of collegebaseballtoday.com

Giants Can't Handle Angels

The Giants had been on a roll coming into their recent 3-game set with the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night, riding a 9-3, 12 game stretch to start June. However, the Giants are still a flawed team, despite their play of late, and the Angels really exposed their weaknesses, and swept the NL Wild-Card leaders in their own house.

Now, in two of those games, it was really just bad outings by the starters. Barry Zito has his worst start of the season, giving up 7 runs in the fourth inning of Monday night's ballgame, and despite a nice offensive charge late in the ballgame, the Giants just couldn't make up the deficit. Jonathan Sanchez followed Zito's rough outing with almost an identical line, giving up 6 earned runs in less than 4 innings of work, while yielding 10 base hits.Tim Lincecum did provide a nice start in the final game of the set on Wednesday afternoon, but the Angels got to him in 8th inning, and gave the '08 NL Cy Young winner his second loss of the season. The Giants offense really didn't do much to help Lincecum's cause either. They scored only three runs, and missed out on a few different opportunities to get some insurance runs in, and just couldn't get it done. One positive sign though, was Travis Ishikawa, who homered for the second time this season as part of a 2-3 afternoon for the Giants' first basemen. Despite sporadic playing time, Ishi's quietly raised his average about 60 points in his last 10 games, from .219 on May 23rd, to .276 on June 18th.

The starting pitching was really the problem in the first two games of the series though. Zito has been throwing the ball pretty well for the most part this year, so I'm not overly concerned with his start, but Sanchez is a different story. He really just can't seem to find any kind of groove this year whatsover. Sanchez has only had two "quality starts" this year, and none since May 20th. Things are progressively getting worse for the Giants 26 year-old lefty, and it's starting to cause some talk of possibly removing him from the rotation. Bruce Bochy said that's not going to happen quite yet, but did imply that things need to get better in a hurry for Sanchez or else there would need to be some changes made. If Sanchez has another rough start or 2, in which he can't make it through the fifth inning, the Giants may turn to another option.

A few guys who could be in line if Sanchez is moved to the Pen or down to Fresno for a while are Kevin Pucetas and Henry Sosa. Pucetas is 6-2 with a 3.40 era and .244 BAA in Fresno right now, but has really been nails in 4 of his last 5 starts. In that span, he went 26 innings, allowing only 1 run. Pucetas isn't really a guy who's going to blow his fastball by hitters and doesn't strike many batters out, but he's got 23 strikeouts over his last 30 innings pitched, so that are is improving as well. In 12 starts in AA Connecticut, Henry Sosa has gone 6-0 while sporting a 2.61 era and .237 BAA. He's also starting to go 6 innings with more consistency, after hovering around 4-5 innings per start in the first month of the year. I think the Giants would lean towards Pucetas, just because of his control and success at Triple-A, but Sosa could very well be second on that last. And I don't think the Giants are quite ready to bring top prospects Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson up to the Major League level quite yet, despite their success in AA.

Catching Up With the CWS

I'm a little behind with recaps of all of the College World Series action. Here is what has happened so far:

Bracket 1

Texas- 2-0

North Carolina- 1-1

Arizona State- 1-1

Southern Miss- 0-2 (eliminated)

Texas has eked out a couple of wins. First, they toppled Southern Miss with a bases-loaded walk. Then, they overcame a 6-0 deficit against the nation's #2 ERA man to beat ASU 10-6. Cameron Rupp hit a pair of oppo homers and freshman Taylor Jungmann was tremendous in relief of starter Chance Ruffin, who was hit hard, to carry the Longhorns. UNC squandered an outstanding effort by Alex White (9 IP, 1 R, 12 K) with an extra-innings loss at the hands of ASU. They came back with a CWS record-tying 23 hits, including 5 from All-American 1B Dustin Ackley, to bounce Southern Miss. The Tar Heels have Matt Harvey, Patrick Johnson, and White lined up for a potential climb out of the loser's bracket. ASU's pitching situation is much more dicey, so they'll be a longshot from here on out. Texas has two chances to beat the winner of the ASU/UNC clash, and electric righty Brandon Workman will probably get the ball first.

Bracket 2

LSU- 2-0

Virginia- 1-1

Arkansas- 1-1

Cal State Fullerton- 0-2 (eliminated)

Cal State Fullerton, perhaps the slight favorite entering the CWS, played as poorly in two losing efforts this week as they played well in convincing runs through regionals and super regionals. RHPs Noe Ramirez and Daniel Renken were simply not themselves, and the rest of the team did not play "Titan Baseball". LSU has handled their foes with some old-style LSU Gorilla Ball and a solid start from Louis Coleman to take a commanding position in this bracket. It'll be tough for either Virginia (who knocked out CSF after losing to LSU) or Arkansas (who homered and Dallas Keuchel-ed their way to a win over Fullerton and then got trounced by LSU) to win 2 games against the Tigers with the way they are playing. The Bayou Bengals are clicking on offense, defense, and on the mound.

Sandoval an All-Star?

The first half of Monday nights Giants-Angels game wasn't pretty. The Giants were down 8-0 in the fourth inning and those not at the ballpark probably started looking for something else to watch on television. However, even though they still lost, the Giants showed some fight by coming back and making it just a 2-run ballgame, something they haven't really done over the last few years.

A big reason for that comeback was Pablo Sandoval. In the last post, I talked a little bit about how Sandoval's kind of taken over as "the man" in the Giants offense, but on Monday night, he really proved it. The Giants' rotund third basemen/first basemen/catcher had himself his best night as a Major Leaguer. Sandoval went 3-5, with 2 jacks and 4 RBI and almost single handily brought the Giants back into the ballgame. With 3 more hits in the game, Sandoval raised his average to a season high .332, good for second amongst NL third basemen. With the way he's played lately, Sandoval is starting to make a case for himself to make the NL All-Star team. The only other guy who's hitting higher than Sandoval at third base is David Wright. The Mets' third basemen is leading the NL in hitting and will start for the NL at the hot corner on July 14th, despite his low run production numbers. Then there's Ryan Zimmermann, who's .310 avg., 12 homers and 42 RBI are likely to land him on the squad as well. However, Sandoval has the versatility to catch as well, and the catching position is going to be thin for the NL squad this year. In fact, outside of Bengie Molina, there really isn't any other catcher in the league that really deserves to be at the mid-summer classic. Whether he makes it as a corner-infieler, or a catcher, it's pretty clear that Pablo Sandoval needs to be on the NL All-Star team. Also keep in mind that he won't even turn 23 years-old until August, so the kid's nowhere near as good as he's going to be quite yet.

Speaking of Giants on a roll lately, ever since Nate Schierholtz and Andres Torres have been getting reps in left field consistently, they're answering the bell. I talked a little about Schierholtz's big game on Sunday, and that could possibly getting his season jump-started, and he followed up Sunday's game with a 2-3 night Monday night. However, Andres Torres is actually playing a little better than Schierholtz at the moment. Torres has been on an absolute roll ever since coming off the DL and rejoining the team in late May. In 22 June at-bats, the 31 year-old speedster has filled up the stat sheet, hitting .364 (8-22) with a home run, 6 RBI, 2 steals and 5 runs scored. Of the 8 hits in June, 5 have been for extra-bases, which Schierholtz (8 total extra-base hits in 82 at-bats) haven't been providing. In has last 4 ballgames, Torres has been especially productive, going 6-11 with a homer, 2 doubles, a triple and 4 RBI. Torres is also the best defensive outfielder on the 25-man roster, accoring to many in the organization. I think the Giants were expecting more of a pinch-run, late inning defensive replacement when they decided to add Andres Torres to the roster coming out of spring training, but he's starting to show them that he deserves a share of the at-bats too. And again, I'm not writing off Fred Lewis in anyway, just pointing out that there are 2 guys who are swinging it better and fielding it better than him right now, and the lineup should be filled out accordingly.

Up Next: Jonathan Sanchez starts Tuesday night for the Giants, and it's a big night for the Giants' young lefty. Sanchez has not had a very good year so far and he's coming off an outing in which he walked 7 batters in less than 6 innings. A lot has been said in recent weeks about possibly dealing Sanchez for a bat, and now with the Giants atop the NL wild-card standings, they may be more inclined than ever to make a move. There should be a few scouts on hand checking out Sanchez tonight, let's hope he has a good one.

Ebay Feebay Fleabay either way we get your money!

Alrighty .... we have up to bat our first possible Ebay scammer of the day:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTHONY-GONZALEZ-UD-SP-AUTHENTIC-LOGO-PATCH-AUTO-725_W0QQitemZ220435075801QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_SM_Sports_Cards?hash=item3352f452d9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1205%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50
Item Number:220435075801
Let's see.....hmmm......his rookie year but yet he was in the Pro Bowl??? There have been so many fake patch cards up on Ebay that it's just completely disgusting. Another thing that is getting out of hand is the shipping charges. I only ever charged $1.65 for shipping which gave you a sealed top loader and shipped out in a bubble mailer and sent first class. Never had a problem and I never had a complaint and I had been doing business on Ebay since Feb 10, 1999 (http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=hertz27&ftab=AllFeedback&sspagename=STRK:ME:UFS). It amazes me that when you buy a $1.00 card and they charge you $4.00 for shipping and then when you finally get your card in the mail and you open the envelope and it falls out of a penny sleeve...yeah...automatic negative will be given in my opinion.
Oh by the way, I quit doing business on Ebay at the beginning of February this year because of the ridiculous fee's that have been brought on by Ebay and Paypal. Plus the fact they no longer really support the sellers and the feedback system stinks. So I closed out my account and I have yet to pay my Ebay fee's. I had sold a card to someone who claimed they never received it and then they turn around and tried to sell it on Ebay 3 weeks later. Do you think Ebay cared? Heck no. They did absolutely nothing even after presenting them with the proof from the auction and pics of the card (serially numbered- matched my auction and his). It took me getting the police involved and threatening to have the guy arrested for fraud (he did give me the money for the card finally thanks to the Sheriff's department). Here's a copy of it: Goes from newest to oldest.

Flag this message

RE: ebay darren mcfadden card

Thursday, January 15, 2009 7:04 AM

From:

"Mycal Villagas"

Add sender to Contacts

To:

mineminenemo@yahoo.com

refund has been sent for this item, item was recieved 2 and a half weeks after a refund was issused. I now have a copy of as refund for eaby item 120343037099

---

Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:20:43 -0800
From: mineminenemo@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: ebay darren mcfadden card
To: cutler69@msn.com

First never defraud someone who does investigations. Bad move on your part. You can play coy on the phone all you want. You know very well which card we are discussing Maunel. Secondly I will give you notice that everything has been transpired between us including the emails have been faxed to the Tulare Sheriff's office and at the fax number they gave me 559-591-5875. 15 pages worth. feel free to call and confirm it if you like. I also turned all of the information into paypal as well. I am more than willing to work with you and give you a chance to either send my card back to me in the condition as described and as seen in the auction or you can pay me the money owed as what is was in the auction. Your other choice is facing legal action and I am prepared to do so. If you send me the card or pay what is owed I will not press charges. I give you my word on that Manuel. People make mistakes and can be forgiven for them. I will tell you I do not harbor any anger towards you. I just want to know why you lied. I will call the Sheriff's Dept and tell them to drop it if you work with on this. You already gave me all the proof I needed to go forth with everything. The choice is up to you. Tim --- On Thu, 1/15/09, Mycal Villagas wrote: From: Mycal Villagas Subject: RE: ebay darren mcfadden card To: mineminenemo@yahoo.com Date: Thursday, January 15, 2009, 1:16 AM James First I understand your concerns. This is manuel villegas ebay ohscards. Mycal is the account on this computer. I found the guy that i sold the card to. I am trying to pick it up on thursday. I will scan it and send it to you. I rather have it thru paypal and I will send with confirmation. Here is my cell number xxx-xxx-xxxx. Let me know if you have any other questions Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:18:37 -0800 From: mineminenemo@yahoo.com Subject: RE: ebay darren mcfadden card To: cutler69@msn.com Well I would like the name and number of the gentleman that has the card and I would like to have a scan of the card just to confirm that it's ok and it is number 58 and in good condition. I'm also sorry but I most apologize but I am confused a little. Am I speaking to manuel? I don't believe we properly introduced ourselves and we're writing back and forth all this time. At least that is who the seller on ebay told me your name was. Is it Mycal or Manuel- not to be rude I'm just trying to write to someone properly. Also how can we do payment? Can it be through Paypal? UPS COD? Thanks! James --- On Wed, 1/14/09, Mycal Villagas wrote: From: Mycal Villagas Subject: RE: ebay darren mcfadden card To: mineminenemo@yahoo.com Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 6:04 PM I have the card but need to complete this by tomorrow. Get back to me asap Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:57:22 -0800 From: mineminenemo@yahoo.com Subject: RE: ebay darren mcfadden card To: cutler69@msn.com Please do. It would be greatly appreciated. James --- On Wed, 1/14/09, Mycal Villagas wrote: From: Mycal Villagas Subject: RE: ebay darren mcfadden card To: mineminenemo@yahoo.com Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 12:44 AM i think so i will call him tomorrow and check Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:43:48 -0800 From: mineminenemo@yahoo.com Subject: RE: ebay darren mcfadden card To: cutler69@msn.com oh man. That Stinks! Do you happen to know who it was sold to because I am really really really after that card and I am willing to pay premium!!! --- On Wed, 1/14/09, Mycal Villagas wrote: From: Mycal Villagas Subject: RE: ebay darren mcfadden card To: mineminenemo@yahoo.com Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 12:31 AM wow i wish i could help but it was sold as soon as i got it. I live in raider country and i sell raider cards as soon as i get them. Again I am sorry Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:27:42 -0800 From: mineminenemo@yahoo.com Subject: RE: ebay darren mcfadden card To: cutler69@msn.com Ok. let me explain. My number all throughout school was 58. My number in college was 58. So when I am collecting cards I try to find the serially numbered ones like 58/300 or 58/250. Some would call it weird or something along the lines of OCD, I don't care. Back in the beginning of dec I saw a leaf mcfadden materials autograph on ebay and I tried to get the seller to end the auction early and he wouldn't. I saw that it was sold before I could get home in time to bid on it. So I figured I'd try to take a shot at and I would be willing to offer you more than what you paid for it. That is the reason why I emailed you. Ebay item #120343037099 2008 Leaf Certified Darren McFadden auto jersey ball --- On Tue, 1/13/09, Mycal Villagas wrote: From: Mycal Villagas Subject: RE: ebay darren mcfadden card To: mineminenemo@yahoo.com Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 8:55 AM which card are you talking about? Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:47:29 -0800 From: mineminenemo@yahoo.com Subject: ebay darren mcfadden card To: cutler69@msn.com I wanted to get the mcfadden card card but I saw that you had the winning bid on it. Would you be interested in selling it? I ask this because I collect the number 58 out of serially numbered cards and I wasn't able to bid on it in time. LMK James

THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY EBAY SUCKS!!! BECAUSE OF GUYS LIKE THIS WHO TRY TO RIP PEOPLE OFF. EBAY DON'T SUPPORT THE SELLERS. THEY ONLY SUPPORT THE BUYERS.

Here endith my rant!

Harper Set to Expedite Ascent

Rumors have been swirling recently about the next step for 16-year-old Las Vegas HS phenom Bryce Harper, and now the überprospect is giving everyone an answer. In order to make himself eligible for next year's draft, Harper will enroll at the College of Southern Nevada. (All junior college players are subject to the draft.) The 6-3 sophomore catcher will get his GED this fall and skip his last 2 years of high school.

This is an unprecedented move for Harper, but I think will be good for him. Judging by his stats and scouting reports, he has absolutely nothing left to prove in high school. He put up gaudy numbers this year (.626 AVG, 14 HR, 36 SB), and his junior and senior years are just going to be filled with more obliteration. He is a rare talent and is generating more hype than anyone not named Strasburg; it will be good to give him more challenging competition, and to make him eligible for the draft a year early. (Barring a setback, he'll be the #1 overall pick even as a 17-year-old.) Baseball is obviously his future career, so missing the second half of high school doesn't really matter in this unique situation. This dude is younger than me and he already has a Wikipedia page.

Day one

This will be my first try at this "blogging" thing. Basically my mind will be spoken but without the vulgarity that some people use. The subjects will cover Ebay to Sports Cards companies to just plain foolish thoughts and ideas of everyday life to Religion to various company annoyances. I leave the sports cards digesting to the pro's like Mario at "Wax Heaven" and Gellman at "http://www.sportscardsuncensored.com/". Comments left here by fellow bloggers will be answered and feel free to speak your mind as it's you given right.

Change of Plans Can't Spoil Great Day of Baseball

The scene during the nightcap

My baseball games originally slated for Friday were postponed until Saturday because of torrential downpours, so the annual College World Series trip had to be moved back until today. No worries. Saturday's matchups were slightly better, but today also had 2 good games, especially a dandy in the afternoon.

First, Arizona State took on North Carolina. The Tar Heels are making an unprecedented 4th consecutive appearance in Omaha. ASU RHP Mike Leake, my favorite player, didn't start because of UNC's tendency to struggle against good lefties. The Sun Devils' #2 starter, Josh Spence, fits that description better than anyone in college baseball. Spence (the Angels' 3rd-rounder this year) came through with a 7-inning, 1-run performance, keeping UNC off balance with his usual array of crazy breaking pitches, deception, and command.

North Carolina ace RHP Alex White (the 15th overall selection last week) was even better, duplicating his dominating showing in the CWS last year. White gave the Devils a steady diet of 93-94 mph fastballs, darting sliders, and diving splitters to go 9 innings and allow just 1 run. He looked to be in complete control just about all game, and he fanned 12. White didn't have an overwhelming junior year, but he traditionally is a big-game pitcher (and he also tends to hit his stride late in the year). He certainly showed that today.

So after those two hurlers stole the show, the game went in to extras with the score at 1-1. Carolina RF Garrett Gore dropped a crucial fly ball in the 10th, and ASU capitalized. C Carlos Ramirez followed with an RBI single, and OF Kole Calhoun drilled a 3-run homer to left. Arizona State's closer, frosh lefty Mitchell Lambson, got the win with 3 outstanding innings of relief.

Here's the view from the bleachers

UNC has the pitching and veteran experience to go a long way in Omaha. Losing the opener in spite of a brilliant performance from its ace definitely is a blow to its chances. ASU, meanwhile, is in fantastic shape. Leake should be rested and ready to take on an anemic Texas offense on Tuesday. The Sun Devils are also full of fresh faces, and getting a win in the first game should get them to relax and get some confidence.

The nightcap pitted two much-less-exciting teams in Texas and Southern Miss. A standing-room-only crowd also meant I didn't have a good view until things settled down in about the 5th inning. That's okay too, though, because the main action was in the later innings.

Yeah, good seats are pretty hard to find for the evening games

Here's a much better view from the rightfield walkway, where I saw the last few innings

Texas was clinging to a 4-2 lead heading into the top of the 8th. (Starting pitcher Cole Green was excellent.) The Golden Eagles (and their fans) came alive in that frame, though, and USM scored 3 to go up 5-4.

The scoreboard says it all: Southern Miss just doesn't give up

Texas came back with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the 8th. USM pushed across another in the 9th, but then completely blew it. The game was decided by a play much more anticlimactic than the rest of the back-and-forth affair: a bases-loaded walk. Southern Miss showcased its sub-par relief corps in crunch time, as a HBP and 3 free passes constituted UT's "rally" for the victory. Collin Cargill, Josh Fields, and Jonathan Johnston all issued crucial free passes in the late innings. The Longhorns now move on to face ASU. The Golden Eagles will try to keep their Cinderella story alive in an elimination game against UNC. And I will anxiously look forward to returning to Omaha for the last year of the CWS at Rosenblatt Stadium in 2010.

Southern Miss shows its great fan support after a big run crosses the plate