Something special happens around 0:59 of this video

7th inning of Game 5...

Lee and Lincecum are locking antlers in a pitchers duel...

Giant fans at the Public House watching.

For the first minute of this video, everyone is paying close attention, but know there are 2 outs, Cliff Lee is not the pinata he was in Game 1, and that a scoring opportunity may be squandered here.

I mean how many times can Edgar Renteria come through for the Giants.

Then the fly ball...

There is cautious optimism...

Then it completely clears the wall.

At around the 0:59 mark of this video, listen for that pause before the place erupts.

That pause was the very last moment that a Giant fan ever thought they were going to die without seeing their team win it all.

Then collective "YEAH!"

At that moment they knew the Giants were up 3-0 with Lincecum on the mound.

They knew that the World Series was theirs.

No more Finley grand slam.

No more J. T. Snow thrown out at the plate.

No more handing the game ball to Russ Ortiz.

No more Troy Glaus double or Scott Speizio homer.

No more Benny Agbayani walk off shot.

No more watching the Marlins get 3 walk off wins in two different series.

No more winning 103 games and missing the playoffs.

No more Earthquake series.

No more Jose Oquendo home run.

No more Maldonado losing it in the lights.

No more line drive by McCovey.

At that moment, all of that became prologue.

And the release of happiness was well earned.

I had a similar scream in 2004.

It felt good.

Enjoy it Giants fans.

Pitchers and catchers are reporting soon.

The Giant Alternative - A Sully Baseball Video

In my latest video, I question what MLB has done to appeal to younger fans and ask why they aren't marketing the World Champions more.

Filmed on location at AT&T Park... camera work by my lovely wife.

Rest in Peace, Red the Fish

Today we lost our fish, Red.
My son Aidan named him. He took one look at him and said "He's red. So his name is Red." And how is that less of a creative name than "Sully."

Before the 2010 postseason, I held up a logo of a baseball team on either side of his tank. Whichever side he swam to, I wrote down as his prediction.

He was pretty good.
In fact he predicted EVERY SINGLE post season series correctly until the World Series.
He picked the Rangers to win the World Series.
My wife picked the Giants and won.

Well, now he is gone... flushed to the great unknown.

You were a good fish, Red. We'll miss you. And you were a hell of a lot better at picking playoff series than me.

Rest in peace.

My last post for 2010

I guess it is appropriate that I am in San Francisco for the last day of 2010.
For all time, 2010 will be associated in baseball with the Giants and their unlikely title.

It was a good year to be a Giants fan... just ask my dad.
It was a good year to be a Rangers fan.
It was a good year to have Roy Halladay on your fantasy team.
It was a good year to be Joe Mauer or Adrian Gonzalez's accountant.

And it was a super fun year to write this blog.

There might be some changes in 2011 as I try to make Sully Baseball a little more ambitious.

But as 2010 goes, the readership grew in a much faster pace than I could have imagined and I thank you all for that.

So this post makes it 1,086 updates for the year... just about 3 a day.
Look for more in 2011.

Happy New Year everyone.
Let's hope 2011 is another great year for baseball.

Cliff Lee... one the best post season pitchers ever? Not so sure about that.

The Cliff Lee sweepstakes keeps on rolling and I hear commentators and writers talk about how he is an All Time great post season pitcher.

Now I am not going to belittle his post season record but let's calm down for a little bit.

First of all, if I turned back the back the world a la Superman all the way back to 2008, Cliff Lee's career post season numbers would look like this:

0 Games.

So he went to 0 games to the second coming of Sandy Koufax in two years?

Now going into the 2010 World Series, his post season stats were indeed eye popping.
He was 7-0 with a 1.25 ERA in 8 career post season starts with the Phillies and Rangers.

He averaged more than 8 innings a start, throwing 3 complete games (and it could have been 5 complete games except he was lifted for a mop up man in both the 2009 NLCS and 2009 ALCS.)

So yes, he was outstanding.

Then came Game 1 of the 2010 World Series where he was more impressive as a hitter then a pitcher.

Look, any great pitcher can lose a pitchers duel. Even Bob Gibson lost a game 7 (mainly because Curt Flood tripped in a puddle.)

But here's the hand the Rangers dealt Lee in Game 1:

They were playing in a pitchers ballpark against a notoriously weak offense and they took an early 2 run lead off of Tim Lincecum, who couldn't make it out of the 6th and let up 4 runs.

Cliff Lee should win that game 101 times out of 100, not give up 6 earned runs in less than 5 innings to a bunch of banjo hitters.

And not to be harsh, but he lost again in the elimination Game 5. He didn't pitch badly, but he DID let up a 3 run homer to 80 year old Edgar Renteria while Lincecum was all but flawless.

His numbers for the World Series were ugly. REAL ugly.
It doesn't diminish what he did before, but it should put a damper on the hyperbole of where he ranks all time.

Lee's 2 years were damn good, save for the 2010 World Series... but he's no Dave Stewart. He's no Curt Schilling. He's no John Smoltz.

If he won that first game in San Francisco, chances are the Rangers would win the Series... and the whole "He just wants to win a ring" element of the negotiations would be off the table.

And as I pointed out in my OTHER post that references Superman, there are some red flags about his health and age that make me think that 7 years for him might be excessive.

But hey, he'll be paid as an All Time Great and if he leads either the Rangers or the Yankees to a World Series title than nobody will remember those 2 games in 2010.

Giants sign Pat Burrell and fill their need for a hitter who can't field and strikes out a lot

That is according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, and why would he lie to me?

But it strikes me as an odd move.
Yeah he got a bunch of big homers when he came over to the Giants after being cut by Tampa.

And sure he is a graduate of Bellarmine Prep in San Jose was a local kid who helped the Giants win their first World Series title by the Bay.

But let's face it, a lot of Pat Burrell's production was a burst of power to prove Tampa Bay wrong... then he regressed into being the hitter that the Rays saw fit to cut.

He hit a combined .142 in the post season and went hitless in the World Series.

Hey you fans of sabermetrics... do you know what his OPS was in the World Series?

.133

That's not his batting average.
That's the sum total of his slugging percentage and his on base percentage.

And oh yeah, he had to be replaced for defensive reasons.

He struck out 11 times in the 4 games he played in the World Series and frankly looked like a guy who was done.

I thought, as did no doubt everyone else in the Solar System, that the Giants were going to pat Pat the Bat on the butt and say "Thanks for your help, here's your second World Series ring in three years, good luck."

Perhaps with his up and down career and having earned nearly $70 million in his career that this could have been the best way to go out... as a champion.

But he found a better way.
Cash another $9 million in checks.

I thought an outfielder like Austin Kearns (who can actually play the field) would have been an ideal fit for the Giants. And he would have been cheaper too.

But who am I to judge?

So look forward to a whole season of Pat Burrell playing 6 innings a game and striking out.
It's good work if you can get it.

It gets lonelier for Don Mattingly

I started thinking about Don Mattingly at the end of the 2010 World Series.

Why?

Because, as I wrote in a previous post, the Giants had three former Mattingly era Yankees on their coaching staff.

Dave Righetti, who was the Rookie of the Year in the AL for 1981, just before Mattingly arrived.

Roberto Kelly, who was supposed to be the next great Yankee superstar and make a 1-2 punch with Mattingly.

And Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens, who was supposed to be the fan favorite right handed slugger.

They all toiled with Mattingly in disappointing season after disappointing season in the Bronx and shared with Donnie Baseball in ringless frustration.

Except now... they will all be fitted with rings... and Mattingly still has yet to participate in a World Series.

His luck, as I wrote before, is staggeringly bad.

And if his managerial abilities are any indication, he won't be getting a ring any time soon as the Dodgers skipper.

Man, he can't catch a break. Maybe he can as Bam Bam to take a look at HIS ring.

And now it is quiet

If the Rangers bats didn't go in hibernation, the 7th Game of the World Series would have been played tonight.

For the 7th straight year, the World Series has failed to go the distance... which is as much of a reason as any for the drop in viewership. Only one of the last 7 World Series even went to 6 games... so it is hard to build up any drama there.

Either way, the World Series has been clinched and the parade to celebrate the champions has been cleaned up.

And now we have no scores to check and empty stadiums.

OK, in places like Oakland, San Diego, Tampa and Miami there are empty stadiums year round, but that's not the point.

It's the off season.
Still a fun time for baseball, but it isn't the same.

I won't lie to you. I already miss baseball.

The All Time Home Grown vs. Acquired San Francisco Giants without a ring Rosters

With the Giants and their fans still celebrating their stunning World Series victory, it is as good a time as any to pay honor to those who played their hearts out for San Francisco but finished their playing career without a ring.

So I decided to do a Home Grown vs. Acquired entry to honor those San Francisco Giants who never got to be crowned a World Champion.

As I did before, I created two 25 man rosters with 8 starting position players, 5 starting pitchers, 5 relievers, a top pinch hitter, 2 reserve infielders, 2 reserve outfielders, a reserve catcher and a 25th man who could be any position.

I picked from any San Francisco Giants roster, showing favoritism towards former All Stars and post season heroes.

And by Home Grown, I mean that the Giants were their first professional organization.

By Acquired, I mean they spent time with another organization (including in the minor leagues) before coming over to the Giants.

And let me answer a pair of questions that will be inevitable.

HELLO? WHERE'S WILLIE MAYS?

Willie Mays won a ring as a member of the 1954 New York Giants.










WHERE'S ORLANDO CEPEDA?

Cha Cha won a ring as a member of the 1967 St. Louis Cardinals.

I am only including players who never won rings ANYWHERE.

Players who contributed to big Giant seasons like Don Robinson, Kevin Mitchell and Robb Nen had won rings prior to joining the Giants.

Players like Chili Davis, Matt Williams and Candy Maldonado won after playing for the Giants.

So they won't be included.

Enough with the ground rules!
Let's start the list!

ALL HOME GROWN SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS WITHOUT A RING ROSTER

STARTING CATCHER
TOM HALLER
Giant from 1961-1967
1962 NL Champion
NL All Star in 1966 and 1967



STARTING FIRST BASEMAN
WILLIE McCOVEY
Giant from 1959-1973 and 1977-1980
1959 NL Rookie of the Year
1962 NL Champion
NL All Star in 1963, 1966, 1968-1971
3rd in 1968 NL MVP vote
1969 NL MVP
Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986














STARTING SECOND BASEMAN
TITO FUENTES

Giant from 1965-1967 and 1969-1974
3rd in 1966 NL Rookie of the Year vote
1971 NL West Champion




STARTING SHORTSTOP
CHRIS SPEIER
Giant from 1971-1977 and 1987-1989
1971 NL West Champion
NL All Star in 1972, 1973 and 1974
1987 NL West Champion
1989 NL Champion



STARTING THIRD BASEMAN
JIM DAVENPORT
Giant from 1958-1970

1962 NL Champion

1962 NL All Star

1962 Gold Glove Winner



STARTING LEFT FIELDER
GARY MATTHEWS
Giant from 1972-1976
1973 NL Rookie of the Year


STARTING CENTER FIELDER
MARVIN BERNARD
Giant from 1995-2003
1997 NL West Champion
2000 NL West Champion
2002 NL Champion
2003 NL West Champion



STARTING RIGHT FIELDER
BOBBY BONDS
Giant from 1968-1974
1971 NL West Champion
1971 and 1973 All Star
3 time NL Gold Glove winner

ROTATION

JUAN MARICHAL
Giant from 1960-1973
1962 NL Champion
NL All Star 1962-1969 and 1971
5th in 1968 NL MVP vote
1971 NL West Champion
Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983



GAYLORD PERRY
Giant from 1962-1971
1962 NL Champion
NL All Star in 1966 and 1970
2nd in 1970 Cy Young vote
Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991



MIKE McCORMICK
Giant from 1956-1962 and 1967-1970
NL All Star in 1960 and 1961
1962 NL Champion
1967 NL Cy Young Award Winner


SCOTT GARRELTS
Giant from 1982-1991
NL All Star in 1985
1987 NL West Champion
1989 NL Champion
6th in 1989 NL Cy Young vote



JOHN MONTEFUSCO
Giant from 1974-1980
1975 NL Rookie of the Year
4th in 1975 NL Cy Young vote
NL All Star in 1976

BULLPEN

GARY LAVELLE
Giant from 1974-1984
NL All Star in 1977 and 1983



TREVOR WILSON
Giant from 1988-1993 and 1995
1989 NL Champion


RANDY MOFFITT
Giant from 1972-1981



JEFF BRANTLEY
Giant from 1988-1993
1989 NL Champion
NL All Star in 1990















FRANK LINZY
Giant from 1963 and 1965-1970
3rd in 1965 NL Rookie of the Year vote

BENCH

TOP PINCH HITTER

WILL CLARK
Giant from 1986-1993
5th in 1987 and 1988 NL MVP vote
1987 NL West Champion
NL All Star in 1988-1991 and 1993
2nd in 1989 NL MVP vote
4th in 1991 NL MVP vote
Winner of NL Gold Glove in 1991



RESERVE INFIELDER
ROBBY THOMPSON
Giant from 1986-1996
2nd in 1986 NL Rookie of the Year vote
1987 NL West Champion
1988 and 1993 NL All Star
1989 NL Champion


RESERVE INFIELDER
JIM RAY HART
Giant from 1963-1973
2nd in 1964 NL Rookie of the Year vote
1966 NL All Star
1971 NL West Champion


RESERVE OUTFIELDER
JACK CLARK
Giant from 1975-1984
1978 and 1979 NL All Star
5th in 1978 NL MVP Vote


RESERVE OUTFIELDER
FELIPE ALOU
Giant from 1958-1963
1962 NL All Star
1962 NL Champion


RESERVE CATCHER
DICK DIETZ
Giant from 1966-1971
1970 NL All Star
1971 NL West Champion



25TH MAN
DAVE KINGMAN
Giant from 1971-1974
1971 NL West Champion
24th in 1972 NL MVP Vote



That is some amazing talent scouted by the Giants and developed by their farm.
But when it comes to swiping great players from other teams... they have a knack for that as well.

ALL TIME ACQUIRED SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS WITHOUT A RING ROSTER

STARTING CATCHER
BENITO SANTIAGO
Giant from 2001-2003
2002 NL All Star
2002 NL Champion
2002 NLCS MVP
2003 NL West Champion


STARTING FIRST BASEMAN
J. T. SNOW
Giant from 1997-2005 and 2008
1997 NL West Champion
2000 NL West Champion
2002 NL Champion
2003 NL Champion
4 Time NL Gold Glove winner


STARTING SECOND BASEMAN
JEFF KENT
Giant from 1997-2002
1997 NL West Champion
3 time All Star
2000 NL West Champion
2000 NL MVP
2002 NL Champion



STARTING SHORTSTOP
RICH AURILIA
Giant from 1995-2003 and 2007-2009
1997 NL West Champion
2000 NL West Champion
2001 NL All Star
2002 NL Champion
2003 NL West Champion



STARTING THIRD BASEMAN
EDGARDO ALFONZO
Giant from 2003-2005
2003 NL West Champion


STARTING LEFT FIELDER
BARRY BONDS
Giant from 1993-2007
NL All Star in 1993-1998, 2000-2004 and 2007
1993, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 NL MVP
Winner of NL Gold Glove in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998
1997 NL West Champion
2000 NL West Champion
2002 NL Champion
2003 NL West Champion



STARTING CENTER FIELDER
BRETT BUTLER
Giant from 1988-1990
1989 NL Champion




STARTING RIGHT FIELDER
BOBBY MURCER
Giant from 1975-1976
NL All Star in 1975

ROTATION

RICK REUSCHEL
Giant from 1987-1991
1987 NL West Champion
1989 NL Champion
NL All Star in 1989


JACK SANFORD
Giant from 1959-1965
1962 NL Champion
2nd in 1962 NL Cy Young vote


BILL SWIFT
Giant from 1991-1994
2nd in 1993 NL Cy Young vote


KIRK RUETER
Giant from 1996-2005
1997 NL West Champion
2000 NL West Champion
2002 NL Champion
2003 NL West Champion


DAVE DRAVECKY
Giant from 1987-1989
1987 NL West Champion
1989 NL Champion

BULLPEN

ROD BECK
Giant from 1991-1997
NL All Star in 1993, 1994 and 1997
8th in 1994 Cy Young vote
1997 NL West Champion


CRAIG LEFFERTS
Giant from 1987-1989
1987 NL West Champion
1989 NL Champion


GREG MINTON
Giant from 1975-1987
NL All Star in 1982
6th in 1982 Cy Young vote













JERRY JOHNSON
Giant from 1970-1972
1971 NL West Champion
6th in 1971 Cy Young vote


FELIX RODRIGUEZ
Giant from 1999-2004
2000 NL West Champion
20th in 2001 NL MVP vote
2002 NL Champion
2003 NL West Champion

BENCH

TOP PINCH HITTER
MIKE IVIE
Giant from 1978-1981


RESERVE INFIELDER
CHUCK HILLER
Giant from 1961-1965
1962 NL Champion


RESERVE INFIELDER
JOSE URIBE
Giant from 1985-1992
1987 NL West Champion
1989 NL Champion


RESERVE OUTFIELDER
DARREN LEWIS
Giant from 1991-1995
1994 NL Gold Glove winner



RESERVE OUTFIELDER
JEFFREY LEONARD
Giant from 1981-1988
NL All Star in 1987
1987 NL West Champion
1987 NLCS MVP













RESERVE CATCHER
ED BAILEY
Giant from 1961-1963
1962 NL Champion
NL All Star in 1963


25TH MAN
KENNY LOFTON
Giant in 2002
2002 NL Champion


I will grant you there are some strange names on here... Marvin Bernard? Bobby Murcer? But every time I thought I had another good name to put on the roster, I would remember they had won a ring elsewhere.

So the Lincecums and Cains and Poseys and Wilsons will never be on a list like this. And all of these players should have a little weight off of their shoulders, if not as strong a weight as they would like on their ring finger.