Welcome to Czar’s blog #3 of 2020 – August 19, 2020
The Little League Edition of the Czar’s blog
This is a throwback (as in a fish too small) season regardless of what happens. I loved the split of the opening series against the Dodgers after the G-Men got thrashed in the first two games. They came back and played well against a team that has so many stars they think they should just be awarded the WS trophy without having to play the game. Do not get me wrong, the Blue team is 17 and 7 and in 1st place in the NL West but they are still the Dodgers and will find a way to screw it all up before it is over. The curse of Chavez Ravine beach balls is alive and well.
No, what we really should discuss is Little League. This is for all of us that watched our ten-year-old (boy or girl) playing outfield and tuning out when a ball was hit to them, allowing it to drop for a home run by another ten-year-old (where did you go Hunter Pence?). Then we have the parade of relief pitchers getting rocked for home run after home run in the late innings. I once managed a team of ten-year-old players and I understand how Gabe Kapler must feel. “This is a glove. This is a ball. This is a bat. The bat should hit the ball squarely. The glove should face outward when a ball is hit to you, look directly at the ball and guide it into your glove.” Basic execution is not happening. Brain farts all around (yes, we are talking to you Donovan Solano).
I do not know when the Giants franchise was bought by the A’s, but those three games were the most serious chokes I have seen since Hulk Hogan was taking out opponents on the Wide World of Wrestling. Talk about misery. At least the G-Men took one game from the Halos after blowing another lead in the first game. There are two more Angels game to come today and Thursday at Oracle. Maybe the boys can play better at home (although that did not seem to make any difference against the A’s).
The 60-Game Season – Is there any hope this year for the abbreviated playoffs?
The Giants are 9 and 16 (.360 is well below .500 for the math whiz’s out there) and 9 games out of the lead in the NL West with 35 games left to go. If this was a normal season a .360 record in August means serious trade talk, bringing up the youngsters and talking about “next year.” But no one knows what will happen this season. Teams getting COVID, schedules being screwed up by mandatory doubleheaders (and maybe triple headers before the season is over) means that a .500 mark (if the Giants could get there) might get into this seasons Little League version of the playoffs. A modest winning streak could do it.
The National League West – Does it Even Make a Difference Anymore?
There is no more American and National league and the Giants little league team has predominantly faced the league leaders in the West (Dodgers, Astros, and A’s) so far; but they didn’t look great against the Padres, Rockies and Rangers either. Put it this way – do not invest in Giants playoff swag yet.
What players should we be watching?
The real reason to watch is to look at the young Giants being thrown into the fire and tested right now. What can they do next year? Yastrzemski (hereinafter, forever, Yaz) is the future soul of the team. He is batting .311 with 6 dingers and making highlight reel catches. A young fielder has not looked this good since Barry Bonds. Austin Slater (.317), Donovan Solano (a doubles hitting machine at .392), Wilmer Flores (.291) and a host of young players round out the players that are fun to watch.
Crawford has looked good the last couple of games. The Brandon’s and the Panda are heating up, Longoria is soon to be the graybeard veteran of the team and this is probably Pence’s swan song. Do not go quietly into the good night Hunter.
The pitching is, to be charitable, not up to major league standards. Cueto looks good and then suffers through multiple brain farts in the outfield. The Shark does not look good, and the other young guys do not seem comfortable. The number of blown leads says it all.
That brings us to management. If this were a normal year we would be screaming for Farhan and Gabe’s scalp about now – how can these guys not have been ready for the show? However, given the circumstances I counsel patience, at least until the next Dodger’s series. They do get props for a female coach, but I do not recall seeing Alyssa at first base yet during a game (am I wrong?).
I will say now what I said to my ten-year-old. Son, its baseball. It will break your heart, but it will be the most fun game you will ever play, and your teammates will be in your heart forever.
Today is the Angels at Oracle. Look for the rally monkey…
GO GIANTS!
Ciao,
The Czar
This is my cutout. I have been rooting for the G-Men at every game but no foul balls yet.
For nostalgia, the usual admonition. “The available games, dates and number of tickets will be shown at the end of the blog before the rules. Remember when you email me back to identify the game, the date, and the number of tickets you want. Please whitelist my email so you get the blog posts and ticket offers all season long.”