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.
Oracle Park is now open for baseball (no restrictions for the vaccinated) but bring a mask if anti-vaccine idiots sneak into the stadium.
There are Six Games Left in the Season – All at Home
The road games are over. The Giants have been 53 and 28, a club record for the San Francisco era. Now the action shifts to Oracle where the last six games will be played to full houses, cheers, and an eye on the scoreboard for what the Dodgers are doing. All remaining Giants games are against the NL West (Snakes and Padres) who, while they have no love for the Dodgers, are proud teams that will pull out the stops.
On Thursday Bum comes back into town for the Snakes with a chip on his shoulder and “Loud and Heavy” by Cody Jinks as his walk-up song. Loud and Heavy is right. It’s going to be that way right until the last day of the season (Sunday the 3rd) where it’s entirely possible that the Division championship will be decided.
The Gigantes are 102 and 54 with 6 games remaining. Every game is a must win, right until the end. Seriously, if the Giants and the Dodgers end up in a tie there will be one sudden death playoff game at Oracle (because the Giants have the better head-to-head record against the Dodgers in the regular season).
Let the torture commence.
The Last Road Trip – Mad Craw Beyond Thunderdome
The G-men just swept the Rockies in Denver for the second time this season and finished their last road trip 5 and 1. Sunday they were behind until the last inning and then rallied behind a 3-run Crawford dinger. That’s the way it has been all season: down to the wire in the late innings. The two players that have been the backbone of the franchise during this period are Crawford (.302 with 23 HR’s and 88 RBI’s) and Belt (the Captain - .289 with 28 HR’s and 59 RBI’s). The only downer today (when the bullpen got rested and the young guys came through) was Belt been taken out of the game with a swollen hand after getting hit by a pitch. He is day to day and will be x-rayed when the Giants get back to SF on Monday for a day off.
The Performers – the Entire Team
There is no way to pick out any one player as the best (although Craw comes close) because everyone on the team has picked up their game. Wade, Jr. – “Late Inning Lamont,” stands out as perhaps the biggest surprise but everyone has stepped up. There are ten players with over 10 HR’s and 3 with over 20. That’s crazy, but it creates an atmosphere for the manager where there is no fear to subbing in and out for mixing and matching to the moment – whatever the moment calls for.
Mixing and matching is Kapler’s style, and this is his (and Farhan’s) team. Regardless of where the Giants finish Kapler is redefining the role of the regular season manager and is the front runner for Manager of the Year.
The pitching staff has been nails and is getting ready for the post-season. Logan Webb, Kevin Gausman, Alex Wood (back and looking good), and De Sclafini are the starters (though Cueto was observed throwing at home today along with Jake McGee trying to come back from an injury – but where to put Cueto?). The relievers are ready – Leone, Watson, Alvarez and Tyler Rodgers and the youngster with the great dreadlocks and the 102 mph fastball – Camilo Dovel. Camilo is the closer of the future. He is so cool they take his temperature after every outing to make sure he has a pulse (true!).
The Enemy Awaits – the Team from LA that won’t go away
This week we all will be watching the scoreboard as the Dodgers face the Padres and the Brewers at home in LA. There is no love lost between the Padres and the unctuous Dodgers so expect the Padres to play hard in that series before they close out the season at Oracle. The Brewers have already sewed up the NL Central so the question is: will the Brewers play like the Brewers or tank to get healthy going into the playoffs? My money is on the Brewers playing hard because otherwise they risk seeing the Dodgers in the NL championship series.
Regardless, if the G-Men win out, they win the division and need not worry about the wild card. But, if the G-Men lose two and the Dodgers win out, it’s a tie.
There WILL BE a postseason Czar’s blog because there will be a postseason. There may even be a ticket or two available!
It’s been one hell of a ride this season, and I say it comes down to the last game.
On the board ready to be picked up are:
WED: 9/29 [6:45] Snakes – 2
THUR: 9/30 [6:45] Snakes – 2
FRI: 10/1 [6:45] Padres – 1 [I’m going to this game]
SUN: 10/3 [12:05] Padres – 3 [Fan Appreciation Day, I’m going and I want company!]
Ciao, and GO GIANTS!
The Czar
We use mail chimp so give permission for the blog to arrive in your mailbox if you want to receive the blog and participate in the fun. Past blogs can be found at www.beveragelaw.com at the Czar’s blog archive.
THE PROTOCOL: the firm has four seats in Section 118 (Premium Lower Boxes), Rows 25 and 26. These are awesome seats directly below the press box and 25 rows behind home plate on the left side behind the screen. It is foul ball territory for left-handed batters so bring your glove – I have collected 19 foul balls myself over 20 years, am looking for more and caught my latest ball at the Cards game on July 5th [film available!]. If we don’t use all the tickets ourselves (or clients and friends of the firm don't claim them by calling me and reserving a game), then my next step is to give the tickets TO THE FIRST PERSON WHO GETS BACK TO ME PROVIDED THAT THEY ARE SERIOUS. If you ask for the tickets and don't use them, you will be taken off the list unless there is a seriously good reason. There will be a wait list.
When there are four seats available (we split up a lot of games) we will allocate the tickets two and two if the first people back just want two tickets. You can also go for four and might get them. I'm the Czar, my call.