Official 2011 San Francisco Giants Season Thread (86-76) 2nd Place in NL West

[lazyj10]

Wilson partying with Sheen? You know MLB is going to give him a "random" drug test

 

[lazyj10]

Wilson partying with Sheen? You know MLB is going to give him a "random" drug test

 

[tim lincecum]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Giants learn the importance of bunting[/h1]
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Aubrey Huff's surprising bunt in Game 5 of the World Series helped set up Edgar Renteria's three-run home run and a clinching victory.

It's helping the Giants still.

"This spring, I get to tell these kids, 'Hey, Aubrey had to do it in the World Series,' " third base coach and bunting doctor Tim Flannery said. "On the team you're on now, you might not be asked to bunt. But in the big leagues in September, you'd better know how."

Flannery usually takes the field early and loads up the pitching machine for fast players like Emmanuel Burriss and Darren Ford to practice laying a few down. But early Monday, Pablo Sandoval was out there dropping bunts down each baseline.

"It was part of his game a couple years ago," Flannery said of Sandoval, who dropped 38 pounds this winter. "He was a good baserunner, too. He wants to bring it back."

Don't expect Huff to square around too often this season. He has 6,112 plate appearances in 1,479 regular-season games over his 11 big league seasons. His bunt in the World Series against Cliff Lee is the only sacrifice of his career.

"Yeah, it was awesome to go back and watch the video," said Huff, sarcastic as ever. "Hanging slider, middle in. Aside from Edgar's home run, that was the biggest mistake he made all day.

"It worked out though, right?"
[*] The Giants and Buster Posey's representatives are working on a one-year contract for 2011, vice president Bobby

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Evans said.
Players like Posey who have less than three years of service time can be paid any amount the club chooses at or above the major league minimum of $414,000. But Evans said the club wouldn't dictate Posey's salary.

"We try to go through negotiations so both sides can come to a reasonable conclusion," Evans said. "We have a process and I don't anticipate any problems."

You can bet Posey's agent will ask for more than $496,500. That's what the Atlanta Braves gave to outfielder Jason Heyward, who finished second to Posey in the NL rookie of the year balloting.
[*] Second baseman Freddy Sanchez will be cleared to swing during live batting practice Friday, Bochy said. Sanchez continues to hit in the cage and off coaches and said his surgically-repaired left shoulder feels great.
"You wouldn't know he had surgery, the way he's swinging," Bochy said.
[*] Closer Brian Wilson still hasn't joined his teammates in an on-field workout because of back soreness that he termed minor. Bochy said he doesn't want Wilson standing around for three hours while waiting for his turn in fielding drills and other activities.
"That's the worst thing you can do when you have a sore back," Bochy said.

Meanwhile, Wilson has a set response whenever anyone asks how last year's team of misfits won the World Series.

"Misfits?" he said. "How does the RING fit?"
[*] The Giants held an hour-long morning meeting with umpiring supervisor Steve Palermo to go over rule and enforcement changes.[*] Tim Lincecum confirmed he will start Friday's Cactus League opener against Arizona, but Bochy said he wasn't ready to announce the rest of the rotation order yet.[*] Jason Stoffel, Wilmin Rodriguez, Ryan Verdugo and Jose Casilla -- Santiago Casilla's younger brother -- will pitch in a two-inning intrasquad game Thursday.
Bochy kept calling Verdugo "Vertigo," eventually giving up. "Now I call him Dizzy," he said.

 

[tim lincecum]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Giants learn the importance of bunting[/h1]
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Aubrey Huff's surprising bunt in Game 5 of the World Series helped set up Edgar Renteria's three-run home run and a clinching victory.

It's helping the Giants still.

"This spring, I get to tell these kids, 'Hey, Aubrey had to do it in the World Series,' " third base coach and bunting doctor Tim Flannery said. "On the team you're on now, you might not be asked to bunt. But in the big leagues in September, you'd better know how."

Flannery usually takes the field early and loads up the pitching machine for fast players like Emmanuel Burriss and Darren Ford to practice laying a few down. But early Monday, Pablo Sandoval was out there dropping bunts down each baseline.

"It was part of his game a couple years ago," Flannery said of Sandoval, who dropped 38 pounds this winter. "He was a good baserunner, too. He wants to bring it back."

Don't expect Huff to square around too often this season. He has 6,112 plate appearances in 1,479 regular-season games over his 11 big league seasons. His bunt in the World Series against Cliff Lee is the only sacrifice of his career.

"Yeah, it was awesome to go back and watch the video," said Huff, sarcastic as ever. "Hanging slider, middle in. Aside from Edgar's home run, that was the biggest mistake he made all day.

"It worked out though, right?"
[*] The Giants and Buster Posey's representatives are working on a one-year contract for 2011, vice president Bobby

---

Advertisement

---

Evans said.
Players like Posey who have less than three years of service time can be paid any amount the club chooses at or above the major league minimum of $414,000. But Evans said the club wouldn't dictate Posey's salary.

"We try to go through negotiations so both sides can come to a reasonable conclusion," Evans said. "We have a process and I don't anticipate any problems."

You can bet Posey's agent will ask for more than $496,500. That's what the Atlanta Braves gave to outfielder Jason Heyward, who finished second to Posey in the NL rookie of the year balloting.
[*] Second baseman Freddy Sanchez will be cleared to swing during live batting practice Friday, Bochy said. Sanchez continues to hit in the cage and off coaches and said his surgically-repaired left shoulder feels great.
"You wouldn't know he had surgery, the way he's swinging," Bochy said.
[*] Closer Brian Wilson still hasn't joined his teammates in an on-field workout because of back soreness that he termed minor. Bochy said he doesn't want Wilson standing around for three hours while waiting for his turn in fielding drills and other activities.
"That's the worst thing you can do when you have a sore back," Bochy said.

Meanwhile, Wilson has a set response whenever anyone asks how last year's team of misfits won the World Series.

"Misfits?" he said. "How does the RING fit?"
[*] The Giants held an hour-long morning meeting with umpiring supervisor Steve Palermo to go over rule and enforcement changes.[*] Tim Lincecum confirmed he will start Friday's Cactus League opener against Arizona, but Bochy said he wasn't ready to announce the rest of the rotation order yet.[*] Jason Stoffel, Wilmin Rodriguez, Ryan Verdugo and Jose Casilla -- Santiago Casilla's younger brother -- will pitch in a two-inning intrasquad game Thursday.
Bochy kept calling Verdugo "Vertigo," eventually giving up. "Now I call him Dizzy," he said.

 

[rawex5]

Watched a few minutes of BP on sfgiants.com then quickly turned it off when I thought, what the hell am i doing.

 

[rawex5]

Watched a few minutes of BP on sfgiants.com then quickly turned it off when I thought, what the hell am i doing.

 

[tim lincecum]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]SF Giants news, Feb. 22[/h1]
(02-23) 04:00 PST Scottsdale, Ariz. --

Reliever Jeremy Affeldt had an awful 2010 and knew why, even as he was going through it. His mechanics were out of whack and, like many pitchers, he found them difficult to fix in midseason.

His ERA ballooned from 1.73 in 2009, his career year, to 4.14. After leading all big-league relievers with 18 double plays induced in '09, he surrendered a lot more flyballs in '10. Over the final month last year, as the Giants were fighting the Padres for the National League West title, Affeldt pitched only eight innings.

As if someone flipped a switch, Affeldt's old mechanics reappeared at a most crucial time, the clinching game of the National League Championship Series in Philadelphia.

"It wasn't on purpose," Affeldt said. "I can't tell you why."

He relieved Jonathan Sanchez with two on and nobody out in the third inning of a 2-2 game and retired the next six hitters (starting with a strikeout of Ryan Howard) as the first of five pitchers who combined to finish the game with seven scoreless innings. The Giants won 3-2 on Juan Uribe's eighth-inning homer.

Affeldt said he carried that game into the offseason, when he altered his delivery. He moved his bare hand into his glove earlier in his stretch, "quieted down" his front side and raised his left arm to get behind the ball. He has been thrilled with the results.

"My ball is coming in at a better angle," he said. "My sinker is sinking better, with more command, and my curveball is breaking better."

Briefly: The Giants selected Tiffany to make their World Series rings, according to sources who otherwise are treating information about the rings as state secrets. ... Manager Bruce Bochy expects Brian Wilson to throw to hitters for the first time Friday, the same day Freddy Sanchez will be cleared to swing at live pitching. ... Wilson has a new saying about last year: "Misfits? How does the ring fit? Just sayin'." ... Mark DeRosa, hitting off a coach, hit two homers in batting practice. Buster Posey hit one now being tracked by NORAD.

 

[tim lincecum]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]SF Giants news, Feb. 22[/h1]
(02-23) 04:00 PST Scottsdale, Ariz. --

Reliever Jeremy Affeldt had an awful 2010 and knew why, even as he was going through it. His mechanics were out of whack and, like many pitchers, he found them difficult to fix in midseason.

His ERA ballooned from 1.73 in 2009, his career year, to 4.14. After leading all big-league relievers with 18 double plays induced in '09, he surrendered a lot more flyballs in '10. Over the final month last year, as the Giants were fighting the Padres for the National League West title, Affeldt pitched only eight innings.

As if someone flipped a switch, Affeldt's old mechanics reappeared at a most crucial time, the clinching game of the National League Championship Series in Philadelphia.

"It wasn't on purpose," Affeldt said. "I can't tell you why."

He relieved Jonathan Sanchez with two on and nobody out in the third inning of a 2-2 game and retired the next six hitters (starting with a strikeout of Ryan Howard) as the first of five pitchers who combined to finish the game with seven scoreless innings. The Giants won 3-2 on Juan Uribe's eighth-inning homer.

Affeldt said he carried that game into the offseason, when he altered his delivery. He moved his bare hand into his glove earlier in his stretch, "quieted down" his front side and raised his left arm to get behind the ball. He has been thrilled with the results.

"My ball is coming in at a better angle," he said. "My sinker is sinking better, with more command, and my curveball is breaking better."

Briefly: The Giants selected Tiffany to make their World Series rings, according to sources who otherwise are treating information about the rings as state secrets. ... Manager Bruce Bochy expects Brian Wilson to throw to hitters for the first time Friday, the same day Freddy Sanchez will be cleared to swing at live pitching. ... Wilson has a new saying about last year: "Misfits? How does the ring fit? Just sayin'." ... Mark DeRosa, hitting off a coach, hit two homers in batting practice. Buster Posey hit one now being tracked by NORAD.

 

[jumpmanfromdabay]

Mlb 11 the show demo dropped today. Giants vs Rangers

 

[jumpmanfromdabay]

Mlb 11 the show demo dropped today. Giants vs Rangers

 

[lazyj10]

This team definitely needed to learn how to bunt. Good God they couldn't advance runners last year

 

[lazyj10]

This team definitely needed to learn how to bunt. Good God they couldn't advance runners last year

 

[tim lincecum]

Today was photo day at Scottsdale and here's some of the photos.

 

[tim lincecum]

Today was photo day at Scottsdale and here's some of the photos.

 

[jayjunkie]

Gray underbrims looking clean

I hope they bring them back. Mines is too grimey for my liking.

 

[jayjunkie]

Gray underbrims looking clean

I hope they bring them back. Mines is too grimey for my liking.

 

[lazyj10]

Cody and Buster genuinely look excited for every moment of baseball, even stuff like this.

Oh and $+$% you Zito. Way to look tough. Don't hurt anyone with that 81 mph heater

 

[lazyj10]

Cody and Buster genuinely look excited for every moment of baseball, even stuff like this.

Oh and $+$% you Zito. Way to look tough. Don't hurt anyone with that 81 mph heater

 

[franchise 55]

Check out the embroidering on Sanchez's glove.

 

[franchise 55]

Check out the embroidering on Sanchez's glove.

 

[lazyj10]

that's awesome

 

[lazyj10]

that's awesome

 

[tim lincecum]

 

[tim lincecum]

 

[livemyreality]

Wilson's Beard is too much. Liking the photo's though!