Blue Saturday

Kenny 9 is blue. He needs a Sour Grapes fix. He actually took a look at his team and realized he needs a good laugh. So I’m going to take time out from my April 8 CPA Saturday at work at 6:30 PM schedule to accommodate my bettin’ friend.

Kenny 9 and Mr. Leaguer sat next to each other at the Sweet 16 in the seats made available to the Doc and me from our philanthropy at USF. We were sitting one section over from them, but Noel and Larry Dot Com were there to report that they bet on everything. Noel said the most outrageous bet was the over/under on how many UCLA cheerleaders had boob jobs. I’d like to offer to act as the Diebold Counting Machine. My hands need no paper backup.

The Sweet Sixteen is really an amazing event, worth whatever you pay to get inside. We saw Memphis slaughter Cinderella Bradley, and then the opera that was the Gonzaga choke finish against UCLA. It was really shocking. Kudos to UCLA for not giving up, and Larry Dot Net will blame the refs, but walking out the crowd was stunned. Gonzaga beat the crap out of them for 37 minutes. You’ve got to play all 40, though. I love watching Adam Morrison play, and his 4 point play seemed to end it all. But in the end, it is about guards, and Gonzaga’s strength was up front. They didn’t have a guard to really take over in those last fateful minutes and make UCLA foul him. When they trapped Morrison in the backcourt corner and forced him to stop his dribble and pass cross court to their center, the game was over. A great guard would have busted through the trap. It’s a game anyone who was there will remember for a long time.

So where’s the baseball? OK, we’ve had spring training, and a premature BABI draft and opening day and a home version of opening day here in SF. We’ve had Bonds on Bonds, and some wins and some losses. Sorry, but it won’t exactly seem like baseball season until it stops raining and I stop working 7 days per week. How DID they get that game off last night? It was pouring at 7 PM last night. The game didn’t start until about 9. It was crazy, but they got it in. Too bad for Connie, who was there, and was falling asleep by the 3rd inning.

The Giants? They’ve got hitting. It’s all going to be about pitching. Is Schmidt any good this year? Busch says a big $26 yes. Morris looked pretty good. Then Noah went almost straight to the DL. I loved the talk show guy saying how he went out with a one hitter. A one hitter? There was 2 outs in the 2nd inning! That’s not a one-hitter. That’s a guy screwing up your staff! Jamey Wright got an ugly win today. Correia? Cain? Hennessey? Lots of question marks there. But the division sucks, so their hitting will keep them close until Sabes makes a deal for another veteran pitcher (god, please, not Ponson, please) in June or July.

Here is my opening day story. Brandon Webb is pitching a beauty on opening day in Colorado. He goes 7 innings giving up one run. The eighth starts and the Dbacks bring in their set up guy. Terry Freaking Mulholland. Are you kidding me? Can anyone believe this guy has been in the major leagues for TWENTY YEARS? He made his first appearance for the Giants in 1986. 15 appearances, 10 games started, 1-7, ERA 4.94, WHIP 1.57. This guy was considered a hot prospect? He didn’t pitch in the majors in 1987, and then he did every year since, with 2006 being his 20th season. Is there in the history of baseball a worse player who played 20 years in the majors? I challenge you on that.

Check this out:

5.15, 5.11, 4.66, 5.70, 4.91, 5.18, 4.27

That’s his ERA line since 1999. This is what convinced the Dbacks to make him their setup man on opening day. The result? It was predictable. 1 out. 2 hits. 1 run. 1 blown save.

There is a lesson here. Fathers, have your sons grow up to be left handed pitchers.

Joey Devine came up yesterday. We should have made the Falkuhns keep him. He pitched both yesterday and today. Check out his lines:

4/7 - 1/3 inning, 2 hits, 1 walks, 3 runs
4/8 - 2/3 inning, 3 hits, 4 walks, 4 runs

The Doc said it reminded him of another 2 appearance career (to date). See if you can name this pitcher:

2004, 2 appearances – 1-2/3 Innings, 4 hits, 3 walks, 5 runs.

That would be the major league career of Merkin Valdez. I’m proud to say I’ve seen it all.

Bonds on Bonds – haven’t seen it. Too busy. Bruce Jenkins said it was pretty good, pretty honest. I’ll check it out if it’s not opposite My Name is Earl. If you haven’t seen that show on NBC, you’ve got to check it out. Look for the episode “Got a Free Beer.”

Meanwhile, I’m going on record – I don’t care about Bonds and the steroids. Are you going to tell me Gagne wasn’t doing them? That guy is NEVER going to throw a pitch 99 MPH again that doesn’t completely sever his arm. Danny Baez is the closer in LA, period. We should have bid $16, but we really didn’t have it because we were saving $7 for Ryan Sheely, who we didn’t even get. Same excuse for not saying $7 on Vinny Castilla. Gagne is now a footnote. And Bonds is still looking for 2006 HR #1.

Final note. I got my Warriors bill for next season. I’ve had season tickets since 1974. I was there in the Cow Palace for the championship. 8th row seat at the foul line. Finals: $9. My seats next season: $120. I got a bill from them for $20,600. That is Twenty Terry Mulholland Freaking Thousand Dollars! For the Warriors! I’m out. I’m gonna watch the USF Dons from now on.

Ralph Barbieri had a great line at the BASHOF induction for Chris Mullin the other night. He introduced him, and he said that BASHOF wanted to bestow the honor on him after the Warriors finally made the playoffs again, but on second thought, they didn’t want the award to be posthumous. Since 1978 – 4 playoff appearances. Four. The worst sports fanchise ever?

Well, there is always the Arizona Cardinals.

See you after 4/17, when I promise to be more regular. And we’ll get the preseason stuff posted then too.