PurpAnd

(somewhat inspired by The Little Cat)

I’ve seen six Giants home games and I have tickets to see 3 more. The team started the season horribly, quickly sliding to a 3-8 record, but they’ve turned it around and are very much in the hunt for a wild card berth. I’ll admit I haven’t been a huge fan of baseball over the past few years. I am not exactly sure why that is, perhaps ‘ve been too busy or maybe it’s fair weather related, but I’m into it now. What was once my favorite sport to watch and play as a kid, has resumed its post near the top of my list (golf is still king).

I really like AT&T Park. It’s gorgeous, offers incredible views, and is super easy to get to. I love walking along the concourse and watching the people scoot around grabbing their draft beers and garlic fries. I like watching the sail boats in the Bay perform moves that seem to defy physics. And I especially love sitting in my seat, anxiously anticipating the next big Giants hit, blowing the game wide open.

I’ve seen more games started by Tim Lincecum this season than I have any other pitcher. Tim is a genious on the mound. And in an era where pitchers are encouraged to minimize their body movement within their windup, Tim’s windup and delivery are considered slightly unorthodox but entertaining. The dude is 26 (I think) and hails from Seattle so he is used to (and loves) pitching in the cold. His ERA is hovering in the low 2s, which is nearly unheard of these days. He is the defending Cy Young Award winner and it could be very close for him to win a second one this year (that is unless Matt Cain, another stellar Giants starter, beats him to it).

Another interesting aspect about the Giants is the changing starting lineup. The starting 8, excluding the pitcher, are rarely the same from night to night, which either shows Bruce Bochy (the manager) isn’t quite sure who he likes best, or he knows who will perform best in certain situations. For example, Travis Ishikawa didn’t play on Friday night against the Reds, but started last night against the Dodgers and hit a home run.

If the Giants don’t make the playoffs this year I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll certainly look forward to next year. I think they are building a solid team around some good and improving young players and it will be fun to watch them mature. I just want to say thanks to the Giants and the rest of the baseball world for getting me back into the game.

- One thing I would like to complain about though… where have the stirrups gone? What is this with the baseball pant legs dropped all the way to the shoes? I don’t like it and I want it to change. On any given team there are less than a handful of players who still wear the stirrups like the old baseballers used to. I think it looks slick and it’s what makes baseball players look like players and not the neighborhood riff-raff. Grr. (Man, I’m getting old.)