It’s hard to believe that a San Francisco fan like me has failed to post anything since the Giants swept their way to the World Series title, but so be it. This morning I resolve to shower off all that celebratory champagne spray and head back out onto the blogging field with a few general observations:
- The World Series: I’m not complaining about the Giants blitzing the Tigers, but I always feel just a bit let down when the series only goes four games. There’s no question the Giants were the superior team, but the Tigers were no slouches. I expected a tighter, more nerve-wracking set of games than what we got.
- Baseball is a funny game: Tim Lincecum is a prime example. During the regular season he went from being one of the most feared pitchers in the game to, at one point, the starter with the worst ERA. During the playoffs and the series, he emerged as a mid-game stopper out of the bullpen. Go figure.
- Baseball is a funny game II: Barry Zito confounded hitters and more than a few Giants’ fans with his unexpected turnaround over the course of the season. That he emerged as savior and star during the playoffs was even more unexpected, especially when contrasted with the 2010 championship season, when he was left off the playoff and World Series rosters.
- Substance abuse: I woke up this morning to news that Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies has been suspended for 25 games for taking banned medication. This comes on the heels of the long Melky Cabrera suspension in a season when he fell from grace shortly after becoming the MVP of the All-Star game. I’m glad baseball, which turned a blind eye during the home-run-happy steroids era, is cracking down. And I continue to be disappointed by players who think they can beat the system.
- Evan Longoria: It was great to read that Longoria wanted to stick with the Rays for the remainder of his career and signed a long-term deal. We have too few single-franchise players these days. I’m glad to see Longoria buck the trend.
The Ball Caps Blog 
Welcome back, Dan. Looking forward to being reminded of what day the baseball solstice falls on this year. 🙂
It’s wonderful to have you back in the game, Dan.
1. I agree with you on many points, but none more than the World Series ending in a four-game sweep. I always feel gypped when this occurs.
2. Timmy had a 3.83 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 7-5 record in the second half of the season, not earth shattering, but significantly better than his first half, implosive performance. I was pleased, but not completely surprised, by the contributions he made during his playoff appearances. .
3. Barry Zito was my choice for NL Comback Player of the Year. You can read my argument here: http://grubbyglove.com/?p=4474. (Note you may have to copy and paste this into another browser, since I’m not the most sophisticated guy out here and don’t fully understand how to makes links work).
4. No comment.
5. I agree! I was ticked off when Pujols left the Cardinals I could have burst at the seams.
On a last note, when I switched to a web site my subscribers were lost. If you want to resubscribe, you can do so at http://www.grubbyglove.com. Great to have you back. How did you do during Hurricane Sandy? Best, Michael, AKA: Grubby Glove.
Welcome back, Dan. You’ve been missed. Hope all has been well for you lately.
Best Regards,
Bill
Thanks for the replies, guys. Figures they’d come from my most loyal blogging buddies!
All is well with me. We survived the hurricane with minimal damage to the house — we’re far enough inland that we avoided the worst of it, although some mighty big trees in the neighborhood were toppled.
Glad to hear everything’s O.K., man.