A Live Blog (Sort of)

Well, the whole concept of a live blog from tonight's Giants-Braves game lost quite a bit of steam when it was announced that Barry Bonds wouldn't play. This means that in five days of being on the Barry Bonds chase, I have seen him sit more games out (2) than hit balls out of the infield (1). Not so good.

But a live blog was promised, and so we shall offer something resembling a live blog, featuring Mike Vaccaro, sports columnist at the New York Post and author of 1941: It Was A Great Sports Year Trust Me I Wrote A Whole Book About it.

Before we get started, however, I do want to say that today the Kansas City Royals released Scott Elarton, the subject of our earlier blog item. It had to happen, and Elarton handled it with grace, as you might expect. It was pointed out in the comments that he leaves before he had a chance to pull off a statistical oddity -- Elarton has struck out 13 this year and given up 12 homers. Has anyone ever given up more homers than strikeouts (minimum 10 homers?)

Yes. It's happened once. In 1923, the great Bill Hubbell pitched 55 innings, gave up 13 homers and struck out only 8.

Here are a few other close calls:

Bill Kerksiek, 1939, struck out 13, allowed 13 homers.
Armando Reynoso, 2001, struck out 15, allowed 13 homers.
Joe Haynes, 1950, struck out 15, allowed 14 homers.
Larry Pashnick, 1982, struck out 19, allowed 17 homers.
Steve Sparks, 1996, struck out 21, allowed 19 homers.

And here we go. Live blog to follow. I have absolutely no idea how this is going to read ... well, actually I do. It's raw, unfiltered nonsense. I promise not to do this to you again.

Poz (10:29:46 PM): We welcome to the TSOB Blog Mike Vaccaro. Michael it's a joy to have you here.
Michael Vac (10:29:49 PM): I want to go home, mommy
Poz (10:31:32 PM): No, really, a joy. Really. Holy cow, we're sitting here in San Francisco at a game between the Giants, who are one of the most awful-to-watch teams I have ever seen, and the Braves, who aren't exactly a thrill a minute either. And Barry Bonds isn't playing. And I just ate a Cha Cha Bowl from Orlando Cepeda's restaurant and I don't feel so well. What has happened to our lives?
Poz (10:32:19 PM): And I don't want to say nothing is happening here, but on the live broadcast they are now interviewing Craig Sager.
Michael Vac (10:32:48 PM): There have been some dreadful assignments in the history of sportswriting. This one might be the "Heavens Gate" of assignments
Poz (10:35:48 PM): Well, we did just get to watch Randy Winn pop out. So that's something. I've given up any hope that we're going to see Barry Bonds actually break the home run record ... I'm thinking at this pace he might break it on August. 12, 2011. But I am very much hoping that we will at least get to see Bobby Cox get thrown out of a game to set THAT record.
Michael Vac (10:36:27 PM): Bobby Cox: he gets voted in the Hall the moment he retires, right?
Poz (10:37:04 PM): Yes. But he gets thrown out two years later.
Michael Vac (10:37:54 PM): Good one.
Poz (10:39:05 PM): I actually think Cox is an amazing manager. As far as I can tell, nobody thinks he's a particularly good chess player. He's not exactly a baseball philosopher. He doesn't, as far as I can tell, relate well to anybody. And yet the guy wins year after year. How many other people in sports are really good at their jobs and you have absolutely no idea why.
Poz (10:39:46 PM): I guess there's Tom Glavine, who is about to win 300 games even though he last threw a strike in 1993.
Michael Vac (10:40:23 PM): in some ways, Cox seems like parcells, who was a brutal x and o guy and seemed to relish the fact that he and his players had absolutely zero in commmon
Poz (10:41:11 PM): Yeah, but at least Parcells had the intimidation factor. And he had Belichick ... we all know Parcells has absolutely sucked without Belichick.
Michael Vac (10:41:35 PM): think of how many world series the braves might have won if they had belichick
Poz (10:42:00 PM): Instead of Mazzone. And I see you have decided to stop typing with capital letters.
Michael Vac (10:42:39 PM): going from mazzone to roger mcdowell is kinda like when the pats went from parcells to pete carroll. you know, before carroll became the best coach on the planet
Poz (10:43:50 PM): You just know that if Pete Carroll went back to the NFL he’d instantly become an idiot again … Edgar Renteria is batting now. I did a blog earlier this year looking at Hall of Fame chances. You know, Edgar Renteria has a real shot at 3,000 hits. In fact, he just got an infield single, and that was his 1903rd hit. He's only 31. You voting Renteria into the Hall if he gets 3,000 hits?
Michael Vac (10:44:33 PM): i think he's been a heck of a player. but that’s still a lotta highway between here and 3,000
Poz (10:46:07 PM): It is. But I can tell you that there have only been 40 players to get 1900 hits before they turned 32. Pete Rose only had 1922.
Poz (10:46:44 PM): See this is the advantage of having a Sabermeteric Baseball Encyclopedia on your computer.
Michael Vac (10:47:18 PM): You know, it might be a good time to point out how briskly this game is moving along
Poz (10:47:47 PM): Stop. Please stop. Please. (Yesterday, Mike made prominent mention how quickly the game was going … a major press box faux pas. The Giants promptly scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into a four-hour, extra inning deadline nightmare).
Michael Vac (10:47:51 PM): So THAT'S what a home run looks like!
Poz (10:48:44 PM): That home run was brought to you by Rich Aurillia, who is playing first base tonight. My God, is this a bad Giants team.
Michael Vac (10:48:58 PM): Where does "Barry Bonds not playing when you're here exclusively to see Barry Bonds play" rank on your list of personally anticlimactic moments?
Poz (10:50:11 PM): It's pretty high ... especially because this is the second time in five games I've had the pleasure of covering a Giants game Barry Bonds did not play in. And that’s sad because if the Giants were playing in my back yard without Barry Bonds, I wouldn't normally open the blinds to watch.
Poz (10:50:54 PM): I honestly don't see how you could built a team as bad and old as this Giants team without trying to be a bad, old team.
Michael Vac (10:51:26 PM): But what about Fred Lewis!
Michael Vac (10:51:29 PM): He's YOUNG and bad!
Poz (10:53:52 PM): Tonight's lineup:

Dave Roberts, CF
Randy Winn, RF
Ray Durham, 2B
Pedro Feliz, 3B
Rich Aurillia, 1B
Guillermo Rodriguez, C
Kevin Frandsen, SS
Fred Lewis, LF
Noah Lowry, P

Seriously, LOOK at that lineup.
Michael Vac (10:54:20 PM): With Omar Vizquel and Bonds in the lineup, that adds about 85 years too
Poz (10:55:18 PM): I have seen plenty of horrendous Royals lineups, don't get me wrong. But for some reason, this one just makes me sadder. Maybe it's because I have absolutely no idea why we're here tonight.
Michael Vac (10:55:37 PM): You have to figure our man B-squared will get a pinch hit appearance, no? I mean, do the Giants go out of their way to actively screw their fans?
Poz (10:56:28 PM): Yeah, they just announced this is a sellout crowd. And while I'm sure they're thrilled with the chance to see Kevin Frandson and all, yeah, they might at least want a moment of Barry.
Michael Vac (10:57:04 PM): You know what’s sickening? Every time you see shots of old Candlestick when the GIants had Mays and McCovey and Cepeda and Marichal, it looks like they were lucky to get 3,000 people a game in there. And now they turn ‘em away to NOT see Bonds
Poz (10:57:50 PM): Maybe they couldn't get more people back then because Cepeda was making fans eat Cha Cha Bowls. I really am not feeling great.
Michael Vac (10:57:42 PM): And hey, you have to be excited ... you're in the same ballpark with DUANE KUIPER!
Poz (10:58:29 PM): You know what's funny? I absolutely, positively had not even thought of that until you mentioned it. My God. My favorite player is HERE. I have to write a column about him. Or at least a blog.
Poz (10:58:43 PM): Hell, Kuiper hit more home runs in his career than I'm going to see Barry hit this week.
Michael Vac (10:59:18 PM): By the way, I just watched Ryan Howard on mlb.com hit one about 678 feet to give the Phil-dogs a win. How many is he gonna have before he's done?
Poz (11:00:00 PM): I predicted before the break that he would hit more homers this year than Prince Fielder. Where are they at now?
Michael Vac (11:00:31 PM): that was Howard's 28th
Poz (11:01:10 PM): The Prince has 30. I might be right on that one. I might not be right in my prediction that Todd Helton would hit .400. He might not hit .300.
Michael Vac (11:01:22 PM): or in your prediction that Barry Bonds will reach 754
Poz (11:02:18 PM): You know, I was thinking about this ... obviously Bonds will do it. I mean, there's no doubt he will do it. I'm saying this very clearly and in all capital letters: "HE WILL DO IT."
Michael Vac (11:02:30 PM): Just not in what you would call a timely fashion
Poz (11:02:42 PM): But there are a couple of points to make. One, he's 43. And two, when the home runs stop, they STOP. Remember Dale Murphy's sad effort to get to 400?
Michael Vac (11:03:30 PM): By the way, I guess our dream broadcasting team, you and I, would team up Duane Kuiper and Felix Millan
Poz (11:05:08 PM): Seventh-inning stretch here, and the guy just sang the rarely heard prelude to "God Bless America." Nice touch.
Michael Vac (11:05:49 PM): the only place i'd ever heard that was at Yankee Stadium, during the mandatory freeze-the-opposing-pitcher segment of all playoff games.
Poz (11:07:17 PM): I want to get back to that point for a second ... Dale Murphy wanted 400 home runs so badly, and he fell short ... 398. Al Kaline got 399. When the homers stop, they just stop. Barry's so close now, but let's say this thing stretches on 10, 15, 20 games. And then the pressure starts building. And he gets hurt, sits out a week. I mean, it's not impossible.
Michael Vac (11:07:57 PM): There is a large segment of American baseball fans who would embrace that with both arms.
Poz (11:09:25 PM): OK, so let's move on. Yankees ... playoffs or no?
Michael Vac (11:10:21 PM): Yup. Bank on it. The bats are starting to come around, and soon the rotation will be Wang-Pettitte-Clemens-Mussina-Hughes, which means they aren't going on any more extended losing streaks
Michael Vac (11:11:02 PM): It's astonishing how easy their schedule has been. From All Star Game through Aug 11, they’ll only have played the Devil Rays, Orioles, Royals, White Sox, and Blue Jays
Michael Vac (11:11:10 PM): Those are some truly abysmal baseball teams there
Poz (11:12:10 PM): Well, if the Yankees could play the Royals every night, they wouldn't lose again all year. I really thought that Buddy Bell was in position where he could lead the Royals to 73-75 wins and incredibly save his job. He still might. But getting destroyed three straight against the Yankees doesn't help.
Michael Vac (11:12:19 PM): It would be nice to at least be remotely competitive
Poz (11:13:21 PM): Well, the Elarton game, the Royals had no chance to even be competitive. But you would have thought with Meche on the mound they might have at least put up a fight.
Poz (11:14:13 PM): I see Joe Torre was in rare form tonight -- six pitchers in a 7-1 victory.
Poz (11:14:28 PM): He was getting this victory, dammit.
Michael Vac (11:14:39 PM): That's the one thing that makes you crazy about Torre, who I think is a tremendous manager. He has zero compunction about blowing out his bullpen
Poz (11:15:23 PM): Here's one for you: You have the Hall of Fame ballot, and you can only choose one manager. You have two on there, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre. Who do you vote for?
Michael Vac (11:17:14 PM): Torre. You can talk all you want about how loaded his teams have been, but they've gone the distance four times, and you could argue that in three of those years (1996, 99, 00) they had the inferior team. Cox's teams were just as loaded and he only one once. And that 1996 team that lost to the Yankees shouldn't only have beaten them, they should have swept them.
Michael Vac (11:18:33 PM): What do you think?
Poz (11:19:41 PM): It's an interesting debate. Because until Torre came to New York -- a marvelous marriage of words and music, as Sinatra said -- he was generally viewed as an AWFUL manager, right? Meanwhile since 1983, Cox has managed 18 full seasons and his team has won 88 games or more in 17 of them. He’s had all those first place finishes, he’s probably the best regular season manager ever.
Poz (11:21:22 PM): I'd probably say Torre though because of the World Series titles. And you can throw in he was close to a Hall of Fame caliber player. But I think all in all Cox's record as a manager is more impressive.
Michael Vac (11:21:46 PM): I would argue that no one ever said Torre was an awful manager. Those Mets teams he started with, Muggsy McGraw couldn't have won with them. He won a division with the Braves. And he had the Cardinals turned around before he got screwed by them
Poz (11:23:03 PM): I think that's a bit of revisionist history -- yes, nobody could have won with those Mets, but they sucked. He did win that one fluky year with the Braves, but I don't think anyone saw that as brilliant managing. And I think his time with the Cardinals was pretty spotty.
Poz (11:24:09 PM): By the way, we should explain that it's the bottom of the eighth and the Giants are winning 2-1. And Bonds isn't looking like he will pinch hit. Nice effort for the fans.
Michael Vac (11:25:02 PM): It’s really unbelievable. i mean what in the world would otherwise compel anytone to come here and sit in the cold? And let’s be honest with the folks: it's bloody COLD here
Michael Vac (11:25:27 PM): What's the old saying? The coldest winter I ever spent was July in San Fracisco
Poz (11:25:53 PM): Well, at least now they get to see Rich Aurillia again now.
Michael Vac (11:27:38 PM): we need three more hits to get a glimmer of a chance
Poz (11:28:08 PM): They couldn't pinch hit for Rodriguez here?
Michael Vac (11:28:59 PM): If they had, you would have missed the most feeble-looking swing of the day right there
Poz (11:31:15 PM): Here's Omar Vizquel. This is just as exciting as seeing Bonds (who is now on TV walking around the dugout with a bat).
Poz (11:32:05 PM): He just hit a routine fly ball to left -- which is more than I've seen Bonds do in five games.
Michael Vac (11:32:04 PM): We'll have to wait till the bottom of the ninth. After Jeff Francoeur hits one to that big ol' glove in left field
Poz (11:32:33 PM): Who is the Giants closer, Moon-man Minton?
Michael Vac (11:32:26 PM): Moonlight Graham?
Poz (11:34:58 PM): Apparently, Brad Hennessey. OK. Hey, your co-worker Brian Costello just made a great point -- the only thing that would be worse than covering this game tonight would be to be at the Tour de France.
Poz (11:35:18 PM): They're throwing guys out, you live in a tent, nobody cares, steroids are a way of life.
Michael Vac (11:35:13 PM): We'd probably find a way to get wretched meals in Paris somehow, too
Poz (11:35:57 PM): There’s the leadoff double by Francoeur.
Michael Vac (11:35:40 PM): of COURSE
Poz (11:36:27 PM): It's hard to believe considering that the Giants went to Brad Hennessey.
Michael Vac (11:36:38 PM): Hennessy: fine cognac, so-so relief
Poz (11:37:54 PM): OK, man on third, one out. Is there ANY chance the Giants prevent the Braves from scoring the game-tying run?
Michael Vac (11:37:54 PM): zero chance
Poz (11:39:24 PM): And the whiff!
Poz (11:39:41 PM): That's some Brad Hennessey high heat taking out Jarod Saltamacacachia
Michael Vac (11:39:50 PM): The Irish taking out the Italians. It's like Connery in "The Untouchables"
Poz (11:40:42 PM): The fans are on their feet here, Mike.
Michael Vac (11:40:33 PM): they have to stay warm somehow Joe
Poz (11:40:56 PM): And it's 2-1 to Kelly Johnson.
Poz (11:41:09 PM): There's a strike on the outside corner, 2-2.
Michael Vac (11:40:53 PM): Now we can say it as we want:
Michael Vac (11:41:01 PM): TWO AND TWO TO KELL-LEE JOHNSON
Poz (11:41:28 PM): And he fouls it straight back.
Poz (11:41:40 PM): Good swing there by Johnson, Mike. He's mad at himself, thought he should have done more with that one.
Michael Vac (11:41:45 PM): And we're full
Poz (11:42:13 PM): Pitch down in the dirt. Wanted to see if Johnson would chase.
Poz (11:42:34 PM): And Hennessey STRUCK HIM OUT.
Poz (11:42:53 PM): There's much joy in San Francisco, Mike Vaccaro, as the fans can go home without having seen Barry Bonds pinch-hit.
Michael Vac (11:42:56 PM): Barry Who?
Michael Vac (11:43:03 PM): Can we go home now?
Poz (11:43:32 PM): You betcha.