Turn out the lights.....the Party's over

As the picture to the left tells us, it's over. The Giants winning streak was snapped tonight with a 3-2 loss to the Diamondbacks. Tonight, the annoying spectre of years gone by also reared its ugly head, as Barry was intentionally walked twice and hit by a pitch. He'd had one intentional walk all season before last night in LA. I would like to see Ray Durham take umbrage and make them pay. Tonight was not one of those nights though.

Great game though, Mark Sweeney hit a pinch homerun tonight to make it 3-2, and the game in the 9th was in the hands of Ray Durham, with two out and two on. Ray had a couple of such situations in this game, and again came up empty, with a slow grounder to first. Zito took the loss. The Giants were in it until the last pitch, and are still playing great ball while not scoring many runs. So I say let's start a new streak tomorrow in the desert behind Matt Cain.

Get out the broom! Giants win again Eight In A Row

Wow! After the first few innings tonight, I was gearing up to post the "It Was Fun While It Lasted" routine, but damned if the Giants didn't come back from a shaky start and win another one. They beat the Dodgers 5-4 to complete the sweep at Chavez Latrine. Excellent payback for a couple of weeks ago, when the Bums punked the Giants in their own house.

Russ Ortiz walked the ballpark, but never let the Dodgers unload on him, getting out of horrible jams in the first two innings and escaping with just three runs allowed. He settled in and blanked them after that. Kevin Correia pitched well tonight too, eventually getting the win when the Giants rallied in the 8th.


The Giants scraped up enough runs to tie the game, getting key hits and capitalizing on Dodger mistakes to finally take a 5-3 lead. Ethier banged a homerun off of reliever Brad Hennessey to bring the Dodgers within a run, but Armando Benitez once again pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for another save. The much maligned behemoth saved all three games of the series. Before the season started, Benitez was one of my many question marks with this Giants team, and even his first few saves this season aggravated my ulcer, but damned if he hasn't looked pretty solid lately. Seven saves in seven chances. Contract year too, so maybe if he won't do it for the fans, he'll do it for himself. Still, he's made me a believer and restored my confidence in him.



The Dodgers should have won this game. They failed to beat up Ortiz who had control issues early, and were hampered later by a broken squeeze play. But it was the Giants triumphant, one of those things that happen when you're living right I guess.
Here's the broom...On to Phoenix!

A 1-2-3 Save, Seven In A Row!!

The Giants won another one tonight, their 6-4 victory over the hated Bums making seven in a row, and two at the Latrine.

Noah Lowry held on through some shoddy glove-work, and the bully did a hell of a job, namely Jack Taschner and Armando Benitez, who got what I think may be his first 1-2-3 save of the year, giving him six saves total.

It is always fun to hear the LA fans bellow and bay like rabid dogs whenever Barry Bonds comes to bat, is announced on the PA, or touches the ball in the field. Usually, the Greatest Slugger Of All Time feeds off of it, and tonight was no exception. Deafening boos, a crack of the bat, and #741 disappears over the center field fence--a three run bomb before a man was out in the first. . A smattering of applause, then silence. A forlorn beachball skitters into the outfield. A typical evening at Chavez. Last Night, Pedro Feliz was told by manager Bruce Bochy that he wouldn't be starting as much. (Klesko has been much better offensively, and Pedro quickly reverted to old habits of poor plate discipline after vowing to change.) That was in this morning's SF paper, and lo and behold Pedro started tonight and got a Home Run, which proved to be the winning run.

I am thrilled with this winning streak, after the opening week stinkage.

To sportswriters in general, and Los Angeles Dodgers fans especially, here is a public service announcement from former well-known actor David Caruso.

Matty Mo makes Six In A Row

Matt Morris had a three hitter going with one out in the eighth, leading 5-1. The Bums got a couple hits back-to-back and then Bochy called for Hennessey. Brad, not the cognac. He promptly gave up a single to Kent and it was suddenly 5-3. Then Taschner, who has been very good since that post awhle ago where he had a sucky game, came in to get the ground ball he needed for the DP and to end the inning.

Big ol' Mando came in, and let a couple of guys get on base to give the kids a thrill, then got his 5th save. 5-3 winner.

I told the coolest baby in the world that The Giants beat the Dodgers tonight and he said...."Oh Rih-hih hih hih hilly...."

In honor of the Giants win, here's the Coolest Baby In The World....

Nothing can shock me anymore...

Just when I thought that The Great White Father could not get any dumber or more out of touch with reality than he has been regularly, he is "reassured" by AG Gonzalez' smirking, stuttering, univerally ridiculed performance before the Senate last week. He might be the only one so impressed, save maybe Mother Gonzalez. Memo to the President's handlers: His tinfoil hat seems to be on the fritz. Do something.

Our President is as dumb as a baby sucking on paint chips. Good thing he's so fricking LOYAL.

"Yer doin' a heck of a job there, Alberto."

The strongest nation in the world has a functional illiterate at the helm. I have not seen a Bush speech in years that isn't marked with ceaseless stammering, interjections of "Uh....." and that strange little chortle he uses when he's trying to make a point.

History shouldn't judge this President, it should judge us as a nation for letting him sit in that office for eight years.

At this point, I'd almost prefer President Kerry, who might be a little less wealthy, but likely just as big a moron as the current office holder.

Happy Monday everybody. Here's Al, selling you a very poorly maintained used car:

Cain completes the sweep...Five in a row...

Matt Cain finally got enough run support to win a game this season. The Giants shelled the Diamondbacks for two runs today, and the youngster used them both, pitching a complete game to win 2-1 today. Pete Happy and Barry Bonds provided the offense, with each getting a solo HR.

In honor of my father's 85th birthday, Barry hit #740 into the center field gallery. It should be noted that my dad is NOT a huge Barry fan. But I am.

Barry is on fire right now, running like he did five years ago and driving the ball with the old power. He's getting pitches to hit, because people can't believe he's not slowing down. But the intentional walks should be rearing their ugly heads soon enough once they find out. It's all in the knees, man. And those knees are HEALTHY.

Must be those new undetectable PED's, the ones made from the ground up bones of orphaned or stolen babies. I'm surprised the media isn't all over this!

But back to that starting pitching. Cain had a one-hit shut-out going into the ninth, but a couple of ground balls made it through the infield to set up first and third with nobody out. This provided a true sphincter-clenching moment, as Armando Benitez was lurking, ready to go in the pen. And Cain was over 100 pitches. Now Benitez has NOT blown a save yet, but there is still enough residual ill feeling from the last couple of years fror me to not have much confidence in him, especially with two men on and no out, and a mere two run lead. But Cain got another ground ball, this one right to Ray Durham, who fed Omar for the 4-6-3 double play. The run scored, spoiling the shut-out, but now the bases were empty and the D'backs were down to the last out. Tony Clark scorched a grounder to the right side but Durham managed to stop it and throw Clark out from his knees. Five game homestand, five games won. Now it's another road trip, starting Tuesday night in Teh Latrine, against those hated Bums.

It doesn't seem to matter so much that the offense takes a day off with this team---the starting pitching has been outstanding.

Here's 740: