Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Goodbye Nate, and Then There Were 11

So today the SF Giants upgraded their OF by acquiring Hunter Pence from the Phillies ... no question, it was a move that had to be made. However, one side story is the number of players that are currently on the 25-man roster that were on the 2010 World Championship team ... that number is now 11. Perhaps, it will drop to the 10 based on how Aubrey Huff left the field yesterday, he might have played his last game as a Giant too.

Say what you will about Nate, but he helped bring a World Championship to San Francisco, and for that we here at the Sons of Johnnie LeMaster will forever be grateful. Perhaps greener pastures await him in Philly and he'll flourish there.

The one thing that will always stick in our minds is the incredible defense Nate played at AT&T Park, and with that we present two videos for you to see (that we picked out on YouTube). So please raise your glasses, and toast Nate for helping us win a World Series, and hopefully he'll find success in Philly. Cheers to you Nate, 2010 World Champion.

Nate's incredible defense

Nate's diving catch in LA

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Congrats to Melky Cabrera, All-Star Game MVP #SignMelky

So much for all of the criticism regarding all of the SF Giants starting for the National League at the All-Star Game. Fact is, the Giants flat out owned the All-Star Game, and Melky's two hits, one of which was a 2-run HR, was the difference maker.

So we here at the Sons of Johnnie LeMaster are raising our drinks in honor of Melky. Well done sir!

Oh, one more thing ... SIGN MELKY NOW!!!

Melky Cabrera - 2013 All-Star Game MVP

Friday, July 06, 2012

R.I.P Craig Appel aka The Rally Pumpkin

Sad news to report this morning. One of the most iconic SF Giants fans passed away earlier this week. His name was Craig Appel, but he was also known as The Rally Pumpkin. He was the larger than life figure that would dress up in all orange and attend games at AT&T Park or on the road rooting, cheering, and dancing for his beloved Giants.

His connection with the team went a bit further since he was also the team bus driver whenever they played games in Los Angeles and San Diego. Unfortunately, his stint as the team driver ended in 2010, but that didn't stop him from cheering for his Giants as they marched towards their first World Championship in San Francisco.

We here at the Sons of Johnnie LeMaster met Craig a number of times, and he was a die-hard SF Giants fan.

R.I.P Rally Pumpkin

The Rally Pumpkin

So Long Freddy, and Then There were 11

Yesterday, it was announced that Freddy Sanchez was having back surgery which essentially ended any hope - however slim - of him returning to the Giants lineup this year. As most of said, this just might be the end of the road for Freddy's career. His service time in the Bigs was just over eight years, most of which was spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he won a batting title and appeared in three All-Star Games.

He was traded to the Giants in 2009, for then hot pitching prospect, Tim Alderson. His tenure with the Giants was a short one, he appeared in 196 games over a 2.5 year span, but he will always be remembered as being one of the key players to the 2010 World Championship team. In 2010, we as fans witnessed what a healthly Freddy could do - provide clutch hits to any part of the field, and play a steady second base. In '10, Freddy ended the season batting .292 with seven home runs and 47 RBI. However, his greatest accomplishments were in the postseason ... there he saved the Giants in Game 3 of the NLDS by getting a clutch hit in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and two strikes against him. That hit sparked an incredible comeback win for the Giants, which led to a Game 4 win and a date with the Phillies in the NLCS. His other big moment in the postseason was in Game 1 of the World Series, where he knocked three doubles - setting a single game World Series record. He also played some great defense throughout the series which eventually led to a World Championship win.

What makes the news of Freddy's season ending surgery so interesting is that now we have only 11 players from the 2010 squad on the current 25-man roster. We know that Aubrey Huff and Dan Runzler are rehabbing and that Eli Whiteside is in AAA, but as of now, the club has only three position players from the 2010 season on the current team (Posey, Burriss, Schierholtz) and eight pitchers (Affeldt, Bumgarner, Cain, Casilla, Lincecum, Lopez, Romo, and Zito).

It's just hard to believe how quickly a team roster can turnover in just under two years after winning a World Championship.

Freddy Sanchez
Game 5 of the 2010 World Series