Throughout the course of your life, youтАЩve consumed тАФ by watching, reading about, checking the box score in the newspaper or on your iPhone, listening to on the radio, what have you тАФ thousands of San Francisco Giants victories. And youтАЩve consumed thousands of Giants losses.
And, Mays willing, youтАЩll consume thousands more of each.
Some of them feel incredibly meaningful. Joyous, or tragic. Others donтАЩt.
And a few times every year, like clockwork, something happens that makes us simply not care about the outcome of a Giants game.
Sometimes itтАЩs a national or international tragedy. Sometimes itтАЩs something personal in your life.
And sometimes itтАЩs baseball itself.
Such was the case on Tuesday when, right as the Giants were mounting a predictably futile comeback bid against the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was announced that Vin Scully had died at the age of 94.
It felt important that a recap of some kind exist for Tuesday nightтАЩs game, even if the author of this piece is woefully underprepared to write it.
Frankly, anything that is written about this game will be woefully inadequate to the circumstances that occurred elsewhere. Far better writers than me will be far more eloquent in what the passing of Vincent Edward Scully, longtime announcer of the Los Angeles/Brooklyn Dodgers and arguably, the finest broadcaster in all of sports, means to them. Far better writers will tell their stories of how Vin conducted himself or how Vin often let the cheering of the crowd tell the tale. Far better writers will share anecdotes of how Vin touched their lives from the joy of knowing him.
I am not one of those writers, but I will do my best for you all today.
Casali I understand. Ruf seems like a questionable move. But Kapler's lineup management will frequently be baffling in any event, so it's hard to reasonably evaluate.
Exactly. Kapler is a major problem...starting to see why he got canned in Philly despite a winning record. This team isnтАЩt passing Philly or St Louis for the last wildcard spot, though, so IтАЩm surprised they didnтАЩt do more.
RodonтАЩs contract scared teams off, which was reflected in low ball offers.
I started out as an enraged Kapler hater, but I have mellowed on that (slightly). I don't think he's the problem, but the shit sandwich of a roster Farhan saddles him with is. The platooning is because he has literally nobody on his team who can actually hit LH and RHP, and more often than not, when he makes some rando platoon pinch hitter choice that makes me roll my eyes, it actually works.
I do wonder if he couldn't try a bit harder to right the defense -- JFC it's painful.
I find him to be one smug-a$$ narcissist, and his handling of the pitching staff, specifically Doval, is brutal. You make a good and fair point on the roster tho ScootieтАжthis one is light on Major League talent and thereтАЩs really only so much he can do.
One could argue that having this team within 5 games of the final wildcard spot in August is as impressive as winning 107 last year.
Next offseason will be telling - will Larry Baer let Farhan spend?
I really don't think Kapler is a problem at all. Was he so bad when they won the division last year? The issue this year is aging/injured talent more than anything.
I was talking with my friend about this at Monday's game. Kapler is making the same decisions as he did last year. Pinch hitting to match up with the pitcher. It's just that the players this year aren't performing when almost everything went right last year. Granted I think the last 4 or 5 batters in the lineup are under 200 (except maybe the new SS).
Last night, the Giants rallied in the 4th(?) when they had 3 bloop/broken bat hits. Belt's oppo hit was a good hit but the next one to RCF was a broken bat and obviously the HR. The blooper down the RF line looked like it was a good pitch but the batter fought it off and it fell in. The 3rd one was a little blooper between 2nd and RF( I think). It was like it was 2021 all over again when all those fell in. This year they aren't getting those. It all came together for one inning whereas last year they would've gotten many more runs. Think about the 6th when they loaded the bases on two walks and the bunt by Bart. This year you have a popup and 2 Ks. Last year they would've hit them in.
Last night after the last out, the Renel gave a great tribute and they had Vin up on the scoreboard after. Nos 2 and 3 got a text from their mom because presumably she was watching the broadcast when it must have been announced. I wonder when the players found out.
I'm a little sad about that, tbh, it's not a case of "oh he was so young" but my first memories of living in California (and thus the US) involve watching Dodgers games and thus the dulcet tones of Vince.
I remember trying to get a station from Vegas while trying to go to bed in the late 70s early 80s and heard him some of the times. AM 720 I think. I think he used to do both TV and radio simulcast, then switch to one or the other. Can't remember the order.
Oh yes, many a night in bed, trying to go to sleep....I'd switch to Vin on purpose to lull me out.....Farmer John's, the eastern most in quality, the western most in flavor.
I remember I had to wait until probably after 9 or so to get the station. And this was from the East Bay. I think there is, or maybe was, a rule that the AM broadcaster could turn up the power after a certain time.
Yes AM reached out longer once the sun went down and some stations were allowed to increase their wattage then. The "flagship" station in LA (KFI 60-73) back in the day had the Dodgers and they had quite a few other stations one could get too. I was raised in Sacramento .....became an A's fan when they moved to Oakland much to the chagrin of my Dad but frankly they and the AL seemed much more interesting to me than the NL. I digress. I tended to pay more attention in the dark of my bedroom to the A's (earlier Giants) broadcasts thus not sleeping. My mom was aware of this, would open the door and said she would take away my radio or I tune it to Vin.
I saw a tweet today from a guy who would listen to those broadcasts growing up in Alberta when the conditions were right, which is a hell of an unintentional reach.
I may not like the Dodgers, but I respect Vin Scully for his mastery of play-by-play and the understated style in which he brought baseball to millions. I have been blessed with great Giants and A's announcers throughout the decades including Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons (both Giants and A's), Bill King, Hank Greenwald, and Duane Kuiper. But none have had the longevity as an announcer or the following that Scully had.
Here's to Vin for making baseball better and a life well lived.
PRO
Turned on the TV to watch some baseball while having lunch. Mariners ahead of the Yanks and Gerrit Cole 4-0 after four batters.
Angels beat the A's 3-1.
Frustrating, lots of runners on base, not so good at bringing them home.
Giants lose
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2022/8/2/23289992/giants-dodgers-recap-vin-scully
Throughout the course of your life, youтАЩve consumed тАФ by watching, reading about, checking the box score in the newspaper or on your iPhone, listening to on the radio, what have you тАФ thousands of San Francisco Giants victories. And youтАЩve consumed thousands of Giants losses.
And, Mays willing, youтАЩll consume thousands more of each.
Some of them feel incredibly meaningful. Joyous, or tragic. Others donтАЩt.
And a few times every year, like clockwork, something happens that makes us simply not care about the outcome of a Giants game.
Sometimes itтАЩs a national or international tragedy. Sometimes itтАЩs something personal in your life.
And sometimes itтАЩs baseball itself.
Such was the case on Tuesday when, right as the Giants were mounting a predictably futile comeback bid against the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was announced that Vin Scully had died at the age of 94.
GBBR
I've seen GBBR back-to-back now on back-to-back days. Remind me?
Go Blue, Boo RIshi (a poster from the past that loved the Giants).
So GBBRs are from sad Dodger fans? ;-)
Yes, sad to be up 20 games on the Giants.
GBBR
The show must go on: Dodgers 9, Giants 5
https://www.truebluela.com/2022/8/3/23290099/dodgers-giants-vin-scully
We must do what Vin always did and keep going.
It felt important that a recap of some kind exist for Tuesday nightтАЩs game, even if the author of this piece is woefully underprepared to write it.
Frankly, anything that is written about this game will be woefully inadequate to the circumstances that occurred elsewhere. Far better writers than me will be far more eloquent in what the passing of Vincent Edward Scully, longtime announcer of the Los Angeles/Brooklyn Dodgers and arguably, the finest broadcaster in all of sports, means to them. Far better writers will tell their stories of how Vin conducted himself or how Vin often let the cheering of the crowd tell the tale. Far better writers will share anecdotes of how Vin touched their lives from the joy of knowing him.
I am not one of those writers, but I will do my best for you all today.
USWNT set to play England in October. 90000 seats sold out in 24 hours.
go go USA
distribution . .. brilliant. . .
Awesome!
Giants trade Ruf, Casali at the deadline - but keep the team mostly intact
Casali I understand. Ruf seems like a questionable move. But Kapler's lineup management will frequently be baffling in any event, so it's hard to reasonably evaluate.
Exactly. Kapler is a major problem...starting to see why he got canned in Philly despite a winning record. This team isnтАЩt passing Philly or St Louis for the last wildcard spot, though, so IтАЩm surprised they didnтАЩt do more.
RodonтАЩs contract scared teams off, which was reflected in low ball offers.
I started out as an enraged Kapler hater, but I have mellowed on that (slightly). I don't think he's the problem, but the shit sandwich of a roster Farhan saddles him with is. The platooning is because he has literally nobody on his team who can actually hit LH and RHP, and more often than not, when he makes some rando platoon pinch hitter choice that makes me roll my eyes, it actually works.
I do wonder if he couldn't try a bit harder to right the defense -- JFC it's painful.
I find him to be one smug-a$$ narcissist, and his handling of the pitching staff, specifically Doval, is brutal. You make a good and fair point on the roster tho ScootieтАжthis one is light on Major League talent and thereтАЩs really only so much he can do.
One could argue that having this team within 5 games of the final wildcard spot in August is as impressive as winning 107 last year.
Next offseason will be telling - will Larry Baer let Farhan spend?
I really don't think Kapler is a problem at all. Was he so bad when they won the division last year? The issue this year is aging/injured talent more than anything.
I was talking with my friend about this at Monday's game. Kapler is making the same decisions as he did last year. Pinch hitting to match up with the pitcher. It's just that the players this year aren't performing when almost everything went right last year. Granted I think the last 4 or 5 batters in the lineup are under 200 (except maybe the new SS).
Last night, the Giants rallied in the 4th(?) when they had 3 bloop/broken bat hits. Belt's oppo hit was a good hit but the next one to RCF was a broken bat and obviously the HR. The blooper down the RF line looked like it was a good pitch but the batter fought it off and it fell in. The 3rd one was a little blooper between 2nd and RF( I think). It was like it was 2021 all over again when all those fell in. This year they aren't getting those. It all came together for one inning whereas last year they would've gotten many more runs. Think about the 6th when they loaded the bases on two walks and the bunt by Bart. This year you have a popup and 2 Ks. Last year they would've hit them in.
Basically yeah. They are getting the same favorable matchups but the team isn't performing. I think it's more a talent issue than a manager issue.
RIP Vin Scully
TBS and SportsNetLA tributes during last night's game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaKRoxKax5w
Always hated the Dodgers, but Scully's work was unimpeachable. Obviously one of the great announcers.
It also helps that he did plenty of national work, so not everything he called was Dodger-related. The Catch, for example.
Hate the Dodgers, but Vin was an icon.
He really made the movie For Love of the Game.
Last night after the last out, the Renel gave a great tribute and they had Vin up on the scoreboard after. Nos 2 and 3 got a text from their mom because presumably she was watching the broadcast when it must have been announced. I wonder when the players found out.
I'm a little sad about that, tbh, it's not a case of "oh he was so young" but my first memories of living in California (and thus the US) involve watching Dodgers games and thus the dulcet tones of Vince.
I remember trying to get a station from Vegas while trying to go to bed in the late 70s early 80s and heard him some of the times. AM 720 I think. I think he used to do both TV and radio simulcast, then switch to one or the other. Can't remember the order.
Oh yes, many a night in bed, trying to go to sleep....I'd switch to Vin on purpose to lull me out.....Farmer John's, the eastern most in quality, the western most in flavor.
I remember I had to wait until probably after 9 or so to get the station. And this was from the East Bay. I think there is, or maybe was, a rule that the AM broadcaster could turn up the power after a certain time.
Yes AM reached out longer once the sun went down and some stations were allowed to increase their wattage then. The "flagship" station in LA (KFI 60-73) back in the day had the Dodgers and they had quite a few other stations one could get too. I was raised in Sacramento .....became an A's fan when they moved to Oakland much to the chagrin of my Dad but frankly they and the AL seemed much more interesting to me than the NL. I digress. I tended to pay more attention in the dark of my bedroom to the A's (earlier Giants) broadcasts thus not sleeping. My mom was aware of this, would open the door and said she would take away my radio or I tune it to Vin.
I saw a tweet today from a guy who would listen to those broadcasts growing up in Alberta when the conditions were right, which is a hell of an unintentional reach.
haha
I've been watching a bunch of old videos on Twitter - favorites were his last sign off in 2016, Gibson's home run in 1988 and Kershaw's no-hitter.
I may not like the Dodgers, but I respect Vin Scully for his mastery of play-by-play and the understated style in which he brought baseball to millions. I have been blessed with great Giants and A's announcers throughout the decades including Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons (both Giants and A's), Bill King, Hank Greenwald, and Duane Kuiper. But none have had the longevity as an announcer or the following that Scully had.
Here's to Vin for making baseball better and a life well lived.
KC trades Whit Merrifield to the Jays, a player who can't legally play in Canada because he's not vaccinated.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34337186/kansas-city-royals-second-baseman-whit-merrifield-traded-toronto-blue-jays
And he said "Something happens and I happen to get on a team that has a chance to go play in Canada in the postseason, maybe that changes."
I wonder if this is a big FU to him from the Royals. Send him to Toronto and make him have to make a decision.
EPL will phase out taking a knee before games.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/62404611