It's not a bad stadium... but AT&T Park is better

For the first time since the mid 1950s, my dad is a fan of the defending World Series Champs. And who knows? They are in first place by themselves again and there could be another fun October this year.

It's my dad's birthday and everything I wrote a couple of years ago still stands.

The main thing that is different is I got to watch part of the World Series with him last year. We've both had recent World Series winners and for a long time it seemed like NEITHER of us would see our teams win.

I am still curious to see what would happen in a Giants - Red Sox World Series.
Maybe this is the year.

But that is speculation for the future.
For today, all I can say to the man my kids call "Poppy" is Happy Birthday. Let's have a lot more.

Off sync with the Giants and my parents

I called my parents the second Juan Uribe won the game for the Giants last night to get their thoughts on the Giants somehow taking a 3-1 lead.



SULLY:
Some game! Up 3-1!

SULLY'S DAD:
I love it.

SULLY'S MOM:
It's great but watching it out of sync is driving me crazy.

SULLY:
(As confused as you)
Wait. Are you watching it live or on DVR? Do you not know how it ends?

SULLY'S MOM:
Oh we watched the ending. But it's all out of sync because Poppy has the radio on.


SULLY'S DAD:
I have to hear Kruk and Kuip.

(Kruk and Kuip refer to Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper, the wonderful Giants announcers on KNBR.)

SULLY:
But dad... if you are listening to the radio, you are hearing it before you are seeing it.

SULLY'S DAD:
The delay isn't bad.

SULLY'S MOM:
It's AWFUL. It's 30 seconds.

SULLY'S DAD:
It's NOT 30 seconds. It's about 11 seconds.

SULLY:
11 seconds? It might as well be a minute! You could be hearing "Long drive and it is GONE!" while the visual is the pitcher picking up the rosin bag.

SULLY'S MOM:
It drives me crazy.

SULLY'S DAD:
I just can't take Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.

SULLY:
I know it is rough. I had to hear them call two Red Sox World Series titles. But you've got to bite the bullet on this and watch it live.

SULLY'S MOM:
Thank you!

SULLY'S DAD:
But baseball is basically a lot of talk and a highlight here and there. So most of the time it is fine to be out of sync. It only affects it on the big plays.

SULLY'S MOM:
Yeah, it only is annoying at the most exciting moments of the game.

SULLY:
Dad. Why don't you go into the living room and listen to KNBR and let mom watch the game without her feeling like she is watching a Godzilla movie?

SULLY'S DAD:
Maybe I will.


Today I found out that my dad "figured out how to get the radio in sync with the TV." I am sure it will work fine.

So Poppy... if you want to see the end of the game with the KNBR guys in SYNC... CLICK HERE.

And if you want to share my mom's experience, watch this movie:

The Don of the Phillies

I am rooting for the Giants as is my dad in the NLCS. But I have a soft spot in my heart for the Phillies because of my many relatives who lived most of their lives in the Philadelphia area.

This series is going to be an interesting one because my Uncle Don, my dad’s brother, is the biggest Phillies fan of them all. I wonder what their correspondence will be like during the NLCS.

Now my Uncle Don has had some ups and downs health wise, but I am happy to hear he is doing a lot better now.

I am thinking about you, Uncle Don, and I can’t wait to breakdown the Phillies roster piece by piece and compare them to the 1980 team.

I am no cardiologist, but I always think watching your team in a thrilling October playoff match up is the best thing for your health.

Keep getting better.
And PLAY BALL.

Nobody focuses on the Giants like my dad

My dad (aka Poppy) can tell you anything you want to know about the Giants.
He can casually rattle off the 1954 Giants' roster...
He can give you a scouting report on the current team...
When new players come up from Fresno, he is anticipating their arrival...
When prospects are tearing up San Jose, he has his eye on them.

He is NOT a casual baseball fan. Far from it.

But he is unique.
He has Giants tunnel vision.
I used to think he only knew about the National League.

But he really only knows the Giants and whomever they are playing THAT DAY.

A case in point.
Today the Yankees clinched the Division Series as the Twins did a brilliant impersonation of the Polish Army circa 1939.

The Yankees of course are chocked full of Superstars and many played today.

A-Rod, Jeter, Teixeira, Cano and Rivera all played.

So did All Stars Swisher and Hughes.

And former All Stars Posada and Hughes.

They had a GALAXY of stars... and stormed into the ALCS with the biggest marquee names in the show.

I got an e mail from my dad tonight.

"The Yankees
I hardly know who most of the players are!!
Should I?"

No you shouldn't Poppy... not until they play the Giants in the World Series.
(And if that happens, nobody will be able to tell you more about the Yankees than my dad.)

No person I'd rather watch a clinching with than Poppy

My dad was in town this weekend and we watched a lot of baseball. That wasn't the original plan... the plan was we'd watch his Giants clinch on Friday night and spend the rest of the weekend in L.A. County with my kids.

As it turned out Cain got bombed and Barry Zito blew his chance to redeem his contract in the eyes of Giants fans.

So we were glued to the set today... and watching a game with my dad is an experience.

Sometimes he doesn't move. You wonder if he is asleep. Then when Guillen grounds out you just hear a "JE-sus... swinging on the first pitch." And then you know my dad hasn't missed a pitch.

Or then comes his predictions.
When Miguel Tejada came up in a key spot today, he grumbled "This is it... he's about to hit the home run that will haunt us forever." Then with added emphasis pointed at the screen... as if I were about to miss his seer like abilities.

Tejada grounded out.

Later when Aubrey Huff came up in a critical situation, he said "Watch. He's about to hit the home run that will forever cement his legend."

He also grounded out.

Back when Bonds was with the Giants, every time a pitcher threw to him, my dad would say "Gone."

And when the odds caught up to him and Bonds DID hit a homer, my dad would turn to me and say "I called it."

I would reply "You call EVERY pitch."

My dad would have it off and say "admit it... I called it."

And I couldn't deny it. I am thrilled for my dad this year. He follows the Giants closer than anyone who isn't currently employed by KNBR.

I remember in 2008 I was driving home and listening to a Giants/Dodgers game late in the season. The Giants were 100% out of it and it was a week night. Bengie Molina homered for the Giants and I called my dad.

He picked up the phone. He didn't even say "Hello?" He just said "How about Bengie Molina?"

Dedication to a team... my dad has it.

So I'm glad we could see the Giants win the West.

But today my dad asked me "if I can get World Series tickets, will you fly up?"

He's already past Atlanta, Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

Let's go Giants. My dad has paid enough dues watching this team to finally see another World Series title.

And I have a feeling he has many more predictions to make this post season.

October Collision Course

Two teams had walk off wins today that were thrilling and made me really hope they face off, for many different reasons.

The Giants won this afternoon thanks to a pair of home runs by Pat Burrell, a shot by Sandoval and a walk off by Torres.

I guess all of my begging and pleading for the Giants to sign Johnny Damon wasn't necessary. Torres has done the job just fine.

And Pat Burrell has turned into the best mid season pick up for the Giants that I can remember since Rick Reuschel in 1987.

Meanwhile, across the country, the Giants arch rival Dodgers had their season basically end in a disastrous 9th inning that was partially caused by the spell and hexes cast onto the the L.A. Bullpen from this young Phillies fan.

As gruesome as the 9th inning was for Los Angeles and it seemingly will put a nail in the coffin of the Joe Torre era in Chavez Ravine, it also shows that the Phillies are peaking at a very advantageous time.

Any time you are down 9-2 in the 8th inning and can pull off the win, against a team with a winning record no less, it is time to pay attention.

I think the Phillies and Giants are on a collision course that will meet in October.

Now there is one problem with that prediction... as of this writing, both teams are in second place. The Giants and Phillies are tied in the loss column for the Wild Card.

Maybe that is where the collision will be.

Imagine a Wild Card play in game with Tim Lincecum versus Roy Halladay or Roy Oswalt.

But truth be told, I think both teams are making the post season. It will be only a matter of time before the Phillies leap frog the Braves.

And we'll see what happens with the Giants after this weekend's series with San Diego.

But Holy Cats, I want to see the Giants and the Phillies square off for meaningful games in October.

Not only will there be the intrigue of two teams with multiple aces...

Not only will there be the return of Pat Burrell to Philadelphia...

Not only will there be two passionate fan bases playing in new beautiful ballparks...

But my dad is a huge Giants fan.

And his brother, my uncle Don is a huge Phillies fan.

The potential fireworks between the brothers with meaningful games in October is too wonderful to avoid.

Now a potential Giants/Phillies showdown was thwarted before... in 1993 when the Giants won 103 games and missed the postseason because they were inexplicably in the same geographical division as the Braves.

So once again the Braves could stand in the way of a Giants-Phillies showdown.

Let's go Giants and let's go Phillies... if the Red Sox can't make it in October, I had better experience some other family fireworks!!!

Red Sox vs. Giants was fun... let's do it again in October

Lester came to the rescue today, but Heaven forbid the Red Sox have a game without an injury!!!

So with Dustin Pedroia, Clay Buchholz and Victor Martinez banged up, the Sox leave San Francisco with 2 wins.

I am glad about that... and I will root for the Giants in EVERY game for the rest of the season.

They are my National League team.

I went to high school in the Bay Area and I rooted for Los Gigantes in the 1987 and 1989 post season.

I would cut class from time to time and drive up to Candlestick Park and see Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell, Matt Williams and Big Daddy Reuschel play for the great Hum Baby teams of Roger Craig.

And I also have seen many games with Barry Bonds at both the Stick and on China Basin.

And then there is the matter of my dad and my son.

My dad is the single biggest Giants fan I have ever met in my life.

He is up listening to the post game show when the Giants are 20 games out.

He is the first to call me when a big Giants prospect has been called up.

He was a Giants fan way back when they were in the Polo Grounds and he has cheered them from Coogan's Bluff to Seal's Stadium to Candlestick Point to China Basin.

And his grandson, my son Aidan, whose middle name is also my dad's name, loves his grandpa (or Poppy as he is known) so much that with no prompting he has claimed the Giants as HIS team.

He doesn't know the players yet... but when asked what his favorite team is, with great pride he says "The GIANTS!"

So for the generation before and after me, I hope the Giants go all the way to the World Series.

And I hope the Red Sox are there too.

And I hope the Sox SWEEP!

(Love for family can only go so far)