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Oracle Park is now open for baseball (no restrictions) but we all hope that everyone is vaccinated and covid free.
Where are we in the Third week in May?
It’s only May, which means it’s still too early to make big-picture declarations about any team.
Surviving and thriving over a 162-game season requires a combination of skill and luck, of durability and depth and an ability for a long list of people inside an organization from a top executive all the way down to a bullpen catcher to repeatedly make sound decisions.
So, while it’s too early to say the Giants are a World Series contender or a good bet to repeat as NL West champions, the 2022 Giants are a good team, and they have the potential to be great, especially if Longoria, La Stella and Yaz continue to play the way they have over the last week.
In early May, no one was projecting the Giants to outlast the Dodgers in the best division race in major league history, but the formula was working. This year, with Buster Posey enjoying retirement and All-Star Kevin Gausman building his Cy Young candidacy for the Blue Jays instead of the Giants, the formula is back, albeit with a few slight tweaks (such as the Carlos Rodan unhittable fastball).
After sweeping the Rockies at Oracle Park, and then losing two out of three in St. Louis, the Giants are still a third-place team, but one that very much looks the part of a club with 90-to-95 (or more) win potential. And as the Giants of 2010, 2012 and 2014 showed, all that matters is that you have a ticket to the dance.
As for the lineup, several players are faring well, but no one setting the world on fire. Brandon Belt has been excellent when healthy, Joc Pederson was a force in April before slumping in May (and coming back against the Rockies this weekend) while Wilmer Flores and Mike Yastrzemski have been far more consistent after relatively quiet starts to the season. Now that La Stella and Longoria are back and looking like their old selves (La Stella started with a HR that went a long way!) the 2022 Giants are rounding into shape. We will miss Dubon – off to Houston and the tender mercies of Dusty Baker, and will be watching Luis Gonzales (he is a good-looking kid whose only problem is that he has minor league options) at the River Cats until needed again – the team is looking strong, well-managed and balanced.
And yes, not only is there is reason to believe the Giants’ best days are ahead of them, but we also all think there’s another gear.
At some point Pederson, Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade Jr. will all catch fire at once. When Webb starts looking like the version fans saw a season ago, when Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval form one of the best bullpen combos in baseball we will be in the stands cheering. It might be on the next homestand against the Padres and Mets.
The NL West – the Padres are coming into town and are playing hard
The NL West is all about the LA team and the Padres – both loaded with superstars, both for all practical purposes tied for the division lead at 23-12, with the G-Men 1 game back at 22 and 14. That’s a three-team battle for the NL West we can expect to continue through the summer and into September. The G-Men don’t see the Dodgers until Mid-June but now is the time to pick up some ground on the Friars. These games are important.
What about those Mets?
The Mets have the best record in the National League right now. Will that continue? They are hot and they are coming into Oracle during the next series. The Mets will be a great test for the Giants. I can’t wait.
The Unwritten Rules – Really?
The G-Men have been taking a lot of flak about playing all out no matter the situation. Have a 10-run lead in the 9th? Play like the game is tied. That’s Gabe’s mantra and I must admit it started to be scary until the reasons became clear. It’s a 162-game season and every opposing player (or pitcher) you can tire out in the 8th and 9th inning with a one-sided score makes it more likely that you can beat that team the next day. Gabe is taking a lot of heat for running up the score. He is playing every game and every inning like it counts in the playoff run – because it does. Keep it up Gabe!
On the board ready to be picked up are:
FRI 5/20 [7:15] – Padres – 4 tickets
SAT 5/21 [1:05] – Padres – 2 tickets – City Connect Backpack (I want one!)
MON 5/23 [6:45] – Mets – 4 tickets
WED 5/25 [12:45] – Mets – 4 tickets
Let the torture continue.
Ciao, and GO GIANTS!
The Czar
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THE PROTOCOL: The firm has four seats in Section 118 (Premium Lower Boxes), Rows 25 and 26. These are awesome seats directly below the press box and 25 rows behind home plate on the left side behind the screen. It is foul ball territory for left-handed batters so bring your glove – I have collected 19 foul balls myself over 21 years, am looking for more and caught my latest ball at the Cards game on July 5th, 2021 [film available!]. If we don’t use all the tickets ourselves (or clients and friends of the firm don't claim them by calling me and reserving a game), then my next step is to give the tickets TO THE FIRST PERSON WHO GETS BACK TO ME PROVIDED THAT THEY ARE SERIOUS. If you ask for the tickets and don't use them, you will be taken off the list unless there is a seriously good reason. There will be a wait list.
When there are four seats available (we split up a lot of games) we will allocate the tickets two and two if the first people back just want two tickets. You can also go for four and might get them. I'm the Czar, my call.
Oh, and BTW, The Czar found the original Hinman & Carmichael brick from 2000 (after looking for it every year since 2000) and found H&C’s Gotham Club Founders Bat! If you are on the patio, or in the Club, look for the symbols of baseball!
