Sad times.
This is not going to be much of a Giants post, but a post nonetheless. It has more to do with the actual baseball community more than anything.
The news of the death of Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart yesterday ripped through the Major and Minor leagues and rocked fans of the Angels organization and of baseball. Some senseless, idiotic jerk decided to drink and drive while on a suspended license and made the decision to run a red light, intoxicated to at least three times the legal limit here in California. He hits two cars, one basically wrapping around a pole, killing a young woman and man, and sending two more to the hospital, one being Nick Adenhart, who died while in surgery. Another young man is still fighting his injuries, expected (thankfully) to recover.
Adenhart and his friends had been out dancing. He’d just pitched six scoreless innings for the Halos vs. the A’s, and did an awesome job. He’d called his dad out to California to see him get the start, and now, his parents have to bury their only son.
It was a sad day yesterday, and it will be a sad season for the Angels clubhouse. The Giants had a classy statement written about the passing of Adenhart, and observed a moment of silence for him before their game against the Brew Crew. Many teams across the country did the same.
My dad and I went to the Opening Day game for the Fresno Grizzlies last night, and we’ve played the Salt Lake Bees many times, so I am sure our boys played against Nick. The Grizzlies too, observed a moment of silence for the passing of this young man. I am not ashamed to say that I shed a tear for the family and friends of Nick Adenhart.
And on another sad, and scary front–at last night’s Giants game, Joe Martinez, one of our young pitchers–was hit in the head with a line drive. He has a concussion and three small fractures. It was a scary thing to see, that’s for sure, and I felt so bad for Mike Cameron, who was the batter. You could tell he was absolutely devastated, and he was instantly concerned. Cameron is a classy guy, and I think that he deserves our respect for being worried for/about Martinez. Way to go, Mike, you are an ace in my book! I hope you too, recover quickly. Martinez is now on the 15 day DL, and expected to be fine. Man, what a way to start your season.
Here’s to thinking of the Adenhart and Angels families–heaven has a new Angel, and he’s going to throw strikes. And congratulations to said Angels, who are turning their grief to the field and won tonight vs. the Red Sox. Good job there, boys.
One final note: this actually made me smile. So typical of Jack Taschner. I miss him in the dugout, that’s for sure. Heh. Thanks for the laughs, Tasch. Some of us needed that after the tragedies of the last couple of days.
Well played, Jack!
Color me bitterly disappointed in the news that the Giants traded Jack Taschner to the Phillies for some catcher today. First off, a catcher?! Seriously? We already have Bengie Molina and Steve Holm, and we have Buster Posey coming up the ranks. Do we really need another catcher? Good lord. The least we could have done is get a position player we actually need!
Second of all, we absolutely need a lefty in the bullpen. I’ll concede to the fact that Jack had his inconsistent moments, sure, but I really feel he was a solid pitcher overall. I’m going to miss that spirit in the dugout and clubhouse, that’s for sure.
I sure won’t forget the awesome Fresno Grizzlies commercials that had Jack in a huge sombrero, and talking about whittling mallards. Sigh. I’m going to miss that.
I only hope Philly treats Jack and his family well, and that he is able to show everyone what he’s got. I was sad to read that he’d actually asked for the trade with Bochy, saying he wanted a “change of scenery”. To be honest, I can’t blame him. A lot of the Giants fans are brutal and I’m sure he probably got a bit sick of it. Being critical is fine, but when it gets personal, that just plain crosses a line.
I am honestly glad that I got to see him pitch a couple of times in person as well, because I made sure to cheer for him every single time. That goes for his shown on TV games as well.
Good luck in Philadelphia, Jack. There are some of us out there who will definitely miss you!
Game on, pal.
Split squad action and other things
First off, color me terribly sad that the Giants let Dave Roberts go. While I understand the direction the head honchos want to go regarding youth on the team, I think that Dave not being in the clubhouse and dugout will make an impact. He was such a positive person and a fantastic player, regardless of age or injuries. I know I am going to miss Dave’s energy on and off the field. And personally, I don’t feel like youth is always the way to go. Just a thought. I think Chris Haft did an amazing job with this entry regarding Dave Roberts. I absolutely agree with these sentiments. Please be sure and read it. We’ll miss you, Dave!
Today the Giants went split squad and split the games they played. They first played SS with the A’s and kicked their butt in a homer hitting kind of game. I was glad to see Bengie hit his first in spring training, plus the rookie Downs hit one in the 8th. Johnson pitched well again, but it does bother me that in 3 1/3 innings, he pitched 53 pitches. Oh well, he held them scoreless, so who am I to complain? He only gave up three hits (woohoo!) and struck three out (even better). Apparently, his ERA in the Cactus League games is under 2.00. So awesome–and if he can keep that kind of thing going in the regular season, that’d be even better.
In the other game, the Giants were without the big guys and lost to the Angels. Bowker, Aurilia and McClain had hits, which is nice. Looks like Jack finally got to pitch and did well. A scoreless inning is a scoreless inning! I’ll definitely take it.
Looks like Freddie Lewis is doing well in Cactus League games as well, which I am glad for. He doubled AND tripled today, which is always a major feat. It looks like he’s going to be a sure lock for the number three spot in the lineup when the season starts, which I think is a good thing too. Strong and fast–maybe we can score a little better when he’s on the basepath.
The boys play the Brewers coming up tomorrow afternoon, and I think Zito is taking the mound. Maybe this time he won’t struggle against them as he’s done a few times in the past. I’ll be rooting for him to succeed there.
The 2009 season starts in 29 days. Can it hurry up already?
Good signs
You know, I tend to disregard scores during Spring Training. We are notorious for being pretty lousy in ST, so to heck with that. I am, however, already intrigued by how our starting pitching staff is performing in these split squad and training games.
It’s fantastic that the Giants now have three (three!!) Cy Young winners on the staff with Lincecum, Zito, and Johnson. And all three seem to be in decent form their first times out. Not too shabby with Johnson striking seven out yesterday. Timmy is going to be awesome again this season, I can just feel it. Plus, MLB 2K9 came out yesterday with him representing the Giants on the cover.
Opening Day is only 34 days away, and this season could shape up nicely if the starting pitchers are on their game and we get our bullpen in order. Plus if we get the bats going, that would do a world of good. Seriously.
Going back to the pitchers–and Barry Zito. Yeah, he’s had a couple of not-so-good years, but I think back to All-Star Fest 2007 and my dad and I listened in on a seminar of sorts, and there was a woman there who was an astrologist. I distinctly remember her saying she had done Zito’s outlook and numbers and such and determined that 2008 was not going to be a good baseball year for him, but that 2009 would be his year. It has sure turned out for her to be right so far, and I’m choosing to believe that he’s going to turn it around this year. My thought is that people need to lay off the guy. He’s a fantastic pitcher and the Giants are lucky to have him. This year will be better–especially since he’s been training in the offseason with Brian Wilson. What better discipline than that!?
Sara
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