Baseball can be wonderful come playoff time.
Today I watched the San Francisco Giant's explode offensively to beat the Cincinnati Reds at their house, 8-4 after a Barry Zito start that lasted but 2.2 innings!
The Giants' bullpen performed masterfully and the Giants' hitters ripped the Reds pitching. Tim Lincecum, who had a pretty raw September, came out of the bullpen in the 4th with two outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, and struck out Reds' left fielder, Ryan Ludwick swinging in five pitches.
Lincecum took the win, throwing 55 pitches (42 strikes) in 4.1 innings, gave up 2 hits, 1 run, struck out 6 and issued zero walks. He looked like the two-time Cy Young Award Winner we all remember. It was an electric performance. All his pitches were working...snappy late-breaking stuff and his dialed-in fastball helped with the swing and a miss strikeouts.
The Giants lead off with a home run! Center fielder Angel Pagan went long with the second pitch of the game. Left fielder Gregor Blanco hit a 2 run homer in the 2nd, and Pablo Sandoval went long in the 7th for another 2 run shot.
Somewhere during the game the ballpark became as quiet as a church on a mid-week morning.
During the evening game in Oakland it only got quiet for an inning as the rowdy crowd watched the A's trail 3-1 in the 9th. The noise picked back up when the A's took to the batter's box.
Leadoff batter right fielder, Josh Reddick got a single, next up, 3rd baseman, Josh Donaldson doubles, putting men on 2nd and 3rd. DH Seth Smith doubles in Reddick and Donaldson, game tied!
Everybody is on their feet, the noise level deafening. I wondered how many blocks away you could hear the crowd. I'm sure you could hear it from the San Francisco shoreline across the Bay provided there wasn't a lot of wind.
After pinch hitter, George Kottaras pops out, and 2nd baseman, Cliff Pennington strikes out looking, Coco Crisp gets the walk-off base hit that scores Seth Smith and we're going to game 5 Thursday!
I don't think there's a better baseball name than Coco Crisp today. If the A's go all the way...and Coco Crisp becomes the latest Mr. October and World Series MVP...how's that gonna work out when it's time to put his picture on millions of General Mills' Wheaties™ boxes. Coco Crisp sounds a lot like Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies...and thay say advertizing is boring...
Jeez! It's 2AM and I'm still amped...I gotta get to bed...Giants vs Reds starts at 10AM PDT
You know, since the All-Star Break, the Giants have been slugging like World beaters on the road...at AT&T Park...not so much...I like our chances Thursday morning. Go Giants!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Crud
God I hate colds. You're not sick enough that you want to just go to bed and sleep, but you can't do all the things you'd like to do because you're Typhoid Mary.
My fever broke this morning...but my nose is still running a marathon...to be fair, it wasn't much of a fever...
I didn't do nothing exactly while fighting this thing...there was October baseball. Both Bay Area teams lost the first two games of their best three of five Division Series. Both teams won game three Tuesday. The A's are home for the last three, the Giants on the road for their last three. Do or Die time...
The Formula One race from Suzuka, Japan was great. Kamui Kobayashi was the first Japanese driver to stand on the podium at the Japanese round of the F1 Championship, much to the delight of the enthusiastic Japanese fans. Kobayashi finished third on the strength of his performance on the track...it was fun to see. Tears of joy in the packed grandstands is something you don't see every day.
The America's Cup World Series was incredible! Next year's America's Cup Regatta will be contested in the new 72 ft catamarans. Up 'till now all the racing has been in 45 foot versions of the AC catamarans. The 72s are gonna be wicked fast and should make for spectacular racing just off the San Francisco shoreline.
My fever broke this morning...but my nose is still running a marathon...to be fair, it wasn't much of a fever...
I didn't do nothing exactly while fighting this thing...there was October baseball. Both Bay Area teams lost the first two games of their best three of five Division Series. Both teams won game three Tuesday. The A's are home for the last three, the Giants on the road for their last three. Do or Die time...
The Formula One race from Suzuka, Japan was great. Kamui Kobayashi was the first Japanese driver to stand on the podium at the Japanese round of the F1 Championship, much to the delight of the enthusiastic Japanese fans. Kobayashi finished third on the strength of his performance on the track...it was fun to see. Tears of joy in the packed grandstands is something you don't see every day.
The America's Cup World Series was incredible! Next year's America's Cup Regatta will be contested in the new 72 ft catamarans. Up 'till now all the racing has been in 45 foot versions of the AC catamarans. The 72s are gonna be wicked fast and should make for spectacular racing just off the San Francisco shoreline.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Tough Duty
Not a great Saturday for Bay Area baseball fans...the Oakland A's lost to the Detroit Tigers, and my San Francisco Giants lost to the Cincinnati Reds. There was barely a half an hour between the end of the Giants' game and the beginning of the Japanese Grand Prix.
A very enjoyable race with Championship implications.
It's also when I first noticed I was getting a runny nose and a bit of a scratchy throat.
Wow! I watched the America's Cup racing too...it's wildly exciting compared to the staid old days of the 12 meter boats, khakis and captain's caps. Today's America's Cup sailors wear helmets...for good reason.
Looks like I'll be laying about all day makin' sure I get plenty of fluids...there's the two baseball games and the America's Cup Finale is on NBC from 1:30-3PM LIVE
Me? I feel a nap coming on...
A very enjoyable race with Championship implications.
It's also when I first noticed I was getting a runny nose and a bit of a scratchy throat.
Wow! I watched the America's Cup racing too...it's wildly exciting compared to the staid old days of the 12 meter boats, khakis and captain's caps. Today's America's Cup sailors wear helmets...for good reason.
Looks like I'll be laying about all day makin' sure I get plenty of fluids...there's the two baseball games and the America's Cup Finale is on NBC from 1:30-3PM LIVE
Me? I feel a nap coming on...
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Signs
I'm trying to keep my driving to a minimum...what with the gas prices up in the Hope Diamond range here in the Golden State...still, when I am out and about I'm remembering to bring my little digicam.
Here's some signs that have caught my fancy:
An extra million humans are expected in San Francisco this weekend! There's quite a list of events. NFL football, MLB Baseball playoffs, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park, America's Cup World Series racing on San Francisco Bay while Fleet Week has a parade of ships with the Blue Angels taking to the skies overhead Friday, Saturday and Sunday...oh, there's an Italian Festival with parade and the Castro Street Fair.
It's a good bet I won't be crossing any bridges this weekend...
Here's some signs that have caught my fancy:
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| In the window of Truckee's satellite Post Office |
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| 'Tis the Season |
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| Douchebag Country |
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| Happy dog storefront |
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| "Red White and Blue" by thetenssf.com |
It's a good bet I won't be crossing any bridges this weekend...
Friday, October 5, 2012
Ouch!
I woke up to hear that gasoline prices went up in California as much as 50 cents/gallon overnight! I'm listening to the top of the hour National News now, and California's gas price hikes are the second story of the package. They say it's a supply problem caused refinery troubles, a contaminated pipeline and California's "only-in-California" low-pollution gasoline regulations.
Thursday Truckee's Local Newspaper posted an article on Facebook: "Gas Prices Soar Above $5 a Gallon in Truckee" Here's the accompanying photo:
This reminded me of a photo I took on February 25th, of the Chevron station's price sign across the street from the 76 station's sign featured in the Sierra Sun's story.
The $4.59/gal was outrageous at the time...
No new photo for Friday's freight...yet...
I don't know what they pay for petrol in Japan, but the Formula One cars are burning it as fast as they dare this weekend. The Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit is Round 15 of the World Championship. The race is LIVE on SpeedTV Saturday night at 10:30PM PDT
Thursday Truckee's Local Newspaper posted an article on Facebook: "Gas Prices Soar Above $5 a Gallon in Truckee" Here's the accompanying photo:
No new photo for Friday's freight...yet...
I don't know what they pay for petrol in Japan, but the Formula One cars are burning it as fast as they dare this weekend. The Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit is Round 15 of the World Championship. The race is LIVE on SpeedTV Saturday night at 10:30PM PDT
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Previews
Winter is coming. It's already littering my Facebook News Feed. The first wave hit Monday evening when TahoeWeatherDiscussion.com posted some Winter forecasts and his take on Season 2012-2013
Wednesday morning a Facebook friend reports that it's snowing in Boseman, Montana this morning and the overnight low is forecast to be 18°F!
I vaguely remember a tweet about snow in the Colorado Rockies sometime in the last week as well...
Wednesday morning a Facebook friend reports that it's snowing in Boseman, Montana this morning and the overnight low is forecast to be 18°F!
I vaguely remember a tweet about snow in the Colorado Rockies sometime in the last week as well...
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Ghosts
I looked under the hood of CorduroyPlanet over the weekend, and I noticed some readers dug extra deep and looked at my take on the fatal crash at the Reno Air Races last year again.
"Chilled" is my most-viewed blog by a longshot. Over 14,700 pageviews to date. I reread it again, and there's a few things that are a little more clear to me now. I wrote about it back in April. I penned "Old Wounds" after the NTSB held it's first presentation on the Galloping Ghost crash...Jeez, it seems so long ago!
OK, here's what I think happened, given the NTSB comments:
The Galloping Ghost was a highly modified P-51D Mustang aircraft from the WWII era. Many features of the airframe were modified to reduce aerodynamic drag and weight.
Modifications were made to the elevator trim tabs: The starboard trim tab was disabled by design and faired into the elevator control surface, leaving the portside trim tab to do all the trim duties, saving drag and the weight of the control mechanism.
The stock hydraulic elevator trim system was removed and replaced with an electric actuator, adjusting the trim tab via a control rod.
As Jimmy Leeward ran the Galloping Ghost around pylons 8 and 9 there was a failure of the elevator trim system...the actuator may have failed, or it's mounting failed, or it's connection to the control rod, or the control arm on the trim tab failed, sending the aircraft into a 9+ G climb, rendering Jimmy unconscious instantly. The rest was the Devil's Arithmetic, only the grace of God kept the crash from killing hundreds. Jimmy never regained consciousness. Flutter of the uncontrolled trim tab ripped it free of it's mounts as the craft was winging over, as visible in the photo posted in "Chilled".
In the days after the accident, I read an account from a corporate pilot who was in the grandstands directly behind the point of impact. He said he saw the Ghost pull up suddenly, and he was on his feet and running up the grandstands before the Ghost finished the wingover at the top of the climb. When the craft impacted the tarmac, this pilot was halfway up the grandstand and he was suddenly soaked with avgas and hit with bits of shrapnel. Miraculously, no ignition spark was generated by the crash preventing a truly horrendous tragedy.
The ghost of the tragedy hung heavy in the air at Stead during Race Week, Jimmy's pit stall was kept vacant as a memorial, and there was a minute of silence each day during the Opening Ceremonies.
It's hard to say which was responsible for the semi-subdued atmosphere out at Stead, the smaller crowds or the raw emotions given the tragedy last year. I expect the crowds to return next September. This year's crowds were suppressed by the late word (mid-August) that the show would go on. Air Race Fans will return, you can be sure.
I know I'll be back in the Valley of Speed in 2013!
October Baseball!
The San Francisco Giants just defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, eliminating the Dodgers from the Wild Card Race. Barry Zito pitched a good game before the Bums came back to make it 4-3 in the 7th. The Giants bullpen by committee pulled it out in a game that seemed like a playoff game!
"Chilled" is my most-viewed blog by a longshot. Over 14,700 pageviews to date. I reread it again, and there's a few things that are a little more clear to me now. I wrote about it back in April. I penned "Old Wounds" after the NTSB held it's first presentation on the Galloping Ghost crash...Jeez, it seems so long ago!
OK, here's what I think happened, given the NTSB comments:
The Galloping Ghost was a highly modified P-51D Mustang aircraft from the WWII era. Many features of the airframe were modified to reduce aerodynamic drag and weight.
Modifications were made to the elevator trim tabs: The starboard trim tab was disabled by design and faired into the elevator control surface, leaving the portside trim tab to do all the trim duties, saving drag and the weight of the control mechanism.
The stock hydraulic elevator trim system was removed and replaced with an electric actuator, adjusting the trim tab via a control rod.
As Jimmy Leeward ran the Galloping Ghost around pylons 8 and 9 there was a failure of the elevator trim system...the actuator may have failed, or it's mounting failed, or it's connection to the control rod, or the control arm on the trim tab failed, sending the aircraft into a 9+ G climb, rendering Jimmy unconscious instantly. The rest was the Devil's Arithmetic, only the grace of God kept the crash from killing hundreds. Jimmy never regained consciousness. Flutter of the uncontrolled trim tab ripped it free of it's mounts as the craft was winging over, as visible in the photo posted in "Chilled".
In the days after the accident, I read an account from a corporate pilot who was in the grandstands directly behind the point of impact. He said he saw the Ghost pull up suddenly, and he was on his feet and running up the grandstands before the Ghost finished the wingover at the top of the climb. When the craft impacted the tarmac, this pilot was halfway up the grandstand and he was suddenly soaked with avgas and hit with bits of shrapnel. Miraculously, no ignition spark was generated by the crash preventing a truly horrendous tragedy.
 |
| The "Missing Man" pit stall |
It's hard to say which was responsible for the semi-subdued atmosphere out at Stead, the smaller crowds or the raw emotions given the tragedy last year. I expect the crowds to return next September. This year's crowds were suppressed by the late word (mid-August) that the show would go on. Air Race Fans will return, you can be sure.
I know I'll be back in the Valley of Speed in 2013!
October Baseball!
The San Francisco Giants just defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, eliminating the Dodgers from the Wild Card Race. Barry Zito pitched a good game before the Bums came back to make it 4-3 in the 7th. The Giants bullpen by committee pulled it out in a game that seemed like a playoff game!
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