Unfortunately, Its Not Too Early

So I sat there. My first Opening Day Game ever! And they lost.

And here are my thoughts, a day later....

Matt Cain, days like that are going to happen. Even though they touched him for 5, it still looked like he was in there trying to be the stopper for this team. Too bad no one on this team is able to drive in more than a run a game when he is pitching.

Brian Bocock, looks like he will be a good Majro League shortstop if he does the following: Take Charge Out There! Mr. Bocock, you have a glove, use it. The shortstop has always been the anchor, the captain, of the infield defense. If in doubt, you grab. Don't leave it up to Castillo or whoever is playing 2nd base.

Eugenio Velez is fun to watch. Not sure about his defense (mostly because Bruce Bochy has decided that since Kevin Frandsen is on the DL, he needs someone else's head to mess with by putting them in a different position every other day).

Rich Aurillia... I cannot decide if its just a bad hitting streak for him or what he really is these days. Back during his first go-round with the Giants, he was one of my favorites. Now... with diminished defense and a diminished bat... I am almost hoping that he goes gracefully out to pasture.

Jose Castillo, well what can I say? He has all the bad parts of Pedro Feliz and Armando Benitez. Hits when no one is on base. With runners in scoring position, he grounds out. Cannot field a ball to his right hand (i.e. non-glove) side if its fair, but damn, hit a hard hit foul ball 10 feet off the line in foul territory and he nabs it like it will help with getting a gold glove. Get rid of this bum!!!!

Fred Lewis is just an at-bat or two away from being back. He is just getting unlucky with where the ball falls. I like the fact that he is getting walks and not just swinging at everything to get out of the slump he is in right now.

As for the boo-birds heard at the ball park... I was one of them. But I think that if you are playing defense like Roger Dorn, then you deserve to get booed. On the other hand, I did not participate in some of the abuse heaped on Bocock and other rookies. A week into the season and trying to deal with the new pressure, especially on their first opening day, they get a pass for now.

Is It Too Soon To Talk About This?

Normally I am not the guy who wants to do the drastic things but after watching tonight's game, I think that the Giants need to take some drastic steps. First, I think its time to dump Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy.

First, Sabean, I think, is starting to take things too personally. Last season, if you listened to him in the interviews, it was as if he was feeling like the whipping boy of the Giants instead of Armando Benitez. And that tone seems to still be there right now. Furthermore, the team he has built is ... well... awful. For instance, he has signed a middle infielder (weak glove to begin with and now with a weak bat) to play first base. His solution to the injuries in Spring Training: sign Jose Castillo. Jose Castillo, stats-wise is arguably worse than Pedro Feliz, the player he nominally replaces at third base. His power is decreasing over the past few season, his on-base percentage is almost the same as Feliz's (.296 to .288) and their batting averages are almost identical (.256 and .252). Furthermore, Sabean has yet to pull off a good deal in the last four seasons (and it could be argued that its been six since he had structured either a good free agent signing or a trade with another team).

Under Sabean's watch, the Giants have failed to produce an effective big-league position player in eight years. The pitchers that it has produced can pitch as well as they can, but if there is no one to drive in the runs... well why not ask Matt Cain how much fun that is.

Second, Bruce Bochy must go. As I was listening to the start of the game tonight on the radio, Dave Flemming was talking about how Bochy is 7th on the active managers list for wins. He is. He has 1022 career wins. On the other hand, he has 1067 career losses. Even if you throw out last years abysmal finish by the Giants, his record with the Padres was 951 wins and 975 losses. That is otherwise known as a .494 winning percentage (meaning he loses more than he wins). Keep me as a manager in the Big Leagues for 13 plus seasons, and I would probably have at least 806 wins (thats if I lost 100 games each year).

Now, winning percentage alone is not the reason why Bochy needs to go. Its his managerial style. He does not manage the team. When was the last time you saw him bench an expensive player? Last season, he kept running out Benitez over and over again in save situations, leading to blown saves and lost games. The only reason Benitez did not lose more games was that they traded him away.

Then there is Ray "Can't Hit and Can't Field" Durham. Last season he hit .218. He played, inexplicably, in 138 games. And he was supposed to be the big bat in the Giants line up. The argument, I suppose, is that he had 71 RBIs, but those, I would argue, are misleading. He is no longer that fast. His glove, suspect in good years, is deteriorating before our eyes (Examples A and B would be the two ground balls that he was unable to get to.)

The Giants are a team in transition. They should be seeing what the new kids can and cannot do. So far, the only one to get any real playing time is the one rookie who will definitely not be around once Vizquel gets off the DL. Rather than playing Fred Lewis, he is sticking with Dave Roberts. Instead of seeing what Ortmeier can do as an everyday player, they are running out Rich Aurillia at first base.

As a manager, Bochy needs to bench some of these players. Already too many of the older ones are doing the same things that made 2007 such a dismal year. They are not advancing the runners. Hitting into double plays. Not being selective enough at the plate and then overcompensating by watching strike threes go across the plate with runners in scoring position.

I've lived through a 100 loss season. I was hoping to avoid it again. I'm no Salty Balty (if you listen to KNBR, you know who I am talking about) but with the way this team is going, the question is not whether its going to happen, but whether the Giants are going to make a run at setting a new record.

Mr. Magowan, please, reconsider your management team. Soon.

Will Life Imitate the Movies? One could only hope.

So here I am watching the Giants' Opening Day against the hated Bums. And surprise of surprises, Dave Roberts gets a single. Not what I expected.

Of course, three pitches later, he gets thrown out by a mile trying to steal second.

And I flashed to the first game in Major League. I can only hope.

And then I saw Zito's first inning of work. I really need to hang on to that hope.

And then I saw Castillo... who is unfortunately no Feliz with a glove but looks to be one with the bat. (Runner in scoring position, less than two ours... and he hits into a double play.)

Thanks Mr. Gygax

Gary Gygax, along with his partner Dave Arneson developed the rules for Dungeons & Dragons. I cannot imagine what my childhood would have been without D&D and the games it spawned.

Sadly, Gygax died today.

Rosenthal Snapped A Picture...

...on this date in 1945... and did not even realize it was even published. At least, that is the story. Joe Rosenthal did not even set up to take the picture. He had been setting up to take a picture of a different group of Marines on the top of Mount Suribachi. According to his version, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and swung around snapped the shot.



First, there are a couple things that need to be stated. This picture was not of the first flag raising over on Mt. Suribachi by the USMC. A few hours earlier, just after 10:30 a.m. on February 23, 1945, members of Easy Company, 2/28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, raised a smaller flag. Staff Sergeant Louis R. Lowery, snapped this picture:

The men in this picture are 1st Lt. Harold G. Schrier with Platoon Sergeant Ernest I. THomas, Jr. (both seated), PFC James Michels (in foreground with carbine), Sergeant Henry O. Hansen (standing, wearing soft cap), Corporal Charles W. Lindberg (standing, extreme right).

Despite the flag raising, Marine commanders decided that there needed to be a second one. Not because they wanted to get a photo opportunity, but because the flag used was not that big. The flag raised first was off the transport USS Missoula, was only 54 x 28 inches in diameter and hard to see from any distance. A second flag, this one taken off LST 779 and sent up the mountain. It was with this flag, that Rosenthal accompanied the Marines up Suribachi.

Ironically, Rosenthal had been deemed 4F by draft authorities because his eyesight was so bad. By the time of Iwo Jima, he had seen more combat time than most. He had accompanied McArthur's campaign through New Guinea, been in London during the Blitz, and been through U-Boat attacks in the Battle of Atlantic. The shot he had been setting up to take was taken a few minutes later. Apparently, when he was told that his picture had become so iconic, he had to ask which one. He thought it was it was this one:



In actuality, this is the one:

From left to right, the raisers are Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, Michael Strank, Rene Gagnon, John Bradley, and Harlon Block. Bradley is the Navy Corpsman, the rest were Marines.

(The color film was taken by Sgt. Bill Genaust, USMC, who was killed the next day in the fighting on Iwo Jima)

This Will Present A Problem For The Giants Next Year

As you may or may not have heard, Pedro Feliz is now an EX- Giant.




That's right, Pedro Feliz has apparently inked a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies to play 3rd base for them next year.

Now, as a long time, die-hard Giants' fan, I'm glad to see Feliz go. Maybe somewhere else he can be the player we kept hoping, praying, and begging him to be. (I kind of find it interesting that some are saying that this will be a step in production from the 3rd base position for the Phillies. I cannot wait to hear from my friends who are Phillies fans how much they enjoy watching him strand runners in scoring position, swing at every pitch - no matter how far out of the strike zone it is -, or how they enjoy his ability to never, ever sacrifice someone.)

So this... this is not the problem. The problem comes in the form of Kevin Frandsen. As my wife likes to say, Bruce Bochy is the Dr. Mengele of the National League when it comes to the "Flying Squirrel". Sitting at a game (Jewish Heritage Night II, if I remember correctly), she pointed ou that in the past few weeks he had not played the positions he was supposed to be playing (2B or SS). By my count, last year he had played every position but pitcher and catcher, during a game (correct me if I am wrong).

If its true that the plan is try Frandsen out regularly at 3B, maybe platooning him with Aurillia, then what Bochy do? Without Frandsen to diabolically experiment with, who will be thrown into an unfamiliar position with no notice or time to work out how to play the position? Will Ortmeier suddenly be called upon to play 2B? Will Dave Roberts come in as the closer? Will Noah Lowry be converted from a starting pitcher to splitting his time between catcher and right field?!?

If You Think About It This Way...

Today's anniversary set in motion two world wars and destroyed the old World Order. It was not necessarily the cause, but it established the required condition precedent.

Today is January 18, 2008. 137 years ago today, in Versailles of all places, the German Empire was announced. Prussia, with its German allied states, had just defeated Imperial France, forcing the abdication of Napoleon III.

Bismarck, as Prime Minister of Prussia, had always been committed to course which expanded Prussian dominance within Central Europe. His goal was to further the power of the Prussia king whom he served. To that end, he had already guided Prussia through two wars, one with Denmark in 1863, and another with Austria in 1866. Both of these wars ended in victories, leading to the formation of a Prussian dominated confederation in the North, mainly at the expense of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which had controlled several southern German principalities. In furtherance of goal of establishing Prussian dominance over Central Europe, Bismarck orchestrated the causus belli for the Franco-Prussian War itself of 1870 - 1871 with the Ems Dispatch (sometimes Ems Telegram).

Napoleon III's French Empire was soundly defeated in a series of battles. After the defeat of the French Army at Sedan, Napoleon III was forced to abdicate. Even though France fought on

But flush with victory, Bismarck pushed for one more: the creation of a Prussian dominated, German Empire. On January 18, 1871, in the Hall of Mirrors in the Château de Versailles, Bismarck had the assembled German princes proclaim King Wilhelm I of Prussia as Kaiser of the new German Empire.



This new German Empire (or as it was formally known the German Reich) would occupy an area of nearly 208,826 square miles (540,857.54 km2) and would dominate Central Europe. Unlike the decaying empires to the south (Austro-Hungary and Ottoman), this new Empire was vibrant, competing for the lead, or leading, in many economic and military categories.

But the formation of the German Reich completely altered the European political landscape, and with it, the balance of power among the World or Great Powers. In the East, Russia no longer looked west at a confederation which may or may support the Prussian monarchy for power and dominance in Eastern European matters.

Austro-Hungary could no longer count on being able to influence events in Europe and so had to look south towards Ottoman lands for its own outlets. Instead of looking to base its power in the southern German states and Eastern Europe, Austro-Hungarian policy makers began to look towards the Balkans and Ottoman lands.

France had been utterly defeated in the Franco-Prussian War, and further humiliated by Versailles use as the site of the new Kaiser's coronation while the Prussian boot was on its throat. The new French Republic committed itself to the idea of revenge (revanchism), seeking to prepare itself for the day when her armies could reclaim the lost provinces of Alsace and Lorraine.

Across the North Sea, King Wilhelm son and heir's mother-in-law, Queen Victoria of Great Britain, and her ministers were forced to reevalute the balance in Europe. For centuries, British foreign policy had been based on the idea of always supporting coalitions against the dominant land power in Europe, as well as ensuring that the harbors associated with the Scheldt Estuary remained in friendly hands.

To an extent, it almost seems like Bismarck understood the dangers that the very existence of the new German Reich posed to all these. Being an astute policymaker, he recognized the inherent weaknesses which Germany's frontiers left her. To that end, he sought to always involve Germany in alliances, ones which the German Empire could control and which would work to ensure that German borders were protected and its allies were prevented from going to war with each other. By allying with Russia and Austro-Hungarian Empire, while ensure that Britain remained neutral and focused on its overseas colonies, all of which would keep France isolated, then the German Reich could be protected.

But all of that required someone who recognized the ability of other states to combine into alliances. A person who understood that simply because one possessed a fearsome, well trained, superbly armed military, did not ensure victory. From what I have read, it seems fair to say that Bismarck realized that what he created required that this balance be maintained. Allowing France to escape her isolation would ensure that Germany would almost certainly face enemies on two fronts. That to allow Britain to lose focus on its colonial possession and its trade, would force her to get back to the policy of creating a new balance of power in Europe, instead of a dominant power which Germany occupied.



Unfortunately, those who followed in Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm's footsteps failed to see the reason why the German Reich acted as it had. Instead, Kaiser Wilhem II took the throne and dismissed Bismarck, seeing him as an impediment to Germany obtaining its place in the sun. Suddenly, gone was the "honest broker" image which Bismarck sought to maintain, replaced with Wilhelm II's more aggressive foreign policy.

Now, it could be argued that Wilhelm's folly, World War I, was not inevitable. However, the necessary precursor for a war involving the world's Great Powers of the time required that there be a dominant, or at least one which could claim dominance, land power in Europe. So long as the balance within Europe was assured, France, Austro-Hungary, Prussia, and Russia were seemingly content to remain at peace. Great Britain, the fifth Great Power, was not interested in European affairs unless they directly threatened the British Home Islands. Once the buffers of the independent German states were gone, coupled with power of the new German Reich, it was almost a certainty that there would be struggle in Europe since the center of Europe was now controlled by a single entity. Even if Wilhelm II had possessed tempermant of his father, Frederick III, whose reign was shortened by cancer, the potential of a German threat would simply have gone on like a ticking time bomb till a future German Kaiser would arise that would embark on an aggressive foreign policy.

As it was, the creation of the German Reich resulted in the Wilhelm II being placed as master over a massive German Army, a threat to other land-based powers in Europe. It gave him the resources needed to create a Navy which was designed, almost exclusively, to seek a massive battle in North Sea. He neglected the alliances which had secured Germany's borders. and let his allies dictate policy instead of vice versa. In the end it, his policies enrupted into the First World War. Even though millions died as a result of the war, it was largely inconclusive because of how it ended. And the effect of the war resulted in an upheaval, destroying 3 empires, leading to the creation of the Soviet state, and formenting Germany's version of revanchism to rectify the "stabbed in the back" myth created to explain Germany's defeat. Eventually, it would lead to Hitler's desire to reassert German' dominance in world affairs, sparking a second world war.