Kind of bummed that Game 1 is tonight. One of the movie theaters here is getting in on TCM's one-night showing of Frankenstein & Bride or Frankenstein. More insult to injury is that the 7 p.m. start time for the double bill likely means the game won't have even started by time the first movie is over.

Anyway, I'm curious to see how Detroit stacks up against a team that actually puts the ball in play.

Barry Zito will start game one of the WS, as everyone expected at the beginning of the year

Its an iffy rotation set up for the giants. Over the last month, with each starter, you have no clue whos going to show up.

Game 1- Bary Pitched great in game 5 by having good control and limiting the walks. Walks generally kill him. He was still hit pretty hard, though, but many went right to fielders, and some were just great plays. If the tigers are more patient, or Zito loses a bit of control this could be over quickly. It may not matter if the giants cant score off of Verlander though.

Game 2 - Bumgarner - Huge issues in the last month. he claims that was a mechanical issue of over rotation that he has worked on and fixed in the last two days. This apparently affected his control, and fatiqued him more which dropped his velocity. If he is right and is the Bumgarner of 2 months ago, this will be a great matchup and the giants would be favorites, but...

Game 3 - Voggy - HAve not read what was the difference between game 6 and the previous month. Who will show up though? Again, not a recent record of consistency.

Game 4 - Cain - He has issues off and on, but overlall his variation is been much lower, and he has been the most consistent of all the , so its a shame he can only start 1 game.

Overall its a bit of a crapshoot. Im thinking the giants need all of them to be on the up side of the variations to win 2 or more of the first 4 games.

I have no predictions on the offence.... except I expect Cabrera to be nails...

What's the weather forecast? I guess I could look it up … showers likely today in SF, tonight cloudy with a low in the 50s. Basically, what else is new. Longer-term, it looks like a cold front will hit Detroit about the time the two clubs start play there on Saturday.

What's the weather forecast? I guess I could look it up … showers likely today in SF, tonight cloudy with a low in the 50s. Basically, what else is new. Longer-term, it looks like a cold front will hit Detroit about the time the two clubs start play there on Saturday.
.

I think the Giants would really welcome a little ninth-inning weather over the next few days.

CHECKLIST:
Conradian play [ ] (COLLECTIVE CONRADIAN CATASTROPHE [ ] )
Web Gem [ ]
1-2-3-4-5-6 inning [ ]
Strike out of side [ ] (1-2-3 SO of side [ ])
Baserunning blunder [ ]
Bases loaded, nobody scores in the inning [ ]
It rains [ ] (rain delay [])
Starter warms up in bullpen [ ] (Postseason starter warms up [ ])
THIS TRAIN [X]
Deja, Deja, Deja Vu [X]
Talk about the bet between the Mayors [ ]
Skyfall ad [ ]
Inning-ending DP [ ]
Stolen base [ ]
Caught stealing [ ]
Play at the plate [ ]
Non-pitcher bunt [ ]
Replay review [ ]
Blown call [ ] (Blown call costs game [ ])
NFL reference beyond NFL on FOX [ ]
FOX celebrity shows up [ ]
Deja, Deja, Deja Vu [X]
Reference to Presidential Campaign [ ]
Idiot runs on field [ ]
Triple [ ]
Pitcher gets a hit [ ] (Pitcher gets an RBI [ ])
Flashback to Verlander's crummy ASG [ ]
Flashback to Verlander no-nos [ ]
Commercial (other than for the WS itself or another in-house MLB program) that features Verlander [ ]
Verlander hits 100+ after 70 pitches [ ]
McCarver's singing career [ ]
Sandoval called "Panda" [ ]
SF Giants HOF legend mentions: Mays [ ] McCovey (other than Cove) [ ] Marichal [ ] Cepeda [ ] Perry [ ]
Tigers HOF legend mentions: Cobb [ ] Greenberg [ ] Kaline [ ] Harwell [ ] Crawford [ ] Cochrane [ ] Kell [ ] Newhouser [ ] Jennings [ ] Manush [ ] Gehringer [ ] Heilman [ ]
Cabrera MVP talk [ ]
Posey MVP talk [ ]
Miguel Cabrera does something awesome [ ]
Buster Posey does something awesome [ ]
Prince Fielder goes deep [ ]
Ball goes into Cove [ ]
Giants have most wins for a franchise in sports history [ ]
Valverde shows up [ ] (Valverde blows it [ ])
WILD BRIAN WILSON APPEARS [ ]
Reference to Jack Buck [ ]
Ozzie Guillen referenced [ ]
Marco Scutaro cannot be stopped [ ]
1984 Tigers flashback [ ]
Barry Zito is Patrick Duffy's nephew [ ]
Barry Zito as an Athletic [ ]
2010 Giants flashback [ ]
Bochy was last guy to get a hit in 1984 WS [ ]

Sunny and 75 degrees in Detroit today and tomorrow. Highs in the 40's after that (and evening temps might be closer to the lows in the 30's).

Couldn't they just move the first two games to Detroit, and play the next 5 in San Fran? Bud could declare martial law to make it happen.

Couldn't they just move the first two games to Detroit

Sirrah, you are tampering with the sanctity of the All-Star Game.

Is the World Series available live on the Postseason MLB.tv package? Or is blacked out like the NLCS was because it's on ####### FOX?

this showed up on insider today. it's probably not the best time for it to pop up:

Justin Verlander is a freak, there's no doubting this, how many pitchers can throw 100+ pitches almost every time out on the mound and go deep in every start and still hit 100 on the gun? The list is short and may only be perennial Cy Young candidate Verlander. When will all of that wear and tear on his elbow and shoulder begin to take a toll? Detroit doesn't want to find out, indications from a rival front office are that, once the World Series is over, Tigers GM David Dombrowski is going to look to deal his power righty for a young controllable replacement. One of the intriguing names that keeps popping up is Philadelphia's Cyle Kendrick. When asked about Kendrick Dombrowski said, "I'm not going to comment specifically about players under contract to other teams, but whenever you have a chance to get a guy like Kendrick, you have to do what you can. Pitchers like Kendrick don't grow on trees, he has that hard sink and fights like a bull dog every time he takes the mound. He'd be a great addition to any team." Kendrick is especially intriguing for Detroit due to his $4.5 MM salary next season, which is 15.5 MM less than Verlander. Freeing up that much salary space could be a huge boon to a team that is dealing with bloated contracts to Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera.

yeah, yeah, i suck. i know.

Couldn't they just move the first two games to Detroit

Sirrah, you are tampering with the sanctity of the All-Star Game.

Yeah, but since we're wiping out anything Melky did...

One of the intriguing names that keeps popping up is Philadelphia's Cyle Kendrick.

Cyle?

They're still playing baseball? I had no idea. What is it, November already?

When asked about Kendrick Dombrowski said, "I'm not going to comment specifically about players under contract to other teams, but whenever you have a chance to get a guy like Kendrick, you have to do what you can.

This is a prank, right? Only makes sense if Cyle (?) Kendrick is some kind of amalgam of Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick.

Tigers trade Verlander for Kyle Kendrick. Dave Dombrowski's bullet-riddled corpse found in Detroit River. News at 11.

yeah, yeah, i suck. i know.

STEAGLES, this is a joke, right?

STEAGLES, this is a joke, right?

i can neither confirm nor deny that.

Will Lincecum be on high alert if Zito is ineffective?

Cain - He has issues off and on, but overlall his variation is been much lower, and he has been the most consistent of all the , so its a shame he can only start 1 game.

Why is he not starting Game Three (and Seven if necessary)? Game Three is Saturday night which would be his normal day and while it pushes Vogelsong into the one and done I'd rather have Cain than Vogelsong in Game Seven if I were a Giant fan. Also, Vogeglson has relief experience in his background so if he was used out of the 'pen in Game Six or Seven I'd think he would be more comfortable than Cain in that role.

Could Vogelsong go on short rest tomorrow? He threw 102 pitches the other night, most with a comfortable lead. Given how Bumgarner has looked lately I think I'd rather get the extra start to Vogelsong. Bumgarner seems to be pitching like a guy who is tired. Even if Vogelsong can only go 5 innings tomorrow the Giants have a pretty strong and deep bullpen behind him.

Okay, so let's see what the Tigers have:
1. A 29-year-old ace who is unquestionably the best pitcher in baseball
2. Who is also the most marketable and likable baseball player this side of guys like Derek Jeter and Joe Mauer
3. Who has an elastic arm
4. Who seems to be threatening to throw a no-hitter every time he starts..
5. Who by all accounts seems to like being in Detroit...

So, clearly, they must trade this person! It's the only move that makes sense!



It's a slow-news-day feint.

So, clearly, they must trade this person! It's the only move that makes sense!

sell high!!

STEAGLES, you should at least give them back Ryan Howard in the trade.

I would be surprised if Cain didn't pitch Game 3 on his regular day.

Gamingboy, there will almost certainly be reference to Verlander still not having a hit in his career. And not only to Verlander's shellacking at the ASG, but the fact that it determined home field for the Series.

I probably will add something like that, Tim, thanks.


Also, in advance, here are the photos for people to look at when they need to stop panicking:

There's Baby Walrus, who is technically for Orioles fans, but who friendly enough to lend his services to all.

Then, for Detroit fans, we have an image of a baby tiger.

And, finally, in honor of the Giants' PCL ancestors, I bring you a picture of... penguins. Wait, hang on, weren't they the San Francisco Seals? Oh, but you'll see....

Baby tiger would rip your face off and eat it given the chance............

According the the SF Chron, that is Bochys plan... game 4 for Cain. I like Game 2 for vogy, three for cain, and bum in 4... but that is not was Bochy has ordered... I supposed I really shouldnt question him given his remarkable sucess rate... but...

And, finally, in honor of the Giants' PCL ancestors, I bring you a picture of... penguins. Wait, hang on, weren't they the San Francisco Seals? Oh, but you'll see....

With all due respect to Walruses and Tigers, this picture is the winner.

The Tigers are a great matchup for Zito, because most of them can't take a pitch. They'll swing at his slop all night, and the media will swoon over how Zito "came up big" again.

The Tigers are a great matchup for Zito, because most of them can't take a pitch.

I hope you're right. I also hope we pull a bunch of balls to third base and left field. Simply putting the ball in play could be a big part of a Giants series win.

Good luck pulling a bunch of balls on Verlander.

Gotta put a check mark for steroids, BONDS, MELKY, MOTA OH MY!

Based on nothing more than watching a lot of Tigers games this year, it seemed like the infield defense lacked range, but didn't make nearly as many Benny Hill-type errors as I think a lot of us expected after we learned of the Prince deal.

There are five Tigers with 10+ PA against Zito in their careers.
The only one with an OPS over .700 is Peralta, at .723
Others: Cabrera 10/.650
Fielder 19/.600
Laird 16/.583
Infante 20/.300

SSS, but if 10 PA was good enough to be at least an "indicator" for Earl Weaver, it's good enough for me.

The only Giants to face Verlander 10+ times are Huff and Scutaro, and neither has had much success.
Here's hoping for a high-contrast pitcher's duel!

Zito's line against Detroit in Game 1 of the 2006 ALCS: 3.2 IP, 5 runs (earned), 7 hits, zero Ks, 3 BBs. HRs by free-swingers Brandon Inge and Pudge Rodriguez. I'll take that. Twice, thank you.

The only Giants to face Verlander 10+ times are Huff and Scutaro, and neither has had much success.

Thankfully for Giants fans, we'll only see Huff in this series if the cameras decide to pan over to the dugout to capture a shot of Huff standing next to a Prince Fielder cardboard cutout in an effort to look more svelte.

Before the start of the Series, here are your Championship Probability Added leaders so far in this postseason...

Hitters:
Raul Ibanez .172
Marco Scutaro .145
Miguel Cabrera .115
Delmon Young .097
Coco Crisp .083
(Bonus 6th-place hitter: David Freese, .076)

Bottom 5:
Curtis Granderson -.069
Adam Jones -.084
Robinson Cano -.105
Alex Rodriguez -.113
Nick Swisher -.115

Martin and Chavez also make the bottom 10. Not a great postseason for Yankee hitters.

Now the pitchers...

Top 5:
Justin Verlander .184
CC Sabathia .144
Darren O'Day .132
Matt Cain .083
Ryan Vogelsong .077

Yes, Sabathia got hit around in Game 4 of the LCS, but his team was already down 3-0, so the championship probability didn't change much. Cain and Vogelsong both have positive value as hitters so far; Vogelsong has enough extra there to move him up to fourth if you count it.

Bottom 5:
Lance Lynn -.075
David Phelps -.088
Chris Carpenter -.108
Drew Storen -.177
Jose Valverde -.188

Valverde... that's rather dreadful. His postseason has been equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to Verlander's, and nobody here needs to be told how impressive a postseason Verlander is having. And his team is in the Series despite his... contributions.

Valverde shouldn't get anywhere close to closing a game in this series. He has the smell of Jose Mesa on him. I would have said the taint of Jose Mesa but I don't want that visual in my head.

Okay, final checklist before game-time:

CHECKLIST:
Conradian play [ ] (COLLECTIVE CONRADIAN CATASTROPHE [ ] )
Web Gem [ ]
1-2-3-4-5-6 inning [ ]
Strike out of side [ ] (1-2-3 SO of side [ ])
Baserunning blunder [ ]
Bases loaded, nobody scores in the inning [ ]
It rains [ ] (rain delay [])
Starter warms up in bullpen [ ] (Postseason starter warms up [ ])
THIS TRAIN [X]
Deja, Deja, Deja Vu [X]
Talk about the bet between the Mayors [ ]
Skyfall ad [ ]
Inning-ending DP [ ]
Stolen base [ ]
Caught stealing [ ]
Play at the plate [ ]
Non-pitcher bunt [ ]
Replay review [ ]
Blown call [ ] (Blown call costs game [ ])
NFL reference beyond NFL on FOX [ ]
FOX celebrity shows up [ ]
Deja, Deja, Deja Vu [X]
Reference to Presidential Campaign [ ]
Idiot runs on field [ ]
Triple [ ]
Pitcher gets a hit [ ] (Pitcher gets an RBI [ ])
Flashback to Verlander's crummy ASG [ ]
Flashback to Verlander no-nos [ ]
Commercial (other than for the WS itself or another in-house MLB program) that features Verlander [ ]
Verlander hits 100+ after 70 pitches [ ]
McCarver's singing career [ ]
Sandoval called "Panda" [ ]
SF Giants HOF legend mentions: Mays [ ] McCovey (other than Cove) [ ] Marichal [ ] Cepeda [ ] Perry [ ]
Tigers HOF legend mentions: Cobb [ ] Greenberg [ ] Kaline [ ] Harwell [ ] Crawford [ ] Cochrane [ ] Kell [ ] Newhouser [ ] Jennings [ ] Manush [ ] Gehringer [ ] Heilman [ ]
Cabrera MVP talk [ ]
Posey MVP talk [ ]
Miguel Cabrera does something awesome [ ]
Buster Posey does something awesome [ ]
Prince Fielder goes deep [ ]
Ball goes into Cove [ ]
Giants have most wins for a franchise in sports history [ ]
Valverde shows up [ ] (Valverde blows it [ ])
WILD BRIAN WILSON APPEARS [ ]
Reference to Jack Buck [ ]
Ozzie Guillen referenced [ ]
Marco Scutaro cannot be stopped [ ]
1984 Tigers flashback [ ]
Barry Zito is Patrick Duffy's nephew [ ]
Barry Zito as an Athletic [ ]
2010 Giants flashback [ ]
Bochy was last guy to get a hit in 1984 WS [ ]
Justin Verlander has NEVER had a hit, BB or HBP [ ] (He gets one of those [ ])
Barry Bonds referenced [ ]
Melky Cabrera referenced []
"The Giants have home field because of the ASG" [ ]

THIS JUST IN: The Giants' fortune may be due to a monkey. No word on whether the Angels will file suit for plagiarism.

Kind of bummed that Game 1 is tonight. One of the movie theaters here is getting in on TCM's one-night showing of Frankenstein & Bride or Frankenstein. More insult to injury is that the 7 p.m. start time for the double bill likely means the game won't have even started by time the first movie is over.

That's funny. I just got back from a double bill of Dracula and Frankenstein, and this was the first post I read here. I was kind of bummed because during Game 1 TCM (at least in Canada) was showing The Raven (Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and a young Jack Nicholson) followed by the Bela Lugosi version of Murders in the Rue Morgue, which has the best plot summary ever ("A carnival sideshow entertainer kidnaps prostitutes off the streets of Paris to mix their blood with that of his pet gorilla. Horror **").

Barry Zito vs the Tigers comes first, naturally.

CSI MIAMI!

Is Buck going to give us his opinion on Benghazi? Debate a hologram of his father?

A carnival sideshow entertainer kidnaps prostitutes off the streets of Paris to mix their blood with that of his pet gorilla. Horror **"

That gives away the entire plot of the original short story... although I don't remember the sideshow entertainer and I don't think the victims were prostitutes.

Eric Karros inspires only slightly less rage in me than Craig Sager. Which is saying a lot.

I'm sitting in a sports bar with myriad TVs all around, muted. I see ESPN is still trying to be relevant on baseball. Why bother?

I am now, finally, officially, completely caught up on Fringe, which is exciting. Although I'm not quite sure how I feel about this last storyline.

I am now, finally, officially, completely caught up on Fringe, which is exciting. Although I'm not quite sure how I feel about this last storyline.

I'm just glad we actually are going to get an ending, so I have refused to complain about anything in it.

"Your 2012 National League Batting Champion, Buster Posey...."

"And sitting in Baseball Purgatory.... Melky Cabrera!"

What is that Giant mascot?