Giants-centric

I'm still in San Francisco, so I'm paying more-than-normal attention to the Giants. I'm sure that will end soon.

Rajai Davis

After attending the game Friday night, I mentioned he was the most exciting player on the field. The Giants gave another dismal performance in the first game of the double-header last night, and just when it looked like they'd be swept by the Pirates in a five game series(!), Davis woke them up.

He made one of the best catches of the year to ignite the spark. Then he led off the top of the inning with a single to center...wait, no, a double. Nate McLouth took his time getting to the ball and Davis took second. I don't know if he'll stick in the majors, but the guy is a disrupter.

The casual McLouth, by the way, is the guy who made the electric Davis expendable. Davis couldn't get any PT, despite McLouth putting up a .700 OPS in 244 games with Pittsburgh. McLouth looks like he's running in water compared to Davis, not because of raw speed, but because of attitude.

As I said, do the Pirates know something about Davis we don't? Is Davis smoking crack, or is Pirates GM Dave Littlefield?

Barry and Hank

The Giants are on their way to San Francisco to play the Braves at Turner Field. The address at Turner Field is 755 Hank Aaron Drive. Both Barry and Hank have said, essentially, "if we run into each other, then we'll talk." There's no formal meeting planned.

A lot of praise has been heaped on Aaron for the videotaped message played after Barry's 756th. It was a nice message, but as I mentioned before, it seemed a little too formal. The more I see it, the more I think it was a bit hollow.

Aaron has always been a nice guy. An under-the-radar guy. When I saw pre-756th quotes about Aaron not attending the game, I just assumed it was part of Hank's personality to stay out of the spotlight. I didn't buy the media story that he was somehow boycotting Bonds because of the steroids scandal. I thought, after all Aaron went through when he set the record, why would he find a way to make it tougher on Barry?

However, if Aaron does not try to find Barry to congratulate him when Barry is in Atlanta, where Aaron has an office, which is located at Turner Field, then my opinion of Aaron is going to sink a little. If he really means "I'm as happy for him as anybody," he can at least come downstairs and say "Congratulations."

My Trip to AT&T in San Francisco

Just back from the Giants/Pirates game. Here are some notes:

1. Rajai Davis is the most exciting player on the field. He's fast, he had a single, double and triple, and is already a fan favorite.

2. Whatever Matt Morris had in St. Louis, he does not have it now. He threw more balls than strikes. Even worse, he looked miserable. Maybe pitching for Pittsburgh and returning to your former team is depressing, but he ought to be showing a little more life on the mound. This was a horrible trade for Pittsburgh. They must know something about Davis that we don't.

3. Omar Vizquel can't hit anymore, but he executed a beautiful first-pitch squeeze down the third base line to score Davis after his triple.

4. Ray Durham uses a different bat, depending on which side he swings from. With a righty on the mound, he approached the plate with a black bat. When Jim Tracy replaced the pitcher with a lefty, Durham went into the dugout and traded the black bat for a blonde one.

5. The screen behind home plate at AT&T park is only about 15 feet high, meaning fans behind the plate have a better chance of catching foul balls.

6. Some of the seats at AT&T are actually closer to the batter than the pitcher is.

7. Although I missed the record-setting homer by 3 games, Barry went deep in his second at bat. I have a blurry picture, because the lady next to me bumped me while cheering.

Still, seeing #758 is better than seeing none at all. If I present my ticket at a Giants Dugout store tomorrow after 10:00 a.m., I get a commemorative pin with #758 on it.

8. Xavier Nady reached first on a Ray Durham error, making him the go-ahead run in the top of the 8th. Jim Tracy replaced him with a pinch runner. Good strategy, right? Eh, he replaced him with Ian Snell. Snell is certainly a more capable baserunner, but he's also the #2 guy in the pitching rotation and is a young prospect. I realize even losing teams still play to win, but is it really worth the injury risk to one of your young starters? It isn't like Pittsburgh's system is so full of talent it can afford to lose one. Plus, McLouth doubled to send Snell to third, meaning the runner would have reached third no matter who he was.

9. If you are a fantasy owner and have Brad Hennessey, check the news tomorrow. He only threw a dozen or so pitches, but when the inning was over and he was walking towards the dugout, he was shaking his right arm and holding it in an awkward position. He looked uncomfortable.

10. Other than Bonds and Davis (and Jason Bay if he turns it around), this was a collection of the weakest hitters and pitchers you can have in a major league game. Two of the better hitters on the rosters, Randy Winn and Xavier Nady, did not start.

11. A draft beer (domestic) is $7. A Guinness is $9.

12. There's a mini-AT&T park in left field, complete with mini-Jumbotron. Kids under a certain height go in and swing at underhand pitches, and run the bases if they make contact. It's pretty cool.

13. Sum total of kayakers: two, and I think they might have been Giants security personnel.