BondsCast

In this episode, Juan, a friend and Dodgers’ fan, discussed his origins as a fan growing up in East Los Angeles and his family ties to Fernando Valenzuela; Juan listening to Dodgers’ games growing up in Spanish on the radio; Juan discussing how his affinity for the Dodgers stemmed from mimicking their skills in his own baseball games; Juan comparing Dodgers’ stadium to Oracle Park; sharing our mutual respect for Vin Scully; me begging for compliments about the Giants’ roster and hearing them about Brandon Crawford and Johnny Cueto; I show my admiration for the roster of homegrown talent the Dodgers have built, including Opening Day starter Dustin May; Juan is not impressed yet with massive contract given to Mookie Betts; perspectives on the new era of the rich Dodgers, and the cost to the fan of paying for a television subscription that ends up putting a better product on the field, but actually distances fans; perspectives on the future of the Dodgers following a loss in the NLDS and 7 straight division titles; putting some of the tough playoff losses in context as still having a dominant and successful franchise for the Dodgers; Juan questions some of the Giants’ recent transactions for the future of the team, most of which I agree with his skepticism; a Bumgarner vs. Kershaw comparison; the rotational strength and weaknesses of the Dodgers; Juan’s perspective on how COVID cases should be treated in the Win-Loss column; considerations about the empty stadiums and the cardboard cutouts in the stands and closer’s adrenaline; how close the Dodgers were to a sweep in the recent series and Mookie Betts finding his role on the team; Juan’s final predictions for the season; Juan’s promotion of his cornhole organization at local breweries.

In this episode, I review each of the 4 games that we faced the Dodgers in our impressive series split; I bring up the top 5 plays, line-up changes, best hitting performances, starting pitching performances, managerial decision, big plays, and how all of these relate to the direction of the franchise. Finally, I end with a preview of the Padres series and pitching probables there.

In this podcast, I discuss the main storylines from the A’s series, namely the optics of playing baseball during a pandemic, the Giants’ players decision to kneel during the national anthem, and Alyssa Nakken’s debut as the first female MLB coach; our excellent pitching, despite using 18 pitchers to pitch all 18 innings; some of the better hitting from our batters in the lineups in the series; how Oracle Park played differently; some updates on the roster; and the probables for the Dodgers series.

In this episode, we revisit the top 10 (because of ties, top 11) game-changing plays from the 10 consecutive elimination games that the Giants faced between 2010 and 2016, as measured by the change in win percentage. All clips are from TBS and FOX live TV broadcasts, as found for free on YouTube. To revisit any of the games featured, check back in your podcast feed to hear more about those match-ups.

Mike and I discussed the origins of his A’s fanhood; his favorite player Miguel Tejada; Mike’s feelings on the Oakland Coliseum and the prospects of a future building for the green and gold, including the issues with attendance; Mike’s experiences at A’s playoff games; the quality of the A’s roster; the difference in approach between the pitching assignments of the A’s and Giants in their preseason series; a discussion about the imbalance scheduling; the quality of the A’s prospects, Jesus Lazardo, A.J. Puk, and Sean Murphy, and the impact they will have with the big club this year; the pros and cons of the Giants choosing to not announce a starting probable pitcher; Mike’s experience at Mike Fiers’ no-hitter; the difficult with facing the Dodgers; the patience required in being a Giants’ fan, with their new manager and players; Mike’s bold predictions for the A’s this season and the reluctance to make playoff predictions in this weird season; the A’s historical torture in the playoffs; a wholesome plug for Mike’s band Chronic Vitality (www.chronicvitality.com)

In this episode, Tommy and I discuss his fanhood as a kid, brought up in Dodger blue by his mother, despite living in Angels’ territory; his reverence for the great Vin Scully and our mutual respect for what he brought to the game of baseball; Tommy’s favorite player growing-- Shawn Greene; my thoughts on losing MadBum; our thoughts on Buster Posey and David Price not playing this season; Mookie Betts’ impact on the Dodgers this year; Tommy’s fawning over the strength of the Dodgers’ lineup; the respect for the unpredictability of baseball, especially in elimination games; Tommy’s predictions for this year for the Dodgers; Tommy’s thoughts on Dave Roberts as a manager, contrasting between his actions in the regular season and postseason; how Dave Roberts’ failed emphasis on analytics, via advice from the front office, leads to speculation of a similar approach by the Giants’ front office and coaching staff; Tommy’s shared experiences of AT&T Park and Dodger Stadium; the impact of the rule changes affecting LOOGYs (https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/LOOGY) and permanent DHs; Hunter Pence’s welcome addition the Giants’ clubhouse and lineup and how it compares to Matt Kemp’s Dodgers return; the one-way street of players transferring between the Giants and Dodgers; my incorrect memory of Steve Finley’s strikeout to effectively end the 2006 season for the Giants (https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN200609290.shtml); each of our team’s breakout players for the upcoming season; a shoutout to two Saint Mary’s College players in the bigs, Anthony Gonsolin and Patrick Wisdom; fans in stadiums this year; some views on the Astros’ cheating scandal and similar modern day cheating scandals; my favorite memories of Candlestick Park and AT&T Park; Tommy’s favorite moment when attending the Dodgers’ recent World Series; Tommy’s experience working in sports in the television industry; our thoughts on our NFL teams, the Raiders and Chargers, moving locations; some thoughts on the NBA postseason and the Warriors’ future

In this episode, I review the 9th consecutive elimination game for the Giants, this one the 2016 Wild Card game at the Mets. This is the 17th game review in this series, with one more to go, the final consecutive elimination game victory between 2010 and 2016. Link to view (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY8IOTQhkcM)

In this episode, I spoke to my good friend Sam Presley (Twitter: @slamuelpres) about his favorite team, the Mariners. We discussed Jon Miller and Dave Niehaus as announcers; the Mariners trend over the last few decades; Sam’s first memories at the King Dome; Jay Buhner’s impact on the team and the turf; the Mariners’ amazing 1995 run to the playoffs; Sam’s admiration for Hall of Fame DH Edgar Martinez; the impact of Ichiro’s signing in 2001 on the franchise; the promise of the 2002 season before Moneyball happened; the promise of the Mariners’ prospects and GM Jerry Dipoto’s vision for the franchise; how the evolution of baseball toward the home run, strikeout, and walk has created market inefficiencies for certain skill sets and made it difficult to watch in its current state; Sam’s outlook on the Mariners for the current season; how COVID will affect the validity of this season; how a society that is fully functioning is the one that deserves sports; named Kyle Lewis and Jered Kelenic as feared players for Giants’ fans in their 4 games vs. the Mariners; Sam names which prospects he expects to get MLB appearances this year out of the great crop of youngsters in the organization; Sam’s analysis of Dipoto’s view on pitchers and how Logan Gilbert and George Kirby fit that mold; how pitchers’ strength could be built up as the season goes on, and famous creative uses of pitchers in postseason situations; some fun baseball stories of the recent past; some memories of our classmate Patrick Wisdom; and finally a hope for the future of baseball in Seattle.

In this episode, I review Chris Heston’s no-hitter in June of 2015 at the New York Mets. Link to view (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7h81QqToZk)

In this episode, I review Madison Bumgarner's epic performance and all the other details from this historical Giants' victory in another elimination game. Link to watch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJmwofDYOeo&t=8782s)