Orel Family

So the Giants went on a 10-game road trip, realistically needing to win 7 to have a decent shot of making a race of it. One game was rained out. In the 9 that were played the offense clicked well enough, putting up 51 runs, including 8 or more runs 3 times. But the woeful pitching became completely disastrous: The Giants surrendered 93 runs in the 8 games, including an astounding 26 first-inning runs (nearly 3 per game). 16 times the home team scored 3 or more runs against the Giants, including at least one such inning in each game. Given these numbers, it's no surprise that the Giants went 1-8 and fell completely out of the race (they were eliminated last night). As for Barry Bonds, here were his stats for the trip: G AB R H HR RBI BA OBP SLG OPS 8 26 5 11 2 10 .423 .464 .731 1.195 Bonds started 7 of the 9 games, and drove in the winning run as apinch-hitter in the lone Giants win. 5 times he was removed for a pinch runner or defensive replacement, including one time when...

Last Thursday (September 14), Barry Bonds had 4 plate appearances in a game against Colorado. The plate appearances were rather uneventful – a single in 3 official at bats, and a walk. The 6th inning single and the 7th inning walk both led to San Francisco runs; after the walk Todd Linden pinch-ran for Bonds. The Giants went on to win the game, 5-0. What was significant about Bonds’ 4 plate appearances, at least statistically, was that it pushed his total for 2006 to 453 total plate appearances. This was the Giants’ 146th game. In order to be a “qualifier” for awards such as batting championship or on-base percentage, a player must average 3.1 plate appearances per game, rounded to the nearest plate appearance. At 146 games, that means 453 total plate appearances. Bonds, with his 4 plate appearances, became a “qualifier” for the first time since May 29. Much commentary on Bonds’ performance this year has focused on how he is suddenly “human” (at age 42, who isn’t?) or that he’s...

The G6 is gone, and so is summer, nearly. Last Tuesday, the time was up. One last weekend, the long weekend. Aaron's friend Timmy came over, and we had one last ride together. In the bathing suit, barefoot... better drive safely, 'cause I have nothing: no shoes, no wallet, no roof. It was cool out, just barely warm enough to ride with the roof down -- and the windows up. But Tuesday the sun came out and it heated up, just in time for a solo spin through downtown Detroit before returning it. Van Morrison came on the XM, singing Moondance, and summer was gone. The garage called today. The new quarter panel is in, can I bring the car in? I wish, I wish.