The 2012 World Series Champions



Here are some facts about the 2012 San Francisco Giants that led them to their second World Series Championship in three seasons:

Weathering bad luck - As if losing your All-Star head trip, ah, I mean bullpen closer (Brian Wilson, the bearded gnome) for virtually the whole season to an injury in April wasn't bad enough; the team lost their best hitter as well when Melky Cabrera tested positive for a banned substance and was forced into a 50 game suspension. This happened on August 15th with Melky leading the league in hitting (.346) and right after he had won the 2012 All-Star game's Most Valuable Player award. Suddenly the Giants' faithful were faced with fearing the worst for their team but rather than collapsing, the team came together and rallied. The Giants lost on the day they heard of Cabrera's suspension. This was just before they made a 5-1 road trip through San Diego and Los Angeles. That road trip vaulted them into first place to stay. "When we lost Melky, that's when we knew that the team was really good," All-Star winning pitcher Matt Cain said.

Excellent play - Buster Posey came back from a terrible season-ending ankle injury suffered in a home plate collision in May of 2011 with a lot of questions to be answered. Could the catcher's ankle hold up against the rigors of catching? Would Buster stand in with another base runner bearing down on him at the plate? Would his hitting suffer? Buster answered those and many other questions by having a career year as he became the first catcher to win the NL batting title and MVP award in 70 and 40 years, respectively!

As a team the Giants were the seventh since 1900 to reach the postseason despite hitting the fewest home runs in the big leagues. Without any "Big Boppers" the Giants made up for their lack of long balls by hitting .296 with runners in scoring position after the All-Star break. Another area of batting prowess that often goes unnoticed: San Francisco's 61 sacrifice flies topped the NL by a huge margin; St. Louis ranked second with 49.

More excellent play - The strength of this team was and will continue to be the starting pitching. The Giants' 5 man rotation (Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Brian Vogelsong and Barry Zito) consistently pitched late into the games making it possible for a patchwork bullpen to find a new identity without its All-Star closer. This is where former catcher Bruce Bochy really earned his keep. On top of posting 2012's 5th best NL team ERA in 2012, the Giants went 82-2 when leading after eight innings. This they accomplished without their All-Star closer and as two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum slumped to a 10-15 record! Bochy plugged Lincecum into the bullpen for the playoffs. Tim accepted his post-season role as a team player should and shined.

Two late July deals made by General Manager Brian Sabean solidified both the Giants' offense and defense. Second baseman Marco Scutaro was brought in from the Colorado Rockies. The 37 year old veteran brought his work ethic along with his willingness to play team ball with him and soon became like the Pied Piper as he led the Giants' younger ball players by example. He teamed up with rookie shortstop Brandon Crawford, rookie first baseman Brandon Belt and 26 year old Pablo Sandoval at third to form a solid defensive infield but Scutaro's real value came when he had a bat in his hands. Marco strongly influenced teammates as he frequently bunted to advance runners, hit to all fields and rarely swung and missed. In 120 combined games with Sadean's other late July acquisition, Hunter Pence who came to San Francisco by way of the Houston Astros, the Scutaro/Pence tandem drove in 89 runs. The added bonus in all of this was the speedy Pence immediately began running down fly balls in right field and pressuring opposing defenses when on the base paths. Brian Sabean's deals had turned to gold!

What was the glue that held it all together? Field Manager Bruce Bochy and although the 2012 Manager of the Year award went to someone else, I have to say Bruce truly earned the recognition given all the obstacles he had to manage this team through.

 

The Icing on the Cake came as the Giants made postseason history by winning six consecutive elimination games, including an unprecedented four on the road. After going down the first two games of the best of five Division Series at home against the Cincinnati Reds, the Giants scrambled and won the next three games, all on the road in Cincinnati to advance to the League Championship Series.

The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals bolted to a 3-1 series edge and appeared set to advance before Barry Zito rose to the occasion and twirled some of the best pitching of his life going 7 2/3 innings in a 5-0 must win shutout victory in Game 5. That gutsy effort took the series back to San Francisco, where the Giants rose up and won the next two games by a combined score of 15-1. The team had made it to the Fall Classic!

In the Series they met the heavily favored Detroit Tigers who featured the top pitcher in the AL (Justin Verlander) along with Miguel Cabrera, MLB's first Triple Crown batting winner in 45 years and Cecil Fielder, their power hitting first baseman. Were the Giants in awe of this team from Detroit? Evidently, not in the least as they swept the American League Champion out of the Series in four games!

 

It's Richmond or Bust!

One last race to set the Chase field and it’s been like a game of “Hot Potato” while a small group of drivers vie for the 12^th and final spot. Nobody wants it! Will someone win the spot by default?

 

Just one little bump...

 

Atlanta had a potential Chaser come right down to the wire only to have his chance at the gold ring ripped out of his grasp. Jeff Gordon has been left wondering if he’s become too soft in the latter part of his racing career after not going the “bump and run” route on eventual race winner Denny Hamlin. Hamlin’s win, preventing Gordon from getting to victory lane, worked to keep his teammate Kyle Busch in the final Chase position thanks to his point total. (see http://www.thatsracin.com/2012/09/03/93843/jeff-gordon-wonders-if-hes-getting.html)

Believe it or not, there are actually 6 other drivers besides Kyle who can wind up in the cherished final Chase position.

The least likely of this group to get in is Paul Menard and without going through all the necessary things that must happen I’ll just say it’s like a snowball’s chance… A win and some horrendous finishes by top drivers is all that can make Paul’s day a happy one…



Dinner at SB's house...

What the???

Poor Carl Edwards has enough on his plate just dealing with the 42 other drivers and teams he faces each week, but Beagle Voodoo is like the final straw. Going into Atlanta Carl was very optimistic with his chances to win on a track where his had past success. He told more than one interviewer he expected to win and assume the 12^th Chase position. What happened? That darned Beagle played in and blew up Carl’s engine! Carl still has a long shot at the Chase but does anyone really want to bet on him? Somebody (Kristen? Sal? Gene? Phil?) needs to corner Cousin Carl, tell him what has been going on, give him the Speed Beagle’s phone number and tell him to formally apologize and not to allow this to continue! Like Paul Menard, Carl must win and have terrible finishes from drivers who don’t normally go that route in order to make the Chase.

And the beat goes on with the one-win drivers… If Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon or Kyle Busch win in Richmond they’re in… Simple, right?

Here’s the rundown on these five drivers’ results across the last 10 races at Richmond:

Driver------------------Wins---------------Top 5’s---------------Top 10’s-------------Average Finish

Kyle Busch--------------4---------------------7------------------------8-------------------------5.4

Jeff Gordon-------------0---------------------4------------------------7------------------------11.1

Ryan Newman---------0---------------------1------------------------5------------------------12.6

Marcos Ambrose------0---------------------1------------------------2------------------------16.1

Joey Logano------------0---------------------1------------------------1------------------------17.6

Here’s how these five drivers were ranked and performed in the previous four races in this series:

Driver------------------Rank--W G--Rank--Mich--Rank--Bristol--Rank—Atlanta—Ave. Finish

Kyle Busch--------------1-------7------1--------13-----1-------6--------2---------6-----------8

Ryan Newman---------2------11-----3---------28-----2------36-------3--------35---------27.5

Jeff Gordon-------------3------21-----2----------8-----3--------3-------1---------2----------8.5

Joey Logano------------4------32-----4---------31-----5-------8-------5---------18--------22.3

Marcos Ambrose------*-------1-----5-----------5-----4-------5-------4---------17---------7 (!)

*Marcos was winless going into Watkins Glen and not ranked but just look at who has out-performed the others in terms of average finish through this four race period leading up to Richmond.

It's not impossible...

Considering what has occurred over the course of the previous four races will any of the original group of four drivers step up? For the fourth time in the five races analyzed Kyle Busch stands most likely to win as the only driver to win at Richmond in the last 10 races and he’s done it four times! His average finish is less than half that of the next best driver… Jeff Gordon has to be characterized as the hottest driver in the group with a second and third place finish in Atlanta and Bristol respectively. Marcos fell off of his hot pace at Atlanta finishing seventeenth but he seems to perform well on short tracks. Then there’s Ryan Newman and Joey Logano who have  both been thrashing to get to this point. I’ll drag out what has become a broken record to this point in time and say it again… “Just win baby!” It will cure what ails any of these five.

Here are the current odds to win at Richmond next weekend among this group from http://www.thespread.com/nascar-articles/090412-2012-nascar-odds-federated-auto-parts-400-hamlin-a-busch-favored : Kyle Busch 9/2, Jeff Gordon 8/1, Ryan Newman 50/1, Joey Logano 60/1 and Marcos Ambrose 100/1. If I had to bet right now I think I’d take the long odds and throw down on our Australian brother, Marcos Ambrose!

 

A Hot Time In Hotlanta?

Who is going to burn Atlanta down?

Last week’s bombshell of a race at Bristol sure did bring out the best on the hostility front. Fan interest and viewership are up! Bruton must be smilin’ like the Cheshire Cat! (and so is race winner Denny Hamlin!)

So we march on to Atlanta once again with a group of drivers hoping to launch themselves into the glory of the Chase. There has been some shuffling among this group thanks to Bristol’s summer race on the revamped half mile concrete oval. Kyle Busch, on the strength of his 6^th place finish and 38 points, coupled with Ryan Newman’s unfortunate wreck that sent his team home early with a 36^th place finish and only 8 points, moved up to 13^th place and into the lead for the final Chase opening. Although Kyle wasn’t credited with leading a single lap at Bristol, a track he has tamed many times, I’m thinkin’ he’s pleased with these results but the fact remains any of this group of six drivers with a shot at 12^th place in the Chase can, just by virtue of a single win, either here in Atlanta or next week in Richmond, sew up the last seat at the dance.

Carl Edwards was oh so close to winning at Bristol after not stopping for fuel and tires on a caution with 85 laps to go. The strategy had him leading late in the race for 45 laps but alas (J) fresh tires and a splash was the way to go as Carl got passed then went dry. The 99 Ford team ended the night in 22^nd place garnering only 23 points. Carl remains in 12^th place without a win and a withering lead now only 5 points ahead of Kyle… Although I like them taking the risk late in the race and rolling the dice for another caution to pop up, the bottom line from this risky decision now equates to desperation time for the 99…

Jeff Gordon also elbowed his way past Newman to take over 14^th place, 15 points behind JGR’s 18. Jeff, powered by his great HMS 24 team, put together a strong effort coming in 3^rd at Bristol.

Now in 15^th place, all is not lost for the SHR 39 even though Ryan Newman gave up a lot of ground on the point’s side at Bristol. All you Ryan Newman fans have to do is just revisit Al Davis’ favorite saying…

Marcos Ambrose also moved up with his 5^th place Bristol finish adding 40 points to his total. Marcos is now in 16^th place and really picking up the pace as we head into turn four. Suddenly he’s trailing Kyle Busch for the 12^th place in the Chase by only 28 points! If he keeps the pressure on there’s no telling what might happen!

Joey Logano entered the Cup race at Bristol full of confidence after running off with the Nationwide win at Bristol race a day earlier and although he turned in a very good effort finishing in 8^th place, he’s so far down on the point’s side that a win is all that will cure his ills. Joey continues to languish in 18^th place not even within hailing distance of Paul Menard in 17^th place.

Bring on Atlanta!

Here is a quick rundown on these 6 drivers and their experiences down in Peach Country by order of most successful to least over their last 10 races:

Driver------------------Wins---------------Top 5’s---------------Top 10’s-------------Average Finish

Jeff Gordon-------------1---------------------3------------------------7-------------------------8.1

Carl Edwards-----------1---------------------5------------------------7------------------------14.5

Kyle Busch--------------1---------------------3------------------------3------------------------16.9

Ryan Newman---------0---------------------0------------------------2------------------------19.6

Marcos Ambrose------0---------------------0------------------------1------------------------22.0

Joey Logano------------0---------------------0------------------------0------------------------26.7

This is the first track I’ve examined in this series of races leading up to the 2012 Sprint Cup Chase where Kyle Busch hasn’t had the best record going in. Is it any coincidence that Atlanta is yet another of Bruton Smith’s 1.5 mile cookie cutter tracks? And along those same lines, is it any wonder why Jeff Gordon does well here?

Will this be the race where one of this group of almost also-rans knocks it out of the park? Or will we have to march on to Richmond to finally set the Chase field…

My best case scenario? Have one of these drivers notch their second win at Atlanta, move on to Richmond, full of optimism as the heir apparent to the Chase and then have another driver with a higher point total knock them off the perch at the last possible moment! Now that would really get the juices flowing! It would certainly give us something to consider since I’m afraid the 10 race 2012 Chase will only seem anti-climactic after what happened last year.

Bristol Baby!

And then there were 3 races to go before the Chase field is set...

What’s interesting is that we still don’t have a single chaser assured of a place in the field with only 3 races to go. The top of the points standings keeps getting jostled about. Last week’s points leader (Jimmie Johnson) fell clear to 4^th after losing his engine on a fast Michigan track just when it looked like the force (and the win) was with him… Greg Biffle was there to regain the points lead he had earlier in the season as he held off Brad Keselowski for the win. By the way, Bad Brad continues to look like the real deal as the Chase approaches. Too bad he and JJ appear to be friends. A Brad / JJ rivalry might really be something and somebody’s got to challenge the 48 team that otherwise looks poised to run away with it's 6^th championship…

While the top of the points standings seems to keep getting rearranged each week the drivers who are still in the race for the 12^th and final seat at the Chase table seem to be stuck with no one stepping up to claim the prize.

Last week’s analysis of drivers with the best chance to make the Chase pointed out that for the second week in a row Kyle Busch should have had the best finish based on historical statistics. Although Kyle had his struggles finishing in 13^th place he actually was slightly better than his 13.8 place average finish at Michigan. He picked up 31 points and maintained 14^th place overall in the points standings.

Just like Kyle, Ryan Newman entered and left Michigan without changing his position in the Chase remaining in 13^th place overall with a Top 10 finish coming in 8^th. Ryan did stretch his lead over Kyle by 15 points to 680 vs. 669 for Busch. As it stands right now Newman is in with one win and his point total...

Jeff Gordon had a tough outing in Michigan finishing 28^th with in-race and engine problems ending up with a sore finger from pointing it at everyone else as if it wasn’t his problem… Jeff, man up! The 24 team slipped a place in the standings as Paul Mennard moved up into 15^{th .} Jeff only picked up 16 points Sunday.

Marcos Ambrose, of the five one-win drivers with a shot to make the Chase, had the best finish at Michigan coming in 5^th and picking up 39 points. Problem is Marcos remained in 17^th place overall in the standings.

Finally Joey Logano remains in 18^th place overall after having a dismal day at Michigan where he came in 31^st only completing 132 laps of a possible 201 thanks to Juan Montoya. First, around mid-race, Joey and Juan were running side by side when Juan got loose and used the 20 car for his salvation. This move caused Joey to run up and smash into the wall. After another 50 racing laps passed the 20 was out of the garage and back on the track when Juan Pablo found the orange 20 once again forcing it into the wall a second time and again into the garage for heavy repair work. Joey was back out when the checkers flew only to scrape up 13 points. What did Joey do to you, Montoya???

If you think about it, all this talk about points is really fruitless. One of these guys needs to grab another win or Carl Edwards needs to do something he hasn't done since last season and defy Beagle voodoo by swiping a win and getting into the Chase by virtue of one win and more points than these other five drivers.

Who shines at Bristol? I think we all know the answer to that…

In his last 10 Cup starts in Thunder Valley Kyle Busch has 4 wins, 5 Top 5’s, 7 Top 10’s and an average finish of 8.7 but the way he’s been doing this season I’m going to say all bets are off at Bristol. The odds say he ought to win but will he?

Ryan Newman has the second best historical numbers at Bristol in his last 10 starts. Ryan has had 7 top 10 finishes and an average of 11.1 since 2007. In 21 Cup starts at Bristol in Ryan’s career his best finish was a 2^nd place way back in 2004. Ryan, you need to get ‘r done!

For the sake of comparison, Carl Edwards’ record at Bristol is very good. Cousin Carl in his last 10 starts has 2 wins, 3 Top 5’s, 5 Top 10’s and an average finish of 11.7. If Carl’s gonna do it, this just might be the place…

I wonder what Junior's thinking... No maybe not...

 

Poor Jeff Gordon…  He’d be all right if there weren’t any other cars on the track. Okay, enough of that. How’s Jeff done in his last 10 starts at Bristol? How about 3 Top 5’s and an average finish of 13.9? Not too shabby... In his career Jeff has 4 wins on the half mile concrete track but the last one was back in 2002. Did anyone else see Rusty Wallace’s take on Gordon this week? I don’t usually go along with much Rusty has to say but this time he nailed it. He talked about how involved most drivers are with their crews, a whole team working to win. Rusty claims Jeff isn’t that way anymore, kinda like he’s on cruise control while everyone else is thrashing for the win. If true, that says a lot…

Marcos needs to pay close attention to those immortal words spoken by the NFL’s Al Davis… “JUST WIN BABY!” Marcos, you listenin’?  Can you do that? I know it’s a tall order, man, especially at Bristol, but wouldn’t that be cool? In seven Cup starts at Bristol Marcos has a 3^rd place finish in 2009 and a 10^th place finish in last season’s August race. Couple that with an average finish of 18.14 and the indications are that there’s a chance and I guess that’s all you can ask for right now…

Joey Logano has not performed well in Thunder Valley at all. His best finish in seven Cup starts has been a 13^th place in last season’s August race. Joey has an average finish of 24.4… What can I say? Once again, here is a driver who just needs to win and it will make everything else immaterial. Is it in you Joey?

Is there really special power in Beagle voodoo? Will Carl break the spell?

What about Kyle? Can he climb out of his funk?

 Will Ryan make our own famous Cord Rotz proud?

Can Jeff pull off another weather win?

What about Marcos? It looks like he’s finally getting comfortable on America’s ovals. Can he really pump up our Aussie fans?

Logano makes a good dark horse. Will he surprise us all?

Here comes Thunder Valley! Who wants it???

Do Fords Really Consistently Win At Michigan?

Last week we were looking down a twisting road course trying to determine who might, based upon their historical accomplishments at Watkins Glen, improve their chances of making the 2012 Sprint Cup Chase. Of the four drivers with a single win at the time it appeared Kyle Busch should have held the edge going into the race. Although the outright win went to that interloper from Australia, Marcos Ambrose, here’s how the four drivers with a single win were expected to perform and how they actually did:

Kyle Busch, with 6 top 10 finishes in 7 races, 3 top 5’s and a win in 2008 on the Glen course was by far the best historical driver and he ended up placing 7^th, which in combination with his lead laps netted the JGR #18 39 points.

Ryan Newman, in his last 10 starts at Watkins Glen put up the second best numbers with a top 5 and 3 top 10’s. Ryan just missed a top 10 finish coming in 11^th and garnering 33 points.

Jeff Gordon had just 2 top 10 finishes in his last 10 starts on New York’s road course and although, like Kyle Busch, he had a genuine shot at a top 5 finish and possibly the win, Jeff was victimized by the oily track. After spinning out on the final lap he finished well down the line in 21^st and only picked up 23 points for the 24 team’s effort.

Joey Logano was kind of a dark horse in this since we only had 3 starts in Sprint Cup racing to examine. His best finish was just last year when he came in 5^th. Logano ended up having a bad day finishing 32^nd and only picking up 12 points.

The analysis was really quite accurate based on the historical numbers these drivers have produced. So what was the bottom line coming out of one of the best races we’ve seen in a long time? Instead of the picture clearing up a little concerning who might end up grabbing the 12^th and final position in the 2012 Chase, the picture has become even more muddled with yet another driver literally willing himself into the competition.  

Going into this week’s Cup race at Michigan International Speedway I’ll now take a look at 5 drivers and their historical numbers. Just remember if any of these 5 can rip off a win at MIS the odds go way way up that they’ll be in the Chase and we all know anything can happen if a driver gets hot late in the season…

In order of their points standings after 22 races-

Ryan Newman is 13^th with 644 points (49 points out of 10^th place). In his last 10 starts at Michigan Ryan has 1 top 5 and 2 top 10 finishes and his average finish has been 19.8.

Kyle Busch is now in 14^th place with 638 points. In his last 10 starts Kyle has 1 win (Aug. 2011) and 3 top 5’s. Kyle’s average finish has been 13.8.

Jeff Gordon is 15^th with 634 points. Jeff has 3 top 5 and 5 top 10 finishes in his last 10 starts at MIS. His average finish has been 15.1.

Marcos Ambrose comes in 17^th with 600 points on the strength of last Sunday’s win. In his 8 starts at Michigan Marcos has accumulated 1 top 10 finish and that was a 9^th place finish last June. His average finish has been 24.9.

Finally, Joey Logano is in 18^th in the points standings through 22 races this season with 587 total points. In 7 Michigan Cup race appearances Joey has 2 top 10 finishes and his finishes have averaged 18.0.

Based on these numbers Kyle Busch should once again come out on top at Michigan followed by Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman. Will another interloper show up? Will Carl Edwards come out of his winless funk and assert his claim to the Chase? Fords are supposed to do well on this track. (The way it stands right now all Carl needs is one win while staying in 12^th )

With only Bristol, Atlanta and finally Richmond coming up after Michigan before the Chase field is set, who wants it?

The 10 Most Disliked Athletes in America?

Forbes Magazine weighs in…

America’s 10 most disliked (P.C. talk for hated) athletes…

1. Michael Vick –

NFL Quarterback – Dog Fighter / Killer (Otherwise a great guy, right?)– One Time Media Darling… – 60% Dislike rating.

2. Tiger Woods –

Professional Golfer – Multi-Zillionaire who cheated on wife with like 10 other women – One Time Media Darling… – 60% Dislike rating.

3. Plaxico Burris –

NFL Receiver – Shot himself with his own gun while in NY night club (What in the world was THIS guy thinking???) / Team Jumper – 56% Dislike rating.

4. Ndamukong Suh –

NFL Defensive Tackle – Dirty Player / Repeat Offender (Latest? He stomped a guy when down) – 51% Dislike rating.

5. Kris Humphries – (Not to be confused with our Chris Humpherys the Sports Chump)

This dude is an NBA basketball player – Duped the public marrying Kim Kardashian on Reality TV and being together for what? A month? – It’s not nice to fool with the Reality TV crew… 50% Dislike rating.

6. LeBron James –

NBA player – Left hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for the money in Miami / Hasn’t won an NBA title while talking a good game… 46% Dislike rating.

7. Kobe Bryant –

NBA player – Another dude who cheated on his wife, was given a break and did it again - marriage on the rocks / Star on 5 LA Laker championship teams (That’ll get ya hate points too)… 45% Dislike rating.

8. Terrell Owens –

NFL Receiver – Egotistical cry baby / Team Jumper Par Excellence – Currently out of the NFL (AMEN!) and in hock up to his eyeballs… 45% Dislike rating.

9. Alex Rodriguez –

New York Yankee (need I say more?) – Baseball player – Multi-Zillionaire / Wife Cheater / Performance Enhancing Drug User (how else you get the big bucks in baseball? Or make it to the Yankees for that matter!) – 44% Dislike rating.

10. Kurt Busch –

NASCAR Driver / Past Cup Champion – Uses bad language on (gasp!) member of media while unwittingly being video-taped!!! This will never do! Lost his job for this? Line from Dances With Wolves - - -“Ya Can’t Figure Dem Damn Buffalo! “– 42% Dislike rating.

Do you really believe Kurt belongs on this list? The power of the media (across the board) is beyond the pale...

Reference:
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eddf45fkhi/tiger-woods/#gallerycontent

What Are These People Saying? Thinking? Vol. 2

With Speed Weeks all cranked up and a new beginning just a few days away... It's time to stir the pot! And don't forget... Laughter is the best medicine!

Just what do you think these people are saying? Thinking?


1. You choose... Either the Duck or Cousin Carl...

2. 

3.

4.

5. What is Brad thinking? A.J.?

6. 

7.

8.

9.

and 10.

Hope you've enjoyed putting captions to these!

And for all of you wondering how I won the prestigious 2011 Golden Lug Nut for my picks in the Trifecta... Here's a little gadget I use!