September 2009: Week 2 (with Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants)
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Check out www.lexxxluthor.com and follow Lex as he tours with his European band The Mainstream in Germany and Holland.
This week, it's a special edition of The NOR CAL Report, as the newest Giant, Buster Posey, joins Jess for a sit down on all things pro ball.
With Lex in Europe and Jess gearin' up for the stretch drive at the ol'ballpark, it's a short show this week — but the September madnesslends the perfect opportunity to check out some of our greatest material so far! Scroll back just a few days, or all the way back to our Monta Ellis, Joe Thornton, Matt Cain, or Too Short episodes!
UP NEXT: The Giants look to pull ahead, the A's press on, and the Raiders and Niners hope to start off on the good foot! Remember to keep coming back for all the action — on The NOR CAL Report!
Played: 242 | Download | Duration: 00:21:22
The NOR CAL Blog:
All the latest info, anecdotes and opinions from the Report's own Jess Zitrin.
Trivia Question: Who has the most hits of any active player who's never reached the postseason? (Answer below.)
To say that Brian Sabean and the Giants have reversed course on Posey and Madison Bumgarner may be an understatement. Hey, no hard feelings — this time of year, anything goes. Now Sabean jokes that the Giants "were just waiting until [Bum] turned 20 and we could get around the child labor laws...."
Am I remembering this wrong, or didn't Raiders fans, even in recent years, hold out some hope through the preseason? The biggest news was positive, mostly the promise of high draft picks JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden. But after the Hayward-Bey draft, the Cable-Hanson debacle, and now the whole Richard Seymour vibe — even by Raiders standards, it seems like the punch line came way ahead of the joke this year...
Speaking of refusing to report, here's a great article connecting the Michael Crabtree holdout, Deion Sanders, and last year's tampering investigation of the 49ers (here's the vid of Primetime shilling for Crab's agent)... A salary dispute helped the Niners steal a terrific replacement for Marvel Smith at tackle... Word there also that former Niners are promoting a bold new site, www.trenchfantasy.com, which finally incorporates line play into the NFL's fantasy behemoth. Act now, for the real deal...
Is the Crabtree drama a major crimp in the Niners' fortunes, or not? Yes and no. Yes, in that he really could have turned into their #1 WR option within just a few games (and Vernon Davis was a Pro Bowl alternate for his blocking, not his stone hands.) No, because in an offense led by the stalwart but scatterarmed Shawn Hill, San Francisco's success depends more on pounding opponents than floating airy fade passes. Football as it should be.
My thoughts on Prince Fielder and the Brewers' elaborate, pre-planned HR celebration? That's so bush, I can't believe it happened anywhere near the Major Leagues. As a pitcher, would I throw at them for that? Call me old school, but yes, without a doubt — even, as Torii Hunter suggests, as a member of another team. What's next, the portly vegetarian peels his shirt off and does a lap around the field? Yuck...
Not for nothing, but A's (and Giants) fans have probably realized, a team that relies on Brett Tomko to shore up its rotation has given up hope...
When Pedro Martinez downed the Giants in the rubber game in Philly, he moved to 3-0 in his first five starts. Remarkable — because he's got a winning record after five starts for the fifteenth straight year. That's the most... in the history of mankind. The guy who had fourteen: Christy Mathewson, starting in 1901. No wonder Eugenio Velez, who homered off Pedro to lead things off, called him the greatest pitcher he'd ever faced...
Trivia Answer: Randy Winn.
Thanks for sticking with us through another long week! Lex promises fresh strudel for all listeners as soon as he gets back — just write to norcalprosports@gmail.com!
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