August 2009: Week 1 (with Tim Alderson, San Jose Giants)
With over 30,000 downloads since 2007, The NOR CAL Report (NorCalProSports.com) brings insightful coverage and exclusive interviews to the savvy Northern California pro sports fan. The NOR CAL Report isavailablethroughtheiTunes store (search: NOR CAL Report) and digitaloutletsfromPodbean toTechnorati — with special features onlyavailable at NorCalProSports.com.
** Thanks for making The NOR CAL Report a success. Don't forget to tell your friends! **
It's time to crank up an all-new NOR CAL Report! This week, the lads catch up with Tim Alderson,the young pitching phenom the Giants felt is worth batting champ Freddy Sanchez. Tim shares his pitching philosophy, along with some juicy details about the G-Men's minor league locker room culture. Please excuse the minor league audio quality of this interview; it won't happen again, we promise! And there's lots more on this week's Report:
The Giants thrive against Pennsylvania and the Champs at their native AT&T — and pick up two badly needed new bats in the process. Sabean and company clearly have playoffs on their mind; even now, do they have the chips to get there?
On the flip side of the Bay, the A's offload thirty-something hitters for some significant building blocks. Oakland looks to grow tomorrow's youth today, and gain ground while doing it;
And the Earthquakes soundly whip the Sounders, making waves in the North Pacific. The current stretch shows just how much they've improved in the second half...
It's deadline time — time to tell your friends about The NOR CAL Report!
UP NEXT: The best relief pitcher in the league this year may be Jeremy Affeldt. Jess and Lex sit down with the Giant lefty and talk all things Bayball. Plus, the A's look to the young guns, and the 'Quakes look to shake the rest of the league — plus, the NHL, NBA, and NFL rear their heads!
The NOR CAL Blog:
All the latest info, anecdotes and opinions from the Report's own Jess Zitrin.
If you know one thing by now about our little show, you know this: we do our research. That said, here's the lowdown on Tim Alderson's own admission about stacking up against the Addams Family:
Don't look now, but the announcers' credo late last year — that delicate flower Barry Zito is finally getting comfortable in his own skin — is finally coming true...
I can't be the only 49ers follower amused by Darrius Heyward-Bey's latest case of the dropsies in Raiders camp. Meanwhile, the Chronicle's quoted another Niners star espousing the talents of rookie LB Scott McKillop...
As for baseball's trade deadline, there's a tremendous amount to talk about! With apologies to the Giants, lets begin with:
Victor Martinez. Talk about a race: We do hate the East Coast Bias around here. But the Red Sox - Yankees is shaping up to be a season rivalry for the ages. Despite the Blue Jays — and Roy Halladay — and the dangerous Rays, one of these teams will win the AL East with 95-100 wins and the best record in baseball — yes, better than the Dodgers, who were mostly quiet last week...
What about Cliff Lee? Absolutely. The guy's propped up my fantasy teams for years, pounding the zone and confounding AL batters. Forget about the Phils' small yard — ever heard of Cole Hamels? — Lee switched leagues in the right direction, and won't look back. His two solid knocks in the win against the Giants just prove the point...
Pitted against Giants stud farmhand, and this week's interview, Tim Alderson: Is Freddy Sanchez worth it? Sadly, yes. Sadly, because despite reports of diminished velocity, the 20-year-old Alderson was clearly the best pitching prospect in the Giants' system next to upcoming stud Madison Bumgarner. And it's true, Sanchez is essentially Bill Mueller: .290-.300 average, good D at 2B and 3B, not much power or speed. But hey, isn't this what we Giants fans have been crying for since future Hall of Famer Jeff Kent?
What about Ryan Garko? In a word, right or wrong: vintage Brian Sabean. A Single-A pitcher (Scott Barnes) who may one day be a middle-of-the-rotation starter, for the perfect compliment (so-so defense, pounds lefties) to Travis Ishikawa. Give Sabean credit, and ignore the talk show pundits: it speaks to the strength of the Giants brand that he and Bruce Bochy will absolutely, unconditionally, renew their contracts and be Giants again next year. By the way, set aside their gross misjudgment of Joe Nathan for a moment, and ask yourself: off all the Major League regulars they've acquired for minor league pitching, what have the Giants given up? Answer, as Gbecks pointed out via email: one good season by Francisco Liriano, currently 4-10, 5.56 for the .500 Twins...
How about George Sherrill, Jeff Clement, and the rest: Well, fantasy value upticks for Jarrod Washburn, Jake Peavy, and any catcher with a bat in Seattle or Cleveland (meaning Carlos Santana in '10); value skyrockets for the very talented Ian Snell and once and future Orioles closer Chris Ray. Right now the Mark Grace Award, for the most valuable player not worth much in fantasy, goes to: the Yankees' Melky Cabrera.
Thanks for checking in at midseason. Now don't forget to mind your midsection! Our eyes are always bigger than our stomachs — on The NOR CAL Report!
** Thanks for making The NOR CAL Report a success. Don't forget to tell your friends! **
It's time to crank up an all-new NOR CAL Report! This week, the lads catch up with Tim Alderson,the young pitching phenom the Giants felt is worth batting champ Freddy Sanchez. Tim shares his pitching philosophy, along with some juicy details about the G-Men's minor league locker room culture. Please excuse the minor league audio quality of this interview; it won't happen again, we promise! And there's lots more on this week's Report:
The Giants thrive against Pennsylvania and the Champs at their native AT&T — and pick up two badly needed new bats in the process. Sabean and company clearly have playoffs on their mind; even now, do they have the chips to get there?
On the flip side of the Bay, the A's offload thirty-something hitters for some significant building blocks. Oakland looks to grow tomorrow's youth today, and gain ground while doing it;
And the Earthquakes soundly whip the Sounders, making waves in the North Pacific. The current stretch shows just how much they've improved in the second half...
It's deadline time — time to tell your friends about The NOR CAL Report!
Played: 271 | Download | Duration: 00:23:34
UP NEXT: The best relief pitcher in the league this year may be Jeremy Affeldt. Jess and Lex sit down with the Giant lefty and talk all things Bayball. Plus, the A's look to the young guns, and the 'Quakes look to shake the rest of the league — plus, the NHL, NBA, and NFL rear their heads!
The NOR CAL Blog:
All the latest info, anecdotes and opinions from the Report's own Jess Zitrin.
If you know one thing by now about our little show, you know this: we do our research. That said, here's the lowdown on Tim Alderson's own admission about stacking up against the Addams Family:
Don't look now, but the announcers' credo late last year — that delicate flower Barry Zito is finally getting comfortable in his own skin — is finally coming true...
I can't be the only 49ers follower amused by Darrius Heyward-Bey's latest case of the dropsies in Raiders camp. Meanwhile, the Chronicle's quoted another Niners star espousing the talents of rookie LB Scott McKillop...
As for baseball's trade deadline, there's a tremendous amount to talk about! With apologies to the Giants, lets begin with:
Victor Martinez. Talk about a race: We do hate the East Coast Bias around here. But the Red Sox - Yankees is shaping up to be a season rivalry for the ages. Despite the Blue Jays — and Roy Halladay — and the dangerous Rays, one of these teams will win the AL East with 95-100 wins and the best record in baseball — yes, better than the Dodgers, who were mostly quiet last week...
What about Cliff Lee? Absolutely. The guy's propped up my fantasy teams for years, pounding the zone and confounding AL batters. Forget about the Phils' small yard — ever heard of Cole Hamels? — Lee switched leagues in the right direction, and won't look back. His two solid knocks in the win against the Giants just prove the point...
Pitted against Giants stud farmhand, and this week's interview, Tim Alderson: Is Freddy Sanchez worth it? Sadly, yes. Sadly, because despite reports of diminished velocity, the 20-year-old Alderson was clearly the best pitching prospect in the Giants' system next to upcoming stud Madison Bumgarner. And it's true, Sanchez is essentially Bill Mueller: .290-.300 average, good D at 2B and 3B, not much power or speed. But hey, isn't this what we Giants fans have been crying for since future Hall of Famer Jeff Kent?
What about Ryan Garko? In a word, right or wrong: vintage Brian Sabean. A Single-A pitcher (Scott Barnes) who may one day be a middle-of-the-rotation starter, for the perfect compliment (so-so defense, pounds lefties) to Travis Ishikawa. Give Sabean credit, and ignore the talk show pundits: it speaks to the strength of the Giants brand that he and Bruce Bochy will absolutely, unconditionally, renew their contracts and be Giants again next year. By the way, set aside their gross misjudgment of Joe Nathan for a moment, and ask yourself: off all the Major League regulars they've acquired for minor league pitching, what have the Giants given up? Answer, as Gbecks pointed out via email: one good season by Francisco Liriano, currently 4-10, 5.56 for the .500 Twins...
How about George Sherrill, Jeff Clement, and the rest: Well, fantasy value upticks for Jarrod Washburn, Jake Peavy, and any catcher with a bat in Seattle or Cleveland (meaning Carlos Santana in '10); value skyrockets for the very talented Ian Snell and once and future Orioles closer Chris Ray. Right now the Mark Grace Award, for the most valuable player not worth much in fantasy, goes to: the Yankees' Melky Cabrera.
Thanks for checking in at midseason. Now don't forget to mind your midsection! Our eyes are always bigger than our stomachs — on The NOR CAL Report!
Comments