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M.T. Karthik

~ midcareer archive, 1977 – 2017 plus 2022

M.T. Karthik

Monthly Archives: October 2014

Incredible Season, Relentless Team, Hall of Fame Manager

30 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by mtk in Commentary, World Series

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

after, champions, champs, day, fame, Francisco, game, giants, Hall, incredible, manager, mtk, relentless, San, season, series, team, the, world

Bruce Bochy, I’d like to shake your hand.

I want to thank you, congratulate you and apologize for doubting you from time to time. What you have done with a number of different players over the last five years is testimony to your brilliance and inspiration.

You finally brought a championship to San Francisco, and not just one, now, but three – and you did it with an ever-changing array of players, overcoming injuries and incredible odds.

Your staff – Righetti, Meulens, Wotus, Kelly, Flannery and the others take their lead from you and have all been superb. Your team and staff management is a thing of greatness. In my opinion, sir, you have earned a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Yet you always give it up to the guys and wow, what a group of guys. Without Matt Cain and without Angel Pagan and without Michael Morse in the regular lineup for much of it; without Buster hitting the way he usually does – likely from sheer exhaustion – they fought and never quit.

The grittiness, stick-to-it-iveness, toughness, persistence and grind-it-out effort were a thing of beauty. The 18 inning game was one of the most impressive efforts I have ever seen made by men in Giants uniforms.

Guys, I am so very proud of you all and our team spirit. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for another world championship. I feel truly blessed.

Sincerely,

M.T. Karthik

in Giants Baseball Corner

Your World Series Champion San Francisco Giants

29 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by mtk in Game 7, World Series

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

champion, champions, Francisco, giants, mlb, San, series, sf, thank, world, you

Your World Series Champion SF Giants

Thank you Brandon Belt @bbelt9

Thank you @hunterpence

Thank you @BusterPosey

Thank you #MadBum

Thank you @KFP48

Thank you @bcraw35

Thank you @gregorblanco7

Thank you @JakePeavy_44

Thank you @kimberlybhudson and family of Huddy Thank you Huddy.

Thank you Bruce Bochy(HoF)

Thank You Brian Sabean

Thank you @JeremyAffeldt

Thank you @JoePanik

Thank you Michael Morse @Mcode38

Thank you Juan Perez @juan_perez24

Thank you @SergioRomo54

Thank You @Ehire21

Thank you Yusmeiro Petit! Seriously!

Thank you @andrewsusac (and @sophia_susac)

Thank you Travis Ishikawa.

Thank you Matt Duffy  @mm_duffy

Thank you Hunter Strickland @hstrickland60

Thank you George Kontos @G_Kontos

Thank you Brandon Hicks.

Thank you Dave Righetti.

Thank you SIR Bam-Bam Muelens.

Thank you Ron Wotus.

Thank you Roberto Kelly.

Thank you Tim Flannery.

Thank you Thank you

Thanks to all #25GuysOneCommonGoal

Your World Series Champion  #sfgiants

If You’re a Giants Fan, This is for You. Game 7 World Series 2014

29 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by mtk in Commemorations, Game 7, World Series

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

baseball, giants, Hudson, Jake, kansas.city, KC, mlb, Peavy, Royals, san francisco, sf, Tim

I saw last night coming in the exact same way I saw us “losing one of three at home” to these guys. I saw it because unlike Texas and Detroit on this stage, these guys are hungry, fierce and fast as lightning.

There are no balls that runaway from them in their park.

These guys are GOOD.

If, before I go on, you’re in an argumentative mood or feel like trolling, do not continue reading here until you have at least read Grant Brisbee, whose piece “Giants, Jake Peavy force Game 7,” is the single best piece on the internet on the matter.

It cuts to the points and covers most of the major issues. It is the single piece capable of getting our immense and highly emotional fan base into a sharper, more receptive mode today for what is to come tonight. It crosses generations and media.

For years, Brisbee does what newsprint can’t, what radio is incapable of, and has been what Comcast longs to be, but can never be because of how obscenely, filthy rich they are thanks to our team, and our fans, and who, thus, run things.

Brisbee does what bloggers long to do better than most of them can dream, and so they jealously put him down. I will pick up where he left off.

Jake Peavy, the new guy, went into that game without our trademark humility and cool. He let his kids talk about how they were going to buy a cable car when we won and, being new to our way of doing things from a media town like Boston, he acted way too cool pre-game in general (hugs with Big Papi … uh, why?).

I tried not to be negative before the game:  this was as confident as I could possibly be about the guy after what I saw on media day.

The play where he is yelling at Belt to throw it home was the ultimate in blowing your cool. I was disappointed, but I understood it must be incredible pressure.

I only wish Brandon had the quick presence of mind to flip that to Joe – what the hell, though, it was happening pretty fast.

But honestly, thank you, Jake. The pressure was enormous on you this season coming over to our team and you rocked!

It was a rough outing and a terrible context to be thrown into. Add to the situation the death of Tavares and the young emotional man on the mound, Ventura, dedicating his performance to his recently departed friend, and you have a nightmare situation.

Thank you for the game against the Nationals and your earnest, competitive fire.

This season, Jake Peavy did good things, and in some cases great things, coming in as a quick replacement for the sudden departure of our Big Horse, Matt Cain. But I refuse to agree with those who demand we blindly say, “we wouldn’t be here without him.”

He would not be here without us, is more appropriate.

He is a guy Brian Sabean chose on short notice to replace one of the best right-handers in the game, a guy our whole starting pitching rotation was begun with, and he did an admirable job.

Thank you Jake, again. Forgive me for being impatient. I cannot wait for Matt Cain’s elbow chips business to be completely healed.

As I said yesterday morning:

The AL is a different animal though and you have to stay crisp, sharp and on top of it against these hustling Royals. Their speed is crazy and they can hit. They haven’t been hitting, but they can hit. Which makes ‘em even more dangerous. Backs against the wall and due.

I am excited we’re starting Tim Hudson tonight. I trust Huddy and I dream of a storybook ending to his long and successful career as a starting pitcher in the major leagues. He has survived and indeed thrived to become the winningest pitcher active by exhibiting exquisite command and a level head under pressure.

A silver lining is our lineup got to go through that game last night as an ice breaker and I believe we will all be far more prepared for the atmosphere at KC tonight.

If we really want to be considered a Dynasty, if we really believe we have a right to elect Bruce Bochy to the Hall of Fame, tonight is when it should happen. We need to get the mental toughness, have the confidence to play our game and win it.

We have the better squad. Their pitcher is hittable. Victory can be ours.

Victory should be ours.

I honestly hope we play our best ball, because if we do, I am sure they cannot beat us. They rely on speed and hustle to ensure they make few mistakes. They capitalize on getting ahead before the 6th so they can shut it down.

We have the weapons to defeat that philosophy.

I honestly believe Tim Hudson could have the game of his life tonight and I wish him and his family all the best in the world win-or-lose.

The Bay Area loves you, Tim, and we believe in you because you have earned our trust.

In fact we admire you a great deal: your efficiency on the mound this season has been at times stunning.

This game in particular … You were one pitch from a complete game with ten pitches an inning. Wow, just, wow.

You and your family have been a welcome addition to our locker room and stadium and community. Thank you.

Good luck.

M.T.

in Giants Baseball Corner

Thoughts on Jake Peavy Before Game Six of the 2014 World Series

28 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by mtk in Commentary, pitchers

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

baseball, data, Francisco, game, giants, info, Jake, mlb, Peavy, pitcher, San, sf, six, stats, thoughts, two, world

Jake Peavy joined the Giants and went 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts.

He only gave up three home runs. He threw 58 strikeouts and 17 walks, for a 3.41 strikeout-to-walks ratio.

He gave up 65 hits and 24 runs, 19 of them earned.

Jake was particularly good in August when other starters were struggling. In his 13th season, Peavy is returning to play for the manager whom he entered the league under, Bruce Bochy, who managed the Padres when Jake debuted.

At the age of 33, he is the only player on either team in this year’s World Series who is a current World Series Champion, having won with Boston last year. In that way he reminds me of Ryan Theriot who won with the Giants in 2012 after having won with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. “The Riot” scored the winning run that completed our sweep of the Detroit Tigers and he remains a part of SF Giants lore.

But, Peavy got no decision in his only World Series appearance with the Red Sox and he took the loss in Game Two of this Series. In fact, in the post season he has more often than not, suffered defeat.

He made three postseason starts in 2013 and the Red Sox lost two of them. So despite good numbers in the regular season, against the stiff competition of the playoffs, Peavy has not induced confidence. In eight postseason starts, including this year, Peavy’s ERA is more than seven.

Two of those starts were “flaming disasters.” Tim Brown has written about that and more  today here.

There is no doubt Peavy wants to win and is a competitor. But the atmosphere in Kansas City tonight is going to be intense. The Royals, with their backs against the wall, against their own walls, are sure to be a formidable team. There are going to be no easy outs in this one. It’s the American League park, so a DH adds to the certainty of that.

Jake Peavy ended the 2014 season smoking hot. He was rolling along so well, I pushed hard for the Giants to use him rather than Madison Bumgarner in the Play-In Game against the Pirates. A lot of people teased me for my massive spamming in favor of starting Peavy. I was concerned we wouldn’t have Bumgarner available twice against the Nationals.

But Bochy, the Master, brushed off any such suggestion, started Bumgarner and we won it to advance, leaving Peavy to start Game One of the NLDS against Washington’s Nationals.

And he had one of his best Post Season starts ever.

Peavy didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning and exited with three walks and three strikeouts in that one, an unqualified success. He was pulled after a two-out walk to Jayson Werth in the sixth, but kept the Nationals scoreless on only two hits.

The AL is a different animal and you have to stay crisp, sharp and on top of it against these hustling Royals. Their speed is crazy and they can hit. They haven’t been hitting, but they can hit. Which makes ’em even more dangerous. Backs against the wall and due. Here’s hoping Jake can #GetPeaved and the Giants can make this happen.

Giants in SIX.

M.T.

We Are Down 4-2 and Petit just Got On in the Bottom of the 4th

25 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by mtk in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

That’s only his second hit all year, he’s 1 for 25 (heh,heh,heh) – Joe Buck

and I am posting this just to mark the moment.

(a few days later …)

Wow. Using nine different guys in the 9-spot, Bruce Bochy evoked a flurry of hits; singles and doubles and not a single home run, to score 9 unanswered runs and cruise to an 11-4 victory in game 5.

Madison Bumgarner gave up only 4 hits and was stellar. His 0.29 ERA over three World Series’ is the best ever in World Series play. Shutdown performances. His name is now in the ranks of WS pitching alongside Koufax and Gibson.

The team has flown back to KC for the daunting task of playing games 6 and 7 on the Royals’ field with their insanely inspired and loud fans in attendance.

I fear we’d lose Game 7 there and hope we finish it in Game 6, which of course, is what I predicted when this all began: Giants in SIX.

The anticipation is massive.

More SF Giants Hashtags, Nicknames and Errata for the Dictionary

22 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by mtk in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Alex Pavlovic recently had the temerity to create a Giants World Series Dictionary. Picking up on his work, I thought I would add these notes on Giants Culture:

  • We have one thing of grave importance left on our list and that is to beat the New York Yankees in the World Series for, that is to say, on behalf of, Willie McCovey.
  • #25GuysOneCommonGoal comes from the sign in the dugout before you walk onto the field which reads “25 Guys One Common Goal: Win Today” in all 90’s, cheesy MS-Word style and looks like this 25guys
  • Jean Machi should NEVER be called “Mean Jean Machi” because his name isn’t pronounced “Gene.” It is pronounced the French way “Jzawn” like Jean Valjean. The preferred nickname for Jean Machi is #TheGasman
  • Santiago Casilla may be referred to as “#Cadillac” or “#CasillaLater”
  • Sergio Romo is known as “#ElMechon,”which means “The Lock” because his job is to lock it down.
  • Javier Lopez our #LOOGY (which means Lefty One Out GuY) has a mantra when under stress. He says he is “focused on the relentless flow of the positive river.” … which is awesome.
  • #ChampionshipBlood #ChampsBlood or #ChampionBlood are all acceptable hashtags for what the San Francisco Giants have.
  • #MadBum is a nickname I actually believe  I coined in the summer of 2010, when I said it on KNBR early, early, early on. (I have the tape) I regretted it almost immediately … ’cause this kid is no Bum. But it stuck. Madison Bumgarner may also be referred to as #BigCountry ’cause he is a big, ol’ country boy man.
  • When Bochy makes decisions  on-the-fly about whom to use situationally out of the bullpen we call it “Relief by Committee.”
  • Hunter Pence may be called #Underpants because Krukow’s grandkids thought that was his name when he first joined the team.
  • Also, when Pence first joined the Giants, he began with a hitless streak for several games. Finally, at the top of the dugout before going out for an at-bat, he told Bruce Bochy, “You know, I have gotten a hit in this league.” He then went out and eeked a single from a smash infield hit on pure, crazy, gangly hustle.
  • HoF Baseball Announcer Jon Miller is known as #TheBigKahuna
  • It was Barry Zito who named Pablo Sandoval “The Kung-Fu Panda”
  • #KungFuPanda should start trending … that would be good.
  • Ryan Vogelsong used to consistently eat Chicken Enchiladas and told us as much after we won the first world series. Now he apparently likes Burgers and Spaghetti.
  • This. Team. Doesn’t Quit.

The following #hashtags have been submitted by Candlestick Will

#TogetherWeAreBrandon – this amalgam of the Together meme and the Brandons took full force when we fielded three Brandons in the infield Crawford, Hicks and Belt

#ChampionsBlood- in a speech Bochy gave to this team, he told them they have Champions Blood from being tested in the playoffs for several years now and coming out on top.

#RallyIshi self explanatory

#RallySnotRockets Madison Bumgarner fires snot rockets. It’s just a thing he does.

#RallyPeavy #RallyHuddy #VogelStrong #FreeTimmy #JavyStrut are for some of our hurlers

#RallyScud when some of those same pitchers decide the game ought to be played more like cricket they fire scuds.

#RallyBalls #HunterPenceSigns #MagicWondoo #AirPence #ShutdownInning #BambinoTimeare I will let @CandlestickWill explain.

The Bruce Bochy Era of SF Giants Baseball

20 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by mtk in Commentary

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

baseball, Bochy, Bonds, Bruce, cain, Era, Francisco, giants, Lincecum, manager, mlb, sabean, San, sf

(all photos: me)

The last few days have been good for serious reflection on what the San Francisco Giants and their fans have experienced over the last five years, which has been historic and secures this period of SF Giants history as belonging to one man more than any other, Manager Bruce Bochy.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The Barry Bonds Era of SF Giants baseball ended in 2007.

When you think about it, it must have been an incredible burden for first-year Giant coach Bruce Bochy to have to steward the team through the amazing individual accomplishment of Barry Lamar.

Imagine walking into the managing job with that level of pressure on the team, on Bonds. Not to mention Bonds’ attitude as a player in the clubhouse – famously self-contained. Bochy had to quietly endure all that attention – much of which was incredibly negative – and yet try to manage the team … as a team.

Then Barry Lamar was done and we were left with a very young staff of home grown talent, no real MVP’s except maybe a Freak with crazy delivery. But within two seasons, the Giants were back in the hunt.

I was at the game in Mid-September back in 2009 when we were just starting to smell the playoffs for the first time under Boch. We had scrapped and fought our way into second place in the division and had beat the Rockies twice in a three game series to pull within two games back of Division-leading Colorado.

It was my son’s first MLB game, his first Giant game. Randy Johnson was in the ‘pen.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Note the absent WS pennants in LF, seems weird now!

Matt Cain was on the mound. Though we didn’t call it this back then, Matt got #Cained that night as we lost 4-3; couldn’t drive home the winning runs waiting at second and third base with two outs. It was as close as we would get to the playoffs that season (remember this is when Wild Cards didn’t exist), another season in San Francisco in the books without satisfaction. But already the Bruce Bochy effect was evident. We were fighting hard … as a team.

2009 to the present is The Bruce Bochy Era of SF Giants baseball.

In the five years since, this team has played some of the grittiest, gutsiest, most intensely-focused, never-say-die baseball I’ve ever seen.

We’ve won our first two World Series Championships in San Francisco and three of the last five National League Pennants.

We’ve seen talent squeezed out of Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell and Marco Scutaro at the end of their careers. I’ll never forget the post World Series interview with Bochy when asked about Aubrey Huff’s bunt in the only World Series game ever played in November. He told Krukow he’d asked Huff to start practicing bunting two months earlier! Huff hadn’t dropped and wouldn’t drop a bunt all season long, but Boch was concerned he would need it in a given circumstance and so he was ready in the last game of the World Series.

Wow.

Under Bochy we’ve witnessed a perfect game, a near-perfect game, three no-hitters, an inside-the-park-walkoff, Scutaro in the rain, Pablo’s three homers in a WS game (and off Verlander saying “Wow”), Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong and even, finally Barry Zito dominance for redemption. What Bruce Bochy has done in this time period has been nothing short of brilliant.

Bruce Bochy, I have criticized and cajoled and even mocked moves you’ve made. I have been upset by things you do, patterns that seem exclusive to you and outside of my own reasoning about how games ought to be managed mid-season. Yet you’ve consistently proven me wrong and over the course of a season, of several seasons, have shown how much more you know about what to do with this group of guys.

For all our complaining, the man responsible for hiring Bruce Bochy deserves credit. Really early in the morning before the 2012 World Series parade, I was passing by Brian Sabean who was talking to a couple of people while waiting to get into the convertible he would ride in the festivities. I waited til there was a pause in their conversation and then called out, “Mr. Sabean!” He looked over at me and I held up my camera and raised my eyebrows implying I would like a shot. He acknowledged me, paused, looked down, spat, then slowly raised his hand and signaled as he looked directly at my lens:

Brian Sabean MTK2012

I only wish that damn trunk had been closed. But the point is, even then, Mr. Sabean was being clear we weren’t finished, that this team wasn’t finished. Look at him – that’s a face that says, “We aren’t done yet.”

Sabean feels and, I think we have all felt it, that there is something historically special about this group of guys … and it starts with coaching.

Rags, Wotus, Bam-Bam, Flan, Will the Thrill and even Barry Lamar have been important figures in this staff, critical cogs in the system. Bochy has allowed them all not just to thrive but to excel.

Skip, you’re a “Master” of team management. There is no doubt in my mind now that you belong in the Hall of Fame – you’ve earned it.

Because of an illness in my family, I’ve been away from SF and haven’t had a lot of time to blog lately and don’t even have much today, so I will end it here.

I would like to offer my sincerest gratitude to all of you on the eve of the World Series – to the Giants, to our staff and management and to all the rest of you fans and journalists, for what has been an amazing ride during what I encourage all of us to name The Bruce Bochy Era of SF Giants Baseball, for the one man more responsible than anyone else for the amazing success.

Much love,

M.T. in Giants Baseball Corner

M.T. Karthik

This blog archives early work of M.T. Karthik, who took every photograph and shot all the video here unless otherwise credited.

Performances and installations are posted by date of execution.

Writing appears in whatever form it was originally or, as in the case of poems or journal entries, retyped faithfully from print.

all of it is © M.T. Karthik

a minute of rain

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