Happy Timmy Day Running Diary

I've always wanted to do a running diary on a sporting event. Bill Simmons has always done running diary's on various sporting events and even Basketbawful has done some running diary's. I like the concept of the running diary because you're just by yourself jotting down thoughts on the game you're watching. That's much different than being with a group for a live blog. Don't get me wrong, I love the live blog because of the camaraderie and the arguments with the other fellas. Sometimes though you need to watch a sporting event completely alone without interaction from Internet friends.

I thought tonight would be a great time for my maiden voyage on the running diary train. Because the Cubs-Giants game on Sunday was canceled, Tim Lincecum's schedule start was pushed back to Monday against the Colorado Rockies. Needless to say this is a must see. The history of Tim Lincecum pitching in Colorado is reason enough to watch this game. This year alone Lincecum took a no-hitter against the Rockies in Colorado into the seventh inning.

And then there's the Giants-Rockies burgeoning rivalry. Needless to say, neither side likes each other and that includes the fans. This should be an epic game or it will be a complete disaster because I jinxed the game because I'm keeping a running diary on the game.

5:30 PT: (Brent Musberger voice) We're coming to you live from 49er16's living room. There's a cold Pepsi to the right of me on the night stand and bag of Peppercorn Ranch Sun Chips to the left of me on the couch. Giants broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow are on my TV screen talking about the pitching match up between Tim Lincecum and Colorado starter Clayton Chris Mortensen. Kruk & Kuip both look three sheets to the wind already. This game should be great.

5:33: Tonight's lineups

Giants: Torres CF, Sanchez, 2B, Huff 1B, Posey C, Schierholtz RF, Ross LF, DeRosa 3B, Tejada SS, Lincecum P

Rockies: Fowler CF, Herrera 2B, Gonzalez LF, Tulowitzki SS, Helton 1B, Smith RF, Lopez 3B, Morales C, Mortensen P

Giants fans like myself aren't happy that Tejada gets to start at all. Even with Pablo Sandoval hurt, we want Mike Fontenot playing everyday at shortstop with DeRosa at third base. After Tejada grounds out to 2nd base, I'll explain why Giants fans have a extreme dislike of the guy.

5:35: The CSN-Bay Area pre and post game hosts this evening are Greg Papa, Bip Roberts, and Mychael Urban. Giants fans at McCovey Chronicles always makes fun of Bip because he says things like, "The Giants need to win this inning." So if the Giants have a good or bad inning, Giants fans will say "The Giants won or lost that inning."

5:44: Andres Torres strikes out, Freddy Sanchez singles up the middle, and Aubrey Huff promptly grounds into the 4-6-3 double play. Giants Baseball: It's Fantastic!

5:46: Mortensen is a sinker baller and sinker baller's are the Giants kryptonite. They can't hit em. The only thing they can try to do is work counts and hope to get to the opposing teams bullpen and score there. Also let's just say if Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee were sinker baller's, the Giants would have never won the World Series last year.


5:50: If the Giants bench and Posey behind the plate didn't tell Lincecum that Dexter Fowler was attempting a steal, he wouldn't have even noticed. I don't have many gripes about Lincecum, but he does space out from time to time. He's totally not a stoner though.

5:53: Lincecum won't be throwing a no-hitter tonight, but he definitely has the Jeff Spicoli look going on tonight. Makes me wonder if he took a trip to Boulder and hung out with the hippies at the University of Colorado at a hemp shop.

5:56: Two innings, two double plays for the Giants. Seriously. How is this team in first place with a record over .500?

5:58: "That ball had a mean streak."-Mike Krukow. I think Krukow was hanging out with Lincecum in Boulder. By the way, the Giants only managed to get Mortensen to throw 5 pitches that inning. Infant children wanting their bottle have more patience than the Giants hitters.

6:07: Kuiper talking about his playing days and visiting Montreal. I would say what he's talking about, but it's very incoherent story. He's definitely drunk right now. Had one too many Blue Moon's at Coors Field. Needless to say this has been an odd game already and we haven't even played more than two innings already.

6:12: Miguel Tejada hit a leadoff double? Shocking.

Okay on to the reason why I believe Giants fans have an extreme dislike for Miguel Tejada even more so than Barry Zito. Zito is a pitcher who you have to look at once every five games. You can hide him at the back end of the rotation and pray you can get five innings out of him every start. Tejada is a black hole. His defense sucks at both shortstop and third base. Tejada can barely hit the ball out of the infield any more. And worst of all he pouts in the dugout when things aren't going his way. Edgar Renteria and Juan Uribe would drive Giants fans crazy because they were streaky hitters. Renteria and UribeTejada isn't a professional and that drives Giants fans crazy.

6:16: The Giants scored the only way they know how to. On a wild pitch. So to recap that scoring opportunity. Tejada doubled, moved over on a sac bunt by Lincecum, then scored on a wild pitch. Giants baseball: Keeps you on the edge of your seat! 1-0 Giants bottom of the third Inning.

6:23: Took till the third inning, but Lincecum is in a groove now. He sat down the Rockies 1-2-3. That's been kind of the trend for Lincecum this season. The first couple of innings he'll give up a walk here and a hit there, limit the damage, then settle down and pitch seven to eight innings. I wish he would settle down for the entire game for he could pitch more complete games.

6:27: Huff hits a leadoff single and then Posey promptly hits into a double play. If you're keeping track at home, the Giants have hit into three double plays in the first four innings. I would say I'm surprised, but this is the norm for the Giants offense.

6:30: Nate Schierholtz draws a rare walk and then is thrown out attempting to steal second base. End of inning for the Giants. Yakety Sax should be playing at all times while watching the Giants.



6:34: The Rockies are just rubbing their 3 Wild Card berths in the Giants face at the moment. They're trying to make us Giants fans feel jealous of them. 

6:36: Kruk & Kuip are checking out a female Giants fan in the stands. They're clearly aroused by her orange hair and short skirt.

6:41: This might be one of the more boring games I've watched all season and that's saying something when considering I've watch the Giants. The Rockies offense is getting people on base, but is doing nothing with the runners besides stranding them. The Giants offense is getting men on base, only to continue to ground into double plays. The game is also boring considering we're in the fourth inning and Lincecum has only struck out one batter so far.

6:43: Broadcasters answering listener mail on air is just a bad idea all together. None of the letters are interesting and they only elicit mundane responses from Kruk & Kuip.

6:47: I can't believe how happy I was that Mark DeRosa didn't swing at the first pitch. I was seriously considering opening a bottle of champagne for that. That's how much the Giants hitters hack at pitches, that I'm considering celebrating the fact one of their hitters didn't swing at the first pitch.

6:51: Of course DeRosa promptly strikes out and Tejada grounds out. I might as well go and make a sandwich.

6:57: Bad game to do a running diary for. Lincecum is walking people left and right, including the pitcher, but is somehow limiting the damage. The Giants hitters are just utterly pathetic. Bad game to try this idea. And we're not even done with the fifth inning yet.

7:03: First emotion I've seen Tim have all day. He's barking at the home plate ump for what he thought was a strike. Thank goodness to, because I was convinced Lincecum was dead. Troy Tulowitzki promptly knocks in two runs to make the score 2-1 Rockies. Knowing the Giants offense, that lead for the Rockies will be insurmountable for the Giants.

7:09: Tied game! Andres Torres solo home run! What did I say? I told everyone the Rockies lead was insurmountable!

7:12: Aubrey Huff desperately wanted the double play there. You could see it by the way he was running. Too bad Tulowitzki didn't make a good enough throw to help Huff.

7:14: Nate Schierholtz has hit three home runs this season. Two of them at Coors Field including that one that just landed in the Coors Field bleachers. 4-2 Giants! 

7:16: When the Giants come to town it's bye-bye-baby. Catchy isn't it?



7:18: Obviously the Rockies have brought out the non-humidor balls because now Seth Smith hits a home run. 4-3 Giants with Lincecum still on the mound. "Uh-oh."-Kuiper

7:22: The Rockies now have two runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs because the left side of the Giants infield is either a million years old or injured. Lincecum will be lucky to survive this inning.

7:28: Base hit by Dexter Fowler and now the game is tied at four in the sixth inning. Fowler then makes a huge base running blunder that I can't even explain. Carlos Gonzalez now hits a three-run home run off of Lincecum. 7-4 Rockies. Truthfully though, Lincecum shouldn't have been out there. He had no command tonight and had already thrown over 100 pitches. This game is on Bochy for not pulling Lincecum.

7:36: I forgot to mention that Giants-Rockies game in Colorado are completely weird. Even though the Giants are down by three runs, I expect them to make a comeback, tie the game, and then lose in the ninth inning.

7:41: "DeRosa needs to get something going."-Krukow. Understatement of the night. So what does DeRosa do? If you guessed a ground out to shortstop you win a prize.

7:44: Bochy is managing out of his ass tonight. Instead of pinch hitting with Burrell, he chose Rowand to pinch hit. Of course Rowand strikes out on a sinker ball in the dirt. If sinker balls where meth, Rowand's face would look like this.

7:50: Giants ain't making a comeback in this game, so let's pretend the final score was 7-4 Rockies and the game was called after the seventh. I forgot I had to go to a meeting tonight, so I have to get going for that.

I'm going to have to do this another night and with another sport. Baseball is too long and tedious for the running diary, especially when your team sucks.