Month: September 2011

Matt Steinmetz Chat 9/7/11

Disclaimer: Yes, this is another Matt-Steinmetz-related post. Expect many more in the future.

Matt Steinmetz usually has a weekly chat where anyone can come and voice their opinion or ask him questions about pretty much anything. The chat is generally about the Warriors and various NBA topics, but it can often stray into a broader range of very entertaining topics.

This week’s chat was the first in what seems like a long time. Because of the lockout, the chat has been called off in recent weeks, so I was definitely looking forward to another chat. This week, many topics were discussed including the NBA lockout, the Warriors coaching staff, the Warriors rookies this year, the 49ers matchup against the Seahawks this weekend, the Warriors’ many roster problems, and of course, a Monta vs. Steph debate.

This is another Steinmetz must-read, so check it out!

Click here, and then click on replay. Enjoy!

NBA Lockout Update

NBA owners and players met today for approximately 5 1/2 hours and plan to meet up tomorrow as well. If negotiations go well tomorrow, both sides could potentially meet up on Friday also. This is fairly good news for all NBA fans because both sides have barely met up since the lockout started July 1st. Before today’s meeting, they have only met twice since then. There must be some sort of progress being made because otherwise, the players and owners would not want to meet up again the next day.

Both sides are being pretty quiet on how the discussions are going though, so there wasn’t a strong sense of optimism. Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers, the players’ union president, is suggesting that both sides want to keep all negotiations private. He said, “…to characterize what comes out of the meetings and whether we’re making progress or we have momentum, we can’t say and it’s tough to say. Until the deal is done, there is no deal.”

There is a sense of urgency now to get a new agreement completed because training camps would be starting around October 3rd. Preseason would then begin around October 9th and the regular season would begin around November 1st. Many fans have believed that there will be a work stoppage and, therefore, games will be lost and potentially there will be no season at all. Originally, many representives on both sides agreed with this because of how poorly the discussions were going. However, now that there’s a stronger sense of urgency, there’s a little more optimism, even if it’s not being shown. Derek Fisher said, “Time is running down, not necessarily out, but I think we all feel in the room that if we continue to work at it we can possibly find a way to get a deal done.” Hopefully, we’ll know more tomorrow on how much progress has been made in these meetings.

9/2/11: Giants 6, Diamondbacks 2

The Giants beat the Diamondbacks last night 6-2, and this one was definitely fun to watch. The Giants are pretty much playing must-win games all the time now, but last night’s game was one of the most important must-win games of the season so far. The Diamondbacks came into town 6 games ahead of the Giants in the NL West race and were also riding a 9-game winning streak. The Giants, on the other hand, had a horrible August full with injuries, roster moves, and stress. They had a nice, convincing 4-0 win against the Cubs on the last day of August, so they were hoping to carry this momentum into the upcoming series against the Dbacks.

Usually when the opponent scores first, the Giants struggle to come back. However, in this game, this was not the case at all. In the third inning and down 1-0, the Giants tied the game up on a Jeff Keppinger double, which scored Cody Ross. Carlos Beltran then got his second hit of the night (the first was a triple in the 1st inning), which was a 2-run home run that brought the score to 3-1 Giants. With Matt Cain pitching beautifully last night, I’m sure many thought that a 2-run difference was enough and that we’d be able to easily pull away with a win. With these Dbacks hitting so well recently though, the Giants knew they had to continue to pile on the runs. Matt Cain gave up only 2 runs and really limited the Dbacks’ powerful offense. Later on, in the 5th inning, Beltran struck again with a single to score Matt Cain and bring the score to 4-2. Then in the 7th inning, Cody Ross hit a 2-run home run to get to the final score of 6-2. Beltran finished the night 4-4 with a triple, home run, and 2 singles.

This game brought life back into AT&T Park, and, more importantly, it brought life back into the clubhouse. This was a critical win for the Giants and it brought them to 5 games back in the NL West race. The Giants need to continue to take it one game at a time and not try to rush anything. The Giants had great luck in September last year and hopefully that trend continues.

Top 3 plays from the game:
(click on each picture to see video replay)

1. Cody’s Amazing Catch in the 8th Inning

 

 

 

 

2. Beltran’s 2-Run Home Run in the 3rd Inning

 

 

 

 

3. Cody Ross’ 2-run Home Run in the 7th Inning

Mark Derosa’s Views on the Roster Shake-up

Mark Derosa has had a rough time with the Giants. He’s been injured almost all of the 2 years he’s been with them, but he’s a solid veteran presence, a very smart guy, and really understands clubhouse dynamics. He was asked the other day to write a blog post in “The Veteran and the Rook” blog to describe the feeling in the clubhouse after management cut Rowand and Tejada. Derosa also writes optimistically about the rest of the season and the expansion of the roster that occurred yesterday. Although some fans might not like his lack of contribution the past 2 seasons, but I believe he’s a good guy to have around and he has recently started to help this team out a lot; on and off the field.

Read Mark Derosa’s great blog post here. Enjoy!

Brandon Belt Meets Baby Brandon

The Baby Giraffe saga continues. Since the Giants had an off-day today, Brandon Belt was able to go to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to go see Brandon the baby giraffe. Brandon (human) was a little taller than Brandon (giraffe), but not by much. Brandon clearly had a great time and said that being able to interact with a baby giraffe was an unforgettable experience. He also said that he’s a huge giraffe lover now.

Steinmetz “Gym Rap” Podcast 8/31/11

Matt Steinmetz of Comcast Sportsnet started a podcast a couple months ago that features discussions with many different NBA bloggers, reporters, etc. It’s been a great series so far and if you like the Warriors, you have to check out his other previous podcasts. Many different personalities have been on the podcast so far such as Ethan Sherwood Strauss of WarriorsWorld.net, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Sam Amick of SI.com, and this week, Adam Lauridsen of the Fast Break Warriors Fan Blog on mercurynews.com. The podcast this week was informative, humorous, and, of course, full of strong opinions. I love any discussion involving Stephen Curry vs. Monta Ellis, but this one was one of my favorites to listen to so far. Both sides brought up very interesting points that I hadn’t necessarily considered, and I loved listening to the pros and cons of each side. I’ve always been very pro-Stephen Curry and anti-Monta Ellis, but both Steinmetz and Lauridsen had arguments for and against my opinion, which I appreciated. This podcast is a must-listen, so do it now! If you have an extra 25 minutes or so after work or during your lunch break, listen to this entertaining podcast here.