Duane Kuiper is a genius. Not only does he know baseball, but he is excellent at coming up with slogans or, in this case, nicknames that are extremely fitting. Kuip was the brains behind dubbing the 2010 season for the Giants as “Torture.” Now, he has started a brand new trend. Brandon Belt is the “Baby Giraffe.” What you have to understand, as Kuip explains, is that it’s not that Brandon Belt looks like a baby giraffe; he just runs like one. While broadcasting a game a while ago, Kuip was teasing Belt for looking very awkward while chasing after a fly ball. Since Belt’s true position is first base, he does look a little uncomfortable in the outfield.

Since this nickname has surfaced, many fans are bringing out all the giraffe paraphernalia they can find. Many fans have begun to wear hats very similar to the panda hats that you can find every 2 feet at AT&T Park. I’m sure that for the rest of this season and next season when Belt will get more consistent playing time, the giraffe hats will be almost as abundant as the panda hats. One fan recently sent Belt a lovely plant. How nice, right? Wait until you see what the plant looks like.

Very, very cute. It must be a little embarrassing in the clubhouse for him, but still very cute. Other fans have brought stuffed animals, drawings, posters, and many other displays of their love for our very own baby giraffe, Brandon Belt. Most of this lovefest has occurred in AT&T Park though. The real indication that this trend has become bigger and better is that it’s spread to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. A baby giraffe was recently born at Discovery Kingdom, and was named….BRANDON! Bet you didn’t see that coming…Check him out here! By the way, big props to Duane Kuiper on making Six Flags a Giants fan.

Clearly, the “Baby Giraffe” movement is going places. The movement that is coming along a little more slowly, but is surely gaining ground is the “Awkward” movement. Brandon Belt’s friend called him “The Most Awkward Man in the World” (based on the Dos Equis “The Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign), and Brandon thought it described him perfectly. Anything he does is awkward. Think of something that wouldn’t seem awkward to the average person. Well, Brandon Belt makes it awkward. That’s just what he does. This nickname ties into the baby giraffe nickname, because they both describe his awkward personality and lanky frame. In a recent road series against the Astros, Brandon’s family and friends came to watch since his hometown is only an hour and a half away from Houston. Brandon’s parents donned orange “Keep Belt Awkward” shirts. Every website that carried those shirts has sold out because of such high demand. I’m sure we’ll be seeing those shirts around AT&T Park in no time. Read about Brandon Belt’s view on all the hype surrounding him in the Giants’ Veteran And Rook Blog.

No matter how awkward Belt is or how much he looks like a baby giraffe when he moves around the outfield, he is the young phenom that could become the Giants’ next Buster Posey. He’s smart, athletic, strong, and can make adjustments at the plate when needed. If the Giants’ future rests with a baby giraffe, I’m fine with that.

Last night, I was able to celebrate my birthday at the Giants game, and this was definitely a great game to see. The game showcased the Giants’ spectacular pitching and occasional spurts of offense, which is the recipe to success. The Giants split their short 2-game series with the Padres with a 2-1 win. This game featured stellar pitching between Tim Stauffer and Tim Lincecum. However, Lincecum was that much better. Before the game, Lincecum was holding opponents to a devastating .103 average with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. He continued this dominance last night by ending many 2-out rallies by the Padres. With this outing, Lincecum lowered his ERA to 2.46, which ranks second in the NL behind Johnny Cueto of the Reds with a 2.03 ERA, and also one point above fellow Giant and All-Star, Ryan Vogelsong.

On the offensive front, the Giants weren’t able to score more than their usual 2 runs, but it proved to be just enough as they got solid contributions from the young phenom, Brandon Belt (aka “Baby Giraffe” and “The Most Awkward Man in the World”), and one of the newest Giants and a 2011 All-Star, Carlos Beltran. Brandon Belt had 2 hits in 3 at-bats. The most memorable hit was his stand-up triple to lead off the bottom of the 5th inning. This lead to the insurance run that the Giants needed in order to win. Along with Belt’s contribution, Carlos Beltran hit his first home run as a Giant, giving him a total of 16 home runs for the season, in the 4th inning to break a 0-0 tie. Click on the picture below to see a replay of his home run. The acquisition of Beltran has been controversial because the Giants gave up their #1 pitching prospect, Zach Wheeler, but Beltran has been a solid veteran presence on the team, and hopefully last night was the start of bigger, better play from Beltran.

The Giants continue their 12-game homestand tonight against the Houston Astros. Ryan Vogelsong takes the mound tonight against Henry Sosa, a pitching prospect previously with the Giants who was traded in the deal that brought Jeff Keppinger to the Giants. The Giants had bad luck against this team in their last outing, dropping 2 of 3 games against them in Houston. The Giants hope to have better luck against the worst team in all of MLB in this series in their own ballpark.