The Giants have run into the perfect storm

[Band of Brothers]

I am still hanging in there hoping for a miracle this year but it looks like 2013 just is not the Giants year and the Giants may of just run into the perfect storm in this bizzaro season.

First winning two World Series in three years has shortened the off season especially for the pitchers and recovery time has suffered for that. A lot of innings but also just the grind of seasons past mentally can hurt a team. Now would everyone trade 2 WS for the grind, sure they would but there is a price down the line and the Giants looked gassed right now.

The WBC tournament before this year shortened the off season even more and of the 9 players the Giants sent 6 of them have had injuries that affected the team . It just was the wrong year for the players to be rushed back to compete in a tournament. This was a year that players needed that extra rest. Injuries just depleted this team and the Giants never recovered.

The schedule this year seemed to be brutal especially the long road trips. The Giants seemed to melt this year on the road which is not like them. The road record has killed this team and now it is leaking over to their home games. It's not a excuse but the schedule maker did not do the Giants any favors this year.

Finally the pressure of hearing the word dynasty in conversations might also been a factor this year. I do believe these players wanted to prove something again this year and play hard for the fans , winning it all again. Making history can weigh heavy sometimes and drain that energy meant for the field. The Giants have reached top status in the Bay Area and with winning comes expectations which leads to more pressure. You have to be loose and have fun to play good fundamental baseball and it seems the Giants have lost a bit of that looseness.

Hey s#it happens especially in the game of baseball and all you can do is grind it out and finish as strong as you can trying to build for next year. Hey it's never over till it's over and there is always hope. If it does not happen this year there is always next year . It just seems like the Giants ran into the perfect storm this year. There is always a new sunrise on the other side of the rainbow. The Giants will be back.

Go Giants !!

 

[moxie]

...You have to be loose and have fun to play good fundamental baseball and it seems the Giants have lost a bit of that looseness...
Go Giants !!

People can say what they want about intangibles like chemistry, but this is what I'm seeing from this team, too... they don't seem like they're having much fun. I'm sure losing sucks a lot of the fun out of it, but they need to remember that they are playing baseball for a living. Adopt the mindset that they are playing with house money and go out there and have some FUN!!

 

[msgkings322]

People can say what they want about intangibles like chemistry, but this is what I'm seeing from this team, too... they don't seem like they're having much fun. I'm sure losing sucks a lot of the fun out of it, but they need to remember that they are playing baseball for a living. Adopt the mindset that they are playing with house money and go out there and have some FUN!!

I don't disagree, but it doesn't matter how much fun you are having if you don't have reliable starting pitching, or major league quality players at LF, CF, etc.

Biggest reasons for the step back this year to me are without a doubt Cain (could NOT see our ace turning into crap this year) and Pagan (underrated by me and everyone else, how important having a reliable leadoff hitter turned out to be). I would cite all the other injuries but every team has their share.

 

[SF11704]

I'm sure that most of this board has played some sort of organized ball in their youth and maybe even now! One of the things that has continually crossed my mind this year ...... if you are coming off a very successful season (WS Championship is just that) what is the general mind set of the team. Do you ever think you're losing the edge or do you think this is just a bump in the road and we'll be OK. We just need a little time. I've played on a few teams that won local championships and we always had high expectations for the following season and there were quite a few times that we used the 'bump in the road' card only to realize that it was a little more than a bump and playing catch-up was a very difficult task at best. I do believe that the injuries did hurt us but it just seemed like the things we took for granted never actually materialized. For me personally I never expected the defense to play so poorly. I still think we have a good core moving into 2014 but so does most of the NL West.

 

[moxie]

I don't disagree, but it doesn't matter how much fun you are having if you don't have reliable starting pitching, or major league quality players at LF, CF, etc.

Biggest reasons for the step back this year to me are without a doubt Cain (could NOT see our ace turning into crap this year) and Pagan (underrated by me and everyone else, how important having a reliable leadoff hitter turned out to be). I would cite all the other injuries but every team has their share.

Absolutely agree, however these guys ARE major league quality players, otherwise they wouldn't be part of MLB. Not trying to be a smart ass, but I think you know what I'm saying. Someone here said it best (yesterday I think...)- they have the talent but just aren't performing. I think a big part of that is the pressure of doing as well as last year, overthinking everything instead of doing what they do best. Of course, it's easy to put a smile on your face when you're winning, but I kinda wish they'd fake it until they made it. Then again, people would jump all over them for laughing in the clubhouse when they're getting trounced by 9 runs.

 

[tzill]

Absolutely agree, however these guys ARE major league quality players, otherwise they wouldn't be part of MLB. Not trying to be a smart ass, but I think you know what I'm saying. Someone here said it best (yesterday I think...)- they have the talent but just aren't performing. I think a big part of that is the pressure of doing as well as last year, overthinking everything instead of doing what they do best. Of course, it's easy to put a smile on your face when you're winning, but I kinda wish they'd fake it until they made it. Then again, people would jump all over them for laughing in the clubhouse when they're getting trounced by 9 runs.

 

[msgkings322]

Absolutely agree, however these guys ARE major league quality players, otherwise they wouldn't be part of MLB. Not trying to be a smart ass, but I think you know what I'm saying. Someone here said it best (yesterday I think...)- they have the talent but just aren't performing. I think a big part of that is the pressure of doing as well as last year, overthinking everything instead of doing what they do best. Of course, it's easy to put a smile on your face when you're winning, but I kinda wish they'd fake it until they made it. Then again, people would jump all over them for laughing in the clubhouse when they're getting trounced by 9 runs.

I guess I shoulda been more specific: Blanco and Torres (don't even get me started on Frenchy or Perez or Peguero) are NOT ML starting OFs. They are bench players. Nothing wrong with that. But we have 2 backups in our OF and that doesn't cut it.

Those guys ARE performing to the best of their ability. So is Scutaro, Posey, Crawford. Pence and Belt are only a little behind what they can do, and Panda is too. So yes we are getting some regression too. Cain is the big one there.

 

[Band of Brothers]

I think sometimes we forget as fans that these are human beings and not robots. We don't know all the facts on who is hurting physically or maybe having family issues. The game can be a meat factory but these guys have real lives and real problems too. Yes they get paid big bucks and there is no pity party here but you can be here one day and gone the next in pro sports and until you are in that setting it might be hard to understand for the average fan. The Giants have won two of the last three World Series and they have represented themselves and the Bay Area in a great way. They have created memories that will last forever and as a Giants fan I appreciate their efforts in making great memories for me. I also look forward to having more great memories down the road.

Go Giants !!

 

[calsnowskier]

I think sometimes we forget as fans that these are human beings and not robots. We don't know all the facts on who is hurting physically or maybe having family issues. The game can be a meat factory but these guys have real lives and real problems too. Yes they get paid big bucks and there is no pity party here but you can be here one day and gone the next in pro sports and until you are in that setting it might be hard to understand for the average fan. The Giants have won two of the last three World Series and they have represented themselves and the Bay Area in a great way. They have created memories that will last forever and as a Giants fan I appreciate their efforts in making great memories for me. I also look forward to having more great memories down the road.

Go Giants !!

This is pointed out here frequently, but it is good to remind ourselves a couple times a week.

This is the primary reason you will often see IBWT or ISSWT. They both know 100x more than we do.

 

[tzill]

This is pointed out here frequently, but it is good to remind ourselves a couple times a week.

This is the primary reason you will often see IBWT or ISSWT. They both know 100x more than we do.

But not, apparently, as much as random doyerturd.