harleymae

So, I've always liked Alex Smith. That would be the QB the 49ers picked #1 overall in 2005 who had a 12-18 record over 4 seasons. Alex Smith, the bust.

I liked him, because unlike all the other chumps we had (I started watching the 49ers during the lockout, I never watched Joe Montana or Steve Young play for the team :P), I saw promise. And he was intelligent. He finished his economics degree in 2 years, and I think he got into law school with some ridiculous LSAT score.

He broke his shoulder and tried to play through it, but it was bad enough that he needed surgery at the end of the season and then the next year freaking JT O'Sullivan was the starting QB before Shaun Hill took over.

I figured that was going to be the end of Alex Smith with the 49ers, but then he restructured his contract to a lower amount so that he could stay with the team because he wanted to "finish what he started". He wanted the chance to compete for the starting position. That news made me so happy. :)

And then I read an ESPN article on him and found out that last season, during training camp, his best friend killed himself.

They'd talked the day before on the phone, mostly about Alex's shoulder, and how it felt, and how training camp was going, and that his friend sounded fine. He called him later that day, but Alex didn't answer the call and never called him back.

I mean, I thought he was having a rough time because his shoulder wasn't quite healed yet. But then to have to deal with his friend's suicide, and the guilt of thinking if he hadn't been so preoccupied with football, maybe he could have helped his friend. He still wakes up every morning and thinks about him.

I was already pulling hard for him because... I'm like that. :P I'll see a player and think, this is the guy and stubbornly want him to succeed. But knowing all of this makes me pull for him a hundred times more. He's apparently looked really good in OTAs, and it sounds like everything he's gone through has helped him.

"My focus is definitely in the right place," Smith said. "There are a lot of peripheral things that you have to deal with in this league, and I dealt with a lot of them when I came in. It's everything from being on your own to facing the media. But I'm at a point where I'm not going to let anything distract me. I know who I am. And I know where I want to go."

( Friend's suicide tempers Smith's drive )

First of all, my ice cream was saved! I put it back in the freezer in time and when I tried it this morning, it was still good. :D

Got a Zito article on my Onion feed today. I think it's one from last season, but still funny. I love the photo they used for it. :P
Barry Zito Throws One-Hit Bullpen Session

For more LOLs, check out this photo of Petr with his black Ferrari that he's trying to sell(thank you, joolzie, for keeping up on all things Czech!):



Some of the details can only be seen in the massive 2048xerr...something size, so I'll list them, along with my other observations:

1. pink polo shirt
2. ripped jeans
3. hairy arms
4. hair
5. possible intense, smoldering look that falls more into the category of "squinting"
6. pink photoshopped Miami Vice sky. Or maybe just to match his shirt
7. dusty windshield (this will be no surprise to tamiflu)
8. scratched paint on left side of front bumper
9. hot babe by side of car appears to be his wife Renata, which completely negates intended sleaze factor

Also, how cute is his little boy now??? (see my icon) I can't believe he's big enough to be riding around on a little tricycle. I wonder if Petr is reminded of all the times he had to help Jason Arnott put his helmet on. *sniffle*

OMG, I lost a pint of ice cream in my apartment. Not only do I 1) not have ice cream, I 2) am concerned that I'm going to have to find this by its eventual smell...

[Edit: I PUT IT IN THE FUCKING MICROWAVE. I don't even know what to say.]

I posted this Lincecum quote yesterday: "I'm going to have Matt Cain put a leash around my neck and keep me in my room."

Matty's response? "I've got a 3-foot leash. We'll keep an eye on him."

I was at work from 9.30 AM to 8.30 PM yesterday. *weeps*

I was starving but too sleepy/tired to get food so I popped a couple handfuls of granola and settled into bed to watch the home run derby... only to find that my cable box had been on the fritz and I got 4 hours of an error message on the screen. :( :( :(

So how was it? Pretty good? From the reaction on ESPN this morning I don't think anything Josh Hamliton spectacular happened so I guess I didn't miss too much. Hope the cable box doesn't flake out today.

I think the NL is going to get owned by the AL today. Again.

Timmy is going to be the NL starter for the All-Star Game. :)

Okay, so I did an actual spit take when I read this quote from Timmy:

Maybe I'll get [fellow Giants All-Star Matt] Cain to put a leash on me and keep me in my room.

!!!!!!

You know, the nice thing about Zito starts is that it's enjoyable whether he wins or loses. He gave up not one, but two 3-run homers! I guess somebody already went on break. I was impressed that he can throw from the edge of right field to the the edge of left field in warm ups, though.

It was a beautiful day at the park, though, warm and sunny and it was completely packed. People (like me) like free shit.



This makes me laugh hysterically. Then I start weeping.

The program I bought today was really good! Mostly because it's all about the pitchers, and I lurve the pitchers.

Matt Cain (unlike fucking Brian Wilson and Barry Zito) lives in the city! He has a house in Noe Valley with his fiancee. Apparently they moved to Marin but then missed the city, so they moved back. <3 <3 <3

They asked the starters to describe each other, and this is what they said:

Tim Lincecum
Cain: "Unorthodox"
Zito: "Loose" :( :( :( :( :( :(

Matt Cain
Zito: "Competitive"
Sanchez: "Cy Young"
Lincecum: "Corn-fed" OMG they love each other so much!

Barry Zito
Cain: "Rhythm guy" I don't quite know what that means but it upsets me.
Sanchez: "Smart" Oh no, he sounds like a Zeetling.
Lincecum: "Out there" *chortles*

Jonathan Sanchez
Cain: "Effortless" Matty is such a sweetie.
Zito: "Suave" Err, Rico Suave?
Lincecum: "Filthy" Again, uncomfortable.

Then there was an entire article about relievers, which can be summed up by Affeldt: "Bullpen guys tend to be a little bit... crazier." There was also something from Brian Wilson, where he demonstrates his ability to be a sensitive jackass:

"We get trashed nonstop in LA," says closer Brian Wilson. "We're told that each and every one of us is the worst pitcher in the world. Well, there's only one pitcher who can be the worst, so who is it? It doesn't bother me because I know I'm not the worst. Now come up with something better. So I have a Mohawk that looks like a mullet. Awesome. Well, that's not conducive to my pitching bad. What else do you have?"

So Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter last night.

A no-hitter is amazing enough, but there were just so many crazy things about it that made it even more amazing.

1. Tim Lincecum was interviewed on Chronicle Live before the game and he was asked whether he thought he'd ever pitch a no hitter, and he answered that he certainly thought he was capable of doing it, but then remarked that it's always the "unsung hero" types who do it!!!!!!!!! WTF psychic!Lincecum. (I'm going to upload this interview to YouTube soon. He kinda' slashes himself with Matt Cain in it, which makes me squeak and whimper at the same time)
   
2. Sanchez was kicked out of the rotation for being inconsistent. He only started yesterday because Randy Johnson's injured. I just wanted him to have a respectable showing so he wouldn't be punted again and I was a little nervous for him.
   
3. He had a record of 2-8 and I think his ERA was... over 7 when he started that game.
   
4. Bengie Molina's wife went into labour so he left to be with her yesterday and Eli Whiteside had to take his place at the last minute. He's this 29 year old minor leaguer type who only had 9 major league starts before this season.
   
5. Sanchez's dad flew in from Puerto Rico to watch his start. It was the first time he'd ever watched his son start in the majors.
   
6. Aaron Rowand leaped and crashed into the wall, saving what could have been a home run for the second out in the 9th inning.
   
7. He was one Uribe error away from a perfect game.
   
8. EVERYONE hugged him after the game was over. EVERYONE. Even Amy G. lastcatastrophe you are totally right. Amy was just about crying when she interviewed him.
   
9. But the best part is when his dad came down to the dugout and hugged and kissed him and they both cried.

It's mostly sleep deprivation making me weak, but I bawled like a baby when the game ended, even before he and his dad hugged. like I was seriously sobbing.

I have never seen him pitch like that before. I mean, I don't think he ever has. He's never had a shutout in the majors. Never had a complete game. He threw so many good breaking balls. It's like he was possessed or something. I don't expect him to be anywhere as good in his next start, but I do hope he's gained the confidence and some knowledge about how to be consistent and that he can stay in the rotation. :)

In a complete haze right now, haven't gotten a full night's sleep most of the past 2 weeks. *giggles deliriously*

Weekend was good! Went to a Giants game on the 4th with lastcatastrophe and Ellery. It was a day game and a TIMMY start and he was AWESOME. Then we played Rock Band at my place which was sadly devastated by a contact lens solution mishap.

I've been playing Westward III which is like... a simplistic Warcraft 3 with more adventure game elements set in pioneer times. I love the whole pioneer cowboy Wild West thing in general so... it may be partly responsible for my haze. :P

Random sports-related things:

• Apparently in an interview Tiger Woods said he doesn't like to be called African-American. He said in an interview when he was at Stanford that if forced to choose, he'd say he's Asian because he's mostly Asian. But he lets the world call him black because (my opinion) awesome black golfer = 10X the endorsements of awesome Asian golfer, and hey, making that choice makes him pretty Asian. :P
  
• Saw the above on ESPN First Take, which I kinda' like because it's full of fluffy interviews, like the one I saw the next day. They showed all this footage of Heath Bell pitching and I thought, "OMG what a fat fuck." Then the interviewer was like "Congratulations on losing 25 pounds!" and I was all !!! what did he look like before??? Turns out his daughter got a Wii Fit, and the Wii Fit basically called him a fat fuck so he got mad and played it a bunch and lost 25 pounds. ESPN First Take is awesome.
  
• When Randy Johnson first saw Lincecum in person he thought he looked like a Jonas Brother. Randy Johnson obviously has daughters.
  
• Brian Wilson referred to Zito as "Baron von Zeethausen". *throws up*
  
• Boosh aka the man I want to marry wasn't re-signed by San Jose, but he's back in Philly where I think he has a chance to start. :) I knew that he probably wouldn't stay with us too long, which is why I didn't get his jersey (I would have, otherwise!) but I'm happy we had him as long as we did. I think all of my future husbands are no longer in my time zone. :( Unless I've forgotten one. I don't have a very good memory.
  
• Someone who was re-signed and whose jersey I do have is Ryane Clowe. :D We have him for another 4 years. I was slightly concerned because there was rumoured interest from other teams, so that was definitely good news.
  
• I'm bereft of future husbands right now so I was eyeing Joe Martinez playing the piano on Life of Brian and thinking, hmm he's really sweet... which is RIDICULOUS because I've never even seen him pitch in a game. All I really know about him is that he was hit very hard in the head by a baseball. He might be taking over Randy Johnson's next start so we'll see whether he's future husband material or not.
  
• Joolzie linked me to Sharks players photoshopped as animals. I laughed way more than I should have. I love the Vlasiraptor. :D

I haven't gotten really weepy or anything over Boosh because I knew it wasn't a given that he'd be re-signed and no hockey is being played right now so it's not like one day he's here and one day he's gone. But I know one day I'll see some old highlights and or watch some old games or Shark Bytes and see him and think, we had him and it was great, and I'll get weepy. I hope he does well in Philly this time around. :)

So last week while I was in the OC (bitch) Jenny told me that they put this 22 foot tall poster of Matt Cain on the wall of the building next to our office.

So now basically I have a giant (Giant?) poster of Matt Cain STARING DIRECTLY AT ME THROUGH MY WINDOW all day. Actually, he stares at you no matter where you are in the office. Jenny is creeped out.

It's also the best picture taken of him in history. I don't know if they experimented with 12 billion angles and then photoshopped the hell out of it, but he actually looks borderline attractive. I will take a photo tomorrow. :)

Zito pitched a really good game yesterday! He had 8 strikeouts, which is a lot for him, and he had a no hitter going into the 7th inning. But then, as the announcer said, with one pitch he lost the no hitter, the shutout and the lead cos' he gave up a 2 run homer. :P Cue to many disgusted expressions on Zito in the bottom of the 7th, haha. But then someone scored a run for him and he got the win. Perhaps he gave the mark of Cain (i.e. zero run support) back to Matty, who gave up only 1 run on Saturday yet didn't get the win.

Brian Wilson seems to be back to "normal". He's still awfully fond of the three and two count and sometimes goes wild but he's calmed down a lot and gets the outs that he needs.

So I guess I'm a Giants fan now. Or something. I thought the Bay Bridge series was going to be the test and I was rooting for the Giants in all three games. Losing Haren from the A's really broke my heart goddamnit!!! :P

I do love the park, though, and I love San Francisco, and San Francisco loves the Giants. I still have some issues with the team, I guess the wealth and pretentiousness, but you know, SF is kinda' wealthy and pretentious. I watched these boys grow up a little together and that always gets me. *sigh*

Hmm, this was supposed to just be a post about the fact that I now have Matt Cain watching me all day so I think I'll end here. :P

I shrieked and babbled endlessly at Tammy on Friday over the phone so it's possible I have nothing left to say. (Or it may be that I've forgotten everything by now. My memory doesn't go back that far!)

( Not so much pro-Pens as pro-Petr )

Mostly, I'd been concerned over the past few years, especially with all of the Finals losses, that he would never ever get to raise the Cup. But he did. :D :D :D

I'm totally in tears right now. May post more about this later, but... I am so happy for Petr.

Wow, Brian Wilson did not suck tonight. *gasp* I do have kind of a grudging respect though that even when he was overthrowing madly all over the place and loading the bases he was still able to get saves. Zito was great for 4 innings then crapped out in the 5th, in other words he was classic Zito.

Apparently Zito still has his own house but has a room at Brian Wilson's place because it's nearer to the GG Bridge. I'm not sure if this makes me feel better or worse. It's like if they're just living together, it's just two idiots in a house, but when Zito has his own place and a room at Brian's, it brings in this whole weird dynamic of like the gf who won't commit and has to have her escape route.

I don't know why I just made Zito the girl in the relationship.

Petr Sykora's Season is Over

I just about died when he blocked that shot last night.

This brings my interest in Game 7 back down to tepid.

One roster change and it's totally different for me. I am so excited for Game 7. :D And I just heard something that says Alex Smith is "surging" in 49ers mini-camp??? I desperately want him to win back the #1 position. I might even take our learning disability QB over Shaun Hill or uhh... umm... I can't remember the other chump we had last year.

I never ever ever ever wanted to hear the words "Crosby wanted Malkin in the worst way". Seriously. I don't need to hear Emrick reciting what sounds like badfic. :(

Kruk and Kuip (especially Kruk) are starting to bother me. :( I get irritated by cutesy baseball nicknames for stuff that happens and Kruk has it coming out of his ass. And he always makes baseball players sound like they're doing the most amazing things in the world and it's like... okay, he threw a ball in a straight line. I much prefer the really mellow kind of baseball announcer who sounds like they're just loving and enjoying every aspect of how comfy and lazy and sunny (most of the time) and American baseball is. :P

Petr in, Miro out, OMG I CAN'T BREATHE.

Home right now so I can watch it live and in HD. Was thinking that maybe I would watch Marian raise the Cup but now I'm thinking oh man maybe I'm going to watch Petr win the game in OT or something. OMG OMG OMG.

Pretty good game yesterday. The nice thing about the games being on NBC is the HD. I was even able to tune Emrick out mostly! The Pens looked like they could have taken their play to a higher level. Part of it was the Wings playing good defense but they also seemed like they were holding back a bit. The Pens need to take advantage of the fact they're healthier by jus going all out.

Turned on CSN CA this morning and some guys were discussing what it would take for the 49ers to get Michael Vick. It's an exciting prospect just because we need a QB. I would still like Alex Smith to be the guy and maybe he could still be eventually but not really holding my breath for that. Vick has problems beyond "just" the dogfighting thing, but if he stays out of trouble and gets close to the level he played at in Atlanta? Wow.

So I finally watched Life of Brian and it's pretty much one of the best things ever. He is forgiven for many things for this. However, he did get me at Rock Band. *siiiiigh* I was enjoying the show and he was giving a tour of the house and started talking about "Barry's room" at which point I screamed "FUCK!", paused the show and turned the TV off. Completely by reflex. It's not bad enough they lived together in the off-season they have to do it now too? WTF happened to Barry's "serious" gf? Did they break up? He posted some weird emo thing to Twitter a while back but I thought that was just him attempting to sound deep and philosophical.

*ahem* Anyway, if you want to watch it, even if it's just for Zito's room (which has "pillars" in it), video is here.

If you're not watching it, let me summarize:

• Brian Wilson is a ninja with the metabolism of a field mouse.


• He covets Zito's shower because it is fully glassed in and his only has half glass. He says Zito likes to take baths. Brian doesn't like to take baths. He says it's because he wasn't raised on baths. What he really means is that he thinks baths are gay.


• He declares in the morning that it's not going to rain. Then it rains like a mofo.


• He has Odwalla in his fridge. :D Or maybe that's Zito's. Hmm.


• HE PLAYS ROCK BAND. Expert guitar on Mississippi Queen, Say It Ain't So and Enter Sandman, which are relatively easy songs on guitar. HE DOES NOT ALT-STRUM. His buddy plays drums on hard. I don't blame him.

So I was already in somewhat of a state when abby20 channeling joolzie told me about the following updates from Allan Walsh, Petr Sykora's agent:

Got a call from client Petr Sykora. He was out today in Pitt and a copperhead rattlesnake jumped out from a stairway and almost bit him.
Apparently, copperheads are quite common in Pitt. Scared the hell out of him!

Seriously, I am light-headed right now. I can't think of a more Petr thing to happen.

I find myself in the exact opposite position I was last year when I thought the Red Wings were going to win but wanted the Penguins to win. The difference this year is that Marian is a Red Wing and I doubt Petr will be playing in the SCF at all. I mean, I'm sure he'd be happy for the Pens to win, but to win the Cup twice and not ever be able to skate around with it? :(

There's only one factor in my pick, but it's a big one--injuries. The Red Wings seem wounded enough that they're not going to win. *sigh* Hopefully they're not as wounded as I think they are, but I don't think Datsyuk, Draper and Lidstrom would be missing games with the sniffles.

Had a wonderful dream last night where I was making out with Noah Lowry (as opposed to gross people who I've managed to block out completely). It was very nice up until the point he blew me off to... study? :( I guess I was making out with college!Lowry. Anyway, still nice. :)