Forever Giants:1969 San Francisco Giants Year 12 (87)

1968 is here.

My WAR calculation is a combination of Baseball-reference and Clay Davenport; I believe it to be the "best" WAR number available for historical comparison. 8 WAR is an MVP quality season. The record is pythagorean adjusted for 162 games.

1969 89-73

C Dick Dietz 2.05 

1B Willie McCovey 7.75

2B Ron Hunt 3.85

SS Hal Lanier 1

3B Jim Davenport -.45 

LF Dave Marshall -.9

CF Willie Mays 2.4

RF Bobby Bonds 5.75 

OF Ken Henderson -.55

IF Dave Mason 0

LF Jim Ray Hart -.05 

C Jack Hiatt 1.9 

IF Tito Fuentes 1.1 

UT Bob Burda  -.1

3B Bobby Etheridge .1

C Bob Barton -1 

SP Gaylord Perry 6.05 

SP Juan Marichal 7.55 

SP Mike McCormick 2.45 

SP Bobby Bolin -.02 (15.4) Last season

SP Ray Sadecki  .2 

RP Frank Linzy  .6

-The leagues are broken up into divisions in Chub Feeney's last season as GM; Bonds has a 30/30 year; Mays, now 38, hits 140 career WAR; the Giants pythag record is over .500 every season since the move.  Bolin finishes up.  

Tendown February 8, 2015

Charles Haley's got not one, not two, not three....and is headed to Canton.

161 is here.  This is Tendown 162.

1. Seattle lost the third best SB of all time.  Brady's game is the 13th best ever. My MVP would have gone to Butler.  Here's the best analysis of (gasp) that call.  Have to admit, I hope it hurts.

2. The Republicans went anti vaccination this week.

3. You know how colleges have girls who help them recruit athletes, right?  You've seen any college sports movie in the last twenty years.  At Texas A&M, they get a twitter account.

4. Scott Walker has looked like a good investment for several weeks.  He's starting to talk about death threats.

5. There's a US Senator who thinks regulations that food service employees wash their hands are just too much of a burden.

6. Things, somehow, get worse for Lance.

7. Is Brian Williams gonna get walked out the door?

8. See if you can figure out why a US President today would never, ever say what Kennedy said in '62.

9. Don't be naive about cops.

10. Selma missed this, but here's LBJ, saying as true a thing about American politics as you will ever hear.

If you can convince the lowest white man that he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll even empty his pockets for you.

And one more...

U mad, bro?

That's all for this time.  I'll be back next time.  If there is a next time...

Your pal,

Jim

Forever Giants:1968 San Francisco Giants Year 11 (86)

1967 is here.

My WAR calculation is a combination of Baseball-reference and Clay Davenport; I believe it to be the "best" WAR number available for historical comparison. 8 WAR is an MVP quality season. The record is pythagorean adjusted for 162 games.

1968 90-72

C Dick Dietz 1 

1B Willie McCovey 6.6

2B Ron Hunt 4.8

SS Hal Lanier .25

3B Jim Ray Hart 2.8

LF Ty Cline -.85

CF Willie Mays 6.45 

RF Jesus Alou -.95

OF Bobby Bonds 2.4

3B Jim Davenport  -.25 

C Jack Hiatt 1.9 

OF Dave Marshall -.15

3B Frank Johnson -.1

C Bob Barton  .75

RF Ollie Brown  -.65 

SP Juan Marichal 5.75 

SP Gaylord Perry 5.05 

SP Ray Sadecki 2.25 

SP Mike McCormick -.55 

SP Bobby Bolin 4.45

RP Frank Linzy 2.3

-Bobby Bonds hits a grand slam in his debut; Gaylord no hits the Cards; following the season (and back to back 90 win pythags) Franks is replaced by an old Dodger pitcher, Clyde King. Jesus Alou is now in negative career WAR, staking his claim as one of the worst Giants of all time.  

Forever Giants:1967 San Francisco Giants Year 10 (85)

1966 is here.

My WAR calculation is a combination of Baseball-reference and Clay Davenport; I believe it to be the "best" WAR number available for historical comparison. 8 WAR is an MVP quality season.  The record is pythagorean adjusted for 162 games.

1967 93-69

C Tom Haller 3.95 (18.7) Last Season

1B Willie McCovey 5.35

2B Tito Fuentes 1.35 

SS Hal Lanier 2

3B Jim Ray Hart 5.25 

LF Jesus Alou -.35

CF Willie Mays 4.2 

RF Ollie Brown .8

IF Jim Davenport 3.2

OF Ken Henderson -.9 

1B Jack Hiatt 1.4

2B Bob Schroder .4

C Dick Dietz .8

OF Ty Cline .65

3B Bobby Etheridge -.05

SP Gaylord Perry 5.4

SP Mike McCormick 4.55

SP Juan Marichal 2.2

SP Ray Sadecki  3.2

RP Frank Linzy 4.1

RP Ron Herbel .65 

RP Bobby Bolin -1.35

-It took until he was 36, but this is the first season where Mays played the whole year where he wasn't the Giants best position player.  The Giants have their best season since they won the pennant. McCormick returns after five years away and slides right back in. This is it for Haller. 

Your Chance to Invest

So, I lost the Super Bowl for you this year, giving you Seattle +1.

Let me make it up to you by offering you Boyhood, -150, for Best Picture.

After the Globes, that number was about -800, giving you just no play at all, but given Birdman's SAG/PGA success, they're essentially co-favorites now.

I don't know if that stays true after this weekend's BAFTAs.  I think your last, best chance to get in on Boyhood is right now.