The Lunatic Fringe

I say it with love, but come on, the dude’s a little bug-faced.

Okay, maybe not exactly, but there’s kind of a bug-eyed look to him, and then you’ve got all those long limbs and a bit of a out-of-his-head persona…  And it’s not like it’s an insult.  We’ve already got one guy who resembles a character from Kung-Fu Panda, and wasn’t Mantis one of the funnier characters from that movie as well?

This is completely separate from the fact that he hasn’t lived up to any level of expectations as a Giant. He’s starting to come alive finally, as he’s on a nine-game hit streak, and has three extra-base hits in the last four games.  He hasn’t been completely clutch, or white-hot (seven of the nine games in that streak have been just one hit), but at least he’s getting on-base.

But, seriously, the guy is all arms and legs.  Grant from McCovey Chronicles once memorably described him running as “like a dryer filled with wrenches aboard a shuttle launch,” which is one of the best descriptions I’ve ever heard about anyone.

So it seems to make sense that bug hats might just join pandas and giraffes and great white sharks at AT&T Park…except that it makes sense that they don’t.  Giants fans would have to draw the line somewhere.

Still, I’m kind of waiting for Space Ghost to come down and zap him with those wrist bands…

On an entirely separate note, if you aren’t going to the SF Giants game tonight, come on down to San Jose and watch the San Jose Giants in their only home playoff game in the first-round of the California League Playoffs.  The Giants are bringing up Clayton Blackburn to pitch.  If you don’t know who he is, he was arguably the best pitcher in the system this year down in Low-A Augusta, with a 2.54 ERA in 22 starts, and 143 strikeouts and 18 walks in 131 1/3 innings.  Don’t get too excited, it was at a very pitcher-friendly environment in Augusta.  He was our #10 prospect in the pre-season rankings…mostly on cool name.  Still, it’s playoff baseball and a top prospect making his California debut.  Come check it out!