Urban: Saturday Musings from PETCO Park

Sept. 11, 2010
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Mychael UrbanCSNBayArea.com

SAN DIEGO --Quick turnaround from Friday nights thriller to Saturdays afternoon tilt, buttheres been plenty to keep an active and engaged mind busy. To witUpon arrivingat the team hotel at about 12:30 last night, the plan was to go upstairs, dropoff my computer, take off my coat and tie and head back down to mingle withsome of the many Giants fans chillin in the lobby and at the lobby bar. Then Istepped into the elevator, with Jeremy Affeldt right behind me, and steppedinto a miniature lake of vomit. Never made it back downstairs.And youthought life on the road was glamorous.MadisonBumgarner was terrific Saturday, but Yorvit Torrealba just wont leave theGiants alone. Jose Guillenshould get Sunday off. The Giants are off Monday, and they need to do whateverthey can to make his legs feel even the slightest bit better. Tim Flannery madethe right call stopping Guillen at third on Juan Uribes second-inning single,but only because Guillen is moving so poorly. His bat offsets the lack of speedfor now, but with the next three Mondays off, Guillen should have the nextthree Sundays off, too. Padres setupman Mike Adams is ridiculous. Cheese at the knees, late sink on the two-seamer,command all over the zone; who gets hits off this guy? Not Mike Fontenot, wholooked like a 12-year-old who stumbled into a College World Series game whenAdams struck him out in the eighth inning.Nothing morelame than a crowd all of a sudden exploding in sound at the prompting of ascoreboard message. Either youre moved by the game or youre not. If you needsome nudging, youre faking it. If you want meto take Chris Rose seriously as a national baseball announcer, you better comeup with some footage of him dominating a game -- any game, any sport -- atleast at the high school level. No way that tape exists. Not saying youhave to have been an athlete to excel in broadcasting; I doubt that Bob Costasown a lettermans jacket, for instance. But come on. Chris Rose? Knock it off. Brian Wilsonwas told not to swing at anything Friday night, according to manager BruceBochy. Wilson said he didnt even know the take sign. Heres a pretty simplesolution to avoid those pesky double plays: Yell from the dugout, Hey, Brian!DONT SWING AT ANYTHING, OK BUDDY? NOTHING. GOT IT? Cody Rossmight be the happiest guy Ive ever met. He never stops smiling. Ever. Alwaysrefreshing to see a professional athlete who understands how wildly fortunatehe or she is to be doing what they do. Tim Lincecumvs. Mat Latos on a sunny Sunday afternoon in San Diego? That should bring outthe Cody Ross in all of us.