Persuasive Essay: Will the Giants Win the World Series Again?

Yes I think the S.F. Giants will win the World Series once again. One of the coolest things about professional sports is witnessing a team catch lightning in a bottle and captivate America with an unlikely championship run.  The 2010 San Francisco Giants were a prime example of this as they dropped the Atlanta Braves, NL-juggernaut Philadelphia Phillies and American League champion Texas Rangers in succession to claim the Giants’ first World Series trophy since 1954.

The experience the Giants’ young arms gained in 2010, while pitching on the biggest stage the game has to offer, may propel them to be even more unhittable in 2011.  Lincecum will have his new toy, a slider he started using and dominating with last September, for a full season.  The Giants will have key arms in Bumgarner (June call-up), Ramirez and Lopez (July trades) for a full year in 2011, which could help immensely as well.  Remember that the Giants broke camp last year with Todd Wellemeyer as the number 5 starter.  If Cain and Sanchez can have similar years to 2010 or take another step forward, the Giants will boast a starting rotation that no team will want to face in the playoffs.  Yes, I am talking to you Phillies.  Lets not forget Brian Wilson will again be throwing 98 MPH darts in the ninth inning.

While the Giants failed to add major pieces to their lineup in the offseason, it appears that they may actually have a much more potent lineup in 2011 than they did at the start of 2010.  They will get a full year of  Ross, Torres and Burrell, and an in-shape Sandoval, which should help bring much-needed balance and stability.  The Giants will lose some power by replacing Uribe with Tejada, but Tejada should make more contact, and put more pressure on opposing team’s pitching and defense.

While team chemistry may be one of the most over-hyped attributes in all of sports, it seems to be a key winning formula in baseball.  Whether it’s the “We are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates of 1979 or the “Cowboy Up” Boston Red Sox of 2004, teams that are close and quirky seem to win World Series trophies.  The 2010 Giants were no exception, being a team littered with black beards, rally thongs and panda bears.  Free agent departures Uribe and Renteria were great in the clubhouse (especially amongst the Latin-born players) but Miguel Tejada should fill that void as well as showcase his patented spotlight hand signal after a big hit.  The Giants should have no problem matching their 2010 chemistry and will come into 2011 with a World Series champion’s swagger.

7 months ago  /  0 notes

Expository Essay History of Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds hit 762 home runs in his major league career, surpassing Hank Aaron to become the man with the most home runs in American baseball history. Barry Bonds is also the single-season home run champ: he hit 73 during the 2001 season, passing Mark McGwire for that record. Barry Bonds was famous for his strength and all-purpose talent; The Sporting News named Bonds the top player of the 1990s, and he was voted the National League’s most valuable player an unprecedented seven times: in 1990, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Bonds played left field for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986-1992, after which he became a free agent and signed with the San Francisco Giants. In his banner season of 2001 he outdid McGwire (who hit 70 homers in 1998) and sluggers of the past like Babe Ruth (60 homers in 1927) and Roger Maris(61 in 1961). Despite his heroics at the plate, Barry Bonds often had strained relations with the press and with fans, gaining a reputation for being aloof and unfriendly to reporters. Bonds also was dogged by accusations that he used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs late in his career. He was tangled up in a 2003 grand jury investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) and his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, over the use of steroids. Bonds testified he had unknowingly used steroid products, and Anderson did jail time rather than testify against Bonds. Based on his testimony in that case, Bonds was indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice in November of 2007, just weeks after announcing his departure from the Giants for the 2008 season, which eventually turned into his retirement. He was convicted of one count of obstruction of justice by a jury in April 2011.

Barry Bonds is the son of Bobby Bonds, a major league player from 1968-81… Bonds batted and threw left-handed, and wore #25… Barry Bonds joined the elite 40-40 club in 1996, hitting 42 home runs and stealing 40 bases… He hit his 715th career home run on 28 May 2006, surpassing Babe Ruth for second on the all-time American homer list, right behind Hank Aaron; then he passed Aaron by hitting his 756th major league home run on 7 August 2007… Slugger Sadaharu Oh hit 868 homers during his career (1959-80) with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan’s major leagues, making him the worldwide home run leader. Despite the common nickname of Giants, the San Francisco and Yomiuri teams are not related.

7 months ago  /  0 notes

Baseball Bat Review

I will be reviewing one of the best alliminum baseball bats. The Louisville Slugger TPX Omaha has been the go-to bat for thousands of players for over a decade. Named after the site of the College World Series, it’s only fitting that the TPX Omaha has evolved into one of the best college and high school legal bats on the market. The TPX Omaha will undoubtedly surpass your expectations for what a BBCOR bat can do. Made from Louisville Slugger’s classic ST+20 Alloy, the TPX Omaha will provide the long-lasting and consistently solid performance that its fans have become accustomed to. The TPX Omaha has a one-piece construction with a stiff handle that allows more barrel flex to give players greater trampoline effect and higher performance on every swing. The bat is topped off with a Pro Cup Endcap that locks energy in the barrel to give players even more explosive hits. The TPX Omaha is BBCOR Certified and legal for High School and College play. If you bat happens to break on you within 12 months after the purchase you get a breand new one free of charge from most stores and online shops.

8 months ago  /  0 notes

Narrative Essay

I was about eight or nine and I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to see my favorite team play. My parents took me to see my first baseball game. I remember it very clearly, the Oakland A’s were playing the Los Angles Angles in Oakland. The Oakland A’s were my favorite team at the time, and my favorite pitcher, Barry Zito, was on the mound that day. He is on the Giants right now but when he was on the A’s he was part of a fantastic trio of pitchers which included Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson.

When I arrived at the stadium I was amazed to see how big it was. My parents did not care about baseball that much, the only reason they took me was because I begged and pleaded for weeks. When my parents haded me my ticket to enter the stadium I felt like I was holding a million bucks. When I saw the field  my jaw dropped. ”The field looked so much smaller on the T.V.!” I shouted. The food made it so much better, I had a huge hot dog there loaded with toppings. The game went into extra innings and the A’s ended up winning. I was seated right above the home dugout and at the end of the game Barry Zito threw me a ball and later on I got it signed by Bobby Crosby. That was not the end of the night though it happened to be firework night on the same game. I was amazed by the explosions and I thought that was the best day of my life.

8 months ago  /  Notes