Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
After the Giants losing streak reached 11 games, Joe Castellano gave his thoughts on what the ball club should do to improve in 2019. Our special guest is Boston Red Sox scout Gary Hughes, who is a Bay Area native. Here’s what he told The Sports Virus on Inside China Basin about Pablo Sandoval:
“He’s still a talented guy and it didn’t work. To our credit we ate the whole (contract) and that was a big meal. That’s why we are where we are now. We didn’t sit and hold onto that contract and keep hoping something would happen. We just went out and made something else happen.“
Welcome to the SF 49ers EXTRApodcast on TheSportsVirus.com!
Every Tuesday during the NFL season we chat with former 49ers QB Steve Bono. Today we talk to Steve about the 49ers season opening loss in Minnesota, the first loss of Jimmy Garoppolo’s career.
Bono spent 14 seasons in the NFL. He had a 5-1 record in his 6 Niners starts and finished his career 28-14 overall.
Bono talked about his expectations for this season: “I hope we’re 10-6, but if we’re 9-7 or 8-8 I think that’s pretty realistic…I believe we’ll be competitive in every game.”
Niners QB CJ Beathard will also be our regular guest throughout the season and he is scheduled to join us on Tuesday after the week 2 game vs Detroit. Thanks so much for listening!
Check out our other Podcasts all year long. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS EXTRA is also available on ITUNES.
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
Former Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong’s journey to the AT&T Park Wall of Fame is a story of great perseverance and determination. Now, he is passing on his knowledge to SF pitchers as a roving instructor. Recently he helped turn around the fortunes of RHP Chris Stratton. Here’s what he told The Sports Virus on Inside China Basin on Thursday morning:
“He was getting a little rotational and coming off the ball a little bit and that does two things, it’ll make the ball flatten out, it’ll make it cut. The biggest thing for me when you do that is the hitter sees the ball early…I just talked to him about two little keys that helped me stay on line and hide the ball.“
Vogey also reminisced about dreams coming true in a Giants uniform:
“There’s probably not a day that I wake up now and kinda look at myself in the mirror and I’ll see a picture on the wall and I kind of don’t believe that’s me in those pictures. I know it happened, but it doesn’t seem possible that it happened.”
Brewers and Turner Sports TV voice Brian Anderson is also our guest, setting us up for the Giants series in Milwaukee this weekend. Even though San Francisco has dropped out the pennant race, Anderson still has a lot of respect for the Giants organization:
“The Giants are one of the gold standard organizations in baseball and it’s been a few down years here, but I think it’s gotta be 5 or 6 down years for people around the game including me to look at the Giants in any other way than this is a first class organization that has not made great decisions on players here recently, but made so many great decisions that they’re still way ahead of the game in that regard. I don’t question anything the Giants do.“
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
KCBS Sports Updates anchor Bruce Macgowan joins us to talk about the Giants season. We examine the young players on the current Giants roster and talk about what the future might look like at AT&T Park:
“I don’t think the Giants are going to be back as a contender next year. I think it’s going to be a couple of years. The fans around here, some people are impatient, let’s tear the whole thing down. That’s sort of the impulsive, fan reaction that unfortunately pervades a lot of times and sometimes there’s some legitimacy to that, but I just don’t think that’s going to work with this organization because you don’t have a lot of pieces that you can put out there and get a lot in return.“
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
Sacramento River Cats play-by-play announcer Johnny Doskow joins us to recap the AAA season for the Giants Pacific Coast League affiliate. We evaluate the best San Francisco prospects at the top level of the minor leagues, including recently promoted Chris Shaw who hit 24 home runs this season, flexing his muscles on shots in all directions:
“I’ve seen home runs to left center, down the left field line. We saw one the other day 458 feet to deep right center, so it’s to all fields. It’s massive power. He’s got that big bat and he can crush it. I’d like to see what happens his first two weeks up there because that’s when a guy gets really hot sometimes and he’s really going to show the Giants fans.”
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
Ray Woodson joins us to look ahead at what the Giants needs will be for the 2019 season. Brandon Belt’s future with the club was a focus:
“Belt’s been one of the very best defensively at first base in the Major Leagues this year. He’s very inconsistent with his bat, he’s very streaky. The year ends, the numbers are there…He’s also got a contract that I don’t think is egregious. There are teams that look at Belt and say, hey he could hit 30 home runs at our place. So, you’ve got to look at possibly dealing him.“
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
New York based talk show host Seth Everett joins us to talk about the Giants situation, Barry Bonds and the state of Major League baseball. Everett is troubled by the lack of action in the game today and he is concerned about the future of the sport:
“I firmly believe that our generation is the last generation that really cares (about baseball)…I’m 44. When I am 75 years old, I don’t think the 50-year-olds and the 40-year-olds who are now in their 10’s and 20’s are going to give a crap. It’s alarming …This sport is missing something. They talk about all of these relief pitchers that throw 100 miles an hour, that’s not entertaining.”
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
Ray Woodson joins us to assess the wreckage after the Giants were swept over the weekend in Cincinnati:
“…It’s just not happening…They’re not mathematically eliminated yet, but whatever spark they had in LA died in Cincinnati. They not only lost, they got boat raced. They not only were not hitting, they weren’t making solid contact. That was up and down the lineup. They looked like a very tired team.”
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
New York Times baseball writer Tyler Kepner gives his thoughts on the Giants and the NL West and we talk about his Thursday story detailing an alarming strikeout rate in MLB and the possibility of K’s surpassing hits this season. Click to read Tyler Kepner’s story
We talk about his new book, K: A History Of Baseball In 10 Pitches, which has some interesting references to Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner and former Giants pitcher Gaylord Perry.
We also go down on the farm again with Augusta Green Jackets play-by-play announcer Joe Laurendi and Melissa Lockard from The Athletic joins us to talk about the entire Giants minor league system.
In his book, Kepner focused Madison Bumgarner:
“…I go really deep into the final pitch of the ’14 World Series and the sequence to Sal Perez and why Bumgarner went only fastballs there, why he didn’t try anything else and why his fastball even though he doesn’t throw it 97 is so good and why it was the only pitch that he relied on in that whole at bat.”
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
Ray Woodson joins us to talk about game 1 of the Giants/Dodgers series. We analyze the Giants 9th inning comeback and decisions made by managers Bruce Bochy and Dave Roberts. Just when Brandon Belt is set to make his return, the Giants might be without Brandon Crawford, who is going through concussion protocol. Plus, a little follow up on Barry Bonds’ number retirement ceremony.
Joe Panik was also a topic of conversation. Joe Castellano said he looked like he was “perpetually seething” sitting on the bench. Ray stated the importance of his presence:
“…It’s been an injury-plagued season…You could just see he was grinding, he was chewing nails. He should be in there, that’s what he’s thinking. He’s an every day player and to have to sit against a lefty, especially in a marquee game like this against (Clayton) Kershaw, it’s got to hurt your pride…This is a guy they’re absolutely going to need to have and be right down the stretch if they have any hope of making the playoffs.”
Join us again Thursday when Tyler Kepner from the New York Times is our guest. Plus we will check on the Giants farm system with Melissa Lockard from The Athletic and hear from Augusta broadcaster Joe Laurendi.
Check out our other Podcasts all year long. INSIDE CHINA BASIN is also available on ITUNES.
what the ball club should do to improve in 2019. Our special guest is Boston Red Sox scout Gary Hughes, who is a Bay Area native. Here’s what he told The Sports Virus on Inside China Basin about Pablo Sandoval:
work. To our credit we ate the whole (contract) and that was a big meal. That’s why we are where we are now. We didn’t sit and hold onto that contract and keep 
hoping something would happen. We just went out and made something else happen.“
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Every Tuesday during the NFL season we chat with former 49ers QB Steve Bono. Today we talk to Steve about the 49ers season opening loss in Minnesota, the first loss of Jimmy Garoppolo’s career.
Niners QB CJ Beathard will also be our regular guest throughout the season and he is scheduled to join us on Tuesday after the week 2 game vs Detroit. Thanks so much for listening!
“He was getting a little rotational and coming off the ball a little bit and that does two things, it’ll make the ball flatten out, it’ll make it cut. The biggest thing for me when you do that is the hitter sees the ball early…I just talked to him about two little keys that helped me stay on line and hide the ball.
up now and kinda look at myself in the mirror and I’ll see a picture on the wall and I kind of don’t believe that’s me in those pictures. I know it happened, but it doesn’t seem possible that it happened.”
Brewers and Turner Sports TV voice Brian Anderson is also our guest, setting us up for the Giants series in Milwaukee this weekend. Even though San Francisco has dropped out the pennant race, Anderson still has a lot of respect for the Giants organization:
few down years here, but I think it’s gotta be 5 or 6 down years for people around the game including me to look at the Giants in any other way than this is a first class organization that has not made great decisions on players here recently, but made so many great decisions that they’re still way ahead of the game in that regard. I don’t question anything the Giants do.
“I don’t think the Giants are going to be back as a contender next year. I think it’s going to be a couple of years. The fans around here, some people are impatient, let’s tear the whole thing down. That’s sort of the impulsive, fan reaction that 
unfortunately pervades a lot of times and sometimes there’s some legitimacy to that, but I just don’t think that’s going to work with this organization because you don’t have a lot of pieces that you can put out there and get a lot in return.
“I’ve seen home runs to left center, down the left field line. We saw one the other day 458 feet to deep right center, so it’s to all fields. It’s massive power. He’s got that big bat and he can crush it. I’d like to see what happens his
first two weeks up there because that’s when a guy gets really hot sometimes and he’s really going to show the Giants fans
“Belt’s been one of the very best defensively at first base in the Major Leagues this year. He’s very inconsistent with his bat, he’s very streaky. The year ends, the numbers are there…He’s also got a contract that I don’t think is egregious. 
There are teams that look at Belt and say, hey he could hit 30 home runs at our place. So, you’ve got to look at possibly dealing him.
Join us again Friday when Sacramento River Cats play-by-play announcer Johnny Doskow joins us to talk about the Giants AAA affiliate.
“I firmly believe that our generation is the last generation that really cares (about baseball)…I’m 44. When I am 75 years old, I don’t think the 50-year-olds and the 40-year-olds who are now in their 
10’s and 20’s are going to give a crap. It’s alarming …This sport is missing something
Cincinnati. They not only lost, they got boat raced. They not only were not hitting, they weren’t making solid contact. That was up and down the lineup. They looked like a very tired team
Join us again Wednesday when Seth Everett from iHeart Radio joins us to talk about the Giants/Mets series.
We talk about his new book, K: A History Of Baseball In 10 Pitches, which has some interesting references to Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner and former Giants pitcher Gaylord Perry.
We also go down on the farm again with Augusta Green Jackets play-by-play announcer Joe Laurendi 
and Melissa Lockard from The Athletic joins us to talk about the entire Giants minor league system.
Sal Perez and why Bumgarner went only fastballs there, why he didn’t try anything else and why his fastball even though he doesn’t throw it 97 is so good and why it was the only pitch that he relied on in that whole at bat
the Giants 9th inning comeback and decisions made by managers Bruce Bochy and Dave Roberts. Just when Brandon Belt is set to make his return, the
Giants might be without Brandon Crawford, who is going through concussion protocol. Plus, a little follow up on Barry Bonds’ number retirement ceremony.
grinding, he was chewing nails. He should be in there, that’s what he’s thinking. He’s an every day player and to have to sit against a lefty, especially in a marquee game like this against (Clayton) Kershaw, it’s got to hurt your pride…This is a guy they’re absolutely going to need to have and be right down the stretch if they have any hope of making the playoffs