Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated once a week and celebrating its 12th season on TheSportsVirus.com!
On this week’s Inside China Basin San Francisco Giants podcast former SF reliever George Kontos takes us inside the Giants clubhouse to learn more about the personalities of All Stars Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey. He also analyzes why All Star Kevin Gausman has been dominating this season and gives his thoughts on Shohei Ohtani.
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
The Gold Glove left side of the Giants infield is back healthy and ready for a productive season. After injuries derailed SS Brandon Crawford and 3B Evan Longoria in 2018, they are poised to produce at previous career levels both at the plate and in the field.
Crawford told TheSportsVirus that a knee issue hindered his swing in the second half of last season and he had other problems:
“The biggest thing was swinging at good pitches…When you’re going through a little bit of a dry spell you start getting a little more anxious and you’re swinging at pitches that you that you don’t necessarily want to be swinging at and getting yourself out because of it.”
Longoria has developed a strategy for hitting at Oracle Park:
“You’ve just got to take your base hits here. It is a tough ballpark to leave the yard and it’s just an overall more difficult ballpark to hit in with the weather. I think it’s more about trying to grind through at bats here and hit line drives. It took me probably three quarters of the year to get into that mind set…I’m positive that I’ll be more comfortable stepping into the box in game one this year than I was last year and I think that will translate into some better production.”
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
USA Today reporter Jorge Ortiz is our guest from Washington, DC prior to the 2018 All Star game. We chat about Brandon Crawford’s first half success that led to him getting the nod as the starting shortstop for the National League. Jorge recently did a piece on Crawford’s NL double play partner Javier Baez. We also discuss the impact of the young players for the Giants so far this season. After the All Star game, Ortiz is moving over to the news department at USA Today. He spent 31 years as a sportswriter and the Giants celebrated his time covering the team with a tribute that included a cake and jersey (courtesy of Giants Senior Director of Broadcast Services Maria Jacinto).
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
For our final spring training podcast of 2018 we hear from the Giants double play combination of Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik at media day prior to the Cactus League. Plus conversations with RHP Cory Gearrin and C Aramis Garcia from Scottsdale, AZ.
We talk about the Giants struggles against the Padres, dealing with injuries to Brandon Crawford and Johnny Cueto and the end of the great career of Dodgers announcer Vin Scully with SF Chronicle Columnist John Shea.
Shea talked to The Sports Virus about the injuries to Brandon Crawford and Johnny Cueto against the Dodgers:
… “It’s just the wrong time for this to happen… It’s just not great for moral, not an emotional boost when you lose two key figures like that. But, on the positive side, neither is supposed to miss much time.”
We talk about the Giants offensive frustration with our regular guest SF Chronicle Columnist John Shea in part 2 of our conversation.
Shea tells The Sports Virus about anger on field:
… “They’re not handling it well because they’re not bouncing back from being in a hole. They’re not digging themselves out…(Eduardo) Nunez just rockets a ball to third base for the third out. So, he throws down his helmet. He kicks his helmet…(Buster) Posey threw a bat about 30 yards late in the game Sunday. He grounded sharply to shortstop, right at the guy and he just fired it towards the Giants dugout. The frustration angle is hitting everybody on this team.”
Major League Baseball Official Scorer Michael Duca joins us to analyze the Giants trade deadline moves and what they need to do to win the NL West.
The Sports Virus talked to Duca about the Giants acquiring Matt Moore from Tampa Bay:
… “When the Giants go shopping at the trade deadline, while everybody else heads off to Macy’s to see what’s available, the Giants go down and shop on Rodeo drive. They are only willing to look at young, proven talent that is under contract for an extended period of time or old guys who are cheap two month rentals. In Matt Moore’s case he’s under control for three more years at team prices or options that are very friendly.”
Our special guest to talk about the All Star game and the Giants is USA Today Reporter Jorge Ortiz.
Ortiz talked to The Sports Virus about Santiago Casilla:
… “If they don’t pick up an elite closer he’s going to be a critical guy so (Bruce) Bochy needs to keep riding him because what are his options otherwise? You could go matchup, but Javier Lopez has not had a good year, (Sergio) Romo just came off the DL, (Josh) Osich is very young-sometimes good, sometimes not so great, Hunter Strickland throws gas but he is a home-run-giving machine.”
We talk about the second half of the season for the Giants as our regular guest SF Chronicle Columnist John Shea joins us from San Diego in part 2 of our conversation.
The Sports Virus talked to Shea about San Francisco bench players coming through this season:
… “When (Hunter) Pence was lost last year the Giants were done. It was over. They never recovered from that. This year they lose him and don’t miss a beat and just roll into the All Star break…I think (Bruce) Bochy has a lot to do with this. It’s one of his best managerial efforts.”
We talk about the 2016 All Star Game as our regular guest SF Chronicle Columnist John Shea joins us from San Diego in part 1 of our conversation.
The Sports Virus talked to Shea about the All Star Game winning league getting home field advantage in the World Series:
… “I asked Buster Posey, if there is one thing you could change about this All Star Game and it’s process what would it be? He said, ‘We play our tail off for 162 games and you’re giving home field advantage for the World Series to the league that won an exhibition game back in July when most guys are playing no more than 3 innings.’ … “Once the game starts who knows if anybody thinks, ‘I’ve gotta get this hit’ or ‘I’ve gotta make this pitch.’ It’s ridiculous.”
On this week’s Inside China Basin San Francisco Giants podcast former SF reliever George Kontos takes us inside the Giants clubhouse to learn more about the personalities of All Stars Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey. He also analyzes why All Star Kevin Gausman has been dominating this season and gives his thoughts on Shohei Ohtani.
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The Gold Glove left side of the Giants infield is back healthy and ready for a productive season. After injuries derailed SS Brandon Crawford and 3B Evan Longoria 
in 2018, they are poised to produce at previous career levels both at the plate and in the field.
“The biggest thing was swinging at good pitches…When you’re going through a little bit of a dry spell you start getting a little more anxious and you’re swinging at pitches that you that you don’t necessarily want to be swinging at and getting yourself out because of it.”
It is a tough ballpark to leave the yard and it’s just an overall more difficult ballpark to hit in with the weather. I think it’s more about trying to grind through at bats here and hit line drives. It took me probably three quarters of the year to get into that mind set…I’m positive that I’ll be more comfortable stepping into the box in game one this year than I was last year and I think that will translate into some better production.”
USA Today reporter Jorge Ortiz is our guest from Washington, DC 
prior to the 2018 All Star game. We chat about Brandon Crawford’s first half success that led to him getting the nod as the starting shortstop for the National League. Jorge recently did a piece on Crawford’s NL double play partner Javier Baez. We also discuss the impact of the young players for the Giants so far this season. After the All Star 
game, Ortiz is moving over to the news department at USA Today. He spent 31 years as a sportswriter and the Giants celebrated his time covering the team with a tribute that included a cake and jersey (courtesy of Giants Senior Director of Broadcast Services Maria Jacinto).
