Dan Dibley from 95.7 The Game joins us in part 2 of our conversation from Looking Glass Photo in Berkeley
The Sports Virus asked Dibley about replay in baseball:
… “The real problem is nobody can handle getting screwed anymore. Even today with all of the video review that goes on there are still times that the call is wrong. So people are still getting screwed. We as American sports fans can’t handle that so we think the technology and instant replay is the cure-all and it’s not.”
We talk about Tim Lincecum, Ichiro Suzuki and Will Clark’s issue with new rules as our regular guest SF Chronicle Columnist John Shea joins us in part 2 of our conversation.
The Sports Virus asked Shea if Tim Lincecum would have been a good reliever for the Giants: … “I kinda doubt it. (Starters) love their routines. Lincecum was a great reliever in the post season in ’12, but that was kind of a short term basis. He didn’t do it all year. He had the pitch count up to where he could throw one inning or five innings, it didn’t matter. The situation called for him to be a reliever at that time. He was dynamite. From there though, his career slipped quite a bit and now we’re at the point where his hip is not an issue anymore and his confidence is soaring.”
San Francisco Chronicle Columnist John Shea joined us for our on-site podcast from Keeble and Shuchat Photography in Palo Alto in Part 2 of our conversation.
Shea talked to The Sports Virus about Tim Lincecum: … “The mechanics are back, the hip is fixed. There were hip issues last year. It messed with his long stride and step. He was pointing his toe one way and if he pointed it the other way he would have been back in stride, but he just couldn’t close out the windup like he normally used to. Basically, he had no command. He had little velocity. At the showcase he reached 92 mph. You never saw 92 last year, you saw 86, 88, 89. He’s not over the hill. He’s 31. A lot of guys are performing at a high level in their mid to late 30’s.”
We talk about the Rougned Odor/Jose Bautista Rangers/Blue Jays brawl and replay plus conversation about Tim Lincecum and the state of the Giants rotation with ESPN Senior Baseball Writer Jayson Stark.
Credit: Joe Faraoni/ESPN
Stark talked to The Sports Virus about replay: … “The overwhelming sentiment that I got from everyone is they want the process to speed itself up somehow. The question is how. The idea that’s probably got the most traction is put a time limit on how long a manager gets to challenge. Recognize…you’re talking about saving 5, 10, 15 seconds. I don’t think there is an appreciable time of game advantage that you’re going to get from that kind of rule. The average game is lengthened by replay by 15 seconds. It’s really not replay that is causing the games to be slower this year. In an action sport, it’s always disconcerting when the action just grinds to a stop. I still think this is better than the NFL.”
During the last home stand at AT&T Park in San Francisco we talked to Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija and Senior Vice President and General Manager Bobby Evans.
Samardzija tells The Sports Virus about his “twist” delivery: … “you’ve got to use your whole body, your legs and your core. For me it’s just a way of generating a little bit more velocity with a little less exertion. It feels comfortable for me. As long as I’m nice and slow and calm in my lift and my turn and not ahead of myself it usually works out alright.”
Evans tells The Sports Virus about the chances of Tim Lincecum being back in a Giants uniform: … “We’ve kept an open door. For him, he’s got to really evaluate opportunities and situations out there that are afforded to him in terms of a role. He’s particularly interested in starting. For us, we really see it more in the bullpen. That said, we understand what his options will be and he’ll have to make a decision here soon I think.”
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