Orange and Black Attack: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

During the Olympic Games of 2008, there was a classic collision that involved current Fresno Grizzly, Nate Schierholtz and a former Giant, China manager, Jim Lefebvre.

The story goes like this...China's starting catcher (Wang) had to leave the game due to a foul tip off of his foot. He was then replaced by Yang Yang. No, this isn't an episode of the Simpsons or Family Guy. It's the Olympics at Beijing.

With Nate Schierholtz on third base he tagged up on a fly ball to center field and took off for the plate. Yang blocked the plate and even though the ball was cut-off Schierholtz didn't know that until after the play was consummated. In the Giants' farmhand's words, " Had the throw from center not been cut-off at the mound, nobody would have said anything because the play would have been close."

Jim Lefebvre got tossed because he thought Nate should have been given the heave-ho. Lefebvre, a one-time Dodger rookie of the year (1965) and later a Giants' coach will forever be remembered by yours truly as the coach who wouldn't stand for Tommy Lasorda's shenanigans and when he questioned Lasorda he saw Lasorda's body language, asked him if what he just heard was true then hauled off and decked the calorically-challenge Dodger coach-manager, who has forever claimed to bleed Dodger blue. Just edging out his next story that it took the greatest pitcher in the world to keep him from making the Dodger's roster. (Sandy Koufax, who like the talkative Lasorda was a lefty. Fortunately, for Mister Blue Bleeder, the organization stuck with the better pitcher. At least that's what blabber-mouth Lasorda would have you believe, since 'he'd do anything for the organization.' Yeh, right. You know he was punching lockers when he got word that Koufax beat him out.) That makes Jim Lefebvre the best Giant -who was a Dodger- ever! (According to yours truly.)

At the game's end the final score was USA: 9 China:1.

5 USA batters were struck with the ball while in the batter's box.
Wang Wang hit a homer for China's only run. As he rounded the bases he raised his hand signalling "Number 1."
Hey Wang, was that for the number of runs your team scored or were you using the wrong finger? (The homer proved that Wang was not injured in the collision, which is a good thing.)

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Barry Zito won his 7th game of the season as the Giants exploded for 3 runs in the top half of the first inning.
Why the sarcasm? Barry Zito improved to 97-5 in his career when on the receiving end of 4 runs or more, of support, including 12-1 with the Giants. San Francisco has scored no more than 1 run in 24 of his starts.

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For those of you Jonesing for John Bowker, a guy I like to call Rusty, he hit a homer for the Fresno Grizzlies last night.

(Thanks to the Fresno Bee for some inspired Giant stuff)

Kevin Marquez