Skip to search.

Trending Now:

  1. Bryce Harper
  2. Ted Lilly
  3. LA Dodgers
  4. Rays
  5. Oakland A's

Giants Blogs

Big League Stew on the Giants

  • Rickie Weeks forgets number of outs, passes up chance for inning-ending double play (VIDEO)

    Lest we believe that forgetting the number of outs in an inning is the sole territory of daydreaming outfielders who toss the ball into the stands, Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks proved during Monday's 4-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants that infielders can brain cramp too.

    Watch what happens when Weeks lines up at double play depth, only to decide that a force out at second is enough after shortstop Cesar Izturis relays a Brandon Crawford grounder his way:

    .

    It appears as though Weeks didn't speak with any reporters after the game, so we can't really be sure the exact reason why he retired in the second inning early. But perhaps it doesn't really matter as the next batter, Melky Cabrera, grounded out to third.

    Of bigger concern to Brewers fans should be the season-long slump that Weeks has shown no signs of emerging from at the plate. An All-Star last season, Weeks is hitting a dismal .155/.286/.284 with just four home runs and seven RBIs. He was fitted for the golden sombrero by striking out four times in two different games last week and he also struck out three times in another contest. Weeks has shown no signs that he's capable of carrying more of the load that was vacated by Prince Fielder's defection to Detroit, let alone earning the rest of the four-year, $38.5 million contract that he signed before the 2011 season.

    [Related: Atlanta Braves players razz ballboy after he flubs easy play]

    This goes without saying, but Weeks will need to get his head back into the game if the fourth-place Brewers are to ever dig their way out of this 17-25 start and erase the six-game deficit that separates them from first place in the NL Central.

    On the field, but even more at the plate.

    Want more baseball fun all season long?
    Follow @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page!

    Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
    • Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman arrested for driving 93 mph on suspended license
    • Celtics feed off Kevin Garnett's energy for Game 5 win over Sixers
    • Y! News: Elusive Asian 'unicorn' faces extinction

  • And you are?: Dusty Baker temporarily denied access to Yankee Stadium

    We've seen a fairly high number of security problems at sporting events in recent weeks.

    That includes the incident from earlier in the week that ultimately led to a PNC Park security guard losing a finger. Not to mention the fan that ran on the field in Baltimore last month that umpire Jeff Kellogg dealt with himself, or the woman who stumbled onto the court in Denver right in the middle of an NBA playoff game.

    Perhaps it was with these episodes fresh in his mind that a Yankee Stadium security guard went above and beyond to deny access to a highly suspicous character wandering around the front gates while chewing on a toothpick on Friday afternoon.

    That's one possibility. Another is that this particular security guard hasn't seen a whole lot of baseball over the years, because the person he held in question was one of the more recognizable personalities in the game. That being Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker.

    Here's how Baker described the confusing confrontation just prior to the Reds 4-0 loss to the Yankees on Friday night.

    "It's hard to get in this bad boy," Baker said. "Some guy asked, 'Hey, can I help you?'

    I was in the front trying to get in. I said I was here for the game.

    He told me, 'The gates aren't open yet.'

    I told him, 'I'm the manager.'

    He was like, 'Of what?'

    I said, 'Of the baseball team.'

    He said, 'What's your name?'

    I said, 'Dusty Baker.' He still didn't know me. Another guy came over and recognized me."

    Had Baker known Andy Pettitte was going to pitch like he'd never skipped a single start, let alone an entire season, he probably wouldn't have hung around long enough for the second guard to recognize him. But as it was, he finally gained entry and had one of the best seats in the house for Pettitte's first victory since 2010.

    But perhaps the funniest part of this story is that it's not the first time Baker has had a misidentidication issue involving a Yankee Stadium. The first incident happened while he was the htting coach for the San Francisco Giants just prior to becoming their manager in 1993.

    "I was in a cab reading a newspaper, and I told the cabbie to take me to the stadium," Baker said. "I wasn't paying attention. He said, `Here we are."'

    After getting his wits about him Baker realized something was off.

    "I said `I didn't want to come to Yankee Stadium. I wanted to go to Shea Stadium,"' Baker explained. "He said, `Sir, you said The Stadium.' I didn't know that in New York The Stadium was Yankee Stadium. So a $20 cab ride turned out to like a $45 cab ride."

    Now that Dusty Baker knows what and where The Stadium is, and now that The Stadium's security knows who Dusty Baker is, things should go much smoother for him on Saturday. Well, off the field at least. The Reds will still have their work cut out for them on it.

    Looking for more baseball chatter?
    Follow @bigleaguestew, @Townie813 and check out the BLS Facebook Page

More Big League Stew »

McCovey Chronicles McCovey Chronicles

from
More McCovey Chronicles »

Giants Fans on

  • Giants Fans on Flickr
  • Giants Fans on Flickr
  • Giants Fans on Flickr
Go to Giants Flickr Group »

MLB Video Spotlight

More MLB Videos »