The late Celedonio Madrid with his wife, Filomena Madrid in Barrio Boy-utan, Bauang, La Union, Philippines. 

Onwards...

Ok, very quickly, some baseball catch-up: Go Boston! Woohoo! I'm convinced A-Rod broke the curse in the ALCS. Not only did Boston win the World Series for the first time since 1918, but they broke records in the process! Unbelievable. More baseball to follow.

all for now,
-o

Red October!

WOW. The ALCS and NLCS were absolutely monumental! Hot Hot Hot Baseball! I'm looking forward to the World Series Game 1 on Saturday, 10/23/20004. I'll be at a dinner party, but rest assured, I'll find a way to watch it! So far, these are the pitching probables:

Saturday, 10/23, Boston: Woody Williams (StL) vs. Tim Wakefield (Bos)
Sunday, 10/24, Boston: Jason Marquis (StL) vs Curt Schilling (Bos)
Tuesday, 10/26, St. Louis: Pedro Martinez (Bos) vs. Matt Morris (StL)
Wednesday, 10/27, St. Louis: Derek Lowe (Bos) vs. Jeff Suppan (StL)
Thursday, 10/28, St. Louis:
Saturday, 10/30, Boston:
Sunday, 10/31, Boston:

Unlucky 13

Boston Red Sox 4, NY Yankees 2. It was historical...and it was because #13, Alex Rodriguez, singlehandedly lifted the curse tonight - I'm convinced Boston will advance. I could not believe the stunt A-Rod tried to pull by not only trying to swipe the ball out of Boston pitcher Bronson Arroyo's hand as he approached 1B in the 8th, BUT he also had the nerve to try and talk the umps into believing that his 'interfering swipe' was actually a natural part of his running motion. The replays CLEARLY showed it was definitely an intentional attempt at interference. That was so disheartening to see someone like A-Rod trying to get away with something like that. I mean, in that situation, of course, as a player, you're gonna try and just go with the initial call for the sake of the RBI and advancing to 2nd, BUT as soon as the umpires revise/correct their call, he could've just been visibly upset, maybe throw his arms up in frustration or somethin - he didn't have to go the length and try to make like that was his regular running motion. Karma, A-Rod, Karma...

ALCS Game 7 resumes tomorrow night at 5:19 pm PST, w/probable starting pitchers, Wakefield vs. Brown
The NLCS Series resumes with Game 6 in St. Louis, with Matt Morris (!) on the hill vs. the Houston Astros' Pete Munro.

Celedonio Madrid 04/16/1912 - 10/13/2004

We just received news that my Grandfather, Celedonio Madrid ("Lolo Doniong") has passed away. Lolo Doniong was 92 years "young" and is survived by his wife, Filomena ("Lola Luming"), his three children, Artemio Madrid, EduardoMadrid, & Aida Alabanza; eleven grandchildren, Adea, Noel, Olma & Maya Madrid, Carmen Ponce, Edgardo, Edmund & Christina Madrid, Paolo, Noel & Ian Alabanza; And twelve great-grandchildren, Jamee & Julee Sarmiento, Eduardo, Alex & Pedro Ponce, Michael & January Madrid, Maggie & Mary Mirt, and three Alabanza granddaughters on the way.

A funeral mass and rosary will be held on Saturday, October 23 in Barrio Boy-utan, Bauang, La Union, Philippines.

October Baseball... It is gonna be HOT!

I'm still sore with the Houston Astros for 'taking' the Wild Card slot from us in their win against the Colorado Rockies earlier this month (I use that term lightly, since the SF Giants actually 'gave' it away with that horrible loss against Steve Finley and his Dodgers. sigh...)

So, after tonight's huge win against the Atlanta Braves, the Houston Astros advance to the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. I don't see how the Astros could possibly contend against the Cards, but there's a side of me that will always go for the underdog, in some small manner. This is the Astros first time in the post-season. Game 1 is on Wednesday night.

Then, we've got the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in game one of the ALCS tomorrow night! Curt Schilling's on the hill against NY's Mike Mussina. I really really like Mussina's stuff but I'm pulling for Schilling all the way!

It's been difficult revisiting any aspect of this past SF Giants season, but I finally started catching up on some local news articles regarding the G-Men. Here are some noteworthy, entertaining articles I've come across:

wrt to doing something about Barry Bonds seeing more pitches, Scott Ostler of the SF Chronicle suggests Rogaine for MLB Managers and a new rule, the DNW - the Designated non-Walker! Hilarious.

Barry Barry Barry - Mark Camps of the SF Chronicle discusses how "Bonds not only smashed records, he also lapped the field".

Help Wanted - Bruce Jenkins discusses how the Giants need "Genuine authority batting behind Bonds"

Alas, Waiting-for-Boof outlines the five stages of grief for all the fans in his 10/03/2004 entry. I'm glad I'm not the only one that openly expresses their desire to hit Steve Finley. "Counting on the Rockies" - a new catch phrase for Giants fans...

-o

In mourning... I've got the bullpen blues.

The G-men had a huge win tonight. Kirk "Woody" Reuter went 7 innings strong, followed by reliever, Jim Brower and closer, Dustin Hermanson. Hermanson had a huge outing, successfully securing the win. Whew... that felt sooooo goood. 2B Ray Durham and 1B J.T. Snow both went yard tonight! We only have two more games in the regular season - both in Dodger Stadium. Tomorrow, we have Brett Tomko on the hill. Then, the regular season concludes with our Ace, Jason Schmidt, on Sunday!

The Houston Astros beat the Colorado Rockies tonight in Houston and the Chicago Cubs lost, at home, to the Atlanta Braves, so we're tied with Houston for the Wild Card slot and two games back from the NL West division-leading Dodgers.

The Oakland A's took a very bad beating tonight at the Coliseum against that Anaheim team. Pyuck - I don't even want to mention their names on my blog...

G - o - o - o G - I - A - N - T - S!

Wonder Woman Kelsey and Jaden the Barbarian (my godson!) are celebrating their upcoming birthdays this weekend (9th and 2nd, respectively) - Happy Birthday you superheroes!

WOOHOOOOO! P - E - D- R - O - F -E - L - I - Z!!!

The G-men are seriously breakin my heart... Our bullpen absolutely unraveled, giving up 5 runs in the top of the 9th inning to lose our lead, after Schmiddtie had thrown a gem into the 7th.

Ok, here's a crazy statistic - It's bottom of the 1st, Game 1 of a 3-game series vs. the Dodgers at SBC Park [Brad Hennessey started off the top of the inning, with 25 y.o. Adrian Beltre hitting a bases-clearing, 2-run double (Beltre currently leads the leagues with 47 HRs)]. After Ray Durham leads off with a solo homer, followed by Pedro Feliz's base hit, Bonds is up at bat. He draws a 4-pitch walk, his 114th Intentional Walk of the SEASON! To put that in perspective - there are currently only 22 active players who have atleast 100 Intentional Walks in their CAREERS! I can't even fathom what Bonds could do if they only pitched to him...

.5 game back in the NL West... woohoo

Check out baby Dominic James Sarmiento with his older brother, Dean! Welcome to the world, Dominic...
 

Woohoo! The Giants WIN over the Milwaukee Brewers tonight bring them only 2 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and a 1/2 game ahead of the Cubs in the Wild Card race.

Barry didn't hit #700 in Milwaukee - he's saving it for SBC Park! BUT... he went 3 for 3 with a walk in tonights shutout game in Milwaukee! I didn't get to watch the game but did see highlights - absolutely CLUTCH and power hitting. And Pedro Feliz is really steppin up with his defense.

Bay Area Ball, in general, is so hot right now. The Oakland A's remain 2 games up, over the Anaheim Angels, in the AL West Race. Pitcher Rich Harden is 7-1 since the All Star Break and Bobby Crosby is my top pick for Rookie of the Year, for sure!

Restaurant Review - 2 weeks ago, Dean and I had dinner at Amarin Thai on Castro Street in Mountain View before Salsa class. Absolutely exquisite dinner and ambiance.

I've already reviewed Barracuda Restaurant on Primrose Avenue in Burlingame, but had a chance to revisit for Dean's first time there last week and had the most awesome dish - Salmon Curry... mmmmm... This time, I had dessert, Ghirardelli Chocolate Souffle and it was scrumdillyumptious. I was so full after dinner, but as soon as we left, I was already thinking of the next time I would have that Salmon Curry.

In keeping with tradition, I'll begin with some baseball talk...

Barry Bonds hit homerun #36, a 3-run opposite field blast, on the 3-1 pitch vs. Jared Wright of the Atlanta Braves today. He got the Giants on board, with a 3-0 lead. Soon after, the Braves tied it up, then scored two more to win the game, 5-3. sigh... Barry seriously needs offensive support and I am seriously losing faith in our rotation and bullpen.

Today, was an absolute scorcher in Burlingame! I took a quick afternoon walk with my friend, Rachel, at work today and it was too much to bear - we couldn't wait to get back to the air-conditioned office and just sit motionless...

Ok, now on to the FUN stuff - It's week 2 of Salsa class dancing in San Jose (YMCA on The Alameda). I simply can't put, into words, how much I enjoy dancing. It's always great fun to have a competent and fun lead during Salsa, and Dean is definitely a great lead. The Instructor is a fiesty energetic lady, Lisa King, who has a devoted following. So far, Salsa dancing has been coupled with great dining...

Last week, Dean and I had dinner at the new Straits Restaurant just down the street from my place in Burlingame, the night before my first Salsa class in years! Absolutely exquisite meal AND dessert! It was a beautiful, pleasant night and the Singaporean cuisine was perfect, though I'm told they 'skimped' on our order of fried calamari which I actually thought was quite huge! I ordered "Ikan Pangang" (salmon filet topped with pureed fresh chili, lemongrass, garlic and onion wrapped in banana leaves and grilled) - It was to-die-for and more than I was expecting after having read its description on their website. For dessert, Dean opted for the Lava cake (chocolate), while I stuck to my traditional "banana fritter" faire (gotta have my breaded and fried bananas when it's available!).

Tonight, after Salsa class, Lisa mentioned an Ethiopian restaurant she frequently visits after classes on Friday nights, so we headed over to "Queen of Sheba" right on The Alameda, just a little ways from the YMCA building. It's attached to a motel and serves as the "hotel diner" for travelers, so the menu is quite unique - Hamburgers, fries, then straight-up authentic Ethiopian cuisine just a few pages down! This was my first time eating Ethiopian food, so I was absolutely excited to try something new AND something I've always wanted to try, but kept putting off. The owner was so patient and welcoming and gracious. He offered to serve our three separate orders, family style, on one huge plate and gave us rice, along with the standard Ethiopian bread, "Injera" (a spongy, crepelike texture). Lisa had her separate order of cabbage and potatoes. Dean ordered a spicy, dried beef dish (mixed with Injera); Connie ordered another mild dish of beef strips; I ordered a saucy Chicken dish which I absolutely loved. I'm craving for the flavor already. It was a great meal, interesting conversation and great laughs. I will definitely return (no ambiance whatsoever, but great cuisine). All for now,
-o

Baseball, what else...
 
John Miller reports that Arizona Diamondback's "Big Unit" Randy Johnson had mentioned to Giants' Ace Jason Schmidt and Super Barry that "...it would be great to be back in the Bay Area..."  Boy, when its a huge rumor like this, I'm very naive and prone to turning it into FACT!  Can you imagine the possibilities!?!
 
Rich Aurilia, released by the AL Seattle Mariners on July 10, was picked up by the San Diego Padres!  (Yes, he'll be with the team when they're at SBC Park on Wednesday and Thursday this week!)  This is wonderful news cuz I just absolutely love Aurilia's game (on and off the field).  He hasn't had a very good year with the Mariners (I believe his BA was at .241, 4 homers and 28 RBI), but gettin back to the NL and with a hot team like the Pads may be just what he needed.  Plus, I'm happy I'll get to see him play.  I'm hopeful in visiting Petco Park this season.
 
Restaurant Reviews:
 
Barracuda, Burlingame at 347 Primrose Road (Contemporary Japanese Cuisine) - excellent ambiance, decent prices and excellent portions.  I had lunch here on a weekday and it was QUIET!  Arrived right at opening time, 11:30 a.m. and was seated immediately and received timely service after placing our orders.  It is ALWAYS bustling at dinnertime.  Great variety on the menu and I absolutely loved the tasty fried calamari appetizer with a hint of ginger sauce lightly sprinkled atop the entire order.  Sushi bar available.  Their take-home menu lists their url as www.barracudasushi.com, but I think they're still building it...
 
Okazu Ya, San Francisco on Taraval (and 28th) (Japanese) - EXCELLENT and timely service, superb customer service, great prices for the portions, extensive "specials" list (from appetizers to dishes).  Dinner on a Monday night and it was PACKED.  They are closed on Tuesdays, but open at the Noriega location (the Taraval location is supposedly 'better').  The clientele this evening consisted of obvious regulars and locals.  Seated immediately.  Order taken promptly.  Food served fresh and quickly.  Glasses of water refilled!  (always a plus in my book).  I've heard great things about their specials menu, incl. a soft shell crab appetizer, Trout and Chilean Sea Bass dinners.  There are a couple of different Okazu Ya's in the city but I'm unclear if their popularity extends beyond SF. 
 
Pho Van, Portland at 1919 SE 82nd and 1012 NW Glisan in the Pearl District (Vietnamese) - One of the things I miss MOST in Portland!  Absolutely exquisite menu, including desserts!  Their spring rolls are to-die-for.  I'm sure I might be able to find a comparable Vietnamese restaurant in the Bay Area, but Pho Van is just one of those places I will be sure to go out of my way to visit when I'm in Portland - just like I would visit Burgerville (during the 'right' season: January - March) for those absolutely yummy Chocolate Hazelnut milkshakes (and don't forget the Cheeseburgers which use authentic local Tillamook Sharp Cheddar)!  My perfect day in Portland would include: a Portland Beavers game at PGE Park, Powell's Book Store, Pho Van, Burgerville and sales tax-free shopping baby! 

Julee's 7 today! Happy Birthday girl! We had a Rolling Pin donut fest, in lieu of a birthday cake!

Baseball News - John Shea, Chronicle Staff Writer reports that the Giants are likely to host the 2007 All-Star Game. Maybe I can afford to be a season ticket holder by then!

Reading Rich Draper's article reminds me of how much I miss Joe Nathan in our pen.

Good stuff here, by Andrew Baggarly, Staff Writer of the Oakland Tribune. He effectively sums up Five things that have gone right, and Five things that have gone wrong, thus far. Just reminded me that it's all about perspective - I was all freaked out about our affinity for grounding into those darn double play balls, but just knowing that others have done the same, collectively, as a team, calms me down a bit. Also, regardless of how poorly we did earlier this season, we're still in contention for the division at this point. And, really, it's not all about the win percentage - just get us to the postseason again, and anything's possible - two wildcard teams have won in the past two years, so it really is all about just gettin to the postseason, and steppin it up once we get that opportunity again. I can practically taste it...

Oh, and Mulder rocks my world. Oh, and Bobby Crosby and Tom Glavine. and...
-o

Happy Independence Day everyone! A few shout outs to some very important children, pre-teens and teens in my life!...

JaS'Intermediate Hula class has advanced to the International Dance Challenge Western Regional Finals to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada between July 31 - August 1st! You go, J - I'm so proud of your hard work, determination and dedication.

MagM celebrated her 7th birthday in June and concluded another successful year of dance classes with a stellar performance at her annual recital. Her recital costume resembled a pair of pants I once owned in high school - yes, the tiger striped ones.

JuS will be celebrating her 7th birthday this weekend and devoted her creative energy to designing her very own invitation cover. She also concluded another successful year of hula classes with an awesome performance at her annual recital.

MarM, once again, outshined everyone else, with her glorious smile and dimples, as she danced her way into the audience's hearts with her moving performance at the annual recital. Maggie and Mary are also currently taking swimming lessons and Mary goes into each lesson with her usual "no fear" attitude, as expected. I think she could wrestle a shark if given the opportunity.

Kirk R. has been invited to participate in this year's Junior National Young Leader's Conference. This prestigious program will bring him to the National Museum of American History, the U.S. Capitol, and our nation's monuments and memorials this Summer! I guess my dream of getting him into Big League Baseball will have to sit on the backburner! He's clearly losing focus.

Kelsey R. has made it into her school district's GATE Program! Woohoo! She needed to score atleast 95%, and she scored 98%! Because the bare minimum is just not enough for our little brainiac!

Baseball News:

Noah Lowry returned to AAA Fresno to get in more innings under his belt, and David Aardsma returned to the minors, just today, to make space on the roster for our LHP Jason Christiansen. I'm glad to have Christiansen back in our arsenal, but I can't wait for the day when we bring up our younger reserves from AAA to come together in the Bigs: Lowry, Aardsma, Kevin Correia, Cody Ransom, Damon Minor, Jason Ellison, Lance Niekro, Todd Linden, Tony Torcato... I'd be happy just seeing Lowry and Ransom getting regular play in the Bigs in the coming year!

I was at the Giants vs. Oakland A's game last Friday, July 2nd. I had awesome Premium Lower Box seats, from two of my coworker/friends, as a birthday gift! Ofcourse, I was seated immediately beside two of the most die-hard A's fans I've ever had the privilege of meeting! I actually really like both ball clubs, but have sworn, in secrecy, to loathe Oakland for their past World Series 'behavior' against the Giants! That night, it was Reuter vs. Redman and it was a bit painful to watch - I'm not all about the speed, but both of these pitchers were - two - of - the - slowest - pitchers - I've - ever - experienced! Anyway, no game could really be bad from section 126, row 24 in SBC park...

BUT... the Giants WIN added so much more to the whole experience. Ofcourse, Barry went opposite to Left-Center, putting us ahead of the A's and it was something to behold. #680 baby! Absolutely perfect swing... There were some ugly A's fans chanting "Let's Go Balco", but for me, it all boils down to respecting the game and being a decent person - First, of all, it really is not about the bulk - It's all about the bat speed baby. And Secondly, despite your belief in a certain subject matter, that type of chanting was just inappropriate, in my humble opinion (But this is comin from the type of person that wouldn't disrespect Sammy Sosa about the alleged corked bat incident, even if the Giants met him at the World Series). I'll be the first to admit that I may be too soft for baseball, though - I still miss our Fall 2001 centerfielder, Calvin Murray, #8... and Shawon Dunston, and David Bell and Andres Galarraga... sigh...

So much catchin up to do! Let's start with today's win in Colorado. It was the last of a four-game series up in the mile high city and boy does it feel good to win this series. It brings the Giants to 29-28 this season. Onwards, for a four-game series at Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay's skipper, Lou Piniella, claims "we're not in a pennant race, so we're gonna pitch to him (Barry)".

Hitting: Bonds was brought in as a PH in the 7th and was intentionally walked - that's his 43rd IBB - no one else in the bigs has 10. Put that in perspective. My man, Pedro Feliz had a two-homer game today - his 3rd multi-HR game of his career. I swear his form looks completely different than last year. He has seriously put on some muscle mass and looks more solid.

Prospects: Tuesday, June 01 Lance Niekro (1B, 6'3", 213 lbs., 25 y.o.) hit one out of PGE Park in Portland, Oregon last week, when the Giants AAA affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies visited the Portland Beavers (the SD Padress AAA affiliate). If you've ever been to PGE Park, you'll know that it must have been a mammoth hit to get out of the park, over the fence in Left field, and into the street!

Also, at this same game, before he was called up, Cody Ransom went deep (10 HRs on the season in AAA). Sources tell me that this has been said about him... "Ransom would be one of the top five defensive shortstops in the majors if he ever played." Laurence Miedema of the Mercury News reports on Ransom's capabilities.

Schmiddtie! My man threw a complete, one-hit, shutout tonight in Chicago! He's got his control and velocity back baby! And thirteen strikes out - woohoo. Offensively, our boys have still got to step up (we only scored one run tonight). These days, any win will do, whether it's by one run or a landslide, I'll take it!

Randy Johnson - this man just absolutely DOMINATES when he's on the mound. He pitched a perfect game against Atlanta, of all teams, with thirteen strikeouts and the last batter he faced, struck out on a 96mph cutter! For a 40-year old man, that is serious velocity and power! I was just so happy to see his teammates so excited for him - I feel like our Giants clubhouse just doesn't have that energy right now...

NEWS: Community Gatepath, the largest nonprofit serving individuals with disabilities in San Mateo County, will celebrate Community Night at SBC Park on Wednesday, June 23, when the Giants take on the Dodgers! It's a 7:15pm start time. The Centerfield Bleacher tickets will be sold for $11.00 each. For more info., feel free to contact info@gatepath.com