SCOTTSDALE, Az. — That’s right, sports fans.
If I’m going to Jock Blog poolside from the Cactus League, you rain-soaked gamers are going to get both a dateline *and* photographic accompaniment to make you feel that much closer to the dry, healing sun of spring training.
This is the Murph & Mac Show’s 12th trip to Scottsdale Stadium, a span that arcs from Armando Benitez to Mark Melancon; from Barry Bonds to Mac Williamson; from Matt Cain to . . . well, Matt Cain.
“Cainer” — the only Giant from our first show together here still on the squad.
Our new hours of 6am to 10 am mean a 7am Arizona start, meaning our traditional shared Arizona sunrise — what Paulie likes to call our Eagles “Hotel California” album cover — comes at the start of our show, not one hour in.
The tradition continues. Scottsdale sunrise. #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/QnpsNRtot6
— Brian Murphy (@knbrmurph) February 21, 2017
Other than that, all the familiar staples are in place: early morning bunting practice (this time with Jose Alguacil, not Tim Flannery); infield grounders stroked by Ron Wotus (this time to Jimmy Rollins, not Ray Durham); and a parade of Giants guests brought by Giants media relations to Paulie and myself in the broadcast booth (this time engineered by Darren Chan; not Lee Jones.)
In all my years of covering sports, Javy Lopez on the short list of all time #SFGiants good dudes. pic.twitter.com/ifIbCxSLHe
— Brian Murphy (@knbrmurph) February 21, 2017
Our first blast of baseball from the desert brought us the following guests, and my favorite takeaways from each:
— New 1B Coach Jose Aguacil: As the new appointed “bunt doctor” — Flan’s old handle — Aguacil told us he had ideas to work specifically with Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford to go ahead and lay bunts down the third base line when the shift is on. About an hour later, we saw him doing it with the boys, emphasis on bat angle, feet and not leaving the box ’til the bunt has been properly executed.
— Hitting coach Hensley (Bam Bam) Meulens: My favorite moment of the day might have been when Meulens told us two things that warm any Little League coach’s heart:
- Big league hitters use the batting tee more than any other tool, a welcome endorsement for getting those little rugrats on your Little League squad to understand the value of the tee.
- That he believes Ted Williams’ “The Science of Hitting” is still the best hitting book ever written, a rush of adrenaline for this Teddy Ballgame junkie right here. Bam Bam told us he and Buster just yesterday were discussing Williams’ lesson of a swing path taking a slight upward arc, the better to meet the descending arc of a pitch, and the better to create beautiful backspin.
— New “coach” and “broadcaster” Javier Lopez: I put those in quotes because Lopez, at age 39, looks as lean and ready to pitch as the last time you saw him on the mound. But after 14 years and four World Series rings (he won one in 2007 in Boston), and with offers only from teams he didn’t think had a good chance to win, Lopez said he’s now ready for the transition.
After hearing from various Giants how much Lopez’s tutelage meant through the years, it was reassuring to hear that Lopez had his eyes on some young Double-A and Triple-A arms the Giants have coming through, and that he was intent on passing on knowledge of how to be a pro, both on and off the field.
— Shortstop Brandon Crawford: If you expected Crawford to tell us that his error in Game 4 of the NLDS fueled him all off-season, and it’s his primary motivation in 2017 to avenge that bad feeling, expect again.
Crawford, true to his even-keeled style, told us the pain of the Cubs loss has been cleaned up, packed away and put in the attic of their minds. 2017 will not be about 2016’s pain, he said. 2017 is about creating a whole new Giants energy, one he said he already likes.
— General manager Bobby Evans: The string-puller told us that top prospects like pitcher Tyler Beede and infielder Christian Arroyo almost certainly won’t break camp with the big club, but that Beede is one who might come to town sooner rather than later. Arroyo, he said, would ideally spend all year in Triple-A Sacramento.
And get used to seeing No. 66 around the Giants, as outfielder Gorkys Hernandez is so highly regarded, Evans sees him almost in a right-left platoon with center fielder Denard Span.
— Smilin’ Cody Ross: Yes, that Cody Ross.
The slayer of Roy Halladay, the man who took the Phillies’ ace deep twice in the Giants’ epic Game 1 win of the 2010 NLCS, told us that he had such a brutal time trying to hit Halladay when he was a Marlin, that he tossed caution to the wind that night in Philly and told himself: “Screw it. You’ve tried everything else. Just try to hit a homer.”
It worked. Twice.
Cody Ross smiled when he told that story. Big smile.
Baseball in Arizona in February has that effect.