One of the fun perks to advancing in the postseason, particularly to the World Series, is that you get the media discussing your team. For many West Coast teams it’s easy to be overlooked by East Coast based media. Now that the Giants have advanced to the World Series, we get commentary from a broad range of media, including the talking heads of the MLB Network.
On the Giants’ beating the Philadelphia Phillies:
Harold Reynolds:
When you look at the Giants, they beat Halladay, they beat Oswalt and they beat Hamels. … That’s a club that deserves to go to the World Series.
On the Giants’ bullpen:
Dan Plesac
Bruce Bochy and pitching coach Dave Righetti have to be awfully proud of this pitching corps. Do you know how hard it is to go into this hostile of an environment, in Philadelphia, in a game of this magnitude and pitch seven scoreless innings? They were absolutely dynamite. It helped that they had some left-handers to go through that Philadelphia lineup…Jeremy Affeldt was terrific. He kind of fell out of flavor with Bruce Bochy this year, but he picked a good time to start throwing the ball better. He’s one of those lefties who can get both lefties and righties out. … Madison Bumgarner, this kid is 21-years old, pressed into the bullpen, primarily pitching out of a starting rotation – he was terrific and he has a terrific future ahead of him. Javier Lopez, in my opinion, [has been the] the key acquisition on their pitching staff the second half of this season. He’s been terrific since he put on a Giants uniform … he gave them a left-handed weapon.
On Juan Uribe:
Harold Reynolds
I thought he was the Giants’ MVP all season. Now I know when Buster Posey came up they took off, but talking about from Spring Training on, this guy has been sensational. You can put him at third, you can put him at short, you can put him at second, he’s been everywhere. But the last two games of the season, Game 5 and Game 6 [of the 2010 NLCS, he’s had] game-winning base hits. The Giants have been playing one-run games and you’ve gotta have someone come up with clutch hits … Juan Uribe has been nothing but clutch with this team ever since they acquired him.
On Brian Wilson:
Orlando Hudson
I’ve faced Wilson and he throws so hard. 96, 96, 97 [mph] and all of a sudden he takes something off of it and you see it back there and it’s a fastball away. The next thing you know, you give up on it and as soon as your hands drop a little bit, it catches the back part of that plate and the umpire’s going to ring you up every time.
On Cody Ross:
Harold Reynolds
Cody Ross was a fourth-round draft pick that’s become an incredible ball player. … Who was his first big league home run off of? Cliff Lee. He’s going to see Cliff Lee in the World Series – tell me this doesn’t come full circle. … You wonder why he’s MVP? It’s because he’s been a sparkplug everywhere he goes and not only on the offensive side but he can go get ‘em. … You talk about ability, he can throw, catch, run – five tools. He can do it all.
Dan Plesac
I think what makes him so versatile is that you can play him just about anywhere in the outfield, he’s not going to hurt you defensively, he’s very solid, he gives you quality at-bats, and I think the rest of the baseball world is finally getting a chance, now that he’s out of South Florida, to see what a good player he is. … What hurt Cody Ross with the Marlins is that they have a couple of young, really good players – Cameron Maybin and Mike Stanton – that they’re going to have to get some playing time and unfortunately that made Cody Ross expendable and the Giants are glad to have him.
On Jeremy Affeldt:
Dan Plesac
He’s getting sharp at the right time. The Giants bullpen and Jeremy Affeldt, in my opinion, he restored order in that game and gave the Giants a chance to come back.