The Giants are “knuckleheads”

By Oct 25, 2010, 9:38 AM EDT
5 Comments

I blame Kevin Millar and all of that “idiots” stuff for this.  Or maybe one of those Super Bowl teams who sang songs gets the ultimate blame. Heck, maybe it goes back to when the Dodgers were “bums.” Regardless, it seems that any time even a slight underdog progresses in the postseason, they get a catch phrase or a nickname or something. The 2010 Giants get “knuckleheads”:

As the regular season drew to a close, this reporter tried to put a finger on why San Francisco was falling in love with these Giants.

Yeah, they played hard, maybe over their heads at times, but many of these guys were newcomers who arrived recently from all points. The team that will represent the National League in the 2010 World Series was not the team the fans thought they were buying into.

Then, it became clear. These Giants are not necessarily guys you want to share a beer with. They’re guys you would ask to help you toilet-paper someone’s house, and that makes them likeable.

. . . Pitcher Jeremy Affeldt is a knucklehead. Sometimes he wears a Waffle House ball cap. Sometimes he wears a cap that says, “Douchefeldt.” On Saturday, he would have been justified wearing a cap that read, “Hero.”

It goes on to explain how several members of the team don’t appear to be knuckleheads but really are. Mostly, though, it’s just a cataloging of quirks, which every team has.

People like this stuff, I guess. Someone will print up some t-shirts, I’m sure. If they win it all, the author of this article probably has dibs on “Knuckleheads: how a collection of misfits and washups won the World Series” as the title of his quickie book, or something close to it. More power to him if he does write it.

I just wish we didn’t have so many damn days off between the end of the LCS and the start of the World Series. I want more baseball and fewer storylines.

Orioles sign OF Aaron Hicks, put Cedric Mullins on 10-day IL with groin strain

Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 11:07 AM EDT
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
0 Comments

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles signed outfielder Aaron Hicks less than 24 hours after Cedric Mullins went down with a strained right groin.

Mullins went on the 10-day injured list, but the Orioles are hoping Hicks can help defensively in the spacious outfield at Camden Yards. Hicks was released last week by the New York Yankees with more than 2 1/2 seasons left on his contract.

“We had noticed that he was a free agent even before the injury,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said. “When the injury occurred and it became pretty clear this was going to be an IL, it seemed like a good fit even more so at that time.”

The Orioles are responsible for paying Hicks just $483,871, a prorated share of the $720,000 minimum salary. The Yankees owe him the rest of his $10.5 million salary this year, plus $9.5 million in each of the next two seasons and a $1 million buyout of a 2026 team option.

The 33-year-old Hicks hit just .188 in 28 games for the Yankees this year.

“We have stuff that we look at from a scouting and evaluation perspective,” Elias said. “It’s very different from just looking at the back of a baseball card, and we hope that we get a bounceback from anyone we bring here.”

Hicks batted .216 last season.

“Hopefully that’s a good thing for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the Baltimore deal. “A lot of time here and a lot of good things happened for him here. I know the last couple of years have been a struggle. But hopefully it’s a good opportunity for him and certainly wish him well. Not too well being in our division and a team we’re chasing, but hopefully it’s a really good fit for him.”

Mullins left a loss to Cleveland after he pulled up while running out an infield grounder. Outfielder Colton Cowser – the fifth pick in the draft two years ago – is hitting .331 at Triple-A Norfolk, but he went on the IL in the past couple weeks.

“Certainly he was building a case towards promotion consideration prior to his injury and prior to Cedric’s injury,” Elias said. “We’ll just see where we’re at.”

Hicks was active for the game but not in the starting lineup. Austin Hays, normally Baltimore’s left field, was in Mullins’ usual spot in center.

When the wall in left at Camden Yards was pushed significantly back before last season, it made left field a bigger challenge defensively.

“In this park … you really need two center fielders,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Aaron’s got a lot of center-field experience. Played left field here before also. Brings the defensive aspect and then the switch-hitting.”