SFGiants, Games 20-22 Rockies Series

Hi there! It's been a while...miss me? I've missed you. I've also missed the Giants. I hate Thursday off days. The only positive is that it gives me a chance to catch up on the shows I wanted to watch (Survivor & The Mindy Project). A little about me - it's been a very busy week at work. Like, crazy busy. I've also gone bridesmaid dress shopping, had sushi twice, went on a hike at Bishop Ranch, and spent a lot of time at the gym. My trip to Peru is coming up, so I'll be busy working out. That means few chances to live tweet the game and even less time to write :( I'm going to keep up with my blog though because it's become a source of relaxation for me. 

Anyway...I'm excited to be back at AT&T Park tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday. Yes, I'm doing another three-game series. I love it. Also, my friend Chris is in town visiting and I'll be meeting up with my favorite Giants friends/fans, so this weekend will be a blast!

Aren't you glad I'm done writing about myself? ;) Let's relieve that stressful and demoralizing series with a happy ending, shall we? 

Game 20 - Vogelsong
This game sucked. Vogelsong was not effective at all, and even admitted post game that he was embarrassed by his performance. I feel bad for him. This picture says it all. 

Here are some lowlights from the 8-2 loss:
- Vogey lasted only 1 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on three home runs.
- Charlie Blackmon hit two of the five total home runs for the Rockies. All eight of their runs were scored via home run.
- The Rockies sent nine men to the plate in the first inning. It was just awful from the beginning. Nolan Arenado and Wilin Rosario both hit home runs in the 1st, giving the Rockies a 4-0 lead. Blackmon led off the 2nd inning with a home run.
- From Owen Perkins at mlb.com: It was Vogelsong's shortest outing in 82 starts as a Giant and the shortest start by any National League pitcher this season.
- David Huff came in to relieve Vogey and promptly got a double play to end the 2nd inning. He also had his first AB in the majors and made it safely to first, beating out the throw. Unfortunately, he hurt himself in the process. He stayed on base and scored his first run when Buster Posey GIDP but didn't pitch in the bottom of the 3rd. More suckage.
- Yusmeiro Petit replaced Huff in the 3rd. After Rosario singled, Corey Dickerson hit a two-run home run. DJ LeMahieu doubled, but the Petit settled down and got the next three batters out. He also led of the 5th inning and it was funny to watch.
- In the 5th, Hunter Pence had a ground rule double that potentially kept Angel Pagan from scoring. With Pence and Pagan on 2nd and 3rd, both Posey and Michael Morse couldn't get them home.
- In the 7th, Pagan struck out on a called strike and argued with the ump. According to Bruce Bochy, he was going to be pulled for Gregor Blanco to rest anyway, so he let Pagan argue longer and "get his money's worth." Gotta love Boch! 

- Jean Machi replaced Petit in the 7th. Juan Gutierrez came in to pitch in the 8th and Blackmon hit his 2nd home run off him.
- Brandon Belt singled in the 9th, and following a wild pitch and a passed ball, Belt was on third with no outs. Brandon Hicks/Crawford both made outs, and Belt eventually scored. On a error. Oy vey.
- The Giants were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Game 21 - Bumgarner
Ugh, this game. Madison Bumgarner deserved so much better than this, but his teammates failed him. The Giants lost 2-1, despite Bumgarner going the distance against Franklin Morales in this great pitchers duel. All three runs were scored via solo home runs. Notable details and tidbits on this game:
- MadBum had an eight inning complete game. He struck out six, only allowed two runs, and only threw 97 pitches. He's also the 2nd pitcher in the history of Coors Field who has pitched a complete game, allowed two or less runs, and got the loss.
- In his last two starts, Bumgarner has gotten one run from his teammates. ONE.
- Troy Tulowitski hit a solo home run in the 4th, breaking the scoreless tie. Rosario and Justin Morneau both singled. Drew Stubbs GIDP and then MadBum intentionally walked LeMahieu. Belt committed an error, but no other runs were scored.
- Pence hit his own solo homer in the 5th with two outs to tie the game. It's only his 2nd HR of the season. 

- Arenado put the Rockies ahead in the 6th with a solo home run. He has a 13 game hitting streak.
- Bumgarner was strong in the 7th and 8th, quickly getting out of both of those innings. He also doubled with two outs in the 7th, but then Pagan struck out.
- In the 8th, Pence singled, Posey struck out, and then Morse singled. Useless Pablo Sandoval then GIDP. Like I said in a previous post, my patience for his struggles is at an all-time low. 
- Last chance in the 9th for the Giants to at least tie it up for MadBum. After Belt ground out, Crawford walked, followed by a single from Blanco. Hector Sanchez struck out, and then Pagan grounded out. Game over :(
- The Giants are now 3-for-40 with RISP. It's getting really sad, you guys.

Game 22 - Cain
This game was pure bipolar baseball, down to the last outs. I couldn't watch live because I was at work, but listening to the radio broadcast and following along on mlb.com was so very stressful. My heart was racing at various points in the game, and the only reason why the Giants didn't send me into the pit of depression is because they somehow avoided the sweep and managed to win this game despite all the shenanigans that occurred. Watching the replay was fun though. Let's take it from the top!

1st inning highlights
Blackmon singled, and then scored on Tulowitski's home run. Rockies lead 2-0.

2nd inning highlights
Morse led off the inning with a home run. Sandoval walked, but then Sanchez GIDP. Crawford lined out to end the inning. In the Rockies half of the inning, Brandon Barnes, LeMahieu, and Tyler Chatwood (the starting pitcher) all singled to load the bases. Blackmon grounded out to score Barnes and then an error by Belt on a pick-off attempt allowed LeMahieu to score. Blackmon later scored on a single by Tulowitski.

3rd inning highlights
Hicks led off the inning and hit a home run. Matt Cain singled, Blanco struck out, Pence singled, and Belt flied out. With two outs, Morse hit a three run home run, his second of the game, to tie it up at 5-5. Because he cleared the bases, it was overlooked that Sandoval struck out. AGAIN.

4th inning highlights
When Hicks was called out on strikes, Bochy argued with the umpire briefly and was subsequently tossed from the game. LAME. Meanwhile, the Rockies took the lead when Blackmon hit a solo home run. I'm getting sick of that guy - he had an excellent series against our pitching. 

5th inning highlights
The Giants had a great opportunity to take the lead when Cain singled, followed by Blanco and Pence walking to load the bases. But this is the 2014 Giants, so of course they didn't get any runs with the bases loaded with no outs. Belt, Morse, and Sandoval all failed to get an RBI.

6th inning highlights
Nada.

7th inning highlights
Belt hit a two run home run (Pence had walked) off relief pitcher Rex Brothers. Cain was left in the game - bad decision - and walked Blackmon. Arenado doubled him home and the Rockies tied it up. AGAIN.

8th inning highlights
Sanchez led off the inning with a home run off relief pitcher Matt Belisle. Unfortunately, the Rockies tied it up once more in their half of the inning against Santiago Casilla when Blackmon drove LeMahieu home. 

9th inning highlights
Pence led off the inning with a double, but Belt, Juan Carlos Perez, and Joaquin Arias could not get him home.

10th inning highlights
The only thing of note is that Posey came in as a pinch hitter and was intentionally walked. I feel like that will continue to happen throughout the season.

11th inning highlights
Pence singled, then Belt walked. Perez sacrificed them over and then the Rockies intentionally walked Arias to load the bases. After a long and intense 10-pitch battle, Sanchez made our baseball dreams come true and hit a GRAND SLAM. Whooooo hooooo, Giants lead 12-8. 

Sergio Romo was in to pitch the bottom of the 11th even though it wasn't a save situation and of course, the Rockies did not go quietly. Tulowitski singled and subsequently scored on Morneau's two run home run, to bring the Rockies within two. After Rosario grounded out, Stubbs singled, but then Romo got Barnes to GIDP to finally, and mercifully, end this rollercoaster of a game.

Fun facts:
- There were a total of nine home runs, six for the Giants and three for the Rockies.
- It was Sanchez's first career grand slam. He had two home runs in the game (also a first), as did Morse. Two Giants players last hit two homers in the same game on May 25, 2005 (my birthday, just FYI) - Moises Alou and Pedro Feliz against the Dodgers. Sanchez also had a career high five RBIs.

- Pence and Hicks both had three hits. I'm hoping Pence is starting to get hot.  
- Jeremy Affeldt was able to get out of a bases loaded jam in the 7th inning. He's doing well and I'm so glad he's back. 
- Machi got the win and is now 4-0. Lmfao.
- Speaking of funny things, my friend Brooke called the Rockies "Rocktards" and I haven't stopped laughing about it since. Well done.
- Wednesday's game was just the second win for the Giants in the last seven games :( They also finished the series going 3-for-31 with RISP.
- Happy flight and some momentum going into their off day. 

See you at the ballpark! GO GIANTS!!!

xoxo, 
JC

SFGiants Game 19 - Happy Easter!

First and foremost, hope you all had a Happy Easter! Or if it's your preference, hope you had a Happy 420. Whatever floats your boat.

I went to church with my mom Sunday morning and then had lunch after. As we were eating our dessert, a tall, beautiful woman walked by with an adorable little boy. She looked familiar and then I realized that it was Nicole Vogelsong, with her Vogelchild, Ryder. I walked over to them to introduce myself, and she was so unbelievably sweet. She even knew me by name and mentioned my twitter handle. I even got two Vogelhugs. I made friends with Ryder too - what a great kid. Looks just like daddy. We even talked baseball a little bit and were excited when Buster Posey hit his home fun. Not going to lie, I loved meeting her. And Ryder, of course <3 

I mean, seriously. How cute are the Vogelsongs??? Anyway, onto the game!

1st inning highlights

Angel Pagan popped out to start the game after a seven pitch AB. Hunter Pence then walked. On the first pitch Posey saw, he hit his 4th home run of the season, and just like that, the Giants had two runs for the first time in what felt like forever. That hit was much needed after getting into a 1-24 slump at the plate. Michael Morse worked a seven pitch at bat as well, and subsequently struck out.

2nd inning highlights

After Joaquin Arias flied out to Seth Smith, Brandon Hicks coaxed an eight pitch walk. Brandon Crawford moved Hicks over to third with a single to center. Erlin then walked Lincecum to load the bases. Pagan came through with a single of his own to center, scoring Hicks and Crawford. Those two RBIs gave Pagan a total of 12 in the young season. After his teammates gave him a 4-0 lead, Lincecum had a shut down inning and headed back to the dugout after striking out Tommy Medica, giving up a single to Nick Hundley, and then getting Alexi Amarista to GIDP. 

3rd inning highlights

The Giants were quiet in their half of the inning, but the Padres were not. With two outs, Will Venable singled, followed by a single from Smith to move Venable to third. Former Giants Xavier Nady walked to load the bases. Chase Headley then doubled to right, with Venable and Smith scoring. The Padres also sent Nady home, and was initially called safe. Bruce Bochy challenged the call, and it was overturned. That was a perfect time to challenge, especially since it went our way. 4-2 going into the 4th was much more manageable than 4-3, especially given how anemic the Giants offense has been.

4th inning - Uneventful on both sides.

5th inning highlights

Another quiet inning from the Giants offense, but the highlight of the inning was seeing Posey gun Everth Cabrera out trying to steal 2nd. POSEY AIN'T HAVIN' IT. He is seven for 18 on getting the runner out on stolen base attempts.

6th inning - Uneventful on both sides. 

7th inning highlights

Lincecum was at 101 pitches, but Boch put him back out there, and Hundley promptly hit the first pitch he saw out, to bring the Padres within one run of the Giants. Jeremy Affeldt came to relieve Timmy and pitched a clean inning. 

8th inning highlights

Nothing going on as usual on offense, but the 8th inning gave Giants gamer babes a chance to see Javier Lopez pitch to TWO batters. WHOA. He was then replaced by Santiago Casilla. 

9th inning highlights

Sergio Romo came in to save the game. He walked leadoff batter Headley, who went to second on a wild pitch. After that, he got three consecutive pop ups from Yasmani Grandal, Hunley, and Yonder Alonso to secure the save and end the game. This was Romo's fifth save.

NO SWEEP. Little victories are important. It also ended their three game losing streak.

Some interesting fun facts:

- The Giants' last 10 games have been decided by 11 runs.

- The Giants had more runs (4) than hits (3). The Padres outhit the Giants seven to three. 

- After Pagan's RBIs in the 2nd, the Giants did not get another hit. 

- The win game Lincecum his 90th victory. 

- The Giants bullpen is currently number one in MLB with their combined 1.79 ERA.

- Pagan was interviewed after the game and we got to hear him say happy flight :)

Excited for the game tonight. Hoping for a strong start from Vogelsong and also hoping our bats come alive at hitter friendly Coors Field. 

GO GIANTS!

xoxo,

JC

Game of Thrones, S4 E1-E3

I fucking love this show. I binge watched season 1 in time to watch season 2 live and have been a HUGE fan since. My best friend says that a show needs to have hot guys and/or have crude jokes/conversations/sexy situations in order for me to like it, and this obviously has both.

Before I get into the new season's episodes, let me mention that I still miss Robb Stark. Richard Madden was my GoT crush and now he's dead. When I watched The Rains of Castemere, aka The Red Wedding, I was sitting on my couch in shock, mouth wide open, and silent for at least five minutes. If you know me in person, you know that's a really long time for me to be quiet. My friends, Aimee and Erin, helped ease my pain by buying tickets to his sit down interview with Zachary Levi during ComicCon. I got my fix and was able to stare at him unabashedly during the entire thing. He was so charming.

Anyway, let's talk Season 4!

Episode 1 - Two Swords
This episode could've been called "People Trying and Failing to Get Some Ass." We start off with a quick two minute recap of Season 3. I was sad to see Robb Stark die. Again. Catelyn Stark's scream still haunts my nightmares. 

Then we see a Valkyrian sword (Ned Stark's beloved sword, and the same sword that was used to behead him) being melted down to create two new swords - one for Jaime and one for Joffrey. Tywin steps in to oversee the process. Jaime gets his brand new sword from daddy, while justifying his usefullness and fighting abilities. Daddy Lannister tries to send Jaime away to Casterly Rock and relieve him of his duties. Jaime of course says no because he doesn't want to leave Cersei. We also learn that Jaime is 40. Hubba hubba. 

Tyrion, accompanied by Podrick and Bronn, awaits the arrival of the Prince of Dorne. Instead of Prince Doran, his younger/cuter brother comes in his place, Prince Oberyn. Alas, he is not with his men. Tyrion believes he is at a whore house since he's "fucked half of Westeros." Tyrion is right, of course. Littlefinger's Whore House. What an epic name. We are introduced to Oberyn as he eyes some whores to join him and his favorite whore for some fun. And with that, we get our first female full frontal. Quickly followed by our second. Followed by some sexy gay talk. Oh, this show. I have missed you.

Oberyn is then distracted by someone singing the Rains of Castemere and gets all hot and bothered. But not in a good way. Oberyn confronts and then stabs a Lannister relative in the hand, as Tyrion barges in. Tyrion and Oberyn speak privately to figure out why he is visiting King's Landing. We find out that Oberyn hates the Lannisters because The Mountain raped and killed his sister. We also find out that she was married to a Targaryan. His niece and nephew were also tortured and killed. No wonder he's pissed!

The Mother of the Dragons is petting one of her dragon babies when the other two return with a bloody animal carcass. Eww. The kids then fight and then they snap at mommy. MEAN little dragon bastards. After that, we see that Daario has been replaced, and isn't nearly as hot as he was before. More on that later.

"I'd rather have no brains and two balls." - Daario to Greyworm after their sword contest (no pun intended). ZING!

Sansa is still depressed. And she is still the saddest girl in all the land. Understandably so, she is married to Tyrion and her family is being killed, one by one. I'd be sad too. Did I mention that I miss Robb Stark? I wonder what Richard Madden is up to these days. I'll watch it, regardless. Meanwhile, Sansa runs off to get some peace. Tyrion goes back to his room to find Shae trying to get a piece. His finger ends up somewhere private and when he tells her to stop, his whore goes all psycho bitch on him. 

Jaime is fitted with a golden hand commissioned by Cersei and he HATES it. He jokes that he'd rather have a hook. Is it bad that I laughed when he waved goodbye with his gold hand? 

We learn that Pycelle smells like a wet cat. EWW. Cersei bitches at Jaime for all the problems in her life. She's awful. Jaime then tries to get some incestuous action, and he too is shot down because Cersei is mad that he left her...and took too long to come back. What a brat.

Ygritte is getting questioned about whether or not she truly killed Jon Snow. The Wildlings are then visited by a creepy veiny headed man, supposedly sent by Mance Ryder. He is a scary cannibal and speaks of their plans to overtake Castle Black.

Meanwhile, at Castle Black, we see Jon Snow reminiscing about his brother Robb. He was better at EVERYTHING ;) Ugh, RIP Robb Stark. 

Jon Snow is on trial with the crow "judges" at Castle Black and forcefully tells them that the Wildlings are coming to get them! The counsel allows Jon Snow to leave the trial without punishment.

Margaery and Grandma Tyrell look over the jewels created for her wedding and discuss the wedding further. Margaery looks annoyed with the thought of being married to Joffrey. I would be too, girlfriend! Brienne joins the Tyrells and tells Margaery what happened with Stannis and Renly. 

Joffrey, meanwhile, is half listening to his wedding plans. During the discussion, Jaime gets crap for his lack of hand and then bullied by Joffrey. Poor gold handed Lannister. Joffrey then talks about how "he" won the war. So hilarious. He didn't do shit. And like the sniveling little coward he is, he humiliates Jaime for his lack of accomplishments...and hand, again. Be nice to your daddy, bitch!

Khalesi asks her maiden about Meereen and is interrupted by Daario, who presents her with flowers. So smooth.

He warns her about the land they are about to invade and reminds her that she needs to know what she is doing before they get there. Side note: they have a weird father/daughter kind of vibe, but I kinda wish Ser Jorrah and Khalesi would hook up. Along the way to Meereen, she is advised of the fact that there are a total of 163 women that the Meereen soldiers killed as a warning to Khalesi and her empathetic way ruling her army.

Jaime and Brienne hae a great scene where they argue about keeping Sansa and Arya safe. Sansa is then confronted by a drunk that tells her he will help protect her since she saved his life on Joffrey's name day. He presents her with a beautiful necklace and they become besties. 

Speaking of Arya, she and The Hound are riding around, firguring out what to do next. During this time, we get some amazing dialogue from The Hound. Anyway, Arya wants her sword back. Robb gave it to her. She and The Hound enter a tavern, but only The Hound is recognized. 

After some fighting words are exchanged with members of the King's Guard, a fight breaks out and The Hound wins, of course. It was pretty gruesome. The episode ended with Arya kicking a little ass herself and killing the man that killed her friend in Season 2. Also, The Hound got the chicken he wanted badly, and Arya got her own horse. SCORE!

My two favorite moments of the episode:
Arya: "Lots of people name their sword."
The Hound: "Lots of cunts."


"I understand that if any other words come out of your cunt mouth, I'm going to have to eat every chicken in this room." - The Hound with the best line of the episode.

And we're off and running! What a great start to the season.

Episode 2 - The Lion and the Rose
I was busy when this episode premiered and managed to avoid spoilers on social media and other internet sites. It was so annoying that the next morning, an ex of mine emailed me and said "Joffrey's death last night...what did you think?" No preface of "Did you watch Game of Thrones last night?" NOTHING. Just jumped right in. I wanted to punch him so hard in the crotch. WHO DOES THAT? I didn't even feel like watching it since the big surprise was ruined for me until now, right before the premiere of Episode 3. 

The episode opens with Theon continuing to be tortured by his captor Ramsay, playing some sick game of attack and killing while making him watch an innocent woman die. Poor dickless Theon.

Tyrion and Jaime have a brotherly lunch where Tyrion proposes a toast to the Lannister children "a dwarf, a cripple, and the mother of madness." We also see that Jaime is still super sad about the loss of his hand, especially when he spills some wine. The King Slayer wants to give up fighting because he knows that he's not as strong with his left hand. His brother convinces him otherwise. Can I just mention really quick what an amazing actor Peter Dinkelage is? He's one of my favorite actors.

Jamie is later seen practicing his sword fighting skills with Bron. Looks like little brother's pep talk worked!

We then cut back to Theon. Ramsay's daddy, Roose Bolton, is mad that his bastard messed things up with Theon because of his importance as a Greyjoy. Quick reminder, it was Roose that killed Robb Stark. Fuck you, dude. Roose finds out that Rikkon and Bran Stark are still alive. I'm actually really surprised that Theon didn't kill his captor when he learned that Robb Stark was killed by Roose. It's like he didn't have any...oh wait, he doesn't. Theon also told Roose that Jon Snow is at the Wall. Roose then challenged his son to capture something or other to prove his worth.

News of Tyrion's affair with Shae has been passed around King's Landing, with Cersei telling their dad about it. During what looks like a "rehearsal dinner" for King Joffrey's wedding to Lady Tyrell, he is presented his new Valkyrian sword and promptly douches it up, cutting up the book that Tyrion presented him as a gift and also mentioned Ned Stark's beheading to further upset Sansa. 

"Every time I use that it will be like cutting off Ned Stark's head all over again." - Oh Joffrey. Just go die already.

Elsewhere, Tyrion breaks up Shae, saying their "friendship" is over, calling her a whore and sending her away on a ship. Typical man, calling you names when he's hurting. "I can't be in love with a whore. I can't have children with a whore. How many men have you been with? 500? 5,000?" That was a rough scene. He tried to do what's best for her by pushing her away, but it sucks that he did it that way.

Melisandre is burning people at the stake, continuing to prove that she a crazy witch bitch. I'm pretty sick of her character. Someone should burn her ass for bringing down Stannis Baratheon's chances for the throne. She continued to talk her crazy talk and I couldn't wait until we moved onto a different scene.

Heavy breathing. Dead animal. Hodor. Another Bran mind meld dream. He has creepy powers. A crow. He saw us. North. The iron throne. Snow. A dragon. I don't know what this means. I'm sure we'll find out and it will all make sense in the end.

We've now fast forwarded to Joffrey and Margaery's wedding. Jack Gleason is such a great actor because of his innate ability to make us hate him. Sansa says "We have a new Queen." Tyrion responds with "Better her than you." Hello, understatement. 

Margaery's grandmother is still funny and is still full of sass. She even apologizes to Sansa for her brother's death and we finally see a tiny smile from the saddest Stark. She also says something about how unfortunate getting killed at a wedding is. FORESHADOWING.

At the "wedding reception", we get confirmation from Bronn that Shae has been shipped off. Margaery looks bored and already annoyed with King Joffrey five minutes into their marriage. Meanwhile, we see Loras eye fucking a cutie at the wedding. Jamie gets incestuously jealous and tries to scare him off, but it comes off as super creepy. This was a great exchange though.

We see the return of Brienne and some of the awesomeness that is Margaery. Cersei looks a little jealous, talking to Brienne about loving Jamie. AWKWARD. Cersei  is on a bitch trip and decides to give the leftovers that Margaery promised to the poor, to the dogs and threatened to feed Pycelle to the dogs if he didn't listen to her commands. What a ho. She then fights with Oberyn too. She is no match for him, as reminds her about how he life has gone to shit and her family's power is dwindling.

King Joffrey interrupts the merriment with a douchetastic announcement, inviting little people to reenact the war of five kings for his enjoyment. Tyrion, and the Tyrells, were not amused. Poor Sansa hated it too, especially when the Robb impersonator was killed. In fact, his little people play offended nearly everyone. Joffrey, on the other hand, was so thrilled with himself that he spit wine out with glee. The King then belittles (no pun intended) his uncle, who then rips him a new one, embarrassing him in the process. Joffrey's response is to pour a glass of wine on Tyrion's head. 

With everyone else watching uncomfortably and the tension close to bubbling over, Joffrey declares Tyrion to be his Cup Bearer. Tyrion and Sansa exchange a look as his goblet is refilled. Joffrey commands his uncle to kneel repeatedly as he refuses. Margaery saves the day, declaring that the "pie" has arrived. In the real world, it's called a wedding cake. Just sayin'.

Joffrey then stops Tyrion and Sansa from leaving the reception. After a couple bites of dry pie and then a big gulp of wine, the King starts coughing uncontrollably and starts choking and vomiting. Sansa is advised to leave right away by her new friend from episode 1 of this season. Cersei looks on as her child of incest dies in her arms, reaching out towards Tyrion, who is holding the King's goblet. Cersei blames Tyrion like the dumb ho that she is. 

All men must must die. That's the tag line for the season. I'm glad Joffrey is one of them. This episode was so amazing. With the sadness of deaths on this show, I felt slightly guilty for being so happy about a death. However, viewers/fans have hated Joffrey so lustily for three seasons, that his death was a satisfying one. It is also weird, that in a way, I miss him.  It's always fun to have someone to hate. Plus, given all the evil things he has done and said, I wish his death was at the hands of one of the remaining Starks...or at least longer, more drawn out, and more painful. Let's remember Joffrey with one of my favorite scenes - Tyrion slapping Joffrey.

Lastly, closing the episode with the Rains of Castamere being sung is such a fitting ending for another wedding surprise. The preview for the next episode was great. Who poisoned Joffrey?

Episode 3 - Breaker of Chains
I wasn't going to allow an idiot to spoil the latest episode for me again, so I took a break from watching the Sharks/Kings playoff game to watch Episode 3. We start up again with dead Joffrey face, Cersei having Tyrion arrested, and Tywin starting a frenzied search for Sansa, who is running towards a paddle boat with her new guardian angel. 

Sansa hits solid land, and into the arms of Littlefinger. So creepy that our favorite brothel owner was behind the Save Sansa movement. Seems like someone is missing Catelyn Stark more than he'd like to admit. Dontos, Sansa's savior, is promptly killed with an arrow when he asked for payment.

Meanwhile Margaery is more concerned about whether or not she's still the queen, rather than another husband dying. She as a great track record: husband #1 - gay and dead (Renly); husband #2 - little punk ass and dead bastard (Joffrey). Grandma says her next husband should be easier to handle. El oh el.

The weird eye rocks on Joffrey...? Could've done without that. Tywin then asks Joffrey's younger brother Tommen what kind of King he will be. Let's hope he's nothing like his dickhead older brother. Nice to hear Tywin say that Joffrey was a bad king - neither wise nor kind. UNDERSTATEMENT.

Jamie sends away the guards so he can have a moment with Cersei and their child. She continues to blame Tyrion for Joffrey's death and then asks Jamie to kill their brother. What a c-word. I wish someone would behead her annoying ass. I love that Jamie calls her a hateful woman...but then he ruins it by pillaging her. Kinda hot, kinda not, and all kinds of wrong to do that while mourning your son.

We then cut to sassy Arya Stark. She claims to be a Tully to hide her identity, and also says The Hound is her father. Pure comedy. The Hound is hungry and acts like a savage at dinner while they are guests in a stranger's house, but still manages to get a job in the process. Arya hears a scream in her sleep and sees that The Hound has stolen silver from the nice strangers that fed them. 

Up next is Jon Snow's fat friend Sam and his Wildling girl bestie Gilly, talking about how all the celibate men are having dirty thoughts about her. More AWKWARD MOMENTS. To protect her, he sends her to a whore house. Umm, what?!

People have conversations in dark places. Three straight scenes of that and I'm confused. One of them is Stannis hearing about Joffrey's death and thinking about how cray Melisandre is. More confusion ensues...And then, BOOM! Orgy fun times, subsequently interrupted by Tywin. This show is so crazy. 

Tywin confronts Oberyn about poisoning Joffrey. He even mentions that he had a private chat with Tyrion that may have convinced him to kill Joffrey. Oberyn mentions again that The Mountain raped and killed his sister, as Tywin asks him to be a judge in Tyrion's trial. Tywin then takes a moment to update us on the status of the the Seven Kingdoms, which serves as a quick summary about who's doing what right now. Each major family was mentioned. 

Tyrion gets a visitor in jail, getting a chat from Podrick about how his trial will work and who the "judges" will be. He gets to provide a witness list, and promptly asks for Sansa. That's how he finds out she is missing. He mentions that Cersei is a stupid c-word that is always responsible for the negative things happening in his life. I'm so sick of her character.

Podrick offers to help Tyrion, which would result in his death. He was asked to testify against Tyrion, but would rather stay loyal. What ensues is a great interaction between the two, ending with Tyrion telling Podrick that he cannot sacrifice himself. 

Quickly, we jump to Ygritte and the Wildlings causing a ruckus and killing an entire camp savagely, including kidnapping a little boy, and telling him that he needs to get to Castle Black to send a message. So sweet of them to eat the little boys parents as they send him off to warn the crows. We also see Jon Snow with his glorious hair in intact. He gives an impassioned speech about what they need to do to defeat the Wildlings.

Up next is Khalesi, riding her beautiful white horse, followed by her loyal army. First of all, I miss Ed Skrein as Daario Naharis. He was much hotter than his replacement. Plus his scenes with Khalesi were so amazing.

Apparently, book purists thought he was too pretty to be Daario. BASTARDS, all of you.

The Meereenians (yes, I just made up a word) challenges Khalesi's army to a one on one battle to the death. However, beefore that, this happened:
"A man whose cock is hiding in his asshole..." Best. Line. Ever. 

Not-as-cute Daario offers to fight in her honor. Ok, he's attractive too...but he's no Ed Skrein. Anyway, new Daario easily takes down his competition. We are then treated to another Khalesi speech in her convincing gibberish to convince another group of people that she is not an evil queen and commands her army to catapult neck collars into their city to remind them of their slavery. Or their lack of freedom. Or something like that. Again, I was confused. I'm hoping this will make more sense to me next week.

This is going to be another amazing season though. You can feel the story building with each new episode. I'm so obsessed with this show! Can't wait for next Sunday...

xoxo,
JC

The Challenge Free Agents, Episodes 1 & 2

Ok, I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit that this show is one of my guilty pleasures. I can't bring myself to not watch. It's my favorite train wreck - other than The Bachelor/Bachelorette. 

I also wonder why I decided to blog about this silly show. I like to think that it's because I need to continue to hone in on my writing style, so why the hell not? 

Episode 1
- Characters...err, I mean the cast is revealed.
- TJ Lavin is looking sexy. 

- It is the 25th season of this show. I've probably watched every season. *runs and hides*
- CT is one of my favorites. I'm glad he's back. He has a nice body and he's crazy. Perfect for reality TV.
- I really wish Kenny, aka Mr. Beautiful, would do another one of these shows. He's so dreamy. I miss him.

I think we need one more Kenny pic. I'm glad you agree. Here you go!

- I love Jasmine for saying: "I want to be the whore of the challenge." and "I want dick and balls. Every day. All day."
- Strip one-on-one between Teresa and CT was awesome. I'm such a perv. Good thing I'm already the Captain of #TeamPerv.
- First challenge: Out On A Ledge (two teams)
- I got anxiety just listening to TJ explaining the rules of the challenge. They're definitely starting off with a crazy one!
- Some of the "rookies" are already annoying. Over it. No wonder the veterans like to vote them out early. They're pretty lame. Especially Jessica. I'd probably smack her if I were on the show. I like Johnny though. New cutie.
- 42 flights of stairs. FORTY TWO. I think I could do it, but I might need an oxygen machine and a wet towel after. Poor LaToya.
- Johnny Bananas is probably one of the most obnoxious players. Ever. Yet I love watching him because he's entertaining.
- Camilla did such a great job on the final part of the first challenge. I love her. She's one of my favorite female cast members. Crazy is as crazy does.
- The winners: the black team
- Nominated into the elimination round: LaToya and Chet
- Hunger Games random draw: Jemmye and Frank
- I didn't really like Chet, but seeing him bloody and cut up sucked. I love that TJ gave him crap for forfeiting though.
- LaToya kicked some major ass in her elimination round. Good for her!
- Eliminated: Chet and Jemmye

Episode 2
- I love that they had a costume party with legit costumes.
- There's a Dustin love triangle. That's pretty fun. I'm sure he's a great guy but I didn't think he'd be the first to hook up with two people.
- Challenge: Auto Body Rally (pairs)
- Seriously, there are people that can't drive stick? I think men lose 5 sexy points if they can't drive stick, aren't good drivers, and can't park like a fucking champ. Just FYI ;)
- Jasmine has really grown on me. I didn't really like her in the beginning, but she is so entertaining now. Her sassy comments are the best. 
- Bottom four: Swift & Teresa, CT & Emilee, Cara Maria & Johnny, Frank & Nia
- Top 2: Laurel & Cohutta, Leroy & Jessica; separated by three seconds
- The winners: Laurel & Cohutta
- Drunken hookups galore. I love watching these train wrecks happen. 
- Also funny? Watching girls holding their weave because it got ripped out during a bitch fight. Drunken bestie fights are the worst. In the moment, you totally think it's such an explosive and big deal. You're true friends if you can both apologize in the morning and still love each other through your drunken stupidity.
- Nominated into the elimination round: Dustin and Jonna
- Hunger Games random draw: Emilee and Frank
- I came in like a wreeeeeeeeckking ballllllll. That challenge looked hella hard.

- Eliminated: Emilee and Dustin
- I'm bummed that Dustin is leaving, but nice to see that a sickly Frank still went all out. 

Looks like we're in for another crazy ridic, crazy good season. Let the games begin! Well, technically, they already have, but you know what I mean.

Good night!

xoxo,
JC

The Voice Playoffs 1.3

Playoffs Episode 3, Team Usher
TJ: Tell Me Something Good
I've loved him from the beginning. I was hoping he'd do well tonight and make it to the live rounds. He did not disappoint. He has a humble, yet confident, way of performing that draws you in (unlike Sisaundra, who just keeps alienating me with each performance). Plus, he has a great smile!
My verdict: Going first is tough, but I think he has the talent needed to move to the next round. 

Gratuitous Adam Levine picture #1

 

MJ: Halo
I thought this was an excellent song choice. The only problem is that most singers can't touch Queen Beyonce. MJ sounded good, especially at the chorus, but I wanted more from her. She had a few really great moments and ended well, but all in all, I didn't like her performance that much.
My verdict: She's beautiful. She's an incredible singer, but I think the rest of her team will overshadow her and Usher will not select her. 

Gratuitous Adam Levine picture #2 (I LOVE GIFs)

How freaking adorable is this? I could watch this all day...just sayin'.

Stevie Joe: The Thrill Is Gone
First off, I don't know this song very well so it was hard for me to have a vested interest in his performance. I was a little bored. I like him, but he needs to show more personality in order for me to be a bigger fan.
My verdict: I kinda hope not.

Side note: googling "Adam Levine The Voice gifs" was probably not the best idea. I'm obsessed now. With the gifs, obviously not the Adam Levine obsession. That's been going on for YEARS <3

Omfg, Adam with a puppy. Cutest. Thing. Ever. Excuse me, it's cold shower time ;)

Bria: Wild Horses
I love this song choice. My favorite judge did an unplugged version of this song with Alicia Keys. It was amazing. And so was Bria. Her voice is so beautiful. I love the growl she has in her voice. It's so sexy and strong.
My verdict: Best performance on Usher's team so far. There's no way she won't be at the live shows. 
Side note: Adam doing stretches in front of Usher was so funny.

Okay, last Adam gif. I promise. Check out that dimple though. Oh my...

Josh: It Will RainI've been such a big fan of his since the Blind Auditions. His soulful voice is so wonderful. Josh chose another amazing song. It is one of my emo favorites - another song that I can listen to over and over again. His performance almost made me cry. The mark of a great performer is their ability to move their audience. Mission accomplished. It was so, so good.
My verdict: He HAS to move on. No ifs, ands, or buts. 

Usher's decisions: Bria, Josh, TJ

Great choices by Usher. Those three were my favorites. Excited for the Top 12 to perform!

Bye bye for now...

xoxo,
JC

SFGiants Game 18

Getting older sucks. Nursing a slight hangover and am really tired. I wanted to nap, but it was game time! 

1st inning highlights
I finally tried the food at Free Birds. It's freaking delicious. And yes, that was the highlight of the uneventful first inning for me :)

2nd inning highlights
Seth Smith hit a single off starter Tim Hudson. Chase Headley struck out and then Jedd Gyorko (Jerkoff) grounded out, sending Smith to 2nd. Smith then scored when Yonder Alonso singled him home. 

3rd inning highlights
Joaquin Arias got the first hit of the game for the Giants. Brandon Crawford struck out and then Hudson bunted into a double play. In the Padres half of the inning, Everth Cabrera and Will Venable singled consecutively. Yasmani Grandal then lined into a double play to end the threat. 

4th inning highlights
Angel Pagan, Hunter Pence, and Buster Posey were up...and none of them got a hit. The Giants' offensive woes are starting to stress me out. 

5th inning highlights
Michael Morse led off the inning with a home run. I really like his swing. It was his 3rd home run of the season. After Pablo Sandoval flied out, Brandon Belt and Arias both hit deep fly balls to Smith. If only either (or both!) had hit the ball just a little bit further. In the Padres half of the inning, Alexi Amarista led off with a single. Huddy committed an error trying to pick him off. Eric Stults bunted Amarista over to third base and then Cabrera tripled to center, putting the Padres back in the lead, 2-1. Venable hit into a fielder's choice, with Belt throwing to Posey to get Cabrera out at home. Neener neener. The inning ended with a weak ground out by Grandal.

6th inning highlights
Huddy had a nine pitch at bat that resulted in his first hit of the year. In the bottom of the 6th, Smith singled to left. Headley hit a high chopper to Belt, who showed his agility by jumping up to snag the ball. He threw a little high and off center to BCraw who still made an excellent throw back to Belt, just a couple steps after the runner.

7th inning highlights
Nick Vincent replaced Stults to face Posey, Morse, and Sandoval. He struck out the side :( Hudson had a nice inning himself, getting Amarista out on one pitch. He then struck out Tommy Medica and got Cabrera to fly out.

Side note: Huddy set a franchise record with 29 consecutive innings without a walk. He's been such a great pick-up. I'm so happy we have him!

8th inning highlights
My frustration with our offense is growing. They are wasting the efforts of our pitchers by not being able to score any runs! Venable doubled off David Huff to start the bottom of the 8th. After getting Grandal out, Jean Machi came in to pitch with a runner at third. Chris Denorfia laid down the perfect bunt, allowing Venable to get score an insurance run, 3-1.

9th inning highlights
Last chance to score - Pagan flied out, Pence flied out on one pitch (sad Pence in the dugout made me sad), and Posey struck out to end the game. Womp womp. 

Sad but true tidbits:
- Hudson pitched really well, but was handed the loss. The Giants have scored three runs TOTAL in the last three games.
- The Giants did NOT have any runners in scoring position the ENTIRE game.
- Bumgarner, Cain, and Hudson have combined for 18 1/3 innings pitched in the last three games. They've gotten 18 strikeouts and have only given up FOUR earned runs. Each of them were handed losses due to the lack of run support.

Fuck. I'm in a bad mood now. I think I need to watch reality TV to ease some of my pain. I really hope tomorrow is better.

Together, we're frustrated.

xoxo,
JC

SF Giants Games 16 & 17

I'm bummed that I've been so busy because that means there is little time for baseball. When I can't watch the games, it gives me anxiety.

On Thursday, I had back to back meetings, so I didn't get to watch or listen to the game much. I did follow along on the MLB app while I was in training, so you can't say I didn't try ;)

Quick tidbits from Game 16 
- I'm sure you're aware of this, but let's start from the beginning: the Giants lost 2-1 versus the Dodgers, but secured the series win with their victory the day before.
- Pablo Sandoval's batting average continues to plummet. 
- "Trader" (lol, Twitter folks that can't spell) Brian Wilson came in to pitch in the 8th inning. I heard the loud boos on the radio broadcast. Ehire Adrianza doubled to lead off the inning and then Hunter Pence walked. Unfortunately, Wilson got Sandoval and Buster Posey out to end the threat.
- This was the 7th consecutive one-run game the Giants have played in.
- Madison Bumgarner only lasted 4 1/3 innings due to high pitch count. 
- Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched so well against the cold Giants bats and shut them down until he exited the game. 
- The lone run the Giants scored was in the 9th inning. Michael Morse struck out, but reached base due to Kenley Jansen's wild pitch. Brandon Belt grounded into a force out and later advanced to 2nd on defensive interference. Hector Sanchez struck out, followed by a walk from Gregor Blanco. Adrianza singled to left, scoring Belt. He was 3 for 3 after coming in to replace Brandon Hicks. The rally was on and I was excited for the possibility of our boys tying it up, but then Brandon Crawford struck out to end the game. 

Friday night, I was busy making penis shaped cakes and blowing up penis shaped balloons. No, I'm not a weirdo (well, actually I am, but let's not get into that)...it was for a bachelorette party. By the time the game started, I was seated at Mas Sake in San Francisco with five of my girlfriends drinking many, many sake bombs. But of course, the TV showing the game still had some of my attention.
 
Quick tidbits from Game 17
- This was the 8th consecutive one-run game for the Giants. Their record in these games is 4-4.
- The Giants have only scored two runs in the last 19 innings, and four runs in the last 26 innings. Pitiful. 
- Angel Pagan led the game off with a ground rule double, but Blanco, Belt, and Sandoval were unable to get him home. In the Padres half of the 1st, Chris Denorfia tripled to center. With two outs and Jedd Gyorko at the plate, a passed ball by Hector Sanchez allowed Donorfia to score. I was so frustrated at this.   
- Posey and Morse had the day off, but were both put in as pinch hitters in the 8th inning. Neither got a hit. The Padres' Yasmani Grandal, pinch hitting for Tyson Ross, hit a home run off Juan Gutierrez to bring the score to 2-0.

- Belt hit his 6th home run of the season against Huston Street in the 9th, cutting the lead to 2-1. Pence walked with two outs and then stole second base. Sanchez then ended the game with a silly strikeout.

- The Giants had three stolen bases in this game.   
- Matt Cain pitched really well but got Cained by his teammates once again. 

I'm hoping the rest of the San Diego series goes better and our guys get hot at the plate again. It's not just one player, it's so many of them. I'm most concerned about Sandoval though. He needs to find his groove...and quickly because I'm getting really frustrated with him. However, the Giants offense as a whole needs to get hot. Losing these one-run games sucks :(

GO GIANTS!

xoxo,
JC