NFL Morning Games Week 13 2012

Finally, we return to a full slate of games for the final five weeks of the season. The morning games today number in at nine, beginning with...

The Tennessee Titans hosting the Houston Texans. Houston began in the first quarter with a 54 yard touchdown pass from Matt Schaub to Lestar Jean, and Shayne Graham made the extra point. Tennessee answered with a Rob Bironas field goal from 37 yards away. The Texans shot back as Schaub passed 5 yards to James Casey for a touchdown, and Graham again handled the extra point. Houston padded the lead as Arian Foster ran 2 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and Graham supplied the PAT. The Texans struck again in the third quarter when Graham made a 50 yard field goal. The Titans answered with a Jake Locker touchdown pass of 34 yards to Kenny Britt, and Bironas was good with the extra point. This was as close as it got, with the final being 24-10 Houston, who is now 11-1 while the Titans fall to 4-8.

Southeast to Miami, as the Dolphins host the New England Patriots. New England led off in the first quarter as Stevan Ridley ran 2 yards for a touchdown, and Stephen Gostkowski made the extra point. Miami got on the board with a Dan Carpenter 44 yard field goal. The Patriots extended the lead in the second quarter as Tom Brady passed 7 yards for a touchdown to Wes Welker, and Gostkowski knocked in the extra point. New England added on with a Gostkowski 43 yard field goal. The Dolphins got some back as Ryan Tannehill ran 2 yards for a touchdown, and Carpenter knocked in the extra point. The Patriots responded with a 32 yard Gostkowski field goal in the fourth quarter. Miami chipped away with a Carpenter field goal from 33 yards. New England answered as Gostkowski was true on a 20 yard field goal. The Dolphins replied with a Carpenter field goal of 42 yards. This was as close as it got, with the final being 23-16, giving New England a 9-3 record and the Dolphins a 5-7 record.

Up north, the Buffalo Bills bring in the Jacksonville Jaguars. Buffalo got going in the first quarter as Ryan Fitzpatrick ran 1 yard for a touchdown, and Rian Lindell booted the extra point. Jacksonville got on the board in the second quarter as Josh Scobee kicked a 36 yard field goal. The Jaguars took the lead as Chad Henne ran 1 yard for a touchdown, and Scobee knocked in the extra point. The Bills took the lead back as Fitzpatrick passed 11 yards to Scott Chandler for a touchdown, and Lindell supplied the PAT. Buffalo added on as Lindell made a 29 yard field goal. The Bills struck again in the third quarter as Fitzpatrick passed 13 yards to Stevie Johnson for a touchdown, and Lindell again made the extra point. Buffalo kept going with a 50 yard Lindell field goal. The Bills extended the lead some more in the fourth quarter on a 44 yard C.J. Spiller touchdown run, and Lindell was true with the extra point. Jacksonville shot back on a Henne pass to Cecil Shorts for a 5 yard touchdown, and Montell Owens converted the two-point attempt. Buffalo ended up winning 34-18, and improved to 5-7 while Jacksonville fell to 2-10.

To the west, the Detroit Lions host the Indianapolis Colts. Detroit struck first with a Jason Hanson 48 yard field goal in the first quarter. Indianapolis answered with a 17 yard touchdown pass from Andrew Luck to Donnie Avery, and Adam Vinatieri supplied the extra point. The Lions retook the lead as Matthew Stafford passed 16 yards to Brandon Pettigrew for a touchdown, and Hanson was true with the PAT. Detroit padded the lead as Mikel Leshoure ran 6 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and Hanson handled the extra point again. The Colts shot back as Luck passed 26 yards for a touchdown to Coby Fleener, and Vinatieri booted the extra point. The Lions replied with a Hanson field goal of 33 yards. Detroit padded the lead with a Hanson field goal from 52 yards out. Indianapolis took some back in the third quarter as Vick Ballard ran 11 yards for a touchdown, and Vinatieri knocked in the extra point. The Lions answered as Stafford passed 46 yards to Calvin Johnson for a touchdown, and Hanson booted the extra point. Detroit added on with a Hanson field goal of 31 yards. The Colts pulled back a bit as Luck found LaVon Brazill for a 42 yard touchdown, and Vinatieri drove in the extra point. Indianapolis won it as Luck found Avery again for 14 yard and a touchdown, and Vinatieri made the extra point. The Colts go to 8-4 and the Lions drop to 4-8.

South to Kansas City, as the Chiefs welcome the Carolina Panthers. Kansas City started in the first quarter with a 2 yard touchdown run by Peyton Hillis, with Ryan Succop adding the extra point. Carolina tied it as Cam Newton passed 47 yards for a touchdown to Greg Olsen, and Graham Gano made the extra point. The Chiefs took the lead as Succop made a 42 yard field goal. The Panthers took the lead back with a second quarter Newton touchdown pass of 23 yards to Steve Smith, and Gano was true with the extra point. Kansas City retook the lead as Brady Quinn found Tony Moeaki for 1 yard and a touchdown, and Succop handled the PAT. The Chiefs padded the lead in the third quarter on a Quinn touchdown pass of 3 yard to Jon Baldwin, and Succop made another extra point. Carolina pulled back in the fourth quarter as Newton passed 8 yards to Louis Murphy for a touchdown, and Gano was there with the extra point. Kansas City answered on a Succop 52 yard field goal. This made it 27-21, a final, with the Chiefs now at 2-10 and the Panthers at 3-9.

Back to the northeast, with the New York Jets bringing in the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona finally got on the board in the second quarter as Jay Feely made a 48 yard field goal. New York got on the board in the fourth quarter as Greg McElroy found Jeff Cumberland on a 1 yard touchdown pass, and Nick Folk supplied the extra point. The Cardinals answered with a 35 yard field goal. This wasn't enough to avoid a 7-6 loss, with the Jets improving to 5-7 and the Cardinals dropping to 4-8.

Into Missouri again, with the St. Louis Rams hosting the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco got things going with a first quarter Frank Gore 1 yard touchdown run, and David Akers made the extra point. St. Louis got on the board as Colin Kaepernick was called for intentional grounding in the end zone during the third quarter. The 49ers answered in the fourth quarter as Akers made a 23 yard field goal. The Rams pulled back in the fourth quarter as Janoris Jenkins recovered a fumble by Kaepernick and returned it 2 yards for a touchdown, and they tied the game with a two-point pass completed from Sam Bradford to Lance Kendricks. San Francisco took the lead as Akers made a 33 yard field goal. St. Louis retied it with a Greg Zuerlein 53 yard field goal. The Rams won 16-13 in overtime on a Zuerlein 54 yard field goal. St. Louis is now 5-6-1 while the 49ers fell to 8-3-1.

Up in Wisconsin, the Green Bay Packers host the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay was first to score in the first quarter with a 32 yard Aaron Rodgers touchdown pass to James Jones, and Mason Crosby knocked in the extra point. The Packers added on as Crosby made a 30 yard field goal. Minnesota got on the board as Christian Ponder found Kyle Rudolph for 7 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter, and Blair Walsh supplied the extra point. The Vikings took the lead as Adrian Peterson ran 82 yards for a touchdown, and Walsh booted the extra point. Green Bay chipped away in the third quarter as Crosby made a 47 yard field goal. The Packers gained the lead as James Starks ran 22 yard for a touchdown, and Crosby supplied the PAT. Green Bay added on as Crosby made a 31 yard field goal. This produced a 23-14 final, with the Packers improving to 8-4 and the Vikings falling to 6-6.

Closing out the early games, the Chicago Bears welcome the Seattle Seahawks. Chicago opened in the first quarter as Jay Cutler found Earl Bennett for 12 yards and a touchdown, and Robbie Gould supplied the extra point. Seattle tied the game in the second quarter as Marshawn Lynch ran 4 yards for a touchdown, and Steven Hauschka provided the Skittles made the extra point. The Seahawks took the lead as Hauschka made a 31 yard field goal. The Bears retook the lead in the third quarter on a Cutler touchdown pass of 12 yards to Matt Forte, and Gould tacked on the PAT. Seattle gained the lead back in the fourth quarter as Russell Wilson passed 14 yards to Golden Tate for a touchdown, and Hauschka made the extra point. Chicago tied it on a Gould field goal of 46 yards. The Seahawks took the lead in overtime when Wilson passed 13 yards to Sidney Rice for a touchdown, securing a 23-17 win. Seattle is now 7-5 and Chicago is now 8-4.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL December 2nd 2012

Six games on today, and also six on tomorrow in a little bit of schedule balancing. We begin in the far east as...

Amur Khabarovsk hosts Lev Praha. Tomas Popperle for Lev and Alexei Murygin for Amur are the masked men. Khabarovsk began in the first period with a Dmitry Shitikov goal, passed from Vladimir Loginov and Alexander Yunkov. Praha tied it with a Juraj Mikus goal, with a lone assist from Marcel Hossa. Lev took the lead in the second period on an Erik Christensen goal, assisted by Mathias Porseland. Praha extended the lead in the third period on another Christensen goal, made possible by Tomas Rachunek and Jakub Voracek. Amur got one back as Perttu Lindgren scored, with the help of Alexander Osipov. They couldn't tie the game, losing 3-2, with Christensen, Popperle (37 for 39 in saves), and Mikus receiving the three stars.

To the west, Sibir Novosibirsk welcomes CSKA Moscow. Rastislav Stana for CSKA and Jeff Glass for Sibir are in the blue paint. Moscow led off in the first period with a Vladimir Zharkov goal, passed from Patrick Davis and Mikhail Grabovsky. CSKA added on as Niklas Persson scored, courtesy of Alexander Radulov. Novosibirsk got on the board in the second period with a power play goal by Alexei Kopeikin, powered by Alexander Nikulin and Arturs Kulda. Sibir tied it in the third period when Kristian Kudroc scored, with a lone assist provided by Jori Lehtera. The game required a shootout to be decided where CSKA got goals from Sergei Shirokov and Radulov to top a lone Sibir goal by Jonas Enlund, allowing them to win 3-2. The three stars went to Radulov, Stana (35 for 37 in saves), and Persson.

Backtracking to the southeast, as Metallurg Novokuznetsk brings in Slovan Bratislava. Jaroslav Janus for Slovan and Alexander Lazushin for Metallurg are between the pipes. Bratislava opened in the first period with a power play goal off the tape of Vladimir Dravecky, with a lone assist by Lubomir Visnovsky. Novokuznetsk tied it with a goal by Denis Yezhov, passed from Anton Lazarev. Slovan took the lead in the second period on an unassisted Andrej Sekera power play goal. Metallurg tied it again with a power play goal by Dmitry Kagarlitsky, powered by Alexander Bumagin and Randy Robitaille. Novokuznetsk took the lead in the third period on another Kagarlitsky goal, with assists provided by Bumagin and Dmitry Megalinsky. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Kagarlitsky, Lazushin (30 for 32 in saves), and Bumagin.

Well to the west, Atlant Mytishchi hosts Ak Bars Kazan. Konstantin Barulin of Ak Bars and Anton Khudobin of Atlant tend the twines. Mytishchi started with a first period goal by Nikolai Zherdev, coming off of the goalie Khudobin and Sandis Ozolins. Kazan tied it with a Danis Zaripov goal, courtesy of Niko Kapanen. Ak Bars took the lead on a power play goal by Ilya Nikulin, powered by Zaripov and Kapanen. Kazan extended the lead with another power play goal, this time scored by Jarkko Immonen and set up by Nikulin and Alexei Morozov. Atlant got one back in the third period when Andreas Engqvist scored an unassisted goal. They failed to tie the game, falling 3-2, with the three stars going to Nikulin, Zaripov,and Kapanen.

Northeast a tad to Nizhny Novgorod, where Torpedo hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Iiro Tarkki for Salavat Yulaev and Vitaly Koval for Torpedo guard the cages. Nizhny Novgorod was first on the board with a second period power play goal by Matt Ellison, made possible by Alexei Vasilyev and Juuso Hietanen. Ufa tied it on a power play goal by Tomas Rolinek, assisted by Vitaly Atyushov and Denis Khlystov. Salavat Yulaev took the lead when Alexei Glukhov scored a goal in the third period, thanks to Igor Musatov and Oleg Saprykin. Ufa padded the lead with a power play goal by Igor Mirnov, powered by Kirill Koltsov and Alexei Kaigorodov. This held up as a 3-1 win, with the three stars belonging to Tarkki (29 for 30 in saves), Glukhov, and Mirnov.

Finally, we end the day in Yaroslavl, as Lokomotiv welcomes Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Maxim Sokolov for Neftekhimik and Curtis Sanford for Lokomotiv have the green light to start. Yaroslavl got going in the first period on an Artyom Anisimov goal, coming shorthanded via Vitaly Vishnevsky. Lokomotiv extended the lead in the third period on a power play goal by Staffan Kronwall, powered by Sergei Plotnikov and Emil Galimov. Nizhnekamsk got on the board as Oskar Osala scored, thanks to Martin Cibak and Renat Mamashev. Yaroslavl replied with a Plotnikov goal, made possible by Anisimov and Galimov. This produced the 3-1 final score, with the three stars being Plotnikov, Anisimov, and Galimov, while Sanford (23 for 24 in saves) gets the honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL December 1st 2012

One game on today, as Donbass Donetsk hosts Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Sharychenkov for Dynamo and Jan Laco for Donbass guard the cages. Moscow opened in the first period on an Alexander Ovechkin goal with a lone assist by Leo Komarov. Dynamo added on as Ovechkin scored a power play goal, and the assist was provided by Komarov. Moscow extended the lead with a Janne Jalasvaara shorthanded goal, coming from Andrei Mironov. Donetsk got on the board in the second period as Tuomas Kiiskinen scored a goal, with the help of Evgeny Dadonov. Donbass pulled closer in the third period with a Dadonov goal, helped along by Vaclav Nedorost, a shorthanded goal. Dynamo replied as Ovechkin finished his hat trick, and Nicklas Backstrom supplied the assist. This was it for the scoring, and Dynamo won 4-2. The three stars go to Ovechkin, Dadonov, and Komarov.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL November 30th 2012

Eleven games on today, so plenty of hockey for all of us as we send the calendar into its final month of the year. We begin with...

Amur Khabarovsk hosting CSKA Moscow. Ilya Bryzgalov for CSKA and Alexei Murygin for Amur are set to start. Moscow opened with a goal by Igor Grigorenko in the first period, assisted by Alexander Radulov and Alexei Marchenko. Khabarovsk tied it in the second period on an Alexander Osipov goal, made possible by Perttu Lindgren and Jakub Petruzalek. CSKA retook the lead in the third period when Grigorenko potted the puck, thanks to Denis Denisov and Mikhail Grabovsky. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Grigorenko, Bryzgalov (33 for 34 in saves), and Osipov.

Westward to Astana, as Barys hosts Avangard Omsk. Teemu Lassila for Barys and Karri Ramo for Avangard are the goalies for the game. Astana was first to score in the second period on a power play goal by Alexei Litvinenko, powered by Talgat Zhailauov. Omsk tied it with a Matti Kuparinen goal, coming off of Igor Volkov. Avangard took the lead as Oleg Piganovich scored, with the help of Alexander Popov and Alexander Perezhogin. Barys tied it in the third period with a Dmitry Upper power play goal, courtesy of Vitaly Novopashin and Roman Starchenko. Omsk won it 3-2 in overtime as Tomas Zaborsky scored a power play goal, with assists provided by Nikita Nikitin and Popov. The three stars belong to Zaborsky, Popov, and Ramo (25 for 27 in saves).

Back east a bit, Sibir Novosibirsk welcomes Slovan Bratislava. Jaroslav Janus of Slovan and Sergei Gaiduchenko of Sibir receive the starting nods. Bratislava led off in the first period as Jan Lipiansky scored, with helpers provided by Michel Miklik. Novosibirsk tied it in the second period on a Kristian Kudroc power play goal, powered by Alexei Kopeikin. Slovan regained the lead as Miklik scored a power play goal, set up by Michal Vondrka. There was no scoring the third period, so Slovan won 2-1, with the three stars being Miklik, Janus (27 for 28 in saves), and Lipiansky.

To the southeast, Metallurg Novokuznetsk brings in Lev Praha. Jakub Stepanek for Lev and Alexander Lazushin for Metallurg play between the pipes. Praha struck first in the first period as Lubos Bartecko scored, thanks to Petr Vrana. Lev added on with a Marcek Hossa goal, fueled by Bartecko. Praha struck again as Jakub Krejcik scored in the second period, with a lone assist from Vrana. Novokuznetsk got on the board with a Konstantin Turukin goal, assisted by Yury Nazarov. Metallurg pulled closer in the third period as Filipp Metlyuk scored a goal, pushed through by Dmitry Kagarlitsky and Randy Robitaille. They failed to tie the game, losing 3-2, and the three stars went to Bartecko, Vrana, and Stepanek (33 for 35 in saves).

Way to the northwest, Severstal Cherepovets hosts Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Evgeny Lobanov of Avtomobilist and Vasily Koshechkin of Severstal protect the nets. Cherepovets scored first in the first period on an Evgeny Mons goal, made possible by Petr Caslava. Severstal added on as Stanislav Yegorshev scored a power play goal powered by Bogdan Kiselevich and Vadim Shipachyov. Cherepovets struck again in the second period with a power play goal by Vadim Berdnikov, and Niclas Bergford had the only assist. Severstal extended the lead in the third period when Caslava scored, via Alexei Medvedev. Cherepovets iced the game at 5-0 with a Medvedev goal, passed from Nikita Alexeyev. The three stars belonged to Koshechkin (24 save shutout), Caslava, and Medvedev.

Across the lake, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Iiro Tarkki for Salavat Yulaev and Curtis Sanford for Lokomotiv are in the blue paint. Ufa began with a first period goal by Sergei Zinovyev, made possible by Denis Khlystov. Salavat Yulaev extended the lead in the second period when Khlystov scored a power play goal, powered by Vitaly Proshkin and Tomas Rolinek. Yaroslavl got on the board as Yegor Averin scored, with a lone assist provided by Daniil Apalkov. Lokomotiv tied it when Averin scored again, thanks to Alexander Chernikov and Apalkov. Yaroslavl took the lead on an Artyom Anisimov goal, set up by Sergei Plotnikov and Emil Galimov. This stood as the decisive goal, with Lokomotiv winning 3-2. The three stars went to Averin, Khlystov, and Apalkov.

A bit east, as Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod hosts Ak Bars Kazan. Konstantin Barulin for Ak Bars and Vitaly Koval for Torpedo are the masked men. Nizhny Novgorod started in the second period with a power play goal by Dmitry Makarov, assisted by Alexei Vasilyev. Torpedo padded the lead with an Artyom Chernov goal, coming off of Vladimir Gorbunov and Ruslan Zainullin. Nizhny Novgorod extended the lead in the third period on a Zainullin goal, passed from Gorbunov. Kazan got on the board as Danis Zaripov scored a power play goal powered by Niko Kapanen and Konstantin Korneyev. This was it for the scoring, with the final leaving Torpedo with a 3-1 win. Zainullin, Koval (34 for 35 in saves), and Gorbunov got the three stars.

Into Moscow, as Spartak hosts SKA St. Petersburg. Ilya Ezhov for SKA and Sergei Borisov for Spartak are in the creases. Moscow got going in the first period on an Anatoly Nikontsev goal, with a lone assist from Nikita Shchitov. Spartak added on as Alexander Khokhlachyov scored an unassisted goal. Moscow padded the lead with a power play goal by Oleg Gubin, powered by Andrei Shefer and Alexander Suglobov. SKA pulled Ezhov in favor of Sergei Bobrovsky at this time. St. Petersburg got on the board as Patrick Thoresen scored, via Dmitry Kalinin. Spartak answered in the third period on a power play goal by Suglobov, courtesy of Gubin and Oleg Petrov. Moscow kept going with a power play goal from Mikhail Yunkov, passed from Shchitov and Eduard Lewandowski. Spartak iced it at 6-1 with a Nikontsev goal, helped along by Gubin and Khokhlachyov. This was a final, with the three stars being Gubin, Nikontsev, and Khokhlachyov, while the honorable mentions go to Shchitov, Suglobov, and Borisov (36 for 37 in saves).

Just to the north, Atlant Mytishchi welcomes Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Matt Dalton for Neftekhimik and Anton Khudobin for Atlant have the green light to start. Mytishchi was first to score in the first period with a Maxim Mayorov goal, passed from Nikolai Zherdev. Atlant padded the lead in the second period as Zherdev scored a power play goal, powered by Andreas Engqvist and Viktor Stalberg. Nizhnekamsk got on the board as Martin Cibak scored, with the help of Oskar Osala and Yegor Milovzorov. Mytishchi made it 3-1 in the third period as Igor Ignatushkin potted the puck, with an assist provided by Alexander Shevchenko. This was a final, with the three stars going to Zherdev, Khudobin (28 for 29 in saves), and Mayorov.

Staying in the Moscow Oblast, we head south to Chekhov, as Vityaz hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Vladislav Fokin of Traktor and Ivan Kasutin of Vityaz tend the twines. Chelyabinsk led off with a first period goal by Andrei Popov, assisted by Evgeny Katichev. Traktor added on as Petri Kontiola scored, with the help of Stanislav Chistov. Chekhov got on the board in the second period with a power play goal by Artemy Panarin, powered by Brian Fahey. Fahey tied it for Vityaz with a goal that was passed from Pavel Chernov. Chelyabinsk took the lead back in the third period with a Kontiola goal, set up by Jan Bulis. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Kontiola, Fahey, and Fokin (33 for 35 in saves).

Finally, we close the day in Riga, as Dinamo brings in Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Ari Ahonen of Metallurg and Pekka Rinne of Dinamo guard the cages. Magnitogorsk was first to score with a first period power play goal by Dmitry Kazionov, powered by Yaroslav Khabarov and Mats Zuccarello. Metallurg added on as Zuccarello scored, with the help of Justin Hodgman and Kazionov. Minsk got on the board in the second period as Tim Stapleton scored a power play goal with a lone assist coming from Zbynek Irgl. Dinamo tied it with another power play goal, this time scored by Janne Niskala, passed from Cory Murphy and Joe Pavelski. Minsk took the lead in the third period on a Geoff Platt goal, made possible by Alexander Kitarov and Teemu Laine. Magnitogorsk tied it up with a Cal O'Reilly goal, helped along by Denis Platonov and Sergei Mozyakin. The game required a shootout to end, where Dinamo won 4-3 after goals by Irgl and Stapleton sealed the deal. The three stars went to Stapleton, Irgl, and Kazionov, while Zuccarello gets an honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

How They Got Here: The Story of the 2012 San Francisco Giants Part 33

How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general manager. Part thirty-three wraps up the series with the architect of it all, General Manager Brian Sabean. 

Brian Sabean was born on July 1, 1956, in Concord, New Hampshire. He was a graduate of Concord High School, and went to Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida (as did a close friend of mine a year ago). He was an assistant coach with the University of Tampa in 1980 to 1982, before earning the head coach job in 1983, a post he held for two years. He entered into Major League Baseball as a scout for the New York Yankees, responsible for discovering, drafting, and signing big names such as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, J.T. Snow, and Andy Pettitte. From 1992 through 1994, Sabean worked as an assistant to the general manager and vice president of scouting and player personnel in the San Francisco Giants front office. In 1995, he was the senior vice president of player personnel for the Giants, and in the offseason of 1996 was named the general manager. The previous season had been dismal, but Sabean was able to make a turnaround in 1997 despite a highly unpopular trade of fan favorite Matt Williams to the Cleveland Indians. One of the players they got back, Jeff Kent (most recently of Survivor fame) became one of the best second basemen in history. After 2002, Sabean was greatly tested and had to retool much of the roster for the 2003 season. He worked through this proficiently, turning in a 100 win season. Things went south in 2004, and the Giants missed the playoffs, beginning a short run of mediocrity in which Sabean's every move was questioned by the Giants faithful. The lowlight of all of this came as the team was losing and Sabean signed the then-record contract to Barry Zito for seven years beginning in 2007. As Zito struggled and players sent away in trades excelled, Sabean was very much in danger of losing his job. He gained security with a two-year contract after the All-Star break in 2007, and worked through the adversity. Many now, after separation from the events, have pinned some of the worse signings and trades the Giants made in the middle part of the decade as representative of owner Peter Magowan and not of Sabean's doing on his own. After 2009, the Giants continued to improve, and Sabean was rightfully honored in helping build the 2010 World Series Champion team. While 2011 was a down year, 2012 again saw the Giants win the World Series, and with little moves like trading Jonathan Sanchez for Melky Cabrera during the preseason and a pair of prospects for Marco Scutaro at the trade deadline have further established faith in Sabean's work. In his over fifteen years as general manager, the longest tenure of active managers, Sabean has proved that blockbuster deals and flashy free agent signings will not make a team. Instead, he prefers to bring in established major league players to build around, while adding enough youth through the draft to become an effective team. Sabean is responsible for having drafted the following 2012 champions: pitchers Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Sergio Romo, Ryan Vogelsong (who bounced around the majors and international leagues before being signed again prior to 2011), Brian Wilson, and batters Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, and Brett Pill, which is a quarter of the current forty-man roster. In addition, Sabean also acquired pitchers Jeremy Affeldt (free agent), Santiago Casilla (free agent), Javier Lopez (via trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates), Jose Mijares (claimed from waivers), Guillermo Mota (free agent), George Kontos (via trade with the New York Yankees), and batters Gregor Blanco (free agent), Hunter Pence (via trade with the Philadelphia Phillies), Xavier Nady (via trade with the Washington Nationals), Joaquin Arias (free agent), Angel Pagan (free agent), Ryan Theriot (free agent), Aubrey Huff (free agent), Marco Scutaro (via trade with the Colorado Rockies), Hector Sanchez (amateur free agent), Pablo Sandoval (amateur free agent), Melky Cabrera (via trade with the Kansas City Royals), and Eli Whiteside (free agent). The championship team in 2012 can be completely attributed to the work of Sabean and the front office, as well as can be all of the coaching staff, too. That's why he is such a good general manager: he has completely built a Championship team. Without Sabean, there would be no How They Got Here, and that's why he was a great choice to close out the series.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. Again, I would like to thank Yahoo! Sports for providing roster and contract information, as well as career statistics for current players season by season. I would also like to thank Wikipedia.org for providing a free service that allowed me to fill in the gaps in players' careers that were unexplainable by statistics alone, and for providing me with milestones in the careers of each player. Additionally, much thanks goes to the tireless efforts of the workers at Baseball-Reference.com for their compilations of minor and major league statistics. Finally, and most importantly of all, I would like to thank anyone who took the time to read this series during the month of November. Your added views to the blog have provided me with my first 1,000+ pageview month, and also the most successful individual series I've posted to date. As I've said before, I appreciate each and every view, and to make this such a success has been overwhelmingly amazing to me. If there's a series you'd like me to try in the future, leave a comment or talk to me on Twitter. As always, thank you very much for a great month and an even better two years and counting.

Thursday Night Football Week 13 2012

We have a huge NFC rivalry game tonight, as the Atlanta Falcons host the New Orleans Saints. Atlanta began in the first quarter as Michael Turned ran 3 yards for a touchdown, and Matt Bryant added on the extra point. The Falcons extended the lead in the second quarter as Matt Ryan passed 17 yards for a touchdown to Tony Gonzalez, and Bryant again made the extra point. Atlanta added on with a Bryant field goal of 45 yards. New Orleans got on the board when Mark Ingram ran 1 yard for a touchdown, and Garrett Hartley supplied the extra point. The Saints pulled closer in the third quarter as Hartley booted a 21 yard field goal. New Orleans got closer with a Hartley field goal of 52 yards. The Falcons shot back in the fourth quarter as Bryant knocked in a 29 yard field goal. Atlanta struck again as Bryant blasted in a 55 yard field goal. This made it 23-13, a final, with the Falcons improving to 11-1 and the Saints falling to 5-7.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

How They Got Here: The Story of the 2012 San Francisco Giants Part 32

How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general manager. Part thirty-two tells us of manager Bruce Bochy.

Bruce Bochy was born on April 16, 1955, in Landes de Boussac, France, as his father was currently stationed with the US Army there. He grew up in Virginia and also Melbourne, Florida, and he graduated from Melbourne High School, having played with Darrell Hammond from Saturday Night Live. For college, Bochy attended Brevard Community College before transferring to Florida State University. In 1975, he was drafted by the Houston Astros in the first round with the twenty-fourth overall pick of the supplemental draft. From 1978 to 1980, Bochy played catcher with the Astros, but only in a handful of games. He played in 1982 with the New York Mets after missing all of 1981, and then closed out his career with the San Diego Padres from 1983 to 1987. As a hitter, he compiled a career line of a .239 batting average, twenty-six home runs, and ninety-three runs batted in. He started managing with the Spokane Indians in 1989 in the Padres organization, before moving up to the Riverside Red Wave managerial position in their last year. He continued to the High Desert Mavericks as their first manager, and then was promoted to Wichita Wranglers for 1992. In 1995, Bochy made his first managerial job in the major leagues with the San Diego Padres. He was named the National League Manager of the Year in 1996, and led the Padres to the National League pennant in 1998. From 1995 to 2006, Bochy was with San Diego, but when the front office changed prior to the 2007 season, they allowed Bochy to be interviewed by San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean. He ultimately got the job, which he has held ever since. This allowed him to steer the course for the 2010 and 2012 World Series Championships won by the Giants. He is often credited with being one of the better matchup-based managers in the league, and manipulates the team as necessary to get wins. He is known to be in touch with his personnel, especially with members of the bullpen, and is well-liked for a casual-leaning and team-focused clubhouse. These attributes make him popular wherever he is, and behind the scenes, he is a humorous and outgoing person. Bochy is very wise in his managerial style, and because the players buy into his orders, he is able to have many successful teams, as evidenced by his 1454-1444 record.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.