By mlblogssfgiants1

Why not buy a house in the Bay Area? One reason is it’s so expensive. Also, Arizona is kind of in between Jalynne’s family and mine. And we can be in our home during spring training. But eventually we’d like to have a house here in the Bay Area.



Did Hicks and I wear our pants up in New York as a tribute to Belt? No. Hicks said he was wearing his pants up that day, probably just to change things up, and he asked me if I’d wear them up, too. So I did. There were strong opinions here in the clubhouse that I look better with my calves covered. I think they’re jealous.



Toughest part of playing shortstop in the Majors? The speed of the game. The runners, ground balls — everything’s faster. It’s a cliche, but if you don’t step back and take it one pitch at a time, one play at a time, things can kind of spiral on you.



Favorite restaurant in the Bay Area? La Fogata, a Mexican place in Walnut Creek. With two babies, we’re doing more take-out now than eating at the restaurant.



What position I’d play for one game if I could? Pitcher, just to see how I’d do. I still occasionally throw pitches to Pablo during warmups. Maybe Bochy will take notice . . .



Question about whether it’s a good idea for a 9-year-old to play only baseball all year round: When I was nine, I played basketball, soccer and baseball. At 12, I stopped soccer and took up football. Those other sports help your athleticism. You’re not focused on just a few movements. In baseball, you’re using your arm all the time. In soccer I was using my legs and developing a different kind of agility. If you’re a little kid and you’re only playing one sport, you might get burned out. It’s ridiculous how many travel teams there are now. I’d say every American guy on the Giants played another sport, not just baseball.



Does having family members in the stands affect how you play? At this point, no.



Funniest or craziest thing a fan or rival has yelled to throw off my concentration? I’ve heard people yell, “Get a haircut’’ and “Nice mullet’’. I know there have been funnier things but I can’t really think of anything specific.



Strangest thing you’ve been asked to sign? A female fan asked me to sign a certain body part which I did not do. I think she was a little surprised and maybe a little upset. Some kids have asked me to sign their hands or arms and I ask, “Do your parents know I’m doing this?’’ Other than that, I’ve signed people’s shoes, phones, things like that. I say, “You know this doesn’t come off, right?’’



How many times did you laugh making the commercial with Belt? We did about 20 takes, and I’d say 15 were ruined by laughing. It was mostly Belt laughing. I was trying to game-face him. We had a lot of fun.



When my Dad didn’t let me play baseball once because I got a C, what class was it? Honors geometry. And it was actually a C+.



How is Team Brandon doing in the hitting competition? Since we lost Belt, our first-round pick, we struggled a little bit last month. Fortunately I got off to a pretty good start this month and Adrianza had some hits. Bam-Bam replaced Belt with Perez, who’s not an everyday starter so he has no chance to rack up a lot of points. When we also lost Adrianza to the DL, we thought we’d get Panik. But he went to a different group. I’m not sure how this game is being played. I’m starting to wonder if it’s rigged.



Is language ever a barrier in the clubhouse? Yes. No one understands Bumgarner. But now we have Hudson as a translator.



Pitcher that gives me the most trouble? I could probably speak for most of the big leagues and say Kershaw.



That’s it for now. Keep your questions coming. I know Belt wants to do a blog before he heads off to San Jose for the start of his rehab assignment. Glad he’s getting closer to being back in the lineup. We need him. Don’t tell him I said that.

Finally, a plug for Opera in the Park at AT&T July 5 at 8 p.m. It’s a live simulcast of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. And it’s free! I know nothing about opera, but I had fun at the photo shoot!

June 25, 2014

11 a.m.