A dynasty is born, just like we all predicted

Ha. What a lie. No one saw this coming. Well except for me, kinda.

I think once the ball got rolling during the NLDS though, we were all convinced that the Giants would take these playoffs and make them their bitch.

It's been the story all three times-- unfolding differently, yet the same. They just get rolling, the pitching shows up when it needs to, and the rest is history.

Of our three World Championships though, this one was the least expected, and the closest contested. Sure 2012 required multiple massive comebacks in the NLDS vs. Cincinnati and the NLCS vs. St. Louis, but the World Series was a 4-0 breeze against Detroit.

There were no such breezes in 2014. In fact, it was nothing but a strong and steady headwind.

The way in which this team ground out series wins one after the other, how they won big games on the road, and how they bounced back after tough losses was nothing short of incredible.

The way this mix of young and experienced players gelled together and turned this into another winner was unexpected, and a joy to watch.

Between Bruce Bochy's steady hand, Panda's consistency, and all the clutch plays-- Ishi's NLCS Walkoff, Panik's insane double play, Morse's unexpected contributions... it's just hard to put it all into words. But hey, that's October for ya.

This cute Colorado isn't worthy of Madbum.

And is there anything else you can say about Madison Bumgarner that hasn't been said already? He is a monster among men, a pillar of strength, and the type of dedicated, broad-shouldered, fearless man on which this country was built and why it has prospered.

High enough praise for him? Probably not.

Just like his World Series MVP present, the mid-sized Chevy Colorado. It could never be enough.

This is a metaphor for Bumgarner. Ford or Ram work too.

Get that man a Silverado 3500 dually 4x4 with the Duramax Diesel. Madison Bumgarner ain't no sissy gas engine. He's a big ol' American diesel capable of pulling 20,000+ pounds of steer. He has the torque and dependability to pull an entire organization and city with him. Without his brute force and excellence, this team would've been stuck on the side of the road in Pittsburgh.

If Bum is the truck, Bochy's driving, Pence is the fuel, Panda is the dual heavy duty batteries, and Buster is the tires. The rest of the players make up various parts, and Hunter Strickland is in the trailer passed out drunk and being carried along as dead weight. But enough of all that nonsense.

We'll all remember each World Series title for different things. For obvious reasons, nothing will top the feeling we got for the 2010 title. The delirium and euphoria of the first time could never be replicated. 2012 was the one we all got to enjoy, the icing on the cake. 2014 will forever be etched as the title that clinched the Dynasty-- the Madison Bumgarner World Series; the "House Money" run that no one expected. It is as unique and beautiful as the other two.

I can say that no matter what happens for the rest of my life as a Giants fan, that my life was made-- THREE TIMES-- and no one can ever take that away. Even if they never sniff another title as long as I live, I'm satisfied.

But I'll always want more. Let's do it again.

Like Morse, just enjoy the ride

There's really something to be said for being able to totally relax and enjoy what's going on around you. It's the way you feel on vacation, the way you feel when you gaze out at something beautiful with nowhere to be; your phone only making an appearance to take a picture because there's no service anyway.


It's an odd feeling-- almost surreal when it happens. But it just feels right.


That's the way I'm feeling when watching the Giants these days-- like I don't have a friggin care in the world and nowhere to be.

That's how good they've been.



Hell, even ESPN has noticed. That's how good they've been.

It's been awhile since my last post, partly because there's been no controversy, barely any conflict or poor decisions being made. It almost seems... do I dare say... easy.


In that last post, I wrote that the Giants would be alright without Brandon Belt. Not only have they been alright, they've hit some sort of zone, that can only be enhanced by Belty's return in a couple weeks.


It's difficult to even imagine that they'll be regaining another bat with superb defense when the current lineup has been so successful.


So much of that success can be attributed to Mike Morse and everything he does. He's played an admirable first base and left field, has absolutely raked the ball, and you can just tell, has had a huge impact on the Giants' clubhouse. He's having fun playing baseball and I'm having fun watching him.


It's unfortunate that he's only on a one year deal, because whatever magic Mike has brought to the clubhouse (see what I did there?) and to the lineup, I don't want it to end. Pay the man immediately.


Currently Morse ranks in the top 20 in all of MLB in HR, RBI, Slugging %, and OPS-- something this team has needed for years and years. Curiously though, for you Saberjerks, Morse is only a 0.9 WAR.


See, this is why I have a problem with that stat. It's not an end all be all, and there's exceptions to the rule. I won't go off on a huge tangent, but to say that Mike Morse has only been worth one extra win to this team is beyond absurd. He's been a shot of adrenaline into this lineup and a shot of tequila in the clubhouse. Plus he did this on Stan Lee / Superheroes Night. Hulk status.

 

There of course have been others that have been amazing additions this season-- most notably the ageless Tim Hudson, who has pitched like a Cy Young candidate. However, there's one other guy that has essentially been an addition that I'd like to talk about.

Ryan Vogelsong.

Is he an addition? You betcha. Yah. *Fargo voice*

He may not be a new face around these parts, but Vogey's resurgence to an effective, chainsaw-angry member of the rotation has been huge, especially due to Cain's uneven season and Lincecum, well... being Lincecum.

Vogey currently sports a 3.39 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, with 7 of his 12 starts have been "quality".

His starts have been such a far cry from what we all expected from him, that's it's just gravy. I can't say for sure that he'll be able to keep this up all season, but his efforts have been absolutely huge so far. You could even argue he's been more helpful to the cause than Matt Cain, which is crazy. If Vogey keeps this up, even remotely close to what he's done thus far, the Giants' rotation will outperform expectations all season.

Outperforming expectations has been the name of the game so far, and it's just been plain fun to watch. Posey and Panda have hit rough patches this year at different times, but they've evened out. The Giants keep winning. Pence had a rough start. They win anyway. Belt goes down? No problem. Cain on the DL? Whatever. Buster and Pagan need days off? Oh well, they win without them. Blanco gets some starts? He's a catalyst all the sudden.

It's just insanity.

It's remarkable too how Bruce Bochy has been able to work guys in and out of the lineup lately without much consequence in the win column. It all just works out... and believe me, I've noticed.

Right after Lincecum gave up that first HR to Granderson:

That brings me back to my opening paragraph. You just need to sit back and enjoy the scenery. 21 games over .500 on June 8th is crazy, and it been thoroughly fun.

Part of my ability to just sit back and enjoy this is because we have those two big trophies from 2010 and 2012. Just as the second trophy validated the first, this great start is on its way to validating those other years.

When we won that 2nd World Series, it felt different than the first one. The first one was insane... even with a commanding series lead over Texas, it was gut-wrenching and nail-biting until that final out. With the second one, a feeling a confidence swept over me after we won the first two games. Because even if something bad happened and they blew it, we'd always have 2010. I was able to drink and joke with people against the Tigers without having to get a referral to a cardiologist. It was just plain more fun.

Now, back in an even year, those first two trophies are the Fort Knox full of gold bars that backs up this 2014 currency. I'm able to enjoy it more because I still feel like we're playing with house money. And that my friends, is priceless.

The Giants will be alright without Belty

Allow me to begin today's post with some 80s musical poetry:

"I've been thinking 'bout the times

You walked out on me

There were moments I'd believe, you were there

Do I miss you, or am I lying to myself again

I do these things...(It's all because of you)

I keep holding on, but I'll try(try not to think of you)

Love don't leave me lonely

I'll be alright without you

There'll be someone else...I keep tellin' myself..."

One of my favorite Journey songs of all time is "I'll Be Alright Without You". The immortal/emotional Steve Perry spends the song trying to convince himself and us, the listener, that he indeed will be alright without the chick he's singing about. Then Neal Schon rips off one of the understatedly amazing instrumental guitar interludes of all time.

Not only that, but treat yourself to the live video of it below from 1986. It features Perry with a magnificently feathered mullet and Randy Jackson (yes from American Idol) wearing skin-tight leather pants, a high top fade, and rocking a pink polka-dot bass. Just so good. Actually, just don't read this article at all. Look at Journey videos on YouTube for the rest of the afternoon.

Alas I severely digress. But it was worth it.

Brandon Belt has been hot and cold so far in 2014, but he's also been a revelation. Despite his cold streak, he still has 9 HR and has knocked in 18. He's gotten a few big hits, but has also been pedestrian overall with runners on base and in scoring position.

Regardless, we're going to miss his bat and glove when faced with the less than easy task of replacing him. Damn that broken thumb! Goddamn Dodgers.

With Morse likely taking the lion's share of 1B duties, and Buster likely taking the rest of the time, we're essentially replacing Belty with a combination of Tyler Colvin (former Cub and Rockie of course), Gregor Blanco, and Hector Sanchez.

While Hector Sanchez has really been something solid lately, Colvin is a complete unknown and Blanco has been Blank-o thus far in '14. It really is a shame this bench didn't get improved over the winter.-- although I suppose Blanco being on the bench is a decent 4th OF in terms of defense and speed.

Combined, Colvin and Blanco have accomplished the rare feat of hitting below .100 together-- Colvin being 0-2 in Sunday's game in LA and Blanco being 4-40 for a .100 average.

Soooooo, we're probably talking about a weak link in the lineup unless one of those guys finds a way to contribute in a meaningful way or Pence and Pablo start hitting for some power sometime soon.

With Pablo, the 3 hits to help vanquish the Doyers was a promising sign that his horrendous start might begin to morph into something average-- at bare minimum.

Hector Sanchez at catcher with Buster at 1B and Morse at home in Left is clearly the Giants' most productive option to go with here though, and I'm hoping that Bochy will be pretty much left with no choice but to do this. Clearly, you want Buster behind the plate-- he's our catcher, and he's best there-- but you've gotta get your most productive bats in the lineup if you want to win.

As for Sanchy, he's been mostly good, however, he's been both amazing or terrible based on the situation. He's also helped us win multiple games with clutch hits. Yeah, isn't it crazy? Hacktor has been helping us!

Check out the weird splits though:

So Hacktor at home against a righty? Sit him down. On the road against a lefty? YES YES YES A MILLION TIMES YES GET HIM IN THE LINEUP. Hell, the guy hits .111 with no one on base and .357 with guys on. That's pretty hardcore clutch action.

Time for Boch to start taking advantage of this knowledge and planning his lineup accordingly-- essentially versus a left handed starter, let's get Hack in there behind the dish, get Buster at 1B and Mighty Morse in LF. Versus RHPs, let's get Morse at 1B and Blanco or Colvin out by the Chevron cars.

Back to being alright without Belt... I think this team has enough to stay in first or around first without him, but it's going to take some guys righting their ships and the same badass pitching.

Hitting rock bottom never looked so good

My all SF rally beer didn't work. :(

As I drink my sorrows away with my (supposed) rally/jinx beer that I purchased during the 7th inning of the Homer Bailey no-hitter, I can't help but try to cheer myself up. The first thing I did was post a video of Buster Posey's NLDS granny against Nutsac Latos. The next thing I did was think about how to cheer up the rest of Giantsland without blowing smoke up everyone's ass.

Welp. Here goes...

As I detailed in my last post, the NL West is weird and lame. If the D-Backs end up winning their rain delayed game against the Mets, we're 4 games back of 1st. If they lose, we're still just 3.5 games back.

A team playing this badly has no business being in 1st right now, this is true. But hey, it's attainable and it's right there for the taking. Arizona hasn't gotten a win out of a starting pitcher in like a month, and neither Colorado or San Diago have made their move. It's like a division stuck in a vacuum.

The schedule doesn't get any easier on paper. We play a pretty much all teams above or near .500 other than Milwaukee, the Mets, and Florida (who plays us tough). There are a ton of divisional games remaining, and those are all opportunities to get hot and take out the rest of the NL West, one foe at a time. Easier said than done, clearly.

The month of July brings some relief in the form of the all-star break, and 15 home games-- all 15 taking place after this Reds series (with only 6 road games mixed in).

There's also the matter of help on the way. The non-waiver trade deadline is arriving soon.

This team needs a couple days off and an infusion of talent. Is Alex Rios a savior? No, but not once this season has this team managed to run on all cylinders.

The starting pitching (minus Kickham) is trending in the right direction. Cain/Bum are pitching much better and even Zeets has only given up 7 earnies in his last 18 IP. Get Gaudin back, and we're looking at a decent staff.

Obviously, our hitters have to wake up and we need more consistent bullpen appearances, but these type of things just click randomly sometimes. We just need everyone to start getting on board at the same time. That's how teams get hot and make runs. We have 3 legitimate top 50 hitters, including the reigning MVP, and some other guys that can't possibly hit worse. Panda and Crawford are in season-worst slumps right now, they can only get better.

We've been down to the wire in the playoffs before, and won it all. Just remember.

You'll see, this team has its run left in them. And if you don't believe me, just go home and look at pictures of our two World Series trophies.

Drawn out ceremonies, Timmy & Hector, St. Louis, & other early observations

Well, it's been a few games now, and we've gotten to know our 2013 Giants a little better. Sure, they're almost the same team as last year, but every year is different. Guys get better, guys regress, and you just never know how things will shake out. Here's what I've seen so far:

-- Starting pitching has been a little up and down. Cain had one great start against LA, then gave up a historic 9 ER against St. Louis. Timmy won a game while walking 7. Bumgarner was a monster against the Dodgers and was a little shaky against Colorado. Vogelsong got lit up pretty badly.

The only guy with an unblemished statline thus far is Barry Zito, who apparently now owns the Cardinals. Let's hope this dominant Zito sticks around all year.

...Speaking of the Cardinals and our home opening series...

-- They got a little revenge for last season's NLCS. Believe me, these fans and that team are still bitter at their collapse, and they immediately got subjected to a three game, pre-game lovefest the likes unseen by Major League Baseball.

There's been some talk about the three ceremonies and how they were a little much. I agree.

Three days of flag raising, Buster, and an extended ring ceremony is deserved, but a little much when they last 20-30 minutes apiece and delay the beginning of the game. Again, I'm not saying I didn't enjoy every second of  it and that I didn't tear up when they raised that championship flag, but I wouldn't want the Giants to get stuck with another team's home opening series and 3 extravagant ceremonies in a row.

I feel like the flag-raising and the ring ceremony could've all been on the same day (Friday) and that Buster's MVP ceremony could've been pushed back to the Rockies series or on Sunday. Just my opinion.

-- Interesting factoid: The Cardinals also were at AT&T Park in 2011 for the Giants home opening series in which they watched the Giants ring ceremony. And then won the WS themselves in '11.

-- The Dodgers still suck. They've got all kinds of fancy toys that will cost them an arm and a leg for years, and the only one worth a damn is Clayton Kershaw, who they haven't even paid yet. Pathetic.

-- I like Chad Gaudin. He's looked good thus far. Andres Torres on the other hand...

-- There's still a "thing" between Timmy and Buster, whether anyone in the Giants' clubhouse wants to admit it or not. Sanchez caught Lincecum in his 1st two starts, and this brilliant Baseball Prospectus article (which you need to read) basically breaks down how and why Hector Sanchez is an unacceptable catcher thus far in his young career, especially for Lincecum. A lot of it has to do with framing, but the thing that gets me is that Buster has to sit or displace Belty in order for this to happen.

All this why there's a 3rd catcher named Quiznos sitting on the bench, useless.to the world and to himself. He should be getting reps in the minors.

Whether Bochy just wants to avoid Buster getting beaten up by crazy breaking pitches in the dirt, or whether Lincecum just can't handle being told what to do, this thing is detrimental to both the Giants' offense and defense.

I think a lot of us have this feeling that Hector Sanchez can hit, and he's still just a baby, but the fact remains that he hit .280 last year, but had a .685 OPS to go along with it. That's like backup middle infielder territory...

-- Brian Wilson didn't respond to the Giants' invitation to be included in the ring ceremony. That was the final nail in the coffin to his career in with the Orange & Black. It was immature and unacceptable. We loved that weirdo and he'll never be as happy with anyone else as he was here. If he wasn't so obsessed with himself, he'd have signed a minor league deal with the Giants and pitched his way back into a setup role. Instead, he made it about him, and still thinks that despite the fact he isn't capable of pitching, that he should be offered guaranteed millions. Good luck Wilson. I won't even call you Weez anymore.

It was nice while it lasted... all two years of it.

-- Speaking of which, where was Barry Bonds on Buster's MVP Day? For as much controversy as his name conjures up, he should've still been there. Jeff Kent, might have been a great Giant,but he also played for the effing Dodgers willingly-- Bonds never did that. Who better to give a keynote MVP speech to Buster than a guy who won 7 of them and lost an 8th to Jeff Kent.

I know he's a salty bastard and he has outstanding legal issues, but the Giants give rings to Kruk and Kuip and bring back Gaylord Perry all the time. Bonds deserves to be there. He built that ballpark and paved the way for these two Championships.

-- The Giants need to start their own division of eBay for highly sought-after giveaways like the Buster bobblehead. Nevermind the fact that they were giving away 40k of them, there will still morons lined up for LITERALLY a mile down the Embarcadero before the gates were opened. All for a bobblehead.

Crazier still was that there were sleaze merchants with garbage bags waiting inside the gates offering everyone $15-$20 for their bobbleheads. Last time I checked, they were going for $40-$50 on eBay. Just crazy.

Buster is protecting my flavored booze section now.

-- Stay hot Hunter Pence, catch fire Marco Scutaro... pretty self-explanatory, Pence has been a monst, and Scoots doesn't look comfortable at all. Also, Pagan is off to a hot start, giving me plenty of opportunities to use my #PaganWorship hashtag on Twitter.

Remember to read this Baseball Prospectus article about Timmy and Hector.

Posey's new deal a bargain

A day later, it's sinking in. I almost feel relieved and at peace, as if the news of Buster's new megadeal somehow alleviated some of life's other stresses.

It also renews the faith that I have in the Giants organization. They're clearly committed to winning, have drafted and developed quality players with quality character, and those players want to continue winning in front of the best fans in baseball (sorry Cardinals fans...).

Yeah, it's a lot of money, but it won't hamstring the Giants into the future. Cain and Bumgarner are locked up for years and years, and while all three of our core Southerners are going to be accounting for a large chunk of cash moving forward, the dead/half-dead money of Lincecum and Zito respectively will be coming off the books after this year.

There's that, and the fact that we've won 2 in 3, in addition to AT&T Park being paid off soon. The Giants are making money hand over fist, and there's nothing to worry about.

Things are good in Giantland, that's for sure.

If you look at the next 9 years, Buster will be making an average of $18.55MM a year. A lot of money for any position player, but as we know, this isn't just any position player. If you're reading this, I don't need to sell you on Buster Posey and what he means to this lineup, this pitching staff, and this city.

The closest example to what I just mentioned is Joe Mauer, who signed his own megadeal a few years ago. Just to compare:

Mauer: 8 years, $184MM ($23MM/yr)
Posey: 9 years, $167MM ($18.5MM/yr)

I love Joe Mauer, who was also an MVP in his own right, but he's not worth close to what he's making. To be fair, the Twins locked up their St. Paul hometown hero with the Yankees and Red Sox lurking in impending free agency, so that upped the ante a bit. Still, Mauer may never have another 20 HR season again, and I'm pretty sure we can consider 20-30 dingers for Buster a lock.

As for the issue that seems to constantly come up: how long until Buster isn't a catcher anymore?

I honestly don't understand why this is constantly coming up. He's 26, not 34. He wasn't a catcher until like 5 years ago, so despite his injury a couple years ago, he's still built to last.

Couple that with the fact that he only started 111 games at catcher in 2012 (29 at 1B, the rest at DH), I feel like the Giants are taking care of their golden goose pretty well.

Now, with the potential emergence of Brandon Belt, there may not be as many opportunities to play 1B as there were in 2012 for Buster to "take days off". That may be an issue. However, the sprinkling in of AL roadtrips throughout the season allows for Buster to take some DH days to stay fresh at seemingly random times.

I think at some point, the Giants should look into making Buster into a 3B, but let's wait on it people. We're not talking about someone who's breaking down or has 10 years of catching on his knee odometer. This isn't frickin Albert Pujols. He's still a spring chicken, and we need not worry about such things right now.

Just relax and enjoy another season with one of the game's best talents-- another season of many to come.

Coaching staff the real MVPs

Forget your Poseys, Pandas, and Scutaros for a second.

I know it's hard, but just try not to think of individual performances for a second and transport yourself back to the beginning of the season.

Think about what you wanted this team's goals to be-- both for each player and collectively.

All we wanted was Pagan and Cabrera (sorry) to be better than 4th outfielders. We wanted Brandon Crawford to play good defense, and if he hit his weight, we'd be thrilled.

We wanted Brandon Belt to get playing time and to learn how to hit with any kind of consistency. We fought amongst each other all season as to whether he should be sent down-- whether he had the mental makeup to deal with his situation.

We didn't think Hector Sanchez was ready to catch a big league pitching staff coming out of Spring Training. He was too raw, we were told. Joaquin Arias was a random infielder who we knew very little about. He impressed in Spring, and with the injury to Freddy Sanchez, he made the team and never looked back. He made the final play of Matt Cain's perfect game and has racked up clutch hits.

With Brian Wilson shelved very early on, Santiago Casilla stepped up until the all-star break, closing out games with authority. Now that's Sergio Romo's job-- something he's never done before.

We PRAYED that Buster Posey would be able to play 100 games and thought 15 HR and 70 RBI with a .280 avg. would've been a great comeback story. We all know how that turned out.

Look at our starting pitchers. We expected ZERO from Barry Zito. Many of us, including me, just said eat the guy's contract and get someone-- ANYONE in here other than him to be the 5th starter.

When it became apparent that there was something dreadfully wrong with Tim Lincecum, the staff never gave up on him or his season. They continued to cart him out there, always treating him with the respect and waaayyyyy-tooooo-long rope earned by being a two-time Cy Young winner.

They worked with him, watched tape, talked to his dad-- anything that would get their ace back to some semblance of respectability. He seems to have found that respectability as a reliever of all things.

Vogelsong and Bumgarner had incredible first halves, but tailed off badly after the all-star break.

Now look at them. Shutdown baseball in the playoffs-- seemingly out of nowhere.

Pablo Sandoval, still not up to required fitness standards, struggled at times this season-- frustrating all involved. Instead of rehabbing his hamate bone, he was out until all hours in a Santa Cruz resort getting into trouble. He fell in and out of his old ways at the plate; impressing sometimes, maddening us in others.

Now look at him.


We don't see what goes on behind the scenes or on the practice field, but it's clear that this coaching staff constantly spins thread into gold on their baseball loom. It's unbelievable.

Remember when we led the league in errors in the early season? Remember that game in Houston when we had all absolutely HAD it with Crawford and his errors? Seems like a long time ago.

Now? His coaches and his hard work have molded him into a Gold Glove candidate who hit .248-- higher than the .235 we were praying for.

He hit .204 last year.

So much tangible improvement by so many players during the season didn't happen by accident. So many in-game moves and questionable lineup moves by Bochy have turned to gold seemingly every time.

When we all scorned George Kontos for constantly allowing his inherited runners to score, and demanded to know why Bochy continued to cart him out there during similar situations, we got our answer when he came into huge situations in the NLDS, and up until his last two outings, has shut it down.

Gardy the bullpen guru.

The entire coaching staff has left an indelible mark on this 2012 season, something that I can only compare to 2010's magic or perhaps even the turnaround by the 49ers from 2010 to 2011.

Mark Gardner in the bullpen has overcome the loss of our closer and the entrance of new players like Jose Mijares and the aforementioned Kontos. He got Casilla back on track after he'd seemingly lost everything in July. He has managed to keep this bullpen together when it seemingly was running out of steam during the dog days.

Dave Righetti is a magician. Overseeing the entire pitching staff while it regressed and befuddled all, Rags managed to keep it between the lines. Look at the job he's done with Barry Zito! Absolutely incredible.

Rags, the miracle worker.

Look what he's done with Vogelsong and Bumgarner for God's sake! Vogey is our #1 and Bumgarner just threw 7 scoreless in the World Series after being left for dead. He turned a guy struggling to keep his 2012 postseason ERA under 15.00 into a World Series hero in a matter of a week.

As for Bochy? What more can I say. He's just unbelievable.

I've likened him to a big oil tanker at sea. It takes him forever to get moving, and even longer to change course. Sometimes that's a good thing though.

If he made every little knee-jerk decision we demanded of him on Twitter, Crawford, Belt, and Kontos would probably be in AAA, and God knows what would be happening with Lincecum and Zito.

I know I'm gushing like a schoolgirl here, but this staff needed this kind of recognition. Ron Wotus, Tim Flannery, and Shawon Dunston invisibly tutoring the infielders, Will Clark handing out pointers during BP, Billy Hayes down there in the bullpen teaching Hector Sanchez how to catch Tim Lincecum-- it just goes on and on...

Bam Bam and Belty.

Bam Bam Meulens? Another miracle worker.

We couldn't hit last year worth a damn, and newly acquired players like Pagan, Scutaro, Pence, and a healthy Posey have definitely helped that tremendously. BUT, one cannot discount the work put in with young guys like Crawford and Belt-- seemingly lost at the plate. You have Pagan beasting around since early August and Posey contending for the MVP while we annihilate the Cardinals and Tigers in back to back games.

Kudos Bam Bam. Seriously.

I know I've rambled here. I can't help it. Every time I thought of one example of great coaching, another jumped out at me. If the Giants do indeed win two more games this season and manage to accomplish this crazy feat of winning it all twice in three years, it will be due in great part to the magnificence of this group of men assembled as the Giants' coaching staff.

Non-stars the key to success down the stretch

There are no two ways about it, the remainder of the regular season is going to be difficult.

Sure there are nine games remaining against the Dodgers and six against Arizona remaining. There's that four game series against Atlanta at AT&T.

All tough.

The biggest enemies of success for the Giants however, are the Giants themselves.

Let's hope Scutaro stays red hot.

None of us should have concerns about the Poseys and Pences of the world. They're good hitters. Pablo is still not 100%, but he should be okay and should find his stride soon.

The real keys to success are the complementary parts of this roster-- the Brandons, Scutaro, Blanco, Pagan, Scutaro, etc. Them, and oh yeah, our suddenly dysfunctional bullpen.

Brandon Belt for instance, has enjoyed a massive resurgence in the last month or so. Since July 25, he's gone  28 for 74-- good for a .378 average. Even better, he's hitting an incredible .412 in the month of August with an OBP% over .400 and an OPS over 1.000. Pretty sweet for a dude who looked deader than a doornail during the span of June 24th to July 24th. For God's sake, he had only 13 hits in the entire month of July, the same number of hits he had during the past three series.

The other Brandon, Mr. Crawford, had a career-high 9 game hitting streak snapped on Friday. During that streak, he raked in a serious way-- to the tune of a .464 average. There's no coincidence that the Giants averaged nearly 7 runs a game during that streak.

Marco Scutaro has hit .333 with 18 RBIs since he joined the Giants. Angel Pagan has chipped in with a .323 average in his last 8 games.

With everything this team has gone through in the last week, it's truly important that these guys keep it going. They need to get on base for the Killer Ps (Panda, Posey, Pence), and Belt needs to keep collecting clutch hits hitting behind them. 

Prior to this season, we could depend on pitching and pray for one more run than our opponents. Now? Not so much.

Vogelsong is struggling over his past two outings. Lincecum and Zito have become totally unreliable. The closer situation is a mess. It's a fact of life right now for this team unfortunately. It's also exactly why all this team's moving parts need to operate in unison heading down the stretch. It's time to come together and step it up in the absence of their former #3 hitter.

They'll get their first real test Monday at Chavez Latrine. Beat LA.

How could you, Melky?

Earlier today-- Betrayal Wednesday-- I was speaking to a co-worker about the Giants' win the night before.

We spoke about Belt smashing the ball and hot-dogging like a dope, we touched on Posey's great slugging percentage, and how sweet of a pickup Scutaro is turning out to be. Despite Monday's demolition at the hands of Washington fresh in our minds, our conversation was purely positive.

How could you, Melky?

Then he paused and said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think for the first time since maybe Bonds and Kent were around, we actually have a pretty respectable lineup."

After one game-- one game-- of our Cabrera-Posey-Sandoval-Pence heart of the order, we were beginning to feel confident.

Less than two hours later, my phone began buzzing in my pocket.

Boom. ESPN text. CSN Bay Area text. Tweets in my inbox.

I had to read them twice for my brain to process what I was seeing. What was I seeing?

I was seeing the collective heart of Giants fans being broken and our guts punched in. I was seeing words that made no sense-- but yet they were real.

We are a unique fanbase in more ways than one. People make fun of us for voting 225 times apiece for the all-star game and for all the animal hats (and deservedly so), and all the other weird little quirks that have come to define us as a group.

But we LOVE our team, and we stand behind our players once they have proven themselves. You get big hits and throw shutdown ball in tough games and we'll support you to the best of our abilities. Look at the love Bonds got and still gets. Look at the support Lincecum gets even during an abominable season.

The point is, we stick with our players-- almost to a fault once they've shown us something.

Even when a player hasn't shown anything but intermittent glimpses of productivity like a Belt or a Schierholtz, there are still gobs of fans out there defending them to the death-- cursing Bochy for not playing them every day.

The point is, we are forgiving and loving as a fanbase.

But this...

...this may be unforgivable.

For Melky to do this-- to do something so dumb is simply incomprehensible. Everyone wants an edge out there, but how foolish can you be? Were you not paying attention earlier this year when your own teammate, Guillermo Mota, got suspended for 100 games? Did you not see the controversy over Ryan Braun's MVP award last season? What the hell, man?

How could you risk everything you've accomplished in this town? There are people wearing delivery uniforms and stupid hats with bowties in the stands rooting for you. There are sleazeballs selling self-printed "Melkman" shirts on the Embarcadero. We voted you into the all-star game. We gave you a new home.

WE LOVED YOU.

And in the end, it was nothing but a lie. Whether that testosterone helped you get all those league-leading hits or won you that Camaro in Kansas City during the Mid-Summer Classic, we'll never know. What we do know is that you let us down. We believed in you, and you let us down.

Not only that, but this team is in a pennant race and an NL West fight against our hated rivals, and you'll be nowhere to be found. You'll be off in some faraway land with another betrayer named Angel Villalona.

Part of me wants you to just stay in the Dominican and never come back. The other part of me thinks that now you'll be more affordable to sign next season-- but then do we want you back at all?

I don't know what to think right now. I really don't.

What I do know is that you chose to let everyone down when we needed you most, and that may just be unforgivable.

O'Donnell was right after all, Pence to Giants

A couple nights ago, Dennis O'Donnell of KPIX twittered about that the Giants "have acquired Hunter Pence".

It started a wildfire of retweets (re-posts for you old people not on Twitter), by everyone and their mother, including Andy Baggarly of CSN. 

With fans going nuts over this apparent news, KPIX ran the story even after Baggarly had confirmed with Bobby Evans of the Giants' front office that a deal was not in fact completed. They even did some quick photoshop work.

Well, I think we all owe old Denny O'D an apology for skewering him. He was right after all. But with the way Twitter works these days, any member of the media that says anything-- even personal speculation-- about a trade or acquisition, needs to be very careful. It spreads like a diseased game of telephone and all bets are off. People gain and lose credibility constantly.

Regardless, Giants fans have the impact hitter they've been clamoring for. He should at least counter the Handjob Ramirez move by the Blue Bastards, and will instantly make the lineup more formidable.

He's not a prototypical 3 or 4 hitter, and is not type of guy to build an offense around, but he has real pop, and has an above average arm in right field. He is an upgrade over Schierholtz/Blanco in most ways, and plays the game hard.

Furthermore, his 17 dongs with Philadelphia this season are instantly the most on the team, something that is no surprise to a fanbase starved for the longball.

As you know, the Giants paid a fairly high price for the intense right-hander. Going to Philly are Schierholtz, Double A catching prospect Tommy Joseph and Single A pitcher Seth Rosin.

Most shocking to me is the sudden about face by Giants management. They've taken on the remainder of Pence's $10.4MM arbitration deal from this season-- somewhere around $4.5MM-- something that they said they wouldn't be "able" to do.

If anything, the Dodgers did us a major favor by reaming us for three games and acquiring half of baseball in the process (Handjob, Victorino, League).

It really showed ownership that to keep up, they needed to act immediately and that they needed to spend a few more million. 

It is not a cheap acquisition monetarily as Pence is under Giants control next season, but will be due an arbitration raise in the $12-15MM range. If they like what they see, they also have the option to lock him up beyond arbitration years like they did with Bumgarner.

With so little available next offseason in terms of free agents, this type of move has to be a no brainer, despite the committed money they've taken on.

Pence is a career .290 hitter who since breaking onto the scene with Houston in 2007, has averaged 23 HR and 82 RBI-- something that we can't say we've had very much of lately.

He doesn't walk at a rapid pace, but his 37 BBs this year puts him right up with Giants leaders Belt/Blanco (38), and Posey (36). He also strikes out a fair amount (19% K Percentage, 0.44 K:BB ratio).

The only other concern I'd have is how quickly he'll pick up the complicated RF at AT&T Park. Schierholtz played it with a grace and skill that is not easily duplicated. Pence has a plus arm and is a decent defender, but the unpredictable archways and bullpen mounds out there can make you look stupid sometimes. Let's hope he picks that up quickly.

By all accounts, Pence is a great teammate, and he plays hard. For you nerds out there, he also loves computer games like World of Warcraft and has been known to have a big computer on his kitchen table. He also has been known to never blink and wears one batting glove-- sometimes none. Call him the most interesting acquisition in the world.

Hey it's a good move and is Dodgerhater approved, but Sabean cannot stop here. Romo and Casilla are hurting right now, and they need a big time late innings bullpen guy to settle things down.

Thank you ownership for committing to improvement. We all appreciate it.

Good news is, it's still May...

The bad news? We're not very good, and there isn't a lot to suggest that we'll get better.

Would Brian Wilson have given up a dong to Marco Scutaro to blow the game? Maybe. Maybe not.

Would we do better if our knee-jerk reactions to send Brandon Crawford down to Fresno came true? Maybe. Maybe not.

Would we have won a couple more games lately if Panda hadn't have gone on the DL or if we had Freddy Sanchez back and healthy? Maybe. Maybe not.

Even with Sandoval, Sanchez, and Wilson, there's just nothing there to suggest that we'd be a significantly better team.

It's so hard to be positive these days, what with the consistent defensive ineptitude and the offensive futility.

Do we have heart and scrap? Sure, but what good is effort when the result is constant frustration and missed opportunities?

The problem with this roster and with our minor leagues for that matter, is that there is no hope in sight. There's no Bryce Harper in Fresno or Richmond-- hell, there aren't even any Brandon Belts down there. 

Right now, the Giants are who they are, and who they are just isn't good enough. We've got a solid bullpen-- better than most of the league. We have a great starting rotation, despite Lincecum consistently pitching like a 5th starter rather than an ace. After that, you know, we're not good. The eight guys on the field, whomever they happen to be on a given day, are just not playoff caliber as a unit.

We have 3 above-average hitters (Sandoval, Posey, Cabrera), two starting caliber players (Pagan, Blanco), and the rest are AAA players. Say what you want about that statement, but the remainder or our hitters are borderline major league players and none are blue chip prospects. Belt, Crawford, Pill, Arias, Sanchez, Culberson, Schierholtz, Huff, Theriot, Burriss, Gillaspie... I mean, what do you expect from those guys?

Honestly.

I see exactly what you should see out of a lineup that is 38% (or at best 50%) reliable. It is just is what it is. Belt should be better than he is, but he's lost and nervous, same with Crawford. There's no real solution or explanation for their offensive struggles (and defensive struggles in regard to Crawford). Do you send them down so that they can play with less pressure and regain confidence? Who then takes their places? Are we then a better team?

There's simply no answer or solution, which is the most disheartening part about rooting for this particular team. We don't have the pieces to land a big player via trade, and when you look at 2013 free agents, the chance of landing the two biggest free agents to be, Josh Hamilton and Andre Ethier, the dream just dies. Our best chance to improve is to get Lincecum pitching up to his capabilities, get Sandoval back, get Buster's bat going consistently, and to play good defense.

What we've learned thus far is that we simply cannot depend on the development and success of Brandon Crawford or Brandon Belt-- the two biggest wild cards on this roster. With so much dead weight in the lineup and such awful defense, the best we can hope for is a .500 team, which is exactly what we have.

The good news is that it's only May, and it's a long season. A lot can change, and yet, a lot could stay the same. Let's hope for the best.

Roster reactions & a look at 2012

I have to say that for all the complaints we Giants fans may have from time to time, I cannot say that management is incompetent. Cheap? Sometimes. Gunshy of big free agents? Yes. But inept? Absolutely not. With the group that reported to Scottsdale this spring, I really believe the best 24 came back to The City with the team.

"But Dodgerhater, isn't it a 25 man roster, not a 24 man one?"

Yes, but you forgot about Zito.

:'-(

Other than that waste of money, management did the best possible things to put the Giants in a position to win (with current talent) and to lock up the future (Cain).



I am a bit surprised that they designated Whiteside for assignment and traded Chris Stewart. Many believe that Hector Sanchez is too raw behind the plate to be counted on to play there 2-3 times a week as Buster does first base duty or gets a day off-- but here we are, for better or for worse.

Hey, I say it's for the better! Based on the way the kid is hitting and the way he skipped through the minors in a Sandovalesque fashion, why in the hell isn't it better? This offense has been too sickly and bitch for too many years. Finally Sabean and Bochy came to an agreement that they needed every single offensive weapon possible on the 25 man roster come Opening Day, and that's what happened.

Eli Whiteside, Mike Fontenot, and Chris Stewart-- you're all good guys and I wish you the best, but the guys that replaced you are just better with the lumber.

In regard to Whiteside, I will miss you the most, with your fitting white hair, your Mississippi Delta accent, and your Led Zeppelin entrance music. You were like a character out of a John Grisham/William Faulker book and I will miss you a little bit. Even if you never play another game in the big leagues, you helped us win a ring, and no one can take that away-- same with Fontenot.

The other surprises to me were that both Brandon Belt AND Brett Pill made the roster. The Giants are now loaded with first basemen, and I don't know how everyone will get ABs.

You'd think Huff is the primary, right? But is on a short leash, so if he sucks, he sucks, and that's the end of him. Grab a significant piece of pine, Meat.

Then there's Belt-- another lefty-- who seemingly has no place to play. Of course then there is Posey, the righty, who we have heard, nearly ad nauseum, will play there about twice a week, probably against lefties, while Belt sits.

But wait! There's more!

Nate Schierholtz can't hit!

That means what I just wrote got simpler and was completely pointless in writing and this article just took you 20 seconds longer to read than it should have!

It's looking like Nate Schierholtz and his cannon are now riding the pine, and HUFF is the one playing the OF. Whoa.

Look, it scares me too, but Huff will be playing LF-- not RF like he embarrassingly attempted to do early last season. He's not going to win any gold gloves out there, but at least against right handers, he adds some badly needed power (hopefully) to a lineup that desperately needs it.

There are three main lineups that Bochy will use:

Lineup #1: Right-handed starter

1) CF Pagan (S)/Blanco (L)
2) RF Melky Cabrera (S)
3) 3B Pablo Sandoval(S)
4) C Buster Posey (R)
5) LF Aubrey Huff (L)
6) 1B Brandon Belt (L)
7) SS Brandon Crawford (L)
8) 2B Emmanuel Burriss (S)

Note* - When Freddy Sanchez comes back, he hits 7th and Crawford hits 8th. I may be wrong and Crawford hits 8th from the get-go, but does it really matter?

Lineup #2: Left-handed starter w/Posey catching

1) CF Pagan (S)/Blanco (L)
2) RF Melky Cabrera (S)
3) 3B Pablo Sandoval (S)
4) C Buster Posey (R)
5) LF Aubrey Huff (L)
6) 1B Brett Pill (L)
7) SS Brandon Crawford (L)
8) 2B Emmanuel Burriss (S)

Lineup #3: Left-handed starter w/Posey playing 1B

1) CF Pagan (S)/Blanco (L)
2) RF Melky Cabrera (S)
3) 3B Pablo Sandoval (S)
4) 1B Buster Posey (R)
5) LF Aubrey Huff (L)
6) C Hector Sanchez (S)
7) SS Brandon Crawford (L)
8) 2B Emmanuel Burriss (S)

*Note - Depending how Crawford is hitting lefties (.133 against LHP in '11), don't be surprised to see Ryan Theriot (R) play 2B, and slide the switch-hitting Burriss over to short.

A few notes about all this...

-- Good God, do we have a lot of switch hitters! Five to be exact, but that is still crazy! (Pagan, Cabrera, Sandoval, H. Sanchez, Burriss).

-- Looks like the only time that Schierholtz will start will be to play RF against a righty when Huff is struggling or needs a day off, sliding Melky over to left.

-- Expect Bochy to play late-inning musical outfield every day with Schierholtz. We're used to it by now. The names have changed, the concept hasn't. Nate comes in for Huff, plays right field, and Cabrera moves to left. It will be a daily occurrence.

-- Can Melky play RF at AT&T as well as Nate? Well he's going to get a crash course in weirdness right away, and I hope to God that he's taking line drives off the archways as we speak so that he gets a feel for the caroms that the ball takes. As for the wind and the bullpen mound... well that comes only with trial and error, bud.

As for covering Triples Alley with Pagan or Blanco, yes, he is fast and covers a lot of ground. I don't think Melky will have any trouble chasing down fly balls to the deepest part of the yard.

-- Brandon Crawford is really important to the every day success of this team. We know the kid can field, but can he hit his weight? He's listed as 215 lbs.

Based on his stellar spring (18-54, .333/.410/.556, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 7 BB), I'd say he's capable of hitting at least .250. That seems to be everyone's wish. All I read about is "If Crawford can only hit .250, they'll be okay..."

Based on how awful he was at the dish last year, .250 would be awesome, but let's raise the bar a little bit higher than that.

I believe Crawford's contributions with that bat are the difference between making the playoffs and not. It's that important.

-- Who will replace Zito when he inevitably sucks?

Eventually it will be either Eric Surkamp or Yadsl;fknc,i Petit. Surkamp had his Spring cut short when he strained the flexor tendon in his elbow about a week ago. That sounds like he won't be ready for a minimum of 3 weeks-- probably around the time that Zito has fallen to 0-3 with a 9.00.

Right now, the guy that is first in line is the healthy Yusmeiro Petit. I rather enjoy hitting random keys after the capital 'Y' in his name, but I looked up how to spell it anyway.

Petit, a former Diamondback, last pitched in the bigs in '09 with Arizona, and wound up with a 5.82 ERA. He apparently blew out his shoulder, wound up in Oaxaca pitching in front of donkey carts, then ended up back in Venezuela pitching in front of Socialists and Giants hitting instructor Hensley Meulens. The rest is history. Check out the whole story from Baggs here.

The guy has pitched well in Spring, so bottom line, with Vogelsong on the DL for a few weeks, Surkamp out for a few weeks, and Zito sucking more than usual, Yadlfncamds;' Petit may be making a start for the Gyros sooner rather than later.

-- Also noted in that Andrew Baggarly article at CSNBayArea.com is that one of the guys that Petit pitched against in the Venezuelan Winter League was none other than Gregor Blanco, the speedy outfielding surprise that made the roster.

I don't know much about the left-handed Blanco other than the guy is major steal threat and plays a great OF. Also, apparently his nickname is "Tiburon Blanco". And for the 3 of you that are new to California, that means "White Shark".

Get it together people.

With Angel Pagan sucking big time thus far as a Giant, not getting on base, and making us miss Andres Torres and his Puerto Rican porno walkup music, there is a growing contingent of people that believe Angel Pagan will be overtaken by Blanco sooner rather than later as the starting CF.

The contingent begins with the all-important Me, and also includes KNBR's Larry Krueger and apparently (but subtly) CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly.

Blanco's career stats aren't a lot to go by, but he holds a career .358 on base percentage and has safely stolen 26 out of 35 bases. In the OF, he has 12 outfield assists versus only 4 errors. Hey, I'll take it.

I have minimal rational reasons for why I think Blanco will usurp Pagan's spot. I basically think Pagan sucks and is a 4th OF at best. I also think that Pagan's name is obnoxious. It's like, okay, you're an angel AND a pagan? Pick one or the other dude...


Obviously we can speculate all day about what will happen and who will be awesome or who will suck. We don't have all day. We have TV to watch and work to go to and food to eat. With that said, Opening Day couldn't have come soon enough, and I'm looking forward to another maddeningly amazing year of Giants baseball.

Uncertainty is the name of the game

When your fellow Giants fans ask you, 'Are you excited for the season??!!', your automatic response is 'Yeah! Can't wait!'.

Mine is the same. Of course I can't wait. It's the Giants, it's BASEBALL for God's sake. How could one not be excited? I mean, you'd have to be some kind of Communist foreigner not to be excited about the 2012 season.

Beyond that initial excitement for Giants baseball and my upcoming fantasy drafts, I feel very uneasy.

I feel uneasy about the lineup again. I feel uneasy about management's willingness to do what needs to be done about our lack of offense.

I feel uneasy about the Tim Lincecum situation.

I feel uneasy about the Matt Cain situation.

I just don't know what 2012 will bring, and it's beyond "anything can happen, it's a new year" sort of jitters.

For the first time in a few years, I'm not feeling confident. I've always tried to not be a negative fan, but for some reason, I can't shake it right now.

Uncertainty breeds a lack of confidence, and a lack of confidence breeds anxiety, negativity, and a general neurosis-- something that no one wants or needs.

I can't be the only one worried about this season, can I?

Sometimes I fall asleep wondering if Matt Cain will re-sign or if Lincecum wants to stay a Giant his whole career. It scares me to think that we'd lose either of them, but the possibility of losing one or both still exists.

What the hell am I supposed to make of this Huff/Belt/Posey/Pill 1B logjam or the Cabrera/Pagan/Schierholtz/Huff/Belt OF logjam? Are any of these guys any good anyway?

Will Posey return to form? Will Brian Wilson return to his 2010 form?

I just don't know, and no one could possibly know.

Perhaps I've just been watching too much Doomsday Preppers on NatGeo, but I just feel like this roster could possibly be on the verge of chaos or collapse at some point.

With another weak and unproven lineup of hitters with no guarantees of who will be playing where on a given day, I thank God that we still have the pitching staff that we do. I know it'll be there for us to keep us close and prevent things from getting out of hand.

With that said, I'm not a believer in Melky Cabrera or Angel Pagan. I think they're both third outfielders and both 6th place hitters that will probably see time hitting some combination of leadoff and third. Call me negative, because that's the way I am right now.

I wanted Beltran back, even with his injury risks because we had the depth already to fill in for him if he went out. Now we just have two more average players vying for everyday roles.

Hopefully once the season starts, I'll see that things aren't that bad, and that we'll continue to scrap out games they way we always do, but with Arizona (the team that beat us and made the playoffs last season) adding Trevor Cahill to its rotation and Jason Kubel to its already superior lineup, it's just hard to stay positive.

I feel like Arizona got better, but we really didn't-- and that's a depressing thought.

Anyway, thought I'd just rain on everyone's spring training parade and I hope getting all this BS out of my system helps get me into a more positive mood about 2012.

Never really been in to Pagan worship...

Yes, yes, I know it's "Puh-GAHN" versus "Pay-GINN" but his name has always bothered me. I can't help but associate his name with a bunch of weirdos worshiping false gods and casting spells outdoors.

The funny name aside, I'm just kinda 'ehhh' on this trade.

I loved what Andres Torres brought to our team in 2010. His clutch hitting and inspiring play warmed even the frostiest heart of the most cynical Giants fan. It was simply a great story-- a story of perseverance and heart by a fringe major leaguer who overcame ADHD and marginal big league opportunities to become a late-blooming World Series contributor.

I also enjoyed his sleazy walkup music that was obviously borrowed from the soundtrack of a Puerto Rican porno. Yes, the ladies loved Andres...

But, alas, Andres regressed in 2011. He missed some time, and he just lost his stroke. It got to the point where he should no longer have been hitting right handed at all, and his lack of contact was maddening.

Regardless, his upbeat presence will be missed by teammates and fans alike.

As for Ramon Ramirez-- well he didn't have much of a presence off the field. By all accounts, he was the quietest guy on the team. But on the mound, he was pretty damned solid. He's the type that keeps his mouth shut and carries a big stick.

Although he was due a raise via arbitration, I will be sorry to see Ramirez go. He was a lot better than anyone will remember. He stepped up last year with 4 saves, had a great K/BB ratio, and was just great arm to have down in the bullpen.

I know we technically didn't need him, but going into the season with Guillermo Mota makes me a little uneasy, simply because of his age.

With Torres appearing to be in decline, the trade worked out about as evenly as it could have for both teams-- barring some horrible or amazing performances by those involved.

As for Pagan, the move confused me a little.

He arrives as another starting caliber OF onto a roster that already had Schierholtz, Huff, and Cabrera penciled in as starters.

Okay, well Pagan is thought of highly as a potential leadoff hitter. And, of course, since we need one of those, where does that leave Brandon Belt's playing time-- especially because Bochy has already confirmed that Buster will play a decent amount of first base?

I don't know what's going to happen. I think Schierholtz and Cabrera are pretty much set as starters, but between 1B and LF there is Huff, Belt, Pagan, and occasionally Posey to get time.

I think the guy who ends up suffering the most here is Brandon Belt, who still needs seasoning, but can only gain that through playing time. With all of these guys clogging up two positions, I'm almost inclined to support starting Belt in Fresno while keeping Brett Pill up with the team.

It's just kind of a weird situation.

As for Pagan-- I think we will be pleasantly surprised by the pop in his bat. He is also very streaky in that his hits seem to come in quick bunches. Couple here, three the next day, and then boom-- nothing for three games. That part concerns me, as well as his defense.

I'm just glad he has experience playing CF in the cavernous OF of Citi Field, so he will feel comfortable at AT&T.

We'll see how this whole thing shakes out, but I don't expect Pagan to be a real game-changer.

Scott Cousins is fire, Brian Sabean is gasoline

I want this story to go away. I really do.

It's awful enough that our best position player is likely out for the year. It's pretty rotten that a USF grad and Bay Area guy trying to make it in the bigs injured him. Even worse, it's becoming a media circus and pecker measuring contest.

Am I mad that Scott Cousins took out Buster? Hell yeah I'm mad. He could have easily slid to the right, avoided the tag, and still scored the winning run. Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

It sucks. It all just sucks.

And it's going to get uglier before it gets better.

We have Brian Sabean basically vowing revenge against Cousins and the Marlins, rooting for the young Marlin to never play again. We have Buster refusing to take or return apology calls from his home plate assailant. We have the league office getting involved.

Now, we have one of my favorite young players, Logan Morrison, Cousins's teammate, firing back on satellite radio that Sabean, "...(is) ignorant... inappropriate, and he has no idea what the hell he’s talking about.”

As I said. It's getting ugly.

If you read my last story about Buster's injury, you'll know that I don't blame Cousins for his violent collision with our golden boy Posey. It's baseball, and I will stand by that. It sucks, it's sad, and we're all angry, but it's still baseball.

We would all be celebrating if Buster or Burrell had run over John Buck or Chris Iannetta to win the game, as Cousins's agent pointed out.

And it's true.

We all have a right to be pissed about it, and we are, but there really is no blame to be handed out. Should Hanley Ramirez or Mike Stanton be drilled in the ribs the next time we play them? Absolutely. Not only that, but we should drill them in their next at bat too.

Guess what. That's baseball too.

The biggest problem we all have in this is that there is no one to blame here. Cousins is the easy target. Some jerks up on their high horse-- the same pansies who don't like fighting in hockey or the tackling of quarterbacks-- want "more to be done" to protect catchers at home plate. Baloney. I don't want to hear it.

I also don't want to hear other people perched atop their tower of morality preaching down to Sabean about "losing his cool" and "not flying off the handle." Buster Posey is like a family member to a lot of people in the Giants organization, and just as if you felt like one of your own got cheapshotted, he called KNBR and vented on the air. He has the right, and if you people living in your glass houses can't take a little natural emotion from our General Manager, then maybe you'd be better off rooting for peewee soccer teams instead of Major League Baseball. I'm sorry, but I support Brian Sabean and everything he's said.

I don't necessarily agree with all of his statements, but I fully, 100% support him defending Posey, rallying the troops, and speaking from the heart. If you ask me, we need more of that in professional sports.

It was a freak thing, I don't condone it, but it's part of the game. The sooner we all accept that fact, and move on to watching our rapidly improving ballclub, the sooner we'll be able to concentrate our energy on praying for Buster's swift recovery and a repeat World Series championship.

A dark day for Giants fans

If you stayed up Wednesday night to watch the Giants' heroic comeback fall short in 12 innings, you saw it.

It was gut-wrenching. Enough to make a grown man sick and a grown woman cry.

Our boy... our GOLDEN BOY Buster Posey suffered an ugly injury at the hands of a desperate young player trying to score a winning run.

As much as I'd like to rip Cousins as being a complete dickhead, we all root for our players to run into home plate at the same brutal velocity. Anything for a run... especially a winning run in extra innings.

No, it's not Cousins' fault. It's not even baseball's fault for not treating catchers like they coddle Peyton Manning in the NFL.

What happened to Buster Posey is for lack of a better term... baseball.

That's baseball.

Early reports put Buster's prognosis as a broken ankle and a possibly damaged knee. As someone who's personally undergone two serious knee surgeries and a broken ankle surgery, I know that if both of those things are true, he's out for 3 months... MINIMUM.

A broken ankle, depending on the bone, calls for a 2 month recovery for normal people, probably about 6 weeks for athletes. If his knee is only an MCL strain, it's 3-6 weeks.

But if we're talking ACL damage, multiple ankle fractures... I mean worst case scenario. We'll see him next year... as sickening as that thought is.

There is a small, yet growing minority in the Bay Area sports community that has been questioning how long or how often Buster Posey should play catcher. After all, he's a pure hitter with a great arm, and can LITERALLY play every position on the field. Why not move him to 3B or 1B? Maybe give him a shot at SS?

Well, the answer is simple:

BECAUSE HE'S A CATCHER.


He's not JUST a catcher though. No, he's one of the best catchers in baseball. And this is his second season... and his first full one.

The list of elite catchers in this league is a short one. The first one is Joe Mauer, then it goes to Brian McCann.

Then it's probably Posey.

Sure, Yadi Molina is up there, but he's not on the same map offensively. Victor Martinez is there offensively, but nowhere close defensively.

Buster Posey is an elite player, and he's a CATCHER.

It's his best position, and he makes us better in all ways by playing such a difficult, demanding, and offensively talentless position. Unfortunately, the wear and tear of a position like this is going to make us all cringe.

I'm a proponent of day games off after night games, putting Buster at 1B on Sundays regularly, but that's about it. He belongs behind the dish.

That being said, Posey's depressing absence means Eli Whiteside will catch indefinitely. Not a very sexy option... unless of course you're writing a William Faulkner-esque novel about a guy from the Mississippi Delta ironically named Whiteside, who also has white hair before age 30.

The guy who really gets an opportunity to step up again is Brandon Belt. He's been recalled, and will probably see a lot of time out there.

I don't know what Bochy will do with this mess on our hands... whether Huff will see a couple more days off, whether Belt will see some time in the OF, or whether a better offensive solution than Whiteside is sought.

It's a mess.

It's not the end of the season. It's not the end of the world. It's just a mess.

There's very little positivity around this situation, but at least Whiteside is solid defensively and handles the pitching staff well. Plus, we're coming back and winning games even while Posey and Huff have been average.

He's a big bat, and a great player, but this is not the end of days. We get Pablo back fairly soon, and maybe Huff will get hot.

As we know from our magical 2010, you can never count out this team, and they come back from adversity all the time.

For now, we'll just hope Posey will be back by July, and keep our heads up. We have a great team, we're champions, and our group of goofballs will step up in a big way... they can't help it.