This blog is dedicated first and foremost to the San Francisco Giants. Secondly it is devoted to the smearing and ripping of the most disgusting franchise in professional sports: The Los Angeles Dodgers.
"Looks like the Dodgers really had their way with 'em, the poor bastards."
You have probably heard the term from Dr. Warner as she tells Benson and Stabler that it was the cause of death for the hooker found under the Queensboro bridge on SVU.
It is the process of bleeding and subsequently dying from said blood loss.
Right now, I feel like the Giants are lying in an alley somewhere south of Market, bleeding slowly while people shuffle by and step over us, thinking we're just another passed out wino with last week's Chronicle over their face.
What happened in this Dodgers series was nothing short of a massive wake up call to everyone-- the type of bad dream that jolts you awake at 3am in a cold sweat.
It was angering, it was frustrating, and it whipped Giants fans into a panicked frenzy. Right now, people are doing the equivalent of running through the streets, leaving their cars in traffic, and looting grocery stores for survival supplies. Of course in this scene, there's a nut with a sandwich board yelling, "Repent! The end is near!"
Human beings have this little thing called the "fight or flight" response-- something that we really can't turn off. It's meant to keep us alive, but sometimes in our relatively safe lives, our impassioned love for our baseball team becomes a sort of life or death scenario.
Hey, it woke us up didn't it?
There we were, happier than a stoned teenagers crushing Jack in the Box tacos at 2am. We had our little three game lead in the NL West, and we thought we'd turned the corner...
...then we circled the block.
That seems to be the Giants' M.O. this year. Turn the corner, then instead of going straight, we circle the block like someone trying to park their Silverado on the street in the Richmond District.
The problem with this team is not a new one-- we just can't hit and we need an impact bat. Same as it always is. The other problem lies with ownership refusing to acknowledge that it needs to spend more money to correct past mistakes.
You look at our $131MM+ payroll and just wonder how in the hell that kind of money can be spent while simultaneously being so desperate for impact hitters.
Well in a way, that money was spent in a panicked fashion to bring in supposed impact hitters, just as we want to be done now at the trade deadline.
Check this out:
Aubrey Huff, $12 Million
Freddy Sanchez: $6 Million
Aaron Rowand: $12 Million
That's why we can't have nice things. Couple that with Zito's $19MM, and it's enough to make you sick.
That's $59MM of virtually dead money and the reason that we can't have nice things. It's is the reason ownership won't take on the contracts of Aramis or Hanley Ramirez. It's also the reason that the Giants are unlikely to add the impact bat that we so desperately need right now.
I refuse to defend the complicated web of random rich white people that collectively form Giants ownership. There are literally hundreds of people that own the team, and not one of them wants to spend more money to correct previous mistakes.
Therein lies the problem with our type of ownership. There are too many people involved, and most of them don't own big enough stakes to be able to call the shots. It's more of a goddamn mutual fund or bond investment than a damn baseball team sometimes, and that is what's preventing us from getting significantly better in 2012.
It's not as if Brian Sabean doesn't know that we need Josh Willingham, Shin-Soo Choo, Corey Hart, Shane Victorino, Aramis Ramirez, Chris Perez, and the rest of the people we've been connected to. Oh he knows alright.
He's part of the reason that we're in the mess.
The problem is that he's handcuffed by a mediocre farm system devoid of major prospects and saddled by a conglomeration of investor-owners that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. But you can bet they know their ass from their pocketbook.
The reality is, that the only way to significantly improve this 2012 Giants club is to take on a bad contract and/or give up our only desirable prospect, outfielder Gary Brown.
While our knee jerk reaction is to say, "Screw it, trade Brown.", that wouldn't be the wisest thing to do.
The only logical thing to do is to take on a bad contract, just as the Blue Bastards did with Handjob Ramirez.
They became instantly more formidable with that acquisition, as would we with a similar move.
I won't go off on a hypothetical trade tangent, because we could talk all day long, but it will take some serious and immediate flexibility from ownership to get better... and I don't see it happening.
What is most likely to happen is that we'll struggle but stay afloat until Sandoval gets back, and likely acquire a late innings bullpen arm to give us an upgrade over Kontos (who needs more seasoning in my mind).
Guys like Willingham or Choo would be an incredible addition, but let's not hold our breath, guys.
This isn't a horrible team, and we still have the ability to win the West, but we need to get some momentum again-- just like we had heading into the Dodgers series. The best thing to do right now is to step back from the ledge and not expect any shiny new toys under the Trading Tree on Deadline morning.
If you don't get your hopes up, you can't be disappointed.
I believe by definition, that the first 7 games of this season have been a mixed bag. We've been swept, we've been embarrassed, we've been disappointing.
But simultaneously, we've been exciting, we've been heroic, and we've been promising.
Only with the Giants could such contrasts hold so much value at the same time.
I mean, we've got Tim Lincecum on one hand-- "The Ace"-- with the worst ERA in all of baseball.
Then we've got Barry Zito, the "Useless Money Pit", with the best ERA in the league.
I can't explain any of it, and I don't believe anyone else can either, but things are looking up thanks to a suddenly viable offense and at least two of our starters settling down and nearly throwing no-hitters back to back.
Thoughts and musings:
-- It sure is nice to see Bumgarner and Cain settle down and dominate the way they should. Bum took a no-hitter into the 6th in Denver on Thursday, and Cain threw a one hit shutout in the home opener on Friday.
I wish I had a cool stat about those performances, but all I know is that Cain's one hitter was literally the best Opening Day pitching performance by a Giant ever.
-- Lincecum's struggles are serious, and they're not going away. This is reminiscent of a couple Augusts ago when he couldn't strike out his grandmother and effed up his mechanics. Krukow says his release point is off. I don't know. I'm not a pitching coach, but he is seriously off, and when he's off, he's the worst pitcher in baseball-- even worse than Zito. At least when Zito is awful and disgraceful, all he does is walk guys. Lincecum hangs balls up there like batting practice, which is much worse.
I have faith that he will find his groove again sometime this season, but it isn't just something that gets fixed overnight by finally sleeping in your own bed or lighting up a doobie.
-- This is why I'm comfortable giving Matt Cain $112.5MM and I'm becoming a little more skeptical of committing more to Lincecum.
-- Good Lord! Who are you people and what have you done with the Giants' anemic offense? As we speak, we're in the top two in the National League in runs per game. Isn't that incredible? So much of it is thanks to our new acquisition, Melky Cabrera, whom I thought wasn't very good.
Well! Thank you for proving me wrong and then making me eat dirt Melkman! You've really impressed all of us so far.
Dude. He's hitting .414.
-- The Brandon Belt thing is getting uglier. Re-enter stage right, Nate Schierholtz, who managed to hit two home runs in his only start of the season. How can you keep a guy like him buried on the bench now? How can you sit Huff, who now has a HR to go along with a .990 OPS?
Hell, how can you sit Pill (.333 avg, 2nd on team) or Hector Sanchez (.300, 3 RBI) in favor of Belt?
You can if, and only if, you are 100% committed to Belt being the 1B of the future, at the expense of current ballgames. Some argue that Bochy should be doing this, because he pretty much promised to do as much.
Well, I am of the opinion that Brandon Belt, as talented as he is, and as good a hitter as he was in Spring, needs to produce a little bit while he's in there to warrant more starts.
Every other guy I just mentioned has been as hot as Kate Upton at the plate to start the year, and Belt has looked like a newly-birthed baby giraffe. I think one day he'll be very good, and it might be this year at some point, but I cannot justify playing him over Huff, Pill, Hector Sanchez, OR Nate Schierholtz at this point.
Let's hope he gets his stroke and confidence back the next time he gets a start, because .091 with 5 strikeouts in 11 at bats is not going to cut it on a roster that is suddenly brimming with offensive ability.
-- Jeremy Affeldt is fired until further notice...
-- Speaking of terrible hitting, Angel Pagan seems to be exactly who I thought he was. Paging Gregor Blanco...
-- Let's give Zito some credit where it's due. The guy came out of the sewer to make one of the most impressive starts I've seen since Matt Cain just one upped him on Friday. How he did it? I have no idea, but he did. He showed that he's capable of goodness or perhaps really goodness, if he just has his shit together.
I won't hold my breath for a good season from him because he's teased us before in the first half of seasons, but IF he is able to string together a year with 14 wins and an ERA of 3.50, it will do wonders for our playoff chances and his own confidence... especially with Vogelsong returning on Sunday. It's possible that we could have 5 really good starters-- something we'd love to have.
-- Hector Sanchez seemed to have a lot to do with Zito's comfort level. I am absolutely thrilled by this development. It has a two-pronged effect. Sanchez can flat out rake, and is an ultra-dangerous weapon to have. Seriously? A 22 year old, switch-hitting catcher that makes Zito better? YES PLEASE!
I also like the idea of Sanchez being Zito's personal catcher. It means that there's a little more method to the starting lineup madness every week.
The season is young, and we've had our hiccups, but the ship has almost completely righted itself, and I for one am excited!
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.
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.comis 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.
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.
I won't go into a long soliloquy about the state of things and I can't sugarcoat my feelings:
I AM PISSED.
I am pissed that this organization has made no committment to improvement. I'm pissed that Zito will cost half a million more than he did last year, and I'm pissed that ownership refuses to eat one rough year of payroll in order to be better for a long time.
I really am disgusted.
It's not the fact that they won't wildly overspend on players that upsets me, it's the fact that they won't even try!
They never talked to Jose Reyes, they won't talk to Prince Fielder. They won't even send SO MUCH AS SEND A TEXT MESSAGE to Pujols's sleazy ass agent. There's not even so much as an illusion put forth by management that they are trying to improve the offense.
The Sanchez for Melky trade was okay, you know. I wasn't and still am not thrilled by it. I never liked Melky Cabrera and I consider him to be a fringe starter who had one decent year. I get that he's chasing a contract and yes I've heard that he's in shape, but I really don't care. Free agency may not be over, but Giants fans, if you're expecting anything more than Melky Goddamn Cabrera to help Timmy beat Kershaw, well... you're shit out of luck.
I've defended the Giants' responsible financial approach in the past. I know that their annual operating expenses include a $20MM mortgage payment for AT&T Park. That's $20MM that most other clubs don't have to worry about.
However, most other clubs didn't win a World Series in 2010 and make money HAND OVER FIST EVERY DAY SINCE THEN.
This team has the money, they choose not to spend it. There should be no confusion about that.
And yeah, absolutely, I agree that signing Lincecum and Cain long-term is the priority. Of course I get that. Pencil Cain in for at least $18MM a year and Timmy should get at least $22MM if not more. Pitching is expensive, there's no doubt about it. Pitching is also how you win day in and day out. It's our formula, and it shouldn't be messed with.
One has to think aloud though-- does Tim Lincecum WANT to stay with a team whose best improvement to an anemic offense is Melky Cabrera and a fourth OF like Ryan Ludwick to be named later? Would you sign with a team that gives you no relief from four losses to Clayton Kershaw in one year?
Seriously! Think about it. At a certain point, it's not about money or comfort or how much he likes San Francisco. If the guy doesn't get run support, he's going to lose faith in the organization.
In case you forgot, in 2011, Tim Lincecum faced Clayton Kershaw four times. Three of those games ended 2-1 and the other game was 1-0. The guy battles, and leaves his heart out there every time. What does he get?
Three runs in four games and Melky Cabrera.
With virtually the same team returning from last season, it just boggles my mind that that is an acceptable plan of attack. It was okay at the beginning of last season because we managed to win a World Series. Obviously, that didn't work out so well, and yet we're getting the same thing.
Payroll-wise, there isn't much left under their self-imposed $130MM salary cap. That payroll number, however includes the dead and decomposing weight of Aaron Rowand ($13.6MM) and Dickface Zito ($19MM).
Yes boys and girls, that is $32.6 million dollars to one guy on the road to retirement, and a second whose best accomplishment in a Giants uniform has been getting married.
As sickening as that is, it's almost over.
Rowand's money will be gone after this season. Zito's will be gone after next season. We're almost out of this.
In addition, Freddy Sanchez's $6MM will expire after this season, along with Aubrey Huff's $10MM (+$2MM buyout). As I count it, that'll be about $30MM opening up after this season.
Thirty million dollars.
Then, after the 2013 season, Zito will be gone, opening up another TWENTY million.
Based on the payroll figures and current contracts, there is just no reason why the organization couldn't sign a real hitter like Fielder or Reyes and backload the deal.
There will be more than enough money available annually to sign Timmy AND Cain for 2013 and beyond, if they'd just stomach one season of $150MM.
It's not like the 2013 crop of free agents is better than this year's either. The list is Brandon Phillips, Josh Hamilton, BJ Upton, Andre Ethier and Carlos Quentin. In addition, David Wright and Kevin Youkilis have expensive club options that may get them traded.
Are Sabean and Baer saving themselves for 2013's offseason? I just don't know. I just don't get it at all.
All I know is that the current roster is unacceptable and I've seen a minimal effort to improve the offense. We deserve more and it's just plain depressing from where I sit.
Firstly, apologies for not writing much in the last couple weeks. This whole "job" thing is really putting a cramp in my evening sports watching/writing.
Secondly, the last post was about the "Dynamite" video with Keenan Cahill, Weez, and Boss Ross. I'd like to clarify:
Before that video, I'd never heard of Keenan Cahill. Secondly, I didn't watch the video all the way through to see the fundraiser thing at the end. I honestly thought he was a funny little 10 year old kid. Swear to God. So, if anyone was offended by me calling him a "chubby nerd", I hope you understand that I had no clue the kid had a disease or that he was an internet sensation. Obviously I should do more research on amusing internet videos. Now that that's out of the way...
The Giants, are well... still the Giants.
As the title says, we've seen all of this before:
-- Our proven veteran SS sucks major ass (Tejada instead of Renteria)
-- DeRosa's wrist is hurt (although he's in Tuesday night's lineup)
-- Pablo's contributions are missing (this time due to injury, rather than retardation)
-- Highly paid players struggling to start the year (Huff)
-- Zito contributing absolutely nothing in exchange for the Gross Domestic Product of Micronesia
-- Unexpected contributions from players expected to do nothing (Rowand, Fontenot)
-- A total random career minor leaguer making a major impact (Vogelsong instead of Torres)
-- Timmy is Timmy
-- A bunch of improbable comeback wins out of nowhere
It honestly goes on and on, and frickin on.
But hey, this is why we watch, and why we love these guys.
With a sweep of Colorads this past weekend, I really think things are starting to get better... at least I feel like consistency is setting in.
The early injuries to Brian Wilson, Sandoval, DeRosa, Ross, and Torres have really thrown a crazy ass monkey wrench into the unpredictable, yet well-oiled machine that is the San Francisco Giants.
Ross's Sunday offensive outburst and Wilson's rediscovered groove only lend credence to my theory.
Throw in Bumgarner and his last three starts (5 ER in past 3 starts after 16 ER in his first 4), and I think this team is trending in the right direction.
Huff is still struggling, Buster hasn't hit his stride, and Burrell is still a massive question mark, but overall, this team is making me feel more comfortable about life.
The emergence of Mike Fontenot as a serviceable SS and bizzarely-- as a decent 3rd place hitter, means the totally washed up Miguel Tejada can now join Mark DeRosa on the bench as one half of the righty-righty, sub-par backup-infielding $12.5MM combo known as DeJada.
Suddenly this whole Jose Reyes for Zach Wheeler nonsense sounds better.
Speaking of which...
Myke Urban single-handedly blew the Reyes "interest" and "internal discussion" thing totally out of frickin proportion.
I have had internal discussions about marrying Scarlett Johansson and taking Taylor Swift out to dinner too.
The point being...
OF COURSE THE GIANTS BRASS HAS TALKED ABOUT JOSE REYES. HE'S IN THE LAST YEAR OF AN EFFING CONTRACT AND HE'S A TOP 30 PLAYER. HE'S A WELL-DOCUMENTED TRADE PIECE OF A BANKRUPT, USELESS TEAM.
That being said, excellent job getting your name out there Myke. And I really do like him as a Bay Area sports personality... but look...
Jose Reyes is an injury-prone, money-hungry luxury item. Not only does he run on premium fuel, but when you buy him, his warranty only lasts 12,000 miles, you pay a $6,000 gas guzzler tax, his floormats run $600 apeice, and they nail you with a bogus California emissions fee.
It's like yeah, I'd love to buy a 500hp, $200K Aston Martin DBS convertible, but if I have to give up my high speed internet, and DVR service (Zach Wheeler) and have no guarantee of keeping the car long-term, I'm gonna opt for a $43k Dodger Challenger with 470hp.
You catch my drift?
Anyway, as I said, we've seen this all before, and we can't freak out about anything. This is a slightly different version of the same team we know and love. The frustrations will be there, the illogical struggles and surprising comebacks will continue.
As I said so many times last season: just sit back, and enjoy the ride. It's gonna take a while.
Firstly, I'm sorry for being a slacker. I haven't written much all winter. Truthfully, up until now, I haven't really found anything worth writing about. We basically had the same team coming back after we won it all. I was just basking in our championship's glow, wishing the offseason would never end.
The big news heading into Thursday's opener in Chavez Latrine is that our newest golden goose Brandon Belt has made the roster, leaving Travis Ishikawa the odd man out and his future as a Giant in limbo.
Ishi is a solid backup player, so if he doesn't wind up in Fresno, either by his own doing or otherwise, he will probably find himself backing up a defensive liability somewhere in the majors.
As for Belt, I can't say I'm surprised that he made it. The injury to RF Cody Ross to begin the year basically opened up a spot for Belt to show he belongs. Our newest lanky Texan first baseman (Huff being the other) did everything right in Arizona. His .282/.338/.479 line was excellent, as were his 3 dongs and 13 ribeye steaks, which were good for 2nd on the team-- both categories tied with Pablo Sandoval (another good sign). The real question remains... is Belt here for good? When Ross Returns, does Huff move back to 1B? Then what? Does Belt get sent to Fresno to play every day?
The Giants have never wavered with their blue chippers recently. When Bumgarner and Posey were called up, even two years ago in September, they stayed on the roster. Sending young guys up and down is not ideal, but then again, it's less than ideal to have Belt spending time riding pine when he could be playing every day as a member of the Grizzlies.
As I see it, there are three scenarios:
1) Belt beasts around and makes himself indispensable, giving Bochy yet another good problem to have.
2) Pat Burrell struggles to find his stroke early on, Ross comes back, and Huff moves to LF, leaving Belt at 1B, at bare minimum against right-handers.
3) An unfortunate injury occurs to one of our OFs, leaving Belt in the same scenario he's in now.
If I had to wager an educated guess, and that's what I'm not paid to do on this site, I'd say that Belt meets and/or exceeds all of our expectations. This guy has done nothing but crush pitching at every level since entering the minor leagues. This meteoric rise is no fluke, and he's shown repeatedly that he belongs at the highest level. And there's no level higher than starting first baseman for the WORLD EFFING CHAMPIONS.
I for one am thrilled to have Aubrey Huff returning to our WORLD CHAMPION SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (I love saying that, so I did it in caps).
As you've probably already read, it is a 2 year deal for a guaranteed $22MM complete with a club option for a third year. There is a $2MM buyout for the 2013 year, so it is essentially a 2yr/$22MM deal that could be worth as much as $30MM (3yr/$30MM).
So, back to reality here... 11 mil, huh? Ooooh... I don't know about that.
Look, we all love Aubrey Huff to death. He's all that's right about the game of baseball and humanity. He doesn't bring a single negative to the table. He hits, he plays multiple positions well, his teammates love him, and his love for the game is infectious. His contributions to the 2010 World Series team will never be forgotten, and I hope one day his unwashed rally thong sits behind a plexiglass case in Cooperstown.
That being said, this contract is not a good one for the Giants. Despite the fact that they won it all, they cannot and will not have deep enough pockets to put a $120MM team on the field.
With an $8MM per year raise to Huff, this basically wipes out all the money freed up by the end of Edgar Renteria's deal. Which is fine and good, but don't you think it would be nice to maybe use a little bit of that to kick over to Juan Uribe, or another free agent?
With arbitration raises due to guys like Jonathan Sanchez, Andres Torres, Cody Ross, etc., Huff's contract essentially eats up much of the money available to possibly add an everyday hitter to play LF or 3B. Because... even if the Giants were able to swing some sort of trade for a player, most or all the players available in that situation would likely constitute a salary increase over whomever was traded.
Huff, was one of the only significant available 1B's on the market (Adam Dunn and Adam LaRoche being the other two), and had himself a fine season in 2010:
.290 AVG., .385 OBP%, .506 SLG%, 100 runs, 26 HR, 86 RBI, 35 2B, 5 3B. On top of that, he made only 3 errors all season! His 12.4 BB% and 16.0 K% were excellent. I don't buy into a lot of what Fangraphs and Saberjerks have to say, but I always enjoy the little "Value" stat they put together to say what a player was worth monetarily in a given season. It makes no sense and it has no bearing on the real world, but for what it's worth, it put Huff's 2010 value at $22.8MM.
Interesting... haha.
And I still don't know what the hell WAR is, but Huff's stands at +5.7, good for 17th in all of baseball. FYI, Andres Torres's was +6.0, good enough for 14th overall.
The only reason I bring up these stats is because for once, there's a player out there that both nerds AND real fans can agree on as being valuable on the stat page, in the clubhouse, and on the field.
Glad to have Huff back, but I hope this contract doesn't restrict our ability to defend our World Series crown.
Andy Baggarly was right when he said, "Isn't this whole torture thing a little played out?"
I for one, am a little sick of it myself. I cannot deny that these Giants have given me more mini heart attacks than any other team I've rooted for, but I'm fed up with the whole mantra. They play close games, that's their style. Do we really need to keep saying "torture" ad nauseum?
I feel the same way about the rest of these terms the Giants are being branded with.
As the National sports media discovers the World Series-bound 2010 San Francisco Giants for the first time this week, do not expect the tidal wave of ridiculous and unfair monikers to subside. Yes, as Mat Latos pointed out, this team has gone through a lot of changes. And yes, Brian Sabean has acquired a ton of new players that were unwanted by their previous teams.
Players are always unwanted by their previous teams! This is the age of free agency, waiver wires, and "What have you done for me lately?" I cannot deny that guys like Pat Burrell and Cody Ross were picked up for nothing, and have been huge this season. But isn't that what being a good GM and a good team is all about?
Why, when a player is bought at an all time low does that then make him a "misfit" or "castoff" or "salvaged"?
In addition, with those noted exceptions above, there is blue chip talent on this team. Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, and Madison Bumgarner are all high 1st round draft picks.
Brian Wilson and Serge Romo are also products of our farm system. Are they misfits because of their beards?
Freddy Sanchez is a former all-star and batting champion. Is he a castoff?
Because Andres Torres was a late bloomer and an undrafted free agent, does that somehow make his story infinitely less intriguing than Josh Hamilton's?
Juan Uribe has hit 20+ home runs in a season four times and has a World Series ring from his days with the White Sox. Because he's funny and pudgy, does that make him somehow less of a player than Texas SS Elvis Andrus, whom I expect to be drooled over by the media? Because 29 other general managers were too stupid to give Aubrey Huff a chance and a contract, does that make him any less worthy than Michael Young to win a World Series?
The answer to all these unasked questions is a resounding "no" from where I'm sitting.
These Giants have exceeded all possible expectations, broken through all barriers, and doggedly persevered all season to get to this moment-- in the face of certain adversity. Padres, Braves, and Phillies fans alike have yet to concede that they could have possibly been beaten by a better team... calling the Giants "lucky".
Well I'll tell you something. You don't get to the World Series on luck. No one does.
This team has played the same style of baseball all season: great pitching, a door-slamming bullpen, scratched out runs, and timely big flies. It's not luck. It's a formula; and it works.
This is a classic example of a team's individual parts coming together to create something too special and valuable to deny.
This may not be the best team to ever put on a Giants uniform, it is definitely not the smoothest, or the prettiest, but each and every one of these guys deserves to be there, and when they hoist that trophy, no one will call them castoffs or misfits ever again.
They will simply be known as World Series Champions.
That's the only way I could describe my feelings after game 2. You know me well enough to know that I am rarely, RARELY speechless.
I second-guessed Bochy's move to bring in Romo over Casilla or Ramirez and expect Wilson to get another 2 inning save. I second guessed his borderline OCD tic of removing Pat Burrell in the 6th inning. I questioned the move of pinch hitting for Fontenot with Renteria. All of it. But let's not talk about that. Rick Ankiel and Alex Gonzalez and Big Head Bochy are sealed up into a nice forgettable little Game 2 package.
On Sunday, Game 3 happened.
It was an incredible performance by Jonathan Sanchez on the mound, another impotent day at the plate against an other-worldly Tim Hudson and nasty Atlanta bullpen, another head-shaking, profanity-inducing string of decisions by Bruce Bochy, and an improbable comeback by our boys in Orange & Black. Observations are as such: -- Jonathan Sanchez may have finally turned the corner as a big league pitcher... and a big game pitcher. His 11 K performance was the most prolific strikeout total by a Giants left hander in postseason history, and only one other Giants lefty has ever had 10. The Giants organization has been around almost 140 years, and Sanchez was the guy to set the record.
Not only that, but he had a no-hitter going into the 6th inning that had to be broken up by Timmy Hudson himself!
Even more so than Dirrrty Sanchez's no-hitter last season, this performance perhaps announced the arrival of "good Sanchez" for, well, good. He appears to be a confident son of a bitch out there, delivering a stankeye to Rick Ankiel after striking him out in the 3rd, and then throwing one over his head in the 6th.
Consistency has never been Sanchez's middle name, but my Lord, when he is good, he is GOOD.
-- Mike Fontenot and his Jon Miller-described "Hugh Jackman Wolverine Beard" proved to be a good start, and thank God BHH (Big Head Bochy) figured that out. Pablo Sandoval is a liability. He is an idiot in the field (running into Posey in game 2 and throwing the ball all over creation), and an idiot at the plate (double play specialist, strike out artist). Sandoval is not "back", I never declared him "back", and he will never be "back". He had one flukey season as a rookie, the league adjusted to him, and he's too stupid to adjust back. For Giants fans that aren't 14 year old girls with Panda hats, he's testing our patience to the last rope. If he got traded for Alex Gordon or Chris Davis or Johnny Venters, I'd say. Okay. Sounds good. You can sell Panda hats in KC, Texas, and Atlanta. He's your problem now.
Back to Fontenot.
His triple led to our first run (barely), and I'm shocked by how close it came to a dinger. In addition, it also may have injured Jason Heyward, which is a blessing in a not-so-good disguise.
Fontenot also played a good 3B.
-- Bochy is a hard-headed fool. He's been doing these things all year. He's an old-school guy who makes old-man decisions. Nearly all the Giants fans I talk to on Twitter basically groaned in unison as Romo was carted out to face Eric Hinske.
In fact, here is a string of my Twitterings (left column down, then right column)
And right after "Come on Serge", Hinske crushed a terrible pitch up into RF.
Romo is no longer a viable 8th inning option, and let's be honest, that basically lost us the game. If it weren't for Bobby Cox and poor Brooks Conrad, the second loss in a row would've been on Romo and Bochy. Amazing how baseball works.
-- Burrell needs to play 8 innings. Again, we came up in the 9th inning, needing to score and Pat Burrell was no longer in the game with Nate Schierholtz in his place. No. Bochy. NO!
-- Cody Ross should not hit 8th, Uribe should, until further notice
-- Both Brian McCann and Jason Heyward got banged up on Sunday and may not play at 100% tomorrow. No Billy Wagner worked to our advantage today, and with these two guys banged up, I like our chances. -- It is a amazing how Sanchez and Huff were struggling so badly, and yet, those two, plus the cold Ishikawa walking off the bench, again, along with Brooks Conrad managed to somehow, ridiculously pull off two runs in the 9th inning. -- There were two outs, two strikes, and we were almost done. We were literally down to our last strike. Freddy Sanchez came through. -- Brooks Conrad will be forced into therapy soon. Atlanta is a bad sports town with a lot of fairweather bandwagoners, but they get fired up about stuff that matters, like Braves playoff games and Georgia football. You can bet they won't forget Conrad's 4 NLDS errors (3 in Game 3).
Like Duane Kuiper said on KNBR right after Conrad committed the lead-taking error on Buster Posey's routine grounder,
"I'm gonna take the kid off the hook. He should not have been out there playing second base."
And he's right. It's rare to feel bad for an opposing player. Nick Anderson missing all those free throws back in '95 against Houston comes to mind, and to a lesser extent, Bill Buckner, but this one shouldn't be on Brooks Conrad. Here's why.
--He's not a second baseman by trade, he's a 3rd baseman. It is true that he has not been good at 3B this year, committing 7 errors in 2010, but why, oh why, would a bad performance at 3B translate into a better performance at 2B? My question to Old Man Cox is, "Why, after the 2nd error or 3rd error in the series do you leave the guy out there?"
Not only that, but the guy was asked to sacrifice bunt, and popped it up foul to Mike Fontenot in foul territory before he committed the final two errors. His confidence was shot, and yet, Cox carted him out there.
The alternative is putting Troy Glaus, a career 3B at third with sub-par range, and Omar Infante, a career middle infielder at 2B. Boom. Problem solved.
Braves fans are putting this loss on Cox like we put Romo and Sandoval's mistakes on Bochy.
-- Wilson was nails out there in the 9th. And thank God, because we needed that from him, not only because of the obvious, but because he needed a good outing to get his "Awesomness" back in to full swing.
Romo should shave his beard though. He can start growing it back, but you need to shave it now.
-- Andres Torres and Juan Uribe are a concern. Their at bats do not look great. They are swinging and missing too much and reaching for pitches. The same can be said for Huff and Freddy Sanchez, but perhaps their 9th inning success got them some mojo back.
And like Jerry Springer, my final thought.
On Saturday morning, after one of the most deflating losses of my Giants fan career, I flipped on my DirecTV box and looked through my DVR for something to watch before the Georgia-Tennessee game. Sure enough, there was 30 for 30 from last week: "4 Days in October".
If you haven't seen it, ask around, and see how you can watch it. Either online, or on your friend's DVR. It's worth it.
I actually wouldn't mind having it on DVD for my own purposes, but that is irrelevant.
This particular 30 for 30 was about the 2004 Boston Red Sox who improbably came back from a 3-0 ALCS deficit to beat the Yankees, in New York, to go on to the World Series where they swept the Cardinals.
I'm not a Red Sox fan. I guess I like them more than the Yankees, but who doesn't? Regardless, it was the most incredible comebacks in all of sports history, and was done by a cast of characters and outcasts with beards who called themselves "The Idiots."
Those Red Sox had Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling. They also had Kevin Millar, who is strikingly similar to Aubrey Huff in many ways. Martinez, Schilling, and Lowe in their primes are pretty damn similar to Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez, who are all entering their primes. The Sox had Johnny Damon, whose beard made him look like a caveman. We have Brian Wilson whose beard makes him look like a cross between Charlie Sheen in Major League and Billy Mays back from grave.
They are not the same team, and I know that the comparison is a reach. What I will say, is that those 2004 Red Sox were the underdogs who were loose and goofy in the clubhouse. They had weird hair and strange characters, and tortured their fans all year. And yeah. They still beat the Yankees after being down 0-3.
After watching that, I felt better about our 1-1 series. I felt better about the possibility that we could win 1 or 2 at Turner Field, no matter what the circumstances.
Although I was crushed by the Game 2 loss and Hinske's home run, part of me said, "It's not over. These guys have been coming back all year, and if the Red Sox could come back from an 0-3 ALCS deficit, we can beat these damn Braves."
And that, my friends, is why we watch; it's why we're fans.
Game 3 is Monday at 5:37 Pacific on TBS. And Madison Bumgarner is pitching against Derek Lowe.
PS: I couldn't take Dick Stockton, Bob Brenly and TBS any more. After saying they did an okay job in game 1, they, like many of you, made me sick. It's everything from Stockton's pronunciation of error as "errah", to the fact that he introduced the Giants lineup as the "New York Giants", to his spray-on hair.
Brenly, although a former Giant, is sounding more and more like Tim McCarver. In the 4th inning, I put KNBR on, and literally looked at the TV only for visual replays while Twittering. Unfortunately KNBR's feed was about 7 seconds ahead of my DirecTV TBS feed, which makes it impossible to listen and watch in sync. It would be nice for KNBR to give a damn about its listeners and sync up their feed to the TBS feed, but I guess it's not a perfect world.
Nothing like playing a going-nowhere team without its manager, best hitter, two traded-away middle infielders, and horrendous bullpen to really make you examine the state of your team.
I can't remember a Giants team changing its problems and strengths so frequently, and so unexpectedly. It's just so damned weird. We go to Atlanta, pitch pretty damn well, and can't hit a lick. We come home, pitch at an average to below average level, and smack the tar out of the ball like it's going out of style.
All the while, we managed to take 3 of 4 from a collective walking disaster called the Chicago Cubs. In all seriousness, this should have been a relatively easy sweep. On the other hand you've got to give Chicago a little credit for sacking up, having a little pride and playing their tails off. They know they suck, but their young players really stepped it up.
With this ESSENTIAL three game series against San Diago looming, we've gotta examine the good and the downright scary.
The Good:Pat Burrell & Pablo Sandoval
Doesn't it get your goat even more that Bochy was benching Burrell after his initial tear as a Giant? So dumb. The guy can flat out hit, and he's truly in a groove. Honestly, we haven't had 2 hitters like Huff and Burrell since the days of Bonds and Kent. Granted the Burrell/Huff combo of power hitters is a poor man's version of Barry and Jeff, but still. I just can't say enough about what Burrell has added to this team after his midseason acquisition.
Even Huff, who himself is a clubhouse sparkplug, seems re-energized by Burrell. My favorite part of the veteran Burrell is his even-keel approach to hitting. As Krook has pointed out, the guy's demeanor is dialed in, unfazeable, and simply professional-- for lack of a better term. Take the grand slam he hit in the final game of the Chicago series. He calmly stood in the box. There was no fidgeting, no long walks outside the box, no batting glove readjustments. He stoically took two fairly close pitches. Boom. 2-0. Hitters count.
He knew he had to get something good to hit, or else he'd let it go. Hence the hitters count-- the pitcher either comes in to steal a strike, or risks running up a 3-0 count with the sacks full of Gyros.
We all know how that ended. Yup. Great scene.
Here I am, gushing like a schoolgirl again. OMG! OMG! Pat Burrell!
Perhaps Burrell's patient success has something to do with Panda's recent resurgence.
Now look. I'm going to be EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS about Pandoval and his recent play. The man tripled and donged one into McCovey Cove on Thursday. He drove the ball on Wednesday. He is 13 for his last 35 at Mays Field (.371 avg). In fact, his pattern of non-awfulness stems back to the Mets series about a month ago. From that time through the Cubs series, Pablo is hitting .284 with 11 extra base hits. Most importantly, he tripled and homered on Thursday, finally... FINALLY driving the ball like a man!
Again, I'm going to be cautiously optimistic about him. I was seriously on the verge of writing an article advocating that the Giants send him to Fresno for a week to send a message. Honestly. I was like 5 or 6 more groundouts away from doing it. Instead, he somehow managed to stop swinging at crap 100% of the time and actually waited for the ball to reach the plate before swinging. Honestly, the difference between Panda's swings on those two hits versus the Cubs was night and frickin day to the garbage he's been pulling the whole season. He was relaxed, waited on the pitches, and transferred his power from the back leg to his front leg, and effing turned on those pitches... LIKE A REAL HITTER!
It was so beautiful, I nearly teared up watching the replays. That's the swing. That's was it. Now quick, do it again.
That's my main concern with Panda. I've seriously advocated for a medical evaluation of him for a couple months. As 22Gigantes pointed out a few days ago, ritalin is the main reason for Andres Torres's development as a baseball player. Before the pill popping, Torres was a distracted career minor leaguer. With hard work and the help of the medication, he's now a top line leadoff hitter and gold glove candidate in CF.
This relates to Panda because he has an uncanny ability to totally forget about his past successes and failures as fast as I change GAC when a Rascal Flatts music video comes on. I just worry that as soon as he's found his stroke, it'll disappear again into a grey washout of dribblers and 6-3 putouts. Let's hope I'm wrong, and that Panda really is back.
The Downright Scary:Tim Lincecum
I don't even know what to say. The other 3,447 Giants blogs out there have talked about it ad nauseum, so I'm not going to go through stuff you already know. That's why you read this one and not that other regurgitated crap on the internet.
There are a number of theories as to what exactly is wrong with Timmy. Some just say he needs to start smoking dope again. Some think he doesn't take his workouts and mechanics seriously enough. Some say he's been overworked and that he has a tired arm. People think his velocity is down because he can't control a 95 mph fastball anymore. The likely theory that's been floated is that he simply has lost his fine-tuned mechanics and hasn't been able to find them on his own.
Coming off two Cy Young seasons, this is just not the type of article I ever expected to have to write.
Carl Steward of the Merc really made a good point filling in for Baggs the other day, and it's an idea that the blogging public has floated as well (including myself). The guy needs his dad to put in for some vacation days up at Boeing and fly his ass down here to work with Timmy.
This is something that Dave Righetti can't fix. Why Tim has always been so amazing is his crazy windup and his crazy torso torquing and over-extension. The analogy is that he's a finely-tuned sports car, and you don't bring that into the Speedee Oil Change & Tuneup for service. The interesting aspect of this story is that it seems like Timmy and his dad Chris aren't getting along these days for whatever reason. A lot of it has to do with the fact that fathers and sons have been pains in each other's asses for thousands of years. Timmy just wants to fix it himself, but unfortunately Chris knows best, and is the only one who can fix him and his complicated ass.
I would even go so far as to suggest that Lincecum should skip the start against San Diego on Sunday. I know you may think I'm nuts, but he's not right, and he didn't last 4 innings against the Cubs. If Zito can go Sunday on 3 days rest, and a day off Monday, this would give Timmy time to rest, and hopefully work out his kinks.
The reason I say this is because, yeah, I don't know if you've looked at our upcoming schedule, but, what can I say, it's a bear.
Following San Diego, we have 3 in Philadelphia and St. Louis. Both are playoff-bound teams in hot weather cities. Then we have the potentially playoff-bound Cincinnata Reds in San Francisco for 3. Those are 3 powerful teams all fighting for playoff position, and a bad Lincecum would not help our cause... at all.
Look, I know it's a radical suggestion, but it's just one skipped start...
This is a quick late night post-- something I never do.
But this is not a recap, this is just an exuberant exaltation of a Giants fan that had to consume a couple rally cocktails to push his team over the top for the victory.
In typical Giants style, this opening match against the dysfunctional Cubs was neither enjoyable or smooth for most of the game. It began with all kinds of weirdness and ended with weirdness.
Firstly there was the unknown factor of "Jerry Garcia Night", obviously a first in the history of mankind-- let alone professional baseball. Perhaps all the burned out communists in the stands got just high enough on dope to convey just enough good vibes onto the field for the win.
To add even more weirdness to the start of the game, there was Carlos Zambrano, the human powder keg. A guy who doesn't need drugs to act like a raving psycho. It was his first start since his historically bizarre and verbally violent dugout eruption in June.
And surprisingly, he pitched fairly well. To be fair, the Gyros haven't swung the bats well since their 10-0 dismantling of Colorado last week. That's neither here nor there though. We expected the same old mantra to ring true: Giants Baseball... TORTURE!
And speaking of torture, Duane Kuiper was mysteriously absent for the entire top of the 1st inning, and part of the bottom of the inning as well (if my memory serves me right at this late hour). So instead of an emergency deployment of Dave Flemming over to the Comcast side, Mike Krukow, who we all love as a color guy, was left by himself to cover the play by play while Kuip was either puking hardcore or hitting the dumper down the hall. Crude but true, and later on, Krook so tactfully put it:
"Kuip is suffering from a little bit of the 'Southern Crud'."
The awkwardness of Krukow alone in the booth was just the beginning of a night that transitioned into a familiarly frustrating game of groundouts and Twitter outbursts by yours truly about Pablo Sandoval being a retard.
We all know how the game ended, and what happened in order for us to win... that's not what I'm here for. I'm here to accentuate the the manner in which we won. This is a team that has fought back all year, overcoming late inning deficits in a way we're simply not used to. This team is prone to slumps and groundouts, as we all know. Interestingly enough though, they are also prone to magical comebacks complete with a seemingly new hero each time.
As they say: It's magic inside.
As I wrote in my last article, "Adversity breeds character, and character wins games in September and October."
Now I'm no Vince Lombardi or Al Michaels or anything, and I'm not much for cheesy motivational quotes, but I have to hand it to myself on that one. It's pretty damn good.
Look at what these guys did. They got their asses handed to them in Atlanta in 3 out of 4 games, then got on a 5.5 hour plane ride from Hartsfield-Jackson airport on Sunday night, only to show up huge in the 11th inning. If you don't think those guys were dog tired and came out flat because of that brutal scheduling, you're kidding yourselves.
The character that these Giants continue to show me is impressive. It was impressive when they beat Billy Wagner and the Braves the other day, and it was impressive last night when they overcame the bizarre dysfunction of the Northside Baby Bears, in addition to a foolish wave-in of Travis Ishikawa by 3rd base coach Tim Flannery.
It's as if this team is training like Rocky Balboa for a bout with Ivan Drago. They may not have a cool gym or a bunch of high tech equipment or shiny names on their roster, but they've got the will. This part of the season is like the part of the training montage in Rocky IV when they're working out in the barn and running up the snow hill in Russia.
Yes. I love Rocky IV, and will refer to it any chance I get.
Also. Do you see how much these guys like each other? Do you see the chemistry? Guys like Andy Torres, Aubrey Huff, and Pat Burrell are flat out gamers, and each has their own interesting storyline.
I swore last article that I wouldn't gush like a schoolgirl... but ah, screw it, I'm doing it anyway. What a cool win for a great group of guys. It's exciting boys and girls. Get used to it.
It's not perfect-- nothing is of course with our Giants and the backward state of the roster. Bochy at the helm has driven us all to drink, yell, spit, and burn up various internet posting outlets at one time or another. Indeed, he is slow, deliberate and frustrating in many ways.
Bochy is slow to make pitching changes, slow to walk to the mound, it even appears as though he would eat dinner slowly.
The slowest part of his behavior has been the excruciatingly slow, soccer-like execution of assembling the ideal lineup.
Interesting about this suddenly decent offense is that it is made up of modestly and/or appropriately paid players that were not expected to make up the everyday lineup card.
We all know the bummers that have befallen the Giants payroll. Renteria makes $8MM, and has been a combination of hurt and ineffective. Rowand makes $12.5MM, and is both ineffective and horrendous-- now he rides pine. DeRosa has been injured for nearly a month after hovering slightly above the Mendoza line for the first 7 weeks of the year. His $6MM salary is on the shelf, along with his wonky wrist, which for some unacceptable reason, has not been repaired yet.
Then of course there's Bengie Molina, who has been another disappointment, making around $4MM. Let's add it up. For those of you keeping score at home (by the way, who the hell would actually do that?), that's right around $30 meeelion dollars (**Dr. Evil pinky finger thing**) of nearly dead weight in 2010.
Now, I'm not exactly sure if I'm going anywhere with the Dr. Evil reference. Maybe Brian Sabean is Dr. Evil, maybe it's Bochy. I'm not sure.
With the bizarre Frankenstein lineup that we've ended up with, we can't be upset. The additions of Pat Burrell and Buster Posey are about as cost-efficient as it gets, and the trio of Huff/Uribe/Sanchez are now looking like complete bargains and two of them are worthy of all-star consideration.
All the Sabean haters ripped on each one of these signings with the exception of Posey and Uribe, but look, somehow, things are working.
What we cannot stand as fans is the fact that money is being wasted on players either too ineffective or too injured to contribute at all. It's like, why cant any of these big salary guys work out, while the cheap guys like Huff, Santiago Casilla, Andy Torres, and Billy Mota are? I don't get it. It's the same GM making these moves, and yet there are wildly varying degrees of success involved. Back to Bochy though...
Bochy is a slow old catcher, who likes slow old vets. He can't help himself because it's who he is. Rowand is "one of our guys", Renteria "has been around for a long time", and Bengie "handles the pitching staff well". It's almost as if it causes Boch physical pain to remove former "gamers" like Rowand from the lineup, and to move the slow-learning, ADHD-riddled Pablo Sandoval down in the lineup. It really angers knowledgeable fans like myself, and many that I talk to on Facebook/Twitter or in real life, that we've been saying things like "Call up Posey" and "drop Sandoval down in the order" and "play Nate Schierholtz" and "how do you expect John Bowker to ever hit lefties if he never faces one?"-- and being correct about them while Sloth Bochy and Sabean sit on their hands for WEEKS at a time over these decisions.
While Schierholtz is still not playing in favor of Bengie Molina, many of the things that we fans have harped on are finally being done. Posey was called up. Andy Torres leads off daily while Rowand sits. Pablo Sandoval has been yelled at and demoted in the order for being a retard, and the best players are now playing on an every day basis regardless of salary.
However, the true test of whether or not Bochy has rid himself of his foolish ways and habits will come within the next week. Yes, Gamer Renteria (I think Gamer is a biblical name), is coming off the DL, and I for one am scared as hell that he will ruin everything.
Today, everyone from Baggarly and Schulman to Amy G and Lou Seal relayed the information via Twitter that Juan Uribe would continue to start and that Renteria would not reclaim his starting spot. I'll believe it when I see it.
I can't even imagine who would sit in favor of Renteria. If it happens, it would be the most egregious injustice committed in sports since soccer was invented by fruitcakes on another continent who thought ties were an okay way to end a sporting event.
(See how I ripped on the World Cup there while remaining relevant? Damn I'm good.)
The whole point is that Bochy, after weeks of torturous lineup cards, has finally figured it out. Step two is playing Posey at catcher, putting Huff at first, Nate in right, and banishing Renteria, Rowand, and Molina to the pine, where they belong.
Things are looking up.
PS: Pat Burrell could be the "big bat" we were looking for. Imagine that. Who advocated his acquisition months ago? Yeah, it was me.
Sorry for the delay in getting a post up guys. Every now and then it just seems like too much of a pain. I hope you suffered in the absence of my wisdom. That would make me feel pretty cool. Now, on to important things: The State of Stuff.
There is so much stuff to talk about, and so much has changed since my last post, that I feel like we're dealing with another season or something. I'm going to segment this up, so here we go:
Andres Torres Finally, we can say that we have a legitimate leadoff man in a Giants uni. It has been a long time in coming, and I pray that Andy doesn't flame out or begin struggling any time soon. In many ways, Torres has been a gift from the baseball gods, and he's doing his damndest to take full advantage of his first exclusive starting gig in his long meandering career.
There is so much to like about him as a player, especially his speed. As they say, speed is something you can't teach. In addition to utilizing his blazing talents, the man is flat out hitting, and running the bases like a champ. I've even picked him up in a couple fantasy leagues, and he's currently starting over Carlos Lee in one of them. It's truly an amazing development.
In the last month, Torres is hitting .302 with an astoundingly high .922 OPS-- much of which is augmented by a great on base percentage. The man is simply a catalyst, and has been involved the "offensive resurgence" that we've seen over the past two weeks. The second man involved in the resurgence is...
Freddy Sanchez
Wow, a legitimate leadoff man AND a textbook #2 hitter? In a row? And Bochy figured this out on his own?
Like Torres, Sanchez does everything you can ask of a second place hitter. He has excellent bat control, he goes the other way in a excellent manner, and he's smart in situational situations. Situational situations. You heard me.
Plus, he's on a 9 game hitting streak, where he's hitting .500 (16 for 32). You know what Krook would say...
"Stay hot Freddy Sanchez."
Huff & Uribe: The Dike Pluggers
Look, I know they're not exactly A-Rod/Teixeira or Braun/Fielder but...
...All of the sudden, I feel wave of something that almost feels like some strange combination of relief and confidence. I'm not used to this, so I don't know if I'm even describing it properly. I never was one for sharing feelings. I can't say enough about Uribe and Huff. They are the definition of "Gamers"-- not Aaron Rowand or Bengie Molina. Gamers are the ones who play hurt, listen to coaches, and don't complain about playing multiple positions-- all while actually hitting the goddamn ball. Hitting the ball is something that supposed "gamers" Rowand and Molina are currently incapable of, and basically have been for awhile.
Huff & Uribe or "Hurrribe!" have basically kept this team afloat, and seem to be thriving as dike pluggers. Hey man, get your head out of the gutter. Dike plugging is a serious issue in Holland!
Buster & Burrell: Killer B's?
Buster Posey was called up too late. It is a fact. I understand the "Super 2" issue. I understand the idea that he needs reps behind the plate and at 1B in Fresno--- believe, me, I get all of that. However, it just shows that the front office really just doesn't know what it's doing half the time. What I've been saying, what you've been saying, what this guy, and that guy, and this other guy have been saying is:
CALL UP POSEY NOW. WE CANNOT HIT. HE CAN. WTF ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
I can't complain as much now that he's up, but it was obviously three weeks (or more) too late. As we've seen in his 30 or so AB's, is that not only can he play a decent 1B and learn on the fly, but that yes, he really can hit. I doubt he will ever be a 30 HR hitter, and the power will come at some point, but he's just a flat out smart hitter. He takes pitches, he has a good eye, and he doesn't swing at garbage. He's the antithesis of the type of player who has embodied Giants baseball for the past two seasons.
As for Pat Burrell, I absolutely must praise the move. This is a guy who just two years ago hit 33 dongs in a Philadelphia uniform. I know that he's not that guy anymore, but hey, this worked with Aubrey Huff didn't it? Remember the season he had two years ago? Then he sucked? Now he's good again? Remember?
If nothing else, Pat the Bat is a solid right-handed bat off the bench that is a little scarier than Eli Whiteside or Matt Downs.
Honestly, based on the kind of shape he's in, and the handful of AB's he's had in the orange & black, I say give the guy an every day shot. Seriously. Rowand is simply horrendous in every way, and I will sacrifice a little D in order to have a functioning Pat Burrell in our lineup hitting 6th or 7th and playing LF.
I know many of you were down on the signing, citing his poor defense and steep offensive decline. The defense aside, some hitters just have an incredibly difficult time adjusting to another league (See: Holliday, Matt; 2009).
Burrell is not meant to be a life-saver or the "big bat" that we need, but he's a good player, he's cheap, and if he sucks, we're not hamstrung by the loss of top prospects or an extreme salary. Trust me, he will help us.
Pablo Sandoval
Let me preface this rant by saying that I love Pablo and I want nothing more for him than to succeed and be a perennial all-star. With that said, allow me to rip him mercilessly.
Pablo Sandoval is not smart. He has the mind of an 8 year-old child in a large man's body. He doesn't listen to coaches, he doesn't use his brain, and he hacks at slop nightly. If I were Larry Krueger, I'd have been fired for these comments.
In addition, Pablo has zero power, and is not a third place hitter. He is incapable of using his body to drive the ball, and hits off his front foot because he needs ritalin, and no one has taken the time to give him a psychological exam.
I'm serious. He has ADHD, and he needs medication. I'm not laughing. Anyone who is incapable of waiting .005 seconds more for a pitch to reach the plate has some sort of issue.
Now-- judging by his 2 hit day against the Pirates Sunday (a day after being demoted to the 8th slot by our resident genius Bruce Bochy), it's possible that he may begin to understand this whole "pitch-taking" and "pitch-waiting" thing-- much like an infant realizes that if they cry, their mother comes to hold them.
If he calms down at the plate at some point, it's possible that he could hit 25 HR a season. Until then, I'd much rather that his singles and doubles power be utilized in the 5th spot in the order, a spot where he has the potential to knock in a run or two. His penchant for grounding into double plays has killed 14 potential rallies already this season, and that enough is reason to move him the eff down in the order.
On that note, time for the...
Dream Lineup
Torres CF Sanchez 2B Posey C Huff 1B Sandoval 3B Uribe SS Burrell LF Schierholtz RF
Notice who's missing? (Other than the injured DeRosa)
Yeah, our resident "gamers" Rowand, Molina, and Renteria. They simply don't belong in the starting lineup any more and this type of thing is exactly what drives us Giants fans absolutely crazy about Bochy. The past three weeks has really lead me to believe that his brain, much like Felipe Alou's did, has turned into Cream of Wheat.
Bochy's bizarre use of Buster Posey and Bengie Molina in the lineups, as well as the "Sandoval hitting 8th" thing leads me to believe that this man is no longer fit to lead. Take the pinch running incident that took place Sunday in Pittsburgh. You know the one. The one where Bochy pinch-runs for Posey, one of the guys who can hit, in the 7th inning of a tie game.
Memo to Bruce: Posey is not slow. Just because you and Bengie and Whiteside are slow, doesn't make Buster slow too. Leave him in the game. Aggghhhh! Exasperating.
And how about Bengie Molina hitting 4th and Posey hitting 7th? Huh? Are you high?
I'm sorry. I'm officially on the "Fire Bruce Bochy" bandwagon. He has to go. This is ridiculous. He's acting like Tom Cable taking orders from the ghost of Al Davis. Nothing makes sense.
This next thing makes even less sense...
Mark DeRosa
The DeRosa DeLemma is officially pissing me off.
What we need to do right now is forget about the wasted $6MM we paid this dude this year. I like DeRosa, and he's a very good complementary player when healthy.
Unfortunately, he was never healthy, and the Giants made a mistake. I won't say they made a mistake with Freddy Sanchez, because he's currently worth his weight in a metal worth less than gold, but more than silver. Maybe copper? Anyway...
DeRosa needs to stop trying to be a "gamer" and just get the goddamn tendon sheath repaired, and he needs to do it two weeks ago.
This is an injury, that as he knows, takes 3 months to recover from, and 5 months to be normal again. Every day that management has wasted by trying to save face by putting him in Fresno, is a day that he's unavailable for the stretch run.
This man should have been under the knife the day he was put on the DL and not a day later. With that timetable, he could've returned, potentially healthy by mid-September. Now? Maybe 2011.
Again, it's just incredibly frustrating that we, the fans, know better than management with lineups, DeRosa, Posey, Wellemeyer, etc.
Isn't that crazy?
Lincecum
Lincecum has a combination of issues going on. Firstly, he absolutely HAS a blister problem. Someone close to the situation told someone else, who told me. That's good enough for a fan blogger like me. The reason that they've all downplayed it is because Timmy also has mechanical problems, mainly out of his windup. Something is amiss, and since his father is the only one who can fix it, we need to get Chris Lincecum to SF immediately, an idea that this dude had last week.
Lincey is walking too many dudes, his control has been off, and he's been average at best. Unfortunately teams have begun to adjust, and have been taking a ton of pitches, rather than be overly aggressive-- the previous approach to taking on the Timster.
My question is, why exactly, if Timmy has a blister problem, didn't he get one of his starts skipped? Food for thought.
The Wellemeyer Experiment is over I won't get into any of the stats. We all know they're bad. Wellemeyer cannot be relied upon to be a 5th starter. He's okay at home, but basically throws like Chet Steadman in the last Rookie of the Year scene without the theatrical shoulder grabbing by Gary Busey.
The question is not whether Wellemeyer needs to leave the rotation, but whether we cut ties with him completely, put him in the bullpen, or send him down to Fresno. The secondary question is, who do we call up in his place?
Knowing the team we're dealing with, it's safe to say that Madison Bumgarner will not get the call. Although he's been dealing pretty solidly against PCL competition and hasn't allowed more than three earnies in his last 9 starts (and did that only once), I have a feeling the 'tards up in the front office will be too gun-shy to promote the 21 year-old after his ridiculously poor Spring Training.
My opinion? Bring the kid up. Seems like he's gotten it together.
Unfortunately for Hacker, his window may have passed. Until his last three starts, he'd had an ERA under 3 and a K/9 of nearly 9. His last 3 starts have yielded 18 earned runs. Soooo.... yeah, he's out.
J-Mart is sporting a 3.32 ERA and threw a complete game 9 hitter against the Las Vegas Bastards a couple days ago (Dodgers AAA team), and looks like he's ready for the big club again.
Either of these dudes should get the call, if not both, should a bullpen injury occur.
Obviously, there are a million more things I could talk about, but that's about as many words as I can string together without losing all of you. I hope you enjoyed the State of Stuff and remember to follow on Twitter @TheDodgerhater.
