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.
Ask a Giants fan what they think of Matt Cain, and you're likely to get grown men gushing about how great he is. You're likely to hear "hard worker", "he gets the job done and never complains", "he never lets his team down", "he earned that contract".
Matt Cain simply embodies the perfect baseball player-- pitcher or hitter.
It's not possible to be perfect all the time-- we all know that, but Matt Cain is as perfect as one can be-- even without his amazing feat against the Houston Astros on Wednesday, June 14th, 2012.
He flies under the radar too often, while flashier players like Tim Lincecum or East Coast players like Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee steal the spotlight. That's okay with Matt Cain. He doesn't mind.
What makes Matt Cain the perfect ballplayer lies not in his achievement against the Astros, but in his work ethic, his humble nature, his nerves of steel, and his quiet strength-- the type of qualities all true leaders possess.
There will never be a time where Cain's loyalty, effort, and heart are questioned in public forums like other Giants have been. You know what you're getting from him every time he touches the baseball-- even if he doesn't have his best start and the Giants lose the game. The same cannot be said for everyone.
There is a quiet confidence about him that does not require the accolades and attention of the modern prima donna athlete or celebrity-- a tribute to his upbringing and Southern roots. He's taken his God-given talents and honed them to a point where perfection was not out of the realm of possibility and evidently, achievable.
As fans, we have fallen a little more in love with Matt Cain every year since he arrived so many years ago. We instantly saw that he was a real talent in his first few years and knew he'd be around for some time. However, it's the fact that he's literally gotten better every single year that is so mindbogglingly impressive.
How many players consistently get better and more trustworthy by the year? Very few, but Matt Cain is one of those exceptions. Just when we thought we'd seen it all-- an amazing all-star 2010 season with an unholy ERA in the postseason en route to a World Series victory, he followed it up with another stellar 2011 and was rewarded with the richest right-handed contract in history.
Did he rest? Take a break? Exhale? No.
He buckled down even tighter and has helped keep this crazy team we love in the mix, even with glaring holes in the field and in the rotation.
Matt Cain's perfect game is the culmination and pinnacle of all his hard work and dedication. Although many other professionals in baseball or life may put in the same effort and passion, how many of them get to see the fruits of their labor manifested into a literally perfect performance? It's so incredibly rare, that you just have to stop and recognize its amazing beauty-- baseball fan or not.
A perfect game in baseball sometimes happens to imperfect pitchers like Dallas Braden or Phillip Humber-- average players who happen to have had the heavens align at the perfect moment. That's what makes Cain's performance even more special.
On top of it, Cain accomplished something that not even the great Christy Mathewson and Juan Marichal never could; something that no Giant had ever done in 120 years of trying.
It really is an amazing feat, something I will never forget, and yet another reason why Matt Cain is the perfect baseball player.
Are you kidding me? Who the hell are these guys? How do they keep doing this? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE???
It's not like I doubted the Giants could get to the playoffs and do some damage in the first round, but I don't think any of us could have expected to be in a situation like this.
About 5 minutes after the dust settled, I said out loud-- partly to my dad, and partly to no one-- "We're up 3-1. I can't believe it. We're up 3-1. This is really happening."
There is simply no apt way to describe the feeling most of us have right now. Over a lifetime as fans, we devote tens of thousands of hours, spend thousands of dollars, and invest immeasurable amounts of emotion in our teams. We do all this in hopes that when it's all said and done, someday we are in a position like we're in right now.
We are one game from the World Series.
I almost don't even want to say it. I feel like we're in the 7th inning of a perfect game... shhh! Don't say it! With another dream Lincecum/Halladay matchup set to begin Thursday evening, we must remind ourselves that this series is not even close to being over. Halladay is capable of shutting us out, as is Roy Oswalt during a potential Game 6 in Philadelphia. With that said, here are my observations from Games 3 and 4.
Game 3
-- Matt Cain was an absolute monster. After a horrible performance in the regular season's final series against San Diego, I was worried about him a little bit. After a tough luck loss against Atlanta, I felt a little better. But after Tuesday's performance, I fully expect to win whenever he starts.
-- Cain and Buster Posey are what you call "old souls". With Cain, a longtime veteran at the age of 26 and Posey, a 23 year old rookie, there is a calming presence that the two of them bring to the table. I imagine that their quiet, confident demeanors, steady emotions, and workmanlike attitudes rub off on their teammates-- and I'm not talking about only the young ones. They act as though they've been there a million times, although neither has. I tell you, if all hell broke loose, you'd want those two guys around... and not just because they're both country boys who could probably get a seized up motor running and tie a clean Carolina rig onto 10 lb. test mono-filament line. They basically set the example of what a big league ballplayer is supposed to be. Truly remarkable considering their ages.
-- Edgar Renteria on Cain's performance: “CAIN IS UNBELIEVABLE. WHEN I SAW HIM IN THE FIRST INNING, I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A BIG GAME FOR US. JUST TRY TO SCORE ANY RUNS.”
-- And how good has Javier Lopez been? Silent Assasin? I like it.
Game 4
-- Madison Bumgarner again looked solid. His 6 strikeouts seemed to be par for his course lately. He battled, but didn't have his best stuff. Hey, he was better than Philly's 4th starter, Joe Blanton.
-- Santiago Casilla can be extremely erratic at times. He's been pretty solid up until this series. He worries me a bit. Some of these bullpen guys look like they're "leaking oil".
-- Cody Ross--- excuse me, Cody "Boss" had another huge hit. Remember when all you jerks were mad at him for that error he made in RF a month ago? I told you he was a good player. He is simply on a hot streak that not even he can comprehend. As good as our pitching has been, Mr. Rosstober has been equally important... and I don't see this stopping anytime soon. -- Sandoval got a huge double. Nice to see. It gave us the lead, and it gave him a boost of confidence.
-- Sandoval immediately took this boost of confidence, and grounded into a double play with the bases loaded and one out. In case you were wondering, that was double play #26 on the season.
All Pablo needed to do was hit the ball into the outfield for a sac fly. He is a continuing liability at the plate, and I will continue to dislike him until he becomes a smarter baseball player.
And look how important that run was! WE NEEDED THAT RUN! Because...
-- Bochy doesn't get it. He still doesn't friggin get it. SERGIO ROMO CANNOT BE TRUSTED! I don't care that he rebounded after that run-scoring hit he allowed. This is the playoffs and he obviously is not pitching well enough. I know Bochy is a player's manager and he LOVES "sticking with his guys", but if there are two guys that cannot be trusted to get out of tight, inherited jams, it's Romo, and to a lesser extent, Casilla.
And back to that Sandoval GIDP... NOW DO YOU SEE, YOU MORON ZOO ANIMAL PANDA! GET THE RUN HOME!
-- Andres Torres has probably earned himself a start after showing signs of life in the past two games.
-- Nate Schierholtz is now an automatic out. He is officially approaching Rowand territory in hitting uselessness, and I honestly think he should start laying down a bunt up the 3rd base line ever time he hits until they start playing him in.
I met him once. He's a good guy, and I don't like disparaging good guys, but he is just not a good hitter, and is at a career crossroads. Right now, he's looking like a career 4th or 5th OF and defensive replacement. I know it's extremely difficult to produce without consistent at bats, but this is getting ridiculous.
Stretching back into the regular season, Schierholtz is 5-29, a .174 avg.
-- Ryan Howard and Chase Utley look lost for the most part.
-- Buster Posey was 4-4 after appearing tired and "slumpy" in the past couple games. I think the last time I said he was tired he hit a huge home run against San Diego.
And my God, what a play at home plate today. On a crazy/great throw by Rowand, Posey kept the game from getting out of hand with an amazing play at the plate. This guy is incredible.
-- Pat Burrell has a great eye. That is all.
-- Home Plate umpire Wally Bell was horribly inconsistent. This crew has been a disaster overall. Ted Barrett in Game 3 was the only guy worth his salt. Cousins, Iassogna and Bell were just not good. While Cousins and Iassogna don't know the difference between a ball and a strike, Bell just can't seem to remember whether he or not he's going to maintain a zone or just start anew each batter.
-- Charlie Manuel made a couple questionable decisions. Firstly, why leave a young Antonio "Diabeto" Bastardo to face Posey after he was brought in to face Huff, a lefty on lefty matchup? After all, Bastardo doesn't have much experience and righties like Posey hit .300 off of the bastard in '10. Why not bring in Madson right there?
-- The whole Oswalt thing was bizarre. I know he's awesome and everything, but why not bring in Lidge for the 9th? I know it wasn't a save situation, but if you're down to the bottom of the barrel, do you think it's wise to use a guy going on 2.5 days rest? And oh yeah, It was more like 4 hours rest, because Oswalt threw a scheduled side session before the game. And this move came from the guy who didn't want to start Roy Halladay on three days rest, leaving Blanton available for long relief work. Philly fans want Manuel's head on a platter right now. And they may get it.
-- I just checked the comment feed on the Philly.com game story. HILARIOUS. I just wish I could get Sylvester Stallone to read them all in his Rocky voice. Here is my favorite:
"Can we keep the Phillies biggest annual October choker Rollins nailed to the bench. He got picked off in the 2nd. He ended both the 4th and 5th innings by striking out with runners on. In the 7th he booted a tailor made double play that could have lost the game. In the 8th he comes up with a runner on 2nd, no outs and pops up. The next time someone calls this career .224 October hitter a big game player, they should be put in jail."
Philly fans are so much more entertaining when they're losing... hahaha
-- How huge was Juan Uribe? He comes into the game cold, and immediately makes a helluva play to nail Ross Gload at first. Say what you will about his range, but he is an above average shortstop and I want him back in 2011.
-- Oh yeah, and he also hit a sac fly to win the game. See Pablo, that's how you do it. What an exhilarating moment for Giants fans. Juan Uribe became only the 4th player in Giants history to hit a walkoff RBI. Wild.
As if there was any doubt, the Giants once again pulled out a close game. And once again, Cody Ross and Tim Lincecum showed up in a HUGE way.
You know I don't write recaps, I write observations and analyze the hell out of stuff. You all watched the game anyway. So here goes:
-- Lincecum looked a little out of sorts early and didn't have the command he showed in his shutout 14K performance against Atlanta. Much of this can probably be attributed to a blister problem on his pitching hand. Despite Giants management downplaying the issue, it was obviously bothering him.
As solidly as Roy Halladay pitched, Lincecum was better. Most impressive about that is that he basically did this with two pitches behind his back. His curve and slider were not there, so he was basically going at the most fearsome lineup in the NL with a fastball and changeup... -- I couldn't believe Bochy trotted Lincey out there to pitch the 7th inning after he was "leaking oil" (Krukowism) in the 6th. Again, the guy proves everyone wrong by perhaps establishing his best rhythm of the entire game, going 1-2-3, and even mixing in a couple soft-breaking sliders. To me, that is the epitome of guts and "leaving it all out on the field". Throwing sliders hurt his finger, he was over 100 pitches, he had 45,000 sleazebags whistling at him, and he pulled out that 7th inning like a stud.
The guy never ceases to amaze and surprise me.
-- If you didn't get the whole whistling at Lincecum thing, Philly fans were catcalling at Lincecum due to his magnificent, lustrous hair. It was if they were drunken, union construction workers sexually harassing an attractive woman walking by during their 2 hour lunch break. Obviously Phillie fans have a thing for guys with long hair. Haha.
-- Tim Lincecum on the whistles from Phillies fans: "I was thinkin I must have a really nice butt, because I sure heard a lot of em."
-- Cody Ross was an absolute gem of a pickup (as if we didn't already know that). It is truly remarkable how a guy Sabean picked up simply to prevent the Padres from improving has now carried the offense through the NLDS and now onto the NLCS.
He was meant to be a 4th outfielder, a free pickup meant to replace Jose Guillen in the 6th inning as a defensive replacement. Now look at him. Ripping the Braves, killing the Phils. -- Cody Ross became the first 8th place hitter to hit two dongs from the 8th spot in the playoffs since Chad Curtis did it in 1999.
-- Ross joins Garrett Anderson, Marlon Anderson, Luke Scott, and Corey Hart as the only guys to ever hit two dongs off of Halladay in the same game... regular season or playoffs. (Thanks to Cam Inman for that one) -- Yes. It's true. Cody Ross, "The Pride of New Mexico" wanted to be a rodeo clown as a kid.
-- The Giants once again failed to bring home a runner from 3rd base with less than 2 outs. Not only that, but Andres Torres struck out in Panda-like fashion against the erratic Brad Lidge.
-- Speaking of Torres. He got one to fall, but the man ain't right. I don't know if he's tired, his appendectomy is bothering him, or if he's just too nervous. Perhaps the playoffs are really meshing with his ADHD to create a perfect storm of ineffectiveness. Regardless, I am worried about him.
-- Andres Torres is now 5-21 in the postseason, with 1 stolen base, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts. He's been a catalyst all season. This is killing our mojo. Thank God for Cody Ross.
-- Javier Lopez is an absolute monster to lefties. He made Ryan Howard look like an medicated old schoolmarm. This particular deal by Sabean, perhaps the least heralded, ranks just behind Burrell and Ross in importance to the team.
Since Lopez's arrival to San Francisco for Joe Martinez and John Bowker, he has thrown 19.2 innings of 1.40 ERA ball, with a 19 K's and an opposing batting average below .160
-- There are a lot of horrendous home plate umpires out there, namely Crawford, Bucknor, and West, but Darryl Cousins is up there with the worst of the worst.
It's as if the man has zero peripheral vision, cannot bend his neck to look down, and believes all strikes are around the letters. There were no corners or strikes around the knees and he was just plain all over the place. He was screwing both sides all night, and guys like him should not be affecting playoff games. There simply needs to be more accountability for lousy home plate umpires.
-- Raul Ibanez is a liability for the Phils in LF. He's like a statue out there missed a catchable ball by Burrell to "blow the game open"
-- Nice to see Juan Uribe finally get a clutch hit and drive in a run
-- Check out this video of a Phillies fan puking onto the field during a Freddy Sanchez foul ball. At least he didn't puke on an off-duty cop and his children like the last time.
Probably not safe for work... Good thing it's the weekend.
-- If you were complaining about Dick Stockton and Bob Brenly, well, you're still complaining about the announcing.
My quote is "Joe Buck and Tim McCarver: Ruining baseball since 1996".
Buck sounds like a depressed, blase, out of work actor with a trust fund and McCarver sounds like a senile old drunk. Fox is the worst. It wouldn't be so bad, but the KNBR feed is even further off live TV for Fox than it was for TBS. I'm talking 12 or 13 seconds ahead. I find myself only watching the TV for replays. It's truly unbelievable that in today's society with all this technology, we have to deal with this kind of mind-numbing and frustrating commentary. I swear to God I would do a better job sitting at home in my underwear doing play by play with my dog Rosie as the color commentator.
Does anyone have a way of "DVR'ing" the radio to slow it down??
Looking forward to game 2 and Oswalt versus Sanchez:
-- Oswalt has a career 3.61 ERA against the Giants. Interesting that in teams in which Roy has 15 or more starts starts against, he has surrenders the second highest ERA against San Francisco.
In 2010, Oswalt is 1-3 in 4 starts against the Giants, and he has a 3.33 ERA. His last start, a win, came as a member of the Phillies. Also of note is that King Roy has a 1.76 ERA at Citizen's Bank Park in 2010.
As for Jonathan Sanchez, his road ERA is noticeably lower than his home ERA (2.86/3.26).
In addition to that, Sanchez is 2-0 against Philadelphia in 2010 with an incredible 1.38 ERA (2 ER in 13 IP) and a .114 BAA.
Looks like a great matchup to me!
And BTW, I predicted on Facebook/Twitter before the game that the Giants would win Game 1 3-1, beat Oswalt in Game 2, and lose to Hamels in Game 3. Giants in 6. Proof below.
First and foremost, I'd like to apologize for not making a post in a couple months. I had a good run going there and I let this slide. I promise not to let that happen again. This is a long one, but I have a lot to say. With that being said, our Gyros are sitting at 49-39 heading into the stretch run. We're all diehards, but you cannot in all good conscience tell me that you expected them to be this good this late in the season.
It is this remarkable turnaround that has us all flying high and expecting crazy things.
Crazy things like:
1) Giving the Los Angeles Assholes a run for their money in the NL West
2) Securing the Wild Card spot over a potential group of 7 decent teams (St. Louis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Colorado, Florida, New York)
3) A second consecutive Cy Young for Timmy Lincecum or even a first Cy Young for Matt Cain.
4) Calling up one of our super prospects earlier than September
5) Going for it by making a deal to secure another bat or even the unthinkable-- another "A" list starting pitcher.
We'll get back to all of this later... Right now, let's talk about what went right in the first 88 games of the year. 1) Starting Pitching
Timmy Ballgame is enjoying another Cy Young/All-Star season. He's tied with the resurgent Justin Verlander for the ML lead with 149 K's. He's 2nd in ERA at 2.33. He's got 10 wins. Beast.
The best story thus far has to be Matt Cain, who also has 10 wins.
After years of growing pains, mind-bogglingly heinous run support, and some inconsistency, Matt Cain has had the type of first half befitting of any team's #1 starter-- let alone a #2.
What do the following names have in common? CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Cole Hamels, Carlos Zambrano, Daisuke Matsuzaka?
They all suck compared to Tennessee Thunder Cain halfway through the season.
Seriously. And a serious bargain as well.
Consider this table and just look at what each pitcher earned for each first half win:
What Cain and Lincecum are doing is just remarkable. Hell, even Tim McCarver's Cream of Wheat brain has put this together.
The angle that no one has been talking about in regards to Cain is his new and improved physique and endurance. Cain hit the weights hard in the offseason, and most likely changed his diet in a serious way. He's a good 10-15 pounds lighter this season and you can tell by looking at him that he's stronger in his upper body. This, along with some run support and his new badass mentality has really given us a helluva ballplayer-- someone who has re-established himself as an "untouchable" commodity in the organization.
2) Pablo Sandoval
The Kung Fu Pandoval phenomenon is in full swing. Even the East Coast-centric ESPN jerks are into the Panda. It's just a goddamn shame that he wasn't invited to the all-star game.
After a bit of a slow start, Pablito has truly hit his stride. How a guy playing 3 positions with a 15/55/.333 stat line doesn't get an all-star berth is simply baffling. Unfortunately he just doesn't have the name recognition yet.
But here, this is not an issue. We have people showing up to games in full panda suits and putting on panda masks during his AB's. Pablo is the coolest guy around, and truly rivals Timmy Ballgame as the Giants' most popular player.
As Krukow would say, "The guy was born to hit."
3) The Bullpen
What was a disaster last season is now a strength.
When the two worst ERA's in the 'Pen belong to Brian Wilson (3.66 ERA, 23 SV, 10.30 K/9) and Merkin Valdez (4.97 ERA, 0 ER & 7 K's in last 7 appearances), you don't have much to complain about.
Surely Brian Wilson drives us nuts and has blown some saves in ugly fashions (ahem... Milwaukee), and Bobby Howry has been a disappointment at times, but other than that, we've got some seriously solid arms in there.
The best of which has been 8th inning beast Jeremy Affeldt.
The 30 year old southpaw has had an all-star caliber season thus far notching extreme stats in the process:
34 IP, 19 Holds, 1.32 ERA, 8.21 K/9, and he currently has a 23 game scoreless streak going right now. He's an absolute bargain at $3.5 million and has been nothing short of incredible.
I see a lot of promise in Sergio Romo as well.
4) Aaron Rowand's resurgence
Ever since Bruce Bochy became desperate and plugged A-Row into the leadoff spot, we've seen a payoff for Rowand's huge payday.
No one really knows why Rowand hitting leadoff has clicked, but it must have something to do with the constant diet of fastballs he's feasting on.
Whatever it is, he's hovering around .300 and is no longer the whipping boy he once was. That of course is still Zito.
Issues for the second half:
1) Get Bengie Molina back on track
Bengie has been really hacking up there-- I mean swinging at balls a foot off the plate. He's not right mentally. He is still very upset about losing his father and is not happy that he hasn't been offered an extension by the Giants. He feels a little under appreciated, and is trying too hard and thinking too much. However, check this out little bit of "Fitz & Brooks-esque mojo" action.
Bengie missed Jonathan Sanchez's miraculous no-no because of the birth of his daughter. This, combined with a couple of days "off" recently (as if he got any rest with that crying baby), as well as signs of life heading into the break, leads me to believe that Bengie may make a comeback as the reliable power source he was earlier in the year.
2) Settle the rotation
What is the extent of Randy Johnson's injury? Will he be back as soon as planned? If he does come back, what do we do with Sanchez and Ryan Sadowski? And Zito? Despite Sanchez's no-hitter, I can't say he's a shoo-in for a starting spot, although he's certainly bought himself some more time.
The Big Sadowski has been pretty damn good, but will the magic end for the goofy Floridian?
3) What kind of move to we need to make? Who's out there?
We've heard a lot of rumors out there. Some are legitimate, some are not. With the blogosphere/talk radio/ESPN cycle going 24/7, random crap gets thrown out there constantly. I of course, am contributing to this phenomenon.
We all know the Giants need power, we've spoken and heard about this ad nauseum. There are very few guys out there that can supply that at a price that doesn't include our sacred gems of Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, and Matt Cain.
Let's be real here, this is a core of players that is going to be together for awhile. The future is bright.
Do you really want to trade Tim Alderson, Jonathan Sanchez, and a third minor leaguer for a slumping, Boras-represented, expiring contract, good-as-gone guy like Matt Holliday?
Absolutely not. He is one of the few impact bats out there, but his price is too hefty and his returns are not guaranteed.
The other rumor out there right now is the Giants going after Roy Halladay.
Huh?
Look, it isn't as crazy as it sounds. The price will be extremely steep, as it should be, and pitching is not of great need. However, there are only a handful of teams with minor league systems deep enough to make a legitimate trade offer to the Blue Jays.
It would take Sanchez. It would include either Bumgarner or Buster Posey in all actuality. That sucks. It really would suck.
However, the playoffs are built for disgusting pitching staffs like this fictitious one we're talking about here. Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, and Matt Cain is the closest thing to the holy trinity that could ever wear the same uniform.
Tell me who could compete with that. The Dodgers? The Cardinals? Phillies? Mets? Brewers? Rockies? Red Sox? Yankees? Rays? Rangers? Angels? Tigers? White Sox?
No one.
Halladay is signed for another year after this one, and will be nearly 34 when he becomes a free agent. But, he's also a future hall-of-famer.
We are all enamored with the modern day legends of Angel Villalona, Bumgarner, Posey, and Alderson, but I really think we should be living in the here and now. We could win it all... NOW.
Our system is deep.
Hypothetically, let's say we give up Madison Bumgarner and Conor Gillaspie and a third near major leaguer like Manny Burriss for Roy Halladay.
We have our holy trinity until the spring of 2011, plus Tim Alderson (a Matt Cain type pitcher) ready to break into the rotation, Jonathan Sanchez, and presumably a serviceable 10 win-capable Barry Zito.
We'll have Buster Posey ready to rock, the powerful Angel Villalona and Roger Kieschnick still in the system, and 3, count 'em 3 solid middle infielding prospects in Brandon Crawford, Nick Noonan, and Ehidre Adrianza. One of which, presumably the UCLA-groomed Crawford, will be major league ready by 2011 right when Edgar Renteria's contract is up.
So the Halladay for Bumgarner deal would not be the end of the world-- it would be the beginning of something incredible. And remember, the goal is to win a World Series. Look where Billy Beane has gotten thinking this way-- constantly looking towards the future and a bunch of unproven prospects. Why not us? Why not now?
More realistically though, Brian Sabean will play it safe, and keep our entire future intact.
Consider the following needs:
A reliable second baseman who can hit.
A reliable corner infielder who can hit.
A reliable corner outfielder who can hit.
Then, consider the following players available: Freddy Sanchez (2B, PIT), Austin Kearns (RF, WAS), Josh Willingham (LF, WAS), Nick Johnson (1B, WAS), Elijah Dukes (OF, WAS), Brian Roberts (2B, BAL), Aubrey Huff (1B, BAL), Luke Scott (LF, BAL), Mark Teahen (Util, KC).
These guys are all gettable, trust me.
How about this scenario:
Jonathan Sanchez, Nick Noonan/Brandon Crawford, and 10th rated prospect LHP Scott Barnes for Brian Roberts and Aubrey Huff. I do that in a second. Roberts is signed through 2013 and would be a great fit. Aubrey Huff can play 1B or 3B, and has a 11/56/.260 season going, in addition to an expiring contract. Would you deal Sanchez and Crawford for Brian Roberts and Huff? I would. In a second.
The holes have miraculously been filled!
2B Brian Roberts CF Aaron Rowand 3B Pablo Sandoval 1B Aubrey Huff C Bengie Molina RF Nate Schierholtz SS Edgar Renteria LF Randy Winn
The Blue Jays have 2 horrendous contracts and must unload one. Their names are Alex Rios and Vernon Wells.
Both can play center or left, and both are extremely talented, under performing players.
To rid themselves of one of these players, the Blue Jays would theoretically take Zito off our hands, if we ate some of his deal.
Hmmm.... interesting. Zito is owed basically $94 million through the remainder of his contract ($83 million when he's bought out- which he will be).
Vernon Wells is owed $98.5 million over the next 5 years.
It's almost an exact match of salaries. But, to make Toronto give up the clearly superior player, we will have to sweeten the deal, by eating some of Zito's contract, and/or throwing in another player like Gillaspie.
Let's say the Giants eat $20 million of Zito's deal. That would then make Toronto responsible for $63 mil ($83-20), as opposed to the $99 still owed to Wells.
Despite Wells' poor performance, he still provides a much better option than Randy Winn or Fred Lewis in left and is not nearly the lost cause that many think Zito has become. The Zito signing was a disaster, and as Tim Kawakami writes, it's time to move on, at nearly any cost.
Whew. There we go. More to come.
Oh yeah... we haven't done this in a while:
DODGER DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK:
Matt Kemp
According to multiple sources, Dodgers OF Matt Kemp was "...so drunk at the ESPYs that at one point during the evening, he stumbled and fell.
Even worse, in the process of falling, he grabbed a woman’s (who appeared to be his date) dress and completely pulled down her top. When those on the scene first attended to the prone Kemp, the woman shrieked, “What about me?!”"
Ask a Giants fan what they think of Matt Cain, and you're likely to get grown men gushing about how great he is. You're likely to hear "hard worker", "he gets the job done and never complains", "he never lets his team down", "he earned that contract".
As fans, we have fallen a little more in love with Matt Cain every year since he arrived so many years ago. We instantly saw that he was a real talent in his first few years and knew he'd be around for some time. However, it's the fact that he's literally gotten better every single year that is so mindbogglingly impressive. 
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