Assessing the Giants' Offseason So Far

The Giants are getting the band back together. Brian Sabean and the rest of the gang had a busy day at the Winter Meetings yesterday, signing Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro to reprise their roles from the 2012 season. This comes a few weeks after Jeremy Affeldt re-signed as well. In bringing back these three important contributors to the World Series-winning team, the Giants check off the boxes on their off-season wish (needs) list, although they now have little room to do much else. The cynics will moan about how they haven't learned their lesson from the Aubrey Huff debacle -- you shouldn't overpay to bring back aging veterans just for sentimental reasons. And there's plenty of reason to be concerned. All three of these guys got more money and more years than we would have liked. But that doesn't change the fact that these were the best options at their respective positions. The talent pool in the Giants' minor league system isn't exactly overflowing. And given how the market was playing out, these terms were probably necessary. The Giants are built to win now, so if they have to Aaron Rowand these guys a couple years down the road, well, so be it. The Giants won 2 World Series during the Aaron Rowand era, and he wasn't even on the team for one of them. It can be done.

Pagan signed for 4 years and $40 million. The obvious concern is that much of Pagan's value lies in his legs: stealing bases, beating out infield singles, ranging in center field, setting franchise records for triples, etc. Legs don't usually age particularly well. Pagan's 2012 was fantastic -- 4 Wins Above Replacement. He's unlikely to repeat that, just because...well just because. So if he starts rapidly declining, years 3 and 4 of this contract could easily be a sunk cost. On the other hand, analysts like to claim these days that 1 Win Above Replacement "costs" about $5 million (and rising) on the open market. By that measure, to make this contract "worth it", Pagan simply needs to be a 2-Win player on average. That seems more than doable. But the main reason I'm happy to see Pagan back is the other options out there. In other words, he's not Shane Victorino, whom the Red Sox just overpaid because he has a fun nickname and he's a "star". Puke. The Giants have their core set with Posey, Sandoval, and the starting pitching. Making a huge splash with Michael Bourne or Josh Hamilton would have had the same age concerns and would have put more strain on the club when negotiating with their young hitters. The lack of production from Gary Brown in the minors this year definitely hurt, as he was sort of the plan for 2013. But now that he's not a viable option to start in the Majors, Pagan was really the only acceptable option.

Pretty similar situation with Scutaro, who signed for 3 years, $20 million. It's too much, but it also is how much the market dictated for the best option at 2nd base. Maybe they could have cobbled together an acceptable season from some combination of Joaquin Arias, Ryan Theriot, and even Freddy Sanchez. But that doesn't sound like a plan suitable for a team trying to cement a dynasty. Scutaro probably has one or two more productive years in him, and he's not blocking a prospect who is ready to play in the Big Leagues, either (like Aubrey Huff was).

The Jeremy Affeldt signing is the most puzzling. Three years at $6M apiece seems out of this world for a middle reliever/set-up man. And it would be, except unfortunately, we exist in a world in which the Dodgers also exist. It's horrifying on multiple levels. Specifically on this front, though. Since the Dodgers wipe themselves with thousand-dollar bills, they had no problem throwing 3 years and $22.5 million at Brandon League, a guy with a similar role to Affeldt. I believe that this contract was offered specifically to set the market high on Affeldt, maybe even to price the Giants out so they could lure him away themselves. At the very least, they succeeded in making the Giants overpay for Affeldt. Must be nice, Ned Colletti.

So it looks the 2012 Giants will be essentially the same as the 2013 team. I've got no beef with that. Of course that includes Gregor Blanco starting in LF, which is not ideal (really the Giants needed 2 outfielders, which makes the Pagan deal even more necessary). The fact that Scutaro and Affeldt may have priced the Giants out of a platoon option in left is probably the largest reason not to like the deals. That and the fact that the Giants are usually pretty good at grabbing effective relievers out of the bargain bin (Casilla, Lopez, Mijares, etc).

Speaking of effective relievers, let's talk about the elephant in the room: Brian Wilson. It's looking increasingly like he won't return, after the Giants decided to not tender him a contract in arbitration. Upset that the Giants did not want to pay around double his market value, there's talk of B Weez taking his beard-growing talents to LA, where he lives in the off-season. Again, this would be horrifying. But let's look at the upside. He may not be ready for Opening Day and he may not be fully effective all year. He's coming off his second Tommy John surgery. There's a real chance he'll Jason Schmidt the Dodgers and become one of the best Giants ever. Aside from Dodger-fail reasons, from a baseball perspective, the risk/reward just doesn't seem worth it. When Wilson went down last year, it wasn't the closer position that suffered (remember, Casilla was a marked improvement before he faltered, at which point the committee--led by Romo--did just fine). The biggest loss for the bullpen was its depth. Below average guys had to take some of the middle innings, and they didn't fare too well. But with Mijares added, I think there's enough. Romo, Affeldt, Casilla, Lopez, Mijares, and Kontos make up a bullpen that most teams would lust for (Without Guillermo Mota uglying them up, they are a handsome group, no?). Bringing Wilson back comes with the possibility that he just might not be that effective, and with that comes a closer controversy, and it won't be one of those "good problems to have" like they have going on over at Candlestick. For the price Wilson probably wants, it's just not worth the risk.

KAP or Smith?

Now that Harbs came out and noted Kaepernick to be the starter this Sunday for a third consecutive week, will Alex Smith ever get his job back?  Is Harbs doing the right thing and sending the right message to the rest of the players on the Niners roster?


Read more here

Personally, I am 100% on Smith side.  All the guy did was QB the team to a 6-2 record and post quality numbers across the board.  He get's hurt for a game and half and get demoted to an somewhat unproven 2nd year player?  Doesn't add up to me.  Maybe it's Harbs ego and personality getting in the way here.  Or maybe it's something that not even the media has hit on yet.....

Was there a QB controversy behind closed doors before Smith got injured?  I know KAP and a number of other unproven young guys were killing it in the early i the year in practice.  Either way, no matter what a player should have to fail in on the field to lose there job.  Well, unless your Jamarcus Russell!

What do you leaner's out there think?

Cheers,

Mr. A

LaMichael ready to show the NFL what he's all about!

Can't wait to see what LMJ and even Jenkins can do if they get activated this Sunday.  Looks and sounds like LMJ has the better shot to get out there!

"In my mind, I feel like I can go out there and play any day," James said. "I feel like I can make plays against anybody. That's the competitive nature in me, but it's probably different from the coaches, I don't know."

If you think you're the best, you will be the best.  Can't wait to see KAP and LMJ breaking the Rams ankles all over the field on Sunday!

Read more here

Cheers,

Mr.A

#whosgotitbetterthanus #LMJ #49ers #kaepernick

Chip Kelly to the NFL... The question isn't if, but when!

With the NFL being a "what have you done for me lately" league these days, it's never surprising to see any coach get fired mid-season or in the off-season.  As a Duck fan, Chip Kelly seems to always be in the news about a rumor he is leaving Eugene for the pros.  Here's the latest list of potential teams he could go to.

Read More....

My gut tells me he is done with the Ducks after they crush Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl this coming January (more to come on that after the championship games over the next two weekends).

The most likely suitor has got to be the Carolina Panthers.  With Coach Rivera talking about not coming back, Kelly could step in and run his flash offense with Newton and the stable of running backs currently on the squad right now  not to mention they will be getting a super early draft pick since they suck this year.

Back from the dead,

Mr. A

#camnewton #bbigballschip #WTD #carolinapanthers #NFL

2010 Giants vs. 2012 Giants: Who Wins?

The Giants won the World Series. Just a coupla weeks ago. It happened. You can look it up. They also won it in 2010. Fact. Also, fact: when a team wins two titles so close together, it's inevitable that people will begin to compare the teams. Emotionally, I don't think you can top 2010. The joy combined with (quite frankly) relief made for a sense of "everything is going to be okay". In 2012, at least for me, it still seemed a bit like we were playing with house money. I just don't think anything can top the first one. That's why my parents love my older brother more than me, and that's why everybody says losing their virginity is still the best sex they've ever had*.

But what if we take emotion out of it? Amid all the recent election fury, one question that I can't seem to get out of my head is this: which of the two recent World Series winning Giant teams is better, 2010 or 2012? It's a difficult question to answer, given that the two teams have a lot (literally) in common, but also differences that cannot be ignored. Also mucking up the waters is the fact that the 2012 Giants had a bit of an identity change during their playoff run to the World Series, not to mention the 2010 line-up was so mix-and-match it changed almost every night. So while we're comparing two teams, we're really looking at three or more teams, even while all teams share a lot of players. Let's try to hash it out anyway.

Lineups/Bench:
2010                                         2012
Andres Torres CF                    Angel Pagan CF
Freddy Sanchez 2B                 Marco Scuraro 2B
Aubrey Huff 1B                        Pablo Sandoval 3B
Buster Posey C                        Buster Posey C
Cody Ross RF                         Hunter Pence RF
Pat Burrell LF                          Brandon Belt 1B
Juan Uribe 3B                         Gregor Blanco LF
Edgar Renteria SS                  Brandon Crawford SS

Pablo Sandoval                      Ryan Theriot
Aaron Rowand                      Juaquin Arias
Nate Shierholtz                      Xavier Nady
Mike Fontenot                       Hector Sanchez
Travis Ishikawa                     Aubrey Huff
Eli Whiteside

Like I said, this is far from an exact science, as the names above don't paint nearly a complete picture. Cody Ross was barely a factor in the 2010 regular season, yet he gets a spot there. Melky Cabrera paid a pivitol role in getting the 2012 Giants to the playoffs, but he's not mentioned. Basically the entire 2010 line-up was shuffled on a daily basis. But by the final end to the season, these are the line-ups that were generally settled upon. Niether of the benches are anything to write home about so I'll call that a wash. For the regulars, we have to decide what kind of sample size to look at. I'm not going to assume that Renteria duplicates his MVP performance on the regular. Nor can I hold the 2012 line-up to their post-season production, which other than Sadoval, Scutaro's NLCS, and two amazing HRs from Posey, was pretty poor. As great as Torres was that year, Pagan was better this year. MVP Posey is better than ROY Posey. Huff edges out Belt, and because you can't say that Scutaro would hit .362 for a whole year, 2nd base is essentially a wash. The remaining guys are close as well, but top to bottom, you'd have to take the 2012 guys. Numbers will back that up.
EDGE: 2012

Rotation:
2010                                     2012  
Tim Lincecum                      Matt Cain
Matt Cain                             Madison Bumgarner
Jonathan Sanchez               Ryan Vogelsong
Madison Bumgarner             Barry Zito
Barry Zito (sort of)               Tim Lincecum (sort of)

Starting with Barry Zito's season-saving start in St. Louis, the 2012 rotation looked just as un-hittable as the 2010 guys. But that may have been their best stretch of the season. The 2010 guys did it all year, waiting for the offense to approach average. They only had 2 bad starts the entire post-season, both by Sanchez against the Phillies. Meanwhile the 2012 staff was bailed out by their offense down the stretch. Lincecum, when starting, was worse than any Barry Zito we've seen.
EDGE: 2010


Bullpen:
2010                                        2012
Jeremy Affeldt                        Jeremy Affeldt
Santiago Casilla                      Santiago Casilla
Javier Lopez                           Javier Lopez
Guillermo Mota                       Guillermo Mota
Ramon Ramirez                     George Kontos
Sergio Romo                          Sergio Romo
Brian Wilson                          Jose Mijares
                                               Tim Lincecum (sort of)

These are both excellent bullpens. A wonderful security blanket for both teams, probably because they're so similar. Kontos replaces Ramirez, Brain Wilson gets hurt so everyone moves up a spot, and Mijares fills in behind. Tim Lincecum is the wild card here. Can we even count him in the 'pen? If so, can we expect him to be the atomic weapon he was throughout the playoffs? It's hard to remember, but if you look at the regular season numbers, the 2012 'pen struggled a bit. Still, this has got stay-away written all over it.
SLIGHT EDGE: 2010

Defense:
The 2012 Giants were lauded for their solid defense throughout the playoffs. But it's not like the 2010 team embarrassed themselves, aided of course by defensive replacements Ishikawa and Shierholtz. Gotta give the edge to Torres over Pagan, but Blanco heavily over Burrell. It's the short stop position that tips the scale, though.
EDGE: 2012

Coaching:
Are these exactly identical? It would be hilarious and awesome to see Bochy try to out-manage himself.
EDGE: EVEN

Intangibles:
2010 had their castoffs and misfits, riding magic particles to deliver rapture via torture. 2012 never said die, playing for each other to reach one common goal: win today. It's hard to argue against winning 6 elimination games. But the 2010ers did seem like more of a team of destiny to me. Again, maybe because that victory was slightly more emotionally satisfying. Or maybe it's because they beat heavy favorites in both the NLCS and WS. We're all winners, here.
EDGE: EVEN

Conclusion:
This is basically impossible to call. Can someone invent a time machine so we can actually play this out? But I know I didn't write nearly 1000 words just to bail on my own quesiton. So here's my thought: Over a 162-game season, the 2012 Giants would prevail over their 2010 counterparts. They'd feast on the inferior competition, while 2010's razor-thin margin of error would cost them a division title. But in a 7-game series, I'd take the 2010 Giants. The pitching would just be too much (remember what they did to Texas?), and they might be able to push just enough runs across, likely via the home run.

The real question is, who would you root for?



*No one has ever said this, but I'm trying to make a point, here. Also: my parents called to tell me they love me just as much as Broseph.

In Appreciation of Various Giants

The Giants sure did pick the right time for their first 7-game winning streak of the year. The pitching staff morphed into 2010 form, Bruce Bochy out-managed his counterpart, and they rode timely hitting and impecable defense to their second title in three years. In a year in which the Giants struggled so much to complete series sweeps, they swept the Tigers to bring the trophy is back where it belongs. In between LOLing at all the "experts" and framing another SF Chronicle newspaper, let's take some time to appreciate some individuals that made up this wonderful team. Comment for the guys I don't list below.

• Tim Lincecum. (in my best Jeff Daniels voice): Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse, he  goes and does something like this...and TOTALLY REDEEMS HIMSELF!! Wow was he awesome out of the bullpen. His gaudy numbers (13 innings, 3 hits, 1 run in relief) don't even tell the whole story. He was a weapon that allowed Bochy to save his other front-line relievers for other high-leverage situations. If you look at the 2010 and 2012 World Series, he might be the MVP of the two combined.
• Marco Scutaro. How fitting it was that he provided the kill shot -- a two-out hit for the game-winning RBI. Interestingly, had there been less than two outs, there's no way Theriot scores on that hit.
• Brandon Crawford. He's not my favorite Giant, but he's definitely in my top 5. And that is no small accomplishment for a guy who hit .248 in the regular season. But he uses Eminem and Drake songs as his walk-up music, and he's an absolute joy to watch in the field. He won't win a Gold Glove this year, but his performance on the playoffs national stage will get him the attention he needs for next year. He just kept making one incredible play after another. And they all seemed to come with runners on base. Or late in the game when Giants fans were counting the remaining outs. Or right before Miguel Cabrera was coming up. Or all of the above. If I wasn't already a devoted Romosexual, there's a good chance I would let Crawford do bad things to me.
• Matt Cain. Because Matt Cain.
• Buster Posey. Sometime around 9 months before March 27, 1987, Gerald and Traci Posey got in the mood, and now San Francisco Giants fans get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. This was Posey's first full Major League season. And already he's a 2-time World Champion, a Rookie of the Year, and in a few weeks, an MVP. Not a bad resume. He was injured in 2011, so basically this is a 3-peat.
• Jeremy Affeldt. His 2012 post-season: 10.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 SO. Enough said.
• Ryan Vogelsong. If Disney made the Ryan Vogelsong Story, and nobody knew it was based on actual events, it would be criticized as being unrealistic and too cheesy. It's completely bonkers what he's done. From injuries, to Japan, to being release multiple times, to being the best pitcher in the playoffs for a World Series winning team. I don't think I'll ever be able to fully grasp it. Loved the way Grant Brisbee described his Game 3 outing: "everyone would have understood if Voglesong pantomimed pushing an invisible wheelbarrow on the way back to the dugout. The better to carry his … well, you get the idea. How else would you expect him to get around with those things? Seems uncomfortable." Speaking of stones...
• Sergio Romo. You could probably fit two Sergio's into one Miguel Cabrera. Did that stop Romo from challenging the game's most feared hitter with a fastball to get the final strike of the World Series? Not a chance. I almost felt bad for the Tigers when he was in there. Because that fastball really showcased the awesome power of his slider.  Certainly the Tigers had heard about the slider coming into the series. But it must be a whole different thing to actually see it. Poor guys never had a chance. Makes you wonder if he had a plan to throw that fastball all along. As in the entire season of throwing that slider so often was just one big (and effective) long con, all to set up the fastball for the final strike and make frozen pizza out of that last hitter. Stones. Here's a nice analysis of that final pitch.
• Barry Zito. A few years into Zito's tenure with the Giants, I asked my friend Jake what he would say to Zito if he ran into him at a bar. Jake nailed it, and it didn't even take him long to come up with his response: "Buy me a beer." I've always said that the day Barry Zito comes off the payroll, I'm throwing a party. I don't think I will anymore. And now I'd want to buy Barry a beer. He's finally given the nation something other than his contract to remember him by with the two most important starts of his career. He saved the season against the Cardinals, and then beat the unbeatable Justin Verlander in WS Game 1. Buster Posey is the MVP of the league. The Giants had 3 starting pitchers this year who were more valuable than Zito. But I think you could argue that the 2012 season for the Giants kind of belongs to Zito. In his first start of the year, when the Giants were 0-3, he righted the ship with a shutout in Colorado. Down the stretch of the regular season, he became the Giants' most reliable starter. And then he has the two signature outings in the playoffs. No one deserves their WS Ring more than him. You gotta hand it to him -- Barry Zito was shown a lot of disrespect over the past 6 years, and showed none in return.
• Brian Sabean. Once again, making all the right moves this year along with the preceding offseason. Shipping Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez (who had terrible years this year) to get Angel Pagan. Win. Getting Melky Cabrera for Jonathan Sanchez (who's career may be over). Bigtime win. Giving Gregor Blanco a shot. Picking up Jose Mijares off the waiver wire. And most importantly, heisting Scutaro from the Rockies. WIN.
• Bruce Bochy. Hall of Fame manager. San Francisco hero forever.
• Dave Righetti and Mark Gardner. Unquestionably, these guys are the two most underrated people in the organization. I'm even underrating them now by grouping them together, but I don't know how exactly they split up their duties/roles, so I'd just be saying the same thing about both of them. The pitching staff has been nails for 4 years now, and they don't get nearly enough credit. And in this post-season in particular, they fixed Madison Bumgarner, possibly Tim Lincecum, and prepared Barry Zito mentally to go out and pitch the games of his life. It's impossible to quantify their contribution. But I think it's a safe bet that the Giants would not have won two out of the last three titles without these guys.

See you all at the parade.

The Giants Win the Pennant. The Giants Win the Pennant.

Which means they go to the World Series. It opens up Wednesday night at AT&T Park. Exciting stuff. Before getting to my thoughts on the World Series match-up, let me make a few quick notes about the NLCS (which the Giants won. I know because I was there (no big deal)). Here's what we learned last night and today while reveling in the awesomeness that comes with a Pennant:

• The Giants are an NL powerhouse. You don't go to the World Series twice in three years without being discussed as one of the elite franchises in the game. Even if the Giants don't win another game this year, they'll be nationally recognized as a force to be reckoned with. After the failures of 2011, I was worried 2010 would be looked at as a fluke. Not anymore.
• The Giants also proved they can make an extended post-season run without a gimmicky video going viral. Fans have been just as excited. Nice work. Internet: you get poor marks for failing to produce such a video this year. Ashkon in 2010 was an instant classic, and I miss something similar this time around.
• Not missing this year was again some poor play by an opposing infielder. Cardinal shortstop Pete Kozma did us a few solids in the 3rd inning, first by dodging Hunter Pence's line drive, allowing a potential double play ball into the outfield, and then later by throwing home on a B-Craw chopper when he had no chance to get an out. Upon further analysis, his misplay on Pence's "tripple-double" (as Andy Baggarly brilliantly dubbed it) is probably defensible, since the ball was re-directed by Pence's bat after initial contact. Nonetheless--in addition to Scutaro in the rain--it allows for another comparison to The Shawshank Redemption:

• Finally, we learned that photos and slow-motion videos of celebratory players and fans are way cooler if pouring rain is involved.

Alas, after a night and a day to celebrate, there is one more task at hand. I really don't know too much about the Tigers, but I do know that most of the pundits will likely pick them to win the Series*. Similarly to 2010, when they cited Cliff Lee + High Powered Offense, writers will substitute in Justin Verlander. It's not an illogical viewpoint, but many will cite Verlander with an attitude of "why even play this series when we know how it will turn out?" That's what they said in 2010, and the Giants beat Cliff Lee twice. Verlander, too, is not unbeatable. Hitters on the Giants have already gotten to him once this year (All-Star Game). With that being said, he is the consensus best pitcher on the planet, and I guess I have to agree there. Which makes you wonder why the Tigers wouldn't try to get him 3 starts in this series if it goes to 7 games. They're going to stick with the 4-man rotation they've used throughout the playoffs, though, and I suppose they have their reasons (probably revolving around that 1.02 ERA their starters have posted so far in the playoffs). Still, as a Giants fan, I welcome the idea of less Verlander, and by that logic, it makes it a poor decision by the Tigers.

Going up against the best pitcher in the game is one, Barry Zito. My how far we've come. Barry Zito. Starting Game 1 of the World bleeping Series. If he can manage to beat Verlander even once in this series, does that make the contract worth it? No, probably not. Without Zito, the Giants would probably have a different (better and cheaper) starting pitcher with a better chance at beating Verlander. But it would be a good story. Speaking of stories, I'm reading a lot about how Barry Zito has resurrected his career this year, and opening the World Series is the culmination of that. It's just not true. Barry Zito is no different than he was in 2010. The difference this year is that Tim Lincecum sucks. The Giants had 4 clearly better starting pitcher options in 2010. Not so this time around. Zito is capable of doing great things. Can he do it two starts in a row? It's gonna take a lot of #RallyZito tweets.

I think I like the decision to start Bumgarner in Game 2. Detroit (unlike St. Louis) is mediocre against lefties. Plus it keeps Timmy in the bullpen, where he has shined (I postulate that this is because he has no time to think about what he's doing when coming out of the 'pen). They say Bumgarner has fixed whatever was causing him trouble the past 6 weeks -- an all-time classic "believe it when I see it" statement, but hopefully Zito can go relatively deep in Game 1, and Bumgarner will have a leprechaun-short leash in Game 2. Bummer, though, that the Giants' best starters--Cain and Vogelsong--will take on the minority of the workload, only making 3 starts between them at most.

Final thoughts:

I wonder what kind of odds you can get for Scutaro as the MVP.

It would make things a whole lot easier if Posey and Pence would start producing. 

Giants in 6.



*22 of 27 ESPN writers picked the Tigers

If NFL Analysts Were Talking About the NLCS...

Guy #1:
"When you talk about at guy like Ryan Vogelsong, you're talking about a fierce competitor. He leaves everything on the field, and his effort tonight was superb. This is a guy who has been through a lot in his career, but he's really come into his own. And when the ground attack from the San Francisco Giants can put points on the board, it allows him to throw the baseball with confidence, and it's really showing right now, fellas."

Guy #2:
"You know I totally agree, but you know I want to mention Barry Zito. I look at a guy like Barry Zito, and I see a guy who just get's (pause) the job (pause) done. He hasn't always done it with the flash you see a lot of these other guys do it with, but when his team needed it the most, he sure came through. This is a guy who has been through a lot in his career, and his experience and veteran leadership are really showing right now, fellas."

Guy #3:
"That's a great point. But one guy who we haven't talked a lot about is Buster Posey. The Cardinals have done a great job keeping him in check, saying 'we're not gonna let you beat us'. He hasn't gotten a lot of hits, and now I know he hasn't gotten a lot of pitches to hit. But this is Major (pause) League (pause) Baseball. At some point he's going to have to learn from his mistakes and start hitting the baseball. This is a guy who's been through a lot in his career, but fellas, I don't know: do we have the makings of a catcher-controversy in San Francisco?"

Guy #4:
"Oh no. Now come on don't be ridiculous. Buster Posey is the unquestioned leader of this team, and he's just going through the growing pains that come along with being a leader and an impact player in Major League Baseball. But you know, you can't talk about impact players without mentioning Marco (pause) Scutaro. Here's a guy who hits (pause) and hits, and here on your screen you see Holliday coming down the line and BOOM! He gets taken out, but you know what he does? He comes up his next at bat and punishes the opposition. This is a guy who's been through a lot in his career, and I'll tell you what fellas, in the playoffs in Major (pause) League (pause) Baseball, it often comes down to who (pause) wants it (pause) more. And I'll tell you what, Marco Scutaro looks like he's playing with a purpose right now. On both sides of the baseball."

Guy #1:
"Just a lot of big-time baseball players making big-time baseball plays. We'll send you back to the studio now. From San Francisco, we've got a Game 7 happening on Monday Night, folks. Tune in then."

Hey, Here's an Idea...

The Giants lost NLCS Game 3 to the Cardinals 3-1. They now are behind in the series 2-1. One narrative to describe last night's rain-soaked game is a familiar one: Matt Cain pitched amazing (a-Cain-zing?), but the offense couldn't push more than 1 run across, so he took the loss. Miraculously, this narrative has been pretty absent this year. So this game can serve as a reminder of how bad things used to be. You used to be this frustrated on the regular. It was like clockwork for much of 2008-2011. Of course, this was an NLCS playoff game, so your frustration should be multiplied by infinity, and looking for silver linings is pointless when their season is two losses away from being over. That's probably the more rational point of view.

Speaking of rational thoughts, the Cardinals have made it clear that they are not really pitching to Buster Posey in this series (see this article by Ray Ratto, who lays things out nicely). Considering the guy who hits behind Posey looks like the kid who bats last on his Little League team, it's a sound strategy. (Seriously, do you think the other Giants in the dugout--like the mean but competent kids in Little League--are encouraging Hunter Pence (or Under Pants*, as they probably call him) to lean over the plate to get hit, or to reach back when he swings to get catcher interference? Because right now a hit or a walk seems out of the question).

The Giants scored 1 run in Game 3, and had one good inning (produced by the bottom half of the order) in Game 1. Safe to say the Giants' offense has sputtered a bit in this series. That's in large part due to a lack of production from the middle of the order. And that's in large part due to how the Cardinals are pitching Posey. So how do you protect Posey? Allow me to propose this for line-up card:

Pagan
Posey
Scutaro
Sandoval
Rest of Line-up**

Yes, it's a complete panic move. After all, the Giants were good enough to have a million baserunners last night. They just spread them out over 7 innings, rather than bunch them together. (Sh)It happens. But instead of "panic move", why not call it a "counter-strategy"? The Cardinals aren't pitching to Posey. It's working. This would at least make them think, right? Plus, you're (nearly) maximizing your best hitter's chances for more total plate appearances.

Or we could just keep waiting for Pence to drive in his first run of the post-season because "he's our guy" and somehow "he's got a knack fro driving in runs" even though he possesses no knack at all for getting hits.

Your thoughts?



*Thanks for that one, Dad.

**I'm not sure what I'd do with the bottom half of the order. I'm not sure it matters. Maybe Sanchez will be in and Belt will be out. Maybe move Blanco or Crawford up, because they've been mixing in good at bats. The point of this is to try and get more production from the top/middle of the line-up.

Here's to Hoping I Get to Make Several "House of Cards" Puns in the Near Future

10 years ago, the Giants squared off against the Cardinals in the NLCS. That one worked out pretty well. What I remember most is how quickly it all ended. There were two outs, nobody on, and then...single, single, walk-off single. Just like that. World Series bound. Glorious. Strangely, I remember almost nothing about that series other than that inning. Of course I watched every game, but I was away at college, and was just not as plugged in. And interestingly, it was the result of that World Series that followed that made me the Giants fan I am today. Never forget (believe me, I've tried). But I digress.

Mike Matheny was behind the plate, calling the pitches that led to those 3 quick, glorious singles. Now 10 years later he's managing against Giants. So that's interesting.

By virtue of a miraculous comeback by the Cards, the Giants have homefield advantage in this series. So that's something.

Counterpoint: the Cardinals have some sort of magic pixie dust that gives them incredible eyes at the plate, which allows them to grind out at bats in the most pressure-packed situations, taking balls that are mere inches out of the strike zone, which allows them to make those previously mentioned miraculous comebacks. So are the Cards really the team the Giants want to be facing? I could write about that.

But what I can't get out of my head is this: If Melky Cabrera got suspended about 10 days earlier, he'd be the Giants starting left fielder. But because he appealed the suspension, the sentence was delayed, and it took him through the end of the regular season and first round of the playoffs. The Giants removed him completely from their minds, and now there's a Gregor Blanco/Xavier Nady platoon in left. Had he been eligible to return for the last few games of the regular season, I'm betting they would have welcomed him back, just as they did Guillermo Mota. Having Melky Cabrera on the roster would allow the Giants to not have Nady, have Blanco for speed off the bench, and have Melky Cabrera on the roster. Sure, he'd likely be PED-free Melky. But from what I understand, the testosterone he was taking mainly aided him in recovering from the daily grind of the long season. Kept him fresh. I'm guessing after not playing for 50 games, one is pretty fresh. I'm not saying he'd hit .350. But he's good on defense, and he's good on offense. It's almost as if he's like if you combined Blanco and Nady into one, and then....ah never mind that's not even close. He's simply way better than both.

Maybe there's some sort of clubhouse chemistry thing going on. But you know what also helps clubhouse chemistry? Winning. There's also no doubt that public relations are being considered. But you know what's good for public relations (and revenue)? Winning a World Series. The decision is just....interesting. And I'll leave it at that.

Giants in 7.

Giants Make History, Move on to NLCS

Sometimes, ownage can be a two-way street. For the vast majority of his career, when Mat Latos has faced the Giants, he's basically bent them over a barrel. But when the games have mattered the most, it's the Giants who have had their way with their arch nemesis. In September, 2010, the Giants kicked off their comeback against San Diego by knocking Latos around. I believe Buster Posey contributed with a big fly. Then in Game 162 of that season, we all remember the Johnny Sanchez triple en route to 2 runs and handing him the loss. Posey also added an insurance run late in that game, via a solo shot. Latos struck back in Game 1 of this NLDS, pitching 4 clutch relief innings and giving up just one run (hey, what do you know? It came on a Posey dong-job). Which brings us to the winner-take-all Game 5. With 2 runs already in and the bags loaded, Posey got his man once again. Watching him watch that behemoth blast sail into the upper deck was a thing of beauty. Watching the reactions from the catcher and Latos himself was more than satisfying. Clinching a playoff series is always sweet, but doing it against Mat Latos, whom all Giants fans know is a complete pile, is just perfect. He's got a long offseason ahead of him, and I may write to him every day just to thank him for serving up that pitch to our hero.

After the Posey grand slam, I was comfortable with that 6-0 lead for all of about 5 minutes. Matt Cain immediately began peeing himself, and this game turned out to be nothing short of torturous. Tremendous effort by the defense. Posey's throw, and the catches by Crawford and Pagan all bailed out the Giants' pitching as they navigated through the final 4 innings, all of which were stressful (can I get on Rogaine and send an invoice to the Giants?). Not surprising, considering the new rule the Reds got implemented which allowed them to bring the up top of the order whenever they wanted (at least it seemed that way). Yes, there was something very familiar about this game. It all culminated in another gutsy performance by my favorite Giant, Sergio Romo, who channeled Brian Wilson in earning a 4-out, nothing-easy-about-it Save. That dude is a beast, and it's going to be a shame when he realizes, "hey, I'm the best pitcher on this team. I should be a full-time closer. Who want's to pay me?"

This was a series built on the bullpen for the Giants. While it didn't come through in Games 1 and 2, it was largely responsible for the 3 historic victories. In what will surely turn out to be an underrated performance, George Kontos turned in 3.2 innings, 2 hits, no walks, and no earned runs over 4 appearances. After coming into 2012 as one of the best pitchers in the league, Tim Lincecum was arguably the worst (literally!) in the league by the end of the regular season. So to have him come through with what could be described as a season-saving relief outing in Game 4 was pretty special. He saved the front-line relievers for the decisive Game 5, and they all were needed. You gotta figure he earned a start in the next series.

Speaking of decisions, it should be noted that Bruce Bochy is off to another remarkable start in these playoffs. He's a different manager in the post-season, tailoring all his moves to perfectly fit a short series. It's fun to watch. Yes, that's right. Bruce Bochy: fun to watch. Mind = blown.

I hate the phrase, but there's something about this team that makes you think that they just "know how to win". Whether it's the Pence pre-game speeches, Cain pitching to the score, Bochy's match-up moves, or the bullpen taking it up a notch with runners in scoring position. Maybe after they lost 2 in San Francisco and the world was counting them out -- maybe they had them right where they wanted them. I somehow doubt it was their plan, considering that coming into this series the Reds had not lost 3 in a row at home all year. But this team has made history as the first team to win a best-of-5 series after losing the first 2 at home.

Whatever happens in the NLCS, don't count them out.

Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive

The Giants and Reds have played 28 innings so far in this NLDS. The Giants have had the lead in exactly 1 of them. They've managed a grand total of 4 runs on 13 hits through the 3 games. No starting pitcher has pitched into the 6th inning. Tim Lincecum has pitched out of the bullpen, and Sergio Romo has stepped into the batter's box.

And yet they've staved off elimination to force a Game 4.

In any run to the World Series, a team needs to get some breaks. The Reds got some in Game 1 when the Giants hit a few scorchers right at the defense in RBI situations. In Game 3, the Giants got theirs, taking advantage of a base running mistake in the 1st inning, and a passed ball and mishandled grounder in the last. But certainly credit the pitching staff in this one as well, who allowed just 1 hit after the 1st inning. In a classically gritty Ryan Vogelsong effort, he battled through 5 innings, never giving in to match a nigh-unhittable Homer Bailey. And the bullpen was 2010-esque, in the form of Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Romo splitting the final four frames. According to Mike Krukow in the post-game discussion, Romo got away with a few hangers, but it's hard to look bad in a 6-up-6-down performance.

Hunter Pence finally showed up in the series. Many Giants will credit his pre-game emotional speech for getting them ready to win. Any team facing elimination always needs that extra motivation, and in this case the Giants got so fired up that they exploded for 1 hit and 1 run through the first 9 innings. Thanks Giant's media, but I'll credit his key hit in the 10th inning while limping down to first base (fighting a calf cramp). He also made a nice diving catch in the 2nd inning.

And so now the Giants are a few hours away from a very winnable, series-tying Game 4. The injury to Reds' ace Johnny Cueto may finally show some benefits to the Giants, as the Reds will trot out Mike Leake (8-9, 4.58 ERA). The Giants are doing their best to keep things fair by handing the ball to Barry Zito, but I, like many Giants fans, have come to gain a strange (but not strong) sense of confidence with him out there over the last couple of months. Why? It's strictly anecdotal. McCovey Chronicles explains that there's not much new about this new Barry Zito. After all, his ERA is the same as it was in 2010 when he was left off the post-season roster. And now he's starting an elimination game. But still! They've won his last 11 starts! And while he'll never live up to his massive contract, he really has a chance to significantly move the needle with the baseball fans of San Francisco. It would also be very easy for him to demolish the bit of good will he's built up, but it definitely shows something that he's getting the ball over Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain on short rest. He'll definitely have a short leash, and even if he pitches adequately, I'm predicting another nice appearance from our boy, Timmy.

Last night the Giants showed up in Cincinatti's rear view. The Reds have got to be a little bit nervous about it.

A's Are In!

Congrats to the Oakland A's on being baseball's best story for the 2012 season so far. (The Orioles are right there in terms on playoff unlikelihood, but they didn't win their division. They still have a game to win before playing in the Division Series. UPDATE: And they did win. Way to go Orange and Black). The A's somehow beat out the Rangers, who are every bit the powerhouse that the Yankees are. Whether you look at this as a magical run by the A's, or a historic collapse by the Texas*, this is quite a story.

How they did it, I have no idea. Seriously, name 4 players on the A's. And now they've suddenly become the team that nobody wants to play. It's not even worth speculating on whether they can continue to ride their all-rookie starting rotation (seriously?!?) to advance, but I'll be rooting for them. In case you haven't noticed, I'm somewhat of a Giants fan. So another shot at the A's in a Bay Bridge 2.0 Series would be ideal. UPDATE/SOMETHING I WISH I WROTE ORIGINALLY: I remember hearing a brief anecdote about the NASA engineers in the '60s, and it went something like this: they were too young and stupid to realize getting to the moon was impossible. Seems like the same attitude may apply here.


*Those poor, poor Rangers. After losing 2 World Series in a row (with the 2nd one being perhaps the worst WS loss in history), the only time during the entire 2012 season they were NOT in first place was at the end of the last game. If they don't win this play-in game against the Orioles...man, it's just agonizing. UPDATE: Yes. Agonizing indeed.

Thoughts Heading Into the NLDS

"Listen, here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker."
-Matt Damon in Rounders

Kind of makes you a bit weary heading into this post-season, right? I'm looking around this playoff field in the National League, and I'm not seeing any pushovers. What does that mean about the Giants? Sure, you could argue that they are playing their best ball of the season right now. Winning two out of every three games (or something like that) since Melky went down. But for the last month or so, they've been feasting on the weak competition in the NL West. Frankly, any playoff team should be winning two out of three. And with the starting rotation not having a great September, you can't just point to the Giants' pitching and say everything will be fine. They may be winning at a pretty incredible clip, but they're not playing their best baseball. Speaking of pitching, the Reds have Cueto, Arroyo, and Mat "Joffrey Lannister" Latos. The Nationals lost their best pitcher (by choice!) and still probably have the best rotation of anyone. I'll be rooting for the Cardinals to knock out the Braves, and the Nationals while they're at it, but then suddenly they've got the same magic they had going last year, and who would want to go up against that? It will be very interesting to see how the hitters respond to pitchers qualified to be in the Cy Young discussion, and managers who don't intentionally walk the hitter in front of Marco Scutaro (lol Don Mattingly).

Conclusion: The Giants are in trouble. Good news: So are the Reds. So is every other team still in this thing. 5-game series* are volatile beasts, where blown calls, errors, and Cody Ross can swing the outcome (lol 2010 Braves).

About the roster decisions coming: there aren't that many of them. The choice in the bullpen comes down to Mota, Kontos, or both. I'll trust Bochy in whatever he does. Last time he conducted an award winning symphony with his decision-making, so he's earned my trust here. For position players, there's Xavier Nady, Aubrey Huff, Aubrey Huff's pinch runner, and Eli Whiteside fighting for 2 spots (assuming the Giants bring both Mota and Kontos for a 12-man pitching staff). Huff has certainly earned a spot with his bat and his eye this past month, but the fact that he needs a designated runner diminishes his chances. Nady's right-handed bat does fit better against a heavily left-handed Reds bullpen. Taking Whiteside would allow them to use switch-hitting catcher Hector Sanchez off the bench without worrying about having to use an emergency catcher. So there are definitely a few combinations to consider. But ultimately, it probably won't matter. However they choose 'em, at some point in the series there will be a situation where you say "boy I wish they had chosen abc over xyz".

Really, it's Tim Lincecum who should be the odd man out. In 2010, the Giants only took 4 starters (because that's all you need), and left off Barry Zito. Lincecum's ERA is a full run higher than Zito's was. And yet, in all likelihood in Game 3 or 4, the Giants will hand the ball to their worst, most unreliable starter this year. After a walk, hit, and Joey Votto 3-run homer, he'll get yanked, but the damage will have been done. Vogelsong seems to be very much back on track, but because he's "better suited for the bullpen" than the other guys, he may be hanging out with relievers this month. If Lincecum does get a start, I say let him try to make it once through the order, and if he does, quit while your ahead before the inevitable blow-up. It's happened time and time again this year. To expect anything else would be silly. (Yes, while what I'm writing does make sense to me, it's also a far-fetched reverse jinx attempt to make Lincecum look like The Freak we used to know, in which case then go ahead and let him strike out 14 losers).

Prediction: Giants in 5


*Siri, what's the plural of "series"?

Giants Clinch NL West! Looking Ahead to Playoffs

Last year, whenever the Giants fell behind (even by a run), it was cause for worry. This year? It's no big deal. When the Giants were down 1-0 early last night against the Padres, there were not any anxious feelings of not knowing when or if they'll score. These days, they are putting up crooked numbers on the scoreboard more frequently than any time in the last half-decade. At least it feels that way. Ohmygod, you guys, I just looked it up and the Giants are 5th in the National League in runs scored. 7th in OPS. It's a good thing the World Series will be over by December, because I'm thinking the Mayans may have been onto something (the first indication was when it looked like the Pirates might even finish with more wins than losses, but not even the end of the world is as powerful as the Barry Bonds Curse*)

So how'd we get here? We're not used to describing the Giants as low-stress. But that's exactly what this run has been. Somehow, Posey hasn't slowed down. Pagan has turned out to be one of the most productive leadoff men in the league. If Scutaro played left field, I don't think anyone would have even noticed that Melky got suspended (when he was up last night with 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, I said out loud "oh good, Scutaro's up. That's 2 more runs." And he delivered as usual). Even Crawford has hit better than expected. Add it all up, and you've got a team who has disposed of their division rivals quicker than any year since 2003.

What if the pitching staff was hucking it like they were in 2010? Good night. The Giants would be the overwhelming favorite to take the trophy home. And that's an exciting thought. This year's staff, personnel-wise, isn't very different from where it was 2 years ago. Voglesong replaced Sanchez, and Brian Wilson is out this year. But other than that, it's built the same. Of course, the biggest difference of all is the quality of Tim Lincecum. And maybe his decline, along with the Wilson injury, is most of what you need to explain why this year's team ERA is 5th best rather than THE best. Last year, the Giants were 55-9 (.859) when scoring 4 or more runs. This year they're 71-19 (.788). Those numbers do a good job explaining the differences between this year's team and last. But yeah, if the pitching resembled what it did in 2010, watch out. Just another reason why it was a sound strategy by the Giants to clinch early -- the starters, as a group, look pretty gassed. I imagine they'll have a light load the rest of the regular season.

Will the hot hitting continue into the playoffs? That question induces less excitement for me. I'm a bit worried Scutaro and the others will fall back to Earth. Not only that, but during this run of catching and then separating themselves from the Dodgers, they haven't exactly faced a ton of playoff aces. And then there's the whole rust vs. rest thing to consider. Still, there's no reason the avalanche of hits can't continue. It only has to last a bit longer.

Circling back to the Melky situation. Pretty crazy that at the time, his suspension was a good candidate for low-light of the season and a turning point for the worse. But since he walked out of the clubhouse without saying goodbye to anyone, they're 25-10. If they make it to the NLCS, should they bring him back? From a baseball point of view, yes. They could use a left-fielder who is competent at the plate. But chemistry-wise, I'm not sure it be wise. Players tend to take it personally when other players use PEDs, as they should. For every player who improves his play by using them, a different player loses his job. So to insert that distraction back int the clubhouse could be trouble. But only the players can speak to that accurately. Would be cool if he became a hero, though.

11 more wins, folks.



*Just in case you're not aware, the Pirates haven't had a winning season since Barry left them. That was 1992. Kneel before Bonds! He went to the Giants in the best free agent signing in the history of sports. Thanks, guys.

The Muscle Melk Man - Building Numbers, Breaking Hearts

Imagine one night you decide not to go to a party, but instead opt to have a quiet evening at a coffee shop. And you meet this girl, who seems pretty and nice and fairly easy to talk to. But after you go out with her a few times, you just can't get enough of her. She's smart, funny, and she seems to get even better looking each time you notice her. Great skin, gorgeous eyes, and an hourglass figure you wouldn't believe. And my god, she's into you too! That never happens! Moreover, you found out from your friends that that party you didn't go to wasn't even that great (so you didn't even give up a lot for the chance to meet this chick). All your friends are like "jebus, how the hell did you score THAT girl?" And you're all like "I know, right?" And after explaining how she didn't used to be this good looking, but it all came together for her a couple years ago, you slyly add,  "and by the way, they're real and they're spectacular".

And then you find out Melky Cabrera tested positive for PEDs. 

Turns out Melky had numbers-enhancement surgery and didn't tell any of us. Personally, I would guess it happened two years ago before he put together a very good season with Kansas City. But this year with the Giants, it was going to a new level. Talk about your all-time too-goo-to-be-true's. The Giants will be without their hit factory for the remainder of the regular season, and the first 5 games of the post-season, if they make it that far. There's no way around it: This. Is. Devastating. 

I'm pretty mad at Melky for this. For making us believe in this great story. For getting our hopes up that he could hit .350 for the rest of the year. I feel sorry for the Melk Men and Maids for idolizing a cheater. [Side note: before you get all puffed up and try to call me out for being a hypocrite because I only have nice things to say about Barry Bonds, remember that Bonds never broke any rules. Melky did]. He broke our hearts, too. 

He was leading the league in hits and runs. By one statistical measure (Baseball Reference's Wins Above Replacement), he is the 4th best player in the league*. There's no way the Giants can replace that kind of production. Buster Posey's shot at 100 RBIs probably just vanished. For the Giants to make the playoffs, everyone will have to step it up. And that includes the pitching. It would be very unwise to count this team out, but also naive to think this isn't a blow to morale. 

Just when things looked like they were falling into place, too. During Tuesday night's win against the Nationals, I remarked to myself "this is probably the best line-up the Giants have put out there this year. Probably in years." A white-hot Posey, Scutaro in for Theriot, Pablo off the DL, Belt on an up-swing of his pendulum season, Hunter Pence figuring things out, and of course Melky, who was the beacon of consistent awesomeness. (McCovey Chronicles, as always, beat me to this point, here and here). 

However, after sorting through all my anger and disappointment, I think I've arrived at a place of "is what it is" nonchalance. After all, if you had told me after the Jonathan Sanchez trade that Melky would be a 4.7 win player in 2012, I would have been thrilled. We already got all the production out of him that we could have expected going into the year. If the Giants fail to make the playoffs, it won't be because of Melky Cabrera. It will be because they weren't good enough, as a team. There's room for improvement with the players already in place that can fill the Melky void. Belt can stay hot. The bullpen can pitch better. Timmy can find mediocrity. Pablo is back. 

Still, this sucks.


*Not to mention the All-Star Game MVP, helping the National League get home field advantage in the World Series. Will the American League representative demand that the All-Star game be replayed? Maybe then Mets fans can do a better job of voting David Wright in.

Three things to watch when the 49ers open their preseason tonight at the Stick

We are finally here folks.  The NFL is back for another season.  I've got to say it's great to start the season without the BS of a labor agreement in flux and having to see Roger Goodell's mug on the tube day in and day out.

The 49ers are currently 8/1 odds to win the Superbowl with only New England and Green Bay ahead of them.  Even though this is not important at all, if I were a betting man these odds look pretty nice right about now.

With that out of the way, let's focus on this week.  What story lines will emerge?  Who will move up on the depth charts?  Here are three things (In no particular order) to watch for tonight at the Stick.

1.) The battle for the back-up QB position.

As it stands right now, Colin Kaepernick is first in line behind Alex Smith.  Look for Johnson to make his mark to take over that spot starting tonight.  Both guys should get plenty of reps and with Johnson's knowledge of Harb's offense he should be able to jump right in and move the ball down the field.

Who do you think will win the spot?



2.) There's a  healthy stable of running backs on the squad... Who's going to shine the brightest (Gore not included)?

La Michael James (LMJ), drafted in the 2nd round of this year's draft has the potential to help his team out immediately.  As most of us know by now, LMJ is a freak of an athlete and his ability to make people miss along with his toughness makes him a leading candidate to become a break out star in his first year in the league.  That being said, the presence of LMJ as well as the addition of veteran Brandon Jacobs to the back field is going to get the best out of every running back on the team.  Along with Gore the Niners have Kendall Hunter and Anthony Dixon.  Look for Hunter and Dixon along with LMJ to get the bulk of the carries tonight.  Don't want to speak too early, but I feel LMJ is going to break a huge one tonight, but them again he's a Duck and now a Niner... What's not to love!?!?!


3.) So the biggest and baddest defense in the league last year return almost everyone... the question is, who are the new guys that are going to be fighting for playing time on the #1 D in the league?

Can't wait for tonight!  Should be fun to watch things unfold.  Harb's has a history to never show his cards in the preseason as well as barely play any starters until the final game, if that.  Have a great weekend!

Whooooo's got it better than us??!?!?!?!

Peace,

Mr. A

A Farewell to Shierholtz

Nate the Great. Nasty Nate. The JuggerNate. These are the nicknames that we as Giants fans won't get to use anymore. At least until we get another dude named Nathan on the team. But Nate Schierholtz was more than just his fun nicknames. I'll miss him, and not just because he and I are body dopplegangers. Plus he gets bonus points for being a local boy.

I'll remember him hitting with no batting gloves. I'll remember him swinging over and over again at that slider on his back foot. Mostly I'll remember his defense. He made sweet sweet love to right field at AT&T Park, and it was a joy to watch. No doubt one of the best arms we've ever seen out there. I'll remember him grabbing and then losing a starting outfield job over and over again. And that, really, will be his legacy. I used to feel sorry for Nate, but the fact is, he never did truly grab the bull by the horns to become a mainstay in the line-up. People would say "just let him play for a whole year and see what he does". But that's not really how it works in baseball, especially in Bruce Bochy's dugout*. If you're one of those guys who "needs to be out there every day", then you're probably not good enough to be out there every day. Nonetheless, Nate Schierholtz was a nice 4th outfielder, and a good Giant.

And with the departure of Schierholtz also comes the end of an era for Giants baseball. With the release of Manny Burriss coming days before the Schierholtz trade, none of those "prospects" from the late '00s remain on the team. Kevin Frandsen, Freddy Lewis, Eugenio Velez, John Bowker, Travis Ishikawa, Matt Downs, Ryan Rohlinger, Brian Bocock, Dan Ortmeier, Manny Burriss, Nate Schierholtz. These names represent the utterly futile efforts of the Giants to develop hitting talent during that decade. This is one era I'm not sad to see end, even though those guys will always hold an ironically special place in my heart. Hopefully the next crop of Belt, Pill, Crawford, Gillaspie, Culberson, and some kid named Posey will do better. (To be fair, Pablo Sandoval is on the borderline, but probably should be included in that first group).

So enjoy Philadelphia, Nasty Nate. You'll no doubt see those numbers get a bump from that band box of a stadium you'll be playing in, and you'll look especially good playing next to Juan Pierre LOL! Here's to hoping you finally get that regular starting job. Good night, sweet prince.



*Unless you're Brandon Crawford.

Reaction to Hunter Pence Trade

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

These gloomy quotes, from George Santayana and Albert Einstein, respectively, are the first words that came to mind after hearing that the Giants acquired Hunter Pence from the Phillies in exchange for Nate Schierholtz, catcher Tommy Joseph (the organization's #2 rated prospect), and Seth Rosin (a single-A pitching throw-in). The move is eerily similar to last season's deadline acquisition of Carlos Beltran. They gave up a top prospect (last year it was their #1 prospect in pitcher Zack Wheeler) for a hard-hitting right fielder from an NL East team. Last year's didn't work out so well. Of course, that was in no way Beltran's fault. After a minor injury, he raked the ball all over the place while the rest of the offense dried up like beef jerky, leading to a distant second-place finish.

Once again, the Giants have, on paper, the best team in the division, and they've added an upgrade to their offense, which can sputter at times (shocking, I know). They are a better team now than they were before the trade. I wonder by how much though. His numbers this year are really not that great. His .784 OPS is way down from last year's .954. When looking at OPS+ (which adjusts for ballpark and normalizes OPS for easy comparison to the rest of the league), his 109 is actually less than Schierholtz's 115. And he's at least a minor downgrade in right field defense compared to Blanco or Shierholtz. With just 2 months left to go this season, will Pence really make a significant difference in the pennant race?

The good news is that Pence is actually hitting better away from hitter-friendly Philadelphia, and has particularly good numbers at AT&T (.329 average with three doubles and five home runs in 76 career at-bats here). Plus there's the intangibles of giving the clubhouse a boost, and I'm sure the fans will quickly fall in love with his quirkiness and all-out efforts on the field. Once Sandoval returns from injury, the Ginats can trot out a fairly faersome midle of the order. (Yes, those typos are on purpose. I tried several times to type out that sentence correctly, but every time it would immediately crash my computer).

Still, more than anything, this trade highlights once again why the Giants should have just re-signed Carlos Beltran (or not traded for him at all). In this whole saga, I give the front office poor marks for the lack of budgetary foresight when they made that trade combined with cheapness and lack of offensive-fortitude foresight during the offseason. Beltran just stroked his 24th dong-job of the season to put his OPS at .893. The Giants will likely have to pay Pence about $13 million next year, which (look at that!) is exactly what Beltran will make next year.

The fact is there's really no way to evaluate this trade at this time. Tommy Joseph is a good few years away from the majors, and we just don't know how good Pence will hit for the Giants. But with Posey and Hector Sanchez under team control, the Giants are probably set behind the dish for the foreseeable future. So using Joseph as a trade chip was probably the best use for him. In flipping him with Shierholtz, they get a proven star, who hopefully can light a fire and contribute heavily to a World Series run. As I've said before, the window is open now; best to take advantage of it while you can. The Giants are probably a little better right now, and probably a little worse for the future (a thin farm system did just get thinner).

I'm still hoping the Giants' biggest deadline pick-up will be a Tim Lincecum who is worth watching.

Pedo State's Running Back Silas Redd transfers to USC... Que the quitter chants!!!

Well this doesn't make life any easier for the Oregon D when they have to travel to the Coliseum on November 3rd. Here's a LINK to the news break.

The thing I don't get is that these players can transfer to where ever they want because of what happened.  The Pedo State scandal had nothing to do with the football players yet they get an exemption because of some stupid rule the NCAA tacked on to the sanctions the school received last week.  Doesn't make sense to me.  You committed to your school to play football for Pedo State.  Suck it up, stay healthy, and play well so you can make it to the NFL in a couple years. Also, of all the schools to choose from he chooses USC?  Lane Kiffin makes me sick.  During the Pac-12 news conference last week the reports were asking him about Redd and whether he would transfer to USC.  Kiffin responded with, I can't comment or talk to him or anyone about that.  Well, less than a week later Kiffin and Redd are talking on the phone and texting each other?  This guy Kiffin is a joke and a cheater!  Only fitting that a QUITTER is going to join him on the side lines.

Can't wait for all of this to unfold and crumble up in the USC's face. 32 more days until we start our run to the Natty... which goes through SC and I love it!!!

Time to get hyped, again!!!

Cheers,

Mr. A

Pence lands a one way ticket to SF!

UPDATE!!!  The deal is final!  Philly sends Pence to SF for Nasty Nate, catching prospect Tommy Joesph, and 6'6" 250 lb RHP prospect Seth Rosin from Fargo, ND who has been in the Giants farm system since 2010.  It's been fun Nate, but bring on the susPENCE!

The deal is not final yet but the San Francisco Giants have made a splash in the trade market by potentially landing Hunter Pence from Philly!  The likes of Nasty Nate, catching prospect Tommy Joesph, and maybe something else will be headed to Philly for Pence if this deal goes through.

More details to come when and if the deal goes final!

Cheers,

Mr. A

#SFGiants
@HunterPence3

Big series by the bay with the roster up in the air

The Giants have the day off today and it couldn't have come at a better time.  On Tuesday the Giants were making top play after top play.  One of those plays was a double play turned by Theriot, Crawford, and then across to the Panda.  Panda finished the play on the ground doing the splits.  Though he made the play and the crowd was going nuts, I instantly became concerned that the big boy would not get up.  Even my fiance said OMG, he did the splits, he's got to be hurt.  Well, she was right.  The Panda left the game after that and it turned out he strained his hammy.  This is horrible news for a Giants team that is playing great baseball right  now with their arch rivals coming into town for a weekend series.  If Sandoval has to go on the DL, Boch and company have some major decisions to make.  Going into this weekend's series against the Dodgers, the Giants options at the corners are suspect at best.  Arias will most likely get the start at third with the Panda out through the weekend.  At 1st, it's a whole other story.  Belt is in an ultimate funk.  Posey could play there but then that means Eli Whitehair would be behind the dish.  The word on the street is that Huff might be ready to come back, but he isn't any better than Belt which means he is garbage.

With all this happening, you have got to hope that Sabean is trying to make some calls to see what kind of deal they can swing for a 1st baseman out there.  Every year it feels like the Giants have a chance to fill a void they have on the field and Sabean can't pull the trigger.  Maybe I'm dreaming but here's another chance for Sabs to prove us wrong.  Go out there and get a bat.  Someone like Corey Hart or Edwin Encarnacion. Having to pick from Huff or Belt just kills me.

Anway, no matter who is out there the Giants will be pumped and AT&T will be rockin this weekend.  The last time the Doyers were in town they were swept by the Giants and didn't even manage to get one freakin run.  ESPN is going to be and is already all over the Dodgers nuts for picking up Haley Ramirez.  He's a good player and all but he can't do everything.   I can't wait for another sweep.

Giants are going with Cain, Zito, and Vogey!

Sunday's Vogey/Kershaw match up should be a dandy!


Go Giants and wear your orange tomorrow for orange Friday's!

Cheers,

Mr. A


Here's a couple pics from some classic Giants Doyers brawl over the years,

Winning doesn't change everything

The Oakland A's are playing some of the best baseball of any team in the bigs right now and I'm happy for the team, but I'm happier for the fans. Quick background for those who don't know my back story. When all my friends were growing up Giants fans, I was an A's fan. I've been through the highs and lows of this franchise and a few years back, I went on strike. I jumped ship in year 6 of a 3 year rebuilding plan. I haven't been to a game at O.Co since April of 2008, I haven't watched an entire game on TV since around the same time and my passion for this franchise, which was once strong enough to get me out to games 5 hours before first pitch, 25-30 times a season has faded completely.

I know how easy it would be to follow them now, to watch them while they are playing their best brand of baseball since they were murdered and swept by Detroit in the 2006 ALCS. It would be so easy to buy a ticket to the weekend series against the New York Yankees, head out on Sunday and just sit there. Not cheering, not yelling and not hating, just observing. I'm not going to do that because I am a stubborn sob, to put it lightly. When I jumped ship, it was a way of expressing my concerns about the greater good of this once proud franchise. A franchise with more world series trophies than all but 2 teams in baseball. Rumors of the team moving to Las Vegas, Portland and other cities have circulated for years now. The fantasy of a downtown ballpark have wet the appetite of many an A's fan. The possibility of the San Jose A's was once a nearly done deal and now has become an absolute disaster. The list of excuses made by ownership is so long and pathetic that even good ole Bud Selig won't do anything about it, despite the fact that he and Lou Wolff have been friends for the better part of 40 years.

I'm glad this team is playing a good brand of baseball because the fans deserve some excitement during the baseball season. However, this doesn't erase all the factors that lead me to run away from this team in the first place. When I made that decision, I told myself I wouldn't drift back just because the team played better, won some games and made progress. My issues with this team do not have short term resolutions, they are long term problems that will need to be addressed over a long period of time and until I see progress on a new stadium, an answer on territorial rights with San Francisco and the owners are not named Wolff and Fisher, I refuse to play ball. It's highly likely that my days of wearing green and gold, tailgating in the parking lot, screaming and yelling at Red Sox fans as they overflow the stadium, are in the rear view mirror. Those days are behind me now and as I look back on my experience as an A's fan, aside from the bitterness, resentment and anger, I am reminded of the love I had for my team. The passion I shared with so many great fans can never be forgotten or replaced and as I write this today, I am able to accept that somewhere in the Bay Area, there is a kid visiting the stadium for the first time. Watching his or her first baseball game and the love for the team is growing inside of them. I'm hopeful that the A's and their ownership group are thinking of them too, but based on my experience, it's unlikely and that's a shame.

"The most valuable commodity I know of is information." Gordon Gecko

Ah yes folks. Another great quote from the one, the only Gordon Gecko. The MLB All Star balloting has been the topic of conversation among baseball fans for the past few days and I wanted so badly to write about Giants fan. Not the fan that actually understands the game of baseball, focuses tons of energy on being a good fan and does the right thing. The corporate manufactured Giants fan who bought their first hat, jersey and Panda mask around November 4, 2010. You know the guy. He is face deep in that shiny Ipad to catch up on nothing whatsoever during the games at AT&T Park and refuses to actually watch the game in front of him. I wanted to rip into those fans with both hands, string up up in the courtyard for all to see and hang em with their orange and black shoelaces. However, after further review, I've come to terms with the idea that each and every one of us has just been made a fool of. 


You see, when I was a kid way back in the 1980's All Star ballots were punched at the ballpark and  only at the ballpark. You actually had to show up to a game in order to cast a vote and it was done by hand, well before automation became the way of the world. In recent years the game has changed dramatically and the votes are cast electronically. Each email address is allowed 25 votes and for the record, the majority of sports fans have numerous email accounts. One for fantasy football, one for personal use and of course, one for porn. At least that's the structure you should have in place. When you cast your vote online, your email address is captured by MLB.com and when you enter your two favorite teams in the ballot box, you start to get email spam almost immediately. Considering that everything in this era centers around cash, I have a difficult time believing that MLB.com has not sold our addresses to a third party who's sole purpose in business is to capture as many email addresses as possible, sell them off and "market" products directly to us, the consumer. 


If you want to point the finger at the bad guy, point it not at Giants fan or baseball fans in general,  but at MLB and Uncle Selig. Without his discretion and that of major league baseball, we'd be allowed to vote for our favorite players in a unique and modern way without the prospect of being suckered into the biggest scam on the internet. Ok, maybe that's extreme because I can't even open my porn dedicated email address any longer for fear of clicking on the ad that informs me that "Daisy in San Francisco would like to hang out with you" and seeing thousands of emails directed to my sick brain. The reality of the situation is simple and clearly that's the biggest problem. We, as Americans, are suckers. Young and old, man and woman, educated and uneducated. Anyone who has ever entered their email address on a sketchy website, then thought "is this a good idea" prior to clicking submit has been victim of the scam on consumers. That's what happened here. The votes we cast may in fact have selected an all star starting roster. No doubt Giants fan should be sick inside after voting for Freddy Sanchez 2.75 million times, simply because he's one of your guys and ignoring the idea that he hasn't laced up in almost a year without injuring himself. But the bigger problem we face is the false advertisement provided by MLB and it's "business" partners. That my friends is just another negative component of being an American and sadly, we all suffer as corporate titans get rich while we starve. 

On the All-Star Voting Machine

We all remember in 2009 when Pablo Sandoval was the deserving All-Star candidate, but the Giants' marketing department got trounced by Philadelphia's, and Shane Victorino was voted into the final roster spot. Three years later, the marketing staff has put those lessons to work more effectively than Boss Tweed did in the "Gangs of New York" days. It makes you wonder whether the marketing department has "All-Star Selection" bonus clauses in their contracts just like many players do. If not, maybe they should.

Melky Cabrera will start the ASG in the outfield. You won't find many people arguing against that. Buster Posey will start at catcher. Even though Carlos Ruiz and Yadier Molina are arguably having better years, the Posey selection is nothing to rail against. Pablo Sandoval will start at 3rd Base. Frankly, this makes me uncomfortable.

Outside of the 1957 Reds selections, and those cases where an aging veteran gets voted in as some sort of lifetime achievement award, the choice of Pablo Sandoval over David Wright has got to be up there with the worst choices the fans have ever made (from a numbers point of view). Wright is a surefire MVP candidate, while Pablo Sandoval has missed nearly half the season. And not only did Sandoval beat Wright, he trounced him, surging ahead in the final week to a 1.6 million vote margin of victory.

Many folks will say this proves the Giants fans are the "best in baseball", or that we are "passionate". Unfortunately, I think this makes us look like maleable, gimmiky, front-running bandwaggoners. Any sound baseball mind knows that Pablo has no business starting this game, and so all across the country this week, people will be pointing out how San Franciscans deprived Wright of a deserving honor in favor of a fun-loving guy with a catchy nickname.

None of this means anything, except for the fact that it does. As Jay Bruce proved yesterday, the Giants have a significant home field advantage. With the ASG determining who gets home-field in the World Series*, this shit is important. Luckily, fans don't vote on playing time, so Tony La Russa can correct this error during the game, but really, it was in the interest of Giants fans to vote in Wright. He's better. Simple as that.

The goal for the entire Giants organization, including the fans, should be to win the World Series. Root for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back.



*This, by the way, is incredibly stupid. A significant advantage in the World Series is determined by a game that is organized, managed, and played like it's a meaningless exhibition. Home-field in the WS should be determined by which league has the better record in interleague play. Logically, this makes perfect sense. If the AL beats the NL in interleague play, it's perfectly reasonable to say the AL is the better league. The team that makes it through that tougher league to the World Series should be rewarded. Simple.

P.S. As long as we're voting in record numbers, Giants fans would do well to vote for Michael Bourn in the Final Vote. He'd be the most useful to the team.

Sweep LA! Sweep LA!

I thought about going with the headline "Giants Castrate Dodgers in 3-game Sweep," but I thought that might be a bit too jarring. That being said, the Giants castrated the Dodgers in a 3-game sweep, knotting up the NL West as we near the half-way point of the season.

Maybe I'm just forever scarred from that late 1993 series against the Braves, where the Giants' lead was reduced from 7.5 to 4.5 games in what felt like 5 minutes, but it seems to me that whenever the Giants go into a big series against a division rival like this, they come out on the losing end. Of course you have to omit 1997 from this train of thought, but not every team can have Rod Beck and Brian Johnson (and Barry Bonds) on it. 5 minutes ago, the Giants were 3 games out. Now they're tied. Are things actually going well for the Giants?

When Zito and Lincecum combine for 14 shutout innings, sandwiched around 7 innings of Voglesong castrating the Dodgers, I'd say that's a pretty resounding "yes". Plus the bullpen totally castrated the Dodgers. All series, only one Dodger reached so far as third base. And when that runner (Dodgers' pitcher Chad Billingsly) tried to score on a wild pitch, Lincecum castrated him. (Loved this quote from Timmy: "I'm not much to go through, but he was going to have to go through me to get to the plate").

So, this all begs the question: Is Timmy back? My gut feeling is no, not quite. I'm not going to get my hopes up over 1 really nice start. I wasn't able to watch the game, but I did see see his Got 'em Reel. And he sure did look impressive. But my prediction is that his next start will consist of 3 or 4 solid innings, Mike Krukow will emphatically declare that "Tim Lincecum is back, folks", and then he'll have another one of his patented disaster innings. But then he'll calm down again, and by his next start, he will be back. Just a gut feeling. "Don't hate", as they say.

With the historic 3-game shutout sweep behind them, the Giants now welcome in another first place team in the Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles EunuchsImeanDodgers head to Who-cares-ville. Adding injury to insult, Andre Eithier left the game today with some sort of groin issue and he could be joining Matt Kemp on the DL! In the month of June, the Dodgers are slugging (SLUGGING!) .295! It sure is a shitty day to be a Dodger fan! Which, by definition, makes it a great day to be a Giants fan. Keep it up, boys.

P.S. Read Andrew Baggarly to learn about about all the franchise history the Giants made in their castration of the Dodgers.