Why The New Dodger Ownership Can Be A Good Thing

A few years ago I lived in Connecticut. Right about half-way between New York and Boston, and not too far from the ESPN campus in Bristol. It was here that really started to notice the East Coast bias of the media that we here at Left Coast Lean take personally. Over there, a baseball story is not a story unless it involves the Red Sox and/or Yankees. People who knew I was from San Francisco would casually ask "so are you a Sox fan or Yankee fan?" as if no other teams existed. I would tell myself and, if feeling up to the debate, tell others to just wait until the Giants and Dodgers are the two best teams in baseball. Then the nation will see that this rivalry is at least as strong as Boston-New York.

With the new Dodger ownership group eager to bring the franchise back to respectability, there's a good chance that the LA-San Francisco rivalry will be rejuvenated. Because I'll admit, it has lost some substance in the past few years. I've been hating the Dodgers mainly just for the sake of hating the Dodgers. Last year, aside from the Kershaw-Lincecum battles (<--- a good read), which were infuriating, there was little reason to pay attention to the Dodgers*. With the Giants winning it all in 2010, and Frank McCourt turning the Dodgers into an embarrassment, I've started to think of Dodgers as that annoying friend-who's-not-really-a-friend who won't leave you and your real friends alone. It's probably similar to how Yankees fans thought of the Red Sox prior to 2004. So, to take the high road, the rivalry is better when both teams are good. And neither team has been a real threat to the other since 2004.

So, let's assume, for the sake of this post (as well as my sanity), that the Giants sign Matt Cain to a long-term deal in the next week, and then do the same with Lincecum a year from now. That props open the Giants' title window for years. Madison Bumgarner rounds out one of the best "Big 3"s in Major League starting rotations, and the offense can be built around Sandoval, Posey, and Belt. It only takes a slightly optimistic viewpoint to think that those 6 alone make the team a contender every year. With Rowand and Huff coming off the books after this year, and Zito a year after that, the Giants should be able to continue to add the necessary pieces, along with giving raises to their young hitters and bullpen arms.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, have a long way to go, but the consensus seems to be that they will be included  (along with the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Phillies, and Angels) in any discussion that involves teams throwing bigtime dollars around. A big payroll doesn't correlate directly to big win totals, but it usually doesn't hurt. With the Phillies' best days behind them, there is opportunity to take over the Alfa-dog spot in the National League. Watch out for the Nationals and possibly the Marlins, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the Giants and Dodgers at each other's throats to gain superiority for the next decade.

And then maybe the nation can cool off their love affair with what many think is the only rivalry in baseball. They'll learn about this one, which has been around just as long and has survived a cross-country move. Juan Marichal went after Johnny Roseboro with a bat, for Christ's sake. Mays, McCovey, Koufax, Wills. Tommy Lasorda. Bobby Thompson. Mike Piazza. Barry Bonds. Rod Beck and Brian Johnson. Steve Finley. These names trigger either joy or disgust inside me. Very little in between.

Sox-Yankees, you are on notice. There's likely to be an arms race starting out West**.


*The Bryan Stow beating should be mentioned here. But while it does provide reason to dislike the Dodgers, it more-so provides proof that the rivalry is ultimately trivial. That incident goes above baseball.

**Don't get me wrong. I'd still much prefer the Dodgers to stay wallowing away in mediocrity. I'm still hoping the tenure of the new Dodger ownership group goes about as well as The Magic Hour.

What's The Matter With Magic?

Everybody now: HE'S A BUM!

That's right Giants fans. Start drinking your Haterade, and next time you get the chance, regurgitate it all over Magic Johnson, who is leading a group to buy the Dodgers for...(Dr. Evil voice)...Two Billion Dollars.

I never minded Magic too much in the past. A bit too cheery for my tastes, but he sure was exciting on the basketball court. A shame that he'll be bringing some of that excitement to the front office of the Dodgers. Anything that makes Dodger fans happy can be regarded as a shit sandwich to all of us up here by The Bay. I've thoroughly enjoyed the misfortunes of the Dodgers and their ownership for a few years now--  maybe a little too much*. But all good things must come to an end, I suppose.

What does it mean for the true heroes in this long-standing rivalry? Well, now the Giants are up against what has to be regarded as a powerhouse ownership group looking to make a splash. As Buster Olney said, the price they're reported to be paying for the team is more than double what has ever been paid for a baseball franchise. Their fans will be looking for a savior or two, and I'm not sure you pay $2 Billion for anything just to let it sit there.

Frankly, I'm a bit scared. Magic Johnson is an immensely successful business man, and no doubt he'll turn on the charm to be a star recruiter. We can dance around it for days, but there's no point in ignoring the elephant in the room. Let's talk about Matt Cain. I've been cynical all Spring, clamoring for the Giants to pony up and lock Matt Cain down for the long term. However, I heard Giants beat writer Henry Schulman on the radio the other day, and he talked me down from the ledge with a couple of good points. First off, there is still time. Not a whole lot of time, but that's why deadlines exist. As the season opener gets closer, one or both sides is likely to get antsy. Secondly, one reason for what could be a large difference in the figures that Cain's people and the Giants are exchanging might be this: Matt Cain wants to get paid like a free agent; the problem is, he's not a free agent. There's a lot of talk about fair market value for Cain. But we're not in an open market right now. What I'm hoping is that the Giants are saying something like "Okay, you want 6 years at 20 million per. That's fine. Give us one more Cain-like year to end your current contract, and we'll re-up you at your suggested rate no questions asked." Otherwise they are the ones taking all the risk of an injury or poor performance. The idea of extending a player before he hits the market is that it comes with at least a bit of a discount. There's little incentive otherwise.

But with tonight's news, well, they may have just got some more incentive. New Bigtime Dodger ownership gives the Cain camp more leverage, and I wonder how much of an effect it will have on the negotiations. I think it's time for the Giants to get antsy. Who knows--I wonder if it's possible Cain could receive an offer of 7 years at $25 million apiece. That's probably a bit much, but I think it's a safe bet to say this new Dodger ownership will make the next offseason unpredictable, if nothing else. If that's the case, well, the smart move would probably be to say good bye. Still, I'll circle back to my previous attitude: just get it done, Sabean. Long contracts for pitchers are always scary. But there's really no other choice. The offense isn't good enough to carry the team, and the Minor League system isn't exactly bursting with talent (something tells me Eric Surkamp is not going to give us 5 straight years of 200+ innings). And of all the pitchers out there, Matt Cain certainly has to be one of the least scary to give a long-term deal to.

But I digress. Let's not harp on the Giants' brass when there's perfectly new, outspoken Dodgers to hate. Evil has a new face, folks.

*which is exactly the right amount

The Hunger Games

No no, I am not talking about the Suzanne Collins book series that hits the big screen this Friday, but I hear that's gonna be a good one. I am talking about Alex Smith and his hunger for an NFL superbowl ring. A lot has been published on the internet about Alex meeting in Miami with the Dolphins, his ego has been bruised because SF pursued living legend Peyton Manning and now it appears as though Alex Smith is playing hard to get. Alex has every right to be butt hurt. He had a very good season in 2011, played a very important role in a successful season and two weeks ago it appeared as though Alex would return and it would be business as usual. As a fan, I am more butt hurt at Alex than he can ever possibly be at this great, proud franchise. The guy had 6 seasons of crappy football and the team gave him more money than he or his family could ever spend. At the end of that deal, they gave him an opportunity to continue his football career, handed him more money and asked him to put up or shut up. Why am I speaking so much about money? Because this is a business after all and to quote the great Gordon Gecko "don't get emotional about business Buddy boy, it clouds your judgement."

Alex Smith has an opportunity to return to a franchise that has the greatest stable of stud QB's in the modern era of professional football and to bring Superbowl #6 to this great town. If he signs the current deal that's on the table today, (it's been reported that San Francisco has offered him 3 years $24 million with $10 guaranteed) he can attempt to bring the coveted Lombardi trophy back where it belongs. Also, he will be the first San Francisco 49er QB to start a season in a new stadium, assuming the stadium in Santa Clara opens on time to start the 2014 season. If you want to prove a point, prove it on the football field. You will not win in Miami and the current Niners roster is set up perfectly for you to succeed. Get your ass back to SF, sign the deal they have waiting for you and prove to the fans that you are better than we think you are. Complete some more 3rd downs, get us back to the playoffs with a much tougher schedule and a target on the teams back, win ring #6 that we have been chasing since Gary Plummer ripped the monkey off Steve Young's back and all will be good with the world. Stink up the joint as you have for 6 of your 7 years as a pro and we will run your ass out of this town. That being said, good luck with it Alex.

Lacob gets booed at the Mully halftime presentation

Warriors fans last night were a joke!  What a stand up group of people you represent over there in Oakland.  By booing owner Joe Lacob last night because you were all butt hurt by the Monta trade, all you did was punch the Warriors ticket to move over to SF as soon as possible.  Wake up!  If you even thought about the trade for a little bit you would see that it makes sense.  The team was going nowhere with Monta and its current group of players.  Udoh and especially Bedrins were and are not franchise players to build around.  Everyone for the past year has been screaming to get a guy like Dwight Howard (a 7 ft center) in Oakland and now that the Dubs finally make a move they hate the owner for doing so?  Doesn't make any sense.  This type of stuff takes time.  You don't just wake up one day with the an automatic bid to the playoff in hunt for the NBA finals trophy.  You have to be strategic as well as be willing to take some risks.  Monta and the Warriors haven't made the playoffs since the Baron Davis days and Monta was just a moped riding kid back then.

For all of you who were booing Lacob last night, you need to wake up and smell the coffee.  The San Francisco coffee that is.  Most of you live in San Francisco or in the west bay so when the Warriors move to SF and players actually want to come play in a big city you will be happy.

It was awkward and a big slap in the face to Mully, his family, and the rest of the legends that were in the flesh last night.

Here's the video if anyone missed it.

Congrats to Mully! 

Mr. A

The Pulse of PDX

Welcome CeeFree to the mix with his first LCL northwest post (post-dated from last week)!  CeeFree is the newest addition to the LeftCoast crew.  He is located in the great Pacific Northwest (Portland, Oregon to be exact).  To learn more about CeeFree see his bio here (it will be updated soon).

A Changing of the Guard:  A trade-recap amongst the Madness of March                            

Blazer fans I ask you: Was today a case of ushering in the right pieces?  Or are we caught trying to pick up the proverbial pieces of a devastating fire sale?  Only time will tell but with the current state of the team and with a few of its best players in rapid decline, the time is now to get aggressive and change the components in order to gain some building blocks.

The Marcus Camby Trade

Marcus Camby’s expiring $9.2 million contract from 2011 was traded to the Houston Rockets. This happened right at the deadline for the two expiring contracts of Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, and a 2^nd round pick. At this point, the 38 year old is past his prime and has been non-existent on the offensive end of the floor. He provides great passing out of the post and at his age has played his best defense away from the ball. His FT% is atrocious and he can barely put in 28 minutes of floor time anymore. He is the starting center, but with the re-signing of Joel Pryzbilla, losing the oft injured Camby won’t be that big of a hit this season or beyond.

A 2^nd round pick gives Portland another chance to hit on a draft choice and solidify a future role player or bench player.  To get a 2^nd round pick for a 38 year old could be enticing enough as the market showed earlier this year. Even a player like Michael Beasley couldn’t command a late 1^st round pick, as the Lakers denied a possible trade offered by the Timberwolves.  To get two young players on a rental basis along with the 2^nd round pick is definitely more enticing of an offer. Both young players expire after this year. The truth is Hasheem Thabeet’s three year career in the NBA has been lack luster at best.  Here in Portland none of that will matter. Portland is not looking at him to be the starting center of the franchise. If he has any resemblance of a plug and play bench player, for the right price, it may be worth it to keep him on the roster.

In the case of the 6^th pick in the 2007 draft, Jonny Flynn, is a true point guard. Because of injury he lost his job and was traded away from the point guard heavy Timberwolves. Soon after, he ended up landing and getting buried in Houston behind Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic. He hasn’t had the game experience to showcase his talents. He will surely get some chances in Portland for the remainder of the season and if he flashes that speed and court vision which commanded such a high draft pick, maybe the team has found a cheap and very solid backup at the Point.  

The Gerald Wallace Trade-

Gerald Wallace, and his contract of $11.4 million for 2012, has been traded to the New Jersey Nets for a protected (1-3) 1^st round pick. In return, coming to Portland, is the expiring $10.9 million contract of Mehmet Okur and a young talent with a lot of upside, Shawne Williams. Shawne Williams has a player option of $3 million next year. Not a hefty price tag for a potential back up to Nic Batum. This trade will have no immediate or positive effect especially because the Blazers will take on more money and lose arguably the 3^rd best talent on the team. Next year is when this trade actually becomes influential as it gives the Blazers New Jersey’s 1^st round pick alongside Portland’s own first rounder.

With Portland playing as bad as they have been and losing two starters along with the head coach, it’s not really feasible to estimate a winning end of the season. With the Nets automatically upgrading themselves talent wise, it’s possible that they start winning a little more than what this season has shown.  With the pick being protected, the Blazers don’t want NJ to drop too many games. If they fall into the lottery and end up with a top 3 pick, Portland won’t be picking twice in the first round until next year. Although this is unlikely it would be a major setback for the team.  The last time the Blazers had two top 12 picks, they drafted Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. 

The truth about Gerald Wallace is that his game has seen a slow decline since the 2009 season. Gerald’s nickname, “Crash,” boasts the intangibles that he brings night in and night out. He is a player with true grit and determination; a tough blue collar athlete; a player that won’t be pushed around. His role became more and more unclear on the team with the sudden emergence of Nic Batum. Age has not been kind to Wallace and he has lost a step.  It is a tough loss when you lose a player of his caliber, but this has to be looked at as a business and by the numbers his performance does not match the contract he is owed.

There is a lot that can be done with these picks and in this draft they could come at a high premium. The trade bait that a large expiring contract brings could clear up just enough cap space for two young lottery picks or make way for another max money player.  I personally like Austin Rivers at one of these picks, as I believe we might be able to sign a point guard like Goran Dragic or Aarron Brooks for the now.  It has become abundantly clear that this guy (Raymond Felton, pictured below) is no longer the answer to the point guard problems in Portland.

Check out how Gerald Wallace’s replacement in the lineup, Nic Batum, compares to another great all-star that played his position, in arguably the best season of his career.  Link Below.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&p1=mariosh01&y1=2005&p2=batumni01&y2=2012

The Waiving of Greg Oden-

Good Riddance… I need not say anything more. Biggest bust in the history of the NBA Draft is finally done plaguing our minds as fans and the team’s salary cap space. The Oden Era in Rip City is officially over!

-CeeFree

Caintract Negotiations Stall

Spring camp for the Giants is going quite well. By all accounts, the team is getting A+ marks in chemistry class, while still exhibiting a hunger to get back to the top of the baseball world. Player-development-wise, things are moving along pretty smoothly, too. Buster Posey hit a home run! Vogelsong's back is a slight concern, but Brian Wilson looks ready. Freddy Sanchez is progressing at about the pace one expects Freddy Sanchez to progress at. All parties expect Matt Cain to sign a long term deal before camp breaks. Belt is belting. Gregor Blanco could become the surprise 4th or 5th outfielder.

I've been waiting for some bad news. I got it when my alarm clock went off this morning. To be fair, every morning when my alarm clock goes off, it's a bad thing. But when I hear Kate Scott on KNBR telling me that no further discussions are planned between the Giant's and Cain's representatives, well that's going to put me in an especially sour mood.

So I guess not everything is going so peachy down there in Scottsdale. The Giants are trying to lock up Cain to a longer term deal, but if they don't reach an agreement by the end of Spring Training, he'll likely become a free agent after the season. Who knows what Cain and his people are asking for now. But do the Giants think that price is going DOWN if he reaches the open market? Cain could get Godfather offers from multiple teams. Offers that actually WOULD be too rich, or at least too outrageous, even for the Giants.

The farm system isn't exactly bursting with cheap talent ready to come up and replace a guy like Cain. The one guy they had who could have been on that track, Zack Wheeler, was traded last season for Carlos Beltran. Carlos Beltran, the hitter they couldn't afford to re-sign in the offseason, because they NEEDED THE MONEY TO KEEP THEIR PITCHERS!!

Matt Cains don't come around too often. He's probably wants about $20 mil a year, and he's worth it (it's only $5 mil more than they're paying him this year). He's proven he's extremely durable. They've been able to rely on him for a chance to win every 5th day for the past 6 seasons. Give him a reward, because you know someone else will.

Letting Beltran walk was the Giants' ownership getting their cake. Letting Cain walk would be eating it too.

StackJack??? Psych! Welcome to the Dubs Richard Jefferson

After the emotional roller coaster the Dubs fans have been through over the past couple of days, some relief and clarity has come forward.
You didn't think the Dubs were going to to make a mistake and give Stephen Jackson a second chance in Oak-town did you?  As of an hour ago, the Warriors traded StackJack to the Spurs for swing-man Richard Jefferson.  It also includes the Spurs 1st round 2012 draft pick (lottery protected).  I got to give it to Lacob, Riley, and company on this one.  Here's a press release  from the news this afternoon.  We also picked up another 2nd round 2012 draft pick from Hotlanta for cash.

Makin' deals son!

-Mr. A

In Response to the Big Warriors Trade

As Mr. A just said...Garbage! Look, I don't know enough about basketball to talk down to the Warriors front office. Every year I get more and more into the NBA, but I'm not at a level where I can discuss player value with authority. But I've watched a lot of Warrior basketball this season and quite enjoyed it. So it's hard not to react.

The Warriors traded their best player (Ellis, the NBA's 9th leading scorer), plus an up-and-coming power forward (Udoh) showing signs of sustained improvement in all aspects of the game. In return they get an injury prone former #1 pick (Bogut) who's numbers hardly jump off the page (career 12.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG), plus a diva (Jackson). Oh and they gave up Kwame Brown, their off-the-bench center, who's out for the season and who no one cares about.

Bogut's return (fractured ankle) this year is questionable, and so without Monta's offense and Udoh's defense, the Warriors are going to be pretty much unwatchable for the rest of this year. They beat the Kings (wow!) tonight, but their ability to win even a handful more games will hinge on Steph Curry's glass ankle and whether Stephen Jackson can play nice. The silver lining, which likely was the motivation behind the trade, is a better lottery position in the draft. Unless the W's land a top-7 pick, they have to relent their first round spot to Utah. So I see the motivation to tank. Ultimately, I'm actually okay with it. You never want to be in the oft-discussed "NBA Purgatory" -- not good enough to contend, not bad enough to rebuild through high draft picks. I'll miss the departing Ellis and Udoh, though.

I've always loved Monta, but I've never been IN love with Monta. It seems to me he's not quite good enough to be the best player on a real contender, but his style dictates he sort of needs to be the best player on his team. So I think this is akin to a relationship where if you know you're not going to marry the girl, what are you really doing with her?

I think giving up Udoh is what really is going to come back to bite them. He's only going to get better, and I could see him as a very important role player, if not a starter. He was, after all, a 6th overall pick. Seems like he should have had more value. Maybe that's their own fault for not getting him more minutes, although they were on the rise.

The return of Stephen Jackson is intriguing. I'm sure I'll fall right back into his charms, but he's already broken my heart once, when he pined for a contract extension, and then whined until he got traded. It'll be cool and exciting if he plays well -- he'll give the already awesome home crowds even more energy. But it's on him to win me back.

People say this Bogut character is a legit center. If he's healthy, and Curry's healthy, the W's are a more balanced team. If they can land a good draft pick, and with David Lee doing what he does, they can be good. I want them to be good so bad. But I think they gave up too much, with Udoh being the underrated aspect of that. Who knows -- maybe they had a miracle run to the playoffs in them this year (they're only 3 games back of the 8th spot, albiet with 4 other teams in front of them). But now I think the right move is to hope they lose, because it's likely going to take a lot of that to secure that top-7 pick.

Monta's career in Oakland is over!

Warriors send Ellis, Kwame, and Udoh to Milwaukee for Bogut and Steven Jackson?  Someone please explain this garbage!

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7683412/milwaukee-bucks-trade-andrew-bogut-stephen-jackson-golden-state-warriors-monta-ellis-source-says

MLS is Back

Now I know spring training baseball is in full swing, basketball season is heating up, hockey season is skating along, and March Madness is about to get uh..., madnessy, but did you know that the 2012 Major League Soccer season just kicked off?  Well it did and I have a feeling it’s going to be a great season.

The smell of freshly cut grass lingers in the air as the San Jose Earthquakes hosted the New England Revolution this past Saturday defeating them 1-0 for their first home opener win since they were re-established in 2008.  The goal was scored in the 15^th minute by the star of the team Chris Wondolowski (Wondo). It was a great game and great to see the guys get a win to start off the season but do Bay Area fans care? Do Americans care that the MLS season has started?

Soccer seems to fall into the weird area for Americans along with the metric system and vacation time. If it’s something the rest of the world (especially Europe) does, than we aren’t interested because America is awesome and everybody else can suck it.  But who wouldn’t want more vacation time? Sorry to say it but the metric system does seem to make more sense and soccer is a fun and entertaining sport to follow.  It is quite obvious that soccer isn’t the most popular sport in the US but it definitely deserves better. Soccer is the most popular sport around the world but it only ranks 5^th in the US behind the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, although polls are showing that the MLS might soon be overtaking hockey for that fourth position.  Attendance is steadily rising and teams like the Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy are bringing in huge numbers. Players like Landon Donovan, David Beckham, and Thierry Henry are helping to bring in fans looking to glimpse some spectacular plays by world-renowned players. 

Things are certainly looking up for MLS with a recent ESPN poll showing that soccer was ranked second behind the NFL with Americans age 12-24 as their favorite sport. Soccer is steadily climbing in popularity among Americans and rightfully so. The US Men’s team is progressively improving and the US Women are insanely good, coming in second place, losing a classic match against Japan in the 2011 Women’s World Cup. The men looked great in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and they recently defeated the intimidating Italy in a stunning 1-0 victory.  The success and rise in popularity among the US Men and Women’s team can only help the popularity for MLS.

I can’t make people watch games but the MLS is making great strides in developing the league and trying to compete with not only the four other major sports in the US but with the more popular soccer leagues in Europe.  New clubs are constantly popping up all over the country, and are reaching out and attracting better players around the globe. Not to mention, MLS just signed a new 3-year national broadcast agreement with NBC. My recommendation would be to check out a game once in a while, be it MLS, college, the US Men’s team or a European league.  You might be surprised at how electrifying and fascinating a match can be.  I’ll be heading to AT&T park this coming Saturday, 3/17 to root for my SJ Earthquakes as they take on the Houston Dynamo.  

Sharks uphill battle to make the playoffs

Over the past four years the Sharks have not had to worry to much about their performance in the final month of the season.  They have won the Pacific division four consecutive years and it looks like that streak is in danger this year.  They sit in fourth place in the pacific division (75 points) six points behind the leading Dallas Stars (with 81 points).  The good news is that the Sharks have two games in hand on every team in their division and they are also only one point behind a numbers of teams for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.  The bad news is the Sharks can't buy a win.  They let one slip away in Dallas last week and followed it up with a stinker in Phoenix.  The Sharks haven't won a game in five straight and are 2-6-2 in their last 10.  This team has what it takes to be a contender in the West but they need to do a number of things better to even have a chance for a cup run.  For starts they need to put more quality shots on net.  The Sharks are one of the top teams, if not the top teams in shots per game in the league.  If you follow the Sharks, you would notice that a lot of the time these shots are useless and aren't real scoring chances so this stat is a little misleading.  Another thing they need to do is get "their game" working right away in the 1st period.  Just like in most sports, if you can force the other team to play at your pace and you control the tempo of the game, you are going to have an edge in winning each game.  If they can focus on working on these types of things, their talent will do the rest of the work and hopefully spark this team for a late season run going into the playoffs.  Let's hope they can get this ship turned around in time for an exciting run.  Jumbo and company get it started tonight way up north in Edmonton, Alberta.

They better dig it ooout of the corners and run their cycles well because that team is fast and will make you pay for not moving your feet.

I say the Sharks take this one after falling to the Oilers in a shootout down at the tank last week. #SJSHARKS #NHLplayoffs

Cheers,

Mr. A

Playoff outlook for the Warriors

With the All-star weekend behind us and the season coming down to the final 30 games or so, here's the outlook on where the Warriors stand.

This team is not much different to the Warriors teams of the past.  They get a lot of shots off and get a good amount of steals but lack the presence of a big man and never seem to get the stops late in the game when they matter the most.  There has been a lot of talk about trade rumors with Monta, Curry at the front of the list.  With all this going on, Coach Jackson is not that far off his promise this past off season.  The Dubs are 17-21, three games back of the final playoff spot (currently Houston at 22-20) in the west and they have four games in hand on Houston.  This team has a ton of talent and hopefully there's a late run in store for the Dubs.  If they can get to be a .500 club, their mentality will change for the good.  With of the next seven of 12 games at Oracle, the dubs could get to that .500 mark by the end of March. #Oracle #NBAplayoffs

Next three:  Tues. @ SAC, Wed. vs BOS, Fri. vs MIL

Cheers,

Mr. A

I'm Sick of Spring Training

Enough already. Move on to the games that count. This happens to me every year. I get all super excited when Spring Training starts, and not long after that, I just can't wait for the regular season to begin. I'm sick of talking myself into players who have good Spring Training numbers. I'm sick of reminding myself that Spring Training numbers don't mean dick when I see guys who aren't producing.

I just want to be able to come home from work and watch Timmy tear up the league when it actually counts. It's comforting, knowing there's a game just about every day. Of course, what I'm not looking forward to is having my demeanor directly tied to the result of these games that matter. It can't be healthy. But there's not a whole lot I can do about that, and with this team, there will end up being more good moods than bad. So if someone could please just let me borrow their time machine, I'd like to just jump ahead to April 6th if it's not too much trouble.

Quick Thoughts on Baseball's New Expanded Feelings

Mixed feelings. That's the gist of it. If you haven't heard, starting this coming season, Major League Baseball will add an "extra playoff team" to each league. The team that finishes the season atop the Wild Card standings now will play the team right behind them in a "1-game series" to advance and join the three division winners.

Here's my biggest beef (hence the sarcastic quotation marks above): Don't call this an extra playoff team. Don't tell me there's an extra round of the playoffs, or a second wild card team. There are still 4 playoff spots in each league, and now the Wild Card spot will be decided by a play-in game. Let's get real: Once teams clinch a spot in that "extra playoff round", are they going to be celebrating on the field and spraying champagne in the locker room? No. If your team loses that 1-game playoff this year, are you really going to claim that your team "made the playoffs"? No. It's ridiculous.

But, if my biggest problem with the new system is the wording/marketing ploy surrounding it, I guess it can't be too awful. I like that it places more emphasis on winning the division. If you don't want to have to play in that win-or-go-home game, fine, just win your division. What I don't like is that a team who finishes ahead by 4 games in the Wild Card standings now has to win 1 more game to reach the real playoffs. They played significantly better over a 162-game span, but now they're season comes down to 1 game. Just wait until we get a game-changing blown call in one of these games. Oh, the fury.

I think I would be more accepting of the new system if we hadn't spent these last 17 years or so institutionalizing the Wild Card team as an actual playoff team. If we'd gone straight from the Just-the-Division-winners playoff system to the new play-in-game-for-the-final-playoff-spot system, it would almost seem less jarring. Instead, we spent almost 2 decades rewarding a team that finishes second with a free playoff spot. And yet, that system that's been in place has worked so well. Very tempting to question fixing it when it ain't broke. After all, look at the excitement that that system brought us on Game 162 last year. Then again, playing those two play-in games on the same day will virtually guarantee that kind of excitement every year. Circle October 5th on your calendar. It's gonna be Wild! (see what I did there?)

Desperately Trying Not To Freak Out About Posey

Ladies and gentlemen, start your panic engines. From Andy Baggarly:
"The Giant's clean-up hitting catcher won't play on Saturday and might not make his Cactus League debut until the middle of next week, Bochy said."

The tone of the article and quotes therein suggest that the move to hold Buster Posey out of the Spring Training opener is more precautionary than anything else. But to me, it's a little bit troubling because he hasn't played in a baseball game in about 10 months. Is a few more days really going to make much of a difference? I just want him to be all better so bad. When he misses games, I don't quite understand it, much in the way a child can't understand why he has to leave Chuck E. Cheese's when it's closing time.

That's the thing about our All-American boy of a catcher. He's so beloved, and so counted on by fans, not to mention the organization. I do not envy the pressure he must feel as the season approaches. The quality of the pitching has become ubiquitous. We've all grown to take it for granted. LinceCainGarner and co. make the Giants contenders without even a second thought from Giants Nation. So the burden falls on the offense. And with the absence of Posey being the biggest difference between the 2011 and 2010 team, it's hard not to see him as the savior who will take us back to the promised land. Right now, he's like an innocent man coming home from an unjust prison sentence. It was a harrowing experience for everyone involved, but now that it's over, everything will be fine. But what if it isn't? What if this is a two-year injury? Sure, he'll play. But if he's a shell of his former self, this fanbase will be heartbroken.