On the Replacements

Can we baseball fans stop for a minute and realize how lucky we are? In the midst of last year's NFL and NBA lockouts and the NHL lockout and NFL refs lockout of 2012, the biggest problem that baseball fans have until 2020 is in the details of compensating draft picks. 

The situation of the NFL referees hit a low point last night, with a horribly horrible call to end a nationally televised game that led to Pete Carroll's team beating Aaron Rodgers' team.* It has sunk to the point where players all over the league are so upset by the replacements that they no longer care about any semblance of discretion on social media. They're even offering solutions that the owners and commissioner Roger Goodell should take a look at (using fines from these outbursts to fund the referees demands). 

Again, put this in perspective. The list of gaffes by the replacement referees is growing by the week. Every game there's someone forgetting a hand signal, giving a player who doesn't exist a penalty, giving Jim Harbaugh an extra timeout because he looks angry all the time, or like we saw on Monday Night Football, blowing the game.

Us baseball fans see our share of #UmpShows, complaining about the strike zone or about a neighborhood call around second base, but can you imagine? Something like what happened with Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga's non-perfect game happening EVERY DAY? Because that's where we are right now. This is happening every Sunday. And in football, you don't have 161 other days to recover. You have like...two. Maybe. If you're lucky. 

And that replacement referee who blew the Packers-Seahawks game is definitely NOT going to look like this next week.

So baseball fans: let's be happy. Playoffs are almost here. We know all the umpires names. And although we bag on them like crazy, at least we know they're the real deal.

*This is important because Pete Carroll is a terrible person.

*Collective Sigh Of Relief*

There is something about the off-season that causes almost as much stress as the on-season (in-season?). It's the same stress that surrounds the trade deadline and the winter meetings. It's the Deal or No Deal feeling. And just as many people point out that some of the best trades are the ones that aren't made (Lincecum-for-Alex Rios!), some of the best free-agent signings are the ones that don't bring Miguel Tejada to your team.

So for all the hoopla surrounding Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and even Carlos Beltran, and the holding of the breath of all fans as their teams compete with other teams to compare who has the deepest pockets, there are just as many forehead-wipes and eyebrow-raises for ones that (thankfully) got away.

Here in the 2011 off-season, there have already been a couple players that have gone this route (for me at least). I love my Giants, and in my years of experience have been privy to as many signings that left me shaking  my head (Rowand, Zito, Tejada, Zito some more, Michael Tucker, Rowand just for fun), as there have been great pickups (Ryan Vogelsong, Aubrey Huff in 2010, Pat Burrell, Omar Vizquel). So when I see headlines linking the Giants to certain players, like the article showing San Francisco as a possible destination for Chone Figgins, I throw things at the walls and scream a little bit, and then try to explain to my coworkers that sometimes my cubicle just makes me claustrophobic.

First of all, just because the Giants have had a tendency to throw money at people does NOT mean that the Giants are going to throw money at anyone with a contract and a pulse (AKA Figgins). The "new-look" Giants, or more specifically, the post-Zito/Rowand Giants, look to focus more on spending an ass-ton of money on people that they already have (Cain/Lincecum/Bumgarner) and supplementing them with cheaper options (Melky Cabrera).

So I'm OK with the fact that they don't go after all of those 154 players. Players that i'm glad I can cross off my list so far?

-Willie Bloomquist (Diamondbacks)
- David DeJesus (Cubs)
- Adam Kennedy (Dodgers)
- Scott Podsednik (Phillies)
- Rod Barajas (Pirates)
- Jamey Carroll (Twins)


Free agents still out there that I would cringe to see in a Giants uniform?

- Octavio Dotel (more lefties?)
- Orlando Cabrera (not again)
- Hairston Bros. (I just can't)

So, moving forward.

Dear Brian Sabean,

I'd really like to keep breathing sighs of relief, and have my jaw drop because of GOOD news, or not have my mind blown at all by your sensibility this off-season. Maybe bring back Vizquel. I mean, if other NL teams can afford to waste a roster spot on 40+ designated hitters, like the Phillies with Jim Thome and Rockies with Jason Giambi, then we can bring back someone who is a plus-defender on the infield, and who knows how to bunt. Some starting pitching depth might not be bad either. Anyway. Winter Meetings are coming up, so I'll start holding my breath now.

*crosses fingers*

Activating Aubrey: Huff is the Key to the Giants' Second Half

Well that wasn't fun...

Remember when Aubrey Huff hit .290 last year with 26 homeruns and 86 RBIs, and everyone was like, Wow! Where'd he come from? I hope he doesn't regress if we sign him to a big two-year deal!

And then we did (2 yrs/$22M). And then he did (.241, 8 HRs, 43 RBIs).

Oh and along with Huff's struggles, also take away the two guys who set the table for him (Andres Torres has been abysmal and Freddy Sanchez doesn't have a shoulder any more) AND the guy protecting him in the clean up spot (Buster Posey is also out for the season), and you get a sad Aubrey.

At least for the first two months of the season. Aubrey Huff in April/May was terrible. When your third-place hitter, or any of your middle of the order guys, are putting up a line of .218/.286/.335, it's not good for your offensive dignity.

He wasn't working the count. He wasn't squaring up the ball. And he seemingly roomed with Aaron Rowand in the off-season and learned how to weakly roll the ball to his pull side 70 percent of the time he was up at bat.

53 games of that wears on you. It was frustrating. It was $10M a year frustrating. And trust me, between Rowand, DeRosa, and Renteria, I've had enough of the More Than $5M/Less Than .265 club. They make me angry.

But Huff turned over a new leaf, and proclaimed himself a new man come June. And so far, he has been getting better. Sure, it helps out to go 4 for 5 with 3 homeruns on June 2, but his at-bats have been getting better.

His stats have been improving as well. In the 35 games since June 1st, Huff has put up a line of .275/.319/.420, and even though he hasn't played hero at all lately, I have noticed something. He has been getting on base a lot more.

Just like last year with Aaron Rowand (again, Huff's apparent new role model), when I do get a chance to look at the Scoring Plays section of the box score, I'm seeing a lot more "Huff scores" than I was earlier in the season.

That may be more of a testament to hitters behind Huff heating up, including the one they call Nate of the family Schierholtz, but it also means what I just said, that Huff is getting on base more. That's important.

And for an offense that really has no consistent weapon right now except Pablo Sandoval and Schierholtz, and has no consistent weapon coming off the DL (Posey and Sanchez are both out for the year), and no consistent weapon coming up from the minors (Brandon Belt was sent to Fresno to "gain momentum"), Huff needs to step up.

Because the Giants offense has been remarkably tepid. That's right. Remarkably tepid. Right in between horrendously meh and amazingly mediocre. The pitching is still there. Barry Zito is back. And if the Giants can get one person to contribute consistently for the rest of the year, I'll feel a lot more comfortable about making fun of my friends, the Padres fans.

Pablo will continue to hit. But even 2009 Pablo had Bengie Molina hitting 20 HRs behind him. Nate Schierholtz is hot, but is he going to turn into a legitimate 5-hole hitter overnight? I don't think so. Andres Torres IS having a movie made about him, so I expect that this whole struggling early on thing is just part of the script (that ends with a second half surge to rival Randy Winn's in 2005).

Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand are not going to be the answer. Mike Fontenot, Emmanuel Burriss, Bill Hall, and Miguel Tejada cannot save the offense. Chris Stewart and Eli Whiteside? That two-hit game from Whitey last night is pretty much it in terms of big games. Cody Ross needs to stop getting hurt, and if he contributes it'll be more of a bonus than anything else.

Which leaves us Huff (barring some evil, god-forsaken trade that gets rid of someone I like). Huff needs to take over the clubhouse like he did last year, however he did it, and wake his bat up. If he does, I feel like the Giants will have a legitimate shot at recapturing the NL West crown. And when I say legitimate, I mean pretty damn certain.

Figure out what the Rally Thong 2.0 is going to be. Rally Tighty-Whiteys?

Dirty Thoughts: What Nobody Wants to Say Out Loud About Jonathan Sanchez

A frustrating start on (insert date here) by J. Sanchez.

He's expendable.

Phew! Havent' been smited yet, so I guess I can keep going.

Remember when we were all nixing EVERY trade proposal that had Jonathan Sanchez in it? Everything  with Sanchez as the centerpiece was regarded as way too much to give up from the Giants standpoint. He had too much potential. He was part of a great, young, homegrown rotation.

And he threw a no-hitter! How do you trade a guy like that? Oh yeah...

Jonathan Sanchez has long-since been considered one of those "once he turns the corner" pitchers. Statistically, he's largely unhittable, which is impressive. Since 2009, opposing hitters are batting a paltry .213 against him. That's like, Javy Lopez/Sergio Romo/Setup Man/Closer status. Which for a starter is pretty unheard of.

His K/9 rate? Great! It's almost 10! But last year he led the league in walks. And this year? He leads the league in walks.

But for some reason, those walks never score, and no one knows why. Sanchez has a great reputation for frustrating EVERYONE on the baseball field. His own manager and pitching coach for walking half the stadium, opposing hitters for not being able to hit him, and then the opposing team and fans for not letting all those walks score.

Sanchy's 28 now. And although he is much, much, much more valuable than Eugenio Velez, I feel like we're entering similar waters. Get it together. We're getting impatient.

KNBR's Damon Bruce say a lot of things I don't agree with. For example,

"What makes Brandon Belt different from Lance Niekro? From Dan Ortmeier? Weren't they supposed to be the first-basemen of the future?" 

Really? Do we have to explain that to you?

But he said something else in that segment that I honestly had to agree with.

"When Jonathan Sanchez leaves the Giants, which he will at some point, he will not be missed." 

Frank. To the point. Taking an aggressive stance. But wrong? I don't know.

I feel like at some point during 2011, every Giants fan has looked at a start by Sanchez and said to themselves, "THAT was a lot more stressful than it should have been." Same goes for 2010. And even 2009.

He has always been on the verge of turning that corner, but for some reason just can't get over the hump. Tim Lincecum is fighting through a rough patch now, just as he did last August. Matt Cain has consistently been underratedly great, but has had to deal with an utter failure to support him throughout his career.

Ryan Vogelsong is doing crazy things, and whatever devil he made a deal with is, for now, going to continue to get free garlic fries at AT&T Park. And despite last night's record-setting anomaly, I would still feel more comfortable throwing Madison Bumgarner out there for an important game than Sanchy.

First, here's what I'm NOT saying. I'm not suggesting that the Giants cut ties with Sanchez altogether, or that he's totally useless. I mean, he's straight up dirty, and nobody can hit him when he's on. But it just seems that he's off a lot more often than he's on.

What I'm NOT saying is that they should dump him for a backup catcher, or a backup catcher that the Giants would make a starter. Trading Sanchez for George Kottaras would be un-Sabean, because the Giants have a tendency (these days) not to get screwed on trades. And Sanchez IS a quality pitcher. (And he hits doubles. Only doubles.)

So what am I saying? I'm saying that if there is a deal to be made out there somewhere, including Sanchez is no longer a dealbreaker for me. At all. Bumgarner? Cain? Wheeler? Dealbreakers. Sanchez? Not so much.

IF IF IF Jose Reyes becomes available and the Giants can manufacture a package with Sanchez instead of Wheeler, I wouldn't storm 24 Willie Mays Plaza with pitchforks and torches. Mostly because I don't know where to find pitchforks and torches, but also because that would no longer break my heart to see.

Barry Zito (sigh) is complicating things. And what the Giants have proven so far is that he is going to be around for 2011. He's not going anywhere. He has thrown very well during his rehab. And it's not to say that Zito is better than Sanchez, but the Giants are not going to move Zito. Period. So his position is much more solid.

There is no easy way to remedy the six man rotation that the Giants will have by the end of the month. The rotation as it is now is still sixth-best in the majors in terms of ERA. And even though there is a lack of "depth," according to Mychael Urban, there are certain things out there that can be done.

I can't really speculate, or suggest that 1) Vogelsong can keep it up or 2) Sabean can do it again with another free agent/trade addition. I will point out that Zito is coming back, and Runzler has been stretched out at Fresno.

And I will say it again, if the right deal comes up, and fictional GM Yandy Balderson wants prospects and an established major league starter named Sanchez for his shortstop, I won't complain.*

Sanchez is Torture Baseball personified, and I don't know how much more I can handle.


*Pending prospects.

Filling the Void: No Posey, No Problem

The Giants were supposed to be lost without Buster Posey. And for a couple games, they were. They were despondent. Listless. Oh, and they couldn't hit.

But then something happened, and the theme that seemed to get the Giants through most of 2010 came back. That theme? Different day, different hero.

Yesterday it was the 7-8-9 batters that took center-stage. Matt Cain was Matt Cain, and sprinkled in some old Matt Cain by putting himself on the board with an RBI double in the sixth. Eli Whiteside was 2-3 with the go-ahead run in the sixth and then the insurance-run single in the seventh. He also threw down the signs while Matt Cain was being Matt Cain.

Now, Eli Whiteside is not Buster Posey. We all know that. But he had two big hits yesterday.

And other people are starting to step up. While Posey was slowly building his way up to .300, Freddy Sanchez was doing the same, and has since come into his old form that we remember from last year, taking the ball the other way and, like Posey, hovering around .300 for the past couple weeks.

And because of the disappointing year that Aubrey Huff has been having (even as I write this, he's rolling over a breaking ball to second and audibly frustrated on the TV mics), Sanchez has been moved to the three spot. For some reason, though, I can accept that.

Randy Winn was never a number three hitter, but for some reason, when Mike Fontenot and Freddy Sanchez hit third, I don't lose any sleep over it. But Sanchez has been clutch over the past month, and that's good for the Giants. Cody Ross has also been hitting a little bit, and Nate Schierholtz has had some big hits as well.

But the biggest surprise in Posey's absence has really been Brandon Crawford. Not Brandon Belt, who was placed on the DL with a broken bone in his wrist, but shortstop Brandon Crawford. With Miguel Tejada not doing anything at all, and Pablo Sandoval hurt, Crawford has emerged as this year's kid to watch.

Sorry guys, but Nate Schierholtz is no longer a kid to watch. And Manny Burriss, as much as I love him, isn't either. Both of those guys have had their share of major league experience. And Crawford is John Stamos! What's not to love? That play up the middle in the seventh yesterday saved a run, and even though that run ended up scoring, it was still a pivotal point in the game.

The Giants haven't had a shortstop with his kind of range since Omar Vizquel. I'm not saying that he has Vizquel range (yet), but as Andrew Baggarly said it best yesterday. It just hasn't happened recently. And then the kid, who hit a grand slam in his major league debut (in case you forgot), delivers a go-ahead hit in a low-scoring series to back a hard-luck pitcher.

Crawford is playing the part right now, and it seems to be shifting around every game. And on a team where your biggest stars are on the mound, the lineup has to be full of heroes in order for you to win. The Giants are doing that right now, and they're doing a pretty fine job at defending their title so far in 2011, even without their cornerstone catcher.

Yeah, Yeah, Giants Baseball = Torture, Or Whatever

See Cody? When you hold on to the bat, you win!

Eventually, playing with fire will get us burned. Eventually. Until then, party on.

The Giants have five walkoff wins in 13 home games. Brian Wilson is now leading the pitching staff in wins. But hey, there's not much more exciting than a walk-off win, and the Giants keep punching them out like they've done it for years.

Whereas in 2010, when Giants baseball was torture and it was standard to spend many a night curled up in the fetal position cursing broken-bat triples and hanging sliders, 2011 has been different. The Giants aren't storming through the schedule thus far (let's face, they're no Cleveland Indians), but for some reason, close games just aren't as nail-biting as they were last year.

A World Series title is a helluva confidence booster. So is a two-time Cy Young Award winner looking better than he ever has. And so is an All-Star closer adding the dirtiest pitch since the afore-mentioned Cy Young Award winner's changeup came on the scene to his repertoire.

And when you look up at the standings and see that the Giants are a half-game out of first place despite a distinct lack of offense from their categorical leaders from last year (Aubrey Huff, Buster Posey), injuries to three and a half starters (Andres Torres, Pablo Sandoval, Cody Ross, Mark DeRosa?), and Madison Bumgarner being 0-5, you can't help but be a little pleased.

Also, I loved him when he was on the A's, but seriously, when people around baseball say that Miguel Tejada is the worst regular position player in the league, I cannot, for the life of me, think of something to say in his defense. Mark DeRosa didn't have the best welcome back to the lineup, but I still would rather have him in there over Tejada.

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When it comes to the roster moves that have been made so far IN SEASON in 2011, I cannot complain in the slightest about any of them. 

Today's decisions to send down Manny Burriss and Ryan Rohlinger were also hard, but as many people pointed out, and as the game played out tonight, keeping Darren Ford is just necessary. For games like this. Because in tight games, being able to pinch-run with Darren Ford is exponentially better than pinch-running with Tim Lincecum. And as Ford has shown us time and time again, speed wins games. Simple as that. 

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By the way, Cody Ross is back. When do the Phillies come to town?

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Here's a link to Andrew Baggarly's piece that features the newfound ace-ness that is Big Time Timmy Jim has released on the baseball world. I, as a fan, approve. And I need some money because I haven't purchased A Band of MiSFits yet.

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Headed to the yard with the family tonight as kind of a graduation present. My THIRD Filipino Heritage Night, but the FIRST that we've actually got the Filipino Heritage Night tickets. Can't wait to pick up my "one piece of filipino-themed merchandise." I hope it's a boat!

I've already surpassed my number of AT&T visits from last season, so here's to keeping the winning streak alive.

Fact-checking Brian Sabean's Trade History

In a recent tweet, Sports Illustrated writer Jon Heyman claimed that Giants GM Brian Sabean doesn't like dealing prospects.

This tweet came A DAY after former Giants prospect Francisco Liriano threw a no-hitter for the Minnesota Twins. So, Jon, let's revisit some of my favorite Sabean prospect trades.

I'll get the obvious out of the way first: Brian Sabean has changed. After years of trading prospects to build around Barry Bonds, the Giants have changed up their strategy considerably, but that's not to say that Sabean i totally against trading prospects.

Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Brandon Belt, Jonathan Sanchez, and Matt Cain represent players that have or have not had trade rumors swirl around them in their Giants careers. And at some point in his career, Sabes may very well have pulled the trigger on some of the deals.
Cain for Fielder. Sanchez for Fielder. Lincecum for Rios. Sanchez for (major league shortstop). We've all heard them. Yet I'm pretty sure we're all glad that none of those has happened so far. Anyways, on to the ones that have happened.

So, except in a select few cases, Sabean has done very well in recent years both picking up fringe prospects that have contributed and dumping prospects that may have had value but are on their way out of the good graces of the Giants scouting department. In no particular order:

1. Joe Nathan, Boof Bonser, and Francisco Liriano to the Twins for AJ Pierzynski (2003):


One of the biggest WTFFFFF moments of my baseball life. I realized this trade was wrong when it happened. I was 14. Pierzynski was a joke, a cancer, and a rental. Nathan emerged as one of the best closers in baseball. Boof Bonser still has as funny name, and is pitching in the Mets minor-league system. Liriano, as stated, just threw a no-hitter and is one of the best "if only he was healthy all the time" pitchers in the American League. Prospects traded, Giants lose.

2. Tim Alderson to the Pirates for Freddy Sanchez (2009)


This was hailed as another Nathan/Liriano trade, except this time the bad guy was an injured but still very friendly Freddy Sanchez, far from being the a-hole that Pierzynski was. Alderson was the number four prospect in the Giants system at the time.

Then Alderson put up this line since joining the Pirates: 14-11, 5.34 ERA, 1.473 WHIP

And Freddy Sanchez did this to Cliff Lee, and all was forgiven.

Prospect traded, Giants win this trade.

3. Ryan Vogelsong and Armando Rios to the Pirates for Jason Schmidt and Jon Vander Wal (2001):


Vogelsong was a promising prospect, but the Giants won this trade too, as Vogelsong lost a year to injury, and Schmidt became the ace of the Giants staff. Giants win further by signing Vogelsong to a minor-league deal this year and having him perform well so far.

4. Jason Grilli and Nate Bump to the Florida Marlins for Livan Hernandez (1999)


Yes, part of the Marlins firesales, but Hernandez was the MVP of the '97 World Series, and the Giants got 746 innings of 4.44 ERA ball, including a few Opening Day starts, for 181 innings of middle relief. Giants win this one for sure.

5. Mike Villano, Joe Fontenot and Mick Pageler to the Marlins for Robb Nen (1997)


Another Marlins firesale pickup, Nen was dominant for the Giants until an arm injury sidelined him for good in 2003. Villano never made it to the majors. Fontenot never made it to the majors. Pageler never made it to the majors. Shades of the Dennis Eckersley trade, in which none of the A's players given to the Cubs made it? I think yes. Giants win.

6. Scott Barnes to the Cleveland Indians for Ryan Garko (2009)

Giants lose. Nobody knew who Scott Barnes was, but Ryan Garko was terrible.

7. Yorvit Torrealba and Jesse Foppert to the Seattle Mariners for Randy Winn (2005)


Torrealba has developed into a starting backstop that has killed the Giants. Foppert was a great story but just never made it out of the injury woods. Randy Winn hit really well for two years and then forgot that he hit really well for two years. I'd say this is a wash.


There are a few more trades that we could look at, but I just don't know where this whole "doesn't like trading prospects" talk comes from. It's right there. He trades prospects more rarely now than before, and when he does, it usually looks pretty smart a little farther on down the road. I would more characterize is it as Sabean only dealing prospects that he knows are going downhill unless their name is Joe Nathan.

Depth Charge: Giants Roster Being Tested Early

Guess who wasn't in the preseason predictions for early season heroes?

The San Francisco Giants have shown flashes of brilliance this year. Two walk-off wins against the St. Louis Cardinals. Some superb Cy Young award-caliber pitching by Tim Lincecum. A return to 2009 form by Pablo Sandoval.

But those flashes are about it. The Giants won the World Series in 2010, and were supposed to be better (on paper at least) here in 2011.

One of the most important things they boasted going into 2011 was depth. Someone high up in ESPN or Sports Illustrated or whatever even called them the deepest team in the league. And that has saved them from face-planting so far this year.

For most of Spring Training, the big questions were "What to do with the outfield logjam?" and "What happens if one of the pitchers gets hurt?" These are questions that weren't really a problem last season at all.

In 2010, every starter made almost every start, with only the fifth spot being platooned between Todd Wellemeyer and Madison Bumgarner. In 2010, everyone pretty much knew what the outfield was for most of the year, and when they added Pat Burrell, Andres Torres, and Cody Ross, there was nothing to worry about there.

In 2011, people are hurt. That just didn't happen last year, and the Giants and their fans definitely took it for granted. Mark DeRosa hurt himself early, but then Andres Torres came out of the dugout and people kind of forgot about all that.

First, Cody Ross hurt his calf, which lessened the overcrowding in the outfield for a month. It gave Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholtz an extended look to see which one was more expendable.

And then Torres went down. The Giants went from having too many outfielders to having to play the Water Buffaloes plus Aaron Rowand EVERY DAY because there weren't any outfielders on the bench. At least Aaron Rowand has been hitting, but to put that in perspective, Madison Bumgarner pinch-hit against the Dodgers. Luckily Mike Fontenot homered before he got up there.

And then Barry Zito grew a mustache. And got in a car accident. And fell awkwardly off the mound and got an injury that can only be remedied by not doing anything (AKA pitching) for a long time. So that pitching depth that was one of the only concerns going into the Cactus League was finally going to be tested, due to a guy who was missing the first time due to injury in 12 years in the majors.

Luckily, the Giants had a second-chance-special starter waiting in the wings. Todd Wellemeyer Brian Lawrence Jeff Suppan Ryan Vogelsong has filled in very well given the Giants recent off-day filled schedule, and will make his first start in a Giants uniform tomorrow after being traded away from them 10 years ago.

But the team is still not as deep as I would like it to be. There still isn't a clear backup shortstop. Mark DeRosa hasn't stepped in to being a regular anywhere, and while he can still play 30 positions, he's not doing any with consistency, for some reason. Miguel Tejada is hitting .195; DeRosa is hitting .333 in limited at-bats.

Darren Ford is providing intangible depth in the outfield. For a guy who still doesn't have a major league hit, it seems that every run he scores is important. Yesterday it showed how speed can tie a game, with Ford going first to third on a hit-and-run and then scoring on a sac fly, and also win a game, going first to third on an errant pickoff and then scoring on a ground ball with the infield in. Amazing. Batting average: .000. Usefulness average: 10 bajillion.

It was a bummer having to send Brandon Belt to the minors, but if there was one position that I had no worries about in the slightest, it was first base. The depth chart at first was as follows: Belt, Huff, DeRosa, Sandoval. That's deep. Even with Belt gone, the Giants have lots of insurance. They also have depth on the 40-man and at Fresno, with Travis Ishikawa and Brett Pill down there.

THEN SANDOVAL GOT HURT. But he was OK so I stopped thinking that I did something personally to anger the baseball gods.

While it's clear now that the Giants still have more than 80 percent of their season left to go, they're already dealing with the unforeseen more than they had to in 2010.

Rotation uncertainty is not something that they can afford. Lineup changes are a little more manageable, but not if everyone on your bench plays first base and left field. Imagine a bench full of J.T. Snows and Moises Alous. Sure, they'd hit the snot out of the ball and be really good at their respective positions, but if there was any sort of roster crunch, they wouldn't help you out very much.

The Giants are being tested early on. Take out three of the catalysts (Ross, Torres, Uribe) and your World Series MVP (Renteria) and you've got an entirely different chemical reaction going on. So far it has only been sporadically impressive. Professor Bochy has to experiment some more before I feel more comfortable.

Results of the Most Obscure Giant Thread

I recently had my first FanPost on McCovey Chronicles. In the past three days, it's had almost 250 comments from people remembering those Giants that distinguished their fandom from any possible impostors out there.

The blogosphere has its fair share of interesting fans. I'm relatively young, and my Giants memories don't go back as far as some people there, so I don't recognize some of the names that come up unless I had their baseball card from way back.

Anyways, I'll highlight some of the more interesting posts that came up (starting with my own of course).

My number one pick was J.R. Philips.

So obscure they can't even get a picture of him facing the camera.

My subsequent ones are from the late-90s bullpens: Doug Creek, Jim Poole, John Johnstone, and Rich Rodriguez. 

Here's some of the posts from the thread:

Brian Dallimore played 27 major league games, and got 50 major league ABs. One homerun (a grand slam, as mentioned), 7 RBIs. Retired in 2006 after signing with the Brewers in 2005.

Felipe Crespo, as stated, has multiple splash hits. Two years with the Giants, .259/.329/.426, 8 HR, 39 RBIs. Traded in 2001 to the Phillies for Wayne Gomes (also a good one). 

Stan Javier got a lot of love. Stan the Man spent four years with the Giants, posting a very solid .282/.360/.378 line, 17 HR, 151 RBIs. 

Bobby Estallela. No one thought Bonds was on steroids while Bobby Estallela was around. With the Giants: .227/.343/.446 over two seasons. Traded to the Yankees for Brian Boehringer. Now that's a name.

Damon Minor was another first-baseman just filling the void when J.T. Snow couldn't play. We knew he wasn't the future, but the guy's nickname was Tiny. And he was 6'7. Goofy is an understatement. 285 at-bats over four seasons with the Giants, .232/.338/.400.

One of my personal favorites, Tony Torcato. Winner. Hey, in 2004, he hit .556. What happened?

Let me know if we missed any players that stand out to you. Like I said, everyone's got theirs, who's yours?

Chicks Dig The Long Ball (And So Do I!)

Last night was my first night at the yard in 2011. I failed at going to the park in 2010, only attending five Giants games in one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory, three of which were in Washington, DC, against the Nationals.

But last night I was at the yard, and I saw something (two things, actually) that reminded me of something that the Giants didn't have until last year: power.

Mike Fontenot. Power-fiend. (Getty Images)

Let's look at the last few years: (NL rank) [MLB rank]

2007: 131 HRs (14) [25] -- the last year with Barry Bonds
2008: 94 HRs (16) [30] -- the only team with under 100 homers
2009: 122 HRs (15) [29] -- the number one team had twice as many (NYY, 244)
2010: 162 (6) [11] -- the same amount as Texas, who was "the best offensive team" in '10

You lose Barry Bonds, and you lose a lot of power. But even before then, Giants fans were always clamoring for someone to hit homeruns around Barry Bonds. There was no more Moises Alou or Jeff Kent that backed him up. And then he left.

The Giants sure fell in love with the long ball last year though, and they really stressed that they couldn't rely on it this year to win games. The first few wins of this homestand didn't need the homeruns, but instead were all about "keeping the line moving" and getting runs home. None of them were walk-off homeruns, but walk-off hits.

Last night the Giants fans were treated to two homeruns that got them back in the game, and then ahead. I'll admit, I was already taking a lot of flak from all the Dodger fans that I was with when Barajas hit his homer, and was not expecting jacks from Pablo Sandoval and Mike Fontenot (sandwiched around a Brandon Belt groundout) in the slightest.

But then the Panda hit one high and deep to left-center, and (from our seats, at least) it barely cleared the wall, giving a Kinsler-esque bounce that went the right way. And then Mike Fontenot digs in. Mike Fontenot of the one-homerun variety in 2010. Mike Fontenot who looked like a bat boy when getting his high-fives, AFTER he took Ted Lilly way over the Willie Mays Wall in right.

Which one is the 6-year veteran? (Getty Images)

That was not a cheapie. And it put the Giants ahead. And late in the game, that back end looked very strong, once again. Ramirez, Lopez, Romo, Affeldt, Wilson. Game over.

Homers get it done. If the Giants can sprinkle in a few game-winning hits to go with their bevy of homers like last year, they'll win more games. I don't think they'll live and die by the homerun as much, which also leads to less pressing to hit homeruns, and a higher overall average and OBP.

I love when the Giants win. Especially when they beat the Bums. Homers by unexpected people just make it more fun.

Injuries Keep Roster Moves in Limbo

The Rowand Question came up at the end of Spring Training. How do we keep all the outfielders on the roster? Wouldn't it be nice if something magically happened that made it so the Giants would have to keep all of them?

Right. That.

And then the season started, and Cody Ross shed the walking boot, and is itching to get back on the field. This again is creating a roster crunch. But Aaron Rowand has been hot! And Nate Schierholtz and Pat Burrell have been playing real well too. And Andres Torres is 

Oh. 

So the roster limbo that Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholtz are in continues. Technically, I guess you could add Burrell to that bubble, but he's hitting bombs and only bombs. Here's how they're stacking up so far:

Rowand: .389/.389/.611, 1 HR/2 RBI

Schierholtz: .267/.267/.400, 0 HR/0 RBI

Burrell: .160/.267/.520, 3 HR, 3 RBI

So no one really stands out as being easy to send down. Ross is due to be activated on April 24. Torres is out until at least after the next series with the Dodgers, and probably longer. 

That means the Giants will have to be content with what they've got right now. They'll manage with Rowand/Schierholtz/Burrell, and Hugg will still be in the outfield, but probably sticking more to left field with Schierholtz getting more playing time. Mark DeRosa is also capable of playing out there, so they're not exactly in jeopardy of having less outfielders than they need. 

But with Torres and Ross out, the Giants are without two of their most important offensive catalysts of last year. Freddy Sanchez is still that top of the lineup presence, and Buster Posey is still Buster Posey, and Pablo Sandoval is still looking pretty damn nice. 

However, with Huff playing a lot of outfield, he's honestly going to be more tired, which will end up translating to his performance at the plate (in my opinion). And depending on Panda's streakiness, and the fact the Brandon Belt is only a rookie, Belt and Sandoval cannot carry this team.

The Giants need to be at full strength. Everyone was talking about how this team is improved on paper, but until that lineup gets from "on paper" to "on the field," wins won't just fall into their lap. I believe the hype, but the Huff/Rowand/Schierholtz lineup is a lot different from the Huff/Torres/Ross lineup that I expect to see later in the year. That lineup will be hard to get out.

Until then, I'm happy that Rowand and Schierholtz get to play. This decision is hard as it is already, so being able to put it off gives us more time to think about it. 

It's like that homework that you know you have to do but you have no free time to do so you stay on Facebook and make sure that your grandma can't see pictures of you drinking Captain Morgan out of a shoe. Or like that girlfriend you mean to break up with but you're both to busy to meet up at that coffee shop where she can't make a scene because there are lots of witnesses so you put it off. 

Yeah, pretty much the same. Hurry up and wait. 

We Made Them Wait. They Made Us Wait. We Were Better At It.

Not the same as Buster Posey's against SD, but STILL GREAT.

The San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series. It was the first time in 56 years. It was the first championship in San Francisco. It was the first World Series title that I could remember.

So it follows that San Francisco should live up this title like it hasn't been lived up before. And they did. The city after Game 7 was in uproar (in a good way). There were crowds outside AT&T until the wee hours of the morning to welcome the team bus home. The parade was still being cleaned up on Thanksgiving.

But when the Giants finally returned home to AT&T for their first regular season series as world champions, they took it too far. Whoever organized the festivities should be commended for the fanfare, but should then be repeatedly punched in the kidneys for making the entire Giants fanbase seem like smarmy jerks.

Train playing a song about San Francisco. The entire team entering through the center-field fence. Willie Mays handing off the championship banner. Brian Wilson and his beard climbing up a wall and raising up the flag with "We Are The Champions" in the background.

Great. It took forty minutes, and it was a little cheesy, but great.

Who were those guys on the first base line, though? Oh right, the SAINT LOUIS CARDINALS.

Again, the person who organized the event did a fine job, but having the Cardinals introduced before the festivities even began was a Total Frat Move. I mean, remember when the Giants actually had to play a game on Friday? Tony La Russa looked pretty mad after about 45 seconds of the Train performance. And when La Russa is mad, the opposing team knows. Just ask Dusty Baker.

The Redbirds returned the favor, however, and for every minute that the Giants made them wait, the Cardinals repaid it double in extra innings. And for every moment of awkwardness there was one of torture at the end of the game.

Brian Wilson was mad at the lack of strikes. Mark DeRosa was mad about the abundance of strikes. Ryan Franklin was mad about the resurgent Panda. Panda was mad that people started trimming fat off the sides of their panda masks.

Tony LaRussa was mad at everyone for laughing at his glasses, so he came up with one of the most unique managerial decisions that I have ever seen and put his left-fielder at third base. And Aaron Rowand smashed one down the line, right at LF/3B Allen Craig. (By the way, La Russa should ALWAYS be in the running for Manager of the Year.)

Luckily for us, there are some things that can't be defeated by managerial expertise. Like a bomb off the left-field wall.

Alex Pavlovic tweeted the following:

@AlexPavlovic: Today, we spell redemption R-O-W-A-N-D. #SFGiants

And you know what? If Aaron Rowand is going to be as productive a bench player as he has been, I can't just write him off. He's fighting for a roster spot, and Great Scott! is he fighting for it. He's hitting .600 with 3 runs and a .900 slugging percentage. And for the second straight year, he capped off the home opener with a walkoff hit.

Thank the baseball gods that the Giants won. WIth that pregame display of hubris, the Giants are lucky no one got struck by lightning.

Don't get me wrong, they deserved to celebrate. We just have to remember that 2010 is over and 2011 is here.

We can enjoy this weekend, but hopefully the Giants remember that there's still baseball to play.

Programming Alert: Let the Festivities Continue!

What do you mean it's not 2010 anymore?

The Giants opened up the 2011 season in Los Angeles this year, and the World Series Champions brought in 56,000 people to Chavez Ravine. The next day, attendance dropped over 11,000 to 44,834.

Then they traveled to San Diego, where they were the guests to the Padres and 43,146 of their fans at the home opener at Petco Park. On Thursday, attendance at Petco was cut almost in half, to 24,368, a healthy portion of which were Giants fans.

With the Giants opening up their park for the first meaningful games since the World Series today against the St. Louis Cardinals, that party that started in November will just keep on going. There will be no letdown at the gates of AT&T Park from Friday to Saturday, or even to Sunday, because every seat at AT&T Park is sold out.

That's right, every seat. So if you don't have tickets, you'd better be watching it somewhere.

And if you're watching the pageantry of this weekend somewhere, then you're probably watching Comcast SportsNet, who will be covering all of the pregame festivities that most of us fans just aren't able to get out to the yard to see in person.

The Flag Raising Ceremony? That's happening today, with coverage starting at 12pm with Giants Pregame Live (gametime at 12:45). You can even chat about it with Ray Ratto and Mychael Urban during the game.

The World Series Championship Ring Ceremony? That's on Saturday at 5:30, following a special edition of Inside the Clubhouse: Defending the Title (gametime at 6:00).

The presentation of Buster Posey's Rookie of the Year award? You guessed it, Sunday. That presentation will also be featured during Giants Pregame Live at 12:30 (gametime at 1:00).

Oh yeah, and the Cardinals are in town playing baseball, too. This is a big series for the Giants. My hope is that they got all this nervousness out of their system playing in front of hostile crowds. AT&T Park has always provided a haven of sorts. The Giants had a .605 winning percentage at home last year, and your home park is always a good one for getting back on track.

All games will be followed immediately by Giants Postgame Live, and at some point during the night by SportsNet Central.

If you're one of those poor souls who just can't afford to sell enough organs to buy tickets today, don't be discouraged. Through the wonders of technology, all your wildest dreams will come true.*


*Only valid if your wildest dreams include watching Brandon Belt and Miguel Tejada awkwardly stand by while the REAL Giants  get their rings.

It's All Just a Little Bit of History Repeating

Remember, remember, the fifth of November. Errr...April.

That doesn't really make any sense, because April 5th was Opening Day in 2010, and the Giants beat the Astros 5-2. Tim Lincecum dominated Roy Oswalt, Edgar Renteria had 13 hits, and Brian Wilson got the save and the first idea of a World Series beard popped into his head. A standard 2010 Giants game.

And then they went to southern California and this happened.

That was 2010.

In 2009, there weren't even regular season games on April 5th, but after that things looked very similar. The Giants scored 19 runs in three days, and then got on a plane for San Diego and Los Angeles.

Here in 2011, the reigning World Champions have started off like so, with April 5 looking like the Giants just got Padre'd.

So what am I trying to say here? That everything is fine?

No, I'm not. The defense is still not clicking, or catching anything. The magic that was inside is suddenly not there. The bullpen that was stellar all last season is missing its anchor. And seriously. These errors.

Basically, the Giants are not playing well right now. At all. The fact that there was no opening series against the Astros/Brewers to make us feel better didn't really help, because now the Giants are 1-4 and there's only 157 games left.

But Brian Wilson is coming back today, which is good. Some fire is good. That's one thing that I can say about Buster Posey and Brandon Belt (so far): they're great, great, great players. But exciting? Freddy Sanchez is exciting. Pablo Sandoval is exciting. They yell, and have nicknames, and have facial expressions.

Brian Wilson will bring some life back to this team. Aubrey Huff (0-4 on Tuesday) is too tired to do so right now. Pat Burrell has nothing to get excited about (3-18 so far). They need it from somewhere. And fast.

There are still six full months until the end of this season. Plenty of time to work things out. Look what's happened the last two years. Now, that's not exactly indicative that the team will turn it around the rest of the year and all of a sudden repeat as World Champs just because they looked terrible on their first trip inside the division.

All they DO need to do is to win. That 10-0 win felt great, and it made it seem like the Giants were right back where they were. But that's the only time this year that I felt comfortable watching the team. These games against the Dodgers and Padres will never be easy, and they will always expose some flaw in the Giants that wasn't there before.

It just stinks that us fans had to watch these two teams out of the gate. I can't wait for this southern swing to end. I mean, since when have any of you been relieved to have Albert Pujols and the Cardinals roll into town?

P.S. Aaron Rowand is hitting .571/.571/1.000, and the Giants are undefeated when he starts. Start your revolution, friends.

Get Well Soon, Cody Ross!

As our friend Grant over at McCovey Chronicles details so succinctly, Aubrey Huff had a miserable day yesterday. Saturday was fun, mostly because the Giants won. Sunday was not, mostly because the non-plays that Huff non-made created rallies for the Dodgers that ended up being the difference in the game.

Grant also brings up a really good point about the 2011 Giants and the decisions to (1) re-sign Aubrey Huff and (2) keep Brandon Belt up in the majors.

"What if that guy who was given $22M on the assumption that he can play the outfield...can’t actually play the outfield at all?

Now, yesterday was just a bad game for Huff. I guarantee Jose Guillen would have made maybe one of the 37 balls hit to Huff yesterday look easier than it did, but its certainly not like the Giants are experimenting with Doug Mirabelli out in right field.

However, the Giants were supposed to be a better team with Belt at first base. Again, that's Belt, at first base. Not with Huff in the outfield. I'm not saying that Huff's contract is now expendable, because it's not. His leadership in the clubhouse last year was a huge part of the Giants push to the World Series.

But with Belt at first, and looking very good there, Huff is relegated to the outfield. And over the first couple days of the season, it looks like the Water Buffalo Defense is sickly and old, about to get pounced on by a cheetah or some other big predator that preys on position players playing out of position.


In any event, something has to be done. Which is where Andrew Baggarly comes in.

Move Huff to left field. Start Nate Schierholtz in right. And use Burrell off the bench.

Ta-da! Problem solved!

Burrell has two hits this year. Granted, they've both been homeruns that have brought the Giants within striking distance, but that's two hits in 18 at-bats. Two hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Those are 2010 playoff numbers.

It looks like that whole thing that I wrote, about how Burrell's success depends on him being able to drive the ball the other way like he did in Spring Training, isn't panning out so far. He's been pulling his head off the ball again, and those pitches he was driving to the right-center gap in March are just being popped up or rolled over.

Give the guy a day off. And with Nate Schierholtz in right, Andres Torres can even shade over to help out Huff in left a little bit. Because Aubrey Huff is not an above-average outfielder in any of the outfielder aspects except for in the batters box.

With Burrell's bat being as quiet as it has been, Huff still needs to play somewhere. Since Cody Ross will be coming back to play right field soon, the Giants should put Huff in left and have Schierholtz in right.

Bruce Bochy has been able to make things work on the offensive side of the ball so far, but you can tell that he's really frustrated with the defense. And if the Giants can score 10 runs with the Rowand/Tejada lineup, I'm pretty sure Bochy will do his thing and put his best (or at least better) defense on the field.

Giants Title Defense Begins With No Defense

I recently started coaching for my high school baseball team again, and that means rehashing all of the old coaching philosophies of my high school coach. In the broad sense, he stressed that if you executed, you won. If you made a mistake, you lost.

Basically: don't walk anyone, don't make any errors, manufacture runs, and you'll be successful.

All of our teams had two real hitters, a couple top-rate pitchers, and solid defenders at every position.  We would score around three runs a game, and that always seemed to be enough. If you walked anyone, or made a sloppy play in the field or failed to execute, you got pulled.

When it came down to it, the Giants just made too many mistakes to win last night. Walks and errors will bury you. The Giants had zero games last year where they made three errors. They only had four games with two errors. You could have a lineup full of homerun hitting Pat Burrells, but if they all make fielding errors, that crazy team will lose.

Running the numbers, Tim Lincecum is on pace to have an ERA of 0.00 but still have an 0-32 season, the Giants won't win a game, and Pat Burrell will have 162 homeruns. And the Giants will make 468 errors (they had 44 last year).

Pretty sure there's an excuse for that throw in the glove somewhere...

Buster Posey made a mistake today. Not even a rookie mistake. It was worse than a rookie mistake. As in, possibly a Little League mistake. The runner was clearly on the bag, and Sandoval was not exactly hollering for the ball. But Posey threw it anyway, and the ball squirted down the left-field line. Ugly.

Miguel Tejada had zero plate discipline and was certainly pressing in the field on the Opening Day stage. Santiago Casilla walked James Loney, who came around to score. There's no defense for walks.

On the other hand, Pat Burrell sure knows how to keep the Giants in the game. That's been his MO since he came to the Giants, and right when they needed some late-inning heroics, he sure tried his best. He just didn't wait until there were people on base in front of him.

Tim Lincecum and Brandon Belt certainly impressed too. A lot was made out of Buster Posey's ability to work a count when he came up last year, and Belt is showing that he can do the exact same thing. He saw more pitches than anyone, and he's really got an eye for the strike zone, which was especially impressive against Clayton Kershaw (who is severely underappreciated as an elite pitcher).

But the Giants didn't execute. And it cost them.

Yes, it's only one game. And yes, it can be fully attributed to the fact that, after winning the World Series, the Giants plan was to lose the first game, and look badly doing it, just to make everyone feel like they have a fighting chance. Let's face it. After winning the World Series AND the Cactus League championship, the Giants have pretty much established themselves as unstoppable.

We all knew they'd have to lose sometime. Better to get it out of their system early though, and save up for September. One down, 161 to go.

Execute, Giants, and you will win.

Brandon Belt is a Big-Leaguer...Now What?

Image C/O Joseph Pun at AZGiants Photography.

Brandon Belt has made the Opening Day lineup for the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants. There will be no doubting that manager Bruce Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean sacked up this year after keeping Buster Posey in the minors to begin last year, and Belt will have to deal with a lot of pressure to possibly bring a second consecutive Rookie Of the Year award back to AT&T Park.

What it came down to – and this is from multiple mouths around the organization, on the radio, and on the television box – wasn't that Belt was too good for AAA or that there were service time issues, but was that management has to put nine guys on the field at 5:00 today. Those nine guys have to be the best nine people qualified to bring home a win. And Brandon Belt is one of those nine guys most qualified.

But now that Belt has made the Opening Day roster, and the front office has many times re-iterated that, like Posey, once Belt is up, he's up for good. If he starts to struggle a lot, I don't doubt they'll keep him up just for sake of their word, but I do believe that he's not the stopgap while Cody Ross recovers from an injury.

That means that, while Spring Training is over and the Opening Day roster is set, there are players on this team whose jobs are not exactly resolved. Dan Runzler and Guillermo Mota both made the team, but I imagine that when Brian Wilson returns from the disabled list, one of them will be the first one out. Runzler still has options left, so I assume that he'd be the one to go. But Mota is also spotty, and easily replaceable, where Runzler is less so.

On the position-player side of the ball, things get a little more complicated. The Giants have already cut ties (pending waivers) with Travis Ishikawa, mostly because they still have five players with experience at first base (Huff, DeRosa, Sandoval, Posey, and of course, Belt).

When Cody Ross returns, however, they'll need to make another decision. This time it will definitely be an outfielder that gets moved out, and I can almost guarantee it will be between Nate Schierholtz and Aaron Rowand. Some people have even been saying Pat Burrell isn't as safe as we all think, but I think that he'll only be on the bubble if he struggles mightily at the plate.

Again, this is the debate that I had with myself a couple weeks ago. I think Schierholtz has a lot more value than Rowand does at this stage in his career, but the contract of Schierholtz is a lot easier to move. But the Giants have already made one bold move with Belt, so maybe they'll have some brass balls and do what needs to be done.

Think of it as just extending Spring Training another two weeks for these four guys (Mota, Runzler, Schierholtz, Rowand). Even with the season starting, they're still playing for a spot on this team. And the last thing you want to do when your team wins the World Series is to not be there for the title defense.

All because of a 23-year old kid from Houston. A fifth-round pick who vaulted up the minor league system in a year. A kid that is now the starting first baseman on a team that won the World Series five months ago.

It's Opening Day, and the Gates Are Now Open...

And the first guy in line is way into it, decked out in full uniform. He says he's on the team. Says "Bruce" has him in the starting rotation. But you have it on good authority that someone named Bruce does not want this guy in the park. Do you let him in? Or do you tell him that his tickets are no good and send him to watch through the fence in the right field archways?

It's only fitting that the first post I choose to write on this blog is in defense of Barry Zito. If you've followed my writing at all, I'm pretty much due for one. It's been over six months.

Anyways, by now most Giants faithful have seen this select piece of journalistic detective work by Bruce Jenkins. I read this and laughed. A lot. And then I woke up from my dream within a dream, realized that this piece was actually published, and laughed some more.