I find it rather humorous that I could get under someone's skin.
An anonymous reader took me up on my offer to comment the other day, and my emotions were conflicted when I read his/her thoughts. I was pleased because it means I'm not just whistling in the wind -- someone is actually reading. I was also diappointed because this poor soul seemed to think I was a complete dweeb while simultaneously making my point for me.
I guess it should be expected. People who post on sites like this do so primarily because they're ticked off: ticked at the Giants, at me, at the price of gas, or even the inordiante amount of air time given to Ryan Seacrest. This isn't the place where you hear much "Love your blog, Dude!" I gotta admit, I started this enterprise because Giants management made me so angry on such a regular basis that I needed a mechanism to vent, and this blog is my way of avoiding the need to scale a clock tower with a deer rifle.
It's not my intent to answer every Pollyanna Giants fan who doesn't understand why the addition of DeRosa and Huff won't lead to a 162-0 mark. But the comments of this poor, lost soul actually forced me to sit down and review my position. Am I being too harsh on the Giants. Is my ire at the direction of this team misplaced?
Uh, not even close.
It's hard to take too seriously someone who immediately launches into the theory that you can't make a decent argument while attempting to be, at least somewhat, amusing. The hosts and crews of both "P.T.I." and "Around the Horn" would be rolling drunks for nickels were that the case. Although, I'll admit, Tony Kornheiser really isn't funny.
But here's what got to me. From my new BFF:
"The Giants are better off this year than last. What the Giant fan needs to remember is, this is a franchise that built a ballpark that is pitcher friendly. Thus they have drafted primetime pitchers and rely on free agents to fill out the lineup."
And that's worked out how, exactly? The reader made my point. Look at the system, and look what that system has brought forth.
The primetime pitchers they drafted are Lincecum, Cain, and Wilson. Sanchez is a work in progress. No one else is proven. But if you evaluate pitching then you have to look at the whole picture. Yes, Timmy and Matt are keepers. But this is a staff that has also "featured" guys like Randy Johnson, Matt Morris, Brett Tomko, Dustin Hermanson, Armando Benitez, Mike Stanton and Jeff Fassero from the FA pile in recent years. Stellar draftees include future HOFers like Kevin Correia, Brad Henessey and Jack Taschner. Pardon me if I fail to genuflect. While the Giants have a handfull of good or promising arms right now, the full accounting of Sabean's tenure is checkered at best.
And those FAs that "fill out the line-up"? Repeat after me: Ryan Klesko, Todd Greene, Steve Finley, Edgardo Alfonzo...and now Edgar Renteria, Aaron Rowand, Mark DeRosa, Aubrey Huff. Holy pennant, Batman! Puh-leeze.
"True Sabean is not the sharpest GM on the planet and he has made some bad moves. He has also made some great moves. Making him an average GM."
After 13 years, average ain't cutting it. No GM in baseball has been allowed that long a tenture with so little to show for it. But let's be fair, that's exactly what Sabean is shooting for. It's all about being "competitive", which has translated to fielding a team that's just good enough to keep fans coming through the turnstiles until Labor Day while not spending too much jack.
I compare Sabean to Fresno State football coach Pat Hill, who just got a contract extension despite a full decade on the job without so much as a single conference championship. Essentially what the powers that be are saying is that "average" is good enough. Bosie State and Nevada will always clean your clock, you'll get an invite to a third-tier bowl game (and lose), and that's just peachy.
If that's good enough for you, fine. Strap on a Timex, pour a class of Two Buck Chuck, call up your favorite squeeze (she's a "5" on a 1-10 scale), and speed off to dinner at Tahoe Joe's in your 2003 Taurus. I'm no longer willing to settle. Give me the Rolex, some Cristal, a new BMW, reservations at Spago and a supermodel girlfriend...and she'd better be willing to put out. I've paid my dues.
It's a valid point that the Giants play in a pitcher's park. That doesn't mean you ignore the offense. The object of the game is still to score runs, and the best pitching staff on the globe won't win you a 0-0 game. This is a team more in need of balance that Karl Wallenda, and Plan B free agents ain't the answer.
My admirer's ultimate point is that the 2010 Giants are better than the 2009 version, and the NL West is winnable. Maybe so, but this can't be about making a one-season run in a weak division. The Giants were "in contention" last year, but they didn't do a very good job of setting themsleves up for the long haul -- which is why we're back here again this year. Same stuff, different year.
Making marginal improvements to a flawed team does little when the organization is in need of major changes. In the Giants' case, they need not only to change personnel but philosophy.
I go back to Einstein's comment about insanity. The Giants have a system that clearly hasn't worked, at least not since 1954. Saying that the key to making something that doesn't work finally do so is just giving it one more shot is the height of stupidity. It's time to try something else.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
W.T.F.?
With every move, Giants' management makes one thing abundantly clear: it doesn’t have a friggin’ clue.
Bengie Molina is back. After misjudging his value on the open market, the Great Satan, uh, Sabean made him swallow a one-year deal that still pays him far much more than he’s worth. So the 2010 Giants will look very much like the 2009 version.
Wow. Can you just feel the excitement? I haven’t been this stoked since my last root canal. Fortunately the cure for both is the same: a good anesthetic.
There seems to be a concept that Sabean and company just can’t grasp. As long as you keep working with the same pieces, the picture on the puzzle never changes. The only exception comes when you start jamming the pieces in where they don’t belong (“batting clean-up, Bengie Molina”) in which case you end up with a picture that looks like Andy Warhol’s interpretation of Pablo Picasso as rendered by Marilyn Manson. In short, it's an abstract mess.
Now the Giants will field a line-up very similar to the crew that won the most games among those who didn’t make the playoffs last year. The Giants seem awfully proud of that, ignoring the "didn't make the playoffs" part. Yes, 2009 was a much better season than the previous four, but that’s like telling the poor sap on the canoe in “Jaws” that he faired better than the little Kintner boy and should be happy he only lost a leg.
So looking at the line-up, I project something like this:
CF – Aaron Rowand
2B – Juan Uribe (Sanchez won't last 40 games)
3B – Pablo Sandoval
1B – Aubey Huff
LF – Mark DeRosa
C – Bengie Molina
SS – Edgar Renteria
RF – Schierholtz / Bowker / Torres / Velez / Lewis / 38-year-old FA recovering from ACL surgery to be determined.
Someone please tell me how this line-up is better than 2009’s?
The cards have been shuffled, but it’s basically the same deck. DeRosa replaces the failed F-Lew/Velez experiment in left, but there’s no guarantee the Giants didn’t just move that party two spots to the right. Huff essentially replaces Ishikawa / Garko at a bigger price tag.
There are no significant upgrades, and the rest is the same cast of characters.
Moving to the lead-off spot won’t stop Rowand from channeling Pedro Feliz and swinging at sliders in the dirt. Molina will still run like he’s been washing down animal tranquilizers with a fifth of Jack Daniel’s before every game. Renteria will have lost yet another step and will likely battle Sanchez for the team lead in days spent on the DL. Sandoval would appear to be the only real player here.
(Side note: is the Sanchez debacle a stunning indictment of the Giants' medical staff or what? I owned a '72 Vega that I'm sure is currently in better condition that the "gamer" the Giants got for Alderson. More on that at a later date.)
I had hope at one point – hope the Giants would finally be forced to give some of the kids a chance. Now I’m not so sure. The Giants' off-season moves have effectively blocked the ascension of everyone except Madison Bumgarner. They'll certainly screw that up as well. Can the signing of Satchel Paige be far off?
If you're a Giants fan (and if you still call yourself one then what's wrong with you?), you have to be looking at this line-up and asking yourself what the point to it all is. The Giants keep running guys out there with no apparent plan. The player aquisition modus operandi appears to consist of finding guys who prefer to play one more year rather than begin collecting their pensions.
This is nothing more than grandstanding -- making moves so that the less demanding (or thoughtful) Giants fan is convinced the front office is doing something. Unfortnately, that "something" appears to be accomplishing very little.
I don't undertand the thought process. I keep thinking back to the signing of Randy Johnson last year, when the Giants took a flyer on a guy they really didn't need. I can see a struggling team grabbing a guy about to win his 300th for the PR value. For a team supposedly rebuilding with younger players you have to ask: what was the end game? How was Johnson going to make the Giants better long term. The answer? He wasn't going to, and he didn't.
Molina, Huff, DeRosa -- none of these players make the Giants signifcantly better in the short term, none will be around long term, and in the case of Molina all it does is delay the rise of someone else. Better to let the kids play, even if it means a step backward in 2010, because continuing along this path sure doesn't bode well for 2011.
Bengie Molina is back. After misjudging his value on the open market, the Great Satan, uh, Sabean made him swallow a one-year deal that still pays him far much more than he’s worth. So the 2010 Giants will look very much like the 2009 version.
Wow. Can you just feel the excitement? I haven’t been this stoked since my last root canal. Fortunately the cure for both is the same: a good anesthetic.
There seems to be a concept that Sabean and company just can’t grasp. As long as you keep working with the same pieces, the picture on the puzzle never changes. The only exception comes when you start jamming the pieces in where they don’t belong (“batting clean-up, Bengie Molina”) in which case you end up with a picture that looks like Andy Warhol’s interpretation of Pablo Picasso as rendered by Marilyn Manson. In short, it's an abstract mess.
Now the Giants will field a line-up very similar to the crew that won the most games among those who didn’t make the playoffs last year. The Giants seem awfully proud of that, ignoring the "didn't make the playoffs" part. Yes, 2009 was a much better season than the previous four, but that’s like telling the poor sap on the canoe in “Jaws” that he faired better than the little Kintner boy and should be happy he only lost a leg.
So looking at the line-up, I project something like this:
CF – Aaron Rowand
2B – Juan Uribe (Sanchez won't last 40 games)
3B – Pablo Sandoval
1B – Aubey Huff
LF – Mark DeRosa
C – Bengie Molina
SS – Edgar Renteria
RF – Schierholtz / Bowker / Torres / Velez / Lewis / 38-year-old FA recovering from ACL surgery to be determined.
Someone please tell me how this line-up is better than 2009’s?
The cards have been shuffled, but it’s basically the same deck. DeRosa replaces the failed F-Lew/Velez experiment in left, but there’s no guarantee the Giants didn’t just move that party two spots to the right. Huff essentially replaces Ishikawa / Garko at a bigger price tag.
There are no significant upgrades, and the rest is the same cast of characters.
Moving to the lead-off spot won’t stop Rowand from channeling Pedro Feliz and swinging at sliders in the dirt. Molina will still run like he’s been washing down animal tranquilizers with a fifth of Jack Daniel’s before every game. Renteria will have lost yet another step and will likely battle Sanchez for the team lead in days spent on the DL. Sandoval would appear to be the only real player here.
(Side note: is the Sanchez debacle a stunning indictment of the Giants' medical staff or what? I owned a '72 Vega that I'm sure is currently in better condition that the "gamer" the Giants got for Alderson. More on that at a later date.)
I had hope at one point – hope the Giants would finally be forced to give some of the kids a chance. Now I’m not so sure. The Giants' off-season moves have effectively blocked the ascension of everyone except Madison Bumgarner. They'll certainly screw that up as well. Can the signing of Satchel Paige be far off?
If you're a Giants fan (and if you still call yourself one then what's wrong with you?), you have to be looking at this line-up and asking yourself what the point to it all is. The Giants keep running guys out there with no apparent plan. The player aquisition modus operandi appears to consist of finding guys who prefer to play one more year rather than begin collecting their pensions.
This is nothing more than grandstanding -- making moves so that the less demanding (or thoughtful) Giants fan is convinced the front office is doing something. Unfortnately, that "something" appears to be accomplishing very little.
I don't undertand the thought process. I keep thinking back to the signing of Randy Johnson last year, when the Giants took a flyer on a guy they really didn't need. I can see a struggling team grabbing a guy about to win his 300th for the PR value. For a team supposedly rebuilding with younger players you have to ask: what was the end game? How was Johnson going to make the Giants better long term. The answer? He wasn't going to, and he didn't.
Molina, Huff, DeRosa -- none of these players make the Giants signifcantly better in the short term, none will be around long term, and in the case of Molina all it does is delay the rise of someone else. Better to let the kids play, even if it means a step backward in 2010, because continuing along this path sure doesn't bode well for 2011.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Giants' Valdez leaves in a Huff
Mr. Peabody, let's set the wayback machine for 2002.
The over-achieving Giants just lost a World Series heartbreaker, largely because the idiot manager pulled his starter in Game Six way too soon then entrusted Game Seven to a quivering tower of Jello whose reputation as a big game pitcher owed more to Eric Gregg than to talent.
So how to get back those precious six outs? Well, according to Brian Satan, uh, Sabean, you start by dealing away that Game Six starter. Russ Ortiz goes to the Braves for the "effectively wild" Damian Moss -- who proved to be much more "wild" than "effective" and was gone by the trading deadline. But, "never fear", said the Genius GM, the prize in the deal is a minor league pitcher named Merkin Valdez.
Yup, the prize just got DFA'd to make room for Aubrey Huff, a journeyman stick on a one-year pass. Wow, that deal really looks like a winner. So I ask again, how does Sabean keep his job?
By the way, does anyone rememebr that Ortiz was dealt because he wanted the outrageous sum of $4 million per year -- less than half of what the Giants paid Dave Roberts last year to play Scrabble and watch SoapNet?
In 13 seasons with the Giants, Sabean has yet to bring home a crown. There is no GM now in baseball who has put up that kind of record and managed to keep his job. Sabean just got a contract extension. You gotta go into porn or manufacture crystal meth to find another profession where mediocrity is so richly rewarded.
And it's not like this is an abberation. Last season the Giants moved their number-three pitching prospect for a first sacker who got about 100 ABs before it was decided he wasn't worth keeping around. In the deal for Ryan Garko, the Tribe got an emerging arm while the Giants temporarily enjoyed an extra hand in clubhouse card games. The jury is still out on a deal where the number two pitching prospect departed for a second baseman that needed to be put down after throwing a shoe on the backstretch. Those moves bring to mind winners like Jeremy Accardo for Shea Hillenbrand or Joe Nathan et al for AJ Pierzynski.
Where exactly is the learning curve?
Valdez was supposed to be The Man -- a hurler with a blazing fastball who would intimidate the Albert Pujolses of the world for a decade. Now he's yet the latest entry on a growing list of failed Sabean experiments. Hoo-rah! I hope I don't get trampled in the stampede to buy season tickets.
Incidently, I let my season tix go after '05 when it became evident this ship was going down faster than Linda Lovelace, and the front office hasn't exactly given me a reason to come back. Spedning $80 a head to sit on the club level and watch Aaron Rowand swing at sliders in the dirt isn't my idea of a pleasureable leisuretime activity.
So Mr. Wonderful is handed his Samsonite luggage and a bus ticket to make room for Aubrey Huff, a move a good friend of my described thusly:
"I have always believed ‑‑ from day one of his career ‑‑ that Aubrey Huff would be a Giant at some point after his peak. Mediocre in every aspect but with a little plus power, now at the end of his carreer. In short, a PML (Proven Major Leaguer). Sabean's wet dream."
Take notice, Giants fans. This is your clean-up hitter. The only significant improvement Huff shows over Bengie Moina is that there may be something left of the postgame spread when Huff clears the buffet line.
So, the Giants' (read that Sabean's) idea of an upgrade is to replace a 4-5 of Molina and Winn with Huff and DeRosa. Well, that is an unpgrade -- like making out with the ugly chick down the block in an upgrade from
kissing your sister. Neither is something you admit to anywhere other than the Jerry Springer Show.
I won't even recite the entire Sabean littany. Baseball is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business, so just look and the post-Game Six era (if you dare). Sabean has very little to show for his (ahem) efforts. He's primarily gone after aging vets hoping to catch lightlning in a bottle. It happened once, and he's clearly convinced that there's now no other way to operate -- which for him may be the case since his few attempts at grabbing younger "talent" (like Valdez) have been unmitigated disasters. Even when there's a glimmer of hope with the emergence of youngsters like Lincecum, Cain and Sandoval, you hold your breath wondering how he's going to screw it up.
Sadly, that's usually an easy question to answer.
Case in point: it appeared the Giants had backed themselves into a situation where Bumgarner and Posey had to start (see my last post). Now comes word that the Giants are negotiating for the return of Yorvit Torrealba. Let me get this straight. A guy who was a back-up in San Francisco from 2001-2005 before being dealt for a marginal outfielder is now the answer behind the plate. This as he reaches an age where most catchers start to deteriorate faster than Ozzy Osbourne's mental state? What's next, the return of Jesse Foppert?
I give up. I was hopeful that the Giants finally were going to be forced to give the kids a chance. Now I see that's never going to happen. Sabean could have the world's hottest supermodel decked out in the latest slutware from Victoria's Secret begging for his attention, but he's going to focus on the aging B-movie actress who once gave him a thrill via Cinemax when he was 14 years old.
We're a month away from Spring Training. Pass the Pepto Bismol.
The over-achieving Giants just lost a World Series heartbreaker, largely because the idiot manager pulled his starter in Game Six way too soon then entrusted Game Seven to a quivering tower of Jello whose reputation as a big game pitcher owed more to Eric Gregg than to talent.
So how to get back those precious six outs? Well, according to Brian Satan, uh, Sabean, you start by dealing away that Game Six starter. Russ Ortiz goes to the Braves for the "effectively wild" Damian Moss -- who proved to be much more "wild" than "effective" and was gone by the trading deadline. But, "never fear", said the Genius GM, the prize in the deal is a minor league pitcher named Merkin Valdez.
Yup, the prize just got DFA'd to make room for Aubrey Huff, a journeyman stick on a one-year pass. Wow, that deal really looks like a winner. So I ask again, how does Sabean keep his job?
By the way, does anyone rememebr that Ortiz was dealt because he wanted the outrageous sum of $4 million per year -- less than half of what the Giants paid Dave Roberts last year to play Scrabble and watch SoapNet?
In 13 seasons with the Giants, Sabean has yet to bring home a crown. There is no GM now in baseball who has put up that kind of record and managed to keep his job. Sabean just got a contract extension. You gotta go into porn or manufacture crystal meth to find another profession where mediocrity is so richly rewarded.
And it's not like this is an abberation. Last season the Giants moved their number-three pitching prospect for a first sacker who got about 100 ABs before it was decided he wasn't worth keeping around. In the deal for Ryan Garko, the Tribe got an emerging arm while the Giants temporarily enjoyed an extra hand in clubhouse card games. The jury is still out on a deal where the number two pitching prospect departed for a second baseman that needed to be put down after throwing a shoe on the backstretch. Those moves bring to mind winners like Jeremy Accardo for Shea Hillenbrand or Joe Nathan et al for AJ Pierzynski.
Where exactly is the learning curve?
Valdez was supposed to be The Man -- a hurler with a blazing fastball who would intimidate the Albert Pujolses of the world for a decade. Now he's yet the latest entry on a growing list of failed Sabean experiments. Hoo-rah! I hope I don't get trampled in the stampede to buy season tickets.
Incidently, I let my season tix go after '05 when it became evident this ship was going down faster than Linda Lovelace, and the front office hasn't exactly given me a reason to come back. Spedning $80 a head to sit on the club level and watch Aaron Rowand swing at sliders in the dirt isn't my idea of a pleasureable leisuretime activity.
So Mr. Wonderful is handed his Samsonite luggage and a bus ticket to make room for Aubrey Huff, a move a good friend of my described thusly:
"I have always believed ‑‑ from day one of his career ‑‑ that Aubrey Huff would be a Giant at some point after his peak. Mediocre in every aspect but with a little plus power, now at the end of his carreer. In short, a PML (Proven Major Leaguer). Sabean's wet dream."
Take notice, Giants fans. This is your clean-up hitter. The only significant improvement Huff shows over Bengie Moina is that there may be something left of the postgame spread when Huff clears the buffet line.
So, the Giants' (read that Sabean's) idea of an upgrade is to replace a 4-5 of Molina and Winn with Huff and DeRosa. Well, that is an unpgrade -- like making out with the ugly chick down the block in an upgrade from
kissing your sister. Neither is something you admit to anywhere other than the Jerry Springer Show.
I won't even recite the entire Sabean littany. Baseball is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business, so just look and the post-Game Six era (if you dare). Sabean has very little to show for his (ahem) efforts. He's primarily gone after aging vets hoping to catch lightlning in a bottle. It happened once, and he's clearly convinced that there's now no other way to operate -- which for him may be the case since his few attempts at grabbing younger "talent" (like Valdez) have been unmitigated disasters. Even when there's a glimmer of hope with the emergence of youngsters like Lincecum, Cain and Sandoval, you hold your breath wondering how he's going to screw it up.
Sadly, that's usually an easy question to answer.
Case in point: it appeared the Giants had backed themselves into a situation where Bumgarner and Posey had to start (see my last post). Now comes word that the Giants are negotiating for the return of Yorvit Torrealba. Let me get this straight. A guy who was a back-up in San Francisco from 2001-2005 before being dealt for a marginal outfielder is now the answer behind the plate. This as he reaches an age where most catchers start to deteriorate faster than Ozzy Osbourne's mental state? What's next, the return of Jesse Foppert?
I give up. I was hopeful that the Giants finally were going to be forced to give the kids a chance. Now I see that's never going to happen. Sabean could have the world's hottest supermodel decked out in the latest slutware from Victoria's Secret begging for his attention, but he's going to focus on the aging B-movie actress who once gave him a thrill via Cinemax when he was 14 years old.
We're a month away from Spring Training. Pass the Pepto Bismol.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Doing the right thing for all the wrong reasons
Is it possible that Giants management is so messed up that it actually has been forced to do the right thing?
Think about it. This disfunctional organization has so totally missed the boat for the past few years that it finally can't afford to continue along the same tortured path. Not that the Giants didn't try. Yet we may find that, in one big happy accident, they've actually backed themselves into a corner so tight that even they can't do any more damage.
How many times have you heard the term "a real baseball man" when it comes to the kind of person who should be a GM? And could someone tell me what that means? Does the guy have to have albino skin, stiches in his face and a a scuff mark where Whitey Ford worked his magic? Baseball man. They throw that title at Brian Sabean because he's been in the game for an Ice Age. But is that because he's good or is it because he couldn't find otherwise honest work unless he and Mark Cuban decided to run a Dairy Queen together (obscure reference #1)?
The sheer tonnage of bad contracts and personnel blunders committed by this so-called Baseball Man is enough to stagger an ox.
Ryan Klesko, Dave Roberts, Matt Morris, Michael Tucker, Edgardo Alfonzo: all signed as free agents. LaTroy Hawkins, Mike Stanton, AJ Pierzynski, Syndney Ponson, Steve Finley: all acquired via trade. Damon Minor, Todd Linden, Jesse Foppert, Jerome Williams, Carlos Valderama, Jason Eillison, Kevin Frandsen: the list of failed prospects grows. We won't even get into the guys who were here and got away -- I've already had one breakdown over Joe Nathan, and David Aardsma looks to be a keeper.
The common threads? All moves involving these, um, players fall somewhere along the curve between disappointing and Baseball Armageddon; and all were orchestrated under the watchful eye of one Brian Sabean.
Now, to be fair, Sabean has made some decent moves. There was, uh,.....well, uh, ....yeah, he did draft that Lincecum guy. Of course, when Stacy Keibler flashes a "come get me" smile you have to notice. Don't give Sabean credit for scoring the prettiest girl at the dance because someone spiked her vodka gimlet. Just as often he's struck out, or worse hooked up with the sock hop equivalent of Brad Hennessey or Kevin Correia.
Sabean is still dining out on two deals: the acquisition of Jason Schmidt and the much-overhyped Matt Williams fire sale that netted Jeff Kent. Am I the only one who remembers Sabean crowing about the key man in that deal, Julian Taveras? Kent was included because the Giants needed someone to play third in Williams' absence. Kent moved to second only when it was proven he couldn't handle the hot corner. Sabean didn't scope out a raw talent, he banged the head cheerleader after she gulped one too many pina coladas.
And Taveras? His career ranked just ahead of Solomon Torres' in Giants lore (obscure reference #2).
You would think after all this time that there might be some kind of learning curve. Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Under that theory, Sabean needs to be in a rubber room.
It may be that the success of 2002-03 was the worst thing that ever happened to this franchise. Those teams overachieved, yet they apparently convinced Sabean that was the way to build a winner. Those teams included the likes of Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders and Ray Durham -- decent pros but not what anyone would call a difference maker.
Get lucky with a few guys enjoying career years and you've got a potent weapon -- especially with the greatest hitter of our age at the hub. Problem is, that formula doesn't work when the vets are guys who should be coming off the bench, and your "hub" is an overweight catcher who runs like an arthritic water buffalo. And yet Sabean continues to do more of the same. Mark DeRosa, Juan Uribe, and now Aubrey Huff? Where's the impact bat? Where's the long-term solution?
At least I see a glimmer of hope in the Huff signing. The Giants went for a 1-year deal because Huff would play for the (choke, gag) bargain sum of $3 million. If the Giants felt that was all that was left in the kitty then their off-season shopping should finally be done, and that brings me back to the original point.
Barring something dramatic (and stupid), Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner just made the roster. The Giants have finally blown their allowance. The kids are going to have to earn their keep, which finally begins a process that should have started years ago.
Names like Scheirholtz, Noonan, Posey, Bowker, Runzler and others may not provide the answers, but we can't give these guys a thumbs up or down based on how well they sit on the bench. For every Rich Aurilia, Randy Winn or Bobby Howry on the roster, there's a kid who never gets a shot to win a job. Not all of them are going to make it. It's possible that none of them pan out, but you don't get any closer to determining their fate while trying to find more at-bats for Ryan Klesko.
Now Sabean only gets partial credit this season because he did scrape the proverbial barrel once more. I'm actually okay with Uribe in a reserve role (assuming Huff at first and Sadoval manning third). That probably puts DeRosa in left. But look at the collateral damage. Bowker, Scheirholtz, Torres, Burris and Velez are essentially fighting for one job and there's no room for Noonan, Crawford, Gillespie or others in the near future. And we may never find out if one of these guys is the second coming of Barry Bonds, Todd Linden or somewhere in between until forced by fate or injury -- at which case it's too late to do anything about it if the Giants guessed wrong.
At some point the Giants have to say "enough." Any addition over the age of 30 better be capable of hitting in the middle of the order, and I'm talking about hitting 3-4-5 for the Yankees, Red Sox or Cardinals. Plugging another Pedro Feliz-type into the three hole because he doesn't bite quite as bad as the guy who had that job before him doesn't cut the mustard.
So hopefully the Giants have finally spent thmesleves into the proverbial corner. The millions dished out to gems like Zito, Rowand and Renteria may have finally handcuffed them into playing some kids. Will that translate to wins? In 2010, I doubt it. But I'd much prefer to see youngsters grow, giving me the hope that the team will grow with them as opposed to watching a 35-year-old try to recapture one final year of glory on a team going nowhere.
The Giants need to look to the future, even at the expense of the present.
Cain and Linceum already provide one of the best pitching 1-2s in baseball. The bullpen is good, and improving. Most of all, those guys are young. Think where they'd be if what I'm suggesting had been done last two years. We'd know if many of these kids could play, and the Giants would have the financial resources needed to fill the gaps. Instead, Timmy and Matt are a year older and the Giants are no closer to the promised land.
So here's to Posey and Bumgarner. May they prove that kids deserve a chance, and may Sabean finally be smart enough to notice.
Think about it. This disfunctional organization has so totally missed the boat for the past few years that it finally can't afford to continue along the same tortured path. Not that the Giants didn't try. Yet we may find that, in one big happy accident, they've actually backed themselves into a corner so tight that even they can't do any more damage.
How many times have you heard the term "a real baseball man" when it comes to the kind of person who should be a GM? And could someone tell me what that means? Does the guy have to have albino skin, stiches in his face and a a scuff mark where Whitey Ford worked his magic? Baseball man. They throw that title at Brian Sabean because he's been in the game for an Ice Age. But is that because he's good or is it because he couldn't find otherwise honest work unless he and Mark Cuban decided to run a Dairy Queen together (obscure reference #1)?
The sheer tonnage of bad contracts and personnel blunders committed by this so-called Baseball Man is enough to stagger an ox.
Ryan Klesko, Dave Roberts, Matt Morris, Michael Tucker, Edgardo Alfonzo: all signed as free agents. LaTroy Hawkins, Mike Stanton, AJ Pierzynski, Syndney Ponson, Steve Finley: all acquired via trade. Damon Minor, Todd Linden, Jesse Foppert, Jerome Williams, Carlos Valderama, Jason Eillison, Kevin Frandsen: the list of failed prospects grows. We won't even get into the guys who were here and got away -- I've already had one breakdown over Joe Nathan, and David Aardsma looks to be a keeper.
The common threads? All moves involving these, um, players fall somewhere along the curve between disappointing and Baseball Armageddon; and all were orchestrated under the watchful eye of one Brian Sabean.
Now, to be fair, Sabean has made some decent moves. There was, uh,.....well, uh, ....yeah, he did draft that Lincecum guy. Of course, when Stacy Keibler flashes a "come get me" smile you have to notice. Don't give Sabean credit for scoring the prettiest girl at the dance because someone spiked her vodka gimlet. Just as often he's struck out, or worse hooked up with the sock hop equivalent of Brad Hennessey or Kevin Correia.
Sabean is still dining out on two deals: the acquisition of Jason Schmidt and the much-overhyped Matt Williams fire sale that netted Jeff Kent. Am I the only one who remembers Sabean crowing about the key man in that deal, Julian Taveras? Kent was included because the Giants needed someone to play third in Williams' absence. Kent moved to second only when it was proven he couldn't handle the hot corner. Sabean didn't scope out a raw talent, he banged the head cheerleader after she gulped one too many pina coladas.
And Taveras? His career ranked just ahead of Solomon Torres' in Giants lore (obscure reference #2).
You would think after all this time that there might be some kind of learning curve. Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Under that theory, Sabean needs to be in a rubber room.
It may be that the success of 2002-03 was the worst thing that ever happened to this franchise. Those teams overachieved, yet they apparently convinced Sabean that was the way to build a winner. Those teams included the likes of Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders and Ray Durham -- decent pros but not what anyone would call a difference maker.
Get lucky with a few guys enjoying career years and you've got a potent weapon -- especially with the greatest hitter of our age at the hub. Problem is, that formula doesn't work when the vets are guys who should be coming off the bench, and your "hub" is an overweight catcher who runs like an arthritic water buffalo. And yet Sabean continues to do more of the same. Mark DeRosa, Juan Uribe, and now Aubrey Huff? Where's the impact bat? Where's the long-term solution?
At least I see a glimmer of hope in the Huff signing. The Giants went for a 1-year deal because Huff would play for the (choke, gag) bargain sum of $3 million. If the Giants felt that was all that was left in the kitty then their off-season shopping should finally be done, and that brings me back to the original point.
Barring something dramatic (and stupid), Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner just made the roster. The Giants have finally blown their allowance. The kids are going to have to earn their keep, which finally begins a process that should have started years ago.
Names like Scheirholtz, Noonan, Posey, Bowker, Runzler and others may not provide the answers, but we can't give these guys a thumbs up or down based on how well they sit on the bench. For every Rich Aurilia, Randy Winn or Bobby Howry on the roster, there's a kid who never gets a shot to win a job. Not all of them are going to make it. It's possible that none of them pan out, but you don't get any closer to determining their fate while trying to find more at-bats for Ryan Klesko.
Now Sabean only gets partial credit this season because he did scrape the proverbial barrel once more. I'm actually okay with Uribe in a reserve role (assuming Huff at first and Sadoval manning third). That probably puts DeRosa in left. But look at the collateral damage. Bowker, Scheirholtz, Torres, Burris and Velez are essentially fighting for one job and there's no room for Noonan, Crawford, Gillespie or others in the near future. And we may never find out if one of these guys is the second coming of Barry Bonds, Todd Linden or somewhere in between until forced by fate or injury -- at which case it's too late to do anything about it if the Giants guessed wrong.
At some point the Giants have to say "enough." Any addition over the age of 30 better be capable of hitting in the middle of the order, and I'm talking about hitting 3-4-5 for the Yankees, Red Sox or Cardinals. Plugging another Pedro Feliz-type into the three hole because he doesn't bite quite as bad as the guy who had that job before him doesn't cut the mustard.
So hopefully the Giants have finally spent thmesleves into the proverbial corner. The millions dished out to gems like Zito, Rowand and Renteria may have finally handcuffed them into playing some kids. Will that translate to wins? In 2010, I doubt it. But I'd much prefer to see youngsters grow, giving me the hope that the team will grow with them as opposed to watching a 35-year-old try to recapture one final year of glory on a team going nowhere.
The Giants need to look to the future, even at the expense of the present.
Cain and Linceum already provide one of the best pitching 1-2s in baseball. The bullpen is good, and improving. Most of all, those guys are young. Think where they'd be if what I'm suggesting had been done last two years. We'd know if many of these kids could play, and the Giants would have the financial resources needed to fill the gaps. Instead, Timmy and Matt are a year older and the Giants are no closer to the promised land.
So here's to Posey and Bumgarner. May they prove that kids deserve a chance, and may Sabean finally be smart enough to notice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
