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.
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