Brian Sabean told MLB.com that he's not worried about the Giants' recent slide, which has now seen them drop 9 of 11. You gotta wonder what kind of disaster COULD provoke panic. I guess that's what happens when the bar for a contract exention is set at making sure the stadium doesn't fall into the Bay.
It's not that the team is losing, it's that they aren't competing -- at all. I've coached high school teams that are more technically proficient than the San Francisco Giants. Today add Sanchez's sloppy balk and Burrell's even sloppier play in left to the growing list of San Francisco on-field misadventures. This team, despite the record, simply isn't very good. In fact, if you can draw any conclusion from the record it's that things are getting worse.
Not worried? Brian, it's time for Dr. Freud to visit with GM Fraud. You're lost.
There are plenty of reasons to worry. How about that fact that Sanchez has become a five-inning pitcher? How about the dismal record within the division, and specifically against the teams they're supposed to be chasing? How about that fact that this punchless offense managed just a handfull of runs in a series that they should have, no NEEDED, to be up for? And how about the fact that this team is fast approaching triple digits in the hit-into-double-plays category?
Jeez, Brian, when exactly is the time for concern? Is it when someone outs Neukom and the photos you posesses involving lingerie and small wildlife won't save your miserable job anymore?
Let's face it, there is no element of the game right now the Giants can point to and say "we do that as well as anyone." Lincecum is struggling, Zito is up and down, Cain and Sanchez are a combined 0-13 against LA (one of the teams they HAVE to beat to contend), and the offense as a whole sputters like a 1954 Ford Falcon with sand in the gas tank -- and that's on a good day.
Worse, the moves by the front office exacerbate the problem. They give up on young players with potential (anyone seen Frandsen's numbers with the Halos lately?), fall in love with marginal prospects (Linden, Ransom, Velez), and take the consensus blue chippers and watch them rust (Posey, Scheirholtz).
You can move Huff to the outfield and add Burrell's bat, but it weakens the team defensively. It also means yet another up-and-comer doesn't get his opportunity to break out. Anyone wanna bet Nate catches that ball in the gap that split Huff and Rowand?
There are too many things going on here that make less sense that an Amish tech conference, but the bottom line is this: the Giants have glaring flaws and they won't be fixed by shopping in the bargain bin. The players Sabean acquires are available in the first place because they've got something that made them less attractive to other teams.
Huff and Burrell are defensive liabilities. Molina runs like an injured turtle going up a 45-percent grade and he's lazy behind the plate. Renteria is an inconsistent fielder who can't stay off the DL. Most of the pen either suffers from control issues, are early candidates for Alzheimer's testing, or both. Sandoval and Uribe eat themselves into shape -- and that shape is a circle. The list is endless.
When a team is this dysfunctional the reasons are legion, but it starts at the top. When the kids are out of control, take a look and the parents. Is Johnny a loser because Dad is an alcoholic, or his Dad's best friend Jose Cuervo because Johnny is a loser? In the case of the Giants, I think it's a little bit of both, but the Dad here has a chance to pick his kids and consistently chooses Axl Rose and Amy Winehouse over Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.
Until the system changes, until the Giants realize that the direction they've taken will not work, the ringless dry spell will continue. If the Giants wish to be baseball's Statue of Liberty (give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, your drastically undertalented), this is the kind of baseball we'll see. Occassionally they'll have a decent stretch, but they'll simply be POWs who got outside the gates for a moment but know the dogs and the guards are closing in.
I've been challenged to say something positive, so here it is. I noticed there were no major gaffs behind the play today. Of course, I also noticed that Moo-lina didn't play. Conincidence? There also were no major foul-ups on the basepaths, but then again there also were no base runners. I guess if there's no good news you make your own.
Anyone who still believes in this team is in a total state of denial. Bill Neukom, this means at you. Clean house. Fumingate. Burn the joint down. Do anything that ISN'T part of the Sabean plan. Buck Showalter, Gail Ng and Paul Depodesta are just a handfull of those out there waiting for the phone to ring -- and a blind chimp would be an improvement over what we have.
I'll spring for the call.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Apologies to Gilbert O'Sullivan (Naturally)
In a little while from now, if I'm not feeling any less sour
I promised myself to treat myself and visit a nearby tower,
And climbing to the top, will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to who, ever what it's like when your shattered
Left standing in the lurch, at a church where people are saying,
"My God that's tough, Sabes stood us up! No point in us remaining.
We may as well go home, as I did on my own,
We’re Cained again, naturally
To think that only yesterday, I was cheerful, bright and gay,
Looking forward to, but who wouldn't do, the Giants were about to play
But as if to knock me down, Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch, cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt, talk about God in His mercy
For if He really does exist, Why did He desert me, in my hour of need?
I truly am indeed, Cained again, naturally
(instrumental break, preferably for a funeral march of some kind)
I promised myself to treat myself and visit a nearby tower,
And climbing to the top, will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to who, ever what it's like when your shattered
Left standing in the lurch, at a church where people are saying,
"My God that's tough, Sabes stood us up! No point in us remaining.
We may as well go home, as I did on my own,
We’re Cained again, naturally
To think that only yesterday, I was cheerful, bright and gay,
Looking forward to, but who wouldn't do, the Giants were about to play
But as if to knock me down, Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch, cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt, talk about God in His mercy
For if He really does exist, Why did He desert me, in my hour of need?
I truly am indeed, Cained again, naturally
(instrumental break, preferably for a funeral march of some kind)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Embarassing...Simply Embarassing
When a team plays this poorly, someone has to be held accountable.
Yet another loss to The Hated Dodgers, another setback within the division, and another contest filled with miscue after miscue as the guys dressed in Halloween colors proved to be absolutely scary. Let’s enumerate the more glaring foul-ups, and this list is by no means inclusive.
Detect a trend here?
Right now the Giants have the same career trajectory as Lindsay Lohan. It’s becoming more evident every day that (a) this team isn’t a winner, and (b) those in charge don’t have the brainpower to recognize it.
At least Lindsay got lucky in rehab.
I’ve noted before that I’m a big fan of Andrew Baggarly and the San Jose Mercury News, so I willingly give him credit for the following:
“All the ground-ball double plays, the undisciplined first-pitch swings, heavy legs and base running mistakes have served to kill rallies and undermine pitching efforts. Giants manager Bruce Bochy sat hope-filled rookie Buster Posey and started his cadre of plodding 30-year-olds….”
And I was beginning to think no one else had noticed. It’s certain Bill Neukom hasn’t. Either that, or he’s playing us Giants fans for the suckers I always figured he pegged us for. “Don’t worry about wins and losses” they tell us. “Just buy tickets. Trust us.”
The trust is used up. The last three guys the Giants have identified as the future of the team are now being treated as a number-three catcher (Posey), a defensive replacement (Schierholtz), and I believe Frandsen was last seen working his new position with Imperial Parking.
This has gotta stop. Friends, I’m gonna say it right now. The 2010 season is gone. The team, as constructed, isn’t capable of making a serious run at anything more than the post-game buffet. It’s time for change.
On the field, some people have to go. Some might have trade value, some might bring no more than a used rosin bag. Still, it’s time to part company with Molina, Renteria and Rowand. While we’re at it, Pedro needs some time on the bench (and away from the food table). And any member of the pitching staff not named Lincecum, Cain, Romo, Wilson or Bumgarner needs to be openly shopped.
Off the field, the next two guys out of town need to be Sabean and Bochy. It’s clear that the Giants will never rebuild under these two. No matter how well Huff and Burrell produce, it won’t change the fact that for every one of those guys that does produce you can find five DeRosas, Retnerias, Tuckers and Kleskos. Either they can’t, or won’t, develop and trust young talent.
The teams that compete do so largely with 26-30 year-old studs, not 35-year-olds hoping to recapture shreds of past glory. Playing vets is Bochy's crutch, and Sabean is his enabler.
The Giants simply have too many guys whose time is done, and too many who play foolish, thoughtless baseball. It’s time to remove those who cannot be taught, and bring in proper guidance for those who can. I’d rather see the Giants go 70-92 with a bunch of kids who can get better than 85-77 with a bunch of guys who can’t.
In a nutshell, this team sucks. Its management sucks, it’s leadership sucks, and fans like me are suckers for once again daring to believe that THIS season might be different. It can never be, because those making the decisions know only one play, and it’s a loser.
Yet another loss to The Hated Dodgers, another setback within the division, and another contest filled with miscue after miscue as the guys dressed in Halloween colors proved to be absolutely scary. Let’s enumerate the more glaring foul-ups, and this list is by no means inclusive.
- Inning number one is extended because Renteria can’t hold the ball on a simple tag play.
- Bochy inexplicably pitches to Loney with first base empty and two out, opening the flood gates in the decisive inning.
- Pablo once again proves he can’t navigate the bases without a GPS unit strapped to his ample belly.
- Molina AGAIN goes lazy behind the plate and gives away a free 90 feet (a regular occurrence).
Detect a trend here?
Right now the Giants have the same career trajectory as Lindsay Lohan. It’s becoming more evident every day that (a) this team isn’t a winner, and (b) those in charge don’t have the brainpower to recognize it.
At least Lindsay got lucky in rehab.
I’ve noted before that I’m a big fan of Andrew Baggarly and the San Jose Mercury News, so I willingly give him credit for the following:
“All the ground-ball double plays, the undisciplined first-pitch swings, heavy legs and base running mistakes have served to kill rallies and undermine pitching efforts. Giants manager Bruce Bochy sat hope-filled rookie Buster Posey and started his cadre of plodding 30-year-olds….”
And I was beginning to think no one else had noticed. It’s certain Bill Neukom hasn’t. Either that, or he’s playing us Giants fans for the suckers I always figured he pegged us for. “Don’t worry about wins and losses” they tell us. “Just buy tickets. Trust us.”
The trust is used up. The last three guys the Giants have identified as the future of the team are now being treated as a number-three catcher (Posey), a defensive replacement (Schierholtz), and I believe Frandsen was last seen working his new position with Imperial Parking.
This has gotta stop. Friends, I’m gonna say it right now. The 2010 season is gone. The team, as constructed, isn’t capable of making a serious run at anything more than the post-game buffet. It’s time for change.
On the field, some people have to go. Some might have trade value, some might bring no more than a used rosin bag. Still, it’s time to part company with Molina, Renteria and Rowand. While we’re at it, Pedro needs some time on the bench (and away from the food table). And any member of the pitching staff not named Lincecum, Cain, Romo, Wilson or Bumgarner needs to be openly shopped.
Off the field, the next two guys out of town need to be Sabean and Bochy. It’s clear that the Giants will never rebuild under these two. No matter how well Huff and Burrell produce, it won’t change the fact that for every one of those guys that does produce you can find five DeRosas, Retnerias, Tuckers and Kleskos. Either they can’t, or won’t, develop and trust young talent.
The teams that compete do so largely with 26-30 year-old studs, not 35-year-olds hoping to recapture shreds of past glory. Playing vets is Bochy's crutch, and Sabean is his enabler.
The Giants simply have too many guys whose time is done, and too many who play foolish, thoughtless baseball. It’s time to remove those who cannot be taught, and bring in proper guidance for those who can. I’d rather see the Giants go 70-92 with a bunch of kids who can get better than 85-77 with a bunch of guys who can’t.
In a nutshell, this team sucks. Its management sucks, it’s leadership sucks, and fans like me are suckers for once again daring to believe that THIS season might be different. It can never be, because those making the decisions know only one play, and it’s a loser.
Monday, June 28, 2010
If They Call It a Comedy of Errors, Why Isn't This Funny?
Now that game had everything, if you like to watch ineptitude. Baserunning blunders, poor situational hitting, pitching that defies explanation -- so go the 2010 Giants. What makes tonight's 4-2 stink fest versus The Hated Dodgers even more galling is that the enemy waltzed in on a bender of its own, sat three regulars, didn't have its closer available, and still slapped the Giants around and made them cry.
It’s difficult to decide what the Giants need more. You could talk about adding a consistent power bat or even suggest a remedial base running course, but I gotta believe that the single greatest weakness on this team is the lack of consistent middle relief.
Tonight’s goat, one Santiago Casilla. It stands to reason that yet another of Sabean’s dumpster dives coughed up the game once again. Casilla’s 30th pitch of the seventh frame was a meatball that Casey Blake lined into the bleachers, taking out a row of seats and sending the Giants down to defeat for the seventh time in 10 games.
Where does Sabean find these guys? Good God, the A's (in dire need of pitching themselves) gave up on this clown. I don't care if he throws 200 MPH, velocity without location is about as useful as Monopoly money when the rent is due. But Sabean was offered a toy, a big arm attached, and it once again bit the Giants firmly on the hind quarters.
The offense, of course, was putrid again. Five more double plays. Just say it. Five double plays. Five ever-loving God-forsaken double plays. That’s 81 for the season, and that doesn’t count either the strike out/throw out variety or the baserunning brain farts – both of which were in evidence tonight. And so June will crawl mercifully toward its conclusion as though the script was authored by Stephen King.
There are nights you watch a team and you can see who they are. This was on of those nights. Contender? The record isn’t bad, butt his isn’t the kind of team that can complete at a high level on a regular basis. Even if a miracle takes place and this team makes the playoffs (ha!), does anyone really believe they can go three straight series against the elite without suffering one of these insufferable series straight from the seventh level of Hell?
The Giants have become my worst fear, an organization comfortable in its mediocrity. They have a few decent peices but never solve the puzzle. Too often it’s just a regurgitation of the same old same old. Exit Bobby Howry, enter Santiago Casilla. Exit Moises Alou, enter Aaron Rowand. Rich Aurilia becomes Mark DeRosa. The faces change, but not the image.
This is a team in need of a full make-over, not just a nip and tuck. We’re talking Joan Rivers time here.
While I’m at it, what the !#$^ is the value of Bengie Molina? Posey sits while Bengie throws up an Ofer. Worse, the guy calls a crappy game. I know the pitchers say nice things about him to the press. Okay, you don’t air your dirty laundry in public, but I’ve got issues with this guy – and not just because he runs like a beached whale. Let’s take a look at Manny’s RBI hit tonight.
Five straight fastballs from Zito worked the count full, and Manny took two straight down the pipe after getting ahead 3-0. Now anyone watching at him at home, in the park, or keeping up with the game via morse code could surmise the following – Manny is SITTING ON A CURVE BALL. So? Yep, serve up the deuce. Jeez, Bengie, next time set the damn thing up on a tee for the guy, will ya?
So the Giants fall to the Dodgers for the third time in four tries, and their dismal record within the division takes another kick to the chops.
July is here, and it’s time for Sabean to make a move. To me he can improve the team in two ways – add some real talent or remove himself. His choice, but time is growing as short as my patience.
And for God's sake, someone buy Pablo a friggin' compass.
Note: Health issues have kept me out of the chair recently, but I'll try to do better. My bad. Maybe I should be checked out by the Giants medical team. They'll give anyone a clean bill of health, and Sabean will likely give me a two-year deal afterward. Whatta ya think... The Ranter for DeRosa, straight across?
It’s difficult to decide what the Giants need more. You could talk about adding a consistent power bat or even suggest a remedial base running course, but I gotta believe that the single greatest weakness on this team is the lack of consistent middle relief.
Tonight’s goat, one Santiago Casilla. It stands to reason that yet another of Sabean’s dumpster dives coughed up the game once again. Casilla’s 30th pitch of the seventh frame was a meatball that Casey Blake lined into the bleachers, taking out a row of seats and sending the Giants down to defeat for the seventh time in 10 games.
Where does Sabean find these guys? Good God, the A's (in dire need of pitching themselves) gave up on this clown. I don't care if he throws 200 MPH, velocity without location is about as useful as Monopoly money when the rent is due. But Sabean was offered a toy, a big arm attached, and it once again bit the Giants firmly on the hind quarters.
The offense, of course, was putrid again. Five more double plays. Just say it. Five double plays. Five ever-loving God-forsaken double plays. That’s 81 for the season, and that doesn’t count either the strike out/throw out variety or the baserunning brain farts – both of which were in evidence tonight. And so June will crawl mercifully toward its conclusion as though the script was authored by Stephen King.
There are nights you watch a team and you can see who they are. This was on of those nights. Contender? The record isn’t bad, butt his isn’t the kind of team that can complete at a high level on a regular basis. Even if a miracle takes place and this team makes the playoffs (ha!), does anyone really believe they can go three straight series against the elite without suffering one of these insufferable series straight from the seventh level of Hell?
The Giants have become my worst fear, an organization comfortable in its mediocrity. They have a few decent peices but never solve the puzzle. Too often it’s just a regurgitation of the same old same old. Exit Bobby Howry, enter Santiago Casilla. Exit Moises Alou, enter Aaron Rowand. Rich Aurilia becomes Mark DeRosa. The faces change, but not the image.
This is a team in need of a full make-over, not just a nip and tuck. We’re talking Joan Rivers time here.
While I’m at it, what the !#$^ is the value of Bengie Molina? Posey sits while Bengie throws up an Ofer. Worse, the guy calls a crappy game. I know the pitchers say nice things about him to the press. Okay, you don’t air your dirty laundry in public, but I’ve got issues with this guy – and not just because he runs like a beached whale. Let’s take a look at Manny’s RBI hit tonight.
Five straight fastballs from Zito worked the count full, and Manny took two straight down the pipe after getting ahead 3-0. Now anyone watching at him at home, in the park, or keeping up with the game via morse code could surmise the following – Manny is SITTING ON A CURVE BALL. So? Yep, serve up the deuce. Jeez, Bengie, next time set the damn thing up on a tee for the guy, will ya?
So the Giants fall to the Dodgers for the third time in four tries, and their dismal record within the division takes another kick to the chops.
July is here, and it’s time for Sabean to make a move. To me he can improve the team in two ways – add some real talent or remove himself. His choice, but time is growing as short as my patience.
And for God's sake, someone buy Pablo a friggin' compass.
Note: Health issues have kept me out of the chair recently, but I'll try to do better. My bad. Maybe I should be checked out by the Giants medical team. They'll give anyone a clean bill of health, and Sabean will likely give me a two-year deal afterward. Whatta ya think... The Ranter for DeRosa, straight across?
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Giants Baseball...TORTURE!!!
Just a thought, but isn't it strange that the Giants are unbeaten since Wellemeyer and Medders departed? Okay, so two games is a relatively small sample size, but the Giants have made a habit of knee jerk decisions (just ask Scheirholtz and Bowker), so I'm jumping on this one.
I'm troubled because the more things change, the more they stay the same. Anyone remember the middle portion of this deacade? The Giants still had Barry sending them deep, and there was the semblance of an offense. The rotation was led by Schmidt and Woody, and they weren't half bad. The bullpen, in a word, sucked.
A lot was made of how the Giants couldn't find a decent closer. But what's often forgotten is how often the game was blown before the closer got near the game. How many times did we get to watch the likes of Jim Brower, Tyler Walker and Tim Worrell throw kerosene onto the fire?
Well, here we go again. The Giants pen is becoming the achillies heel. On days when, miracle of miracles, the offense does its part, the pen has been a high wire act. Take tonight....please.
Zito leaves with a 5-2 lead and asks the pen to get six outs. Well, one out and three pitchers later it's a one-run game and the bases are juiced -- despite the A's only having one hit in the frame. What good is the best defense in the word when the opposing offense only has to take four wide ones and watching everyone move up 90 feet?
Sad that currently the most effective arm the Giants have for getting the game to Brian Wilson is....Brian Wilson. Even sadder, as good as he looked in the eighth he was definitely mortal in the ninth.
My ever-popular scpaegoat remains. Sabean is a moron. He's like a two-year old -- unable to concentrate on more than one thing. He spent years drafting starting pitchers. Now his attention is supposedly on the offense. In the meantime, the pen has gone straight to Hades.
Runzler? Casilla? Mota? E-mail me when I get to someone good.
Short post tonight because I'm pounding the keyboard into shrapnel just thinking about how poorly constrcuted this team is. Can we please find a GM capable of walking and chewing gum simultaneously?
I'm troubled because the more things change, the more they stay the same. Anyone remember the middle portion of this deacade? The Giants still had Barry sending them deep, and there was the semblance of an offense. The rotation was led by Schmidt and Woody, and they weren't half bad. The bullpen, in a word, sucked.
A lot was made of how the Giants couldn't find a decent closer. But what's often forgotten is how often the game was blown before the closer got near the game. How many times did we get to watch the likes of Jim Brower, Tyler Walker and Tim Worrell throw kerosene onto the fire?
Well, here we go again. The Giants pen is becoming the achillies heel. On days when, miracle of miracles, the offense does its part, the pen has been a high wire act. Take tonight....please.
Zito leaves with a 5-2 lead and asks the pen to get six outs. Well, one out and three pitchers later it's a one-run game and the bases are juiced -- despite the A's only having one hit in the frame. What good is the best defense in the word when the opposing offense only has to take four wide ones and watching everyone move up 90 feet?
Sad that currently the most effective arm the Giants have for getting the game to Brian Wilson is....Brian Wilson. Even sadder, as good as he looked in the eighth he was definitely mortal in the ninth.
My ever-popular scpaegoat remains. Sabean is a moron. He's like a two-year old -- unable to concentrate on more than one thing. He spent years drafting starting pitchers. Now his attention is supposedly on the offense. In the meantime, the pen has gone straight to Hades.
Runzler? Casilla? Mota? E-mail me when I get to someone good.
Short post tonight because I'm pounding the keyboard into shrapnel just thinking about how poorly constrcuted this team is. Can we please find a GM capable of walking and chewing gum simultaneously?
Friday, June 11, 2010
Giants Stumble Home
What an anticlimax to the road trip, kinda like seeing the partial nudity warning at the start of an episode of "NYPD Blue" only to find out it's Sipowicz getting naked.
The Giants stumbled through a series win in Pittsburgh then took the first two of a four-game set at Cincy. But as has been their modus operandi, the Giants can't stand too much of a good thing. What was a 4-1 trek had all the markings of the moment we'd look back to in October and say "this is when it started." Instead the Giants limp home with a 4-3 ledger ready to face an A's team that made them look strictly like the B-Team the last time they met.
The maddening inconsistency that has been the Giants for a decade continues. When they pitch, the don't hit. When they hit, they don't pitch. This is a team that still hasn't figured out that old mantras like "you win with pitching and defense" no longer apply. Teams that consistently compete for titles, and more imporatntly win them, don't rely on one facet of the game. Balance is the key to victory, and it you don't believe me then ask the Boston Red Sox, an organization that for years fielded slow-pitch softball teams trying to take advantage of that cozy rat trap called Fenway Park, then saw the light and decided adding some decent pitching might be a good idea. Two titles later....you get the picture.
When you're grasping at offensive straws, you'll have days where you hit, and the Giants have. You'll also have days, no matter how good your staff is, where everything the pitcher throws gets sent back at his face like he said something unseemly about the batter's lineage (your mother looks like Otis Nixon!). Balanced teams smooth those issues out. Hitters pick up pitchers, and vice versa.
With the Giants that doesn't happen often. Worse, the strain is showing on the pitchers. Nowhere is that more evident than with Tim Lincecum, who over the last three weeks has actually been the weakness of the staff (I exclude Wellemeyer because he's not a staff member so much as a staph infection). Yep, Timmy is the weak spot. An in related news, black is white, up is down, Tommy Lasorda is slim, and Brian Sabean is smart. It's dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria!
But, enough of that. Just a few random thoughts from the four games in Cincy:
Okay, so next up it's the A's. Given recent history I won't ask for much, but scoring, oh, two runs over the next three days would be nice.
The Giants stumbled through a series win in Pittsburgh then took the first two of a four-game set at Cincy. But as has been their modus operandi, the Giants can't stand too much of a good thing. What was a 4-1 trek had all the markings of the moment we'd look back to in October and say "this is when it started." Instead the Giants limp home with a 4-3 ledger ready to face an A's team that made them look strictly like the B-Team the last time they met.
The maddening inconsistency that has been the Giants for a decade continues. When they pitch, the don't hit. When they hit, they don't pitch. This is a team that still hasn't figured out that old mantras like "you win with pitching and defense" no longer apply. Teams that consistently compete for titles, and more imporatntly win them, don't rely on one facet of the game. Balance is the key to victory, and it you don't believe me then ask the Boston Red Sox, an organization that for years fielded slow-pitch softball teams trying to take advantage of that cozy rat trap called Fenway Park, then saw the light and decided adding some decent pitching might be a good idea. Two titles later....you get the picture.
When you're grasping at offensive straws, you'll have days where you hit, and the Giants have. You'll also have days, no matter how good your staff is, where everything the pitcher throws gets sent back at his face like he said something unseemly about the batter's lineage (your mother looks like Otis Nixon!). Balanced teams smooth those issues out. Hitters pick up pitchers, and vice versa.
With the Giants that doesn't happen often. Worse, the strain is showing on the pitchers. Nowhere is that more evident than with Tim Lincecum, who over the last three weeks has actually been the weakness of the staff (I exclude Wellemeyer because he's not a staff member so much as a staph infection). Yep, Timmy is the weak spot. An in related news, black is white, up is down, Tommy Lasorda is slim, and Brian Sabean is smart. It's dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria!
But, enough of that. Just a few random thoughts from the four games in Cincy:
- It's nice to see that Dusty Baker return to baseball after his star-making appearance at Enik in the "Land of the Lost" remake. Has there ever been a huiman being that looked more like a lizard than this guy?
- Is there a pitcher in baseball, including Ubaldo Jimenez, throwing better than Matt Cain right now? In his last 35 innings he's given up exactly ONE earned run. He's gone the route in three of his last four starts. Half the pitchers in the league couldn't beat those numbers if they were pitching to cadavers. And what if he gets even better? He's been in the bigs long enough that everyone is forgetting that he's only 25 -- younger actually than Lincecum. I've got socks that have been around longer.
- Bochy was a catcher, right? Then how is it he knows less about how to manage pitchers than anyone on the planet? Only he and Grady Little could this consistently remove a pitcher from the game one batter too late. I could see Zito was done. Jeez, Helen Keller could see Zito was done. It's like the drunk driving commercial, the one where they compare the girl with a slight buzz to the one who just took out two teeth with a beer bottle. It's easy to tell which one is wasted. By the time bochy noticed Zito was tanked, he'd not only taken out two teeth but he'd swallowed the bottle, chased it with a fifth of Jack and professed undying devotion to the ugliest chick in the room, only to discover said chick was, in fact, a dude. Friends don't let friends drive drunk, and good managers don't let leads get away by allowing tiring pitchers to get their brains bashed in, especially when they had a chance (and reason) to hit for him in the previous inning.
- The acquisition of Pat Burrell did, in fact, mean the departure (at least temporarily) of Brandon Medders. Much can be said about him clearing waivers en route to Fresno. Nobody wanted this guy? And I though I was the only one who felt that way. Funny that every GM in baseball has now had a shot at Medders, and only Satan said "I want him." Ever see a movie that was just bad? You gotta ask yourself: "What studio exec thought financing that piece of crap was a good idea?" It's what I asked when I saw Medders on the roster. Heck, it's what I said when I saw the opening day roster.
- DeRosa may be gone for the year. Renteria is missing significant time for the second straight year. Freddy Sanchez was damaged goods, both when the Giants broght him aboard and when they re-signed him. Anyone detect a trend here? Once Sabean gets canned, the first order of business is to replce the dudes in charge of physical evaluations. These guys would give Monty Stratton a clean bill of health.
- Just got distracted by a big wind. Oh, sorry, just another swing and miss from Aaron Rowand. I used to wait for commercials to run to the fridge or visit the can. Now I wait for Rowand's at-bats. Man, $12 million a year sure doesn't buy what it used to.
- Bigger disaster, BP or BS? You make the call.
- Thank you, Todd Wellemeyer, for finding a way to take yourself out of the game. Bochy is still waiting for a bearded old fart to decend from the mountains carrying stone tablets before he gets the message. Way to take one for the team. I was going to post his road ERA here, but my keyboard doesn't have the infinity symbol.
- What prize do the Giants get for breaking the single-season record for hitting into double plays? They've killed more rallies than Murder Incorporated. Three times Thursday with the bases loaded? There's gotta be at least a kewpie doll in this.
- I advocated trading Jonathan Sanchez in my last blog, noting every third start he went from Christy Matthewson to Christy Brinkley. I won't comment on which showed up on Wednesday, other than to say I really enjoyed the '79 SI swimsuit issue.
- I like Sandoval, a lot, but will someone please tell him that on 2-0 and 2-1 counts it's not advisable to swing at pitches best attacked with a nine-iron? And on that same subject, will someone tell Rowand that in those circumstnces it IS advisable for him to miss the team bus to the ballpark?
Okay, so next up it's the A's. Given recent history I won't ask for much, but scoring, oh, two runs over the next three days would be nice.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back.
Two out of three in Pittsburgh, and there was absolutely nothing to be happy about except the end result. The Giants were abysmal, the Pirates were worse, and that's the crux of it.
What I really want to take to task is the poor way in which the Giants seem to be addressing their needs. We all know the offense lacks punch. Yes, they put up some decent hit totals over the weekend, but when it takes you 11 hits to put on the scoreboard what the opposition manages in five, your offensive woes are far from cured.
The Giants have made two so-called BIG moves to address their anemic offense -- bringing up Buster Posey from Fresno and adding Pat Burrell from the dumpster. And as you can probably guess from my tone (writing has a tone?), I don't like it one little bit.
I'm not against Posey being added to the line-up, but I felt the move came too soon. In himself, he's not the cure for what ails the Giants. If his additon was the missing piece to a championship puzzle - I could see it. I'd also be asking why he wasn't on the team in April. But to bring him up now without adding significant help -- and to therefore subject themselves to the same "Super Two" arbitration fisasco they just went through with Lincecum, is beyond stupid. Even worse, they brought him up to play OUT OF POSITION!!! More on that later.
But on to Mr. "I just got released by Tampa Bay" Burrell. What, Ryan Klesko wasn't available? Burrell was hitting a robust .202 with Tampa and his average has declined every year since 2005. This is the savior, a 33-year-old with sinking numbers? Vintage Sabean-- the latest class assignment from Dumpster Dive 101. I suppose re-signing Rich Aurilia (again) is next.
To get Burrell into a game, two things had to happen. The Giants sent John Bowker back to Fresno and Nate Scheirholtz to the bench. Burrell may regain his stroke but that's not the issue. With this, the Giants' so-called youth movement is served how, exactly?
The two moves together defy explanation, and all you need to do to understand the idiocy of this is to look at Saturday's line-up. The Giants had catchers at first and third (Posey and Sandoval), first basemen in left and right (Burrell and Huff), and a glacier (Molina) behind the plate. It doesn't say much for the organization's player development that nobody seems to be playing the spot where they were drafted, and it cost the Giants defensively.
For all of their talk about getting younger, the Giants simply can't help themselves when a veteran hits the market. And so, the rebuild that rightly should have begun after the mess that was 2004 gets shoved another year down the road. Sabean plays it safe with his "proven Major Leaguers," knowing that in all likelyhood that their best days are behind them. If he has to choose between a guy who is a Grade C player or a prospect who could be either a breakout star or utter disappointment, he's more confortable with assured mediocrity. So Nate collects splinters, and Bowker starts looking over scouting reports for the Memphis pitching staff.
For every step forward the Giants take, it seems Sabean takes one step back. I swear this guy's common sense went off and buried itself where Geroge Bush hid out after Katrina -- 'cause no one has seen it since 2004.
Now there's no question the offense needs help. The strain of throwing virtually every pitch under duress is starting to show on the staff -- with the exception of Todd Wellemeyer who consistently sucks. But the Giants simply cannot address it by trying to fill the blowout with tires, drilling mud, BP executives or whatever. A mid-30s guy who wasn't playing well somewhere else isn't going to suddenly recapture what glory he may have once enjoyed just because he changes uniforms -- epecially when he's being asked to hit in a park that is so pitcher friendly that even a stiff like Wellemeyer can occassionally look only moderately pathetic.
So what to do? My two cents:
First, since Posey is here, he's gotta play. He's a catcher, let him catch. Moo-lina is gone at season's end anyway, so let's make the break now. See ya, Buffalo Butt. With Posey behind the plate, Huff moves back to first base. We can't do much about the left side of the infield so Uribe and Sandoval stay where they are, but both get memberships to Jenny Craig. When (and if) Renteria and DeRosa are healthy, they gotta go. Get what you can, even if it's a pine tar rag and a bag of diamond dust.
The same goes for Aaron Rowand, who is a $12 million-per-year reserve. The Giants may have to take back salary on this one, but they're the ones who overpaid him based on one good (not great) season so let this be a lesson learned. The Giants best outfielder right now is Torres, so center field is his. Stick Burrell in left and Nate in right, and keep Bowker handy. There will be plenty of work for four outfielders, and he'll be close by if Burrell implodes.
At this point, the Giants need to go searching for an impact bat, and that means dangling trading chips. Renteria may have some value on the open market, especially since his contract is up at the end of the year, and the Giants can certainly get something for Molina for the same reason. You'd think Sabean could just play back his own history to figure this one out, with Molina subbing for AJ Pierzynski and Posey playing the Joe Mauer role.
But you still gotta give up something to get something. My sacrificial lamb: Jonathan Sanchez.
Teams need pitching, and he's the easiest for the Giants to replace. Teams are always willing to take a flying on hard-throwing lefties, even one as inconsistent as Sanchez. There's always a sucker who will pay for such I guy like he's Christy Matthewson, even when he tends to pitch every third start like he's Christy Brinkley. Package him with any of the above and get someone who can drive the ball out of the park. If he's a shortstop, include Uribe in the deal. If he's an outfieder, they can have Burrell too. The only place the Giants legitimately can't place a hitter is catcher. Panda can always move across the diamond, and no one over the age of 28 should be considered untouchable.
Bumgarner and Pucetas are the future. Let them fill the four and five spots in the roation. See how nicely that works out? Wellemeyer just left the building.
But, this is just wishful thinking on my part. I have no confidence in the Giants to do anything other that what they've been doing -- which doesn't work. Par for the course in San Francisco -- where tomorrow never comes.
What I really want to take to task is the poor way in which the Giants seem to be addressing their needs. We all know the offense lacks punch. Yes, they put up some decent hit totals over the weekend, but when it takes you 11 hits to put on the scoreboard what the opposition manages in five, your offensive woes are far from cured.
The Giants have made two so-called BIG moves to address their anemic offense -- bringing up Buster Posey from Fresno and adding Pat Burrell from the dumpster. And as you can probably guess from my tone (writing has a tone?), I don't like it one little bit.
I'm not against Posey being added to the line-up, but I felt the move came too soon. In himself, he's not the cure for what ails the Giants. If his additon was the missing piece to a championship puzzle - I could see it. I'd also be asking why he wasn't on the team in April. But to bring him up now without adding significant help -- and to therefore subject themselves to the same "Super Two" arbitration fisasco they just went through with Lincecum, is beyond stupid. Even worse, they brought him up to play OUT OF POSITION!!! More on that later.
But on to Mr. "I just got released by Tampa Bay" Burrell. What, Ryan Klesko wasn't available? Burrell was hitting a robust .202 with Tampa and his average has declined every year since 2005. This is the savior, a 33-year-old with sinking numbers? Vintage Sabean-- the latest class assignment from Dumpster Dive 101. I suppose re-signing Rich Aurilia (again) is next.
To get Burrell into a game, two things had to happen. The Giants sent John Bowker back to Fresno and Nate Scheirholtz to the bench. Burrell may regain his stroke but that's not the issue. With this, the Giants' so-called youth movement is served how, exactly?
The two moves together defy explanation, and all you need to do to understand the idiocy of this is to look at Saturday's line-up. The Giants had catchers at first and third (Posey and Sandoval), first basemen in left and right (Burrell and Huff), and a glacier (Molina) behind the plate. It doesn't say much for the organization's player development that nobody seems to be playing the spot where they were drafted, and it cost the Giants defensively.
For all of their talk about getting younger, the Giants simply can't help themselves when a veteran hits the market. And so, the rebuild that rightly should have begun after the mess that was 2004 gets shoved another year down the road. Sabean plays it safe with his "proven Major Leaguers," knowing that in all likelyhood that their best days are behind them. If he has to choose between a guy who is a Grade C player or a prospect who could be either a breakout star or utter disappointment, he's more confortable with assured mediocrity. So Nate collects splinters, and Bowker starts looking over scouting reports for the Memphis pitching staff.
For every step forward the Giants take, it seems Sabean takes one step back. I swear this guy's common sense went off and buried itself where Geroge Bush hid out after Katrina -- 'cause no one has seen it since 2004.
Now there's no question the offense needs help. The strain of throwing virtually every pitch under duress is starting to show on the staff -- with the exception of Todd Wellemeyer who consistently sucks. But the Giants simply cannot address it by trying to fill the blowout with tires, drilling mud, BP executives or whatever. A mid-30s guy who wasn't playing well somewhere else isn't going to suddenly recapture what glory he may have once enjoyed just because he changes uniforms -- epecially when he's being asked to hit in a park that is so pitcher friendly that even a stiff like Wellemeyer can occassionally look only moderately pathetic.
So what to do? My two cents:
First, since Posey is here, he's gotta play. He's a catcher, let him catch. Moo-lina is gone at season's end anyway, so let's make the break now. See ya, Buffalo Butt. With Posey behind the plate, Huff moves back to first base. We can't do much about the left side of the infield so Uribe and Sandoval stay where they are, but both get memberships to Jenny Craig. When (and if) Renteria and DeRosa are healthy, they gotta go. Get what you can, even if it's a pine tar rag and a bag of diamond dust.
The same goes for Aaron Rowand, who is a $12 million-per-year reserve. The Giants may have to take back salary on this one, but they're the ones who overpaid him based on one good (not great) season so let this be a lesson learned. The Giants best outfielder right now is Torres, so center field is his. Stick Burrell in left and Nate in right, and keep Bowker handy. There will be plenty of work for four outfielders, and he'll be close by if Burrell implodes.
At this point, the Giants need to go searching for an impact bat, and that means dangling trading chips. Renteria may have some value on the open market, especially since his contract is up at the end of the year, and the Giants can certainly get something for Molina for the same reason. You'd think Sabean could just play back his own history to figure this one out, with Molina subbing for AJ Pierzynski and Posey playing the Joe Mauer role.
But you still gotta give up something to get something. My sacrificial lamb: Jonathan Sanchez.
Teams need pitching, and he's the easiest for the Giants to replace. Teams are always willing to take a flying on hard-throwing lefties, even one as inconsistent as Sanchez. There's always a sucker who will pay for such I guy like he's Christy Matthewson, even when he tends to pitch every third start like he's Christy Brinkley. Package him with any of the above and get someone who can drive the ball out of the park. If he's a shortstop, include Uribe in the deal. If he's an outfieder, they can have Burrell too. The only place the Giants legitimately can't place a hitter is catcher. Panda can always move across the diamond, and no one over the age of 28 should be considered untouchable.
Bumgarner and Pucetas are the future. Let them fill the four and five spots in the roation. See how nicely that works out? Wellemeyer just left the building.
But, this is just wishful thinking on my part. I have no confidence in the Giants to do anything other that what they've been doing -- which doesn't work. Par for the course in San Francisco -- where tomorrow never comes.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Offense? We Don't Need No Stinking Offense!
After two months of the season, it's fairly obvious what the Giants' priorites need to be:
1 - Offense
2 - Bullpen
3 - More offense
This is my first post in five games. I purposely avoided posting anything following the Arizona series as the G-men actually showed some life with the bats. I felt it prudent to see what would happen when a real pitching staff came to town, and unfortunately my pessimism proved to be right on the money.
Despite the arrival of Buster Posey and a nice rally on Sunday, this is still an abysmal offensive team. They'll occasionally put up some numbers against generous and giving opposition like the D-backs' beer league hurlers, but a team that can actually pitch makes them look like Helen Keller at the plate.
Tuesday was a typical Giants effort. They had a few hits, but nothing when it counted. When crunch time came along, they saw 11 straight hitters retired before Sanchez managed a bad-hop single in the 11th. Then, in true Giants form, Sandoval hit into a twin killing to end the game.
The pen was awful. Wilson tried to give the game away twice, then that retread Casilla managed to complete the fold by surrendering a two-out rally that could only happen to the Giants.
Okay, enough complaining. The question is, how to fix it?
Well, I say start by clearing the boards. There are three players making regular appearances that I've simply had enough of. Rowand last got a big hit before BP turned the gulf into an oil slick. Molina has finally reached a point where he does nothing to help the team other than take up space (which he excells at), and I'm sick to death of watching Runzler's ongoing quest to walk every hitter in the major leagues at least once this year. All three of you guys, hit the bricks.
Runzler needs to head back to Fresno and learn hiw to pitch rather than throw. Molina neeeds to step aside a let Posey take over. Rowand needs to go play in traffic -- he's the biggest waste of cash since Bush's bank bailout.
After two months it's time for Sabean to admit that this team, as contructed, needs help. The addition of Posey to the roster may sell tickets for a brief spell, but it won't turn around the fortunes of this team.
Find a taker for Rowand and let Bowker play. Move Molina and let Posey take his rightful place behind the dish. Then find a stick. Any stick. Someone with 20 HR power would be the biggest threat in this POS line-up, adding an element that haven't had since number 25 hung up his spikes.
Eleven innings, one run. And Tuesday wasn't the first time that's happened. The Giants are offensively impotent. Once again a starter pitched well enough to win, the bullpen didn't, and the offense failed to appear. It's the same script over and over.
Enough. Someone let me know when those in charge decide to care about building a winner, because right now it's obvious they don't give a rip.
1 - Offense
2 - Bullpen
3 - More offense
This is my first post in five games. I purposely avoided posting anything following the Arizona series as the G-men actually showed some life with the bats. I felt it prudent to see what would happen when a real pitching staff came to town, and unfortunately my pessimism proved to be right on the money.
Despite the arrival of Buster Posey and a nice rally on Sunday, this is still an abysmal offensive team. They'll occasionally put up some numbers against generous and giving opposition like the D-backs' beer league hurlers, but a team that can actually pitch makes them look like Helen Keller at the plate.
Tuesday was a typical Giants effort. They had a few hits, but nothing when it counted. When crunch time came along, they saw 11 straight hitters retired before Sanchez managed a bad-hop single in the 11th. Then, in true Giants form, Sandoval hit into a twin killing to end the game.
The pen was awful. Wilson tried to give the game away twice, then that retread Casilla managed to complete the fold by surrendering a two-out rally that could only happen to the Giants.
Okay, enough complaining. The question is, how to fix it?
Well, I say start by clearing the boards. There are three players making regular appearances that I've simply had enough of. Rowand last got a big hit before BP turned the gulf into an oil slick. Molina has finally reached a point where he does nothing to help the team other than take up space (which he excells at), and I'm sick to death of watching Runzler's ongoing quest to walk every hitter in the major leagues at least once this year. All three of you guys, hit the bricks.
Runzler needs to head back to Fresno and learn hiw to pitch rather than throw. Molina neeeds to step aside a let Posey take over. Rowand needs to go play in traffic -- he's the biggest waste of cash since Bush's bank bailout.
After two months it's time for Sabean to admit that this team, as contructed, needs help. The addition of Posey to the roster may sell tickets for a brief spell, but it won't turn around the fortunes of this team.
Find a taker for Rowand and let Bowker play. Move Molina and let Posey take his rightful place behind the dish. Then find a stick. Any stick. Someone with 20 HR power would be the biggest threat in this POS line-up, adding an element that haven't had since number 25 hung up his spikes.
Eleven innings, one run. And Tuesday wasn't the first time that's happened. The Giants are offensively impotent. Once again a starter pitched well enough to win, the bullpen didn't, and the offense failed to appear. It's the same script over and over.
Enough. Someone let me know when those in charge decide to care about building a winner, because right now it's obvious they don't give a rip.
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