July 31st, 2009
I’m as excited as anyone else when it comes to Michael Crabtree’s potential, and the chance that he becomes an elite NFL receiver. However, when you consider his agent, Eugene Parker, and his ridiculous demands that Crabtree should be paid like a top three pick, the Niners should wait this out.
There shouldn’t be much of a sense of urgency on the team’s part because this is the deepest receiving corps the 49ers have had in several years. With Isaac Bruce and Josh Morgan expected to be the starters, plus capable starters such as Brandon Jones, Arnaz Battle, and Jason Hill all waiting in the wings, Crabtree is more of a luxury than a need in 2009. Sure, Crabtree has the highest upside of any 49er receiver and still has potential for a big-time rookie season (such as the player he’s been most often compared to, Anquan Boldin), but it’s very unlikely for a receiver to blow anyone’s socks off in their initial season. (Did I just use the phrase, “blow anyone’s socks off”? I think I’m the first person under the age of 70 to use that phrase.) It’s even more unlikely since he has such a long ways to go on the depth chart.
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Categories: San Francisco 49ers |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Brad Penny, Brian Sabean, Bruce Bochy, Cal, Charlie Manuel, Darrius Heyward-Bey, David Ortiz, Devean George, Eugene Parker, Freddy Sanchez, Giants, Jeff Tedford, Jonathan Sanchez, Kevin Frandsen, Marco Belinelli, Michael Crabtree, Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary, Nnamdi Asomugha, Orlando Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, Stanford, Tim Alderson, Vernon Davis, Warriors, Willie McCovey | No Comments
July 11th, 2009
Not only is he a Cy Young winner, but Tim Lincecum apparently is also Nostradamus. His quote on Chronicle Live last night before Jonathan Sanchez’s no-hitter:
Someone is going to throw a no-hitter and it might not be the ace of the squad. It could be an unsung hero kind of guy.
“Unlikely”, as Henry Schulman and Andrew Baggarly write, is the word that has been used most frequently to describe Sanchez’s no-hitter. While no one expected this piece of brilliance from a pitcher who has struggled so much this year, we can expect brilliance from pitching coach, Dave Righetti.
Sure, the Giants are fortunate to have a lot of pitchers with great stuff, but they still need a coach to help harness that stuff. And, great stuff doesn’t always mean great results. Righetti obviously worked hard with Sanchez since his demotion to the bullpen. Just as he did when Barry Zito has demoted last year, and came back a better pitcher. From Jeremy Affeldt to Sergio Romo to Ryan Sadowski to Justin Miller to Brandon Medders, and even Lincecum and Matt Cain, can you honestly say that Righetti can get any more production from their pitching staff than they have received to his point? Sanchez has been the one underachiever, and the Giants pitching coach may have righted that ship.
Righetti appeared to be in tears last night as he embraced Sanchez after the final out. It confirmed how close Righetti is to these Giant pitchers and got me thinking about a great baseball book I read from Roger Kahn called The Head Game.
In the book, Kahn spoke at length with former pitching stud, Johnny Sain. Many baseball fans are unaware that Sain was, not only an excellent pitcher, but a very good pitching coach. Jim Bouton once said of Sain, the coach:
Johnny Sain didn’t try to make you pitch like he did. He put himself in your shoes. He had allegiance to you. He made you think. He was the best pitching coach in baseball.
Sain had a number of principles he lived by as a pitching coach, but two have stood out. One, a coach “owes his primary loyalty to his pitchers”. Sain explained that loyalty took precedence over other important loyalties to the boss and to the field manager. Whether you agree with it or not, it helped Sain become closer with his pitching staff and develop trust. One of Sain’s other quotes was, “It’s better for a pitching coach to be unemployed than to be dishonest”.
I don’t know if Righetti follows these same principles or the exact relationship between Rags and the members of the Giants staff, but those tears confirmed that there is a bond that us fans may not completely grasp. A bond that may be developed through loyalty and honesty. Whatever his methods, Righetti is getting great results. It’s time we give him his just due.
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Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Aaron Rowand, Anthony Randolph, Barry Zito, Bengie Molina, Brandon Medders, Buster Posey, Charlie Manuel, Dave Righetti, Eli Whiteside, Giants, Greg Ellis, Jeremy Affeldt, Jim Bouton, Joey Devine, John Montefusco, Johnny Sain, Jon Bryant, Jonathan Sanchez, Juan Uribe, Justin Miller, Kevin Frandsen, Matt Cain, Mike Krukow, Pablo Sandoval, Patty Mills, Raiders, Roger Kahn, Ryan Sadowski, Sergio Romo, Stefan Frei, Stephen Curry, Tim Lincecum, Warriors | No Comments
July 10th, 2009
I haven’t said much about Pablo Sandoval not be selected for the All-Star game because this “last man vote” was great publicity for him (not that he wants it). Most of the baseball world was finally taking notice of what Giants fans have been watching all season: A portly but athletic, versatile, fun-loving, smart, high-effort guy who is a breath of fresh air because he plays the game the right way.
Despite the newfound publicity, it won’t be a big deal nationally if Sandoval doesn’t make the All-Star game as an injury replacement. While his numbers dwarf many other players on the team, it’s an East Coast media-driven country. Down the road, however, when Sandoval is getting the same type of respect as Albert Pujols (and he will, as we’ve made clear before), this slight will look moronic. Sandoval is going to consistently be one of the top five players in baseball in the next five years, while playing in a pitcher’s park. Historians will look back at his first full season and wonder why he wasn’t playing with baseball’s best in mid-July.
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Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Bill Neukom, Buster Posey, Charlie Manuel, Freddy Sanchez, Giants, Ian Kinsler, JaMarcus Russell, Jason Giambi, Jesse English, John Bowker, Kent Huskins, Madison Bumgarner, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, Rickey Henderson, Rob Blake, Scott Hairston, Sharks, Stephen Curry, Steve McNair, Tim Alderson, Tim Lincecum, Warren Sapp | No Comments
