August 10th, 2009
Please check back throughout the day. We will have a couple of posts, including a preview of tonight’s Giants/Dodgers game.
Giants
It was the weekend that got away, writes Henry Schulman.
It was a rough afternoon for Matt Cain and Pablo Sandoval, writes Andrew Baggarly.
The pressure’s on Jonathan Sanchez, notes Schulman.
Time to boo Manny, writes Scott Ostler.
Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens gets a lot of credit for Eugenio Velez’s success.
More on Aaron Rowand and Sanchez at Inside Baggs.
Last night’s minor league lines include a couple of hits for Buster Posey.
On this, the 20th anniversary of Dave Dravecky’s comeback game, he writes a very cool letter to the editor in the Chronicle. I was 13 years old when my Dad took me to see Dravecky pitch on that August afternoon at the ‘Stick. It will always be one of the most memorable events of my life. I remember the entire crowd standing whenever Dravecky would get into a two-out, two-strike situation with a Reds hitter. I remember Dravecky amazingly taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning and the standing ovation we gave him when he finally exited the contest. I remember the unbelievable chills each fan had on that warm day. As an impressionable teenager, it helped give me greater understanding of what it meant to be a Giants fan and the special bond we form with so many players. A player that plays the game with heart and great courage, as Dravecky did (on a much higher level), is someone that will always be remembered fondly in our book.
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Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Ahmad Brooks, Bobby Crosby, Brett Anderson, Buster Posey, Cal, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Dave Dravecky, Eugenio Velez, Giants, Hensley Meulens, Jonathan Sanchez, Manny Ramirez, Marcus Ezeff, Mario Henderson, Matt Cain, Michael Crabtree, Mike Nolan, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, Sanjay Lal, Stephen Strasburg, Ted Tollner, Vernon Davis | No Comments
July 3rd, 2009
The Giants have been fortunate this season to have one of the best bullpens in baseball. Considering they have six full-time relievers with ERA’s of 3.50 or lower, you won’t find a pen with greater depth. Whether it’s baseball or business, you need to play your cards right when it comes to supply and demand. There are enough contending teams who are desperate for relief help, and the Giants not only have a lot of options, they have a number of low-cost options.
The three best and most untouchable relievers are obviously funnyman Brian Wilson (he may drive you nuts but he can’t go anywhere this season), Jeremy Affeldt, and Sergio Romo. Most teams would kill to have that triumvirate leading their bullpen. That’s the Giants bullpen core, and the team should make sure that these three are surrounded by at least two remaining solid pieces. Out of the group of Brandon Medders (3.03 ERA), Bobby Howry (3.86), Merkin Valdez (3.38), and Justin Miller (2.16), Sabean should trade one or two arms. This group doesn’t have tremendous value but they do have decent value when you factor in contending teams such as the Yankees, Rangers, Tigers, Rockies, and Angels all have bullpen ERA’s of 4.20 or higher. These are also teams that are looking for multiple relievers, not just one arm. And, the five teams listed above aren’t the only teams looking for bullpen help.
Let’s explore the potential bullpen trade chips:
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Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Al Davis, Andrew Bailey, Barry Zito, Bobby Howry, Brad Ziegler, Brandon Medders, Brian Wilson, C.J. Watson, Earthquakes, Edgardo Alfonzo, Fred Lewis, Giants, Greg Papa, Jeremy Affeldt, Joe Cannon, Justin Miller, Kent Huskins, Lance Armstrong, Manny Ramirez, Merkin Valdez, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, Ron Artest, Ryan Sadowski, Ryane Clowe, Sabercats, Sergio Romo, Sharks, Warriors | No Comments
June 2nd, 2009
It’s been so long since I actually wrote anything, I figure I might as well dig deep into a topic that I think is very interesting for Giants fans. It’s not that I think 2009 is hopeless, but everyone can agree that the Giants should be a better team in 2010 and 2011. For the purpose of this post, we’ll focus on 2010.
The offseason between 2009 and 2010 is so interesting because the Giants have $37.25 million coming off the books between Randy Winn, Dave Roberts, Noah Lowry (apologies to those who have Lowry T-shirt jerseys), Randy Johnson, Bengie Molina, and Bobby Howry. Plus, another $2 million with Juan Uribe and Rich Aurilia (let’s pray this is the last year of Aurilia). The contracts of Aaron Rowand, Edgar Renteria, Jeremy Affeldt, and Matt Cain will go up a combined $8.6 million in 2010, and there will be other raises for guys like Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson. Nonetheless, the Giants should still make a decent mark in free agency, especially when you consider the payroll should rise since the team basically admitted they had money to spend but didn’t this season (considering the courting of Manny Ramirez).
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Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Aaron Crow, Aaron Rowand, Angel Villalona, Aubrey Huff, Bengie Molina, Bobby Howry, Buster Posey, Dave Roberts, Dre Bly, Edgar Renteria, Emmanuel Burriss, Giants, Isaac Bruce, JaMarcus Russell, Jason Bay, Jeremy Affeldt, Jonathan Sanchez, Juan Uribe, Justin Duchscherer, Kevin Frandsen, Kevin Pucetas, Kurt Warner, Madison Bumgarner, Manny Ramirez, Marquis Grissom, Matt Cain, Matt Holliday, Merkin Valdez, Mike Singletary, Nate Schierholtz, Noah Lowry, Pablo Sandoval, Patty Mills, Raiders, Randy Johnson, Randy Winn, Rich Aurilia, Roger Federer, Santiago Casilla, Tanner Scheppers, Vin Mazzaro | No Comments
May 11th, 2009
I admit I was one of those who was hoping Kevin Frandsen would win the second base job in spring training. Frandsen appeared to have the better offensive potential, and it seemed like it was his time to prove whether he was a worthy major leaguer. I was, however, excited about the defensive potential of Emmanuel Burriss. I just never thought Burriss was going to hit much and was expecting a .230-.250 batting average.
After yesterday’s four-hit effort, that average is up to .287 (17 for his last 33) and Burriss is almost putting on his own Juan Pierre show (speaking of Pierre, I prefer if I don’t see that again.). He’s not trying to drive the ball, but just going with the pitch, often hitting the ball on the ground, and he’s getting results. Granted, the overall offensive numbers, outside the batting average aren’t that impressive. Burriss’ slugging percentage is only .307, he has an OPS of .658, and just five RBI’s (still three more than Fred Lewis). You can live with these numbers out of someone in the bottom of your lineup, as long as that player is a excellent defensive player.
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Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Adam Dunn, Ahmad Brooks, Bob Geren, Brett Cecil, Brian Sabean, Brian Wilson, Bruce Bochy, Cal, Casey Blake, Corey Maggette, Dallas Braden, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Emmanuel Burriss, Fred Lewis, Giants, Jamal Crawford, Juan Pierre, Justin Duchscherer, Kevin Frandsen, Manny Ramirez, Marco Scutaro, Raiders, Stanford, Tim Alderson, Travis Ishikawa, Warriors | No Comments
May 9th, 2009
Bengie Molina sat for another Barry Zito start yesterday and everyone is talking about the obvious personal catcher situation that Bruce Bochy isn’t quite acknowledging yet. If it is a personal catcher, or just a non-Molina catcher in this case (since we’ve seen both Pablo Sandoval and Steve Holm catch Barry Zito), then it isn’t that big of a deal because Molina will likely need to sit for about once per week anyway. And Zito is going to receive slightly more than one start per week so if you’re going to sit Molina once in while, you might as well do it when Zito pitches, since there appears to be better results with Sandoval and Holm, as opposed to Molina.
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Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Adam Kennedy, Andrew Bailey, Barry Zito, Bengie Molina, Cal, Darrius Heyward-Bey, De La Salle, Earthquakes, Emmanuel Burriss, Giants, JaMarcus Russell, Javon Walker, Jeff Garcia, Kory Sheets, Lorenzo Neal, Manny Ramirez, Monte Vista, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, San Jose State, Shairon Martis, Stanford, Steve Decker, Steve Holm, Tom Bowen | No Comments
May 8th, 2009
As a Giants fan, let me express great joy and satisfaction that Manny Ramirez has tested positive for steroids. (Okay, it’s not steroids, but a drug that builds testosterone for steroid users. It’s still steroids. Period. Anyone one who believes otherwise has their heads up Tom Lasorda’s ass, or their name is Peter Gammons.) As a Giants fan, who is also a baseball fan, I’m not going to sit here and say that this is sad for the game. Baseball already has a black mark on it because of the rampant steroid use over the years. That hasn’t changed much since today’s announcement. All Manny did was take some heat off of A-Rod. Nobody should be shocked he is a user. Perhaps, they can be shocked that Manny used while knowing he would be tested. That was stupid. But, Manny being a user shouldn’t be a surprise because his body was much bigger than it was in Cleveland. His power numbers have continued to rise as he got older, when he’s supposed to be past his prime.
Giants fans should feel happy because we’ve been bashed by Dodger fans and the national media for cheering Barry Bonds when he was going through his steroid mess. We’ve been ridiculed, stepped on, picked on, laughed at, and made to feel inferior. (Okay, I’ve been watching too much Revenge of the Nerds.) Anyway, those doing the criticizing of Giants fans had forgotten that Bonds gave the team’s fans years of greatness and helped build a ballpark that is the crown jewel of ballparks in baseball.
I’ll enjoy this moment because I hate the Dodgers. And because L.A. has had an insufferable Man-gasm since the day he arrived. Now? Dodger fans are crushed to learn the news, just as Giants fans were crushed when we learned of Bonds’ use. There is a major difference, of course. Bonds had already been playing for the Giants for over ten years when we found out, while Manny has been a Dodger for ten months. When Ramirez returns in July, Dodger fans will be cheering just as loudly for Ramirez (for as long as they’re in the ballpark anyway) as Giants fans cheered for Bonds. In fact, Manny will almost surely receive a standing ovation in his next Dodger Stadium at bat.
It means we cheer for the name on the front more than the name on the back. I hate it when there are those in the media who say fans obviously don’t care about steroids because we’re still going to the games and still cheering steroid-abusers. That doesn’t mean we don’t care. It means we enjoy baseball. We still see movies even though we may not like the actors/actresses, because we know there’s a decent chance it could still be a good movie. (Unless it has Keanu Reeves in it. Then we know it sucks.) As fans, we’re defenseless in the steroid mess because we don’t have a vote on what should be done to the cheaters. If it were up to us, we would likely vote for Buster Olney’s idea for a zero tolerance policy and an automatic lifetime banishment for all users.
But it’s not up to us. So we’ll do what sports fans do, and cheer for our teams and the players wearing our team’s uniforms. That’s why Shawn Merriman is revered in San Diego and why Yankee fans cheered Jason Giambi the last few years. Surely, A-Rod will be welcomed back to the Bronx as well, even though we all know now that he is a known steroid user. Maybe, those who were bashing Giants fans back in the day will now understand our cheers for Bonds. Whether they do or not, as a Giants fan, I’ll bask in knowing that the bad guys have another steroid abuser (I’m not forgetting about you, Gagne) on their team.
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Categories: San Francisco Giants, Uncategorized |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Aaron Rowand, Alex Rodriguez, Alexei Semenov, Bengie Molina, Cal, Eric Gagne, Gary Park, Giants, Jack Cust, Jason Giambi, Joe Horn, Manny Ramirez, Matt Holliday, Matt Williams, Mike Mitchell, Nomar Garciaparra, Pablo Sandoval, Pedro Feliz, Raiders, Sam Keller, Sergio Romo, Sharks, Shawn Merriman, Trevor Cahill | No Comments
April 28th, 2009
I’ve been a little annoyed in the last week because of all the praise heaped on Barry Zito and, to a lesser extent, Jonathan Sanchez after each has had just one good start. Inconsistency has plagued these two throughout their brief Giants careers, so how can we really be sure that they have turned a corner?
Many have mentioned about what a different pitcher Zito is and how he has a different attitude, but I want impressive results. Last night was a second solid start, but we need to see several more before we can feel much better about Zito being a new-and-improved 2009 version. Even after last night, Zito’s ERA is still 5.24. The most frustrating aspect of Barry Zito’s starts for Giants fans are the walks. This season, he’s walked nine in 22.1 innings. That calculates to 3.63 walks for every nine innings. Last year, he walked 83 in 196.2 innings which comes to a rate of 3.80/9 innings. So the walk numbers have improved, but only slightly. For Zito to have some success this year, the walks have to drop to a more respectable rate.
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Categories: San Francisco Giants, San Jose Sharks |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Barry Zito, Big 12, Brett Anderson, Brian Wilson, Bruce Bochy, Cal, Chad Billingsley, Chase Patton, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Doug Wilson, Dwayne Roloson, Evgeni Nabokov, Frank Gore, Frantz Joseph, Giants, Glen Coffee, Hardwood Series, Iowa State, Joe Thornton, Jonas Hiller, Jonathan Sanchez, Justin Duchscherer, Kevin Millwood, Kory Sheets, Manny Lawson, Manny Ramirez, Merkin Valdez, Oklahoma State, Pac-10, Raiders, Rich Aurilia, Roman Turek, Ryan Getzlaf, Scot McCloughan, Sharks, Stanford, Stephen Strasburg, Twitter, USC, Warriors | No Comments
April 27th, 2009
(YouTube videos of the 49ers and Raiders picks are available after you click “more”)
The 49ers and Raiders leave the draft with holes that still need to be filled. The Niners still need an offensive tackle and pass-rusher, while the Raiders still need interior defensive linemen and offensive tackle help. I have no idea what they are going to do about these holes between now and August, but we might as well evaluate the guys that will be here, starting with the Niners:
Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
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Categories: Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Bear Pascoe, Bob Geren, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Myers, Brian Wilson, Cris Carter, Curtis Taylor, Dana Eveland, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Eric Chavez, Evgeni Nabokov, Giants, Glen Coffee, Jarron Gilbert, Jeremy Roenick, Joe Thornton, Kurt Suzuki, Louis Murphy, Madison Bumgarner, Manny Ramirez, Michael Crabtree, Mike Mitchell. Matt Schaughnessy, Nate Davis, Raiders, Ricky Jean-Francois, Scott McKillop, Sharks, Slade Norris, Steve Holm, Stryker Sulak, Tim Alderson, Travis Ishikawa, Trent Dilfer, Worrell Williams, Zach Follett | No Comments
