I woke up this morning and I took some time to do my usual perusing of the sports articles out there on the world wide web. I came across this piece of sheer writing awesomeness by one of my favorite sports writers, Rick Reilly. I know that he is either loved or hated by the masses out there, but I am one of Rick's lovers. Wait...ummm... well you know what I mean. I am so excited that college football has finally taken the steps to get it right. There is very little I can add in terms of insight that would aid Rick's article so please just go and read it if you are a fan of college football, or just a fan of wonderful over the top writing. If you are still on the fence let me give you one quote from the article and then you can judge for yourself...
...When the French revolutionaries freed the Bastille, the prisoners didn't go, "Hey, wait a minute. I had a scarf."
There is no way possible you need more than that, right?
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Draft Daze Pandemonium
I can sum up my feelings on the NFL draft very simply… sheer and utter insanity. There is so much to love about the draft and everything it represents to the fans of various football teams all around the country. I love that moment just as the screen flashes “the pick is in” and you see the Commish walking to the podium to announce your team’s pick. That moment of total exhilaration is always followed by absolute enthusiasm or complete confusion. This is what makes the draft so amazing. But I would be remiss if I didn’t address the insanity that follows. First off, Mel Kiper, John Clayton and his draftnik cronies releasing the Day One Winners. Huh? We already know who won the first day of the draft? I get that not all those prospects are can't miss mega stars like Tony Mandarich, Akili Smith, Cade McNown, JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf, but come on people lets give it some time and see if these guys can live up to that lofty potential. There is no way possible that Mel or John or anyone who gets a paycheck that lists ESPN as the payer on it can predict who won and lost Thursday Night. This is the same group of yahoos that demeaned the Texans for selecting Mario Williams (three time all-pro) ahead of once in a generation talent Reggie Bush (three time NCAA rules violator).
Just when you think the insanity can't get anymore ridiculous you get the draft grades presentation. The sad thing is that there are millions of football fans lying around in their robes and a pounding a large bag of Cheetos who are making an emotional assessment about their teams draft success based on Mel and McShay's graft grades. They are calling for their GM's head because Mel thinks that their pick at 153 was a real reach. These guys mock draft the world to death with their assumptions of how the draft will pan out. I guaranty there isn't a single mock draft done by anyone getting paid to do it that was correct through the first five picks. Five. No one predicted Dallas trading up and getting Claiborne. So, it is obvious that these draft "specialists" really don't have the feel for the real draft process or whats really going on inside the heads of NFL teams. NFL teams know so much more about talent and their team's needs than anyone working at ESPN. Now, how talent develops and how a player transitions from college success to NFL contributor takes much more time and involves the human element, so who cares about anything these guys think two days later. Two Days. No helmets yet and no pads, but you get C from Mel.
Then I spent a few minutes surfing the NFL.com page (no one can accuse me hating on ESPN unfairly) and I came across this gem. Yep, its never too early to talk about which top ten pick will make the pro bowl. Not only that, but lets bring in our drafting pro bowlers expert Matt Millen! Let's not forget that sure, whilst Mr. Millen was building the worst team in the history of the NFL by drafting bust after bust (not to mention a WR in the first rd four year in a row) he was the genius behind drafting Calvin Johnson, so he certainly knows a top ten future pro bowler! How insane is this. No one has run a play yet and we are speculating on who will join the elite. I actually heard Mel Kiper state that eagles made themselves a Superbowl contender with this draft. Really Mel? A Superbowl contender. Weren't they a contender last year when they assembled the dream team and then stumbled throughout the year and failed to make the playoffs?
Friday, April 27, 2012
Draft Post Coming Soon
I will be doing my assessment of this year's NFL Draft in just a few days. I am not a fan of judging or looking at a draft based on a single round. On a personal note, judging winners and losers after one round is a ridiculous endeavor that I will leave to the likes of Mel Kiper, John Clayton and Todd McShay.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Saintly or not, Innocent until proven foolish
The latest story to emerge from the NFL world once again involves the New Orleans Saints. According to sources at ESPN the saint GM Mickey Loomis is being accused of listening in on the conversations between the opposing teams offensive coordinator and their on field personnel. The debate that has ensued has been a hot one. At the center of this debate is whether or not there is any competitive advantage to doing this. Whether or not someone could listen in on that conversation and glean anything from it seems highly unlikely, but still the competitive balance that the NFL cherishes seems to have come under fire here. Here is a link to the ESPN story if you would like to read it for yourself. How in the world Hugh didnt reach across the table at the end of this debate and slam their heads together like something out of the three stooges is beyond me. This morning I watched Skip Bayless and Rob Parker (who is horrible at his job and not very insightful in any way) debate this with Hugh Douglas. Here is a link to that debate if you would like to enjoy watch it. Skip runs in marathons and spouts impossibly ignorant opinions, Parker is an embarrassment to sports writers everywhere
and Hugh was an NFL ALL-Pro with 80 career sacks and who happens to be an intelligent and insightful man. So you judge their credentials how you choose, but it really got me thinking about the absurdity of these accusations and the ensuing debates between the talking heads of ESPN.
My feelings on this topic are simple. There is no way that he did what he is accused of doing here. Yes, I am going on record and saying that I believe the Saints are innocent here. Here is why I feel this way. First of all, the insane belief that a man could hear the complicated lingo of an opposing offensive coordinator and understand it seems far fetched. Here is the one play call John Gruden made famous in his interview with Cam Newton.
Flip right, double-X, Jet, 36 counter, naked waggle, X-7, X-quarter (keep in mind everything is based on the context of player labels, so this play could mean something completely different based on player packages and team codes)
But it doesn’t stop there. Next he would have to translate the information in a consistently accurate manner to have it be of any use. Mickey Loomis is a GM, not a coach or a scout. If the information isn’t consistently accurate, you might as well throw darts at the wall. As a matter of fact that may have a slightly higher degree of accuracy. The NFL is based on misdirection and deception because defenses are so fast nowadays. If your GM tells you that the play is a run to the right for example and you act on that with full passion and aggressiveness, but the play ends up being a reverse left, you are toast and they are doing the smurfs celebration in the endzone at your expense. So the next time the information is passed from GM to you, it will be disregarded right? So you see the importance of consistently accurate information right?
Then after hearing the play call and then instantly translating the play call he would have to relay the information to the field from his luxury suite in a manner that draws zero attention. Sure you could have a guy on the field with binoculars looking at him before every play, but I am sure that someone would have noticed that little procedure. So I guess you could have a sweet walkie talkie, but once again that might seem a little odd to everyone else in the vicinity right? Seeing as his luxury suite is packed with people every week, it’s hard to imagine that not a single person is running forward to talk about how much walkie talkie time Loomis logs each week. So let’s say that Loomis came up with a discreet set of smoke signals to relay the complicated information, just how much information could you relay? I mean NFL plays are complicated and based on a series of check downs and formation shifts, so thinking there is an advantage to just relaying run or pass is a little naïve. Sit and watch a single game with me and I will accurately predict 90% of the plays based solely on the run or pass scenario. Truthfully, I can tell you everything you need to know about my teams tendencies and I can tell you just about everything they are going to do, and last I checked no one has called me to help them scout the Bears. So precise play direction and players would have to be relayed for any information to be construed as competitive advantage.
So, assuming ole Mr. Loomis was able to get this far, the information still has another set of hands to pass through. Assuming that a player couldn’t get away with having binoculars on the field, and there isn’t a good place to hide a walkie talkie in those uniforms, a coach would have to be complicit in this scheme to relay those amazing signals to the players on the field. So as the information comes to him, he then turns to his defensive captain and relays the same complicated information to him. Then that captain would have to relay the information to the team in the huddle, making sure of course that they don’t make it too obvious so as to alert the other team of their insider knowledge. Whew… still with me? Ok, did I mention that all of this has to be done in 20 seconds? 20 seconds…
My guess is it took you more than 20 seconds to understand the plain English in which I wrote the second paragraph of this article. I cannot imagine any team even attempting this, and I laugh at all of the media guys yammering on about how this is a way to gain competitive advantage whilst all of the football players are telling them it doesn’t help at all. If Loomis did in fact participate in this scandal as ESPN is reporting, he would have to make the stupidest criminal of the year. If ESPN recklessly accused this man of this crime without proper evidence they should be held accountable, but of course they won’t, reporters never are.
and Hugh was an NFL ALL-Pro with 80 career sacks and who happens to be an intelligent and insightful man. So you judge their credentials how you choose, but it really got me thinking about the absurdity of these accusations and the ensuing debates between the talking heads of ESPN.
My feelings on this topic are simple. There is no way that he did what he is accused of doing here. Yes, I am going on record and saying that I believe the Saints are innocent here. Here is why I feel this way. First of all, the insane belief that a man could hear the complicated lingo of an opposing offensive coordinator and understand it seems far fetched. Here is the one play call John Gruden made famous in his interview with Cam Newton.
Flip right, double-X, Jet, 36 counter, naked waggle, X-7, X-quarter (keep in mind everything is based on the context of player labels, so this play could mean something completely different based on player packages and team codes)
But it doesn’t stop there. Next he would have to translate the information in a consistently accurate manner to have it be of any use. Mickey Loomis is a GM, not a coach or a scout. If the information isn’t consistently accurate, you might as well throw darts at the wall. As a matter of fact that may have a slightly higher degree of accuracy. The NFL is based on misdirection and deception because defenses are so fast nowadays. If your GM tells you that the play is a run to the right for example and you act on that with full passion and aggressiveness, but the play ends up being a reverse left, you are toast and they are doing the smurfs celebration in the endzone at your expense. So the next time the information is passed from GM to you, it will be disregarded right? So you see the importance of consistently accurate information right?
Then after hearing the play call and then instantly translating the play call he would have to relay the information to the field from his luxury suite in a manner that draws zero attention. Sure you could have a guy on the field with binoculars looking at him before every play, but I am sure that someone would have noticed that little procedure. So I guess you could have a sweet walkie talkie, but once again that might seem a little odd to everyone else in the vicinity right? Seeing as his luxury suite is packed with people every week, it’s hard to imagine that not a single person is running forward to talk about how much walkie talkie time Loomis logs each week. So let’s say that Loomis came up with a discreet set of smoke signals to relay the complicated information, just how much information could you relay? I mean NFL plays are complicated and based on a series of check downs and formation shifts, so thinking there is an advantage to just relaying run or pass is a little naïve. Sit and watch a single game with me and I will accurately predict 90% of the plays based solely on the run or pass scenario. Truthfully, I can tell you everything you need to know about my teams tendencies and I can tell you just about everything they are going to do, and last I checked no one has called me to help them scout the Bears. So precise play direction and players would have to be relayed for any information to be construed as competitive advantage.
So, assuming ole Mr. Loomis was able to get this far, the information still has another set of hands to pass through. Assuming that a player couldn’t get away with having binoculars on the field, and there isn’t a good place to hide a walkie talkie in those uniforms, a coach would have to be complicit in this scheme to relay those amazing signals to the players on the field. So as the information comes to him, he then turns to his defensive captain and relays the same complicated information to him. Then that captain would have to relay the information to the team in the huddle, making sure of course that they don’t make it too obvious so as to alert the other team of their insider knowledge. Whew… still with me? Ok, did I mention that all of this has to be done in 20 seconds? 20 seconds…
My guess is it took you more than 20 seconds to understand the plain English in which I wrote the second paragraph of this article. I cannot imagine any team even attempting this, and I laugh at all of the media guys yammering on about how this is a way to gain competitive advantage whilst all of the football players are telling them it doesn’t help at all. If Loomis did in fact participate in this scandal as ESPN is reporting, he would have to make the stupidest criminal of the year. If ESPN recklessly accused this man of this crime without proper evidence they should be held accountable, but of course they won’t, reporters never are.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Anyone there?
In your humble, not preferably not, opinion... who is the biggest draft mistake your franchise has made in your lifetime? (chargers fans... ummm yeah we know. Packers fans.. yeah we know... and raiders fans... yeah we know but feel free to speak out anyway!)
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Draft Season
We are entering one of the most fun and yet at the same time, one of the most annoying seasons in sports. The season I am referring to is, of course, the NFL draft that is coming up April 26th. An event that has become so huge that it really has become its own entity. I love draft season because I, like so many other fans, live under the assumption that the right pick will catapult my team to the elite catergory, whilst the wrong pick will doom them to the basement for another long football season. We will sit there for hours (or like 2 seconds if you are a colts/skins fan) awaiting that one moment when the commisioner walks to the podium and says, with the 19th pick in the 2012 NFL draft the Chicago Bears select Luke Kuechly, linebacker from Boston College.
We do this because we are convinced that this pick or that pick will make all the difference to our team. This is the year that we turn it all around, and it always starts with the draft!! This is why we love it. It's the excitement of the unknown and the possibility that our team will snag our own Tom Brady in the 6th round. So why do I find this season annoying?
The endless mock drafts, workouts and opinions that flood the airwaves disecting every player available create such a convoluted picture that by the time the draft rolls around you will be dissappointed with whatever player your team selects. Why will you be dissappointed? Simple, because your player has weaknesses. Who knew? He has short arms, or small hands, or poor hip rotation, or a low wonderlic test, or poor choice in girls, or he "only" benched 225lbs 26 times, or he has 15% less quick twitch fiber in his right thigh than all others with comparative body structure to others in position class. Tell me it hasn't gotten out of hand? What ever happened to, hey that guy is a good football player and the on the field success proves it, we should take him! Somehow 400 tackles is not as indicative of ability as a vertical jump.
We have endless amounts of data, and what has all of this gotten us? Well honestly I dont think the draft results are any less of a crap shoot than they used to be when you just watched tape. Look I know that running in a straight line without pads is a strong indicator of how a guy will run in pads, whilst being chased and never in a straight line on a football field. So that being said, lets take look at a draft from a few years ago. I am a firm believer in the idea that you can't judge a draft until three years later. So lets take a look at all the success we derive from this mountain of data collection and hand measuring when we look at the first 10 picks of the 2009 draft. I mean you really have to be a lousy scout to screw up a top ten pick with all this data right? All these guys should be great and big time contributors to their teams... so here goes:
1) Matthew Stafford QB- after last season we can say well done Detroit
2) Jason Smith OT - oops...according to Todd McShay of Espn, "Smith has the best feet in the draft"...yep... best feet! Too bad he cant block eh?
3)Tyson Jackson DE- ummm eh... always hard to gauge the value of a DE in a 3-4 defense, but 2 sacks in his career is a little light.
4)Aaron Curry LB-oops...already on his second team, and that team being the raiders wont help
5)Mark Sanchez QB- ok pick. Nothing great, nothing horrible. Exactly what you hope from the fifth pick in the draft right?
6)Andre Smith OT- Same assessment as Sanchez.
7) Darius Heyward-Bay WR- HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... ok that was mean. Here is my honest assessment... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
8)Eugene Monroe OT-Solid football player, and next to Stafford the best pick of the top 8
9) B.J. Raji DT- Once he figured it out he has become a dominant inside force. And, well he can dance in Insurance commercials in a really creepy way.
10) Michael Crabtree WR-oops... total me-first guy. Slow, bad work ethic and underachiever. And thats me being nice about him.
Those are the top ten guys in the draft. The NFL batted 3 for 10 and thats barely enough to be an allstar in baseball. And picking in the top ten is like taking swings in batting practice. By the way, picks 11 and 12 were total flops in the NFL. Guys they could have had include, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, Lesean McCoy, Mike Wallace, Ledarious Webb and finally undrafted future nfl rushing champ Arian Foster, just to name a few. Its hard for me to believe that knowing the size of prospects hands, his arm length and his cone drill time doesn't stop these kinds of drafts from happening.
We do this because we are convinced that this pick or that pick will make all the difference to our team. This is the year that we turn it all around, and it always starts with the draft!! This is why we love it. It's the excitement of the unknown and the possibility that our team will snag our own Tom Brady in the 6th round. So why do I find this season annoying?
The endless mock drafts, workouts and opinions that flood the airwaves disecting every player available create such a convoluted picture that by the time the draft rolls around you will be dissappointed with whatever player your team selects. Why will you be dissappointed? Simple, because your player has weaknesses. Who knew? He has short arms, or small hands, or poor hip rotation, or a low wonderlic test, or poor choice in girls, or he "only" benched 225lbs 26 times, or he has 15% less quick twitch fiber in his right thigh than all others with comparative body structure to others in position class. Tell me it hasn't gotten out of hand? What ever happened to, hey that guy is a good football player and the on the field success proves it, we should take him! Somehow 400 tackles is not as indicative of ability as a vertical jump.
We have endless amounts of data, and what has all of this gotten us? Well honestly I dont think the draft results are any less of a crap shoot than they used to be when you just watched tape. Look I know that running in a straight line without pads is a strong indicator of how a guy will run in pads, whilst being chased and never in a straight line on a football field. So that being said, lets take look at a draft from a few years ago. I am a firm believer in the idea that you can't judge a draft until three years later. So lets take a look at all the success we derive from this mountain of data collection and hand measuring when we look at the first 10 picks of the 2009 draft. I mean you really have to be a lousy scout to screw up a top ten pick with all this data right? All these guys should be great and big time contributors to their teams... so here goes:
1) Matthew Stafford QB- after last season we can say well done Detroit
2) Jason Smith OT - oops...according to Todd McShay of Espn, "Smith has the best feet in the draft"...yep... best feet! Too bad he cant block eh?
3)Tyson Jackson DE- ummm eh... always hard to gauge the value of a DE in a 3-4 defense, but 2 sacks in his career is a little light.
4)Aaron Curry LB-oops...already on his second team, and that team being the raiders wont help
5)Mark Sanchez QB- ok pick. Nothing great, nothing horrible. Exactly what you hope from the fifth pick in the draft right?
6)Andre Smith OT- Same assessment as Sanchez.
7) Darius Heyward-Bay WR- HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... ok that was mean. Here is my honest assessment... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
8)Eugene Monroe OT-Solid football player, and next to Stafford the best pick of the top 8
9) B.J. Raji DT- Once he figured it out he has become a dominant inside force. And, well he can dance in Insurance commercials in a really creepy way.
10) Michael Crabtree WR-oops... total me-first guy. Slow, bad work ethic and underachiever. And thats me being nice about him.
Those are the top ten guys in the draft. The NFL batted 3 for 10 and thats barely enough to be an allstar in baseball. And picking in the top ten is like taking swings in batting practice. By the way, picks 11 and 12 were total flops in the NFL. Guys they could have had include, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, Lesean McCoy, Mike Wallace, Ledarious Webb and finally undrafted future nfl rushing champ Arian Foster, just to name a few. Its hard for me to believe that knowing the size of prospects hands, his arm length and his cone drill time doesn't stop these kinds of drafts from happening.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Giants Offseason and Roster Review
When the 2011 season ended for the San Francisco Giants, I had a list of things I wanted them to do before Opening Day 2012. Seeing as how today is Opening Day (for the Giants, anyway), this seems like the right time to look back at what they did and didn't do to reshape their roster into one that will still pitch extremely well, but also hit a little.
My priorities were:
Despite plenty of hand wringing and flabbergastedness at various points during the winter, it turns out that this wasn't such a bad offseason after all. Let's review.
The final tally is 9 missions accomplished (even though 2 of them are the same thing) and only 3 not accomplished. Overall, not a bad offseason.
As for the opening day roster, I'm happy with the projected lineup and really stoked about the bench. I know many fans want Schierholtz to start because he might be a solid everyday player, but he is an elite bench player. Burriss has earned the opportunity to fill the utility man role. Blanco absolutely earned his spot during the spring, and hopefully he can be sort of the new Darren Ford, except that he can hit a little. I think Pill will be what they hoped Mark DeRosa would be last year; nice righty bat off the bench with a little pop, doesn't play great defense but is adequate at at least 3 positions and passable (in short stints) at a couple of others. As I stated earlier, I'm stoked about Hector Sanchez as the backup catcher.
I don't know if the Giants will return to the playoffs this year, but I think they have the pieces to again content right to the end. Sabean used to say his goal was for the Giants to get into the playoffs, because once you get in "anything can happen." Except that what usually happened was that they'd get bounced in the first round. Now, with what I think is the best total pitching staff in baseball, just getting into the playoffs might lead to another world series title.
My priorities were:
- Don't do anything stupid.
- Lock up Cain with a contract extension.
- Sign Jose Reyes, but not to a stupid contract.
- If they can't get Reyes, re-sign Beltran.
- If they can't get Reyes and Boston declines Marco Scutaro's option, sign him for 1 or 2 years. If they do pick up the option, still try to trade for him, as a short-term solution while Brandon Crawford further develops the offensive side of his game.
- Keep Jeremy Affeldt or Javier Lopez.
- If they can't get Reyes, find some way to upgrade the leadoff spot in the order.
- Build the roster with a starting spot for Brandon Belt clearly defined.
- Be extra careful with Buster Posey's return. He is a long-term necessity for success.
- Because we're going to be careful with Posey, finding a backup catcher who can hit a little is crucial.
- Retain other Giants free agents only if they will accept extremely reasonable terms and a reserve role.
- Don't do anything stupid.
Despite plenty of hand wringing and flabbergastedness at various points during the winter, it turns out that this wasn't such a bad offseason after all. Let's review.
 |
| Matt Cain will continue to be the longest tenured Giant |
- They didn't do anything that qualifies as stupid. Unless Matt Cain's arm falls off in game 2 of the season, none of their moves have the potential to be damaging long-term. So mission accomplished on this one? Yes!
- I am extremely but pleasantly surprised with the Cain contract. Yeah, it's a ton of money, but he would have gotten at least this deal, and probably more, if he hit the open market after the season. Yes it's a risk, but given Cain's history and body, it doesn't seem like an unwise risk. Mission accomplished? Double yes!!
- Not surprisingly, Jose Reyes received a contract offer that is at least kind of stupid. He is a dynamic, game changing player when healthy. But that's the problem. He has a history of not always being healthy, and that only figures to get worse the older he gets. I'm pleased that Brian Sabean and the Giants front office didn't match or try to top the package that Miami gave to Reyes. Mission accomplished? Yes.
- It's very possible that Beltran just didn't want to stay in San Francisco, but the 2 year deal he got from St. Louis seemed pretty dang reasonable, given the market. I would have very much liked to see the Giants match or even modestly top the deal Beltran signed for. Mission accomplished? No, but I still think making the Wheeler-for-Beltran trade last summer was the right move to make at the time.
- I don't remember seeing any "Scutaro to the Giants" rumors, but he seemed like such a perfect fit. Solid defender, reasonable offensive contribution, reasonable money, veteran experience, and a short term deal. I figured one more year of learning to hit at the AAA level wouldn't hurt Brandon Crawford. Plus, if Crawford showed he was really ready for the big leagues, they could call him up and slide Scutaro to second when Freddy Sanchez gets hurt. Mission accomplished? No, but again, this was only a mission in my mind.
- The Giants might have the best bullpen, top to bottom, in all of baseball. Obviously, Affeldt and Lopez are big parts of that, and as far as I can tell, they're both really good guys and good teammates. But for a team that both desperately needs an offensive upgrade and has been very public about payroll limits, it didn't make much sense to keep both of them. Lopez, Runzler, and $4 million towards Reyes or Beltran is better than Lopez and Affeldt. Mission accomplished? Not really, but I'm not too bothered by it.
- Not sure how to score this one. Yes, they acquired 2 players who are both some measure of upgrade from Andres Torres, and those players were acquired through pretty fair trades (not to be confused with Fair Trade). The problem is that they acquired 2 players, which causes problems for the next issue. Mission accomplished? Yes, I guess.
- All spring Bochy was saying that the outfield would be Cabrera, Pagan, and Schierholtz. With Huff getting paid big bucks, that seemed to leave no position for Brandon Belt. This is why I don't really understand picking up Cabrera and Pagan; 2 guys who essentially fill the same role. Plus, I like Nate Schierholtz but I don't think he's shown he can be a successful everyday MLB player, and we just don't know that about Belt yet. However, it looks like Belt will in fact get a chance to play often (if not every day) at first base, with Huff moving to left. Despite what Hank Schulman says, I'm not convinced that Huff is the one who should shift to the outfield, but I am on board with Schierholtz being the guy who loses playing time in favor of Belt, at least until the players prove otherwise. Mission accomplished? Yes, at the last minute!
- At times during the Cactus League it seemed like they were being very conservative with Posey working his way back into actual games. Good. Without personally examining Buster's MRI, it seems like they handled the whole situation very well. Mission accomplished. Big yes!
- With Posey slated to get regular days off and some time at first base, we could be looking at 50-60 starts for the backup catcher, so it's kind of a big deal. I wanted Ramon Hernandez, or at least someone who could hit .220, but they didn't bring anyone in. Throughout spring training, we were hearing that there was a competition between Stewart and Whiteside for the backup catcher spot. Then right before the season started, Stewart gets traded to the Yankees (for a reliever who might actually be helpful at some point), and Whiteside gets sent down. That means Hector Sanchez is the backup catcher, and it makes me very happy. We know Stewart and Whiteside can't hit, but all we know about Sanchez is that he raked in the minors last year. Keeping Whiteside in the organization, in case Sanchez just doesn't cut it, is a good idea, but I am very pleasantly surprised at this move. It might be the most un-Sabean thing Sabean has ever done. Mission accomplished? Yes!
- I don't begrudge Cody Ross taking the Red Sox offer. Get what you can get, Cody. But again, I'm glad the Giants didn't overspend to keep players who didn't contribute much last year. Mission accomplished? Yes.
- Looking at this list, there are things I wanted the Giants to do that they didn't, and they did a few things I don't really understand. But they didn't do anything that turned them into non-contenders, nor did they do anything that is going to hurt their chances for success in the years to come. Basically, they did not do anything stupid. Mission accomplished? Yes.
 |
| Welcome back, Buster |
As for the opening day roster, I'm happy with the projected lineup and really stoked about the bench. I know many fans want Schierholtz to start because he might be a solid everyday player, but he is an elite bench player. Burriss has earned the opportunity to fill the utility man role. Blanco absolutely earned his spot during the spring, and hopefully he can be sort of the new Darren Ford, except that he can hit a little. I think Pill will be what they hoped Mark DeRosa would be last year; nice righty bat off the bench with a little pop, doesn't play great defense but is adequate at at least 3 positions and passable (in short stints) at a couple of others. As I stated earlier, I'm stoked about Hector Sanchez as the backup catcher.
I don't know if the Giants will return to the playoffs this year, but I think they have the pieces to again content right to the end. Sabean used to say his goal was for the Giants to get into the playoffs, because once you get in "anything can happen." Except that what usually happened was that they'd get bounced in the first round. Now, with what I think is the best total pitching staff in baseball, just getting into the playoffs might lead to another world series title.
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