March 2010 Archives

I can't decide. I need to talk this through. With a few days to go until Opening Day, a lot of roster questions seem answered. Todd Wellemeyer is all but declared the fifth starter. Guillermo Mota has an inside track to a bullpen...
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Remember the cartoons with the wolf and the sheepdog? The wolf  tries to catch the sheep, and the sheepdog pounds him to a pulp. Then the work whistle blows, the wolf and sheepdog stop in their tracks and head to...
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If I could only write one word about the Matt Cain extension, which instead of a $6.25 M option year in '11 guarantees $8 M in '11 and $15 M in '12, it would be sensible. There's always risk in...
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For cash or a player to be named later, according to Baggs and Hank. Baggs has Frandsen's reaction here. So: No Burriss, no Frandsen to backup the infield. This means SF will count on DeRosa to play some 2B if...
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First Jeremy Affeldt, now Brian Wilson. The Giants are paying top dollar to lock up their top relievers. Affeldt's deal adds a little extra cash to what he was already scheduled to make this year, plus $4.5 M in 2011....
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Get your gear ready.        ...
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  Actually, many problems. But I'll stick to the one I noticed today. The Opening Day lineup will be similar to this, which is the starting lineup in today's Cactus tilt:  Rowand CFRenteria SSSandoval 3BHuff 1BDeRosa LFUribe 2BSchierholtz RFWhiteside C...
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Andy Baggarly tracked down Madison Bumgarner, who was told Monday night he would start the year in Fresno. I love the final quote from Baggs's post, a fascinating mix of confidence, perhaps a little cockiness, a sense of belonging and maturity:...
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After today's Monday's victory, a thrilling one no matter how scrubby the players toward the end, the Giants have the best record of the spring. It means nothing. That is, a team's win-loss performance in spring has no statistical correlation...
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Uh-oh: Every time Huff makes a defensive mistake, and there have been several this spring, it makes [Travis] Ishikawa's presence on the roster seem all the more vital. Manager Bruce Bochy has said he plans to use a lot of...
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The Giants cleared space on the 40-man roster by sending Rule 5 draftee Steven Johnson back to Baltimore. They also cut a bunch of others from camp, no surprises. More later today on the seething, raging fifth-outfielder debate, and why...
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We spun up a little debate in yesterday's comments about the merits of Eugenio Velez vs. Andres Torres, though if you step back it seems like a grand exercise in hair-splitting. C'mon, Lefty -- arguing over which fifth outfielder is better? Yawn....
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3 IP  3 H  3 R  3 ER  3 BB  0 K  1 HR Last night Madison Bumgarner faced 16 batters and got seven outs, none via strikeout. Hank Schulman reports this: Bumgarner, mostly hitting 88-89 mph on the stadium gun,...
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If you grew up with all the classic baseball stats -- pitchers' W-L records, RBIs, batting average -- and you get frustrated as all heck with the newfangled stats and the nerds who love them, you really need to read...
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I acknowledge and support the handwringing over Madison Bumgarner's lack of velocity and control this spring. I double down on my strongly held, emphatically stated, and wholly un-expert belief that Bumgarner shouldn't be with the big team to start the year. OK,...
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The triple-A Fresno Grizzlies could start the year with Buster Posey behind the plate and Madison Bumgarner on the mound, but the minor-league affiliate that really sets my corazón a-pitter-patter is across the country in Richmond, Virginia. I admit I'm jumping to...
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I mused Friday on the possibilities for a long-term contract for Pablo Sandoval. The Chron's Hank Schulman added a tidbit this weekend, noting that the Giants won't discuss more than a one-year renewal for this season: ...team official Bobby Evans...
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The Giants split a pair of exhibition games today, but the big news was about Manny Burriss's left foot. Tests showed he refractured it Wednesday, and reports said he'll be in a boot for a month. Even if he's a...
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Quick note about yesterday's game vs. the Brewers: I guess vegetarians can be clueless a-holes, too. Onward. Tim Lincecum's back-to-back Cy Youngs and arbitration case this winter spurred a lot of talk about long-term contracts for young players. What about Pablo Sandoval?...
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There once was a time when Opening Day set the tone for the entire season if you were 11 years old, a Yankee fan, or a mediocre sports columnist. Not anymore, my little media-saturated friends. We now have the first preseason game...
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Stay tuned for the next edition of Giant Dad Throwdown: Chris Lincecum v. Vai Schierholtz. I'm not sure how this will translate into 30/30 skillz for Nate, but you better not doubt it. (Link tip from Baggs.) ...
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