Carl Crawford for 7 years?
This will probably work out pretty well for Boston and if it doesn’t they don’t care, they can absord 146 million dollar losses (unlike the Nats).
But I just don’t get the buzz about Carl Crawford. He’s a nice player, he’s definitely fast–but so is Rajai Davis. He’s never hit 20 HR’s in a season and his career OPS is .781. Is THIS what a 146 Million Dollar Man looks like these days?
I’m sure he’ll have a huge year for Boston and I can’t wait for the NY/Bos games this year. But giving a 7 year deal to a guy who’s entire game is based on speed, and who will be 30 during the first year of his deal….eh, like I said, it’s just not for me….
Winter Meetings continue to roll on at a “zzzzzzzzzz” pace for Giants fans……
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Sleeping might be a good thing until some semblance of sanity returns. Figure Lee will get his 7 yr deal now from NY.
I don’t know if this has been brought up, on the Chron:
First baseman Adam LaRoche turned down the Giants last winter for an inferior contract with the Diamondbacks, so the Giants turned to Aubrey Huff. While Huff has a new two-year, $22 million deal and a World Series ring coming, LaRoche is a free agent again. No, the Giants aren’t interested.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/08/SP5L1GO3O4.DTL#ixzz17dElbKjI
“68” Mustang, wasn’t that what Steve McQueen drove in Bullit?? Probably the best car chase scene ever!! Charger and a Mustang, clasisics!!
Watch MAGNUM FORCE again. There’s a car chase scene that the director, Ted Post, actually tries to rip off the scene from BULLITT, directed by Peter Yates. Including removing any music from the soundtrack. But that’s the eternal debate, isn’t it? Who’s coller? Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood or Efram Zimbalist Jr.?
That’s right. The Dead Pool. That was the model car chase. And it wasn’t a spear gun, it was a harpoon gun, in that movie, too.
Is Magnum Force the movie with the miniature model car (bomb laden) chasing the real car all over the San Francisco hills? I laughed like hell at that scene. So did the rest of the SRO audience. What a great parody. Maybe I’m thinking of a later Eastwood movie, that he directed. I also recall Eastwood packing a huge speargun of some sort at one point, like a gigantic .44. Hilarious movie.
I do still enjoy watching the original chase scene in Bullitt. Nothing will top it.
Yeah, hilarious stuff. The 2 you bring up, the one with the miniature model car was THE DEAD POOL, directed by Buddy Van Horn (former stuntman) and the speargun was the previous SUDDEN IMPACT, (yes, directed by Eastwood). MAGNUM FORCE was the one where the SFPD motorcycle cops were acting as vigilantes.
Hutch of Starsky and Hutch fame was in that . . .
Yeah. And Robert Urich as well
From John Shea:
General manager Brian Sabean said Wednesday the Giants aren’t ruling out Brandon Belt as an everyday first baseman or left fielder, quite a statement considering the 22-year-old has one pro season to his name.
“He’s similar to Posey in a lot of ways,” Sabean said. “Posey has that quiet confidence. They’re up at the plate trying to do something with every at-bat, and they’re ready to hit every pitch. That’s tough to teach.”
The 6-foot-5 Belt would make the Opening Day roster only if he were an everyday player, Sabean said. Otherwise, he’d start the season at Triple-A Fresno, as Posey did in 2010. While Posey was ready as a big-league hitter out of spring training, he opened in the minors to hone his catching skills.
That’s not an issue for Belt, who would play a less-demanding position. If Belt is the first baseman, Aubrey Huff would move to left. That might be more reasonable than a Belt-in-left/Huff-at-first scenario because Huff has more outfield experience.
When Belt’s name surfaced here in internal Giants meetings centering on roster possibilities, input from team officials (including scouts) was over-the-top positive.
“If you were in these meetings, there were a lot of compelling things said. He’s very advanced as a hitter,” Sabean said. “It’s certainly a different situation (than Posey’s) – Belt’s situation is not tied to what he can do defensively because he’s an accomplished first baseman now. He’s way above average at that position.”
That’s not to say Belt’s shabby in the outfield. Sabean said scouts who watched Belt play left and right (14 games in the minors) believed it “came easily to him.”
Scouts also raved about Belt’s baserunning instincts, plate discipline and run-producing success at all three minor-league levels. At Class A San Jose, Double-A Richmond and Fresno, he hit .352 with 23 homers and 112 RBIs in 136 games, then hit .372 with one homer and 16 RBIs in 22 Arizona Fall League games.
“He seems to be on a mission,” Sabean said. “He opened everybody’s eyes.”
The Giants re-signed Pat Burrell but didn’t promise him his old job in left field. It’ll be a competition for playing time, with Mark DeRosa and even Aaron Rowand in the mix. If the job is Belt’s, the Giants would work him in slowly and bat him near the bottom of the lineup.
Belt would satisfy Sabean’s need for more of a left-handed presence, though the GM continues to look elsewhere for lefty bats. He said he doesn’t expect a fix in the winter meetings, saying an addition could come later rather than sooner.
A Texas native, Belt played one year at San Jacinto Junior College, transferred to the University of Texas as a pitcher/first baseman and was drafted in the fifth round in 2009.
“A steal,” Sabean said.
Belt signed so late that his pro debut was delayed until 2010. His big-league debut might not be delayed at all.
I hope sabean is right but I got no problems with Burrell in left
Hello? This thing on?
Weird. I tried to post under Kevin’s crypic reference to Bullitt and it didn’t work.
Whatchooo talkin’ ’bout Kevin?
Duhh… Nvermind . . .
Still getting thru my 1st coffee . . .
Thank you Adam LaRoche for being such a dumb ass.
Yeah, after reading that about LaRouche, I kinda wonder how many other FA who signed with other teams are doing the Homer Simpson thing slapping themselves in the forehead and going “Doh”!!
I know we have some young guys on here Chuck, but I thought you would know what I was talking about. Not insinuating you are old or anything like that. Well maybe a little!!
I didn’t see Flav’s pic for the countdown. I didn’t get the reference to it until I SAW the pic. After I posted.
Yeah. That’s one of my all time fave movies. The cool thing is they filmed the hotel scenes at the old Hyatt House in Burlingame. We used to go there and hang out by the pool when I was a kid . . .
Unca….Wasn’t that Hotel originally named Thunderbolt?Then changed to Thunderball after they released the James Bond movie Thunderball.
The Wiffle ball we used was the half solid one. Some were able to master a decent straight fastball. The main pitch was the hard curveball. A slider, really. Hard to throw for strikes, but we were all hackers at the plate anyway. The slow curveball could be thrown for strikes, but it was easy to crush that pitch.
One of the guys mastered a riser. It went from your knees to your neck, and was utterly unhittable. None of the rest of us could even get close to throwing that pitch. He showed us how he did it, but none of us could do it.
Is THIS what a 146 Million Dollar Man looks like these days?
————————————-
Apparently
Zuma: Good to see the positive take that management has on Belt. Back in May or so i started noting his numbers at San Jose. He kept it up into June and then later got the bump to Richmond where there was only a slight dip against tough E.L. pitching. Only the S.B. stats went down significantly as he made that climb to AA and then to AAA. Power numbers remained stable, as did the BA, while the OPS maintained at a level Sandoval’s did a couple of years back. Though he did not show much power in the AFL, his average and other markers remained at the top prospect level.
When players consistently maintain the kinda numbers Belt has developed in his short minor league career, it is usually a sign that ML stardom is a distinct possibility and everyday ML status virtually a certainty. This kid looks like the complete five-tool package with plus defensive ability along with versatility in the field; ability to hit for power; a good throwing arm; high BA; and speed. How long has it been since the Giants sported a five-tool prospect? So far as i can recall, the last one was Bobby Bonds. Otherwise we’d have to go clear back to ’51, when a kid from Alabama began his ascent to baseball immortality.
Whether or not Brandon makes the starting lineup right outta ST, chances are considerable that he will fast become an impact player. Looking back at the sorry state of SF’s scouting and player development system, say five years ago, the turnaround has been dynamic and quite possibly dynastic. Giants could be on the verge of developing a L.U. capable of balancing their pitching staff. The double prospects of Belt arriving and Pablo reverting to form added to the World Championship squad should make Giants fans drool in delight.
Imagine this post-Break lineup:
1. Torres, CF
2. Franchez 2B
3. Posey C
4. Huff LF
5. Belt 1B
6. Sandoval 3B
7. Ross RF
8. Tejada SS
Try and find a hole.
The nine spot
As Mozart said in “Amadeus,” “what can you say, except….Salieri!”
What can you say, except….Ted!
In all seriousness, although I appreciate the contributions of Ross this year…I’m still not entirely on his bandwagon. That being said, at least he’s not a liability
Stix, I agree about the players, but I like the lineup more like:
Torres
Franchez
Huff
Posey
Ross
Tejada
Belt
Sandoval/De Rosa
Pitcher
I can’t remember Sabean ever really talking up a hitting prospect the way he has with Belt. Not sure what to make of that.
A full year of Ross will yield more production than Scheirholtz and solidify RF. Still haven’t heard much on that front though.
Sandoval, Posey, Belt. That’s some good homegrown talent under control for a while.
Giants took a modest hit in the Rule 5 draft, losing pitcher Joe Paterson. Though a decent enough hurler, Paterson was evidently not in the team’s plans. In the AAA portion of the draft the Giants lost a third baseman, but picked up a catcher and LH and RH hurlers to augment their Fresno affiliate.
As prospects accumulate and the farm system strengthens in depth over the next couple of seasons, i would expect an uptick in Rule 5 losses to teams eager to get at that talent pool. The logjam of fair to decent prospects was at San Jose and Richmond primarily, this past season. Two years time and the team could easily lose three or four players via this equalizer. That would not be a bad sign, though; rather the opposite, as an indicator that the system is productive and healthy.
It’s interesting with Belt because Sabean said they learned from last yr with Pablo to let these guys fly under the radar a bit and not hype them. They must feel pretty strong about his makeup.
It has been reported Renteria has been offered a Burrell type deal. 1 and 1
Burrell type deal not quite as good as the Chuck Woolery type. Which of course is 2 and 2.
Ted,Don’t forget Tim Matheson (Animal House) first cop sacrificed at the door serving arrest warrants.
Rent would be better off being remembered for the WS winning home run than coming back as an aging (even more) player filling in once in a while. My goodness, he’s had nothing but physical issues over his 2 year deal, what is it that makes Sabean think he can be healthy for next season. If they want him to be a quaisi-coach and good vibe clubhouse guy, fine, just give him a coaching job…
Trade wise, the schmucks available aren’t worth giving up anything, FA wise Rent’s better than what’s available.Or at least equal.
This is from Carl filling in for Baggs:
This is probably the last post here from sunny Florida unless something earth-shattering happens in the Rule 5 draft (they won’t make a pick; no roster spots). The Giants are rolling up their operation and heading out save Sabean, who’s taking his kids to Disney World for a couple of days.
Me, I’m taking the first working plane out of here. I’ve covered major-league ball since 1978 as a reporter and a columnist, but somehow, these are my first winter meetings. Not impressed. It’s right there with NFL training camps. Lots of standing around in hotel lobbies hearing 99.8 percent hot air. Suppose it’s better than standing outside in the cold Florida air, but not much. These blogs have been the most fun of my day. Hope I’ve entertained and informed you. The next blog you read in this spot, hopefully, will be from Mr. Baggarly Esq. himself.
I’m giving away a mini-PC baed on Alex Smith’s performance on Sunday. Remember-this is an elimination game-lose and the postseason is gone. It’s also probably Smith’s last chance. So here’s the deal: predict Smith’s yards passing. Shouldn’t need a tie breaker but it would be TD passes. Get the pick in by Sunday noon. Keep in mind, I like Alex. No editorials on the blog.
What you get:
MSI Wind PC Intel Atom D510 Dual-Core 1.66GHz Barebone System
2GB DDR2 RAM
500 GB SATA II 7200 RPM Hard Drive
DVD/RW
Card Reader
Integrated audio and graphics
USB Keyboard and Mouse
SpeakersMonitor NOT included
Windows 7 Home Premium
This is brand new, I built it today. It is not a real high end system- definitely not a gamer. Perfect or a young person or senior or YOU, if you use a PC mostly for browsing, blogging, E-Mail etc. It’s tiny, 12″ wide, 10″ lenghth, 3″ deep. Perfect to slide into a home theater system. It can sit horizontally or vertically. For most of you, running dinosaurs, it’s a big upgrade. I’m letting past winners in on this one, as it’s a terrific gift. E-Mail your call:
twinfan1@hotmail.com
Very nice, twin
Excellent. I think I’m going to nail that # cold
450 yards, 4 TDs for Alex this Sunday. . .
Oh shit, I woke up.
Chuck, you are aware you’re driving aren’t you?
No editorials regarding the Alex Smith Contest? You at least have to let me go watch the tape.
Hilarious. xoot took advantage of one of the SFGate time fart glitches on the Splash to great comical effect. Look at the replies to an idiotic comment by someone named d2010 that says it was posted at 6:59pm. Funny
Chuckles, invite your football regulars over for the contest, I’d like to get 20 or so .
excellent work by Xoot over at the Splash…
Chuck, speaking of your blog, how about you post the link here, I can never find it on Google.
Just click his name, Flav. It takes ya right to it.
I love how he’s awarded himself POTD
Shit, first time I’ve done it, and you give me shit about it . . .
Ross with a base hit! 2-0 Giants!
If you hover above my name. Flav, you get my link.
it’s chucksninerland.blogspot.com
Bottom of ther 4th in game 1 of the NLDS…. Base hit for posey!!
Much niocer to hear Kruk and Kuip
Uh 1-0
I thought Tom Seaver won the 67 ROY.
That says James Cheever . . .