Back Burnering Winter
Pitchers and catchers officially starting filing in today. Does that do anything for ya?
Several position players are all ready there. Any word on when the Panda is set to show up?
A big Flap high five to whoever finds the first pic of him in camp this year.
Feels like a good day to play a little pepper, maybe have a catch, too……
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
reading the interview that macdog posted on the last thread. It was from ’04 before the season started. I found this answer to a fan’s question to be quite hilarious:
“shaundarbie: Did you ever make an offer for Vladimir Guerrero?
Sabean: In a word: No. If we had signed Guerrero or [Gary] Sheffield, we would have been without [Jim] Brower, [Scott] Eyre, [Matt] Herges, [Dustin] Hermanson, [Brett] Tomko, [A.J.] Pierzynski, Feliz, [J.T.] Snow, [Jeffrey] Hammonds, [Dustan] Mohr and Tucker — obviously not being able to field a competitive team, especially from an experience standpoint, given our level of spending.”
Jeez, what would we have done without all those guys? lol
We did ok in 2004 but that was end of our success, the season before the beginning of a dark time for the team….
That might be the greatest overstatement in baseball history…Sabean would be a great politician here in DC!
If the RSox hadn’t sold Ruth, they’d have missed 80+ years of no championships…
Being snowed in for a day in a long winter actually has not made me think fondly of spring training…still smarting over that Lebron 3 and of course the nfc championship game:(
I’d like to propose moratorium on Sando pix…regardless of what weight he comes in at, more imp to the Giants health is how he plays. Hopefully he is productive enough what he (or anyone else for that matter) looks like is no longer an issue.
Well, I would like to see the first picts of him in camp. And while we know he can produce (even carrying extra weight), we all know that there is less propensity for an injury, etc. if you are fit. Seriously, if the Giants are going to offer him a big long-term contract, then I think there should be expectations that he keeps his ass in shape.
There’s always the weight clause. We’ve brought that up here, and I heard it on radio this morning. IMO the Giants would be crazy to give Panda a LT deal without a weight clause in the contract…
I tried to post this yesterday but dont see it. So apologies if it is a repeat. I was in favor of the Beltran trade because I thought Wheeler would have ended up in our bullpen, but imagine if he were our #5 right now:
Cain
Bum
Freak
Hudson
Wheeler
wow…
Panda’s big chance for payday, so if he’s a “lean mean fightin machine” this spring,he might get rewarded by the Giants since really they have no options at 3rd in the pipeline.
Though like Willie and I & others have mentioned in the past it’s all about his health!
Speaking of what guys look like, Alex Smith came into the store where I work Wed. night shopping for something travel related for the wife. Lanky, looks more like a b-ball player. Had on a short sleeve (weather here still mild as of yesterday) white golf shirt, might have said ATT/Pebble on it. Not sure if he and wifey still live in bay area but he did when he first signed with Niners, and they both have been in before. Nice guy, real low key, was courteous enough to excuse himself to take a cell phone call and come back in.
About half way through Le Carre’s “A Delicate Truth”, really dark take on special ops/rogue ministers collusion with US right wing moneyed interests. Scary shit, to think top level govt. (British in this case) intelligence insiders can be gotten around by those with an agenda and money/connections to try and make something happen.
Another good read I just finished was latest by Ken Bruen in his Jack Taylor of Galway series, “Purgatory.” Very dark but full of great Irish one liners and comebacks. Taylor’s few remaining friends mostly dislike him and come to bad ends, and his enemies are brutal. This guy has written a lot of great stuff including a London set.
What about Romo’s contract? I figure Belt and the Giants will agree before arb. Panda will either be extended early on or perhaps Posey is your 2015 starting third baseman. But, what about Romo? I haven’t heard of any contract extension talks with him. Are the Giants just in a wait and see how Hembree does mode?
I hope Hembree can step in and be viable part of pen set up–we’ve been talking about this guy for years. I don’t get too fired up over ST; too many *prospect* guys last couple years have been underwhelming when brought up to mlb level. Hope there are better hitters down there than Kieschnick.
I can understand Sabes feels 2015 is when he gets more (cheap young controllable) pitching help, but I have sneaking suspicion 2b (what does scuts have left?) 3b (whether Sando is good or bad) and LF are issues he might have to address at some point this season. If SF needed to make a deal, Romo would still be someone to throw out there as bait that could hopefully be replaced in house.
I read yesterday that SF was in on a workout for Cuban SS Diaz. Scouts view him as a 2b. Maybe they make a move.
Hey, thanks for your practice tips. We’re doing introducing the crossover dribble tonight.
Back to yesterdeay’s thread about trading picks, it was 2004 they signed Michael Tucker and lost their 1st round pick to KC. Yeah, lower picks are a crap shoot, and yeah as the list shows, so are higher ones. But the Tucker signing was a disaster. He did little for 1.5 seasons.
Even worse, the Giants lost their 1st round pick to the Mets in 2005 signing (*urk*) Armando tire-fire Benitez. So, giving them up for players ain’t necessarilly a winner either.
Shit, Willie. I’m going old-school. Reading On the Road by Jack K.
Benitez was with the Marlins in 2004, then became a FA and Sabes signed him. I don’t think the Giants sent a pick to the Mets for him…
Yer right, but the G’s did lose their 1st round pick. To the Marlins, not the Mets. It was the 22nd pick, not the 9th.
Makes sense. Still turned out to be an embarrassing move. Strangely, for me, I don’t blame Sabes that much for that move. SF needed a closer, Benitez had been lights out for the Marlins that prior season, though he sucked his last year with the Mets, and the Mets fans hated him (still do). What have you done lately said Benitez should be good. Then he ripped his achilles or hammy or whatever pretty much outta the gate, and down the drain it all went…
in 2005 with their 1st round pick (we had the 9th pick, aAnd, to play the woulda-coulda-shoulda game even further, the Giants could have picked Andrew McCutcheon nd he went at 11).As per yesterday’s list, Sabes doesn’t much believe in picking OFers in the first round, so even if they had the 2005 pick, it’s unlikely McCutcheon would have been a Giant. Probably good Sabes doesn’t pick first rounder OFers; the two he’s picked in his tenure have been busts…
I want to see as many photos of Panda as possible. Some so far have been hilarious. Besides, the more photos we see before he shows up in the Scottsdale clubhouse, we’ll have more info on his conditioning than the Giants…
I’ve been reading a couple of books: Kim Stanley Robinson’s latest novel “Shaman,” set in an ice age 30,000 years ago; and Earle Labor’s new biography of Jack London. Labor has spent decades as a Jack London scholar, and his London biography is very interesting. I’ve had an interest in Jack London’s life and work for quite a while. It’s fascinating stuff.
But, the Earth is only 6000 years old…
And it’s flat, too. That and the moon is made of blue cheese…
“woulda-coulda-shoulda game even further”
But….if the baseball gods gave us the chance to give up the ’10 and ’12 championships, and go back and make all the changes we wish the Giants had made, and take our chances from there, who would make that trade? I doubt that any of us would. The complex web of cause and effect brought forth the two championships. I think it was our Flapper James who said Sabean got a bit lucky. Luck or chance, or good fortune; however that worked out, we were DUE to catch some big breaks finally in ’10, and then ’12 was a huge bonus bonanza.
I have not heard any talk on Romo re: his contract status. He is set to make 5.5 mil this year, and will be a FA next year if they don’t do something. They may just be in the “wait and see mode” as the Clown mentioned (to see if Hembree can possibly close).
Regardless of who is or isn’t in camp, I have always loved spring training. A lot of it ties in, for me, with Giamatti’s “The Green Fields of the Mind” (love that piece). “…The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings…”.
That and it is my daughter’s and my annual pilgrimage to the desert to spend time together and share our passion for baseball and the Giants. And whether the prospects in camp are shit or not, it is fun to see the young ones first hand to see if any have a spark that may translate into playing in The Bigs.
Chi, I’d especially like to hear your takes on Crick, Escobar, Mac Williamson and Gary Brown when you see them. Scout ’em up…
Will do, and will also provide feedback on anyone else who looks particulary good.
Very cool that you’re going to Spring Training. We’re looking forward to your reports from ST, so we can be there vicariously through you, if I’m using the word “vicariously” correctly. 🙂
I’m enjoying the Winter Olympics, but when did it all become so…..glammed up? Everyone looks like they’re made up for the cover of Vogue, men and women, and mugging for the cameras. Skiers look like fashion models. Marketing savvy has gone exponential, I guess.
you know, I couldn’t put my finger on what’s different about these Olympics but you totally nailed it. “glammed up”.
I heard that 100K condoms were distributed to all the athletes for their time spent at the games. Nice to see they have their priorities straight.
Reports out of Sochi were that after getting bad press for more strident efforts, local authorities opted to handing out condoms to the stray dogs…
goot one.
Speaking of out-of-shape players. Hector Sanchez said he’s dropped 20 pounds, per Baggs/Pavs tweets. Baggs reminded that Sanchez “was challenged to get in shape last year, too,” and we saw how that turned out, so maybe this is the first step towards Sanchez taking this baseball gig a little more seriously.
good. He needed to drop at least 20.
Maybe Susac’s progression is helping Sanchez lose weight. Though I always take what he says with a bucket of salt, on KNBR this morning Kruk practically busted a nut over how good Susac might be as a “receiver” defensively, plus he’s got pop in the bat…
Kruk “busts a nut” over any Giant,think he still gets a hard-on over Darren Ford.
Well, we always will remember that big stolen base and score play that Ford got in that game with, uh, with… I forgot…
I think I put a ban on no more shirtless pics of the Panda, and that was a self imposed ban. If you guys find a link to a new pic of him at camp, I’ll post it in the thread that day (and of course give you full credit) 🙂 🙂 🙂
Regarding Mac’s post above, why WOULDN’T a fringe guy like Sanchez do everything he can to stay in shape? If you’re barely hanging on, wouldn’t you take the baseball gig as seriously as you possibly could? I don’t get why the fringe guys aren’t in the best shape their bodies can possibly be in……..
Bags tweets… Hunter Pence has pink eye. No he doesn’t look as bad as Bob Costas. LOL
Have not been paying attention to the free agent list, but saw Bonifacio was released. Not a great defender, but he can play all over, second, third and all the outfield positions. Only 28 and can still fly. Looked like he had just a $3,5 mill one-year deal with the Royals before he was released. Would be a great switch-hitter off the bench and to pinch-run for Morse or Scutaro or even Panda. Give a little competition to Blanco for the outfield spot and maybe nice vet insurance for Scutaro/Panda. Thoughts? $3.5 mill real cheap…
Amazing that $3.5M is now “cheap” for basically a pine rider. I was born 30 years too soon, I could take splinters outta my ass all day long for that kinda coin…
true Snarkk, Mays never came close to that:( ANyone know if Mays made anything close to that versus the value of the dollar from his heyday to today?
But shit the Dodgers are grabbing everyone they can…another Cuban gone..
Well, with Kershaw now getting $30M a year, Mays in his prime would want at least $30M + $1, that’s for sure…
I saw this..Mays at 31 signed the very first contract for $100,000. And here is the sickening part:
“$100,000.00 in 1963 had the same buying power as $766,608.55 in 2014.
Annual inflation over this period was 4.07%.”
He deserved a whole lot more over his career…
Mays was the first player to break the $100,000 per year barrier. His deal in ’63 made him the highest plaid player in the league at the time.
Oh, I don’t know. I could make do with $766,608.55 a year.
Years ago Willie was asked how much he thought he’d make in today’s market. He said, probably just the league minimum, hey, I’m 70 years old (or however old he was at the time).
Mays never played during Free Agency or he would have made a shit load of money.
I love a fierce game of pepper. A lot of ballparks have signs on the field now that read NO PEPPER. Maybe some garlic?
RIP… Jim Fregosi
Think he was in the running for the Giants gig after Dusty, but they went with Felipe Alou?
Here is the Incognito report. There was some some pretty twisted stuff going on in Miami, even allowing for NFL locker room “hijinks”. Martin may not be the most thin-skinned guy in the world, but nobody should have to tolerate that kind of behavior. Plus, Incognito and friends reportedly did some similar stuff to another lineman and some blatant racial harassment to an Asian assistant trainer. Conclusion: pattern of harassment. Why guys would do this to their OWN teammate, their OWN lineman teammate that plays right next to them, is beyond my comprehension — and a lot of this was in Martin’s second year on the team, it can’t be blamed on rookie hazing. I’m no prude, and I’ve been around the block, and my high school Bball coach repeatedly targeted me for verbal abuse for an entire season, so I sorta get it; but this behavior is just beyond the pale and flat bizarre…
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/sports/nfl-report-on-richie-incognito-dolphins-harassment-of-jonathan-martin/803/
agreed– I got about 15 pages into it earlier today and then had to get to an appointment. The graphicness of it was astounding. Just got home from a productive bball practice and I’m making Katie corned beef for V-day–got it from Dittmer’s. Some of you guys like that place, right? It’s a little overwhelming for me—just way too many specialty meats to choose from. Shit I’ve never even heard of.
But I can simmer a corned beef. That, I can do.
Might get back to the rest of that Incognito report after dinner. The amazing thing was that on twitter yesterday, Incogidiot had all the hubris saying *truth was gonna come out* and a whole bunch of other shit that seemed to indicate this report was somehow going to validate his behavior. Is he THAT stupid?
Tomorrow’s Choucroute feast includes 6 frankfurters, 3 fennel sausages, 3 garlic sausages, 3 boudin blancs, 1/2 lb slab of pork belly, 1 smoked ham hock, 2 smoked pork chops, 1/2 lb bacon, and 3 duck confit legs. Preparation no more challenging than the corned beef.
I forgot to invite the Flap . . . .
Dittmer’s is awesome. James, hopefully you have a defibrillator handy…
I remember Ted Uhlaender’s Strato-o-Matic baseball card. His daughter missed a bronze medal by 4/100 of second. Her interview in the aftermath was pretty heartbreaking.
Goodell salary was supposedly big, but this big? Now we know why there’s no money for full time refs in the NFL, or more for debilitated former players with concussive dementia…
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10457530/roger-goodell-nfl-commissioner-made-442-million-2012
Highest paid leader of a nonprofit organization. Yes, the NFL is nonprofit
http://tinyurl.com/l3hm3qg
Wanna host the Super Bowl? Don’t expect much in return from the NFL.
http://blog.nj.com/njv_mark_diionno/2014/02/super_bowl_exit_not_fast_for_n.html
Shit, the line read 442 million. I was gonna toss my cookies. 44.2 is bad enough . . .