The Moment You Realize You’ve Sucked All Along
The thing that pisses me off about Belt, it’s like “why couldn’t you hit THREE home runs you slumpy shouldered dunce?????”
I remember the days when 2 home runs from your strapping first baseman was enough to generate a W for the good guys in orange and black.
What makes all of this worse is that the fans are looking like the smart ones right now. And when that happens and the team is losing, watch out. The vitriol will roll. Our left field position is 0h(no you didn’t!) for 20 to start the year. Anyone see that coming? And is the fact that this was painfully obvious to see coming starting to irritate you yet?
The waters should calm today. Bum pitching and hitting against a team that isn’t very good. And after the game we’ll hear Bochy and maybe a vet player or two tell us to relax, things are settling, small sample size stuff, etc……
But right now, I feel like the fans have a better take on this team than the guys who are getting paid to construct and run it. And we’ve had a better take since last winter…..
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Didn’t see any of last night, probably a good thing.
Loved Edd’s last line end of thread…”shareholders rejoice.”
Maybe next time Evans tells the bean counters to suck it.
And goes the way of Billy Bow-Tie? 😉
Word was bean counters told him no lux tax $$ on our watch, so off season acquisitions beyond Melancon had to be limited to dumpster dives. Sure if there was a hard line limit it’s possible SF could have added another guy or two without spending big, but someone still has to close.
what they did to BowTie sucked too, loved that guy and the great pic in widget!
Fuck yeah! We’re some smart motherfuckers over here! 😉 Seriously, we’ll see where things go, but it is true that many here have been pretty damned accurate on their summation of this team, and the lack of moves in the off-season.
Examples:should have done more to shore up the bullpen. Should have landed JD Martinez. Yep, a majority here in Flap U were calling for more bullpen and OF help.
Wiith that said, I still think this team will settle down and play some good baseball. I have not forgot my prediction of 92 wins and a West Division crown.
And on Monday, I could give a fuck what the record is and will instead bask my ass off. Opening Day baby…my favorite day of the year. Come on Monday! Anyone else gong to be there besides Sarge?
if I don’t leave town, there’s a chance I’ll be there. Will let you know on Mon.
Sounds good, Flav. I am planning to meet Sarge for a cold one…would be cool if all of us could meet up.
I don’t usually fall for the skinflint owners gripe, but this time it’s pretty persuasive. The Giants shed over $20M when Romo, Lopez and Casilla left. They’re paying El Con Man $14M; the remainder of the savings goes to the middle of the pen (many of them idling near the minimum, with Kontos at $1.75M, Gearrin at about $1M and Ramizez at $750,000). In other words, the bean counters perfectly balanced the books in the pen. Meanwhile, the $21M+ shed by saying goodbye to Peavy and Pagan? Not reinvested. Why? To stay under the luxury tax threshold? It’s as if the Giants have decided to wait until next year, when they’ll have Cain’s salary to reinvest and a lighter LT penalty if they can stay under the threshold this year. It’s just too clear. No middle pen, no OF, no problem–for one year. El Con Man will still be the closer next year.
The Giants helped change the market for relief pitchers by signing the core four to large multi-year contracts. The ROI, as the bean counters say, was good. Now the Giants, Lemon Can aside, appear reluctant to compete in that market. The result is likely predetermined. Even if your 1-4 give you 200+ IP each and the closer 70-75, you still have over 500 innings to cover. The SPs do not render the middle of the pen irrelevant. The OF is pretty important, too, I hear. Not in 2017, so far. I hope the Giants prove this view wrong. I hope they blast through the LT threshold by the end of the year and compete. But . . . .
Great post, Mike. Agree, but I still feel that this team is underperforming/not to potential in all of those areas. Hence my take that they’ll find their stride. Will they win 92 and the West as I predicted? Well, that’s another story for another day.
El Con Man? lol God, I hope he ends up being better than that or we’re really fucked.
Great summary, xoot. LF is shaping up to be a real black hole as I see it. I’ve already made my views about the pen know, you just did a bang-up job of putting numbers to it.
Excellent analysis, xoot. This team has paid off the deed of trust on the ballpark. No more $17M a year for that stroke. This team is a money machine. It can afford some crapsandwich contracts like Cain’s, and still shell out some dough to round out the lineup. There is no good reason why after an offseason it should be putting Hill out in LF when he has apparently NEVER started there before as a major leaguer. That’s just ridiculous, pure and simple — other than apparently he can actually hit a baseball, unlike the LFers so far. The Pen was a mess at the end of last season’s debacle with the Cubs, and it still is. Who knows if it will stay a mess, but this was predictable, and was predicted. The outfield is below average, like it was at the end of last season, and that was before Spanny left with his bad hip. The ticket prices at ATT — not below average…
Oh yeah. I forgot about paying off the mortgage. Good point. And then there’s that development of the parking lot about to boom when the warriors move in next door.
I didn’t know the mortgage had been paid off either. That makes this situation even more baffling. Hell, they can afford to pay the luxury tax, if it comes to that. As far as the idea they’re just waiting a year for Cain’s contract to come off the books, that also means the whole team will be year older as well and this isn’t a young team to begin with.
Meanwhile, my boy Belt looks like he wants to blow past my 26 HR prediction. If he hit in any regular dimensioned ballpark he’d hit 30 by Sept 1. Hope he stays healthy and has a monster season. We may need it…
With the shorter 10-day DL useable now, why don’t they just put Span on it and bring up an OFer from AAA? Instead, the usual down-one-player roster against a full roster of the other team. I’m sure whoever they bring up can strike out as well as the guys so far…
Not saying I agree with it, but it is probably to avoid spending an option on a player, especially if it was for a short duration. I have heard no definitive prognosis on Span, so who knows how damned long that young OFer would be up before eventually catching the bus back to Sacto.
As I said to xoot, above, this team is underperforming/not to potential in the BP and OF. I think they will improve…how much remains to be seen. Was taking with a friend this morn who is hard-core long-time Giant fan, and he reminded me that in 2012 they started 1-4. Meaning for me – it’s early.
Well Chuck I really do hope you’re right. And I will still be watching and rooting for them all season, as ever, no matter what. I’m just a bit more cynical than usual these days, I guess
I’m hear ya brother. Believe me, there is a healthy amount of cynicism mixed-in with my optimism. To some degree I think you need a good quarter of a season before you can make any definitive calls on any of this stuff, so until then I will root with tempered optimism and hope they prove us all wrong.
The G’s have had the lead in each of their 5 games and are 1-4. Ouch.
Rich Hill’s injury is that same blister problem. His great curveball is hard on that finger.
From mlb.com reporter Mark Feinsand: Melvin Upton Jr. is signing with the Giants, according to source.
Melvin Upton Jr’s deal with SF Giants will be a minor-league deal and he’s expected to report to Triple-A.
I always liked the name Melvin…
That was almost a given they would sign Melvin Belli. The Giants are the the kings of dumpster diving rejects with no battery life..
Nice call Zumie!
Going a score of 8.5 on the dump..
Sandoval’s hitting .188 so far.
C’mon, Zum. A little early to dwell on BA. Can be over .300 in a blink…
I’m sure the Red Sox fans will be patient with him. 🙂
You’re back in the Derby picture, Flav!
lol I was just coming here to post that! I had a nice win bet on him today, too
Happy for Rajiv, too. Good guy…
i knew once every single tvg *expert* had dismissed him and picked either the 2,3 or 7 that it was in the bag for IWC
Arenado HRs off a Kershaw curveball.
Melvin, lol. KIng of the Stubbs brothers. Every time I read that line from Flav (calling up one of the Stubbs brothers) I cracked up.
When he was released by Toronto last week, one blogger suggested Tigers would sign him. One of responses was they were already tired of the one they had.
Let’s hope Bum gets an AB today.
they could move him to LF
That coulda been worse.
I hope Pads don’t IBB MadBum with Span hitting behind him.
That also coulda been worse.
I’ve seen guys snort crank and look more relaxed than Parker
Hilarious 😂
Just don’t get it Xoot, all these big league hitters have all this timing mechanics they think they need to hit with, but it’s bs,get in the box be as still as you can be a little more weight on the back leg and then just transfer the power to your front leg at impact,it’s not rocket science 🔬
Our leftfield is still 0 for 2017.
hella grab by Panik, he’s playing really well. Pitch count issues for Bum at 45 in the 3rd. Hope he can settle down and have some quick innings.
Bum doesn’t have his best stuff today, but he’s battling.
This is the guy that gave up 9 earned runs in his opener, but yeah play the Giants and your Cy Young for the night..
Chacin is lulling me into a nap.
Just got home, turn on tube and Chafuckingcin is chacining us down? WFT Chacin sucks.
Not tonight he doesn’t. And Parker fucking sucks.
Ensign Parker could hit better then our Parker.
Maybe you better go back out BF..
Reynolds 2-run HR off Kershaw.
Hey Flav, I just won first place and $500 on the DraftKings, $3 entry afternoon moonshot. My best win yet!
nice! Few better feelings than taking down a DFS tourney. Congrats, keep the run going tomorrow.
Thanks, I’am actually heading to the casinos in Louisiana tomorrow for a much needed getaway. The timing couldn’t have been better.
Time for the offense to cool down, as pitching sorta stabilizes, a 2-8 start seems inevitable right now
Parra HR off Kershaw.
“And he hits this one right into the shift.” Kuip will never shake his dislike of Belt.
The Giants are making Chacin’s job mighty easy tonight.
Time to score some fucking runs…
The D-Backs and Rockies played good ball in the first week. They want to make some noise in the division.
Interesting discussion on yesterday’s thread about the financial strategy of the Giants front office. Putting the best team possible on the field in 2017 wasn’t the highest priority.
That happens when you have dead weight on your team and they make north of 20 mil…
They did all the heavy lifting last yr.
MadBum having to bat down 2-0 in the 8th says a lot about this sorry bunch.
Craw flashing the leather…how about they flash the bats…
Madison Bumgarner is a fucking bulldog. Sometimes I think he’s too good for some of the turds they surround him with.
I’m amazed he pushed through the 8th so well. He was pissed off, too.
Yeah, he really settled in the last 4 innings.
Fuck! Welcome to the goddamned Twilight Zone!
2 great outings to start the season, wasted.
At least they didn’t blow a lead tonight.
Pure gold. Ouch! That was some weak shit tonight.
yeah the pen didn’t look bad tonight
One of the only positives of the game…
So if MadBum doesn’t hit a homer or two, they lose . . . oh wait.
Dodgers lost. There’s that.
Kershaw gets the loss.
Giants have the worst record in MLB at the moment.
And losing ground to the 1st-place D-Backs.
Yeah, the D-Backs torched Cleveland tonight.
Ah, the season is like a really long horse race, right? How often do you see *the favorite* kind of stumble out of the gate and languish well behind the field into the first or even second turn. And then bit by bit, they make their move and before you know it, they’re right in the thick of it heading down the… oh, nevermind……
“I’m only happy when it rains…” … 🙂 Name that band.
Garbage! 🙂
Yeah,the old Dave Wottle strategy. Let’s hope we get that finishing kick.
This so looks like the 2nd half of last year. Pitch poorly but score 6 and lose. Pitch well the next day and lose 2-1.
The miracle run is over.
Welcome to 2005.
Jarrett Parker in the batter’s box:
http://tinyurl.com/nprwjuu
And he’ll be doing his dance in Sacramento pretty soon, at this rate.
Except that song was a hit
Giants should’ve won it all n 1962, 1987, and 2002. The baseball gods have miraculously got us even.
And that’s that. (Not “there’s that” – the latest moronic internet fad expression)
Hey, I used that expression tonight. I didn’t know it was a fad. Most internet fads are lost on me.
From my recollection, which is not always completely accurate, the Giants were a better 2nd half team and finished strong in 2010 and 2012. We know how those seasons ended. They were a stellar 1st half team in 2014 (happy ending….) and last year (unhappy ending). I would be perfectly fine with a mediocre 1st half this year, even just hovering near .500 and within a stone’s throw of the division, and a gang-busters 2nd half. Guess we’ll find out which way it will go.