New Blood
I’ve got no idea how Tony Vitello is going to do as our new manager. I’ve never heard of him, I don’t watch college baseball anymore, hell they don’t even use the same equipment or have the same rules as MLB. But what I do know is this: I love that Buster didn’t hire another old man re-tread (like Melvin was and like Bochy is). The Giants need to try something different and I can get behind trying something like this. The Dodgers have just gotten too far in front of them. A manager won’t change everything that’s needed but it could be a good start. My gut feeling is that this is going to work out.
Let’s see what Tony’s got…..
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
All I hope is that he can get the team to play fundamentally sound baseball. We could win a lot more games if we can eliminate the stupid errors. Not sure how he can accomplish that with the players we have but from what I have read he’s good at working with the players in that area.
It’s more than just the errors, things like being patient at the plate, working with pitching, bunting, base stealing, you know just the fundamentals
And hopefully he just might be able to bring more FA’s to SF
Craig…you said everything I’ve been thinking past 24 hours. If size wins the race, the Giants are Neptune and the Dodgers are Jupiter. To address the inequity you need to make bold, fresh moves.
I also have no idea whether Vitello will be a gem, a bust or just another milquetoast hire soon forgotten once three successive mangers are hired in his wake. But I applaud Buster for making daring, intrepid decision. The Giants have sadly morphed into a stale and moribund franchise and now is NOT the time to go the bland conventional route. Good for Buster.
Vitello strikes me as someone unafraid to challenge players. It will be interesting to see how the veterans will react to Vitello’s brash style. Moving forward, Giant front office needs to carefully balance surrounding Vitello with seasoned coaches (especially bench coach) while allowing Vitello to be himself and impose his own brand of in-your-face baseball. A new gust of wind at Oracle. I embrace it.
Ah, but I may as well try and embrace the wind . . . .
There’s a Brisbee article about the ostensible increase in poor fundamentals across baseball. It’s hard to get data to prove it one way or the other, but since he used one of Ramos’ early bonehead base running mistakes as an example, I asked the AI about the rate of successful pick offs between 2021 (before the rule changes) and 2005. It’s gone down. Same for the number of other outs on the base paths. The reason for the latter isn’t because OFers aren’t making accurate throws, but because, just as with stolen base atempts, teams have become more conservative, i.e., in the case of baseball, smarter.
How about the rate of SFs between 2005 and 2024? There’s been no change, despite the higher K rates across baseball, probably because of the emphasis on launch angles and getting the ball in the air. As for K rates themselves and the cries of woe over two strike approaches, the percentage of Ks gap between the best and worst teams at avoiding Ks in 2005 and 2024 has remained steady at ~8 %. In other words, the overall increase in total Ks can be attributed largely to the increase in fastball velocity rather than the “launch angle revolution” or any change in hitting strategy away from the “fundamentals.”
I also LOVE the concept of Buster AND Tony meeting with free agents. Those dudes together will form a great team to sell the SF Giants to prospective FA’s
could be, but obviously Posey needs to add some talent to roster to help rook manager, more on pitching side than offense. Not a great year for FAs that might help Giants; 2b very limited unless you like IKF, and OF headed by high priced LHs like Tucker and Bellinger. Cozy Yanks yard seems like great fit for Grisham, who had monster contract year 2025.
Took a look at Gilbert’s minor league stats with Mets. 2024 he hit .215 at AAA Syracuse. 2025 pushed that up to .243 and added 30 points to OB and slugging so OPS was in .770s
Buster made a deadline trade months before the deadline, extended Melvin before he’d earned an extension, and hired an expensive manager away from a college program that uses metal bats. He’s much more entertaining than I expected him to be.
“New Blood” was last cut on Robert Cray LP Strong Persuader. Great tunes throughout. Think that was one of first CDs I ever bought.
I used to catch Cray at Larry Blake’s tiny cellar on telegraph when he toured down the coast in those days. Great stuff.
Keyboard guy Jimmy Pugh part of band at Blake’s?
don’t think so. Strong Persuader era tho.
Hah! Knew a few of those guys. Back when you could, Dr. D. would have 3 or 4 (more?) cars parked at various BART stations to do his deals. Quick drives meant much less road time and risk.
pre-crack. That’s how old I am. Freebasing had barely been invented.
If what I’m reading about Vitello is true, it’ll be a very entertaining year. I am interested to see what the coaching staff will look like. Not sure how much input Vitello will have, but there will be some new faces. I’m hoping they put Mark Hallberg back as the 3B coach. I figure they’ll probably get an old guy as the bench coach. JP Martinez is probably safe, but what about Burrell? Gotta say, I’m already fired up and ready for Spring Training.
Tony is a jerk and I am ashamed to have him the same uniform worn by Willie Mays and other greats from the past.
Hard to disagree.
Hopefully he can build good repour with Devers Adames Chapman and Webb. Hopefully he will flip over a table or two if they get in a funk of bad baseball vs mr. passive melvin:)
ALL in on Vitello . . . Not even bothered if this selection is an eventual face plant by Buster. The fact that Buster wants to win now is big for fans like me that are beyond tired of the staid way our franchise is run, particularly the last 10 or so years.
Regardless, this will not put them over the top for a Wild Card slot, much less a Division title. Adding another player or 2 is doubtful as well. For that to happen, I am looking for the league and players union to negotiate a salary cap. It is beyond ridiculous that the Yankees, Mets, and particularly the Bums are able to “buy” their Division titles. A salary cap should have been obvious 28 years ago after the Yankees won their 2nd or 3rd consecutive title. I am fine with a lockout come 2027 if they can’t get something done similar to what the NFL and NBA have had for years, i.e., COMPETITION.
Speaking of the NBA, Billups and Rozier need to be kicked out of the league forever if they are convicted of gambling. XRay poker tables, rigged shuffling machines, special glasses/contact lenses to read marked cards, and betting on basketball and other sports games. SMH . . .
I’m with you and totally with BF on his spot-on lede above. ” I know nussink” about this Vitello dude, but machts nichts. If Buster wants him, I’m down with it. Truly an outside of outsiders, which is exactly what the ossified Giants need. If he’s brash and offends a few people, who cares? Get some coaches and a bench guy to help him out, and let’s go. He sounds like a guy that doesn’t take kindly to bad fundamentals and stupid, brain-dead talent-challenged players dragging their asses around. Good.
BTW, Buster interviewed with Vitello in early September in Denver when the Giants were there on a roadie. That’s a full month before Buster fired Melvin. Obviously, Buster had decided Melvin was not the answer long before the end of the season — that 15 losses of 16 home game string likely doomed Melvin — and it should have…
taco Thursday in Oakland and SF this a.m.
The fact that they now have Devers and Admaes has to mean something to the baseball cognoscenti to hopefully get some more new blood on the field. Maybe the latin connection will help as well. Pitchers are always an easy sell to come here.
The front office HAS to see that they need to do a lot more than what they’ve done, but this is a start on trying to make headway. The fact that Milwaukee made it as far as they did being a middle-spending team will hopefully not play a part in this.
Re buying the title…. MLB has the HIGHEST % of new teams in the WS in this century for all 4 major sports, and the streak of no repeat champs since Yankees in 2000 is the longest streak in all 4 sports ever…The Dodgers and Mets put a higher % of their revenue in to payroll vs all the MLB teams. if Giants put the same % they would have the 3rd highest payroll. I HATE the dodgers, but their ownership cares more about winning than ours:(
And our fans are way classier than their criminal element…
Tremendous comeback W for Warriors last night. reminded me of watching Doug Moe’s Nuggets (Alex English Fat Lever et al) at Oaktown, where both teams score 130. Both starting 5s scored over 100 and both teams shot over 50% from floor. 50 for Aaron Gordon/42 for Steph, 36 bench points for GS.
Baseball still rips off younger players. Ramos makes $750K, isn’t arb eligible til 2027 and can’t hit FA til 2030, by which time he’ll be 30 years old. that’s just wrong.
If he wasn’t playing baseball he’d be making 1/10 that. Yeah, the owners are making out like bandits, but he ain’t crying poverty by any stretch of the imagination.
you think he’d be a busboy? Fucking incredible.
Last weekend of Keeneland fall meet in sunshine. Great stakes Win 9th for Johnny V.
I would enjoy seeing Snell get shelled.
Tied up. Go Canada!
take down them bums!
All tied up !
Yes, taking the lead.
yaha!
Bam BAM!
lol . . . Snell will wear this (expected) loss. Sweet. Hate the MOFO.
Sonny Barger givin em hell!!!
grand slam them bums! My son in Vancouver’s going wild.
Damn! Nice statement game. Only thing sweeter would be a BJ sweep.
Kirk adds on. Fuck yeah.
There is hope.
Jays get game 1.
Yay, something good in the world.