***Official San Francisco Giants 2010 Thread (1 Viewer)

[Eephus]

Three bad:

Bruce Bochy and GM for Life Brian Sabean both get two year extensions

Three catchers and no outfielders

One more year of the ghost of Edgar Renteria

Three good:

At least the Cain for Rios deal fell through

Zito had better ROI than the Dow Jones in 2009

Lincecum's arm didn't fall off

Three unknowns:

Will they pick up Freddie Sanchez' option?

What aging bats can we overpay for?

Is Eugenio Velez the model for the 21st Century corner OF?

 

[Jaysus]

Bring Back Bonds

 

[MrPhoenix]

Bring Back Bonds

Willie McCovey is available.

 

[Eephus]

Bring Back Bonds

Willie McCovey is available.

Bonds would still lead this team in HRsThese days Stretch covers about as much ground as the statue of him across the cove. But if there was a DH, who knows?

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

At least the Cain for Rios deal fell through

Wasn't that a Lincecum for Rios?

 

[RnR]

Read a rumor on SI that they might be the early leaders for Jason Bay. That'd be huge.

 

[Eephus]

Read a rumor on SI that they might be the early leaders for Jason Bay. That'd be huge.

I've seen a few reports along those lines but they don't seem to have any more real substance than matching a free agent to a need. It'll take 4-5 years at $15+ per to sign Bay. That seems a little rich for the Giants even though they have $30-40M coming off the books this year depending on whether they pick up the F. Sanchez option.It's not my money but I'd rather see Sabean overpay for Bay than to spend nearly as much on guys like Rowand and Renteria.

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Read a rumor on SI that they might be the early leaders for Jason Bay. That'd be huge.

I've seen a few reports along those lines but they don't seem to have any more real substance than matching a free agent to a need. It'll take 4-5 years at $15+ per to sign Bay. That seems a little rich for the Giants even though they have $30-40M coming off the books this year depending on whether they pick up the F. Sanchez option.It's not my money but I'd rather see Sabean overpay for Bay than to spend nearly as much on guys like Rowand and Renteria.

I'd like to see Bay in the Giant's lineup next year, but I don't see how we have the money if the budget stays similar to last year. They may have a ton of money coming off ( I don't know the exact amount), but Lincecum and Wilson hit arbitration this year. They are due for huge raises. Wilson might get more than he's worth because he's a closer, but Lincecum will deserve every single penny. Plus if they re-sign Sanchez and Uribe that's another dip in the pot. Honestly, I don't see how Boston let's Bay walk without SF massively over paying. I just don't think they have the budget for that kind of expense - no matter how much they need it.

 

[Eephus]

Hi Eephus,Earlier today, an email promoting San Francisco Giants postseason tickets was sent to you. This, unfortunately, was a mistake. We regret the error and apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused.Sincerely,The StubHub Team

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Hi Eephus,Earlier today, an email promoting San Francisco Giants postseason tickets was sent to you. This, unfortunately, was a mistake. We regret the error and apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused.Sincerely,The StubHub Team

 

[Eephus]

Freddy Sanchez signs for 2 years at $6M ea. replacing his $8.1M team option in 2010. Not a bad deal considering they were almost obligated to pick up the option after trading for him at the deadline. It all depends on whether Sanchez can stay healthy.

The Giants finally cut ties with Noah Lowry who hasn't pitched in forever. It would be nice if he can make a comeback somewhere but it's pretty unlikely to happen in SF.

 

[thecatch]

Will/should they resign Bengie?

 

[Eephus]

Will/should they resign Bengie?

I don't think they should offer him arbitration, even though it means Class A compensation if he's signed somewhere else. The free agent market will probably be soft, especially for aging, low OBP catchers. If the Giants can sign him for a one-year contract at market rates, it's worth considering. But anything more than that either in terms of money or contract length would be a worse idea than batting him cleanup.

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Will/should they resign Bengie?

I don't think they should offer him arbitration, even though it means Class A compensation if he's signed somewhere else. The free agent market will probably be soft, especially for aging, low OBP catchers.

If the Giants can sign him for a one-year contract at market rates, it's worth considering. But anything more than that either in terms of money or contract length would be a worse idea than batting him cleanup.

Isn't that arbitration right there?

 

[Eephus]

Will/should they resign Bengie?

I don't think they should offer him arbitration, even though it means Class A compensation if he's signed somewhere else. The free agent market will probably be soft, especially for aging, low OBP catchers.

If the Giants can sign him for a one-year contract at market rates, it's worth considering. But anything more than that either in terms of money or contract length would be a worse idea than batting him cleanup.

Isn't that arbitration right there?

Nah, arbitration is based largely on what he did in 2009. They need to pay him based on what he'll do for them next year with fewer ABs hopefully batting lower in the order.The problem is if the Giants offer Molina arbitration, he'd be crazy not to accept it. There's no market for mediocre Class A free agents because of the compensation requirements.

 

[thecatch]

Will/should they resign Bengie?

I don't think they should offer him arbitration, even though it means Class A compensation if he's signed somewhere else. The free agent market will probably be soft, especially for aging, low OBP catchers. If the Giants can sign him for a one-year contract at market rates, it's worth considering. But anything more than that either in terms of money or contract length would be a worse idea than batting him cleanup.

As long as its a short term deal, and he's better than whoever his replacement would be (given that it appears Posey isn't ready) who really cares about the $$? The team appears to have decent cash flow without anything better to spend it on this off-season. It seems wiser to grossly overpay Molina for 1 yr (perhaps via arbitration) than get stuck with no production from that position.

 

[Eephus]

Will/should they resign Bengie?

I don't think they should offer him arbitration, even though it means Class A compensation if he's signed somewhere else. The free agent market will probably be soft, especially for aging, low OBP catchers. If the Giants can sign him for a one-year contract at market rates, it's worth considering. But anything more than that either in terms of money or contract length would be a worse idea than batting him cleanup.

As long as its a short term deal, and he's better than whoever his replacement would be (given that it appears Posey isn't ready) who really cares about the $$? The team appears to have decent cash flow without anything better to spend it on this off-season. It seems wiser to grossly overpay Molina for 1 yr (perhaps via arbitration) than get stuck with no production from that position.

Depending on how you like your WARPs and VORPs, Bengie is around two wins above replacement level. I'll give him the intangible of handling a pitching staff with minor deductions for terrible baserunning, aging and some loss of playing time to Posey.His counting stats over past few years have largely been due to him batting in the heart of the order. He's not a very good offensive player and pretty average defensively. There's no reason to break the bank to keep Molina around.

 

[Eephus]

Latest on Angel Villalona

As rumors swirled that he paid off the family of his alleged murder victim with millions of pesos, Giants minor-leaguer Angel Villalona bailed out of jail this past week in his native Dominican Republic and became a free man - for now. Villalona's lawyer, Jose Arturo Cevallos Cedano, told The Chronicle on Monday that the ball player has been out of jail since Friday, when he posted bail of 500,000 pesos, or $13,830 in U.S. dollars.

Villalona, 19 - who three years ago became the most expensive minor-leaguer ever signed by the Giants, at $2.1 million - still faces a charge that he shot a man to death in September in a wild bar fight in his hometown of La Romana, Dominican Republic. But the no-bail hold he had been under was relaxed because the family and prosecutor have not been able to pin a motive for the shooting on Villalona, Cedano said.

"Angel was just there with a friend," Cedano said. "There was no evidence that he did the shooting."

Prosecutor Jose Antonio Polanco, however, told The Chronicle the only thing that has changed in the case is that the victim's family signed a waiver saying it will not file civil charges against Villalona.

"We are continuing the prosecution," he said. "The agreement is only on civil charges, not criminal."

A source close to the case said Villalona's family paid the family of the shooting victim, 25-year-old Mario Felix de Jesus Velete, 5 million pesos, which is $138,306 in U.S. dollars.

Villalona's lawyer denied there had been a payment, and prosecutor Polanco said that if there were any monetary exchanges Villalona made with Velete's family, "that's between them." Relatives of Villalona and Velete did not return calls Monday seeking comment.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...1#ixzz0WQjQziRn

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Will/should they resign Bengie?

I don't think they should offer him arbitration, even though it means Class A compensation if he's signed somewhere else. The free agent market will probably be soft, especially for aging, low OBP catchers. If the Giants can sign him for a one-year contract at market rates, it's worth considering. But anything more than that either in terms of money or contract length would be a worse idea than batting him cleanup.

As long as its a short term deal, and he's better than whoever his replacement would be (given that it appears Posey isn't ready) who really cares about the $$? The team appears to have decent cash flow without anything better to spend it on this off-season. It seems wiser to grossly overpay Molina for 1 yr (perhaps via arbitration) than get stuck with no production from that position.

Depending on how you like your WARPs and VORPs, Bengie is around two wins above replacement level. I'll give him the intangible of handling a pitching staff with minor deductions for terrible baserunning, aging and some loss of playing time to Posey.His counting stats over past few years have largely been due to him batting in the heart of the order. He's not a very good offensive player and pretty average defensively. There's no reason to break the bank to keep Molina around.

I'd still offer him arbitration. Passing up a chance at another 1st rounder just because he might accept seems silly to me. Especially because he's made it clear for a while now he wants to start and sign a multi-year deal. What I'd like to see is to see if they could sign Pudge to a one year incentive laden deal. We're used to old low OBP catchers by now, maybe we can find one who wants to be here and doesn't mind mentoring Posey.

 

[thecatch]

Will/should they resign Bengie?

I don't think they should offer him arbitration, even though it means Class A compensation if he's signed somewhere else. The free agent market will probably be soft, especially for aging, low OBP catchers. If the Giants can sign him for a one-year contract at market rates, it's worth considering. But anything more than that either in terms of money or contract length would be a worse idea than batting him cleanup.

As long as its a short term deal, and he's better than whoever his replacement would be (given that it appears Posey isn't ready) who really cares about the $$? The team appears to have decent cash flow without anything better to spend it on this off-season. It seems wiser to grossly overpay Molina for 1 yr (perhaps via arbitration) than get stuck with no production from that position.

Depending on how you like your WARPs and VORPs, Bengie is around two wins above replacement level. I'll give him the intangible of handling a pitching staff with minor deductions for terrible baserunning, aging and some loss of playing time to Posey.His counting stats over past few years have largely been due to him batting in the heart of the order. He's not a very good offensive player and pretty average defensively. There's no reason to break the bank to keep Molina around.

I'd still offer him arbitration. Passing up a chance at another 1st rounder just because he might accept seems silly to me. Especially because he's made it clear for a while now he wants to start and sign a multi-year deal.

I agree with the learned Pizza. I'll take the 2 wins or the draft pick as long as its not my money, and they don't have anything better to spend it on. I'd rather they gave Molina a ridiculous 1 year deal than sign a guy like Holliday to a Zito-esque contract.

 

[Eephus]

The Giants decided not to offer arbitration to Molina

 

[thecatch]

The Giants decided not to offer arbitration to Molina

maybe they were dissuaded from doing so upon learning Lincecum might seek $20m

 

[Eephus]

The Giants are reportedly seriously considering signing Scott Podsednik

 

[Eephus]

Ryan Garko non-tendered after only 115 Garkoesque ABs. If Scott Barnes ever makes the show, this may make the bottom rungs of the top ten dumb Giants trades of the Sabean era.

Brian Sabean is like an AI general manager in a video game that makes moves completely at random.

 

[Eephus]

Mark DeRosa signing may be imminent 2 yr/$12M total. Coupled with the rumored resigning of Juan Uribe, the Giants will have some roster versatility although they're still lacking in the pop department.

 

[MrPhoenix]

Mark DeRosa signing may be imminent 2 yr/$12M total. Coupled with the rumored resigning of Juan Uribe, the Giants will have some roster versatility although they're still lacking in the pop department.

DeRosa will offer little pop, but the Giants need more.Maybe you guys can get Dunn from Washington and solve your never-ending 1B problem for a year.

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Giants resigned Juan Uribe. 1 year 3 million (maybe 3.5 I don't remember). There is talk that he could be in competition for the everyday third gig.

 

[Eephus]

Giants resigned Juan Uribe. 1 year 3 million (maybe 3.5 I don't remember). There is talk that he could be in competition for the everyday third gig.

Meh.Uribe had a nice year but it's hard to get excited about resigning a role player who is (a) redundant with the Giants' #1 off season acquisition, (b) is likely to regress in 2010 and © isn't all that good even if he doesn't. I guess it's better than overspending on Adam LaRoche.Hopefully they can still add a short-term bat on the cheap.

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Giants resigned Juan Uribe. 1 year 3 million (maybe 3.5 I don't remember). There is talk that he could be in competition for the everyday third gig.

Meh.Uribe had a nice year but it's hard to get excited about resigning a role player who is (a) redundant with the Giants' #1 off season acquisition, (b) is likely to regress in 2010 and © isn't all that good even if he doesn't. I guess it's better than overspending on Adam LaRoche.Hopefully they can still add a short-term bat on the cheap.

I agree for the most part. Anything that might mean less Velez in left though gets me a little excited. I'd rather see Bowker or Lewis in left, but then I'm not in charge.

 

[Eephus]

Giants resigned Juan Uribe. 1 year 3 million (maybe 3.5 I don't remember). There is talk that he could be in competition for the everyday third gig.

Meh.Uribe had a nice year but it's hard to get excited about resigning a role player who is (a) redundant with the Giants' #1 off season acquisition, (b) is likely to regress in 2010 and © isn't all that good even if he doesn't. I guess it's better than overspending on Adam LaRoche.Hopefully they can still add a short-term bat on the cheap.

I agree for the most part. Anything that might mean less Velez in left though gets me a little excited. I'd rather see Bowker or Lewis in left, but then I'm not in charge.

Latest Schulman blog is saying Uribe at 3B, DeRosa in LF but I assume there's going to be a lot of different lineups this season. The more troubling speculation is around Roward batting leadoff. It says a lot about this offense that a .343 lifetime guy is seriously one of the top OBP alternatives.

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Giants resigned Juan Uribe. 1 year 3 million (maybe 3.5 I don't remember). There is talk that he could be in competition for the everyday third gig.

Meh.Uribe had a nice year but it's hard to get excited about resigning a role player who is (a) redundant with the Giants' #1 off season acquisition, (b) is likely to regress in 2010 and © isn't all that good even if he doesn't. I guess it's better than overspending on Adam LaRoche.Hopefully they can still add a short-term bat on the cheap.

I agree for the most part. Anything that might mean less Velez in left though gets me a little excited. I'd rather see Bowker or Lewis in left, but then I'm not in charge.

Latest Schulman blog is saying Uribe at 3B, DeRosa in LF but I assume there's going to be a lot of different lineups this season. The more troubling speculation is around Roward batting leadoff. It says a lot about this offense that a .343 lifetime guy is seriously one of the top OBP alternatives.

Yeah. As much as I don't want Velez leading off, there isn't a clear cut right option here either. In a way I feel bad for Bochy despite his flaws. I don't think he's dumb enough to not know the situation with this offense but he's got to repeat the party line and pretend he has real hitters.

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Looks like Aubrey Huff will sign a one year deal. No figures yet.

 

[Eephus]

Looks like Aubrey Huff will sign a one year deal. No figures yet.

$3M. Huff is like an older, more proven, left hand batting version of Garko. Presumably this will keep the Panda at 3B at least part of the time (unless he catches). But if anyone was holding Ishikawa in a 40 team dynasty league, it's probably a good time to cut bait.

 

[Eephus]

Frank Williams RIP, ex-Giants reliever from the mid-80s

Ex-big league baseballer lived on Victoria streetsBy Richard Watts, Times ColonistJanuary 14, 2009Frank Williams, a former major-league baseball pitcher who ended up on the streets in Victoria, has died. He was 50.Rev. Al Tysick of the Pandora Avenue shelter Our Place said Williams had a heart attack about two weeks ago, went into a coma and never came out. He died last Friday.Williams's life reads like a Hollywood fantasy. He was an orphan who grew up in foster homes in Seattle, but he made it to baseball's major leagues, pitching for the San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds between 1984 and 1989. Over six seasons, he pitched 471.7 innings, had a 24-14 won-loss record with eight saves and an earned-run average of 3.00.He earned $442,500 in 1988 and $425,000 in 1989. By the time he died last week, all that money was gone. He spent his last days bouncing around Victoria shelters and detox centres, a street-level alcoholic.It was a car crash in 1989 that ended Williams's playing days. He walked away from his wife and two kids and ended up in Victoria, near the Vancouver Island First Nation bands that reached out to him when he played in San Francisco in the early 1980s. Prior to that, Williams did not know he had First Nations roots.According to Tysick, First Nations family members are the only ones who came forward at the end. Williams's relatives from Port Alberni are now preparing a funeral service.Williams was well-known in Victoria baseball circles. John Turcotte, former president of the Victoria Mavericks, remembers a man showing up to try out for the team in the early 1990s. He had a $20 glove, no cleats and a vinyl tote bag bearing the Cincinnati Reds logo, and he claimed his last team was the Detroit Tigers.Turcotte, who was catching that day, said a 19-year-old batter hit the stranger's first pitch right over the mound to centre field. The pitcher took off his glove, threw it to the ground in disgust and pitched again.The next pitch flew over Turcotte's glove and smashed into his chest. Later, Turcotte sneaked a look at the pitcher's Reds jacket and saw the name "Frank Williams," a number and the major-league label. Years later, Williams would refer to his time with the Mavericks as his "comeback."But alcoholism and life on the street took its toll."Every time you saw him it just got worse and worse," said Brad Norris-Jones, owner of MVP Sports Collectibles on Fort Street.For the past few years, Williams would entertain listeners at the store with tales about the major leagues and autograph baseball cards."The store was kind of a comfort zone for him," Norris-Jones said. "The stories just poured out of him."After news of his fate spread on the Internet, collectors in the U.S. sent boxes of baseball cards and memorabilia to the store for Williams to sign in exchange for money.The people at MVP acted as an unofficial keeper of Williams's identity. His chaotic life on the streets meant he was always losing his wallet. The store kept a stack of Williams baseball cards on hand. He would stop and pick one up whenever he needed identification."It's a sad day but I guess we could all see how it was going," Norris-Jones said yesterday.

 

[Eephus]

In a surprising twist, Bengie Molina has signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract to stay with the San Francisco Giants, CBS 5 has learned. Sources outlined terms of the deal Tuesday that keeps the free-agent catcher in a Giants uniform. In recent weeks, the 35-year-old Molina - after expressing disappointment with the Giants franchise - was reportedly close to reaching a two-year deal with the New York Mets.

That's $16M next year for Molina, Huff, DeRosa and Uribe. It seems like they would have been better off signing somebody good instead.

 

[thecatch]

In a surprising twist, Bengie Molina has signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract to stay with the San Francisco Giants, CBS 5 has learned. Sources outlined terms of the deal Tuesday that keeps the free-agent catcher in a Giants uniform. In recent weeks, the 35-year-old Molina - after expressing disappointment with the Giants franchise - was reportedly close to reaching a two-year deal with the New York Mets.

That's $16M next year for Molina, Huff, DeRosa and Uribe. It seems like they would have been better off signing somebody good instead.

Like?

 

[Eephus]

In a surprising twist, Bengie Molina has signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract to stay with the San Francisco Giants, CBS 5 has learned. Sources outlined terms of the deal Tuesday that keeps the free-agent catcher in a Giants uniform. In recent weeks, the 35-year-old Molina - after expressing disappointment with the Giants franchise - was reportedly close to reaching a two-year deal with the New York Mets.

That's $16M next year for Molina, Huff, DeRosa and Uribe. It seems like they would have been better off signing somebody good instead.

Like?

Dislike. Of course, there aren't any players for 1yr/$16M, but the move is typical of Sabean's lack of planning and commitment to mediocre veterans. Overspend on guys like these and then cry poor mouth whenever there's real talent to be had.Four guys signed for a total of $16M in 2010, three to one year deals, DeRosa for two. How many of them will produce at above replacement level next year? I suppose the best scenario for Molina is that Posey develops and they're able to move Benjie at the deadline.Depending on the outcome of the Lincecum's arbitration hearing, the Giants' payroll could be back over $90M. That'll put them well in the top half of payrolls for a club that's not all that good. I guess there's a chance that West could be completely up for grabs and Sabean's moves position them to make the playoffs. But that's a rosy forecast considering off-season moves with very little evidence of upside.

 

[thecatch]

Of course, there aren't any players for 1yr/$16M,

Exactly. I'm not a big Sabean fan, but he's doing what he can to upgrade the offense in the short term. I don't understand all the Giants fans killing him because they think Huff is not worth a 1 yr/4m deal. Who cares? Sabean has done what he can do try to upgrade the team in the short run, without hurting his long term payroll flexibility. It's not like there is a ton of major league ready hitting talent in the minors that these 1 year FA's are blocking.

 

[Eephus]

Of course, there aren't any players for 1yr/$16M,

Exactly. I'm not a big Sabean fan, but he's doing what he can to upgrade the offense in the short term. I don't understand all the Giants fans killing him because they think Huff is not worth a 1 yr/4m deal. Who cares? Sabean has done what he can do try to upgrade the team in the short run, without hurting his long term payroll flexibility. It's not like there is a ton of major league ready hitting talent in the minors that these 1 year FA's are blocking.

Individually, none of the moves are terrible but it remains to be seen whether they make the team better. The perpetual lack of minor league bats is probably a more damning indictment of the Sabean administration than his record with overpaying mediocre veterans.I think a lot of the Huff criticism is related to the release of Garko.

 

[thecatch]

The perpetual lack of minor league bats is probably a more damning indictment of the Sabean administration than his record with overpaying mediocre veterans.

100% agree.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Earlier on Murph & Mac (680 AM), Murph was saying how back in May 2007 when Lincecum was called up for his first start (Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN), if they had waited ten more days to call him up, Lincecum wouldn't be up for arbitration for this year. 10 days. Is this the genius of Sabean?

 

[Eephus]

Earlier on Murph & Mac (680 AM), Murph was saying how back in May 2007 when Lincecum was called up for his first start (Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN), if they had waited ten more days to call him up, Lincecum wouldn't be up for arbitration for this year. 10 days. Is this the genius of Sabean?

There's no set date for Super Two eligibility. It's based on a percentage of second year player service time. Lincecum has 2.148 years of MLB service. Mark Reynolds who fell just short of the Super Two cutline has 2.138 years of service. This issue came up last season when the Orioles waited until after Memorial Day to call up Matt Wieters. I suspect delaying Posey's arbitration date is one of the factors at play in the Giants' catching situation. But if Benjie pulls a hamstring legging out a single to LF on April 30th, who knows what will happen.

 

[Eephus]

Former Arizona Diamondbacks closer Byung-Hyun Kim has come out of retirement and agreed to terms on a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants, said his agent, Paul Cobbe. He will try to win a job in the team's bullpen in spring training.Kim, 31, has a 54-60 record with a 4.42 ERA and 86 saves in nine seasons with Arizona, Boston, Colorado and Florida. His best season came in 2002, when he went 8-3 with a 2.04 ERA and 36 saves for the Diamondbacks.

 

[Eephus]

Lincecum signs 2 yr/$23M to avoid arbitration. His second year salary is either 10 or 15 million depending on how his arbitration decision would have gone today. He'll still have two arbitration years remaining at the end of this deal.

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Extensions for Wilson and Affeldt.

Frandsen traded to Boston for a PTBNL.

 

[Eephus]

Extensions for Wilson and Affeldt. Frandsen traded to Boston for a PTBNL.

Dynasty downgrade for Dan RunzlerOne of my pet peeves is overpaying for closers but a lot of GMs who know the game better than me continue to do it. I guess Wilson's deal is consistent with the (inflated) market.

 

[Eephus]

The Texas Rangers have acquired first baseman Ryan Garko off waivers from Seattle.Garko fills a need for the Rangers, who had been looking for a right-handed hitter to come off the bench

1 point for SabeanGarko is making the Ben Broussard tour, except for the musical stuff

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

If some of you want to chime in on the Giants total number of wins this year, please do, in that thread you see. I like them this year for some reason. And I'm a Dodgers fan.

 

[commisholio]

Nice start to the season for our heroes - the Astros are horrible, but the Giants have had their problems beating bad teams the last few years. They also got lucky that Berkman's out to start the year.

Braves coming in this weekend for the home opener shouls present a stiffer challenge, that's for sure.

 

[bweiser]

anyone who watched today's game and want to weigh in on this:

as a matt cain fan/owner i was pissed that aaron rowand couldn't come up with that catch in the 7th. i was trying to decide where it would rank on the difficulty scale had he made it.

1) good

2) very good

3) great

4) outstanding

5) amazing

6) one of the best of al-time

now, take into account, it was barely to the warning track and didn't make the hill. while it would have been a tough catch, i have a hard time saying it would have been anything more than 'very good.'

thoughts?