And so it begins. The Giants begin the 2011 season in Chavez Ravine amidst a deluge of news. Zito got into a car accident yesterday and arrives at the stadium in a neck brace. Ross and Wilson start the season on the DL. Witness after witness destroy Bonds character. Panda starts at third after losing a small child off his midsection. The slowest corner outfielder tandem in the history of baseball are starting. And Belt starts at first.
Giants management understand the concept of history repeating itself and will take a chance on Belt in contrast to last year's decision of delaying Posey's promotion until Memorial Day. He's gotten on base twice and looks good in the field. So far so good but many difficult decisions are in the future when Ross is healthy again - who goes to Fresno?
The new ESPN baseball crew is neither an upgrade nor downgrade. Hershiser is a bore. Schulman is . . .. who? Bobby V is quiet. The highlight of the broadcast was Valentine's dye job. We have lost the laughability factor of a Morgan/Miller non-sensical baseball analysis. ESPN also felt that they had to say goodbye to Miller by zooming in on him in his post-excommunication vocation. The powers that be have decided that the voice of the Giants will only be a voice and not a face. Schulman/BV/Hersh all paid lip service to him. I have a fever and the only prescription is more . . . . Krukow and Kuiper.
Lincecum gives up no earned runs, Giants lose.
3.31.2011
3.28.2011
For Whom the Bell Tolls
A guy's ex-girlfriend walks into a courtroom and holds up her right hand and swears to say the truth and nothing but the truth so help her God. Her ex-boyfriend probably prayed for divine intervention to prevent the brutal honesty that would soon come forth, like a bell her voice would be heard near and far.
The absurdity of today's testimony struck a sour note for many men today. Note to self: If you ever plan on doing steroids to improve your career prospects, don't tell your girlfriend anything because it will come back to bite you. Also, if your ego increases in size from 7 1/4 to 7 3/8 remember to always buy your own baseball caps because you can't trust the hat guy either. Zack Morris would agree that no one was saved by the bell today because the bell does not toll for thee.
I'm keeping this post anonymous, I thought today could use a little discretion.
3 Days til the Dodgers lose
The absurdity of today's testimony struck a sour note for many men today. Note to self: If you ever plan on doing steroids to improve your career prospects, don't tell your girlfriend anything because it will come back to bite you. Also, if your ego increases in size from 7 1/4 to 7 3/8 remember to always buy your own baseball caps because you can't trust the hat guy either. Zack Morris would agree that no one was saved by the bell today because the bell does not toll for thee.
I'm keeping this post anonymous, I thought today could use a little discretion.
3 Days til the Dodgers lose
3.27.2011
A Giant Amongst Men
The 2011 Giants season will begin just as the Bonds trial is getting started - a collision of two Giants' baseball eras. The Bonds name has become taboo in AT&T Park, in San Francisco, and even among Giants fans. Some may want to forget his existence in a Giants uniform, too ashamed of his steroid sandal. At the same time it is impossible to erase the existence of one of the greatest Giants players to ever play and one of the greatest baseball players or even athletes. Over the years he became immortal in Giants history - a Giant amongst men.
It is very difficult as a Giants fan to root for or against one of their own, despite the circumstances. Everyone would like to believe that he never knowingly did steroids but very few will ever believe that. I think his place in history would be drastically different if he had handled his steroid scandal by taking responsibility for his actions and being an advocate against illegal substance usage in sports. I'm not sure what his motivations are for dragging out this court case and not settling but I can't imagine any true positive outcome no matter the jury's decision. The Hall of Fame has to be in the front of his mind and he might be viewing the case as the basis for the Hall of Fame decision. If he is exonerated, is it easier to vote him until the HOF? Not so sure. On one hand he artificially inflated his performance but on the other hand he was an automatic inductee before the steroid usage. This case will not set Bonds free and I continue to be interested in his decision not to retire.
What is the stuff that legends are made of? Is it purely statistics or are there intangibles that catapult mortals to immortal status? Bonds was the greatest player of his time but for some reason that wasn't good enough. He had to be the best, his name had to be at the top of all the records. He got what he wanted and he still thinks he has unfinished business. As I look at the autographed baseball on my shelf, it is difficult to comprehend what my favorite player has become. The antihero. His Icarian fate has reduced this fallen legend to a mere man amongst Giants.
It is very difficult as a Giants fan to root for or against one of their own, despite the circumstances. Everyone would like to believe that he never knowingly did steroids but very few will ever believe that. I think his place in history would be drastically different if he had handled his steroid scandal by taking responsibility for his actions and being an advocate against illegal substance usage in sports. I'm not sure what his motivations are for dragging out this court case and not settling but I can't imagine any true positive outcome no matter the jury's decision. The Hall of Fame has to be in the front of his mind and he might be viewing the case as the basis for the Hall of Fame decision. If he is exonerated, is it easier to vote him until the HOF? Not so sure. On one hand he artificially inflated his performance but on the other hand he was an automatic inductee before the steroid usage. This case will not set Bonds free and I continue to be interested in his decision not to retire.
What is the stuff that legends are made of? Is it purely statistics or are there intangibles that catapult mortals to immortal status? Bonds was the greatest player of his time but for some reason that wasn't good enough. He had to be the best, his name had to be at the top of all the records. He got what he wanted and he still thinks he has unfinished business. As I look at the autographed baseball on my shelf, it is difficult to comprehend what my favorite player has become. The antihero. His Icarian fate has reduced this fallen legend to a mere man amongst Giants.
3.20.2011
Bonds Trial
The Bonds Trial begins tomorrow and his future will be decided in the coming weeks. This has been the highest profile steroid case and it has taken 8 years for the prosecution to put together a case. Many of the original charges have been dropped and it seems like the prosecutors are fumbling the case a little. It seems they are throwing darts at the wall and hoping one will stick. It's amazing how so much of Bonds' private life will come out during the trial as the prosecutors will be calling his old girlfriends, teammates, and trainers to the stand to comment on Bonds' physical changes over the years.
This trial is the final statement on the steroid years of baseball and the prosecution is desperate to get a guilty ruling. The pressure is enormous because the national media and public have already decided that he is guilty. Is it even possible for him to get a fair trial? Apparently there was a long questionnaire handed out to all the jurors so that the lawyers understood the previous knowledge of Bonds, the steroid scandals, and the case of course. Also I read last week that the jury is being barred from using social media and cell phones to prevent leaks and curious jury members from researching Bonds' backgound. What hole or cave do they have to go to in order to find someone who is completely impartial? I can imagine that they will toss out a lot of jurors.
I think we need to discuss the binomial outcome:
Guilty as Charged -
His assumed guilt is confirmed. Bonds goes to jail. The steroids scandal/era is put to rest. Bonds continues to be one of the most hated athletes. Not sure what happens to Anderson but it can't be good. Bonds doesn't make the hall of fame? Asterisk*? What happens to all his records? Does he officially retire?
Innocent
American public still thinks he's guilty and still hates him (or maybe even more than before). The DA gets fired for fumbling this case and wasting millions in tax payer dollars. Bonds stays out of jail. I guess Anderson is let loose, not a lawyer but I logically thinking this make sense. Bonds is never really proven of knowingly taking steroids and his hall of fame prospects are up. Bonds returns to baseball? He has yet to retire and has been quoted as saying he's in good enough shape to play.
Or sorry trinomial outcome - mistrial when a member of the jury gets hold of a cell phone and texts their friend about the trial
This trial is the final statement on the steroid years of baseball and the prosecution is desperate to get a guilty ruling. The pressure is enormous because the national media and public have already decided that he is guilty. Is it even possible for him to get a fair trial? Apparently there was a long questionnaire handed out to all the jurors so that the lawyers understood the previous knowledge of Bonds, the steroid scandals, and the case of course. Also I read last week that the jury is being barred from using social media and cell phones to prevent leaks and curious jury members from researching Bonds' backgound. What hole or cave do they have to go to in order to find someone who is completely impartial? I can imagine that they will toss out a lot of jurors.
I think we need to discuss the binomial outcome:
Guilty as Charged -
His assumed guilt is confirmed. Bonds goes to jail. The steroids scandal/era is put to rest. Bonds continues to be one of the most hated athletes. Not sure what happens to Anderson but it can't be good. Bonds doesn't make the hall of fame? Asterisk*? What happens to all his records? Does he officially retire?
Innocent
American public still thinks he's guilty and still hates him (or maybe even more than before). The DA gets fired for fumbling this case and wasting millions in tax payer dollars. Bonds stays out of jail. I guess Anderson is let loose, not a lawyer but I logically thinking this make sense. Bonds is never really proven of knowingly taking steroids and his hall of fame prospects are up. Bonds returns to baseball? He has yet to retire and has been quoted as saying he's in good enough shape to play.
Or sorry trinomial outcome - mistrial when a member of the jury gets hold of a cell phone and texts their friend about the trial
3.19.2011
Athletic Fraud
The Mets released Luis Castillo. Who cares, right? Wrong. In the offseason the stories have been all about Sandoval's comeback, the health of the starting pitchers, and of course the continuing questions about Zito's and Rowand's lack of performance. Their appears to be an inverse relationship between salary and performance on the Giants with Posey earning close to the minimum and Zito/Rowand the top earners. Together the infamous overpaid duo will earn over $32mm this year and would it be easy to release them? Obviously not. The Mets decided to swallow $6mm of his final contract year in the same week that Irving Picard sues them for $1 billion. This begs the following question - if a team that has been funded by a Ponzi scheme and is now being sued for ten digits decides to stomach a seven digit salary, can a team like the Giants release a Zito or Rowand? The argument against this (or at least for Zito) is that even as poor as they have played, they are still better than say someone playing in Fresno. Zito would most likely not be considered a 5th starter on most teams and to his credit I think Giants fans have been wearing garlic fries goggles these past couple of years. We've been spoiled by good pitching and one of the greatest pitching staff's in the team's history. That is why we want to vomit in our chowder bowls when Zito hangs a curve ball.
Castillo's narrative reminds me of a certain shortstop last year who became a postseason hero and left "because of pride" or something like that. Renteria was the MVP in the World Series so he decided the Giants counter offer was offensive so he went to the Reds. (I believe at a similar salary as the counter offer) The Giants were lucky to have that last year option - Renteria was exceptional in the postseason but the condition of his body is not. Sabean/Neukom are smart investors and they know the rules of smart investing which is to base your decisions on future performance and not past. (I know you're thinking well what happened with Zito/Rowand) Renteria is not worth his $10.5mm option so they counter offered at about 10 cents on the dollar. In the financial world this would be considered a very distressed asset and I would have to agree. There is no upside to keeping a veteran at the end of his career when you could be developing the future stars of the team. Case in point: Posey in 2010, Belt in 2011?
When Madoff made off with the Mets investment portfolio it reminded me of a similar pyramid scheme that occurs in sports. We as fans invest in a team by buying tickets and merch where we expect to receive a service/entertainment in return (the game). The team takes our money and other sources to reinvest in the business and to pay the players. We pay to see them perform. When a player underperforms is this athletic fraud? Should Zito return some of his "fradulent" profits he's earned since he kayaked across the bay? As a player I think it would be hard to accept such a high salary when you know you are not playing well or not to the level of your contract but how do you monetize athletic performance? Is a home run worth $100K or a strikeout $10K? Is there a lesson to learn from Castillo's demise? Baseball for thought.
In other news: Haft is reporting from Scottsdale that Wilson strained his oblique but he said it's not serious and should be available openning day. Giants currently have the best record in spring ball. I believe they did last year as well. I smell repeat.
Castillo's narrative reminds me of a certain shortstop last year who became a postseason hero and left "because of pride" or something like that. Renteria was the MVP in the World Series so he decided the Giants counter offer was offensive so he went to the Reds. (I believe at a similar salary as the counter offer) The Giants were lucky to have that last year option - Renteria was exceptional in the postseason but the condition of his body is not. Sabean/Neukom are smart investors and they know the rules of smart investing which is to base your decisions on future performance and not past. (I know you're thinking well what happened with Zito/Rowand) Renteria is not worth his $10.5mm option so they counter offered at about 10 cents on the dollar. In the financial world this would be considered a very distressed asset and I would have to agree. There is no upside to keeping a veteran at the end of his career when you could be developing the future stars of the team. Case in point: Posey in 2010, Belt in 2011?
When Madoff made off with the Mets investment portfolio it reminded me of a similar pyramid scheme that occurs in sports. We as fans invest in a team by buying tickets and merch where we expect to receive a service/entertainment in return (the game). The team takes our money and other sources to reinvest in the business and to pay the players. We pay to see them perform. When a player underperforms is this athletic fraud? Should Zito return some of his "fradulent" profits he's earned since he kayaked across the bay? As a player I think it would be hard to accept such a high salary when you know you are not playing well or not to the level of your contract but how do you monetize athletic performance? Is a home run worth $100K or a strikeout $10K? Is there a lesson to learn from Castillo's demise? Baseball for thought.
In other news: Haft is reporting from Scottsdale that Wilson strained his oblique but he said it's not serious and should be available openning day. Giants currently have the best record in spring ball. I believe they did last year as well. I smell repeat.
3.18.2011
Genesis
My first post ever to my first blog - get excited. The blog was established on St. Patrick's Day 2011 so hopefully it will give us some luck as the baseball season approaches. The Giants are looking good this year with basically the same team as last year with the exception of Uribe who pulled a Jeff Kent and went to the enemy. The 2011 Giants will have to rely once again on pitching dominance in order to win games. The prodigal Panda has returned and looks ready as ever. I'm pumped for this season. I'm pumped for this blog. And I think someone else is . . . .
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