Thank You, Brian Sabean!

Dear Brian Sabean,

      I want to tell you how thankful (and relieved) I am. Worries were creeping over me that you were going to have to battle for Timmy's contract before an arbitrater. And let me tell you, that would be dis-as-trous. Need me to spell that? D-I-S-A-S-T-R-O-U-S. You would have to list the reasons why you feel Timmy doesn't deserve the contract he actually deserves and you would have to say those in front of Mr. Lincecum. And something tells me he wouldn't be too happy to hear that from his team. Which means he would express his displeasure when he hits free agency by leaving.
But, for once, you made a very educated decision with that small brain of yours. You signed Timmy to a two-year contract, eating up his last two arbitration years. For that, I thank you.
Now, you need to use that kind of brain power ALL OF THE TIME! Think of how incredibly dominant we could be if you did that. Stellar on the field and in the front office. So I expect more of this from you in the future, Mr. Sabean.

Until next time,
Mady

Picure of the Week- 1/15/12

It's almost time for Spring Training! It's been too long without baseball and waaaaaayyy too long without Buster. Pitchers and catchers report on Febuary 18th and everybody else arrives on the 23rd.

Classroom Boredom: Falling Stars and Predictions

In a few previous posts I had talked about my version of the Giants' 25-man roster for the upcoming season, as well as how they should manage Barry Zito. I had come up with all of that after my health exam because I was so bored. The last few days of physical science have been pretty brutal. Physics is not the most interesting topic, (although it beats the heck out of cells, which is what we're doing in biology) so while I was taking notes, I also came up with a "Falling Stars Team". My dad inspired me to make the list when we were watching the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game. He commented that they should have a Falling Stars Team and that Barry Zito should be the starter. So with my mind wondering from velocity and average speed calculations, I produced this.

 

"Falling Stars Team"

(as of 2011 rosters)

C- Jorge Posada

1B- Todd Helton

2B-Chase Utley

3B- Alex Roderiguez

SS- Miguel Tejada

LF- Pat Burrell

CF- Carlos Beltran

RF- Ichiro

SP- Barry Zito

Manager: Tony LaRussa

General Manager: Brian Sabean

Honorable Mention: Bruce Bochy

There may be some arguments there, mainly with Tony LaRussa and Chase Utley. But I feel that Chase Utley is declining in his production. I also believe very strongly that Tony LaRussa is NOT a good manager. His poorly managed Game 5 in the most recent World Series is a perfect example of this. He makes moves to be "intelligent", but he's really just being dumb. He can't pronounce his own players' names correctly and watching a media session with him is absolutely brutal. Unless, of course, you hate him, like me. Then they're very enjoyable to watch.

So a few days after I created my Falling Stars team, it was lecture day again. And it was super boring. Again. So in the margins (when I wasn't taking notes. I still payed attention to the lesson. Don't worry!) I listed my division standing predictions for 2012, along with the two Wild Card winners (assuming that starts this season) and my picks for the AL, NL, and World Series Champions.

AL East

1. Rays

2. Yankees

3. Blue Jays

4. Red Sox

5. Orioles

AL Central

1. Tigers

2. Royals

3. Indians

4. Twins

5. White Sox

AL West

1. Rangers

2. Angels

3. Mariners

4. A's

Wild Card

1. Yankees

2. Angels

Champions: Angels

NL East

1. Phillies

2. Marlins

3. Braves

4. Nationals

5. Mets

NL Central

1. Reds

2. Brewers

3. Cardinals

4. Pirates

5. Cubs

6. Astros

NL West

1. Giants

2. Dodgers

3. Diamondbacks

4. Rockies

5. Padres

Wild Card

1. Marlins

2. Dodgers

Champions: Giants

World Series Champions: Giants

*I, as the creator and the writer of this blog, reserve to right to edit the standings of the NL East if Prince Fielder goes to the Nationals.

Picture of the Week: 1-1-12



UPDATED







Aaron Rowand even said that he's probably the only baseball player to ever break his face twice.

I was also reading an article on Bleacher Report (MLB Power Rankings: 23 Quirkiest Batting Stances in Baseball). Rowand's stance was ranked number two, for obvious reasons. The reporter had this to say about his stance:

"Every time I see Rowand come to the plate, I find myself checking to see if he brought the newspaper and some toilet paper along with him.
He definitely appears to be unloading something—and it sure as heck isn't the baseball."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

New Year's Resolutions

The holidays are over and it's time for the Giants to get down to business. They still have a bit more work to do before they all head out to Arizona in a month and a half. However, just because Christmas and New Year's Day have come and gone doesn't mean it's too late for them to make some resolutions!

Brian Sabean, Larry Baer, and Bobby Evan's Resolutions for 2012

1. Get Cain locked up before he goes to Arizona

Cain is the unheralded ace of the Giants' staff and it would be disastrous if he were ever allowed to reach free agency. He would be a number one starter almost anywhere else and teams can lure him in with promises of big bucks and big bats. The Giants cannot let that happen. When Albert Pujols went to the Angels, we all saw what happens if you don't lock up your stars.

2. Do Not Panic About Linceum

At some point, the Giants are going to need to lock up Lincecum, as well. They have time to do this, though, as Lincecum does not reach free agency until after the 2013 season. People are starting to panic because there are reports that Lincecum contract talks aren't getting anywhere right now. They say that the Giants don't have the money Lincecum wants and aren't willing to give the years that Lincecum wants. Some reporters are even saying that trading Lincecum now, while he's at top value, is the way to go. Everybody just needs to stop and take a DEEEEEEEEEP breath. The money will be there by the time Linceum reaches free agency. Rowand comes off after 2012 and Zito can be bought out after 2013. Trading is a bad, bad idea, too. I can just see Brian Sabean's mouth watering at the thought of how many AARP-eligible players he can get for Lincecum. The contract will come eventually and people should be encouraged that talks are already starting.

3. Do Not Stomp on Poor Brandon Belt's Morale Anymore!

Poor Brandon Belt. After the 2011 season, he could probably make the drive from Fresno to San Francisco with his eyes closed. He was sent up and down and up and down and up and down some more. He must have been confused as heck, too. He got sent down on his birthday and was told that he'd have a spot next time he came up. So when Buster gets hurt, he comes back up. Then he gets hurt, so they send him down to Fresno for a rehab assignment and just decide to keep him there. When they finally bring him back up again, he plays in a game against the Dodgers and hits a monster home run over the right field wall (not easy to do in AT&T).  Later, with the game on the line, he hits the game-winning, go-ahead double and knocks in two runs. So, naturally, the next day he started. WRONG! He got to sit on the bench for the next few weeks, relieved Aubrey Huff for two days at the end of July, sat the bench some more, and then was sent back down to Fresno. What a nice reward. He was finally called back up just before roster expansion and did a nice job. He had a very impressive two-homer game against the Marlins which showed that he has promising power. The only way he'll become consistent, though, is if he's allowed to stay in the lineup. Permanently.

4. Do Not Sign/Trade for Any 35+ Year-Old Dinosaurs

Just don't do it. It's that easy.

Gary Brown: What He Could Bring to the Giants

Gary Brown was the Giants' first round pick in the 2010 Amateur Player Draft, coming out of Cal State Fullerton. He's a very good defensive center fielder, and hits for average as well. He was named Class A Advanced Best Hitter in 2011, hitting .336 with an OPB of .407. His speed is what seperates him from the other prospects, though. He stole 53 bases and had 13 triples. He also has a knack for stretching singles into doubles. He projects to be the Giants' leadoff hitter and the future, and will help them tremendously with his hitting ability and speed, which the Giants currently lack.

He was selected to participate in the 2011 Futures Game, and was the starting center fielder. He hit ninth in the order and got a base hit, a stolen base, and scored a run.

Here is the link to Gary Brown's pregame interview with Mychael Urban and Oakland prospect (as well as one of Gary's friends) Grant Green.

Along with his talent, Gary Brown will add to the clubhouse chemistry. He has tons of energy and loves to have fun with what he's doing. While having fun, though, he takes his work seriously. He comes from a humble background and appreciates every opportunity he gets, knowing that he's fortunate to be in the situation that he's in. During the All-Star break, he was interviewed by MLB and he also filmed his All-Star experience for them. The video shows his serious, hard-working side as well as his fun-loving, playful demeanor. The video also includes footage from the MLB All-Star festivites, as well.

Giants' All-Star Video

Brown will most certaintly recieve an invitation to Spring Training in Scottsdale, Arizona, as he recieved one last year. If the Giants struggle during the season, Brown may be the answer to their woes. Until then, he waits patiently down on the farm. But watch out, Major League Baseball, because his day will come. And this kid has a lot to offer.

Dream Team of Young Men

My brother decided to have the two of us put together a "dream team" of sorts. The players have to have five or less years of service in the major leagues. We also have to include at least two minor league players. We're putting our teams together in confidentiality, and then comparing. Sabean may want to take a look at this to get an idea of what the word "young" means.

Catcher- Buster Posey

Age: 24

Team: San Francisco Giants

First Base- Eric Hosmer

Age: 22

Team: Kansas City Royals

Second Base- Danny Espinosa

Age: 24

Team: Washington Nationals

Third Base- Brett Lawrie

Age: 21

Team: Toronto Blue Jays

Shortstop- Starlin Castro

Age: 21

Team: Chicago Cubs

Left Field- Ryan Braun

Age: 27

Team: Milwaukee Brewers

Center Field- Gary Brown

Age: 23

Team: San Francisco Giants

Right Field: Mike Trout

Age: 20

Team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Starting Rotation

1. Tim Lincecum

Age: 27

Team: San Francisco Giants

2. Clayton Kershaw

Age: 23

Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

3. Madison Bumgarner

Age: 22

Team: San Francisco Giants

4. Stephen Strasburg

Age: 23

Team: Washington Nationals

5. David Price

Age: 26

Team: Tampa Bay Rays

Bullpen

Closer- Craig Kimbrel

Age: 23

Team: Atlanta Braves

Setup- Sergio Romo

Age: 28

Team: San Francisco Giants

Others-

Tyler Clippard

Age: 26

Team: Washington Nationals

Chris Perez

Age: 26

Team: Cleavland Indians

Heath Hembree

Age: 22

Team: San Francisco Giants

It's getting kind of late and I'm really tired. Sorry if Chris Perez seems a little weird, but he was an All-Star. I was just pulling pitchers a relievers off the top off my head. I'd say it's a pretty decent bullpen. The rotation is exceptional, with the best pitcher in baseball heading the staff and the 2011 NL Cy Young following him. You can't get much better than that, even if I had to put a Dodger on here. It is a Cardinal-free zone, though! (Yes, Perez was drafted by the Cardinals, but he's not with them anymore!)