I am scared the 49ers might be without Smith when they start their playoff run. The question is; which Smith am I talking about?
It's no secret that I support Alex Smith this season and think that he should still be starting. Colin Kaepernick has great upside but Harbaugh should have quit while he was ahead after two good starts from the youngster and put Alex back in. Instead the 49ers are hanging their hats on the kid to take them to the super bowl and win the championship, no small feat. Yes, Alex had 7 years to prove himself but those 7 years WERE NOT with Harbaugh as the coach. Alex has done nothing but get better during the past year and a half under Harbaugh until being benched. The upside is that the 49ers will now be able to trade/cut Alex and save up to 10 million against the cap next year, a key move considering they have almost all their money tied up for next season already, but at what cost is the move? Did the 49ers risk a super bowl run to save money next year? You could make a legit argument that that is exactly what they were doing.
But, I don't think Alex is necessarily what the 49ers need to make the playoff run they are capable of making. The bigger issue is Justin Smith and his left elbow bone spur. If Justin can't go, the 49ers won't go. I heard Patrick Willis' quote that you can't replace Justin but they will compensate for him, but that has not happened since he went down against the Patriots. The 49ers defense, that was the most dominate in the NFL, has gone from being stout and tough, to soft and hopeful. The Patriots and Seahawks have combined for over 70 points in 6 quarters since Justin went down. The lowly Cardinals come into S.F. Sunday and shouldn't pose much of a threat but the playoffs will be a whole other story. The fact is if Justin isn't back I do not see this team making the super bowl run most people were sure that this team was going to make. The sliver of good news comes from 49ers coaches who claim Justin is "getting better everyday" and won't need surgery until the offseason. This injury is possible to play with but it will hurt like hell and Justin will have to regain enough strength so that he can actually use the bum limb. Hopefully the rehab goes well and we see #94 in January or we might be praying for some new year miracle's.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
2013 Draft Idea
With the 49ers being a relatively young and well balanced team it will be hard to pin-point what their "biggest need" is going into the draft in 2013. I got to thinking this week about that and have come up with an interesting suggestion.
Sure the Niners could draft at positions to help with depth and possible free-agent vacancies like S, DL, OL, QB, RB, and TE, but what about a kicker? Many Niner fans can remember laughing when the Raiders took Sebastian Janikowski in the first round (17th overall) out of Florida State in the 2000 NFL draft, but he has gone on to show that he has the strongest leg in the NFL despite his occasional mishaps. The top rated kicker this year happens to be Dustin Hopkins out of... you guessed it, Florida State. I'm not saying he's going to have a dominate leg like Janikowski, or that the Niners should be taking him in the 1st round, but I am saying that the Niners could use some new blood at that position. The Niners have been so good at evaluating talent that I would imagine if Hopkins or another kicker was worth it then they would (and should) pull the trigger.
David Akers has actually been pretty awesome for us but we can't afford to keep a guy around if he's not playing up to par in the clutch. The last thing we need is for a missed kick when it really hurts, like in the play-offs. Let's also face the fact that cutting Akers and going with a younger, cheaper kicker out of college would give us an opportunity to save a little dough to spend on some of those impending free-agents.
So, what do you say? 4th? 5th round pick? Guess we'll have to see how Akers finishes right? I mean this guy did nail a 63 yard field goal this year.
Sure the Niners could draft at positions to help with depth and possible free-agent vacancies like S, DL, OL, QB, RB, and TE, but what about a kicker? Many Niner fans can remember laughing when the Raiders took Sebastian Janikowski in the first round (17th overall) out of Florida State in the 2000 NFL draft, but he has gone on to show that he has the strongest leg in the NFL despite his occasional mishaps. The top rated kicker this year happens to be Dustin Hopkins out of... you guessed it, Florida State. I'm not saying he's going to have a dominate leg like Janikowski, or that the Niners should be taking him in the 1st round, but I am saying that the Niners could use some new blood at that position. The Niners have been so good at evaluating talent that I would imagine if Hopkins or another kicker was worth it then they would (and should) pull the trigger.
David Akers has actually been pretty awesome for us but we can't afford to keep a guy around if he's not playing up to par in the clutch. The last thing we need is for a missed kick when it really hurts, like in the play-offs. Let's also face the fact that cutting Akers and going with a younger, cheaper kicker out of college would give us an opportunity to save a little dough to spend on some of those impending free-agents.
So, what do you say? 4th? 5th round pick? Guess we'll have to see how Akers finishes right? I mean this guy did nail a 63 yard field goal this year.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Who's to Blame for QB Controversy?
Jim Harbaugh came to the podium after the Niners handed the Saints a 31-21 loss and wanted all the attention to be on the physical football contest that the players won, not the quarterback controversy. There was agitation behind his voice when asked about Smith and Kaepernick. He repeated that the media should keep there attention on what was important; the game, the win. When he left the podium most Niner fans were to believe, according to Harbaugh, that the media was to blame for making a circus out of the QB situation. The question is; is that true? Is the media to blame for the controversy?
When Harbaugh insinuated that the media was concentrating on the wrong aspects of what is happening with the Niners he indirectly was also blaming the fans for doing the same thing. If you were to look at social media websites after the game all the fan's talk was on Kaepernick vs. Smith, peppered in with some talk about the win. The fact of the matter is that this is what everyone is talking about and thinking about, and it's not the media's fault; it's Jim Harbaughs fault.
Had Harbaugh not wanted this circus he could've had it. Had he not wanted the attention, it could've been avoided. Simply, had he not wanted the QB controversy, there wouldn't have been one. All Harbaugh had to do was tell the media Kaepernick was starting because Smith was still showing concussion symptoms, then he could have followed up with; as soon as Smith is healthy he'll be back starting. Harbaugh didn't say this because he was apparently looking for a "1% advantage" against his opponent, not knowing who would start. How valuable was that 1%? Let me ask this; How big of a percentage of distraction to the Niners is the QB controversy? 20%? 30%? More? It definitely has been a distraction for the players, because they keep commenting on it. Now this mess has to get cleaned up and ONLY Harbaugh has the broom.
Jim Harbaugh has no else to turn to or
blame when it comes to the 49ers controversy.
Harbaugh has also created an uncomfortable situation for his QB's no matter who he declares the starter this week. Here's why;
If Alex Smith is the starter
This means Colin Kaepernick would be benched after playing really well (a common theme here). He goes back to the bench and has to wait to become the next Niners QB. Some players who have sided with Kaep and like his approach will be more critical of Smith. The media and fans will be more critical of Smith. The pressure mounts and becomes very strenuous for Smith. Once the season is over Smith now has to decide if he should walk or not, by asking for his release. Obviously the long term plan is to have Kaepernick so Smith is stuck between a rock and a hard place. And if the Niners win the super bowl then you may have the first team, since the Ravens with Trent Dilfer, to get rid of their super bowl winning QB the next season.
If Colin Kaepernick is the starter
This means Alex Smith would be benched after playing really well. Harbaugh's word on players becomes completely unreliable. Harbaugh has championed for Alex for the past 2 years, only to bench him when he's playing his best football. How does that work? Alex loses complete respect for Harbaugh and subconsiously tunes out (he's been a professional but something like this has to take a toll on a guy eventually). If Kaep goes down with an injury and Smith comes back in; how motivated will he be? What if he leads them to a super bowl (after a Kaep injury)?
Not great scenario's either way.
I do believe the 49ers will be really good with either QB at the helm, and that a super bowl is within reach with either guy. I don't even mind having Kaep start over Smith (even though I've been vocal about being on "team Smith" since this controversy started). My big problem is with how this situation has been handled. Harbaugh likes to be coy with the media, even to a fault (remember his unprovoked rant to the media about how they "never pursued Peyton Manning"), but this situation was blown out of proportion. Jim Harbaugh can't blame the media, he can't blame the fans, the only person he can turn to is the man in the mirror if he wants to figure out why there is such a big distraction on the team. If you think there isn't any distraction then you've never been in a locker room, this is a distraction. The bigger question is how will it effect the teams goal's? Can the Niners overcome this and still make the run we all know they're capable of?
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
QB Controversy 2012 edition
Monday Night Football ended in a 32-7 49ers romping of the Chicago Bears last night, but what emerged from the game was bigger than the 7th win of the season for the Niners; San Francisco, we now have a quarterback controversy.
This controversy couldn't have come at a better time for publicity, I mean think about it, you have The Twilight Saga; Breaking Dawn Part II just coming out and all the craze surrounds who's side you're on Team Edward or Team Jacob? The Niners can appeal to this genre of crazed teens with their own version of 2 stud guys with Team Alex vs. Team Colin! For PR it's like the aligning of the planets.
The 49ers have found their own pop culture appeal with their own studly dilemma...
Team Alex? or Team Colin?
Who will win the hearts of screaming 49er fans everywhere once the dust has settled?
If this seems a bit over the top or silly that's because it is.
Alex Smith is the starting quarterback for the 49ers and should remain so. Coach Harbaugh has left the door WIDE open for controversy but Harbaugh has a tendency to love it when people are guessing at what his team is going to do next. The fact of the matter is that if Alex Smith is cleared to play the Niners have little-to-no option but to play him.
The main reason the Niners can't afford to move ahead with Colin at the helm if Alex is healthy is simply because he's earned the right to start and he's the veteran. You can't come back from starting the young guy over the older guy, YOU CAN come back from starting the older guy over the young guy. In other words this is Alex's job already. If you take it away, and Colin falters, then you can't just walk back up to Alex and say "hey bro', I know we benched you for the kid and all but uh... I was wondering... I mean uh... I want to give you another shot." It's the equivalent of going up to an ex-girlfriend and asking her out again after dumping her for her younger sister; it ain't gonna' happen dude!
Alex is 3rd in the NFL with a 104.1 QB passer rating (for qualified QB's), he's 1st in the NFL in completion percentage at 70%. Sure Kaepernick has looked good for the last 6 quarters but Smith has looked good all year, minus the NY Giants fiasco.
My thought is that this controversy really is a no brainer for now. So why the controversy if it's so obvious Alex should keep his job? The 49ers have a rich history of QB's so we hold our standards high, and we are no strangers to QB controversy in the past. There were two guys named Montana and Young who had a "thing" a while back that went on for a while too.
The Niners are no strangers to QB controversy. It's propelled them to Super Bowl victories in the past.
With Kaepernick being the current version of Steve Young (the younger more athletic QB), it is no wonder SF fans would be salivating at his performance; we see the potential! But even though Colin has great potential it won't hurt him to sit for another couple years and learn while Alex does his thing. Colin does have room to grow still in my opinion. I would also claim that this will push Alex Smith into playing even better. Alex has arguably had an all-pro year so far, there's no reason to think he can't come back and not only play at the same level, but even step it up a notch because he now has some real competition for the job.
This is a good, no a great, problem for the 49ers to have! The team needs to keep this as a positive competition that will push the QB play to high levels. The Niners now have the luxury of having 2 starting QB's on their sideline and that makes an already complete team with depth even deeper.
If you want me to be truthful I have no idea what team Jacob or team Edward means, except that they are vying for the girl and one is a vampire and the other a werewolf (I don't know which is which) what I do know is who's side I'm on in the 49ers new dilemma; I think it's obvious that I'm team Alex right now, but I also LOVE what I see from Colin. It's a great time to be a 49er fan!
This controversy couldn't have come at a better time for publicity, I mean think about it, you have The Twilight Saga; Breaking Dawn Part II just coming out and all the craze surrounds who's side you're on Team Edward or Team Jacob? The Niners can appeal to this genre of crazed teens with their own version of 2 stud guys with Team Alex vs. Team Colin! For PR it's like the aligning of the planets.
The 49ers have found their own pop culture appeal with their own studly dilemma...
Team Alex? or Team Colin?
Who will win the hearts of screaming 49er fans everywhere once the dust has settled?
If this seems a bit over the top or silly that's because it is.
Alex Smith is the starting quarterback for the 49ers and should remain so. Coach Harbaugh has left the door WIDE open for controversy but Harbaugh has a tendency to love it when people are guessing at what his team is going to do next. The fact of the matter is that if Alex Smith is cleared to play the Niners have little-to-no option but to play him.
The main reason the Niners can't afford to move ahead with Colin at the helm if Alex is healthy is simply because he's earned the right to start and he's the veteran. You can't come back from starting the young guy over the older guy, YOU CAN come back from starting the older guy over the young guy. In other words this is Alex's job already. If you take it away, and Colin falters, then you can't just walk back up to Alex and say "hey bro', I know we benched you for the kid and all but uh... I was wondering... I mean uh... I want to give you another shot." It's the equivalent of going up to an ex-girlfriend and asking her out again after dumping her for her younger sister; it ain't gonna' happen dude!
Alex is 3rd in the NFL with a 104.1 QB passer rating (for qualified QB's), he's 1st in the NFL in completion percentage at 70%. Sure Kaepernick has looked good for the last 6 quarters but Smith has looked good all year, minus the NY Giants fiasco.
My thought is that this controversy really is a no brainer for now. So why the controversy if it's so obvious Alex should keep his job? The 49ers have a rich history of QB's so we hold our standards high, and we are no strangers to QB controversy in the past. There were two guys named Montana and Young who had a "thing" a while back that went on for a while too.
The Niners are no strangers to QB controversy. It's propelled them to Super Bowl victories in the past.
With Kaepernick being the current version of Steve Young (the younger more athletic QB), it is no wonder SF fans would be salivating at his performance; we see the potential! But even though Colin has great potential it won't hurt him to sit for another couple years and learn while Alex does his thing. Colin does have room to grow still in my opinion. I would also claim that this will push Alex Smith into playing even better. Alex has arguably had an all-pro year so far, there's no reason to think he can't come back and not only play at the same level, but even step it up a notch because he now has some real competition for the job.
This is a good, no a great, problem for the 49ers to have! The team needs to keep this as a positive competition that will push the QB play to high levels. The Niners now have the luxury of having 2 starting QB's on their sideline and that makes an already complete team with depth even deeper.
If you want me to be truthful I have no idea what team Jacob or team Edward means, except that they are vying for the girl and one is a vampire and the other a werewolf (I don't know which is which) what I do know is who's side I'm on in the 49ers new dilemma; I think it's obvious that I'm team Alex right now, but I also LOVE what I see from Colin. It's a great time to be a 49er fan!
Friday, November 16, 2012
Champs 2012
The Giants won the World Series again, in case anyone didn't know. That's 2 in 3 years, and I'm going to stick by my prediction that this nucleus will win 5 titles when all is said and done, they're almost half way there.
I just looked over my silly predictions for this past season and I was happy with some of my near pin-point accuracy (including crowning the Giants champs in 2012). I also was amused by some of my bold predictions that fell further than short of reality or were ironic, like saying Pablo and Posey would be finalists for the MVP but neither would win, or the awesome prediction that we need Theriot to step it up in the second half (no mention of a still not acquired Scuturo). Now I'd like to give some tid-bits on the off season and future as us Giants fans get ready for the holidays and bask in championship glory.
This off-season
-The Giants shouldn't over-pay for Pagan. I know, I know, he was great this year and very valuable but the fact of the matter is that he is 31 and he had a career year playing in S.F. Remember back in 2010 when we had a lead-off CF who had a career year as we marched to the championship (Torres), how did that go? I'm not saying Pagan is Torres but the Giants do have Gary Brown in the minors and simply do not need to over-pay to keep Pagan around.
-Speaking of Brown, he needs to get a shot. The Giants need to seriously consider starting him next year. Brown played CF with Mike Trout and Bryce Harper in the same outfield in a minor league division; it should say something that he was the one playing CF. Brown will be cheap for a while so the Giants could cut payroll there and Brown is getting close to his mid twenties so you need to pull the trigger eventually. I could even see a scenario where the Giants re-sign Pagan on a decent contract and still bring Brown up to play an outfield spot along side Pagan and Pence.
-Melky Cabrera is a catch 22 this off-season. I think there are one of two Melky's a team will be signing this off-season; either a still-juicing Melky that is able to perform at the high level he left off at, but you run the risk of losing him again to another suspension, or a non-juicing Melky who's production returns to human like levels and he becomes not worthy of the money he's going to demand. Either way I think Melky is a big gamble for any team this off-season. Keep in mind he will be a distraction because he is a convicted "user" and it won't help how he immediately dealt with the situation. On the other hand Melky might also come cheap. There is an outside chance that I am wrong and he his going to be dominate without the juice, but if you look at the numbers over his career they say that he's probably headed back to being an average player if clean.
-Warning: This is not going to be a popular suggestion! The Giants should consider bringing back Melky over Pagan. Yeah I said it. Look Melky is a gamble but Pagan could be locking up as much as 15 million a year for 4 years! I'm sorry but right now I'd rather see the Giants gamble on Melky for 1 year and then re-assess next season how to deal with the third outfield spot (assuming Pence and Brown would have locked down RF and CF).
-The Giants need to trust in Crawford at SS and Belt at first. They have experience now; let them blossom!
-Pence and Lincecum should get extensions. The Giants have wanted Pence for years, they got him. The Giants gave up some good prospects for Pence and after trading their top prospect for Beltran and losing him for no return I can't see the Giants letting that happen again with Pence. Pence is under team control for one more year but expect an extension soon. Even with Posey winning the MVP the Giants most popular player is none other than Tim Lincecum, they have to extend him. Sure both sides may wait until after next year to reassess his value but the Giants need to get this done or they might piss-off a really strong fan base, even with the championships.
-Scuturo must be resigned. They have Panik in the minors ready for a call-up soon but that could still be a year or so away. With Scuturo's age (38) getting up there he won't be able to demand many years, the Giants should pay him to be the stopgap until Panik is ready.
-The Giants should lower the tickets prices. Hey, I'm still in college with a wife, a son, and a daughter due in December, I need to find a way to still afford games!
I just looked over my silly predictions for this past season and I was happy with some of my near pin-point accuracy (including crowning the Giants champs in 2012). I also was amused by some of my bold predictions that fell further than short of reality or were ironic, like saying Pablo and Posey would be finalists for the MVP but neither would win, or the awesome prediction that we need Theriot to step it up in the second half (no mention of a still not acquired Scuturo). Now I'd like to give some tid-bits on the off season and future as us Giants fans get ready for the holidays and bask in championship glory.
This off-season
-The Giants shouldn't over-pay for Pagan. I know, I know, he was great this year and very valuable but the fact of the matter is that he is 31 and he had a career year playing in S.F. Remember back in 2010 when we had a lead-off CF who had a career year as we marched to the championship (Torres), how did that go? I'm not saying Pagan is Torres but the Giants do have Gary Brown in the minors and simply do not need to over-pay to keep Pagan around.
-Speaking of Brown, he needs to get a shot. The Giants need to seriously consider starting him next year. Brown played CF with Mike Trout and Bryce Harper in the same outfield in a minor league division; it should say something that he was the one playing CF. Brown will be cheap for a while so the Giants could cut payroll there and Brown is getting close to his mid twenties so you need to pull the trigger eventually. I could even see a scenario where the Giants re-sign Pagan on a decent contract and still bring Brown up to play an outfield spot along side Pagan and Pence.
-Melky Cabrera is a catch 22 this off-season. I think there are one of two Melky's a team will be signing this off-season; either a still-juicing Melky that is able to perform at the high level he left off at, but you run the risk of losing him again to another suspension, or a non-juicing Melky who's production returns to human like levels and he becomes not worthy of the money he's going to demand. Either way I think Melky is a big gamble for any team this off-season. Keep in mind he will be a distraction because he is a convicted "user" and it won't help how he immediately dealt with the situation. On the other hand Melky might also come cheap. There is an outside chance that I am wrong and he his going to be dominate without the juice, but if you look at the numbers over his career they say that he's probably headed back to being an average player if clean.
-Warning: This is not going to be a popular suggestion! The Giants should consider bringing back Melky over Pagan. Yeah I said it. Look Melky is a gamble but Pagan could be locking up as much as 15 million a year for 4 years! I'm sorry but right now I'd rather see the Giants gamble on Melky for 1 year and then re-assess next season how to deal with the third outfield spot (assuming Pence and Brown would have locked down RF and CF).
-The Giants need to trust in Crawford at SS and Belt at first. They have experience now; let them blossom!
-Pence and Lincecum should get extensions. The Giants have wanted Pence for years, they got him. The Giants gave up some good prospects for Pence and after trading their top prospect for Beltran and losing him for no return I can't see the Giants letting that happen again with Pence. Pence is under team control for one more year but expect an extension soon. Even with Posey winning the MVP the Giants most popular player is none other than Tim Lincecum, they have to extend him. Sure both sides may wait until after next year to reassess his value but the Giants need to get this done or they might piss-off a really strong fan base, even with the championships.
-Scuturo must be resigned. They have Panik in the minors ready for a call-up soon but that could still be a year or so away. With Scuturo's age (38) getting up there he won't be able to demand many years, the Giants should pay him to be the stopgap until Panik is ready.
-The Giants should lower the tickets prices. Hey, I'm still in college with a wife, a son, and a daughter due in December, I need to find a way to still afford games!
Monday, October 22, 2012
We're Baaaaaack!
The San Francisco Giants are headed to the World Series.
I love writing that.
The locker room is still champagne drenched, twitter is still trending with S.F. Giants jargon, and I'm sure fans are still in and around AT&T park, but already a debate has begun across the nation and more importantly in the Bay Area. That debate is in regard to who will pitch for the Giants in the World Series?
We already know what the Tigers are doing;
Game 1- Justin Verlander (R)
Game 2- Doug Fister (R)
Game 3- Anibal Sanchez (R)
Game 4- Matt Scherzer (R)
Then (if necessary) Verlander would go in 5, Fister in 6, and Sanchez in 7 according to the MLB sources citing Detroit Manager Jim Leyland.
As far as the Giants line-up is concerned this rotation will be tough for them. It is a right-handed heavy rotation and the two big bats that hit #4 and #5 in the line-up are not hitting already right now. This means that the guy I've been calling out as the "key to the Giants success" is going to get a big opportunity. That would be Brandon Belt. Yes, Pablo Sandoval can bat left and should be a big factor against the Detroit righties, but Belt could really make a difference. I've been saying it for two years and now I'm going to call it; Belt is going to have a big role on this team in the 2012 World Series.
Back to our debate.
The consensus says Zito starts game #1. I think most people can agree with that choice. But what I'm hearing is that the Giants would bring back Vogelsong AND Cain on short rest to try and pitch them in Game #2 and #3. This would then set-up a combo of Bumgarner-Lincecum in game #4.
I don't like it. I don't like it one bit, and I'll tell you why;
These two pitchers (Vogelsong and Cain) are spent. They were your silver bullets and you used them to win the NLCS. I'm not mad that they were used, because let's face it, we wouldn't be here if they weren't. But, you can't risk bringing them in on short rest and having them pitch bad just so you can bring them back on short rest again in game #6 and #7 and hope they can pitch AGAIN on short rest well. That's too much hoping in my book. If anything you give them their normal rest and then bring them back early at the end of the series (if necessary) and use them up then. The Giants are at home for game #1 & #2. I say do this;
Game #1- Zito
Game #2- Bumgarner
Game #3- Vogelsong
Game #4- Cain
Game #5- Zito/Lincecum (depending on performance)
Game #6- Vogelsong
Game #7- Cain
In my scenario you get Lincecum as a reliever throughout the whole series (where he has had tremendous success) and then an option to pitch him in game #5. You also get a FRESH Vogelsong and Cain in game #3 & #4 while pushing them to the limit in game #6 and #7. I like this scenario much better for that one main reason; I'd rather have a fresh Vogelsong and Cain for one game and exhausted for one game then have them exhausted for BOTH games. It's actually simple logic.
We will wait and see what Bochy decides to do. In the meantime I should try to enjoy this moment a little more before I get too caught up in the Series. This is truly a great accomplishment for the Giants.
I love writing that.
The locker room is still champagne drenched, twitter is still trending with S.F. Giants jargon, and I'm sure fans are still in and around AT&T park, but already a debate has begun across the nation and more importantly in the Bay Area. That debate is in regard to who will pitch for the Giants in the World Series?
We already know what the Tigers are doing;
Game 1- Justin Verlander (R)
Game 2- Doug Fister (R)
Game 3- Anibal Sanchez (R)
Game 4- Matt Scherzer (R)
Then (if necessary) Verlander would go in 5, Fister in 6, and Sanchez in 7 according to the MLB sources citing Detroit Manager Jim Leyland.
As far as the Giants line-up is concerned this rotation will be tough for them. It is a right-handed heavy rotation and the two big bats that hit #4 and #5 in the line-up are not hitting already right now. This means that the guy I've been calling out as the "key to the Giants success" is going to get a big opportunity. That would be Brandon Belt. Yes, Pablo Sandoval can bat left and should be a big factor against the Detroit righties, but Belt could really make a difference. I've been saying it for two years and now I'm going to call it; Belt is going to have a big role on this team in the 2012 World Series.
Back to our debate.
The consensus says Zito starts game #1. I think most people can agree with that choice. But what I'm hearing is that the Giants would bring back Vogelsong AND Cain on short rest to try and pitch them in Game #2 and #3. This would then set-up a combo of Bumgarner-Lincecum in game #4.
I don't like it. I don't like it one bit, and I'll tell you why;
These two pitchers (Vogelsong and Cain) are spent. They were your silver bullets and you used them to win the NLCS. I'm not mad that they were used, because let's face it, we wouldn't be here if they weren't. But, you can't risk bringing them in on short rest and having them pitch bad just so you can bring them back on short rest again in game #6 and #7 and hope they can pitch AGAIN on short rest well. That's too much hoping in my book. If anything you give them their normal rest and then bring them back early at the end of the series (if necessary) and use them up then. The Giants are at home for game #1 & #2. I say do this;
Game #1- Zito
Game #2- Bumgarner
Game #3- Vogelsong
Game #4- Cain
Game #5- Zito/Lincecum (depending on performance)
Game #6- Vogelsong
Game #7- Cain
In my scenario you get Lincecum as a reliever throughout the whole series (where he has had tremendous success) and then an option to pitch him in game #5. You also get a FRESH Vogelsong and Cain in game #3 & #4 while pushing them to the limit in game #6 and #7. I like this scenario much better for that one main reason; I'd rather have a fresh Vogelsong and Cain for one game and exhausted for one game then have them exhausted for BOTH games. It's actually simple logic.
We will wait and see what Bochy decides to do. In the meantime I should try to enjoy this moment a little more before I get too caught up in the Series. This is truly a great accomplishment for the Giants.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
5pm Pacific Standard Time
Any S.F. fans have plans tonight?
I know that not all Niner fans are S.F. Giant fans, but the harmonious connection via Sergio Romo, Alex Smith, Bruce Bochy, and Jim Harbaugh, among others, has to get some of you crossing over a bit. There has been nothing but love flowing from one locker room, or dugout, to the other. Us fans that do follow both San Francisco team's have gotten a kick out of the public alliance. The Giants made an epic come back in the NLDS and the 49ers had over a thousand yards of offense in blowing out the Jets and Bills by a combined score of 79-3! We were flying HIGH!
Then Sunday Oct. 14th happened.
Cardinals 6 S.F. Giants 4 (Game 1 of the NLCS)
N.Y. Giants 26 49ers 3 (rematch of the NFC Championship)
And here's were I have to apologize. I screwed it all up. I wore my Giants hat with my Willis Jersey during the Niners game because I left my Niners hat back in L.A. (jinx #1). Speaking of which, I went to the Bay Area and that's where I watched the game (jinx#2). I forgot my son's Niners and Giants hat, so he wasn't representing either team (jinx #3). I had to listen to the Giants game on the radio as we drove back on the 5 to L.A. (jinx #4). Joe Buck (jinx #5).
Moral; I'm taking blame for what I did Sunday Oct. 14th, and I apologize. I am Sorry. Now all you other fans need to remember what it was you did that screwed our teams up so royally that day and don't do it TODAY! Because obviously it's not the players, it's US!!
All kidding aside this is a huge night for S.F. sports. The Giants are down 2-1 in the NLCS and could either tie it up 2-2 and force the series back to S.F, or they could fall to 3-1 and have to pray to the baseball Gods again. Plus some guy named Lincecum is getting his first start tonight in the post-season. Then you have the Niners playing their division rival Seattle Seahawks. Is everyone familiar with the Harbaugh no likey Carrol, no likey Harbaugh? Yeah? Good, I don't want to explain it. Just google "What's your deal?" if you don't know. Niners just got romped on Sunday and really need a strong showing to prove that they're not losing their edge. It's a long season and Super Bowl's aren't won in October (but baseball play-off series ARE S.F. Giants!) but showing a stretch of weakness against 2 NFC foes would be bad right now.
So rest assure 49ers and S.F. Giants fans, I'm back in L.A., I'm not mixing sports teams gear and I will have my remote set to toggle between Fox and NFL Network at 5pm tonight.
Anyone else amped up today?
I know that not all Niner fans are S.F. Giant fans, but the harmonious connection via Sergio Romo, Alex Smith, Bruce Bochy, and Jim Harbaugh, among others, has to get some of you crossing over a bit. There has been nothing but love flowing from one locker room, or dugout, to the other. Us fans that do follow both San Francisco team's have gotten a kick out of the public alliance. The Giants made an epic come back in the NLDS and the 49ers had over a thousand yards of offense in blowing out the Jets and Bills by a combined score of 79-3! We were flying HIGH!
Then Sunday Oct. 14th happened.
Cardinals 6 S.F. Giants 4 (Game 1 of the NLCS)
N.Y. Giants 26 49ers 3 (rematch of the NFC Championship)
And here's were I have to apologize. I screwed it all up. I wore my Giants hat with my Willis Jersey during the Niners game because I left my Niners hat back in L.A. (jinx #1). Speaking of which, I went to the Bay Area and that's where I watched the game (jinx#2). I forgot my son's Niners and Giants hat, so he wasn't representing either team (jinx #3). I had to listen to the Giants game on the radio as we drove back on the 5 to L.A. (jinx #4). Joe Buck (jinx #5).
Moral; I'm taking blame for what I did Sunday Oct. 14th, and I apologize. I am Sorry. Now all you other fans need to remember what it was you did that screwed our teams up so royally that day and don't do it TODAY! Because obviously it's not the players, it's US!!
All kidding aside this is a huge night for S.F. sports. The Giants are down 2-1 in the NLCS and could either tie it up 2-2 and force the series back to S.F, or they could fall to 3-1 and have to pray to the baseball Gods again. Plus some guy named Lincecum is getting his first start tonight in the post-season. Then you have the Niners playing their division rival Seattle Seahawks. Is everyone familiar with the Harbaugh no likey Carrol, no likey Harbaugh? Yeah? Good, I don't want to explain it. Just google "What's your deal?" if you don't know. Niners just got romped on Sunday and really need a strong showing to prove that they're not losing their edge. It's a long season and Super Bowl's aren't won in October (but baseball play-off series ARE S.F. Giants!) but showing a stretch of weakness against 2 NFC foes would be bad right now.
So rest assure 49ers and S.F. Giants fans, I'm back in L.A., I'm not mixing sports teams gear and I will have my remote set to toggle between Fox and NFL Network at 5pm tonight.
Anyone else amped up today?
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
History Shows That Alex Smith Could Be On The Verge Of "Elite."
At the end of the NFL season a few years back a 27 yr. old QB finished his season throwing for 3,692 yds, 28 td's, 14 int's, and 60.8% comp.
Last year Alex Smith, 27 yrs. old, finished his season with 3,144 yds, 17 td's, 5 int's, and 61.3% comp.
The QB from a few years ago had the #2 ranked DEF in the league. Smith, last year, had the #2 ranked DEF in the league.
That QB from a few years ago compiled career stats of; 13,925 yds, 1,243 comp, 2,018 att, 61.6% comp, 97 td's, and 52 int's by the age of 27 yrs. old.
Alex Smith has a career line of; 12,543 yds, 1,137 comp, 1,959 att, 58.0% comp, 68 td's, and 58 int's at the age of 27.
The QB from a few years ago has some better numbers, but, how much better? What if I told you that he was never injured by the age of 27? Smith was twice, including all of '08. What if I threw in that he had 1 head coach all 4 years he started and 1 offensive system every year? You can't count on your hands how many coaches and systems Smith went through leading up to 27 yrs. old. What if I told you that that QB from a few years ago played for a team that had a defense rank #6, #17, #1 and #2 in his years leading up to 27? Smith played for teams that ranked #30, #32, #20, #4, #16 and #2 on defense.
The QB from a few years ago was labeled a "Game Manager." It was constantly debated on sports shows across the nation that the QB from a few years ago was a product of the system. Former players, NFL hosts, and TV analysts were always saying that he just needed to "mange the game" and the team could win Super Bowls. And they did just that. The QB from a few years ago is Tom Brady. He won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years and had mediocre stats, at best. It was consistent coaching, great game planning, and team managing that lead New England to those 3 Super Bowls, not an "elite" QB in Tom Brady. Don't get me wrong, Brady was a HUGE part in them winning, but his numbers were pedestrian. He had never compiled a 4,000 yd season, he was not throwing for 300 yds every game. It wasn't until after Brady was 27 yrs old (and not even really until he was 30) that he blossomed into what we've labeled an "elite" quarterback.
After the resurgence of the 49ers last season, I started to hear "Game Manager" a lot again when people talked about Alex Smith. It bothered me because I couldn't quite put my finger on it but I knew I heard this before, and it had been relatively recent. After reading/hearing for the billionth time about the "Game Manager" leading the 49ers I realized that it was Brady who had gone through that same label just years before. Do you remember that? I know it's hard to recall now, especially after Brady has put up record numbers over the past few years, but it is true, he was once considered a "Game Manager" who was lucky to be in the situation he was in.
So what does all this mean? Well, technically, nothing really. I mean, let's face it, these are two different guys, coming from two very different situations; Smith was drafted #1 over-all, which put mounds of pressure on him to perform from day 1, while Brady was selected in the 6th round of the draft, where coaches determine if you even make the team. There was no pressure for Brady who sat and watched from the sidelines his whole first year in the NFL. Brady was then coddled with a stout defense from the first game he started, a solid offensive system and wonderful flock of skilled position players and offensive line.
But, what I'm tired of hearing is; if Smith was going to be successful it would've happened already. Not only is Brady proof that that is a wrong statement, he makes that statement look down-right silly. From the age of 28 and on Brady has averaged numbers of; 4,330 yds, 34 td's and 11 int's a season. That is the definition of elite (I did not count '08 as he was lost for the year in the first half of the first game). There is no doubt that with the right coaching, stability of offensive game plan, and the right weapons that a former #1 over-all pick can't turn his career around. Let's not forget that Smith is only 28 this year. Again, 28 years old was the same year Tom Brady went from "Game Manager" to elite QB.
Don't forget either that Brady got a new stable of players in '07 when he really turned the corner and set a record of 50 td's in one season. 50 touchdown's! Who helped him get there? Oh, well, they picked up Randy Moss, so you know... wait didn't the 49ers just pick up Randy Moss? ok, ok, I don't think Moss is going to put up a slash line of 98 rec, 1,493 yds, and 23 td's again. But, my point is that the Niners just reloaded for Smith and now have a WR core that consists of Crabtree, Moss, Manningham, Ginn Jr, Williams, and #1 pick Jenkins. That unit is now one of the deepest in the league, not the best, but one of the deepest for sure.
My point here is to watch Smith this year before you judge him. See how he developes. Smith has a great coaching staff that believes in him, whether they pursued Manning or not. He has an offensive system that is still in place from last year, which he's never been able to claim before. He has a top ranked Defense entering the year, a solid all-pro offensive line protecting his blind side, and deep stable of WR's and RB's. Kind of sounds like the same situation someone else was in not too long ago, right?
Last year Alex Smith, 27 yrs. old, finished his season with 3,144 yds, 17 td's, 5 int's, and 61.3% comp.
The QB from a few years ago had the #2 ranked DEF in the league. Smith, last year, had the #2 ranked DEF in the league.
That QB from a few years ago compiled career stats of; 13,925 yds, 1,243 comp, 2,018 att, 61.6% comp, 97 td's, and 52 int's by the age of 27 yrs. old.
Alex Smith has a career line of; 12,543 yds, 1,137 comp, 1,959 att, 58.0% comp, 68 td's, and 58 int's at the age of 27.
The QB from a few years ago has some better numbers, but, how much better? What if I told you that he was never injured by the age of 27? Smith was twice, including all of '08. What if I threw in that he had 1 head coach all 4 years he started and 1 offensive system every year? You can't count on your hands how many coaches and systems Smith went through leading up to 27 yrs. old. What if I told you that that QB from a few years ago played for a team that had a defense rank #6, #17, #1 and #2 in his years leading up to 27? Smith played for teams that ranked #30, #32, #20, #4, #16 and #2 on defense.
The QB from a few years ago was labeled a "Game Manager." It was constantly debated on sports shows across the nation that the QB from a few years ago was a product of the system. Former players, NFL hosts, and TV analysts were always saying that he just needed to "mange the game" and the team could win Super Bowls. And they did just that. The QB from a few years ago is Tom Brady. He won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years and had mediocre stats, at best. It was consistent coaching, great game planning, and team managing that lead New England to those 3 Super Bowls, not an "elite" QB in Tom Brady. Don't get me wrong, Brady was a HUGE part in them winning, but his numbers were pedestrian. He had never compiled a 4,000 yd season, he was not throwing for 300 yds every game. It wasn't until after Brady was 27 yrs old (and not even really until he was 30) that he blossomed into what we've labeled an "elite" quarterback.
After the resurgence of the 49ers last season, I started to hear "Game Manager" a lot again when people talked about Alex Smith. It bothered me because I couldn't quite put my finger on it but I knew I heard this before, and it had been relatively recent. After reading/hearing for the billionth time about the "Game Manager" leading the 49ers I realized that it was Brady who had gone through that same label just years before. Do you remember that? I know it's hard to recall now, especially after Brady has put up record numbers over the past few years, but it is true, he was once considered a "Game Manager" who was lucky to be in the situation he was in.
So what does all this mean? Well, technically, nothing really. I mean, let's face it, these are two different guys, coming from two very different situations; Smith was drafted #1 over-all, which put mounds of pressure on him to perform from day 1, while Brady was selected in the 6th round of the draft, where coaches determine if you even make the team. There was no pressure for Brady who sat and watched from the sidelines his whole first year in the NFL. Brady was then coddled with a stout defense from the first game he started, a solid offensive system and wonderful flock of skilled position players and offensive line.
But, what I'm tired of hearing is; if Smith was going to be successful it would've happened already. Not only is Brady proof that that is a wrong statement, he makes that statement look down-right silly. From the age of 28 and on Brady has averaged numbers of; 4,330 yds, 34 td's and 11 int's a season. That is the definition of elite (I did not count '08 as he was lost for the year in the first half of the first game). There is no doubt that with the right coaching, stability of offensive game plan, and the right weapons that a former #1 over-all pick can't turn his career around. Let's not forget that Smith is only 28 this year. Again, 28 years old was the same year Tom Brady went from "Game Manager" to elite QB.
Don't forget either that Brady got a new stable of players in '07 when he really turned the corner and set a record of 50 td's in one season. 50 touchdown's! Who helped him get there? Oh, well, they picked up Randy Moss, so you know... wait didn't the 49ers just pick up Randy Moss? ok, ok, I don't think Moss is going to put up a slash line of 98 rec, 1,493 yds, and 23 td's again. But, my point is that the Niners just reloaded for Smith and now have a WR core that consists of Crabtree, Moss, Manningham, Ginn Jr, Williams, and #1 pick Jenkins. That unit is now one of the deepest in the league, not the best, but one of the deepest for sure.
My point here is to watch Smith this year before you judge him. See how he developes. Smith has a great coaching staff that believes in him, whether they pursued Manning or not. He has an offensive system that is still in place from last year, which he's never been able to claim before. He has a top ranked Defense entering the year, a solid all-pro offensive line protecting his blind side, and deep stable of WR's and RB's. Kind of sounds like the same situation someone else was in not too long ago, right?
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Nike Blew It with the NFL.
When talking about jersey's and apparel we're talking about billions of dollars. That's billions, with a "B." After Reebok's 10 year deal with the NFL ran out in 2011, Nike was able to come and swoop up one of the most coveted apparel licences in sports, no strike that, one of the most coveted licences in the world! Nike figures to rake in the dough, but who is going to suffer the consequences (besides Reebok who should have fired whoever is responsible for that company losing the NFL contract)? You can rest assure there will be plenty of gimmicks ahead to promote the new "official apparel" of the NFL, but things aren't as new and refreshing as they seem.
What Nike did right.
-Did you watch the 2012 NFL draft? You did?! Remember seeing players get drafted and by the time they got to the podium they already had a jersey from the team they were drafted by with their name on the back and the #1 (for first round draft pick)? Wasn't that cool? It seemed like a no-brainer to have a guy back stage screen printing names so that immediately you could identify the new player with his team. Woe to Reebok for not thinking this up a decade ago! This was a fresh new idea that Nike got right and was an excellent way to introduce themselves to the new players and fans. The message is clear; we're going to dazzle you with new ways to see our product.
-Another key change in the Nike regime was going to a universal cut for every team's jersey. Some team's (including my beloved 49ers) had gone to an almost embarrassing u-shaped neck cut. I don't know what Reebok was thinking but these jerseys fit awful. Normally I would wear a t-shirt underneath a jersey anyway but with the u-shaped cut you had no choice, it showed 4 to 5 inches of your chest! The v-neck cut that Nike put every team back into is more like it. It looks better and fits better, one thing you should never do with a football jersey is try to make it have a fancy fit, it's a football jersey for crying out loud.
-The last props I will give to Nike is on quality. Have you had a chance to see one of the new jersey's in person? If not, then definitely drop by a Nike shop and see them, they are impressive. Even their lowest end screen printed jersey's seem much more durable than the pathetic Reebok screen printed jersey's that every hardcore fan avoided like the plague. If you washed and dried one of the screen printed Reebok jersey's then they'd start to peel away after one dry cycle, these Nike screen printed jersey's seem like they'll hold up better. But let's face it, I'm a hardcore fan and I want what the players are wearing on the field. Nike has also changed the NFL patch back to the NFL shield, there is different cuts of fabric all over the elite jersey allowing it to "breath" better and the material feels just as sturdy as the Reebok "game worn" jersey's were.
Relax Nike because this isn't about how great you are, this is actually about how you completely fell on your face and probably lost a lot of money, and fans, in the process. Now on to...
What Nike did Wrong.
Nike's Mission is; To Bring Inspiration And Innovation To Every Athlete In The World.
- Is it innovative to go from having Reebok who had 3 tiers of NFL jersey's ("Screen Printed", "Game Jersey's" (which were stitched), and "On Field" jersey's) to only 2 from Nike? We now have the "Game-day" jersey's (screen printed) and "Elite jersey's" (the jersey's players wear on the field). What's that you say Nike exec.? You say you have a "Limited Jersey" coming out in the summer of 2012? OK, it's now midway through the summer of 2012, did we SURPRISE you that you took over the contract for the NFL in April? Are you NOW getting prepared to show us that third jersey? Or were you hoping fans would blow their money on your more expensive jersey's first then give them a more price friendly option later? BTW- if you're a fan of certain teams (like the 49ers) you can't even get an Elite "away" jersey yet! Again, did this take you by surprise Nike? Did you not know that you'd have to start producing product for fans once you took over the contract? When are we going to get a chance to buy the white jersey's, anytime soon?
-When I'm inspired it usually isn't something that hits me so hard in my pocketbook that my wife and kids will suffer. That's not inspiration that's just dumb, like buying an "elite" Nike NFL jersey for $250. Nike isn't the only one to blame here, the NFL is gouging fans buy selling the elite jersey's for $300 on their website! You heard me, $300 F*$@ing dollars! What economy are they living in? Hello Nike and NFL, have you been living underneath a rock? There's this tiny problem going on, not only in our country but in the world, called a recession, you heard of it? Since you obviously haven't, let me explain; it means people are short on money! And you just raised the prices of all the jersey's by at least 25%. Maybe it's just me but that screams greed. Reebok's 3 tiers ran for $79.99, $110.00 and $229.99. The NFL will be selling the new 3 tiers for $100, $135 and $300 while Nike is selling them for $100, $135 and $250.
Now stop me if I'm wrong but Nike and the NFL had three ways to go here;
1. They up the prices from what Reebok had (which is what they did) because the new Nike jersey's are "better quality" (that's not an actual quote from them but I can see an exec saying that already).
2. They keep the prices the same for the new 3 tiers of jersey's. Problem here is that any conglomerate lives by the motto "grow or die" so they HAD to up the prices to sustain their place in the market.
3. This would've been the "inspirational and innovative" tactic; Lower the prices slightly (say $69.99, $99.99 and $199.99) for the first season and let the fans get a "taste" of how good the new product is. Make the fans aware that the prices won't last and that you're trying to introduce them to the "new and improved product!" Fans, like me would've struck fast and frequent. We would've been all over these prices for the first year desperate to get the jersey's of the players we love, knowing that they're going to be raised in 2013. I can already hear the business exec from Nike say "that's why we didn't have to lower the prices because we knew the NFL is SO popular and people need the latest merchandise so we can up the prices and people will still pay for the product despite not having the money for it." (then he smiles real big). Then I turn to my computer and google "wholesale Nike NFL jersey's" (and I smile real big). That's right, it might not be legal, they may not be exact (the "wholesale" 49ers jersey's can be spotted from a mile away because the font on the chest is 3 times too big) but they sure are affordable, about $20-$29 per jersey plus shipping and handling (and that's for the "Elite" jersey). I was in a Nike shop in Vegas last week and an employee shot down my theory claiming that they haven't had a problem selling the new NFL jersey's, he said they're flying off the shelf! Yet, every time I see a player retweet a picture of a fan who sent them a picture of the new "Nike elite jersey" they just got in the mail the font seems to be 3 times too big! The Nike exec says "hmmm." Don't believe me? Go check twitter right now. go ahead I'll wait... you're back? kinda' creepy huh? This problem was rampant with the Reebok jersey's, all you had to do was go to a 49ers game and take a look around. MORE THAN half the fans are wearing jersey's with the font 3 times too big! If Reebok had a problem with it at their prices how bad of a problem do you think the NFL and Nike will have at the new prices? #FAIL
- The players will suffer from the rise in prices. When companies look to sign an athlete to a contract to be a spokesman they evaluate their marketability. In that equation businesses like Nike look at jersey sales. Now, if you're Patrick Willis and you have the most popular selling jersey on the team and are in the top 10 in the league then you become more "marketable," this is not rocket science it's logic. But, if fans are buying all their product form "wholesale" websites then those jersey sales won't be officially counted. So you might see thousands of fans at a Niner game wearing P-Willis' jersey but officially his jersey isn't a top seller because they aren't being bought legally. This in turn takes marketing money out of Patrick Willis' pocket and likewise means less money in jersey sales for Nike and the NFL. Hell, even the fans don't win because the "knock-offs" are so easy to spot.
Nike still has time to save their reputation but they have to move fast. If they were smart they would bring in some hard core fans from around the country and figure out how to make them happy, after they've sold us on their product then they can go gouge us all they want. But if they continue on this route they are in trouble of seeing sales stagnate and lots of bad knock-offs at NFL games with their famous swoosh on the sleeves.
For now, no new jersey's for me and my family. We're sticking to the Reebok one's we already have. We refuse to spend the money on a product that was already very expensive. Yes, Nike is part of a billion dollar partnership with the NFL now but there are a lot bad knock-offs bringing their product down and, believe it or not, millions upon millions being lost for Nike, the NFL and the players not to mention their reputation to boot.
What Nike did right.
-Did you watch the 2012 NFL draft? You did?! Remember seeing players get drafted and by the time they got to the podium they already had a jersey from the team they were drafted by with their name on the back and the #1 (for first round draft pick)? Wasn't that cool? It seemed like a no-brainer to have a guy back stage screen printing names so that immediately you could identify the new player with his team. Woe to Reebok for not thinking this up a decade ago! This was a fresh new idea that Nike got right and was an excellent way to introduce themselves to the new players and fans. The message is clear; we're going to dazzle you with new ways to see our product.
-Another key change in the Nike regime was going to a universal cut for every team's jersey. Some team's (including my beloved 49ers) had gone to an almost embarrassing u-shaped neck cut. I don't know what Reebok was thinking but these jerseys fit awful. Normally I would wear a t-shirt underneath a jersey anyway but with the u-shaped cut you had no choice, it showed 4 to 5 inches of your chest! The v-neck cut that Nike put every team back into is more like it. It looks better and fits better, one thing you should never do with a football jersey is try to make it have a fancy fit, it's a football jersey for crying out loud.
-The last props I will give to Nike is on quality. Have you had a chance to see one of the new jersey's in person? If not, then definitely drop by a Nike shop and see them, they are impressive. Even their lowest end screen printed jersey's seem much more durable than the pathetic Reebok screen printed jersey's that every hardcore fan avoided like the plague. If you washed and dried one of the screen printed Reebok jersey's then they'd start to peel away after one dry cycle, these Nike screen printed jersey's seem like they'll hold up better. But let's face it, I'm a hardcore fan and I want what the players are wearing on the field. Nike has also changed the NFL patch back to the NFL shield, there is different cuts of fabric all over the elite jersey allowing it to "breath" better and the material feels just as sturdy as the Reebok "game worn" jersey's were.
Relax Nike because this isn't about how great you are, this is actually about how you completely fell on your face and probably lost a lot of money, and fans, in the process. Now on to...
What Nike did Wrong.
Nike's Mission is; To Bring Inspiration And Innovation To Every Athlete In The World.
- Is it innovative to go from having Reebok who had 3 tiers of NFL jersey's ("Screen Printed", "Game Jersey's" (which were stitched), and "On Field" jersey's) to only 2 from Nike? We now have the "Game-day" jersey's (screen printed) and "Elite jersey's" (the jersey's players wear on the field). What's that you say Nike exec.? You say you have a "Limited Jersey" coming out in the summer of 2012? OK, it's now midway through the summer of 2012, did we SURPRISE you that you took over the contract for the NFL in April? Are you NOW getting prepared to show us that third jersey? Or were you hoping fans would blow their money on your more expensive jersey's first then give them a more price friendly option later? BTW- if you're a fan of certain teams (like the 49ers) you can't even get an Elite "away" jersey yet! Again, did this take you by surprise Nike? Did you not know that you'd have to start producing product for fans once you took over the contract? When are we going to get a chance to buy the white jersey's, anytime soon?
-When I'm inspired it usually isn't something that hits me so hard in my pocketbook that my wife and kids will suffer. That's not inspiration that's just dumb, like buying an "elite" Nike NFL jersey for $250. Nike isn't the only one to blame here, the NFL is gouging fans buy selling the elite jersey's for $300 on their website! You heard me, $300 F*$@ing dollars! What economy are they living in? Hello Nike and NFL, have you been living underneath a rock? There's this tiny problem going on, not only in our country but in the world, called a recession, you heard of it? Since you obviously haven't, let me explain; it means people are short on money! And you just raised the prices of all the jersey's by at least 25%. Maybe it's just me but that screams greed. Reebok's 3 tiers ran for $79.99, $110.00 and $229.99. The NFL will be selling the new 3 tiers for $100, $135 and $300 while Nike is selling them for $100, $135 and $250.
Now stop me if I'm wrong but Nike and the NFL had three ways to go here;
1. They up the prices from what Reebok had (which is what they did) because the new Nike jersey's are "better quality" (that's not an actual quote from them but I can see an exec saying that already).
2. They keep the prices the same for the new 3 tiers of jersey's. Problem here is that any conglomerate lives by the motto "grow or die" so they HAD to up the prices to sustain their place in the market.
3. This would've been the "inspirational and innovative" tactic; Lower the prices slightly (say $69.99, $99.99 and $199.99) for the first season and let the fans get a "taste" of how good the new product is. Make the fans aware that the prices won't last and that you're trying to introduce them to the "new and improved product!" Fans, like me would've struck fast and frequent. We would've been all over these prices for the first year desperate to get the jersey's of the players we love, knowing that they're going to be raised in 2013. I can already hear the business exec from Nike say "that's why we didn't have to lower the prices because we knew the NFL is SO popular and people need the latest merchandise so we can up the prices and people will still pay for the product despite not having the money for it." (then he smiles real big). Then I turn to my computer and google "wholesale Nike NFL jersey's" (and I smile real big). That's right, it might not be legal, they may not be exact (the "wholesale" 49ers jersey's can be spotted from a mile away because the font on the chest is 3 times too big) but they sure are affordable, about $20-$29 per jersey plus shipping and handling (and that's for the "Elite" jersey). I was in a Nike shop in Vegas last week and an employee shot down my theory claiming that they haven't had a problem selling the new NFL jersey's, he said they're flying off the shelf! Yet, every time I see a player retweet a picture of a fan who sent them a picture of the new "Nike elite jersey" they just got in the mail the font seems to be 3 times too big! The Nike exec says "hmmm." Don't believe me? Go check twitter right now. go ahead I'll wait... you're back? kinda' creepy huh? This problem was rampant with the Reebok jersey's, all you had to do was go to a 49ers game and take a look around. MORE THAN half the fans are wearing jersey's with the font 3 times too big! If Reebok had a problem with it at their prices how bad of a problem do you think the NFL and Nike will have at the new prices? #FAIL
- The players will suffer from the rise in prices. When companies look to sign an athlete to a contract to be a spokesman they evaluate their marketability. In that equation businesses like Nike look at jersey sales. Now, if you're Patrick Willis and you have the most popular selling jersey on the team and are in the top 10 in the league then you become more "marketable," this is not rocket science it's logic. But, if fans are buying all their product form "wholesale" websites then those jersey sales won't be officially counted. So you might see thousands of fans at a Niner game wearing P-Willis' jersey but officially his jersey isn't a top seller because they aren't being bought legally. This in turn takes marketing money out of Patrick Willis' pocket and likewise means less money in jersey sales for Nike and the NFL. Hell, even the fans don't win because the "knock-offs" are so easy to spot.
Nike still has time to save their reputation but they have to move fast. If they were smart they would bring in some hard core fans from around the country and figure out how to make them happy, after they've sold us on their product then they can go gouge us all they want. But if they continue on this route they are in trouble of seeing sales stagnate and lots of bad knock-offs at NFL games with their famous swoosh on the sleeves.
For now, no new jersey's for me and my family. We're sticking to the Reebok one's we already have. We refuse to spend the money on a product that was already very expensive. Yes, Nike is part of a billion dollar partnership with the NFL now but there are a lot bad knock-offs bringing their product down and, believe it or not, millions upon millions being lost for Nike, the NFL and the players not to mention their reputation to boot.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Giants/Mets All Star Game Payback 2012
I'm very excited about N.Y. Getting the shorter end of the stick in this All Star game. I can't stand it when people have short memories on purpose, what goes around comes around...
Little do Mets fans remember '09 when Pablo Sandoval was crushing the ball and he got out voted by none other than... Yup, David Wright. Charlie Emanuel then went on to leave Sandoval off the roster as a back up. Last year when Sandoval was added by Bochy that qualified as pay back for Emanuel and this year is pay back for Wright, who shouldn't have even been a back up in '09, at least we can all agree Sandoval should be an All Star this year.
As far as R.A. Dickey is concerned, yes, he was deserving to start BUT I dare someone to step forward and say Cain was UNdeserving to start the game as well. Add in the variable that Posey is catching and he's never caught a knuckleballer and the choice was actually pretty easy for La Russa. But, after hearing what Mets GM Sandy Alderson had to say about Pablo, and his nickname (BTW- Sandy you got balls talking about other men and their nicknames when you have a girls given name!) and what he had to say about Giants fans, I think Cain starting over Dickey is poetic justice. Excuse the immaturity but you can "suck it" Alserson! Have fun watching 4 Giants players start the All Star game!!!
Little do Mets fans remember '09 when Pablo Sandoval was crushing the ball and he got out voted by none other than... Yup, David Wright. Charlie Emanuel then went on to leave Sandoval off the roster as a back up. Last year when Sandoval was added by Bochy that qualified as pay back for Emanuel and this year is pay back for Wright, who shouldn't have even been a back up in '09, at least we can all agree Sandoval should be an All Star this year.
As far as R.A. Dickey is concerned, yes, he was deserving to start BUT I dare someone to step forward and say Cain was UNdeserving to start the game as well. Add in the variable that Posey is catching and he's never caught a knuckleballer and the choice was actually pretty easy for La Russa. But, after hearing what Mets GM Sandy Alderson had to say about Pablo, and his nickname (BTW- Sandy you got balls talking about other men and their nicknames when you have a girls given name!) and what he had to say about Giants fans, I think Cain starting over Dickey is poetic justice. Excuse the immaturity but you can "suck it" Alserson! Have fun watching 4 Giants players start the All Star game!!!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Giants at Mid Season 2012
The Giants are a half game out of first going into the mid-summer classic and have not even played their best ball. Giants fans have a lot to be hopeful about in the second half and some things to still bite their nails about as well.
What the Giants can look forward to;
The fact that we are just a .5 game out of first and the division leading Dodgers are struggling to stay healthy bold well for the Giants. Sure, you could argue that when the Dodgers get Kemp and Either back then they should run away with the division but you have to keep a few variables in mind. The Dodgers had the easiest schedule to start the season in baseball and played a ton of home games, that won't be the case in the second half. The fact of the matter is that the Dodgers aren't healthy yet and there is no guarantee that their star players will be back to 100% in the second half. Lastly, even if the Dodgers get all their players back from injury there is still the case of team chemistry, there may not be enough time for that with just under half a season left.
Most of all, the Giants have yet to play to their potential. Believe it or not the pitching can and should be better in the second half, I would expect a bounce back from Lincecum on some level (although I do not think he'll be himself at all for the rest of the year), and a slight drop in production from Zito, while Cain, Bumgarner and Vogey continue on their way. The other big thing to look forward to is the young core of everyday players. Poesy, Sandoval and Cabrera are starting for the NL in the All Star game and should have all Giants fans excited about a second half surge. Sandoval needs to stay healthy and Posey needs to expect just a little less rest, while Cabrera will continue to be leaned upon for consistency. If you add a hot Brandon Belt and sprinkle in some Pagan, Theriot and a streaky Crawford this team could actually do some second half damage. I've been claiming for over a year that Brandon Belt is the 'X factor' for this team and I think that theory is becoming very apparent now. If Belt can excel in the second half at the same level as our All Stars then we would have a big 4 in our line-up that not a lot of teams are going to want to face in the Playoffs. The most important thing to remember, especially after a horrible end to the first half, is that the last two World Series champs weren't the best teams at the half, they were the best teams in late August and September.
What the Giants can worry about;
Tim Lincecum, Tim Lincecum and probably Tim Lincecum. I refuse to believe that his career is over but I also don't see a movie like Act III turn around for our Hero. Will he get better? Yes, he will. Even all the national media doubters have to admit that Lincecum has been one of the most unluckiest pitchers in baseball when it comes to balls in play. But, I do not expect a sub 2.00 ERA and undefeated second half effort. I think he will pitch just good enough to make the playoff roster and then he'll be used sparingly throughout the playoffs.
The other big worry for the Giants should be that their youth will start to look like the Seattle Mariners youth, big potential with no results. If Posey, Sandoval and Belt fall flat in the second half, especially around Late August and September then you can kiss the playoffs good-bye. We need this young core to progress and be even better in the second half, especially with two outs and runners in scoring position.
BOLD (and silly) predictions for the Giants second half;
I will add and subtract to my bold and silly predictions from the beginning of the season. My mid season silliness is in parenthesis.
First the offense;
- 4 players will hit .300+; Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey, Melky Cabrera, and Brandon Belt all reach the plateau. (I maintain my silliness)
- 5 players hit 20+ HR's. Sandoval, Posey, Cabrera, Belt, and Brett Pill are the power here. Pill is my wild card. I predict he gets more playing time than we expect because of his big bat and he mashes his way down the stretch to 20. (okay, take away Pill, but watch the others surge to 20 each.)
- 2 players hit 30+ HR's. I got Sandoval and Belt showing the big power. I know that Belt could possibly start the season in the minors, which would be a shame, but I think he gets recalled in time to show what all the hype has been about. Which leads me to... (no one reaches the plateau)
- 3 players have 100+ RBI's. Sandoval, Posey, and Belt. Not hard here, I have them mashing all year long. (now I say 2 do, Cabrera and Posey)
- Brandon Crawford more than holds his own hitting .270 BA, 15 HR, 65 RBI, and 15 SB. (Let's go Crawford!)
- Aubrey Huff struggles and is a pinch-hitter most of 2012. Pilate's or not, Huff is on a decline. I know that he has had a trend his whole career of having a good year then a down year but I think now is the time that Huff stays down, and we are once again way over paying for a veteran who isn't contributing much on the field. That being said, Huff is a great personality and he is very valuable all year in the clubhouse. (bingo)
- Freddy Sanchez retires. After finally making a brief comeback Sanchez gets hurt again and decides to announce his retirement do to continuing injury issues. This leads to... (I'm freakin' psychic)
- Prospect Joe Panik, who is once again tearing up the minors, is called up mid-season to take over the 2nd base role for good. He gets off to a slow start but holds his own, showing signs of line-drive gap placement and brief stints of power and speed along with solid defense. (not coming up but he's a stud)
- The Giants offense ends up in the top 3 of all major league baseball. (Hmmmmm)
Obviously, I see a huge change on the offensive side of the ball, because of this the pitching is going to excel.
Now the pitching;
- With a ton of run support from the offense, finally, the pitching starts to rack up the wins. The Giants have three 20 game winners; Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, and Matt Cain. (I guess (sarcasm) I'll drop Lincecum from this list, but I have high hopes for Bum and Cain)
- The pitching continues to be dominant with four sub 3.00 ERA's; Lincecum, Bumgarner, Cain, and Ryan Vogelsong. (again, drop Timmy)
- 3 pitchers have 200+ strikeouts; Lincecum, Bumgarner, and Cain. Lincecum and Bumgarner are locks here but Cain has never reached the milestone in his career. However, this season Cain has been locked in during Spring Training and appears to already be prepared for a big year, add in that it's a contract season and I think he finds a little extra something here and there to finally reach the plateau. With 186 SO's being his former best he hits 203 total this year. (This could still hold with Timmy but it will probably be a career low for him in a complete season)
- The bullpen posts the lowest ERA in the majors. (just silly)
- Brian Wilson is just raunchy with a big bounce back year and surpasses his former career high in saves (48) by recording 52 on the year. (RIP in 2012)
The awards;
- This is a lock- Comeback Player of the Year- Buster Posey. Can Giants fans see anyone else winning this in 2012? (keep truckin')
- Sandoval and Posey finish in the top 3 in NL MVP voting. Pablo is the big winner. (Not going to happen with the injury but Poesy may still finish high)
- Pablo Sandoval wins the batting title hitting .349, this is what propels him past teammate Posey for the MVP. ( I meant Cabrera, stupid auto correct)
- Gold gloves galore for the Giants defense; Sandoval 3B, Crawford SS, Posey C, and Lincecum P all take home the honor. (Not one for the G-men, and that's a BOLD prediction)
- Tim Lincecum wins his 3rd Cy Young award! Madison Bumgarner finishes a close second and Matt Cain is able to finish 5th in the voting. Lincecum leads in SO's and Wins while Bum leads in ERA, which propels Lincecum. Plus, the voters lean towards the older player considering the younger will have many more opportunities. (Anything regarding Timmy at the beginning of 2012 needs to be changed, nobody saw this coming we just have to weather the storm together, please sub in Matt Cain for the CY, he's going to win it this year guaranteed.)
- The Giants win 100 games. After finally establishing an offense the Giants show their true potential. They go on to take the NL West crown on their way to... ( I got them at 90 wins now)
- The Giants win the 2012 World Series. The Tampa Bay Rays put up a hell of a pitching performance in 2012 themselves but are no match for the now dominant S.F. Giants. The Giants take the series 4-1 and talk starts to spread that we have a dynasty on our hands. (Let's say they beat the Angels now, and get revenge for '02)
- Matt Cain signs a 5yr/$115million contract extension with the team. (I was almost dead on)
What the Giants can look forward to;
The fact that we are just a .5 game out of first and the division leading Dodgers are struggling to stay healthy bold well for the Giants. Sure, you could argue that when the Dodgers get Kemp and Either back then they should run away with the division but you have to keep a few variables in mind. The Dodgers had the easiest schedule to start the season in baseball and played a ton of home games, that won't be the case in the second half. The fact of the matter is that the Dodgers aren't healthy yet and there is no guarantee that their star players will be back to 100% in the second half. Lastly, even if the Dodgers get all their players back from injury there is still the case of team chemistry, there may not be enough time for that with just under half a season left.
Most of all, the Giants have yet to play to their potential. Believe it or not the pitching can and should be better in the second half, I would expect a bounce back from Lincecum on some level (although I do not think he'll be himself at all for the rest of the year), and a slight drop in production from Zito, while Cain, Bumgarner and Vogey continue on their way. The other big thing to look forward to is the young core of everyday players. Poesy, Sandoval and Cabrera are starting for the NL in the All Star game and should have all Giants fans excited about a second half surge. Sandoval needs to stay healthy and Posey needs to expect just a little less rest, while Cabrera will continue to be leaned upon for consistency. If you add a hot Brandon Belt and sprinkle in some Pagan, Theriot and a streaky Crawford this team could actually do some second half damage. I've been claiming for over a year that Brandon Belt is the 'X factor' for this team and I think that theory is becoming very apparent now. If Belt can excel in the second half at the same level as our All Stars then we would have a big 4 in our line-up that not a lot of teams are going to want to face in the Playoffs. The most important thing to remember, especially after a horrible end to the first half, is that the last two World Series champs weren't the best teams at the half, they were the best teams in late August and September.
What the Giants can worry about;
Tim Lincecum, Tim Lincecum and probably Tim Lincecum. I refuse to believe that his career is over but I also don't see a movie like Act III turn around for our Hero. Will he get better? Yes, he will. Even all the national media doubters have to admit that Lincecum has been one of the most unluckiest pitchers in baseball when it comes to balls in play. But, I do not expect a sub 2.00 ERA and undefeated second half effort. I think he will pitch just good enough to make the playoff roster and then he'll be used sparingly throughout the playoffs.
The other big worry for the Giants should be that their youth will start to look like the Seattle Mariners youth, big potential with no results. If Posey, Sandoval and Belt fall flat in the second half, especially around Late August and September then you can kiss the playoffs good-bye. We need this young core to progress and be even better in the second half, especially with two outs and runners in scoring position.
BOLD (and silly) predictions for the Giants second half;
I will add and subtract to my bold and silly predictions from the beginning of the season. My mid season silliness is in parenthesis.
First the offense;
- 4 players will hit .300+; Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey, Melky Cabrera, and Brandon Belt all reach the plateau. (I maintain my silliness)
- 5 players hit 20+ HR's. Sandoval, Posey, Cabrera, Belt, and Brett Pill are the power here. Pill is my wild card. I predict he gets more playing time than we expect because of his big bat and he mashes his way down the stretch to 20. (okay, take away Pill, but watch the others surge to 20 each.)
- 2 players hit 30+ HR's. I got Sandoval and Belt showing the big power. I know that Belt could possibly start the season in the minors, which would be a shame, but I think he gets recalled in time to show what all the hype has been about. Which leads me to... (no one reaches the plateau)
- 3 players have 100+ RBI's. Sandoval, Posey, and Belt. Not hard here, I have them mashing all year long. (now I say 2 do, Cabrera and Posey)
- Brandon Crawford more than holds his own hitting .270 BA, 15 HR, 65 RBI, and 15 SB. (Let's go Crawford!)
- Aubrey Huff struggles and is a pinch-hitter most of 2012. Pilate's or not, Huff is on a decline. I know that he has had a trend his whole career of having a good year then a down year but I think now is the time that Huff stays down, and we are once again way over paying for a veteran who isn't contributing much on the field. That being said, Huff is a great personality and he is very valuable all year in the clubhouse. (bingo)
- Freddy Sanchez retires. After finally making a brief comeback Sanchez gets hurt again and decides to announce his retirement do to continuing injury issues. This leads to... (I'm freakin' psychic)
- Prospect Joe Panik, who is once again tearing up the minors, is called up mid-season to take over the 2nd base role for good. He gets off to a slow start but holds his own, showing signs of line-drive gap placement and brief stints of power and speed along with solid defense. (not coming up but he's a stud)
- The Giants offense ends up in the top 3 of all major league baseball. (Hmmmmm)
Obviously, I see a huge change on the offensive side of the ball, because of this the pitching is going to excel.
Now the pitching;
- With a ton of run support from the offense, finally, the pitching starts to rack up the wins. The Giants have three 20 game winners; Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, and Matt Cain. (I guess (sarcasm) I'll drop Lincecum from this list, but I have high hopes for Bum and Cain)
- The pitching continues to be dominant with four sub 3.00 ERA's; Lincecum, Bumgarner, Cain, and Ryan Vogelsong. (again, drop Timmy)
- 3 pitchers have 200+ strikeouts; Lincecum, Bumgarner, and Cain. Lincecum and Bumgarner are locks here but Cain has never reached the milestone in his career. However, this season Cain has been locked in during Spring Training and appears to already be prepared for a big year, add in that it's a contract season and I think he finds a little extra something here and there to finally reach the plateau. With 186 SO's being his former best he hits 203 total this year. (This could still hold with Timmy but it will probably be a career low for him in a complete season)
- The bullpen posts the lowest ERA in the majors. (just silly)
- Brian Wilson is just raunchy with a big bounce back year and surpasses his former career high in saves (48) by recording 52 on the year. (RIP in 2012)
The awards;
- This is a lock- Comeback Player of the Year- Buster Posey. Can Giants fans see anyone else winning this in 2012? (keep truckin')
- Sandoval and Posey finish in the top 3 in NL MVP voting. Pablo is the big winner. (Not going to happen with the injury but Poesy may still finish high)
- Pablo Sandoval wins the batting title hitting .349, this is what propels him past teammate Posey for the MVP. ( I meant Cabrera, stupid auto correct)
- Gold gloves galore for the Giants defense; Sandoval 3B, Crawford SS, Posey C, and Lincecum P all take home the honor. (Not one for the G-men, and that's a BOLD prediction)
- Tim Lincecum wins his 3rd Cy Young award! Madison Bumgarner finishes a close second and Matt Cain is able to finish 5th in the voting. Lincecum leads in SO's and Wins while Bum leads in ERA, which propels Lincecum. Plus, the voters lean towards the older player considering the younger will have many more opportunities. (Anything regarding Timmy at the beginning of 2012 needs to be changed, nobody saw this coming we just have to weather the storm together, please sub in Matt Cain for the CY, he's going to win it this year guaranteed.)
- The Giants win 100 games. After finally establishing an offense the Giants show their true potential. They go on to take the NL West crown on their way to... ( I got them at 90 wins now)
- The Giants win the 2012 World Series. The Tampa Bay Rays put up a hell of a pitching performance in 2012 themselves but are no match for the now dominant S.F. Giants. The Giants take the series 4-1 and talk starts to spread that we have a dynasty on our hands. (Let's say they beat the Angels now, and get revenge for '02)
- Matt Cain signs a 5yr/$115million contract extension with the team. (I was almost dead on)
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Book Review: Game of Shadows
In the early 2000's us Giants fans read the headlines, but how many of us actually read the fine print? This re-account of those years by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams deliver a hard blow that all Giants fans, and baseball fans, need to endure to grasp what we actually witnessed for a little over a decade. Drugs and cheating were rampant is the bottom line, not only in baseball, but in every sport.
There are downsides to this read, which is a quick 269 pages before getting to their appendix and citing their sources. You'll probably never watch track and field the same way again, virtually everyone is cheating that wins a medal these days. There is also a slight gloom looming over Bonds throughout the book. Like the government probe and MLB sanctions, they wanted a fall guy and Bonds was ripe for the picking. Giants fans, you will not view Bonds in a positive light after reading this. You get a sense of just how immoral he can be in his profession, marriage, and relationships. But, I think it's important that since it was hard for us all to except Bonds's shortcomings then, it's now time to start the healing process by discovering the truth. He did it, he took steroids. He knew what he was doing. Greg Anderson and Victor Conte did not pull the wool over his eyes. Barry Bonds cheated his way into the HR record books, BUT he wasn't the first and he isn't the last.
I find it very disheartening that a white man, and even a Dominican man, among others, could cheat for nearly a decade with no real issues, only to have a black man do the same thing and become totally vilified for it. When McGuire hit 70 there were questions about steroids but everyone was so happy to have the sport be exciting again. When Sosa hit 60 plus homers 4 seasons in a row, yes 4 in a row, everyone gave a "standing O" for the chipper Dominican. Probably a fault to no other but himself Barry was a jerk to the media, and yes, even to fans sometimes, that could have lead to his witch hunt, but there's no denying that he was also the first obvious black man to be juicing and that caught the attention of even politicians to get pissed (looking at you John McCain). No white fans wanted to see black athletes use what white players were using to keep up. Bonds was simply proving a point. He was sick of all the attention "they" were getting. He finally decided; let's see what happens when the best player in baseball uses "the shit" and he was obviously referring to himself.
Steroids tainted baseball before Bonds and it still is rearing it's ugly head now. Ryan Braun (the reigning NL MVP) is juicing, he already tested positive but got off on a technicality. Jose Bautista went from being a 10 to 15 HR journey man to having 50plus HR power just two seasons ago and they say it's because of a leg kick, a f-ing leg kick! David Ortiz was washed up 2 seasons ago but has reclaimed his old form and is known to have failed a test in the past. And it's just sad to watch A-Rod crumple without being on "the shit" these days as he continues to be a shell of himself for the Yankees. Baseball will always have cheaters, we just need to get better at singling them out and holding them accountable instead of trying to figure out how we can make an excuse so they can keep cheating.
In the end this book does back up one theory of mine which is; Barry Bonds belongs in the Hall of Fame. Why? He was a HOFer before entering 1999, plain and simple. It is well known Barry was NOT taking steroids before that time. Guys like McGuire, Sosa, Giambi, and Canseco took them their whole careers so keeping them out makes sense in my mind. But, Bonds was already one of the best players of his generation before he took steroids. What's amazing is how much better he became after juicing, like he said; let's see what happens when the best player takes "the shit."
Game of Shadows is a good read, and I do recommend it. Simply beware of the fact that the press was tired of being ridiculed by Bonds and this re-account of that time period comes across, a little, feeling like pay-back by defaming his character whenever given the chance. There were many more deserving villains than Bonds that should have been the center of books like these. Most notably would be commissioner Bud Selig who allowed his sport to do whatever necessary to get fans butts back in seats. Selig's "blind eye" is much worse than Bonds or any other athlete who cheated because he had the power to stop them and he didn't. Oh by the way; Selig used to own the Brewers, guess what team Ryan Braun plays for?
There are downsides to this read, which is a quick 269 pages before getting to their appendix and citing their sources. You'll probably never watch track and field the same way again, virtually everyone is cheating that wins a medal these days. There is also a slight gloom looming over Bonds throughout the book. Like the government probe and MLB sanctions, they wanted a fall guy and Bonds was ripe for the picking. Giants fans, you will not view Bonds in a positive light after reading this. You get a sense of just how immoral he can be in his profession, marriage, and relationships. But, I think it's important that since it was hard for us all to except Bonds's shortcomings then, it's now time to start the healing process by discovering the truth. He did it, he took steroids. He knew what he was doing. Greg Anderson and Victor Conte did not pull the wool over his eyes. Barry Bonds cheated his way into the HR record books, BUT he wasn't the first and he isn't the last.
I find it very disheartening that a white man, and even a Dominican man, among others, could cheat for nearly a decade with no real issues, only to have a black man do the same thing and become totally vilified for it. When McGuire hit 70 there were questions about steroids but everyone was so happy to have the sport be exciting again. When Sosa hit 60 plus homers 4 seasons in a row, yes 4 in a row, everyone gave a "standing O" for the chipper Dominican. Probably a fault to no other but himself Barry was a jerk to the media, and yes, even to fans sometimes, that could have lead to his witch hunt, but there's no denying that he was also the first obvious black man to be juicing and that caught the attention of even politicians to get pissed (looking at you John McCain). No white fans wanted to see black athletes use what white players were using to keep up. Bonds was simply proving a point. He was sick of all the attention "they" were getting. He finally decided; let's see what happens when the best player in baseball uses "the shit" and he was obviously referring to himself.
Steroids tainted baseball before Bonds and it still is rearing it's ugly head now. Ryan Braun (the reigning NL MVP) is juicing, he already tested positive but got off on a technicality. Jose Bautista went from being a 10 to 15 HR journey man to having 50plus HR power just two seasons ago and they say it's because of a leg kick, a f-ing leg kick! David Ortiz was washed up 2 seasons ago but has reclaimed his old form and is known to have failed a test in the past. And it's just sad to watch A-Rod crumple without being on "the shit" these days as he continues to be a shell of himself for the Yankees. Baseball will always have cheaters, we just need to get better at singling them out and holding them accountable instead of trying to figure out how we can make an excuse so they can keep cheating.
In the end this book does back up one theory of mine which is; Barry Bonds belongs in the Hall of Fame. Why? He was a HOFer before entering 1999, plain and simple. It is well known Barry was NOT taking steroids before that time. Guys like McGuire, Sosa, Giambi, and Canseco took them their whole careers so keeping them out makes sense in my mind. But, Bonds was already one of the best players of his generation before he took steroids. What's amazing is how much better he became after juicing, like he said; let's see what happens when the best player takes "the shit."
Game of Shadows is a good read, and I do recommend it. Simply beware of the fact that the press was tired of being ridiculed by Bonds and this re-account of that time period comes across, a little, feeling like pay-back by defaming his character whenever given the chance. There were many more deserving villains than Bonds that should have been the center of books like these. Most notably would be commissioner Bud Selig who allowed his sport to do whatever necessary to get fans butts back in seats. Selig's "blind eye" is much worse than Bonds or any other athlete who cheated because he had the power to stop them and he didn't. Oh by the way; Selig used to own the Brewers, guess what team Ryan Braun plays for?
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Line-up Experiment.
The Giants are experiencing some troubles with RISP. They can't plate anyone from 2nd or 3rd base and it's beginning to be a problem. Consider that their biggest RBI producer, Pablo Sandoval, is out for the next month (at least), and it is apparent that the Giants need to shake-up their line-up. Connor Gillaspie was called up from triple A, but he hasn't shown much, both offensively OR defensively. Any combination the Giants put on the field right now seems to struggle defensively, no matter what. Even Buster Posey hasn't looked comfortable at First base. So, what to do? Here's a suggestion;
1. Pagan CF
2. Arias 2B
3. Cabrera RF
4. Posey 3B
5. Belt 1B
6. Sanchez C
7. Pill LF
8. Crawford SS
9. Pitcher
The big surprise here is putting Posey over at 3rd base. I dare anyone to claim that he's been above average or stellar at 1st base. We all have seen that Sanchez is good behind the plate AND he can hit! Belt actually started coming around when he got a little playing time and almost had his BA back up to .300. Belt is also a much better first baseman than Posey, hands down. So, until Pablo gets back, why not? Posey has the arm to make the throws from 3rd and he has the former experience of being a college shortstop. So again, why not? I would put Pill in there for brut strength alone, that guy can hit 30 HR's if given the opportunity.
I believe the players are there for Bochy to create a line-up that can score. We are also conceding that the defense isn't going to be all that great, so get your best hitters out there and go for it!
There's no doubt the Giants are once again snake bit this season. Bochy will have to be crafty in order to keep things together. Hopefully the team can rally and then when Pablo gets back make a run for the play-offs.
I have to admit, beating Clayton Kershaw last night was probably the biggest win for the Giants since the World Series. Let's see where they take it from here.
1. Pagan CF
2. Arias 2B
3. Cabrera RF
4. Posey 3B
5. Belt 1B
6. Sanchez C
7. Pill LF
8. Crawford SS
9. Pitcher
The big surprise here is putting Posey over at 3rd base. I dare anyone to claim that he's been above average or stellar at 1st base. We all have seen that Sanchez is good behind the plate AND he can hit! Belt actually started coming around when he got a little playing time and almost had his BA back up to .300. Belt is also a much better first baseman than Posey, hands down. So, until Pablo gets back, why not? Posey has the arm to make the throws from 3rd and he has the former experience of being a college shortstop. So again, why not? I would put Pill in there for brut strength alone, that guy can hit 30 HR's if given the opportunity.
I believe the players are there for Bochy to create a line-up that can score. We are also conceding that the defense isn't going to be all that great, so get your best hitters out there and go for it!
There's no doubt the Giants are once again snake bit this season. Bochy will have to be crafty in order to keep things together. Hopefully the team can rally and then when Pablo gets back make a run for the play-offs.
I have to admit, beating Clayton Kershaw last night was probably the biggest win for the Giants since the World Series. Let's see where they take it from here.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
49ers 2012 Draft
David Decastro? Coby Fleener? Steven Hill? Alshon Jeffery? Michael Floyd? Who knows. When your team has the 30th selection there really is no way to be sure who they're going to select in the 1st round. WR has been a need, but they have added Manningham and Moss. RG is the biggest need left for the Niners but they're picking at a tough spot for that position.
So who are they going to take? Like I just said, I don't know, but I can give you 3 likely scenario's;
- The Niners in past years haven't been shy trading up and down in their draft. I would not find it unusual for them to trade up to the mid-teens if Decastro still happens to be on the board and try to snag him up to fill their RG need.
-They stay right where they are and trust their draft board and pick the best player available. Possibly hoping for TE Fleener to be still on the board, one of the WR's, or pulling a fast one like last year and surprising people by reaching for a player at the guard position that was expected to go in the second round.
- They trade out of the 1st round for more multiple picks in later rounds. The is my least likely scenario. This move is more for teams needing bodies, or rebuilding and the Niners aren't either. I could see them trading the 1st round pick for someone else's future 1st rounder though...
However it goes down apparently Trent Baalke already has a guy targeted, we just have to wait and see which guy that is. Be confident that the Niners have a plan, they are not going into this draft winging it. They probably have all these scenario's covered. We'll see Thursday.
So who are they going to take? Like I just said, I don't know, but I can give you 3 likely scenario's;
- The Niners in past years haven't been shy trading up and down in their draft. I would not find it unusual for them to trade up to the mid-teens if Decastro still happens to be on the board and try to snag him up to fill their RG need.
-They stay right where they are and trust their draft board and pick the best player available. Possibly hoping for TE Fleener to be still on the board, one of the WR's, or pulling a fast one like last year and surprising people by reaching for a player at the guard position that was expected to go in the second round.
- They trade out of the 1st round for more multiple picks in later rounds. The is my least likely scenario. This move is more for teams needing bodies, or rebuilding and the Niners aren't either. I could see them trading the 1st round pick for someone else's future 1st rounder though...
However it goes down apparently Trent Baalke already has a guy targeted, we just have to wait and see which guy that is. Be confident that the Niners have a plan, they are not going into this draft winging it. They probably have all these scenario's covered. We'll see Thursday.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Giants Do The Right Thing Securing Their Pitching
Matt Cain 6yrs/$127.5 million with a vesting option for 2018
Madison Bumgarner 5yrs/$35 million extension with a team option for 2017 and 2018 at $24 million more.
A call to Tim Lincecum's agent to let them know he's still in the Giants plans long term.
A call to Buster Poesy's agent to let them know he's still in the Giants plans long term (although, obviously, he is not a pitcher).
The future of the Giants.
Most Giants fans are not going to gripe about these moves, although I'm sure there are some negative Nancy's out there who would. To anyone who does doubt the moves you need to take a quick look around the National League West, and baseball for that matter, to recognize the importance of these moves.
- Arizona Diamondbacks should have the best rotation in the National league starting next year. You already know about their first 3 starters; Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, and Trevor Cahill but do you know about their 2 studs coming up later this summer? Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs. You put those 5 together and they literally have no weakness in their staff.
- Colorado traded away Ubaldo Jimenez last season and picked up Drew Pomeranz and Alex White. You match them up with Jhoulys Chacin and you have a pretty solid front 3.
-The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw- He's a Giant killer and according to "baseball experts" they are the next west coast version of the Yankee's and ANY free-agent is ending up in L.A. if he hits the market from now on.
- The Padres... suck.
You take a look around baseball and see...
-Tampa Bay Devil Rays have James Shields, David Price, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore as their starting 5, they even left Wade Davis in the bull-pen, who would be the #2 or #3 guy in the rotation on over half the MLB teams right now.
-There is always the Yankee's and Red Sox and their pocket books.
-Detroit has Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, and Drew Smyly, with Jacob Turner on the rise.
-The Washington Nationals have Steven Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Edwin Jackson, and Jeff Zimmermann.
-And probably the most upside of any staff in baseball belongs to the Seattle Mariners, yes the Mariners. With King Felix Hernandez you might wonder what they have after him? Well Hector Noesi is an interesting project right now for them, but it's the ubber talented prospects Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, and Tajuan Walker that have everyone in baseball keeping an eye on the Pacific Northwest.
The theme around MLB since the Giants won the series in 2010 is; build a dominant staff because once you're in the Playoffs you never know how far it can take you. Teams like the Rays, Mariners, and Diamondbacks have a great chance to repeat what the Giants did in 2010 because of the great strength their rotations project to have over the next 5 years.
Which brings me back to my point, the Giants made a great, and important, move by extending their young pitching because if they didn't retain them then they would have next to no chance to compete with the other teams that have strong staffs.
Now they have to continue to bring up the everyday players like Joe Panik and Gary Brown to support the staff and draft MORE pitching for the future. It's a wait-and-see process but the Giants have made some superb decisions over the past few years and set a standard everyone is quickly catching on to.
Madison Bumgarner 5yrs/$35 million extension with a team option for 2017 and 2018 at $24 million more.
A call to Tim Lincecum's agent to let them know he's still in the Giants plans long term.
A call to Buster Poesy's agent to let them know he's still in the Giants plans long term (although, obviously, he is not a pitcher).
The future of the Giants.
Most Giants fans are not going to gripe about these moves, although I'm sure there are some negative Nancy's out there who would. To anyone who does doubt the moves you need to take a quick look around the National League West, and baseball for that matter, to recognize the importance of these moves.
- Arizona Diamondbacks should have the best rotation in the National league starting next year. You already know about their first 3 starters; Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, and Trevor Cahill but do you know about their 2 studs coming up later this summer? Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs. You put those 5 together and they literally have no weakness in their staff.
- Colorado traded away Ubaldo Jimenez last season and picked up Drew Pomeranz and Alex White. You match them up with Jhoulys Chacin and you have a pretty solid front 3.
-The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw- He's a Giant killer and according to "baseball experts" they are the next west coast version of the Yankee's and ANY free-agent is ending up in L.A. if he hits the market from now on.
- The Padres... suck.
You take a look around baseball and see...
-Tampa Bay Devil Rays have James Shields, David Price, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore as their starting 5, they even left Wade Davis in the bull-pen, who would be the #2 or #3 guy in the rotation on over half the MLB teams right now.
-There is always the Yankee's and Red Sox and their pocket books.
-Detroit has Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, and Drew Smyly, with Jacob Turner on the rise.
-The Washington Nationals have Steven Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Edwin Jackson, and Jeff Zimmermann.
-And probably the most upside of any staff in baseball belongs to the Seattle Mariners, yes the Mariners. With King Felix Hernandez you might wonder what they have after him? Well Hector Noesi is an interesting project right now for them, but it's the ubber talented prospects Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, and Tajuan Walker that have everyone in baseball keeping an eye on the Pacific Northwest.
The theme around MLB since the Giants won the series in 2010 is; build a dominant staff because once you're in the Playoffs you never know how far it can take you. Teams like the Rays, Mariners, and Diamondbacks have a great chance to repeat what the Giants did in 2010 because of the great strength their rotations project to have over the next 5 years.
Which brings me back to my point, the Giants made a great, and important, move by extending their young pitching because if they didn't retain them then they would have next to no chance to compete with the other teams that have strong staffs.
Now they have to continue to bring up the everyday players like Joe Panik and Gary Brown to support the staff and draft MORE pitching for the future. It's a wait-and-see process but the Giants have made some superb decisions over the past few years and set a standard everyone is quickly catching on to.
Size Doesn't Matter
Some people I know have started to ask if (or convince me) Tim Lincecum is done?
"His velocity is down."
"He lost too much weight."
"His mechanics aren't built for the long run."
I would agree, except that these were the same arguments last April (except the weight issue was then that he had gained too much).
Lincecum in April 2011;
The Atlanta game brought scrutiny with Lincecum. In 2010 it was the month of August that had everyone up in arms over Timmy;
"His velocity is down."
"He lost too much weight."
"His mechanics aren't built for the long run."
I would agree, except that these were the same arguments last April (except the weight issue was then that he had gained too much).
Lincecum in April 2011;
| Apr 29 | @ WAS | L 0-3 | L | 7.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40.1 | 2.90 | ||
| Apr 23 | ATL | L 2-5 | L | 6.1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33.1 | 2.70 | ||
| Apr 18 | @ COL | W 8-1 | W | 7.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.0 | 1.67 | ||
| Apr 12 | LAD | W 5-4 | - | 5.1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19.1 | 1.86 | ||
| Apr 6 | @ SDG | W 8-4 | W | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 0.64 |
The Atlanta game brought scrutiny with Lincecum. In 2010 it was the month of August that had everyone up in arms over Timmy;
| Aug 27 | ARI | L 0-6 | L | 6.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.2 | 3.80 | ||
| Aug 21 | @ STL | L 1-5 | L | 5.1 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.2 | 3.72 | ||
| Aug 15 | SDG | L 2-8 | L | 3.2 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.1 | 3.62 | ||
| Aug 10 | CHC | L 6-8 | L | 4.0 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 155.2 | 3.41 | ||
| Aug 5 | @ ATL | L 2-3 | L | 6.1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 151.2 | 3.15 |
By far his worst numbers in his career for a month until now (and we know how that ended, in a world series victory and dominant play-off performance by Timmy). So, is he done? No, not by any stretch of the imagination. Am I worried? Yes. Is it because of his numbers? No, not necessarily. It's more because of what I saw in the first inning of the Phillies game; His composure. Unlike most critics who believe Timmy's struggles are physical, I believe that they are mental, like most baseball players struggles are. When Dave Righetti was on the mound to talk to Timmy in the first inning you could see a very concerned, almost scared or bewildered, Tim Lincecum. He looked vulnerable. That is what worries me. The physical tools are there and they are coming along as they always do, but Timmy needs to get his mind right. He needs to buck up, light a fire, do something fierce. If he can't regain some type of edge then we may be in for a long season. |
Monday, April 9, 2012
August 9th, 2012; Barry Zito Day
If I were to tell you a Giants pitcher just threw a complete game shut-out for the first Giants win of the year, you would probably think it was opening day in Arizona and Lincecum was the guy I was talking about, or game two, with Bumgarner being the guy, or possibly even game three, with Cain being the guy (but let's be honest, there's no way the Giants don't win 1 of there first 3), the last thing you would think, the VERY last guy you would think to be pitching a complete game, let alone for the win, is Barry Zito for the Giants first win of the year.
Believe it Giants fans, it wasn't worth $120 million but it was a beautiful sight to see. Zito flat out battled today. Not only did Zito only give up 4 hits and no runs, he even had an amazing 11 pitch at-bat his 4th time up that resulted in a single.
Give some big "props" to rookie catcher Hector Sanchez who showed that he is very capable to play at this level. It's exciting to see that Posey will be able to move to a different position soon because of Sanchez and the other prospects the Giants have at the catcher position.
Today was an important day for the Giants, for the fans, and especially for Mr. #75. I don't care what you've thought of Zito in the past, today was his day and he was amazing, simply amazing. He may not have another game like this so enjoy it while you can. We can only hope that he can be somewhere in the same mold as he was today for the rest of the year, whether he is or not you must tip your cap and relish in the fact that the Giants have a their first win of the year.
Believe it Giants fans, it wasn't worth $120 million but it was a beautiful sight to see. Zito flat out battled today. Not only did Zito only give up 4 hits and no runs, he even had an amazing 11 pitch at-bat his 4th time up that resulted in a single.
Give some big "props" to rookie catcher Hector Sanchez who showed that he is very capable to play at this level. It's exciting to see that Posey will be able to move to a different position soon because of Sanchez and the other prospects the Giants have at the catcher position.
Today was an important day for the Giants, for the fans, and especially for Mr. #75. I don't care what you've thought of Zito in the past, today was his day and he was amazing, simply amazing. He may not have another game like this so enjoy it while you can. We can only hope that he can be somewhere in the same mold as he was today for the rest of the year, whether he is or not you must tip your cap and relish in the fact that the Giants have a their first win of the year.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Opening Day for Giants; Lincecum Day
It was Tim Lincecum's 4th straight Opening Day start for the S.F. Giants and he was very, well, "Lincecum opening day " like. There are headlines galore saying Lincecum had a "horrible outing" and "diminished velocity" which actually makes me a little more comfortable considering; THIS IS WHAT EVERYONE CLAIMS EVERY YEAR AFTER TIMMY'S FIRST START.
He only pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up 5 runs, and 2 first inning HR's. Not very good right?
Timmy also struck out 7, never threw his slider (because he's saving it, not because he can't), and struck out the side in the bottom of the 4th. Yeah, his career is obviously over.
ESPN, as always was to trust with their assesment;
Lincecum didn't throw a single slider in Friday's loss to the Diamondbacks, CSN Bay Area reports.
Lincecum's velocity decline has already been chronicled, but it's worthwhile to note that despite the lesser velocity and the diminished repertoire, the Diamondbacks that faced Lincecum on Friday still raved about his stuff. The results speak otherwise, though. It's still early, so the velocity still could kick upward and Lincecum could unveil the slider again, but his margin for error is a lot smaller if he has fewer tools to get opposing hitters out.
He only pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up 5 runs, and 2 first inning HR's. Not very good right?
Timmy also struck out 7, never threw his slider (because he's saving it, not because he can't), and struck out the side in the bottom of the 4th. Yeah, his career is obviously over.
ESPN, as always was to trust with their assesment;
Lincecum didn't throw a single slider in Friday's loss to the Diamondbacks, CSN Bay Area reports.
Spin:
Look, if you're a Giants fan, A Tim Lincecum fan, or even a Dodgers fan for that matter, do not buy into the hype. If Lincecum is still giving up 5 runs through less than 6 innings in a month then we'll revisit but for now this is pretty much par the coarse for Timmy.
We'll see...
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Belt, Pill, & Sanchez make opening day roster 2012
Congrats to the Giants front office for getting this one right! They choose to keep youngsters Brandon Belt (1B, LF), Brent Pill (Utility infield/outfield), and Hector Sanchez (C) on the 25 man roster to open the 2012 season. We have to commend the Giants brass for moving past the "we love veterans more than our mothers" attitude and taking a chance on the youth. It's been a long time, so enjoy it while you can Giants fans, God only knows how long their leashes will be.
Brandon Belt- Ironically he made the team last year as the starting first baseman, only to be demoted, then brought back, injured, then demoted, then brought back again (or something like that). He has been written about a lot this Spring because of a "hole in his swing." This notion that the hole is a proble or news worthy is absurd. Name one guy in the game who doesn't have any weakness at the plate, you'll need one hand and probably not all 5 fingers to count them. BTW- if he does have such a hole one of two things will happen; pitchers will try to attack the 'middle-in' hole, only to leave the ball out over the middle where Belt will mash the ball (because how many pitchers have that kind of consistent accuracy? Again, one-hand-not-all-fingers rule) OR they will pound the 'middle in' spot and Belt will see so many pitches there he'll naturally learn to hit it, like a major league hitter does. There's a reason why the game is hard to play.
Brent Pill- He's a "poor man's Dan Uggla." Lots of power, not big on BA, suspect defense, lots of power, in that order. I say that with hope, hope that he actually might get a shot at the same position Uggla plays, second base. I love that Joe Panik is on the way, but we may have a year or two before we actually see him. With Freddy Sanchez out, and not looking good, it would be great to sacrifice some defense there for decent power. Pill has a legit shot at 20-25 HR's and a .250 BA.
Hector Sanchez- "He's a younger version of Pablo Sandoval but more patient." I actually read that this Spring and if it's true then this team is in for a treat, as are us fans. With Sanchez being the only back-up to Posey, this means that we could actually see quite a bit of the youngster, and that we can take a collective deep breath that Posey's replacement's, behind the plate, have already begun to arrive. Sanchez should hit for avg. and show some pop, and be valuable as a switch hitter; the sky's the limit with him at the plate. Defense is where Sanchez will have to pay attention, thank God he has Bochy (former catcher) and Posey (greatest catcher ever) to learn from.
With these 3 guys up it makes you wonder what a 2014 opening day line-up may look like;
1. G. Brown CF
2. J. Panik 2B
3. P. Sandoval 3B
4. B. Posey LF
5. B. Belt 1B
6. H. Sanchez C
7. B. Pill RF
8. B. Crawford SS
9. Pitcher
Brandon Belt- Ironically he made the team last year as the starting first baseman, only to be demoted, then brought back, injured, then demoted, then brought back again (or something like that). He has been written about a lot this Spring because of a "hole in his swing." This notion that the hole is a proble or news worthy is absurd. Name one guy in the game who doesn't have any weakness at the plate, you'll need one hand and probably not all 5 fingers to count them. BTW- if he does have such a hole one of two things will happen; pitchers will try to attack the 'middle-in' hole, only to leave the ball out over the middle where Belt will mash the ball (because how many pitchers have that kind of consistent accuracy? Again, one-hand-not-all-fingers rule) OR they will pound the 'middle in' spot and Belt will see so many pitches there he'll naturally learn to hit it, like a major league hitter does. There's a reason why the game is hard to play.
Brent Pill- He's a "poor man's Dan Uggla." Lots of power, not big on BA, suspect defense, lots of power, in that order. I say that with hope, hope that he actually might get a shot at the same position Uggla plays, second base. I love that Joe Panik is on the way, but we may have a year or two before we actually see him. With Freddy Sanchez out, and not looking good, it would be great to sacrifice some defense there for decent power. Pill has a legit shot at 20-25 HR's and a .250 BA.
Hector Sanchez- "He's a younger version of Pablo Sandoval but more patient." I actually read that this Spring and if it's true then this team is in for a treat, as are us fans. With Sanchez being the only back-up to Posey, this means that we could actually see quite a bit of the youngster, and that we can take a collective deep breath that Posey's replacement's, behind the plate, have already begun to arrive. Sanchez should hit for avg. and show some pop, and be valuable as a switch hitter; the sky's the limit with him at the plate. Defense is where Sanchez will have to pay attention, thank God he has Bochy (former catcher) and Posey (greatest catcher ever) to learn from.
With these 3 guys up it makes you wonder what a 2014 opening day line-up may look like;
1. G. Brown CF
2. J. Panik 2B
3. P. Sandoval 3B
4. B. Posey LF
5. B. Belt 1B
6. H. Sanchez C
7. B. Pill RF
8. B. Crawford SS
9. Pitcher
Monday, April 2, 2012
No more Dodger's talk?
This is interesting; You don't see or hear the "D" word dropped very much from Olney these days when reffering to Matt Cain and Cole Hammels, just sayin'...
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No talks since early March between PHI and Hamels. It'd be tough for PHI now to offer less than 5/$112.5 million, in light of Cain's deal.
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Baseball Tonight coming on in two minutes... with Tim K., Bert and I... lots of news and notes.
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Third biggest winner today: Cole Hamels. Just become far and away No. 1 possible free agent in fall. Tremendous negotiating leverage.
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The AAV on Cain's deal includes an average annual value of $22.5 million; only Roger Clemens's 1-year, $28m deal with NYY more for RHer.
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Cain's deal has full no-trade protect, and could be worth as much as $141m over seven years.
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Before Cain, the biggest deal for any right-hander, with $ to the player, was Kevin Brown's 7/$105 million. That has been eclipsed.
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So total guaranteed is $107.5m, a shade under $22m AAV. Team/player have to be happy with that.
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Giants reportedly have paid Matt Cain a top-of-the-market deal to keep him. Which is exactly what they needed to do.
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