Favorite Giant story of 2008

SFGate reports former Giants ace Juan Marichal and Pedro Martinez were video taped at a cockfighting event where the two were apparently hosts of honor!

Seriously. This was about the most interesting non-Lincecumian story for me this past year. GAWD, let spring training start already!!!

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Tadahito Iguchi???

This gem off of MLB Trade Rumors:

Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker has translated a report from Sponichi, a Japanese news network, claiming that infielder Tadahito Iguchi has multiple offers from MLB teams. Sponichi speculates that the Giants and Royals are nice fits while Newman himself believes the White Sox might want Iguchi back. Of course, that's all conjecture. A few teams in Japan are legitimately vying for his services. The 34-year-old batted .232/.292/.306 last season with two dingers and 24 RBI in 310 at-bats.

The crack staff here at GGATTNWY have just informed me that Tadahito Iguchi, when translated to English means Jose Castillo!

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the Giant Unit

MLBRumors is reporting that the Giants have signed Randy Johnson to a one year deal worth $8mm with incentives. This gives the Giants THREE Cy Young winners with Johnson, Zito and Lincecum and along with Cain and Sanchez, this is a serious rotation. So assuming the order looks something like this:

Lincecum
Johnson
Cain
Zito
Sanchez

The bottom of this rotation is going to dominate! Zito will have a bounceback year going against number 4's and Sanchez as your fifth starter? Wicked! Even Matt Cain should start to pile up some wins. If anyone is going to have a rough time it's going to be Lincecum and the Giants proved last year, it ain't easy giving your ace (Cain) run support when you can't hit other teams aces. This move is solid! Three thumbs up!

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Oh what a feeling

WWHHHHEEEEEEWWWW! A collective whew of relief here at the GGATTNWY Headquarters. Mark Teixiera is off the market. There is no reason to believe that soon Man-Ram won't be joining him and C.C. The damage has been limited to, actually, it has turned into a good off season thus far. Affeldt, Howry and a pack of Slim Jims. Jonathan Sanchez still wears the cream and orange. Matt Cain, Lincecum. Still here. Bill Neukom had me a little worried with all that talk about making a splash. Oh sure, there still are those bandwagon hanger-on Giant fans who feel we will be looking back at this off season the way we did when we let Vlad Guerrero get away, but I politely beg to differ. Mark Tex never WANTED to come here. Not once did you hear him utter his wanton desire to play in the fog and cold. Brian Sabean, you are NOT an idiot. Here is one Giant fan who thinks you have done a fine job thus far. We plotted a course and just like starting a Deal a Meal, we are sticking with it. Oh sure, we had a slight Renter-relapse there, but the damage was minimal. As for the Big Unit.....well, that still looms and if the Giants do sign him then of course expect Sanchez to be dealt but hopefully, and this is the big hole in my theory, the Giants will get equal value for a young pitcher with so much upside. All it takes is to start on a short stroll down WTF Lane where the strewn bodies of Boof Bosnar, Joe Nathan and that Liriano chap for A.J. Pierzynski. Just once I'd like to be on the right side of one of those trades where you know Sabean is dying inside trying to hold his laughter as we send Dave Roberts, Barry Zito and, oh, for the fun of it, Armando Benitez with this prospect named Bin Laden to the Dodgers for some "chick" named Babe. Just once. Instead we have been on that other end. You know that feeling. It's the same feeling I get....well, I just turned 40 so let me use this analogy. Ever pay someone to shove a foreign object in a small space where it doesn't belong all because people tell you your supposed to, so you do it? Wouldn't it be better to be on the receiving end? I mean if your gonna get it shoved in there, howza bout breakin Daddy off with a C-Note or sumfin. I'm such a whore.

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Roto News

Interesting post taken from Roto Authority:

The Giants made an early strike to sign Jeremy Affeldt to be their setup man. It was surprising Affeldt signed on November 17th, as the market for him figured to be strong. Plus, he chose not to seek a closing role given Brian Wilson's presence in San Francisco.

Wilson used his 95.8mph heater to whiff more than a batter per inning. However, that K rate was accompanied by a lot of walks, hits, and home runs. His WHIP was 1.44, yet he still saved 41 games. At the least, his BABIP (.336)/hits per nine innings (8.95) will come down.

The Giants figure to stick with Wilson unless he takes a step backward in 2009. However, there is a case to be made that Affeldt is the better pitcher. The main difference is Affeldt's superior control. Affeldt was also plagued by a rough BABIP (.329).

The Bill James projections suggest the pitchers are in the correct roles, however. They have Wilson with a 3.74 ERA and 1.38 WHIP and Affeldt with a 4.39 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. They may have projected Affeldt as a Red though. ZiPS sees a similar ERA but higher WHIP for Wilson, but likes Affeldt for a 3.44 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

This was a long-winded way of saying that I think Affeldt is a better pitcher than Wilson, but the Giants are unlikely to agree unless Wilson is horrific. I'd be intrigued if Bob Howry steps up as a strong setup man and Affeldt gets a chance to start. Howry doesn't project too poorly himself, with the systems calling for an ERA in the 3.75-4.10 range and a WHIP around 1.25.

While the Giants' revamped pen should certainly be an improvement, note that all three late-inning relievers allowed more than one home run per nine innings in 2008. This could lead to some especially painful losses.


Now, even more intersting on the same site are predictions for pitchers who will post ERA's below 4.00 for 2009. Among them are Barry Zito (3.94) and Jonathan Sanchez (3.90). If only this were written in stone. A resurgent Zito along with LinceCainChez.......LinceCainChIto? CainCecumChIto? ZiCeCainChez? The possiblilities are endless. Along with the revamped bullpen and assuming Wilson gets better control, this bolsters what I've been arguing all along that the Giants CAN win with this offense! Dominant pitching always prevails. Just ask the Atlanta Braves.......wait.....

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Hot Stove recap I

Well I guess the big news is Jonathan Sanchez is still in the creme and black. So is Matt Cain, Benjie Molina, Randy Winn......

The bad news is so is Dave Roberts. Nothing against Dave, just, well. Why do we have him again? Hopefully Roberts will be that old scrappy sage who'll come up big in those times when it's needed. A smaller Crash Davis if you will. At any rate, the Giants appear to be on course: destination diaper rash. The youth movement is back on track. All that talk of Manny.......I never once believed Sabean was THAT big of an idiot. C.C. C-ya. Now I'll be the first to admit I was Jocking the big man but in hindsight, good riddance......and have a nice time in the Bronx! Of course there still is Mark Teixiera. This one has alot of Giant fans' panties waded up. Why? Sure he's a good bat, but not a necessarily BIG bat. Can you hear this conversation:

Hey dad, lets wait before we get the drinks, Teixiera's coming up to bat.

No. No visions of that. Not the way Barry Lamar commanded you to hold your four beers in your gonads, or if you must, relieve yourself right there on the spot, but DON"T miss that at bat! Something magical might happen. No, that doesn't spring to mind with Texiera. Now I'm not saying he wouldn't help the lineup. And yes he is a good glove at first. Is he going to grab this team and put them on his shoulders for a month or two? I like to make this comparison:

Are you going to get tickets to a concert thinking your gonna see Hendrix and when you get there, the only one playing is Esteban. Yea, that guy who hawks guitars on Home Shopping Network. No offense Esteban. Your good. Zorro good. Not Hendrix good though. Thats Teixiera. He's Zorro, not Hendrix.

In other news, Rule 5 pickups: Luis Perdomo and Matt Yourkin. Have not seen either so the jury is out. Also the Rangers reported that Jonathan Sanchez was not going to be traded as the Giants made that "abundantly clear." I think that abundantly clear=Jorge Cantu and.......and.......c'mon...... Thats good. The Giants will NOT get fair market value in a trade involving Sanchez. Good young pitching is hard to find so the Giants would be better to keep him. Oh, and the Big Unit might play here. Interesting. Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Unit and Sheeto. That means Lowry is trade bait? I've said it all along: bullpen.

Brian Sabean melted down to the press. I believe the coverage of C.C. and all the high expectations and pressure to get 'er done. I've been hearing alot of rumblings about the Giants being inactive but c'mon folks, thats how we got into this pinch were in now! Rent a player, trade prospects. Manny is getting old. I'm more interested in watching Sandoval and Burriss. I know we have Renteria so that will help. We didn't lose anyone and he's really not holding anyone back so thats okay. I'm still waiting though. Sabean really lost it. You know he's going to somehow pull the equivalent of the Herschel Walker to Vikings for the Murderers Row of 2009. You know it's going to happen......


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Well where do I begin. Okay. I wipe the bile off my tastebuds as I let this offseason start to sink in. Not since the last time I listened to Tommy Fatsorda on the Jim Rome Show has my nether regions felt as shaky after eating a bowl of Bran Flakes as a Giants 3-2 lead with bases loaded and Armando Blonitez melting down in front of my eyes. What are the Giants doing? Affeldt.....nice. Good pitcher. Howry....hmmmm, okay, not bad. Renteria......wha?!....hmmmm......uh, I guess. Now theres rumblings of Jorge Cantu, E5 Encarnacion or the ever-pending Joe Crede acquisition. To which I say.....W-T-F! What happened to the youth movement? The Giants earned at least one more year of good will/rebuilding. I say let Ishikawa stay in. Leave Pablo at third! Lets see how Frandsen bounces back. Seriously. It may be the Flexerall talking but I was more interested in seeing these guys play a full season along with Nate and Orty. It was our chance to relive those early 80's Giants of bringing up the home grown kids and let'em play. I know they may be a Nuschler short of anything serious but having seen these guys play almost daily at Fresno, let me say they CAN play! It's like watching Celebrity Rehab when it comes to the Giants. You know that THEY know they have to take their lumps. Endure a cold sweat or two. Melt down and scream at your bunk mates when they change MTV Cribs just as you were about to glimpse into the kingdom of Lil' Wayne. Damn Dr. Phil! Your Jeff Conaway and no amount of reason will stop you from doing whatever you need to do to get that next fix. Thats what Brian Sabean must be feeling right about now. Having seen the A's steal Holliday must really curdle Sabe's cream. Right now Sabean is weighing that Jorge Cantu for Sanchez/Alderson/Britney Spears tix. IT HAS TO BE. Otherwise why the hell are we even talking about signing E5, Cantu, Crede or any other player who will NOT be that game changer the Gigantes are looking for. Look at the lineup the Giants currently may field:

Lewis, Rowand and Winn in the outfield.
Ishikawa, Burriss, Renteria and Sandoval in the infield.
Molina behind the dish.

True, there isn't enough power to charge Rosie's microwave but other than Man-Ram, who out there can? This lineup is very intriguing but here is where the Giants will win games:

Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, JONATHAN SANCHEZ, Barry Zito and Noah Lowry.

That was what kept us in games last year and with Affeldt and Howry in the pen and more importantly, Tyler Walker NOT in there, the Giants should be able to hold a lead or two. So how can the Giants improve? Three words: C.C. Sabathia.
A rotation of C.C., Timmy, Cain, SANCHEZ, and your mom. WHO IS DAY GONNA SCORE ON? Your momma, obviously. But the good news is she won't give it up more than Zito, right? So let's just assume Lowry can't beat out Zito, I would be willing to put up some gub-ment bailout money that his niche will be out of the bullpen. You know eventually Baumgardner, Bumgartner, whatever, or Alderson may show up sometime to see where they are at. Heck, Merkin may slip in there. My point is, when you KNOW your strength is pitching, well then......wait, I have an analogy. When I was a lad with less than a care in the world, I mastered one of the most complex video games ever brought forth from the gods of Olympus. Atari Football. The short field. Grainy colors. Limited offensive plays. How did I do this you wonder? Well I mastered the off-tackle sweep. Try with all his might my brother could do nothing to stop it. He knew it was coming but he was as helpless as John Daly in Hooters. So why deplete your strength for some more of what we've had....older vets to fill holes. Wasn't this the rebuilding era? Stick with the blueprint Sabes. If your going to go after anyone throw some cache at C.C. and see if a little hometown cooking is enough to bring him home but stay the course man. Don't give in now! You managed to avoid Furcal. Averted your eyes of Man-Ram. Relapsed a little with Rent-a-ria. Don't go McCain in the membrane just yet (yes she may look real nice, but once she start yappin' bout those darn media folk.....). Now is the right time for rebuilding. The Niners are having a hard time keeping their pants up, the A's are basically you guys in lame colors, the Warriors...are they still here? That just leaves the Raiders.

Okay. I've stopped laughing. Commitment to Excrement aside, my point is the Bay Area is in a rebuilding era so take advantage of it. No need to feel pressured to do anything erratic just yet. Remember, at the beginning of last season your farm system was the laughing stock of MLB but by the end of the season managed to be described as vastly improved and WHAT did you do differently? What that means was nobody bothered to really look at what we really had in our system. What we had were some decent players who may not possess the god given gifts of one Barry Lamarr Bonds, but were gutty and scrappy. Teams have won pennants that were scrappy.

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