Assorted Notes, Errata and Half-Baked Opinion

Just back from the very fine state of Texas. Thought I'd chime in with an assortment of things.

For some time now, I have had this imaginary conversation running through my head from sometime early to mid-last season:

Peter Macgowan: This team sucks.
Brian Sabean: No shit, sher..... er, I mean....yes, sir, and frankly, I'm rather worried about it.
PM: So what do you propose that I have my GM, whomever that may be, do about it?
BS: Well, I figure we will have to rebuild, but we probably can't do it all at once.
PM: Why not, pray tell?
BS: Because we have some good promising young talent that we don't yet know if we can rely on to be good, everyday full time players, and we are facing a fairly thin free-agent market. We need two years.
PM: OK, don't fuck it up.

So, we will not be competitive this year, nor could we be, really, because, barring some miracle, like Rajai Davis becoming a decent everyday player (and it would be a miracle), there is just no way we could have crafted a team with enough muscle to compete regardless of the money, unless the rumors about how much A-Rod liked SF were actually true (and apparently, they were not).

So that brings us to Joe Creede. I read somewhere that trading away young pitching talent for "a one year rental player" is just too steep a price. I think it depends on what you mean by "young pitching talent." The rumors persist, including in today's Chron (2/24), that the Giants are interested in him. It seems to me that a one-year rental is exactly what we need. If the guy can come back and hit like a Silver Slugger, enjoys his crab cakes, fog and late nights in the Castro, then we have the inside track to sign him. If not, we pursue Eric Chavez or realize Frandsen can play third and pursue someone else at second. Maybe a line-up of a decent Joe Creede, Rowland, Frandsen, Molina, and another good hitter all of a sudden doesn't make 2009 look so gloomy. Or maybe having a little vacation just improves my outlook.

So, here is a bit from today's Bruce Jenkins column, on Sean Casey: "People rave about his clubhouse presence, including forer teammate Aaron Boone, who said, 'He has this way of making everyone around him feel important.' In a sense, he's exactly what the Giants need as they try to forge their new identity." I love it. Chemistry, the sports writer's favorite crutch (and I'm not talking about drugs). This is, of course, a shot at Bonds, the man who carried the team on his back but destroyed clubhouse chemistry. Amazing though, how easy getting along with teammates is when you are winning, and how it doesn't seem to help when you suck (the team's thirty games below .500, but boy howdy, are they having fun!). The Giants need......hitters. Big, powerful hitters who can thrill crowds by sending fastballs into the water and turning games around. Hitters who seem to get on base every damn time they are up, and hitters who wear out opposing outfielders chasing out-of-reach line drives.

Brian Wilson goes to Ireland, trashes rental car! This raises Brian Wilson's standing in my eyes about 1500%. I think any young person with money (he certainly qualifies) should travel. It seems most of these guys sit around playing video games in their free time. What's up with that? Get out, see something and broaden your horizons.

Finally, italicizing is not the same as mixing fonts.