SPORTS FAN GIFTS - SF GIANTS SIGNINGS GIFTS TO PLAYERS OR FANS?

SPORTS FAN GIFTS -  SF GIANTS SIGNINGS GIFTS TO PLAYERS OR FANS?

NOW Javier Lopez, TIM LINCECUM and  'MORE MONEY  BALL' - SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS COUGH  IT UP AGAIN  


Just in - Thirty-six year old Javier Lopez signing for $13.5 million for three years. Based on his 40 innings of work last season (which translates to about 10 pitches an inning or 400) means that JAVIER IS GETTING $10,000 PER PITCH !  Yes, like most of the Giants, his numbers seem to get better-  as he gets older -hmmm! - one has to question another overpayment by the Giants. Unless he's on something , which is very possible being a Giant - one cannot expect a 36 year old pitcher to continue posting a 1.50 ERA. Unlike other pitchers who have to stay out there and field and hitters who have to field, Javier usually only has to come in for a batter or two and that's it! What a job!  Of course Javier and others return to the Giants in glowing terms because, when you pin them down, nobody offered naively higher salaries.
The Giants seem incapable of going out and getting decent, prime of career, non-using players  so they continue to hang on to their aging players until they finally - PEDs  or not - backfire on the team; think Huff,
Rowand, Tejada among others. GM Sabean, the man of the 'band-aid cures' for the team.  Sure, the Giants finally won the two World Series - as they will remind you-  but only because of  PEDs,, namely Melky Cabrera and, indirectly, Jose Guillen as previously mentioned - and a number of other 'suspicious' players we've talked about in the past... Even with the extra 'help' the Giants didn't come close this year. Now they have a couple over paid , aging pitchers in Lopez and Tim Hudson, plus , for that matter, Tim Lincecum. Why not add Vogelsong to that list, though he only got one year, amazingly.



It looks like it's all about marketing for the San Francisco Giants.  Frankly, the only thing thats going to give Tim Lincecum a semblance of the greatness he had in his early years    is if he gets 'help' from an outside source, if you know what we mean. And, that may be what GM Sabean and President Baer -long known for espousing  ' win at any cost ' - are counting on  in signing their popular , thin , right hander to a $35 million, two year contract.  Lincecum will be the second highest paid Giant, yet with one of the worst records. For the early part of the season and last year he had the worst ERA in the league among regular starters. So, he improved  the latter half of 2013 for whatever reasons. Is that still enough to throw $17 million a year at him? . We never believed he would ever have been brought back to the Giants after two years in a row  of below 4.00 ERA baseball. Remember how greatful local fans were when the Giants didn't have to pick up that 5 year 200 million contract?  Lincecum's overall performance the past two years isn't even mediocre. Except for   games,  against the weak Western division teams like Houston (now in the American League) , Lincecum  got  lit up. He gave up 44 homers this year  . Even Barry Zito had a better record than Lincecum last year - and Zito is 35 years old.



So we have this new contract after Thin Tim   comes  off his third losing season in a row with a mediocre 4.36 ERA.  Yeah, he had a no-hitter in which he threw 144 pitches -against the weakest link, Houston Astros -which is just one reason to suspect that he might be getting that needed 'help.'  He also raised his velocity back up to 91, which is also interesting, indicative that he already started getting 'help.' But  help or not, you can't expect Lincecum to do any better as he gets older than what he did this year.  You've got only so much to work with. Perhaps the Giants don't mind over-paying since they got a good deal in Lincecum's early years.




If the Giants will be happy with a third or fourth man starter losing  more games than  he wins, that's what they'll be getting in Lincecum- even with that 'help.' (You can't make a superstar out of a now average player, even with 'help.' )   Perhaps they feel Lincecum - a likable yet  flaky guy - is the 'face of the franchise ' to  whom local   fans can relate in the  most liberal city of San Francisco - the only place where  the smell of  marijuana permeates the stadium   during  World Series games. Of course, Lincecum is a known marijuana user,  himself.  And so what if it were found out he was using PEDs to bring up his velocity and game; the fans had no problem , in fact, they loved Barry Bonds for a decade - and still do, even after he admitted to using steroids and having perjured himself in court. Not to mention the band of other Gaint Taints as in Melky, Mota, Guillen and going back to Rich Aurillia, Matt Williams, Bonds - over 20 INDICTED players (Mitchell Report and recent suspensions) many of whom gave the Giants very unfair advantages in regular season and resulting in Playoffs and World Series.  Take away just two of those guys , Cabrera and Guillen, and the Giants would never even have been in the the only two World Series victories they've seen in 60 years. Only in San Francisco.



The Giants have similarly hung on to players like Pablo 'Panda' Sandoval, whom other teams would have dismissed long ago, after numerous issues (from poor performance to continually being overweight to even being involved in a sex scandal). Only in San Francisco.



One wonders, however, why the Giants ever let Brian Wilson go to the Dodgers. Wilson had 'San Francisco' written all over him, with the beard and his eccentricities. Fans  loved him. Yet when he was gone
it didn't seem to really bother the fans that much. (Wilson, at this point, would seem to have much more value to the  team than Lincecum, what with his sub 1.00 ERA this year. ) Wilson, no doubt, wasn't the 'yes man' on which the Giants depend. He didn't want to have to come back to ATT for  a public party - that would show 'how great' the Giants treated him - just to get his World Series ring.  Similarly, there are reasons that announcer Hank Greenwald, owner Bill Neucomb , trainer Stan Conte and others quietly - or not-so-quiety- walked away from the Giants.  And, if Lincecum were not re-signed,  the fans would probably quickly forget and still be back for whatever it is that Baer and Co. put in their drink that lures them to the ATT ballpark. Half price tickets?  Players with cute names like Panda and Giraffe? . Un-natural, win-at -all-costs (well, not always)   PED baseball? The Giants management are the Obamas of baseball, pulling the wool over the eyes, purportedly giving people what they want - until something happens.



 Leave it to Baer and company to do whatever it takes to win. And, if they can't win, at least they got their so-called  150+ sell outs. And lots and lots of MONEY.



TIM LINCECUM and  'MORE MONEY  BALL' - SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS COUGH  IT UP AGAIN 

SPORTS FAN GIFTS -  SF GIANTS SIGNINGS GIFTS TO PLAYERS OR FANS?

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NO SHAME CONTINUES

SF Giants No Shame Continues - Team Backs All Star Ballot Stuffing

As if the San Francisco Giants don't already have a bad enough reputation for going beyond the limits to win at all costs, to do anything to get brownie points.  The Giants, more than any other team, have parlayed illegal  steroid use to the World Series and even this year had at least one player, Mota, suspended for use.  During their World Series year there were at least three players and probably more. Just one of them Jose Guillen helped them win a couple extra games when he joined thme in August, prior to his subsequent suspension.

For the past five years the Giants ownership has refused to even discuss allowing the Oakland A's to move to San Jose, where the Giants claim territorial rights. It was the A's under Walter Haas who even allowed the Giants such rights  20 years ago, but the Giants are intransigent.

The Giants will go out over the top on everything, like going after problem players other teams don't want. Now,  it's turned to ballot stuffing. How the heck could a Pablo Sandoval, out half the season, with only 8 homers and a .300 average out vote the Mets David Wright for starting position at 3rd base? (Wright was ahead of Sandoval in nearly every category.) Of course, New York has a much bigger fan base, yet the Sandoval got more votes. Same goes for Posey, at catcher, was no lock with a mere .300 average and only 9 homers, but his votes were way ahead.  How could the Giants, in a smaller market, out vote the Mets fans?

Well, Giants ownership not only turned the other cheek but encouraged ballot stuffing.  How else could this  mediocre team, know more for it's pitching, place three players in the starting All Star lineup?

No wonder the national announcers made an issue of this, rightfully so.  Sure, the Giants players had some key hits; well, they were one-third of the starting lineup, hitting against a pictcher, Verlander, who was  taking it easy - every one was hitting him this day.

The Giants and their fans' boorish attitude can only backfire. Wait until they go to New York  and face the  Mets and their fans.  They will be allr eady to give  a special beating to the Giants. Other tieams may follow suit.  Some players have already spoken out against the Giants and their tactics such as turning up the PA  volume during games to give themselves an unfair advantage (per Kirk Gibson and Matt Loatos).

No wonder they have a huge homefield advantage.  (They have a losing record on the road.)

And, by the way, all those 'sellouts' are not really sellouts for Giants games. You can generally buy tickets  anytime,even after games start. And, you'll see large sections of empty seats, and the Giants have to give away seats at half price through Goldstar.  The media continues to buy into their '90 straight sellouts (or whatever the number is...)

A'S OWNERSHIP CONTINUES 'NO MONEY BALL' ,  COULD WIN OVER GIANTS FANS IF THEY WANTED TO

I'm just one of many frustrated A's fans who still views the team, butfrom afar. It's because of an overship that runs the team for it's ownstrange interests, rather than to win games. And they've been doing thatmuch too long. Bascially, with baseball's crazy revenue-sharing rules, the A's are making money and just sitting pat until the 'little babies' get their new shiny ball park.
Whenever the A's start playing well, it's almost as if ownership
instructs manager Bob Melvin NOT to do so well. E.g. Like in this latest key weekend series
it's almost as if they are attempting to lose, by putting in a catcher
who has never caught the pitching staff before, by leaving in
an inexperienced first baseman in late innings, by putting in
their weaker, inexperienced ord new pitchers (Blevins, NOrteno and Fuentes) who also haven't played with the team much.
In the first two games the A's were sitting pretty , leading
the Giants, but with inexplicable moves like above, the lead quickly changed - and the A's blew a big opportunity to noto only go to .500for the first time in a long time BUT TO CAPTURE THE RESPECT, ANDINTEREST OF SOME FO THE LARGE  SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS FAN BASE.

Here you have a packed Coliseum (albeit losing 15,000 fans
to the still closed third deck -another crazy A's ploy we could go
into further. If they A's won even two games of the weekend seriesthere would be a Bay momentum shift and they could pick of at leasta few hundred true baseball fans who would come across the bay,if not disowning the Giants but to see another good baseball team. But, the way the A's gave the games blew any possible momentum.Imagine the story, team with one-third the payroll Makes Mincemeat out of Giants. But, whenever the A's approach .500 ball this same theme seems to happen. Ownership couldn't standit if the A's actually contended. Beane has fun moving players like monopoly. With all the movement, sure , he makes good tradesbut he also gives away top prospects time and again , just whenthey are winning over fans. Go figure.

This is a team that would hire Bob Geren -ns over fan favorite
Ken Washington as manager, who would go on to win the three
AL championships the next three years while the A's were were sub-parteam for the next four years under Bob Geren -, the first time underBeane's regime the A's were under .500.  Here's a manager that wouldthat would intentionally walk an opposing team hitter with NO OUTs (minnesot'as Morneau) a a few years back. And Beane just left this
incompetent manager in until the fans finally revolved and forced
him out or Beane's friend would still be there. Beane doesn't watch
games. I can see why.  Now with Bob Melvin , a good manager, the ownership appears
to still  pulling strings such as in this weekend series.
Why can't the A's settle on a lineup of players who at least
know each other and have played together for some time?
But worse than all this is that the  A's are blowing a huge
marketing opporoutnity that costs them nothing.. The weekend draw should show ownership that
fans WILL COME  to the A's 'crappy ballpark.' Even if a lot of themare Giants fans, people will still come. The Haas family had already proven that  with major marketing and now the A's are benefittingwith doing little marketing.  Hit these 'new' fans up with somereal deals for tickets for rest of season, etc. but, better, don't preventthe team from  playing good to great ball as they were until thethe late innings in Giants games.  .
Ownership seems to want the team to do just well enough
so they can't be critisized for purposely hurting the team, even
though. What else can explain why the A's approach but NEVER
stay above .500 these past five years? Beane has all but admitted
the A's will run the team differently, i.e. hold back on spending
money, until the A's have a new ballpark. Sure the A's shocked
the baseball world with the token gesture of getting Cespedes.
Let's see how long he's with the team. Call him Trader Billy.
And the saddest thing is that the A's HAVE  the money.
It's really a shame how Wolf, Fisher and Beane (now a minority
owner himself) have tarnished the proud legacy of the team and
worse, it's the first time the A's haven't been to the playoffs
for five or more years since coming to Oakland. Moneyball Shmunyball!

If Beane still has real credibility in Baseball -albeit the ill-timed,
over-rated movie- I'd be surprised. For Wolf and fisher it's even
worse. I guess I kind of like seeing them being 'held up' for
years by Selig, who comes out the better man this time in my opinion for not giving into their demands at the expense of repeatedlyliquidating the team. Before I praise Selip too much, perhaps heshould be questioned for letting Beane get away with hurting the team year after year. Perhaps thats the or a reason he hasn't moved faster on the ballpark issue.
Kudos to the head of Clorox for his 'open letter' to Fisher
last month asking him to 'get off the pot,' in effect. The A's
response, or lack thereoff was typical. We need more action like
this letter from local business and fans. Just like the fans
forced Bean'es hand to fire Geren the same COULD put pressure
on the  A's ownership to finally get off the pot.
more action like this, from business AND fans.

****
NOTES:

Bob Melvin says he did not  pinch hit for rookie Hicks
in a critical situation because Hicks needed the xperience
and didn't want to lose his confidence. Maybe risking a loss
is better. Why even bother having pinch hitters then. Another
crazy thing that probably comes down from above from Beane,
such as not believing in bunting and that the manager of a team
doesn't really make any difference...Well maybe when Beane
is doingall these crazy things

Take Sunday, in a key closing game against cross bay rivals,
they start a rookie pitcher in his first ever big league game,
Griffin.  I really think Beane is simply feeding his ego
showing he can bring in all these new players to do well.
Sure some do well, most don't. Meanwhile he's LOSING THE
CONFIENCE OF HIS REGULAR STARTING PITCHERS and so forth.
Beane is a big paradox and I feel sorry for Melvin.

Meanwhile the As baseball announcers, are 'yes'  men, going along
with most of the front office nonsense. I guess they want to
keep their jobs if they're hired by the A's, but not sure.

Finally, check the record. Every time the A's have approached
.500 the past 5 seasons it's like something is done to stop it
from happening. And , yes, I'm looking at the front office.
Sounds crazy that they would want to sabatoge their own team
but just look at the record - and stuff like the above that
happens continually.

Sadly, I am  going to have to give up the team. I camn't take
it any longer with the front office meddling. Especially after
seeing  the hated, obnoxious  Giants sweep by the A's when the A's shouldhave won at least two of the games... Of course, this is probablywhat Wolf, Beane and Co want to they have more reason (ie fewer fans)to move the team. On the other hand, if more fans, announcers, etc finally really speak out I'll be right there with them , as I havebeen doing, like this open letter.

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