Memories...

I caught this at the end of an Around the Majors post:

9) The Marlins sent P Nate Bump to the minors.

Back on July 25, 1999, the Giants traded him and Jason Grilli to the Marlins for Livan Hernandez. A good trade for Sabean, sending a collection of pitching specs for a decent innings-eater. Both Bump and Grilli were first round picks (25 and 4 respectively), but have yet to do anything at the major league level. In 2005 Bump threw 38 innings in relief for the Marlins, and Grilli 16 innings in two starts and one relief appearance.

This brings up many of Sabean's many talents and faults. He has always respected TINSTAAPP, but with his avoidance of first rounders could the Giants even pull off a trade like this now? I still think his defining moment will be how he handles After Barry, and I still hold out hope. He's done too much over the years to give up entirely.

Julian Tavarez got in a brawl today. Against the Devil Rays. In a spring training game.

As soon as he signed with Boston, I was sure eventually he would break. As much as the Cardinals competed every year, and even took him to the World Series in 2004, St. Louis fans don’t react like Red Sox fans. It's not Philadelphia, but still, the pressure in Boston will be much more than St. Louis.

Anyone who has even a fletting interest in the Indians, Giants or Cardinals could tell you this guy has about as much emotional control as a 12-year-old little leaguer who's off his medication. As much as he's a great pitcher, I would never count on him in a big game that's remotely tight. I hope Theo and Francona have taken this into account, assuming the Sox make the playoffs. In the 8th at Yankee Stadium, I bet he falls apart and brings on something similar to what happened to today.

We all knew it would come to this

I think it is now the responsibility of every Giant fan to formulate his or her opinion on Barry Bonds. Too much has come out to just say "He's a Giant, let's not pay attention to all that other stuff." I've had my problems with Bonds since he stopped playing the field, except for special occasions, around a decade ago. Still, a hitter of his calliber can't be dismissed because he chooses not to play defense. I've ridden the wave of home runs (that weekend against Atlanta the year he hit 73) and the World Series appearance without ever really being concerned. I knew he was taking stuff, but so had McGwire and others, so it just seemed to be part of the game.

And that's what stood out for me. Barry Bonds wasn't the only player to take steriods, he was just the best. It's been noted many times that he would have made the HOF had he just retired in 1998. Steriods don't help your plate awareness. But since it gave a great player an even bigger edge, he became this freak that couldn't avoid attention.

It was that point that cemented it for me. Bonds, and the attention surrounding him, is not good for the San Francisco Giants. The only reason to keep Bonds around is that the Giants might win the World Series. But Giants fans, would that feel good? I know I wouldn't throw it away or not accept it if it happens, but deep down I don't want my team's first championship in my home town to be clouded.

I realize that all of this is tied directly to the team by its acceptance of Bonds' abuse. Both sides need to take responsibility for this, becasue deep down both sides were cheating. But at some point you just have to say that everyone involved handled this as poorly as possible and move on. And when it gets to the point that fans can question whether or not they want their team to win it all with a certain player, things have gone too far.

I'm ready for the After-Barry era to start now, even if that means the team fights to win 60 games this year. We've known for years that a rebuilding phase was coming, and I'm excited to see what can be done with a blank slate. Hell, the Marlins have won two championships like that since 1993. Barry ties us to a past idea of constant competition that really doesn't exist anymore. The team just doesn't have the players to compete on an elite level this year, unless Matt Moris is really Roger Clemens in disguise. The longer Bonds is around, the more people in charge will avoid rebuilding and prolong an inevitable process.

At the same time it's hard for me to want to kick out someone that has given so much to the Giants. So as much as I want AB to start as soon as possible, I want to give Barry one more chance, one more year. One year to get done whatever he needs to, say goodbye, and hopefully move on with some dignity. Becasue as much as I hate whats happened to my team, this is a man's life and I don't wish anyone ill. Becasue as much as people talk about tarnishing the record book as the image of the game, it is just that. A game.

Didn't we already do this?

The Raiders signed Aaron Brooks today to a two-year deal for around $5 million. My first thought was that this seems similar to a lot of the Raiders quarterback signings in the last 10 years. A veteran down on his luck, hoping to get a chance to turn things around. Some have worked (Gannon, Hostetler), some haven't (George, Collins), but whatever comes of this the move feels uninspired. The article announcing his signing even says

While there is no denying Brooks' physical tools, some teammates have questioned his leaderships skills and toughness under fire. Quiet by nature, Brooks can be aloof at times and some have perceived that as a lack of passion.

That said, he was arguably the best starting-caliber quarterback still available in the free agent pool and is still young enough to have several productive seasons.

Brooks was basically the only QB left not named Kerry, and with only two quarterbacks under contract, and with only 9 games played combined, the team obviously felt it had a need for a veteran to at least hold down the fort this year.

I like the fact the deal is only two years. That is a decent amount of time to groom either Andrew Walteror potentially Vince Young to take over, but not so long that the team is making a big commitment to Brooks. If that's the team's plan, I'm all for it. If the people running the Raiders feel a young quarterback needs to sit, I'm not going to argue. But after watching Tui sit and never truly getting a chance, I wonder about the team's commitment to young quarterbacks. I though the Collins signing was completely unnecessary and too costly, and prevented the Raiders from developing someone like Tui. Does anyone think the Raiders are better off having played two years behind Collins while only giving Tui limited snaps? Even if Tui bombs, he's cheaper and then at least we know.

New paragraph. Ok, where was I. Basically, if this prevents the Raiders from drafting a quarterback, I wont mind. First round QBs are suspect, and I think the team has other needs. Someone like Haloti Ngata would be great to replace Ted Washington, and in my opinion all good teams start on the lines anyway. But if this is the team's long term plan, especially if it leads to signing another veteran free agent to replace Brooks in two years, I really question whether this was needed. I really want to see the Raiders find a young quarterback of their own, develop him within the system, and lock him up long term. One thing the Raiders have been lacking is stability, though I question whether that can happen until Al Davis dies, as horrible as that sounds.

No-longer Missing Manifesto

One of the things I promised myself when I started this blog, oh, yesterday, was that I would refrain from linking to McCovey Chronicles. I've been reading Grant since the WFB days, and I knew I could probably find an excuse to link to anything he writes. But today he has a post every Giants fan should read.

There is nothing inherently wrong with San Francisco baseball fans. Breathe it in. Repeat it. There is nothing inherently wrong with San Francisco baseball fans. There is no societal or communal groupthink that makes us cheer for Barry Bonds. It seems obvious to point out. A double helix of idiocy will not be discovered in a Southern California lab while mapping out the Giants fan genome. There is nothing inherently wrong with San Francisco baseball fans.

As was said often during the Cold War, "He's a bastard, but he's our bastard." Amen.

Science and honor

Replacement Level Yankees Blog simed the upcoming season through Diamond Mind 3000 times using the DM data, PECOTA and ZiPS. I love this stuff, though I've never gotten into DM that much. I'm an OOTP fan. But DM is much better for this kind of prediciting, and every season I look forward to whoever gets one out.

This year DM had the Giants winning 86 games and tied with the Dodgers for first, making the playoffs 51% of the time. Unfortunately that was their best showing. Averaging out the three sets, the Giants were 83-79, five games behind the Dodgers and making the playoffs 32% of the time. They also miss out the wild card by four games to the Mets. Overall, that really isn't that bad. The playoff percentage is tenth best, putting them at least within striking distance should J.D. Drew continue to be J.D. Drew and Jeff Kent realize his calling as a stripper at a leather bar.

But of course these were played out with a virtual-hobling Bonds on the 2-D field. He ran a few seasons without him, and the Giants lost 8 more games a season.

Other points of interest:

• The A's are the class of the league, winning more games and having a higher playoff percentage than any other team. And if the season works out like the projections, they get to lose their first-round series to the wild card Red Sox.
• The White Sox go 82-80, making the playoffs 23% of the time. Mahnken thinks this is too low, but I think they'll be closer to this than what they did last year.
• And the Royals were the only team to get a playoff percentage of 0%. In 3000 tries they won the Central only 11 times. In comparison, the Rockies won the West 131 times.

I love science.

A thought on Vince Young not entirely based on the Wonderlic...

With the Saints signing of Drew Brees, the Raiders are now more than ever poised to select a quarterback with the 7^th pick in the draft. A lot of recent mock drafts have been pointing to Davis siding with Vince Young.

Initially this scared the hell out of me. Everything about Young seems to point to bust. The weird throwing motion, the low Wonderlic scores, and hiring his family attorney instead of an established NFL agent were all the actions of a man who isn’t in total control of his life. Even the meteoric rise after the Rose Bowl seemed to be too much hype too quickly, with scouts and fans a like using one game to scout a multi-million dollar investment by some lucky team in April.

But as I started to read some of the articles about Young, I’m becoming more optimistic. What was Rich Gannon besides a weak-armed quarterback who could run, threw sidearm and won a bunch of games? That family attorney isn’t exactly Master P, having negotiated NFL contracts in the past and having a grasp of team financial situations. And Ryan Leaf scored a 27 on his Wonderlic test.

But even though Vince Young could be a great QB someday, who’s to say he’s going to be great? Even the people who have been following Young his whole career say he could be great or flame out. He at this point is still a huge risk, and one I don’t think the Raiders need right now.

Count me as the first person to officially endorse Joey Harrington as the next quarterback of the Oakland Raiders. I admit I am biased, being an Oregon Duck (Quack Quack Quack, bitches), but I have watched enough Joey Harrington to know that he could kill a small child with that arm (and not just by shattering his dreams, if he’s a Lions fan), and that a lot of his problems in Detroit were because his receivers were the NFL equivalent of David Spade. Always around, but never really seeming to being doing anything productive.

His first year he started as a regular quarterback, but around mid-season he cracked after too many balls hit the fingers of his tight end. Even this year on Thanksgiving, his first interception his receiver fell down, and you could just see him thinking, “Here it goes again.” This is a player with a lot of talent, enthusiasm, and drive, and who was just completely beaten by the situation in Detroit. He looks like a perfect fit for the Raiders.

First he would be pretty cheap, great for team on the edge of the salary cap. He is the strong armed quarterback Davis would literally kill for (I have pictures, don’t ask, but let’s just say Lamonica didn’t come cheaply cheap). And having Moss and Porter, two proven NFL receivers, would really help his confidence, assuming the offensive line can hold up this season. Even if the defense is terrible, a year of 42-40 loses would give us a franchise quarterback and something to build on.

Or if he fails he can come back to Eugene and he, Luke Ridnour and Luke Jackson can do Masey Auto Commercials. Git-R-Done! (Ughhhhh, I have to go wash my hands, that felt dirty.)