Back to your regularly scheduled free associations and speculations (which are also free)

– Lots of comparisons to Derek Jeter for Young Buster, but doesn’t Posey already have more power than Jeter ever had, even though Posey doesn’t get to play in a park where righties can just flick their wrists and hit oppo-tacos? For swing/hitting comparisons I’m going with Paul Molitor and George Brett until someone proves me wrong.

– Got a text from my buddy Mac when I was rolling in and out of service range (thanks AT&T!) that said maybe it’s time for a Greenwald-for-Flemming campaign. Do you guys agree? Flemming is just too corporate, too Joe Buck-ish for my tastes. He’s good, but a little too into the whole, “And that makes 16 pitches for Lincecum this INNING, and he’s only recorded ONE OUT” thing. That said, Doug Greenwald needs to be a little more of a smartass if he’s going to sound that much like his dad. On any sample Hank Greenwald broadcast you could catch up to 25 wry, sarcastic jokes that would make you chuckle. His son is pretty straight-laced, although he doesn’t seem as interested in jinxing the Giants at every turn.

– Anybody else frightened of hearing these words this weekend?: “The Giants have acquired lefty reliever Will Ohman from the Orioles for 1B prospect Brandon Belt.” Um, me neither.

– In case you didn’t know, Ohman has walked 17 dudes in 28.7 innings. Not surprising, since there’s only 19 lefty relievers who’ve made at least 20 appearances and have a WHIP less than 1.30. The only ones who aren’t on contending teams are Sean Marshall (who the Cubs would probably demand the house for), Craig Breslow (who pitches for the A’s, who would probably rather take the tarps off the upper deck stands than help the Giants reach the playoffs) and Scott Downs. Downs is a Blue Jay too, and everyone knows Toronto’s one of the only teams that Brian Sabean will call back. Prediction: Downs will be in a Giants uniform by Sunday, and the Giants will certainly overpay.

– If Alex Hinshaw can’t get a Major League job now, it’s never going to happen.

– I know the Giants have some lefties in the division to contend with who can hit, like Andre Ethier, Adrian Gonzalez, Carlos Gonzalez and … wait, why are we getting so worried about this? You have to assume Jeremy Affeldt will come back in a couple weeks or so, and there are only 12 non-Aubrey Huff lefties in the NL with an OPS over .800, and most of them aren’t in the NL West. And if the Giants get to the playoffs you have two lefty starters (Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner) who are murder on lefties and will probably spend half the time (Sanchez) or the entire postseason (MaddyMaddy) in the pen.

– Which is why if I had my druthers (and it’s rare that I do), I’d have the Giants go all-out for Joakim Soria. Sabez would have to outbid the Yankees, but this is a younger, better version of Mike Jackson/Roberto Hernandez we’re talking about. Suddenly coming up with the best 8th/9th inning combo in baseball would mask the minor difficulties against lefties, wouldn’t it? The Giants are getting scary close to being good enough to contend for a World Title. I think that’s worth Zach Wheeler.

– Pretty much the only way Bumgarner could perform any better than he has since being recalled is if he threw 98 mph consistently and learned gymnastics.

– Who cares if ESPN mentions Bumgarner or Posey? If you’re still watching ESPN, you’re part of the problem. If they see their ratings drop to almost zero on the West Coast, they’ll change their focus.

– Pablo Sandoval had to go all the way to Venezuela to figure out his divorce; I have a feeling we’re going to be reading feel-good stories about Sandoval next year and how “The distractions in 2010 have made way for a renewed batch of Panda-power in 2011.” Sure, it sucks for Pablo that he’s getting divorced, but isn’t this a more hopeful reason for sucking at the plate than, “He had a botched lasik surgery” or “He took a job at Pizza Hut on the side for the meal discounts”?

Related posts:

1. Buster Posey: this year’s Pablo Sandoval?
2. 10-Day roundup: Is Posey starting yet?
3. Buster Posey is dynamite

I wasn’t even sure if I heard it right last night, as the game went to commercial with Barry Zito cursing like Ralphie in “A Christmas Story” after being removed from the game after 7 1/3. The camera stayed on Zito just a little longer than a director normally would choose to during a pitching change, long enough to catch a Krukow statement that seemed like it was meant only for Duane Kuiper’s ears. This brought three questions to mind as I tried to replay the scenario in my head (yes, I was too lazy and annoyed discouraged by the Giants’ offensive performance to pick up the Tivo remote and rewind it):

1. Did I just hear Krukow say, “What a clown”? (Yes, I believe I did.)

2. Was he talking about Zito showing up Bruce Bochy or simply displaying a lack of decorum on TV? (It sure looked like it.)

3. Could Krukow have been talking about a Dodger fan doing something stupid, seeing as he hates the Dodgers more than any of the current Giants do and Dodger Stadium is the home of beachballs and fans who yell “Giants Suck” when they aren’t stabbing people? (Definitely a possibility.)

We’ll never know for sure, and Larry Baer came on Gary Radnich’s show this morning and used the beachball alibi, and there’s no doubt Kruk will concur when asked (if he’s asked). But just like I think Tim Lincecum hit Matt Kemp on purpose, I think Krukow was certainly talking about Zito, since unless someone had just ran onto the field naked, how could Krukow pinpoint a specific fan so quickly as to call him or her a clown?

This is the product of the Giants giving their largest contract in team history to one of the most self-aware athletes in local history. You know how athletes say stuff like, “I don’t read the newspapers,” or “I don’t listen to talk radio”? Zito could never claim to be one of those head-in-the-sand athletes with a straight face. Zito’s failed Twitter experiment showed how much he desired adoration but couldn’t handle detractors. He called Radnich a year ago and had it out with him on the air (in a fairly strange and maudlin way, but still). He complained about Ralph Barbieri. Bruce pleaded for Zito to show some emotion, to show that instead of being baseball’s version of Jack Johnson, Zito shared the fans’ worries about the big innings he had been giving up with regularity. That led to Bruce supposedly being given the silent treatment in the clubhouse for insinuating that Zito doesn’t care (actually, there’s probably a lot more to the story than that, with rumors involving the softball game featuring Giants wives and girlfriends, but bear with me). Ironic that now Zito’s so interested in showing emotion, fire, focus, anger and a raging potty-mouth out on the field, he’s started to go so overboard that the cynical among us wonder if it’s from the heart or a calculated attempt to gain favor.

These emotional outbursts aren’t much appreciated by his teammates, you can guarantee that. Too much indulgence in the televised histrionics, even if it’s yelling at yourself about your own performance, can be construed as showing your teammates and/or manager up — or simply caring more about your own individual numbers than the success of the team. Kevin Youkilis gets away with screaming obscenities and throwing his bat and helmet around the dugout after every strikeout because he’s one of the best hitters in baseball, but it drives his teammates absolutely insane. Not that Zito has ever gone to that level, but this “new” Zito who — while he definitely pitches better — tends to drop multiple f-bombs every time he’s removed from a game (especially one where he’s tied or behind, and ESPECIALLY when he’s gotten less than admirable run support), might seem a little contrived to his teammates who’ve seen him try to deal with past struggles by staying on an even keel.

None of this really matters, of course. If Zito finishes the year without missing a start, pitches over 200 innings and keeps his ERA under 4.00, it makes him one of the most valuable players on the team, even if he isn’t providing quite the value you’d hope for a guy making $17M or thereabouts. However, it’s interesting to ponder whether Krukow was really complaining about beachball antics in the stands, or if he was voicing the same frustration with the “new” Zito that others on the team may or may not share.

Or, maybe I’m a clown for focusing on a made up issue instead of the fact that the Giants wasted so many offensive opportunities last night. Hopefully the Giants will still talk to me next time I visit the clubhouse!

Related posts:

1. 2009 San Francisco Giants: Worst Case Scenario
2. Bochy’s veteran love went too far tonight
3. As Cain and Zito go, so go the Giants

And to be frank, the 2010 NBA Draft (after John Wall) was dookie. It was so boring that I actually went to a work happy hour after watching the first seven picks at my desk — and not just because my manager forced me to. Out of the top 9 picks (more on the 9th and 10th picks later), only Minnesota surprised anyone with their selection, and that’s only because choosing a third-banana type like Wesley Johnson makes no sense for a team without a star. If there was any team that should be gambling in the NBA Draft it would be the Wolves, but David Kahn apparently fills up on Jim Beam and Quaaludes before every NBA Draft.

But enough about the only team that will finish below the Warriors in the Western Conference next season. Even though Ekpe Udoh makes Adonal Foyle look like Kevin McHale in this clip, there isn’t a franchise player in this draft after the first five picks. Which is why it was almost poetic that the Warriors, with the 4th-worst record in the league, somehow ended up with pick No. 6. Something tells me they’ll have a few more ping-pong balls in the hopper next year.

Warriors break their addiction to lefties

- I thought the Warriors would take Udoh, then I remembered that Greg Monroe is left-handed, which would have given the Warriors four lefty bigs on their acid trip of a roster.

- Here’s the video of the Warriors unveiling their new floor at Oracle Arena, which looks almost disturbingly like the Lakers’ old floor at the Forum. Lots and lots of yellow.

- I projected that my sleeper of the draft was Quincy Pondexter, so it was like an affirmation of my basketball scouting prowess when Sam Presti chose him with the 26th pick overall. Then I saw Pondexter was traded by Oklahoma City along with Craig Brackins to New Orleans for Cole Aldrich and Morris Peterson. Still, I feel like it’s a small victory that Presti thought enough of my sleeper pick to snag him before the first round was over. OK, I’ll stop now.

- How long until Omar Samhan becomes the first undrafted free agent the Warriors call? Tomorrow? Monday? And they should, really. What have they got to lose?

- On KNBR this morning with Gary Radnich, Ric Bucher said that Chris Cohan’s words to Larry Riley were pretty much, “Any deal that puts money on my pocket, I’m good with.” But you already knew that.

- If what people think is true and choosing an offensive project with the No. 6 pick proves that Larry Riley and Don Nelson actually are trying to sabotage the Warriors before they get dismissed, wouldn’t it make sense to trade Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins for Gilbert Arenas and Al Thornton? If you’re going to suck, you might as well set the records for games lost due to injury, fights on the team plane and fewest team assists in an NBA season.

- Most predictable selection: “With the ninth pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select … Gordon Hayward, Butler University!”

- Followed by the least predictable pick of the day, the Indiana Pacers going with Paul George (super athletic swingman from Fresno St.) over Cole Aldrich, the big white guy with a heart of gold from Kansas. I would have lost money on that bet.

- Especially since Jay Bilas’ scouting report on Aldrich leading up the draft included the phrase, “Outstanding wifeability.”

- Self-promotion alert: I’ll admit it, after being a holdout I’m officially addicted to Twitter (as opposed to Facebook, which for me consists of the same 20 people making status updates about how cute their pets are or how annoyed they are that some airline lost their luggage during their trip to Ireland). I responded to a certain well-known Cohan-basher who pondered the possibilities if DeMarcus Cousins became a Warrior: “If that happens, I can’t wait until Cousins and Anthony Randolph get into their first brawl at Crogan’s.” For those who don’t know, Crogan’s is a vile “sports bar” in Walnut Creek that continues to pretend that acting like a Jersey Shore character is neither ironic nor uncool, a place that might have the first Yelp average score of under 2 stars I’ve ever seen. And yes I am proud to have worked Crogan’s into the NBA Draft conversation. And yes, I am easily amused.

- Turned out Cousin’s agent let the Warriors know he didn’t want to go there anyway — and he was OK with going to Sacramento. Think about that. Is there anybody in the Bay Area, who if they had the choice, would choose Sacto over any town in the Bay Area not named Richmond. Maybe Cousins did his homework and wants to avoid Oakland during the inevitable fallout from the Oscar Grant trial.

Related posts:

1. All hope is lost for the Warriors, too
2. Cohan moving sale! Get your Monta and Biedrins for cheap!
3. NBA Tuesday: Warriors drafting for their lives

I count myself firmly in the last category, which is why I didn’t cry when the Giants gave Fred Lewis away to Toronto for what roughly amounts to half of Tim Flannery’s salary. UZR told us Lewis had incredible range. Our eyes told us Lewis was prone to taking terrible jumps and dropping pop flies in the most important of situations. The stats told us Lewis had the best plate discipline of any Giants outfielder. Our eyes told us that Lewis accumulated most of his walks and extra-base hits in meaningless situations, and perfected the art of taking third strikes.

The sabermetrics-addicted masses would roast me on the spit for making sweeping generalizations based on actually watching the game, and can point to Lewis becoming a doubles machine after joining the Jays. But this weekend showed in many ways why Lewis will never be a winning player, regardless of the metrics or how good he looks in Oakleys.

Dropped fly balls and a nondescript offensive performance against one’s former team can be forgiven. But attacking fans on Facebook and Twitter, including calling someone a bundle of sticks? That, and Kevin Frandsen’s subsequent comments show two players who, while probably underutilized as Giants, have the maturity and mental fortitude of a “My Sweet 16″ protagonist. And I forgot to even mention Franny’s comments on KNBR last week, in which he (again) complained about the fans who complained that he talked too much. More on Lewis’ tantrum and Frandsen’s “I got your back, bro,” here.

Sure, Lewis was too talented to be given away for the price of a Range Rover, but the Giants already have a glut of decent outfielders, including two more players who’ll have just as much reason as Lewis and Frandsen to badmouth their former employer if the Giants give them away, John Bowker and Nate Schierholtz. Something tells me neither Bowker nor Schierholtz will ever find themselves calling Giants fans “f@gs” on social networking sites.

- Henry Schulman was almost clairvoyant in his Fred Lewis post on Friday:

Lewis is smart enough not to burn any bridges. In fact, he said as much: “I’m not trying to prove anybody wrong because you don’t know what might happen in years to come. I’m just here to play baseball right now and enjoy myself.”

Do you believe that? I don’t.

The Giants-Lewis divorce was not amicable. As far back as last season he asked for a trade, a request that was repeated this spring. He felt the Giants did not give him a fair shake, taking him out of the lineup when he messed. He was having a good spring training with the Giants until he hurt a ribcage muscle, he said, by coughing too hard. After that, he seemed like a different person.

Management was perplexed. Lewis seemed to have checked out. After one particularly bad game at minor-league camp late in spring training, he told reporters his side was still hurting and told management he was having trouble seeing the ball.

In other words: former Giants malcontent was/is a malcontent.

- In more positive Giants-related news, Aubrey Huff used to be the worst free agent signing in the world and now he’s fifth in the NL in OPS. Just goes to show you, there are no bad 1-year contracts. Just bad GMs who sign players to 1-year contracts. Or something.

- Hey everybody, listen up! The Dynamic Deal of the Week from our friends at 24 Willie Mays Plaza is … wait for it … wait for it … $25 view reserved left field seats against the Dodgers! I guess that’s better than paying $37.50 (before “convenience” and “shipping” fees!) for SRO tix to see the Red Sox.

- The Giants DO know that a much better “view” exists beyond the right field wall, and it’s free, right?

- Speaking of overpriced, I don’t know why, but I really, really want to stay a night in the Rogers Centre (Skydome) hotel that overlooks the field. It’s $489 Canadian though, which seems like a fair amount for the opportunity to muster up the courage to flash 22,000 baseball-loving Canucks with Vernon Wells coming to the plate.

- Never did do a recap of the NBA Finals, mostly because I’ve spent the time since then celebrating the win, setting up an engagement party, celebrating at the engagement party and then celebrating the fact that we put (with a ton of help from la familia) on a successful engagement party. It’s a wonder I’m at work today.

- Saw Ron Artest wearing a top hat adorned with gold and purple feathers at the victory parade today in downtown Los Angeles (wherever that is). I was never against signing Artest, since the Lakers were still a finesse team last year and Bill Simmons was so gleeful in his predictions of gloom-and-doom for the Artest era in L.A.

- But God, was Ron-Ron crappy in the first half of the year, which included the curious holiday incident where he “tripped over some presents” and fell down the stairs at his home, giving him a concussion. But what I remember is when he showed how he’s different than every other player in the league — in a good way — against the Spurs in late March. For some reason he was fully aroused (yes!) defensively in that contest, to the point where just watching him on TV was downright frightening. His defense was so smothering, so Patrick Willis-like, that if I were playing in a pickup game against him and he started guarding me I’d just hand him the ball. Artest was that same scary dude for the entirety of Game 7, always in the mix when loose balls were in the air, making Paul Pierce’s life much more difficult than usual and (cliche alert) setting the tone for the rest of the Lakers, who were so nervous that they needed the kick in the ass that Artest’s play and the Staples Center crowd provided.

- Nobody comments on his stuff anymore, but Matt Maiocco provided an incredible rundown of every single defensive player at the Niners’ recently resumed minicamp. No snark here, it’s truly awesome to see all this success isn’t going to Maiocco’s head. After reading these reports (especially the secondary, where it looks as if Nate Clements and Taylor Mays are ready to match the skill level shown consistently by Shawntae Spencer), I’m downright giddy.

- On the other hand, the Nate Davis bandwagon has a couple stops coming up in the next few months:

Third-string quarterback Nate Davis saw a lot of action today. But it was quite apparent things did not move as smoothly with him on the field. He required a lot of assistance from offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye in getting some of the play calls relayed in the huddle. Several times, the team got to the line of scrimmage and had to regroup before they could run the play with Davis under center.

OK people, exit one at a time so nobody gets hurt, OK?

- For those with transfer passes, the bandwagon for this guy is filling up fast.

- Love that the Warriors went back to the blue and gold. And all the logos look decent. But I’m going to be the first to say that the white home jersey is a little underwhelming, even though it IS better than anything they’ve worn since 1988 (excluding “throwback” nights, of course).

- I found myself listening to a ton of “The Best of KNBR” yesterday while cleaning up the house (since for the past week and a half we have done nothing besides eat, party-plan and watch the Finals, the Giants, the World Cup and “Mad Men”). Fitting that every single segment I heard was entertaining besides the Fitz and Brooks one, which featured the most boring interview of a soccer expert I’ve ever heard. I would have preferred a double-dose of that golf writer guy they love to yuk it up with, or an entire segment of Paulie Mac sound drops to that interview.

- I find it more offensive that we can’t make fun of or criticize the South African tradition of blowing on oversized duck-callers during soccer matches because it’s a “cultural” thing than when people actually do bash the practice. We make fun of American fads and annoyances all the time, like Thundersticks and little kids announcing the lineup during the fifth inning at AT&T Park. Acting as if Africans can’t be wrong because liberal guilt tells us so is an insult to millions of Africans who probably think they’re annoying, too. Africa may enjoy soccer more than we do, but with those goddamn vuvuzelas buzzing all game long it’s impossible to tell if anybody actually knows what’s going on or even cares because the crowd sounds the same during the entirety of every match.

- Guess we’ll all be allowed to bitch about this when vuvuzelas make their way to the English Premier League.

- Good to see Mychael Urban’s feeling better after that crazy blood-clot situation in his leg, as evidenced by this quote in his latest column titled, “Bullpen is Priority 1 for Giants“:

Sluggers and stud starters are the sexy mid-summer addition most contenders covet, but the Giants don’t need either. They don’t need Victoria’s Secret. They need the JC Penny granny panties of the game: reliable middle relievers.

While I think the Giants need another hitter who can hit good pitching to be a true contender, you have to give it to Urbs for a pretty good line there. Probably the first time the term “granny panties” has been used in correlation with the Giants that didn’t have to do with Bengie Molina (or Lewis/Frandsen).

- Even though the Giants’ pen could use the help, some want to release Todd Wellemeyer. Can’t say I blame them/him. Could you imagine Wellemeyer pitching an important 7th inning in September? Me neither.

Related posts:

1. Monday Roundup: a great weekend to go outside
2. Scot McCloughan and Larry Riley, delusional till the end
3. Monday Roundup: beer, ball and tats

- Bear in mind, this lineup has absolutely zero chance of happening anytime soon. But this is what I want to see tomorrow when the Giants come back to town and Tim Lincecum tries to rise above the ever-looming shadows of Stephen Strasburg and Matt Cain:

1. Torres CF

2. Sanchez 2B

3. Huff 1B

4. Uribe SS

5. Posey C

6. Burrell LF

7. Sandoval 3B

8. Schierholtz RF

Best defensive lineup, best offensive lineup. NO ONE DENIES THIS!!!

- On a related note, nothing like hanging out in a boring post-lunch meeting for 45 minutes only to find out afterward that Guillermo Mota gave up 3 runs in the 8th to lose. I was positive today’s game was going into extra innings. C’mon? Getaway day without a day off? Seemed like as much of a sure thing as the Giants drafting Bruce Bochy’s son.

- Still, it’s hard to stay angry for long with Buster Posey around. Already the best hitter on the team, now we know he has power and like Will Clark, he’s got the right combination of accessibility, charisma, focus, talent and arrogance. Don’t believe that last one? Just watch Posey answer some of the questions Kruk and Kuip toss his way with that, “Wow, I’m going to have to deal with this crap for 15 years” look on his face. You can tell he already feels like he’s above it all, and that is TREMENDOUS news. Because let’s face it: most of the best baseball players are absolute a-holes. Except Ty Cobb. He was just a misunderstood racist/murderer.

- Some say Madison Bumgarner threw that baseball in Eugenio Velez’s general direction after Bumgarner got ejected because he was mad at Velez for dropping an easy pop fly. I say Bumgarner was just starting a new long-toss program.

- Since Chris Berman and I share a last name (no relation, I swear), I recently started calling the Pirates’ closer (and solid contributor for my fantasy team, “Big Mac Wraps”), Octavio “Don’t Ask” Dotel. Don’t know if it’ll catch on around here, though.

- Speaking of awkard jokes, I wonder what Rock, Spade and Schneider think of Sandler forcing Kevin James on them like this? (Probably, “Thank you Mr. Sandler, I could use the work,” actually.)

- Let’s see, they’ll need at least $500 million in private money, tens of thousands that decide it’s a good idea to spend thousands of dollars on PSLs (not likely, as the Bay ain’t exactly Dallas/Ft. Worth) and a stadium plan and construction deal that don’t end up going drastically overbudget. Then, the Niners will be playing in a shiny new stadium in Santa Clara. Um, not holding my breath.

- The answer (which will never happen): rebuild the stadium at Candlestick Point, add a CalTrain hub and a pedestrian bridge over 101, and let the Niners play at Cal’s new Memorial Stadium during the construction.

- Although I love Anthony Randolph, who’s clearly a much better athlete than Kevin Love, you have to admit the Randolph-for-Love scuttlebutt is intriguing for one reason: you absolutely know that if the trade happens, in five years one of the teams who made the deal will be absolutely embarrassed for it. And nobody knows which team that would be.

- Seriously, why doesn’t Comcast just buy KNBR already? It’s almost a joint venture these days as it is.

- (Larry King voice): I don’t know about you, but I’m taking Canada to go all the way in the World Cup.

- I can’t wait for all the people who love hearing themselves talk about how they hate hearing others say that soccer is cool fall in love with Hi-Def soccer during the World Cup. If that makes any sense.

- College football didn’t have a playoff system, but at least they had regional conferences with entrenched rivalries and distinguishable differences in the styles of play. Now they’ll have none of that, but we’ll all get three or four more a-little-too-specific cable channels to compete with the Big 10 Network, MLB Network, NFL, NBA, NHL, Golf, Tennis, CBS College Sports…

- Meanwhile, the NCAA stood up for what’s right when they punished a bunch of USC players who were in Jr. High when all those rules were broken by Kim Kardashian’s boyfriend. Nothing more honorable than amateur sports. Except prostitution and offshore oil drilling, hey-yo!!!

Related posts:

1. 10-Day roundup: Is Posey starting yet?
2. What the Giants’ lineup should be
3. Giants fans shouldn’t expect any big trades

Since the Giants aren’t in “buy mode” yet (they’d like to wait until the price for middling talent goes up right before July 31, because that’s just the way things are done in baseball), the master plan includes moving Pablo Sandoval to first base (where he belongs), shifting Aubrey Huff to the outfield (err, injury forthcoming?) and Freddy Sanchez to third (injury definitely forthcoming).

Since the 32-year-old Andres Torres has the “experience” and two good weeks at the plate, he’s now the Giants’ primary right fielder. Thank you, Aaron Rowand’s contract.

Nate Schierholtz had the misfortune of suffering a minor shoulder injury while in his mid-20′s, so he looks to join John Bowker on the bench, mostly full-time.

Buster Posey? Ha. Forget what Brian Sabean said before about service time being a non-issue. The Giants absolutely DO NOT want a repeat of the arbitration scenario they faced with Tim Lincecum a few months ago. Especially when the team is somehow able to sell $37.50 Standing Room Only tickets to see the Boston Red Sox in June.

How many general managers do you think are gazing upon the scene here in Giantsville, and laughing to themselves? How many general managers would never have touched Mark DeRosa and/or F-Sanchy with a 10-foot pole? How many GMs would be starting Schierholtz and Bowker everyday in an attempt to help them improve and see what they have in both players, especially considering the alternatives to either player and the fact that the Giants don’t have one consistent run-producer on the entire team besides Juan Uribe?

The Giants are exhausting to watch, especially for those who root for young players to thrive in The Show. And it’s not just guys like Schierholtz and Bowker, for whom every at-bat is a test to prove they shouldn’t be buried on the bench or shipped to Fresno. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and especially Jonathan Sanchez have to be perfect every start. The fact we haven’t seen more breakdowns from those three pitchers any time they allow a baserunner in the first inning is a tribute to their mental toughness relative to their respective ages, as well as the underrated influence of Dave Righetti.

Not that the Giants’ hitting woes are the fault of Hensley Meulens. The fact that the Giants have decided to play positional musical chairs in response to one of the worst offensive droughts since, well, last year proves again that it’s not just the fact that the Giants have a bad general manager, it’s that they’re striving for the cheapest “competitive” team possible considering the bad contracts they climb into every offseason. But you already know that.

NBA Roundup: Safety in numbers

– Are you ready for Senior Citizen Coach Wars? 72-year-old Lenny Wilkens sees Don Nelson, 70, now has the all-time wins record, wants to coach again. (SI)

– If the Giants buy the Warriors, how much do you want to bet they fire Nellie, hire Wilkens and immediately start building a bigger, better all-time wins promotion? I’ve always wanted a Lenny Wilkens rally scarf. Guess that kind of goes without saying.

– From Matt Steinmetz: Anthony Randolph has apparently gained 25 lbs, all muscle according to his agent (well, what else would he say?). Nellie’s response: “Nice job, Ewing. Good luck getting playing time now, you dumb bastard.”

– Anybody else find it amusing that of all the sports authority figures in the area (big-time media guys, owners, coaches), the only one Gary Radnich rips repeatedly is Nelson, and it’s only because Nellie got drunk before Gary interviewed him? (Trust me, if you listen to Radnich enough, you’ll catch this reference … Radnich is not just a teetotaler, he’s also extremely judgmental).

– Granted, the referees weren’t helping the Lakers out much (42 FTs for the Suns vs. 20 for the Lakers), but last night’s game was the first time the Celtics became the odds-on favorite to win the NBA Title. If the Lakers can’t solve the Suns’ zone defense, what can they possibly do against the Celtics if they go the same route?

– And that’s not even considering the whole “Rajon Rondo is suddenly a Martian” factor. And to think I was this close to getting my ass kicked by Rondo in a Manhattan club a year and a half ago…

Related posts:

1. San Francisco Giants second half preview
2. 2009 San Francisco Giants: Worst Case Scenario
3. Giants aren’t unlucky, they’re old

Nobody wants to pay for anything, including me, although I’m admittedly behind the curve when it comes to piracy. I was still buying CDs in college when everyone else was using Napster (back when Napster was actually useful, before Lars Ulrich ruined everything). I was flabbergasted when I found out that my fiance had been watching all the new “Weeds” episodes at work before it became available on Netflix. Just this week I bitched on Twitter about how I couldn’t watch the NBA Lottery at work because ESPN told me that I didn’t have the right network connection to get something called “ESPN3,” and within minutes someone alerted me to a site where I could pretty much watch everything in the world I ever wanted for free.

There’s a million things to distract us, and the major media providers’ solution is to provide more things to distract us. Not that I’m complaining. I’m procrastinating on a work project right now while writing this. But it’s going to be interesting to see how all this market segmentation works out, especially when it comes to sports media.

What I’m talking about is the rapid takeover of our living rooms and radiowaves by Comcast Bay Area, which will soon face some stiff competition (at least online) from ESPN San Francisco. ESPN already has city-related hubs for Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Dallas, which I’m guessing will soon be followed up by San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, Miami, et al.

Does this mean we’ll stop worrying as much about national news at all, or we’ll at the very least semi-ignore coverage of our local teams by those who aren’t specifically working for a site/channel that caters to that region? How will this new wave affect guys like me, independent bloggers who get good traffic but don’t have the marketing budget or access that the larger blogs do?

Brooks of SPORTSbyBROOKS had a great column about a week ago about his favorite bloggers, and how the mainstream “blog” sites like AOL Fanhouse and Yahoo! are playing it too safe by simply scooping up every laid off and/or frustrated newspaper writer. I couldn’t agree more. Sure, it’s self-serving to cry that what I’m providing is what’s missing, but the readership doesn’t lie. I’m not the only one who’s tired of reading the same old stuff from the guys (and gals) with access.

We’ve all been reading the same style of journalism for years — the by-the-numbers columns and feature stories that, while good, have been done time and time before. And there’s a place for it. Journalistic integrity should always be observed, especially when what you’re reading is presented as absolute fact. Duh.

Absolute fact is something that intermittently appears here on BASG, along with rampant speculation, jokes about local media “icons” and vomit stories. But most of all, what this site is meant to be is a place that is constantly gauging exactly what it is to be a sports fan around here. And that includes critiquing the TV talking heads, writers and radio hosts who cover local sports as need be, as well as attending the games and reading/watching as much as humanly possible about the teams and players who we all know and love/tolerate. It’s not enough anymore to let you know that the Giants can’t hit and the Warriors can’t play defense. People want to know why beers costs so damned much and why Monta Ellis always smiles after missing shots at the buzzer.

But while it’s a good thing that these local sports hubs run by the mainstream media will provide more jobs and better analysis in parts of the country that Bristol, Conn. has completely forgotten about, I worry that this medium, blogging, will become watered down. With so many options that have shiny logos attached to them, will anybody have the time and patience to sift through “Indy Blogs?” And does that last sentence make me a hipster? (I better get to work on that beard.)

And after ESPN creates a Bay Area site, then Yahoo, AOL and the rest follow suit, what will happen? Are we just going to be reading a bunch of repackaged versions of the Sporting Green/Bay Area News Group, or will uncensored thought still have a place?

I wish I had a nice little bow to stick on this column, but I don’t know how this situation is going to wrap up. More local coverage is good, but a stronger and more unified good-’ol-boys network than what already exists isn’t really that appealing. And while Comcast Bay Area has done a nice job putting together a studio and hiring everyone in the world who’s ever been on KNBR more than once, the fact that they broadcast each team’s games (except NFL) could lead to questions about objectivity. And I’m guessing while ESPN San Francisco will be slightly more detached than CSNBA, the same rules will apply and the same Chronicle/BANG writers will be hired. (Not that the writers for these publications are bad, far from it — it’s just a really insulated network that doesn’t always put a lot of pressure on the local teams to strive for championships.)

Don’t get me wrong, if Comcast or ESPN gave your buddy the BASG a call I’d certainly listen. However, I’m not sure if I toe the line enough. Of course, let’s get real, if paid enough I can toe any line asked of me…I work in an editorial capacity at a large corporation right now (not sports-related) and not once have I written anything that would make my grandmother blush. Still, with my writing style and warped way of looking at things, I think I’m going to have to wait until Deadspin San Francisco gets started up. A.J. Daulerio, I’m waiting for your email.

Related posts:

1. Mark DeRosa foils his own master plan
2. Yep, I’m addicted to blogging
3. The lineup the Giants SHOULD have

Ah, who gives a damn…

We can’t complain about the Giants making too much out of small sample sizes (Eugenio Velez, John Bowker, Kevin Frandsen, blahblahblah) and then let your brain hemorrhage over 25 games against one division opponent over a two-year span. OK, you can, because I have no control over what freaks you out. But getting your boxers in a bunch about the Giants’ recent luck against San Diego is as worthwhile and effective as complaining about the DMV to your dog. Makes you feel better, yes, but that lady with the mustache will still lose your appointment.

However, it’s enlightening to explore why the Giants would have so much trouble against a team that is supposedly a poor man’s version of the Giants. The ‘Dres play in an even more pitcherrific stadium than BobbleSnuggie Park (that’s the new name for the place, since promotions have officially become more important than the games there), they spend about half the money on players that the Giants do, and like the Giants they have a regular lineup that would leave 80% of the teams in the AL East rolling on the floor, LTAO (Laughing Their Asses Off). OMG WTF, why can’t the Giants look like they do against the NL Central against these dudes?

Thing is, they aren’t built the same at all. For one thing, the San Diego closer’s main goal isn’t modeling for an MMA calendar. And on a serious note, the Padres aren’t afraid of speed like the Giants. In fact, they want to run.

Brian Sabean laughs at this notion. To him, stolen bases are ways for the non-obese veterans to amuse themselves during the dog days of summer. Oh Omar, it’s so cute that you’re stealing bases when you’re 38! We’ll be sure to bring this up in 10 years when you come back for Omar Vizquel Day, which should be a week or two after Randy Winn Weekend!

San Diego’s laughing too — and leaving everyone else in their dust. Check out this passage from the recent SI story on the Pads’ surprising success:

San Diego general manager Jed Hoyer had identified a larger issue when he was the Red Sox assistant G.M., a job he held until last October. He would tune into late games at Petco, where the scoreboard always seems to read 2–1. “An extra base could be the difference,” Hoyer would tell himself. “They have to run.” When Hoyer was hired in the off-season, he found that manager Bud Black agreed.

Hoyer and Black needed someone to impart their philosophy, and last winter they hired special assistant Dave Roberts. In spring training he hauled players out to the back fields, showing them how to lengthen leads and quicken jumps.

I’d focus on the fact that the Giants paid Roberts millions of dollars to go away and a year later he goes and teaches the Padres how to steal bases off Matt Cain, but it’s not Roberts’ fault the Giants overpaid him and let him do whatever he pleased with his other former teams (plus Roberts got cancer, which means any rude comments I write automatically make me an asshat).

Actually, the key here is the Padres have a new GM who realized his team had the pitching and defense to compete but not the power, so speed was a necessary weapon. And, he was able to change the team basically overnight to suit that mindset.

Contrast that with Sabean, who’s so vet-friendly that only twice in his tenure has the team’s leader in stolen bases been under 32, and both times that player was Marvin Benard. Don’t believe me?

Giants Single Season Leaders, Stolen Bases

1997: Bonds, age 32 (37 SB)

1998: Bonds, age 33 (28 SB)

1999: Benard, age 27 (28 SB)

2000: Benard, age 29 (22 SB)

2001: Bonds, age 36 (13 SB)

2002: Sanders, age 34 (18 SB)

2003: Grissom, age 36 (11 SB)

2004: Durham, age 32 (10 SB)

2005: Vizquel, age 38 (24 SB)

2006: Vizquel, age 39 (24 SB)

2007: Roberts, age 35 (31 SB)

2008: Winn, age 34 (25 SB)

2009: Winn, age 35 (16 SB)

It’s yet another example of Sabean still living in the BALCO era. Of the 14(!) seasons Sabean has made (most of the) player personnel decisions, the Giants have finished 10th or worst in the NL in stolen bases 10 times. It was OK from 2001-2004 when they finished last in the league three times (’01, ’03 and ’04) and 13th place in ’02, because they were winning 90+ games per season and the entire team was drinking from the same fountain as Bonds, Marion Jones and the Giambi bros. In other words, the era Sabez thinks about while driving around in his car listening to “Glory Days” on his mini-disc player.

Sure, stolen bases aren’t the only standard by which team speed is measured. And the Giants aren’t exactly saddled with the most aggressive manager in the world when it comes to baserunning. But this antiquated way of putting together the non-pitching side of the roster is why the Giants aren’t running away with the National League right now, like any team that has Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, retro Barry Zito and Jonathan Sanchez along with a serviceable-to-outstanding bullpen (depending on what day it is) should be.

Injuries, fielders with no discernible range, base-cloggers like Bengie Molina, Pablo “I may be too fat to hit fastballs now” Sandoval, Edgar Renteria … OK, let’s just make this list “every regular besides Andres Torres and Nate Schierholtz” — it all goes together. If you don’t change your philosophy to suit the times (and with drug testing the times have definitely changed — just ask guys like Pat Burrell, Lance Berkman and any other power hitter who can’t stay good/healthy anymore), the times — and Padres — will pass you by.

More Giant Complaints

– I’m holding out hope like all of you that someday the Giants will drop Sabez’ tired act and sign a young (at least in mind if not in body) GM that pays attention to things like, I don’t know, minor league stats, new stats in general and the ages of available free agents and trade targets.

– But that won’t happen, because the Giants Brass is too busy putting together bids to BUY THE WARRIORS. Remember that next time they cry poor, even though they’ve only spent top dollar on a free agent only once (Zito) since signing Bonds after the 1992 season.

– I don’t care how cute it would be if the Warriors played in a nice new arena next to the Giants (where Stephen Curry bobbleheads will be available to the first 7,500 fans, so line up early!) — if this is what they’ve been saving up their money for, we should all feel cheated.

– Why cheated? OK, here are five reasons…

– 1. They’re totally cockblocking Larry Ellison.

– 2. Larry Baer and the boys have been peddling this whole story about the debt service on the park being a reason why they can’t open up the wallet as wide as any of the other teams that average 3 million fans a year, but they can afford a $300M+ basketball team. Sure.

– 3. If the Giants buy the Warriors, their team in 2015 will include guys like Carlos Boozer, Tony Parker, Zach Randolph, Jason Kidd and pretty much any other past-his-prime vet who used to carve up the Warriors.

– 4. The Warriors’ biggest problem has been that their front office used entertaining, fun-for-the-family Nellie Ball as a cheap substitute for a winning team. The Giants’ goal since the current regime took over in 1997 has been one thing (besides employing Sabean until the end of time): staying “competitive,” which means “good enough to draw fans and perhaps get lucky.” If you’re looking for an ownership group that would strive for a championship at all costs, what makes you think the Giants would ever fit the bill?

– 5. You know they’d outfit Lou Seal in a Warriors uniform and teach him how to jump off a trampoline. And you thought Thunder was lame…

– Finally, here’s a disturbing story from Rich Lieberman. If you don’t know him or aren’t fluent enough in  Gary Radnich-speak to catch the veiled references, Lieberman’s the Bay Area media watchdog who’s been attacking KNBR left and right for a myriad of reasons. I didn’t hear the segment this morning on Murph and Mac, but if what Lieberman says is true — that the soundbite-addicted duo used the occasion of Bruce Bochy putting down his 16-year-old black lab on Tuesday to play barking dog soundbites with “host Brian Murphy … cackling through the ‘bit.’” — the Morning Show crew has some explaining to do. You don’t make fun of someone’s dead dog, dudes.

Related posts:

1. 2009 San Francisco Giants: Worst Case Scenario
2. What did Brian Sabean expect?
3. The Giants just keep winning series

Cleveland’s population is shrinking. L. Bron Hubbard is already planning a Knicks uniform redesign as we speak (sources tell us the word “Knicks” will be replaced by a Swoosh … the sad thing is that while I’m joking now, I guarantee this will happen at some point in our lives). Without LeBron, the Cavaliers are less enticing to a paying customer than the Warriors are, and that isn’t even taking into account the pall that will fall over the team and the city after the King leaves. That will lead to incredibly diminished attendance next season and questionable financial viability with the impending work stoppage the next season, which may lead to the Cavs moving somewhere else like Seattle if the Timberwolves, Kings or Grizzlies don’t beat them to the punch.

Thanks a lot, Murph

– Since I walk to work now, I’ve gotten in the habit of listening to the KNBR morning show every day (not half bad most of the time, actually), and yesterday morning Brian Murphy predicted the Giants would lose every game this season to the Padres. So if you’re tired of saying these words in your attempts at Giants blamegaming (Bochy, DeRosa, Sabean, Eckstein, Panda or ESPN), you can blame the master jinxer who hosts that show next to the guy with the soundboard who clams up during interviews about sports.

– Hey Bengie, just because Henry Schulman backs you up doesn’t mean you need to piggyback and get all huffy-puffy. I got annoyed for a second after watching the SportsCenter clip of Bengie rounding third against the Marlins to “Chariots of Fire,” and then I realized how funny we’d all think this was if Bengie was on the Mets. You know, a New York team. Get over it, everyone. Just because ESPN acts like it’s run by Ben Affleck and Spike Lee doesn’t mean they can’t joke around a little.

– And to those wondering why SportsCenter is doing such a thing, remember when the show was actually good? With Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann? And how they’d crack up whenever a NASCAR highlight came on and they could say where Dick Trickle finished? Jokes. That’s all. Everybody already thinks we’re a bunch of PC-obsessed pussies in San Francisco already. Let’s not add more fuel to the flame.

– How many tantrums is that for Bengie in the last three years, anyway? Four? Five? More? Hey, he’s one of the best morbidly obese catchers in the game right now, but does he always have to go public when peeved?

– So, Mat Latos, huh? So much for the Giants rallying to the defense of Dave Flemming’s luxury sedan (or whatever he drives…my guess is either a Lexus LS or one of those $80,000 Mercedes SUVs).

– For those who didn’t hear the story, apparently Latos tossed a baseball into the player’s parking lot in San Diego when the Giants were in town, and the ball smashed Flemming’s sunroof. This might get me blacklisted from Bay Area media forever (although that may already be the case), but that’s pretty damned funny.

– To all those pining for Buster Posey in the wake of Latos’ near perfect game to cap off the Padres’ second consecutive sweep of the Giants, a couple questions. Who is going to the bench to make room for Posey? If he isn’t ready to catch in the Majors now, when will he be?

– Conversely, if Triple-A pitching is so terrible, “especially from a pitching standpoint,” (like Brian Sabean thinks), then how will catching Triple-A pitchers make Posey better?

– The Giants keep signing injury-prone vets to multi-year deals. We all know that. But why? Probably because Sabean is still operating in a world where BALCO is a legal business that helps athletes recover faster and drug testing consists of asking the players to leave their Winstrol at home where the beat writers can’t see it. In a world where the chemical enhancement is at least checked slightly by drug testing, Sabez would be well-advised to remember that veterans take LONGER to recover from injuries, and often (gasp) never fully recover.

Related posts:

1. Bashing Cleveland fans and Mark Jackson, along with some links
2. Giants get the band back together…again
3. 2009 San Francisco Giants: Worst Case Scenario

As such, he came to the same conclusion many of us smart people come to (shut up!): he wanted to make the full-time move to the Bay Area. He said all the right things when he signed with the San Francisco Giants — he always wanted to play in San Francisco for the fans, he immediately got his own show on Razor and Mr. T, he even made a software commercial that blatantly panders to Bay Area residents, whose sense of superiority is only matched by our willingness to overpay for gourmet coffee.

Being a smart guy, DeRosa realized the opportunity in front of him. Even if you’ve been a vagabond Major Leaguer for a decade, if you do and say the right things while wearing the orange and black you can land a spot in the organization forever. And with Rich Aurilia heading off to Comcast to have his airtime taken away by Eric Byrnes, DeRosa had the chance to become the latest Bay Area favorite son with an East Coast accent.

And now that opportunity is gone. Not gone because his body failed him, but because DeRosa’s own desire to be a candid media darling came back to bite him.

On his little KNBR paid-infomercial, DeRosa let it slip that not only was he upset with his pathetic hitting (understandable), but his wrist just isn’t right and he’d have to get it checked. Of course that led to the realization that his wrist was never fixed during off-season surgery (something I worried about before the season), leaving the baseball world to ponder why in the hell Brian Sabean would give out two multiyear contracts to guys over 30 with not just injury concerns, but actual injuries.

Trust me, Sabean is NOT happy with this. Guys get injured, free agents don’t work out, but rarely are they so honest about their injuries in a public forum, which is why Mike Krukow ripped DeRosa for revealing too much this morning on KNBR. The other reason Kruk went against code and called out a veteran? Because he knows that Sabean and the training staff currently look like idiots, all because DeRosa wanted to clear his conscience.

DeRosa’s confessional might make him more popular with the media and some fans, but his name is poison in the Giants’ front office, trust me. Was he expecting to slide into a cushy adviser role with the San Francisco Giants, a guy who’d slip into the booth with Kruk and Kuip on opening day and spend his days getting paid to rub shoulders with Will Clark and Willie McCovey? No chance anymore. Sabean’s the longest-tenured GM in baseball (shudder), so there’s no doubt that he has tremendous pull with that dude wearing the bow-tie and that slick guy with the Jew-fro.

Now, even though he’s presided over the best starting rotation in a couple generations and has a team that looks poised to at least come close to making the playoffs, Sabean is back to being the guy who’s blind to the faults of veteran free agents. Everyone’s angry that DeRosa and Sanchez are making millions of dollars to rehabilitate old injuries they accrued while playing for other teams, and Sabean’s one of the old-schooliest GMs around. Using injuries as excuses is an absolute no-no; making the GM and team doctors look either irresponsible or just plain lazy is even worse.

Don’t feel sorry for DeRosa, he’s making a ton of money and will surely get a job as a commentator on ESPN or MLB Network or some local station at one of his several other stops he’s had. But as a smart guy, he has to know that heading off in the sunset as a lifetime San Francisco Giant is a dream that slipped away this week.

Related posts:

1. Giants shouldn’t trade unless it’s for a cleanup hitter
2. Spending other people’s money
3. Predicting Sabean’s inevitable reactionary move