The Beard in Dodger Blue

Oh no. No way. This can't be happening. Brian Wilson to the Dodgers?!?!?!

Our beloved Beard. The one who won us the first World Series in San Francisco history. The closer who won over the hearts of fans everywhere with his quirky, charismatic personality. Even when he wasn't playing, he still kept us entertained and made our Giants fun to watch.

And now he's with the enemy, in that hideous Dodger Blue. Giants fans everywhere, myself included, have no idea how we're going to root against him. But we will. We did it to Juan Uribe and we'll do it to Brian Wilson. We have no choice. He's a Dodger now.

I don't blame him of course for switching sides. It makes sense. The Dodgers are in the playoff hunt. The Giants are not. I'm sure anybody would choose to sign with the Dodgers in this situation.

But it still hurts to see a fan favorite switch allegiances like that. We as Giants fans have so many memories of this guy. I remember his strange spandex suit at the ESPYs. And his shoes controversy where he had to color his shoes with a Sharpie. And that 2010 Giants slogan, "Fear the Beard."

It'll be tough to see Wilson as a Dodger. But at least we can remember all the memories he gave us as Giants fans and not hate him too much. Go Giants!

Sellers

The All-Star break is nearing, and many believe it ridiculous that the last-place Giants have 3 All-Stars in the game. What's more ridiculous? The Giants' belief that they should be buyers at the trade deadline. They should not.

Let's start with the obvious. The Gants suck right now. They just got swept by the 4th place Mets. They've lost 16 of their last 19 games. Brandon Belt can't hit, Matt Cain can't pitch, and Jeremy Affeldt just admitted that right now, he stinks. Injuries have caused this team to crumble. Ever since Ryan Vogelsong went down, it's been a spiral of injuries, with extended absences from Angel Pagan and Pablo Sandoval as well. Right now, the team we're putting out on the field feels very much like a minor league team, having seen the likes of Juan Perez, Cole Gillespie, Jake Dunning, Mike Kickham, Nick Noonan, and Tony Abreu all get significant playing time as the starters succumb to the injury bug. The Giants are in reverse right now, and there's no stopping it until Sandoval, Pence, and Belt get out of their slumps and Zito, Lincecum, and Cain get back on track. By the time everything starts clicking again, the Giants will probably be out of the running for the NL West crown. Which is why I'm advocating selling.

Getting the Job Done

Congratulations to the Giants and the A's for winning Game 3. After watching the games today, I feel like they both actually have a shot to win their respective series.

The Giants have Game 4 tomorrow. Barry Zito's starting, and although most fans grimace when they hear that Barry Zito is starting, Zito has been pretty good this season. The Giants have won the last 11 games he's started, which is pretty impressive. Some of that has to be attributed to luck, but Zito has been better than his average Giants self. Plus, the Reds do not even know who's pitching tomorrow. Cueto's injury still looms large, Latos is ill, Bailey and Arroyo can't pitch on such short rest, and bringing in Mike Leake would cause Cueto to not be able to play in the next series. The Reds could very likely send a reliever or an ill Mat Latos out to start tomorrow, which would definitely give the Giants the edge. The Giants have to take this one game at a time and produce. Today's game wasn't production: we won the game on an error. Tomorrow, we need some offensive production. Winning Game 4 is of the utmost importance. It's win or go home.

The A's are in a good spot as well. AJ Griffin is starting tomorrow against Detroit's Max Scherzer. Griffin has dazzled this season and this will be his most important start of his young career. The A's need to continue to master the subtle facets of the game to win. They need good defense and good pitching and the offense will come naturally. They need to ride the raucous Coliseum crowd to a victory. There's not much else to say. They're at home and they quite simply need to win.

Both our teams gave us a scare after the weekend, but they're both in a good spot for tomorrow. And if both can pull of a victory tomorrow, we're looking at the possibility of both of them advancing. Bay Area baseball is at its finest right now.

And we need our teams to WIN!

Home-Field Advantage?

Unfortunately, I have been super busy the last few weeks and haven't been able to post frequently. But now, the NFL season is well into gear and the MLB Playoffs are underway. Stay tuned for frequent posts.

Now, for the real reason behind this post: why on earth do the lower seeded teams in the MLB Playoffs get the first 2 games of the division series at home!?!?!?!?!?!? It makes no sense. The team with the higher record is supposed to "home-field advantage." This year, it's more like home field disadvantage!!!

The Giants got lucky. As the 3rd seed in the NL, they get to play the first two games of the series at home, which if your team plays at AT&T Park, is definitely an advantage. However, after losing last night's game, the series is going to be very tough to win.

Dodger's Trade: Season-Ender for Giants?

After the Dodgers completed their blockbuster trade with the Red Sox yesterday, acquiring Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto, many have immediately stated the Dodgers would win the West. I'm here to say, hold your horses folks.

Yes, the Dodgers got three star players and Nick Punto, and yes, Adrian Gonzalez did make an immediate impact with his 3-run homer in his first Dodger at-bat, but the Dodgers are by no means suddenly guaranteed to win the West. Things don't happen like that in baseball, where a single player is not that much better than those around him.

Remember that, according to the statistic WAR, Wins Above Replacement, even star players are likely only worth about 4 wins per season above a replacement player. And since the Dodgers have acquired Gonzalez, Beckett, and Crawford well after the halfway point of the season, they can't be worth much more than 1 extra win each. In fact, based on my calculations, since Gonzalez has averaged a WAR of 4.7 over the last two seasons and Crawford has averaged a WAR of 0.3 according to FanGraphs, and since the Dodgers have 34 games left to play this season, which constitutes about 20% of their season remaining, these two players combined will provide a boost of....wait for it...wait for it...1.05 wins. Hooray!

Sweeping the Dodgers

If (when?) the Giants win the NL West at the end of this season, I will look back at the three game sweep of the Dodgers that took place Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week as the turning point of their season. The Giants just won what probably have been the most important games they've played this season up to this point. I say this for two reasons: 1) it happened against the Dodgers, which increased their lead to 2.5 games in the NL West, and 2) they did it after the suspension of star player Melky Cabrera, when many had written off the Giants for good.

The sweep couldn't have come at a better time. After losing their best player all season and reeling for a couple games afterwards, which cost them the division lead by 1/2 a game, the Giants beat up the Dodgers like a team with something to prove. Backed by three consecutive dominant outings, by Bumgarner, Lincecum, and Cain, and a stellar series by the top of the order (Pagan, Scutaro [who's been a terrific acquisition], and Sandoval [who's stepped in to replace Melky in the #3 spot]), the Giants came in to the Dodger's house and shut them down, allowing only 6 runs in total over the course of three games while scoring 14.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Melk

I'm pretty sure every fan went through the five stages of grief when they heard of Melky Cabrera's suspension.

1. Denial - "NO WAY!! Melky could not have taken PEDs."
2. Anger - "C'mon, Melky! Get your head in the game."
3. Bargaining - "Say it ain't so, Melky."; Appeal the suspension please!!"
4. Depression - "The Giants are screwed."; "There goes our season."
5. Acceptance - "Well, we can't cry over spilled Melk. The Giants will just have to take care of this without him."

And that 5th stage is where most Giants fans are at right now. The simple fact of the matter is that the Giants are gonna have to move on without Melky. The pressing question is, how on earth will they be able to do it?

Priority #1: Make sure the pitching doesn't falter. Literally, there is no room for error. Every single starter has to be rock solid. For Lincecum, that means continuing his ascent back to the typical Timmy. For Bumgarner, that means remaining as one of the top lefties in the league. For Cain, that means returning to his pre All-Star Game form after a couple shaky outings. For Vogelsong, that means keeping hishead up after the Nationals game and going out there with a vengeance. For Zito, that means trying to keep up with the rest of the rotation and maybe, just maybe, finding that bit of magic that he had in his first start of the season against the Rockies.

Dear Melky Cabrera,

You let us down. Big time. You were the heart and soul of this team for literally every game this season.

You captured the hearts of Giants fans everywhere. We changed your first name into all sorts of nicknames in your praise. We dressed up as Melk Men in honor of you. We cheered you on for every game, every at-bat, every moment. We repeatedly checked the stats to make sure your batting average and hits total were still among the league leaders.

We watched as you created many memories for us this season. Most hits in the month of May for a San Francisco Giant. The homer in the All-Star Game that gave you the All-Star Game MVP and capped a historic San Francisco Giant All-Star performance. The numerous multi-hit games that you gave us, day in and day out.

You were the MVP of our team for 117 games. And now, we will miss you for the remaining 45.

Trade Deadline Verdict

The MLB trade deadline officially came to a close today, marking the end of a frenzied period of wheeling and dealing that took over baseball for the last week and a half. And it's time to determine which NL West rival, Giants or Dodgers, made the better moves.

The Dodgers certainly made the bigger splash, acquiring 3B/SS Hanley Ramirez, OF Shane Victorino, and P Brandon League. League is an excellent addition to their bullpen, an area that has been mediocre as far as the Dodgers games that I've seen. Hanley is an excellent upgrade for the left side of the infield, where the Dodgers had not been getting much production out of. And Victorino is a good outfielder, although he's past his prime.

The Giants did not make as big a splash but they did acquire OF Hunter Pence and INF Marco Scutaro. Scutaro represents a nice substitute for Sandoval during Panda's current DL stint. And then, when Pablo returns, Scutaro and Crawford can alternate depending on whether the pitcher is a righty or lefty. Furthermore, Scutaro could be the answer in the leadoff spot, where Blanco and Pagan have struggled to get on base.

Tim Lincecum

I wrote back in April after the Giants extended Matt Cain's contract that I would take Matt Cain over Tim Lincecum any day of the week. And after the first half of the season, both pitchers have made me look like a genius. Lincecum currently is 98th out of 101 qualifying pitchers in the major leagues in ERA with an ERA of 5.93 and is allowing 4.39 walks per 9 innings, 93rd out of 101. Meanwhile, Cain was the All-Star game starter for the NL and has the third best WHIP in the league, at 0.96, compared to Lincecum's 1.52, 96th in the league.

I don't want to bash on Timmy too much because, like all Giants' fans, I want him to bounce back. If Lincecum was to undergo a resurgence, the Giants would be the prohibitive favorite in the NL West and could just as well rank as one of the top teams in all of baseball.

Lincecum's start against the Astros on Saturday was a tremendous first step, a first step in which he went 8 innings, only gave up 5 hits, and struck out 11. But most importantly, he only gave up one walk, which hopefully is indicative that his control is coming back. Of course, he didn't get the decision because of a poor ninth inning by Santiago Casilla (the closer situation for the Giants is another huge issue) and rookie catcher Hector Sanchez, but the point is that Lincecum pitched with control, used pitches economically, and went deep into a game whilst giving up no runs. If Lincecum can perform somewhere around this level for the rest of the season, the Giants may very well make a deep playoff run reminiscent of 2010. But you also have to remember that this excellent performance came against the Astros, who many would call the worst team in baseball.

Throwback Unis

I'm watching the Giants-Nationals game right now and I'm thinking off turning it off because of the hideous throwbacks.

Just kidding, I would never turn off a Giants game. But the uniforms are terrible. The red socks that are a part of the Giants' ensemble clash with the overall gray appearance of the rest of the uni. Furthermore, the white cap shines in stark contrast with the rest of the dull jersey. I don't understand it.

The Nats' jerseys are even worse. They seem totally devoid of color, like they've been bleached or something. the only lettering on the uni is a capital 'W' in what is quite possibly the most boring font ever.

Don't get me wrong, usually I love throwbacks. I cherish the Broncos' yellow and brown uniforms and I do enjoy the Eagles' yellow and blue jerseys. But, there is a line when it comes to baseball throwbacks. And the Giants and Nationals have crossed it.

Perfection

"It was a team effort... and it turned out perfect."

In quite literally the best-pitched ballgame I have ever seen, Matt Cain threw the 1st ever perfect game in Giants franchise history on Wednesday night. It was so special. Right from the get go, Cain was rolling, and it slowly began to cross every Giants fan's mind, Cain was about to pull it off.

I have grown accustomed to the pitching prowess of the San Francisco Giants, so much so that as I watch the first inning game of every game unfold, I am always thinking no-hitter. Until the opposing team gets a hit, I'm thinking no-hitter. When Matt Cain pitched against the Pirates last month, I believe it was, in the game where the only hit he allowed was a single to opposing pitcher James Harrison, I was thinking no-hitter up until that point. Even in Tim Lincecum's starts this season,from the moment he steps on the mound until he gives up that single to the leadoff batter, I am always thinking no-hitter.

Never has my thought process paid off in such a grand manner.

The New Giants Outfield and Other Thoughts

Thoughts on the season so far for the San Francisco Giants....

• I cannot say enough about how the Giants struck gold with their new outfield (Melky, Pagan, and Blanco). Let's start with the star in left field, Melky Cabrera. Melky Cabrera is the hottest hitter in the NL, with 51 hits in May, tying the Giants record for hits in a month that Randy Winn set back when he was a big part of the team. Melky has totally revitalized the lineup. The Giants' 3-4-5 spot with Cabrera, Buster Posey, and Angel Pagan, actually strikes fear into opposing pitchers' hearts. Cabrera has also instantly become a fan favorite. The Melk Men who roam AT&T Park are awesome and nearly every fan loves to watch Melky swing the bat.
• Moving to center field, Angel Pagan has also stolen the hearts of Giants' fans. With his excellent defense and consistency behind the plate, he has been a constant presence on the field and in the batter's box. After moving out of the leadoff spot to make room for Gregor Blanco, he has added another layer of solidity behind Buster Posey as the #5 hitter in the lineup to create a great 3-4-5 punch. He has also set a record of his own, with a 25-game home hitting streak, a Giants record.

The Melk Man y El Caballo Loco

After last season, it was clear that the Giants needed offense. Brian Sabean knew this, and he made two major moves to bolster a pitiful lineup by trading Jonathan Sanchez to the Royals for Melky Cabrera and trading Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez to the Mets for Angel Pagan. Needless to say, both have been absolutely tremendous acquisitions.

Pagan has been a solid leadoff hitter, with a respectable OBP of .308 and an OPS of .753. But those stats don't tell the whole story. Personally, my favorite part of Pagan's all-round game is his work ethic. He constantly tries to outrace infield rollers and choppers, something that many pro baseball players don't bother to do anymore. While patrolling the outfield, Pagan almost always makes each catch with two hands to secure the ball, another thing many big leaguers neglect to do. These and other subtle facets of Pagan's game make him one of the better leadoff men in the league.

Giants Update

This is generally a high point in the sports calendar with the NBA playoffs and NHL playoffs underway and the baseball season well into the grind of things. However, for me, this has been one of the slowest times of the year, just like February. As many of you already know, the NBA is not my sport. And since the Sharks are out of the NHL playoff race a little earlier than I anticipated, I'm not following hockey that closely either.

And that leaves me with baseball, which I've been following as closely as a human possibly can. I've tried to catch at least the first and last innings of every Giants game and have watched quite a few in their entirety so I am well versed as to how the Giants season is going. And I'm here to tell you it's going just alright.

The Giants offense had been producing for much of the start of the season but their bats have cooled off lately, with the exception of Angel Pagan's, who has a nice solid hitting streak going that is enough to make many of us forget about the loss of Pablo Sandoval. But, all in all, the last few games, ever since the series against Miami where San Francisco was swept, the bats have been pretty stagnant. Some of it has to do with opposing pitching, but the Giants bats have just seemed less impressive as a whole.

Ode to Zito

Since the Giants have the day off today, I feel like it is the perfect time to thank Barry Zito for a game well pitched yesterday. Who would have thought that Zito would get the first Giants win of the season? Who would have thought he was going to pitch a complete game shutout? Who would have thought that he would have a better WHIP than both Lincecum and Cain through their first start? Nobody.

If I told you at the beginning of the season that the Giants would average 6 runs a game through their first four games, you would have called me a liar. Nobody thought that all of a sudden, the Giants' bats would come to life and the Giants' arms would fall asleep. This team's strength is supposed to be the pitching, but pitching quite literally stank throughout the first 3 games. And then Zito starts the 4th game, throws a complete game shutout 4-hitter and turns around our season. And he had this great pitching performance, his best as a Giant, in notoriously hitter-friendly Coors Field in Colorado!

Matt Cain vs Tim Lincecum

When the ESPN notification popped up on my phone yesterday alerting me that the Giants had signed Matt Cain to a 6-year, $127.5 million contract, the largest for a right-handed pitcher, I jumped out of my chair and pumped my fist like Tiger Woods does after he sinks a putt. At that moment, I imagined the damage our pitching staff could do if it remained intact. And the Giants took the most important step Monday to keep this staff intact, inking Cain until 2017. This pairs Lincecum and Cain until at least 2013 and sets a precedent for the kind of contract Lincecum should receive when he becomes a free agent. I definitely hope that Tim resigns with the Giants in 2013, but I think that Matt Cain was the more important extension this year. Why? Because Matt Cain is more consistent.

From a quantitative perspective, Lincecum has a better career ERA than Cain (2.98 over 3.35) and about 100 more strikeouts in 50 fewer games. However, Cain has a higher WAR than Lincecum (23.4 over 23.2) and has been far more consistent throughout his career. Lincecum's ERA has fluctuated greatly from season-to-season whereas Cain has stayed with in the ballpark of 3.00 for most of his years. Cain has also had some of the worst run support in the league throughout his career, which accounts for his poor win-loss record. However, Lincecum clearly had the edge in career statistics.

Then why do I prefer Cain?

Return of Buster Posey

With the Giants having reported to spring training, all eyes now fall on Buster Posey and his surgically-repaired left ankle. Reports have come out saying that, although he has spent less time behind the plate than would be expected of a catcher, he has shown that he can still bat and catch like the pre-injury Buster Posey. That in and of itself is more important to the success of the Giants than all of Brian Sabean's offseason moves put together.

Buster Posey is the single most important player on the Giants, without question. The pitching staff as a whole is very important, but if you take out any pitcher from the rotation or bullpen, there is another pitcher waiting to take his place straight out of the minors. Eric Surkamp showed last year that he can be a major league starter. Heath Hembree has been generating buzz this offseason and looks to be a key part of this year's bullpen. The pitching staff should still produce even if injuries pile up like last year.

The lineup is not so safe, however. Take Buster Posey out of the equation and our biggest bat becomes Brandon Belt, who only has one season of experience and struggled to hit during that season. This is our lineup without Buster Posey:

The A's, Giants, and San Jose

The Oakland A's have made it clear they want out of Oakland. They have refused to renovate the Coliseum at all. I went to an A's game two years ago and the stadium was terrible (I was able to see Ken Griffey Jr. pinch hit though). Furthermore, the A's have traded all their talent, just like Billy Beane does when his stars start to shine. Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, and Andrew Bailey are all out of Oakland. This is Oakland's way of protesting to MLB to let them move. Their obstacle: the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants own the territorial rights to San Jose, and as a result, the A's would have to make an agreement with  the Giants in order to play there. The Giants have a lot to lose, including their most valuable asset, the fans. However, here in the Bay Area, we feel like the Giants won the World Series yesterday. the Giants are the best show in town, not the Oakland A's. Giants fans outnumber A's fans approximately 10:1 based on my observations. And that is enough consolation, in my opinion, for the Giants to give up their territorial rights (for a fee), and let the A's move to San Jose.

Moneyball

Having watched the film Moneyball when it came out last year, I have wanted to read the book by Michael Lewis, which I had heard was quite good. And after finally reading it this weekend, I must say I have to agree.

The book was amazing. It was like a dive into the world of the sports executive. The ideas presented in the book were mind-blowing: the fact that players were being valued by how they looked playing the game rather than how they produced on the field, that baseball clubs were taking risks on high school players when they were largely unproven, that the disparity in riches in baseball did not make a huge difference as long as the poor teams used their money wisely. The scene that captivated me the most, both from the movie and book, was the scene where Oakland A's manager Billy Beane orchestrates a trade for Ricardo Rincon of the Cleveland Indians. Beane discovers that there is one more suitor for Rincon other than the A's, the Giants. Beane offers his own reliever, Mike Venafro, to the Giants to lower their interest in Rincon. At the same time, after realizing that he probably can't pay for Rincon, he lures the Mets into a trade where he receives enough cash to pay for Rincon for the remainder of the season.

This scene blew my mind. Beane's character was so manipulative that he was able to implement his ideas and create a successful baseball team considering the amount of money that he had.