It's all winding down...so far

It's amazing what happens when you keep up with a sport, and yet don't at the same time. The Niners losing to the Giants in the NFC title game was not only sad for me, but will make for possibly one of the most boring Super Bowls of the last decade (or maybe longer). Alas. But yes, I've still been watching MLB Network and checking the MLB Trade Rumors site constantly, but it seems like the last week or so has gotten away from me. And it seems that I have a lot to talk about. But where to start, you might ask? Might as well get Prince Fielder out of the way early. 

In hindsight it doesn't surprise me at all that Fielder signed with the Tigers. Beyond the fact that his dad Cecil played for them, that signing to most of us was about as unpredictable as when Pujols signed with the Angels. As far as I'm aware, the Tigers were really never mentioned in the bidding war for Fielder. It's a strange event for me, since I really have no feeling one way or the other about the Tigers. Sure, I was rooting for them against the Yankees in last year's playoffs, but that was the extent of it. I also think Justin Verlander is egotistical, despite having had an amazing season last year. Other than that though, I kind of have a "meh" reaction to them.

I think the most interesting thing about this signing is what will happen to Miguel Cabrera. One can assume he will move to third base, and that he and Fielder can switch off at DH. I would think Tigers fans are a little less sad about Victor Martinez's injury now than they were, say, a week ago. More than likely anyhow. Cabrera and Fielder provide a hell of an offense for them. Yikes. 

Now is when we move onto the Giants-themed portion of the evening (as it were). Cody Ross did what most of us Giants fans assumed and signed elsewhere - the Red Sox to be exact. From what I understand, Marco Scutaro going to the Rockies had a lot to do with that decision, at least payroll-wise. Hopefully this will not turn into a Joe Nathan situation (average pitcher for us, amazing pitcher for the Twins right after he left) where Ross hits .330 and 100 RBIs this year. I'd say that's really unlikely, but one never knows. I suppose weirder things could happen. I'm a bit conflicted on Ross' departure though, because of course I loved him during the 2010 playoffs; but last season, not so much. Ross is not the only recent Giant moving elsewhere however...

Short-lived Giant Jeff Keppinger signed with the Rays this past week. He was only with the team for one year, but I liked him. In fact, for awhile there, he was the only Giants hitter getting on base. The poor guy got stranded at first though, countless times. Also, despite not being majorly cute, he understood how a man's beard should really look, and for that I'm thankful. And wishing he'd teach a seminar to many of those who seem to struggle with the concept. The Giants let Keppinger go, but decided to hold onto Mike Fontenot. I'm not entirely understanding that logic, but maybe it will present itself at some point. I hope so.

And this brings us to the Giants recently signing Fontenot's former Cubs teammate, Ryan Theroit. This is yet another decision I would like management (presumably Brian Sabean) to explain to me. I have nothing against Theroit, personally, but I'm not sure why we need yet another infielder. Without any real information to go on, I would guess that perhaps the Giants are not quite as confident about Brandon Crawford's offensive abilities and want a back-up. Or maybe Freddy Sanchez is not as ready for spring training as they once thought. If the Giants sign more infielders after Theroit, I will really start to get worried. Then again, if they have the payroll for an "insurance" infielder, it probably won't do any harm. The consensus on the interwebs seems to be the opposite, though. But I was also (seemingly) the only one perplexed by the Angels signing CJ Wilson for so much money. It is what it is.

Those worried about Tim Lincecum's short-term future with the Giants (like me!) can breathe easier this week, as he signed a 2-year, $40 million deal, avoiding arbitration. I'm hoping this means that a contract extension for Matt Cain is also in the works. With Vogelsong having been re-signed, such a solid starting rotation (with Bumgarner too, of course) going into spring training would be great. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This final mention is Giants-related, at least to me, but not in a good way. For awhile it seemed that Omar Visquel was rumored to have wanted to only play for the Giants, if he was to play one final season. Visquel having been one of my favorite Giants (ever!), this really excited me. I knew not to get too excited though, since the team already has Brandon Crawford at shortstop. But since Visquel said he wasn't planning on coming back to the Indians or the White Sox, that that would be it for him. This was not so, as he was just signed with the Blue Jays. Okay, so it was a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, but still. It saddens me nonetheless. I'm still holding out hope (like many Giants fans) that after his final season, Visquel will take a coaching position with the Giants. I think he'd fit in beautifully.

I guess I have to mention that Ryan Madson signed with the Reds. So he's not with the Phillies anymore. And that's good. I'm not sure what else I can say about that, since I don't find him particularly impressive. He's above average, for sure, but not spectacular.

Also, another former Phillies pitcher signed with a different team recently - Brad Lidge went to the Nationals. It's hard to say how much of an impact he will have on what already looks like a great pitching rotation, but we'll just have to wait and see. I can't say I will be waiting with bated breath though.

And...there's still no home for Edwin Jackson, although the rumor mill is buzzing, mostly about the Cardinals re-signing him. I'm thinking he will finalize something pretty soon, as the free-agent market is winding down, quality-wise.

I want to end with saying that the idea of the A's signing Manny Ramirez is hilarious to me. I can't even begin to describe it!

Those damn Niners...

As much as I can't believe I'm saying this, I've been a bit consumed with San Francisco 49er football as of late. This is quite strange for me, yes, but it was only after witnessing their amazing win over the Saints at Candlestick on Saturday that I noticed some parallels between the 2011/2012 49ers and the SF Giants in 2010. (New York seriously needs to re-name their football team, because this is confusing!)

It's not that I don't like the 49ers; I do. I can't say that it's a major passion (nor has it ever been) at this point, but I've gone to a few 49er games over the years, and like with Cal Bear football games, I try to watch 49er games when I can. However, this season is different. Or, at least, the 49er coach is very different. I admit, one of the main reasons I've taken interest in the 49ers this year is Jim Harbaugh. And seeing him in person (though not terribly well) at Saturday's game was one of the more fun aspects of having been there. He's got just the right amount of crazy for me. Anyhow.

It isn't easy to compare a football team and a baseball team, and for a myriad of reasons; the incredibly short versus the incredibly long seasons is a big one. However, when I saw Alex Smith run for a touchdown (I'm still digesting that I witnessed that!) in the 49er game, all I could think of was Cody Ross in the 2010 NLDS. While I hope that Alex Smith doesn't go the way that Ross has, the similarities, at least to me, were striking. The Giants claimed Cody Ross when pretty much no one else wanted him and the expectations for him to do well weren't very high. But when the Giants needed him in the playoffs, he delivered. Big time. When the 49ers signed Alex Smith, it was the opposite; he was expected to really excel. Well, anyone who watches any football knows that that just didn't happen with him, and at some point, most people just gave up on him. It was a "live and learn" situation. But here we are, some six years later, and Alex Smith is a big reason why the 49ers are playing in their first NFC Championship game since 1998. I think a lot of it has to do with Harbaugh, and most people would agree; but the coach can only do so much. Smith didn't have to come through, mostly because so few people were expecting him to, even with a 13-3 season. He picked a rather large stage to rebound on, and, from what I can tell, most opinions seem to be more positive about him.

I remember so distinctly chanting "Cody! Cody! Cody!" during the 2010 playoffs and I found myself doing the same thing on Saturday, except this time it was "Alex! Alex! Alex!" There's something so great about the fact that one bay area team got their championship title in 2010 and another seems well on its way to winning one in 2011/2012. Maybe I'm jinxing things, but that doesn't seem far-fetched right now. If nothing else, the 49ers are helping make the sting of baseball's off season a bit easier to take. I'm hoping that my Niner-themed fingernail/toenail combo works its magic the same way my Giants-themed manicure did during the 2010 World Series. Fingers crossed!

Next time I will dive head-first into some interesting acquisitions/trades I've neglected recently, because I honestly have been keeping up with it all. For true!

Matthew Stafford, and baseball puppies without homes...

So, here's a random fun fact from watching the Lions/Saints game over the weekend: Matthew Stafford, quarterback for the Lions, at one point played catcher for Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw. If facts like this continue to come out about other baseball players, I may just have to watch more football. Just maybe.

It occurred to me this week that we are now in the midst of the dog days of the offseason for baseball. I guess that's why school work piling up (and, you know, having a life) recently hasn't made me feel too bad about being behind - because what is there to be behind on, really? Well, a few things, I suppose.

There still seems to be no home for Prince Fielder, Ryan Madson or Edwin Jackson. Personally, I've never been super impressed with Madson, but that could be because he was with the Phillies. As far as Prince Fielder goes, I'm not sure what he or any of the supposedly interested teams are still waiting for. At this point, it seems likely that Fielder will sign with a team right before spring training. The same might be said for Edwin Jackson. However, the best news out of spring training (for me) is that Johan Santana will be ready to go in time for it!

Santana has been one of my favorites of the past ten (almost fifteen!) years. Besides being very cute, he was an excellent pitcher for the Twins for many years and then, unfortunately, took a dive once he went to the Mets. But that's not his fault. Hello, it's the Mets. Jason Bay should've thought of that before he went there too. But I'm hoping that maybe 2012 is the year Santana will bounce back. Someone who was so great for so many years has to have some good miles left in the tank, right? Fingers crossed!

Going from someone who is trying to bounce back to someone who is retiring, it appears that Jorge Posada has finally done the latter. Now why would I want to talk about a Yankees player retiring? Usually I would ask myself just that same question. And despite my dislike for the Yankees (with a few exceptions, like Nick Swisher), I have to say that I admired the final year he had with the team. It seemed at one point that he wouldn't be getting much playing time, what with Russell Martin catching for them and a few choices at DH (like Brett Gardner, as I recall). Nevertheless, there he was during the playoffs this year, looking like he was really enjoying himself. Then there were the rumors that he was really trying to find some team to play for for one last season. With how he ended his career with the Yankees, I'm glad he decided to retire now. Playing only for the Yankees as long as he did is impressive. And since he's a catcher, I wouldn't be surprised to later find him in management somewhere. So congrats to him.

It seems the Marlins, in addition to quite a few other players, have acquired Carlos Zambrano. The combination of him and Ozzie Guillen as manager is almost too much for me to take! Zambrano is definitely what you would call a firecracker, and so is Ozzie. But who knows, maybe they get along well enough that there won't be any fireworks in the clubhouse (or on the field) - especially since it was noted that Guillen and Zambrano had talked about this possibility quite awhile before the acquisition took place.

Either way, I still want to know which lottery the Marlins have won and where I can get some of that money. Seriously. Does acquiring all of these players mean more revenue for the Marlins this year? Not necessarily. I think things will not go quite as swimmingly (no pun intended) as the team hopes. It's not that I don't want the Marlins to raise attendance or do well, but this is the team that has a fire sale after every World Series win. Not a good track record.

Normally, I don't make it a habit of mentioning players I don't like. And why would I? However, I just couldn't resist talking about Josh Hamilton. It doesn't matter why I don't like him, I simply don't. But he's been mentioned recently in relation to his future in free agency. Seems that Hamilton's injuries (and his difficulty in getting treatment for them) have put his money-making potential in jeopardy. For me, it's just nice that someone, somewhere is not bowing down to him and kissing his ass. Because that just gets tiring. Really tiring. Besides, he's just never struck me as the most humble guy around. Also, he complains about smelling pot from the outfield of AT&T Park. Regardless of his history of drug abuse, that's silly. Period. Most don't agree with me on that, but I stand by my opinion. And my general opinion of Hamilton.

Even though I should be, I'm just not too interested in the Hall of Fame discussions going around lately. Nothing against, for example, Barry Larkin, but I don't need to be once again reminded of how long it still is until spring training. Oh, January and February are dreary months for sure.