Why I love and hate Spring Training...

Derek Law

Ah, it's that time of year again. The long Winter is starting to thaw (for most of us anyway), it's just about Spring, which means it's time for Spring Training. That most blessed and cursed of times for any baseball fan. It's the one time of year when baseball is TV and I'm not necessarily watching every minute of it (perish the thought!). I like to think of not watching as much baseball when it's on TV as fasting in preparation for a big meal, in order to enjoy what's to come. And there is so much to enjoy.

Don't get me wrong, there is plenty to like about Spring Training, just as there is an equal amount to hate about it. I like seeing minor leaguers who have worked their asses off get a chance to play in a Spring Training game and get to know "the next generation" (as it were) of young players. But let's not kid ourselves here: Spring Training doesn't mean anything. Whatsoever. Manager Bobby Cox said it best: "There are always a lot of Hank Aarons in Spring Training." I try to heed those wise words when I get too excited about certain players. For the most part, the only people to whom Spring Training really matters are the minor leaguers looking for a spot on their respective major league team. But sometimes I think that teams are simply bating certain players by letting them play in Spring Training games. Who am I referring to at the moment? Oh, I don't know, maybe former Giants outfielder Jeff Francoeur. Why would the Indians let him play in any of the games right now? He's competing for a spot in an already crowded outfield, with Michael Brantley, Michael Bourn, David Murphy and Ryan Rayburn already vying for the job. It just seems cruel. The Giants are also guilty of doing this, putting Roger Kieschnick in the outfield right now, like he will actually make the team come April. If he is the future of the Giants, count me out. Then again, look at the Dodgers; they too have a crowded outfield and it already looks like Carl Crawford is fielding his way out of a starting spot. But I digress.

Edwin Escobar

On the plus side, for the Giants at least, is the surplus of top-notch minor league pitching. For a team whose farm system has suffered in the past few years, they seem to have no problem churning out quality pitchers right now - Kyle Krick (love that name!), Edwin Escobar, Clayton Blackburn, Derek Law, Heath Hembree, Jake Dunning. It's a pitching bonanza! And considering the potential state of the Giants pitching rotation in the years to come, it's happening not a moment too soon. I'm never concerned about having too many pitchers, what with the Giants injuries last season. Bullpen depth, especially, is crucial for the Giants this season. It's too early to tell what the Opening Day lineup will look like for the Giants, but I'm definitely curious to find out. March may feel like as long a month as February did. Sigh.

Perspective can be a wonderful thing...

I won't delude myself or be in denial about this. I knew way back in June that the Giants season was more or less done; a wash, not happening, or what have you. I won't say it didn't take me a long time to accept reality, because it did. And straight out of a horror movie, the Dodgers have made an incredible mid-season turnaround and look poised to win it all, mostly thanks to a guy named Yasiel Puig. Don Mattingly went from being on the chopping block in early June to being heralded as a genius in August. To make matters worse for this diehard Giants fan, I actually like Don Mattingly. He seems like a good guy and he was a fantastic player. But I digress.

If this season has taught me anything, it is to have perspective. Perspective can be a wonderful thing, if applied properly. The pedestal that Giants fans have stood on after winning 2 World Series titles in 3 years is still sturdy enough to stand on, new enough that it's not rusting yet. Hell, Giants fans can even dance on it when they say to Dodger fans: "Hey! Over here! When you win 2 World Series titles in 3 years, call me! When you win a World Series title and your catcher is NL MVP and wins the NL Batting Title in that same year, call me! When you get 2 home runs off Justin Verlander in the World Series, call me!" Okay, okay, maybe that's a bit much. But guess what? It's ALL TRUE. The Giants HAVE won 2 World Series titles in 3 years, the first one only having been 3 years ago. And that is an incredible thing, something worth hanging onto when your best hope the following season is not to be dead last in your division.

For me, this season makes me appreciate 2011 more than I had last year. Considering we were without Buster Posey for most of that season, I think the Giants were pretty damn competitive. The pitching staff had one of the lowest ERAs in the National League that year. This year? Fairly catastrophic from where I'm standing: seemingly endless injuries, most occurring one after the other; a less-than-stellar starting rotation; iffy defense. The things that Giants fans took for granted for so long now are no longer a given, like an excellent farm system and amazing, non-injury ridden pitching. So I will take this time to have some perspective and think back to the previous 3 seasons. And try not to delete my recording of Tim Lincecum's no-hitter from this year so I have something to hang my hat on as a Giants fan in 2013. And hope that the Dodgers do not indeed win it all this year, because I'm still holding out for a Pirates/A's World Series. You never know.

Questionnaire for my research paper...

My topic for my english research paper is abolishing the designated hitter position from baseball. Yes, it's as fun a topic as it might sound, at least for me. However, I need help from you, my fellow baseball junkies: I need a sample size of 10 people to take this questionnaire so that I can use it in my research paper as my primary source. I would even accept 5 as a sample size at this point. Naturally, I have a LOT of secondary sources, but need one primary source. Help, please? E-mail your answers to me (abigail.dice@gmail.com) by Wednesday, December 5, so that I can incorporate the information into my research paper that is due on Thursday, December 6. Thanks very much!

DESIGNATED HITTER: YAY OR NAY?

1.      Which baseball league do you prefer?

a)      National League

b)      American League

  

2.      Do you think designated hitters should be in the running for MVP Awards?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

d)      It depends on their numbers/other factors

3.      Do you think designated hitters should be selected as All Stars?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

d)      It depends on their numbers/other factors

4.      Do you think it is fair that pitchers in the American League do not have to bat?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

d)      It depends on their numbers/other factors

5.      Do you think designated hitters are not as good all-around players as position players?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

6.      Do you think the designated hitter position gives an unfair advantage to the American League during the playoffs?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

7.      Do you think the designated hitter position should be abolished from baseball?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t Care

8.      Would the National League adding the designated hitter position make things more fair between the leagues?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

9.      Would the American League making pitchers bat make things more fair between the leagues?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

Baseball and Music: The Parallels

Does having a good memory make you a more impressive sports fan? It's an odd question, but possibly applicable in my case. I have a hard time explaining why I love baseball, but thanks to a good memory I can easily remember a player's name after only seeing it two or three times. Maybe it can't be boiled down to a good memory, but more to reading box scores religiously. Watching Baseball Tonight as much as some watch CNN doesn't hurt either.

My baseball fandom is both the same and different than my music fandom. In music, there are fewer technical terms to learn (at least fewer that are essential) but many more names - and in place of a player's stats, I can name a band or singer's record label, which is only impressive due to how many more record labels there are now than even ten years ago. Additionally, the fact that I am a musician myself makes my love of music different than it would be for baseball. I've never been able to catch or throw well (though I'm a decent hitter) so I can't fully appreciate how amazing baseball players really are - but I'm in awe every time I hear Franz Nicolay's keyboard playing in a Hold Steady song. Hearing Tom Peloso play the trumpet in Modest Mouse makes me want to start playing it too, but watching Buster Posey hit home runs doesn't make me want to join a softball league. That doesn't make me any more of a music fan or any less of a baseball fan, it just changes one's perspective on that particular obsession.

I used to just consider myself a Giants fan (which is not easy to be right now, in light of Melky Cabrera's suspension) but somewhere along the way, the flood gates of my obsession opened and seemingly haven't stopped since. I've developed true yet inexplicable hatred for some players (Justin Verlander) and equally inexplicable love for others (Dan Haren). Of course that same hatred and love also applies for specific teams (beyond the Giants). Yet despite my love of the sport, some of the specifics that fascinate many baseball junkies just don't interest me. I like pitchers in particular, but don't ask me the difference between a fastball and a slider, because I couldn't tell you. A pitcher's ERA and WHIP are more important to me, and let's face it, their aesthetics. I don't particularly like looking at Joe Blanton so his stats less unfamiliar to me, but I know Gio Gonzalez has one of the best records in the National League. And so it is.

My whole long-winded point is that obsessions are so unique to each person, regardless of what that obsession is about. That fact is simeltaneously wonderful and isolating. It can be difficult to relate to other people with the same obsession as you (especially when it comes to music), yet it can also be quite satisfying to be obsessed with something (or someone) so specific. To get so much joy out of anything is (almost) always a good thing.

This idea may very well be one I have already hit on in previous entries, but it is also one worth bringing up again. And with that, go Giants!

It Is What It Is: 2012 Giants Spring Training

It's about time for break-down of the Giants recent spring training action and related developments. As much as I like to keep up with all baseball action, the Giants are my team. And I find myself with plenty to say, despite them just having started their spring training season.

I don't want to overemphasize Buster Posey's spring training debut yesterday; I really don't. Despite what expectations most everyone might have had, I agree with those who say they were just happy that it was uneventful. That mostly sums it up for me too. Let's keep in mind that Posey has never even played a full season of MLB yet. In fact, if you combine his 2010 season and what little he played in 2011, it barely encompassed an entire season. I think chances are good that he will be just fine as time goes on and that he has all the makings of an excellent catcher. But do I think that right now? No, not really.

I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't excited to see the pictures from his debut - I posted one on Facebook recently with the caption "LIKE A BOSS!!" (in reference to The Lonely Island song from an SNL sketch). However, as I've mentioned before, I'm being cautiously optimistic. I think that's the only way to be at this point. None of us know how things will change (or maybe not change) once opening day comes. And it seems like Posey has plenty of back-ups around for however this all turns out. But I admit, the other day was fun!

Most everyone knows by now that I adore Madison Bumgarner. And yes, I know he's young and still inexperienced, but when I heard about the one-year deal he signed with the Giants recently, I was pretty disturbed by it. A pitcher, who at 21, threw six scoreless innings in the World Series deserves a bit more than $750,000, at least in my book. But that's all he got. Is that really all he got? His spring training debut, however irrelevant it might be in the scheme of things, was brilliant. Tim Lincecum's, on the other hand, was the opposite. His first two starts were pretty bad, actually. Again, spring training starts aren't super important, I admit that - but Bumgarner's was really impressive, enough so that most of the sportscasters on KNBR said he could very well be this year's ace for the Giants. And I definitely trust those guys.

Let's face it, Lincecum is due for a mediocre year at some point. Maybe 2012 is it, maybe it's not. But either way, I think Bumgarner has more than enough great stuff to make this year a top one for himself. Say what you will about his record in 2011, but his low ERA coupled with a less-than-stellar win/loss record was quite unusual. He had one of the lowest ERAs in the National League, even by comparison with pitchers who had better win/loss records. I guess my long-winded point is that Bumgarner is really a pitcher to watch this year and maybe sooner rather than later the Giants will realize he's worth a bit more than $750,000. This fan can only hope so!

And we get to my current favorite, Matt Cain. The guy that everyone else in baseball is finally taking note of, after how many stellar seasons? I guess pitching over 20 scoreless innings in the postseason is something to talk about, right? In a way, as much as his under-the-radar-ness bothered me, it was also something that I liked about him. He was the strong and silent type on the Giants starting rotation. I still consider him that way, regardless of what he ends up doing in the future; I just hope he plans to stay with the Giants for the long-term. We need him a lot more than most people with the Giants think we do.

Speaking of the Giants starting rotation, Barry Zito still has time to prove that his very expensive contract wasn't a total fluke. He has a lot of people to convince, however. I was rooting for him when he came to the Giants. Despite the contract being quite large, my hopes were pretty high that he would succeed. Most of us know how that turned out, which was of course, not very well. It has been reported that Zito spent a lot of time this past off-season tweaking his delivery, changing his routine, and the like. And so far, he's 2-0 in spring training. But that's just spring training and it doesn't really mean much. Just like the Giants have the second best record in the Cactus League right now. Remember last year? Yeah, they had a great spring training record then, too. Ironically, the Giants didn't have such a great spring training season in 2010 and went onto win the World Series. Coincidence? I certainly hope so.

I have my own concerns about the pitching rotation beyond Zito being the fifth starter: Ryan Vogelsong is being conservative with his throwing because of a recent injury; Erik Surkamp is vying for the sixth spot in the rotation and has little to no experience; and Brian Wilson has had elbow problems lately. I don't mean to be so negative, necessarily, but if they all stay healthy, the Giants have a golden pitching rotation; it's their crown jewel. Also, the Giants have been incredibly lucky in recent years with the health of their pitchers, with virtually no problems until recently. Giants fans are allowed a certain level of paranoia at this point.

Being that I gravitate mostly towards pitchers in this game, I haven't touched on the Giants' offense at all. But I'm not worried about that, because as was said on KNBR recently, they couldn't really be worse this year than last year. The Giants can only go up with their hitting. Opening day seems to be both coming up too quickly and also taking forever to arrive. Such is the sport.

The final moments before Spring Training begins...

So it looks like Twins first baseman Justin Morneau could find himself in a Mike Matheny-type situation. He recently acknowledged that concussion symptoms could threaten his career. The circumstances might be different, but it's still a shame. When Morneau is healthy he is really excellent (he won the AL MVP award in 2006) and he has been the face of the Twins franchise for almost a decade now. To me what makes this situation the worst is that he's only 30. And like Joe Mauer (another face of the franchise the last few years), he's never played for anyone other than the Twins. I hope he can figure out a way to continue to play in the future. The Twins already lost Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan and Johan Santana to other teams in recent years (though Santana has also been injury-plagued) so they need this to work out more than just about anyone. I'm definitely rooting for them!

Speaking of Torii Hunter, it seems he has changed his mind on retirement, and wants to play two or three more seasons. He is currently heading into the final year of his contract with the Angels (the only other team he's played for besides the Twins) and wants to continue playing for them. Hunter has always been one of my favorite players, though more so when he was with the Twins. 


Besides being an excellent outfielder, I've always liked his attitude and the energy he brings to the game. I had the good fortune of seeing him play with the Angels in a few games when I lived in LA back in 2008 and I'm really glad I finally got to see him play in person. Despite his age, I think he has at least one or two more seasons in him beyond 2012. I also think the Angels would be foolish to let him go after this season (though that depends on how well he does). I consider Hunter to be one of the more quiet, under-the-radar-yet-excellent players around. 

It appears like the Cardinals were smart in agreeing to sign Yadier Molina to a contract extension of 5 years/$75 million. Much like Justin Morneau for the Twins, Yadier Molina has been the face of the Cardinals franchise for the past eight seasons. I had to remind myself that Yadier is only 29 because he's been with the Cardinals for so long (and now has 2 World Series rings, like both his brothers). Having Albert Pujols on your team for so long makes it easy for everyone else to get overshadowed, which was the case with Yadier. 


This extension means that he will be with the Cardinals for the long-term, which is important, given Pujols' recent departure. And while Yadier hasn't always been an offensive "powerhouse", his defensive abilities behind the plate have made him something of a Cardinals institution. I hope he can stay with the Cardinals for a long time. I might not be a huge Cardinals fan (though Mike Matheny being the new manager will help) but I've always admired Yadier as a catcher. 

I'm not sure exactly why so many players have recently retired, but one of the most recent ones to announce it was Bengie Molina. As a Giants fan, I naturally adore this guy. His coming to the Giants came at a time when Brian Sabean was in the midst of some bad decisions, player-wise, and signing Bengie was the first sign that he was headed in the right direction. These were the pre-Buster Posey days, after all. And it just so happened that Bengie was my favorite Molina brother (Yadier being second). When my dad and I went to an A's/Blue Jays game a few years ago during Bengie's brief time with the Blue Jays, I had no idea then that he would eventually be a Giant, or that his presence would mean so much to me as a fan. But it really did. 


Part of me feels like I should be conflicted, since his only World Series ring was with the Angels in the 2002 championship, and despite the Giants finally winning in 2010, the scars are still there from that fateful season. But it's Bengie, so I can't hold that against him. One of the many reasons I loved him was because he didn't look like any other catcher; he didn't run like any other catcher either, which I always found so charming. He reminded me of another of my all-time favorite Giants, J.T. Snow, who was also famous for being a slow baserunner but an amazing defensive player. 


Regardless of Bengie's slowness around the bases, no one ever questioned his abilities as a catcher. And he certainly deserved an honorary World Series ring in 2010 even though he went on to play for the Rangers later that year. That was really the only downside of the Giants winning it all in 2010; we were competing against Bengie. I never wanted the Giants to be in that position, and when Bengie would get hits against Giants pitchers in those final few games, I couldn't help but smile. Would I have preferred him to have retired as a Giant? Of course. Yet I don't think Bengie could have possibly done better as a Giant, and for the Giants, than he did in those few seasons he had. He was the best possible catcher for then-newbies Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain to have pitched with to start their careers. I will really miss him and always be thankful for his many contributions to the team. 

So the announcement has not been official yet, but reports seem to indicate that Edgar Renteria is indeed retiring this year. Obviously no Giants fan will forget what he did in the 2010 World Series, but what I find more amazing than anything, is how Renteria got there. As cheesy as it might sound, him being World Series MVP that year was a real redemption story and a real comeback story in baseball. And it was truly special in that no one really saw it coming. I'm happy for Renteria that he was able to go so above and beyond what anyone expected and part of me wishes he had retired after that. I'm sure I wasn't the only one asking why he didn't. I mean, what could be a better time to retire than after winning World Series MVP for a team that wasn't supposed to win the World Series? 


It was definitely a "lightning in a bottle" type situation; Renteria was there when his team needed him the most (much like Cody Ross in the NLCS) and he gave the Giants something they had never had before - a World Series title in San Francisco. He's a permanent hero in the eyes of Giants fans and I will always love him for that. Renteria came and went rather quickly, but he made a major impact; he made THE impact for the team. 

"It's anybody's Spring..."

Aah, it's that loveliest time of year: the anticipation of spring training once February hits. It's that brief time where you fantasize about how great your team will do, before they actually start in their respective spring training league.

As a Giants fan I have mixed feelings this season. Call me a pessimist, but I'm not convinced that Buster Posey will have the best year. People get so caught up in his quick rehabilitation and enthusiasm in returning to catching, but they fail to realize just how much that poor guy has been through. Not only that, but he's returning to the single most strenuous fielding position in the game. Of course I hope he does well; all Giants fans do. But combine that with Freddy Sanchez's long-awaited return and I'm cautious about my expectations. I guess like with any other team, there's a lot of questions that should (hopefully) be answered by Opening Day: Is Barry Zito worthy of being a fifth starter? Will Brian Wilson have recovered from his injury enough to be as great as last season? How good will Brandon Crawford be offensively? Who will get the most starts at first base? Will the new players acquired in the off-season really lift the team's hitting?

This off-season also provided somewhat of a shake-up for the NL West; Trevor Cahill went to the Diamondbacks and Michael Cuddyer went to the Rockies. As much as I like Trevor Cahill, I can't say I'm thrilled about him pitching against the Giants. And Cuddyer is a player I've always really liked, so I'm curious to see how he does in the NL, especially at his older age.

Regardless of all the looming questions, this is still my favorite time of year. Winter is almost over. Days are counted down on calendars until pitchers and catchers report (well, for some of us). For me, Opening Day is like Christmas morning, minus the effort of having to buy presents. Part of my anticipation stems from the fact that the first day of Spring (March 21) is usually within a week of opening day. Also, opening day happens to coincide with a break I have between quarters in school. And, possibly best of all, instead of watching MLB Network shows about nothing but off-season trades and acquisitions, it's back to Baseball Tonight and Quick Pitch.

Of course it's not only my team that I'm curious about come April, because there has been a lot of activity this off-season, most recently that Raul Ibanez is officially a Yankee, and AJ Burnett is officially no longer a Yankee. And while it is only to a minor league deal (that includes a 50 game suspension), Manny Ramirez is officially out of retirement and with the A's. I would think that my dad and I were not the only Northern California fans who had the reaction of, "I'd go to an A's game to see Manny!" So in addition to going to at least a handful of Giants games this year (instead of the mere one game I went to last year - though it was excellent), sometime in the Summer, at least one A's game is in order. And it is only at A's games that I realize how spoiled I am by Giants games.

One final note - I call shananigans on Ryan Braun's 50-game suspension reversal. Something is up with that. More later.