Sometimes Brian Sabean does know what he's doing...

Everyone has problems with their team's general managers from time to time. It's no big deal. The bigger, more die-hard fan you are, chances are, you'll have gripes with your team's general manager. It is what it is. With Giants' GM Brian Sabean, I've had my fair share of problems over the years. I mean, I'm still bitter about him trading Joe Nathan to the Twins and that was ten years ago. Two World Series titles later, you'd think I would have forgotten or stopped caring - but I haven't. We all have our issues.

Then there are times when Sabean does things that make me want to kiss him; trading Andres Torres for Angel Pagan, or Charlie Culberson for Marco Scutaro. Neither of those trades, by the way, held especially high hopes for me at the time. Scutaro wasn't a young guy anymore and West Coast fans knew little about Pagan. Plus, Giants fans are all about nostalgia and many were nostalgic for Torres' contributions to the 2010 World Series (and for his general cuteness and hustle). Without trying to sound like a biased fan, I think both Pagan and Scutaro needed a change of scenery and a change of fan base. It's amazing what support from your fans can do, and both players seemed to feed off of that in more ways than one in 2012. And on one last note from 2012, even though Hunter Pence was only with the Phillies for one season prior to being a Giant, fans still mourn his loss, along with Pagan's for Mets fans (though more quietly). 

Moving forward to the 2013 offseason, my hopes were only slightly higher for the two players the Giants signed: Tim Hudson and Michael Morse. The market for outfielders last year was pretty dire and the chances of finding a good one were about 50/50. Those odds were even lower for Morse who had a recent history of injuries. His low sticker price eased those fears, but it was still a risk. I'm guessing that Giants management looked at Morse's breakout year in 2011 and thought if there was even a chance he could re-produce that for another team, he was worth signing. As for Tim Hudson, a recent major injury and his age caused some to question a two-year deal for the veteran pitcher. Worst case scenario, I thought Hudson could bring much needed wisdom to the pitching staff, and if healthy, do pretty well. A guy who has never (NEVER, EVER) had a losing season after more than 10 years is probably worth something.

It turns out, Hudson and Morse have both been fantastic. Two months into the season (less than halfway, I realize), Hudson has an ERA of 1.92 and Morse just hit his 11th home run this week. Even factoring in that Hudson will get shelled in a few outings, he has given Giants fans NO reason to panic when that time comes. Morse proves that home runs (or dingers) are indeed contagious and, in large part because of him, the Giants are in the top 5 in baseball in home runs. That's more than ridiculous to any fan who has liked this team for more than five minutes. I can't even properly articulate how surreal that is. Will Morse go through slumps? Sure, but we know all about that. Pence and Posey are the kings of streaky hitting, so we are prepared. Sandoval couldn't pay enough to get a hit a month ago and in the span of two weeks, raised his batting average to almost .250 (from under .200). I refuse to believe that a player who had 31 home runs, 95 RBIs and hit .303 only three years ago couldn't somehow replicate something similar this season.

But then again, who knows. You can't get too excited because it's not even summer yet. What will Hudson's ERA be in July? How many home runs will Morse have hit by September? It's anybody's guess, but I'd wager that the team with the best record in baseball will be doing OK down the line.

Oh, and all this home run talk and I haven't even mentioned Brandon Hicks, who has had more home runs in two months as a Giant (8) than the second baseman he's replacing (Scutaro) has had in the past two seasons.  Regardless of what happens with Hicks, as long as he doesn't go the way of the the last two Giants second baseman (Freddy Sanchez, and, let's face it, Scutaro now too), everything will be fine. I'm just going to keep repeating that to myself until I believe it. His last name doesn't begin with an S, so perhaps we are safe. Let's hope so.

Around The Horn Round Up: May 16, 2014

Just some thoughts from yours truly about today's baseball happenings:

- Only a true Giants fan would think this, but the Dodgers playing the Diamondbacks as often as they do is simply unfair. Irrational on my part, but unfair nonetheless. Puig doesn't need help being Puig.

- We must live in Opposite World, because so far in tonight's Giants game Stanton is 0-4, but Dietrich and Yelich both have home runs. At AT&T Park, no less. Who orchestrated that madness?

- I miss Jarrod Saltalamacchia's curls. I hope he lets them grow throughout the season.

-  Max Scherzer is truly a beast. So is Sonny Gray, but in completely different ways.

- I identified Glen Perkins on TV tonight (closer for the Twins) without thinking about it. Obviously, I have problems. Lots of problems.

-  I dislike the Brewers for no particular reason, other than Ryan Braun. I really dislike them now because he's been hurt and yet they still manage to win. Ugh.

- Today was the first day in what felt like forever that there was no Red Sox or Yankees game on TV. Amazing.

- I was surprised to learn today that LaTroy Hawkins still has a job. With the Rockies. Where was I when this occurred?

- Miguel Tejada could be coming back to the majors this year. This confuses me for more reasons than I can count. Then again, Casey McGehee is back in the majors, which is doubly confusing.

- Zack Grienke is ridiculously good and I really wish he'd just stop. Like, once or three times. I'm not picky.

- My blog format wanted to correct my spelling of "Grienke" with "grinch." That's sort of awesome.

This concludes today's Around The Horn Round Up for May 16, 2014. Hope I'm still cool with y'all.

Madison Bumgarner is my spirit animal

Madison Bumgarner is the kind of person who makes me think back to what I was doing with my life at his age. He gets me thinking about these things, which is both good and bad. Not many players have made me think about that, because most baseball players are just players. Even some of the greats, even some of my favorites, are more or less just players. Of course, I have an inexplicable affinity for pitchers in particular, but that's not why Madison Bumgarner stands out to me. He has an unbelievable resume for a player who can't even legally rent a car in California yet. And recently, he yet again did something that most pitchers never do in their lifetimes: hit a grand slam. I personally think he was mad at himself for giving up a three run homer to Carlos Gonzalez and needed to let off some steam, which may or may not be why he hit that grand slam. But he hit a grand slam in a park that hasn't seen many grand slams, let alone by pitchers. Madison did not have his sharpest stuff on the mound that night, but he got through six innings and then gave his team the lead with his bat. He did his job.

So we know where Madison Bumgarner is now, in 2014, but what else has he done in his short career that's so impressive? Thrown multiple games with 10 strikeouts or more, pitched a 0.00 ERA in two World Series starts (14 innings of scoreless ball, y'all), been in the top 5 in WHIP in the National League for two seasons or more, pitched the most innings per start of pretty much any Giant since he's been one (200 innings or more in each of his three full seasons). And as far as I can tell, this was a guy who was drafted without much fanfare, out of high school. Matt Cain was the top dog when Bumgarner came along, both Southern boys drafted from nowhere high schools. Both turned out to be instrumental to the Giants winning two World Series titles in three years.

With better run support, Bumgarner would have a stellar win-loss record, but instead he has an average one, having won his 50th career start earlier this season. His Ks/9, ERA and WHIP stats tell a better story than his win-loss record. He has pitched some absolute gems that either ended in losses or no-decisions. While so many people have said that Matt Cain would be the next Giants next Cy Young winner, at this point, I'm more comfortable saying that Madison Bumgarner will be. And I'm not the only one. After just three full seasons, he is widely regarded as one of the best left handed pitchers in the National League, as well as in the Majors. Now that Matt Cain has thrown a perfect game and Tim Lincecum has thrown a no-hitter (past his prime, by the way), Bumgarner seems poised to do either one of these things, or more than likely, both.

Then there is Madison's personality to consider, which is one of the (many) things I like about him. He is a no nonsense, quiet young man who never seems to cave under pressure. He never makes excuses for his pitching, always points out his teammate's accomplishments, and is humble for someone who has accomplished so much at the age of 24. In his spare time, he tends to an entire ranch in his hometown of Hickory, North Carolina, where he ropes calves and is probably an above average horseman. When he lived with fellow lefty pitcher Jeremy Affeldt after first coming to the Giants, he was rumored to have roped his roommate's furniture when he was bored. He is not your average pitcher. And that is why Madison Bumgarner is my spirit animal. I can only imagine the other reasons for this as his career continues. The possibilities for him truly are endless.

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!