What's happening..

[garyd4sf]

I'm usually pretty good at following a plan but so far Faidi has me clueless. He might be getting ideas from a closed séance where nothing leaves the room but the ghosties.

Bumgarner gone? Pillar gone? Will Smith and Vogt are gone. Talks of getting a new second baseman/shortstop  and a big bat and lots of talking up the farm system but where are we?

The Dodger fans are rioting with yet another  year world series champion-less. And the word down here is some shakeup and rebuild of the staff with Ryu going. Hill over the hill as may be their closer. Kershaw in a diminishing fast ball act. They have deep pockets and can trade 2 or 3 for 1. But with this fan base they better get it right.

[rxmeister]

It’s so early, Gary, it’s tough to tell what the plan is. I think yesterday was the busiest day yet, with the Gibson and Pomerantz signings and the Padres-Brewers trade, so maybe it’s heating up a bit. Some fans want a full rebuild, others want us in on elite free agents, and I think they’ll wind up somewhere in between. They recognize they can’t compete with teams like the Dodgers, Braves etc right now, but on the other hand they have tickets to sell so they have to make some decent moves that gives the fans a product they would spend money on. Comparing the baseball off season to the free agent frenzy of basketball and football is almost depressing! Used to be fun in the good old days.

[garyd4sf]

Yes, the 'good old days' seem so far away.

Baseball has too many HRs that dominate the games. Basketball has the three pointer where guys drop back 10 feet beyond the line and still nails it. Football is dominated by the same 2-3 teams year after year.

Give me the old competition days where money was only one of the key elements. And results were in doubt.


Here's what I might do:
Deaden the baseball which likely will happen this year.
Lessen the 3 point impact where every third "3" resulted in a basket and given the 3 points, the others count as 2 pointers and a tally towards the extra three. A made 3 resets the tally count.
In Football I don't know where to start there. 

[klaiggeb]

You're right, Gary, those "good old days" seem like a lifetime behind us.

I agree with your assessment of Farhan this off season.

I don't know what took him so bleedin' long to select a GM, and I STILL don't get the Kapler pick.

I really, really don't.

Couple that with his NO moves this off season, and I'm baffled.

I know Mark is right, it's still early, but this team needs help!

This team needs electro shock therapy.

This team needs baseball EMT's... and Farhan isn't providing it.

Not to say he won't, but to date, I'm not "off season" impressed.

As to changes, and you're all going to hate me for this;

1-I like deadening the baseball

2-I'd get rid of basketball and soccer

[garyd4sf]

Basketball is my second favorite sport. Nothing like it when one gets into a personal zone and cant miss getting a basket on just about every shot. But I do tire of the Three pointer in which the players range is infinite and a guy just hitting 30% is equal to 45% shooting on 2 point shots. Get up to 40% and its obscene. That's 60% 2 point shooting… with no skin (bruises) in the game and FTs coming when they use a version of the Reggie Miller kick out move.

As to baseball I do think the Giants farm club system is improved and signs of that showed up this season. They need some pop at second/SS as Crawford slows down at SS, and need to get the hitting prowess of last seasons Pillar with better coverage of CF.

On pitching I think that Bumgarner (I love this guy) would still hurt the Giants as a re-signing ala Kershaw's numbers going forward. But that means they have to depend on a Cueto comeback, and improvements to the young starters. If there is a Buehler in the farm system bring him up now.

[klaiggeb]

I simply cannot stand Basketball, Gary. Sorry.

Genetic freaks who are into hot dogging even more than football.

[klaiggeb]

I simply cannot stand Basketball, Gary. Sorry.

Genetic freaks who are into hot dogging even more than football.

[garyd4sf]

Hating Basketball is OK.

We agree on Soccer. Any game where the total number of shots on goal can be counted on "Three Finger" Mordechai Brown's hand is not for me.

[rxmeister]

I don’t understand the soccer love at all. It’s insane whenever I visit another country. When I was in London I went to a sports bar on a Sunday because they were one of the few that showed NFL football and we got there fifteen minutes early and a soccer game was on. The place was packed and you couldn’t even move. I told my son no way we’re staying here we’ll never get a table. Two minutes later the soccer game ended and everybody left! There was literally five people left to watch football. I went to Iceland last month (what a gorgeous country!) and our tour guide was so transfixed by the soccer game I was afraid he’d drive off the road. We got engaged in a good natured argument about football vs soccer, and he even got upset when you called his sport soccer instead of football. I said to him nobody ever scores, you’ve been watching for three hours and I’ll bet the score is 0-0! He looked at me sheepishly and said 1-0. I rest my case! Back to the Giants, the only free agents signing right now are ones that teams are paying way too much for. Look at Drew Pomerantz 4/35! He had a minor league deal last year. I don’t know who decided to make him a short reliever, if it was Bochy or Zaidi, but one of them should get a nice big fat commission. And if it’s Zaidi, just another reason to have faith in him.

[klaiggeb]

Mark, though I'm not crazy about the lack of scoring in soccer, that's not my issue.

My issue is... you can't use your freaking hands and arms!

Name one other sport that denies the use of an appendage.

You can't.

And my soccer friend's lame argument is, "the goalie can."

Ummm. One player? Seriously?

One player?

Or my other favorite is, "you can throw the ball in with your hands."

Sorry, those arguments don't hold water because for 95% or more of the game, you have to use only your feet or legs.

We are human beings, not monkeys.

Monkeys use their feet like hands, humans don't.

I contend, facetiously, that the sport was invented by the Marquis de Sade.


The Marquis was sitting around torturing people one day by cutting off their arms, and he said, "hey! Let's create a game for these guys! Could be fun, watching them run around like monkeys!"

And instead of a ball, they used some poor guy's head!

In other sports your use of hands and arms might have some restrictions, like, "holding," for instance.

But to completely deny their use?


Here's the coaching I heard from a high school soccer coach one afternoon.

"Keeek da bahl! Keek da bahl!

That's coaching?

Kick the ball?

sorry, I'll pass.

[garyd4sf]

Mark, I also had an incident in London while using the Tube to get around to sight-seeing. This gang of rowdy soccer fans (not even close to an apt description) had leathers, chains and makeup that made Oakland Raider fans look like the JV.

Fearfully, I see this giant man approaching and he stares at me and says "who are you rooting for?" Quickly an answer came to me …"Your team!". He looks at me and yells "Good Man" and moved merrily on. Thank goodness, I don't look good wrapped in iron chains.

[rxmeister]

Great story Gary and quick thinking! I’ve seen many a fight at an NFL game, but it’s nothing that compares to what I’ve heard happens at a soccer game. I was actually there at the same time England was playing for the World Cup and it was crazy over there. People were lined up outside of sports bars to watch the game through the windows because you couldn’t get in. We had to eat dinner at around midnight because every restaurant was packed with soccer fans until the game ended. Fortunately there was no violence because this is the one time where they’re all rooting for the same team!

[Islandboagie]

I think part of our enjoyment of sports is what we grew up with. If dad had baseball on the TV or radio while we were just youngsters, we're more inclined to watch it when we're grown because it brings us back to our childhood.

I think soccer is painful to watch, just like some people have the same reaction to baseball.

[Islandboagie]

Boly- You're right, Gary, those "good old days" seem like a lifetime behind us.


Boagie- That's what everyone keeps saying, yet the Nationals won a Championship with pitching and solid defense. They have a few guys that can hit, but clearly Scherzer and Strasburg were the main reason for their success.

[klaiggeb]

Dec 4, 2019 10:25:13 GMT -5 Islandboagie said:

Boly- You're right, Gary, those "good old days" seem like a lifetime behind us.


Boagie- That's what everyone keeps saying, yet the Nationals won a Championship with pitching and solid defense. They have a few guys that can hit, but clearly Scherzer and Strasburg were the main reason for their success.

We don't exactly have 1 horse, much less two horses, that can match that, boagie, and it doesn't look like we will in the near future, either.

Like I said; "Seems like a life time behind us."

[Islandboagie]

I wasnt speaking of just the Giants, Boly, I was referring to the myth that you need a stacked lineup of power hitters to be competitive in today's game. The Nats proved last year that's simply not true.

[klaiggeb]

Sorry I misunderstood, boagie.

I agree with you. The Pitching and Defense model was a great one for us.

the only thing I'd like to add to that is going back to something I've been saying since PacBell, AT&T, and now Oracle needs; team speed.

In our ball park, I still see that as a necessity.

[klaiggeb]

Sorry I misunderstood, boagie.

I agree with you. The Pitching and Defense model was a great one for us.

the only thing I'd like to add to that is going back to something I've been saying since PacBell, AT&T, and now Oracle needs; team speed.

In our ball park, I still see that as a necessity.

[rxmeister]

All sports evolve though. Basketball was once aggressive defense and getting the closest shot you can get. Now it’s run and gun and throw up three pointers. Football was ground and pound, and now it’s wide open with much more passing and the best QB’s are the mobile ones. Baseball was pitching and defense up until the last few years, now it’s the long ball. Of course you still need good pitching, but today’s managers can work around deficiencies with openers and deep bullpens. You need the long ball to win now. Maybe pitching dominates in the post season, and that’s why Washington won, but look at the other teams in the playoffs. The big power teams. If you look at team HR leaders, teams 1-5 ALL made the playoffs and it was seven of the first eight. The only way to win these days is power.

[Islandboagie]

The teams that had a ton of homeruns did fare well, but many of those teams also spent the most money.

St. Louis made the playoffs and they were 24th in homeruns.

The Nats were 13th in homeruns, they won it all.

7 of the top 10 teams with the best ERA also made the postseason.

Obviously having a lineup that hits a lot of homeruns does give you an advantage, but saying "you NEED a lot of power to compete just isn't accurate.

St. Louis led baseball in fielding percentage which allowed them to still be competitive despite not having a stacked lineup.

Teams can find other, less expensive, ways to win. That's all I'm saying.