2011 National League West Sneak Peek No. 1: Can the San Francisco Giants Repeat?

Pitchers and catchers report in about two months, but this doesn't silence the baseball talk. Let's look at the NL West thus far. We'll start with the Giants and then move on to different teams on different posts. Be sure to take the appropriate themed poll on the right.

The Winter Meetings have started, but it seems the Giants prefer to stand pat. They have publicly stated they aren't going after any of the top free agents, and why should they? The team of misfits they put together last year achieved baseball immortality, so why should the team be assembled any differently?

So far, the Giants appear to be the favorite in 2011. They have retained  most of their tremendous pitching staff, who was first in baseball in ERA and strikeouts in 2010. All they lost were the likes of Guillermo Mota and Chris Ray, but their whole starting rotation remains in tact for 2011 and beyond.

The Giants' offense only needs to be passable to win the West, but anything less will not get the job done. In 2009, the Giants' offense was abysmal, one of the worst in baseball history. Even so, they somehow won 88 games, but it was not enough to beat out the Rockies for the Wild Card. In 2010, the Giants were closer to the middle of the pact in hitting, and they won the West with 92 games. Now that the Giants added Tejada, Cody Ross (mid-2010), Pat Burrell (mid-2010), and a more healthy Pablo Sandoval (who lost 15 pounds in San Diego so far), the Giants' offense is a worlds better than on April of 2010. Not to mention a stronger bench, with Mark Derosa returning in 2011. Don't forget Buster Posey who just jolted the offense in July.

The one weakness I see for the Giants is athleticism. With the exception of Torres and Schierholtz, team speed is week and so is their range. If Pablo Sandoval loses a few more pounds, I think he can give the Giants more athleticism as he did when he first came up in 2008. Watch any of his baserunning from '08, and you would think he was Carl Crawford compared to the way he runs now. Right now, I think the Giants need to pick up a speedster who isn't a loss at the plate (not an Eugenio Velez). Darren Ford can fly, but I don't think the Giants trust him entirely at the plate yet.

That said, I pick the San Francisco Giants to win the West once again. Their pitching is just superb, and I think having Burrell, Ross, Buster Posey, and Torres in the lineup for a full season will get them 95-100 wins. Imagine how many of those early season 2010 games they would have won with these players.

Next, we will look at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Uribe is a Dodger, but will it really help them? Stay tuned for their analysis. Also, be sure to take my poll on the right! For more on the Dodgers, check out the LA Sports Minute Blog on the right. My man Cody Binyon has got some good thoughts, although I disagree with him about how the Dodgers are good.

Also, I will give out my awards for 2010 for all of baseball!

One more thing. I am thinking of conducting interviews with baseball fans a la Marty Lurie and posting them here. Let me know what you think or if you want to be an interviewee! I like meeting new people and talking baseball, so I feel this would be a great little project for me. Post your comments and let me know.

If you have any questions or comments about my blog, contact me at vc4re@yahoo.com.

Giants hot-stove update, Velez and Ray free agents, Giants re-sign Pat Burrell

Got some news off the wire to pass along...

The Giants have non-tendered Chris Ray and Eugenio Velez. They are both now free agents. For Ray, it appears he fell victim to a crowded bullpen. The Giants already have Javier Lopez, Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt, Ramon Ramirez, and Santiago Casilla set in the bullpen for 2011. Dan Runzler is planned to be a factor as well as Casilla's brother Jose. As for Velez, they gave him ample chances to succeed, but his career .256 average, career .300 OBP, and his countless defensive lapses were too much for the Giants to give him a contract.

On the other hand, Cody Ross, Andres Torres, Javier Lopez, Jonathan Sanchez, Santiago Casilla, Ramon Ramirez, and Mike Fontenot were all tendered contract. In addition, Pat Burrell was re-signed by the Giants for a discounted price. The official dollar amount is still unknown. Re-signing Aubrey Huff might have had something to do with this.

I guess the Giants are sticking to the "don't fix it, if it aint broke" mentality. The vast majority of the 2010 championship team remains in tact so far, with the exception of Juan Uribe, Edgar Renteria, and Guillermo Mota. Not to mention, the signing of Miguel Tejada brings that Uribe-like leader type into the clubhouse who can mentor the Latin players, such as Pablo Sandoval. If they couldn't have Uribe, why not sign someone who is almost like him attitude-wise?

I also heard from KNBR that Uribe said he didn't decide he wanted to go sign with the Dodgers. Does this mean his agent made the decision for him? I thought the player had the final say over where to sign.

Here's another note to pass along. The Dodgers non-tendered Russell Martin tonight. He is now a free agent. I think the Giants should pick him up as Posey's backup catcher. He can also play first or third, which gives the Giants another option in case Pablo Sandoval cannot get his act together. Plus, he can still contribute and a change of scenery might do him well (it worked for Huff after all). He is only 27 years old and gets on base (.365 career OBP), which is something the Giants struggle with. The Dodgers took one of the Giants' players, why not return the favor?

The hot stove will continue to sizzle. Check back for more updates.

Giants' First World Series Title In San Francisco Excites San Jose Sports Bar

Fans have dubbed most of the Giants’ 2010 season and post-season as torture, but after the team’s impressive World Series victory against the Texas Rangers, the Giants’ faithful at the High Five Pizza Co. restaurant and sports bar felt euphoric.

The Giants won the seven-game World Series in just five games, courtesy of a Game 5 seventh-inning three-run home run from the series’ MVP Edgar Renteria, and brought home the first championship in their San Francisco history.

Cathleen Belknap, a manager at High Five, was among those who were thrilled about the Giants’ World Series title. She said that although she was a southern California native, she began following the Giants when the play-off games were on the televisions at work, and when everyone came into the restaurant to watch them.

“I feel very good about it because it will bring revenue to the city, and it’s long overdue so it is nice for the fans,” Belknap said.

Like Belknap, bartender Mark Mitchell recently began following the Giants during the frenzy when the play-offs began. As a fan of San Francisco itself, he felt the Giants’ World Series victory was one of the best things to happen to the city.

“I really liked what it did to the city of San Francisco,” Mitchell said. “It was similar to what happened when the Saints won the Super Bowl.”

Mitchell was also drawn to the team by the personality and charm of some of the players, including Buster Posey, his favorite.

“I saw Buster Posey in an interview, and I was impressed with the way he conducted himself,” Mitchell said. “If I see him, I would like to buy him a beer.”

Some were so excited about the Giants’ World Series title that they celebrated in surprising ways. Kealaa Kai, a concrete foreman for the city of San Jose and regular patron at High Five, told of his experience at another San Jose sports bar.

“I went to a bar in downtown San Jose, and after the Giants won, the owner bought a round of drinks for all his customers in the bar at the time,” Kai said.

Others were just relieved that the Giants won at least one title in their lifetime, and they are confident many more are on the way.

“I’m so happy they did it while I’m young,” said Katerina Nowack, a cashier and cook at the restaurant. “I am excited that everyone on the team is so young, and there’s a good chance it (a Giants World Series title) might happen again.”

Even fans of opposing teams, including the Giants’ archrival Los Angeles Dodgers, could not help but feel happy for Giants fans. Greg Scaglione, another High Five bartender, has been a Dodger fan since birth, but showed an understanding of what the World Series victory meant to Giants fans.

“I’ve known a lot of people who were Giants fans, and it’s really good for them,” Scaglione said.

             In years past, every last game of the season for San Francisco has ended in defeat, but this year, it was the San Francisco Giants who had the last victorious word in Major League Baseball.

Giants Hot-Stove Update, Blog Plans

The hot stove is sizzling:

The Giants resigned Aubrey Huff to a two-year deal worth $22 million with a club option for 2013. Details about the signing could be found here. I like this deal, but $22 million seems a little high for me, considering Huff's page, but that's just the nature of the business. When somebody leads a team to a World Series title, the price will naturally jump up.

The Giants are searching for an everyday shortstop. They did offer Juan Uribe salary arbitration, but if he declines or cannot negotiate a deal with the Giants, other options exist. They are currently in talks with Miguel Tejada to fill the shortstop void, and have shown no interest in Derek Jeter. I personally thing Juan Uribe is a better option than both. Juan Uribe displayed more power than Tejada, leading 20 homers to Tejada's 15, and Derek Jeter, who hit just 10 home runs. Plus, Uribe has won two world series rings, something Tejada cannot say he has done. The Diamondbacks' Stephen Drew was also on the Giants' radar, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants also were interested in the Mets' Jose Reyes, according to Schulman, but they wanted 3 or 4 players in return. My gut says the two sides will work something out, and Uribe will be back in orange and black.

Also, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that the Dodgers were very interested in Aubrey Huff, but it didn't work out as Giants fans know.

Another tidbit. The Giants will begin spring training on Feb. 25 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It will be here before you know it!

If you have any more information, send me a tip by private message, e-mail, or send a comment below. 

One more recommendation: Go to McCovey's restaurant in Walnut Creek. It is an excellent experience for any Giants fan!

Here's a cool pic from the victory parade. I took it inside the Civic Center Library.

Blog plans, quick Giants news and notes

Hello fans.

The off-season is here, but that does not mean I won't be blogging. I  know I took a lay-off in between posts, but I am going to update this at least once a week with Giants hot-stove league coverage. Unfortunately, I do not yet have the power to do full reporting like I would like to (cross your fingers someone notices this, and I get that media pass I dream of getting), but I would do the best I can from online and television sources. Who knows? Maybe, I might ask a source in the Giants for information, but I am not expecting any response.

The off-season is young, but here are some of the happenings in the hot-stove league that I have heard so far:

Aubrey Huff and the Giants have a mutual interest. It is no secret that Huff would like to come back, but he did not rule out exploring the market. All indications point to the Giants and Huff working something out. Also, for what it's worth, a caller on KNBR 680 said that somebody he knew recently installed an alarm system into Aubrey Huff's mother's house. Huff recently moved his mother out to San Francisco, so for those Giants fans who enjoyed Huff's antics, then this is good news for you.

If the Giants want to retain Juan Uribe, they're going to have to open their wallet. Uribe recently told the media that he was going to wait and see how Derek Jeter's contract plays out before deciding on who he will sign with. Even if the Giants lose Uribe, I think the Giants could upgrade here, whether it be through trades, free agency, or minor league prospect Brandon Belt, who tore up the minor leagues last year. It's no secret the Giants need to improve their walk total and .OBP, and Uribe doesn't fit that bill. Still, Uribe has that intangible quality that any good team should have.

That's all I've heard so far. The pitching staff is here to stay, Posey isn't going anywhere for a long time, and Cody Ross will be hitting clutch homers for another year.

My next post will occur tomorrow night after I submit my Giants localization story for my journalism class. It will be put up right here soon after. For those of you itching for more Giants baseball, don't worry. Before you know it, it will be back from Dodger Stadium on April 1st! Road trip anyone?

My Giants NLCS Reaction Story

For my journalism class, I wrote a reaction story to the Giants winning the NLCS and advancing to the World Series. Just for fun, I am going to post it here. This is more professional than my previous posts in that it follows AP Style to the tee. I will have a World Series Giants reaction soon, as that assignment is due Wednesday. Enjoy!

De Anza College Excited As Giants Win Their Fourth Pennant in San Francisco

Fans have dubbed the Giants’ 2010 season as torture, but after the team’s thrilling victory against the Philadelphia Phillies that secured its trip to the World Series, the Giants’ faithful at De Anza College are feeling pleasure and excitement rather than anguish.

The clinching game for the Giants in the National League Championship Series, game six, in Philadelphia, certainly had its torturous moments. With the Giants clinging to a one-run lead, courtesy of Juan Uribe’s go-ahead home run in the top of the eighth inning, Giants’ closer Brian Wilson allowed fans to breathe a sigh of relief, as he struck out Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard with a gutsy back-door slider on a 3-2 count to end the game.

Diana Urkumyan, third-year journalism and public relations major at De Anza, started following the Giants this year in the midst of the playoff run, but experienced the emotional rollercoaster like so many die-hard fans. While she was nervous in the bottom of the ninth inning, that anxiety soon turned to joy after Wilson recorded the final out.

“I am super-excited,” Urkumyan said. “I am so proud of them.”

The beginning of the game also had some tense moments.

Cecilia Deck, journalism instructor at De Anza, also fell victim to the emotional ups and downs of Giants baseball, feeling nervous when Jonathan Sanchez and Chase Utley engaged in an altercation in the bottom of the third inning after Sanchez hit Utley on the back with a fastball.

“I was scared something terrible would happen because I’m a new baseball fan,” Deck said. “I didn’t know what could happen.”

Some fans are excited about the 2010 Giants because they feel that this team is easier to identify with than past Giants’ teams, contrasting sharply with the media circus days of Barry Bonds and his movie star persona.

Walter Alvarado, classified staff member for La Voz, likes the Giants’ camaraderie and thinks it propels them to win.

“I enjoy that this team is a team,” Alvarado said. “That’s what’s missing in sports nowadays, and they got the momentum and everything is lined up for them to go all the way.”

Even though die-hard Giants fans are enthusiastic about the team’s success, general baseball fans are rooting for the Giants to do well in the World Series as well.

Matt Guevara, a first-year undecided major, does not have a favorite baseball team, but watched all their playoff games and hopes the Giants can win the World Series.

“I don’t have a particular team I root for, but I love baseball,” Guevara said. “As a baseball fan, I want to see the Giants do well because I think their scrappy style of play and their display of teamwork is good for the game.”

Alex Mendiola, third-year public relations major, enjoys the thrill of Giants baseball so much that he hopes the Giants win the World Series in seven games, the maximum number of games the series can have.

“I love excitement,” Mendiola said. “I want everyone on their tippy toes, so I predict the Giants will win in seven.”

The World Series begins Wednesday night, and fans will be ready to cheer the Giants on, no matter how much torture their team will make them endure.