Here’s your Giants GM, showing the world why I complain about him all the time:
…. Any money that might have been used to pursue the pitcher didn’t suddenly become available to chase either of the elite free-agent hitters, Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez, (right?)
“No,” general manager Brian Sabean said.
So the rotation and lineup are pretty much as is. The Giants have four starters in place, are looking for one more on the free-agent market and have no plan to go after A.J. Burnett or Derek Lowe.
It would be a one-year deal, Sabean said, and Randy Johnson, 45, is as expensive as it’ll get.
As for everyday players, Sabean remains pessimistic about trading for a corner infielder, saying, “I don’t know how much more we can spin the Rubik’s cube.”
Exactly, because we’ve got four mediocrities making $10 million per, instead of one or two stars making $15 million. Because we have no long-term plan, and no vision.
Wait, it gets better:
…. “We never made an offer. We never had a meeting,” Sabean said. “It wasn’t even pie-in-the-sky. It was the longest of long shots.”
In an interview in his Bellagio suite, Sabean told four reporters that the media are to blame for making the Sabathia-Giants development seem bigger than it was. The more he spoke, the more riled and defensive he seemed to get.
He was particularly annoyed when asked about fans’ possible perception that the attention given to Sabathia now could go to Teixeira or Ramirez.
“The press created that perception. I didn’t,” Sabean said. “When did we say we’re going after Sabathia? When? When did we say we’re going to make an offer? When did we say we’re going to give him $100 million or $160 million? No, never. That’s your problem. You created it. So because you created it and it’s in my lap, now you’re right, now I’ve got to respond to the fans. That’s what’s wrong with the process.”
In retrospect, Sabean questioned Sabathia’s interest in returning to his Northern California roots.
“How interested was he? He said he was interested. Do I know that? I never met with the player,” Sabean said. “So everywhere you turn with this, because you guys created the perception, I’ve got to respond to this, and I and the organization get fucked, and I’m sick of it. So it’s now my fault that we’re not going after Teixeira when everybody in the press has us going after Sabathia.”
Uh, yeah, well, all you would’ve needed to do to change that perception is, you know, speak. The perception is that you are incompetent, because you are. If Sabathia said he wanted to stay in Northern California, you owed it to the fans to have a meeting with him, and find out for yourself just how sincere that sentiment was.
Just like you owe it to the fans to field a competitive team, something we haven’t done in 5 years.
I gotta go, so discuss amongst yourselves until I get back, but I’m not done….
4 Backtalkers
Where is Neukom in the midst of this? It seems that Sabean and Magowan were joined at the hip. With the neu-fella taking over, I expected a bit of a shake-up, which in the MLB means Manager & GM. Alas, no such luck.
Sabean has definitely kicked off the FA period on the wrong foot
Sabean was back on the radio with Tolbert and Barbieri Wednesday night. Not since Baribieri was hounding Sabean about Benitez has Sabean sounded so sullen, contentious and just flat out antagonistic. Sabean and his apologists keep insisting they are on the right track. Since 2004. Four consecutive losing seasons with apparently, a fifth about to kick off if the lack of lineup improvements is not remedied, which according to Sabean, there appears little likelihood of. In the very subpar NL West. Which consists of the Giants, Dodgers, and three expansion teams since O’malley and Stoneham moved west in 58. The Giants have not had 5 consecutive losing seasons, and only suffered through 4 from 1974 through 1977 (finishing one game under .500 in ‘75.
Here is the starting lineup for the sad sack Giants of 1977 that finished at 75 and 87…a miserable 12 games under .500
Manager: Joe Altobelli. Nice company don’t rock the boat yes man.
Thomasson cf
Andrews 2b
Madlock 3b
Evans lf
McCovey 1b
Whitfield rf
Speier ss
Hill c
Montefusco p
One might look at those name through rose colored glasses and go “hmmm, not too bad.” Until one looks at the record.
The franchise is a disgrace. Aside from the ballpark for architecture students, and Tim Lincecum for afficianado’s of dwarf flame throwers, there is nothing to see. This is the worst era in San Francisco Giants history. At least when the last bunch of losers Stoneham/Lurie put out, had Candlestick and piss poor attendance to blame as a contributing cause. No such excuse exists anymore. Just ineptness. Arrogance. Greed. Cynicism, come to mind as well.
Here was the Giants lineup on opening day in 2005.
Manager. Felipe Alou
Durham 2b
Vizquel ss
Snow 1b
Alou rf,lf
Feliz lf
Alfonzo 3b
Grissom cf
Matheny c
Schmidt p
These clowns finished 75W and 87L. It took a last minute surge provided by a crippled Barry Bonds to get them to 12 games under .500 for the season. To put them on a par with the 1977 Giants. Swell.
This year’s projected lineup.
Mgr. Bruce Bochy Nice company yes man.
Winn
Renteria
Sandoval
Molina
Ishikawa/Bowker/Aurilia
Rowand
Lewis/Shierholz/
Burris/Frandsen/Velez
Lincecum
At least the Giants have Zito and Dave Roberts. This is a team that is little changed from last years 72-90 debacle. A debacle only less disastrous due to Tim Lincecum’s Cy Young performance of 18-5, a record tarnished by 6 blown saves incidentally.
And the fools over at McCoveys Chronicles by a 70/30 margin like the Giants roster as it is currently made up. I think these must be the same people who think the AIG bailout is a good thing. Anybody that thinks the addition of Josh Phelps, Edgar Rentaria, and a couple of 30 something ham n egger middle relievers is going to make this team interesting, never mind competitive, is only kidding themselves.
Whats worse, is there is no plan. There is not even wishful thinking emanating from the front office. Only in-your-face, take it or leave it antagonism from NY Yankee fugitive Sabean.
Go back to Maine or New Hampshire or whatever little dump of a burg you came from Saean. Your bad manners and contempt for followers of the Giants has played itself out. This asshat is MLB’s version of Joe Thomas and Al Davis rolled into one. At least the greedy and senile Davis provided his gullible fans a couple of Superbowl wins before he finally ran the franchise into the ground. And Eddie Debartolo had the good sense to rid himself of the crackpot crank, Thomas at the end of the 1977 season and replace him with Bill Walsh.
But what we get is more Alous, Bochy’s, Sabean’s Zitos, Roberts, Winns, Rentaria’s, Alfonsos, Righetti’s, Benitiez, Pyrshitshkis, and ad nauseum. Nobody is held accountable. Nobody. Because the money keeps rolling in and the suckers by a 70/30 margin continue to patronize the “ballpark and garlic fries experience of Pier 39 south.
Fools.
Because the money keeps rolling in and the suckers by a 70/30 margin continue to patronize the “ballpark and garlic fries experience of Pier 39 south.
Fools.
Yeah. Those of us who like the roster as a step in the right direction are doing so only for the garlic fries. There haven’t been hundreds of thousands of words of discussion about the roster over on McCovey Chronicles. We just love them fries.
Oh, and I noticed that within your rant, there wasn’t one solution presented. There wasn’t a “sign Manny” or “sign Texiera” nor was there a “trade for this player.” You’re an angry, petulant child who wants things now, now, now, now. The Giants have decided to build through the farm system, and they’ve done a good job so far. They have one of the top farm systems in the game. But because Sabean doesn’t fart quality position players ready to step in the lineup, nor is he willing to tie up the payroll for years to come in order to get a player of limited value, he’s obviously failing. Not because he isn’t doing what you want (because if you knew who you wanted, you would have said so) but because the roster isn’t filled with free agents and trade targets who fit with the rebuilding plan. The fact that those players don’t exist is a minor point, but don’t let that stop you.