Gyro's - staying smart?

Well fanfest passed - Very happy I didn't make it

Not that I was in any shape to - More on that never.

While I didn't attend, some interesting nuggets came out of it - Baggs has it well covered:

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2009/02/07/sabean-breaks-from-fanfest-to-deliver-state-of-the-team/

I must say, the more this offseason I think keeping Sabean beyond 2009 is a must.

This team has been constructed very wisely. They have stayed true to the youth movement, and while they have signed some veterans, they are all short term deals that will plug holes for '09.

All the while, the team has stressed player development. Sabean has kept Pablo Sandoval's name pencilled in the line up the entire offseason. The team also has a mix of young players vying for time at second base, first base, and the fourth outfield spots.

All the time, Sabean has spoken to the media with a chip on his shoulder. He has been the face of the team since Bill Neukom took over, and he has ruled with an Iron Fist. He has been true to his word, drafting well, not passing on players due to "signability" issues. He is rebuilding this team in his vision, through developing players - a vision distorted in a last ditch attempt to grab a World Series while Bonds was raking.

Poor Barry - maybe he should have been nicer.

Anyway - I know that .500 ball would be probably the best they can hope for, this is still an incomplete team. They have offered Aurilia a minor league deal - which is nice considering none of the young second basemen prospects are exactly head turners. They have also offered Joe Crede a one year deal, which just deepens the line up and improves the defense.

Hell, they even brought Will Clark back just to show the youngsters some swagger.

And all this while Manny Ramirez is dangling, just waiting for a team to swoop in an woo him. Most GMs who want to save their jobs would throw money at the problem, go for the quick fix. Sabean has seen this method fail, and he has chose to keep his young players, keep his draft picks, save some money and stay the course.

I understand fans for getting impatient with teams for consistently failing to produce a winner, but bay area fans need to show restraint - Because I think by as early as next year, we will witness the rebuilt farm system begin to produce major league quality players.

Here is a cool video of Pablo Sandoval's offseason: