Bochy - not the answer

Sometimes I wonder if the Giants are winning games IN SPITE of Manager Bruce Bochy.

One morning on the way to work, I heard analyst Mike Krukow say Bochy was one of the best managers he's been around - as a player or announcer. I almost drove my car off 680.

The team just dropped their second straight game to the Cardinals, and I put it specifically on Bochy's size ten and a half dome.

It has been well documented - when Barry Zito starts with Bengie Molina behind the plate, his chances of having a good start diminish. Two starts ago, with Eli Whiteside behind the plate, Zito took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Barry Zito's ERA this season is 4.82; when Molina is catching him his ERA is 6.85.

Surprise surprise - Zito didn't make it out of the fifth inning today, and Molina was behind the dish.

I'm not saying it is either player's fault, but the pattern has formed. Last year, when Zito had his resurgence, it was when Pablo Sandoval began catching him. The same trend continued this year, whether it was Steve Holm, Sandoval or Whiteside catching him.

Yet, over his past ten starts, Bochy keeps trotting out Molina for most of them. Any what happened? Zito's ERA has ballooned up near 5 again.

Bochy has also shown an over reliance on unproductive players. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why Fred Lewis ever makes it onto the field unless the other outfielder on the bench pinch hit and someone is hurt.

Lewis has shown this - he swings and misses alot. He doesn't play very good defense(three errors of the six made by Giants outfielders this year, and if official scorers had their druthers, he'd have at least two more). He drops flyballs that routinely hit him in the webbing of his mitt. He is fast, yet isn't a very good base stealer (5 steals/9 attempts). He has decent power, yet cannot make contact.

But there he is, playing over Andres Torres every chance he gets. I am not saying Andres Torres is a world beater, but he is what he is - He is a solid defender, who sometimes takes the place of 12 million dollar a year center fielder Aaron Rowand as a defensive replacement in the late innings.

So while establishing he is a better fielder, Lewis must get the at bats over him because of his superior bat, right? Wrong again. Lewis, in 209 plate appearances, has 11 RBIs. 11 RBIs-I say it again because it bears repeating. Torres, on the other hand, has a higher average, higher on base percentage, and a higher slugging percentage (albeit in a much smaller sample size - 55 at bats). Oh, and he has one less RBI than Lewis - and Lewis started the season batting THIRD!!!

So what have I learned about Bochy? That he cannot see things that people who have to buy a ticket can see. Tonight, Lewis misplayed a ball in the first inning that, rather than being an out, turned into runners on second and third with none out. Both scored, and Lewis went 0-4 with a strike out and 3 runners left on base. Zito struggled again, and the Giants lost.

Molina is getting old in age - is it really an issue to give him a day off every fifth day, especially if it turns Zito into a superior pitcher? And why not give Torres a chance, who does much more things to help you win?

I know management had hoped Lewis was the left fielder of the future - that he would shore up his defensive shortcomings while hitting .300 and provide some pop from the left side of the plate. Well that isn't going to happen. Last year he blamed the bunion - this year he is healthy and worse. If the Giants want to continue to stay at the lead of the wild card chase, and hope to catch the Dodgers, Bochy is gong to have to make some changes.

What is the saying - "Madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result"?

Brian Sabean is partially at fault for this as well. John Bowker has 16 home runs at AAA - when do you give up on the Fred Lewis experiment and give a more productive player a chance? Bowker showed major league power last year, hit a skid and found himself back in AAA. Now he is having his best season as a pro - he has to wonder what else he has to do to make the big club.

And don't even get me started on Rich Aurilia - if he was with any other organization, he'd have been cut by now.

So far, this season has been a success. But the team still has room to grow. They need to get out of their own way and make some tough decisions on this roster to take the next step and continue the growth of this young team.

P.S. It looks like my Victor Martinez pipe dream is dead - Sabean addressed the rumors on KNBR today and said Jermaine Dye isn't available, and that Martinez would cost one of our top prospects, something Sabean isn't willing to do. While I am glad that Sabean isn't willing to mortgage the future to make a premature run at the playoffs, I still think finding a bat is a priority. The team has obvious holes at second and left field, and could probably use an upgrade at first as well. Seems like trading a reliever and a player to be named later for Mark Derosa would have been a significant upgrade to both the line up and the defense, yet the team missed the boat on that. I keep coming to Sabean's defense, but at some point you have to wonder just how "in the loop" he really is.

Giants are contenders - get used to it

All off season, as the Giants made their moves, I thought, "well, maybe they'll be a .500 team... at least a little fun to watch"

Looks like they are going to be more than that.

I hadn't prepared for Pablo Sandoval to contend for the batting title at mid-season and Matt Cain to break out. All the pieces seem to be falling together for the team, who just knocked around Chris Carpenter for six runs in five innings en route to a third straight win on the road.

The team has the second best record in the NL, is 6 games behind the Dodgers.

Bruce Jenkins broke down the Giants competition - and they appear to be in the best shape.

So with more than enough pitching, good defense, and a line up that seems to be one bat away from serious run production, the trade market is heating up.

The Giants have been linked to scouting Victor Martinez and Jermaine Dye. Both fill needs - a power hitting presence to insert in the middle of the line up, and are signed beyond this season.

Buster Olney seems to think the Giants and White Sox aren't a match for a trade - I agree considering Dye is old and the White Sox aren't out of it.

On the other hand, the Indians are terrible and aren't going anywhere soon. Martinez is only locked up through next season, and he seems to be a perfect fit. Imagine sliding right between Sandoval and Big Money Molina, solidifying the line up for the rest of the season, and next.

The problem is he wont be cheap- so if he is going to cost a Buster Posey or another top prospect, it will likely be hands off.

Another potential target: Purely speculation by Andrew Baggarly, throwing Mark Tehean's name out there. I like him because he wouldn't break the bank, is a good hitter with a little pop, and will likely take up Fred Lewis or Rich Aurilia's roster spot.

In the end, I think an upgrade is necessary - whether it is to improve the bench, or the starting line up - because the team looks for real. But if they don't add a bat, a prolonged slump by Molina or Sandoval could drop the team in the standings. Plus, with GM Brian Sabean in the last year of his deal, he sure would look smart pulling a playoff birth out of his hat when no one expected them to make it.

NBA draft hangover

Well, that was - interesting.

Blake Griffin went # 1 overall, Ricky Rubio fell a few spots, and the Warriors surprised everyone by taking a point guard (Stephen Curry) after weeks of saying they believed Monta Ellis was a true point guard.

Oh, and Patty Mills fucked up.

I blame it on multiple factors. 1, Mills thought getting his picture on the front of the Contra Costa Times was equal to getting it on the front of the New York Times, 2. Teams in the NBA slept on his quickness and skill, and 3. Mills just doesn't have a typical NBA body. I mean, he doesn't dunk and Baron Davis would back him down 10/10 times.

Its a shame - Mills could have stayed here, gotten his degree, beat Gonzaga a couple times, maybe won a few tournament games, and it only would have improved his draft status. Now he's a Trailblazer, with experts saying they have too much guard for him to even make the squad.

"He can be a solid back-up point guard in the NBA and honestly I'm surprised that he didn't go a lot higher in this draft," said ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas . "I thought he would be a late first-round pick or pretty early in the second round."

The Warriors, on the other hand, are the talk of the town. Bruce Jenkins of the Chronicle thinks they picked up the best shooter in the draft. But the rumors flying around is that Curry wont be around for long, because he could be part of a package for Amare Stoudemire.

Either way, the W's are better today than they were Wednesday.

BTW, who advised Mills to go to the draft? Bob Berry?

Defense? We talkin bout defense?

The A’s might have the worst defensive corner outfielders I have ever seen.

Watching the Giants play the A’s for 6 games, I’ve seen about all the A’s baseball I need to for the rest of the year.

I knew Jack Cust playing right field everyday was going to be a debacle, but I had no idea how clumsy Matt Holiday is with the glove.

One night, his throw hit a runner in the back, and last night he tried to bare hand a ball off the wall, and it went shooting into centerfield – I don’t know how he did it!

I will say this – while Billy Beane didn’t appear to give up a whole lot of value to get Holliday – after watching him play over a 6 day period, I am NOT impressed. There was a point in time I was ready to offer a blockbuster to get him in left field hitting third for the end of the season – I am over it now.

That defense might be OK when you are hitting .340 with 36 home runs and 137 RBIs; it most definitely is NOT when you are projected to hit .270, 16 home runs and 78 RBIs!

This might be one of the worst walk years in recent history…

If I were running the ship, it would be fire sale time. The A's could reload the system by unloading veterans on short term to deals to contenders who need a boost - Jason Giambi, Adam Kennedy, Nomar Garciaparra, and Orlando Cabrera - gone. It's not like the A's could get much worse at this point.

49ers new stadium pics - Looks pretty sweet

Sam's summer movie previews

I think there is a good slate of movies coming out this summer - here are previews of the one I am looking forward to

The Hangover - see it now

Is it appropriate that I saw the Hangover… hung over?

I was worried my less than stellar attitude would detract from my enjoyment of the movie. I was wrong.

If you have a sense of humor and have seen a movie about Las Vegas or been there yourself, you will love this movie!

I don’t want to spoil anything, but all I’ll say is that they do an awesome job of presenting a hangover, and that while sometimes slightly inappropriate, this movie is absolutely hilarious.

And while nearly every character is great, this just might be the movie that makes Zach Galifianakis burst on the scene - this guy is obscenely funny.

That's all I'll say for now - can't wait to see it again!

Get the Favre outta here!

I am so sick of Brett Favre

First, he held the Packers hostage last year.

Next, he desperately wants to screw them over despite the team working out a trade to accommodate HIM last season.

Monday, it was reported the Vikings set a deadline for for Favre to make a decision about playing.

Why do they even want him?

He is a bad teammate, he wears down as each season comes to a close, and for every amazing throw he reels off, he's got a WTF? interception right around the corner.

The Vikings are close - if they really wanted a veteran QB to lead the team, control the ball, not lose the game and allow for the running game to dominate - why didn't they just go out and sign Jeff Garcia? At this point in their careers, Garcia is a much better leader, he manages the game well, and he wont throw crippling interceptions against teams like the Raiders.

Just another stepping stone in the overrated career of Brett Favre - don't get me wrong, the guy is a great QB, but when I'm picking my all time team, there are plenty of other players that start under center before he gets a snap.

Must be the 'stache...

I thought the A's brought back Jason Giambi back for his bat

Little did I know it was another lucky charm - his mustache

No wonder the A's are back to winning some ballgames...

Pattty Mills... Bye bye bye..

Well – it was fun having a good player on our college team for a couple seasons.

Patty Mills has officially bounced Saint Mary’s.

OH NO! Who could have ever foreseen this happening?

Oh that’s, right - I did. I knew I started this blog for a reason...

Good luck Patty – hope the Warriors take you – the ultimate Don Nelson Small Ball!!!

What’s the over under on wins that Omar Sahman can beat his chest over in 2009?