Please, Dear Lord, not again.

Calling Tim Lincecum?

“Matt Cain was scratched from a throwing session Thursday after having a cyst removed from his right arm. The right-hander is expected to resume throwing in 10 days.”

At least that’s how the Giants web site told the story. Don’t blame Giants fans if they experienced a strong sense of déjà vu along with a particularly intense level of dread. We mean the Karl Urban kind of Dredd, not that comic book Sylvester Stallone garbage.

 

We feel "Dredd"

The Giants saw injuries responsible for a title-defending squad becoming largely impotent in 2015. The failure settled around pitching, namely starters, and a big part of that was the absence of Cain.

Once the team’s unquestioned workhorse, the 31-year-old has broken down more than a ’72 Chevy Vega over the past few seasons. From 2007 through 2012, Cain eclipsed the 200-innings-pitched mark in each campaign. He hasn’t tickled triple digits since. His key attribute, durability, is no longer a given.

In 2014, bone chips restricted the movement in his throwing arm and summer elbow surgery ended his year.  Last season a flexor strain killed off his April, and nerve irritation in that cranky throwing elbow had put him on the shelf by the end of August. In between he appeared in 13 games (starting 11). The numbers: two wins and four losses and a 5.79 ERA over 60 2/3 innings.

Cain: Oh, that cranky arm

The Giants are downplaying the event. As Manager Bruce Bochy told MLB.com’s William Boor: "You hate for him to go through what he just went through, but it's pretty minor, I think. We have plenty of time. I don't see this being a major setback at all. Without knowing, my guess is we still have time to have him ready (for the start of the season)."

So the Giants aren't ruling out Cain for April, but that's a "guess". The procedure was  minor, but this is a tired refrain. There were similar happy-happy-joy-joy protestations a year ago, and we saw how that worked out.

Yeah, we know. Basically it's a skin condition. You could tell Deadpool the same thing.

Apparently the team’s Plan B is Chris Heston. Fans warmed up to him when he was pressed into service by the Cain and Jake Peavy injuries, and he went 12-11 with a 3.95 ERA (including a no-hitter) in what was his rookie season. But much of his success was early. We thought him a one-trick pony whose coat had significantly-less shine once hitters figured out that his sinker didn’t always sink and everything else was hittable.

Heston was 9-5 before the All-Star break and 3-6 thereafter as his ERA ballooned from 3.39 to 4.91. More telling, his WH/IP jumped from a pedestrian 1.2 to an abysmal 1.5 as the enemy learned to lay off his one good pitch. The tail-off was at least partially blamed on the "rookie wall" but an extended rest didn't seem to help.He was 1-2 in September and got shelled in his lone October outing. 

There’s certainly a dark corner of the Giants offices where the name Tim Lincecum is being uttered in a hushed, almost secretive tone. That’s also a natural reaction for a fan base that considers him a cult hero and has little in the existing rotation to cling to beyond Madison Bumgarner and hope.

 

Lincecum: Can he still smoke, and where??

The problem is, Lincecum is just as fraught with peril. His much ballyhooed showcase, intended to confirm his health has been pushed from January to February to early March to whenever he’s ready. His recent travails are well-chronicled, and the last thing the Giants need is another pitcher getting paid to sit on the DL.

Timmy father, Chris, told CSN Bay Area Giants Insider Alex Pavlovic that the two-time Cy Young Award winner is close to ready, but also confirmed he’s thrown just five bullpens in the last two weeks. His key accomplishment seems to be throwing a baseball the length of a football field, and the velocity is supposedly improving although no radar gun has been brought in for verification.

Lincecum has spent the offseason in Arizona, rehabbing from hip surgery. He supposedly has offers, but is waiting for the right deal and is in no hurry to make a decision. Said the elder Lincecum, “He’s going to go where he wants, where he’s needed.” If the stars align, “where” could end up being San Francisco. 

If Cain, or any starter for that matter, can't answer the bell, there aren't a lot of options left.

Rule 6.01 changed; infielders rejoice

We love Terry Collins. C'mon, the dude was an abject failure managing in Anaheim and Houston, and he almost single-handedly botched the Mets’ World Series chances last year, but what a guy! He’s exactly the person you'd want chiming in on the virtues of MLB Rule 6.01.

 

Utley' upends Tejada; grabs the attention of Vince McMahon

“We’re making a slide rule that keeps you on the bag,” Collins said. “You’ve got to be near the bag. And now we’re making a decision on the neighborhood play that you’ve got to stay on the bag. You know what that’s going to mean? Someone is going to get their clocks cleaned.”

Sorry, TC. Not buying it, but you should be. Ask Ruben Tejada how he feels about take-out slides. He’ll probably whack you over the head with a crutch then serve you his old cast with a healthy helping of A-1 sauce.

When Chase Utley took out Tejada, and broke his leg, in last year’s NLCS, we all knew change was coming. It was a clarion moment, with Utley joining Scott @$%* Cousins in the Needless Injury-Causing Moron Hall of Infamy. Change was inevitable. The only thing left up for grabs was whether our resulting blog post would make a Bowie or Dylan reference about the times that are a ch-ch-ch-changin’ (obviously we split the difference).

Under the new policy, designated Rule 6.01(j), a slide to break up a double play must include a “bona fide attempt” to reach and remain on the base (subject to video review) and if it is determined the runner violated the rule then interference is called and the defense gets the DP.

 

Previous offense: second base was somewhere in the area code -- presumably

This isn’t like the NFL’s fouled-up catch rule. The slide is well defined: a runner has to make contact with the ground before reaching the base, attempt and be able to reach the base and remain there after the slide, and do so without altering his path. Put simply, slide to the bag, not through it. Pretty straightforward.

Collins is having kittens because the obvious extension of this is that the so-called “neighborhood play” is history. His claim is that runners will know where the fielder is and it’ll be open season. He also probably wants eight balls for a walk and to record a put-out by drilling the runner with a throw.

Like the catcher protection rule before it, this change doesn’t eliminate contact. What it does is give both runner and fielder a safe zone. Yes, the runner knows where the fielder will be, and that should make it easy to avoid going all WWE on him. The reverse is also true. Fielders know where the runner will be, and basic fundamentals solve the problem. As kids, shortstops are taught to come across the bag and second basemen to use it as a shield while turning two.

What baseball did is remove the target from the fielder’s back and eliminate this stupid “unwritten rule.” Interpreting what is “close enough” is ridiculous since there's no rule book allowance for it in the first place. The prevalence of replay makes it plain to anyone watching whether an out, as defined, was recorded, and the loose interpretation causes more arguments than the “Star Wars” prequels (damn you, Jar-Jar Binks). Finally: safe is safe and out is out.

The rule doesn’t eliminate contact and a good, hard slide to break up a double play is well within the guidelines. What a runner can’t do is roll block Freddie Patek into the left field seats. Yes, guys are always gonna be where they shouldn’t and someone is gonna get hurt. It’s a physical sport with an element of danger, but that doesn’t excuse failing to eliminate needless injury. Crossing a street has an element of danger. Doing the Lambada against traffic is courting disaster.

If Collins doesn’t like the way the game is going, there’s always barber college. Maybe Matt Harvey can talk him into letting him keep his sideburns. Just like the catchers’ rule, this is about (a) player safety, and (b) keeping multi-million-dollar investments in action. Or maybe it’s the other way around. No matter, fans don’t pay to see some guy who started the season in AA impact a pennant race.

Lost in the hubbub was another “modification” effecting pace of play.  Visits to the mound are limited to 30 seconds and the break between frames is clipped by 20 seconds. It’s common sense. When you go to the mound, have something to say and get it said. When Jon and Dave come out of break, be on the hill and in the box, ready to go.

Hey, we didn't pay to watch a debate!

Games were shortened by six minutes last year thanks to tweaks like forbidding batters from taking a trip to the concession stand after every pitch, finally getting the average length of a nine-inning contest back under three hours. And while we wish the changes had gone further (limiting the number of visits would have been a good start) this should knock a few minutes off the game.

Length of game really isn’t the issue, it’s the maddening ability of modern baseball to squeeze 2 ½ hours of entertainment into 3:15. Long games aren’t themselves evil; one need look no further than 2014’s 18-inning NLCS epic at Washington to know the clock doesn’t matter if it’s a good game. The issue is watering down every game with long and frequent periods of inactivity in a world where other entertainment is instantaneous.  

Us older fans may lament the leisurely pace of the game, but it wasn’t long ago that “leisurely” was a now-brisk 2:40. Let’s watch the game, not a debate. Move it along, there’s Anchor Steam to be had at the Public House.

Rules change. Times change. The game changes. If the NFL, the bastion of both denial and in-game inactivity, understands the need to keep the game moving, it’s about time a superior sport does the same.

Gee, who might the 2015 catcher be?

Yep, we blew it.

News of the day (or at least news of the past couple of days) sidetracked us and we never got through breaking down roster possibilities. Now you gotta admit that the one position we hadn’t gotten to has even less drama than an episode of "Seinfeld". I think it’s a safe bet that we know who’ll be behind the plate, so let’s get this over with.

  

He who would lead them (uh, that's Posey)

The current incarnation of the Giants as we know them starts with Buster Posey. He’s the quarterback on the field, the middle of the batting order and the face of the team. Yes, there were other parts in place when he came on the scene in 2010 but the rise of San Francisco as a force not to be discounted started, not with the 1997 arrivals of Brian Sabean or Barry Bonds or Tim Lincecum. 

Sabean laid a foundation. Bonds built a stadium. Lincecum brought the sizzle. All Posey brought with him was trophies. This just in: they’re pretty.

Just for the record, Posey didn’t take over full-time catching duties until June of that year (he began his tenure at First Base while the incumbent was shopped) but still took Rookie of the Year honors. The team caught fire and the result was two-fold: San Francisco won its first crown, and Giants fans never again had to suffer the four most dreaded words in baseball: “Batting clean-up, Bengie Molina”.

He’s the key. Posey's injury in 2011 was the catalyst for that season’s demise, and his return the next year resulted in another World Series ring. Somehow the planets weren’t properly aligned in 2013 and injuries derailed 2015 before the train left the station, but in between Posey claimed his third ring and the 2014 NL batting crown and MVP award.

To say Posey will be the team’s front-line catcher is like predicting the sun will rise in the west, Kanye will say something stupid, and Taylor Swift will get rich writing songs about the guys (and apparently they are legion) who got tired of her crap.

 

And he who would follow (Susac)

There’s a similar “well, duh” attitude toward the back-up; no small role considering the team’s penchant for “resting” Posey at First Base. 

Management seems determined to limit Posey’s exposure to the rigors of catching: 121 games in 2013, 111 in 2014 and 106 last year. Over that same span his appearances at 1B went from 21 to 35 to 42, fueling speculation that he’ll eventually make the move to the less physically-taxing position. No rush, he’s just 28.

Posey’s flexibility, he’s actually a really good first baseman, means more opportunities for others to shine and eventually win a job. The obvious successor is 25-year-old Andrew Susac, especially since Hector Santiago has mercifully moved on, but he may get pushed.

Over the last two seasons Susac enjoyed basically half a year in the Majors. He hit .273 over 35 games in 2014 and many figured him to be the guy to make Brandon Belt expendable. Last season he appeared in 52 games and the average plummeted to .218; one of those things that make you go “Hmmn.” There’s not enough of a sample size (221 ABs) to warrant consternation but also not enough production to make him a lock.

His 2015 splits were a bit concerning. He was a sub-Mendoza line hitter on the road and against right-handers. Against a righty on the road he could have held the bat at the wrong end and it wouldn’t have mattered. He might was well have gone to the plate swinging the Gatorade jug. He had one great month, hitting .342 in June, then went into witness protection.

A July thumb sprain put him on the 15-day DL and a sprained wrist in September ended his season, so the story isn’t all gloom and doom. A healthy Susac might be everything the Giants hope, but he’ll need to put up numbers similar to those from Fresno and Sacramento where he hit .268 and .321 respectively. The Giants are hopeful and even have him taking balls at First Base, hoping his bat is worthy of inclusion.

 

Trevor Brown with air time

Otherwise someone else is gonna get a shot. It may happen anyway, considering the Giants tend to need that third catcher from time to time. They like 24-year-old UCLA product Trevor Brown enough to place him on the active roster for camp. He went 9-for-39 (.231) with five RBI on behalf of the big club last year and hit .261 at Sacramento. He’s an obvious choice for instant help should someone falter, but likely starts his year in AAA due to a lack of power  -- Brown hasn’t hit more than three in a season as a pro.

Under the “break glass in an emergency” category there’s free-agent signee George Kottaras, a career .215 hitter who has worn out the path between AAA and the majors since 2003. Among prospects, the brightest is 2014 second-rounder Aramis Garcia. He’s in need of defensive polish but reportedly has the tools, and a strong 2015 at low Class-A Augusta helps offset limited production in a brief stint with San Jose.

The Giants are known for drafting pitchers but they haven’t ignored the other half of the battery, drafting 14 over the last three years. But as long as Posey stays healthy and remains, well, Posey; the present is secure.

Pagan: Yeah, that would be great

At least Angel Pagan is saying the right things.

When the Giants hit the field for the first full workouts yesterday, Pagan wasn’t headed toward his customary spot in center field. Supplanted by newly-acquired Denard Span, Pagan told Giants beat writer ChrisHaft that it’s time to practice "sacrifice over self" as the team seeks its fourth title in seven seasons.

An Angel in flight, sort of...

Entering the final months of a four-year, $40 million deal it appears the writing is on the wall for Pagan. Two center fielders are on the payroll, but one is inked through 2018 and it’s not Pagan. Reports the Giants would like to move Pagan circulated in the off-season, and the acquisition of Span pretty much sealed his fate.

And that’s just the Giants way. Hunter Pence and Marco Scutaro pushed Ryan Theriot and others to the bench; the Giants won a World Series in 2012. Midseason ads like Pat Burrell and Cody Ross meant Barry Zito missed the party in 2010. The list of changes from midseason to title run in ’14, most notably the reduced role of Michael Morse. is ridiculous: who’d heard of Hunter Strickland or Matt Duffy in July?

So the Giants made it official. Pagan’s traditional CF and leadoff role belongs to Span. It could have been ugly, and still may be. It’s early. But GM Bobby Evans has done something that, whether by accident or design, now looks like sheer genius.

We’ve seen what usually happens. Aaron Rowand pouts or Dave Roberts gets paid to sit home and water petunias. Clubhouses get uprooted, turmoil ensures, and suddenly Reggie Jackson and Billy North are slugging it out in the visiting locker room.

Ever been fired, laid off, outsourced or whatever other word they used for “your job still exists but we’ve got someone else doing it”?  Now imagine being forced to sit and watch your replacement.

"Milt, we're gonna need to go ahead and move you downstairs into storage B. We have some new people coming in, and we need all the space we can get. So if you could just go ahead and pack up your stuff and move it down there, that would be terrific, OK?" -- Bill Lumbergh

Usually the player being replaced is out of job. Pagan has a soft landing. Many, including this page, cried for the signing of a Justin Upton or Jason Heyward to fill the obvious hole in Left Field. The Giants could have broken the bank on a big name but instead looked ahead, took advantage of the market, and bought themselves a year.

Pagan’s move to a corner spot softens the blow for him and spreads out the Giants’ financial pain. With $220 million spent on two starters, an extension for Brandon Crawford and new deals for Brandon Belt and George Kontos on the books, the Giants would have been well above the $189 million luxury tax threshold even after money came off in 2017 – and they’d still need to go searching for a Center Fielder.  

Denard Spans the outfieled (it was there)

That free agent class may not be sexy but it’s deep, and Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson just got another year to mature. If San Francisco really likes either of these two, maybe waiting a year to fill from within is the answer, especially with the potential for a Belt extension and/or a revised deal for Madison Bumgarner on the horizon.

Pagan claims he's "on board 100 percent" with the change, but it’s gotta be hard. He’s seen two World Series titles in three seasons in The Bay, and he was a key cog in the 2012 championship team (.288 AVG., 95 runs). But he’s been oft injured since then, and the Giants were right to look for other options.

Pagan admitted to being “surprised" but told Haft he understood “at some point, you have to make a move. ... I'm here to do whatever the team needs me to do."

If you buy zone ratings, Pagan was the worst center fielder in the NL last year. It appears the injuries and age (he’ll turn 35 in July) are catching up with him. Span had an injury plagued 2015 but is a prototype lead-off man with above average defensive skills when healthy; and he’s three years younger.

Moving Pagan down in the order also strengthens the offense. Span has proven better at reaching base and is a legitimate threat to steal. Pagan is neither of those, but still can swing it and has a knack for timely hits. Pairing him in the seventh and eighth slots with Crawford gives opposing hurlers little chance to breathe.

The bottom line is the Giants have an upgrade and Pagan still has a job. If he embraces the role, it sure beats working at Initech. And if the past is any indication, such a selfless move could pay off big.

More even-year magic? Yeah, that would be great.

Jim Davenport: 1933-2016

Jim Davenport, literally a legend among Giants, died last week. 

Davenport played third base for the Giants for his entire 13-year career and even managed the team briefly in 1985. He passed Thursday night from heart failure at age 82. That much you knew.

But this story, like so much of this page, is personal.  I’d met Davenport, albeit very briefly, but it was a moment that was etched into my memory and is much more poignant because of his passing.

You know all about the on-field abilities. He won a Gold Glove (1962) and had his best season at the plate (.297 AVG, 14HR), making his only all-star team. Those numbers, and host of accomplishments that don’t translate to numbers, made Davenport an inaugural member of the Giants' Wall of Fame in 2008.

Those are just numbers to me. My first year really following the game was 1971, the year after he retired. I remember Davenport’s playing days only from grainy film. My Jim Davenport managed AAA in both Phoenix and Fresno and had a forgettable partial 1985 season as the Big Club’s skipper before giving way to the Big Humm Baby, Roger Craig.

When he wasn’t managing, Davenport was a roving instructor in the Giants minor league system, and that’s where our paths crossed.

Some may recall that the Single-A California League once had multiple Giants affiliates. San Jose has been a staple of the organization but the Giants also had a second squad in Bakersfield, dubbed the Blaze. If you wanted to see prospects, a match-up between the two was an opportunity not to be missed. And so it was on a very hot summer night in the Central Valley (they’re all insanely hot in the summer).

I was with a group of friends, Strat-o-Matic Baseball enthusiasts all, who were taking in the game. One, an affable Giant, pointed out a distinguished-looking African American man sitting behind the plate. “That’s Bobby Bonds”, he noted. Bobby was my first “favorite” player and was then one of many roving instructors in the organization. I couldn’t pass up a chance to say hello.

I hurried to the concession stand, bought a baseball, and approached Bonds to request an autograph. He politely signed, engaged in some small talk, and mentioned that I might want the signature of the man sitting next to him.

It was Jim Davenport.

My two regrets: that I didn’t recognize him immediately and that I didn’t have a second baseball.

Both men signed the same ball, engaged in some polite conversation, and I tried not to overstay my welcome. It was a scant few minutes, memorable only to a fan and largely because of the grace both men showed. Davenport especially, who was content to remain out of the spotlight until Bonds shone it upon him.

And that’s the Jimmy Davenport I want to remember. He wasn’t legendary for being a character, for being truculent with the media, for carousing or Gronking it up on a party boat: you know, all of the things athletes think go with the role today. He was classy. He was recognized for being a solid ballplayer who knew his stuff, and for being a good guy.

I’d thought about having surgery done on the ball to separate the panels and stick them onto separate orbs. Then we lost Bobby and the token became that much more precious. Now Jimmy is gone, and it’s priceless. The ball might be worth more separated, but it wouldn’t be more valuable – not to me.

Davenport was 82 when he finally touched home on February 18. 

The Giants released the following  statement upon his passing:

"The Giants family was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Davenport last night in Redwood City due to heart failure.
 

Davenport, 82, played all 13 seasons of his Major League career in a Giants uniform from 1958-1970. He was a member of the original 1958 San Francisco Giants and spent 51 seasons in the organization, having played, coached and managed at both the Major and minor league levels.

 The Siluria, Alabama native posted a .258 lifetime batting average in 1,501 Major League contests. He earned All-Star status and a Gold Glove in 1962 and was voted by the fans as the third baseman on the Giants’ 25th Anniversary Dream Team in 1982.

 "The passing of Jim Davenport brings great sadness to our organization," said Laurence Baer, Giants President & Chief Executive Officer. "Jim had a wonderful spirit and was a great Giant. We will always remember Davvy. We express our deepest condolences to his family and will have them in our thoughts and prayers."

Davenport is survived by his wife, Betty, daughter Cathy, sons Randy, Ken, Don and Gary .. and by fans who will never forget.

Infield leaves little to the imagination

At the risk of flogging a dead horse (who does that?), we’ve yet to finish our trip through a roster that isn’t. Starting pitchers, relievers and even the outfield have undergone the intense scrutiny of a web site that has no more clue than the average fan but clearly much more free time.

No one gets a pass. Infielders, you’re up.

There’s probably nowhere on the diamond where the lack of drama at Giants Spring Training is more evident that around the horn.  It’s not much fodder for writers and bloggers, but it has to make the team’s three-headed brain trust of Bruce Bochy, Bobby Evans and Brian Sabean a trio of happy men. In fact, the Giants are so sure of themselves that the current 25-man roster, a pretty good indicator of who might break camp with the big club, only lists six infielders.

A year ago, San Francisco found itself banking on a second baseman who had shone brightly in an abbreviated rookie campaign but was unproven over a full season, and on the hope it could replace a popular all-star third baseman and World Series MVP with a guy who had faltered but might have discovered the fountain of youth.

 

Panik as we like him: laying out, not laid out

As it turns out, Joe Panik is every bit the player we’d hoped. He helped the Giants to a title in 2014 and was a 2015 all-star, but he also proved that not even the youngsters are immune to injury. 

Panik exceeded modest expectations (Dan Uggla and Brandon Hicks got a shot before Panik did, and I think Joe Strain hung up on them), batting .309 over 610 Major League at-bats. He knows the strike zone (.364 OBP) and is notoriously hard to strike out. But like much of the core, an injury limited him to spectator status in the second half.

Panik is supposedly fully recovered, but Giants fans can be forgiven if they’re a bit nervous about a guy with back issues.  Freddy Sanchez, Mark Derosa, Edgardo Alfonso and Marco Scutaro have all succumbed to similar ailments just since Hal dissed Dave and refused to open the pod bay door.

The one positive was that Kelby Tomlinson got a chance to play, and he appears to be a keeper. The Giants have him listed as Panik’s primary back-up, and his .303 average was garnered over 178 ABs. He looks to be ready for the show.

 

Duffy the Dirt Bag (Hey, Long Beach State, Man!)

Across the diamond the Giants found their answer by accident. Casey McGehee was an unmitigated disaster before giving way to MattDuffy in May. He amassed over 570 trips to the plate and both hit (.295) and fielded well enough to finish second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Cubs slugger Kris Bryant, and it’s possible to argue Duffy got jobbed.

Bryant.  'Ugh, me mash. Hit many balls very far. They stay hit'. He's a slugger. Duffy does everything else and can still provide a bit of pop.

The word no one wants to hear murmured around these two is “regression”. Panik hasn't played a full season, and last year was Duffy’s first; not exactly a long track record for either.  Yet hope springs eternal, and it’s justified.

Panik was on a 200-hit pace before he got hurt. Duffy hit .300 from May through August while going to the post in 118 straight games; currently the longest streak in the NL. Despite little time to come up for air he still hit .267 in a final month when the team around him was crumbling.

 

Crawford extends...and extended

The other two spots are locked. Shortstop Brandon Crawford got the big extension in the off-season. Not that he did anything spectacular, just being the first Giant to win a Silver Slugger and Glove Glove in the same season since some guy named Bonds back in 1997. It’s hard to imagine repeating his 21-home run effort but his power numbers have gone up in each of his five seasons while he maintained a solid .250 average. Don’t look for him in the cleanup spot, but batting seventh or eighth he’s downright scary – especially on days when Madison Bumgarner hits behind him.

The enigma that is Ehire Adrianza backs him up on the depth chart. Aside from being an announcer’s nightmare (Vin Scully has called him everything but ‘Mother’), he’s a wildcard. He didn’t figure into the Giants’ plans a year ago but injuries forced him out of the minors and into 113 ABs. His .186 average was a good argument for pitchers hitting eighth. Given that Tomlinson can also play short and third and is essentially a better Adrianza, he’s the most-likely guy on “the 25” to be sent packing.

At first base, San Francisco showed it’s hand when it settled on a $6.2 million deal in the hour before Brandon Belt’s scheduled arbitration hearing; followed by GM Evans stating his intent to extend Belt’s tenure.

 

Belt belts one

Despite Belt's status as a home-grown fan favorite, the desire to lock him up seems a bit odd. Granted, he’s by far the best option as long as Buster Posey stays behind the plate, but Posey’s “rest” days usually entail keeping his bat in the line-up and leaving Belt as the odd-man out. Having multiple years shortened by injury doesn’t help Belt’s cause.

But Posey shows no signs of slowing down as the full-time catcher and has made it abundantly clear that he wants to stay behind the dish as long as humanly possible. Belt may still have room to improve, especially if his health holds up. If a deal is reached, it will have to fit in that sweet spot where the Giants buy out a couple of years of free agency but still leave the door open for Posey’s eventual move.

Also to Belt’s advantage, the Giants don’t have anyone else. Posey is the only listed back-up, leaving 29-year-old journeyman Kyle Blanks as the most likely candidate to crack the Giants bench.

Make-up of the infield is not a big story, but at least we’re not talking about how fat Pablo Sandoval is.

You carry things with arms, right?

Been to the zoo lately? Seems we lost our panda but the giraffe is still there and we’ve added a second shark. There’s a crawdaddy in the pond as well, but all are under control so don’t have a panik attack. Our zoo can no longer get its freak on but we still have an angel in the outfield.

Jeez, that’s more bad nicknames and puns than it was worth. Better call a chiropractor after that stretch.

Jeff Samardzija. No, wait ....

As noted, the latest addition is Jeff “the Shark” Samardzija, so dubbed during his freshman year at Nortre Dame when fellow pitcher Chris Niesel decided he bore a striking resemblance to the shark in Finding Nemo. Remember, hitters aren’t friends, they’re food, Dude.

Samardzija is a big piece to what is simultaneously the Giants’ greatest improvement and greatest mystery: the rotation. Samardzija and Johnny Cueto are in at a cost of $220 million; with Tim Hudson, Ryan Vogelsong and (most likely) Tim Lincecum bidding the Bay Area adieu. The Giants also hope Matt Cain and Jake Peavy can rebound to back up ace and newly-minted pretty boy Madison Bumgarner.

This is going to be either the greatest investment since Google IPO’d at $85 a share or…not… because the Giants arguably bought low.

Jeff Samardzija

There were a lot of hard swallows and sideways glances when the Giants threw a serious ante into the pot to replace 40 percent of the rotation. But if you’d heard the same numbers after 2014 you’d have thought the $130 million tossed at Cueto and Samardzija’s $90 million payday were right in line with the market, if not even a bit low when you consider Max Scherzer’s ungodly deal.   

Cueto was near the top of everyone’s list but proved shaky when dealt to the Royals from Cincy at midseason, giving rise to rumors about injury. Samardzija was the popular girl at the party and set for a big number but gave up more hits and earned runs than any AL starter in his year with the dysfunctional ChiSox.

Just gimme the ball -- Cueto

Both were devalued. GM Bobby Evans nabbed the tandem for about the price of one Zack Greinke and has reason to feel good about the decision. Samardzija had bad numbers, but MPH wasn’t one of them; his average fastball was a tick over 94. Cueto didn’t adjust well to life in the AL but was dominant in his World Series start for the Royals and now returns to familiar territory.

And now both have Rags. Dave Righetti is, quite simply, the most under-appreciated weapon in baseball.  

The X Factor here is between the ears. Cueto and Samardzija have spent their careers expect to be The Man. The Giants already have one of those, and at last glance he was pretty darned good. Neither has to carry the weight of a team; the big debate will be who ends up the number two. Both had other suitors. Both wanted to be in San Francisco. Better situation, better results? The Giants certainly believe that’s the case.

A bigger issue will be the four and five spots. Just how much can be expected from Cain and Peavy?

Workhorse Cain hopes to saddle up again

While Lincecum was the team’s unqualified star during its first two title runs, Cain was its workhorse and go-to stud. The elder statesman of the team is still just 31 but injuries derailed his last two seasons. Elbow surgery killed 2014 and a strained flexor tendon limited him to 11 starts and a 5.79 ERA a year ago. He claims that’s all behind him.

Peavy likewise suffered from injuries; a hip and his back proving as cranky as his on-field demeanor. He rehabbed longer than Lindsay Lohan but was effective in the second half. Well, sort of. SSFGF enjoyed a Twitter skirmish with a pair of Giants beat writers (Alex, Baggs, you remember) over Peavy’s effectiveness, and we were all right. 

He was awesome for six innings, which was usually about the time hitters were seeing him for the third time. Peavy held batters to a .203 average the first two times through the order and allowed a homer every 157 ABs. From that point on the long-ball ratio was 1 out of 12 and hitters stroked at a .350 clip. His best friend was a quick and merciful hook.

Jake Peavy: Mr. Congeniality

Both men seem better suited to the back of the rotation at this point in their careers and Peavy is likely done after the season. With the top three expected to eat innings like Joey Chestnut slamming hot dogs, they should benefit from a bullpen that isn’t overtaxed.

Of course, the Giants do have to be concerned about injury given Cain’s and Peavy’s recent history. In such an event PCL ERA champ Clayton Blackburn could be called upon, touted prospect Tyler Beede might get a call, or the roller-coaster that is Chris Heston could be thrust into the “break glass in case of emergency” role.

Overall, there’s reason to believe the 2016 edition of the Giants five-man show will be an improvement, good news for a team that stayed in the 2015 race despite obvious shortcomings. As a staff, the Giants ranked ninth in ERA (3.72) and seventh in runs allowed (627). USA Today had them ninth in their preseason rankings, inexplicably two spots behind the Greinke-less Dodgers, citing questions on the back end.

We're betting they're better than that.

Giants back end is in good hands, uh, arms

A lot has been said about the new acquisitions for the Giants rotation. The bullpen?  Not so much.

Fans weren’t surprised when Jeremy Affeldt announced his retirement after last season. He’d had a great run that included three World Series rings, a Game Seven win, a way-cool GMC commercial and a fans base that loved him like a brother.

The Yankees had the more-lauded “Core Four”, but the San Francisco version took a back seat to no one. The “Fab Five” of Affeldt, Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo, George Kontos and Santiago Casilla own a combined 13 titles. Now the gang is no more.

Affeldt injury waiting to happen

It’s hard to fathom the love for a pitcher who posted an ERA close to 6 in his final, injury-marred season, but Affeldt’s contributions went well beyond the numbers. FanFest was proof as many of his now-former teammates were quizzed about his loss and were quick to acknowledge the hole he leaves behind. He may have worn other uniforms, but he’ll be remembered as a Giant.

For fans, two moments will stand out.

The 2010 Series might not have been had Affeldt not rescued the team. NLCS Game Six was the clincher and the image of Ryan Howard locking up on a Brian Wilson slider is etched into the collective psyche. But prior to that Johnathan Sanchez (do you remember him or have you mercifully blocked the memory?) went into total meltdown. The game was unraveling and a Game Seven on enemy turf loomed. Affeldt emerged from the phone booth bullpen bullpen wearing a cape, and the rest is glorious history.

And who could forget Game Seven in Kansas City. Madison Bumgarner’s five innings of scoreless relief is the stuff of legend, but that game started with Tim Hudson finding the tank dry in what proved to be his final start. Only Affeldt could be trusted to bridge the gap, and he was suitably awarded the decisive victory to go with his third ring. BTW, everyone seems to forget that when Travis Ishikawa went all walk-off to send the Giants to that Series, the winning pitcher was (pause for dramatic effect) Jeremy Affeldt.

Osich: The New Affeldt?

How do you replace that? Well, it helps that the Giants’ pen isn’t built around flamethrowers and characters. It’s about guile. They don’t overpower the game so much as they get it to play along

Josh Osich seems poised to be the new Affeldt, right down to the cranky shoulder. Early injuries raised doubts but once healthy he made the transition to the Majors look downright easy.  His make-up is very Affeldt-like as a lefty who can get out right-handed sticks as well.

Osich wasn’t the only guy to prove himself. Over the past season-plus we got a taste of what Hunter Strickland can be, both good and bad, but he looks to be San Francisco’s closer in waiting. 

Until that happens the ninth belongs to Casilla, who is the team’s Jekyl and Hyde.  He’s got a 2.22 ERA as a Giant and takes the ball when asked; 50-plus times a year. He’s more thrower than pitcher and his four-pitch arsenal sometimes gets in the way of just hitting spots, but he also has a postseason scoreless streak that stands at 19 appearances, so there’s that.

Just remember to wear a helmet if you're sitting in the first two rows.

The Giants still have Romo and Lopez to take up those same-side match-ups, with Romo an emergency option to close. Kontos fits nicely into the long role after re-upping for 2016.

Strickland: Closer to be and already cranky

In 2015 the Royals emphasized what the Giants have long known; a good bullpen goes a long way toward winning a crown. With the rest of the NL West failing to step up (think the Dodgers failing to net Aroldis Chapman and San Diego punting on Craig Kimbrel), it’s no stretch to say the Giants pen plays second fiddle to none.

The Giants will count heavily on the rotation, with new blood infused to supplement last season’s shortcoming, but the back end appears to be in good hands.

As long as they stay away from frozen hamburgers and don’t strain something trying to lift a four-year-old they’ll be fine, right Jeremy?

No, 2015 wasn't as bad as we remember

Guess what day it is?

Assume the obligatory camel and “hump day” jokes have been made and move on to the real news. Camp has officially begun with Giants pitchers and catchers checking into Scottsdale for six weeks of whatever it is they do between golf outings and steak dinners at The Pink Pony.

At the outset, this year’s edition of “As the Roster Turns” has about as much drama as an episode of Scooby Doo (they could have solved mysteries faster by hanging out at the local mask shop), making this as good a time as any to take our final look back at what went wrong, and right, in 2015. Believe it or not, a lot went right.

FYI, we hated these commercials

At the risk of going all Pollyanna here, for all of the wailing and gnashing of teeth (and that was just us), the offense wasn’t the weak spot. Well, technically there were weak spots on offense but they had more to so with bone-seeking fastballs, contorted backs and blows to the dome than any shortage of talent. 

The Giants were one of the better offensive teams in baseball. The emergence of Joe Panik and Matt Duffy helped make up for a team that missed its emotional leader. All apologies to Buster Posey: he is the team’s best player (Madison Bumgarner is the muscle), but Hunter Pence is its heart.  Seeing him limited to 50 games didn’t exactly set the team up for success. 

Marvel's Duffy and Panik: The New Avengers

The core is back, and if USA Today can be believed, they'll score runs just fine, thank you. Spotty starting pitching and poor health were the obvious culprits.

You knew it was gonna be bad when Pence was joined on the DL by 40 percent of the rotation (Matt Cain, Jake Peavy) before either threw a pitch in anger. Ryan Vogelsong and Chris Heston were poor substitutes, Tim Lincecum wasn’t right, and the team stumbled out of the gate. Having the team recover from a 9-13 April to win 84 games and stay in the race into September says a lot about the crew that remained.

It took a look back at Baseball Reference to pry loose a memory that the Giants actually spent three days in first place and at one point were 11 games over .500 despite the roster being held together with gorilla tape and bondo. Of course, they also fell six games under at one point. Aye, there’s the rub (Shakespeare gang, Shakespeare).

What made us crazy was the team being maddeningly consistent in its inconsistency. They had an eight game win streak in May; preceded by an eight-game April losing skid. They shut out the opposition 15 times; they got blanked on 18 occasions. They won six games in walk-off fashion; they lost seven the same way.

Head to head? They beat both the Division Champion Dodgers (Air! Gimme air!) and San Diego 11 out of 19 but dropped the same record against lowly Colorado and Arizona. They were the California Champs without Jackie Earle Haley, but breaking even in the division never gets the job done. If they coulda just won a few for the Luper it might have been a different story.

The season was home to more mood swings than the mothers’ room at Babies ‘R Us. Want proof? The Giants had winning records in May, July and September. April, June and August were losers. Down, up, down, up, down, up; and most of us were not sufficiently equipped for the emotional roller-coaster. It made the season seem worse than it was.

Yeah, that's what it was like

The stat that was most appalling also gives the most hope. The Giants played 40 games in which the margin of victory was five runs or more. They won 25 of those. The Achilles heel was one-run affairs, in which they went 19-28.  In those 28 losses, giving up just one less run in half of them turns the division. Welcome, Messers Cueto and Samardzija.

ESPN saw between the lines in its final 2015 power rankings. The Giants were still ranked 12^th out of 30 teams because the writing was on the wall:

“The Giants will look back on 2015 and wonder what could have been if five Opening Day starters and five starting pitchers didn't see time on the disabled list. Rookies Matt Duffy, Kelby Tomlinson, Chris Heston, Josh Osich and Hunter Strickland opened eyes in the organization and lend hope to a playoff run in 2016.”

We agree. It’s finally time to turn the page. Spring has sprung.. It’s a time when every fan base thinks its team has a shot. 

In the Giants’ case, that optimism is warranted.

And this is why we're here

Blame it on Ryan Spilborghs.

Serious San Francisco Giants Fans is starting to get some notice, and e-mails have trickled in (don't forget the comments box to share with others). And one question seems to be a simple "Why, with all the fan blogs out there, would someone want to wade into that crowded field?"

Rage. Pure, unadulterated rage.

It started on a Late-summer night in 2009 when I was sure I'd witnessed the worst moment of my baseball life: Ryan Spilborghs's walk-off shot in Colorado that effectively destroyed the Giants playoff hopes. That game still gives me the creeps; right up there with Scott Spezio and John Roseboro on the creep-o-meter.

Print and throw darts

I wandered the house that night like Moses in the desert. A Giants fan since 1971, I thought I'd been tortured so much that nothing could possibly shake me. Heck, I'd even sat in the left field corner down in Anaheim and watched as the 2002 title slipped away on boneheaded pitching decisions (thanks, Dusty).

I needed to vent. I sat down at the computer and went on the Giants Message Board to pound out a post that expressed four decades of frustration. Fellow fans chimed in, we held our virtual pity party, and I thought that was the end of it.

Yeah, right. It seems someone from KNBR was scanning the boards that night. The next morning my post was read in its entirety on the air (scroll down to read). I missed it, but the boards certainly let me hear about it.

I was done. I hated the Giants, and that included everyone who played, coached or drew a paycheck from the team. Lou Seal and Crazy Crab both made the list.

I vowed to be finished. Of course, I said that every year only to return because that's what fans do. I was Smeagol, and I needed my precious ring

A friend had been blogging, giving himself a kind of self therapy following a tough divorce. I'd followed his catharsis and figured "Why not? If I give this thing a voice, just maybe it'll stop tormenting me."

Thus began "Ranting On", which is still archived by Google and available from the left-hand menu. I fought with it for awhile, but in December 2009 I started writing, calling upon a sports writing background I hadn't used in over a decade. It was certainly the right time to do it, and "Ranting On" caught all of the torture that ended with the Giants' first title in San Francisco.

After that, things got in the way. Work, a serious illness and fatherhood all conspired to keep me away from the computer. Now the kids are in school, my health is better, and I've retired. But with all the changes, I still bleed orange and black.

I tried other web sites, Facebook communities, etc., but most were overrun with name-calling, remarks about parentage, and someone arguing about how anyone critical wasn't a "real fan". I found that rather stupid because everyone is a real fan. If they weren't, they wouldn't take the time to comment.

So we're back, this time with the idea that a troll-free zone can exist and people who really want informed discussion can get together, disagree, and still believe that Giants Baseball is something to be cherished no matter how much they torture us. You can find us here, and also follow on Facebook and Twitter. Feel free to sign in, follow, comment, whatever. Keep the conversation flowing.

And one more thing: Let's Go Giants!

- - - - - - - - - -

And now, the rant that started it all:

After Spilbourghs’ shot left the yard last night, my wife came out of the bedroom (where she’d been awakened by my expletive-laden tirade) to see if I was still alive. That’s how it is to be a Giants fan – someone peeks around the corner thinking, “I hope he’s still breathing. I think the Giants might have just killed him.”

It’s over.  After 14 innings and a four-game debacle where the Giants HAD to perform but failed miserably, the 2009 season is dead. There may be 37 games left, but this season is over. After 39-years following this Godforsaken franchise, I know season-ending loss when I see one.

The Giants won’t catch Colorado for a simple reason -- the Rockies are better. In every phase of the game -- pitching, offense, defense, management, player acquisition – the Giants are the Rockies’ bee-yotch. Everything the Giants pay lip service to becoming, the Rockies are. That’s par for the course. The Giants talk a good game. The competition plays a good game.

So it happened again. Nothing can be as bad as Game Six in 2002, but this was close. If the Giants were a girl, you’d break up with her. You’d explain that you couldn’t take it any more and then either sleep with her sister or swear off women altogether.

There are thousands like me. We buy tickets, pay for satellite packages, wear the hats and jerseys, pony up for soggy garlic fries and overpriced beer. This is our reward -- yet another season of heartbreak.

I can’t emphasize this enough: I will die wondering why Bruce Bochy felt the need to let Justin Miller wilt to death last night (taking the season with him), why Fred Lewis continues to get at-bats in critical situations, why Brian Sabean overpays for stiffs like Aaron Rowand and Bobby Howry while pronouncing the team sound, or believes mediocre players like Ryan Garko are the secret to success. It boggles the mind. To have that game, and that series, get away in the manner it did was indefensible at best and catastrophically moronic at its worst. By the time Spilborghs came to the plate, that home run wasn’t just inevitable, it was preordained.

The demise of the 2009 Giants is simple to explain. They fell short because at every level – from the front office to the team on the field – they’re overmatched. This franchise is run by people who would hit a 19 at the blackjack table because they “had a feeling”.

As for me, I feel like Andrew Golata just spent the weekend raining down blows to my protective cup. This excruciating series devoured 90 percent of the residual emotion I had left in my body. It was like seeing the ghost of 2002 appear. When Miller came into the game I KNEW the Giants were going to lose. Any reasonable Giants fan could recognize the depressing signs because we’ve been there before. Like Haley Joel Osment in “The Sixth Sense”, we know dead seasons when we see them.

Does any of this make sense? Of course not. I’m completely insane. The Giants have driven me insane – it’s official.

What makes it worse is that I have twin sons, one named McCovey no less, whom I planned to raise as Giants fans. Now I have to wonder, am I doing the right thing? I’m coming to grips with the fact that the Giants are now the pre-2004 Boston of the West Coast. There are people like myself WHO WILL DIE never having seen their team win it all. What am I setting my kids up for? Is it time to start buying them Angels gear?

There has to be accountability in the front office. The Giants have about eight players who are worth salvaging, and nobody on the coaching staff needs to return. If there aren’t wholesale changes at EVERY level, this franchise is eternally doomed.

The parallels between the Giants and the cursed Red Sox are many. Sabean is Dan Duquette. Bochy is channeling Grady Little. We’ve always got a Miller or Tim Worrell, or John Bowker or Howry to play the Bob Stanley role. And we have plenty of long-suffering fans who know we’re totally screwed. It’s like being stuck in a bad marriage. You can’t get out --- ever. If Bill Neukom can’t step into the John Henry shoes and clean house, the Red Sox curse will look like a walk in the park compared to what Giants fans will endure.

I’ve followed the Giants religiously since 1971. Every year ends with a punch in the stomach. I’ve finally reached the breaking point. If these same guys (including Sabean and Bochy) are back in 2010, I won’t be. Enough.

Sometimes you just have to look out for yourself.

Belt, Giants agree $6.2 million is a lot of money

Someone blinked.

We don't know who it was, but the Giants and Brandon Belt went the 'Full Lincecum' yesterday, coming to terms on a one-year contract just before the first arguments were hurled in a scheduled arbitration hearing.

Gimme five, uh, make that $6.2 million

Belt, who earned $3.5 million dollars for the dubious career-year-marred-by-injury in 2015 will collect a $6.2 million for the upcoming campaign. The figure allows both sides to declare victory. Belt earns a cool $900K more than the Giants' initial offer and nearly doubled his paycheck, while the Giants carved $1.3 million off the 28-year-old first baseman's asking price.

MLB Trade Rumors nailed the figure in its predictions, confirming our theory that it has hidden cameras and microphones in every front office, locker room, training facility and hotel coffee shop on the planet. 

GM Bobby Evans says the Giants still hope to sign Belt to a long-term deal, one that would buy out some of his free agent years set to begin in 2018. But as we've noted before, Belt would seem to be the odd man out as time marches on. Despite his protests, Buster Posey is likely to become the every day First Baseman at some point in his career; it's just a question of how long the Giants want to preserve their options while maintaining some continuity at the position.

Belt's deal maintains San Francisco's record of bargaining ahead of arbitration. The last time the Giants went to the mattresses was in 2004 with newly-acquired and soon-to-depart AJ Pierzynski. Since then Lincecum, Gregor Blanco, Joaquin Arias and even Belt himself have field the paperwork but reached compromises with the team.

With the first players reporting to Spring Training next week, the Giants have an active payroll of just under $166 million with salaries for team-controlled players including Joe Panik, Matt Duffy and Hunter Strickland yet to be added.