Expectations low, but there's 162 games to go
Late last summer, in a weekend home game, the Giants were playing a typically brutal game when an observer was struck by what he saw in the stands.
Fathers and mothers sat with sons and daughters, the little kids smiling as they wiggled in their seats or sat on edge, gloves in hand, waiting for the foul balls they swore would come their way. Friends laughed as they awaited the poor soul in their group whose turn it was to take out a home equity loan and return with four beers.
The mood in the park was quite a contrast to the score, and more so to the hate and vitriol being spewed on the Internet and talk radio toward the Giants' front office for giving Ray Durham a two-year deal and not building a decent farm system ahead of Barry Bonds' departure. Had that frequent-flier Martian landed in San Francisco and flipped on KNBR, he would have thought Brian Sabean and Peter Magowan were serial killers.
They merely were the general manager and managing general partner of a 71-91 team that is expected to be just as bad, or worse, in 2008. But who really knows? The Giants have to play 162 games, starting a week from Monday in Los Angeles, and all spring people have been obsessed with the destination (62-100 is a popular guess) rather than the journey.
Magowan and his partners need fans to hop on board for the trip because that nasty mortgage still needs to be paid. Thus, he will not say, "We really are rebuilding for 2009, so go spend your money on the opera." But he does sound sincere in his belief that if a lot of things go right, the Giants can stay in the National League West mix.
"If it all comes together at the same time, you can make quite a change," Magowan said. "In baseball, there is so much parity now. No teams are playing more than .600 baseball and no teams are worse than .400. You're playing each other all the time, 19 games (within the division). Do you see anybody in this division jumping out to a 10-game lead by the All-Star break when they're playing each other as often as they do? When they're all good? I don't."
What exactly does "coming together" mean for the Giants?
The rotation has to be as good or better than its reputation, and closer Brian Wilson and his relief mates have to put the "bull" back in the Giants' bullpen. Some of the old guys - Durham, Rich Aurilia, Dave Roberts - have to discover the fountain of youth while some of the young guys - Kevin Frandsen, Daniel Ortmeier, Fred Lewis, Eugenio Velez - need to break the team's endless cycle of fizzling prospects.
"I think we all learned from last year, if you play consistent, true, National League baseball, which is pitching, defense, score the runs you're supposed to and close the games out, we're going to win a lot of games," Sabean said. "You don't have to do it with a marquee player, and you don't have to do it with a team hitting the ball over the wall.
"The Atlanta Braves weren't known as a team that was an offensive juggernaut, but they won every close game, they expected to win those games, and they also closed all the close games out. It's really a simple formula until we get into a better position to remake the lineup."
Spring training, largely dismal for the Giants, offered a few glimpses of hope.
When the Giants ran successfully, they changed the tenor of games. In one against the A's, they were trailing 2-1 in the seventh inning when Velez singled against Alan Embree. Velez stole second and had third base stolen, too, on a pitch that Nate Schierholtz hit foul.
Embree had a lot of Velez and very little of Schierholtz on his mind, so it was not surprising when the left-hander grooved one and Schierholtz knocked the ball out of the park to give the Giants a 3-2 victory.
"It's a great way to put the defense on edge," right fielder Randy Winn said of running.
Another positive sign, at least for spring training: Durham, Aurilia and Roberts all were hitting, which they did not do in 2007. For Aurilia and Roberts, injuries played a role. Now, both are healthy.
"We need for them to turn it around," manager Bruce Bochy said. "For a team to have success, you're counting on your guys to have their normal years. It's always nice to have a surprise or two from a young guy or a veteran. When you don't get the years that you expect, you're probably going to struggle a little bit. That was part of our struggles last year."
There was one nagging problem all spring that will not magically disappear. Catcher Bengie Molina had a strained quadriceps muscle. The Giants were ridiculed all spring for making Molina their cleanup hitter, but imagine how the lineup would look without him.
Finally, the Giants need to live up to their motto, "All Out, All Season," which is easier said than done. One bad month, and a clubhouse landslide could begin. In that case, the character test would be how well the leadership can shore up the mountain.
Can all of these things go the Giants' way and make them a decent team in 2008? Why even ask the question? The answer is not buried in some Himalayan time capsule. It will unfold before everybody's eyes, a journey of 162 steps that always is worth watching.
Five keys
1. Call to arms: The Giants' strength is on the mound. As their pitchers go, so goes the team.
2. Run boys run: If they can't hit the ball out of the park, they have to use their legs to make things happen.
3. Zito comeback: Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are swell, but Barry Zito needs to rediscover his inner ace to make those 200 innings mean something.
4. Clutch hits: Last year they were nonexistent. This year the Giants will need to be Jerry West in spikes to have any chance.
5. Nail it down: Once they get that clutch hit, Brian Wilson needs to be the closer the team expects.
Late last summer, in a weekend home game, the Giants were playing a typically brutal game when an observer was struck by what he saw in the stands.
Fathers and mothers sat with sons and daughters, the little kids smiling as they wiggled in their seats or sat on edge, gloves in hand, waiting for the foul balls they swore would come their way. Friends laughed as they awaited the poor soul in their group whose turn it was to take out a home equity loan and return with four beers.
The mood in the park was quite a contrast to the score, and more so to the hate and vitriol being spewed on the Internet and talk radio toward the Giants' front office for giving Ray Durham a two-year deal and not building a decent farm system ahead of Barry Bonds' departure. Had that frequent-flier Martian landed in San Francisco and flipped on KNBR, he would have thought Brian Sabean and Peter Magowan were serial killers.
They merely were the general manager and managing general partner of a 71-91 team that is expected to be just as bad, or worse, in 2008. But who really knows? The Giants have to play 162 games, starting a week from Monday in Los Angeles, and all spring people have been obsessed with the destination (62-100 is a popular guess) rather than the journey.
Magowan and his partners need fans to hop on board for the trip because that nasty mortgage still needs to be paid. Thus, he will not say, "We really are rebuilding for 2009, so go spend your money on the opera." But he does sound sincere in his belief that if a lot of things go right, the Giants can stay in the National League West mix.
"If it all comes together at the same time, you can make quite a change," Magowan said. "In baseball, there is so much parity now. No teams are playing more than .600 baseball and no teams are worse than .400. You're playing each other all the time, 19 games (within the division). Do you see anybody in this division jumping out to a 10-game lead by the All-Star break when they're playing each other as often as they do? When they're all good? I don't."
What exactly does "coming together" mean for the Giants?
The rotation has to be as good or better than its reputation, and closer Brian Wilson and his relief mates have to put the "bull" back in the Giants' bullpen. Some of the old guys - Durham, Rich Aurilia, Dave Roberts - have to discover the fountain of youth while some of the young guys - Kevin Frandsen, Daniel Ortmeier, Fred Lewis, Eugenio Velez - need to break the team's endless cycle of fizzling prospects.
"I think we all learned from last year, if you play consistent, true, National League baseball, which is pitching, defense, score the runs you're supposed to and close the games out, we're going to win a lot of games," Sabean said. "You don't have to do it with a marquee player, and you don't have to do it with a team hitting the ball over the wall.
"The Atlanta Braves weren't known as a team that was an offensive juggernaut, but they won every close game, they expected to win those games, and they also closed all the close games out. It's really a simple formula until we get into a better position to remake the lineup."
Spring training, largely dismal for the Giants, offered a few glimpses of hope.
When the Giants ran successfully, they changed the tenor of games. In one against the A's, they were trailing 2-1 in the seventh inning when Velez singled against Alan Embree. Velez stole second and had third base stolen, too, on a pitch that Nate Schierholtz hit foul.
Embree had a lot of Velez and very little of Schierholtz on his mind, so it was not surprising when the left-hander grooved one and Schierholtz knocked the ball out of the park to give the Giants a 3-2 victory.
"It's a great way to put the defense on edge," right fielder Randy Winn said of running.
Another positive sign, at least for spring training: Durham, Aurilia and Roberts all were hitting, which they did not do in 2007. For Aurilia and Roberts, injuries played a role. Now, both are healthy.
"We need for them to turn it around," manager Bruce Bochy said. "For a team to have success, you're counting on your guys to have their normal years. It's always nice to have a surprise or two from a young guy or a veteran. When you don't get the years that you expect, you're probably going to struggle a little bit. That was part of our struggles last year."
There was one nagging problem all spring that will not magically disappear. Catcher Bengie Molina had a strained quadriceps muscle. The Giants were ridiculed all spring for making Molina their cleanup hitter, but imagine how the lineup would look without him.
Finally, the Giants need to live up to their motto, "All Out, All Season," which is easier said than done. One bad month, and a clubhouse landslide could begin. In that case, the character test would be how well the leadership can shore up the mountain.
Can all of these things go the Giants' way and make them a decent team in 2008? Why even ask the question? The answer is not buried in some Himalayan time capsule. It will unfold before everybody's eyes, a journey of 162 steps that always is worth watching.
Five keys
1. Call to arms: The Giants' strength is on the mound. As their pitchers go, so goes the team.
2. Run boys run: If they can't hit the ball out of the park, they have to use their legs to make things happen.
3. Zito comeback: Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are swell, but Barry Zito needs to rediscover his inner ace to make those 200 innings mean something.
4. Clutch hits: Last year they were nonexistent. This year the Giants will need to be Jerry West in spikes to have any chance.
5. Nail it down: Once they get that clutch hit, Brian Wilson needs to be the closer the team expects.
