SB Nation User Blog: joebirdie3

Rebuilding trade for prospects?

joebirdie3 — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:16:01 -0000

When was the last time the Giants made a blockbuster-type trade in which they traded away a star to get prospects? Please tell me it wasn't the Matt Williams trade 15ish years ago! Looking at the Rockies this season, it's clear that a key to their success this season was by trading away Matt Holliday and getting Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez in return. The Giants need to fill multiple holes in their lineup, and after trading away Barnes and Alderson, their stock of pitching prospects ready to contribute is suddenly thin. Given the rumors that the Brewers are dangling Mat Gamel, I'd like to see the Giants trade Matt Cain for Gamel, Jeremy Jeffress (top pitching prospect) and maybe even JJ Hardy or another major league throw-in player in order to retool in multiple areas.

Sabean probably doesn't have the balls to do such a thing, but a "rebuilding" trade is just what the Giants need to win the division next year.

Opinions about Garrett Atkins? "The Giants aren't getting much production from Travis Ishikawa at...

joebirdie3 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:55:23 -0000

Opinions about Garrett Atkins?

"The Giants aren't getting much production from Travis Ishikawa at the plate, though the plus/minus system ranks him as the best defensive first baseman in the league. Verducci wonders if the Giants would use Jonathan Sanchez to acquire a player such as Jorge Cantu, Nick Johnson, Miguel Tejada or Garrett Atkins."

What do you think about trying to acquire Garrett Atkins? Is he over the hill, or just slumping this year and disinterested in a team that is going nowhere? I think he's worth the gamble and he's only 28... Sanchez for Atkins straight up?

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

My MasterCard Moment at the SJ Giants game

joebirdie3 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:02:38 -0000

Tickets to the SJ Giants game on June 2 ... FREE - from Orchard Supply Hardware on Merchant Night

Hot, crispy, and freshly mixed Garlic Fries (1 handful of garlic per tray of fries) ... $6.00

2-for-1 Budweisers after the Beer Batter struck out in the 6th Inning ... $5.00

Catching a foul ball and watching Angel Villalona hit a 420-foot 3-run homer to left field ... Priceless

Who cares if they lost!? I took my fiance to the game with free tickets, fed her a juicy cheeseburger from Turkey Mike's BBQ, scored extra points because Shane Keough (son of one of the moms from the Real Housewives of Orange County show on Bravo) was playing Left Field for Stockton, in addition to my highlights mentioned above. Every item on my checklist to see/experience at the game got satisfied. SJ Giants games are awesome!!!

* - meant to make this a Fanshot, but hit the wrong button. Mods can move this to Fanshot section if they so desire...Sorry

"Matt Palmer looking for his 6th straight win..."

joebirdie3 — Mon, 25 May 2009 13:51:32 -0000

"Matt Palmer looking for his 6th straight win..."

Not exactly something you hear everyday on ESPN. This is the same AAAA pitcher that we brought up for a couple spot starts last year, posting a shiny ERA of 8.53 with an even shinier WHIP of 2.37.

Is this guy just getting lucky being on a team that can hit once in a while and pitching out of his mind so far, or did we miss out on another diamond in the rough?

Poll: Rays or Giants?

joebirdie3 — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:32:12 -0000

With all this talk regarding our pitchers and the rumors of potential trades, it seems like the D-Rays seem to be the most coveted trading partners. They just traded Delmon Young, but in addition they have other young hitters like Crawford, Baldelli, Upton, Longoria, Iwamura and even Carlos Pena who all seem available for the right price. Yet with all this promise, they still can't manage to lose fewer than 90 games a season.

My question is this, whose situation would you rather be in? Is it better to have a stockpile of young stud hitting position players like the D-Rays, or to have an anemic offense and a surplus of stud arms like the Giants have?

Poll

Whose situation would you rather have?

D-Rays - I love me some offense!

44 votes

Giants - Good pitching always beats good hitting!

54 votes

Neither - Who cares they're both gonna suck for the rest of the decade

25 votes

123 votes | Poll has closed

Down or not?

joebirdie3 — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:23:45 -0000

What is the rule these days about how you are ruled down, and the "ground cannot cause a fumble" myth. I cant remember them all, but I can think of many instances in the past few seasons where a guy catches the ball, maintains possession, hits the ground and the ball pops out. The refs rule it a fumble and the other team runs it the other way.

I've heard also that "an elbow equals a knee". Is this also still true? In regards to the Davis play, the ref said he "barely got two feet down before he got hit" then the ball was dislodged when he hit the ground. If he barely got two feet down, then he got two feet down right? The ball popped out when his elbow hit the ground, not when the ball hit the ground, so he's down right? He was not able to make a "football move", but if that play happened on the sideline and the ball goes out of bounds, do they still call it incomplete?

I'd just like to know from someone more knowledgeable of the rules than me, are the statements "the ground cannot cause a fumble" and "an elbow equals a knee" still accurate in the NFL? Thanks

Open Ray Durham Venting Forum

joebirdie3 — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 05:49:55 -0000

I have been saying this since the All-Star Break that Ray Durham has been the worst player for the Giants this year and yet he keeps coming up in crucial situations with the game on the line. Here is a sampling of the huge pile of suck that is Ray-Ray's batting splits coming into today's game:

Overall: 401 AB .224/.303/.359 60 RBI
Post All-Star: 119 AB .160/.261/.252 14 RBI
Runners on: 211 AB .246/.320/.403 57 RBI
RISP: 127 AB .213/.297/.346 48 RBI

There are 76 players with 400 plate appearances in the league and Ray ranks 74th with a total of 42.7 runs created (only Omar and Marcus Giles are worse). A team full of Ray Durhams would score 3.41 runs per game. Randy Winn ranks 38th in that category with 68.4 runs created and a team of Winns would score 5.29 RPG.

The Giants currently average just over 4 runs per game. If we had a lineup full of Randy Winns and could score an extra run per game, those 17 extra inning games we have played would all be victories, and the 12 9-inning 1-run losses we have would all go to extra innings, so you figure we'd get at least 5 wins out of that as well. That makes 16 additional victories this season, which coincidently would give us the exact same record as the D'Backs in first place.

I vote to DFA Ray immediately. I'd rather see Frandsen play every day and bat 7th or 8th, so his suckitude wouldn't hurt the team in key situations as much. I want to see Ortmeier at 1B every time we face a lefty and for Rajai to play every day in CF and have Roberts spell Bonds on his days off.

Let the hate flow!

Correia = the new Blownitez!?

joebirdie3 — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 05:40:42 -0000

It seems like every time he comes into a game late with the score tied or protecting a slim lead, Mr. Correia gives up the go ahead homer, or the critical walk or hit to help lose the game. He is now 1-6 and I would not be surprised if he gets to 10 losses this year. What is the record for most losses in a season by a late inning reliever? He has good stuff but ZERO command and is definitely a headcase. Can we PLEEEAAASE get rid of him get some draft picks or low level prospects? I cringe every time he comes in the game trying to hold the lead and usually bad things happen. He needs to go away along with all the oldies

Dukes

joebirdie3 — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 07:41:11 -0000

Sabes should follow Kevin Towers to trade for a talented player while their stock is low.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2913605

D-Rays seem willing to let go of Dukes, and we could probably get him for pretty cheap. Maybe watching a classy veteran like Bonds will inspire him to keep his act in line. Travis Blackley (Jason Ellison) for Elijah Dukes!

The new Billy Beane

joebirdie3 — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:11:42 -0000

Kevin Towers of the Padres is looking like the new Billy Beane of the NL. First he trades Adam Eaton to Texas for Adrian Gonzalez and Chris Young, then he trades Josh Barfield to Cleveland for another hitting prospect in Kevin Kouzmanoff, then signs Greg Maddux, David Wells and Marcus Giles, and now he trades for disgruntled catcher Michael Barrett!

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2910079

Now Barrett may be a better fantasy catcher than real life catcher, but he still has hit 48 homers and batted .290 over the past 3 seasons, including .307 last year. He is also the hero who punched out Pierzynski. The Padres gave up their backup catcher and a minor league outfielder who was a first round compensation pick last year. That's not that expensive! The Fathers will now boast the best hitting catching duo in the league with Josh Bard and Barrett. If we could have traded Yorvit Torrealba (backup catcher at the time) and Brad Hennessey (late first round pick in 2001) to get Pierzynski we might have had a World Series title by now.

Padres win the West