It's a scary thought  , although I wouldn't really expect him to say anything differently. Here are some highlights of the article:

Sabean sees a San Francisco team that can contend.

Not in two seasons, not next season, but in 2008."As long as we've got a chance to stay in and around third place, why not?" Sabean said as he stood along the dugout rail and watched his players take batting practice. "Why wouldn't you want to think that way? These guys think that way.

He plans on keeping his "most marketable" veterans, for now...(sorry Nate)

With that in mind, Sabean said he does not contemplate moving his most marketable experienced players before the trade deadline, as many rebuilding teams do. Catcher Bengie Molina and outfielder Randy Winn, both signed through 2009, might yield the most in return. But as of now, Sabean plans to keep them.

"Both of those guys are unique," he said. "On any team, whether you're in transition or you're a veteran team, you want a veteran catcher. You want somebody like Molina who has an upside with the bat. In Randy's case it's the same thing, somebody who is so versatile, a switch-hitter who can play all three outfield positions. Their relative value is going to be consistent no matter what year it is or who you have around them."

He goes on to say that with Castillo and Bowker they have found solutions at first and third, so hopefully this means no outrageous trades for Crede or any other mediocre veteran corner INF.

At least there is still plenty of time left in the season for this team to change his mind.

 

 

This is good news, although it means they are going to have to add another SS to the 40 man roster at some point.

Kevin Frandsen will not be the Giants' shortstop on Opening Day. Manager Bruce Bochy said today he has informed Frandsen, who has struggled at the position, that he will return to his natural position at second base and get some time at third.

The Giants now have three candidates to be the Opening Day shortstop: prospects Emmanuel Burriss and Brian Bocock, who played Single-A ball last season, and Ivan Ochoa, last year's shortstop at Triple-A Fresno.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/06/SPP9VEU2K.DTL

According to Rosenthal the Mets called about Molina...

The Mets inquired about the Giants' Molina at the general managers' meetings, and they could attempt to revive the talks by offering newly acquired Johnny Estrada and perhaps another player. It is unclear whether the Giants want to trade Molina, however, and their trade leverage would be compromised by the $6 million that Molina is owed in each of the next two seasons. ...

I am all for trading Molina, but I wouldn't be wild about getting Estrada in return.  Maybe Brian should call his old pal Dusty to see if he is interested in a veteran catcher.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7480346?forum_key=StoryComments&topic_key=7480346&page_no =3

Poll

Do you think Bengie will be traded?

34%

Yes

24 votes

65%

No

46 votes

70 votes | Poll has closed

From Rotoworld:

Tigers acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria from the Braves for RHP Jair Jurrjens and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez.
That was remarkably quick. That Renteria is being dealt is no surprise, and it figured that the Tigers would be high on the list of suitors. However, we don't see wht the Braves felt they had to make the move today when better offers could have come later. This simply isn't a great return for a player who was one of the best in the NL last season. Renteria hit .332/.390/.470 in 2007, and he's under control for a very reasonable $20 million over two years (the second year is at Detroit's option). The Tigers did quite well to get him now. It'll certainly head off any Alex Rodriguez speculation.

Wow, that was quick! I wonder if Sabean was in on this?

Here are some tidbits from an article from the official site.  I know Sabean isn't going to tip his hand, but it's hard to get excited about the off-season after reading it.

Without being critical of departed home run king Barry Bonds, Bochy said Monday that he wants to "change the culture in the clubhouse" by urging the Giants to play more aggressively.

Not sure I quite understand this, but OK.

Sabean said that Rajai Davis will receive a chance to claim center field, with Dave Roberts moving to left, and spoke highly of shortstop Omar Vizquel and third baseman Pedro Feliz -- hinting that both potential free agents on the left side of the infield could be re-signed.

So Rajai, Roberts, and Vizquel won't combine to hit 10 homeruns, but remember speed, pitching and defense wins in our division.  We're set!

Although management demonstrated its desire to field a younger team by announcing on Sept. 21 that Bonds would not be re-signed, Sabean indicated that the Giants still would try to build a contender even while nurturing less-experienced players.

More vets on the way.

Although the Giants ranked next-to-last in the NL in scoring, Sabean echoed Bochy in saying that these collapses could be attributed more to pitching than hitting: "In some ways, we scored enough runs," said Sabean, who noted that he'll try to add at least one proven reliever to the bullpen.

Second to last in runs and getting rid of our best hitter with no viable replacement.  When in doubt, blame bullpen!

Sabean likened the challenge he faces this offseason to the predicament he confronted after the 1996 campaign, which happened to mark the last time the Giants lost more than 90 games (68-94) and finished last in the West. Although few realized it at the time, Sabean turned the Giants into winners largely on the strength of one trade: The deal that sent Matt Williams and Trenidad Hubbard to Cleveland for Jeff Kent, Joe Roa, Julian Tavarez and Jose Vizcaino. Kent formed an outstanding hitting tandem with Bonds for six years, while Tavarez and Vizcaino contributed significantly to the '97 team, which won the division.

What have you done for us lately?? That was 10 years ago.

The Giants have identified about six teams with position-player depth who could be pitching-hungry, although no talks are current.

Maybe the most interesting quote, that is if you have faith in Sabean's trading ability.

There is more, some of Sabean's other quotes are worth reading:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071001&content_id=2244648&vkey=news_sf&fext=.j sp&c_id=sf

Over at ESPN.com there is a piece on the 1993 pennant chase between our Giants and the Atlanta Braves.  Of course we all know how that turned out,  but I did find myself getting a little nostalgic when reading about it especially since I was fairly young when it happened(12yrs old).

It would take a transcendent pitching staff, the midseason heist of a slugging first baseman, the burning of a stadium, and a comeback from a double-digit deficit to beat Dusty's Giants. But the Atlanta Braves, playing Javert to the Giants' Valjean all year long, would finally subdue San Fran on the final day of the regular season, the last of its kind.

If it's not too traumatizing to relive this moment I would recommend checking it out.  If nothing else it reinforces why we should hate the Dodgers, Rockies, and Braves so much.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=93pennant

Bochy has apparently seen enough of Hennessey in the ninth and is going to give Tyler Walker and Brian Wilson a chance to close some games.  Big news, I know...

Bochy said before the Giants' game against the San Diego Padres that Walker and Wilson will share the closer's duties, replacing Brad Hennessey, the role's primary caretaker since the May 31 Armando Benitez trade.

It will be interesting to see how Bochy divvies up the 3 or so save opportunities this team will see the rest of the year.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070915&content_id=2211369&vkey=news_sf&fext=.j sp&c_id=sf

The PTBNL from the Pirates is single A pitcher Steve MacFarland.

The Pirates completed the Matt Morris trade by sending minor-league reliever Steve MacFarland to the San Francisco Giants.

MacFarland, a 21-year-old right-hander who was the Pirates' ninth-round draft pick last year, went 3-2 with a 4.80 ERA in 39 appearances for Class A Hickory, including one start. He struck out 69 and walked 48 in 65 2/3 innings.

Don't know anything about him, strikeouts look good but the walks look bad.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07239/812512-63.stm

Broken left hand injured before today's game.

From Rotoworld:

Giants placed RHP Randy Messenger on the 15-day disabled list with a broken left hand.
Messenger was hurt when he was hit by a ball during batting practice before Wednesday's game. The Giants thought it was just a bruise, but X-rays revealed the break. Since it's not his pitching hand, he might be ready to return on Sept. 1. Pat Misch is expected to be recalled to replace him.

Tough Break....

(sorry couldn't resist)

They did a five round mock draft over at John Sickel's minorleagueball.com.  I am not much of a draft guru(wish I was) so I am curious to know how people would feel if the draft played out this way or similar to it.  The Giants picks were made by a poster named MPK and here is what he thought of his drafting:

Not completely happy with my performance.  Made a mistake or two and screwed up on Fairley's value.  

Got some high-school pitchers I believe in, a couple CFs with high ceilings, and two polished college pitchers.  Just missed on a couple guys I really liked with my 1st couple picks.

Any comments, questions, etc... would be appreciated.

#10 Madison Bumgarner-I was hoping to get a shot at Parker, Heyward, or Detwiler, but it was not to be.  This pick easily could have been Harvey or Aumont, but I liked Bumgarner's easy velocity and athleticism.  Hopefully he can be taught a change to help neutralize righties.  Should I have gone in a different direction here?

#22 Corey Brown-Just missed on Mesoraco and Ahrens here.  Brown isn't a terrible consolation prize as he should stick in center and is a well-rounded offensive player.  I can understand anyone who would take Main here.  Not a huge Borbon or LaPorta fan, so they weren't really options.  Thought about Weathers, but I was pretty sure I could get better value for a fast- moving reliever later in the draft.

#29 Nevin Griffith-Burgess, Schmidt, and Fairley were considered here as well.  Was tempted by Brackman, but there were too many negatives in his total package.  I really like guys who can command and pitch off their fastball, plus Griffith is athletic and projectable.

#32 Wendell Fairley-I goofed here.  Probably coulda nabbed him at 43 and gotten Burgess, Poreda, etc...at this slot.  I do however believe in Fairley's ability and the chance he can be an offensive and defensive standout in CF.  Still a risky pick, plus I miscalculated the interest in him so not my best selection.

#43 James Simmons-I really like guys who can pitch off their fastball and Simmons personifies that criteria.  He's still 20, but should move pretty quick and provide some level of immediate security from this draft.

#51 Kyle Blair-Another pick I wish I could have back.  I like Blair's total package (fastball around 90, plus curve, projectable, good makeup, athletic) and believe in his upside, but had him rated similarily to Kentrail Davis and Kellen Kulbacki, and given the state of the Giants farm system a bat may have been better.

#164 Jonathan Holt-One of my favorite picks.  Hopefully he's the 2007 version of Joe Smith.  Another guy with great fastball command. Close to a sidearmer and has excellent control of a high-80's sinker.  Had a 60-4 K/BB ratio for U of Tampa this year.  Decent size, durable, and should be a really fast-mover.  Would have preferred Cory Gearrin because of his slider, but I'm happy with Holt despite the limited upside.

Here is a link to the diary above:

http://www.minorleagueball.com/story/2007/6/3/202249/9716

Link to the entire draft so you know who was available when he selected:

http://www.minorleagueball.com/

Is this how the draft is going to play out with all the hitters gone by #10?  Would you take Matt Dominguez over Bumgarner or is that too big of a reach?  

What would you have done or would like to see?

         

This is from rotoworld, I will post another source as soon as I find one.

Dave Roberts-OF-Giants     May. 9 - 8:01 pm et

Even after homering Wednesday, Dave Roberts said he expects to have surgery in the coming days to remove bone chips from his left elbow.
Roberts is scheduled to be examined Thursday by Angels team orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles. Surgery would likely cost him 3-5 weeks, so if it's really giving him problems, he might as well get it taken care of now. The slumping Todd Linden would get at-bats in his place, but the Giants might call up Nate Schierholtz to try in right field, with Randy Winn seeing time in center. A trade for outfield help is also a possibility.

Ok Sabes, time to heat up those trade lines.  We can't take anymore of KLinden.

Looking at our right fielders statistics is enough to make any Giant fan depressed (Winn .491OPS, Linden .580OPS).  I was just trying to pass the time on this off day so I went looking around at teams rosters looking for possible trade ideas to upgrade in right.  I am across some interesting names, I was looking mainly for guys who are buried on the depth chart or on bad teams.  Here are a few of the names I came across:

Jonny Gomes-Only 13ab's this year, had a very good 2005(21hrs, .906OPS in 348Abs) and got off to a great start last year(18hrs, .863OPS pre-all star break) before an injury ruined the second half of the year.  The Drays can't seem to find any room for him with Crawford, Dukes, D. Young, and Baldelli in the OF and DH.  Since the Rays are loaded with young hitting prospects they would probably want some young pitching in return, something we actually have.

Marcus Thames-Broke out last year (26hrs, .882OPS) but with Gary Sheffield in the picture has only had 18ab's so far.  Last year could have been a fluke, but if he can be had for something cheap it might be worth a shot.

Wily Mo Pena-Can't seem to find time in that Boston OF and now with J.D. Drew on board he could become expendable.  Always has shown big power potential but he is young enough for the Red Sox to hold on too and keep as a future replacement for Manny or injury insurance for Drew.

Other guys that would be an upgrade that I wouldn't give anything up for or be all that excited about:

Jay Gibbons
Kevin Mench
Jose Guillen

And just for fun-Ken Griffey Jr.-Too big of injury risk at this point among other things.

So lets find out what you think.  Are any of these guys realistic or are we stuck with Winn all year?  Should Linden get a real chance before a move is made?  Are there other guys out there that intrigue you more?  Lets hear some ideas to fix RF, besides what else is there to do on this off day besides follow Lincecum?

According to an article in today's San Jose Merc, the team is leaning towards dumping Sweeney, carrying Niekro and Ellison and carrying only 11 pitchers:

A club source said the Giants are so intent on keeping outfielder Jason Ellison and first baseman Lance Niekro, both of whom are out of options, that they are resigned to starting the season with just an 11-man pitching staff. Even with the extra position spot, there doesn't appear to be room for Sweeney at the end of the bench.

http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_5529394

I guess there is some risk in only carrying 11 pitchers, but no one exactly stepped up and won a job.  It's possible that once Aurilia shows he is healthy Frandsen could be sent down if another arm is needed.

So who would be the six bullpen members?
Benitez
Wilson
Kline
Correia
Chulk
Hennessey?
Atchison, Kim?
Waiver Wire pick-up?
Trade?

Giants are playing 2 today.  One game is currently in progress vs. the Royals (no radio) and they play tonight vs Seattle, which is a Jonathan Sanchez start.

Zito started vs. the Royals, had a rough first but took care of business after that. They are playing some serious long ball this afternoon.  They have hit 5 solo homeruns-Durham 2(righthanded), Bonds, Linden, and Aurillia.

Gameday:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/y2006/gd.html?2007_03_15_sfnmlb_kcamlb_1&brand=mlb

'The Thrill' is gone -- to the D-backs
By Nick Peters - Bee Staff Writer

Last Updated 7:18 am PST Thursday, March 1, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C8

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Will Clark was standing behind the batting cage, giving sage advice.

Matt Williams is a broadcaster and a special adviser. Brett Butler is the new Double-A manager, Joel Youngblood is the Triple-A batting coach and, of course, Bob Melvin is the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It's like a Giants reunion at Arizona's spring training camp, and that's not even counting pitching workhorse Livan Hernández. In fact, the Diamondbacks have nearly as many ex-Giants employees as the Dodgers, making the N.L. West a family feud.

Still, it looked strange seeing Clark in Sedona red, the new team color. Will "The Thrill" never swung a bat for Arizona, but his connection with general partner Jeff Moorad, his former agent, has brought him to the desert and back to the game he loves.

"It's a good chance to stay around the game and see the young guys getting started," Clark said. "I'll spend a few days down here and during the season check out the minor-league teams. The Double-A club is in Mobile (Ala.), and that's only about a three-hour drive for me."

Clark, who moved his family from his native New Orleans to Baton Rouge, La., after Hurricane Katrina, isn't merely a guest celebrity in camp. He worked with minor leaguers long after the varsity called it a day.

"I wouldn't want that -- if I'm gonna be here, I want to make an impact on somebody," said Clark, who led the Giants' mid-1980s resurgence and was asked why he isn't doing his thing in a San Francisco uniform.

"Because I wasn't invited," came the blunt reply from a man who realizes team ownership acts as if Giants tradition was invented in 1993 (the group's first season), unless you're a Hall of Famer from the star-studded 1960s. "It's like we don't exist."

Clark pointed out that because the All-Star Game is in San Francisco on July 10, the Giants are reaching out to those from the Bob Lurie regime. Clark will attend festivities as a guest of management, along with other San Francisco All-Stars.

Clark, whose last season with the Giants was 1993, said a 20th anniversary reunion of the 1987 division champions also is scheduled this summer.

http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/130695.html

I posted the entire article because you have register to be able to read it.

And Righetti does not seem to be too pleased about it.

"Pitching coach Dave Righetti went as far as to say the tweaks Zito made this winter -- seen by the team for the first time Thursday -- could cause him to lose his dominant curveball and wear down his body. Zito has never missed a start in his seven-year career."

This should be interesting!

http://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/1056261/detail.html

Apparently Mark Sweeney got all the attention at media access day yesterday at AT&T park.  I can't imagine why.

""
Poor Cain.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/20/SPG6JNM6971.DTL

Indians signed outfielder Trot Nixon, who had been with the Red Sox, to a one-year, $3 million contract.

The Twins are set to sign Ramon Ortiz to a one-year, $3.1 million contract, assuming that he passes a physical.

Jeff Samardzija is giving up football for baseball, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting. Cubs agreed to terms with RHP Jeff Samardzija on a five-year contract with club options for 2012 and 2013.

Pirates agreed to terms with RHP Shawn Chacon on a one-year, $3.825 million contract.

Andruw Jones, a free agent after the season, said he'd like to finish his career in Atlanta.

And something all Giants fans can appreciate:

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Neifi Perez "played terrible" following his acquisition from the Cubs last August and indicated that he wouldn't be guaranteed a spot on this year's club.

courtesy of Rotoworld.

Someone at prosportsdaily.com posted an article from a Puerto Rican newspaper saying that Russ has signed with the Giants.

Here is a piece from the original article:

Los Atenienses de Manatí no sólo perderán a Jack Cassel y a Matt Belisle, sino que el fin de semana recibieron la noticia de que el abridor Russ Ortiz lanzará en la Isla hasta el próximo 22 de diciembre ya que llegó a un acuerdo para la próxima temporada con los Gigantes de San Francisco, confirmó el gerente general de la novena, José "Ronquito" García.

Someone gave a quick translation:

The Athenians of Manatí not only will lose Jack Cassel and to Matt Belisle, but that the weekend received the news that the opener Russ Ortiz will send in the Island until next the 22 of December since reached an agreement for the next season with the Giants of San Francisco, confirmed the general manager of the novena, Jose "Ronquito" Garci'a.

The translation is kind of broken, but it seems to say Russ has reached an agreement with the Giants.  It has not been confirmed by the mainstream media so take it for what you will.  

I don't think he has much left, but if it is for the ML minimun I guess I can't get too upset.  Maybe Benji and Russ can push each other to lose some weight.

Link to discussion:
http://www.prosportsdaily.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70929

Thought this was worthy of its own diary.  Some interesting names could become available.
From Rotoworld:

Tigers non-tendered outfielder Alexis Gomez.

Yankees non-tendered outfielder Aaron Guiel.

Braves non-tendered RHP Chris Reitsma.

Braves non-tendered second baseman Marcus Giles.

The Giants aren't sure yet on what role Jonathan Sanchez is going to have next year.

While Kline gives manager Bruce Bochy a durable left-handed presence in the bullpen, Sabean said "the camp is split" on whether to use promising left-hander Jonathan Sanchez in a starting or relief role.

I, personally, would like to see young Sanchez starting next year in Fresno, but I don't know if they will have that luxury.  Hopefully Taschner can rebound and be the second lefty out of the pen while Sanchez gains valuable starting experience at AAA.

What would you guys like to see?

Poll

What to do with Jonathan Sanchez?

5%

Trade him if the right deal came up

6 votes

9%

Put him in the pen

11 votes

53%

Put him in the rotation with the big club

61 votes

30%

Start the year as a starter in Fresno

35 votes

113 votes | Poll has closed

"The Dodgers have reached a preliminary agreement on a three-year, $47 million contract with right-hander Jason Schmidt, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthak reports."

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6242312

Ok, I guess it is time go and burn my old Schmidt jersey.

According to this article.  Apparently they aren't interested in losing an arbitration case if Bonds were to accept.    They would now risk losing Bonds for nothing if he were to sign somewhere else.  With the new labor agreement, this isn't as big a deal as it used to be.

Irwin's Request:
"If there is league news and you aren't going to write a long comment on it, please post it here instead of a separate diary. Think of this as a request/non-binding guideline from me, and me alone."

A few things this morning;

-Carlos Lee looks like he is headed to the Astros:

KRIV-TV in Houston is reporting that Carlos Lee and the Astros have agreed to terms on a six-year contract.

-The Rockies and Pirates are discussing a Brad Hawpe for Paul Maholm trade.

-The Mariners are going over Adam Eaton's medical files as they prepare to make a bid for the free agent right-hander.

All items from rotoworld

Can we get in on Hawpe? Would Sanchez be too much?
They probably wouldn't trade him within the division.

I saw this on MLB trade rumors and on the White Sox blog.  Apparently the Sox have some interest in aquiring Omar.  The sox fans seem to think Uribe and a reliever would get it done. I dont think Sabes would do this considering he is looking for options at the top of the order and Omar is extremely popular.  Uribe is good defensively and has some pop, but other than that he isn't much of a hitter. If they offered a starting pitcher, Sabean might listen.

SSH2005 wrote...

According to George Offman of WSCR 670 The Score, Kenny may be interested in bringing Aaron Rowand back and there may a deal in the works to acquire Omar Vizquel from the Giants.

http://www.southsidesox.com/story/2006/11/10/201726/53

Aramis Ramirez opted out of the final two years of his deal with the Cubs and filed for free agency on Monday.
Had Ramirez not opted out, the Cubs would have had him at $22.5 million for the next two years with an $11 million option for 2009. As a free agent, the 28-year-old could receive at least $60 million over five years. He'll keep negotiating with the Cubs, but it doesn't look like the two sides are at all close to a deal. The Angels, Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, Giants and Padres are among the other teams that could talk to him.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/HeadLines.aspx?sport=MLB

Hopefully there will be enough left in the pot after they sign Luis Gonzalez to make a run at Aramis. He could keep the 3rd base occupied until Villalona is ready, and best of all it would guarantee Feliz will not be back!

Both of these news items are from rotoworld.com

Merkin Valdez-R-Giants    

Merkin Valdez underwent Tommy John surgery last week and won't pitch in 2007.
Valdez, formerly one of the Giants' top prospects, was likely pitching hurt while compiling a 5.80 ERA and a 48/39 K/BB ratio in 49 2/3 innings for Triple-A Fresno this season. He still might have a career as a reliever, but it's doubtful that he'll see the majors again prior to mid-2008.

Matt Morris also pitched injured the last month of the season...

Matt Morris-S-Giants

The Giants revealed today that Matt Morris pitched since August with a fractured rib on his right side and a stress reaction in two other ribs on either side.
Morris entered August with a 4.61 ERA, so it's not like the injury led to his down year. Still, it was impressive that managed to work pretty deep into games despite an injury that had to be causing pain with every throw. An offseason of rest should see that he enters 2007 at 100 percent.

How does this affect Merkin's options? Does he spend the year on the 60-day DL?  
Maybe we should lighten up on Morris just a bit, not too much, just a little.       
       

Kevin Frandsen-2B-Giants    

Giants placed infielder Kevin Frandsen on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 18, with a fractured jaw.
Awful timing for Frandsen. The 24-year-old was just recalled this week and he had a big game in his only start in place of Ray Durham going 3-for-5 with a homer. Tomas De La Rosa will take over utility duties.

Tomas De La Rosa-SS-Giants    

Giants purchased the contract of infielder Tomas De La Rosa from Triple-A Fresno.
De La Rosa has been bouncing around the minors since playing in 33 games for the Expos between 2000 and 2001. The 28-year-old has always had a good glove, but his bat has prevented him from getting a chance as a utilityman. He was at .294/.353/.456 for Fresno, making this his career year. Don't expect him to have any fantasy value while serving as a reserve.

Chad Santos-1B-Giants    

Giants designated first baseman Chad Santos for assignment.
Santos was up for a week before Shea Hillenbrand was acquired last month. It might be the 25-year-old only ever stint in the majors.

Courtesy of Rotoworld

I was bored so I wondered over to the old WFB site and stumbled across this.  I thought it would make for a decent discussion since the G-men are off until Friday. Imagine if just one or two(other than lowry) had panned out.  We might not be dealing with SITUATION Morris for the next 2 and a half years.  Although they did help bring us Hawkins, Winn, AJ, and Ponson(if that is something to be proud of).

Top Ten Prospects List (Actually Grant, you skipped number 7 so it is your top 9, we'll just pretend that was Liriano's spot)

I'm no scout, and I'm not an expert with stats. What I'm great at, however, is consuming information and regurgitating it as if I discovered it. This isn't a top ten list, really, as much as it is a list of the prospects I'm most interested in for 2003.

1. Jesse Foppert, RHP
He reached AAA with about 300 lifetime innings of pitching under his belt. That's counting the minors and college, and he still looked like Nolan Ryan pitching in a tee-ball tournament.

2. Jerome Williams, RHP
I'm still wondering what kind of car he's going to get when he turns 16.

3. Kurt Ainsworth, RHP
He might not be Curt Schilling, but I can see him being Chan Ho Park in Park's "on" years. I'll take that.

4. Todd Linden, RF
He stands to be the first above-average outfielder produced by the Giants since "The Empire Strikes Back" came out. Think about that for a while. If you put together an outfield of the best prospects developed by the Giants in the past twenty years, you'd have Rob Deer in left, Marvin Benard in center, and Chili Davis in right. We're all rooting for you, Todd.

5. Boof Bonser, RHP
If he is a star for the Giants, it would be mighty cool to hear a crowd of 42,000 sing, "Booooooooof!" in unison. Of course, he could be terrible, and never know he was being booed. Jeff Brantley might have received a ten-year deal if his name was "Boof", with management thinking he was some sort of cult hero.

6. Ryan Hannaman, LHP
Young, throws gas, and struggles with his control. Welcome to the Giants, and here's your commemorative William VanLandingham, Joe Nathan, and Shawn Estes bobblehead set!

8. Jesse English, LHP
I know two things about him. One is that he was drafted far lower than Baseball America ranked him. The other is that he tore up the Arizona League right out of high school.

9. Noah Lowry, LHP
Injuries stole most of his year last year, but he still did well. He's supposed to be close to the majors, and is described as Kirk Reuter with a better fastball.

10. Tony Torcato, OF
I'm not ready to give up on him yet. He's still young, and I think he's the type of player who makes contact whenever he swings, driving down his walks. He could be Randall Simon, or he could be Ichiro without the speed. His swing is beautiful, though, and gives me a little hope.

The Giants' minor league organization has the balance of a hobo with an inner-ear infection and a bottle of Thunderbird. But even if the lack of position players is depressing, the pitching prospects they have are legitimate. The only pitcher on that list who didn't average one strikeout for every inning pitched was Jerome Williams. It's hard to find another team with that kind of depth.

This is from Yahoo's game recap.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=AqVn7Cx641D4v54kwTyTDVc5nYcB?gid=260624126

"Giants closer Armando Benitez wasn't available after blowing his fourth save of the season Friday night, giving up two runs in the ninth. Alou said Benitez had tenderness in his right elbow, and could be headed to the disabled list -- but the manager planned to wait before making a decision on Benitez, who has been booed at home despite fairly solid statistics"

Please DL him ASAP and let the Jeremy Accardo era begin!! Although Alou will probably go with Worrell instead.