When a player underperforms, there are different factors—I call them “Hate Factors”—that will increase fans’ displeasure towards that player. Add up each of those factors, and you have an overall Hate Metric that I think can shed light on why certain players are reviled.*

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My 12-year old son and I are heading out to Phoenix next weekend for a little Spring Training. For the trip I thought it would be fun to put together a Giants playlist for my iTunes/iPod. The playlist would mainly be made up of songs we heard at A.T. & T. last season, plus some random stuff from seasons past, like "Smooth" from the ill-fated 2000 season.

I'd love it if I could drop in a few calls from games, like "Swing and a miss! And that's it!", and Flemming's "Goo-OOO-ne!!", and even the always essential "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!". I don't know if stuff like that can be downloaded on to iTunes though.

Obviously, the playlist will include "Lights" and "I Left My Heart...". I figure I'll add "Song 2" by Blur, that song by Daft Punk, and "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz because they're such an inescapable part of the 2010 Giants soundtrack. I'm also including "Say Hey" (The Willie Mays Song) by the Treniers, because... well, I don't think I even need to explain that one.

But I'd love to hear your ideas. What other songs do you associate with the Giants? I'm mainly looking for songs that were played somewhat regularly over the PA or that relate directly to the Giants. I don't think I want to get too tangential with songs like "One Toke Over the Line" in honor of Timmy, or "Hot Rod Lincoln" by Commander Cody, in honor of Ross. But, hey, I'm open to suggestions.

Ideas? Help me McCoven! You're my only hope!

MLB Managers and Coaches once again fell prey to the siren song of DINGERZZ and RIBBIEZZ. Proof, once again, that chicks dig the long ball.

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Along with the article on Lincecum and Cain, the latest SI also has a piece in "The Vault", recounting the incident involving Juan Marichal and John Roseboro. As has frequently been the case where this story is concerned, the article (reprinted from 1965) is a ridiculously slanted account of what actually took place.

 

 

 

 

 

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I know this sounds extreme. But when I look at the Giants' problems and deficiencies--and they are legion--I keep seeing Brian Sabean as the one who ultimately is responsible for the things that are wrong with the Giants, and the one who is keeping them from getting where we all want them to be. Today's game simply provided several more examples.

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For the second straight year, the Giants offense is completely toothless. They've spent the past season and a half at or near the bottom of the league in runs scored, home runs, pitches/at bat, BB, OBP, SLG, OPS, OMG, WTF, and BBQ. They have nothing even remotely similar to a genuine, consistent power hitter. Brian Sabean has brought in a new emphasis on speed and moving up runners, but the roster he has assembled continually fails in this aspect of the game.

Now, talk has begun that Sabean is in the market for a bona fide hitter. Matt Cain is being mentioned as someone Sabean might consider trading to bring in a real offensive threat. Clearly the Giants have to look outside their organization if they want to beef up their offense.

The question is, do we want to see Matt Cain traded in order to do that? And do we trust Brian Sabean to make a trade that will help the Giants?

 

 

Poll

On the topic of trading Matt Cain...

38%

He shouldn't be traded under any circumstances.

131 votes

49%

I'm not against trading him, but I don't trust Brian Sabean to make a good trade.

170 votes

12%

I'm in favor of trading him now, while his value is high, and have confidence that Sabean and his braintrust can pull off a good deal.

42 votes

343 votes | Poll has closed

"Juan Uribe receives word that he'll be getting a lot more playing time as a result of the injury to Edgar Renteria. And someone shoves a trumpet in his face."

If Edgar Renteria goes to the DL with his hamstring injury, who picks up the slack? Last night we talked about the idea of Emmanuel Burriss moving over to short and Kevin Frandsen being called up. I'd be happy if this happened, but I don't think it will. Burriss has worked hard to get comfortable at second base. I don't think the Giants will want to mess with that.

I almost sort of picture Bruce Bochy thinking long and hard about giving Rich Aurilia a week of starts at short, just to "get Richie going". This would be unfortunate, since the only use of the phrase "get Richie going" should be in relation to helping him clear out his locker, or giving him a ride to the airport.

I think Juan Uribe gets slotted in at shortstop until Renteria comes back. Burriss stays at second base and Eugenio Velez maybe gets a turn or two as Burriss' backup.The result: there's really no need to call up another middle infielder to replace Renteria.

OK, so who replaces Renteria, then? If it was up to me, I'd bring up what the Giants need most--more than another middle infielder, more than another relief pitcher...a hitter. Why not use this as an opportunity to call up Jesus Guzman?  Give him a few starts at first base, particularly against LH pitching, see how he is progressing defensively, give him a few pinch hit opportunities. The Giants get to add a badly needed bat, (taking away a lot of AB's from Aurilia in the process), and they still have Ishi for late-inning defense. It's low-risk, potentially high reward.

That's what I'd like to see them do.

 

 

 

 

 

I got an email from my friend Gar, who has gained a little bit of notoriety this past year as "Batting Stance Guy". He's been on MLB Network a bit lately.

Anyway, the Giants are going to have a "Guess the Stance" feature between innings on JumboTron this season, and Gar asked if I could help him get the McCoven's esteemed input on the following two questions:

 

1) Who are your favorite current Giants' hitters? (Top two or three)

Mine = Bengie, KF Panda and FLew

 

2) Which current Giants have the most weirdest, most memorable, most unique stances and swings?  Here I'd go with Richie (with fake bunt), Winn and Bengie.

Please help out and post your answers to these two questions. Thanks...

My friend Gar sent me a link for a piece he did on MLB Network recently. It's fun to see these stances shot in a studio with clear picture and different camera angles, instead of just the usual fuzzy youtube video shot in the backyard from a single camera. I also enjoy the way he interacts with Harold Reynolds and Mitch Williams. Dude seems really at ease. 

Look for three ex-Giants: Jack Clark, Ryan Klesko and Joe Carter. He does both a "Braves Klesko" and a "West Coast Klesko", and the "West Coast Klesko" pretty much captures the famous "Klesko pose" shot that used to grace MCC when Klesko was a Giant in '07.  Watching him do Carter's HR in <em>front of Mitch Williams</em> is pretty surreal. Then he turns around and does a creditable Mitch Williams. Pitching Stance Guy. Williams seems like a good sport and looked like he really enjoyed it.

Not sure what's up with the MLB Net guys and their matching sweat suits. Looks like they're in some weird cult or something.

For the last several years, I've played in a softball league. Last season, I noticed one of the guys on my team started wearing a Giants cap. This is Orange County, so it always merits a comment when someone else (besides me) sports a Giants lid. Anyway, he tells me that a friend of his is the father of a guy in the Giants' farm system. I ask him who, and he says "Travis Denker".

Fast forward to about a month ago, when the Giants released Denker, and I'm lamenting with my friend about what an idiot Brian Sabean is, to let a bonafide middle infield bat get away when middle infield bats (well...bats in general, really) are in such short supply with the Giants.  So my friend, goes, "Hey, you want one of his bats? Now that he's on the Padres, he's not going to need his SF Giants model bats." I go, "Yeah, sure, that'd be awesome." So last week, my friend drops by my house and hands me this brand new Travis Denker Louisville Slugger. It's really a nice looking bat--blond maple, real smooth, with the hollowed out end. And it's autographed.

Pretty sweet--oh, what might've been!

via i102.photobucket.com

via i102.photobucket.com

 

 

I was very excited to see Tim Lincecum win the Players' Choice award for Outstanding Pitcher, and the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award. These player-voted awards are far more meaningful, in my book, than the Cy Young.

The players pay much closer attention, in my opinion. They watch each others' performances over the course of the whole season, not just in September.  Most of the players have the added advantage of having actually stood in a batters box (often multiple times) against each pitcher in question.

And players, for the most part, have a much better idea of what makes a dominant, outstanding pitcher than the scribes and talking heads on TV do. And this was Lincecum's first full season. Players didn't just vote for him from reputation, the way they may have voted for perennial award winners in the past. He earned this.

The tried and true BBWAA process for voting the Cy Young works more like this: 

 - STEP ONE (April-August): Watch "Big Name" pitchers and Yankee/Red Sox pitchers. Ignore everyone else.

 - STEP TWO (September--compile list of 2-3 "Finalists"): 1) Peruse stats page in sports section; see who is leading the league in Wins, ERA, Strikeouts and Saves. 2) Add in best pitcher from a contending team. 3) Add in any aforementioned "Big Name/East Coast" pitchers. 4) Ask sportswriter pals who they are voting for. 

 - STEP THREE (October): Vote for whoever has the best outing in their final appearance of the season.

Great job Timmeh!

Which San Francisco Giant will be the first to reach 10 HRs this season?

It's a scintillating race; albeit one in which the contestants all seem to have forgotten where the finish line is. But eventually, one would think, someone will reach that rarefied air of double figures in home runs. Why is it so important that FanPosts be 75 words long? Beats me. I always thought that brevity was the soul of wit.

Who will it be?

Poll

Who will be the first Giant to reach 10 HRs?

2%

Rich Aurilia

5 votes

27%

John Bowker

60 votes

23%

Fred Lewis

51 votes

4%

Bengie Molina

9 votes

25%

Aaron Rowand

54 votes

16%

No Giant will hit 10 HRs this year; in fact the Giants will fail to hit another HR the rest of the season.

36 votes

215 votes | Poll has closed

A few All-Star games ago, SF Chronicle baseball writer John Shea wrote the following:

       "No Giants pitcher has had success in an All-Star Game since Carl Hubbell."

Given the Giants' more recent All-Star pitching history, it's understandable that Shea would see things in an entirely negative light. But this remark was so howlingly off the mark that I feel an almost annual compulsion to deride it and refute it. The fact is, until Atlee Hammaker arrived on the All-Star scene in 1983, the Giants had a rather remarkable record of success in All-Star Game pitching.

Since moving to SF in 1958, Giants pitchers have compiled a 6-3 record, with an ERA of 4.18 (26 ER in 56 IP). However, a closer look at the record book reveals three distinct eras of SF Giants' All-Star Pitching performances: The first, I call the "Marichal Era" from 1958-71. Second is the transitional "Vida Era" from 1972-82. And then there's that period of time I like to call the "Atlee Era", extending from 1983 to present.

During the "Marichal Era", from 1958-71, Giants' pitchers went 5-0, and allowed just 4 ER in 35.1 IP, for a 1.02 ERA. Marichal, for his part, was remarkable--allowing just one earned run in his eight All-Star appearances, covering 18 innings of work.

One other thing--Stu Miller's '61 outing at the Candlestick Park All-Star game is often cited as another example of "The Curse". But check out Miller's line from that game: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. And he was the winning pitcher. Stu went on to toss three more scoreless innings in the *second* All-Star Game that year, at Fenway Park (that game ended in a 1-1 tie). Miller's very impressive '61 All-Star totals: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. In the years prior to the "Atlee Era", Giants' pitchers were 6-0, with a 1.43 ERA (7 ER in 44 IP).

Little did Atlee Hammaker know when he took the mound in Comiskey Park on that fateful night in 1983, that he was about to usher in a stretch where Giants pitchers would go 0-3, with an ERA of 20.86. The Atlee Era also was marked by the first instance of an SF Giant being the losing pitcher in an All-Star game (Jeff Brantley,'90).

Out of their first ten "Atlee Era" appearances, Giants pitchers emerged unscored upon in just two of them (Mike Krukow in '86 and Rod Beck in '94). A sign that the Atlee Era may be ending: With Brian Wilson's performance in last night's All-Star game following Jason Schmidt's two scoreless innings in 2003, the Giants now have consecutive scoreless All-Star pitching appearances for the first time since 1982 (just prior to the Atlee Era).

My conclusion is that Giants' pitchers are not cursed. They are merely suffering through the "Atlee Era"--a bad stretch which hopefully will soon come to a conclusion, and give way to another good era.

Here are the numbers:

'58: Antonelli (DNP)
'59 (1): Antonelli 0.1 IP, 0 ER (WP)
'59 (2): Sam Jones 2 IP, 0 ER
'60 (1): McCormick 2.1 IP, 0 ER
'60 (2): McCormick (DNP)
'61 (1): McCormick 3 IP, 1 ER / Miller 1.2, 0 ER (WP)
'61 (2): Miller 3 IP, 0 ER
'62 (1): Marichal 2 IP, 0 ER (WP)
'62 (2): Marichal 2 IP, 1 ER
'63: Marichal (DNP)
'64: Marichal 1 IP, 0 ER (WP)
'65: Marichal 3 IP, 0 ER
'66: Marichal 3 IP, 0 ER / Perry 2 IP, 0 ER (WP)
'67: Marichal 3 IP, 0 ER
'68: Marichal 2 IP, 0 ER
'69: Marichal (DNP)
'70: Perry 2 IP, 2 ER
'71: Marichal 2 IP, 0 ER
'76: Montefusco 2 IP, 0 ER
'77: Lavelle 2 IP, 0 ER
'78: Blue 3 IP, 3 ER
'80: Whitson (DNP)
'81: Blue 1 IP, 0 ER (WP)
'82: Minton 0.2 IP, 0 ER
'83: Atlee 0.2 IP, 7 ER / Lavelle (DNP)
'85: Garrelts (DNP)
'86: Krukow 1 IP, 0 ER
'88: Reuschel (DNP)
'89: Reuschel 1 IP, 2 ER
'90: Brantley 0.1 IP, 2 ER (LP)
'93: Burkett 0.2 IP, 3 ER (LP) / Beck 1 IP, 1 ER
'94: Beck 1.2 IP, 0 ER
'97: Estes 1 IP, 2 ER (LP) / Beck (DNP)
'98: Nen 1 IP, 1 ER
'99: Nen (DNP)
'02: Nen 1 IP, 1 ER
'03: Schmidt 2 IP, 0 ER
'04: Schmidt (DNP)
'06: Schmidt (DNP)
'08: Wilson 0.2 IP, 0 ER

"Marichal Era" (1958-71): 5-0, 35.1 IP, 4 ER, 1.02 ERA
"Vida Era" (1972-82): 1-0, 8.2 IP, 3 ER, 3.12 ERA
"Pre-Atlee Era" (1958-82): 6-0, 44 IP, 7 ER, 1.43 ERA
"Atlee Era" (1983-present): 0-3, 12 IP, 19 ER, 14.25 ERA

GASP Totals: 6-3, 56 IP, 26 ER, 4.18 ERA

Juan Marichal - All-Star totals: 18 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 9 SO, 2-0 W-L 0.50 ERA

 

It's Election Day, but rather than wasting your time voting on trivial, meaningless things such as judges, assemblypeople and eminent domain, why not vote on something that really matters?

Of course I'm referring to seeing to it that the Giants are represented on the website featuring favorite batting stances (past and present) of all 30 MLB teams. 

So far, 14 of 16 teams are represented on the site...but not the Giants?? It's a travesty that needs to be corrected right away. The Giants need to be next up. The world needs to experience the glory and wonder of some of the greatest hitters of all time: Mays! McCovey! Bonds! LeMaster! Every day that goes by without Giants batting stances up and available for public viewing is a day where wars will continue to rage, pestilence will continue to spread and children will continue to suffer.

But Giants batting stances can change all of that! Won't you act today? For the children?

Please go to this site right now, and vote for the Giants. Take you about 5 seconds.

If you have time, I'd also encourage you to list 5 or 10 Giants that you'd like to see done by the Batting Stance Guy.  Here's who I requested:

1. Barry Bonds
2. Bobby Bonds
3. Willie Mays
4. Willie McCovey
5. Johnnie LeMaster
6. Aaron Rowand
7. Rich Aurilia
8. Dave Kingman
9. Tito Fuentes (Not sure if you remember this one. Definitely an all-time classic, complete with the bat-handle-bounce-flip-and-catch-off-home-plate)
10. Jack Clark
11. Will Clark
12. Matt Williams
13. Jeff Kent
14. Robby Thompson
15. Andres Galarraga
16. Darrell Evans
17. Randy Winn (left-handed)
18. Marvin Benard
19. Jeffrey Leonard
20. Jose Uribe

Others...   Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Benito Santiago, J.T. Snow, Chili Davis, Chris Speier, Orlando Cepeda, Jesus Alou, Felipe Alou, Bengie Molina, Juan Marichal (batting against Roseboro?... sorry, my bad taste knows almost no bounds).

 

They say that everyone has a gift. Well, I have a friend whose gift is mimicking major leaguers' batting stances. Over the past couple years, he's been posting short videos of his interpretations of different major leaguers' batting stances and swings, up on YouTube. I'll admit to maybe being a little biased, but I think the guy...well, I already said it. He's gifted. The impressions are pretty much dead-on, and many of them are hilarious.

Most of the videos feature maybe15-20 different hitters (past and present) from one Major League team. Each video is about three minutes in length, although there's one that features players of the 1980's that runs about four minutes. That one has both Jack Clark and Will Clark (check out the Nuschler Face on Will!). The Red Sox and Braves videos are also favorites of mine.

He's got ten teams up so far, and plans on doing all 30 teams. Yes, even the Rays. There's one thing that bugs me though: No Giants team video yet! This is an especially egregious oversight, for two reasons:

1) He's a Giants fan.

2) He's already done the D@#&?$!!!!111!?

So I'd like to ask a favor of everyone. First, check out a video or two on his YouTube link. Second, send him an email asking him to do a Giants video before he does one for any of the other meaningless, inconsequential teams that are rumored to be in the Major Leagues. Please be nice when you email. Don't swear at him for his already having done the Dodgers. I've forgiven him and you can too. But do request any Giants hitters that you'd like to see him mimic, past or present. He asked me for my Top 20, so here's my list of faves I sent him (along with a few extras):

1. Barry Bonds
2. Bobby Bonds
3. Willie Mays
4. Willie McCovey
5. Johnnie LeMaster
6. Aaron Rowand
7. Rich Aurilia
8. Dave Kingman
9. Tito Fuentes (Not sure if you remember this one. Definitely an all-time classic, complete with the bat-handle-bounce-flip-and-catch-off-home-plate)
10. Jack Clark
11. Will Clark
12. Matt Williams
13. Jeff Kent
14. Robby Thompson
15. Andres Galarraga
16. Darrell Evans
17. Randy Winn (left-handed)
18. Marvin Benard
19. Jeffrey Leonard
20. Jose Uribe

Others...   Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Benito Santiago, J.T. Snow, Chili Davis, Chris Speier, Orlando Cepeda, Jesus Alou, Felipe Alou, Bengie Molina, Juan Marichal (batting against Roseboro?... sorry, my bad taste knows almost no bounds).

I'd like to hear your ideas for songs that could best represent the 2008 Giants.

All I keep thinking of while watching the Giants fritter another one away to the Dodgers, is the timeless line from "Synchronicity II":

"...And every single meeting with his so-called superior, is a humiliating kick in the crotch."

 ...So mine's "Synchronicity II.

 

 

Apparently,  Bruce Bochy is attaching some meaning to the goings-on in and around Scottsdale this spring. In this John Shea piece from this morning's sfgate, it's beginning to look as if the "Warrior Spirit" t-shirts aren't working as well as we had hoped.

The 2008 Giants are looking  more and more like a team that is incapable of winning baseball games on any kind of consistent basis (such as, say, two games in a row). Pitching and defense, supposedly strengths of this team are looking ragged. Speed is pretty good, second in the NL in stolen bases (although they lead the NL in being caught stealing--12 times in 42 attempts). The hitting, to no one's surprise, except maybe one or two on this board, has been atrocious.

Bruce Bochy says the team isn't doing the "little things", but they aren't doing the big things either. Take hitting the ball and catching the ball. The Giants aren't doing those two things. On base percentage and slugging percentage are both next-to-last in the NL. The team ERA is 7.11, worst in MLB by far. And that's their pitching, the Giants' supposed strong suit. The team's Defensive Efficiency Rating (from ESPN--it's sort of like fielding percentage, but wonkier) is the worst in MLB by far. Again, another supposed strong suit. Sure, there are lots of players in the mix who won't be heading north with the team. But that's true of every club.

I've been upset for a long time that Brian Sabean had his contract extended. But the more I think about it, I'm almost glad that Sabean will be around this year to preside over and be held accountable for this mess.

 

 

Continue reading this post »

From ESPN.com, this AP article is about the closing of Dodgertown.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3298918

"In an era when spring training has become big business, [Dodgertown] was more like baseball's petting zoo, where players were encouraged to chat with fans and sign their balls."

I just want to know how someone who writes for a living, can come up with a sentence like that and not know something's wrong?

 

Who will hit the most home runs for the Giants this year, and as a special bonus, how many will he hit?

Poll

Who will lead the '08 Giants in HRs?

7%

Ray Durham

13 votes

2%

Nate Schierholtz

4 votes

3%

Fred Lewis

5 votes

7%

Randy Winn

12 votes

5%

Bengie Molina

9 votes

13%

Someone Else

22 votes

0%

Rich Aurilia

1 votes

6%

Dan Ortmeier

11 votes

3%

Barry Bonds (late Spring arrival!!!!1?)

6 votes

49%

Aaron Rowand

81 votes

164 votes | Poll has closed

I apologize if this is old news to the rest of you, but I just happened to see this for the first time...

Today I bought this week's USA Today Sports Weekly (and yes, quite frankly I am very much ashamed of myself for continuing to buy this publication), and I found this story in "The Buzz" (page 3, upper right corner) that reads exactly as follows:

"The San Francisco Giants, who are keeping a close eye on Chicago White Sox third baseman Joe Crede, have also talked about the possibility of bringing back David Bell to fill a void at third base, according to a high-ranking team official.

Bell, a 12-year veteran who last played in the major leagues in 2006, as been plagued by chronic back woes. He played on the Giants' 2002 National League pennant-winning team.

Still, the Giants official said their first choice is Crede, who is coming off back surgery. Giants  center fielder Aaron Rowand, a former teammate of Crede's, said he gave Crede a glowing recommendation when the Giants front office asked questions about Crede's makeup.

The White Sox are listening to offers for Crede, Chicago general Kenny Williams says, because of the emergence of third baseman Josh Fields. Bob Nightengale

This whole story is so ridiculous, it can't possibly have even the remotest potential for coming to fruition, right?  David Bell? Chronic back woes? Hasn't played since 2006?? I think Sabean is maybe trying to make the impending acquisition of Crede look awesome, by comparison.

Right?

Just a few things I'm wondering about as Spring Training approaches...

1. Who bats cleanup when Bengie sits? Bengie Molina is our cleanup hitter and that's a bummer. But Bengie played in just 134 games for the Giants last year, and that was a career high. Over his career, he generally has averaged around only 120 games a year. So, for those 40-or-so games that Bengie sits, does Bochy rearrange the lineup and maybe have Rowand bat 4th? Or does he just slide Guillermo Rodriguez or Eliezer Alfonzo into the 4-hole on those nights?
2. Who's the backup shortstop? Richie or Frandsen?
3. Any definitive word on how Vinnie Chulk is doing? He was shut down with circulatory issues due to his use of smokeless tobacco. This was the same thing that ended Kevin Rogers' career 14 years ago. Rogers was a very promising Giants pitcher who was dominant out of the bullpen in the '93 season. Early in '94, he began experiencing circulatory problems from his use of smokeless tobacco. He went on the DL then and there and never pitched again in the major leagues.
4. Why isn't Sabean adding some cheap, low-risk relief pitchers to the list of non-roster invitees? I've been reading about Arizona scouting and being close to signing Keith Foulke to a minor league contract. Boston has signed Dan Kolb and Dan Miceli to similar contracts. These are no-risk/high-reward opportunities for the Giants. With the Giants bullpen already suspect, it seems like having a few more bullpen options would be prudent, given how much the Giants are investing in their starting rotation. How many nights will Bochy go to pick up the phone to get someone loosened up, remember he's choosing between the likes of Randy Messenger, Jack Taschner and Steve Kline, and decide to leave Lincecum or Cain in a few batters longer?

Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register, writes what actually is a clear-eyed, reasoned and objective column in today's paper.

Based on what normally passes for sports journalism on Bonds, Whicker is frighteningly out of step with the appropriate doctrinaire thinking down here.  In Southern California, this column borders on being a sort of professional death wish.

Whicker will undoubtedly be flooded with the kind of mail that will only underscore his point about the toxicity and lunacy of hatred. Hopefully, Whicker has his resume burnished and ready to go.  Or at least he's good with early retirement.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/sports/columns/article_1758021.php

Sunday, July 8, 2007
Cloud of suspicion rains on Bonds
MARK WHICKER: Is it right for us fans to detest someone we hardly know?

MARK WHICKER
Register columnist
mwhicker@ocregister.com

SAN FRANCISCO - There have been killer hurricanes that didn't bring as much dread as the 755th home run by Barry Bonds. Let alone the 756th. Instead of commemorating the most glamorous record in sports, commissioner Bud Selig will try to find something better to do.

This article could be titled "Me 'N' Barry".  Mostly a touchy-feely piece about what it's like to cover Barry on an ongoing basis.  

Still, a pretty fair assessment.  But I also think that asking Barry "Do you feel safe in your own stadium?" was a stupid question.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/state/n112338D33.DTL

Is it "Boof", as in "hoof" and "woof"?  Or is it "Boof", as in "goof" and "aloof"?

It turns out that Salomon Torres is even more fearful about a trade to the Giants than Giants fans are.

For obvious reasons, I've never been particularly sympathetic to Salomon Torres, but this article from today's sfgate gives some interesting perspective about Torres' time in SF and his career since then.

"Worst time in my career...prompted my retirement...I don't want to relive what I went through...if I stay away from him it's better..."

Wow, I didn't know that Torres felt this strongly about his time with Barry in S.F.

Umm...well, actually it turns out that Torres isn't referring to his three years with Barry in SF.  Torres is talking about 1997 and his one partial season being managed by Crazy Phil in Montreal.

We've heard the stories about Torres and Barry, but this is the first I'd heard about Solly and Flippy.  And it's interesting that Torres would be OK with being a teammate of Bonds once more, but the thought of being managed by Felipe again is the thing that really scares him.  Tell me if this sounds at all familiar:

"He didn't treat me the way I felt he should have been treating me. ... He never went straight to me and told me what was going on...."

You know, I never knew that being non-communicative, insane and helping end pitchers' careers was something new Felipe picked up since coming to San Francisco.  Apparently, he's been mastering this skill from a way back.

Apparently, Felipe was so caught off-guard by Torres' remarks that he could think of no other response but the truth: "If the only reason he doesn't like me is because I didn't handle him well, that's all right with me. He's not the only guy."

That's right Felipe.  There are lots and lots of players who despise you.  A.J. Pierzynski was and is a lot of things, but he wasn't lying when he called it "Alou-catraz".  Always pay attention to the jerks when they leave S.F.  They have the best blasts to level at Felipe.  (I can't wait to hear what Armando says once he's gone.)

Best line from Torres...
"...If I stay away from him, it's better. I'm just looking for my future sanity."

On behalf of Giants' players and fans everywhere, I'd like to offer a heartfelt "Hear, hear".