Deal or No Deal?

Is Cliff Lee the answer, or would he cost too much?

There is no easy way to say this, so I’ll just come right out and say it. Your reigning, defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants absolutely suck right now and any light that may have been at the end of this tunnel is getting dimmer by the day.

The issues that have contributed to the general suckiness are abundant, but perhaps most glaring is the sudden and dramatic decline of the Giants starting pitchers who have delivered an MLB-worst 22 quality starts so far in 2013. With Madison Bumgarner the only Giants starter with an ERA under 4.00 and Bruce Bochy grasping at straws to find a replacement for an injured Ryan Vogelsong, what once was the Giants’ greatest strength has quickly become their Achilles heel.

This of course begs the question, should the Giants and Brian Sabean be looking to make a trade for a starting pitcher and if so, should that starting pitcher’s name be Cliff Lee?

The 18 Million Dollar Question

World Series hero, Barry Zito

Let’s face it Giants fans, we love us some Barry Zito. Game 5 of the NLCS, Game 1 of the World Series, those were magical performances that will forever live in the hearts and minds of Giants fans everywhere. Things weren’t always so magical for Zito in the Orange and Black, which brings me to the aforementioned 18 million dollar question:

Should the Giants exercise the 18 million dollar option on Barry Zito’s contract for 2014?

Tough one, isn’t it? Let’s examine both sides of this very expensive coin.

Buster Posey: What Does It All Mean?

Buster Posey, f**k yeah!!!

I was getting ready to sit down and write about how good I thought Tim Lincecum looked last night in his final tune up before the regular season, when it was announced that Captain Amer… I mean Buster Posey, had just signed the biggest contract in San Francisco Giants history.

First off, bravo to Giants management for locking up one of the best players in the league and if he stays healthy, potentially the greatest catcher who ever lived. And they did it in a way that even alongside a large, lengthy deal for Matt Cain, will not leave the club hurting for cash down the line. Combine these deals with the bargain-basement deal given to Madison Bumgarner and you have the backbone of a contending team in place for the next half-decade.

Brandon Belt Calls Me Out

That comment was very clown like, bro.

When I started this little blog of mine, I did so mostly because I needed a place to vent my frustrations with the handling of a certain awkward, but talented, first baseman by the name of Brandon Belt.

Tired of watching one of the five best offensive players on the roster wasted day-in and day-out by a coaching staff who seemingly reveled in ruffling the Orange and Black feathers of those of us in the #freeBelt camp, I simply felt compelled to speak out.

I defended our beloved Baby Giraffe and did my best to conduct the #freeBelt campaign in the face of those who wanted to see him benched, traded or demoted. So imagine my surprise when none other than Belt himself decided it was time to call out little old me on Twitter for all the world to see. How did that happen, you ask? Here now, the story, of that one time, I got called out, on Twitter, by Brandon Belt. That last sentence works best when spoken in suspense-movie-trailer voice.

Deja Vu All Over Again

What will Bochy do next?

It has been far too long since last I updated this little blog of mine and for those of you who had been following me for the last few months, I apologize for my absence. I wish I could say I was returning in happier times for our beloved Giants, but alas my first post in over a month resides beneath the shadow of an 0-2 hole in the NLDS.

I don’t need to remind anyone of how they got here, nor do I need to (over) analyze the reasons why. If you don’t pitch and you don’t hit, you don’t win, simple as that. That said, the current predicament that the Orange and Black find themselves in reminds me very much of another notable playoff collapse. I speak of course of the year that was 2003. We remember it well, don’t we?

Heads Up, Eyes Forward

I just got done deleting five hundred or so angry, frustrated words about the damage Melky Cabrera and his irresponsible decision to take a banned substance has done to our beloved Orange and Black.

I used words like “stupid”, “selfish” and “sonofabitch” to describe Cabrera, but as I continued to bang away at me keyboard in Hulk-like fashion, I realized that no amount of freaking out was going to change the fact that the Melkman is gone for the remainder of the regular season. Coming to terms with this reality, I decided to do what I have always done, and rally around the team I love.

So here it is Giants fans. To hell with Melky Cabrera. To hell with the haters. And to hell with the doom and gloom that has engulfed Giants Nation over the last several hours. The San Francisco Giants are going to win the NL West and to hell with anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.

Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that losing Cabrera doesn’t hurt this team as it most certainly does. But you cannot convince me that a team with a serious MVP candidate and multiple Cy Young candidates does not have what it takes to win this thing. Hell, the Dodgers played the better part of the first half without arguably the best player in the game today and they are in a flat-footed tie atop the NL West. This is still a good team and I refuse to believe that a team that trots out Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano and Joe Blanton, three out of five days, is better than the Giants right now.

I know it hurts and we as fans have every right to feel betrayed by a guy who knowingly broke the rules and put the season in jeopardy, but this is not the end of the world. So like the title says, heads up, eyes forward Giants fans, the best is yet to come.

The Giant Monday Notebook

Would this man look good in Orange and Black?

Welcome to what I hope will become a weekly feature here at FBB where every Monday I take a quick look at what’s going on with the Giants and offer my opinions on the pressing issues at hand. Lots to get to, so here we go…

The Hunter Becomes The Hunted
The big news today (and last night) is that the Giants are currently in talks with the Phillies to acquire OF Hunter Pence. Depending on what they would have to give up for Pence, this would be a major addition for the Giants who are in need of anyone who can hit. The big issue to me is whether or not it is worth it to sacrifice a top prospect (i.e. Gary Brown) for a player like Pence that is going to be very expensive to keep.

The Best Fans In The World

Got Melky?

Sappy paragraph alert!!!

Giants fans, I love you. No seriously, I really love you. Our team has seen some tough times over the years, but you never wavered, never gave up hope that one day the Orange and Black would rise up and take its rightful place among the best sports franchises in the world. You’re louder, more intense and more passionate than any group of fans I know, and for that, I thank you. Fans of other teams might laugh at your ridiculous hats and your penchant for wearing parkas and beanies in 60 degree weather, but so what? They will most certainly disagree with this paragraph, but we know better, don’t we? You’re the best fans in the world and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The torture may be over, but you never stop bleeding Orange and Black.