Greinke has like severe social-phobia or some shit like that. It almost kept him from ever playing in the majors. I think the Yankees have already said they aren't interested.
Don't think the latter statement is anything but a historical truth. Very few teams repeat. The chances are extremely low. That being said I wouldn't expect you to say anything different. We heard it all year. We had no shot against the Phils. Then we had no shot against the Rangers. We couldn't keep getting lucky. Padres have the better rotation and bullpen. Braves have the better starting rotation. Phils have the better rotation. Rangers have the better rotation. We can't stop the Phils lineup. We can't stop the Rangers lineup. We wrecked Howard and Utley. We couldn't do it again against Hamilton and Vlad. We can't beat playoff god Cliff Lee. We can't beat playoff god Cliff Lee again. Lots of things went our way but I don't think thats any different than any other club that wins it all. Cody Ross got insanely hot. Cain dealt and compiled a 0.00 ERA for the playoffs (I know, this was a fluke too because Cain can't possibly be good because ESPN doesn't gargle his balls nightly), Madison Bumgarner got better as the year went on, somehow managed to increase his velocity at the end of the season and had a few dominant games in the playoffs. Renteria came up huge in the WS. All of Bochy's moves were golden. But outside of that the offense was even worse than usual for most of the playoffs. Huff was just ok outside of couple big hits and one HR. Burrell was awful the entire POs. Panda was awful all year. Lincecum had the worst stuff of his career but still managed to dominate in September and October- went 1-1 against Halladay, 2-0 against Lee. Jonathan Sanchez did great in September but pitched like shit in the playoffs. Outside of Javier Lopez and Brian Wilson, the bullpen wasn't as good as in the regular season. The Phils are loaded and certainly deserve to be the favorites once again. But I still like our chances putting our best 4 against theirs. We went 6-2 against H2O and Lee last postseason. They're starting 5 is certainly better on paper and more accomplished, they'd have to be the favorites. But I just love the competitive spirit of the Giants. They're all tough bastards and they make games ass ugly no matter who they're playing. They're coming for a dogfight every pitch and virtually impossible to knockout. You can tell us that we should fear so-and-so's stacked rotation or their all-star lineup but we just beat the Phils who we were told had both better pitching and a better lineup not to mention more experience, MVPs, all-stars, home field advantage, and whatever else. We destroyed the Rangers- the series wasn't even close. This was the team that had just come off of beating the Rays, beating up on the Yanks. They also had a better rotation and lineup and the MVP. The Phils and Yanks and Red Sox better keep loading up because we beat two of the most loaded teams last season. Keep telling yourself it was a mirage and that we can't grind out the next powerhouse team you throw at us that has the better rotation and lineup like we did with the last one. Thats our game. Odds are that it won't happen again next year but you still gotta prove it and knock them off. Phils are fuggin stacked and any team who can beat those four in a playoff series will be fugging godly. The NL isn't that loaded though so the G's have a decent shot at getting back to the NLCS. Like I said I'll gladly throw my four SP in there with the Phil's four. We would rightfully be underdogs in that matchup but I don't think our odds are horrid at all. We still have the better pen and to be quite frank I think AT&T Park gets into the Phillies' heads. Like I said, I just think we're the scrappiest, most competitive team out there. Bochy won the managerial battles against Cox and Manuel and totally outclassed Ron Washington. Bumgarner oughta be better and if we're lucky this Brandon Belt kid may produce, Panda may return closer to his 08/09 form, DeRosa comes back healthy, Sanchez gives us at least one good performance in the playoffs, Lincecum gets his Cy Young stuff back.
You guys got really hot at the right time. Definitely the best team during October. However, aside from like 4 guys, your roster is weak. I don't see you being successful year after year until they improve that lineup.
Read it constantly in the media leading up to the WS. G's fans thought it was nuts too though the Rangers did have a good starting unit. Keep in mind no one had beaten Cliff Lee in the playoffs until this point and the hype re: Lee to Yanks was INSANE. No doubt we got hot at the right time. Again though, thats a common theme for champions in MLB, NHL, NCAA hoops, etc. At the same time we had one of the best records in the league down the stretch and much of that had to do with the improvement of the team over the course of the season. We added Burrell, Ross, Guillen, Lopez, Fontenot, etc. and guys like Buster Posey, Andres Torres, Uribe, etc. earned spots over starters we used on opening day. And I think its quite the opposite for being successful year after year. The pitching staff is young and we've got control over these guys for quite a ways down the line. No question the offense needs improvement but they did show that the pitching is so good that we don't need a loaded offense to win. Buster Posey looks pretty damn great. We have a top 3 1B prospect expected to make his debut this season (Brandon Belt). If fatass Sandoval gets his weight down he could be another long term bat in the middle of the lineup. Bumgarner did very well for a 21 year old last year and, like I said, got better as the season wore on. The end is in sight for Zito and Rowand's contracts which will free up a lot of money for us. Although we're not the Yanks, BoSox, Mets, etc. we've got a pretty nice payroll to work with and ownership is showing some willingness to spend. I think if anything those Phils will be a roadblock for a few years along with Atlanta, Colorado, St. Louis, etc. in the NL. But long term we've got a great young pitching staff and as long as we keep the front 3 of Timmy, Cain, and Bumgarner I think we'll be in good shape. A repeat will be very difficult but because the pitching is so young and the potential of Posey/Pablo/Belt as (if we're very lucky) a young middle of the order I feel like our window is much bigger than most teams.
the NL West is pathetic, so you have that going for you. I can't see them not winning that division next year.
