I think this is gonna be a fun series. I'm rooting for Texas. I guess I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the Barry Bonds era.
These Giants are a far cry from the Bonds era. Don't wanna repeat the corny headlines and news stories but there's a lot of likable/strange characters and a lot of guys who were left for dead but came out of nowhere to have a big impact. Lots of grit. No prima donnas or assholes or cheaters like in the Bonds era and those teams were much more akin to a team like the Phillies or Rangers; loaded on paper and brimming with talent up and down the lineup. This lineup is fuggin awful. They just pitch their balls off and eek out wins and somehow do it with regularity. They gave up two to the Phillies in the first inning tonight in Philly, their starter got booted in the 3rd inning and they won 3-2. They almost never blow teams out. They just find a way to win ugly. Their slogan on the season that ESPN finally picked up on (they were in denial that a team west of Chicago could possibly make the WS) is "Giants Baseball: Torture". Yet they somehow made the World Series. Rangers are fuggin loaded but this team is gonna scrap and make it ugly. Maybe we get our asses whooped like the media has been expecting. I wouldn't be too surprised. But they've managed somehow to win a lot by winning ugly, close games. They'll have homefield advantage in a massive AT&T ballpark.
Very true all around. Also, everything that Bruce Bochy has done has turned to gold. Definitely my favorite pitching staff in baseball in quite some time.
I've learned that I could/should be much more sensitive in these matters. I'm serious, TSE rocked my world: http://sportstwo.com/threads/172715...............?p=2447615&viewfull=1#post2447615
that's what they said about the NO/Indy Super Bowl last year. Too bad it broke the record for most watched game ever.
It's good to be Benji Molina this year. He starts the season with the Giants and is traded to Texas around July. In July, the Giants vote Benji a full playoff share and to give him a ring if the Giants win the World Series. The Giants proceed to reach the World Series without him. Texas also makes the World Series, with him, and Benji now gets a chance to beat the Giants in the World Series again (as in 2002, when the Angels beat the Giants). Now, Benji is getting a double playoff share and is guaranteed to get a World Series ring. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Aqez52BbyXGipPBUnj61sHwRvLYF?slug=sh-molina102410
I think Yadier and the one on the Yankees have one each not sure though. Benjie got one with the Angels (who beat the Giants) and is guaranteed another in this series. Fuckhead GM extraordinaire Brian Sabean just admitted to the public that his plan all along was to trade Benjie mid-season after he re-signed to a one year deal. Greg Papa asked Benjie about it and Benjie's response was basically well that tells you what kind of person he is and he never would have signed if he knew that. Nice job Sabes, got anything else you want them to pin on the bulletin board?
Baseball managements a business. Can't say I blame Sabean if he's just trying to field the best team possible. He's a pretty damn good GM in my opinion. Yadier has 1 and Jose has 2.
Jose Molina has two...with the Angels and Yankees. Yadier has one with the Cardinals. And Benji's about to get his second, no matter who wins. And among those soon-to-be five rings, I'd say only Yadier Molina was a high-level player. Benji is decent at best.
Interesting that Benji's two worst seasons are ones in which his team got to the WS. Yadier is great behind the dish and hit for average well a few years but Benji in his prime with SF was a pretty damn good player. Not as good as Yadier on defense but quite solid in his own right plus he handled a pretty damn good pitching staff and brought along Timmy, Cain, Sanchez, etc. from when they first got called up. In his prime though he was the better hitter, hit for good power and pretty good average, great RBI guy and he was insanely clutch. Back when he was basically our best hitter the dude would be money with 2 strikes, 2 outs, runners on, in clutch situations, hence the nickname "Big Money" Molina. Yadier gets his jock riden and rightfully so since hes an elite defender and had some good hitting seasons but as a G's fan I respect Benji for being a great bat in a terrible lineup for several years and getting the job done. I think he was overlooked during his prime years. He had his chance to stick with the club this season when we did well but he was atrocious with the bat and clogging up the basepaths. I don't blame Sabes at all and I am a fan of the move but why piss a guy off on the eve of the World Series? Dude has zero plate discipline though and hes the slowest guy in any professional sport.
