Maybe it's the antihistamines. Maybe it's the 10,000 episodes of VH1's "Best Week Ever" I've watched. But I can't resist playing a little "upgrade/downgrade" game with the Giants 2006 roster.
The question: have we upgraded or downgraded in our important roster spots? Let's break it down.
First base -- last year it was J.T. Snow and a painful-to-watch Lance Niekro. This year, Niekro and Sweeney. DOWNGRADE.
Second base -- Durham is going to be another year older, another year brittler. DOWNGRADE.
Shortstop -- Omar, ditto. DOWNGRADE.
Third base -- Last year it was Elfatso and a bit of Feliz. This year, it's all Pedro, all the time. UPGRADE!!
Left field -- Last year it was whoever they could find. This year, Bonds. SUPER UPGRADE!!!
Center field -- Half a year of Ellison, half a year of the mutant superhero Randy Winn. This year it's all Winn, with some Finley thrown in. UPGRADE!
Right field -- Revolving door last year; this year, Alou. UPGRADE!
Catcher -- Slugger Matheny last year; Real Life Matheny this year. DOWNGRADE.
Starting rotation -- Last year: Schmidt/Tomko/Lowry/Rueter & Cain/Hennessey & Correia. This year: Schdmit/Morris/Lowry/Cain/Hennessey. The whole thing rests on Schmidt's tender groin. Um. This is a tough call, but I'm going with a very slight UPGRADE.
Bullpen -- Eyre's performance won't be repeated, and Kline isn't as good as Hawkins. DOWNGRADE.
Usually I'd post crap like this on my own site, but this is THE place to talk about the Giants on the web. So tell me I'm full of crap, agree with me, or whatever.