Magowan regrets not getting vlad

by Headhunter Rollins on May 20, 2008 8:10 AM PDT

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-bblines18-2008may18,0,4454304.story?track=rss

In 2003, the Angels invested $70 million over five years in a guy who did not play for seven weeks that year because of a bad back. The Dodgers passed on Vladimir Guerrero during their ownership transition. The San Francisco Giants passed too. His back has held up.

Guerrero never has had a teammate hit 30 homers in a season, but the Giants could have batted him behind Barry Bonds. As he retired Friday, Giants owner Peter Magowan said he regretted not pursuing Guerrero.

"I remember the baseball guys saying we've got some reservations about him with his back," Magowan told the San Francisco Chronicle. "In retrospect, he's certainly a guy we wish we'd have been able to get."

dont we all regret that? isnt that what most giants fans were screaming for back then? i wonder if he also regrets paying for zito and passing on carlos lee (admittedly, i dont know the details of their pursuit of lee, but i remember hearing that they made an offer). kinda wish we had lee right now batting cleanup and no zito to worry about

oh hindsight, you harsh mistress

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i thought Carlos Lee would have

been a good sign, but they said he wanted Houston because of no state taxes and maybe
some other reasons….like a cattle ranch

by slojoe on May 20, 2008 8:21 AM PDT 0 recs

Lee's a pretty awful defensive player.

Around 20 runs below average or thereabouts, basically at the level of Bonds, Manny Ramirez.

ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524

by rfloh on May 20, 2008 10:21 AM PDT up 0 recs

Lee hates the Phone Booth

The look on his face is priceless when his “homerun” is swallowed up by the field.

Adopted father of the AnVil / GIANTSPACE™ returns!

by SoFa King Mike on May 20, 2008 10:43 AM PDT up 0 recs

That's good for the Giants.

His D is awful. What he brings on offense, he gives back a lot of it on D. For example, in 2007, he was about 20 runs above average for a LF. Defensively, he was also about 20 runs relative to average. Except it was below average. 20 runs above average offensively, 20 runs below average defensively.

ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524

by rfloh on May 20, 2008 10:55 AM PDT up 0 recs

His defense is bad

for a converted firstbaseman. But if we put him back at 1B…. yeah, I could live with that.

Your 2011 SF Giants: the 2008 Augusta Greenjackets!

by Lyle on May 20, 2008 11:08 AM PDT up 0 recs

That would help, a bit.

The offensive standards for a 1b are higher than for a LF though. For example, league average EQA for LF in 2007 was 269. For 1b, 279. League average for all hitters, 260. In 2007 at least, the average 1b was about 8 runs or so better than the average LF. So Lee would have been about 10-15 runs above average, if moved to 1b.

Do you really want to pay such a player, already entering his 30s, $100M?

ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524

by rfloh on May 20, 2008 12:33 PM PDT up 0 recs

Not at that particular cost

So if we assume that’s the minimum he would have signed for, no.

Your 2011 SF Giants: the 2008 Augusta Greenjackets!

by Lyle on May 21, 2008 11:58 AM PDT up 0 recs

Looks a shot back at Sabean. This could get ugly. I hope so, anyway.

by Evan on May 20, 2008 8:30 AM PDT 0 recs

Sweet

We can watch the carnage unfold. I’ll bring the margs.

"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.

by BaronVonCurrentEvents on May 20, 2008 8:44 AM PDT up 0 recs

On the rocks, no salt please.

Eagerly awaiting Crazy Crab Bobblehead Night on 7/18.

by Kitspool on May 20, 2008 10:21 AM PDT up 0 recs

Now that’s how you drink a margarita.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on May 20, 2008 12:24 PM PDT up 0 recs

+1

Jimmy Buffett didn’t call it “that frozen concoction that helps me hang on” for nuthin’!

"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK

by Josh from Hollywood on May 20, 2008 1:26 PM PDT up 0 recs

+2

by tyrannoman on May 20, 2008 3:04 PM PDT up 0 recs

I've been wondering when Pete would ever defend himself

It’s seemed fairly likely to me that much of the “blame Magowan” stuff floating in the press the last couple of years has had its origin in off-he-record comments from Sabean and/or Sabes’ camp. I’ve noticed for a while now that in his weekly chats with Barbieri, Ralph will often say something along the lines of “I put that on Magowan, I don’t blame you for that.” Common professional protocol would be to defend your boss in public, at least say something like “we make those decisions as a group.” But Sabean will typically stay perfectly silent and not respond at all. Its an act of omission I always find telling. Of course, even if Sabes is the source of these whispers, it doesn’t make them untrue—but it does mean you have to be somewhat skeptical of his motivations for “getting in front of the story” as they like to say hereabouts.

My boy ain't fat, he's just big boned. Big bat, too.

by Roger on May 20, 2008 9:35 AM PDT up 0 recs

well maybe Sabean wasnt totally on board with the Zito deal

or some of the other stuff and was tired of getting the heat for it….i dont know…there must be some meddling there that Magowan needs to own up to…i think there’s enough blame to go around for both of them…

by slojoe on May 20, 2008 3:25 PM PDT up 0 recs

You REEEEEALLY want Magowan to be guilty on this one, don't you?

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on May 20, 2008 4:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

So do we, Pete. So do we.

by BaronVonCurrentEvents on May 20, 2008 8:44 AM PDT 0 recs

Right on.

But no Carlos Lee. Nice guy in fantasy, but he’s just not that valuable in real baseball, and seven years or whatever for a guy who should probably be DHing wouldn’t make us contenders.

Saving countless runs with my Brian Horwitz

by lyricalkiller on May 20, 2008 8:48 AM PDT 0 recs

Magowan also regrets not eating that last slice of pizza.

Bay City Ball

by xanthan on May 20, 2008 8:48 AM PDT 0 recs

Magowan regrets those extra 10 minutes in the tanning booth.

Adopted father of the AnVil / GIANTSPACE™ returns!

by SoFa King Mike on May 20, 2008 9:41 AM PDT up 0 recs

Magowan regrets not hitting on 16 when the dealer was showing 10.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on May 20, 2008 12:24 PM PDT up 0 recs

Magowan regrets being so regretful.

"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK

by Josh from Hollywood on May 20, 2008 1:28 PM PDT up 0 recs

I feel a book coming...

I would love to have everything hashed out between him and Sabean publically, just so we know who to blame for the past few years.

Proud pappa of....STEVE HOLM!!

by UnleashTheGore on May 20, 2008 8:58 AM PDT 0 recs

Watching

Magowan and Sabean try to throw each other under the bus would be a hell of a lot more entertaining than a Barry Zito start.

Eagerly awaiting Crazy Crab Bobblehead Night on 7/18.

by Kitspool on May 20, 2008 10:23 AM PDT up 0 recs

Actually throwing myself under a bus would be better than a Barry Zito start.

I was THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME (for 3 days in 1995).

by Mike Benjamin Hit King on May 20, 2008 10:45 AM PDT up 0 recs

Oh, and this just in:

AJ didn’t like playing in SF

Proud pappa of....STEVE HOLM!!

by UnleashTheGore on May 20, 2008 9:07 AM PDT 0 recs

In other important news:

JR Phillips regrets staying up until 2am last night. “That’s going to make today a loooooong day, ” Phillips told reporters.

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on May 20, 2008 10:43 AM PDT up 0 recs

I don’t think we actually ever had a chance at signing Vlad. I remember a while back Chris Haft mentioned in one of the Mailbags that Vlad strongly disliked Felipe Alou and sign with us because of it.

Proud adoptive parent of Tim Alderson.

by Anticon23 on May 20, 2008 9:09 AM PDT 0 recs

You hear those kinds of stories all the time

but really, in the end players on the open market go to the highest bidders in the vast majority of cases. There’s just too many reasons, too many forces at bear. As they say, “whenever somebody says it’s not about the money: it is.” Whenever they don’t say it, it is, too.

My boy ain't fat, he's just big boned. Big bat, too.

by Roger on May 20, 2008 9:28 AM PDT up 0 recs

WHAT???

Are you crazy??? Are you trying to tell me that when Alex Rodriguez left the Mariners and said he wasn’t going to the highest bidder, but to a team with great potential, he still signed with the Rangers because of the money??? I’m sorry, I find that hard to believe!

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on May 20, 2008 11:08 AM PDT up 0 recs

I think I've heard

on knbr Ted Robinson say something to the effect that A-Rod really didn’t want to sign with Texas but Boras or the players union said he had an obligation to because what they offered was so much more than what anybody else had.

by G-Rob on May 20, 2008 12:50 PM PDT up 0 recs

Phew, my faith in humanity has been restored!

Because I was afraid that he wasn’t being completely honest when he said he wasn’t going to the highest bidder… Then went to the highest bidder. Leaving a team that made the playoffs for a team that finished… Somewhere far behind first place.

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on May 20, 2008 1:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

Then you fire Felipe Alou.

This isn’t a case of Vlad hating SF.

ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524

by rfloh on May 20, 2008 10:22 AM PDT up 0 recs

Doesn't Magowan Realize...

that if we had signed Vlad, we would have been without Brower, Eyre, Herges, Hermanson, Tomko, Pierzynski, Feliz, Snow, Hammonds, Mohr and Tucker—obviously not being able to field a competitive team, especially from an experience standpoint.

I was THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME (for 3 days in 1995).

by Mike Benjamin Hit King on May 20, 2008 10:37 AM PDT 0 recs

this still makes me lol after all this time

Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.

by jponry on May 20, 2008 12:13 PM PDT up 0 recs

you're a better person than me, jponry

this still makes me want to cry after all this time

I got one word for you: "youneverknow"

by senorvegas on May 21, 2008 12:48 AM PDT up 0 recs

Imagine

That 03 team would have rocked with Vlad in right batting 4th, Joe Nathan closing ballgames and Steve S updating Liriano’s boxscores from Fresno every 5 days.

And the best part is we would have picked Huston Street with the 29th pick because we knew we needed quick reinforcements in the pen.

by slcgiant on May 20, 2008 12:21 PM PDT up 0 recs

It would have

But Vlad didn’t become a free agent til after the ‘03 season.

SAVE_US.RAY
Nattowear: now featuring new crap!

by Natto on May 20, 2008 12:42 PM PDT up 0 recs

I meant 04

I meant the 04 team because all the bad stuff happened after the 03 season. We traded Nathan, Lirano and Bonser after the 03 season, we signed Tucker after the 03 season, etc. Heck, we even traded Villanuenva after the 03 season.

by slcgiant on May 20, 2008 12:48 PM PDT up 0 recs

I regret

not having slept with Scarlett Johansson before she was engaged.

by tyrannoman on May 20, 2008 10:41 AM PDT 0 recs

or

jessica alba before she got pregnant

by Azmanz on May 20, 2008 2:10 PM PDT up 0 recs

before???

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on May 20, 2008 2:15 PM PDT up 0 recs

But then you would have...

... the gift that keeps on giving, courtesy of a certain Yankees captain.

by Ed Jew on May 21, 2008 2:37 PM PDT up 0 recs

Lee openly stated that he did not want to come to San Fran

"But if he's swinging at real flies, well, in that case there are two definite solutions: 1) Fresno 2) Ritalin." - howtheyscored

by CPGiant756 on May 20, 2008 12:25 PM PDT 0 recs

yeah, that sounds right i think i heard that also...

by slojoe on May 20, 2008 3:29 PM PDT up 0 recs

He said something about not keeping his ranch and his horses. Well, hello, ding dong, there’s plenty of space out this way (East Bay) for your stupid horses. He’s just a whiner.

by BaronVonCurrentEvents on May 20, 2008 3:50 PM PDT up 0 recs

Five Words...

312 Foot Left Field Porch

My adopted son Matt Downs. Bill Mueller without the two-flap helmet .

by nvsfg on May 20, 2008 4:44 PM PDT up 0 recs

yup. The Crawford Boxes are an embarassment to human kind.

by tyrannoman on May 21, 2008 10:18 AM PDT up 0 recs

I would let Lee off the hook if he just came out and said that’s why he signed there. But “omg my horses!” No. You fail. Get out.

by BaronVonCurrentEvents on May 21, 2008 10:45 AM PDT up 0 recs

I guess that makes Magowan a member of the lunatic fringe

Bonds stands alone.

Proud adopted parent of future big league slugger Thomas Neal

by nostocksjustbonds on May 20, 2008 12:59 PM PDT 0 recs

This made me laugh. A lot.

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on May 20, 2008 1:18 PM PDT up 0 recs

Man, remember when we used to have one user on this site named lunaticfringe and one other user named lunaticfridge. THAT was confusing, especially since one of them was a cool, reasonable guy while the other just liked starting trouble. I could never remember which was which….

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on May 20, 2008 1:52 PM PDT up 0 recs

Also, remember when we had that guy called howtheysnored? That dude was cool. Whatever happened to him?

by Evan on May 20, 2008 2:00 PM PDT up 0 recs

I hear he got relly caught up in his research and stopped having time for the blog.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on May 20, 2008 2:16 PM PDT up 0 recs

wait…there’s life outside this blog? Damn…

by tyrannoman on May 20, 2008 3:07 PM PDT up 0 recs

Only for snore research, though

If you’re doing anything else away from the blog, you’re really just wasting your time.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on May 21, 2008 3:10 AM PDT up 0 recs

thanks

Now I won’t leave my computer anymore. This is what is important!

by tyrannoman on May 21, 2008 10:19 AM PDT up 0 recs

rofl, damn that is funny - "lunaticfridge"

by slojoe on May 20, 2008 3:32 PM PDT up 0 recs

Mark Prior rumor

during the off season; I don’t remember the Giants taking a run at Mark
If I remember what I just read, he ended up passing up some deals with high base for SD’s $1M + $4.5 in incentives.

well rumor has it the Giants are making a trade of a vet for Mark. Obviously me must be ready to come off the DL but this rumor doesn’t make sense for two reasons.
1. he is a starter
2. I think he is free to walk at the end of the season

I guess, it could be a situation where he comes of the DL and we hope he puts in a dozen great starts and we trade him again around the deadline

SD does need a BIG shake up or this season is over - still with Peavy on the DL would I do something big with that team??? it doesn’t make sense - but we’ll see if I’m sleeping with someone as connected as I think

by melottfan on May 20, 2008 5:29 PM PDT 0 recs

I can’t really think of a fit between the Giants and Padres off the top of my head, except for Randy Winn. If that’s the case, even if the Giants’ have to eat money, I make that move in a heartbeat. Prior can be thrown into the rotation, bullpen, or just stay on the DL and Winn can ply his trade in the spacious LF of Petco. I’m on board. Where do I vote?

by tyrannoman on May 21, 2008 10:21 AM PDT up 0 recs

Trade a vet for Prior?

I’m down. That’s a no-risk move by the Giants.

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on May 21, 2008 12:12 PM PDT up 0 recs

as long as the vet's name starts with a D

and ends with an “ave Roberts”

Proud pappa of....STEVE HOLM!!

by UnleashTheGore on May 21, 2008 1:33 PM PDT up 0 recs

I'm positive

the Padres are not that desperate.

by tyrannoman on May 21, 2008 1:53 PM PDT up 0 recs

I feel like I should know who you're talking about...

But I just can’t figure it out…

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on May 21, 2008 3:57 PM PDT up 0 recs

If I had been Peter

If I had been Peter Magowan, I would have replaced - not listened to - my baseball people. The past five years the Giants have been stupid, inept and disrespected. Not a great combination for growth.

by sharksrog on May 22, 2008 2:45 PM PDT 0 recs