McCovey Chronicles: FanPosts

Giants add four to 40-man roster

2009-11-21T03:00:18Z

Friday was the deadline to submit reserve lists and the Giants protected four players from the Rule 5 draft, adding 1B Brett Pill, OF Francisco Peguero, OF Darren Ford and RHP Kevin Pucetas to the 40-man roster.

Pill, a left-handed hitter, worked with new hitting coach Roberto Kelly earlier this month at AT&T Park and his inclusion was not a surprise after a banner year at Double-A Connecticut. He wasn’t considered a top prospect out of Cal State Fullerton and he’s still got to prove himself at every level, but he’s hit gobs of doubles while thriving in two pitcher’s parks (Connecticut’s Dodd Stadium, and two years earlier, Augusta’s ballpark). He’s also rated a better defensive first baseman than Travis Ishikawa, which is a nice compliment.

Expansion Teams / Relocation Discussion

2009-11-20T00:22:12Z

For some reason, when the Expos moved to DC it made me a little sad. I understand why they moved. I know their attendance was horrendous and the city of Montreal didn't seem to care if they left, but to me it signified a step backwards in the growth of MLB. Montreal truly felt like an international city, much more than Toronto. It gave the league an intangible multicultural appeal that it no longer has. I wish the Expos had stayed put and tried to work it out in Montreal, or at the very least relocated to another city in Canada (Vancouver maybe?). If the WBC Canada-USA game earlier this year is any indication, I think baseball could thrive in our neighbor to the north. If Canada had more teams, they could actually start playing each other. Cities could develop rivalries which would stir up more interest.

Thinking about this topic on an even broader spectrum brings more questions to mind. Could Mexico support a team (cheap land could lure Lew Wolff and Oaxaca Athleticas has a nice ring to it)? What about Puerto Rico? Would more teams in international cities be good for MLB? Would you support foreign expansion? Would some players be less willing to play in a country like Mexico? I invite you to take a break from rosterbation and try a little...hmm...mapsterbation?

Poll

What foreign country/city/island do you think could support a successful MLB franchise?

Lincecum Arbitration Results Prediction Thread!

2009-11-19T21:52:44Z

I know that we're still a ways off from this whole thing, but I thought it would be entertaining to see what everybody is expecting to see happen when the Tim Lincecum show premieres before an arbitration judge near you (unless you're far away, or unless you're assuming that an agreement is reached on an extension). Since now we have what seems to be all of the pertinent information regarding Tim Lincecum... hey, why not?

Arbitration Variables:

Pro-Money: Two time Cy Young Award winner
Pro-Money: He's better than you
Pro-Money: He has a bazillion strikeouts
Pro-Money: He has the Bengie Molina "Big-Money" seal of approval
Pro-Money: He's better than everyone you know... by, like, a lot

Anti-Money: He's opposing your oppressive social regime, lashing out against the system, and fighting the machine; he isn't holding himself to your so-called "social norms" or "state laws;" he believes in a new world, and he's envisioning it right now, as we speak, in vivid, moving color like, man... the colors are all moving... wait, is that LSD? This is what I get for never doing drugs.
Anti-Money: You're jealous about how much better than you he is

Prediction:

I predict he'll make a zillion dollars in arbitration, and I'll be glad when he does. I expect you'll make serious predictions, though. I also expect you never would have expected the same out of me.

So, you know, I held up my end. Now it's your turn.

Poll

Tim Lincecum will....

First Baseman of the future

2009-11-18T22:30:27Z

After reading Grants post on first base, I was curious as to what player everyone would bet on to break our post-JT Snow trend of having a new first basemen every year.

Lance Niekro, Dan Ortmeier, Ryan Klesko, Mark Sweeney, Shea Hillenbrand, and Rich Aurilia have all wasted playing time at first base for us.

What homegrown player comes in to play first base and sticks there for many years?

Can Ishikawa become a major league starter if Muelens can somehow help him find his swing this year?

Bowker? He had a .986 fielding % at first base last year at Fresno.

Guzman played very well in AAA this year, but didn't get a real chance to show if he could hit in the majors after a couple call ups.

Thomas Neal played 38 games at first in 08, and has been playing a lot at first in the Arizona Fall league.

If Villalona's legal issues get worked will he be our guy in 2 or 3 years?

Or will we have to wait for someone way down in the minors like Tommy Joesph or Chirs Dominguez before we have a real homegrown major league first baseman?

Poll

Out of who we have in the majors and minors right now, what player do you think will be our first baseman of the future?

Downloadable Game Broadcasts?

2009-11-18T21:04:40Z

Does anyone know where I can download archived KNBR broadcasts of Giants games? I have a couple 11+ hour flights coming up and would love to spend some of the time being soothed by the pleasing voice of Jon Miller. I've looked on iTunes and MLB's website, neither appear willing to sell them to me. Nothing else has come up in the various web searches I've tried.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

All-time favorite SF Giants: closer

2009-11-18T17:11:34Z

Well, it's taken some time for me to get over the first-base poll. Not that Will Clark is a poor choice. On the contrary. It just seems Willie McCovey is the logical choice, being as the website is named after him. That's all I have to say on the matter. Long live The Thrill.

Results of the first-base voting: Will Clark 45%, Willie McCovey 32%, J.T. Snow 20%.

This is the poll for the all-time favorite San Francisco Giants closer. To avoid ridicule, the imposition of over analysis, and the like, please vote for your FAVORITE player at each position. It doesn't necessarily have to be the best, meaning if Dan Gladden is your fave in CF, it's your prerogative to vote for him over Willie Mays. Regarding WRITE-IN VOTES ... do it! Click "other", put the name of your favorite IN THE TITLE OF A COMMENT.

Would you trade Jeremy Affeldt?

2009-11-18T05:05:10Z

I keep having this whack-a-doodle idea that trading Jeremy Affeldt after a career year like he had last year might not be a terrible idea. He's at peak value, and some team desperate for a closer would have to consider him. I realize this puts the Giants in a troubled spot for the 8th inning set-up man, but let's face it, they're gonna be there in a year when Affeldt's contract is completed and he's in line for a look around the league. If he's traded now, the Giants can reap the benefits of last year's performance while investing in some younger players - arms or bats.

Is this idea completely crazy?

What would be a fair and beneficial return for trading him?

Poll

Would you trade Jeremy Affeldt?

MCC Recipe Swap & Food Talk Jamboree

2009-11-17T21:58:45Z

It's been a while since we had a recipe thread. The last time, three recipes were posted that I still make - lemon chicken and pizza from Baron and kushari from jponry. All excellent.

So, with the postseason over and the Winter Meetings weeks away, it's high time we do another one.

I'll start with my own recipe for jambalaya:

Ingredients:

2 lb, andouille sausages (or whatever sausages you prefer, or a pound of sausages and a pound of shrimp or fish)

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cups rice

5 cups chicken stock

3 tablespoons tomato paste

ground pepper

1/2 cup minced parsley

10+ cloves of garlic

1 green bell pepper, chopped

4-5 ribs celery, chopped

1/4 teaspoon each: dried thyme, ground cloves, ground allspice

1 teaspoon, creole seasoning

a few shakes of worcestershire sauce

a few more shakes of tabasco sauce

Heat a large-ish pot over medium heat and sautee the sausages in the oil. And the onion and sautee until it's translucent. Add the garlic, celery, and bell peppers and stir to mix.

Add in the rice, lower the heat slightly, and stir for about 6-8 minutes, until it looks oily. Next, add the tomato paste, stock, spices, and worcestershire & tabasco sauces.

Turn the heat up high and bring the mixture to a boil. When it does, cover, lower the heat back to medium-low, and simmer until the rice is cooked. If you're using white rice, this will take at least 20 minutes or so. If you're using brown rice, it'll be 30 minutes+.

Stir in the parsley and serve.

Sabean putting alot of weight in Winter leagues?

2009-11-16T21:04:39Z

Is it possible that Sabean will be basing some of his offseason decisions on the performances players have in the Winter Leagues? Alot of guys who could potentially have big roles on the team next year are playing November baseball right now.

This is Buster Poseys 9th straight month of being on the field i believe. What other reason besides seeing if he can be the starter next year would you push a player like that? I understand guys like Joe Martinez who missed alot of the year with an injury being there, and Nate Schierholtz who didnt have all that much playing time last year, but guys like Bowker Frandsen and Velez just played a full year.

Sabean has also said that unlike when they signed Affeldt one year ago tomorrow, they wont be going after players as quickly or aggressively and 'waiting to see how the market develops'. I think partially he might wait for that reason, but i also think it may have a part to do with seeing what you already have.

Possible questions inside Sabeans head as he may be be putting alot of weight into Winter League performances:

Can Velez be the teams leadoff hitter for 2010 or should we look elsewhere?

Can Henry Sosa, or Waldis Joaquin make it into the bullpen on opening day or should we look to sign another arm?

Can Kevin Frandsen be a Utility player for the Giants in 2010 or do we look into someone like Craig Counsell?

Are Bokwer or Schierholtz good enough to have a starting OF spot next year, or should we look to sign a corner outfielder in Free Agency?

Can Joe Martinez be the teams 5th starter or do we need to look into resigning Brad Penny?

Can Brett Pill or Jesus Guzman solve the 1B vacancy this year or do we need to look outside the organization at FAs?

Is Buster Posey ready for the starting catchers job Opening day next season?

It would annoy me a little bit if some of these were even really questions.

Bowker deserves a shot a playing regularly already and Im afraid that if he doesnt hit good in Puerto Rico that the Giants will have doubt in feeling that same way. Velez shouldnt have a starting job next year, BUT he's hitting .328! Buster hasnt had results in the Fall league, put Id like to see him starting next year.

Really I think the organization should know enough about most of these players to be able to already determine what they figure their roles to be on the 2010 team without putting alot of weight into November performances.

Fourth Annual McCovey Awards Ceremony

2009-11-16T18:55:18Z

Finally the moment you've all been waiting for: the results of the McCovey Awards voting! Drumroll please!

Outstanding Newcomer: heimy25

Most Informative Poster: BruteSentiment

Most Amusing: Lars the Wanderer

McSpirit Award: jponry

Best Gameday Image:
satyricrash's WIN NOW series

Best Non-gameday Image:
Panda Cake

Best Fanpost
Head: Report: "Chalk Talk" With Sabean, Tidrow and A Fleeting Moment of Bobby Evans
Heart: OT:Thank You McCovey Chronicle
Funny Bone: burris gotta go

Congratulations to all the winners! As with last year, if you would like a drawing of yourself, let me know. Post a picture of yourself or send one to me, and I'll hook you up.

OT: What's your favorite Firefox theme?

2009-11-16T15:53:06Z

Sorry, no rosterbation here (Renteria for Morneau!). No, I just bought a new 27" iMac, and I've been using Firefox for the last several years. I'm looking to update the Firefox theme I use, and I thought you all would be an excellent source of suggestions.

My son recommended Pimpzilla; sight unseen, I'm guessing that wouldn't be my choice. Any ideas? I'm looking for something clean, fairly simple, not too small nor too large, with a bit of color. Wild and wacky, not so much. I did a quick Google search; the screen shot of Camifox looked good to me, but I'm sure there are lots of other good choices.

I don't suppose there's a Giants-related theme out there somewhere?

What I Would Do With the Roster

2009-11-16T01:31:17Z

Hey guys I’m new to this site, so be gentle on my first post.

I know last year was a total drag with the first 100 loss season in franchise history, but I think that we have a lot of the pieces to be contenders right away. No joke. Here’s how we get back to the playoffs:

Trade Brenly for Dan Pasqua -- Brenly had a good season, but he's over 30 now and he's one of the few players with any trade value. Pasqua doesn't have a place in New York, so they'd likely part with him.
End the David Green experiment. Sorry, but it's just not going to work. The Giants need a big bat until Will Clark is ready in a few years. Solution: Mike Aldrete, Jim Gott, and Mark Grant for Bob Horner.
Trade Dave LaPoint, Chris Brown, Jose Uribe, Phil Ouellette, Randy Bockus, and Dan Gladden to Baltimore for Cal Ripken and Floyd Rayford. The Orioles need pitching, and Uribe helps make up for the loss of Ripken. Obviously, we have to part with Chris Brown, who is probably the closest thing this team has to a cornerstone of the franchise, but Rayford helps minimize the loss.
Start Ron Roenicke. See if his OBP is for real.
Trade Chili Davis and Vida Blue for Ron Oester and Gary Redus

My lineup:

CF - Ron Roenicke

2B - Ron Oester

1B - Bob Horner

SS - Cal Ripken

3B - Floyd Rayford

LF - Dan Pasqua

RF - Gary Redus

C - Alex Trevino

SP - Kelly Downs

SP - Mike Krukow

SP - Atlee Hammaker

SP - Roger Mason

SP - Bill Laskey

RP - Scott Garrelts

RP - Mark Davis

RP - Greg Minton

RP - Jeff Robinson

RP - Mike Jeffcoat

What do you guys think?

It comes down to this (for me)

2009-11-14T23:35:16Z

I believe that the Giants should sign either Nick Johnson (a popular choice around McC, it seems), or Adrian Beltre (a decidedly less hyped free agent here). I personally favor ~~Beltre~~ Johnson more, but I'll include a poll at the end, though. So right now i'm going to make 2 charts detailing the positives/negatives of both free agents, which I think will help you (and hopefully Sabean) make an informed choice. Or you could just read the scouting report next to their stats if you click on their name. But this way is much better! Let's get to it!

Nick Johnson

-had an OBP of .426, 3rd best in the league, but only hit 8 homers

-had a .291 average, but only a slugging pct. of .406

-had more walks than strikeouts, but only played 135 games; to say he is injury-prone is an understatement

-had an OPS of .831, and had a fielding pct. of 992, but is already 31

Adrian Beltre

-hit only .265 w/ 8 homers this year, but had 25 homers the year before, and hit .334 with 48 homers and 121 RBIs back in '04 with the Dodgers (yuck)

-is a perennial Gold Glover and won a Gold Glove at 3rd last year, but his OPS was a horrendous .683, well below his career averages

-should probably get less money on account of his terrible '09, but his agent is Scott Boras, so maybe not.

-He only played 111 games, but he's usually very healthy. Plus, he's a year younger than Nick Johnson, and has played since 1998.

-He took 19 walks last year, but at least he is an amazing fielder. I mean, he's not like Mario Mendoza or anything.

-He had an OBP of .304 this year, but at least had a slugging pct. of .379, right? Wait, that's bad...

-He played alongside Ichiro. That's a good thing.

-He's ballsy enough to play without a cup

-He's stupid enough to play without a cup

Poll

Pick yer poison!

Quick Thoughts

2009-11-15T21:53:29Z

Would it not make sense to just add 2 pieces to our lineup that would make us an above average offense? Well, I know those two pieces. Those two pieces are Chone Figgins and Matt Holliday. Both of them could be easily placed into the lineup and the lineup would look like this:

3B-Chone Figgins

2B- Freddy Sanchez

1B-Pablo Sandoval

LF-Matt Holliday

C-Bengie Molina

SS-Juan Uribe

RF-Nate Schierholtz/Andres Torres/Eugenio Velez

CF-Aaron Rowand

P Tim Lincecum/Matt Cain/Barry Zito/Randy Johnson/Brad Penny

Set-Up- Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Romo

Closer-Brian Wilson

Now that is a playoff roster maybe even a championship one and I have not mentioned names like the likes of Jonathan Sanchez, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner. They could potentially be trade bait for other bats. And forget Edgar Renteria,please.

Rah rah rah ROSTERBATION OMGWTFBBQ OH NO'S

2009-11-15T20:39:43Z

I have decided to jump in with everyone else and say what my ideas are for the offseason.

1 - Wait for November 19th. Sometime around 11AM PST the NL Cy Young winner will be announced. I am rooting for Timmy to win it for a couple reasons. The first is he is my favorite player. The second is he is a Giant. The third is because I feel he was the best pitcher in the NL this year.

2 - The second thing I am going to do is wait and see what Giants Brass does.

2a - With each move I will either support it or join the groupthink and call for the head of Brian Sabean.

3 - I will look forward, eagerly, to Spring Training.

4 - Once individual season tickets go on sale, I will do my best to score seats for Opening Day.

5 - I will do my best to keep the snarky comments to a minimum in all these horrible rosterbation threads that are popping up. My eyes have been rolling so hard I think I can see my brain.

Poll

Sound good?

My Offseason thoughts

2009-11-15T07:30:00Z

I don't know what you guys are calling it now...rosterbation or whatever but here are my thoughts on what I think we should do. Tim over at mlbtrade did his "offseason outlook" for us. He predicts us to be around 80 million range after the arbitration cases. Assuming we get a 90-95 million budget from ownership...we have 10-15 to play around with.

I would love to get a Bay or Holliday but like many are saying, we just dont have the funds due to a few bad contracts.

What do you guys think about:

3B: Wait for Garrett Atkins to be non-tendered, then sign him...I know hes coming off of a bad season and all his good seasons are in Coors but I think he still has the potential for power and a rebound season. Hopefully, we can snag him on a minor league deal or something relatively cheap.

-With this move we shift Pablo over to 1st.

+Plan B: We would have Ishi/ Bowker and possibly Jesus Guzman to use at 1st if Atkins fails.

LF/RF: Marlon Byrd. It is possible that this guy is just another Gary Matthews Jr. just waiting to happen, but maybe this is Marlon's chance to finally secure a starting job for 2 seasons in a row to get things going.

-If not Byrd, I am a huge fan of Xavier Nady, however, I don't know if we have what it takes to land him here. I'm unsure of what he will command on the open market. If he can be had for a reasonable amount of money, I say get him.

-With this move, we could leave a spot open for a 3 or 4 way competition between Andres Torrres, Natey, and Fredy with the possibility of Bowker.

Starting Pitcher: Brad Penny. He seemed to get into a groove here with us so why not.

Unfortunately, I think that will be about it for us. Penny alone will cost somewhere between 4-8 million. Also, if we do have any money left over, Sabean would be able to do his little waiting game plan and see whos left. There should be some interesting low salary signings(O-Dog) and minor league contracts(Uribe) this year. It should be fun.

So what is the right move?

2009-11-14T20:52:47Z

So I've been looking at all the recent fan "rosterbation" posts and of course a lot of them seem extremely unpopular (though I definitely agree that a lot of them would be stupid moves for the Giants to make). With that in mind, what IS the right move or set of moves for the Giants to make this offseason (besides potentially signing Nick Johnson)? Should the Giants make a trade (like Yahoo says the Giants are cosidering for Uggla), should they look for better offense from within, or are there certain free agents who actually would help the team? Unless something "drastic" is done, I don't know how much better the Giants will be this coming season. Thanks.

trade opinions

2009-11-14T19:54:32Z

Oh boy its voting time!

So I went out to the store and there was this big line but I was like screw it because I have to buy some potatoes so I went and I got my potatoes and I waited in line but it was taking so long so I thought to myself man is this really worth it to wait in this line but then it turned out that I wasn't in line at all and there was a circus and I was eating pie in the audience watching the clowns ride the elephants but they weren't really riding elephants I just wished that they were riding elephants or maybe oliphants like the elf I forget his name but he's played by that guy who was also in Elizabethtown which I didn't see but then remember when he shot the oliphant in the head and the other guy was like that only still counts as one I thought that was pretty lame but then it turned out that I was just daydreaming about the circus and I was in line after all and I got to the end of the line and bought my potatoes and now I'm going to go eat my potatoes.

Poll

What would you do if one of these happened?

Hows Bout Marcus Thames

2009-11-14T05:17:15Z

The Tigers have released Marcus Thames, and after looking at his numbers I can't get it out of my head that he could be a perfect fit here. Here is where my love is coming from. A career average of a HR every 15.3 plate appearances. That my friends is crazy power. Better than anyone that is being talked about, Nick Johnson (35.0), Mike Cameron (28.1), Matt Holliday (23.9), Adam LaRoche (23.8), Jermaine Dye (22.2), Jason Bay (21.1), Russell Branyan (17.2), whoever.His pure power numbers match up with people like Howard, Pujols and Fielder. He's legit. Plus, as someone who is coming off an injury season, he should be amazingly cheap. We're talking in the $2-3 million with only a 1 or 2 year commitment range, those are Juan Uribe afterthought type numbers. In 2008 he hit 25 HR in 384 PA. And last year before he got relegated to a DH against lefties roll, he hit 9HR in 139PA (15.4, right on average). I just can't imagine how someone who started last season as the regular 4 or 5 spot guy in the Tigers lineup would not be a massive upgrade for the GIants. Am I crazy for thinking this should be a no brainer type move. I know the basic reason not to sign him. Veteran guy who will be 33 and is not a great fielder that Bochy might play even if he's a disaster. But just the thought of having real power to back up Panda with almost no risk, wow. Someone talk my out of this are get on my bandwagon.

How about Austin Kearns?

2009-11-14T03:15:14Z

If the Giants don't acquire a big power hitter in the outfield during the offseason, what would you think of the Giants signing Austin Kearns? He's a 30 year old right handed right fielder who has had injury problems with his thumb (in 2009) and 'loose bodies' in his elbow (in 2008). His glove is pretty solid, and his career offensive stats are above average. Obviously there's some issues concerning playing time for John Bowker, Fred Lewis and Nate Schierholtz with a signing like this, but it makes a little sense because they don't have a right handed player in the outfield besides Aaron Rowand.

McCovey Chronicles: FanPosts

Giants add four to 40-man roster

Expansion Teams / Relocation Discussion

What foreign country/city/island do you think could support a successful MLB franchise?

Lincecum Arbitration Results Prediction Thread!

Tim Lincecum will....

First Baseman of the future

Out of who we have in the majors and minors right now, what player do you think will be our first baseman of the future?

Downloadable Game Broadcasts?

All-time favorite SF Giants: closer

Who is your all-time favorite SF Giants closer?

Would you trade Jeremy Affeldt?

Would you trade Jeremy Affeldt?

MCC Recipe Swap & Food Talk Jamboree

Sabean putting alot of weight in Winter leagues?

Fourth Annual McCovey Awards Ceremony

OT: What's your favorite Firefox theme?

What I Would Do With the Roster

It comes down to this (for me)

Pick yer poison!

Quick Thoughts

Rah rah rah ROSTERBATION OMGWTFBBQ OH NO'S

Sound good?

My Offseason thoughts

So what is the right move?

trade opinions

What would you do if one of these happened?

Hows Bout Marcus Thames

How about Austin Kearns?