The idea comes a little late, but allow me to present the McCovey Chronicles Guide to Which Former Giants You Should Actively Root For in the Playoffs.
Felix Rodriguez:
Pro: He was a good Giant for a lot of years, turning in consistently solid seasons with one workable pitch.
Con: If he were just that much better in 2002, the Giants would have won a World Series. That's about as unfair as a fan can get, but there you have it.
Verdict: Root for, but only not to embarrass himself. If he rips off 14 scoreless World Series innings, the verdict changes to abject loathing.
A.J. Pierzynski:
Pro: He was the rubbish that came over in one of the most immediately damaging deals in franchise history. If he weren't so terrible, the Giants might have made the playoffs last year. Yeah, that's the "pro"-side.
Con: On top of that, he's reputed to be the kind of hearty individual who would knee another grown man in the crotch. Now he's some clutch monster? Pshaw. He's reason alone to root against the White Sox.
Verdict: Root for Gary Sheffield to knee him in the groin. Otherwise, root against.
Julian Tavarez:
Pro: He could shiv an umpire with a sharpened toothbrush handle at any time. For that reason, every Tavarez inning should be on pay-per-view.
Con: He's irritating. Really, really irritating.
Verdict: Root against, but don't waste too much energy doing it.
Reggie Sanders:
Pro: He was our most productive rightfielder in the post-Burks era, and is as likable a player as you will find. It was satisfying to see his days as a traveling baseball gypsy come to an end with two straight seasons in the same place.
Con: Nothing of note.
Verdict: If you can't root for Sanders, you are physically incapable for rooting for any non-Giant.
Jeff Kent:
Pro: He is not in the playoffs this year.
Con: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha.
Verdict: Still an ass.
Dustin Hermanson
Pro: He was jerked around by the Giants a fair amount, and didn't complain as much as he could have. For a waiver-wire acquisition, he did more than expected.
Con: Like Felix, he had a crucial meltdown in a Giants uniform. The difference is, and it's a big one, is that it was less a result of ability, more a result of being fed through the Felipe Alou Bullpen Grind-O-Matic ($29.99 at Target), and spit out the other side.
Verdict: Root for him both in the playoffs, and to look in a mirror the next time he grooms his facial hair.
There were others already bounced who were worth rooting for (Jim Brower, Bill Mueller, Doug Mirabelli), and others who are hard to work up an opinion on, (Jose Vizcaino). It was easy to pull for Brower in the 18-inning marathon yesterday, but still hard to ever root for the Braves. I'm sure there were other players I missed, too.
Comment starter: Do you agree with the Guide? Generally, it isn't a good thing to question the Guide. In fact, you've looked at the Guide too much. Come back in a few minutes.