They were out. Free. Released from their burden and obligation. Pedro Feliz was gone.
As of twelve hours ago, this column was going to be a plea to overpay for Richie Sexson.
Roberts
Vizquel
Durham
Bonds
Sexson
Aurilia
Winn
Molina
That's not bad. Not great...but much better than I could have guessed. It would hinge on that trade for a first baseman with substantial power, though. I was excited. Sign a guy like Maddux, and the rotation would have been solid, too.
Now my least favorite player to watch is back for a healthy chunk of money. This isn't just OBPcism, either. Pedro Feliz might be a rocket scientist in the real world, but when he steps inside a little chalk box he becomes one of the dumbest players in the history of the game. Two runs down, no men on, two outs, and a 3-1 count...obviously that's a pitch you need to swing at. Take a huge rip, Pedro, take a....oh, it was a slider! That's okay, Pedro, how could you have known?
Sabean was free, but he had to go back and get the watch on the little kangaroo. That analogy isn't a good one until you consider this: Pedro Feliz hits like something found inside the bowels of Christopher Walken.
WE'RE GOING TO THE SERIES! WE'RE GOING TO THE SERIES!
Absolute apocalyptic scenario: The Giants don't sign Bonds because the difference between salary proposals is exactly what they paid to Pedro Feliz.
And you know at one point, Sabean had this thought: How am I going to replace all of those RBI?
Now playing first: Either Sexson (obtained in a trade for Noah Lowry and Jonathan Sanchez...don't worry, Jeff Suppan will replace them), Ryan Klesko, or Phil Nevin.
At least it's just one year. And, hey, someone was going to make 350 of those outs anyway, so what's the big deal with Feliz adding 100 of his own?
If Sabean constructs a roster that finishes below .500 for the third straight season, his job would have to be in question, right? That would be the only positive thing about this offseason. Juan Pierre? Gary Matthews? Pedro Feliz? Those players make for anything that resembles a contender? Sabean still has moves to make, so maybe there's a miracle to pull off yet. I doubt it. This sucks.
