Karma is a pretty odious thing when you think about it. You're telling me that all of the people going through horrific things deserve it because of what they did in the past? That's kind of gross. Karma doesn't exist.
Fine, great, you can find isolated examples of dual karma. Delicious and deserved karma that makes you sleep with a smile on your face. Beautiful examples of the universe sharing an inside joke with you. The kind of thing that can keep you warm at night.
"Come on, stand by the bonfire."
"No, thanks. I'm a look at this stat line from Eugenio Velez on the Dodgers."
But that's not the point. Karma doesn't exist. It just doesn't. So I'm tired of hearing that the Marlins have been terrible since breaking Buster Posey right in the leg. There's no correlation. And the stories of Scott Cousins having horrific boils and episodes where he gnashes his teeth and speaks in tongues? Probably made up just in that last sentence, though they would certainly be funny.
Except, dang it, I can't shake the idea.
The Marlins crushed the nascent dreams of an up and coming Giants team in 1997. They stole the glory for themselves that year. Then the Marlins crushed the dreams of a really, really good Giants team in 2003. They stole the glory again. And in 2011, they injured America's Greatest Hero. It would seem like everything Giants-related that the Marlins breathe on, turns to absolute crap.
There's a catch, though. Last year, the Marlins -- cheap bastards that they are -- didn't want to pay Cody Ross the $1 million left on his contract. So they just gave him away. They could have (should have?) waited until the offseason to see if another team would give up a prospect for Ross. Instead, they just gave him away. Poof. Take him.
In that envelope is my trade offer. Cody Ross is moving on to some greener pastures. We're not negotiatin'. I don't like to barter. I don't like to dicker. I never have fun in Tijuana. That price is non-negotiable. What's in that envelope is for the Giants' peace of mind. Our peace of mind is worth that much. Not one prospect more.
Cody Ross became a World Series hero in a town that had never held a World Series parade. And it was because the Marlins gave him away like an extra puppy.
So maybe there's nothing like individual karma, but perhaps there's some sort of collective karma. In order for it to make sense, time can't be linear. Tralfamadorians believe that time isn't a straight line, but rather a landscape of different mountain peaks. We only see it go from A to B because that's the only thing our brains can process. But everything that will happen already has, and everything that did happen is still happening.
The Marlins have screwed the Giants, and will always screw the Giants, but maybe they've made up for it with the free heroic Cody Ross with purchase of one Cody Ross at regular price.
Or maybe the Marlins are just an awful organization ran by awful people, and that they helped us last year doesn't change the fact that everything about them is distasteful and awful.
Probably the latter.
Hitter to watch
It's Mike Stanton. Every time. It hurts my covet glands to move from a series with Andrew McCutchen to Mike Stanton. So good. Stanton is 21. He has hit almost twice as many home runs as the closest Giant. He's like the Madison Bumgarner of hitting. So good, so young.
That's okay. I'm sure Jackson Williams will come on strong at some point.
PItcher to watch
Chris Volstad is a galoot who throws sinkers. I'm sure the Giants will attack him with a sensible, disciplined hitting approach
Prediction
At some point, there will be a replay of the Posey injury on the TV this weekend. CRAZY, I know.