Big Unit looking strong

[Upton]

Looking every bit like the future Hall of Famer that he is, Johnson struck out the side in the first and third innings and finished with seven strikeouts. He blanked Arizona on two hits through three innings in the Giants' 7-6 victory.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090303&content_id=3912220&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf&partnerId=rss_sf

Johnson says he expects to win 15-20 games for the Giants...he should be a great addition to what is now the best starting staff in the NL.

[hughee99]

1. If he expects to win 15-20 games...

he's going to be disappointed. He can have a Cy Young season (I doubt he will) and still find himself on the losing end of a lot of 3-2 decisions. More then likely, he'll get pulled in a close game for a hitter and get a ND.

The Giants didn't NEED another pitcher (though he doesn't hurt), they NEED to not have a catcher hitting .292 with 16 HR's and 95 RBI's in their cleanup spot.

[Upton]

4. I agree the Giants are short on hitting

They need veterans like Renteria and Rowand to step up, while youngsters like Sandoval, Lewis or maybe Ishikawa need to have break out years.

The Giants have a team built on pitching and defense...such teams have won before...they can again.

[Auggie]

5. Let's see them manufacture runs too.

[hughee99]

6. Teams built on pitching and defense can be successful

but they need to have SOME hitting. If the Giants are counting on veterans having career years and rookies breaking out just so they can have an average offense, I don't like their chances.

[cboy4]

10. I know. If only my owners were in a position to essentially

purchase success like Boston does, we would have paid Manny 35-million and picked up a few other players to plug holes.

What's the Red Sox payroll?

It's not that much less than the Yankees.

[hughee99]

11. Yes, instead of purchasing success

The Giants are purchasing failure. The Sox are paying about $62 Million more than the Giants... and about 75 million LESS than the Yankees.

The Giants 4 highest paid players are Randy Johnson, Barry Zito, Edgar Renteria and Aaron Rowand. Are you really telling me the problem is that the Giants don't have any money go go out and get a bat? How about $15 million they just spent on a 46 year old pitcher that they didn't really need, or the fact that their highest paid offensive player is a career .290 hitter averaging 11 HR's, 94 R's and 71 RBI's a year.

46 year old Randy Johnson, will make more this year than ANY Red Sox player.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/teamSalary?statsId=26
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/teamSalary?categoryId=71588

As far as $$ goes, the Red Sox showed $263 million in revenue last year (3rd place), compared the the Giants 8th place 197 million. Are the owners supposed to pocket that money, to make it fair, or should they be spending the money they have to put the best team on the field they can?

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/33/biz_baseball08_The-Business-Of-Baseball_Revenue.html

[cboy4]

13. You don't think the Giants could sign three amazing power

hitters at 20 million each, and a great closer at 20 million, and with their powerful starting staff, not be one of the best teams in baseball?

The Giants tried to get Ramirez and we all know what a cocksucker he turned out to be.

The income figures you cite are deceptive, because the Giants are also paying off their 357-million dollar stadium, built in 2000.

We have always been told (as season ticket holders) that paying off the stadium has to be included in the budget, which does affect the amount of money the team can spend on payroll.

And BTW, spending only 75 million less than the Yankees is nothing to be proud of.

But I won't dwell on the money too much, since Tampa Bay found out a way to win.

They problem is they won't be able to afford to keep all of their good players once they're up.

I'm sure Boston will have no problem opening its wallet like usual.

[hughee99]

15. I don't think the Giants could sign ALL of them

but other than the Yankees, can ANYONE pay 80 million for 4 players? The Giants have a definite need to upgrade their hitting, the spent a good bit of money but didn't do that. They're not spending their money wisely and doing a disservice to Giant fans in the process.

If they Giants had their stadium paid off do you think they'd spend the extra money on players? Do you think they should?

[cboy4]

16. Yea, if they had the stadium paid off -- one that I helped pay

for through my one-time charter seat licenses when the team was still playing at Candlestick Park, I think they should spend the money .. especially drawing 3,000,000 per year.

I sure as hell wouldn't want them pocketing it.

Either spend it on free agents or spend it on building a farm system.

I agree the Giants have not spent their money wisely.

But don't disregard the main point, which is that the Red Sox have spent, by your figures, 60-million more in salary than the Giants.

And if the Giants matched that spending, you don't think they could be as successful?

Don't forget, up until a few years ago when SF lost its way, the Giants had one of the best winning percentages in baseball dating back to the mid 1990's. (I can look that up if you don't believe me).

It's no coincidence the Giants lost their way when my GM, Brian Sabean lost his right hand man, Ned Colletti to L.A.

They worked as a strong team .. it's my understanding Brian has to do everything now, and it's too much.

You have an excellent GM, but you cannot discount the massive amount of salary Boston pumps into its organization vis-a-vis payroll.

TYPO

[hughee99]

18. Now I'm confused...

If they Giants had more money, they should spend it, but the Sox made about $60 million more than the Giants and spent about $60 million more than the Giants, and that's somehow unfair?

Yes the Sox are at an advantage because of their revenue, but they've done a lot of things to bring in new revenue from the same market (highest ticket prices in MLB for example), and been pretty good at developing new markets (the theory was that Matsuzaka could potentially pay for himself by expanding Red Sox exposure in Japan). They also are very good at developing talent all around (pitching and hitting) which enables them to spend relatively peanuts on a top flight closer and 2 MVP candidates, and spend the extra money on the free agent pieces they need. It's not just about money, it's organizational, and the Giants seem to have some serious holes in their organization that they haven't been addressing. I'm not sure an extra $60 million fixes the problems, it will just mask it occasionally.

The Sox have an advantage over the Giants, much like the Giants have an advantage over many other teams. Your not in KC or Pittsburgh, The Giants spend more than 19 other teams, so complaining about equity unfairness is only going to take you so far. They Giants have the second highest payroll in their division ($36 million less than the Dodgers) while the Sox have the second highest in their division ($75 million less than they Yankees). Since a team is primarily competing against it's division for the playoff spot, one could argue the Sox are at a greater disadvantage than the Giants.

I'm not trying to crap on you, I think Giants fans deserve better management then they're getting. I'm sure Giants ownership would be more than happy if their fans were convinced that revenue inequality was their biggest problem, since it covers up the fact that they are not spending or drafting wisely (with the exception of spotting young pitching talent recently, they've been really good at that).

[cboy4]

19. My point again is, if the Giants had an extra 60-million dollars

sitting around to match the Red Sox spending, thing would be much better than they are now.

That's just logical.

I didn't say it's unfair that Boston has more to spend .. I'm simply pointing out that stuffing Theo's pocket with that much cash for payroll is bound to produce results.

It's a beautifully run organization, but you cannot hide the fact that money plays a large part of its success.

And again, I don't defend the way the Giants have been run in recent years, with the exception of building a powerful starting force.

Nobody is harder on my teams than me.

[hughee99]

20. I agree,

the 60 million would help, but the Yankees and Detroit proved last year that spending isn't everything.

Personally, I thought someone like Abreu might have been a good match for SF. The Angels got him for $5 million on a one year deal.

[madinmaryland]

21. Dude. If the AA Pirates had a $60 million payroll they might actually

win the NL Central!!

[cboy4]

22. Uh, no .. considering the Cubs payroll is more than twice

that .. and more than give times Pittsburgh's current payroll.

You guys will always compete with Cincinnati to see who stays out of the cellar.

[madinmaryland]

23. As long as the owner of the Pirates have owners who seem to be related to the

Yorks, they will continue in suckitude.

What are you trying to say about the cubs and pirates? Your sentence doesn't quite fit together.

:shrug:

[cboy4]

24. And I actually meant the Cubs' payroll is (as of last year)

is more than three time the Pirates' sum .. not five times, as I don't believe Chicago has approached the 200-million mark. **yet**

And you point was if the Pirates had a $60 million payroll, they might be able to compete with the Cubs.

And I said, no way .. the Cubs' payrolls is $125 million and growing.

You can't compete with that.

You'd have trouble competing with the Indianapolis Indians AAA team.

[Auggie]

2. Commentary on that Johnson effort here:

Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle (3-4-2009):

This isn't quite the same Johnson we saw in his youth, throwing 98-mph fastballs and being, as he recalls, "effectively wild." More than a few times, respected left-handed hitters asked for the day off when his turn came around. But nobody in the Arizona Diamondbacks' lineup wanted to face the 45-year-old Johnson in Tuesday's exhibition against the Giants - and very few of them even made contact.

It was a stoic, utterly calm Big Unit during his three innings of work. So many pitchers fuss and fidget out there, taking an eternity between pitches and turning each delivery into a tedious three-act play. Johnson stayed perched atop the mound, decidedly reminiscent of Barry Bonds glued to the batter's box, the ultimate professional with a hint of disdain for the opponent.

I was sitting next to a group of scouts behind home plate at Scottsdale Stadium as Johnson struck out seven batters over three innings. "Got him at 92," one scout remarked of the fastball. "Midseason form," another said of Johnson's slider, which accounted for six (all swinging) of those strikeouts. If you wanted to explain "hanging breaking ball" to a youngster, you were in the wrong stadium Tuesday. Johnson's sliders started low, then dropped to around ankle-level, just as tight and precise as could be.

The one time an Arizona batter jumped on that slider - Chris Young hammering one foul down the left-field line - Johnson responded with a high, tailing fastball that blew Young away.

LINK: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/04/SP07168C6E.DTL

[TZ]

3. Its spring training.

Lets see how his arm is come the dog days of July.

[El Supremo]

7. Groan!

Why can't he go back to the American Laegue?

[cboy4]

17. Yea, your Rockies are bound to be horrific this year.

Look at their spring training record so far.

Not that spring training means anything, but it's a bit of a gauge.

And Colorado has the worst record in all of baseball thus far. :wow:

Colorado 0 7 .000

[riverdale]

8. Good think he's not on 'roids or anything

[cboy4]

9. That's very impressive.....it's sad our farm system is such

a calamity when it comes to developing power hitters.

Even with their terrible hitting, their improved pitching staff can only help increase their win total .. because offensively, I don't believe they're worse than last year.

[madinmaryland]

12. Are the Yorks taking over day-to-day management of the Giants, too?

:shrug:

[cboy4]

14. No. Fortunately they won't be able to extort the baseball

team in town.