What the?

Whoa, where have I been?

I don't even know where to begin with this season. Everything is completely upside down. Never did I expect Edgar Renteria to be this hot. To be honest, I doubted Edgar. I thought he was washed up, that signing Uribe was insurance in case of a slow Renteria start. When Sanchez went down, I thought we were doomed. Stuck with Rent at short as Uribe filled in at 2nd, but so far this season, Edgar's been tearing the hell out of the ball. Batting .688 through 4 games, including a big fly at a big time to tie the ball game yesterday in the 9th. An OPS of 1.737? You're kidding me right? Now, I know this won't carry out throughout the season, but hell, it's still early in the year, and every Giants fan can hope. Watch out Joe Mauer, Edgar Renteria is coming to take that batting title.

Okay, Pablo, seriously, was Operation Panda a ruse for you to become as large as a panda bear? Dude, you're HUGE now. Truly, I don't care as much as the next Giants fan. Look at Prince Fielder. The guy could be a starting NFL offensive lineman, but here's what Pablo has working against him. Historically, this could be the year Pabs is signed to an extension. Giants brass love to wait until the second full season before deciding on an extension, however, Pablo's play from last year, and growth potential, make him a lucrative sign, as soon as possible. But, the Giants don't want Panda's bat as a first baseman. They want him on the hot corner, a place where it's hard to find a decent bat with plenty of pop. If Pablo keeps swelling up like a bee sting, he'll have no choice, but to move to first, making him a far less attractive long term deal. Does anyone else feel that Sandoval's weight has anything to do with all the ground balls he's been hitting? He better figure it out soon, I don't want Molina back up in the cleanup role.

Barry Zito loves his socks. So much, that he's like the only player on the Giants to wear the new orange striped socks. Don't get me wrong, I love the socks, but from the moment they were issued as uniform attire, I knew it wouldn't fly. Now players have a choice of the striped or solid black, and the few players that even hike their pants up won't wear the stripes. Remember when Zito wanted to create a sense of bonding with the pitching rotation, trying to get every starter to rock the high socks? It lasted about a week into Spring Training before all the pitchers besides Zito kicked the idea to the curb. I don't care if it's the socks that Zito is loving, or his ability to stay out of TMZ this offseason, but either way, welcome back Barry Zito. Now, we all knew you were turning it around with a pretty rock solid second half, but the Zito us Giants fans have become accustomed to always has a TERRIBLE start to his season. Hey Barry, keep the walks down, continue to work your pitches, and stay out of your own head, and I'll actually open my eyes and uncross my fingers when you're pitching this season.

Speaking of head-cases, this has been bothering me and I proved myself to be right yesterday. I understand starting your rotation off right away with other teams so that, for the first few weeks, your ace matches up with the opposing team's ace, but why didn't Bochy see that having Jonathon Sanchez start the home opener was going to be a disaster? Sanchez rattles himself more than any pitcher I've ever watched. Throw in some opening day jitters, and you're left with a complete meltdown. Granted, Sanchez didn't pitch terribly, but imagine this: Opening night in Houston, we start Matt Cain, who has mental strength thats uncharacteristic for his age. No problems there. We conclude the series with Wellemeyer. Sounds good. And then we open up with none other than Tim Lincecum. What? Makes perfect sense to me. Timmy looked great in the Houston opener, and would've easily translated that over to the home opener if given the chance. But this is Bochy Ball. Stick to tradition, just like mustaches.

Spring Update

Hello Pablo. Nice to see you this Spring.

The Giants have been on a tear thus far this Spring Training, compiling a record of 7-1, the best record in the National League, and tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the most wins in the MLB. Yeah, it's only Spring Training, but this comes as a huge surprise to all Giants fans alike. Despite a few setbacks, the offense has pulled together nicely. Aubrey Huff's first swing in a black and orange uniform was a two-run homerun. That's what we like to see from our clean-up hitter. Yesterday, Pablo even got in on the action. After the offense slapped around a few cheap singles off Cubs' Carlos Zambrano, followed by Velez's hit-by-pitch, Pablo crushed his first homerun of the Spring, a grand salami. Giants' pitchers have looked pretty good. Remember, it is Spring Training and pitchers are still finding their grooves, but as Jonathon Sanchez displayed yesterday, these guys are ready to soak up some innings (3IP, 3H, 5K). It's been great watching the offense mesh and pitchers continue to develop.  Can't wait until Opening Day.

Happy Lincecum Day, Giants fans!

Operation Panda: The Giants Offseason Plan for the Postseason?

With the San Francisco Giants first Spring Training game less than three days away, it is more than acceptable to talk some baseball. Operation Panda. What is it you ask? Well, what was supposed to be Pablo Sandoval's get in shape quick scheme, turned into a team-wide Jenny Craig-a-thon. The one problem: Sandoval isn't anywhere near the target weight he set out to reach at the beginning of the offseason. On the other hand, Aaron Rowand is taking his role of leadoff hitter to heart, losing weight to match the stereotype. Rowand hopes that his shedding excess weight will contribute to a much needed turn-around season. I hope so too. Here's to the first Giants Baseball post of many this season. Cheers.

I Can Taste It

Baseball season is so close I can taste it. In two days, Timmy and the Gang will be headed to Scottsdale to officially begin my Spring, regardless of what the groundhog saw. In two days my world changes. Sorry, Warriors, but with your season going no where, the hopes and dreams that come along with Spring Training is more alluring than watching a basketball team 25 games below .500. The possibilities are endless, but they need to start somewhere, and that starts me. Today, on the comfort of my own couch, I'm the manager. Boch, take a vacation, because THIS guy is taking the reigns. Here it goes:

Crafting the Starters

The Giants anemic offense will hopefully find some consistency this season with the resigning of Bengie Molina, Juan Uribe and Freddy Sanchez, plus new additions in Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff. To be honest, of all the acquisitions, I'm only excited for Uribe and Sanchez's return. First off, Molina in the lineup means Bochy will have urges to bat him cleanup. I was content with letting him walk, picking up a vet for one year, and then handing command of the pitching staff to phenom Buster Posey. Instead, Posey might be heading down to Fresno while Bengie, once again, chugs down to first base, barely beating the tag from a ball hit into Triples Alley. I've also never really been a huge fan of DeRosa. He's a great piece to add to an already great team, especially with his versatility, but he's no savior. He reminds me of an Aaron Rowand type player, and we all know how that turned out. Huff is actually a great addition, if this were the 2007 season. He's a bit past his prime, but I'm hoping he will still produce for us in the clean up hole. Anything better than Bengie last year will be a Godsend. Thanks to Brian Sabean, I get to built an Opening Day lineup out of these overachievers (minus Sanchez for injury concerns), so here's how I'd do it:

My Lineup

• 2B Eugenio Velez
• RF Nate Scheirholtz 
• 3B Pablo Sandoval
• 1B Aubrey Huff
• SS Juan Uribe
• LF Mark DeRosa
• CF Aaron Rowand
• C Bengie Molina
• P Pitcher

My Rotation

• Tim Lincecum
• Barry Zito
• Matt Cain
• Jonathon Sanchez
• Madison Bumgarner

I'll take some time to break down each player once Bochy sets his lineup for Opening Day, but for now, we can just keep our fingers crossed that Sanchez is healthy by Opening Day and there is no sign of Edgar Renteria anywhere near the starting lineup.

I will continue to blog on the improvements and current standing of players throughout Spring Training so be sure to check back. Until then, keep dreaming of balls dropping in McCovey Cove, because the process starts in just two days!

Welcome to The Honest Giant!

Welcome to my San Francisco Giants blog "The Honest Giant". With the season just around the corner, I am excited to provide you all with plenty of commentary and discussion regarding the 2010 season utilizing both video and written blogs. Check back soon for some great Giants Baseball discussion!