CHECKLIST OF VIRTUES - ACCORDING TO OUR SPONSORS

THE SUPREME COURT - IT SAYS EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW UP THERE, KINDA HARD TO SEE

With all the recent scandal that has attached itself to various sports luminaries recently it's nice that somebody has taken the time to take a step back and provide some context to the moral dilemma some of us find ourselves in when struggling to decide who we should continue to root for or not root for.

According to this item that recently appeared in the New York Post, the scoring is as follows:

WIFE BEATING - BAD. STILL A NO-NO.
CHILD ABUSE/PEDOPHILIA - BAD, VERY-BAD. ALWAYS HAS BEEN, ALWAYS WILL BE.
DOG KILLING - BAD. DISTURBINGLY BAD.
HOMOSEXUALITY - BAD. NOT THAT THAT'S A BAD THING, RIGHT?
ADULTERY - GOOD. HEY, HOLD-ON, WHAT!!!
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CHEATING HUBBY 'A'-OK WITH CORPORATE SPONSORS
By SAMUEL GOLDSMITH

He's not accused of rape and he didn't kill any dogs - so A-Rod's all good.

Cynthia Rodriguez has had enough of her husband's cheating ways, but Alex Rodriguez is still squeaky clean in the eyes of his corporate sponsors, image experts told The Post yesterday.

And that means the multimillion-dollar machine is expected to keep the $6 million he earns annually in endorsement deals.

"Wife-beating would hurt him, underage girls would hurt him, a gay lover would hurt him, but run-of-the-mill affairs - that's a non-issue in American life," said branding expert Howard Bragman, head of the public-relations agency Fifteen Minutes.

The Yankee's escapades may be grounds for divorce, but he's still the most marketable player in baseball, according to Sports Business Daily.

A deal-breaking scandal is one like Michael Vick's. The quarterback was busted for dog fighting last year and lost everything, including $9 million in sponsorships from Nike, Reebok, Rawlings and Upper Deck.

But bedding strippers and late-night engagements with Madonna? That won't bother A-Rod sponsors like Nike, Pepsi or Topps, Bragman said.

"We just don't hold affairs against people anymore," he said.
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Of course we know that being known as a possible rapist hasn't hurt a certain NBA star or two as long as you are financially able to invest possibly seven-figures in hush money paid, as settlement to the victim and a huge diamond for the injured spouse. If you were say, the typical NBA fan, from let's say row 10 and back, you are looking at serious jail time and a life ruined beyond repair, if placed in similar circumstances.

The same apparently goes for being involved in a incident where two people were killed to the extent that you have blood stains in your shoes and slacks and you had to plea-bargain your way out of the more serious culpability. Again, if you were say the typical NFL fan, likely placed anywhere in the stadium other than the luxury boxes, you are also looking at some serious jail time and a life ruined once you do your jail time.

Unfortunately, in some measure because we are culturally driven by the paragons of virtue in the corporate world and the mainstream media, a symbiotic match made in the moral depths of hades if there ever was one, we have the kind of justice system we currently have.

And it is certainly not one that is based in any way on the "hallowed" virtues that you see displayed as you enter said Halls of Justice across the nation.



LADY JUSTICE - SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE IMPARTIAL (BLIND) AND BALANCE JUSTICE EQUALLY (SCALES)

And it is nice to keep in proper context that, while it's apparently OK to root for these type of characters, who have been involved in "moral dilemmas" that most of us would never put ourselves into in the first place, we should at the same time "socially shun" folks like Bonds, McGwire, Sosa and now Clemens for committing acts that, most public opinion polls would show, the (vast) majority of Americans would commit themselves if placed in the same circumstances.

Laws are supposed to protect us from the most socially "deviant" acts. Deviant meaning deviation from the norm. "Normal" behavior is not generally legislated against.

Now I generally do not like to go down this route because it assumes guilty behavior where the jury is still out, so to speak. But it just seems to me to be an indictment of who we are as a society and the height of hypocrisy when we are given the selective A-OK to root on possible rapists and murderers, based solely on their ability to hire high-priced attorneys and continue to push product to the same American youth we profess to want to protect so badly.

I mean give me a break, this dip-shit, empty-suit in the Post article and others of his ilk would basically give you permission to exonerate folks who would piss on at least two, maybe three, of the Ten Commandments. To someone who would even remotely suggest that, I would just say, "GO TO HELL"

Just so I don't end on such a depressing note, here is a list of virtues you CAN choose to live by, courtesy of one of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin.

After that, the Seven Deadly Sins. You can see where A-Rod and others fall on the "paragons of virtue scale" just by looking at the qualities listed and see which seem to describe the man.

And then you can decide who you should root for all by yourself.
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FROM THE WEBSITE CHANGINGMINDS.ORG:
http://changingminds.org/explanations/values/thirteen_virtues.htm

Franklin's Thirteen Virtues

When Benjamin Franklin was 20, he wrote a 13-point plan for how he would live his life. It was so successful that he stuck to it for many years. He would focus on one point each week, such that he would cycle through the whole set once every 13 weeks and four times per year. He kept track of progress with a chart in which he would put a red dot for each fault against each virtue committed that day.

These are a set of values he defined in 1741, in his own words (plus his added commentary).

* Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
* Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
* Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
* Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
* Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
* Industry. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
* Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
* Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
* Moderation. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
* Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
* Tranquillity. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
* Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
* Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

"It may be well my posterity should be informed that to this little artifice, with the blessing of God, their ancestor ow'd the constant felicity of his life, down to his 79th year, in which this is written. What reverses may attend the remainder is in the hand of Providence; but, if they arrive, the reflection on past happiness enjoy'd ought to help his bearing them with more resignation. To Temperance he ascribes his long-continued health, and what is still left to him of a good constitution; to Industry and Frugality, the early easiness of his circumstances and acquisition of his fortune, with all that knowledge that enabled him to be a useful citizen, and obtained for him some degree of reputation among the learned; to Sincerity and Justice, the confidence of his country, and the honorable employs it conferred upon him; and to the joint influence of the whole mass of the virtues, even in the imperfect state he was able to acquire them, all that evenness of temper, and that cheerfulness in conversation, which makes his company still sought for, and agreeable even to his younger acquaintance. I hope, therefore, that some of my descendants may follow the example and reap the benefit.

"In this piece it was my design to have endeavored to convince young persons that no qualities were so likely to make a poor man's fortune as those of probity and integrity.

"My list of virtues contain'd at first but twelve; but a Quaker friend having kindly informed me that I was generally thought proud; that my pride show'd itself frequently in conversation; that I was not content with being in the right when discussing any point, but was overbearing, and rather insolent, of which he convinc'd me by mentioning several instances; I determined endeavouring to cure myself, if I could, of this vice or folly among the rest, and I added Humility to my list.

"In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had compleatly overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility."
So what?

So if you live your life by these, you will probably be considered to be a good person by many others. You will probably also be a saint.

In persuasion, take note of them: if you shows these values, you are more likely to be trusted. You are also likely to trust others who demonstrate these values.
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THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS:
http://changingminds.org/explanations/values/deadly_sins.htm

The Seven Deadly Sins

Sins have always been popular areas of focus in the church. An early 2nd century document, the Didache, contains a list of five. Origen produced a sevenfold list and at the end of the 4th century Cassian amended this sevenfold list. Eventually, the Seven Deadly Sins (or Vices) we know today were defined in the 6th century by Pope Gregory the Great, as a set of negative values: the values that you are supposed to adopt is that you will avoid these things and actually adopt their opposites.



1. Pride is an excessive belief in one's own abilities.
2. Envy is wanting what others have, be it status, abilities, or possessions.
3. Gluttony is the desire to eat or consume more than you require.
4. Lust is a powerful craving for such as sex, power and money.
5. Anger is the loss of rational self-control and the desire to harm others.
6. Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain.
7. Sloth is laziness and the avoidance of work.

Note how many of these are very similar: envy, gluttony, lust and greed are all about desire. There is also a hidden lack of concern for others in at least envy and anger.

As with other religious rule-sets, these pretty much hit the nail on the head in terms of a system for social harmonization or social control (depending on your viewpoint). Few people will openly admit to any of them (which attests to the success in the inculcation of these as anti-values in the Christian world).

The number seven, by the way, is not only a cabbalistic magical number, it also just happens to be the size of our short-term memory, which is a real limit to the number of things we can hold in mind at one time.
So what?

Do not demonstrate these values yourself. Suggest that the other person is succumbing to one or more of these values and they will likely head in the opposite direction.

Another approach is to play the Devil and encourage the other person to give in to these natural tendencies.

You can then either use this 'rule-breaking' as evidence that they can do things they previously would not consider. You can even use it then as a guilt lever, maybe even as a form of blackmail (this is far more common than may be supposed).

GIANTS PROSPECTS - DOWN ON THE FARM

GIANTS PROSPECT - NATE SCHIERHOLTZ


If you wanted to know the reason for some of the pessimism regarding the future of the Giants at the major league level all you have to do is look at the stats from some of the higher rated pitching prospects in the minor-league system.

First thing that jumps out is that the better prospects are at the lower levels. Alderson and Bumgardner are 1-2 on almost any ranking of Giants pitching prospect you can put together and you can see where they play.

Luckily for the G-man so far, there stats bear out the excitement most scouts continue to show for these two. Bumgardner's 10.10 K/9 rate and low WHIP jump off the page.

Level...Name...............Ht...Wt...Age..WHIP...K/9...BB/9...HR/9
Hi-A....Tim Alderson.......6-6..217..20..1.25...7.80..2.90...0.30
Low-A...Madison Bumgardner.6-4..215..19..1.01...10.10.1.68...0.34
Hi-A....Henry Sosa.........6-2..185..23..1.16...9.42..2.31...0.84
Hi-A....Kevin Pucetas......6-4..225..24..1.07...7.60..1.95...0.25
AA......Ben Snyder.........6-2..224..23..1.17...7.47..2.07...0.27
AA......Kelvin Pichardo....6-0..215..23..1.07...8.10..4.05...0.68
Hi-A....Joe Patterson......6-1..210..22..1.32...10.50.4.13...0.358
Hi-A....Dan Otero..........6-3..205..23..1.06...8.73..1.36...0.00
Low-A...Andrew de la Garza.6-4..200..24..1.05...9.18..1.55...0.17
Hi-A....Clayton Tanner.....6-1..202..21..1.48...6.90..3.33...0.00
Low-A...Daniel Turpen......6-4..215..22..1.31...7.70..1.88...0.19
Hi-A....Dan Griffin........6-7..245..24..1.41...7.42..4.06...0.35

Sosa and Pucetas are Futures Game alumni and highly regarded. Sosa's HR/9 rate seems a little high this year, otherwise the stats are not-to-hot, not-to-cold. The same could be said for LHP Ben Snyder, although all three have good WHIP's and Sosa's 9.42 K/9 rate is nothing to sneeze at. Anytime you see that rate over 1K per IP, you know the pitcher is fairly dominant at that level. It's what drew my attention to D'Acquisto year ago when the Sporting News used to post the minor league leaders.

Pichardo is interesting, a short RHP (that's generally a negative) with a low WHIP, a pretty good K/9 (positives) balanced out by the high BB/9 and HR/9 (negatives). Hard to see him progressing beyond the AAA level.

Joe Patterson is a LHP with a high K/9 offset by a high BB/9. WILD THING!!!!! He'll get the long look lefties get though. Same with de la Garza, low WHIP, high K/9 an a lefty. I smell promotion here. Otero has a good K/9 and outstanding HR/9 rate.

Daniel Griffin's size says closer, his high WHIP and BB/9 rate say not at the MLB level. Too bad.


Here are the stats from the 25 and older club:

Level...Name...............Ht...Wt...Age.WHIP...K/9...BB/9...HR/9
AAA.....Geno Espinelli.....6-4..195..26..0.95...7.44..1.08...0.00
AA......Brooks McNiven.....6-5..180..27..0.81...3.39..2.36...0.74
AA......Garrett Broshius...6-2..185..27..1.19...4.50..1.90...0.27
AA......Adam Cowart........6-2..190..25..1.44...4.20..1.54...0.45

I guess you can see why Team USA may have wanted Espinelli, based on these stats. McNiven will play for Team Canada. But I just saw where Nate Schierholtz has been added to the Team USA roster. Good for the red, white and blue...but given the choice, I'd have let them keep Espinelli and move Shierholz to the big club.

Broshius and Cowart look like they should be dusting off their resumes.
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GIANTS PROSPECTS DOWN ON THE FARM:

CLASS..PLAYER, POS............AB..R..H...RBI..AVG
LoA....Villalona, Angel 1B....4...0..2...1.....253
AAA....Schierholtz, Nate RF...5...1..1...0.....309..2B(20);newest Olympian

CLASS..PITCHER.......IP...H..R..ER..BB..K..ERA
HiA....Sosa, Henry...5.0..6..2..1...2...3..4.31

THE GIANTS FUTURE - DETERMINED BY THE PAST

The problem the Giants are knee-deep in right now is a function of the organizations inability to to roll up prospects, mostly everyday players. They have had some success with pitchers lately, notably Cain, Lincecum and Sanchez, but the addition of Brian Wilson as a closer is a huge plus.

Most teams have solid 3-4-5 guys, we really have nobody who fits securely in those slots. Rowand is a top of the order hitter, Molina is ideally a 6-7 guy. Randy Winn is a top of the order guy. All three are being asked to do too much on the offensive side.

The only problem here is, it's starting to feel like 1974-78 era mediocrity, with pitchers being the focus and the team transitioning from Bobby Bonds to Dave Kingman prior to settling down with the Clark boys as anchors of solid batting orders. This team is so far away from being a good offensive unit, it's not funny.

The 1974 team had one of my personal favorites, John D'Acquisto flash like a meteor, with a 12-14 record. Ed Halicki debuted at 1-8. Jim Barr was the staff ace, by the way at 13-9. Mike Caldwell from the Brewers was the fourth starter.

The next year, 1975, the team added John "The Count Montefusco (15-9) and Pete Falcone (12-11) as Halicki improved to 9-13, while D'Acquisto fell to 2-4. Falcone was later trade to the Cardinals for 3B Ken Reitz. Jim Barr finished 13-14.

In 1976, Barr was 15-12, Montefusco 16-14, Halicki 12-14 but D'Acquisto again stumbled at 3-8. The aces but still not enough.

The 1977 team added Bob Knepper debuting at 11-9, Barr finished 12-16, Halicki 16-12 and Montefusco dipped to 7-12. Mediocre. Mediocre. Mediocre.

The Giants finally found an ace across the bay in Vida Blue. I wish Zito could at least give them the cache Blue brought to that team and he had more mileage on him than Zito.

The problem for this era has been the inability to capitalize on having Bonds as the anchor, the loss of premium picks via the signing of free-agent to surround Bonds, the inability of the organization to develop hitters over the last ten years. Aurilia and Pedro Feliz are the only two the organization has developed on their own.

If you look at the drafts by years, beginning in 2003, you can see why.

In 2003, RHP David Aardsma was the first round pick out of Rice. HS pitcher Craig Whitaker from texas gave them nothing. The 2nd round netted Nate Schierholz from CA JUCO system, they need to see him in the bigs and begin to close the books on 2003.
Olympian (Canada) Brooks McNiven was a fourth rounder but he's pretty far down the prospect list. The fifth rounder was wasted on Mike Wagner out of U. of Washington.
Later picks netted Pat Misch (7th) Brian Wilson (24th) and not much else. If the later rounds didn't bail them out, this years draft is a garbage can.

In 2004, Giants had no 1st rounder, wasted on one of the Geritol gang. Eddy Martinez-Esteve OF from Florida State is till around, one of those 25 year old AA guys. OF John Bowker was the 3rd rounder from Long Beach State. After that, not much. Kevin Frandsen 2B (12th round), Eugene Espineli LHP from TCU (14th round) Johnathan Sanchez was a surprise in the 27th round out of Ohio Dominican College. Again a late rounder keeps this from being a total toilet bowl of a draft.

In 2005, NO PICKS IN THE FIRST THREE ROUNDS. A ballsy strategy, but maybe not so much considering the prior couple of years outcomes. The fourth round yields OF Ben Copeland from Pitt, a 25 year old stuck in AA Connecticut. Where have I heard that before? The 5th round brings RHP Daniel Griffin from Niagara, a 6-7 closer candidate, who has not really advanced rapidly so far. The later rounds yield Nick Pereira RHP from U. of San Francisco (10th round) Alex Hinshaw LHP from San Diego State (15th round) Sergio ROmo RHP from Mesa College (28th round) and Antoan Richardson OF from Vanderbilt (35th round) another 25 year old AA player. We do have plenty of those.

These three lost years have helped greatly to put the Giants in the woeful position they are in today. Later on we'll take a look at the next three years drafts, which are still in limbo. They could make the future or they could break the future of the franchise.

THIS IS WHY BASEBALL IS NOT LONG FOR THE OLYMPICS

and not over-the-top levels of PED use as some folks would have you believe. I read an article by the well-respected, former White Sox strength and conditioning guru Vern Gambetta which posited this theory as part of a defense of the sports of Track and Field and Olympic Weightlifting, and their rather long history of PED abuse at the Olympics. Unfortunately, Mr. Gambetta should know better how things work and what's really going on in the world and not spew this kind of misinformation, but hey, whatever.

Here's how it goes:
We don't send our major league players to compete/smile for the TV networks/sponsors bearing checkbooks.
We don't send our top-level prospects.
Now we're trying to protect our fringe prospects from having to go over there and compete.

The Giants 26 year-old, left-handed pitcher Geno Espineli was called up from Fresno recently after he had been named to the Team USA roster.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/22/SPVS11T4TE.DTL

Espineli glad to forgo Olympics for the bigs
Henry Schulman

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

"All I heard is the Olympic rosters have to be set, and (being in the majors) will end up being more permanent than I thought," Espineli said. "Of course I like the idea of going to the Olympics, but once I learned I was coming up to the majors, that quickly became an afterthought.

"I'm more than happy to be here as long as possible. I hope it's until the end of the year."
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Espineli has been having a good year for Fresno, but he has not been one of the franchises more cherished and valued properties. His name rarely appeared on any one's list of organizational top prospects and if it appeared at all it was because the author produced a rather long list.

And the Giants aren't the only franchise playing this game of musical chairs with the Team USA roster. If it goes on long enough the roster is going to look like a Who's Who of future Rule 5 draft picks. And if you don't know what that means, you just don't know...

But I'll spell it out for you:

1) No Gold medal for team USA. Guaranteed.

2) No medal at all for Team USA.

3) No TV ratings potential for the IOC, the USOC and any of the other alphabet soup organizations that rule the Olympics with an iron fist.

4) No TV ratings or marketing potential = No TV or sponsor money for the WHORES.

5) No money for the whores = No nookie for baseball in the Olympics

Bye Bye, Baseball.....Bye, bye Olympics.

If I didn't know better, I would say that MLB is actually giving the Olympic poo-bahs one final middle-finger salute, but maybe I'm giving MLB a little too much credit.
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(REAL) GIANTS PROSPECTS DOWN ON THE FARM:

CLASS....PLAYER............POS...AB..R..H..RBI..AVG

AA.....Sandoval,Pablo.......C.....7...2..3...6....343....HR(5),2B(9)
LoA....Villalona, Angel.....1B....5...2..2...1....250....HR(12),2B(21)-walk-off home run

Sandoval continues to rake. Villalona looks like he's starting to catch on a bit as well. They're so cute as that age.

On the pitching side:

CLASS PITCHER...........IP..H..R..ER..BB..K..ERA
HiA....Pucetas,Kevin.....5.0..6..2...2...0...1..2.55
LoA....Bumgarner,Madison.7.0..5..3...2...2...6..1.85

Bumgardner is one of the top young pitchers in the organization, so it's good to see his numbers are solid. Both are a couple of years from Frisco.

But it beats looking at the big club's numbers. But if I were going to do that for a second or two, I couldn't help but notice the following:

A 19-31 home record vs. a 23-27 road record. The road number is about right, but even a .500 record at home bring these sad-sacks to a 48-52 record overall, only 1 1/2 games back. By the way, the list of teams under .500 at home is a virtual roll call of the leagues cellar dwellers. The Padres are on the list, or the Giants would be in the cellar.

You wonder though, if the relative lack of attendance this year and the overall lack of fan excitement doesn't account for some of the Gigantes miserable home record this year. Just a thought. By the way attendance is down approx. 10% from last year, with more downside on the horizon next year if the team does not make another splashy free-agent signing.

And by splashy, I mean a successful kind of splashy like Bonds, rather than the belly-flop kind of splashy like Zito.

HAPPY 44TH BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT TO BARRY LAMAR BONDS, STILL THE THE B-POPE, UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.

Gotta give it up to current Yankees management.
They lose Jorge Posada (left-hander power-hitter) to the DL...
after previously losing Hideki Matsui (left-handed power-hitter) to the DL....
and yet they respond by adding Richie Sexson, a right-handed power-hitter and Dave Kingman clone, while the B-POPE doesn't get a call.
While the Yankees post-season chances get smaller every day the Rays stay in it...
And there's no collusion????
Riiiiiiiiiight?
OK Bud, whatever you say.

SHOCKEY IS A SAINT??? HAHAHAHA

At least he won't be hurting for night clubs to go to between games in The Big Easy.

I think I would have rather have had Jason Taylor than the draft picks, plus it keeps Taylor away from the Skins, but you can't always get what you want.

So the Shockey era ends in N.Y. almost as it began. I for one agree with Parcells, he couldn't carry Bavaro's jock as a TE and the magic carpet ride to Canton has hit a couple of speed bumps.

I don't care about the stats. I'm talking about as a player and as a teammate and team member, this guys has been too much drama queen, too little player.

Don't get me wrong, he did come in with a world of potential. He had WR skills in a TE's body early on. His catch the ball and look for someone to run over instead of run around was fun to watch. But he seemed to have lost those skills in recent years. There was a lot of bitching about not throwing him the ball enough, but I think the numbers will show there were an awful lot of unproductive passes (ie: incomplete) thrown his way in the last couple of years. These same passes seemed to end of complete much more often when Boss took over at TE and Smith and Tyree were worked into the passing game a bit more after Shockey's injury.

Maybe if Shokcey would have spent more time working out in the off-season with his QB , than the fellas at the "U", the Manning-Shockey combination might have been more lethal. Then maybe they would have seemed to be on the same page during the season when it counted.

I would not have blamed Manning one bit if he didn't drill one right in his ear hole, when he got up with his arms flapping like it was Manning who was on the wrong page after a pass went awry.

Good riddance, the team did seem to play better after Shockey hit the sidelines, so I'm guessing he won't be missed nearly as much as he believes he will.

I guess the enduring moments of the Shockey/Giant highlight reel would have to include the early victory celebration in 2005 vs. the Seahawks pictured above. Shockey posing for the cameras as a Giants game-winning field goal attempt went awry.

And there was a similar bout of chest-puffing and fan-taunting in the playoffs versus San Francisco, I believe in his rookie year, right before the 49ers erased a 30 point Giant lead to send them home. Shockey always new where the camera was and never failed to call attention to himself in the true tradition of a "U" player.

That kind of extra baggage never seemed to play as well on Broadway as it does in maybe Dallas or Miami.
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ON THE OTHER GIANTS PROSPECT FRONT:

It looks like Nate Schierholtz continues to grease the exits for Randy Winn. What more does this guy have to prove in the minors? Find out what he can do at the big-league level. The only way to do that is to move Randy Winn. Get whatever value he has out there, two or three mid level prospects? Whatever.

Pablo Sandoval continues to hit, they have to decide if he's truly a catcher or if he moves to 1B. He's a bit of a Bengie Molina clone, so my guess is he better be decnt behind the dish. The bat seems like it will be there though. Still a year or two away though.

AA Sandoval, Pablo C 4 0 2 0 .337 2B (8)
AAA Schierholtz, Nate RF 3 1 1 0 .312 3B (10), OF assist

SAY GOOD-BYE TO RAY DURHAM - ONE DOWN, THREE TO GO.

Here is a breakdown on the two prospects received from the Brewers today in the Ray Durham deal. It is good to see the Giants do not harbor any delusions of grandeur for the rest of the season. It's more important that they recover some value for the remaining assets they have with Randy Winn being the player it would seem would have the most value to a playoff contender.

The same thing needs to happen with Randy Winn, Rich Aurillia and Dave Roberts. Trade them for whatever marginal prospects you can get. Judging by the "haul" from this deal, we're not going to get a top five or even an top ten prospect from anybody, but if you can get two guys apiece for each guy with one of them being a pitcher, you have a chance of hitting on one pitcher and one position player eventually being a serviceable major leaguer.

I don't think Omar Vizquel brings you anything, he's going to retire a Giants, it appears. Bengie Molina is here until his contract runs out or Buster Posey makes an impact, whichever comes first.

THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - THE FUTURE IS WAY DOWN THE ROAD
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FROM BLOG BREWCREWBALL.COM
http://www.brewcrewball.com/2008/6/26/559111/breaking-down-the-prospect

11. Steve Hammond LSP (26) [AAA] - 94.7 IP, 84 H, 40 R, 35 ER, 6 HR, 33 BB, 82 K, 1.35 GO/AO, .238 BAA
Hammond is probably the most underrated prospect in the system. He reached AA in just his second year in the system and seemed to be being fast-tracked, possibly as a reliever, but now, two years later, he’s only just been promoted to AAA. 2007 was rough for Hammond, but he’s gotten back on track this year. He’s old for a prospect, but that’s less of a concern for pitchers than hitters. Hammond has an excellent chance to be a #3/4 innings eater-type starter in the big leagues, which isn’t as sexy as Jeffress’ potential but is necessary when you’re a team like the Brewers. I’m thinking a lefty Jeff Suppan is a good comp, though Suppan already had three 200+ innings seasons in the Majors under his belt by this age.

24. Darren Ford CF (22) [A+] - .234/.314/.311/.625, 38/46 SB
Darren Ford really does a lot of things well on the baseball field. He’s the fastest guy in the system, and one of the fastest in the entirety of professional baseball, and he uses that speed to run down everything hit near him in center field. He has a little bit of pop, and he has a better idea of the strike zone than most crappy fast guys, yet here he remains, a crappy fast guy. Will the Brewers take mercy on him next year and promote him to Huntsvile, sparing him a third straight season struggling with the heavy sea air of the FSL? If they do, will that snap him out of his now-year-long doldrums? I hope so.

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GIANTS PAST - GIANTS FUTURE (R.I.P. BOBBY MURCER)

Sad new that ex-Giant and "Yankee Forever" Bobby Murcer passed away.

Although he did not have his best years with the Giants, in my mind is the consummate example of the huge benefit the short porch in RF @ Yankee Stadium gave to LH pull hitters.

His power numbers dropped like a rock when he had to hit in Shea Stadium for a season while Yankee Stadium was being renovated and then when he went to Candlestick to play for the Giants.

Hell, he didn't show all that much power with the Cubs, but then back to Yankee Stadium to finish his career and while the power returned somewhat, he was relegated to part-time status.

It's not his fault, it is what it is. It does demonstrate the weakness of using statistical analysis alone to make solid determinations about a ball-player.

BOBBY MURCER CAREER STATS FROM BASEBALL REFERENCE:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/murcebo01.shtml

1973 27 YRS. OLD @ Yankee Stadium 22 HR 95 RBI .304 AVG.
1974 28 YRS. OLD @ Shea Stadium 10 HR 88 RBI .274 AVG.
1975 29 YRS. OLD @ Candlestick Pk. 11 HR 91 RBI .298 AVG.
1976 30 YRS. OLD @ Candlestick Pk. 23 HR 90 RBI .259 AVG

It seemed like the negative attention that 11 HR season attracted, for a middle of the order type player, Murcer changes his swing to get the power numbers and hurts his average. Although, I would take 23-90 in the middle of this years lineup right now. I'm not sure Durham or Molina get there, but we shall see.



The Giants continue to bolster the farm system by making the Rodriguez signing official. He will team with Angel Villalona and appear on top prospect lists for the Giants for three or four more years to come.
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http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/international-affairs/2008/266516.html

Giants Set Record For Rodriguez

Dominican outfielder gets $2.55 million bonus

By Ben Badler
July 15, 2008

After months of rumors, the deal is finally done: Rafael Rodriguez is a San Francisco Giant.

Rodriguez, an outfielder from the Bani in the Dominican Republic, signed yesterday (his 16th birthday) for a $2.55 million bonus, the largest bonus ever for a Latin American hitter, excluding Cuban defectors.

"He is one of the better position players on the international market this year," Giants scouting director John Barr said in a press release. "We scouted him extensively this season with many people on our staff evaluating him. To a man, we all agree that Rafael is the type of player that we want to bring into the Giants organization."
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What we need are for the older prospects, this years collegiate draft to come through fast. There is a gaping hole in the Giants farm system from AAA to High A. The AA Connecticut club is loaded with 25 and older suspects that need to be moved up in the organization or out of it.

The better prospects from the last two years drafts are still toiling primarily in Hi-a and Low-A ball. This is due mainly to the loss of high draft picks from signing the free-agents that would surround the B-POPE, BLB.

Some of those free-agents are still around clogging up roster spots that could be used for the few minor-leaguers who border on prospect status. Out with Vizquel, Winn, Aurilia, Durham. In with Schierholz, Martinez-Esteve, Ishakawa and whatever other borderline prospect we have down there. Maybe you find another John Bowker, maybe you don't. And if you find one it doesn't serve the organizations "we're moving on and getting younger" approach to have guys like the afore-mentioned veterans clogging up roster spots and lineup spots.

Being this close to the division leaders is a "fools gold" that is going to fool management into thinking the team is in actual contention. This will lead them to hold on to these ancient mariners past the initial trade deadline where theses guys can make the playoff and World Series roster for the tam that trades for them. This is when these guys have there highest value. If you hang onto them thinking they could get hot and with the pitching staff we have, we could be right back in this thing in a week, you're going to give them away for next to nothing by late-August or September.

Get what you can for them now, preferably some Double-A or Triple-A level players and take you chances with them down the road. The next year or two is going to be tough enough as it is until the Bumgardeners and Aldersons and Villalonas make their mark.

And that's not even thinking about the contributions Posey and Gillespie will make.
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GIANTS PROSPECTS DOWN ON THE FARM - FROM BASEBALL AMERICA:

CLASS....PLAYER,POS.........AB..R..H..RBI..AVG
LoA.....Villalona, Angel 1B..3..0..2..0....248

CLASS....PITCHER...........IP...H..R..ER..BB..K...ERA
LoA....Bumgarner,Madison...7.0..4..0..0...0...11..1.79...W (9-3)

CUBS RETURN SERVE AND LAND RICH HARDEN

The Cubs saw the Brewers bid for C.C. Sabathia and raised by landing the A's Rich Harden and reliever Chad Gaudin for a basket of spare parts.

The next move should be by the Cardinals. We'll see if they fold or decide they are still in the game.

Apparently the NL Central Division is where the action is, three teams with a realistic chance to win the division. Given that description, you would expect a flurry of moves by the teams in the AL East (Rays, Sox, Yanks) leading up to and coming out of the All-Star break.

We're starting to see teams identify themselves as buyers or sellers and acting accordingly. A bit surprising to see some of the moves this early given the Rockies late push into the playoffs and World Series last year.

INDIANS SAY BYE-BYE TO C.C.

Bold move by two franchises heading in opposite directions this season. The Indians look to reload for next year and acquire a potential power bat in Matt LaPorta. They get some other prospects who will not contribute for another couple of years at least. The Brewers look to maneuver into the playoffs this year by playing rent-a-stud. LaPorta was blocked in their organization anyway. Adding C.C. to their staff gives them and imposing top of the starting rotation. They are 3 1/2 back of the Cubs, C.C. could make up that difference with his arm and the added treat may be to see him bat every fifth day. As he demonstrated in L.A., Sabathia can hit.

As for the Giants, it continues to look like a variation of "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain". We have "Lincecum, Sanchez and Cain and pray for two days of rain". The Gigantes do continue to add to the bullpen from the minors with RHP Sergio Romo and RHP Osiros Matos called up last week from Fresno and Connecticut respectively. Both should help set-up Brian Wilson and may allow the team to give Alex Hinshaw some spot starts down the road. The team has to continue to see how these guys can do, both are in the 24-25 year old range where prospects begin to turn into suspects.

The Yankees fans may not be on the ledge yet, but it appears as if the window is opening a bit. The fans are distracted somewhat by Giambi's "made for porn" mustache and the daily A-Rod soap opera, but this team has not shown any indication that it has what it takes to make the playoffs and we're into July already.

Here's hoping that the Rays don't regret making that cost-saving "let's send Longoria down to the minors" to open the season gambit. Their record before and after his call-up will be analyzed a bit closer if they miss the playoffs by a game or two. That's a move the old ownership would have made and you can argue now how intelligent it was from a pure economic standpoint, but it could come back on them from a PR standpoint ("same old Rays") down the road. It may be fans using the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, but that's never stopped anyone from crushing management before has it?

LET FREEDOM RING - HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

THIS MAP AND MORE AWESOME DATA AND RESEARCH ARE FROM THIS WEBSITE.
http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/

This article from CNN confirms the link between freedom of choice and overall happiness of a country's populace. Must be that crazy concept of government respecting the concept that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.."

Today we celebrate the success of the concepts that our Founding Fathers risked everything they had in order to achieve. FREEDOM AND LIBERTY LEAD TO HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY. TYRANNY AND GOVERNMENT CONTROLS LEAD TO THE OPPOSITE. ALWAYS HAVE, ALWAYS WILL.
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FROM CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/02/nations.happiness/index.html

Researchers at the University of Michigan said Denmark's prosperity, stability and democratic government placed the country at the top of the rankings, with Colombia, Canada, Puerto Rico and Iceland all in the top 10.

The United States -- the world's richest nation -- ranked 16th among 97 countries, while Britain was placed 21st.

"I strongly suspect there is a strong correlation between peace and happiness," said Ronald Inglehart, a political scientist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research.

"There is also a correlation between democracy and peace. Democracies are less likely to fight each other than non-democracies."

Almost all the countries at the bottom of the list struggle with legacies of authoritarian rule and widespread poverty, the survey found.
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AMERICA (MY COUNTRY, 'TIS OF THEE) - Samuel F. Smith, 1832
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/c/mctisoft.htm

My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside,
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees,
Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers’ God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King.

FUTURES GAME

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080626&content_id=423442&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

Since the Giants seem determined to put the past behind them, and the present is nothing to write home about, all that's left for Giants fans is the future.

As part of MLB's All_Star Game festivities, the Futures Game, made up of the best prospects from minor league baseball, provides a glimpse into the future for fans.

The Giants placed OF Nate Schierholz and RHP Kevin Pucetas on the Team USA roster. The World team roster will include uber-prospect Angel Villalona (the youngest player in the game) and late addition C Pablo Sandoval.

In a sense this may remind Giants fans of the one of the biggest weaknesses in the organization right now. The lack of quality major league prospects at the upper levels (AAA and AA). It seems as if they are loaded with guys at those levels who are turning the corner from prospects into suspects. The AA Connecticut team is loaded with 25 year old position players who are not exactly tearing up the league. This type of player will at best develop into a role-player type, or a borderline starter/bench player.

The better prospects are still in Low-A or High-A ball. The Giants are still paying the debt incurred by the loss of premium draft picks for signing some of the free-agent has-beens who still dot the current roster and were unable to push the Bonds-era teams over the hump to a championship.

TAKE THAT BOSTON - RAYS SWEEP

Yeah Paps, Paybacks are a BITCH!!! Consider this a down payment on the payback the Rays are going to lay on the Sox this year. Ironic that Cocoa Puffs was serving his suspension and Paps was relegated to warming up on the sidelines while the Rays blew the doors off the Red Sox lead.

Very self-serving of ESPN to mark yesterdays game/comeback by the Rays as the turning point of the Rays season. I would bet that to a man, the Rays would point to the June 5th encounter illustrated above or some marker prior to that, as the point where the message was delivered by the Rays, that they have in fact arrived.

Joe Madden has been doing a great job of building the confidence of this team to allow them to get to where they are today. ESPN's presence had nothing to do with it.
They are rather late to the party, but hey, they did finally get there.

RIP - GEORGE CARLIN

SOME OF CARLIN'S BETTER ONE-LINERS:
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/arts/2008/06/24/2008-06-24_grated_george_carlin_jokes_still_make_pe.html

* Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
* Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
* Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
* The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.
* In America, anyone can become President. That's the problem.
* I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older. Then it dawned on me - they're cramming for their final exam.
* I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
* Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste funny?
* If the "black box" flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made out of that stuff?
* You know the good part about all those executions in Texas? Fewer Texans.
* What was the best thing before sliced bread?
* Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?
* I'm completely in favor of the separation of church and state. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.
* I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.
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CARLIN'S CLASSIC COMPARISON OF BASEBALL VS. FOOTBALL

CUBS POP THE ZIT, RAYS POP THE SAWKS

THE DEFINITION OF MADNESS IS DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT RESULT

The Giants and Barry Zito lost to the Cubs last night 9-2 bringing the Big Zit's record to 3-12. Awesome. When do Giants fans start to wear bags over their heads on night's that Zit pitches? They don't have to be brown paper bags either, I know San Fran is not a blue collar town. They could be those cute bags that you get in those cute little designer stores. Maybe something in a nice pink hue. What color best screams LOSER?!?!?


HERE'S HOPING THAT THE RAYS KNOCK THE SOX ON THEIR CANS AGAIN - JUST LIKE IN THIS BLAST FROM THE PAST

The Devil Rays open a big series against the Red Sox this week with a W.

Two out of three would be fine, but a sweep would be just what the Chowder Nation needs to provide a bit more clarity into the way things are going to be in the division this year.

And with apologies in advance to the panty-waists who will say "Ehhh...mmmmmm, I'm sorry Mr. The Slav, but violence is never the answer." I would agree with that in theory, in a perfect world. But since I prefer to live my life with a healthy dose of REALITY sprinkling in, I would edit that statement with one caveat added--"Yes, violence is never the answer, except in those cases when violence IS THE answer."

Maybe it's only me, but I point to this event as the date and time when the balance of power between the Yankees and the Red Sox changed. It has led to the championships and the dominance of the division that the Sox Nation enjoys today. If anyone from The Nation can point to another pivotal event, feel free to let me know.



I just have a feeling that down the road we may look to the Shields-Crisp-Gomes Royal Rumble as the point where the balance of power in the division shifted once again.

We shall see.....This should be the Rays rally anthem/seventh inning stretch song whenever the Sawks/Yankees come to town this season. IT'S PERFECT!!!! Plus, I think Dee Snider is a local. Hey, if the White Sox could resuscitate "Don't Stop Believing", the Rays can bring this classic rocker back.



If you're scoring at home, that would be Sox="Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond vs. Rays="We're not going to Take It" by Twisted Sister. I know what team I'd rather be on if you get my drift ; ;. HAHAHAHA