All quiet on Tim Lincecum contract front, but Giants say talks with Matt Cain have been “healthy, ongoing” | Extra Baggs

Good news for Giants fans. It seems like down the road we may have to reconcile the staff to include Lincum OR Cain rather than Lincecum AND Cain, but this may have pushed that date down the road a little bit.

Lincecum, Giants agreed to $40.5M, 2-year deal

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/012412_Lincecum_Giants_agreed_to_405M_2-year_deal.html



All quiet on Tim Lincecum contract front, but Giants say talks with Matt Cain have been “healthy, ongoing” | Extra Baggs:

"The Giants are known to prefer a four-year structure that would take Lincecum through arbitration and buy out his first two seasons of free agency. Lincecum’s camp has preferred a one- or two-year deal that would preserve his ability to hit the open market after the 2013 season, although they proposed an eight-year structure that the club had no interest in pursuing.

The Giants have been just as public in their desire to wrap up a long-term extension with Matt Cain, who is under contract for $15 million this season but will be a free agent at the end of the year. Unlike Lincecum, Cain isn’t tied to the arbitration schedule. So there was the assumption the Giants might wait until after they clear their arbitration docket (they have Angel Pagan, Melky Cabrera, Sergio Romo, NAte Schierholtz, Santiago Casilla and others to prepare for, too) before turning their attention to Cain.

But as Evans told me today, “Hey, I can multitask.”"

Report: Jets Rip 'Lazy' Sanchez

Paving the way for NY to become a "dual-Manning" town? Why not? The press will eat it up.

Report: Jets Rip 'Lazy' Sanchez:

A sampling of the criticisms:

- "He's lazy and content because he knows he's not going to be benched," said one player.

- "How can we when he's not improving at all?" another teammate said. "He thinks he is, but he's not. He has shown us what he's capable of."

- "So many games, he looked defeated before he ever took the field. He didn't have much confidence in what he was about to go do. ...He never felt comfortable with some of the things we were doing. It was too much for him," said a team source.

- "He just doesn't have the mental toughness to be great... especially in New York," added another source.

Ouch.

Hey, 99 Percenters, You Call This 'Fair'?

Too many people riding in the cart, not enough people pulling the cart. These 99% folks don't realize that they don't speak for about half of the people they think they do. Reality bites and it bites hard. Occupy a job.

Hey, 99 Percenters, You Call This 'Fair'? | Fox News:

A study by the New York City Independent Budget Office was released this week, and you didn't hear much about it in the mainstream media because it hurts their candidate's message.

"New York City has a little more than 8 million residents. Of those many millions, 1% -- ONE PERCENT -- pays 43% of the income taxes. You know how many people that works out to? About 35,000 people.

Picture in your mind's eye the City of New York, not just Manhattan, but all five boroughs. Imagine the throngs here right now enjoying the holidays. Think about the police presence, the sanitation, the schools brimming with children...East Side, West Side, The Village -- a hell of a town! 8 million people!

Now imagine Yankee Stadium, or any average Major League ballpark, and fill it except for the nosebleed seats. That tiny number pays almost HALF the operating costs for the city. How's THAT for fair?

Another kick in the head is that ten percent of New Yorkers pay 71% of the taxes. Guess how much income it takes to crack that ten percent?You don't have to be one of the millionaires or billionaires whom the Divider in Chief loves to vilify. You need not be an evil fat cat making $200,000 -- perish the thought! What's it take to crack the top ten percent in the most expensive city in America? $105,000. Yep, a buck five."

The top 1% of income earners, those who earn over about $400 thousand a year pay 40% of all the income taxes

*** FORTY PERCENT of taxes are paid by 1% of taxpayers ***

In other words, the government collects 40% of all the income taxes it gets from only 1% of the people who pay taxes.

The other 99% of taxpayers COMBINED only pay the other 60%.

And half of all adults DON'T PAY ANY INCOME TAX AT ALL.

If I have my math correct.

- The 1% pays 40% of the freight

Of the 99%

- 49.5% pay the Other 60%
- 49.5% PAY ZERO

Too many people riding in the cart, not enough people pulling the cart.

Raise taxes on the 49.5% of the free-loaders.

Is Eli the Greatest QB in Giants' History?

This is an interesting question. My wife asked me if Eli has made the leap over Phil Simms in my mind as the Greatest Giants QB of all time. And it was tough for me to answer.

Is Eli the Greatest QB in Giants' History?:

'via Blog this'

In the same way that the prior generations (my Dad) cling to Y.A. Tittle and Charlie Connerly as the best, for me, it comes down to the old saying "you never forget your first" and Phil Simms delivered the Giants first Super Bowl. Not only delivered it, but persevered in spite of many naysayers (the 'Simms Sucks' brigade) who continued chirping even up until the eve of of the Super Bowl. If you think that Tim Tebow has vocal (and sometimes irrational) doubters, you haven't spent enough time with full-throated Giants fans in unrequited heat.

So Simms will always be #1 in my heart, but Eli is slowly but surely building the case to be #1 if I'm leading with my head.

UPDATED: Giants reward Ryan Vogelsong with two-year contract plus option for 2014 | Extra Baggs

A long, frustrating road for Vogie, but he is being justly rewarded.

UPDATED: Giants reward Ryan Vogelsong with two-year contract plus option for 2014 | Extra Baggs:

"Vogelsong made it clear he wanted to commit to San Francisco after resurrecting his career with the same organization that drafted and developed him a decade earlier. Vogelsong arrived last spring as a minor league free agent and pitched so well in camp that he became the first line of defense when the Giants needed a starting pitcher. He came up to replace an injured Barry Zito in late April and never lost his spot in the rotation, finishing with a 13-7 record and 2.71 ERA that ranked third in the NL — better even than heralded rotation mates Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.

Vogelsong, 33, also joined Lincecum and Brian Wilson on the NL All-Star team — a huge accomplishment for a pitcher whose career was sidelined by injuries and inconsistency. Before replacing Zito, Vogelsong hadn’t appeared in a major league game in almost five years, spending most of the interim in the Japanese leagues."

Miami Heat's LeBron James says he can relate to Denver Broncos' Tim Tebow - ESPN

From ESPN:
Miami Heat's LeBron James says he can relate to Denver Broncos' Tim Tebow - ESPN:

Strange that the two best comments about the Tebow craze have come from Ben Roethlisberger and LeBron James. Players get it. Better late than never.

""I can relate to him a lot. I see how the media plays it sometimes and how the critics go at him," James said. "To see him prove them wrong ... he continues to stay positive and move forward. You respect that."

In August, James came to Tebow's defense on Twitter during Broncos training camp. When several analysts criticized Tebow on ESPN, James wrote: "Tim Tebow will succeed in the NFL. He's a hard worker, a student of the game, a natural born leader and most of all a WINNER! It takes time and he'll be nice.""

Roethlisberger's quotes before the Pittsburgh - Denver playoff game:

"I don't think Tim's really calling ESPN and asking them to talk about him," Roethlisberger said. "I would assume his teammates understand it. It's a tough thing. It's the position we play."

Interestingly enough, LeBron took a drubbing among fans and some in the media for his stance.


From somewhere in the Twittersphere:
http://tsminteractive.com/lebron-james-tim-tebow-twitter/

Citing James’ own inability to win a championship and the way he fell apart while playing for the Miami Heat against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals, Twitter’s version of the peanut gallery sprang into action.

A few examples:

ESPN’s Skip Bayless tweeted: “Can’t wait to talk about LeBron’s tweet about Tebow. If only LeBron could say that about himself …”

Chris Burke of SI.com tweeted: “Takes one to know … oh wait.”

And Fufu Pounder tweeted: “I wish I could say the same about U in 4Q.”

In a nutshell, without all the talk-show histrionics, here is the crux of the debate.

From YahooSports:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-silver_tim_tebow_broncos_steelers_suggs_elway010612

Earlier this week, Baltimore Ravens All-Pro pass rusher Terrell Suggs took some shots at Tebow on ESPN’s “First Take.” T-Sizzle expounded upon those thoughts during a phone conversation on Wednesday, saying he had nothing against the quarterback personally but felt that “he’s held to a different standard than the other 31 quarterbacks” in the NFL.

“I’m a Christian,” Suggs continued. “I have no problem with him being a Christian. But it’s like, you know, God forbid anybody say anything against Tim Tebow. Oh, we’re just giving him a hard time because he’s a Christian? No, that’s not it! We’re giving him a hard time because he went 6-and-22 for 60 yards!

“That’s terrible quarterbacking. Are you kidding me? Donovan McNabb had a game like that [early in the season] and got the hatchet. The hatchet! And we never heard from him again. And then Tim Tebow plays in a game where they need to win the AFC West, and he had a game like that, and we’re still talking about the Tim Tebow phenomenon?”

The MAJOR differences between the examples that Mr. Suggs cites are a) Tebow is WINNING despite his lousy stats and lousy mechanics, McNabb was not and b) Tebow is a YOUNG QB who is somewhat expected to have statistical ups and downs related to his youth and inexperience, McNabb was a VETERAN QB.

BIG DIFFERENCES THERE, CHIEF. But thanks for your insight.

When and if Tebow combine lousy stats with losing, Denver will pull the plug on him in a heartbeat or two. Rest assured about that my little Schadenfreuders. Until then, how about a healthy dose of STFU?

Sandoval Agrees to 3-Year Extension -- Details Here

Sandoval Agrees to 3-Year Extension -- Details Here:

The Giants and Pablo Sandoval have agreed to a three-year extension, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The deal is worth $17.15MM plus incentives, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. Morgan Advisory Group represents the 25-year-old third baseman.



Sandoval, who was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, had a projected $3.2MM salary for 2012 and would have been in line for raises in 2013 and 2014 via the arbitration process. The deal doesn't delay his free agency -- he's still on track to hit the open market after the 2014 season.

Casey Crosby coming to Chicago? COOL!!!

If this report pans out, perhaps.....How cool would that be? One of my favorite players to keep tabs on, although it is a growing list (thankfully). This will give me a much better reason to trek out to Wrigley Field again. Winning would help.

Report: Cubs, Tigers Working on Trade for Matt Garza | Bleacher Report:

"The Cubs could, however, realistically ask for one of Detroit's intriguing left-handed starters, as Andy Oliver, Casey Crosby and Drew Smyly all rank in the Tigers' Top 10 prospects, according to MLB.com. Oliver has seen the show, and probably wouldn't be packaged with Turner. Smyly is a softer tossing left-hander, which the Cubs already look to have two of with the recently-signed Paul Maholm, and Travis Wood, who was acquired in the trade for Sean Marshall."

This leaves Casey Crosby. Crosby, 23, has battled arm injuries in the past, missing out on the 2008 season due to to Tommy John surgery, and had all but three appearances in 2010 because of an elbow injury. However, the 2007 fifth rounder is still considered to have front-of-the-rotation stuff, simply needing the time to refine his craft. Already having lost two seasons to arm injuries, Crosby seems like the perfect candidate for a change of scenery. He was simply okay in AA Erie in 2011, going 9-7 with a 4.10 ERA over 25 starts, logging 131 2/3 innings.

Crosby is also a Chicagoland native, hailing from Elburn, IL and pitched for Kaneland High School, where he won the Illinois Gatorade Player Of The Year in 2007. While it's hard to judge whether he'd be a Cubs or White Sox fan having pitched so far from the city limits of Chicago, it's not hard to say that the potential to play as close to home as he could get would be an added motivator for the young lefty. With a mid-90's fastball, a nasty curve and a developing changeup, Crosby could find himself in the Cubs' rotation by 2014.

Even if the Tigers were to offer Turner with Crosby, it still likely wouldn't be quite enough to sway Hoyer and Epstein to move Garza. However, the Tigers could offer a couple of farther-off prospects, preferably an outfielder or two with potential not unlike Ronald Torreyes, the wild card of the Marshall trade.

Who Owns The Media? The 6 Monolithic Corporations That Control Almost Everything We Watch, Hear And Read - BlackListedNews.com

Who Owns The Media? The 6 Monolithic Corporations That Control Almost Everything We Watch, Hear And Read - BlackListedNews.com:

The Bad News:

Back in 1983, approximately 50 corporations controlled the vast majority of all news media in the United States. Today, ownership of the news media has been concentrated in the hands of just six incredibly powerful media corporations. These corporate behemoths control most of what we watch, hear and read every single day. They own television networks, cable channels, movie studios, newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, music labels and even many of our favorite websites. Sadly, most Americans don't even stop to think about who is feeding them the endless hours of news and entertainment that they constantly ingest. Most Americans don't really seem to care about who owns the media. But they should. The truth is that each of us is deeply influenced by the messages that are constantly being pounded into our heads by the mainstream media. The average American watches 153 hoursof television a month. In fact, most Americans begin to feel physically uncomfortable if they go too long without watching or listening to something. Sadly, most Americans have become absolutely addicted to news and entertainment and the ownership of all that news and entertainment that we crave is being concentrated in fewer and fewer hands each year.


"The six corporations that collectively control U.S. media today are Time Warner, Walt Disney, Viacom, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., CBS Corporation and NBC Universal.  Together, the "big six" absolutely dominate news and entertainment in the United States.  But even those areas of the media that the "big six" do not completely control are becoming increasingly concentrated. For example, Clear Channel now owns over 1000 radio stations across the United States.  Companies like Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are increasingly dominating the Internet.

But it is the "big six" that are the biggest concerns.  When you control what Americans watch, hear and read you gain a great deal of control over what they think.  They don't call it "programming" for nothing. "

The Good News:

Fortunately, an increasing number of Americans are starting to wake up and are realizing that the mainstream media should not be trusted. According to a new poll just released by Gallup, the number of Americans that have little to no trust in the mainstream media (57%) is at an all-time high.

That is one reason why we have seen the alternative media experience such rapid growth over the past few years. The mainstream media has been losing credibility at a staggering rate, and Americans are starting to look elsewhere for the truth about what is really going on.

-------

As a citizen and a patriot, I demand that the liberal media end their campaign of religious bigotry. As Speaker Gingrich pointed out in the Republican debate on January 7th, it has gone too far for too long.

I pledge to expose, confront and neutralize all instances of anti-Christian bigotry in the liberal media.

Stand with the MRC against Media's anti-Christian bigotry
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." - John Adams

Watch Speaker Gingrich call out the liberal media for their anti-Christian bigotry and sign our petition demanding the media to end this disgusting behavior.



Former Speaker Newt Gingrich in the Republican Primary Debate on January 7, 2012.

Giants C Drew Stiner Suspended 50 Games and Pippa Passes

Not a great way for a prospect to begin his tenure with an organization. Early return on Stiner were that he was a good defensive catcher with a solid arm. I believe he was Drew Bundy's catcher in HS. He's a long way off, so time is on his side once he makes his comeback.

"Better that it's amphetamines rather than steroids", right? I guess that comment describes where we are right now with the PED issue. God's in His heaven....

Pippa Passes, Robert Browning:

The year’s at the spring,
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearled;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in His heaven—
All’s right with the world!

Farmhand Suspended 50 Games:

San Francisco Giants catcher Drew Stiner has been suspended for 50 games under baseball's minor league drug program after testing positive for a banned amphetamine.

Stiner's suspension, announced Monday, was the second of the year under the program. Washington left-hander Zechry Zinicola was suspended for 50 games last week for a second violation for a drug of abuse.

Stiner is on the roster of San Francisco's Arizona League farm team. He was a 43rd-round draft pick last year from Owasso High School in Oklahoma.

There were 71 suspensions last year under the minor league drug program and two under the big league plan. In addition, Manny Ramirez plans to serve a suspension this year for a 2011 violation.

---
The Giants place CF Gary Brown at # 57. It looks like the Jesus Montera era in Yankee-land is scheduled to begin in 2012 with the announcement of Jorge Posada's retirement.

The Rays LHP Matt Moore and Nats OF Bryce Harper seem like safe early 2012 ROY calls. The Angels OF Mike Trout may have something to say as well.

Scout.com: 2012 Minor League Baseball Top Rankings

Scout.com: 2012 Minor League Baseball Top Rankings:

"Overall
Rank Rating Name Bat Thw Ht/Wt Current Team MLB Home
P 1 Matthew Moore L L 6-2/205 Durham (AAA) TAM Fort Walton Beach, FL
OF 2 Mike Trout R R 6-1/200 Arkansas (AA) LAA Millville, NJ
OF 3 Bryce Harper L R 6-3/225 Harrisburg (AA) WAS Las Vegas, NV
P 4 Julio Teheran L L 6-2/175 Gwinnett (AAA) ATL Colombia
C 5 Jesus Montero R R 6-4/230 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA) NYY Venezuela
P 6 Shelby Miller R R 6-3/207 Springfield (AA) STL Brownwood, TX
SS 7 Jurickson Profar B R 5-11/165 Hickory (A) TEX Netherlands Antilles
SS 8 Manny Machado R R 6-3/185 Frederick (A) BAL Miami, FL
P 9 Manny Banuelos L L 5-11/185 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA)"

----
Scout.com: Giants Notes & Quotes: Giants Choose Fontenot:

"QUOTE TO NOTE: "You have to make do with what the blueprint presents itself to be financially. That's what we're trying to do, we're trying to be creative within that." -- GM Brian Sabean on doing business with a $130 million payroll, knowing more than $30 million of it goes to ex-Giant Aaron Rowand and subpar pitcher Barry Zito."