[lex24]

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Tom Verducci had a terrific article on the Giants being the most boring of the contenders.  He focused on the lack of stars, lack of athleticism and speed, the dependence on openers and bullpen games (Giants starters average the fewest number of pitches of any team.  It’s not close.). Constant lineup shuffling. Mix and match etc.  

He is spot on. I watch upwards of 150 Giants games a year. And I have  been a diehard for over 60 years. I dislike their approach. Aesthetically it’s awful. Which essentially is what Verducci is saying. And he’s hoping that this isn’t the baseball of the future. With which I could not agree more.

He’s not saying the Giants, as currently constructed, should not be taking this approach. In fact he gives Kapler and FZ credit for squeezing out wins. He’s saying the approach is fundamentally unsatisfying from a fans perspective. I agree with that. Completely.


Prior to the season, Buster Olney picked the Giants to finish 4th.  He added that from a fans perspective a major problem is that the Giants do not have a player that makes a 10 year old want to buy his jersey.  Simplistic.  But accurate. 

The Giants are my first sports love. I will always be a big fan. But I am nowhere near as invested in this team, as I’ve been in the past. Because, as I said, aesthetically, this is a very hard team to watch. Like Verducci I am hoping  that the Giants are not modeling baseball of the future.

Listened to Krukow for a few minutes driving back from walking the dog at the park. He was talking about the pretty much the same thing, and said baseball isn't coming back from where they are. . . .sad.

There is hope.  I read Boston is looking at ways to build their rotation with guys that can get deeper in games.  I hope it works. And starts a trend.

The worst thing that could have happened did happen - the 2021 season.  It only reinforced the notion the the Zaidi Way is the right way.  It was nothing more than a Potemkin Village of a season.  In fact, the Braves serve as the gold standard - eight regulars currently have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title v. only three for the Giants.  Three Atlanta hurlers have already pitched over 162 innings v. one for SF.  

I hope the Braves win the World Series.  Perhaps that will get baseball back to basics - find a group that can be penciled into a line-up every day whether the opposing pitcher is left-handed or right-handed and let them go.  And stop the madness of bullpen games.  

If we haven’t learned anything else from this experiment, there is a lot more to building a winning, exciting team than being “the smartest guy in the room”.

I have been fighting against the notion that 2021 was a result of the Zaidi way for a long time. 2021 was a result of a resurgent Buster and the Brandon‘s having their best year. (In part helped by the fact that Buster didn’t play in 2020 and the others had short season. Meaning they were healthier and “fresher” in ‘ 21 then they had been in a long time. And then a lot of things that went well around them.) In other words, that was a team that had actual stars to build around. Something that has been sorely lacking since 2021.

I knew there would be a brobdingnagian drop off once Posey retired. Because there was no way the Brandon’s were going to repeat. And, of course, they also let Gausman go. Which is why I predicted 80 wins in ‘22. And also why I predicted 78 this year.

Course I think I predicted 75 wins in ‘21. I was a little off that year…..

I’m with you on the Braves. Although I hate that freaking chant. That is the best organization in baseball. And they have locked up an incredibly exciting core for several years. They are the model. But I’ll bet you right now they don’t win it. I mean, when was the last time the best team in baseball actually won the World Series?

[lex24]

1695223892[/url]']

1695221686[/url]']

1695221277[/url]']
Tom Verducci had a terrific article on the Giants being the most boring of the contenders.  He focused on the lack of stars, lack of athleticism and speed, the dependence on openers and bullpen games (Giants starters average the fewest number of pitches of any team.  It’s not close.). Constant lineup shuffling. Mix and match etc.  

He is spot on. I watch upwards of 150 Giants games a year. And I have  been a diehard for over 60 years. I dislike their approach. Aesthetically it’s awful. Which essentially is what Verducci is saying. And he’s hoping that this isn’t the baseball of the future. With which I could not agree more.

He’s not saying the Giants, as currently constructed, should not be taking this approach. In fact he gives Kapler and FZ credit for squeezing out wins. He’s saying the approach is fundamentally unsatisfying from a fans perspective. I agree with that. Completely.


Prior to the season, Buster Olney picked the Giants to finish 4th.  He added that from a fans perspective a major problem is that the Giants do not have a player that makes a 10 year old want to buy his jersey.  Simplistic.  But accurate. 

The Giants are my first sports love. I will always be a big fan. But I am nowhere near as invested in this team, as I’ve been in the past. Because, as I said, aesthetically, this is a very hard team to watch. Like Verducci I am hoping  that the Giants are not modeling baseball of the future.

Listened to Krukow for a few minutes driving back from walking the dog at the park. He was talking about the pretty much the same thing, and said baseball isn't coming back from where they are. . . .sad.

There is hope.  I read Boston is looking at ways to build their rotation with guys that can get deeper in games.  I hope it works. And starts a trend.

The worst thing that could have happened did happen - the 2021 season.  It only reinforced the notion the the Zaidi Way is the right way.  It was nothing more than a Potemkin Village of a season.  In fact, the Braves serve as the gold standard - eight regulars currently have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title v. only three for the Giants.  Three Atlanta hurlers have already pitched over 162 innings v. one for SF.  

I hope the Braves win the World Series.  Perhaps that will get baseball back to basics - find a group that can be penciled into a line-up every day whether the opposing pitcher is left-handed or right-handed and let them go.  And stop the madness of bullpen games.  

If we haven’t learned anything else from this experiment, there is a lot more to building a winning, exciting team than being “the smartest guy in the room”.

I have been fighting against the notion that 2021 was a result of the Zaidi way for a long time. 2021 was a result of a resurgent Buster and the Brandon‘s having their best year. (In part helped by the fact that Buster didn’t play in 2020 and the others had short season. Meaning they were healthier and “fresher” in ‘ 21 then they had been in a long time. And then a lot of things that went well around them.) In other words, that was a team that had actual stars to build around. Something that has been sorely lacking since 2021.

I knew there would be a brobdingnagian drop off once Posey retired. Because there was no way the Brandon’s were going to repeat. And, of course, they also let Gausman go. Which is why I predicted 80 wins in ‘22. And also why I predicted 78 this year.

Course I think I predicted 75 wins in ‘21. I was a little off that year…..

I’m with you on the Braves. Although I hate that freaking chant. That is the best organization in baseball. And they have locked up an incredibly exciting core for several years. They are the model. But I’ll bet you right now they don’t win it. I mean, when was the last time the best team in baseball actually won the World Series?