I love how the article starts off “Reflecting their intent to vault back into contender’s status immediately .. ”

Really? This is news to me. So all that talk about getting rid of Barry Bonds and starting the team over from the bottom up with youth and that they didn’t expect to be in contention for a few years was just a LIE? Well the truth comes out and I’m not surprised at all. I been saying all along that the Giants derailed Barry and it wasn’t because of the reasons they were saying. This is why I no longer go to their games. The Giants got rid of Barry not because they simply wanted to build the team back up from scratch. No, the acquisition of Johnson proves that. They wouldn’t have spent 8 million dollars on a player with no long term future if they were looking to truly rebuild the team.

Their only objective was to get rid of Barry after he broke the record. Once they got their cash from the record, they wanted to discard him like a used rag. They didn’t care about him. It was all just a money making scheme for the Giants management. They just paid 8 million dollars for a 45 year old pitcher near retirement, but couldn’t even pay Barry Bonds the minimum MLB wage he offered of just 325,000. I got nothing against Randy Johnson. My problem is the hypocrisy and lying by the Giants management is disgusting. I certainly won’t be going to the Giants games this year. The management sucks and the tickets are overpriced anyways.

In addition to MLB apparel, they also carry other apparel for other sports, like NFL and Nascar. Take advantage of their Gift cards available, which would make great MLB gifts. Right now for the holidays SportsNutshop.com is offering some great deals. Starting at December 1st for the next 15 days it starts with 15% off on purchases. It decreases by one percent every day until the 15th, so the sooner you purchase the more you save! They are also offering free shipping on orders over $75.

You can read the official story here: Union says teams acted in concert against Bonds

This is something that I suspected all along and is why I have been vehemently against going to another baseball game ever again. The way they blackballed Barry Bonds is a shame and they certainly won’t be profiting from my ticket dollars ever. Bonds is one of the best players in all time, it was obvious some managers wanted to sign him including Larussa, but were getting pressure from the owners not to do it. They wouldn’t even sign him when there were offers for the minimum wage at only 390,000! The Giants pay everyone on their staff more than that. There is no way the Giants couldn’t have brought him back! What a load of crock. Yet, these are the same dirty owners at the same time outsourcing 3rd rate players from 3rd rate countries because they are cheaper to pay and they can threaten to ship them off back to their country if they complain.

Truly a sad state of affairs for baseball.

Sabathia has done very good in the National league, but hasn’t been in long enough to really deserve it. He also has a lower ERA and win loss record. Santana has a lower ERA than Lincecum by a little, but he didn’t win games he should have on a team that had the capability to win more than the Giants and now the Mets are out of the race. Santana also has far less strikeouts and has been in the league for many years, so should be given less slack. Brandon Webb has done great getting 22 wins, but his win loss is not as good as Lincecum, his ERA is much higher than Lincecum, strikouts are much less, and Arizona has a much better winning record to give Webb more opportunity for wins.

There are some other factors to consider why Lincecum should be Cy Young. First off he has got the 2nd best win loss ratio among the top pitchers in the major, yet he is on a LOSING team. It’s much easier to win a game when you have a team backing you up offensively. I’ve witnessed 2 different games where the Giants defense did some very careless mistakes costing runs. Lincecum lost the game not because he should have, but because of bad mistakes. In another game a balk was called on him costing a run directly and a win. The call was obviously a bad call. Out of the over 20 games Lincecum has started, probably only one was a game where it wasn’t a very low scoring game that any team could have kept close and had the opportunity to win. We must also consider that this is only Lincecums second year and his first actual full year of pitching. The odds are against him naturally, he is shorter than average pitcher at 5′11, less experienced than most pitchers and yet the guy overcomes this by being the best in the majors. And he knew how to end the season perfectly. In his final game, Lincecum struck out 9 in a row (not done since 86) and got a win, allowing only 1 run after 7 innings.

If a player is on a team for more than 5 years or in the MLB for 10 years than he has to agree to the trade. Durham agreed to it for a $200,000 assignment fee. I personally am sad to see Durham go, he is a really likeable guy and besides Aurillia is the longest playing Giant on the team. But he agreed to the deal, so at least he was ok with it. It’s a major sign the Giants are in a rebuilding phase and that this season is officially over. Im surprised anyone showed up this year after what they did to Barry anyways.

Rowand and Molina are low right now on the current all-star voting tally. They have done outstanding in the batting average and getting clutch hits and it can be aruged that they also deserve a spot on the all-star game.

Here is the news article:

MIAMI — At the start of the bottom of the sixth inning, when players normally take the field, Omar Vizquel found himself all alone at his position for the first time.

It was fitting, considering that Vizquel was playing in his 2,584th game at shortstop, which gave him sole possession of first place, passing Luis Aparicio on the all-time list.

In the second game of a doubleheader against the Marlins on Sunday, when Vizquel went out to short, the teleprompter at Dolphin Stadium flashed a note of congratulations, a crowd of 14,674 rose to its feet in applause and the 41-year-old shortstop mildly tipped his cap.

Then the rest of the Giants took the field and individually congratulated Vizquel, who for 20 years in the Major Leagues made playing his position an art form.

“I felt very emotional out there,” said Vizquel, who struggled at the plate, going for 0-for-7, and committed his first error of the season in the doubleheader before leaving the contest in the seventh inning of Game 2.

“My teammates didn’t want to come out, and I didn’t know what was going on,” Vizquel said. “I was very happy when they finally did.

“I just thank God he was able to keep me healthy enough to [set the record].”

Fellow Venezuelan and left-side-of-the-infield partner Jose Castillo wanted to be the first to congratulate Vizquel when he finally set the all-time record. So in the sixth, Castillo ran out and gave his fellow countryman a big hug before taking his position at third base.

“He deserves it,” Castillo said. “He’s a companion who is always there if you need him. I know he will be in the Hall of Fame one day.”

Vizquel’s 2,584 games is a lot for a 5-foot-8, 175-pound guy who is playing one of the most demanding positions in baseball.

“It’s a historic moment,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s excited, and we are, too. I’m proud of Omar, and I’m proud to say I’m here for [the record].”

But Vizquel’s career has been about a lot more than quantity. He owns 11 Gold Gloves — second only to Ozzie Smith’s 13 — and he sports a career .274 batting average. He’s also first among all shortstops who have played in more than 1,000 games with a .984 fielding percentage, and he has been a part of an all-time-leading 1,658 double plays.

On top of that, Vizquel is one of only four shortstops in history — and the only Venezuelan — to have played 20 seasons in the Major Leagues.
Super shortstops
Most career games played at short
Rank Player Games at SS
1. Omar Vizquel 2,584
2. Luis Aparicio 2,583
3. Ozzie Smith 2,511
4. Cal Ripken 2,302
5. Larry Bowa 2,222
6. Luke Appling 2,218

“I wish I could be healthier [this season] to be able to enjoy it more,” Vizquel said recently. “But at this moment, my knee and being able to play all season is most important.”

Vizquel’s record-setting year started off a bit unsettled. He missed all of Spring Training after arthroscopic left knee surgery on Feb. 27, and then sustained a bone bruise that delayed his recovery.

Since then, however, Vizquel has played in 12 of the past 13 games — starting 11 of them — and he’s hitting .275.

“I feel fortunate more than anything to have been able to stay healthy and have the talent to play for so long,” Vizquel said.

Source:MLB.com

In other news, tommorrow Vizquel will tie Luis Aparicio for most games (2,583) played at shortstop.

SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Zito calmly accepted his demotion to the bullpen Monday and vowed that he soon would rejoin the Giants’ starting rotation, although manager Bruce Bochy didn’t offer a timetable for that event.

Bochy announced the move one day after Zito’s worst performance of the season, a three-inning, eight-run outing in a 10-1 loss to Cincinnati. That dropped Zito’s record to a Major League-worst 0-6. He also owns a 7.53 ERA and a .336 opponents’ batting average, well above the respective National League averages of 4.06 and .255.

“It’s a good time to take a good, hard look at how I approach things and evaluate it,” said Zito, the American League Cy Young Award winner in 2002. “Sometimes in your life you have to make a change and adjustments.”

Pitching out of the bullpen will be an adjustment for Zito, who has started in all but one of his 262 lifetime Major League appearances. He worked a perfect inning at San Diego last Aug. 5.

“It’s part of the game,” Zito said. “I’m certainly not happy with it by any means. This is the bed that I’ve made; I can lay in it for the time being.”

The length of time Zito will spend in the bullpen remains indefinite, although a strong performance or two obviously would hasten his return to the rotation. Bochy was mostly non-committal — “We’ll watch and see how things go,” he said — although when he was asked whether Zito would miss only one turn through the rotation, he said, “Sure, that’s my hope.”

For now, Pat Misch will occupy one of the rotation’s two vacancies. The other was created by Kevin Correia’s strained muscle in his left side that has put him on the 15-day disabled list. Because of scheduled off-days, the Giants won’t need a fifth starter until May 10.

Zito, who has struggled with command and location of his deliveries, contended that neither velocity nor his pitching mechanics — which he has tinkered with frequently — is an issue.

“It’s not about stuff, it’s not about velocity, it’s about attacking the strike zone and being aggressive,” said Zito, admitting that he has strayed from that approach.

In that respect, Zito acknowledged that he needs to tweak his mental outlook.

“It’s a mind-set,” he said.

Despite his 113-82 career record, Zito experienced periods of adversity in Oakland. He was 6-7 with a 5.01 ERA through late July in 2001, began 2005 with an 0-4 record and a 6.60 ERA in April and was 1-2, 7.54 through his first three starts of 2006.
STRIKEOUTS SAVE FANS MONEY
The Giants struck out 11 batters on Thursday, earning fans an $11 discount on tickets for Tuesday’s game against the Rockies.

To buy tickets, click here and enter the passcode GIANTSK.

Zito finished 11-13 with a 4.53 ERA last year for the Giants but was 3-2 with a 3.10 ERA in his final nine starts, suggesting that he had regained consistency. But his 10.31 ERA in five Spring Training starts, along with his diminished velocity, renewed doubts.

And, of course, the seven-year, $126 million contract the Giants gave Zito before last season has intensified the scrutiny upon him. But Zito scoffed at his skeptics.

“I know it’s fun to run with stories — ‘Oh, is Zito done?’ — or whatever you guys are going to say. Go say it,” he said. “But from my standpoint, it’s a bump in the road — a big bump. It’s a battle. It’s stuff that I’ve gone through, but there hasn’t been the kind of scrutiny around it because of the market or the contract.”

Bochy said that Zito, who threw 66 pitches Sunday, probably won’t be available to pitch relief until the Philadelphia series beginning Friday. Bochy indicated that Zito will be used in multiple-inning situations, as a long reliever would.

Although Zito is accustomed to taking 15 or 20 minutes to warm up before a start, he believed that he can get ready in less than half that time, as a reliever must do, as long as he throws before the game.

“It’s a new challenge and that’s good,” Zito said. “There’s a lot of growth and strength that comes out of these things.”

Source: Zito to work things out in Giants’ bullpen

I hate to publicly bash Zito’s performance as much as many other people because I like Zito as a person, he seems like a genuine good guy making an honest effort. The problem is he seems to be past his prime and Sabeane was dumb enough to sign him for that huge contract. Here is an idea, trade Zito and cut your losses and use that money to get some young offensive players and re-sign Barry Bonds!