Congratulations Omar...

...for playing a whole lot.

Steel Drivin' Molina

Like the fabled John Henry took to steel rail spikes, Giants cleanup hitter, Bengie Molina, hammered his way through opposing lineups during a grueling 9-game road trip; a trip which the Giants finished 6-3, including a combined 5-1 mark against fellow NL West teams the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

During the stretch, Molina batted .571 while collecting 7 doubles, 2 home runs, and driving in 14. He was awarded NL Player of the Week honors in the middle of the tear.

Molina and the Giants hope to continue their momentum tonight as they open a 6-game home stand against the San Diego Padres. Pre-game celebrations will be in abundance as it's the 15th annual 'Until There's a Cure (for AIDS)' game, as well as extended pomp and circumstance for Omar Vizquel setting some sort of record for playing a whole lot.

Neukom vs. Nukem

At season's end, the San Francisco Giants will usher in only their fourth managing general partner since moving west when former Microsoft attorney, William Neukom, succeeds Peter "Remember It Was ME Who Saved The Giants" Magowan. Neukom will attempt to bring the city of San Francisco it's first baseball championship in over 50 years of hosting a major league franchise.

So, how will Neukom fare compared to his partner in crime: Duke Nukem, of Duke Nukem 3D fame? Nukem has been hard at work perfecting his hotly anticipated "Duke Nukem Forever" video game for the past 10+ years, 6 times winning Wired's Vaporware of the Year Award. Will Neukom overrule Nukem in the court of public opinion, and bring a championship to San Francisco? Or will Nukem pistol whip Neukom and finally release the long promised sequel?

more at twiigs.com...

Grand Theft Eugenio

Grand Theft Eugenio, originally uploaded by bryce_edwards.

Eugenio Velez, getting picked off on his way to AAA Fresno...

Larry Baer Spotted Wooing Mystery Investors

Giants Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Larry "Mini-Me" Baer, was spotted at Monday night's game against the Houston Astros with mystery guests, heretofore unseen at AT&T Park.

Rumor on the street is Baer has been busy trying to lure suckers....err, investors to purchase the balance of Giants owner and managing general partner, Peter "Remember It Was ME Who Saved The Giants" Magowan's share of the team. Magowan, at 66, has decided to retire at the peak of his franchises' valuation, recently assessed by Forbes at nearly half a billion. Having milked the great Barry Bonds for every penny (going so far as to hawk rubber chickens to park goers for $15 a pop the past few years), and then saddling his team with the worst long term free-agent contract in baseball history (Barry Zito's 7 year $126 million deal), Magowan couldn't have picked a better time to fuck off.

So, what changes will the loss of Magowan bring to the Giants?

• A new commitment to winning, instead of mere hero worship? Perhaps.
• Honest-to-God accountability from the general manager position? Certainly.
• The end of overwrought pre-game on-field celebrations? Indubitably.

Whatever's in store, the Giants franchise is at critical crossroads. Dwindling crowds are proof the honeymoon is over at AT&T Park. Hopefully any newcomer will consider bringing a winning tradition to San Francisco their civic duty, and not merely view this investment as a way to make a buck by shortchanging fans with, what Baer himself labels, the "Ballpark Experience".

Let's Play: Sabean Is An Idiot

Q: How do the following players relate to the San Francisco Giants?

• Huston Street (2005 AL Rookie of the Year)
  
• Dustin Pedroia (2007 AL Rookie of the Year)
  
• Kurt Suzuki (.289 BA in April)
  
• Hunter Pence (3rd 2007 NL Rookie of the Year)

A: Well, they were all still available with the Giants 29th pick in the 2004 baseball draft. At least until Giants general manager Brian Sabean purposefully relinquished the pick to the Kansas City Royals by signing free agent outfielder Michael Tucker mere hours before the arbitration deadline. The rules at the time were such that had Sabean waited for the deadline to pass, he could have signed Tucker to the same contract and not yielded the compensatory pick to KC. Tucker spent less than two seasons with the Giants as a platoon outufielder, batting .251 with 18 home runs and 95 RBI. The Giants failed to make the playoffs both years. It should be noted, the above players were no longer available by the time the Giants finally made their first selection of the draft in the second round (pick #70).

Now naturally, it's unlikely Sabean would have drafted any of these players anyway. He gave away the pick to begin with because he had so little confidence in his own ability to draft that paying a first round signing bonus represented untenable financial risk. To be fair, the Royals themselves used the pick on a player that seems to have fizzled in the minor leagues.

That notwithstanding, we're playing "Sabean Is An Idiot" here, and it looks like it's beginning to be nationally understood what a fun game it is (especially if you're not a Giants fan).