Recent Giant callup Ryan Sadowski makes a lovely story.
As Scott Ostler reported this week in the SF Chronicle, he got the attention of scouts only after his mother, Elaine, called all 30 teams begging for a tryout. In his second big-league start (7 innings of shutout ball against the Astros), the 26-year-old logged more innings [...]

San Francisco GM Brian Sabean this year has ended his 0-for-everyone record in developing minor league position players. Sabean arrived in 1997, and not one Giant position prospect has had a positive impact on the franchise since Bill Mueller, who came up in 1996.
Obviously some of this history has to do with Sabean’s strategy of [...]

There are at least a couple of ways to pick an All-Star ballot. Some people like to see the stars, and will put A-Rod in their lineup even if he’s missed half the season, or Chipper even if his year-to-date statistics are nosed out by a couple of lesser luminaries.
I go by performance. Who’s put [...]

Going with a friend to see the Mets and Cardinals this afternoon. He reminded me that the last game we’d attended together saw the same two teams play, almost two years ago to the day: June 26, 2007. The Mets tied the game with two outs in the 9th on a Jose Valentin double, but [...]

Went to CitiField (or the New Shea, as traditionalists and anti-corporatists insist on calling it) Thursday night for the rubber game of the Phils-Mets series. New York had enjoyed its most spirited win of the year Tuesday, 6-5, despite four homers off Johan Santana, who jazzed up the night by ignoring a bunt sign and [...]

My brother-in-law, a big Giants fan, wanted Brian Sabean to trade Matt Cain last summer.
“He doesn’t know how to win,” he said, pointing to his 7-16 record in 2007 and what became an 8-14 year in 2008.
I gently noted that Cain is younger than Tim Lincecum, and that it often takes hard throwers a few [...]