Giants Fans Want a World Series In San Francisco!

When we hit the topic of winning a World Series in San Francisco, we are quick to point out the fact that we were eight outs away in 2002.  And we had a 5-0 lead! But let's step back from that one moment, understanding that baseball is full of surprises when you break down one individual game.  Also, Dusty Baker was our skipper.  

The Giants arrived in San Francisco in 1958!  It's been over 50 years- We want a World Series!

The Oakland A's have had horrific periods since moving to Oakland and still play in the 'Mausoleum', yet they have swiped four titles since their Bay Area arrival in 1968.

I know we are in the era of cool new ball parks, garlic fries, club seats, and enjoying a fun $500 evening with the fam at AT&T.  I get it - it's a business.  But I bring my kids to the game, entering the Lefty O' Doul side of the stadium, and try to explain the great history behind the wall of championships.

"Yes son, the Giants won those five world series in New York. We haven't won a world series in San Francisco."

So humiliating.

Let me try to get off the past and focus on the task at hand. We got through the Bonds era and the post-Bonds era, enduring a bit of a lull.  Now we have Lincecum, Cain, Posey, and many other young guns.  I am feeling good about our nucleus. Given our ball park, I like the idea that we build the team around good pitching.

I hate to be negative, but I am not seeing the playoffs for the Giants this year. I looked at the remaining schedules and I truly see the Wild Card coming out of the East or Central.  And even though we have seven head-to-head games with the Padres, how can you like our chances against a squad that has owned us this year. By the way, nice call on the "sweep" Sanchez.

If we do squeeze into the post-season, did you see us get annihilated against the Braves?  It would be great to get some experience beyond the 162 game slate. I just see too many base running mistakes, our #1 guy struggling, inconsistent middle relief (love those 4 pitch walks), and only one or two guys getting hot at a time.

So what needs to change for the future?

Or even better, how can we win the World Series in 2011?

New Uniform for The Panda.

I am not talking about the 16th version of a Giants throw back uniform. Let's be clear. I believe Pablo Sandoval will be better off doing his little pre-bat charade on another team. Can you see our opponents grinning in the dugout watching Pablo go through his little routine?  They peak up at the humongous scoreboard picture of Pablo; .269, 8 HR, 47 RBI. I cringe every time I see my son's Panda 'lid' hanging in his room. What a waste of $20. You are a professional athlete. If you can't get a handle on your weight with the resources to buy the right food, cooked the right way, and maybe skip a meal once in awhile, then I say adios! Can you believe our early season lineup relied on Molina, Sandoval, and Rowand for our main run production?

Strengthen #4 and #5

Timmy won two Cy Youngs. He is our #1 guy, we just need to ride out whatever issues he is going through. We have a window with Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Barry Zito that we need to capitalize on. So when you look at #4 and #5 in the rotation, we have to get some improvement and consistency from either Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner. I would like to see us either get one more strong starter in the off season, or pick up someone mid-season before the 2011 trade deadline.

Middle Relief

I don't even know where to start here. Is it me, or every time I see one of these guys come in, I am amazed that their numbers aren't too bad. Like clockwork, Ball 1, Ball 2, Ball 3, Ball 4. And I know we've had some injuries, but it seems like we have 16 middle relievers down in that pen. Sergio Romo deserves some credit for some level of consistency and a WHIP of 0.98.  After that it gets real shaky. Middle relief, across the entire league, is one of the highest areas of turnover. So we might see a few of the same faces, but I expect the Giants to make a couple of pick-ups in this area.

Base Running and Speed

Going back to our ball park, I am not a huge fan of 'small ball', but I think we can't sit back and play Earl Weaver 3-run home run ball either.  We have to create and use the big gap in right field if we are going to win a title. The numbers aren't great- 46 steals in 73 attempts. Opponents have swiped 97 bags in 138 tries. On top of that, we all have our moments while watching the Giants this year and yell, "what are you doing!?!?" My recent favorite is when Aaron Rowand was on 2nd against the Padres Friday night. The only person who seemed more puzzled than the fans was Padres pitcher Clayton Richard. Before Richard even took the sign from Torrealba, something in Rowand's brain said, "watch me trick him." So Rowand just took off and was easily tagged out. Aaron, this is not a good move in a critical division game. We lose, 3-2. Nice. Not enough real estate in this article to talk about the base running gaffes from guys like Velez and the cuddly Panda.

I think if we address the above areas of concern successfully, we can make a serious run as early as next year.  I didn't mention much more about hitting because I think we are close in that area.  The question will be, who of the revolving door of veterans, which every team endures, will we keep or pick-up. And how will they perform? Burrell is the ideal pick-up and he is delivering. 

I know Giants' fans can probably highlight many other concerns. Freddy Sanchez' durability, Jose Uribe's inconsistency, Buster Posey is still so young and will have tough times, 32 year old Andres Torres is not your typical leadoff hitter, can Nate Schierholtz turn that sweet swing into consistent production, and I haven't even mentioned the pros and cons of our manager.

The Dodgers are a financial mess. The D-Backs are bad right now, and even though they have some youth, I don't see a Posey or Lincecum out there. The Rockies have no identify and Helton is on the down side of his prime.  If the Padres pitching continues to improve, they might be the stiffest competition over the next several years. Note the Friars timely hitting and use of team speed in the freindly confines of Petco Park.

The Giants fans who endured the nights of Candlestick and the "Croix De" deserve a World Series. The old and new fans who stuff the downtown park and just pump millions of dollars into the Giants organization deserve a World Series. The many of us who invest 3 hours to watch our beloved Orange and Black, day after day on TV, or listen on YOUR Sports Leader, deserve a World Series.

With all due respect to Chicago and Cleveland, WE WANT A WORLD SERIES IN SAN FRANCISCO!