Wow. So we signed Mike Matheny today for 3 years for either $9M or $10.5M and an option for a fourth year. Picked up Vizquel for too long at too much. Signed Benitez for too much, bidding against the Japanese Giants... This team is getting older exponentially. I'm not sorry we missed out on Finley, and now we have missed out on Podsednik too. Meanwhile the other teams in the division are making major signings of impact players and actually improving themselves... Well maybe not LA with PornStache Kent lowering the standards of their infield.

What happened to building a real team around Barry that can win now? I'm starting to think that 05 is his last season, not 06. I'm just not thinking the current lineup puts any fear into anyone. I say find a team who needs a Proven Starter™ and get an outfielder for Woody. Or Alfonzo could masquerade as a Solid Third Baseman™ and have some trade value, and we really should get some value out of Slappy Pierzynski before the door hits him where the good lord split him...

Feliz is cheap enough and competent enough at third. Vizquel and Durham will be solid up the middle as long as they don't break all season. And as much as I would have liked to see a masher take over at first, they are all pretty much gone, including the inimitable Tiny Minor. Here's to hoping JT's got another season of gas in his tank, and makes us naysayers look stupid for another year... We have enough youngsters to fill the rotation after Schmidt, Tomko, Williams and Lowry that the Giants could afford to experiment for a while. Or they could trade for someone young with potential.

So where does that leave the outfield? Barry, Grissom, Tucker and Mohr. The Giants don't seem to be too high on any of their OF prospects, so this is what needs the most work. Tucker is the most expendable with the most trade value. I think Mohr as OF #4, Grissom in right and PTBNL in CF is the best we can hope for.

So where do we get the PTBNL? There were rumblings about interest in Dave Roberts, who I always hated to see come to bat when he played in LA. He's fast and reasonably cheap and can get on base. But Sabean rightly won't give up Lowry or Cain, and other teams don't seem at all interested in any combination of Reuter, Pierzynski, Alfonso, or Tucker.

So that leaves the money that was left over when the Giants failed to land Finley... it didn't go to Matheny- he is cheaper than DP would have been. There are still some big names out there- Ordonez, Drew, and some dude named Carlos. The Mets are looking to dump Floyd, the Red Sox are looking to dump Ramirez, the Cubs are looking to dump Sosa.

WTF? The window is closing. It's time to step up and spend some money on someone who can hit the bejesus out of the ball and not drop it when he catches it. Would be nice if he was under 30, too, but hell, I don't want to be unreasonable.

I'm not a baseball GM, nor do I play one on TV, but ferchrissakes, if you're trying to put together a winning team when you're up against strong competition, and your back is against the wall with only one or two years of HomeRun Jesus™ left, trade big to get big, or SPEND SOME FUCKING CASH ALREADY! Trust me, I am no economics professor, but it stands to reason that the team might just be a little more profitable AFTER winning a World Series.

There are so many people who can die happy now. After an amazing LCS, this was almost anticlimactic, but I know I wasn't the only person watching whose stomach fell out at the words "The Red Sox have one more out to go..."

I believe you again.

Officially. Red Sox: I believe you, again. And you can go to hell, Mr. Bucky Dent, throwing out the first ball in an attempt at bad juju for the Sox. It's nice seeing Georgie's boys lose, but it's far nicer seeing all those over-paid, self-important, egotistical cry-babies humiliated in their own stadium, in front of their own fans. Either way, that was probably the most exciting series I have ever seen in baseball, and quite likely the greatest comeback ever in modern sports. Now all that's left is for the Cards to knock off the Astros to keep Porn 'Stache Kent and Mercenary FatMan Clemens from getting into the Series. I'm probably gonna regret this, but Sox in 6.

From today's Chronicle, "Then there was Pierzynski, who played what might have been his final game with the Giants.

"If it was," he said, "it's kind of fitting that I hit into a double play. "

Indeed, Pierzynski grounded into his 27th of the season to break the franchise record of 26 that Billy Jurges set with the 1939 New York Giants and Sid Gordon matched in 1943. When informed of the record, Pierzynski smiled, raised his fist, yelled "Woo hoo!" and hollered his thanks to Alou for giving him a chance to play Sunday and set the mark.

I guess it's Red Sox or nothing for this year's play-offs. Well, time to find something else to do for October.

Watched tonight's game with Jody, who doesn't watch a lot of baseball, but is a good Giants fan. Aurillia started at third tonight for the Padres, and it was just WRONG. He agreed. "Of all the players I thought would go, I always thought Aurillia would be here." And he's not the only one.

Yes Neifi the heinous can field some. But he wasn't worth the inflated price he got from Sabean, and instead of keeping Richie, we got the worst hitter in all of baseball. Has his defense been good? Yup, but not enough to make up for the giant sucking sound his bat makes. Besides, at this point he has all but lost his job to Deivi Cruz, who the Devil Rays cut during spring training. Granted, Cruz has been playing above his capabilities lately, but that won't last, and Alou isn't playing him much since the break.

Tell me there is a Giants fan out there who wouldn't take a tandem of Aurilia and Cruz over Perez and Cruz. I wouldn't believe you. The rumors around Olerud the past few days talked about what a good guy and gamer he is. That goes in spades and double for Aurilia. I know he had a crap season with the Mariners, but considering the rest of the team and the change in leagues, I can understand how he might have been in a funk. But tonight he was 3-4 with a sac fly too, and played third and short.

Sometimes I just don't understand the Giants management's logic in who they keep and who they cast aside. I'm not attached to the past by any means, but wouldn't the left side of the infield look a lot better with Meuller and Aurillia?

This has been one of the best weekends of baseball that I can remember, short of the playoffs. Having Boston in town for the first time since 1912 is impressive in and of itself, but being able to watch my two favorite teams go at it has been fantastic! I got to the game on Friday, and I can't think of a better way to give my "new" eyes a workout.

So we lost the first night, despite having a 7-2 lead at one point. Barry's languid and almost loafing play in the field bit us in the ass for the first time in a while, despite the spate of great plays he has made lately, and Tucker channeled Jose Cruz jr. to give up 7 runs.

Props to Noah Lowry, who went up against Pedro and held his own on Saturday. Pity Lowry's reward was to be sent back to Fresno for Aardsma, who was SO not needed today. Schmitty held the Sox to just one hit and struck out 9. His second 1-hitter in a month, no less. And everyone thinks Clemens is a lock to start the All-Star Game?

Most of all, a big FINALLY to Alfonso, who, in successive games, deflated all the wind-bag Sox fans invading SBC park with monstrous, well-timed home runs. This is what you came here to do, Edgardo. Thank you, keep it up.

Am I the only one to notice that A.J. has mastered the cheap bloop single to left? Considering all the ill-advised hacks he takes at the plate, I am all in favor of more of these, until opposing teams figure it out and do the inverse of the Barry Bonds defense, with everyone but the 1B to the left of 2B.

One game back, y'all. Time to BEAT L.A.!

Peter Gammons today on ESPN.com interviews Andres Galarraga, who says he is not currently ill, but was treated for his lymphoma again over the winter. Now Big Cat wants a job, and with May 1 around the corner, the Giants would have to be completely and utterly out in the lunatic fringe not to pick him up. He would bring his needed leadership and imposing bat to slot after Barry's. If we can trust Feliz at shortstop (albeit he will give away some balls that Nephi gets, yet will more than make up for it with his bat) and put the Big Cat at first, we will have a quality infield with a magnitude greater of hitting. I'm guessing that Big Cat's salary won't break the bank, either. Come on, Sabean, enough crappy replaceable parts. WE WANT BIG CAT!

Barry's tied Willie Mays, sinking a 3 run home run into McCovey Cove. No need to fret, Astros, the Giants are perfectly happy having such an important celebration at home. Barry is undoubtedly the best hitter in baseball right now, and making more and more of a case for all time. While I am typing this, he just made an athletic catch in left field. Not bad for someone who is on a retirement watch already... MLB Coverage of BB's 660

The Giants pulled out a win after a couple ugly losses in San Diego's new Petco Park. We crawled our way back up to a tie for second place. And Leo Estrella was released to make room for Jeffrey Hammonds to come off the DL.

Apparently, poor Leo was "shocked", but it was not an unexpected result for a pitcher who wasn't even good enough to weasel a spot on Selig's Brewers. And, after the sub-fecal performance he has given so far this season, I doubt there's even going to be room for him in Fresno.

I already went to one game this season, at the 'Net, and the A's took it in extra innings. I love the Giants, but I don't have a lot of confidence in them this season. They may have the best stuff in the NL West, but, like I once said about working at TechTV, "Who really wants to be king of the monkeys?" I want a team that will go further than the first round, and to do that we're gonna need more than just Barry. I am eagerly anticipating some good trades.

a.