Dismissing the Giants? Not so fast
Across the sporting landscape:
Quick word to all you bitterly discouraged fans out there, writing off the Giants and tossing out plans for next year: Wake up! It’s not such a farfetched notion to imagine the Giants playing the Cubs in the first-round Division Series.
Even with Johnny Cueto perhaps missing a start or two, the Giants still have an edge over the Mets and Cardinals in the rotation — a crucial factor. Each of those contenders is positively ordinary, just as vulnerable to disaster as the Giants. And Madison Bumgarner would pitch the wild-card playoff game, ideally with a perfectly cool head, if the Giants can reach that point. All is not lost.
There might not be a more honest, approachable general manager than the Giants’ Bobby Evans, who told MLB Network’s Jon Heyman he regrets not going harder for a closer at the trade deadline. The demands for Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller were beyond the Giants’ means, but “they figured their offer for Mark Melancon was in the range” of what the Pirates got from Washington. “It isn’t lost on us. I wear it every day,” said Evans, wondering if he should have fortified the offer. “Every time we lose, I think, ‘What kind of knucklehead am I?’ ”
It’s not much of a newsworthy month if USC hasn’t changed head football coaches, or at least pondered the notion, and Stanford might have pushed Clay Helton to the brink Saturday. Helton, under intense scrutiny since replacing Steve Sarkisian in October, seems to have pushed the panic button in changing quarterbacks (Sam Darnold replacing Max Browne) after just three games. What if the Trojans lose at Utah on Friday night?
How badly do the Warriors need some shot-blocking rim protection? They’re taking a look at JaVale McGee, unquestionably one of the all-time NBA knuckleheads along with a history of inconceivable oncourt gaffes. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr calls the team’s interest “a no-brainer,” and know this: McGee has exceptional talent. If the Warriors filter it into a successful experiment, it will rank with their greatest achievements.
Note to Jon Miller: On that regular-season finale, DodgersGiants on Oct. 2, with all the tributes to Vin Scully, be sure to bust out your impression of Scully in Japanese. One of the funniest bits ever conceived.