There’s cause for optimism around AT&T Park in 2018
“Hey, we won’t be horrible.” That’s not the most inspiring rally cry from a sports team, and it’s not a direct quote from anyone in the Giants’ organization. But as the club introduced Evan Longoria at a Friday news conference, it became clear to anyone who embraces the spirit of hope:
The Giants no longer will be awful. They will be extremely interesting. There is character in all directions. They are absolutely primed to be respectable once again.
They say manager Bruce Bochy can’t stop smiling these days, and that’s a scenario every fan should cherish. Between the Giants’ dismal season and his two heart procedures (April and October) along the way, Bochy struck the look of a weary, exasperated man heading into the offseason.
These are invigorating times for general manager Bobby Evans, as well. Even now, with Andrew McCutchen joining Longoria on the Giants’ roster, skeptical fans claim that Evans is overmatched as he succeeds Brian Sabean in the GM seat, that he hasn’t done enough to make the team relevant again.
On the contrary: Evans’ work has
been spectacularly good. Once you consider his limitations, in terms of tradeable prospects and contracts no team cares to acquire, it’s somewhat miraculous that he acquired two players known without question as the face of his respective franchise. Fans are in mourning in Pittsburgh and Tampa; they can’t believe their beloved McCutchen and Longoria have departed. Some of the Pirates’ fans are so frustrated, they’re calling for a change in ownership.
Let’s not even get into the age thing right now. Despite last season’s powerful evidence, nobody can say for certain if the Giants will be “too old” this season. Few teams win championships in any sport without stars in their 30s. And Evans’ most crucial decision at the moment — what to do about center field — cuts to the heart of this discussion.
If the Giants back off free agent Lorenzo Cain, unwilling to surrender two draft picks and $1 million in international spending money for a player who received a qualifying offer (in his case, from Kansas City), that’s an understandable look to the future. The view from here: Keep an open mind. The Giants still have Steven Duggar, Heliot Ramos, Chris Shaw and Tyler Beede, among other prospects highly valued. If Cain’s value drops to, say, a three-year deal for $12 million per, the Giants should jump all over it.
Seriously, why not? That would give them a proven, respected veteran at every field position, plus three starting pitchers and a closer (Mark Melancon) in that category. You’re telling me that’s awful? Staying under the luxury tax sets them up to join next winter’s free-agent market in earnest, but all of the powerhouse teams are thinking that way. What makes anyone think the likes of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado or Josh Donaldson would choose San Francisco in a high-stakes bidding war?
I can’t wait to see if Hunter Pence is a healthy and rejuvenated man willing to alter his batting stroke, if Johnny Cueto can display his Luis Tiantlike brilliance over a full season, if Madison Bumgarner can reclaim his place among the elite. McCutchen works a room as well as anyone in the game, both in the clubhouse and the dugout. If you’re not wild about some of the Giants’ approach to hitting, savor Longoria’s sweet, rhythmic stroke from the right-handed side.
If these strike you as the words of a hopeless romantic, good. That’s how people are supposed to feel as spring training approaches. It’s one of the game’s great charms. And if that optimism centers around a bunch of high-character players who know how to win, it may not be terribly misguided.
As Longoria tried on his new No. 10 uniform, speaking with confidence and occasional humor, he was asked about the Giants’ 64-win season. “You can only go up, right?” he said with a smile. “It’s tough to win 64 games. That’s a bad year.”
He’s not expecting it to happen again. Nor should anyone else.
Brady and Jimmy G.
Things are getting very interesting in the New England Patriots’ camp. Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick were predictably evasive about the quarterback’s hand injury in Friday’s interviews. Imagine Brady being unable to play on Sunday against Jacksonville, or needing to be replaced at some point (by Brian Hoyer) and the Patriots lose. Think there might be some regret over losing Jimmy Garoppolo? ... So it’s Brady (maybe), Nick Foles, Blake Bortles and Case Keenum as your Final Four QBs. Not the greatest group ever witnessed. Nostalgia: In 1966 it was Len Dawson, Jack Kemp, Bart Starr and Don Meredith. In 1973: Kenny Stabler, Bob Griese, Fran Tarkenton and Roger Staubach ... It was a wonderful week for class acts: The Chron’s Ann Killion was named California Sportswriter of the Year and Mike Krukow took home Sportscaster of the Year. Richly deserved.
Heard from Grant Washburn, one of the few surfers willing to take on Mavericks during Thursday’s huge swell. With fog, a light drizzle and dangerously stiff winds greeting wave faces up to 60 feet, “I’ve not dealt with anything remotely that heavy since the turn of the century,” said Washburn, who has surfed the place more often than anyone over the past 25 years. “Some of the most extreme surfing you can imagine went down.” He also spoke of broken boards, surfers held underwater for two waves, heroic rescues and “sneaker” sets leaving caught-inside surfers trampled by a veritable avalanche. Some big-wave mainstays stood out, such as Peter Mel, Ben Andrews and Aaron Gold. Two of the World Surf League invitees to the upcoming contest, Lucas Chianca (Brazil) and Francisco Porcella (Italy), “continued to astound,” Washburn said. And he was particularly impressed by the nextgeneration crowd featuring Patrick Shaughnessy, Matt Becker, Michael Joshua, Hunter Murison, Thomas Lundgard and Luca Padua, just 16 and already an alternate on the contest list. “The young guys around here are really stepping up and making us proud,” Washburn said. “I’m blown away.” The contest remains on hold, with a waiting period through Feb. 28, as organizers await a day (unlike the past week) with favorable weather conditions. The 72hour advance notice means certain amount of guesswork, but there were no regrets about letting Thursday pass without an event. Viewed from land, those waves were murky, distant images.