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The baseball season is 162 games long, so some losses just have to be written off and filed away in a folder tagged "Stuff Happens." The San Francisco Giants' 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday wasn't one of those games. Manager Bruce Bochy and his willingness to go by the book cost the Giants the game. Oh, it should be a throw-away loss on a random Tuesday night in April ...

Minor Leagues: Posey’s hitting .538 at Fresno; Bumgarner Rocked

Posted: 10th April 2010 by Ted Sillanpaa in MLB
Madison Bumgarner had the worst outing of his professional career on Friday night as the Reno Aces beat the Fresno Grizzlies, 8-5, in Pacific Coast League Class AAA play on Friday. Catcher Buster Posey couldn't be much hotter at Fresno, hitting .538 after consecutive two-hit games Friday and Saturday. Bumgarner, the 20-year-old who entered spring training with a tentative hold on the No. 5 spot in the San Francisco Giants starting rotation, ...

San Francisco Giants 4-0 Start Shows They’re Hot, Flaws or Not

Posted: 9th April 2010 by Ted Sillanpaa in MLB
Anyone who has suffered through the downturn in the San Francisco Giants fortunes, then survived a surprise playoff run in 2009, isn't about to start picking at nits after the club's 4-0 start this week. Well, almost nobody would point out tiny flaws in a team that is on pace to finish 162-0. During Friday's comeback win over the Atlanta Braves in their home opener, the Giants watched shortstop Edgar Renteria continue ...

Don’t Panic, the Giants’ 9-0 Loss Simply a Worst-Case Scenario

Posted: 2nd April 2010 by Ted Sillanpaa in MLB
  It's just a spring training game in a big league ball park. Doesn't mean a thing. Nothing. Zero. Nada. The Oakland Athletics beat the San Francisco Giants 9-0, on a chilly night in front of sparse crowd at AT&T Park Thursday. Really. Don't give the game another thought. It didn't count in the standings. It's tough coming north from Arizona and getting acclimated to ... Who am I kidding? Barry Zito was the Barry Zito ...

“Giants: Past & Present” Will Be a Hit with the Faithful

Posted: 30th March 2010 by Ted Sillanpaa in MLB
The new coffee table book, Giants: Past & Present , is aimed directly at longtime fans of the New York and now San Francisco Giants. The book delivers a direct hit with hundreds of photographs that highlight the history of the franchise from King Carl Hubbell to Tim Lincecum. If photographs remind you of that day at the ball park or the afternoon in the back yard—Giants: Past & Present ...

McNabb? How Much Can 49ers Pay for Passers?

Posted: 29th March 2010 by Ted Sillanpaa in NFL
There's no question that the acquisition of Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb would represent an incredible upgrade over Alex Smith, David Carr, and Nate Davis. McNabb's a proven star. He's a household name. Arguing over his on-field value to the 49ers is a pointless exercise. The 49ers would improve greatly with McNabb at quarterback. There is, however, the question of how much money the 49ers should realistically invest in the quarterback ...
There was something to be said for growing up in the 1960s and only being able to hear San Francisco Giants exhibition games on my transistor radio. I felt all the hope of spring without actually seeing Jim Ray Hart butchering ground balls at third base or the parade of inadequate starting pitchers behind Juan Marichal. When Street and Smith's baseball annual had the Giants picked to win the National League, I ...

Donovan McNabb in Oakland? It’s a Fantasy

Posted: 24th March 2010 by Ted Sillanpaa in NFL
The Oakland Raiders might be interested in acquiring Donovan McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles, but folks are quick to point out the improbability of such a deal. To check out my article about this on bayareasportsreport.com, click here . A source who has followed JaMarcus Russell's offseason workouts says the quarterback heard that there are teams in the NFC South, and another club in the AFC South, who would be willing to ...
It only seems like Buster Posey has become the center of the San Francisco Giants' universe. No. No. Wait... Given that Posey's the top prospect in the organization and that he's hitting the devil out of the ball in spring training, the Giants' universe is spinning around the guy. Sycophants who remember the club's explanation for keeping Posey down on the farm last summer while the big league team often struggled to get ...
The four most discussed topics among 49ers fans all tie directly to head coach Mike Singletary:   1. Without a collective bargaining agreement in place for 2011, there's no way to be certain there will be games in 2011. The 49ers aren't likely to bring in a general manager to replace Scot McCloughan, and then pay the new guy for doing nothing in 2011. The bulk of the preparation for the upcoming ...