Ok. So if this was the presidential election, the Giants would be raked over the coals for being Wishy Washy. Talk about a Flip Flop.

The Giants announced the re-signing of Jose Uribe and now Bengie Molina.  Apparently Bengie didn’t get the length or money he wanted from the Mets, so he decided playing for the Giants wouldn’t be that bad.  It is only one year, so he can go seek a longer deal after.  It is good for the Giants as it will give Buster Posey a little more time in the minors, but also because they got their cleanup hitter back….

This news isn’t great for Dodger fans because Jose Uribe and Bengie Molina both had their number last year, so there could be more disappointments this year.

The Giants also recently added Aubrey Huff.  This one made the fans up here kind of scratch their heads.  He will play 1st base (which they have a rookie for), and can hit, but he definitely wasn’t the big bat the fans were hoping for.  

I talked to a Giants fan this week who had an interesting perspective on this year.  Molina and Huff are signed only for one year as well as Jonathan Sanchez.  Aaron Rowand and Edgar Renteria also only have one year left.  This means that in one year 5 of 9 position players (when Sanchez pitches) will be gone.  This signifies that the Giants are really “going for it” this year, or they are just trying to ”get through” this year until next year when they can clear payroll, get some veterans and bring up the rookies.  Given that Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa are not star hitters…I lean towards the “get through” approach.  They will have more power, but not that much.

What do you think – Wishy Washy or just frugal?  I’m going to take Wishy Washy and rub it in to Giants fans as long as I can.

Juan Uribe - Frederic Larson - SF Chronicle

Did you hear the big news last week? The Giants signed Mark DeRosa and Juan Uribe!!!! Thrilling, right?

Yeah – well it’s not like the Dodgers signed any one during that time, so at least the Giants have something to talk about.

I talked to a Giants fan and the verdict is out among fans regarding Mark DeRosa. He’s a solid player, no doubt. The issue is that he definitely isn’t the bat that they need. It doesn’t seem like he would hurt them…how much he will help isn’t clear.

Then yesterday the Giants announced that they “re-hired” Juan Uribe. This is a pickup Dodger fans should note. He’s not an everyday player, but a great player off the bench who can definitely hit home runs.  He hit .340 against the Dodgers last year and generally won the hearts of fans up here because of his clutch hitting.

Early in the year the talk shows wondered if they could really chant “URRRRIIIBBBBEEE” because of his second cousin, Jose Uribe back in the late 80’s. He truly changed that by being clutch and now people love him. It was a good pickup for the Giants and he’ll be a big help to them.

Now as one fan put it…the Giants have all their positions filled…they just still need a bat and a catcher. Here’s hoping they have another Pablo Sandoval in the minors who can hit. Apparently Angel Villalona can hit…he just has to get out of jail and the Dominican Republic first. I guess he is out of jail now…but he doesn’t have a Visa yet. Yeah – issues.

A moment of silence as Randy Johnson retired this week.  He was fun to watch going after the record this last year, even though all the talk shows often talk of his prickly personality.  I’ll still never forget him getting lit up at Dodger Stadium on opening day last year.  Same day Orlando Hudson hit for the cycle.

Good article here on all the Giants moves this off-season.  Apparently they’ve spent most of their money, and now hope for a bat.  Here’s hoping they can’t really find one.

What do you think?  Good moves to pick up DeRosa and Uribe? 

Bengie Molina - Frederic Larson - SF Chronicle

It’s never fun to read the annual winners and losers columns from the winter meetings and see the Dodgers in the losing column. John Heyman with Sports Illustrated put them there (Link Here), and I do have to agree with him. This divorce has put a cloud over the Dodgers and they now have even more pitching needs.

After thinking about it more though, the Dodgers didn’t do that bad.  Actually they did quite well from the perspective of the Dodgers/Giants rivalry.  This week it was confirmed that Bengie Molina, Brad Penny and Juan Uribe would not be returning to the Giants.  Although none of them are high all-stars, they were very important to the Giants. 

Bengie Molina was their second big bat with Pablo Sandoval.  Brad Penny gave them a late surge of pitching and Juan Uribe won the hearts of the fans by having numerous late game heroics.  Losing Bengie will hurt them the most.  He was solid behind the plate and always clutch with the bat.  The fans felt he was too slow, the but the real issue is that he was expected to be the #4 hitter on a team when he should have been the #7 hitter.  He also didn’t like it when they started using a different catcher with Barry Zito, and wanted a long term contract, so I guess he didn’t feel truly wanted back.

Bottom line though, those three guys were Dodger Killers and losing them will definitely help the Dodgers.  Bengie didn’t have a great average against the Dodgers, but he had clutch RBI’s to beat them multiple times.  Juan Uribe hit  .340 against the Dodgers last year, so he definitely had their number.  Brad Penny got beat up by the Dodgers in a key game down the stretch last year, but otherwise he pitched pretty good against them and definitely had the motiviation to beat them.

Now, on the flip side Randy Wolf was a stud against the Giants last year with a 1.35 ERA, so that will definitely hurt the Dodgers.  He ate up a lot of innings, so the Dodgers definitely have a big hole to fill.

Now if only the Giants get rid of Randy Winn, then the Dodgers will really be in good shape.    All in all, not a great week, but against the Giants it wasn’t that bad.

By the way, special welcome to all of you who have visited the site through Twitter.  You can catch out my tweets through this site, or by looking up SFDodgerfan.  Go Blue.

Tim Lincecum - SF Giants.com

Had a great conversation this week with a Giants fan about baseball penalties. This whole Tim Lincecum thing has really been interesting to observe. I’m kind of glad for it because now the Giants fans aren’t focusing only on the Dodgers divorce.

The talk shows are still all the buzz about Tim Lincecum. Some stating that it was just a small amount and that it wasn’t a big deal. Others focused on the fact that he was just transporting it and wasn’t under the influence while driving.

Another hit the fact that he got pulled over for speeding at 8:30am in the morning with the stuff…which is full of problems.

The most interesting one I heard though was when someone called in and pointed out that even with just a “thumbs” worth of marijuana that that is a substantial amount. (Obviously they had experience)  It’s not just something new for Tim, but probably something deeper.  As I mentioned previously, this is an interesting question for the Giants.  Either this goes away, or it’s a deeper issue that could come back.  Everyone is expecting and awaiting the “official” apology, so we’ll see.

As described, the best part of this week, was when a giants fan co-worker told me his “Hierarchy of Baseball Penalties.”  Obviously, the penalties are approximate, but you’ll get the point.  

Cocaine – Small suspension, fine and sent to rehab

Drunk Driving – Bail to get out of jail, sent to do community service

Caught Speeding with Marijuana – $362 in fines (i.e. Tim Lincecum)

Taking Female Fertility Drugs – Baseball’s biggest penalty – 50 game suspension.

Obviously the reference is to Manny, but it cracked me up, because it is pretty accurate with baseball today.

Tim Lincecum - Yahoo Sports

The season ends and all of a sudden there’s something to write about. I saw this one posted on Lincecum and had to get something out…I am in the the Bay Area after all and this could affect the Dodgers.

(Click here for the article)

So Lincecum gets busted for marijuana possession while speeding near Oregon. Not good. Not good at all.

As one Giants fan told me, this is a black eye for him, and for the Giants organization. He is their young star and now he’s busted.   The Giants also have a minor leaguer who may go to jail for murder…so this should be a fun off-season for the Giants PR group.  Between the Giants PR and the Dodgers PR (with the divorce), there’s going to be a lot to clean up.

You can say it is minor, but it opens that door. The door of whether this a habit forming due to the stress, or has it been there, or will it be a one time deal. Either way, it adds a chink in the armor that won’t go away.

Honestly, I’m sad. Lincecum is the best young pitcher in the game and to see this happen is just sad for the game.

It may be good for the Dodgers – so go Blue…but too bad for the young Cy Young.