Sunday, January 31, 2010

My San Francisco Giants Wishlist for the 2010 Season

I know I probably should have done this around Christmas time, but I figured I'd do it now just for the hell of it. (Hey...Valentine's Day is coming up...we all wish for something on that day, right?)

So, to give a change of pace from all the analytical, sabermetrics-heavy stuff, I decided to do a list of 20 things I would like to see from the San Francisco Giants in 2010.

  1. I would like the Giants to make the Playoffs. They don't have to win the World Series (though if they make the playoffs, I will want them to win the World Series, of course), but I'll be more than ecstatic if the Giants can make the postseason. I still have memories of Jose Cruz Jr. I want those out of my head, or at least replaced by some other misfortune.
  2. I want Matt Cain to not fall off the face of the earth in 2010 after making incredible progress last year. I know his BABIP was low. I know he had a high strand rate. I don't expect him to be Tim Lincecum. I just want him to be a good second option and better than Noah Lowry.
  3. I want Noah Lowry to retire as a Giant. Why? Because I liked him...that's why. Then again, I said RETIRE as a Giant J.T. Snow style, not actually play as one.
  4. I want Fred Lewis to play. I do. I want him to play, I want him to succeed and I want him to say "F*** you!" to all those left field bums who heckled him day in and day out. He's no Gold Glover, but Giants fans booing their own players incessantly is uncalled for, especially when it's a guy as classy as Lewis.
  5. I want to own the season series against the Dodgers. Just beat LA as much as they can. Bragging rights against the Dodgers isn't so much to ask (especially after you watch all these Dodgers-Giants fans fights).
  6. I want Barry Bonds to come back to the Giants organization as some kind of front office member. You know, like Felipe Alou.
  7. I want Alyssa Milano to stop being a Dodgers fan. Seriously, I think she's awesome (I liked her in Fear a LOT...not for acting reasons though), and she looks so much better wearing Giants gear.
  8. I want Madison Bumgarner to have a decent year. I'm not expecting Cy Young, just solid numbers and a full, healthy season.
  9. I want Buster Posey to start by mid-season. That should be enough time for Posey to "learn" in Fresno.
  10. I want to see Zach Wheeler pitch. Can we somehow stream some Arizona rookie league games to Justin.TV?
  11. I want to go see a game at AT&T Park. I know, it's a modest request, but with my schedule, it could be very tough to do this summer.
  12. I want beer prices to drop at AT&T Park concessions. Seriously, $8.75 for a Bud Light! Who's making the prices? Mussolini?
  13. I want Tim Lincecum to be constantly in the discussion of the "Best Pitchers in Baseball" on Baseball Tonight. Seriously, two Cy Youngs in two years. Even the John "I probably should work out more" Kruk can't deny that.
  14. I want Pablo Sandoval to be an All-Star. He got screwed last year by David Wright (NY vote), Ryan Zimmerman (only good player on Washington) and Shane Victorino (won the fan vote). This year, he should be a shoe in. I hope he has that kind of season.
  15. I want to see Waldis Joaquin and Dan Runzler in the seventh. Runzler or Joaquin (depending on the lineup), Romo and Affeldt (depending on the lineup), and Wilson. That's one tough seventh, eighth and ninth inning bullpen.
  16. I want to see Joe Ezsterhas and Brian Sabean take a picture together. Angie Everhart from "Jade" can be in the middle for fun.
  17. I want Bruce Bochy to apologize to Giants fans during Spring Training for batting Bengie Molina in the cleanup spot last year. And for benching Nate Schierholtz for Randy Winn...and for playing Eugenio Velez so much...and for burying Fred Lewis...and for not playing Posey at all in his callup...I could go on forever you know.
  18. I want Livan Hernandez to NOT return to the Giants because we need to "ease" Madison Bumgarner along. Seriously, an 83 MPH fastball isn't the answer.
  19. I want Giants fans to remember next season that it's a 162 game season. Thus, we shouldn't freak out after every loss.
  20. And I want Will Clark to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day. This clip explains it all.

So that's the list. Let's hope at least two or three can come true, right? Two or three is not a lot to ask...I hope.

1 comment:

  1. Not a bad wish list, in retrospect.

    You must feel be feeling pretty good :-).

    #1, 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 all came true, by my reckoning.

    #18 didn't, if you substitute "Todd Wellemeyer" for "Livan Hernandez," but it turned out okay because of #8.

    Anyway, I stumbled across this, and enjoyed reading it.

    Congrats from a fellow Giant fan!

    ReplyDelete