Let's get real.

Photo © tanmanforlife

There's always a lot of talk on the Twitter thing about what it means to be a "real fan". Pissing contests erupting 140-characters at a time. Grown men whining back and forth like old married couples. Ladies behaving... well, rather un-lady-like.

It's getting fricking dangerous out there, folks, and the whole shebang has got me thinking: What exactly constitutes a "real fan"?

In the wake of the team's first title in 56 years, life-long Giants fans watched with trepidation as the park filled up night after night in 2011 with out-of-the-woodwork casual fans decked out literally from head to toe in their freshly-purchased World Champions-branded gear.

We've been down this road before.

© 2010 Associated Press

Antsy morning. Up with the sun, and nothing to do but watch the Sports Reporters and read Internal Affairs in the Merc. Nothing newsworthy this week. At least not newsworthy enough to bother you while you're visiting this space in search of baseball commentary. Little did you know, you've really wandered into a deep dark corner of my subconscious mind. At any moment, a crazed ex-girlfriend or a GIF of Jose Cruz Jr. dropping Jeff Conine's popup might jump out from behind a curtain and scare you shitless. Welcome to my world.

Now that we have all the caveats out of the way, let's get down to brass tacks: I hate the trade deadline. I abhor the rumor mill. I despise prognostication based on little more than idle conversation over the phone in traffic on the 405 — or Sepulveda, but who would be insane enough to sit in that mess? Team A interested in Player B but doesn't want to part with Prospect C. Oh, but wait, Team D now asking for Prospect E and a little cash to sweeten the deal long enough for Team F to jump in the mix and make things interesting... Btw, I heard this from Team G's clubhouse attendant. Yeah, it's fun to banter this shit about, but what's the point if you're not the guy who can pull the strings and make it happen?

Maybe I'm just getting old, and maybe I've been through too many Julys, and maybe I've seen Sabean make too many shrewd but wholly nondescript moves, a few of which helped us win a little thing called the World Series last year... and a few of which became Ryan Garko. My point is, it should be bluntly obvious to any Giants fan that Sabean has been reluctant to pull the trigger on the so-called "blockbuster" deal ever since he dealt Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and some guy named Boof to the Twins for a dude who played one season in SF, set a club record for GIDP, and went on to win a World Series with the White Sox the very next year. (It's not worth mentioning his name this early in the morning.) Prior to that much-maligned move, the man was a wheelin', dealin' machine...

Jock-Blocking

No discussion of Giants trade deadline dealing ever fails to reference Brian Sabean’s history as General Manager — in particular the now-infamous Joe Nathan for A.J. Pierzynski trade following the 2003 season (Oops, I did it again!) — and to me, this flies in the face of standard baseball logic.

From the day they pick up a bat or put on a glove, coaches train players to have short memories. Every plate appearance, every batter faced, every ball hit in your vicinity is a new chance to strive for perfection. Yesterday is yesterday and tomorrow is tomorrow, so worry about the present.

You’d think we’d apply this philosophy equally to the front office. After all, if every GM sat at their desk fretting over a move because they’ve made bad moves in the past, the dealing would dry up. Everyone would stand pat out of fear. But these guys have the balls to pull the trigger year after year, and we put them through the wringer year after year, expecting every deal to be Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields.

I’m part of a rather quiet contingent of Giants fans who didn’t think Sabes had to do anything before 1 p.m. on July 31st. That’s not to say the team had no room for improvement, far from it. But I felt — at least prior to the All-Star break — that the team as constituted had as good a chance as any of making the postseason. And even if they fell short, they would’ve given their best shot with a crew of youngsters who’d only benefit from pressure-packed playing time down the stretch.

This season was supposed to be about developing talent, and to the surprise of many — myself not included — the talent developed a bit earlier than expected. Granted, much of this is due to the impact of Pablo Sandoval’s bat, but there have been solid contributions from the likes of “Nasty” Nate Schierholtz, Travis Ishikawa, and recently Eugenio Velez, all of whom could factor into the team’s plans for years to come.

But in a logical move, the powers that be decided not to think about the future but the present, to win first and ask questions later. And of course, this move makes perfect sense. Timmy and Matty aren’t getting any younger, and any chance to put them in a short playoff series should not be taken lightly. However, in the process of setting up a contender for this year, the Giants put the promise of several prospects on hold.

Coming: 1B/C Ryan Garko
Going: LHP Scott Barnes
On paper: B+

On the surface, this is a fantastic deal. Yes, Barnes had fantastic numbers... in A-ball. But the offense on that San Jo team would be enough to support just about anybody, and there’s no way you can extrapolate Single-A talent to guaranteed Major League success.

Okay, so folks say the same thing about Madison Bumgarner, but let’s face it, the Giants farm system is fully-stocked with pitching talent, and for good reason. There’s nothing more precious in this game than young arms. Hitting wins divisions. Pitching wins championships. Sabean and his staff understand this all too well, and they leverage their strength in the arms department to get what they want later on. Hence this trade — and the one that followed it.

As for Garko, he’s a solid bat that will certainly improve our strength at first, especially with an OPS higher than anyone on the team outside of Pandoval. But his arrival puts a serious crimp in the plans for Ishikawa, who was only recently starting to come into his own at the plate. That’s not to mention he’s a damn sight better than Garko with the glove. Expect these two to be regularly involved in late-inning double-switches.

With Garko under club control (and arbitration-eligible) at least through next season, Ishi’s days in orange and black might be numbered. I can imagine a few teams taking an interest in a big lefty first bagger with a high upside. But Travis shouldn’t worry about his future. It’s in God’s hands, after all.

Coming: 2B Freddy Sanchez
Going: RHP Tim Alderson
On paper: B-

Okay, okay, okay! Everybody chill the f@#* out!

Remember, Sabes never named names when talking about “The Untouchables.” We all just assumed Alderson was on the short list. And boy, did we get egg on our faces?

The first report of this trade involved a combination of names from Freddy Lewis to Kevin Frandsen. That it got done as a one-for-one deal is actually a steal, even though the one we gave up was part of the alleged golden arms the team was theoretically stockpiling to create the ultimate rotation in 1-2 years’ time. Notice anything about my choice of words here?

We fans love to deal in hypothetical scenarios, and we’re free to do so, free from the analysis and criticism of a sea of journalists, bloggers, fanatics and fringe-dwellers, free from concern for our next paycheck, from thinking every time we pull the trigger on one of these mythical deals in our heads that it might be our last.

Brian Sabean and the 29 other GMs across MLB do not enjoy that luxury. They do this for a living, and they’ve been doing it a while — except for that Epstein guy in Boston. (What’s up with him?) And though I may sound like a naïve little homer, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

These guys spend all day every day studying players. I spend a couple hours a day in front of the tube or watching video online and I take the occasional trip down the street to Muni or — more regularly — up the Peninsula to AT&T. I’m willing to admit I don’t know jack compared with the top brass. If Sabean, Dick Tidrow and the rest of the “Brain Trust” decided Alderson was expendable if it meant bolstering up the most glaring hole in the Giants lineup — beyond a bone fide cleanup hitter — then I’m willing to swallow my pride and accept it...

...if only it didn’t wedge a permanent rift between my favorite team and my favorite fellow alum.

This deal almost certainly marks the end of Kevin Frandsen’s tenure with his beloved Gigantes, and the prospect is breaking his heart. I can’t help imagining a parallel universe where Franny didn’t tear his Achilles last spring, where he came out in 2008 and put up a .290/15/70 season in the two-hole and picked it clean in the field, where there was no question coming into Spring Training this year as to who would be starting at second base, where I was writing about a contract extension for the reincarnation of Robby Thompson instead of musing on his likely departure.

The day after this deal went down, K-Fran was benched by Fresno Grizzlies Manager Dan Rohn for throwing his bat after a frustrating plate appearance. Later on, it became common knowledge that Franny’s agent was requesting a trade for his client. I had a hard time reading the news, but somehow Baggs makes every sour pill go down a little sweeter.

So what now for the former Bell? The former Spartan batting champ? The scrappy hometown boy who consistently trounced expectation and made his own fate?

I can only hope a starting job awaits him on a struggling team in search of a spark. And I can guarantee you that if he finds a place in this league, he’ll make the Giants pay with every at bat he takes against us.

Meantime, I’ll have to be happy with a three-time All Star and former N.L. batting champ with what might be a gimpy knee holding down the cornerstone for the foreseeable future. That and the thought that the guys who know this team best believe they have a shot at glory come October.

Enjoy Timmy Time tonight, everybody.

There's No Place Like Home

Did you know there are three Major League stadiums named after beer companies?

Friday, July 24th Giants 3, Rockies 1
WP: Cain (12-2); LP: Hammel (5-5); S: Wilson (25 - N.L. Leader)
HR: SF - Schierholtz (4)

If karma does indeed surround us like a warm blanket, there is no greater evidence than the career arc of Main Cain. Should he sustain his level of play, should the defense continue to play Gold Glove defense at all positions behind him, should the Giants capture national attention and reach the playoffs, this team might be fielding another Cy Young triumvirate in the 2010 rotation... without Randy Johnson.

There, I said it. Remember: Jinxes are bullshit. Players make plays. Or they don’t. It’s as simple as that.

The good vibes from Thursday’s afternoon affair in Hot-lanta carried over here as the offense awoke for just long enough to do critical damage, and Matty laid down the law over seven nearly-spotless innings. But the real hero of the game didn’t do it (all) with his bat...

The Kung Fu Panda made a pair of unbelievable backhand plays down the line to rob speed demon Dexter Fowler. If you want an idea of how athletic a rolly-polly of a human being can be, have a look at this and also this.

Stat of the Night

“Nasty” Nate Schierholtz's fourth-inning home run was the Giants' first since July 12th, breaking a dinger-less string of 75 innings and 284 ABs.

Quote of the Night

"That's a pretty good feeling. Obviously, they're rooting against us, but it was fun to have that kind of excitement in the stadium. You make it work for you." - Matt Cain

Saturday, July 25th Rockies 8, Giants 3
WP: De La Rosa (8-7); LP: Sánchez (3-9)
HR: COL - Tulowitski (18)

Jonathan Sánchez has definitely learned a lot about himself since being demoted to the bullpen and rising like a phoenix to throw the first no-no for Los Gigantes in 33 long years. But he still hasn’t learned how to control his temper. Yes, Johnny, the rain came at just the right time to screw with your mojo. But the rain didn’t put two guys on base or groove one to Tulowitski. You did. And you can’t decide when it’s too wet to pitch. You’re on the umpires’ time, and they said play ball.

The Giants offense couldn’t even manage to make it interesting after that. Sánchez nearly took himself out of the game with a temper tantrum in the fourth and eventually went to the showers after surrendering a two-spot in the sixth. The bullpen had a decent showing... provided you discount a wasted outing from Merkin Valdez, who gave up three runs on four hits and a walk while navigating the eighth.

I gotta say, that dinger really lit up the Rockies dugout. The Giants staff had moseyed into town and promptly shut down the league’s second-most-potent offense. The home side had been perched on the doorstep but couldn’t seem to get home. Well, that all changed after Tulo returned to the first-base dugout. The fire was relit, and it carried his team to victory.

Quote of the Night

"I gave up two hits in the first five innings and there were three runs. I was like, 'How that happened?' Just one pitch, it went out of the park and you know the score." - Jonathan Sánchez

Sunday, July 26th Rockies 4, Giants 2
WP: Cook (10-3); LP: Sadowski (2-3); S: Street (25)

Call me on it if I’m full of shit, but the Giants never perform well against sinkerballers. Brandon Webb and Derek Lowe always spring to mind as card-carrying members of this band of tricksters who’ve played their pranks on all-too-gullable Giants squads over the years. Add Aaron Cook to the rolls.

The simple truth is that eager bats mixed with sinking pitches lead to ground balls, lots of them, sixteen of them for outs in this game alone, including a poorly-timed double-play ball from Edgar Renteria. To be fair, Edgar drove in one Giants run and set up the other one, but it’s always the failures that we remember. Such is baseball. Such is life.

Right now, this offense couldn’t hit a beach ball, and there’s only so much a pitching staff can do. I’m not abandoning my position that this team can win as constituted, but you’re going to hear a lot of whispers around the Cove when the team returns this week. As pointed out by Baggarly, trade topic Freddy Sanchez will be at AT&T with the Bucs to start the homestand.

Btw, the non-waiver trade deadline is Friday, July 31st at 1 p.m. PT.

Road trip post mortem

If the Wild Card race comes down to the Giants and Rockies, I think we’re all in for quite a treat. Both teams have obvious strengths and just enough of everything else to make them winning clubs. They both have a lot of youth mixed with just enough veteran leadership. Neither team was predicted to do much of anything. And both of their parks have been filled of late with loyal fans hungry for the postseason.

The folks at Coors Field are rising to their feet with two strikes and two outs. And I’m pretty sure I heard some die hard fans of the Gothams chanting “Lets go Giants” in the later innings — along with at least one rendition of “U-RIBE!” It’s plain to see the faithful on both sides understand the significance of these games. There was a playoff atmosphere enveloping that park all weekend, and it came through even on television.

I hope we all find that passion within ourselves and welcome our team home with relentless support.