The Chicago Cubs did it this spring. So did the New York Mets. While it’s not advisable for defending world champions to adopt the practices of lesser teams, it’s time for the Giants to consider following the Mets and Cubs down the road of shedding excess salary weight. And the baggage that goes with it. Earlier this spring, the Mets released Oliver Perez, who’d gone 3-12 the last two seasons, without winning a game last year. The Mets will pay Perez $12 million in salary this year, but jettisoned him anyway. Read More

This baseball season, all eyes will be on the Giants. As winners of the 2010 World Series, they’ve reached celebrity status and the eyes of America will be watching more than just their playing style. Who’s fit and who’s fat? Who’s tough and gruff? Who do the ladies love? Has success gone to their heads, or just their hairdos? Click on the photo at right to see a slideshow of our favorite Giants before and after winning the World Series. Read More

One wonders if Giants closer Brian Wilson, who’s reportedly started taking hacks at The New York Times crossword puzzle when he was 12 years old, picked up a copy of today’s issue while down in Los Angeles for opening day.If the bearded legend did, he surely would’ve found it “sweet.”“I’d like to be a crossword clue one day,” he told The New York Times last October, just days before striking out Texas slugger Nelson Cruz in game five for the World Series win. “I want my clue to be down, not across. The down ones are usually harder.” Read More

As Joan Murphy’s 90-year-old father drifted in and out of sleep on his death bed 11 years ago, he tilted his head and uttered his final words.“Bye-bye, baby,” he said, voicing the late Giants broadcaster Russ Hodges’ famous home run call.“Did he really just say that?” Murphy, 65, thought aloud at the time. Read More