From the moment he signed the big contract, there was resentment.
From the moment he first exited a game early, there was ridicule.
From this moment on, there will be respect.
Sure, some of that respect will be of the begrudging variety. But it will be there. Always and forever.
And for Barry Zito, that will always and forever be quite enough.
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The most significant story line for the Giants heading into Game 2 of the National League Championship Series was, without question, their heralded starting rotation’s failure to post a “quality start” to that point in the postseason.
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Voters charged with selecting the National League’s 2012 Most Valuable Player had to submit their votes before the start of the playoffs, so what Buster Posey did Thursday was, for those who’d already tabbed him as their top choice, merely validation of rather emphatic proportions.
For those who did not name Posey their MVP, well ... it likely served as a not-so-subtle, non-verbal admonition along the lines of, “What the hell were you thinking?!?”
The symbolism and symmetry of Posey’s master stroke were as immediately obvious as a swimsuit model in a press box.
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Game 1 of their respective division series held dramatically different consequences — implied, imagined and in reality — for the Giants and A’s, and such circumstances represented perhaps the most clear reflection of the teams’ hold on the Bay Area’s collective imagination.
In short, the Big Brother-Little Brother dynamic was in full effect.
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Randy Moss raised some eyebrows during the run-up to the 49ers’ crash-back-to-earth loss last weekend by brusquely brushing off a query about his limited role in the team’s offense.
For the everything’s-hunky-dory set, it was easy to rationalize at the time. “Next question” was easy to sell as Moss merely expressing disdain for the very suggestion that there might be even the slightest hint of trouble in Jim Harbaugh’s paradise.
After that loss? “Next question” took on an entirely different feel, didn’t it?
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It’s already been one of the most remarkable baseball stories in Bay Area history. If it ends with a World Series, so ends the debate.
Win or lose, if the A’s reach the Fall Classic now, after having suffered the loss of their three most proven, veteran starting pitchers in a disheartening span of less than a month, they will represent the most amazing story not just in the history of Bay Area baseball, but in Bay Area sports history.
And it’ll be right up there among the best stories in the history of sport anywhere in the world. Seriously.
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Nothing endears you to Giants fans like making the Los Angeles Dodgers look like clowns, and that’s how San Francisco’s begrudging appreciation for Bruce Bochy began.
It all started on that night in 2010, when Bochy busted Don Mattingly for an almost imperceptible return to the sacred circle that is the pitcher’s mound. It constituted a “second trip,” forcing Mattingly — then L.A.’s hitting coach, but in charge at the time due to the earlier ejections — to take closer Jonathan Broxton out of a tight game that promptly turned in the Giants’ favor.
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It’s put up or shut up time for the Niners’ Michael Crabtree, whose 12-touchdown output in three seasons since being drafted 10th overall in 2009 represents significant underachievement, yet he was handed the starting job opposite Randy Moss for today’s opener at Green Bay.
Why was Crabtree given the start over Mario Manningham, who has 18 TDs in 3½ seasons and a far more favorable reputation as a teammate and worker?
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If the Giants make the playoffs, Tim Lincecum will be in the their starting rotation. Don’t kid yourself. If he’s not hurt, “The Freak” will be getting the ball in October.
His 2010 postseason run, combined with the few flashes of brilliance we’ve seen this season, are all the team needs to justify such a decision.
And be sure that they’ll use it.
And be equally sure that they won’t be using Lincecum as a reliever.
Don’t laugh. Plenty of folks, seemingly sane, have suggested to me in recent weeks that Lincecum should be converted to a closer.
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It was certainly tempting, in light of Bartolo Colon’s positive drug test revelation, to call my editor at The Examiner and do what Colon did: take the easy way out.
“Hey boss, can you just reprint my column from last week, subbing in Colon’s name for Melky Cabrera’s and subbing the A’s in for the Giants?”
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Melky Cabrera’s incredibly selfish and idiotic decision is going to cost him an ungodly amount of money, but there’s no reason it should cost the Giants a shot at returning to the postseason.
It’s certainly not going to be easy without the Melk-Man, whose final delivery of the regular season came in the form of a mea culpa news release issued through the players union, but consider the following:
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The decision-making machine never stops chugging along in the front office of a big-league ballclub. In-season, offseason — it never slows down. If you’re not deciding which player deserves a contract extension, you’re determining which free agents to pursue, weighing the pros and cons of a deadline deal, or figuring out where to place or promote a particular prospect.
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Nate Schierholtz goes deep for Philly the day after being traded away, along with stud catching prospect Tommy Joseph and a rosin bag (aka minor-league pitcher Seth Rosin), for Hunter Pence.
Pence, meanwhile, goes 0-for-4 with a pair of punchouts for the G-Men.
Cue the panicked reactionary chorus: Brian Sabean got fleeced!
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What happened to Oakland being the Bay Area’s black hole for sports? Not anymore, it isn’t. Thanks in large part to their incredibly dramatic sweep of the New York Yankees last weekend and a failed trade for Hanley Ramirez this week, the A’s are national news now, on and off the field. The Giants are suddenly playing second fiddle.
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Five blown saves in eight attempts? That’s not a trend. That’s just plain sucking. The Giants need to address the closer situation before the trade deadline, and they’d be wise to target Huston Street of the San Diego Padres.
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