In the first major trade of the 2010 baseball season, the San Francisco Giants sent veteran catcher Bengie Molina and $2 million in cash to the Texas Rangers for twenty-eight year old right handed pitcher Chris Ray

Buster Posey now becomes the Giants starting catcher, and inherits one of the best starting pitching staffs in the Majors, featuring two Cy Young Award winners (Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito), and one of the youngest players in the Majors, twenty-year old fifth starter Madison Bumgarner.

The Giants #1 pick in the first round of the 2008 first year player draft, Posey stampeded through the minor leagues, excelling both at the plate and behind the plate. The 23 year old Florida State product is expected to add extra base hit punch to the Giant's anemic offense.

Molina, 36, was signed as a free agent this season for $4.5 million and had previously played for San Francisco from 2007-2009 as their starting catcher and clean-up hitter. But Molina's production fell off dramatically in 2010, with 17 RBIs in 61 games, and a .257AVG/.312OBP/.332OPS final line as a Giant. Not only was Molina's offensive production down, he was visibly out of shape and his defensive skills had diminished.

Chris Ray is 2-0 with 1 save, and has played in 35 games for the Rangers in 2010. Ray has a 3.41 ERA, 16 strikeouts in 31.2 innings, and 1.26 WHIP; he also walked 16 batters. Ray was originally traded from the Balitmore Orioles to Texas for starter Kevin Millwood in December 2009. San Francisco is expected to give Ray a shot in their bullpen, where his power arm will add even more punch to a potent pen.

As part of the deal, the Rangers will also send right handed pitcher Michael Main to the Giants. The Rangers selected the 21 year old Main as the 24th pick overall in the 2007 first year players draft. Hot-Prospects.net rates Main with a 90-94 MPH fastball, a power curve and still-developing change-up. Texas has a minor league system bursting with young pitching prospects, and Main is rated in the middle of that talent pool.  

The Rangers had been looking to upgrade at catcher for several months, and the Sporting News reported Texas approached the White Sox last month about a deal for Sox catcher A. J. Pierzynski. Ranger catchers are batting .212 this season, the lowest average in the Majors.

This deal could work out to be a significant success for the Giants, who moved out an unproductive, aging Molina thus clearing a path for Buster Posey, picked up a promising bullpen arm in Chris Ray, and received a legitimate minor league pitching prospect in Michael Main. The $2 million Texas received to supplement Molina's salary is spare change compared to the potential value San Francisco received in this deal.

The Giants, who already had the ability to take on additional payroll, can now make a serious push to find a legitimate power bat for the middle of their line-up.

There may have been past seasons when more Major League teams were hit with major injuries to star players, but for the sake of this piece I cannot recall any.

Today, the Philadelphia Philles announced that All Star second baseman Chase Utley has been placed on the 15 day DL for a severely sprained thumb (from Monday's game with the Reds, trying to stretch a single into a double). At the same time, the Phils put third baseman Placido Polanco on the 15 day DL for a bone spur in his left elbow, which he landed on making a dive in a game last Friday.

This follows the seemingly annual DL stints of star shortstop Jimmy Rollins; so far twice this year, including 29 days in April. 

Last weekend, the Boston Red Sox played a nightmare interleague series with the San Francisco Giants, which featured a Sox starter going down with an injury in each of the three games: on Friday, All Star second baseman Dustin Pedroia broke his foot and is expected to miss at least six weeks; Saturday, starter Clay Buchholz strained his left hamstring running the bases, and he'll be out at least a week and a half; and during Sunday's finale, Boston starting catcher Victor Martinez suffered a broken bone on the tip of his thumb after taking two foul tips off his hand, and is on the 15 day DL.

Boston already has starting pitcher Josh Beckett out until August with back problems, and starting center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury on the DL with a recurring rib injury.

Colorado Rockies All Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki broke his left wrist in a game earlier this year, and may not return until August at the earliest. Unlike Los Angeles Angels' first baseman Kendry Morales, who fractured his left leg during a homerun celebration pile-on by teammates after crossing home plate. Morales, an RBI monster for the Halos, is out for the season.

Here is a brief sampling of other top players currently out with injuries:

> Cincinnati Reds: starting pitchers Edinson Volquez (from 2009, one year with Tommy John surgery), and Homer Bailey 15 day DL (inflamed shoulder).
> New York Mets: centerfielder Carlos Beltran due back in August (knee surgery), starter John Maine 15 day DL (rotator cuff), starter Kelvim Escobar out for the season (shoulder surgery), and Daniel Murphy probably out for the season (right knee tear).
> Detroit Tigers: just lost fire-balling relief pitcher Joel Zumaya for the season (elbow fracture) in a game win that put the Tigers in first place.
> Arizona: All Star starter Brandon Webb 60 day DL (shoulder).
> Atlanta Braves super rookie Jason Heyward 15 day DL (after All Star break), and starter Jair Jurrjens just completed a 15 day stint on the DL (hamstring).
> Cleveland Indians: Grady Sizemore out until August (knee injury).

Keep in mind, every team routinely has players on the DL throughout the season, but the sheer number of key starters on the DL in the first half of 2010 means the upcoming July 31st no-waiver trade deadline just got a lot deadlier.

Aggressive teams will move even quicker this year, and possibly give up a little more, to get what they need to compete the rest of the season. The biggest needs in 2010? Infielders who can hit and RBI power bats top the list, with competent relief pitchers next, and quality starters bringing up the rear.

Teams that traditionally take a long time to pull the trigger on deals, or that like to wait and pick up "bargains" the last few days of July, could very well find themselves boxed out and wondering what the hell happened.
To paraphrase Keyser Soze in "The Usual Suspects",  GMs who blink and then look for that player they desperately wanted may find, "Poof, like that. They're gone."

This year, the Major League Baseball trade train will likely leave the station ahead of schedule.

San Francisco Giants ownership has to be assessing the team’s position regarding 2010 trades, and that means not waiting to make a move just prior to the 2010 MLB deadlines. The deadline to trade players without securing waivers is July 31, 2010, and the trade-by-waiver deadline is August 31st, but the Giants should be thinking about what they might do in the next three weeks.

Which MLB teams are motivated to trade early? Teams that, 1) are going absolutely nowhere and want to get an early start on salary savings and rebuilding; and, 2) a team willing to make a tactical strike now, rather having their GM stand in line with a dozen other GMs just before the trade deadlines.

Word has surfaced the Giants put out some preliminary queries about Kansas City Royals center fielder David DeJesus. At first glance DeJesus does not seem to fit the Giants’ three greatest needs: power, more power, and a lot more power. This year, DeJesus is batting .323, with a .393 OBP, and a .874 OPS; he’s played in 71 of KC’s 73 games, and has 5 home runs and 31 RBIs.

But DeJesus is on track for 200 hits, and he put up 159 hits in 2008, and 157 hits in 2009. Just to compare, DeJesus has 132 total bases this year, Aubrey Huff has 129. A trade like this would likely involve the Giants giving up a pitching prospect (that’s almost mandatory), and one or two very inexpensive outfielders (Nate Schierholtz, John Bowker, or Andres Torres come to mind).

DeJesus is in the final year of a $13.8 million, five year contract with the Royals; he’s making $4.7 million this year, with a club option in 2011 (when DeJesus either gets $6 million from his club, or a $500,000 buyout). Since Schierholtz is making $416,500, and Torres is making $426,000, the price is right for both the Giants and Kansas City.

David DeJesus has been with the Kansas City Royals his entire 7 season career. In the past three years, he primarily batted lead-off (1,299 times) and hit 3rd (152 times); in the field he plays center field and some left field. While DeJesus is not a base stealer or a power hitter, AT&T Park would play perfectly for his batting style: line drives, extra base hits, high average.

Who is selling what the Giants should be buying? The Milwaukee Brewers are probably the number one trading partner on that list. Desperate for any kind of legitimate pitching help, the Brewers have legitimate hitting to trade— and this is exactly the kind of match up that would immediately improve both teams.

Setting aside the “never trade within your Division” theory, the Arizona Diamondbacks are a great fit for what the Giants need (power) and what the Dbacks need (starting and/or relief pitching). And Arizona is apparently in full out selling mode.

The Snakes’ Mark Reynolds solves two major problems for the Giants: the need for a power hitter and the need for a third baseman. Not only would the team's home run power increase, Pablo Sandoval could be moved to first base where he really belongs. The Diamondbacks are desperate for a starter like Jonathan Sanchez and a couple of pitching prospects. But, the silly tradition of teams refusing to trade within their own Division probably makes this otherwise attractive transaction unlikely.

There are many other trade possibilities out there, but two questions have to be answered first: does the Giants front office have the ability to successfully assess available players for value and need (this has been a problem in the recent past), and do they have the will to get it done. That means, invariably, giving up quality pitching to get quality hitting.

As far as ability, the Giant's front office has a dismal track record in the trifecta of building a winning ballcub: free agent signings, trades, and developing a solid minor league base and promoting from within (although that's getting better).

In terms of the will to get things done, ESPN.com's Buster Olney recently conducted a poll among a group of MLB GMs who ranked the Giants' Brian Sabean as "the most difficult GM to trade with."

Several weeks ago I heard a commentator on KNBR, the Giants flagship radio station, pose the following question: if they could, should the Giants trade starter Matt Cain for Milwaukee Brewers power hitter Ryan Braun? The commentator hesitated, and finally said the Giants should probably not make that deal, because they just can't give up Cain.

Absolutely unbelievable, and it accurately reflects the mind set of team management. This is exactly the kind of deal that could turn the current Giants team into legitimate playoff contenders, and it would give them a real chance to make the 2010 World Series. But the Giants, frozen in indecision and clutching their pitching for dear life, simply cannot part with a starter like Matt Cain, who is 50-56 in his six year career with the team.

Nothing better illustrates the hostage mentality that grips the Giants front office, keeping ownership from pulling the trigger on the type of trades needed to move this team forward (while they still have pitching talent to deal).

Here is a quick reminder of what good pitching, without power and the ability to score runs, has gotten the Giants the past three seasons:
2007 – last place, 91 losses
2008 – 4th place, 90 losses
2009 – 3rd place, 74 losses.

But, hey, they still have Matt Cain.

There are vivid instances during every baseball season that perfectly express the sheer beauty and artistry of the game. Fans can be at the stadium, watching a game on TV, or listening on the radio and feel it; players in the field or standing along the dugout railing can experience it. That instant of heart pumping insight and understanding, and suddenly you’ve dropped deeper than ever before into the center-core of the game.

I was watching the Friday night June 18, 2010, Comcast broadcast of the San Francisco Giants interleague road game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Giants starter Barry Zito was pitching against one of the best offensive line-ups in baseball— Toronto has the lowest number of at-bats per home run in the Majors, and the Jays’ 266 extra base hits are second only to the Red Sox (270).

At the same time, I flipped over to the Extra Innings White Sox at Washington Nationals game to check out Nats star rookie Stephen Strasburg. In the top of the 4th inning in Washington, Strasburg faced Alex Rios, Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin. In throwing his third consecutive brilliant game, Strasburg struck out 10 Sox in seven innings, though the Nats would go on to lose the game 2-1 in the 11th. But, in the middle of Strasburg’s pitch sequence against the right hander Rios in the top of the 4th inning, he threw a fastball strike that was a jaw-dropping 98 mile per hour streak of white that unexpectedly bent, then violently dipped down to the side just as it crossed the plate.

The moment had me staring at the screen long after the pitch was thrown, and I thought, my god, have I ever seen that before, can any batter possibly hit that pitch, and can Strasburg throw that stuff whenever he wants to? Even though I’d seen Stephen Strasburg’s debut a few weeks ago, this pitch in this moment was astounding.

Then back to the Giants-Jays game and it was the start of the bottom of the 5th, and Barry Zito was facing shortstop Alex Gonzalez. As he started his wind-up, framed from behind in the ubiquitous centerfield camera angle, Zito threw the baseball in that confounding, easy motion with which he throws all his pitches. Only this pitch wasn’t a change-up or a fastball, but a curve that arched so high the ball actually swept up and out of the top frame of the TV picture, before reappearing again and slicing directly across the plate. Both Gonzalez and umpire Dana Demuth were fooled by the pitch:  a frozen Gonzalez watched it sail by, and Demuth called it a ball.

But Barry Zito’s pitch to Gonzalez was an absolute perfect strike; a precisely placed curve that, if it could have been hit at all, would have gone foul. Zito's off-speed pitch was the exact opposite of Strasburg’s blazing, twisting heater but its equal in every way. Zito's craftsmanship was damn near impeccable the entire game, and although he threw a complete game, the Giants lost to the Jays 3-2.  

Two breathtaking moments on the same night during this breathtaking 2010 season, full of amazing rookie debuts, the welcomed reemergence of pitching dominance in both leagues, no hitters, perfect games, and near-perfect games. Who could ask for anything more…

It took the Giants front office two months before they finally brought catcher/first baseman Buster Posey up from Triple A Fresno to the big club. When Posey didn’t make the big league team after a blow-out Spring Training, a number of radio and TV commentators, sports writers, bloggers, and fans were stunned . (At times like that, I turn resignedly to my Giants buddy and say, "this is the life we have chosen".)

Before that moment, throughout April and May, the team was already slip-sliding back to its tired 2007-2009 profile of having great pitching and not scoring, and soon enough the Padres and the Dodgers pushed San Francisco aside as they took over the NL West lead.

During that depressing time, Manager Bruce Bochy’s everyday batting line-ups were a model of giving old school veterans and high contract underachievers as many at bats as they wanted. The slumping, out of shape Bengie Molina batted clean-up as recently as June 5th; and Molina’s total of 83 at bats in the 4th and 5th spots in the 2010 Giants line-up have produced a grand total of 4 RBIs.

Now, in just three weeks, everything has changed. The team is winning, the hitters are hitting, and runs are being scored. As Giants TV broadcaster Duane Kuiper pointed out, five of the starters in the Giants’ Opening Day line-up against the Houston Astros are no longer in the starting line-up. That’s a huge turnabout, and speaks louder than any series of statistics just how desperate the Giants are to score more runs. 

But in the wise words of Mr. Wolf from the film “Pulp Fiction”, “Let’s not start sucking each other's d---ks quite yet”. The front office didn’t suddenly get brilliant, innovative and daring; it was a series of significant events that put the Giants just a half game out of first place in the NL West with a 14-6 record since May 25th, and pushed the creation of a batting line-up capable of producing runs and wins. 

What started it all? An injury to Edgar Renteria induced the front office to grudgingly bring Buster Posey up from Triple A; now Posey is playing every game, hitting .391 and producing runs. The Giants are very conservative when it comes to bringing up starting position players, so Posey's promotion was a hugely symbolic event.

Meanwhile, a series of other events were happening at about the same time…

A catastrophic series sweep at the hands of the Oakland A’s in late May finally convinced Bochy to move Aaron Rowand out of the lead-off spot. In his last game batting leadoff, on May 22nd, Rowand was hitting .248 with a .287 OBP. Andres Torres essentially replaced Rowand and has been spark plugging the offense for the past three weeks at lead-off and making stunning plays in centerfield.

A critical addition to the line-up occurred when the injured Freddie Sanchez finally played his first 2010 game on May 19th, and he has absolutely energized the offense and defense. Aubrey Huff has always been an extra base hitter who drives in runs, and now he’s doing that for the Giants and leads the team in total bases with 112.

But the crunching offensive catalyst this year has been Juan Uribe. Re-signed in the off-season to be a quality back-up infielder, Uribe now has 211 at bats (third highest on the squad), 10 home runs (tied with Huff), and leads the Giants with 41 RBIs. Bochy has leaned heavily on the 31 year old Uribe who has responded and so far shows no signs of tiring.

Here is the mark of where this team is at: premier hitting third baseman Pablo Sandoval’s early season slump and Tim Lincecum’s semi-serious pitching issues have not stopped this team’s momentum. A year ago, these same issues would have turned the Giants into instant Pittsburgh Pirate pudding, and they would have completely sunk in the West. But this year, with so many contributions from so many players, Sandoval can work quietly on his hitting and Lincecum is still surrounded by three quality starters and an effective bullpen.

San Francisco Giants pitching is still among the best in the game. Overall team pitching ranks third in the Major Leagues with a 3.30 ERA, and their opponents' .229 BA is the lowest in baseball. Giant starters rank third in Major League quality starts with 41 (behind Tampa Bay’s 42, and St. Louis with 44).

This is a good time, and this team could be at the start of a resurgence that will take them into the 2010 playoffs. But I warn all of you: listen to me and please remain alert and aware…  Bruce Bochy has stated several times he is “excited” at the prospect of getting Edgar Renteria back on the team. What? So who sits down? Juan Uribe? Buster Posey? Freddie Sanchez? Pablo Sandoval? Just to get a shortstop with no range back on the field as soon as possible? Yikes.

Bochy is also publicly adamant that Buster Posey will not catch regularly; Bengie Molina is going to earn his one year $4.5 million salary no matter what. And Aaron Rowand’s $12 million salary (with another $12 million coming in 2011, and yet another $12 million in 2012!) will make it very difficult for the Giants not to play him. And who sits when Rowand plays? Aubrey Huff? Andres Torres? Add to the mix former Tampa Bay DH Pat Burrell, whose fine start with the team makes him the left fielder until further notice, and you have all the ingrediants of a steaming cluster stew.

So this story isn’t over by a long shot, and there is extreme drama, excitement, and (yes) torture dead ahead. But, right now, the lights are green and it’s all orange and black baby…

SF Giants 2010 Baseball First Year Player Draft picks

Follow-ups:

August 16, 2010-- Yahoo Sports reports the Giants signed first round pick Gary Brown out of Cal State Fullerton for a reported $1.3 million. Brown has tremendous potential as a fast tracked lead-off hitter and centerfielder.

June 19, 2010-- SF Chronicle sports writer Henry Schulman reported the Giants signed third round pick Carter Jurica and fourth round pick Seth Rosin.

First round #24
Gary Brown CF - Cal State Fullerton
Batted .438 with 31 stolen bases this year. Good contact hitter, great speed on the bases and in the outfield. Excellent defensive outfielder. Classic lead-off batter. Ranked #24 in Baseball America's Top 50 overall prospects.

Second round #74
Jarrett Parker OF - Virginia
In 2009 Parker batted .355 with 16 home runs for the Virginia Cavaliers, and was projected to be a top ten draft pick. He has fallen off somewhat this year, but is still considered a potential five tool player. Plays center field and has blinding speed on the bases and in the field. Power potential makes him a possible first baseman.  

Third round #105
Carter Jurica SS - Kansas State
The Baseball Draft Report listed Jurica 2nd out of the top 30 college shortstop prospects for 2010. He batted .360 last year and his fielding and hitting skills are rated outstanding.

Fourth Round #138
Seth Rosin RHP - University of Minnesota
Selected 28th by the Twins in the 2007 draft, but did not sign. Minnesota's ace, Rosin is a 6'7" strike thrower who can hit 95 MPH with his fastball.

Also picked by the Giants:
#168 Richard Hembree RHP - Charleston
#198 Mike Kickham LHP - Missouri State
#228 Charles Jones CF - High school (Missouri)

For almost fourteen years, the Giants constructed not only the big league team, but the entire organization, around Barry Bonds. The idea was to stockpile pitching prospects, from the draft or by accquiring propsects from other teams, to be used as trade bait. What were the Giants trading for? Round after round of older veteran players to drop into the batting line-up around Bonds. The concept was to have just enough bats to get into the playoffs each year.

But as Bonds era ended, the organization woke up and found itself strip-mined of any real minor league talent to develop. As a result, the Giants did not produce one legitimate big league position player for years.

Under Special Assistant for Scouting John Barr, the Giants have slowly moved away from their pitcher-centric strategy and started to restock the minor leagues with players who have speed, who can hit, and who play in the field. In 2006, two of the top three draft players were pitchers (including Tim Lincecum); in 2007, two of the top three draft picks were pitchers; in 2008, all three of the top picks were position players (including catcher Buster Posey); in 2009 , two out of the top three picks were position players.

And in 2010, the top three draft picks are two outfielders and a shortstop. Now that the minor league system is actually producing position players who can contribute at the Major League level, the Giants have finally joined organizations like Minnesota, Tampa, and Oakland, who compete successfully by building from within.

But there's a ways to go. The organization still seems to be reluctant to move homegrown younger players into pivotal starting rolls. And the Giants are still burdened by a number of inflated contracts with veteran players, and even a player of the caliber and promise of Buster Posey is blocked from a starting job because benching or releasing a high paid nonproducing player like Bengie Molina (or Edgar Renteria, or Aaron Rowand) would make the organization look bad.

Having said that, there is no doubt the San Francisco Giants have retooled and are now committed to a comprehensive organizational vision and to long-term planning. And it will be fun watching it begin to fully blossom over the next several seaons.

SF Chronicle sports writer Henry Schulman reports the Giants will start Buster Posey at catcher in tonight's road game against the Cincinnati Reds. Posey will team up with Giants starter Barry Zito.

This will be Posey's first 2010 start at catcher; he had four starts behind the plate in 2009. Regular starting catcher Bengie Molina has been benched for tonight's game, and this may be the long-awaited beginning of the Buster Posey era in Giants baseball.

Molina is currently batting .248, with 12 RBIs in 158 at bats. As recently as Saturday's game against the Pirates, Giants Manager Bruce Bochy continued to bat Molina in the clean-up spot despite his complete lack of run production and power this year. Molina has 2 RBIs in 47 at bats from the number four slot in the line-up, and is batting .200 with runners in scoring position through June 7th.

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Just before game time tonight, at 7:00 PM ET, Major League Baseball will conduct the 2010 Baseball First Year Player Draft. The San Francisco Giants have the 24th pick in the first round of the draft, and the 74th pick in round two.  Several players may be on the Giants radar in round one, including West Virginia shortstop Jedd Gyorko, Ohio high school RHP Stetson Allie, outfielder Brett Eibner of Arkansas, and Florida high school shortstop Yordy Cabrera.

The Giants Cove will have an analysis of the Giants first round pick, and an assessment of who they didn't take (and why).

The San Francisco Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 on Saturday June 5th in Pittsburgh.

So here's the party line we're supposed to buy and eat whole as far as the Giants are concerned: they were down 6-3 with two out in the top of the 9th inning, but it's OK because Giants second baseman Freddie Sanchez hit a long fly ball out with the bases loaded. That fly ball was caught by a Major League baseball player making a Major League play, but the Giants would have gone ahead if the Pirates' outfielder didn't catch it. So it was close, and that makes everything cool, right?

Actually, no-- and what is happening to the Giants this year is making me one angry puppy. This game with the Pirates was a classic black hawk down, iceberg dead ahead, major clusterf**k. And it was screwed up by the Giants way before the first pitch of the game was thrown by Pirates starter Pat Maholm.

How, you ask?

1. The team continues to stand by Todd Wellemeyer as the 5th starter, and no one can figure out why. The only possible answer I can come up with is that Wellemeyer has a rare photo of Giants owner Bill Neukom wearing a straight woolen tie; or a photo of Neukom doing something that involves sheep. It is the only reasonable explaination.

In the start against Pittsburgh, Wellemeyer went three innings, gave up six earned runs and walked three. His 2010 season record is now 3-5 with a 5.72 ERA, a 1.52 WHIP, which is 86 hits+walks in 52 innings. In fifty-two innings! This projects out to a 9-15 record for the season, so we apparently have at least ten more Wellemeyer losses to look forward to.

Forget about which name to bring up from Fresno or San Jose. In the on-field (and apparently off-field) words of Tiger Woods, "Just do it."

2. Giants Manager Bruce Bochy's tragic case of Line-up Disorder Syndrome [see my June 1st post] has now gone viral. In the game against the Pirates, Bochy batted Pablo Sandoval 8th, aging shortstop Juan Uribe 3rd, and aging, plodding catcher Bengie Molina clean-up. Oh, and Bochy also batted newly sign DH Pat Burrell 6th in the order ahead of Buster Posey.

I hardly know where to start.

a) Pat Burrell earned a spot on the team, and start in this game, by batting .221 as Tampa Bay's fulltime DH in 2009. Burrell was batting .202 when the Rays decided three weeks ago that it was better to dump him from the team and eat his $9 million salary rather than keep him. That's when the Giants picked him up for, essentially, free. I mean, free is good, right?

So Burrell batted ahead of Buster Posey, who is hitting .444 after his first week with the Giants his year. Burrell went 1 for 4 with a strike-out. And Burrell played outfield in the game instead of Nate Schierholtz or Aaron Rowand.

b) Bengie Molina, with 12 RBIs and a .250 average, batted 4th in the line-up. When Molina was tried in the clean-up slot before, at the end of April, he had 10 RBIs. When they finally moved him out of batting clean-up in mid-May, Molina had 12 RBIs. But the worst aspect of Molina batting clean-up is that, four or five times each game, the heart of the batting order is clogged up with his incredible lack of speed and ugly propensity to be part of double-plays. Note to anyone who will listen: please make it stop.

c) Manager Bochy has issues with Pablo Sandoval's hitting, and the Panda's month-long slump. But Bochy is old school, so instead of actually sitting down and communicating with his player directly, Bochy decided he would teach Sandoval a lesson by batting him 8th in the line-up against Pittsburgh. That would show Sandoval who's boss, and get his mind right. Sandoval responded by going 1 for 4.

d) Juan Uribe has been a great producer for the Giants in 2010: 31 RBIs, 8 home runs, steady in the field. But Uribe was signed to be a supersub-- working the infield when players needed a rest or got injured, allowing the Giants to not lose a step when one of the regulars wasn't playing. But once Uribe started hitting, the desperate-for-hitting Bochy found it irresistible not to play him every day.

Making Juan Uribe a regular weakens the overall plan for the 2010 team, and it will eventually wear Uribe down. He has great heart, and he is a great fastball hitter, but he cannot carry this team offensively every day. Batting third against the Pirates, Uribe went 0 for 4.

3. It took the run-challenged Giants one third of the season to finally bring Buster Posey up, and Bochy has already hinted that Posey may have to go down when/if Mark DeRosa and Edgar Renteria rejoin the line-up! But the real problem here is that Bochy continues to treat his younger players like delicate little leaguers: when Nate Schierholtz was hitting .360 in the 8th spot a month ago he couldn't be moved up in the order because that might jinx his streak. Posey bats 7th (or 6th) in the line-up because he's young and can't handle the responsibility of hitting 4th or 5th.

This is baseball management from the 1930s, only without all the wins. The Giants should at least consider slowly inserting 21st century baseball management and planning into the mix to see if that might work. But until then, remember the party line: we came close, and isn't that cool?

It is an obvious decision for Major League Baseball: reverse umpire Jim Joyce’s blown 9th inning call during pitcher Armando Galarraga's otherwise perfect game yesterday in Detroit. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig will no doubt take time to look at the actions of previous Commissioners, he will talk to his advisors, and then he will carefully gauge the temper of the fan public and the sports media before making his decision.

But Commissioner Selig doesn't have to take any of those tip-toeing, public relations rear end covering steps. Because St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa has publicly stated umpire Jim Joyce's blown call in the June 2nd game should be overturned. And La Russa's statement is the ultimate green light for Major League Baseball to immediately correct a terrible mistake.

More than Selig, more than any superstar player, more than any manager or owner, and certainly more than any sports commentator or writer, Tony La Russa is the keeper of the inner soul of American baseball. La Russa is tough, opinionated, brilliant, and an expert about everything baseball is and isn't; about what baseball should be and should not be. He is an old school curmudgeon and a cutting edge innovator, and no one knows more about the historically vetted unwritten rules of the game.

Tony La Russa is the conscience of Major League Baseball, and Mr. La Russa has said that baseball should do the right thing. End of story.

Line-up Disorder Syndrome (LDS) is a tragic breakdown of the neurons in that area of the brain used exclusively by Major League Baseball managers to create their everyday line-ups. This dreaded disorder can also strike General Managers who meddle in their manager’s day-to-day line-up and fielding position decisions.

There are many who believe LDS has infested the San Francisco Giants front office for the past three years, and the raw scientific statistics certainly seem to back that up. But it’s only now, as people have become more comfortable talking about LDS, that we can try and do something about it.

How does LDS happen? Medical researchers, wearing long white lab coats and appearing to be busy working in what looks like a large laboratory, believe the actual electrons that help baseball managers create effective batting line-ups and fielding assignments somehow short-circuit. The results are line-ups consisting of overpriced older veteran players who are slow and past their prime; line-ups filled with competent and moderately talented players who can’t possibly win, but at least won’t embarrass the manager and the front office; or line-up slots given to mediocre players who the manager wants to make feel good for some reason.

Medical science does not know why this tragic disorder occurs, or how to stop it, but Line-up Disorder Syndrome can lead to some horrifying sights: Edgar Renteria attempting to shape-shift his posterior as he goes for a routine ground ball to his right; Bengie Molina having the time to plan even the smallest details of his upcoming retirement as he runs to first base on a routine ground ball; Travis Ishikawa determined to make contact with those pesky breaking balls bouncing a foot in front of the plate.

Perhaps the two worst line-up episodes in 2010 were 1) batting Bengie Molina in the clean-up spot in May when his resume was perhaps the exact opposite of what a clean-up hitter should be; and, 2) continuing to lead off with Aaron Rowand in May as he was doing his best to fight through one of the worst slumps in his career.

Any number of things can be done to combat LDS, but I'd rather not watch Ryan Seacrest host a third rate TV fundraiser on the Farm Implement Channel. Instead, I decided to donate my personal time and limited expertise to devise and present several Giants line-up templates that are simple and easy to use, as we wait to see if science or Line-up Disorder Syndrome wins this battle.