Dream Fallout

So, there were two things that I felt most strongly about in terms of the Giants' off-season agenda: 1) retaining Aubrey Huff; and 2) retaining Juan Uribe. They seemed at the heart of the magical run. At the very least, let's keep them around for a victory lap, right?

Yes, Edgar Renteria was vital too, but considering his age and fragility, I was okay with letting him ride off into the sunset under the Golden Gate Bridge by way of a richly-deserved yet environmentally-friendly yacht, either into retirement, or a nightcap of a season or two with another team--although capping a career with another World Series-winning hit to go along with his winner in 1997 would be tough to top. And yes, I was thrilled to have Pat Burrell on the team, for the local flavor, the big hits in the season, and the classic baseball nickname of "Pat the Bat", but his lack of mobility meant I would much rather the Giants extend Cody Ross and Andres Torres.

Step 1: Accomplished! We signed Aubrey to a richly deserved contract extension, 2 years with an option for a third, $22 million guaranteed. He can play first base or in the outfield, and he's just a big ball of fun and magic. His versatility will be key, especially if Brandon Belt, ostensibly the next Buster Posey, matriculates to the majors next season.

But, Step 2: Ugh. Um. Huh. Juan Uribe just signed a three year, $21 million deal. With the Dodgers.

What the hell?

Juan, you are related to Jose Uribe. You inherited the OOOOREEEEBAY cheer. How can you wear Dodger Blue?

Well, he has his reasons. Granted, those reasons are in the amount of $21 million, so you can't really blame him. He wanted a multi-year contract, and $7 million a year is, well, $7 million a year. Reports have varied as to what the Giants offered him, so I don't know what to think about that, although the Chronicle reports the Giants offered 3 years for $20 million, which, if true, either means that the Giants were unwilling to pay $1 million more or that Juan ignored the pull of trying to repeat over $1 million. Yes, $1 million seems like an enormous sum, but when you look at it as a percentage of the whole, it doesn't seem so much. Objectively, if he felt that was the best deal for him, then so be it. Baseball is a business, and objectively, there is no reason why a player shouldn't move from the Giants to the Dodgers or vice versa. It's just a matter of one city over another, one business over another. People change jobs all the time.

And it does not negate the magic of this past year in any way. Nor does it mean that Giants fans will have to automatically hate Juan the first time we play Los Angeles.

But there is something about it that just feels wrong. Baseball is not just a business, despite what the cynics say. But such is life; business does play a large role. Although, apparently the Dodgers made an aggressive run at Huff as well, so maybe the rivalry has just been taken to the business side as well.

And then you have the Giants' first response: a one year, $6.5 million contract to Miguel Tejada. Tejada has roots here from the A's and should provide good hitting, but he is older than Uribe by five years, and he was named in the Mitchell Report for steroid-affiliation. This isn't what we need, after Jose Guillen's brief fling with the Giants at the end of the year that was quickly linked to a delivery of HGH, not to mention the looming controversy of Barry Bonds and BALCO.

But the deal seems reasonable in dollars, and there are a few young prospects who could be groomed under Tejada. So we shall see. But it doesn't feel like the perfect coda to a championship symphony of a year.

Let's be sure to extend Cody Ross's contract, okay?

What It Means To Say San Francisco Giants, 2010 World Champion

The San Francisco Giants are World Series Champions. What does that mean in the grand scheme of things, other than the all-important truth that we have now won a World Series more recently than the Yankees and the Dodgers?

I have spent my life hoping that it would happen. Now that it has, it's hard to find the words to express what it means. The Giants won the World Series? Seriously? All this after being predicted to finish fourth in the division? You would think it was a straightforward question, the meaning of a World Series victory, but no.

The first game I ever attended was with Dad and our landlord in Santa Rosa. The Giants beat the Atlanta Braves at Candlestick Park behind Bob Brenly's three errors and two home runs. That was back in 1986. Rob Schneider, of all people, mentioned that exact game on the televised coverage of the celebratory parade (I am allergic to his comedy, generally, but he turned out to be an articulate and devoted Giants fan), which made me feel a link a larger world.

Obviously the Giants have been close before, in 1989 and 2002. That story has been covered many times. And what the victory means to me is probably not the same as it means to other fans, so all I can write about it is what it means to me. And even then, I'll stick to what I would like it to mean, because I'm still too close to it all.

All the pressure is off! Now that we've won a championship, outlasting all comers, we can sit back and enjoy the beauty of baseball qua baseball. Maybe Barry Zito can relax and just let the ball fly now, without the pressure of living up to his mega-inflated salary. And it will certainly make things easier for Marina, as I'll be able to resist yelling and swearing at the TV for a good long time, at least until April.