Winter Plans

Giants

If the Giants do not sign two starting pitchers that can give them seven innings most games they will not be a contender next year.  This will be very competitive and not easy to do since it seems about 80% of major league teams have the same need.  It would be nice to start with signing of Mike Leake.  If they don't look for them to get beat out in trying to sign other pitchers just like last year.  However I don't blame the Giants for having a lid on how much they can pay a pitcher.  They are already paying Cain $20 million (that's $10 million a win over the last two seasons) and they just dumped Lincecum $17 million so hopefully they have learned their lesson the hard way

The Giants own evaluation program ranks Pagan last in fielding in the major leagues.  That is enough reason to dump him but you know what? No what!  There are 10 million reasons to keep him.   I have heard they might try and trade him.  Good luck!  I  did hear one rumor that a American League team would take Pagan if the Giants threw in Bumgarner to complete the deal.

I believe Bruce Bochy played close to an outfield he would love in the last week of the season when he started Bryd in left, Parker in center and Williamson in right with the idea that Pence would be in right next year.   Too expensive for a team now worth billions.  So look for Aoki, Pagan and Pence health  permitting to be starting next April for the Giants.  It really doesn't matter who plays the outfield if the Giants don't pick up at least two starters.

The big 2015 story was that injuries killed any chance the Giants catching the Dodgers.  The truth is that the Giants were never considered a real threat.  Thanks to a great season by Crawford the surprise development of Duffy and Panic proving he wasn't a one year fluke the Giants managed to make a race out of it until September. 

It will be an interesting fall and winter season.


The 49ers

I think most of us knew down deep that the 49ers were going to have a tough season.  But little did we realize that how awful they would be.  The great #7 has been benched and his replacement will be running for his life next week because of the well known fact the OL is the worst in the NFL.  Re-building starts at the top but I am afraid York will not sell his prize toy.  Even his uncle Eddie went through growing pains when he hired Joe Thomas to run the  team in the late 1970's before he wised up and gave the field operations over to  Bill Walsh.  It would be miracle if we could give Bill an encore.  Maybe York should look to Stanford like his uncle did.

I remember making the comment in this blog that Kaepernick was wasting his time in Arizona this last spring trying to learn to be a drop back passer.  I also mentioned that I didn't understand why the 49ers even brought TE Vernon Davis back.  He wanted more money last year, did not get it and played like it.  Davis is now with Denver.

I have now lost complete interest in the NFL.  The TV was very quiet last Sunday.

The Warriors

I thought the Warriors would have to struggle little in the beginning of the season.  But with all the talk in the communications media that Warriors didn't deserve to win last year etc that seems to have given them plenty of motivation.  Actually they have been too hot.  It's a long season take it easy.


College Football

Many wonder why the Athletic Director at USC Pat Hayden has not been fired.  His record of selecting football and basketball coaches certainly warrants it.  Pat is too respected in the community however look for him to resign in the near future because of health issues.  My contact at Oxford has informed me because Hayden was a Rhodes Scholar the school has added a new course on how to hire coaches.

Stanford is certainly the surprise team with a exciting running back #5 leading the way. He certainly knows how to follow his blockers.   I remember his father being a great receiver for the Denver Broncos.