Official July 31 trade deadline thread

[msgkings322]

We are less than 6 games out of the division lead.There is no reason to panic.If you trade Pence,You are trading the spirit of this team.You are throwing in the towel if you do.He is the face of the 2012 playoffs for the Giants.Pablo Sandoval is fat.He is is fatter than I was when I started my diet.I am 5,11 and was at 280 lbs.He is not disciplined at the plate.Home plate or the dinner plate.I question his work ethic.He doesnt do the work to stay in playing shape and it shows.He has never played an entire season without going on the DL. He needs to go.But we have nothing at 3B without him.We need an upgrade at 3B,1B and LF plus at least 1 starting pitcher.But where do you find those upgrades if you trade Sandoval or Belt?We have all seen the list of SPs reported to be available at the trade deadline.What is there out there at 1B,3B and LF.

Well yeah, you don't trade Pence if you think you are a playoff team in 2013. Some of us here have decided we don't think it's our year, so you should be a seller. Others are still thinking we can win this division.

To me, it's like this: on an NL team there are 13 starting players, 8 positions and 5 pitchers. Our 13 won the WS last year. But of that 13, 1 pitcher, the ace actually (Cain) is either doing a Timmy-style transition to effectiveness at a lower velocity, or has a dead arm, or both. Another pitcher's slot, Vogelsong/Gaudin/Kickham, has been either bad, injured, or not ready for the majors (with a few good Gaudin starts in there). One position player got hurt and then returned hitting AWFULLY (and he was a main component to the 2012 offense). Another is going to miss over half the season.

That's enough regression in 4 of 13 spots, not to mention injuries in other spots and on the bench and in the pen, to go from a playoff team to a non playoff team. We're not terrible, but we're not good enough.

It will be interesting to see which camp Sabean falls in. He's already hinted that unless the current group plays better, and they have only 3 weeks to do it, he won't be bringing any help in (buying) and may instead trade guys (selling, presumably guys like Pence). Will they play better the next 20 games? I've decided no I don't think they will. I'm not in any way 100% sure of that, it's possible they will. But I don't think we have the horses this year. We will still be competitive next year IMO.

Only 6 (6 1/2 actually) games out? We used to say 'they are only 3 out'. The only team they for sure will finish ahead of is SD, and also maybe Colorado. But it looks to me like a 82 win 3rd place team. And that's with better play, as they are on pace for only 75 wins, they have to go 42-33 to get to that many wins. They have a -41 run differential, because they can't score and the pitching, our strength for years and the reason for our WS titles, is now only ordinary at best.

My heart still hopes, but my head, which is way smarter, knows the ending of this movie.

 

[SF11704]

IMHO (just an opinion) I think we are in quite a bit of trouble now and as we move to 2014. The only solid positions art see at this point in the season is Crawford and Posey. Crawford has been slipping but he is still playing above my expectations. Ever other postion raises a question for me:
1B - will Belt ever reach the potential we all hope for
2B - Scoots is 37. Just how ready is our farm? Scoots CAN hit but will his replacement? I like Noonan but he's not Scoots.
3B - Panda . A big question mark moving forward. We know he can hit but will he stay healthy and can his weight be controlled? What will his value be if in 2014 if he has another so so year?
RF - Pence. What can I say. I think he should be part of the core but I don't see us matching what he will be offered in FA. It's not going to be money, it's going to be length of contract. We will need a replacement
CF - Pagan. Nice CFer but not extraordinary. Just hope he returns at the same level. He was average when in NY. I think we saw an exceptional year in 2012.
LF - Very tired of the Blanco/Torres platoon. Actually tired of Torres. Blanco has exceed my expectations this year but is that the 'real' Blanco.

Pitching: tough calls all around. Is Cain worn out? Timmy is gone. Just don't see him accepting anything less than 15M per and I can't see us offering that . Voggy status is also questionable. Who will we see when he returns? Voggy the journyman or Voggy the 2012 version? Zeets is also anorther question. How much do we offer for our 4th/5th starter? Bum is core and poses no issues in my mind. I still see three unknowns though. The pen has been hurt so it's hard to get a handle on them.

Hitting: we are not a power team. We need to manufacture runs. Hate to say it but maybe Bochy has to be replaced. I just don't see him giving up outs to manufacture runs. Refuses to take that path in almost all situations.

The question now is .... do we make moves with 2014 in mind or do we make moves trying to take the division in 2013. I don't believe that there is a WC in the future for any NL West team

 

[msgkings322]

IMHO (just an opinion) I think we are in quite a bit of trouble now and as we move to 2014. The only solid positions art see at this point in the season is Crawford and Posey. Crawford has been slipping but he is still playing above my expectations. Ever other postion raises a question for me:
1B - will Belt ever reach the potential we all hope for
2B - Scoots is 37. Just how ready is our farm? Scoots CAN hit but will his replacement? I like Noonan but he's not Scoots.
3B - Panda . A big question mark moving forward. We know he can hit but will he stay healthy and can his weight be controlled? What will his value be if in 2014 if he has another so so year?
RF - Pence. What can I say. I think he should be part of the core but I don't see us matching what he will be offered in FA. It's not going to be money, it's going to be length of contract. We will need a replacement
CF - Pagan. Nice CFer but not extraordinary. Just hope he returns at the same level. He was average when in NY. I think we saw an exceptional year in 2012.
LF - Very tired of the Blanco/Torres platoon. Actually tired of Torres. Blanco has exceed my expectations this year but is that the 'real' Blanco.

Pitching: tough calls all around. Is Cain worn out? Timmy is gone. Just don't see him accepting anything less than 15M per and I can't see us offering that . Voggy status is also questionable. Who will we see when he returns? Voggy the journyman or Voggy the 2012 version? Zeets is also anorther question. How much do we offer for our 4th/5th starter? Bum is core and poses no issues in my mind. I still see three unknowns though. The pen has been hurt so it's hard to get a handle on them.

Hitting: we are not a power team. We need to manufacture runs. Hate to say it but maybe Bochy has to be replaced. I just don't see him giving up outs to manufacture runs. Refuses to take that path in almost all situations.

The question now is .... do we make moves with 2014 in mind or do we make moves trying to take the division in 2013. I don't believe that there is a WC in the future for any NL West team

Well my oh my, thanks for taking the shatting crown off my head!
Sabean is good at this, he'll have us reloaded for 2014, he sees what we see and 100x more.
I don't think the bolded above is even a question anymore, although obviously some disagree. And by the way I'd still feel this way if we'd have stolen yesterday's game from the Dodgers.

 

[calsnowskier]

IMHO (just an opinion) I think we are in quite a bit of trouble now and as we move to 2014. The only solid positions art see at this point in the season is Crawford and Posey. Crawford has been slipping but he is still playing above my expectations. Ever other postion raises a question for me:
1B - will Belt ever reach the potential we all hope for
2B - Scoots is 37. Just how ready is our farm? Scoots CAN hit but will his replacement? I like Noonan but he's not Scoots.
3B - Panda . A big question mark moving forward. We know he can hit but will he stay healthy and can his weight be controlled? What will his value be if in 2014 if he has another so so year?
RF - Pence. What can I say. I think he should be part of the core but I don't see us matching what he will be offered in FA. It's not going to be money, it's going to be length of contract. We will need a replacement
CF - Pagan. Nice CFer but not extraordinary. Just hope he returns at the same level. He was average when in NY. I think we saw an exceptional year in 2012.
LF - Very tired of the Blanco/Torres platoon. Actually tired of Torres. Blanco has exceed my expectations this year but is that the 'real' Blanco.

Pitching: tough calls all around. Is Cain worn out? Timmy is gone. Just don't see him accepting anything less than 15M per and I can't see us offering that . Voggy status is also questionable. Who will we see when he returns? Voggy the journyman or Voggy the 2012 version? Zeets is also anorther question. How much do we offer for our 4th/5th starter? Bum is core and poses no issues in my mind. I still see three unknowns though. The pen has been hurt so it's hard to get a handle on them.

Hitting: we are not a power team. We need to manufacture runs. Hate to say it but maybe Bochy has to be replaced. I just don't see him giving up outs to manufacture runs. Refuses to take that path in almost all situations.

The question now is .... do we make moves with 2014 in mind or do we make moves trying to take the division in 2013. I don't believe that there is a WC in the future for any NL West team

 

[Heathbar012]

I don't even acknowledge most of the fears in this thread until Labor Day Weekend. Of course, the trade deadline is before that, so until August 1st (and hopefully, beyond) the only goal is getting good enough to make the playoffs this year. The future is considered, but not paramount until mid-September, at the earliest. This is the franchise the Giants have now. Enjoy that when the games are unbearable, and know it would take another major injury for this team to lose half its games, or more, this season.

 

[msgkings322]

I don't even acknowledge most of the fears in this thread until Labor Day Weekend. Of course, the trade deadline is before that, so until August 1st (and hopefully, beyond) the only goal is getting good enough to make the playoffs this year. The future is considered, but not paramount until mid-September, at the earliest. This is the franchise the Giants have now. Enjoy that when the games are unbearable, and know it would take another major injury for this team to lose half its games, or more, this season.

Hmmm...as I mentioned, they need to go 42-33 the rest of the way to not lose half their games. This bunch might be able to fall short of that without any more injuries.

 

[Heathbar012]

Hmmm...as I mentioned, they need to go 42-33 the rest of the way to not lose half their games. This bunch might be able to fall short of that without any more injuries.

Career norms suggest otherwise. Current form aside, a lot of the game-changing moments have been sullied by fielding and mental errors. Those are one thing when they are committed by Tony Torcato, but these are good major league ballplayers. You're exactly right that Arizona and Los Angeles are playing well. The Rockies and Padres are better than expected, but it isn't even August yet. A lot of the unexpected peak performances are coming from players that have never played this many games in this short amount of time, and those important September series aren't even around the corner (the important August ones are ).

Of course, a lot of this is opinion-based, but if I showed the career numbers of Buster Posey vs. the last month and a half, I'm sure we both know what would look better and what will closely resemble what to expect the rest of the way. Sure, two long playoff runs in three years are tiring, but most of these players take their conditioning much more seriously than we give them credit (we know who is excluded from that). Recent history is an important indicator of future performance, but it certainly isn't the only criteria. This roster has some positive movement in it. I do think Scoots should just sit out and get 100% for the stretch run, though. Him and Pagan would be a huge boost in September.

 

[msgkings322]

Career norms suggest otherwise. Current form aside, a lot of the game-changing moments have been sullied by fielding and mental errors. Those are one thing when they are committed by Tony Torcato, but these are good major league ballplayers. You're exactly right that Arizona and Los Angeles are playing well. The Rockies and Padres are better than expected, but it isn't even August yet. A lot of the unexpected peak performances are coming from players that have never played this many games in this short amount of time, and those important September series aren't even around the corner (the important August ones are ).

Of course, a lot of this is opinion-based, but if I showed the career numbers of Buster Posey vs. the last month and a half, I'm sure we both know what would look better and what will closely resemble what to expect the rest of the way. Sure, two long playoff runs in three years are tiring, but most of these players take their conditioning much more seriously than we give them credit (we know who is excluded from that). Recent history is an important indicator of future performance, but it certainly isn't the only criteria. This roster has some positive movement in it. I do think Scoots should just sit out and get 100% for the stretch run, though. Him and Pagan would be a huge boost in September.

Posey isn't the problem right now. By September we will likely be really done...
The 'unexpectedly' weak performances have been Cain and Panda pretty much. But those are 2 huge cogs. Add in injuries to Pagan and VOgelsong, and you have a problem.
You're right that we could see those guys snap back and maybe make a move with a 10-3 type run (which only gets us back to .500!)...I've just decided we aren't going to. Just one idiot's opinion.

 

[Mays-Fan]

IMHO (just an opinion) I think we are in quite a bit of trouble now and as we move to 2014. The only solid positions art see at this point in the season is Crawford and Posey. Crawford has been slipping but he is still playing above my expectations. Ever other postion raises a question for me:
1B - will Belt ever reach the potential we all hope for
2B - Scoots is 37. Just how ready is our farm? Scoots CAN hit but will his replacement? I like Noonan but he's not Scoots.
3B - Panda . A big question mark moving forward. We know he can hit but will he stay healthy and can his weight be controlled? What will his value be if in 2014 if he has another so so year?
RF - Pence. What can I say. I think he should be part of the core but I don't see us matching what he will be offered in FA. It's not going to be money, it's going to be length of contract. We will need a replacement
CF - Pagan. Nice CFer but not extraordinary. Just hope he returns at the same level. He was average when in NY. I think we saw an exceptional year in 2012.
LF - Very tired of the Blanco/Torres platoon. Actually tired of Torres. Blanco has exceed my expectations this year but is that the 'real' Blanco.

Pitching: tough calls all around. Is Cain worn out? Timmy is gone. Just don't see him accepting anything less than 15M per and I can't see us offering that . Voggy status is also questionable. Who will we see when he returns? Voggy the journyman or Voggy the 2012 version? Zeets is also anorther question. How much do we offer for our 4th/5th starter? Bum is core and poses no issues in my mind. I still see three unknowns though. The pen has been hurt so it's hard to get a handle on them.

Hitting: we are not a power team. We need to manufacture runs. Hate to say it but maybe Bochy has to be replaced. I just don't see him giving up outs to manufacture runs. Refuses to take that path in almost all situations.

The question now is .... do we make moves with 2014 in mind or do we make moves trying to take the division in 2013. I don't believe that there is a WC in the future for any NL West team

Good questions. My answers to some, keeping in mind that, per Sabes, the next couple weeks we see where we are with what we got. Basically I'm assuming here we become sellers:

Belt - his numbers are not down from 2012, despite his early-season injury, and the general decline in the rest of the team's production. He's only 25, he fields well, and there is no proven replacement. Belt is not the problem, and should be part of the future core.

Scoots - we have depth here, and if we can move him for anything of value as sellers, we should do so.

Panda - keep him, but on a VERY short leash, per my previous post.

Pence - you said "It's not going to be money, it's going to be length of contract. We will need a replacement". But that is going to be the problem with any FA - you have to spend too much, or for too long, or both. I just don't think you can find a better fit for us on the FA market, and we have little depth in our farm here.

Pagan - if we are to compete for the WC in 2014, we probably have to gamble that he comes back and is productive, so that we can spend money elsewhere. If he isn't, we 'll have to scramble.

Torres - if we can get anything for him, we should do so, even if we are buyers come July 31. He adds no more value, and may be worse now than, say, Perez. Definitely don't re-sign him for 2014.

Pitching - likely Timmy won't be here in 2014. We can probably get some decent prospects for him now.

Bochy - while a lot of this year falls on him, and that lineup error was mega-boneheaded, his 2 WC's here have earned him the right to be forgiven.

I would definitely start putting out messages to the other GM's that we may become sellers very soon.

 

[Heathbar012]

Posey isn't the problem right now. By September we will likely be really done...
The 'unexpectedly' weak performances have been Cain and Panda pretty much. But those are 2 huge cogs. Add in injuries to Pagan and VOgelsong, and you have a problem.
You're right that we could see those guys snap back and maybe make a move with a 10-3 type run (which only gets us back to .500!)...I've just decided we aren't going to. Just one idiot's opinion.

Buster Posey is one example. You know I don't think this below-his-par performance has been the only difference from last year (although his at bats certainly effect the rest of the line-up more than most). Arias and Crawford didn't make as many mistakes in the field, MadBum had more QS to this point last year (he certainly isn't the issue either) and Pablo wasn't almost worthless when healthy. The roster isn't much different from last month. Timmy still needs to go into the bullpen, and Sabes needs to make a move to improve the #3 in the rotation and outfield options (a legit fourth OF would do wonders).

I know you agree that Sabean is more than capable of accomplishing this feat without completely decimating an average farm system, so what has changed? The team looks more tired and discouraged? They are a few more games out of the playoffs? They lost back-to-back series to play-off teams? Sure. They got their butts kicked last week. If they seemed ho-hum about it all, I would be more worried. I feel the same about these pitfalls as I did three to four weeks ago. They still have the ballpark, mostly healthy pitchers (with proven big game dominance) and Posey. All of this keeps the NL West attainable, and great baseball on the horizon.

 

[badazzk9]

We are less than 6 games out of the division lead.There is no reason to panic.If you trade Pence,You are trading the spirit of this team.You are throwing in the towel if you do.He is the face of the 2012 playoffs for the Giants.Pablo Sandoval is fat.He is is fatter than I was when I started my diet.I am 5,11 and was at 280 lbs.He is not disciplined at the plate.Home plate or the dinner plate.I question his work ethic.He doesnt do the work to stay in playing shape and it shows.He has never played an entire season without going on the DL. He needs to go.But we have nothing at 3B without him.We need an upgrade at 3B,1B and LF plus at least 1 starting pitcher.But where do you find those upgrades if you trade Sandoval or Belt?We have all seen the list of SPs reported to be available at the trade deadline.What is there out there at 1B,3B and LF.

Pence spirit of the team? Face of the playoffs in 2012? WTF are you smoking? Pence was dead weight in the playoffs hitting .210 and dead weight for getting in the play offs for that matter. We won in spite of him.

 

[badazzk9]

Pence spirit of the team? Face of the playoffs in 2012? WTF are you smoking? Pence was dead weight in the playoffs hitting .210 and dead weight for getting in the play offs for that matter. We won in spite of him.

Plus we are 9.5 games out and the division is stronger than most think... My greatest fear is we are just good enough to be relevant and then they pull the trigger on some rent a player then fall short, Beltran revisited... We'll see the product of the trade haunt us this Wed. Time is now to see what is out there and the value of our players on the trade market. Cain, Bum, Posey are untouchable they rest can be placed on the trade block...

 

[SF11704]

Interesting views from around our community. Personally I'm more in the camp that thinks we're not going to make the playoffs this year. Anything is possible. In my heart I want us to reach the playoffs but my brain tells me that we're going to have play at a 48-33 pace for the second half and everyone else will have to be around .520. Possible but having everyone in front of us play .540 or less? Difficult at best. I also don't think we have till Labor Day to take a position on what the team is trying to do. On July 31st we were either buyers, sellers or stood pat. Selling and standing pat IMO means we have moved on past 2013 and are looking to 2014. Buying IMO can mean either. Depends on what you give up in the process. The Beltran 'buy' was a 2011 move. We were not looking to 2012 and we gave up a nice pice from our future. It was a gamble that didn't work out for us. As far as my Bocy statement I still stand by it. This team does not score runs. Hasn't for awhile now. Yesterday against Kershaw in the 6th inning. The pitcher leads off with a walk. I would have moved him over with a bunt and played for the run with the next two hitters. Kershaw doesn't give up many runs. You have to take the opportunity when they occur. Instead, Torres swings away and grounds into a DP. I just think that with a team that has been struggling like we have you need to manufacture runs. That's just not Bochy's style. I just feel he rarely adjusts his approach and never seems to want to give up an out to advance the runner. I understand that he's has delivered 2 WS championships for us but I also understand that this team is not playing like the 2010 or the 2012 team. Just think that he may have to rethink his approach to scoring some runs.

 

[msgkings322]

Plus we are 9.5 games out and the division is stronger than most think... My greatest fear is we are just good enough to be relevant and then they pull the trigger on some rent a player then fall short, Beltran revisited... We'll see the product of the trade haunt us this Wed. Time is now to see what is out there and the value of our players on the trade market. Cain, Bum, Posey are untouchable they rest can be placed on the trade block...

Link?

 

[badazzk9]

Pence spirit of the team? Face of the playoffs in 2012? WTF are you smoking? Pence was dead weight in the playoffs hitting .210 and dead weight for getting in the play offs for that matter. We won in spite of him.

Link?

My mistake looked at the wild card game back.

 

[Mays-Fan]

Pence spirit of the team? Face of the playoffs in 2012? WTF are you smoking? Pence was dead weight in the playoffs hitting .210 and dead weight for getting in the play offs for that matter. We won in spite of him.

Wow - were you in suspended animation or something? Being a great teammate on a world champion is a LOT more than putting up numbers:

Hunter Pence speech credited for Giants? turnaround | Larry Brown Sports

Long before the Giants were a dominant postseason force reeling off 3 straight wins in the NLDS, and seven straight wins to capture the World Series, San Francisco was about to make an early postseason exit. That’s when outfielder Hunter Pence, who was acquired from the Phillies at the trade deadline, stepped up with an impromptu speech that shocked — and motivated — his teammates.

According to reliever Jeremy Affeldt, Pence got “loud” and “crazy” and delivered a terrifying pregame speech typically reserved for the likes of Ray Lewis.

Manager Bruce Bochy called it a “powerful” speech that came “from the heart.”

Third base coach Tim Flannery described Pence’s speech this way on his band’s Facebook page:




“get in here, everyone get in here..look into each other eyes..now! look into each others eyes, I want one more day with you, it’s the most fun, the best team I have ever been on said the Reverend Hunter Pence. ” and no matter what happens we must not give in, we owe it to each other, play for each other, I need one more day with you guys, I need to see what Theriot (jerry) will wear tomorrow, I want to play defense behind Vogelsong because he’s never been to the playoffs..play for each other not yourself, win each moment, win each inning, it’s all we have left”…………for me an old coach it moved me like I have never been moved before…purity, real, passion, soul. the last of the holdouts this Pence..no arrows being shot, no hey look at me, no spotlight on me, no dance but “play for each other”…honor the game the game honors you..don’t know where and when it ends, but tonight I was proud to be together as a team, in a hostile environment, with just us..brothers that play for the name on the front, not the name on the back.

The team getting rowdy before games became a tradition after that. Pitcher Barry Zito even referred to the Hunter Pence speech as a turning point in the postseason.

“Hunter Pence came over, and he was giving us rally talks that first day in Cincinnati. We were down 2-0, and he went in there and gave a speech, and we were all kind of speechless. We were like, ‘wow, who is this guy?’ It just kept going all the way through. I joined up with him today and back in St. Louis, and me and Hunter tried to get with all the boys and motivate everyone,” Zito told Erin Andrews after the Giants won the World Series on Sunday.

Zito also said that the team had some intangible qualities that made them so good.

“I think it’s just the intangibles. I think it’s the X-factor. We just have the heart and we have that spark. I think it’s just the X-factor — you can’t really count that stuff,” he said of what made the team so good.

Relief pitcher George Kontos shared Zito’s sentiments.

“When Hunter gave that unbelievable speech before that game, it really inspired everybody,” Kontos told the Mercury News. “We realized what we were to accomplish here. Nobody wanted to go home.”

You hear stories like this, and it makes you believe in concepts such as “team of destiny.” How else can you explain the chemistry and everything coming together for the Giants? Very few experts expected them to win the World Series, yet they swept Detroit. It was just meant to be.

 

[calsnowskier]

It seems that the pantshat damn has been opened up for this season. I am not against that, I think it is well earned and deserved.

However, talking about getting rid of Bochy is BEYOND anything that makes sense. Does he have quirks in his style that I find maddening? Of course. But he is generally considered the best manager in the game today. There is no way we will find anyone else who even comes close to bringing to the table what he brings.

Let's shelf any "Fire Bochy" talk until 2016 at the earliest, OK?

 

[badazzk9]

Wow - were you in suspended animation or something? Being a great teammate on a world champion is a LOT more than putting up numbers:

Hunter Pence speech credited for Giants? turnaround | Larry Brown Sports

Long before the Giants were a dominant postseason force reeling off 3 straight wins in the NLDS, and seven straight wins to capture the World Series, San Francisco was about to make an early postseason exit. That’s when outfielder Hunter Pence, who was acquired from the Phillies at the trade deadline, stepped up with an impromptu speech that shocked — and motivated — his teammates.

According to reliever Jeremy Affeldt, Pence got “loud” and “crazy” and delivered a terrifying pregame speech typically reserved for the likes of Ray Lewis.

Manager Bruce Bochy called it a “powerful” speech that came “from the heart.”

Third base coach Tim Flannery described Pence’s speech this way on his band’s Facebook page:




“get in here, everyone get in here..look into each other eyes..now! look into each others eyes, I want one more day with you, it’s the most fun, the best team I have ever been on said the Reverend Hunter Pence. ” and no matter what happens we must not give in, we owe it to each other, play for each other, I need one more day with you guys, I need to see what Theriot (jerry) will wear tomorrow, I want to play defense behind Vogelsong because he’s never been to the playoffs..play for each other not yourself, win each moment, win each inning, it’s all we have left”…………for me an old coach it moved me like I have never been moved before…purity, real, passion, soul. the last of the holdouts this Pence..no arrows being shot, no hey look at me, no spotlight on me, no dance but “play for each other”…honor the game the game honors you..don’t know where and when it ends, but tonight I was proud to be together as a team, in a hostile environment, with just us..brothers that play for the name on the front, not the name on the back.

The team getting rowdy before games became a tradition after that. Pitcher Barry Zito even referred to the Hunter Pence speech as a turning point in the postseason.

“Hunter Pence came over, and he was giving us rally talks that first day in Cincinnati. We were down 2-0, and he went in there and gave a speech, and we were all kind of speechless. We were like, ‘wow, who is this guy?’ It just kept going all the way through. I joined up with him today and back in St. Louis, and me and Hunter tried to get with all the boys and motivate everyone,” Zito told Erin Andrews after the Giants won the World Series on Sunday.

Zito also said that the team had some intangible qualities that made them so good.

“I think it’s just the intangibles. I think it’s the X-factor. We just have the heart and we have that spark. I think it’s just the X-factor — you can’t really count that stuff,” he said of what made the team so good.

Relief pitcher George Kontos shared Zito’s sentiments.

“When Hunter gave that unbelievable speech before that game, it really inspired everybody,” Kontos told the Mercury News. “We realized what we were to accomplish here. Nobody wanted to go home.”

You hear stories like this, and it makes you believe in concepts such as “team of destiny.” How else can you explain the chemistry and everything coming together for the Giants? Very few experts expected them to win the World Series, yet they swept Detroit. It was just meant to be.

He gave a speech, that is so over hyped! Zito was on in the playoffs that deserves more of the credit then a speech from a player who was underwhelming in the postseason.

 

[bone3421]

get off our kool-aid


rios is ranger bound............

 

[calsnowskier]

He gave a speech, that is so over hyped! Zito was on in the playoffs that deserves more of the credit then a speech from a player who was underwhelming in the postseason.

So all the players and coaches, almost to a man, say this speech was what turned them around and that they were lost without it. But this means nothing because you could see from your couch the he hit .212?

O...K...