'05 San Francisco Giants spring training blog

The end is near

2005-03-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

Players no longer have nameplates above their lockers; their stalls are instead marked by a piece of white athletic tape with their jersey number scribbled on it. Boxes, suitcases and clothes hampers obstruct the entry to the clubhouse. Attention spans waver, on and off the field: Pitchers who are usually sharp give up multiple runs; typically early-arriving players now show up for work only 10 or 15 minutes before they're due to be dressed. It's the end of spring training, and thoughts have turned to the regular season. The Giants aren't alone. You can bet that this scene is being duplicated in 29 other camps.

Kid stuff

2005-03-25T13:19:00.000-08:00

Ballplayers are human, too. This was easy to remember the other day while watching Giants left-hander Scott Eyre greet his sons, Caleb (age 6) and Jacob (4). The boys, who obviously haven't seen their dad in a while, scampered onto the field before the game and ran as fast as their little legs could carry them toward Scott, who scooped them up, one in each arm. "Nothing's better than this," he said. Hours later, as Caleb and Scott waited for their dad to finish showering and dressing, left-hander Noah Lowry entertained them with card tricks. Great stuff.

Thoughts on Bonds

2005-03-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

As much as everybody would prefer to concentrate on baseball, we all realize that there's one and only one story in Giants camp, at least today. Much of what Barry Bonds said sounded like a prelude to retirement, although few people truly believe that he's going to quit. But I do support the theory that he'll retire if he decides he can't perform to his usual standards. Assuming he does continue to rehabilitate, when will he come back? The Giants seem to have no idea, and guesses range wildly, from mid-April to late May. My personal feeling is that he'll be back in mid-May, though I must confess that this is only an educated guess. What's certain is that this story is far from over, and more startling developments such as today's are likely to occur.

Back in the swing

2005-03-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

Hi, Giants faithful. Sorry about the silence. Even sportswriters are human; I was off for a week spending some quality time with my dear wife. Now, back to baseball. I've returned to a more intense Giants camp, with the competition for the last spot or two on the bench and in the bullpen growing more intense. Asked if he had ever been presented with so many viable roster options in any previous year as a manager, with either the Giants or his other stops, Felipe Alou said no. "It's very unusual," Alou said. "It's actually too many." The Giants demoted four players to the minors, making the day rougher for Alou. "It felt more like 15," he said.

Getting down to business

2005-03-12T19:40:00.002-08:00

Spring training is about to get a lot more serious. No more playing a few innings just to get the kinks out; no more experimenting with new pitches (unless they have a good chance of working). The Giants played their last split-squad games Saturday and have their only day off of the spring Monday. They have a night game Tuesday and a day game Wednesday, which will force Manager Felipe Alou to divide the team into separate groups that will play each game. Then the competition will intensify. Who will claim the final bullpen vacancy? Or will it be vacancies, if Alou decides he wants to begin the season with a 12-man staff? Jeff Fassero is a proven big-league veteran ... does he make the team? How about Tyler Walker or Wayne Franklin, who contributed last year? Who gets that fifth outfield spot -- Jason Ellison, Tony Torcato or Todd Linden? Answers may not come until the final exhibition games. P.S. -- Happy 14th birthday, Samantha!

Getting down to business

2005-03-12T19:40:00.001-08:00

Getting down to business

2005-03-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

Bravo, Benitez

2005-03-11T16:06:00.000-08:00

When you're a closer in spring training, you can't win. Let catcher Mike Matheny explain: "Every spring is a tough deal on closers. Either they throw in the middle innings where it's just not the same situation and the intensity is not the same, or the sense of urgency on the batter's part isn't there. Even if you hold on until late in the game, normally you're facing a bunch of kids who have nothing to lose and they're swinging out of their mind. It's just never a good situation for a closer. So it's good for him to have a game plan of what he's trying to accomplish. It's not the results, it's the process." The pitcher Matheny was referring to was Armando Benitez, who derived positive results AND underwent a beneficial process in Friday's 3-2 loss to Milwaukee. Benitez pitched two shutout innings (the fifth and sixth) while using a variety of deliveries, which many people probably didn't realize he had. No, this wasn't the ninth inning at SBC Park or Dodger Stadium, but it prepared Benitez well for those kinds of situations.

Willie Mays forever

2005-03-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

Having finished his running and agility drills on Thursday, as he continued his efforts to recover from arthroscopic right knee surgery, Barry Bonds went to the batting cage to do what he does best. He was joined by Willie Mays, who proceeded to do one of the things HE now does best -- evaluate his godson. Willie sat in a folding chair on the left side of the cage, the better to watch Bonds swing. Every so often Mays would call out advice to Bonds, who has been receiving helpful tips from the Hall of Famer since he was a lad. During Bonds' fourth turn in the cage, after listening to some of Mays' wisdom between swings, he belted two long home runs on his next two cuts. Later, Bonds wouldn't reveal exactly what Mays told him. But there's no doubt that it worked. At 73, Willie Mays wears a hearing aid and has trouble seeing. But when it comes to baseball, his senses are as sharp as ever.

Old Friends

2005-03-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

Felipe Alou is far too nice a person to make reporters rush through their postgame interrogation, but he hinted that he had an appointment to keep after Wednesday's 5-1 exhibition loss to the A's. "I'm having dinner with Cha-Cha," he announced. That, of course, would be Orlando Cepeda, the Hall of Fame first baseman who, like Alou, broke in with the Giants during the franchise's inaugural year in San Francisco in 1958. Isn't it great that they're friends? Doesn't it suit your idealized image of what teammates (or ex-teammates) should be? Kind of like eating dinner at your buddy's house when you were a kid. Except I don't Felipe or Orlando had to ask their mothers (or wives) for permission.

No messing around

2005-03-08T16:33:00.000-08:00

Maybe Bob Watson ought to come around more often. Watson, the former player and general manager who's now Commissioner Bud Selig's chief lord of discipline, visited the Giants on Tuesday to stress the rules that will be implemented or already have been in place to speed up the pace of games. Pitchers must deliver each pitch more quickly; hitters can't dawdle outside the batter's box; umpires must make sure innings begin on time; that sort of thing. Maybe it was a coincidence that the Giants' 5-1 exhibition victory over Texas required only two hours and 14 minutes to play. Then again, maybe it wasn't.

A.J. OK? No way

2005-03-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

A.J. Pierzynski was having a good day, I think, until he noticed San Francisco Chronicle reporter Henry Schulman awaiting him by his locker. Pierzynski muttered a word, clearly audible, that's not suitable for a family newspaper (I was by Pierzynski's locker, too, though he had no idea who I was). But give A.J. credit. The ex-Giant, who came under a lot of fire last year after a published report exposed his inability to bond and work with the team's pitchers, answered every question about his unhappy past in San Francisco. "All this talk about the past, I could care less," White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen said. "He's been great for us. He does all his work and gets along with the players. He just come here focused to worry about the White Sox and do whatever he's supposed to do." One thing A.J. won't have to do is pay exorbitant rent, although Chicago isn't the cheapest city in the U.S., either. "I'm not really a West Coast kind of guy. I'm kind of more stay-at-home and not do much. That was the biggest thing for me, paying $5,000 a month for a 1,000-square-foot apartment," Pierzynski said, referring to his Bay Area living arrangement.

Not in the box score

2005-03-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

Shortstop Donaldo Mendez won't make the team, but he made a definite impression on Felipe Alou. The skipper praised Mendez for his efforts in Sunday's 10-1 exhibition victory over the Cubs, which included a slick eighth-inning play in the hole and an RBI double. To call Mendez a "rookie hopeful" would be inaccurate. He played 72 games with the Padres in 2001 and '03, hitting .183 with three homers and 14 RBI. In other words, there's a reason he's a non-roster invitee struggling to gain a foothold in a new organization. At least he's off to a good start.

What if ...?

2005-03-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

Four games into the exhibition season is no time to make judgments about a club. But you have to wonder ...
1) If Noah Lowry and/or Jerome Williams continue to struggle, the Giants had better hope Jesse Foppert keeps throwing well, because they'll need him in the rotation, won't they?
2) My guess is that Armando Benitez will be fine once the regular season begins. But, watching him give up another run today begs a purely hypothetical question: What if he crashes and burns? Is it closer-by-committee time again? Will Merkin Valdez get rushed to the bigs?
Another from the I-wish-you-could-have-seen-this file: Catcher Mike Matheny having a private chat in the clubhouse with Matt Kinney, who allowed three runs and four hits in 1 2/3 innings Saturday against San Diego. One must guess that they were discussing Kinney's performance, obviously enough. Matheny, who already has gained the pitchers' undying trust, appeared to be giving Kinney helpful hints and plenty of encouragement on the side. If the Giants return to the playoffs, they might have to vote Matheny a double-share of the postseason loot.

Random jottings

2005-03-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

Manager Felipe Alou said that he won't open the season with a third catcher, even though Mike Matheny fits the profile of a guy who'll might get pinch-hit for in later innings ... This will clear a vacancy for an extra outfielder or infielder, probably the former, assuming the Giants begin the season with 11 pitchers. Though Jason Ellison is the leading contender for a reserve job, with Todd Linden close behind, don't count out Adam Shabala, who stroked Thursday's game-winning hit and is 3-for-5. "We know he's swinging the bat. We know he's a good defensive outfielder, too," Alou said of Shabala, who hit .314 with nine homers and 48 RBI at Triple-A Fresno last year ... Moments after Dave Hansen of the Cubs led off the sixth inning with a homer off Matt Herges, a "dust devil" -- you know, one of those mini-tornadoes -- sprang up in front of the Giants' dugout on the third-base side and spun across foul ground behind home plate, kicking up dust and debris. It looked like Candlestick Park all over again ... Deivi Cruz won't play much shortstop as long as Omar Vizquel is healthy. Still, Cruz collaborated with second baseman Ray Durham on two extremely quick double plays against the Cubs.

Competition is good

2005-03-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

Andy Baggarly of the Oakland Tribune asked Manager Felipe Alou a fairly intriguing question: Is there a chance, given Pedro Feliz's push for playing time, that Edgardo Alfonzo might not be the Opening Day third baseman? "I don't know," replied Alou, who seems incapable of being dishonest. Alou quickly added that, right now, Alfonzo is definitely the No. 1 third baseman. But Alou acknowledged that Feliz's sustained challenge will have a positive effect -- even the young slugger doesn't receive another 500 at-bats like he had last year: "There's competition here. It's not talked about, but you have guys like Feliz and (Deivi) Cruz and (Michael) Tucker on the bench. It's going to make the club better."

Threets could be a threat

2005-03-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

Erick Threets was the only pitcher scored upon among the six who appeared in today's intrasquad game. He also was the most intriguing. Threets has all the makings of a classic reliever -- he stands 6-foot-5, weighs 245 pounds and is said to be able to throw close to 100 mph. Or at least he did before shoulder surgery forced him to miss all of last year. But Threets is back, supposedly healthy and definitely throwing hard. All he has to do is learn command. The Giants don't want to give up on a guy who has 198 strikeouts in 172 2/3 professional innings and a .204 (126-for-618) opponents' batting average. When you throw in Threets' 140 walks among his career stats, you know why he has frustrated the front office. But Manager Felipe Alou sounded anything but frustrated as he discussed Threets following the intrasquad gme: "He looks good this spring. We haven't seen the wild pitches and the hit batters. I'm not saying much about that kid because we want to leave it at what it is right now. We want him to surprise us. The feeling is that he's healthy now and more mature. It's going to happen sooner or later; he's going to see the light. He's pitching easier this year, not so much pumped up like he was before." No wonder Threets wasn't among the 10 players reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday. Oh, he'll join those guys there soon enough. But, for now, the Giants want to get a better look at him.

A-Mays-ment

2005-03-01T14:32:00.000-08:00

Willie Mays, who needs no introduction, visited the clubhouse Tuesday and spent most of his time bantering with players and reporters. For me, a subtly hilarious moment came when he off-handedly mentioned that he moved to San Francisco in 1958. That, of course, was the year the entire franchise moved from New York, a seismic change. Mays said it innocently, but of course, why did he need to say it at all? Anybody who knows baseball can trace the wondrous arc of Mays' career and his accompanying whereabouts without consulting The Baseball Encyclopedia. I chuckled softly when Mays made his remark, and so did a New York writer who was struck exactly the same way I was. "That's the stuff of legend," I whispered to him. He grinned and nodded in agreement.

Mentoring material

2005-02-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

Marquis Grissom certainly seems to be a coach in the making. I just began covering this team, so I don't know whether he has any desire to coach or manage. But watching him this morning gave me the impression that he'd be an ideal person to help younger players. At 8:45 a.m., before the regular workout began, about a dozen minor leaguers gathered on the Scottsdale Stadium diamond to receive some baserunning pointers from third-base coach Gene Glynn and Single-A San Jose Manager Lenn Sakata. Differentiating between the pitcher's move to home plate or first base seemed to be the primary topic. Joining this group was Grissom, the 16-year veteran, listening intently and providing tips of his own (with 428 career stolen bases, he definitely knows what he's talking about). I believe I wrote about Grissom tutoring Fred Lewis in center field for an earlier blog entry. That, and this morning's experience, tell me that Grissom is interested in "growing the game," so to speak.

Good old infield practice

2005-02-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

I wish everybody could have seen this. It definitely was worth the price of admission. The Giants opened the Scottsdale Stadium portion of Sunday's workout with a spirited round of infield practice -- an increasingly rare sight, since this pregame drill has gone the way of the 50-cent scorecard in recent years. Catchers Mike Matheny and Yorvit Torrealba whipped accurate throws to each base. Shortstop Omar Vizquel displayed his card-dealer's hands. First baseman J.T. Snow was J.T. Snow. Even third baseman Pedro Feliz and second basemen Ray Durham and Deivi Cruz, who aren't known for their defense, committed nary an error. They displayed the enthusiasm of high schoolers and the precision of professionals. Quite a sight.

Good old infield practice

2005-02-27T20:48:00.001-08:00

I wish all of you could have seen this. It was almost worth the price of admission to a regular-season game ... which is quite exorbitant these days. The Giants opened the Scottsdale Stadium portion of their workout with a spirited round of infield practice that would have captivated every baseball purist. Catchers Mike Matheny and Yorvit Torrealba whipped throws to every base. Shortstop Omar Vizquel displayed his card dealer's hands. First baseman J.T. Snow was, well, J.T. Snow. Even third baseman Pedro Feliz and second basemen Ray Durham and Deivi Cruz, who aren't particularly known for defense, made nary an error. These guys went through the drill with the enthusiasm of high schoolers, but with the precision of professionals. Especially in this day and age, with pregame infield practice having gone the way of 50-cent scorecards, it was a sight to see.

Good old infield practice

2005-02-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

Hail to Herges

2005-02-26T16:07:00.000-08:00

Saturday, I finally thanked the man face-to-face.

During my tenure as the Reds beat writer for The Cincinnati Enquirer, I met a couple of my colleagues and USA Today Sports Weekly writer Bob Nightengale for a refreshment at a tavern near Dodger Stadium after a Cincinnati-Los Angeles game. Bob, who knew most of the Dodgers players, nodded at a pair of guys sitting at a table. They happened to be pitchers Matt Herges and Terry Adams. We scribes were minding our own business, drinking our beer and talking ball, when suddenly ANOTHER pitcher of beer materialized in front of us. "That gentleman over there sent this over," said the waitress, motioning in Herges' direction. We called out our thanks, and he nodded and waved. I vowed never to forget Herges' gesture, and now that I'm covering the same team he plays for, I decided I'd mention this little reminiscence to him this morning in the clubhouse. We shared a little bit of a laugh, and Herges, who's known as one of the most pleasant Giants, told me that one reason he tries to treat everybody decently is because you never know whether you'll cross paths with someone a second time down the road.

I'll manage to maintain my professional detachment when Matt Herges enters a game this season. At the same time, how can you help but root for a guy like that?

What it's all about

2005-02-25T12:48:00.000-08:00

The notion of veterans imparting baseball wisdom to rookies and younger players is a romantic one. It's also one that doesn't get put into practice too often, at least not for public (or semi-private, with media watching) consumption. A lot of it goes on behind the scenes. Today at Scottsdale Stadium, however, it was pretty neat to see Marquis Grissom taking fly balls in the outfield alongside Fred Lewis, one of the Giants' top outfield prospects. More than an hour after Friday's workout ended, there was Grissom, who could have been reclining on the sofa in his condo, giving Lewis tips on breaking for balls and tracking flies. As a 16-year veteran, Grissom has been playing in the majors for two-thirds of the 24-year-old Lewis' lifetime. Who better -- aside from perhaps Willie Mays -- to dispense such sage advice?

Young arms

2005-02-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

Depending on what day it is, Matt Cain is either the Giants' top prospect or No. 2 behind fellow right-hander Merkin Valdez. Regardless, Cain's stock is continuing to rise. Asked about Cain and reminded that he was impressed with the 20-year old last year, Alou said, When it was mentioned to Manager Felipe Alou that he was impressed with Cain last year in spring training, Alou smiled and said, "I'm more impressed now." Alou has noticed that Cain has filled out physically, throws harder and has developed a "tighter" breaking ball. Alou also related that a player -- who he would not identify, except to say that he was new to the organization -- said to him incredulously, "You tell me this guy's not on the pitching staff?" Obviously, Alou hopes that the Giants hold onto Cain and refrain from trading him, as they have done with other prospects -- particularly around the July 31 deadline, when San Francisco's frequently looking for second-half help. "I believe that's the kind of guy any organization would never, ever trade," Alou said. "Everybody has a good eye on that kid."

Birds-eye view

2005-02-23T18:06:00.000-08:00

The portion of the Giants' full-squad workout that took place Wednesday at Scottsdale Stadium (most players went through drills at Indian School Park) was watched by a handful of club officials, a couple of dozen reporters and photographers ... and one hummingbird. The tiny creature appeared about an hour before the session ended and flitted around oblivious players behind the batting cage. It circled the area, took a spin through the grandstand and darted across foul territory behind the cage again. OK, OK, I can already hear you complaining -- this has absolutely nothing to do with baseball, right? Perhaps. But it was a gorgeous sight nonetheless.

Here's some baseball: Jason Schmidt looked extremely sharp as he threw batting practice to Moises Alou, Marquis Grissom and J.T. Snow. Grissom and Snow didn't get too many good swings off the Opening Day starter, though Alou mustered a couple of line-drive singles to right field. Backup catcher Yorvit Torrealba looked surprisingly smooth as he took some grounders at second base for a little extracurricular exercise.

Search for a center fielder

2005-02-22T20:39:00.000-08:00

The Giants' offseason search for a center fielder could have been interpreted as a slap at Marquis Grissom, who turns 38 on April 17 yet is the club's youngest starting outfielder. Grissom's view? No problem. "I've been in this game long enough to know what's going to happen," said Grissom, who probably would have moved to right field had the Giants obtained Steve Finley, Scott Podsednik or another center fielder. "I respect every team's opinion and what they're trying to do in the longterm."
So Grissom was thrilled last November when the Giants picked up his contractual option for this year. "Yes, sir. No doubt," he said. "A bunch of great guys, good team, great city, everything's all a plus."

A brief lull

2005-02-21T16:02:00.000-08:00

It happens around the major leagues during spring training, I'm sure: Teams take a collective breath before the position players arrive and the REAL work begins. Today's Giants workout was typically and efficiently brief, but with position players due to report Tuesday (with the first full-squad workout set for Wednesday), pitchers and catchers seemed to be getting their work done even more quickly than usual. This didn't stop several minor leaguers, who often subsist on peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches, from going back for seconds as they partook in the post-workout clubhouse spread. And who could blame them, with chicken and ribs being offered?

Spring sights

2005-02-20T12:05:00.000-08:00

Spring training wouldn't be complete without PFP -- pitchers' fielding practice. Watching it is like watching grass grow, though after a long offseason it can be a strangely welcome sight. Of course, it's done because a pitcher's ability to field his position, cover first base with alacrity and throw to bases properly frequently makes the difference between winning and losing from April to October. Today's PFP drill at Scottsdale Stadium was fairly serious, but not totally. Giants ace Jason Schmidt playfully fired a ball over the coach covering first base after fielding a comebacker. Later, catchers practiced throwing to each base. Nobody's perfect, especially at this stage in spring. Yorvit Torrealba, whose defense is valued by the Giants, threw wide to second, prompting coach Luis Pujols to advise a correction on his throwing form. A minor-league catcher bounced a throw past third base. They concluded by sprinting around the bases, with particular emphasis on going first to third. Who says catchers can't run?

No slackers around here

2005-02-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

Though rain shortened the Giants' workout to about an hour, pitchers and catchers still put in a full day. Many of them were still in the weight room at Scottsdale Stadium more than an hour after they returned from the Indian School Park training facility. Position players aren't due to report until Tuesday, but they've begun to trickle in for informal workouts. Outfielders Jason Ellison and Todd Linden are among those who materialized Saturday. Perhaps not coincidentally, it's a big spring for both of them. Manager Felipe Alou has mentioned Ellison as a leading candidate to win a reserve outfielder's spot, while Linden, who hit a disappointing .260 at Triple-A Fresno last year, once again will try to prove he's ready for prime time.

Soggy Saturday

2005-02-19T06:50:00.000-08:00

Good morning from Scottsdale. The rain that had been feared began falling Friday night and, from the looks of things, hasn't stopped much since. This likely will force the Giants to throw "indoors" -- in the covered batting cages, for instance -- and adjust their workout accordingly. Another storm is expected next week, so the Giants and the rest of the teams in the Phoenix area might have to adjust accordingly. No big deal? Well, maybe and maybe not. Manager Felipe Alou said that the Giants neglected to practice a defensive play or two last spring because the weather prevented them from getting enough time on the field.

In full swing already

2005-02-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

Spring training is just one pitchers-and-catchers workout old, and the battle for bullpen spots already seems spirited. "We're going to have some long meetings to pick out the 10, 11 or 12 guys," said Manager Felipe Alou, referring to the pitching staff. The five starters (Jason Schmidt, Brett Tomko, Jerome Williams, Kirk Rueter and Noah Lowry) are locks, as well as at least five relievers (Armando Benitez, Jim Brower, Scott Eyre, Jason Christiansen and Matt Herges). This leaves David Aardsma, Jesse Foppert, Tyler Walker, Wayne Franklin and non-roster invitees Jeff Fassero and Al Levine in competition for one or two openings ... if that many exist. Don't count out Fassero, even at his advanced age (42). "I think he still has a splitter that will get people out. He got our guys out with it in Colorado, of all places," Alou said.

Friday's opening workout

2005-02-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

Hello from Scottsdale, Arizona, where Friday's opening workout for pitchers and catchers could get rained out. Weather permitting, it'll be interesting to see how smoothly the workout runs.

It's supposed to start later and end earlier -- not because the Giants are lazy, but because they want to make more efficient use of their time.

"It's all about quality of work, not quantity of work," trainer Stan Conte said. If you're guessing that this is partly due to the Giants' overall age, you're correct. "We're looking for short bouts of intense work to get guys ready to compete April 5 and not get hurt," Conte said. "We already know what their talents are; we know what they can do on the ballfield. Now it's just about not necessarily getting them ready but getting their muscles prepared so they don't do anything bad."

-- Chris Haft, S.J. Mercury News