Kuzul

  It seems like a loaded question from the outset, but is Tim Lincecum better than Juan Marichal? For those unfamiliar with San Francisco Giants history (note: San Francisco Giants), Juan Marichal is considered by many people to be the best pitcher in franchise history. Tim Lincecum’s astonishing success in his brief tenure with the Giants, however, suggests that Marichal’s position on the throne may have been supplanted by The Freak. Let’s take a look at basic, raw statistics to get an overall image of the comparison:   Tim Lincecum: 5 Seasons:           69-41, 2.98 ERA, 1028 IP, 1127 K, 1.118 WHIP, 7.4 H/9 Juan Marichal: 16 Seasons:        243-142, 2.89 ERA, 3507 IP, 2303 K, 1.101 WHIP, 8.1 H/9   You might note the curious omission of two facts: Tim Lincecum has already won two National League Cy Young Awards, while Juan Marichal never finished higher than eighth in the rankings, ...

If you have been around baseball for the past two decades, you undoubtedly remember the New York Yankees dynasty of the late 1990s, wherein they captured four World Championships in five years.  You might then remember what happened afterwards. Every year, the Yankees went far into the playoffs—frequently to the World Series. Every year (save for 2009), they failed to win. Meanwhile, the baseball world outside of New York loathed the Yankees, and the same is happening to the Philadelphia Phillies. Now, I’m not naive. I realize that baseball is a business founded upon winning championships, not national acclaim. Philadelphia fans are not (and should not be) concerned what people outside of their city/fan base think about them. “Haters gonna hate.” The concern, however, is that the Philadelphia Phillies could turn into a punchline should they not win championships. 2008:  The Philadelphia Phillies win the World Series, bringing joy to millions ...

Albert Pujols is arguably the best hitter in the game. If he plays for 20 years, he may well end up the Home Run King. He is an offensive juggernaut; a player so talented that he has almost single-handedly (or battedly, if you will) kept the St. Louis Cardinals in playoff contention for a decade. The San Francisco Giants will not be champions of the National League West Division. There is a good probability that they will be eliminated from the playoffs entirely tomorrow. The well-documented reason for this is the Giants’ lack of offense. Even given all this, it would be an egregious mistake to sign Albert Pujols. Here is why. Begin Slideshow

I think people are starting to get the idea. If you don’t get the idea yet, then you are either an exceptionally optimistic fan, or delusional. The San Francisco Giants are not a good baseball team. Perhaps they were at one point in the season. Perhaps they were until the acquisition of Carlos Beltran. But they certainly aren’t now. Granted, they have extraordinary pitching. Ryan Vogelsong threw seven innings of two earned-run ball, and remains second in the league in ERA. The key word in the previous sentence is earned. Errors by Mark DeRosa and Nate Schierholtz enabled the Houston Astros to score three unearned runs off of Vogelsong. Guillermo Mota’s bogus home run to Bogusevic extended the lead to 6-0, which turned out to be the final score of the ballgame. Realistically, though, it wouldn’t have mattered if Vogelsong had pitched a shutout—he still would have received a no ...

In the wake of last night’s 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers, the San Francisco Giants received some rather unsettling news: Their star Gatorade bucket is likely out for the season. Following Brian Wilson’s second consecutive blown save, the All-Star closer returned in a rage to the dugout. It was at this time that Wilson attacked his defenseless target—“Bucky” the Gatorade bucket—with a baseball bat. The attack was unprovoked and appeared to be motivated by Wilson’s frustration. Bucky sustained serious injuries to his MCLD (Medial Collateral Liquid Dispenser) that will likely require season-ending surgery. This news is particularly devastating to a Giants team that has already endured season-ending injuries to star catcher Buster Posey and starter Freddy Sanchez. Bucky is the team’s starting Gatorade bucket and has compiled an EDA (Earned Drink Average) of 86.23 that leads the major leagues. “Gatie”—Bucky’s backup bucket—is serviceable, but has a career EDA of ...