Giant Strategy

I know Bay Area fans have their own classification of fandom.  It's poor.  And it's well-deserved.   The term "fan" shouldn't even really apply, but there you have it.  Regardless of the utter lack of enthusiasm the average Nor Cal resident may show for sports (Raider Nation, obviously excepted) ... why can't the SF Giants put a team together we can get behind?

We signed a new pitcher this week - and please don't get me wrong, I fully respect Randy Johnson - but Sabean is just not delivering on the strategy of team building.

Granted, we now lay claim to a Triple threat of Cy Young-ers and Lincecum has big things ahead of him, hopefully with us.  Bengie, Dave, and Randy are out there and I love them but they don't quite share the special place in my heart as the Giants of yesteryear.

Aurelia is a free agent. **  Omar's in Texas - and the likelihood that I can again get myself, Jugs, and Mamacita bounced out of Tres Agaves for crashing his birthday party is minimal.  Petey was able to be a part of a championship team last year - well deserved (wish it had been us).  Snow is long gone (but at least retired as a Giant).  We're stuck with Zito - Oakland's trash, not quite SF's treasure.  Barry is out -and whether you loved him or loved to hate him, he filled the seats and put on a show that riled even Bay Area "fans".  Where are all my beloved Giants?

It seems like all we do is pick up fantastically gifted, greatly acclaimed ballplayers on their way out, to let them mellow for a couple years before being put out to pasture.  Or we seize promising newbies on their way in, only to trade them after a few years - once they've gotten acclimated to the big leagues, because why would we want them now that we've trained them to play? 

What do I care though?  You'll still see me at PacBell/SBC/ATT several times a month, fondly developing new favorites.

 

** 1/15/09 - now being finessed by Chi-Town

My First Post - 2nd attempt

Well, here I am. Upon entering this realm, I have a lot of philosophical theories about the blog-o-sphere but all are presumptuous and prejudiced. A couple years ago I recommended to my mom that she start a blog – as an outlet for her creative histories she so often enjoyed sharing in company. Now she’s advocating blogging to me as an outlet for my … something. I have a feeling my blog will be very self-serving but, hopefully, not narcissistic. If I had a career, it may become esoteric. If it were a robot, I am sure it would be feared for there will be no pretense here – my blog will know it is a blog and speak with self-awareness.

For now, I am approaching my writing as though in a diary – although why I would want to publish my diary is beyond me. The only purpose I can fathom is I have that very basic human desire to display my genius. We, each of us, want to be distinguished as unique and special. At least I think everyone does – but maybe that is a liberty I take at the expense of others and in defense of myself.

For those of you who encounter my blog by chance, I do not want to raise any expectations regarding my future discourse. I doubt this will be an astonishing, original, or polemic commentary on the world as I am selfishly concerned with those happenings that affect my personal sphere and choose to be sensible of but not dwell on the harrowing evils of life. Instead, I think it will simply be my musings – those “brilliant” contemplations, deliberations, images, meditations, notions, perceptions, reflections, ruminations, speculations – that I may have a notion are interesting or intriguing and might descry me as an intellectual. This online journal should give me the opportunity to mull over my opinions with thought and purpose enough to give me greater insight into who I am and what I believe and thereby fortify my convictions.

I consider myself to be a highly analytical and autognostic person yet exceedingly empathetic. I possess a prominent passion for language – linguistics, vocabulary, banter, spelling, translation – that never carried over to the classroom in favorable evaluation (with the exception of one college professor’s opinion). In other words, I love to write although I have never been met with commendation for my skill in that arena. But there is something bewitching and romantic about putting your thoughts, your hopes, your grievances, your dreams out into the void; and that the mere expression of those ideas has significance and affects the universe whether your thoughts go unheard or are taken to heart because you are metamorphosed in their formulation, conveyance, articulation.

Although this forum is new to me, I exist elsewhere on the internet – Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn – but those are opportunities to communicate within preestablished relationships. I am not there to meet new people (except perhaps to network for employment on LinkedIn) or accomplish anything beyond staying in touch. But here – here, I am of the resolution to convey, express, perhaps display. I do not know where this new role will lead me – maybe just one more reason to be on the computer. I begin with trepidation because I anticipate it will be daunting to maintain and I will never say as much as I wish. Or maybe I will never stop, no matter where I am or what I am doing, blogging in my head and just waiting to get back online to write it all down. Then, the transformation will be complete and I will have become… my mother.