Mays Field

The Crab is Back!

I just got a message from the folks at Rehab the Crab:

The Crab actually TOOK THE FIELD tonight and sparred with both Lou Seal and the A's elephant.

On the TV broadcast, Krukow went on and on with Crab stories then they showed the old Giants Crab commercial (twice!).  It was awesome.

Does anyone have any photos or video?  If so, post them to Flickr and YouTube and tag them "maysfield"--then I'll re-post here.

Omar Vizquel Poster

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Originally uploaded by thinkderek.

Noah Lowry Poster

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Originally uploaded by thinkderek.

Moon Over Mays Field

Originally uploaded by artolog.

Not Actually Willie Mays

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Originally uploaded by thinkderek.

Rally Pumpkin at Mays Field

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Originally uploaded by thinkderek.

Why Do Everyone Say It's 21st Century And The Date Is 2006?

That's the question that led at least one confused soul to this website.  (Type it into Ask.com's new blogsearch tool, and we're #8.  Put that in your SEO pipe and smoke it.)  I don't know if we answered the question, but for their sake, I hope they find the answer soon. 

Lefty Roundup: Your 2009 San Francisco Giants

May's gone so soon, the season is one-third over. Wasn't it just spring training? I'm not the first guy to notice this.

It's like watching your kids grow up. One day they're wearing footy pajamas, the next day they're balding accountants and menopausal boutique owners. You think, "Why didn't I appreciate them more when they were younger?"

Same goes for the Giants. In a few scant months there will be a massive changing of the guard. Likely out the door will be Barry Bonds, Moises Alou, Steve Finley, Jason Schmidt, and Ray Durham. Felipe Alou could ride off into a cream-of-wheat colored sunset, too. A few veterans will remain, but the next couple of years could be more youthful than any year since 1996, when the roster was full of new faces. Some would become familiar: Bill Mueller, Marvin Benard, Rich Aurilia, Shawn Estes. Some would become Desi Wilson.

Here are the players currently on the 25-man roster who are also under contract or in the Giants' control for 2007: 

C: Matheny
1B: Niekro, Sweeney
2B: Frandsen
SS: Vizquel
3B: ?
OF: Winn, Ellison
RP: Benitez, Worrell, Accardo, Wilson, Sanchez, Correia, Hennessey
SP: Lowry, Morris, Cain

Here's the same list for '08:

C: ?
1B: Niekro
2B: Frandsen
SS: ?
3B: ?
OF: Winn, Ellison
RP: Accardo, Wilson, Sanchez, Correia, Hennessey
SP: Lowry, Morris, Cain

The only place the Giants seem well-stocked for the next couple of years is the bullpen, even if  Hennessey or Correia, or perhaps both, are given a chance to start. (With Matt Morris looking ominously ready for the roasting fork in only the first year of a 3-year contract, the starting rotation could provide ample opportunity to update a famous baseball rhyme: Lowry and Cain and pray for rain.)

So when you're out at the yard this summer, don't just pray for Barry's knees. Watch Accardo, Wilson, Frandsen and Sanchez in the same way you would watch your own kid as he takes his first steps, mashes his peas into his hair, and bumps his head against the one corner of the table you forgot to pad.

When they're all grown up and testifying before grand juries, you'll be glad you paid attention in the early days.

For more discussion of the state of the Giants farm system and upcoming youth movement, check out these posts on my leftymalo blog:

Sanchez So Soon?
Temperance Movement

and to keep tabs on Giants' prospects, read Steve Shelby's "Minor Lines" daily diary on the excellent community site McCovey Chronicles.