Mays Field

Fireworks at Mays Field

fireworks
Originally uploaded by artolog.

Broken Bat at Mays Field

broken bat
Originally uploaded by artolog.

Shea Hillenbrand captured on film by artolog.

Rally Glove at Mays Field

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Originally uploaded by thinkderek.

The Twins at Mays Field

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Originally uploaded by thinkderek.

Derek, the Maniac and the Twins

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Originally uploaded by thinkderek.

The Maniac and the Twins

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Originally uploaded by thinkderek.

The Crab on YouTube

Thanks to slideball.

Cotton Candy at Mays Field

double play
Originally uploaded by fotogail.

Lefty Roundup: First-Half Hardware

Just past the half-way point, the Giants are incontrovertibly mediocre. They've straddled .500 for most of the season and don't seem poised to reel off a hot streak anytime soon. Yes, they've got Moises and Barry back in the same lineup -- last night was only the 24th time they'd appeared in a game together. But it's hard to imagine both with a clean bill of health from here on out. Even if the disabled list isn't a factor, they'll each miss plenty of games due to age, aches and pains. It's absolutely crucial to find another big bat to complement the lineup if this team wants one last shot at the World Series with Mr. Bonds on board.

We fans scream about general managers and the trades they make or don't make, but few realize how bloody hard it is to pull something off -- let alone something that actually works. If you listen to sports talk radio (and if you do, for the love of humanity, please turn it off and instead go read a book, paint a picture, work on your tan....anything), you'd think that it was as easy as Brian Sabean hitting speed dial, asking, say, Pirates GM David Littlefield about the wife and kids, then getting that Craig Wilson-for-Kevin Correia swap done before dinner is on the table.

Remember that for every player rumored to be on the trade block, there are several potential trade partners, all offering different things, all with different levels of seriousness. And the players aren't theoretical bundles of statistics; they're playing every day and subject to unforeseen problems:  slumps, pouts, injuries. A year or two ago, the Giants were said to be intensely interested in Colorado pitcher Jason Jennings...until Jennings broke his finger in late July. Today's hot pursuit can quickly hit a wall.

A GM's job in July is a Chinese acrobatic act, juggling plates, torches, chairs, and lemons all while balanced on the shoulders of a bunch of other clowns.

A few notable developments since I last wrote:

* Mike Matheny's concussion isn't getting better, and we all wish him a full recovery. Ask Steve Young: this could be very serious. The cold-eyed assessment, however, is that the Giants don't miss him much on the field. The pitching is doing fine, and the combined offense of Greene and Alfonzo more than compensates for whatever defensive gap lies between them and Matheny. This offensive abbondanza may be temporary: Greene is playing way over his head, OBP-wise, and Alfonzo never hit well above Double-A ball before his callup.

* With all the bullpen turnover and the home-field hatred for Armando Benitez, it's easy to overlook that Kevin Correia and Brad Hennessey, the two guys who lost the 5th-starter job to Jamey Wright in spring training, are having fine years in relief. One of them may become trade bait, or their success may give the Giants confidence to trade Wright to a contending team desperate for starting pitching (Boston, NY Mets, NY Yankees, St. Louis...the list is long).

In fact, in my most recent post over at El Lefty Malo, I name Hennessey one of the Giants' four first-half MVPs. (Curious resemblance to Henry Schulman's story in this morning's Chron is purely coincidental, unless Hank The Tank is a devoted reader.)   

Discuss: Who's your first-half Giant MVP, and why?