Put a Fork in These Guys

It has been a practice of mine to keep track of where the San Francisco Giants are in the standings and at some time or another, when things just weren't clicking and losing was occurring more than winning it just seemed appropriate to put a fork in 'em.

This season never allowed for such a prognostication, since the Giants have been at least 10-15 games under .500 for the better part of the 2007 season.

Players who need forks in them, as their tenure in orange and black should come to end would be :

Brad Hennessey
Rich Aurilia
Ryan Klesko
Ray Durham -(although it might be okay to invite him to camp. His career warrants him another look in spring training to see if he truly has lost sight of the ball.)
Pedro Feliz?- I never really heard Bruce Bochy's feelings on Pedro. We know Bruce did well to get Rich Aurilia in the game but as for his feelings on Pedro, if he does like Pedro, the Giants will most likely re-sign him because he is more versatile than most Giants and is better on the roster than Aurilia because he hits more homers and drives in more runs.
Barry Bonds. Father Time has caught up to #25 and he'd be better served in the AL, if he still feels he can hit. And we all know he CAN still hit. If the Giants can get Bonds cheap and get him to agree to playing less and helping the youngsters I suppose something might be worked out.
Would you play for less than a lot of players who cannot hit close to what you're capable of???

If the Giants can get the right slugger someone like a Jonathan Sanchez might be involved in trade talks. And if it happens, oh well.

Lots of Giants' fans moan and groan about the A.J. Pierzynski trade or the Russ Ortiz trade. Sure, A.J. wasn't as good as advertised and Damien Moss proved to some that the world, she is... uh, flat. But before Joe Nathan was traded he had gotten in Felipe Alou's doghouse and that was enough to shop him around. Ortiz, a well-liked player within the organization, must have demanded too much money which is why the Braves jumped all over Russ and offered the Giants someone not half as established as Russ Ortiz and yet the Giants went for it... hook, line and sinker.

Nathan has been a fantastic Twin but he wasn't so special in orange and black. As for Francisco Liriano, those throw-ins are always a risky part of the business. Trades are simply a roll of the dice, you never really know how they'll turn out. You like to think you did all the necessary homework to acquire someone who seemed like the perfect fit, but you don't know until that person puts on the orange and black and performs.

Hopefully, this off-season brings the Giants the fruits of their labor. Perhaps a shout out from Harry Belafonte, "Come Mister Talisman," wouldn't hurt. In the world of free agency and acquisitions it may be better to be lucky than good.

Go Giants, 2008!

Kevin Marquez