One thing I’ll note, and I’m doing a lot of back tracking on previous statements I have made about the way that our organization operates, is perhaps the Giants and the Astros are case studies for different ways of rebuilding.

After Bonds set his record,* the Giants have pretty much paired back their payroll, with the exception of the Rowand signing and Zito’s ridiculous contract, to allow for wholly unproven/untested youth to take the field for them. The Astros have tried to hold together a crop of older/seasoned talent while rapidly infusing youth into the lower levels of the farm system and letting their few promising pieces of talent blossom at AAA this year. By all accounts, next season should likely see promising contributions for Bud Norris, Maysonet, Manzella (possibly), and maybe even Polin Trindad; plus we still have JR Towles and Jason Castro waiting in the wings. Despite the moans and groans we all have about the relative age of this team we’re a scant 4.5 games behind the Giants with much better prospects in our own division and could theoretically walk away from this next series near even with the Giants.

While at this point it’s too soon to tell what this season will hold for the two different models of rebuilding will hold for each club, I have to say I like the Astros chances better. Linceum and Cain are great, but the Big Unit is beginning to show his age, Zito’s contract is worse than Carlos Lee, and the Astros still have an offense capable of supporting their pitchers. So in the end, I have to say I like the Astros chances of making things interesting more so than the Giants.

Discuss.

It was a good game, tied until the 9th, when Saccomano hit a walk off HR. That was the first time I have seen Bazardo. His velocity was better than I expected. He had mixed results in this game, giving up 9 hits and 5 runs, but holding the game together. This same Nashville team (Brewers affiliate) hit Bud Norris very hard the previous night. Wesley Wright pitched well in relief. Bogusevic, Manzella, and Johnson also had good offensive games.

It’s the BBQ Stuffed Baked Potato. And it’s pretty well regarded.

anything that taste like crap

on the 3rd base line past the dugout is the best! Look for her wearing an outlandish blonde wig and then buy some Cracker Jacks just for the hell of it. You may be as lucky to hear her stunning acapella rendition of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame.’ Always entertaining!

really old veterans signed to one-year deals to reach some career milestone.

vs