San Francisco Giants BFD, this franchise is damn annoying!

[Journeyman]

They make a huge fuss about giving the greatest player in MLB history (other than Ruth) a contract extension...Big damn deal, they picked up Barry's option year...I cannot think of a cheaper franchise in Sports, all the attendance Bonds gives this franchise, all the attention to the sorry franchise, that hasn't won jack **************** in forever, and they can't put some players around Bonds...Meanwhile he doesn't complain, goes out still hits nearly 50 homeruns @40 years old, all while getting walked over 200 times...WHO IS REALLY SELFISH HERE?...Its Giants OWNERSHIP...the nerve of them making a fuss for giving Bonds his option year (The SAME YEAR HE WILL PASS HANK AARON!)

Bonds should be given credit for playing with a team of also rans and still putting up MVP numbers and not complaining...When Bonds retires this team will become the doormat of MLB, and no one will be at that beautiful ballpark...

Giants ownership SUCKS!

 

[WildBill]

WTF???

He is going to make $20 million for next year and $18 million for the year after. How many teams shell out that kind of money for one player? And unlike just about every other team out there these days, Giants ownership didn't come crying to the public to build them a free stadium. The city contributed virtually nothing other than building the roads and extending the train line down there. With the stadium, the neighborhood has been completely turned around with million dollar condos so the city came out far ahead on that deal. Meanwhile the Giants have to spend around $25 million a year in bond interest that others don't, which has kept them from spending what they might have in the market for other players.

 

[Journeyman]

The Giants have no one to blame but themselves when Bonds retires with no championships....not getting a Guerrero or a Sheffield to help protect Barry is a joke...He is worth every penny! What would their attendance be without Bonds,lol? We will find out soon enough, after Barry leaves, the Giants can get back to being the worst big market team in Sports...The greatest player in sports and he has no support....imagine if Guerrero or Sheffield batted behind Bonds, he would walk 50% less! I'm sure they could afford one other big time player....

 

[Journeyman]

You ask how many teams would shell out that kind of money on one player...

We're talking about the greatest player in baseball by FAR! This is an extreme situation that they have let pass by...Face it they're just cashing in on the homerun chase.

 

[kermit16]

Journeyman
I agree with you ! Management has cut payroll this year while their ballpark is sold out almost every game. Why is the ballpark full and why are the Giants still in contention ? The answer is simple of course... Barry Bonds ! This ballclub is buying this beautiful ballpark because Barry Bonds keeps the fans rolling in by hitting all those home runs. When He is done in a few years there will be plenty of empty seats. The Giants have a chance to win some championships while the greatest player of our time is still playing and they are fumbling the ball by not signing anyone to bat behind Bonds. Remember that when Ruth hit his 60 home runs back in 1927, He had Lou Gehrig batting .373 with 47 home runs ! Who does Bonds have ? :discuss:

 

[WildBill]

Please guys, be realistic here. The team was bought by an investor, not a baseball nut. He runs it like a business and with that you have to accept lesser results. Forbes calculated the team was about breakeven last year, just how can you afford to add $20 million in payroll in that case? You just can't do it. Besides they had a great team last year, looked like a legitimate contender to win it all and it got them one win in the playoffs. Looks like they will find a way to get in this year too and that is all you can do. To say an owner should spend himself into oblivion just to win a title is ridiculous. And saying the team won't be competitive once Bonds leaves is ridiculous too. Sabean has always put together a strong squad, many times when people didn't expect it. That is really all you can ask from a team unless you are a Yankees fan.

 

[blueedwards]

j-man, did you say in your original post that barry bonds doesn't complain? that's all he does is complain.

 

[Journeyman]

The Giants have made ONE serious Title run in what 35 years lol?

 

[kermit16]

The Giants cut payroll this year, not added any ! Besides, Where do you come up with the figure that the Giants about broke even last year ? Do you really believe that the owner is just breaking even with this ballpark packed almost every single game ? Have you been to anyof the game there ? The Giants are making plenty of $$$ but of course per tax purposes they will be just about breaking even. Someday they will own this ballpark free and clear if they can continue to find fans that will continue to fill this ballpark with no real chance of winning a championship. Bonds and Schmidt will not be enough.

 

[WildBill]

I got that from Forbes, not the Giants. Note how much they generated in ticket revenues against what they have for payroll. Full stadiums aren't all that in most pro sports, the money is all in the TV dollars. Splitting the market and the local sports cable station with the A's, not to mention the Warriors and Sharks, means they aren't as well off as you think. After all the Bay Area is first and foremost a football crazy population.

And yes I have been to games there this year and almost every year since it opened. I lived in San Francisco during the voting for the stadium. I remember how almost half the population voted against the stadium, even though all they had to approve was some zoning changes and about $10 million in infrastructure in an area that badly needed it. Many people in San Francisco don't care much about the Giants and will never pay to go to the games, but the team luckily has about 6 million people to draw from in the Bay Area, not to mention the aesthetic draw that brings in plenty of tourists and longer distance day trippers. For this reason I highly doubt attendance will crater. Tickets might become more available, but it would be many years of bad teams before they fall below say 80% of capacity on a year-long basis.

http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2004/0426/066tab_8.html

 

[kermit16]

Let me see now... The Giants are losing $$$ The Forbes article says they bought the Team in 1992 for $ 100 Million and current value is est. at $ 368 Million ! Wow, where or how do I go about losing like that ? The clear and simple fact is that the Giants are riding Barry Bond,s :discuss: tremendous talent and doing a very poor job of giving him any protection in the lineup. History will report that Barry had very little help and will probably retire without ever winning a Championship.

 

[Journeyman]

The SMARTEST thing management did was hire Felipe Alou, afterall its Alou who has the best track record of taking mediocre talent far (Montreal)...So atleast they have the man for the job...I don't think any manager gets more out of his roster than Alou.

 

[WildBill]

If I remember right, it wasn't help in the lineup that cost him the championship, but the unbelievable meltdown of the normally reliable bullpen in Anaheim. Besides according to USA Today, the amount of the payroll cut you are all crying about amounts to about only $800,000. The Giants are 10th in the league in payroll, not exactly being that cheap. The Cardinals spend only about a million more and look at the results they are getting. If they had spent the money on Guerrero, they would be about the 4th highest payroll in the game, something they can't do considering their TV contract.

Bonds is a great player. His teams got to the playoffs plenty of times, this year probably as well. Spending more money into oblivion won't always win you a title. If they had spent the money on Guerrero they would lose quite a bit of money this year with no guarantee of winning.

 

[kermit16]

The Giants are not losing Money !!! The ball club is worth $ 268 Million more today than it was purchased for 12 years ago. That is an average of $ 22 Million a year ! Yes, they are cheap considering their sold out ballpark. :neenee:

 

[Journeyman]

Thats not the point...why is it you insist to talk around the issue....the point being made is they have done nothing to take advantage of Bonds extraordinary talent......One more time ...NO PROTECTION!!!!

....Of course money doesn't buy a WS Ring...lets looks at players Giants mgt has used to protect Barry over the past few yrs...The 'who's who, of who'???!!

Benito Santiago
J.T. Snow
A.J. Pierzynski

Thats it!

Also the reason they almost won a title , you may recall they had a player named Jeff Kent batting behind Bonds...

Jeff Kent 2002 stats ; 37 HR 108 RBI .313 AVG PROTECTING BONDS

Bonds drawing over 100 IBB's and 210 BB's, sums it up...