The Wildcard Leaders

Despite having the worst offense in terms of on base percentage, the 2009 San Francisco Giants are leading the Wildcard heading into August.

The pitching staff leads baseball with a 3.51 era, but that may not be enough for the players if the Giants don't start getting on base and scoring more runs.

The Giants added Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Garko in two trades to do improve the offense. Both players are upgrades in on base percentage from the previous starters (Juan Uribe and Travis Ishikawa).

But, the question remains: Did the Giants do enough before the trade deadline to bolster their offense?

San Francisco is 27th in runs scored, and 29th in OPS and homers (out of 30 major league teams).

With that type of offensive anemia, I would say the Giants needed to do a lot more before the trade deadline passed. But still, the Giants lead the wildcard and Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are probably the top two Cy Young candidates in the NL.

Jonathan Sanchez and Barry Zito have both found a rhythm after the all star break. The Giants need a fifth starter with Ryan Sadowski falling apart, and if the Giants are really serious about contending this year, that starter has got to be Madison Bumgarner.

After selling off two top prospects, it is time to go for it all. I'm not just talking about the the wilcard, I'm talking about the World Series. That's what the Giants need to win to make these trades worth anything.

Golden State Warriors Summer Update

In case you missed it, the Warriors drafted Stephen Curry with their first round draft pick and then played some Summer League Basketball.

Curry is not a big guard who can offset Monta Ellis' poor defensive abilities. Instead, he is a Monta Ellis clone, at least on defense. On offense, Curry could be an explosive three-point shooter. In time, he may also become a great distributor.

But, the Warriors took the best player available and I can't complain. The best big man available was Jordan Hill, who has all the tools to become the next Hakim Warrick, which is pretty underwhelming. The Warriors front line will once again be a little thin, but the Warriors need to find out if Anthony Randolph and/or Brandan Wright can be effective NBA players.

Stephen Curry has the tools to be a Richard Hamilton/Reggie Miller scorer. He is more likely to morph into his dad Del Curry, a prolific shooter with not much else to boast. But the potential is there, and that is worth drafting.

Anthony Randolph participated in this year's Summer League, and all signs say that he was one of the best players in Las Vegas. I can't wait to see Randolph play a full season next year. Many NBA scouts have compared Randolph to Lamar Odom.

Anthony Morrow also tore up Summer League, scoring an NBA Summer League record 47 points in a game. He may be the best catch and shoot player in the NBA. Not bad for the 2008 undrafted free agent.

Giants trades "disgraceful"

Here were the Giants three options before the trade deadline in a nutshell.

Option 1: To stand pat with the team or to trade for small upgrades without giving up any top prospects.

Option 2: To go after Matt Holiday, Victor Martinez or Adrian Gonzalez with a package of prospects including Tim Alderson and Scott Barnes.

Option 3: To trade Scott Barnes and Tim Alderson for two miniscule upgrades.

We chose option 3, which is undoubtedly the worst possible scenario.

Ryan Garko is 22nd in first baseman OPS and he has no speed or defense whatsoever. With the Indians in super sell mode and not one contending team desperate for a first baseman, Garko could have been had for Kevin Frandsen. We certainly did not have to give up Scott Barnes, a flame throwing lefty who is arguably the third best pitching prospect in the Giants farm system.

In short, we got ripped off. But Garko is a clear upgrade to this offense, and I would not have even wrote a Brian Sabean hate blog if the Giants ended here. Instead he did the unthinkable. He traded highly coveted Tim Alderson, the second best Giants' pitching prospect and a certain big league arm for a three-time all-star and career .300 hitter named Freddy Sanchez.

On the surface it sounds pretty fair. But apparently the Giants only look on the surface.

Sanchez' On base percentage is .334 and a career .336. His OPS last year was .669, 2nd worst in major league baseball for second basemen.

Sanchez is a small upgrade over Juan Uribe at second, but overall he gives the Giants another hitter who struggles with plate discipline and hitting for power.

And we traded Tim Alderson for him. We could have traded for Marco Scutaro, whose on base percentage is 50 points higher, for a prospect worse than Scott Barnes, let alone Tim Alderson.

We may have been able to trade Tim Alderson and Scott Barnes to land Victor Martinez or Matt Holliday. Instead, we got two below average major league starters.

Did the 2009 Giants starting lineup improve... Yes...
Did the organization improve... Not even close...

Giants lead Wild Card

Aaron Rowand (.304 average) is getting hits in bunches.
Pablo Sandoval (11 walks) is working the count.
Matt Cain (8-1) is winning games... with run support...

OK. OK. I must be dreaming. In 2008, these Giants players (.271 average for Rowand, 4 walks in 2008 for Sandoval, 8 wins in 22 more starts for Cain) weren't this good, and the Giants were never close to contending.

Times have changed.

61 games into the season, the San Francisco Giants lead the Wild Card race. Spearheaded by the second best team ERA in baseball (3.65), the Giants are now five games over .500 for the first time since 2004 with a 33-28 record.

After starting the year 2-7, I thought the Giants were in rebuilding mode. I thought wrong.

Rowand, Sandoval and Cain have been key contributors to the Giants surge.

And it gets better. Brian Wilson had a save without going to a three-ball count, striking out the side June 10th at Arizona. Wilson has now successfully saved his last 8 games, and has not walked a batter in his last four appearances.

Barry Zito's ERA has dropped a full point (5.15 in '08 4.09 in '09). Zito has pitched better than his ERA indicates, or his record (3-6), with his two best starts being wasted by the Giants quite bats.

Tim Lincecum threw a shutout Friday, the second of his career. Randy Johnson followed with a dominate outing (7 innings 4 hits 2 earned 1 walk 3 strikeouts), and Matt Cain could secure a sweep for the Giants tonight against the A's.

The question is -- can the Giants keep it going?

The bullpen currently looks great, with Sergio Romo pitching the big moments instead of Bob Howry. Jeremy Affeldt has been solid and the aforementioned Wilson has never looked so comfortable on the mound.

The starting staff, dare I say it, should only get better. You can expect much of the same from Lincecum and Cain, but its Zito (4.09 ERA), Johnson (4.89 ERA) and Sanchez (4.84 ERA) who have room for improvement.

The big question mark is the offense as a whole.

Spring Football

Pablo's walk-off homer vs. Nationals

Giants take series in LA

Rich Aurilia called it a "Huge Win". I will call it "the biggest win in years."

The Giants scratched and clawed their way to a 7-5, 13-inning win against the Dodgers on Sunday, taking the series from their inner-state rivals.

Tim Lincecum allowed four runs to the Dodgers in six innings, yet the Giants hitters, particulary Randy Winn and Emmanuel Burriss, picked up the Cy Young Award winner in come-from-behind fashion.

With the Giants down one in the eigth, Winn, Aaron Rowand and Burriss hit back-to-back-back singles, and Nate Schierholz's sac fly tied the game at 4.

In a similar 12th inning, Burriss slapped a single to left advancing Winn, who singled earlier, to third. Rich Aurilia knocked in Winn with a sac fly and the Giants had the lead.

Brian Wilson served up a home run to Casey Blake in the bottom of 12th, and I began to think that we were going to lose another heartbreaker to the dodgers.

But, the Giants had luck on their side in the 13th. After an infield single by Edgar Renteria and a walk, I repeat, a walk to Pablo Sandoval, Steve Holm hit a grounder to Furcal. Furcal could have turned two, but he misplayed the ball, and the official scoring was an infield hit for Holm.

Winn followed with a two-run single down the left field line, and lo and behold, the Giants were victorious.

Burriss, who I criticized a week ago for poor hitting, is now hitting .287, four points lower than the team leader Bengie Molina. He had four hits in the win and two of the Giants four hits in Saturday's 8-0 loss to the Dodgers.

Winn also had four hits, but he scored four runs and had two RBIs. Essentially, he accounted for six of the Giants seven runs in a game the team had to have.

On Friday, Barry Zito pitched out of numerous jams and recorded a solid 6 innings and one run allowed. The Giants would score three against Dodgers ace Chad Billingsley, and the bullpen held on for a key 3-1 win.

The Giants pitching, sans Sanchez, looks great, but the offense still needs some type of upgrade. The Giants are one of two teams in baseball without a home run from the first base position. Any one is an upgrade to what they have now.

As for the team, well, they are last in baseball in runs scored. Rowand needs to bat higher than .227, Renteria needs to be a steady .300 hitter and the first base position has to help out the offense.

When that happens, the Giants could be very dangerous.

Down goes Ramirez

This off-season, I was that Giants fan who could not believe Brian Sabean and Co. were not pursuing Manny Ramirez with all their money. To me, Ramirez was the only player available on the market that could make the Giants offense dangerous.

When the Giants essentially told the baseball world they weren't interested in him and the Dodgers got him, I was admitably angry. How could we sign oldies Randy Johnson and Edgar Renteria and then let the game's most feared hitter go to our arch rival without a fight?

Suddenly, we look like geniuses.

Ramirez tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs today, and boy am I happy about it. That is 50 games that the Dodgers will not have Ramirez, and conveniently it starts right before the Giants start a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

I wrote in an earlier post that the Ramirez signing was the turning point in the NL West race. Now, with Ramirez down, the door is open for the Giants to contend for the NL West crown.

And as good news seems to come in bunches today, the Diamondbacks fired manager Bob Melvin, showing how desperate Arizona is after an awful start to the season.

The day got better when the games started. The Giants were spearheaded by two homers and five RBIs by Bengie Molina as they took down the Rockies 8-3. The Diamondbacks lost again, albeit to the Padres, 4-3 in 10 innings.

Best of all, the Dodgers scored six in the first inning, and still found a way to lose at home to the Washington Nationals. The Nats scored 10 unanswered runs, and Casey Blake was retired in the ninth with the potential tying-run on first. The Dodgers offense still scored 9 runs without Ramirez, but the loss ended their ML record 13 game home win streak to begin the season.

Next up for the Giants: Barry Zito vs. Chad Billingsley

Billingsley has started against the Giants twice and has thrown 14 1/3 innings and allowed just 3 earned runs -- both Dodger victories. But Zito has looked ace-like as of late, and without Manny in the lineup, he could throw another gem.

In any event, the Giants have a golden opportunity to take over this division in the next 49 games before LA's best hitter comes back.

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Giants Update: Pitching carrying team

I owe Barry Zito a momentary apologize.

Since I wrote a lengthy post in April titled "Can We Get Our Money Back" in reference to Zito taking the Giants money and not producing, he has simply been dominate.

In Zito's last three starts, he has thrown 20 1/3 innings and allowed only three runs, all coming in one inning.

The Giants as a whole are over .500 25 games into the season for what has to be the first time since 2004. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty excited about this fact.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers have decided to win every game at home this year, thus the Giants are still 5.5 games back in the NL West Standings.

Regardless, Tim Lincecum dominated the Cubs yesterday in a 6-2 win. Matt Cain is throwing the ball great this year and receiving more run support than he has got in his whole career. Randy Johnson's age may become a factor at some point this year, but right now his fastball is in the low 90s and his slider is still as dirty as ever. Even Jonathan Sanchez, at least until last start, has shown a new perpensity for control.

The Giants offense has been pretty pitiful though. Edgar Renteria is hitting in the .260s, not what you want from your $9 million shortstop. And Randy Winn is hitting in the .220s, but you can bank a summer surge from Winn, who always ends up batting around .300.

Pablo Sandoval swings at everything, and I'm starting to believe that he may have a very successful baseball career doing so. A .317 average this year and a .344 average last year can't be a complete fluke. After facing hundreds of big-league pitchers, Sandoval simply chases bad pitches and lines them into the allies like they are fastball right down the middle.

The Ishikawa and Burriss experiment is failing right now, and before long the Giants will need an upgrade at first and second if they want to contend for a World Series Ring.

Hiller finishes off Sharks

Two seconds into Game 6 between the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks, Sharks assistant captain Joe Thornton and Ducks assistant captain Ryan Getzlaf gave it a go. After a long fight which featured many punches landed -- more by Thornton -- the Sharks seemed ready to storm into the Pond and force a Game 7 in San Jose.

It turned out they picked a fight with the wrong team.

Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller was once again phenomenal, stopping 36 of 37 shots, and the Ducks stunned the Sharks 4-1 to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The Presidents' Trophy winning Sharks seemed poised for a deep run in the playoffs, but they simply could not get the puck past Hiller in the entire series.

In the six games, Hiller stopped 220 out of 230 shots for an unbelievable .957 save percentage.
In comparison, the normally formidable Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov had a mediocre .890 save percentage.

The No. 1 key to any series by most experts accounts is the play of the goalie, and Hiller was much better than Nabokov.

However, blaming the whole series on Nabokov would be criminal.

Other than Game 5, Thornton was nonexistent. Similarly, captain Patrick Marleau had just three points in six games. He did score the game-winning goal in the Sharks two wins, but in the other four games, Marleau was a non-factor.

Meanwhile, Corey Perry had three big goals for the Ducks and Bobby Ryan beat Nabokov four times.

On the defensive end, Christian Ehrhoff, Doug Murray and Brag Lukowich had no points in the series and turned the puck over too often. Marc-Edouard Vlasic had a nightmarish series, posting a minus- 6 in five on five action. Rob Blake and Dan Boyle were outplayed throughout the series by Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, shown by a minus-6 combined by the Sharks two-some and a combined plus-9 by the Ducks dynamic duo.

But, if I had to point to one player who dominated this series, it was Ryan Getzlaf. He had two goals, the first sealing Game 1 and the second sealing Game 6, and six assists. His eight points led the series, and his plus-5 was second best.

More importantly, he took it to Joe Thornton repeatedly.

Thornton has a history of poor playoff performances, and Getzlaf never let him get going. And when Thornton finally did dominate a game during Game 5, Getzlaf picked that fight.

Getzlaf may have lost the fight, but he ultimately won the war.

Sharks win pivotal Game 3

My last post suggested that the Sharks may struggle to win in the first round against Anaheim. But, under no circumstances did I expect the Sharks to lose the first two games of a series at home.

After all, the Sharks were 32-5-4 in the regular season at home, including no back to back home losses in regulation.

Unfortunately, it happened.

The Sharks had been struggling to put the puck in the net down the stretch. There struggles continued due in large part to the play Jonas Hiller. Hiller saved 77 of 79 shots in the first two games, and the Ducks claimed a 2-0 lead despite being outshot by 36 in the two games combined.

The Sharks had to have Game 3, and they knew they were going to need get traffic to the net. Defenseman Dan Boyle crashed the net and scored two goals, Rob Blake had a goal and Patrick Marleau tipped in the winner in the Sharks 4-3 victory.

And that nonexistent power-play that doomed the Sharks in the first two games showed up. They were 2 for 4 with the man advantage, including Marleau's winner with less than ten minutes to go.

The question is -- has Hiller lost his touch?

If the Sharks can continue to apply pressure to Hiller, a comeback may be within their grasp.

Sharks win Presidents' Trophy

Had someone told me going into this year that the Sharks would have the no. 1 overall seed going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I would have been ecstatic.

I think it is worth celebrating the amazing regular season that the Sharks had. 117 points is more than I could have imagined. The addition of Dan Boyle and Rob Blake have made the defense formidable, and Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski may very well develop into stars of the NHL if they aren't already.

Yet, something doesn't feel quite right about this team.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; the Sharks have not played great Hockey since mid-January.

Today's 4-3 loss to the Kings once again got me worried. Nabokov saved only 20 of 24 shots and the offense was non-existent without the power play.

I worry because San Jose's opponent in the first round will be St. Louis or Anaheim, and those teams have won 8 of their last 11 games.

Most Sharks fans would tell me I have little to worry about in the first round, but the second round could mark the end for the Sharks. Their opponent will likely be Calgary or Chicago, and each team has proven that they can match up with the Sharks man for man. Chicago particularly scares the crap out of me.

If we play Chicago, goaltending will be the key. If Nabokov outplays Khabibulin, the Sharks will advance. So, I think the Sharks will get by in seven games.

If the Sharks get to the Conference Finals, they will likely meet the Detroit Red Wings. Fortunately, the Sharks have home ice, which is absolutely crucial considering how poorly the Sharks played at Joe Louis Arena (outscored 10-1 in two games).

But, I see the Sharks folding in that series. Joe Thornton has not played well lately, Patrick Marleau will be shut down by Nicklas Lidstrom, and the rest of the Sharks can't score the way the Wings can.

Unless Detroit's goalie situation completely falls apart, the Sharks run should end there in six games.

Can we get our money back?

I have this "friend" who plays Major League Baseball. He has a below-average fastball, and his offspeed pitches don't get easy outs, which ultimately makes his a mediocre pitcher.

My friend signed a 7-year, $126 million contract in December 2006. That means that the team he is on still owes him more than $70 million dollars.

My friend is Barry Zito, and I am beginning to question if his signing by the Giants was the worst in sports history.

Every so often a player signs a lucrative deal and has a season-ending injury. The fact that so much money is being devoted to that injured player costs his team dearly, but what Zito is doing to the Giants goes beyond that.

In 2007, Zito had an average 4.53 era and the Giants had a record of 14-20 when he started. This stat line is not exactly worthy of the richest contract in baseball, but considering how much he has regressed since then, the Giants would take those stats.

In 2008, Zito was a train wreck. His 5.15 era was one of the worst for all healthy starting pitchers, and the the Giants record when he started was 13-19.

If someone showed me that a pitcher had a 5.15 era and 17 losses in 32 starts, I would tell that team to send that pitcher to the minor leagues because that pitcher is ultimately making his team a lot worse.

So going back to my original point, Barry Zito isn't just making a lot of money and not producing. He is actually making the Giants much worse and taking around 20 percent of their payroll with him.

I don't think I have ever said this, but I believe Barry Zito is the worst player on the team, and he is making the most money. The Giants would absolutely be better off releasing him and going with a minor league pitcher. I guarantee you Giants minor leaguer pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson could out-pitch Zito.

Anyways, the whole reason for this rant comes from Zito's performance tonight against the San Diego Padres. Five of the first six San Diego batters reached base against as the Padres scored three first inning runs and made Zito throw 39 pitches.

Optimistic Giants fans would point out that Zito settled down after the rough start and allowed just one run in his next three innings. But, he still threw 93 pitches before leaving after just four innings, and the Giants lost the game 7-2.

The Padres are supposed to be the worst hitting team in baseball this season and Zito could not make it past the fourth. I find that difficult to swallow.

Many Bay Area fans are puzzled by Zito's ineffectiveness as a Giant after being such a solid pitcher as an Athletic.

Zito's fastball has lost a little bit of velocity, his change-up has lost some effectiveness and his curve ball has lost some byte. This could be a result of the A's overworking him years ago, but that still does not entirely explain how he has gone from a Cy Young winner to a disaster.

It is clear to me that the mental side of the game has destroyed Zito. He repeatedly walks hitters because he is afraid to attack the strike zone with his fastball. It is as if there is something in his head preventing him from being the pitcher he was in Oakland.

All in all, I don't see Zito ever turning it around, and I advise Giants fans to give up hope. Nothing is going to make his fastball faster and his curve ball curve more (besides steroids, which is a whole different article).

I hope I am completely wrong and Zito wins four Cy Young awards as a Giant and shoves them in my face. But until then, could we get please get our money back?

Tragedy hits baseball

When Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart left the mound Wednesday, I only thought about the bright future ahead of him.

You can imagine the shock I had when I woke up this morning.

This article from the Associated press said Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver at around 12:30 A.M. Thursday morning. For one day, this blog will get away from who won and recognize what counts.

Adenhart's death is a stunning reminder to value what you have. Right this moment, an earthquake could strike the place you live and injure a person you love. That's why it is so important to live life to the absolute fullest.

As I mourned the tragic news, I saw a replay of what happened to Joe Martinez in the ninth inning of the Giants 7-1 win over the Brewers. Martinez' change-up was hit squarely by Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron. In a millisecond, the ball struck Martinez above his right eye, appearing to momentarily knock Martinez out.

Minutes later, Martinez looked fine, and it appeared that he was going to walk off the field under his own power until Giants management forced him to stay down. Hopefully, Martinez recovers fully and gets another opportunity to pitch in the majors. But, there is no telling if Martinez has any brain damage or eye damage that could affect his life. And even if he does fully recover, there is no way to predict his mental state when he returns to the mound.

Something about Adenhart's youth is particularly disturbing about this news. The tragedy reminds me of Darryl Kile and Corey Lidle dying suddenly in the past decade.

R.I.P. Nick Adenhart

Stop the Presses... The Giants Can Hit!

Last year, the Giants often struggled to score 10 runs in a week. After one game this year, they are averaging 10 runs a game.
The Giants defeated the Brewers 10-6 behind an Opening Day offense that slugged out three home runs and six extra base hits. Aaron Rowand looked healthy for the first time as a Giant, when he bombed a two-run homer in the fourth inning and doubled in a run in the seventh.

The first inning was a perfect example of Giants small ball. Shortstop Edgar Renteria singled in his first at bat as a Giant, and Fred Lewis followed with a base hit. With two outs, Pablo Sandoval was hit by a pitch to load the bases, bringing up Spring Training slugger Travis Ishikawa. He ripped a Jeff Suppan pitch for a bases-clearing triple, giving 2008 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum an early three-run cushion.

Lincecum could not hold lead, giving up two runs in the second inning and one run in third. He left after just three innings of work and 78 pitches thrown.

Lincecum had no control of his fastball which lead to him falling behind nearly every Brewer hitter. But don't fear, Lincecum still had his usual dominating stuff as shown by his five strikeouts. What is more impressive is that his Giants teammates picked him up after the poor performance.

Rowand's homer in the 4th put the Giants ahead 6-5, and they never looked back. Bengie Molina hit a solo homer in the seventh that put the Giants up three, and Rowand's rbi double two batters later made it 9-5.

Randy Winn then went deep in the 8th off of Jorge Julio, and Brian Wilson ended the Brewers last rally when he struck out Jason Kendall with two outs in the ninth.

The Return of "BoomDizzle"

You remember him dunking on Kirilenko.
You remember when his buzzer-beater stunned the Celtics.
You remember him as the leader of the "We Believe" 2007 Warriors.
You remember Baron Davis, and last night, he returned.

Davis led the Clippers with 29 points in 7 assists, showing off his superior strength and creativity, but Monta Ellis stole the show in the Warriors 127-120 win.

Davis, who has had a tumultuous season for the Clippers, struggled to stay in front of the considerably quicker and younger point guard Ellis.

In fact, Ellis dominated the game similar to how Baron dominated games in year's past. Ellis not only got to the rim, scoring 29 points on 13 of 19 shooting, but also played under control with six assists and only two turnovers.

The Warriors defense was spotty all game, showing defensive lapses that allowed Zach Randolph and Al Thornton to get easy buckets. But, after giving up 154 two nights ago to the Suns, 120 sounds rather stingy.

Overall, Davis looked as if he has lost a lot of quickness and lift. He showed a willingness to stay on the perimeter and jack up threes, making 4 out of 8. When he did drive in, Ronny Turiaf was able to block his shot because he could not get off the ground.

Meanwhile, Ellis looked fantastic for the first time all season. At one point I said, "Baron Who," when Ellis drew the defense and threw an alley-oop to Anthony Randolph for a dunk, which is shown in this game recap. It reminding of a play Baron would have made in his four years as a Warrior.

The Warriors win capped a homestand in which they finished 3-1. Ellis scored 103 points in the four games. Hopefully, this is a preview to the Warriors 2010 season.

I was shocked when Baron left the Warriors to go to Los Angeles, but now I do not want him back. Baron is run down, and Monta has proven that he can do anything Baron did physically. But, what Monta has yet to show is that energy and intensity that Baron provided. We believed in Baron. When he left, we all lost that belief, and it is up to Monta to bring that belief back.

Healthy Nabokov Carrying Sharks

In a press conference days ago, head coach Todd McLellan called the Sharks "fragile." After losing five out of six, words such as struggling and falling apart might come to mind as well.

The Sharks needed a spark to get back on track, and goalie Evgeni Nabokov provided that spark.

After missing the last seven games due to injury, Nabokov stymied the Los Angeles Kings in a 2-1 shootout victory. He stopped 23 of 24 shots and six out of seven shots in the shootout in winning the game for the scuffling Sharks.

Nabokov and the Sharks took that momentum into "The Pond" in Anaheim on Sunday. But, once again the Sharks offense would only muster one goal. Fortunately, Nabokov made that one goal stand. He stopped all 34 shots to record his sixth shutout of the season.

Hiding behind Nabokov's dominance over the last two games is a Sharks offense that is struggling to score goals.

Joe Thornton has failed to register a point in three consecutive games, and overall the Sharks offense has just three goals in its last three games.

The Sharks have not been the aggressive team of late as they have been regularly outshot by their opponent. The Sharks have not had more shots than their opponent in six of their last seven games.

Most would blame Boucher for the recent losing streak, and after all, he did blow two three goals leads. But the defense has been struggling in front of him for some time. Nabokov posted his highest goals against average in February at 2.76, and Boucher's goal against average is a bloated 3.35 in March.

I tend to believe that the Sharks have simply not been playing very well over since February, and time is wasting for San Jose to find their game back.

NL West Predictions

The San Francisco Giants had an eventful offseason. They signed longtime nemesis Randy Johnson and relief pitchers Bob Howry and Jeremy Affeldt to shore the pitching staff. They also signed Edgar Renteria to a lucrative contract of 2 years, 18 million dollars and Juan Uribe. But, they also tried to sign top free agents CC Sabathia and Manny Ramirez. CC Sabathia quickly took the money and fame as he signed with the New York Yankees. But Ramirez was on the market up until just last week. His demands of at least 2 years and 45 million dollars scared off every team but two -- the Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants decided to keep what they have, and the day Ramirez was signed by the Dodgers might have been the turning point of the entire season.

I fully believed that if Ramirez did not sign with a team in the West division, then the Giants were the favorites. Or at least they would have been in a two team race with the Diamondbacks. Had the Giants signed Ramirez, they would easily won the division. But, the Dodgers now are contenders as well, and I predict their lineup will one of the best in the NL.

Predicted Order of Finish
1. Los Angeles Dodgers 83-79
As said before, this team has a dangerous lineup. Youngsters Kemp, Loney, Martin and Ethier are all a season more experienced and dangerous. Furcal is the best shortstop in the NL West when healthy, and Ramirez (shown above) is the X-Factor. Despite spotty starting pitching after Billingsley and Kuroda, and a shaky bullpen, the Dodgers should be able to eek out a division title.

2. Arizona Diamonbacks 82-80
Two years ago, the Diamondbacks went to the NLCS. Last year, they added Adam Dunn at the trade deadline, yet they took a huge step back and missed the playoffs. This year there is no Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson. They lost Randy Johnson as well. Their lineup is filled with youngsters who struggle with plate discipline. If their young lineup can develop and their young pitchers give quality innings, then they can be scary. But, Brandon Webb and Dan Haren wont be enough to get them past the Dodgers.

3. San Francisco Giants 79-83
Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Randy Johnson, Barry Zito and Jonathan Sanchez. That starting five has past dominance and future Cy Youngs written all over it. Of course, the lineup has no power and the bullpen can be shaky at times. But, if Zito can get back to top form and if Pablo Sandoval can be a potent run producer, this team will win the division. But, I'm predicting they will both falter, and the Giants will fall just short.

4. The Colorado Rockies 65-97
This team struggled last year and then lost Matt Holiday in the offseason. Expect a tough season, but look for shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to have a bounce back year.

5.The San Diego Paders 64-98
The Padres lineup is terrible after Gonzalez and Giles. Expect the Padres to trade 2007 Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy this season and to continue to rebuild their roster.

Sharks stall in Motown

In the fourth and final battle between Western Conference's two top teams, the home team won for their fourth consecutive time.

The Detroit Red Wings once again pummeled the San Jose Sharks on their home ice, winning 4-1 Wednesday.

The Red Wings have outscored the Sharks 10-1 in their two games at Joe Louis Arena this year.

The Sharks have an NHL-high 91 points -- three points more than the Red Wings and one more point than the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins.

Special teams were the difference for the Red Wings in this game.

The Wings power-play was far more dangerous and efficient than the Sharks was. The Wings went 2 for 7 on the power-play, while the Sharks went 1 for 7.

The Wings also had a short-handed goal, when winger Henrik Zetterberg stole the puck, eventually performed a spectacular spin-move and beat Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov stick side.

The longterm affect of this loss is hard to gauge -- after all it is just one regular season game.
But the Sharks have to be worried about their inability to be competitive at "the Joe."

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has plenty to ponder before the March 8th trade deadline.

The Sharks have shown solid scoring from their top two lines, but they get little to no contribution from their bottom two.

They could give up some prospects for an offensive star.

And of course veteran defensive players are always a good add to a playoff team, especially if that means Alexei Semenov does not touch the ice.

Ultimately, the Sharks are one of the best teams in hockey and no matter what they decide to do at the trade deadline, the big name players are going to have step up.

That means you, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle.

With the season lost, the Warriors are in waiting mode

The Golden State Warriors are 20-37. They are in tenth place in the West and are currently 14 games out of first place.

The season is over.

The trade deadline passed and the Warriors did not take a part in it. They decided to keep their losing roster together with the hopes that better health and experience will lead to a winning season next season.

They are officially in waiting mode.

Here's a list of the Warriors needs down the stretch to ensure a better season next season:

1. Monta Ellis should be rested for the rest of the season. If he's not 100 percent next year, the Warriors will never sniff the playoffs.

2. PLAY ANTHONY RANDOLPH. Just recently, Lakers star Lamar Odom said that Randolph was like looking in a mirror with more athleticism. He has potential, and the only way he will realize this is if he plays more.

3. Continue to develop winning ways at Oracle. This young team struggled earlier this year to defend its home court. Now, with the team healthy and seasoned, the Warriors must begin to show some dominance on their home court. They will need to win a minimum of 30 games at home next year if they wish to make the playoffs.

4. Ship Corey Maggette to another planet. OK OK. Maggette is a good scorer and he can get to the free-throw line at any time. But, the fact that he has never been part of a winning team suggests that Maggette's inability to pass and poor defense outweigh his ability to score. Don Nelson's decision to bring Maggette off the bench is the right one, and he just try to limit his minutes as much as possible for the remainder of the season so Marco Belinelli, Kelenna Azubuike and CJ Watson can develop. This is just one example of Maggette being "literally" a walking turnover.

5. Stay healthy over the offseason. Yes, this means no mopeds. But in all seriousness, Andris Biedrins should probably rest this offseason instead of playing Olympic basketball. His health is pertinent to the Warriors success. Stephen Jackson averages the second most minutes per game. He needs to ice his legs for six months.

Tejada tests positive for steroids

Nearly a week ago, it was discovered that Miguel Tejada, a Bay Area icon and former AL MVP, tested positive for steroids.

With Jason Giambi also admitting to steroid use, A's fans must be wondering if all their recent stars were on steroids.

My guess is the Big 3 -- Zito, Mulder and Hudson -- earlier in the century were not on steroids, but no one can be sure.

Tejada's positive test comes day after Rodriguez admitted to steroid use between 2001 and 2003.

Tejada began his career in 1997 with A's and made steady improvements every season. In his 2002 MVP season, he had a .308 batting average, 34 homers and 131 rbis.

But, as with most A's stars, his greatest season made him noticed by other teams and he was lured away by big free-agent money.

The A's were never able to resign Mulder, Zito, Hudson, Giambi and Tejada because they simplyp did not have the revenue, and general manager Billy Beane believed that they could restock with great drafts and player development in the minor leagues.

Yet, all true A's fans that I have met are willing to accept Beane's tactics. And although Beane has not taken the A's to a World Series, he made the A's a consistent contender in the early 2000s.

Just two years after his MVP season, Tejada took the money, a six-year, 72 million$ contract, with the Baltimore Orioles.

Last year, Tejada signed with the Houston Astros. He struggled mightily, hitting just 13 homers (his lowest total since his second season) and a .283 batting average.

Ultimately, the Bay Area may be the mecca of steroid ball. Barry Bonds and Matt Williams were two of my favorite hitters growing up, and they both took some type of performance-enhancing drug.

With BALCO's headquarters just around the corner, it would not surprise if other Giant and A's greats took 'roids.

Challenges and Opportunities for Bloggers

Pros- Blogging gives everyone a stage to express themselves to the entire world. It gives people the opportunity to communicate their opinions and gives others a chance to read information that can be very influential.

Cons- I believe that the majority of Bloggers are fairly accurate with their information, but, blogs lack accountability that newspapers have. Also, I can post anything I want, and it may be much more interesting than newspapers, but it will be difficult for me to get people to read my blog because without advertising, it is difficult to promote it.