Back and ready to attack!

Actually I’m still getting back into the swing of things. The last two weeks without internet have been surprisingly undull– I got a lot of reading done– and with the Giants decidedly out of the playoffs, I haven’t felt the need to follow the games online. But now that I’ve got ole lappy back from the shop, its back to feeding my baseball obsession.

One thing I am thinking about now that the minor league season is over. Would you consider the past year a successful one for the minor league system? The explosion of Bumgarner and Sandoval onto the scene have to be the highlights of the year. Burriss, Alderson and Ishikawa were also pleasant surprises. But what about Villalona, Noonan and Fairley? Has Schierholtz’s stock fallen?

I will say this: even though it’s early yet. I’m willing to count the 2008 draft as a success. I’m not sure Gillaspie is better than Noonan (or even better than Frandsen) and there’s no indication yet that Crawford or Kieschnick will ever make it to the Bigs, but I like the philosophy behind the picks. For the first time in a long while, I feel that the Giants are (competently) addressing their positional needs.  Couple that with their prowess in selecting and developing pitchers, and the future for the Giants looks quite bright.

Update

Sadly, still no working laptop.  Also to compound that, my office computer is communal (I am a graduate student… this is your education taxes at work) and I haven’t had the time to post or even peruse the lines.  One bright note, I did recieve a call from Kevin Pucetas asking me to buy playoff tickets.  Hopefully everything will be resolved tomorrow.