Last Laugh for San Fran?

Down the stretch in the midst of a wild card race last season, Brewers 1B Prince Fielder slugged an extra inning walkoff homer to beat the Giants. This wasn’t the issue though. As Fielder approached home plate, he jumped in the air and landed on the plate, which led to his teammates falling over like bowling pins. And yes, the Giants took offense to this.

So on Thursday, Giants pitcher Barry Zito, in the team’s first chance for retaliation, hit Fielder in the first inning in the back side to close the books on the issue. Or did they? The Giants did not retailitate themselves during the game, but maybe they are waiting for the regular season. Who knows…

This really ticked me off when it happened, so I hope that Zito really did do this on purpose. It was uncalled for and unprofessional. Fielder didn’t seem to care when he got hit, probably because he knew it was coming. I know this will be a subject of conversation when the teams meet again this season, so stay posted.

Blame Chicago, Not Milton

I love writing about Milton Bradley, you have no idea. This guy was my favorite topic of conversation last season, almost more than writing about Albert Pujols (for completely different reasons). Well this time, Milton tells The New York Times it’s not his fault that he didn’t have success in Chicago, it’s literally Chicago’s fault:

“Two years ago, I played, and I was good. I go to Chicago, not good. I’ve been good my whole career. So, obviously, it was something with Chicago, not me.”

You gotta be kidding me! He couldn’t handle anything that was expected of him, which was based on his previous season. He also says that there was unfair expectation due to him batting fifth. That’s a production spot in the lineup, and Bradley simply wasn’t up to it. Good luck Seattle, you have your hands full with this guy.

Tidbits:

• Rangers president Nolan Ryan has some pretty high expectations for his ballclub – try 92 wins and an AL West title. Yowza! I don’t think that’s the most farfetched thing I’ve ever heard, but why would you put those kind of expectations on a team that hasn’t had that kind of success in over a decade!
• Cubs manager Lou Pinella has to be getting tired of Chicago (almost as much as Milton Bradley) and as he enters the last year of his contract, he just wants to enjoy the ride. He doesn’t know what his future will bring, so it’s likely not going to be decided until next offseason.
• Current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine says he was not offered the Florida Marlins managerial job, despite the rumors. He wants the rumors to stop – but I’m sure he wants a job more!
• After massively screwing up so many calls last postseason, the MLB has changed it’s umpiring supervisors for this season. They have something to prove to me this year, but they likely won’t be under the microscope until the playoffs.
• Mets SS Jose Reyes is trying to return from a massive hamstring injury, but he got some bad news this past week when he heard he has a hyperactive thyroid. This is treatable though, so the Mets and Reyes believe it can be handled.

-Chris