Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Thrill is back...

So, when I first started blogging about the Giants, my biggest dilemma was what to name the site. Some of you may have already heard this so I'll spare you, but the gist of it was central around Will Clark for many reasons. Mostly because he brought the passion and fire to the game that was needed and played it the way it is supposed to be played. Something that has been absent for some time around AT&T park. Something that needs to return to AT&T park...

As the Giants have finally admitted to needing a culture change AND a new direction from the surround and drown approach with aging vets to a superstar, they also have begun to follow up with that path. Without getting into a fire Brian Sabean rant or Sabean deserves an extension debate, it's hard to argue that he has made good moves this offseason that help the club next year while not mortgaging the future through development. The latest in the line of good moves comes not in the way of bringing in another but resufacing a legend of our time.

Will Clark may not be a Hall Of Famer, but to Giants fans, he's the favorite. The Giants have brought him in as a special assistant, meaning he'll be showing his face alot more. Specifically, Clark will be at many charity events and fundraisers, he'll be on the field during spring training and some practices, and he'll work with the minor league franchises to help fine tune the kids. This is where he can be most valueable. The Giants have been preaching that culture change tune for about a year now. This is what it means. Clark can pass on his views to how to play the game to guys like Noonan...Anderson...Villalona...Posey...you get the point. It's more important now than ever before because, as we all realize, the Giants actually have a good farm system...Why waste it. Guys like Conor Gillsepie might just need this. They are getting paid alot of money out of the draft now and can coast through the minors on talent alone. What they need are an approach and a meaning. Will Clark can kick them that way. And if he can't, well, I have no problem giving him a bat and letting him take some hacks. I bet he hits as good as Ishikawa does this year.

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