The showdown is not meant to
cause offense or harm.
The viewer acknowledges any
reliance on the accuracy or
completeness of said content
should be done at their own
discretion.
The host apologizes in advance
for any affront as a result of
personal attacks.
All right, here for the showdown
with Christopher Mad Dog Russo.
It is Wednesday and obviously
doing his ESPN work, chris, we
know you're an unabashed San
Francisco Giants fan.
I mean, really over the top
Giants fan, it's, it makes us
nauseous a little bit as we've
seen it over the years.
All right.
So we just had a debate about
the Giants.
Where are they and where are
they headed?
Yeah.
Huge, bigger giant fan in your
day as a general manager than I
am now there, Stevie, you know
that better than anybody.
Um Listen, I'm not sure where
they're headed, Steve, you know
, Zaidi signed that contract and
a lot of people, I've had 9
million radio requests this week
because I gotta wonder, you know
, this, he's had one good year.
I mean, that's all there is to
it.
They got a lot of
interchangeable parts, this
thing, you know who knows when
we're going to see him again.
A lot of injuries I saw you and
Mike and the fellow there go
through that all the injuries
they've had, you know, unlucky
as well.
Uh, you thought the starting
pitching would be, you know, a,
uh, you know, basically a
linchpin of the team, Webb's up
and down the young kids.
Not so great, Snell.
Of course, we haven't seen too
much.
Uh, you know, the Giants got
major problems.
The division is gone.
That fan base is gonna get a
little cranky.
You know, they won three titles
and they lose to the division so
quickly to L A right now is bad.
They shut down on Otani.
They can't get him, obviously
judge, they never signed Correa
, thank God they didn't sign him
too.
Giants are a mess, Steve.
I think Arizona at the end of
the day will be the second best
team in the division.
Now, I don't know enough about
where Zai stands with
management.
I'll let you handle that since
you were Jim yourself, but you
can make an argument.
The leash is too long.
He should be let go.
You can make that argument right
now.
If you're a giant fan that he
just has not gotten, he's been
there a long time.
They've had one good year.
You can make an argument.
It's time for him to go too
since November of 2018.
I mean, he's been there for a
bit.
And so, you know, he came in
with the idea that it was gonna
be Moneyball with money, right?
He had been in Oakland, be in
los Angeles.
And so he had sort of the best
of both worlds there to make
those sorts of decisions.
But you mentioned the one good
year in 2021 100 and seven wins.
And even that season, I kept
looking at them thinking, how
are they doing this?
They had a lot of pieces that
they've worked match ups with
Gabe Kepler and they don't have
any impact overall and listen to
have money ball with money.
You've got to spend the money,
chris and they can't get anybody
to take their money.
And so, you know, we look at
this team right now and they've
underperformed, they have a lot
of blenders but no impact,
right?
And so I don't know that you can
change managers, but I don't
know that that's the solution
for this team.
So as we look at this division
right now, how do you look at
their chances?
Look, the Dodgers are the best
team in the division?
We agree on that.
Who's that next best team?
You mentioned Arizona, San
Diego's playing much better
baseballer, mike Schilt.
Where do you think the Giants
are in relation to the
Diamondbacks and the San Diego
Padres in that hunt for a wild
card spot where they are right
now, Steve fourth place.
I think the Diamondbacks will
get a little better experience,
they get their pitching
organized eventually, Rodriguez
is gonna pitch.
Obviously, we know that
Montgomery get a little better.
I know San Diego's got a little
life right now.
They just lost two of the
Rockies though, which are awful
losses.
I gotta see San Diego do
something before I'm going to
sit there and run to San Diego.
They achieved a lot.
Arizona last year.
They won 84 games.
Get to a World Series.
I think Arizona is two.
I think San Diego is three and
Steve, I hate to say it.
I think the Giants are the
fourth best team.
I just don't think they're that
good.
They can't beat L A, which is a
major problem.
I don't think the Dodgers, I
don't think it's San Francisco
and again, he's been there six
years, Steve.
I mean, in New York you would
not, I'll tell you right now,
you know, better than anybody.
If you were the GM in New York
and you had one decent season in
six, you're not gonna survive.
You, you're not gonna signed
through 2026 Chris.
So he's got a couple more years
there.
We'll see what they do, remember
extended last off season.
And so I suspect he's gonna, how
did he get extended?
Well, I think they had some
vision.
No, I think they had some, the
107 wins was certainly part of
it, I'm sure.
And I think they had some
thought that they haven't been
able to spend the money.
They've tried to get some big
time players and look, some part
of being a general manager is
you've got to find a way to lure
those players to come to you.
And if it's going to take money
to do it, Then you've got to
find a way to convince the
player that there's more money
to come to get a deal done.
So they haven't been to do it.
So the question is, do they make
a change or do they move
forward?
Brian Sabian just actually
inducted into the Hall of fame
out there in San francisco just
this past week.
So let me ask you about the
American League West.
I believe the Houston Astros
will be in first place in the
American League West by June
30th.
I think over the next six weeks
they're gonna get hot.
Bregman is turning it on the,
getting healthier with the
starting rotation for Valdez
back on the mound.
Christian javier in the rotation
right now.
Verlander looked like Verlander
again.
I think they're starting the
charge.
Now.
They listen of the 42 games they
played, 30 of them were against
teams over 500 to start the