Well, that was fast. According to pretty much everyone, the Giants' new manager will be Bruce Bochy. As we said earlier, we always liked his work with the Padres, but find him utterly boring and the wearer of a really bad, non-ironic moustache. He also has a very big head. It turns out, however, that he recently he has been seen sans 'stache so maybe he's finally realized the error of his ways. Oh, and he already has a job that with the Padres, but this doesn't seem to a problem.
So then, what does it all mean? We honestly have no idea. Bochy is steady, experienced, and considered a player's coach. He's not a flashy name and not terribly an exciting name but he's also not a gamble, and not a complete unknown. He's the Goldilocks pick-- just right. That just might be the point in hiring him. These next two/three years are going to be a total overhaul for the Giants as they say goodbye to the Old Savvy Vet game plan and try the Go Young approach. If that's the strategy, then why not hire someone known for being steady and experienced?
Our hunch is this, that the Giants know they're not going anywhere and don't really know what sort of direction to take. Bochy is a caretaker manager, a good guy to have when things are unknown. But when things become known, that's when you bring in the young, exciting guy. In other words, we give Bochy two-three years max before he gets replaced with a new face. He is, essentially nothing but a caretaker.
One more thing-- this hiring could mean the resigning of one Barry Lamar Bonds. Who else could handle him but some guy who's been a manager for years. There would be no way some rookie manager could deal with all the craziness. So what we're thinking is that is just another sign that Barry will be back in '07