Q and A with Giants Beat Writer Andrew Baggarly

Hey guys here you go Mr Baggarly was nice enought to answer our q's and like to thank him for giving his time. Either way here ya'll go! Also visit his blog: http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/

#1 From James in Larkspur, CA
1. Do you have any memories of Jt Snow?
I only covered the end of J.T.'s career, but the best memory I have is a catch he made at Wrigley Field in 2004. It was a foul pop and he had his back to the infield and flopped Jim Edmonds-style while making the play. It's got to rank among the best plays I've seen, and the best he's ever made. I'm sure he remembers it, too, because he tore a knee ligament on the play and a few weeks later he had to undergo surgery. J.T. is a classy guy and it's no surprise the Giants wanted to keep him in the organization as a coach and broadcaster. Oh, the Darren Baker save int he World Series ranks up there, too.
2. What is the best type of training for a sports beat writer like yourself?

If you really want to cover a beat, you've got to be able to write on deadline. The next time you watch a game, pretend you're writing a story and keep revising it as the action happens. You need to be ready to hit "send" as soon as the final out is made. There's no way to prepare for that situation unless you practice it. Also, I'd challenge you to write as succinctly as possible. Make your point and relay your information in as few words as possible. You may think you've got all the answers, but remember, people have short attention spans. It's only valuable information if other people take the time to really consider it. Verbosity can be a problem on the Internet, where you don't have the space limitations of a newspaper.

Writing is only half the job, though. You've got to be a good reporter and have good interpersonal skills. So take time to imagine how an interview would go: What specific questions would you ask? Then be prepared to listen. Don't have an interview script. If you aren't really thinking critically about the answers you get, you won't be in the right frame of mind to ask intelligent follow-ups. Often the story you intend to write becomes far less interesting than the story you get.
3. What is the favorite part of your job?
Being able to write authoritatively on a subject that I love and that interests me. And interacting with interesting people every day. That includes competitors and colleagues. I laugh a lot on the job.
#2 From Micheal in Greenbrae, CA
I Nate Schierholtz I believe is part of the future of this organization. Sabean has said that he doesn't see where he fits in in the future, but I don't understand how Sabean can overlook the fine numbers that he put up in limiting playing time at the end of las t year, as well as consistently impressive numbers in the minor leagues and a great showing in the Olympics. Would you personally rather have Winn, whose Giants tenure is coming to an end in right field to start the year, when we may not contend, or would you rather have Nate playing right? What kind of value could we get for Winn if we traded him now, or at the deadline? Thanks. believe is part of the future of this organization. Sabean has said that he doesn't see where he fits in in the future, but I don't understand how Sabean can overlook the fine numbers that he put up in limiting playing time at the end of last year, as well as consistently impressive numbers in the minor leagues and a great showing in the Olympics. Would you personally rather have Winn, whose Giants tenure is coming to an end in right field to start the year, when we may not contend, or would you rather have Nate playing right? What kind of value could we get for Winn if we traded him now, or at the deadline? Thanks.

That question is Barbieri-esque in its length! I'll use fewer words to answer: Schierholtz will get an opportunity at some point. He's out of options, so he'll have to make the roster out of spring training. Or he could be traded. A talented player will get a shot eventually. As for trading Winn, I don't get any sense this is something the Giants want or plan to do.


#3 Myself Tiburon, CA
I'm at a crossroad's, part of me would love to go and see the giants sign C.C Sabathia in order to give them the most dominant starting rotation and baseball as well as compete=2 0year in and year out because I'm tired of losing. This is my last year in the bay area for quite some time. At the same time giving him the proposed 20 million dollars or so over six years doesn't sound like the greatest idea when you have two other players, (Zito and Rowand) signed to long term contracts that already consume at least a third of the teams payroll. Signing Sabathia would make it so that 3 players earned an annual average of around 50 million dollars which would leave little roster flexibility and would be a problem with Tim Lincecum going through arbitration and making it harder to sign him to a long term deal without totally freezing the vast majority of our payroll in four players. My question is don't you feel it would be better to wait especially when we have numerous potential front of the rotation arms in the minor leagues (ie Alderson Bumgarner, Sosa and Aaron Kings interests me)?

First off, CC will cost more than $20 million a season. You're right, it's a risk to have so much money tied up in two pitchers. But perhaps the Giants don't believe they can lure any premium hitting free agents because of their ballpark. So if the cash is burning a hole in your pocket, you might as well go after a mega-rotation and try to win in a weak division that way. (It's also easier to trade pitching for hitting, though I'm not necessarily suggesting a Sabathia deal would result in trading Matt Cain.) The Giants may not feel they can afford to wait, since ticket sales are dropping off and it's hard to reenergize a fan base after the buzz wears off. Also, don't forget Brian Sabean is in the last year of his contract and he's got a new boss. He's motivated to do more than just coast through another rebuilding year. To answer one of your other concerns, signing Sabathia wouldn't affect the Giants ability to negotiate a long-term deal with Lincecum.
#4 Myself Tiburon, CA
My Giants top 10 list would be:
1.Bumgarner
2.Posey
3.Alderson
4.Angel V
5.H Sosa
6.Noonan
7. Roger K
8. Connor C
9. Rafeal R
10.Fairley/Aaron K (really really like what I hear)
a. what would be yours?
b.Player you deem most overated in the system doesn't have to be on top 10 list
player you deem most underrated?

You'll have to wait till February, when the Baseball America list comes out. We've got a lot of names in common, though.