DETROITThe Presidential election is one week away, butwhat the heck. Lets demand a recount already.
You have to wonder what NL managers and coaches werethinking as they watched the Giants put on a defensive display during threerounds of the playoffs, culminating in a dazzling, four-game sweep of theDetroit Tigers in the World Series.
Maybe it was something like this: Doh!
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The finalists were announced Monday for the AL and NL GoldGlove awards, and not a single Giant made the top four at any position. Its anespecially dopey oversight at shortstop, where Brandon Crawford didnt crack alist that includes Jimmy Rollins, Ian Desmond, Jose Reyes and Zack Cozart.
All of those shortstops ply their trade in the Eastern timezone, by the way.
Crawfords UZR150 wasnt the highest in the NL amongshortstops. The Astros Clint Barmes was tops by a wide margin, at 15.3.But Crawford was second at 9.7, and we think the Astros actually played in the Pacific Coast League this season. Reyes, by the way, received a negative rating.
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If you like your defensive stats to be more missionary,Rollins committed the fewest errors among the finalists with 13 and Reyescommitted the most with 18the same number that Crawford had, although adozen of them came in the first two months of the season. Rollins had the best fielding percentage, at .978, but that can be misleading. Any Phillies observer could tell you that Rollins is getting to far fewer balls than he used to.
Most Giants fans would probably just use the eyeball test totell you Crawford was the class of the NL.
Angel Pagan didnt register among center fielders and BusterPosey didnt make the list of catchers. First baseman Brandon Belt, who pickedthrows and dived into the stands, got no glove love, either.
Gregor Blanco probably ranked as the Giants best defensiveplayer after Crawford, but he wasnt enough of an everyday player from Junethrough August to warrant consideration. Doesnt make all those catches anyless memorable, thoughespecially the one that saved Matt Cains perfectgame.
To reiterate: Managers and coaches vote on the Gold Glove.They turned in their ballots in the final week of the regular season.
So dont take out your fury on the nearest BBWAA member.
But if theres a silver lining to this Gold Glove snub, itsthat Crawford and others received plenty of national exposure during the WorldSeries. So maybe hell be at the forefront of minds at the end of next season.
He might not even have to hit .250.