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Giants do nothing for fans and not enough for Deion

Sporting News, The, Sept 25, 1995 by Bob Nightengale

The Giants deserve exactly what they got, and now their fans are paying the price while their team fades out of the playoff picture.

They wanted Deion Sanders so much that they included two of their top pitchers, Mark Portugal and Dave Burba, in the deal. They promised their fans they would use the money being saved to acquire more pitching.

But they not only didn't acquire pitching, they made no deal to strengthen themselves for the stretch run. And now it appears they will lose Sanders.

Great commitment, fellas.

And you want the fans to ante up for season tickets in 1996?

Why? So you can toy with the fans' emotions, pull off another idiotic move and pretend that you're in the race when you're not even a .500 team?

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Hey, maybe next year you can trade Barry Bonds for Michael Jordan and con the fans again.

The hilarious aspect of all this is that Sanders, who signed a seven-year, $35-million contract with the Dallas Cowboys, says he is seriously considering sitting out the 1996 baseball season. "I don't need the game," Sanders says. "I may take the year off and relax. I like the game of baseball, I like it a lot, but I don't have to play this game. I would like to, because I'm crazy about the team and the guys here, but I mean, come on, my body's already showing signs of wear and tear."

The Giants are praying it's only negotiating ploy. They were working in tandem with the 49ers to sign Sanders and were prepared to offer him a three-year deal for more than $7 million. Well that's what they told us. The Cowboys' offer made it a moot point.

Sanders scoffed at the Giants' plans to combine their offer with one from the 49ers. "You've got to stand on your own sometimes," he says. "I don't throw my money in with friends and open up businesses. Stand on your own. Where I come from, it's every man for himself."

The Giants were hoping to create a Bay Area icon out of Sanders. Now he means little more to the Giants than Brian Jordan does to the Cardinals.

Sanders is preparing for hostilities by Giants fans. "I imagine it will be just like playing on the road," Sanders says. "If it gets uncomfortable for myself and my family, it will be best to move on. I don't want to do that. But the fans are going to predict the futture. It's tough. They have to look at it from my situation. It's business first.

"If I don't get booed, something's wrong. I wish it would be better than that but people are people, fans are fans."

Says hitting coach Bobby Bonds: "People in San Francisco have to realize he's still trying to help the city of San Francisco win something. He's trying to help the San Francisco Giants. He's as big a part of the city as ever, regardless of where he plays the other sport. If they react the other way, it shows they don't care for the baseball team in general."

The fans have a right to boo. It won't be booing Sanders so much as booing what Sanders represents.

The Giants made the trade purely for financial reasons.

Now look at the price they are paying.

Cast your ballot

If you believe in going by the numbers, then Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza is the National League's Most Valuable Player.

If you believe in leadership, then Reds shortstop Barry Larkin is your man. He helps run the Reds, deciding such things as whether the team will take infield.

If you believe that a starting pitcher is just as qualified as an everyday player to win the award, then you've got to take the Braves' Greg Maddux, particularly considering that for the fourth consecutive year he's the finest pitcher on the planet

If you don't believe that Coors Field is a hitter's haven, why not the Rockies' Dante Bichette?

Never has the MVP race been so wide open so late in the season.

The leader and sentimental choice is Larkin, who would become the first shortstop to win the award since Maury Wills in 1962.

The natural choice is Piazza, who not only has hit more home runs his first three seasons than any Hall of Fame catcher except Johnny Bench and could become the first catcher to win a batting title in 43 years, but also can take credit for a staff that has the league's second-lowest ERA.

And then there's Maddux, who is a shoo-in to be a unanimous choice for his fourth consecutive Cy Young award. Where would the Braves be without this guy?

If the voting took place today, Larkin would win.

If the Dodgers win the N.L West, Piazza should be the winner, particularly if he wins the batting title.

If Maddux wins 20 games in a strike-shortened season, how can you overlook him?

In the year of the wild card, it could be the most glorious race of all.

A fine policy

It's time for the American League and National league to make a policy regarding suspensions instead of leaving it up to the individual teams.

It's absurd that the Reds look like the bad guys because they wouldn't pay Ron Gant's salary, $81,395, for the four days he was suspended by the league for fighting.

Many clubs want to do the same thing. The Cubs will They have decided that starting in 1996 they won't pay players while they are suspended. Yet unless there is a uniform policy, there will be problems.

Giants do nothing for fans and not enough for Deion

Sporting News, The, Sept 25, 1995 by Bob Nightengale

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