Social Saturday: Linkin’ Round the Cove

If you’re looking for some reading this Saturday afternoon, we’ve compiled a list of good articles, or at least things we found interesting and hope you do, too!

First off, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced today that they hired Hall of Famer Tony La Russa as their Chief Baseball Officer. That means manager Kirk Gibson, and former baseball foe, will be reporting directly to La Russa. Should be a fun season for those two guys. Kris Brown at Venom Strikes has an opinion about how it will turn out for both Gibson and General Manager Kevin Towers.

"The biggest question may be what will be done with Kirk Gibson.  No one is sure how much blame is being laid at his feet over the D’Backs performance to date.  Ultimately, they will likely both be shown the door, as La Russa, without any particular allegiance to either guy, will likely decide to bring in his own people. – Kris L. Brown, Venom Strikes"

Tommy John surgery has been a popular topic lately, particularly with the news that Jose Fernandez was going to need the surgery. Fernandez’s surgery took place on Friday and all reports say it went well. However, with a recent string of the surgery among young pitcher’s its sparked much discussion. Wendy Thurm of FanGraphs did an article about the financial cost all the young pitcher’s having the surgery.

"For these pitchers, the surgery and rehabilitation will consume critical service time in their careers when they would otherwise be building up value for their arbitration-eligible seasons or free agency. – Wendy Thurm, FanGraphs"

Remember former Giants outfielder Jeff Francoeur? Well, he’s in the San Diego Padres minor league system right now as a pitcher. Yes, I said pitcher. If you haven’t seen any video of him so far this season pitching, or read about it, it’s time you do.

"Francoeur has always been known for a rocket arm in the outfield; his 119 career outfield assists rank second among active players. His power translates to the mound with an over-the-top, aggressive style of pitching. – CSN Bay Area"

Last night was Metallic Night at AT&T Park. The band was on hand for the National Anthem, to throw out the first pitch, and to give Giants fans a chance to see plenty of awesome photo-ops. Check out the Giants Social Media Recap and the band performing the National Anthem.

#Metallica Night…and NOTHING ELSE MATTERS – Social Media Recap

Metallica Performing the National Anthem (Video link if embed doesn’t work)