[SSW]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

St Louis wasn't last to win 3 in 5 years. If you win 3 in a row that is also 3 in 5 years.

Being kind of picky, aren't you?

The reference to "3 in 5 years" is obviously meant to highlight teams that won 3 WS titles but NOT consecutively. Only the 40's Cards and OUR current Giants teams are the only ones to have done that in the NL. According to US Todays chart, the Red Sox and A's also did it around 100 years ago in the 1910's.

I referenced the teams to win 3 or more times in a row (the 70's A's and 3 the 30's, 50's and the 1998-2000 Yankees teams). Personally, those are the only teams I consider to have been worthy of being considered a DYNASTY because they were so DOMINANT in their time.

Say what you like about the Giants but you can't say they were a DOMINATING team in 2010, 2012 or 2014. Heck, the Giants didn't even win their division this year, so it's hard to make the case that they're a DYNASTY.

Yes, they won the World Series 3x's in 5 years BUT to rise to the level of a DYNASTY, I think they need to do more.

I think that they at least need to have had the best record in the league, win the NL Championship and win the WS at least 3x's in a row, like the 70's A's and the 3 Yankees teams did. Otherwise, there are just TOO MANY teams who would rise to a level of a DYNASTY, which would diminish the meaning of the term.

The 40's Cards are also suspect because they won during the player depleted WWII years with a team lead by Stan Musial. In fact, given their advantages, it's surprising that the Cards did not win 5 in a row during that time period and the fact that they didn't emphasizes why they shouldn't be considered a dynasty either. They had a chance to win 3 in a row between 42-44 but lost to the Yankees in the WS in 43.

However, as I also already mentioned, I think what the Giants have done by winning 3 WS titles in the past 5 years is pretty f*cking amazing in this age of free agency. It's also amazing because of the ORDEAL that teams have to go through in order to win the WS now.

Back in the day, there were only 16 teams in MLB -- 8 in the NL and 8 in the AL. The team that had the best record in each league won the pennant and went on to play in the WS without any playoff, unless there was a tie for one of the league titles. Now, a team may have to play as many as 20 games to win the WS -- a wildcard game, best of 5 for the NLDS, best of 7 for the NLCS and best of 7 for the WS. That's really crazy. People complain about the wildcard teams winning the WS but any wildcard team -- like the Giants in 2014 -- that can do that has proven what a great team they really are by enduring such a demanding process.

Frankly, because of free agency and the current playoff system, I think that it will be very difficult (if not impossible) to create a baseball team dynasty again UNLESS there's a team out there who can BUY it again like Steinbrenner did w/the 1998-2000 Yankees and the Dodgers tried to do again this year.

Maybe the Giants will be the team to actually do it because the team has A LOT of $$ to spend in free agency now that they've almost paid off the capital costs for building ATT Park and are sold out every day. If they spend their money right to buy the right players, there's a good chance they may be able to build a team around the 8 or 9 core players that have been there since 2010.

What do I think they need to do that?

I think they need at least 3 bulletproof starters -- 15 to 20 game winners who no one can hit. They've only got 1 now and they "may" have 2 if Cain can regain his prior form. Possibly 3 if Lincecum can regain his form, but that seems unlikely. We've got Petit, who's really untested but should be good for #4 and could move up if he performs well. Hudson will still be on the roster in 2015 but I only see him as a #5 starter in the rotation taking over Vogelsong's spot; Vogie is a free agent in 2015 and I don't think the Giants will resign him unless they can get him cheap and there are no other options. Don't know if there's any one in the farm system who can fill the need for a #2 or 3 starter. If not, they need to let Peavy (who's also a free agent in 2015) go and use the $$ to find another vet who might be able to step up in that role.

In the field, they need to resign Pablo (who's a free agent in 2015) to a 3-5yr contract to maintain the continuity of the team in the infield and at the plate. They also need to sign Panik to a long term contract based on this WS performance which was outstanding. They also need to find at least one (and preferably 2) POWER hitter(s) who who can bat over 300 and hit 30-40 HRs a year, who can also field left or center field, which are the only positions open.

They use to have a power hitting outfielder -- called Bonds -- but that was awhile ago. Maybe the Cuban CF -- Daniel Carbonell -- who did not play in the WS but is currently listed on the Giants 40-man roster, will be that guy. If so, they could move Pagan (who's signed thru 2016) to LF, assuming he's still able to play.

Although they both contributed importantly to the Giants' success this year, I don't see Ishikawa or Perez being what we need in LF or at the plate and, although they may keep Perez, I think they'll probably release Ishikawa because of his relatively poor performance in LF (which is not his position anyway) and the fact they don't need him at 1st with Belt (the guy who took away his job) there. Assuming he can play, Morse (who's also a free agent in 2015) isn't ideal in LF either BUT the Giants might re-sign him to another 1 yr deal if they can't do any better to keep some power available off the bench.

What ever the case, here's hoping that the Giants can take it to the next level to become an actual baseball DYNASTY.

GO GIANTS!!!!