Giants Baseball vs. Jersey Shore

I've got some good news.

Season 3 of Jersey Shore is finally over. No more Ronnie. No more Sammie. No more Crocodilly.

Also, this is the last Sunday we'll be without Major League Baseball for the next six months. If Duke losing doesn't make you smile, hopefully that will.

The Giants have had a turbulent last few days of Spring Training. Brian Wilson has pitched only 5 Cactus League innings as a result of back and oblique issues. Cody Ross, one of the few outfielders with his starting job secured, will be on the shelf as least three weeks with a strained/torn calf muscle. And while it likely means little in the grand scheme of things, it's no fun seeing Timmy, Cain and Bumgarner all get shelled.

But all things considered, the Giants seem to be in pretty good shape heading home from Arizona. While the Ross injury is disconcerting, outfield is at least where the Giants have the most depth. While I have no insider knowledge on the situation (Mike), the consensus gut feeling seems to be that Brandon Belt will start the season in AAA, keeping Huff at first and moving Torres to right during Ross' absence.


And while another two week installment of the Aaron Rowand Show mini-series might seem as bad as being forced to sit through the season finale of Jersey Shore, it really isn't. We could have real problems -- like going to club and finding out that the Giants texted Arvin to hookup right after we broke up. Like, what the --

God, what am I saying. I'd rather see a roster of 25 Aaron Rowands than hear another minute of Snooki butchering the English language. If I hear the name Paulie spoken in an embellished Brooklyn accent one more time and it's not from the movie Goodfellas, I'm just gonna snap.

Now brilliantly fusing my previous two topics, MLB and Showtime released a brief preview of Showtime's upcoming reality TV documentary show on the San Francisco Giants, The Franchise. I will admit that when I first heard about this, I was down on the idea. I figured that last thing to Giants needed the year after winning the World Series were a bunch of TV cameras in the clubhouse.

But after seeing this three-minute clip, I'm warming up to it. The team has seemed plenty focused this Spring during filming, and heck, it's a documentary on my favorite team -- how am I not supposed to like that? At the end of the day, anything that can make me feel like I'm best friends with Tim Lincecum is a-ok with me. It'll give me ideas of what to say to him when I finally run into him on the street.

Check out the preview of "The Franchise."

In a few short days I'll be inside Dodger Stadium for the first time in my life, taking in Opening Weekend with the World Champion San Francisco Giants. Whether we win, lose, or get shanked in the parking lot, baseball is back.

And Jersey Shore is gone. Hopefully forever.

Postscript:
...and KB just told me they're already filming another season. In Italy.

But luckily, that's a whole baseball season away.