Kuzul

The Beard.

We know it’s power—power to intimidate and power to inspire.  The Beard was a big part of the 2010 San Francisco Giants and their World Series victory.  It spawned a whole new fashion statement for Giants players and fans alike.

But how long will it grow?

Brian Wilson told the world that he decided to grow out the beard during the regular season in 2010 and not shave it until the Giants were eliminated from contention or from the postseason.

But the Giants weren’t eliminated.

Now it’s a new season, and it’s pretty clear that Wilson was dead serious about what he said last year, because that thing is longer than ever.  Wilson looks like he belongs on the cover of the movie “300,” next to Leonidas with the jet-black beard.  In fact, looking at pictures of Wilson pre-beard, I don’t even recognize the guy.

Aubrey Huff, another Giant with an eccentric addition to his person—the “rally thong”—shed that after the Giants won it all last year.  But Wilson is following a long line of baseball superstition-sensitivity.

Perhaps the bigger question is, will the Giants closer continue to grow it if they repeat as World Series champions?  Technically, if he’s going to stick to his guns, he’d have to keep growing it, and it could become the facial version of Manny Ramirez‘s dreadlocks.

There really are a lot of questions about the Beard:

At some point, won’t it start to get in the way of Wilson’s delivery?  Well, I guess if Manny Ramirez could run around the bases with his hair flying around the way it did, Wilson’s task looks like a piece of cake.

What brand of hair dye does Wilson use on it?  (Hair dye manufacturers: jackpot—time for a Brian Wilson commercial with your product)

Does Wilson’s neck get sore with the beard becoming heavier and heavier?

Well, whatever happens, it’ll be fun to watch.  As if we didn’t have enough reasons to want the Giants to go all the way and repeat as champions this year, add one more to the list: the continued reign of the Beard.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The defending world champion San Francisco Giants have a lot to feel good about. 

They are, after all, coming off of their most historic and successful season since moving west in 1958, and they are full of budding young stars just approaching their primes.

Perhaps the two young stars most important to last year’s success, and the future of the franchise are Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson.

Lincecum has had unprecedented success in his first three major league seasons, winning two National League Cy Young awards and leading all of baseball in strikeouts all three years. 

He has also added what has proven to be the key missing ingredient to many great pitcher resumes throughout baseball history: a World Series ring. 

Lincecum pitched eight masterful innings in the clinching Game 5 victory in last year’s Fall Classic for the Giants.

Brian Wilson, San Francisco’s eccentric, black-bearded closer, has emerged as the game’s best, saving a major league-leading 48 games last year and cementing his status as most feared closer with his nearly flawless postseason performance.

As the Giants received their World Series rings last Saturday night at AT&T Park, the memories of last year’s magical run, along with all of the joy that accompanied them, were relived by the franchise and its fans.

But now, as the 2011 season gets into full gear, the question quickly becomes can the Giants repeat, and looking even further into the future, will this Giants club become a championship dynasty?

The answer may very well hinge on whether San Francisco can hold on to Lincecum and Wilson.

Lincecum and the Giants went through a bit of a contract dispute after the 2009 season, which ended in a pre-arbitration settlement in which the parties agreed to a two-year, $23 million contract that would keep “The Franchise” in a Giants uniform through the 2012 season.

But if Lincecum continues to put up numbers like he has in his first three full seasons, come 2013 (after an arbitration-eligible 2012) he could be in a position to command serious free-agent money. 

Lincecum is just approaching his prime.  He turns 27 this season, and given what we’ve seen from him thus far, he’s only likely to get better.  That’s a scary thought for opposing hitters and in a weird way, an even scarier one for Giants general manager Brian Sabean.

Brian Wilson’s contract ensures he’ll be a Giant through 2012 as well, but again, he will become a free agent following the last pitch of the 2013 season, so he and Lincecum will be free agents in the same year, making it even tougher for the Giants to try and keep them in San Francisco.

Other franchises will have additional incentive to go after the two Giants hurlers, not only because of their amazing talents for throwing a baseball but because stealing them away from San Francisco would break up what has become arguably the best all-around pitching staff, top to bottom, in the game. 

It’s almost like Teddy Roosevelt breaking up the railroad monopoly in the early 20th century.

The question of whether the Giants can repeat as world champions has been hotly debated this past offseason, but perhaps the more crucial one is whether or not the Giants be able to keep their pitching staff together in the long-run by locking up its most valuable arms.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Let’s face it (no pun intended), facial hair has always been a part of sports.

But perhaps no sport (other than hockey’s playoff beards) has embraced the hairy visage more than the Great American Pastime, where it’s become more than just facial hair: it’s an identifying trademark.

Be honest, when you think of Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley and Brian Wilson, what do you think of? You probably think of their accolades and escapades on the field, but you also think of the handlebar (Fingers), the thick mustache/mullet combo (Eckersley) and the beard that’s probably the definition of “winning” (Wilson).

So with the MLB season now underway, it’s time to take a look at some of the best facial hair in MLB history. This is the place for some of the most bizarre, out of left field and just epic looks and designs we’ve ever seen.

Without further ado, here’s the list.

Begin Slideshow

The likelihood of Brian Wilson appearing on Opening Day at Chavez Ravine is doubtful after he was yanked from a bullpen session today.

Reports from ESPN are saying he felt a little discomfort and was told to stop.

Is this a setback?

Who are you asking?

According to Wilson, no, but then again this is Brian Wilson, and rarely do we see him stress publicly about anything, especially something as lowly as a strained oblique. It just doesn’t fit his lumberjack persona.

Of course the Giants don’t feel that way. Jeremy Affeldt was held out of 23 games last summer for a strained oblique.

But Wilson is better than that, right? Fear the Beard?

“I mean, I’d like to feel superhuman. Correction: I am superhuman,” he told the San Jose Mercury News.

But let’s get serious.

How is his beard doing? When do we can we start blaming Charlie Sheen? And do comments even sound “delicious” to Wilson now that he has this strained oblique?

The world might never know.

What we do know is that this injury isn’t serious.

Let’s get real, this is Brian Wilson. He is bulletproof right now.

He says he will throw on Thursday if they give him the go, but that seems unlikely.

What is likely is that he will not be available for Opening Day, and my bet is he will not be ready for maybe a week after that.

Better safe than sorry, right? Expect him back sooner than later.

Meanwhile, let the “closer-by-committee” convene and put upon themselves the mystique that is Brian Wilson’s Beard of Zeus, as disgusting as that sounds.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

According to Chris Haft of MLB.com, San Francisco Giants All-Star closer Brian Wilson was diagnosed with a mildly strained left oblique yesterday.

Wilson believes he will be ready for Opening Day, but Martie Lurie of KNBR said on the Giants’ postgame show that March 31’s opener is in jeopardy for the bearded right-hander.

Wilson will not throw the ball until Monday, when he will be re-evaluated.

Wilson earned a major league best 48 saves last season. He reported the discomfort last Friday, the day after pitching a shutout inning against the Angels in an exhibition game.

Coming into Saturday’s game, Wilson pitched five innings in the preseason and gave up just one run (1.80 ERA). 

My Thoughts

This is a bit of a concern for me.

Brian Wilson is one of the best closers in the National League, perhaps the game, and I do not think the Giants have anyone formidable to replace him with. Santiago Casilla does not throw enough strikes for me in the ninth, and Sergio Romo is just too prone to the long ball late in the game (as seen in the NLDS).

Although Javier Lopez is a good pitcher, I want someone who can throw gas coming into the ninth inning. If this were 2009, I would say Jeremy Affeldt could step in, but he just has not been consistent enough of late.

A possible under-the-radar candidate could be Marc Kroon.

Kroon was a successful closer in Japan who nearly broke the all-time saves record over there. In six seasons, Kroon accrued 177 saves and threw as high as 101 mph.

He is doing okay in spring training, giving up two runs in six innings (3.00 ERA) while striking out four.

Still, it would be very difficult to replace Wilson, who insists that he will be fine for the opener in Los Angeles. However, anything can happen and the Giants need to look at other options just in case.

Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants

Questions or Comments? E-mail my blog mailbag at vc4re@yahoo.com. Your questions may be answered on my blog.

This article was featured on the blog Talking Giants Baseball.

Who will finish in last place in the NL West? Vote here.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Baseball fans rejoice; Spring Training started yesterday and the regular season is just a month and a half away.

With the season rapidly approaching, the closer situation of each team is becoming clearer. As one of the most important roles on a baseball team, a closer can be the difference between a good team and a championship one.

Interested to see which teams have shaky and stable closer situations? Read on.

Begin Slideshow

Who’s Craig Kimbrel?

He’s the next generation of major league closers.

Kimbrel is currently slated to out duel fellow relief pitchers come spring training and capture the closers role for the Atlanta Braves.  The Braves have not had a shut down arm since John Smoltz and Kimbrel could be this decade’s dominant closer.

The soon to be 23-year old had been one of the most dominating closers in the minors before he was brought up with Atlanta in May of last year.  Kimbrel only appeared in eight games between his call up and June before being demoted back to AAA. 

The young kid’s see saw transition to the MLB continued in August when he was brought up once again and compiled 11.2 innings until seasons end.

Even with the push and pull within the Braves organization, Kimbrel was able to compile 23 saves in AAA last year.  Striking out 83 batters in 55 innings and sporting a cool 1.64 ERA.  The rookie does tend to walk batters at times, but has enough control to get out of trouble when runners are on base.

While these minor league stats prove to be very impressive, his carried over success into the majors last year is even more eye opening.  In 20.2 innings with the Braves last year, amidst a late season playoff race, Kimbrel posted a 4-0 record with a 0.44 ERA.  He struck out nearly two batters an inning with a total of 40 and only gave up nine hits with no home runs.

Kimbrel’s ability to keep the ball away from any hitter’s bat was clearly evident from his stat line from 2010.  In his 149.1 innings pitched during his three year minor league career, Kimbrel only surrendered five home runs on 74 hits.  That kind of production is rarely found among strike out closer nowadays.

The outlook for Kimbrel and the Braves in 2011 is fairly good.  With the addition of Dan Uggla, a healthy Chipper Jones and Jair Jurrjens, an immanent explosive season from Tommy Hanson, and the opportunity for rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman to make an impact, the Braves have all the pieces to be serious contenders come October.

Kimbrel is currently being drafted and ranked outside of the top 15 closers in fantasy leagues this year.  Jonathan Papelbon, Jonathan Broxton, and Francisco Rodriguez, who are untrusted veteran arms on the decline are all being taken ahead of Kimbrel. 

Given a full opportunity to close for the Braves for all of 2011, Kimbrel could surpass 40 saves and 100 strikeouts.  We could be witnessing the new era of closers in the MLB.  Neftali Feliz, Brian Wilson, Carlos Marmol, and Craig Kimbrel.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As fantasy baseball drafts quickly approach, I thought it would be helpful to provide a quick reference cheat sheet for closers. Remember, don’t take a closer too early as there is value to be had late in drafts.

NL East

The Atlanta Braves have yet to officially announce a replacement for the recently retired Billy Wagner, however we believe that Fredi Gonzalez will give Craig Kimbrel the reigns as the team’s new closer. 

The only other NL East team with a possible closer carousel is Washington, where second year player Drew Storen will likely start the season as the team’s closer. Tyler Clippard or Sean Burnet would likely replace Storen if the youngster runs into trouble.

NL West

The two safest and most valuable closers to own from the NL West are Brian Wilson and Heath Bell. Both players are coming off excellent campaigns in 2010 in which they each represented their respective team in the All-Star Game.

Newly acquired J.J. Putz will likely begin 2011 as the Diamondbacks closer, while Jonathan Broxton will continue in his role as the closer for the Dodgers. Broxton was temporarily replaced by Hong-Chih Kuo last season after some sub-par performances, which is something that Broxton owners should be aware of this spring.

NL Central

The top closer to own from the NL Central is Carlos Marmol, as he is a near-lock for 30-plus saves and has an impressive career K/9 ratio of 11.9. 

The Pirates have yet to announce their closer for 2011, however the smart money is on Joel Hanrahan. 

Keep an eye on both Aroldis Chapman and Kyle McClellan this season, as both players are young fireballers and the heir apparent to the starting closer.

Ryan Franklin was less than spectacular in 2010, posting a pedestrian 3.46 ERA with only 29 saves. Despite posting 40 saves last year, Cordero had a near 4.00 ERA and may lose the starting job to the fan-favorite Chapman.

This article was originally published on www.kramericasports.com, the home of free fantasy news, rankings and advice.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Coming off their first World Series championship in 56 years, the San Francisco Giants are flying high. They return the bulk of their squad and aim to make another championship run in 2011.

How do the Giants size up heading into spring? Read on to find out.

Begin Slideshow

It’s almost time for pitchers and catchers to report to their spring training cites. This means the men who each team count on to secure a win will be reporting. In the last inning in a close game, the team’s manager calls on his best bullpen pitcher to come into the game and shut the door. The closers role is one of the most important roles on a baseball team. Let us countdown the Top 10.

Begin Slideshow