Fair or not, Sabean might need to find job elsewhere

Bruce Jenkins - San Francisco Chronicle

We don't really know Bill Neukom, who will take over the Giants' ownership in October, not in a baseball sense. But his admirable track record suggests he's a tough, bottom-line type of guy, and if I were general manager Brian Sabean, I'd be a bit concerned about my job security.

It's conceivable that when the current season shuts down, the Giants will have a reasonably bright outlook for the future. That would require the usual stuff from Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, solid seasons from Fred Lewis and Brian Wilson, a resurgence from Eugenio Velez and John Bowker, glowing minor-league reports on the likes of Tim Alderson, Nick Noonan and Angel Villalona, perhaps a pleasant surprise or two.

All of that will have been nurtured on Sabean's watch, with high hopes looming for the upcoming amateur draft. But if you're looking at a bottom line, the Giants also will be wrapping up the worst four-year stretch of their 51-year history in San Francisco.

It's not that any youth movement will remind people of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who tower above the Giants in every category but "studly right-handers." Barring a spectacular trade or free-agent signing, there won't be any serious talk of rising above the rubble in 2009. Viewed from the outside, the Giants represent nothing but negativity: steroids, the BALCO investigation, a perjury trial, the Mitchell Report, staying with Barry Bonds too long (that's on Peter Magowan and Larry Baer; don't ever forget it), and most significantly in Sabean's case, a string of ghastly transactions led by Barry Zito.

Nobody remembers Sabean's exceptional work as a rising Yankees executive, or that for seven prosperous years, his only false move in San Francisco was an over-commitment to Marvin Benard. Nobody cares about his masterful fine-tuning as Bonds' prime years led to relentless excitement. That's all yesterday. Today, quite frankly, the Giants are an embarrassment. That has to wear on the investors, many of whom aren't quite ready for the flip side of success.

Which is why I've finally discovered how I feel about Sabean: I think so highly of him, I hope he is somewhere else next year.

You'd have to think there would be interest - from the deeply troubled Yankees and Mets, just for starters. Sure, Sabean turned a blind eye to Bonds at the peak of the steroid era, just as other executives did with Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and a few hundred others. That doesn't mean it was noble behavior, but it would be hypocrisy to single out Sabean as some type of rogue. He knows the game, better than most. He's the father of four boys, and might have no practical way to leave the Bay Area, but if he were to become available, he'd be the flat-out best choice for any team.

Predictions? Too difficult to say. Signed through 2009, Sabean deserves his two-year, post-Bonds crack at fixing this mess. He might not have that opportunity. But like the radio disc jockey forced to play jazz instead of the polka, he just might warm to the change.