Warszawski: Giants’ Duffy a better, cheaper replacement for Sandoval

Enter the Warzone, clearing the bases every Tuesday.

▪ The Red Sox are paying Pablo Sandoval $17.6 million dollars to hit .267 with seven homers while committing more errors (14) than he did last season with the Giants (12).

Meanwhile, Matt Duffy, Sandoval’s replacement in San Francisco, is hitting .299 with eight homers and playing improved defense — for a $509,000 paycheck.

Oftentimes the best free-agent signings are the ones you don’t make.

▪ So far the 2015 Giants have an eight-game win streak, a six-game win streak and a five-game win streak. That’s in addition to an eight-game losing streak, a seven-game losing streak and two five-game losing streaks.

So far the only constant has been inconsistency.

▪ Zack Greinke has not allowed a run over his last 432/3 innings, unless you count Mike Trout’s leadoff homer in the All-Star Game.

Which says much more about Trout than it does Greinke.

▪ After Greinke shut out the Nationals, Bryce Harper groused the Dodgers right-hander wasn’t “very tough” and benefited from called strikes “6 inches off the plate.”

Clown statement, bro.

▪ When Jordan Spieth missed that birdie putt on 18 at the British Open that would’ve given him a chance to win a third straight major, the 21-year-old looked steaming mad.

Makes us like him even more, since most golfers can hardly manage annoyed.

▪ ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi must stuff onions inside his microphone. Every interview he does is about getting someone to cry.

▪ Derek Carr hosted almost the entire Raiders receiving corps for a two-day “refresher course.”

Not that there’s anything refreshing about Bakersfield in July.

▪ Judging by reader reaction, Fresno State fans are more concerned with the coaching staff choosing a quarterback (and sticking with that choice) than former Ford Childress’ transfer from West Virginia.

Then there are those who don’t believe in the coaching staff’s ability to develop a quarterback.

Only July, and the negativity’s in midseason form.

▪ The NCAA will distribute about $55,000 to each Division I school to help them pay for cost-of-attendance stipends, USA Today reported.

Meaning Fresno State only needs to come up with $1,145,000.

▪ Ron Adams will be a special guest of Fresno track and field maestro Bob Fraley at Friday’s annual Old Town Clovis Street Vault Championships.

Fraley used to be Adams’ basketball coach at Laton High, and as you might’ve guessed his practices featured lots of running.

“So much running,” the Warriors assistant recalled. “My only memory of it is, ‘Good grief, that’s a long way!’ ”

▪ LeBron James is co-starring in the new Amy Schumer romantic comedy, Trainwreck 2.

The original Trainwreck was last month’s NBA Finals.

▪ Dunkin’ Donuts announced plans to open 17 stores in Fresno and surrounding cities.

That’s all we need. More saturated fat.

▪ Some wiseguy interrupted Sepp Blatter’s press conference to toss a sack of dollar bills at the lame duck FIFA president.

How pointless. Doesn’t he know Blatter only accepts untraceable bearer bonds?

▪ A minor-league baseball team issued a public apology following a postgame concert by actor Corey Feldman’s band, saying the performance was “so far below expectations.”

Guess they were expecting The Beatles.

▪ For no particular reason: Ernie Els

▪ Pro surfer Mick Fanning is getting tons of press for punching a shark during a competition in South Africa.

No one knows if the shark really intended to bite Fanning, or if it was only pulling his leg.

▪ A Fox News anchor opined that beach officials should “clear the waters” of sharks to prevent such things from happening.

Just as soon as they clear the airwaves of morons like him.

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Warszawski: Giants’ Duffy a better, cheaper replacement for Sandoval."