San Francisco Giants

The 2011 baseball season is upon us, and that can only mean one thing for eager fans: a fresh start.  With hopes of celebratory bliss, you announce confidently, “this is our year,” as you retrieve the enormous foam finger lodged behind your bed. The once prized possession is now dusted with crumb remnants and dead ants. 

**This and other articles are also featured on Archway Number Nine**

According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, the San Francisco Giants have decided to add Brandon Belt onto the 2011 Opening Day roster and start him at first base against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night.

To be honest, this is a shock to everyone and anyone who has been involved in Giants baseball through the last several years.

Much to the surprise of the majority of knowledgeable San Francisco Giants fans, top prospect Brandon Belt has made the opening day roster for the defending champions.

In the past, Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean always took it slow with the young positional talent.

So, is this a change in philosophy or simply an exception to the rule?

Well, now that most of our NCAA brackets resemble the Libyan Air Force, we can move onto something that can provide some much needed optimism: fantasy baseball. What would the start of the season be without a rankings list?

I don't care if he hits five home runs tomorrow—Brandon Belt is not starting on Opening Day for the San Francisco Giants.

It just doesn't make sense from a Giants front office perspective.

Sure, Belt is ripping up spring training and has all the necessary tools to be a legitimate ballplayer right now. He could make the Giants lineup better from top to bottom.

Former mistress of Barry Bonds, Kimberly Bell has testified in court.  Bell claimed Bonds told her steroids were the reason behind an elbow injury from 1999.  Bell also told jurors Bonds was violent with her and threatened her on more than one occasion.  In addition, Bell made the assertion that the size of Bonds’ testicles had shrunken.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS 

Last Year: 90-72, 1st in NL West

Manager: Bruce Bochy 

PROJECTED LINEUP

C- Buster Posey (R)

1B- Aubrey Huff (L)

2B- Freddy Sanchez (R) 

3B- Pablo Sandobal (S) 

SS- Miguel Tejada (R)

LF- Pat Burrell (R)

CF- Andres Torres (S)

RF- Cody Ross (R) (Will start season on DL)

There's not much to say about Barry Bonds and the legal situation he's wrapped up in. The former “best player in baseball” and current home run champ has been under the microscope of Congress since he claimed to never knowingly use steroids during his 22-year career.

Brandon Belt garnered a lot of attention in 2010, just one year after being selected in the fifth round of the draft. 

There certainly wasn’t much expected from the 22-year old (he turns 23 on April 22), but he delivered in a big way. 

In fact, the Giants couldn’t keep him down, moving him from Single-A to Double-A to Triple-A, as he compiled the following line: