SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants held their annual postseason news conference Monday, and odd as it might seem, the mood was strikingly more upbeat than last year's version when they were coming off a World Series championship.
That's because one year ago, they had just been rebuffed by Pablo Sandoval -- not in the most polite fashion, either -- and had no earthly notion how to replace one of their most popular and productive players.Amazing what can happen in 11 months, isn't it?The Giants ended up dodging a Panda-sized bullet, Sandoval is a major bust with the Boston Red Sox and the club has a long-term solution at third base after Matt Duffy put together one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history.Giants optimistic heading into offseason
