Brian Sabean is a controversial sports figure around here. If I praise him, I get replies telling me I’m wrong and detailing some of his bad contacts — which have been very bad. Still, he’s had good contracts and he got the Giants in the Series twice and he won once and he’s mostly made the Giants a contender every year and he rebuilt them after the Bonds era and he created a fabulous pitching staff. So why all the criticism?

Billy Beane, also a good GM, almost never gets criticized like Sabean, but Sabean has accomplished more. And please don’t tell me Beane has an excuse.