There was an item this morning about Brian Sabean and other big-league general managers. According to an ESPN.com poll of GMs, Sabean does not readily answer calls from other GMs. One anonymous GM said, “It’s just flat-out disrespectful to not return a call.”:

Sabean responded angrily and said he or his staff returns calls and said he deals with 20 or so GMs.

I wish Sabean didn’t feel the need to defend himself. He is a man of great dignity and he is a professional through and through. An argument like this is beneath him. His issue is getting a power hitter in the Giants’ lineup and not defending himself against an ESPN poll. I believe he feels he is under pressure and that’s why he responded. In years past, he would have laughed this off.

Personal note: I am on vacation a few weeks and will not be writing columns. But my son Grant and I will contribute to the Cohn Zohn as we are not going anywhere — I’ll be home painting my front deck. Grant reminded me this morning the Giants should not start Renteria or Rowand. “That’s a lot of money to have sitting on the bench,” he told me. “But that’s Sabean’s problem, not Bochy’s.”