NL Baseball

As Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum walked from interview to interview on his Cy Young celebrity walk, San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean kept asking to anyone who approached him, "How do you quantify this?"

Major League Baseball's general manager meetings came and went this week with Milton Bradley still employed by the Chicago Cubs, who want to dump the outfielder ASAP after his lousy season that ended with a suspension for his lousy conduct.

The Cubs have a serious case of buyer's remorse, but they're not the only team with a wildly regrettable contract.

NEW YORK - Pat Gillick stood in the Philadelphia Phillies dugout here Thursday night and drew a blank.

Chase Utley? Incomparable.

Not a left-handed Paul Molitor, because Molitor had what Gillick called a "no-load" swing. Bat steady. No movement.

Mark McGwire might have taken a baby step toward the Hall of Fame by returning to the public eye as the St. Louis Cardinals' hitting coach. He might take a bigger step if he acknowledges he used performance-enhancing drugs (beyond androstenedione) to further his career and break Roger Maris' record.

With all due respect to Quarterback Roulette here in the Bay Area, the stealth big story of the day is a report that Mark McGwire is ready to become a public figure again.

PHILADELPHIA - One guy doesn't lose a series, and one guy doesn't win one, either. But one guy can certainly set a tone.

And for all of the differences between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers that were on display this week -- tough-mindedness, a relentless offensive approach, and the experience of being winners -- one in particular stood out.

PHILADELPHIA - If it were you, or me, or most other people enduring the deja vu of Monday night, we'd run screaming from any further mention of Game 4, or the Philadelphia Phillies, or Matt Stairs.

Jonathan Broxton is not you or me, and one of the absolute requirements of his job is a short memory. That is about to be tested, severely.

It has been 20 years since the major earthquake that hit San Francisco shut down the third game of the 1989 World Series and provided me with a harrowing and yet ultimately very rewarding experience.

San Francisco Giant Juan Uribe's salary is $1 million. Shortstop Edgar Renteria averages $9.25 million.

Imagine Uribe's surprise one recent payday when by mistake he was handed Renteria's bimonthly check.

Uribe held up the check and whooped, "America is a great country!"

If baseball's old-school grads really want the Milwaukee Brewers to pay for their vaudevillian inclinations, they should encourage repeat performances of the home run celebration from Sunday's 2-1, 12-inning win over the San Francisco Giants.