Barry Tompkins: Giants' chemistry could help them punch above their weight

I am back from spring training with a notebook full of things I want to talk to you about.

I can’t quite make out the first note I made to myself because my hands were frozen by the Arizona morning chill. It says something that resembles “Frzhnits Ginx”. Not knowing what that means, I move on to number two. “I like these guys,” it clearly reminds me.

So, here’s what I came away with after spending a week wearing an overcoat in the desert. I’m not at all certain that my post-Scottsdale visit thoughts are much different than my pre-trip thoughts. That is, while I feel the San Francisco Giants will be better this year, when faced with the task of finishing ahead of the two behemoths in front of them (The Dodgers and Padres) I have serious doubts.

That said, I wouldn’t be shocked if they do.

And here are my reasons. To the number, every player on the Giants that I met or spoke with this past week was a good guy. They’re all young, they’re all interesting, they all seem to be happy being where they are, they intermingle with one another like freshmen at a frat party. It’s like watching the Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday.

This all came particularly clear to me after I watched a Premier League Soccer game in England this past weekend between Liverpool and Manchester United.

Man U (as they are affectionately referred to) are the Dodgers and Padres of soccer/football. They are the richest team in the league, the highest paid players, they have the highest expectations and the biggest collection of whiners I’ve ever seen.

Against all odds, Liverpool jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first half, at which point the Man U players began carping at each other, finger pointing on every giveaway, and generally folding the tent and quitting. Liverpool won the game 7-0. Comparatively speaking, this would be like being beaten on a baseball diamond 20-0.

As was proven with the Giants’ 107-win season three years ago, it’s not always about the team with the shiniest marquee. Every now and again a team that on paper has no right to be there, gets there. It’s the sum of the parts.

I’m not suggesting that the Giants will catch lightning in a bottle twice in a three-year period, but I’m also not yet ready to begin wondering when football training camps open.

The Padres, I think, are better than the Dodgers this year. I’m not sure a single Giants position player could crack the starting lineup of either team. But they do have what the other two may not — togetherness.

San Diego has a ton of stars. Is it possible they can have too many? Like Manchester United? The Dodgers are weaker than last year with what they had to give up to save enough money for a serious run at Shohei Otani next year. Combine that with the loss of Gavin Lux, the presumed everyday shortstop, and a staff of meddling MBA’s who are in manager Dave Roberts’ ear incessantly. Is there room for a letdown?

What I saw this past week is not a false confidence in these San Francisco Giants, there is an attitude that seems to say, “Nobody told us we’re supposed to lose.”

So here, in no particular order (and with no particular wisdom) are some observations of these San Francisco Giants which have very little to do with baseball expertise, but what makes them a collection of personalities I want to watch.

• Pitcher John Brebbia: He’s the team comedian. And I just like people who can make me laugh.
• Pitcher Sam Long: He’s the kid who every mother wants their son to hang out with in school. Good looking, polite, All-American boy.
• Pitchers Tyler and Taylor Rodgers: One twin has a mole somewhere on his face. That’s the only way to tell them apart. I still can’t tell them apart.
• Pitcher Sean Manaea: A guy with something to prove and just flat out happy to be here.
• Pitcher Logan Webb: Opie.
• Catcher Blake Sabol: Rule 5 guy I hope makes the team. You gotta love anyone who played for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, the Altoona Curve, and the Surprise Saguaros on his way to the major leagues.
• Pitcher Alex Wood: He’s a new dad and if baseball games were only five innings long, he’d be a Hall of Fame candidate.
• Infielder David Villar: The team “quote.” Good prospect. Better talker.
• Outfielder Michael Conforto: The second most decorated athlete in his family. His mom, Tracie Ruiz, won two Olympic Gold Medals in synchronized swimming in the 1984 Games.
• Infielder J.D. Davis: His given name is Jonathon Gregory Davis. Why the “D?” His nickname is Dizzie.
• Infielder Brett Wisely: Likely to be the Newcomer of the Year this spring. Grew up with six older brothers. He’s been fighting for a spot in the lineup his whole life.
• Outfielder Austin Slater: Got married this off season to former Stanford All-American field hockey player Carolyn Beaudoin. She still beats him up the Lyon Street Steps in their off-season workouts.
• Designated Hitter Joc Pederson: He worked on hitting this off-season with Barry Bonds. If he learned a tenth of what Bonds knows about hitting, he’ll be an All-Star.
• Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski: We have something in common. Neither one of us can remember names of the people we just met. I enjoyed my conversation with what’s his name.
• Outfielder Mitch Haniger: A Bay Area guy who was never much on school. To the point that he once escaped from pre-school at two years of age by going over a fence. The Giants hope he still has that in him.
• Pitcher Anthony DeSclafani: You just have to like a guy whose nickname is “Disco.”

That’s my in-depth assessment of this years’ San Francisco Giants.  I don’t yet know if they can play baseball, but if they can, it just might be as heart-warming as the Puppy Bowl.