Edgar Renteria apparently needs a reality check.

With his contract set to expire at the end of the year, Renteria turned in an outstanding postseason both offensively and defensively. He won the 2010 World Series MVP trophy and helped the Giants win their first-ever championship in the city of San Francisco.

Now he feels disrespected.

The Giants offered him a one-year contract worth $1 million, which he believes is a slap in the face.

“That offer from the Giants was a lack of respect. A total disrespect,” Renteria told ESPNdeportes.com Thursday from Colombia.

“To play for a million dollars, I’d rather stay with my private business and share more time with my family,” he said. “Thank God I’m well off financially and my money is well invested.”

Although his comments above are incredibly smug (One million dollars? Ha! I wouldn’t get out of bed for a million dollars!), Renteria is a class act. He’s a consummate pro, he gives to charity and he’s great teammate according to those who have played with him.

But is he serious? He has one good postseason and now he wants the Giants to pony up? One million may look like a slap in the face after he helped them win a World Series but let’s keep in mind that the Giants already gave him a two-year, $18.5 million contract in 2008 and he did absolutely nothing until the 2010 postseason. He couldn’t hit, the team was constantly forced to move guys around because he was never healthy and his range at shortstop was a joke. (Hit one to Edgar’s left and consider it a base hit.)

In 460 at bats in 2009, Renteria hit .250 with five home runs and 48 RBI. In 2010, he played in only 72 games because he was hurt all the time and finished with just three home runs, 22 RBI and 26 runs scored.

Now he feels disrespected? Come on. Look at those numbers above and keep in mind that he was the third-highest paid player on the Giants’ roster over the past two years behind Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand. He stole money from them for two years before finally putting on a show in the postseason and while the Giants should be grateful for that, they shouldn’t bend over and take it up the rear end from a 35-year-old shortstop who’s on his last legs.

He’s fortunate he got hot when he did or else he wouldn’t have the right to feel disrespected (not that he does now).

Hindsight always rears its perfect head when a deciding moment in a sporting event takes place. A player always should have done something differently when his team loses.

In the case of Cliff Lee, he should have listened to his catcher Bengie Molina in the seventh inning on Monday night with Edgar Renteria at the plate.

Molina played nearly as many games with the Giants this season as he did with the Rangers. He knows the Giants’ hitters and their tendencies. He knows Renteria is a smart hitter and he knew his former teammate was hot. He also knew that Aaron Rowand had been picking splinters out of his ass for most of the season and was starting in only his third game since early September.

That’s why Molina wanted to pitch around Renteria in the top of the seventh with runners on second and third and go after Rowand. But it’s not in Lee’s nature to walk anybody and he certainly wasn’t going to walk Renteria when all he needed was one more out to end the inning.

So Lee fell behind Renteria 2-0 while missing with his cutter and changeup. Molina, knowing that pitching around Renteria was the only solution at that point, called for a cutter outside. Lee threw the cutter, but he drifted into the zone and Renteria crushed the mistake to put the Giants up 3-0.

With the way Tim Lincecum was pitching, three runs may have well been 30. Everyone in the ballpark got the sense that the game was over and even after Nelson Cruz cut the Giants’ lead to 3-1 in the Rangers’ half of the seventh, the game was still San Francisco’s to win.

Part of what makes Lee so good is that he throws strikes. He attacks hitters – all hitters. He knows that with his control, he’s going to get the best of most batters. But in that situation, he was better off listening to Molina.

Granted, who’s to say that Rowand wouldn’t have hit a grand slam in his at bat? Depending on the situation, a single to the outfield could have scored two runs so maybe Lee and the Rangers were just destined for failure.

But Lee never put himself in position to get Rowand out in that key situation. He stayed true to himself and it would up costing him and the Rangers in the end.

Following their 3-1 win in Game 5 of the World Series on Monday night, somewhere in this country someone started writing about how the 2010 San Francisco Giants were a team of destiny this postseason.

But their status as 2010 World Series Champions has nothing to do with destiny. They were just the better team.

In the NLCS, people expected the Giants to lose to the Phillies, who had the better offense, the better pitching, more experience, etc. But when the Giants knocked off the defending NL champs to reach the World Series, people expected them to succumb to the mighty Rangers, who had the better offense, a pitcher in Cliff Lee who never loses in the postseason, etc.

But it was the Giants who came up with the clutch hits. It was the Giants’ Bruce Bochy who outmanaged the Rangers’ Ron Washington. It was the Giants’ pitching staff that turned in one of the most dazzling performances that we’ll ever seen in a Fall Classic.

A team of destiny? The Giants were just flat out better. The Rangers, with all their power and with all their Cliff Lee, were absolutely dominated in four of five games. And that’s a good Rangers team, mind you. They didn’t get to the World Series by accident and something tells me that this won’t be this group’s last crack at a championship. They’re also a classy bunch from their manager (who heaped tons of praise on the Giants in his post-game presser), down to the grounds crew that let San Francisco fans celebrate on the field hours after the game.

But back to the Giants. It was rather humorous to listen to people use the term “lucky” when it came to this club in the postseason. Do you know what they had to do in order to get to this point? First off, they had to beat Mat Latos and the Padres on the final day of the regular season to clinch a playoff berth. There’s nothing lucky about winning 92 games, I don’t care if San Diego choked over the final two months or not.

There’s also nothing lucky about beating Derek Lowe (twice), Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, C.J. Wilson and Cliff Lee not once, but twice, including once with the series on the line.

Think about that for a second. The Giants, with their cast of misfits, went through some of the best pitchers from this decade in order to win a World Series. Luck had nothing to do with that. Luck also had nothing to do with this team being able to clinch every series on the road (Game 4 at Atlanta, Game 6 at Philadelphia, Game 5 at Texas).

It’s hard to put into words how good Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Brian Wilson were against the Rangers. They shut down Josh Hamilton, they neutralized Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler and Michael Young, and they made Vladimir Guerrero, who is one of the best pure hitters the game has ever seen, look like a complete fool at the plate. The Rangers’ offense was non-existent, but only because the Giants’ pitching made it that way. Hamilton and company must have felt like they were trying to hit a beebee with a toothpick.

But San Francisco’s pitching was only half the story. For Edgar Renteria, a guy who the Giants considered leaving off the postseason roster because of a biceps injury suffered earlier in the year (not to mention he was also ineffective), to win the MVP award was improbable. For all intents and purposes, he was a bad signing by GM Brian Sabean two years ago. But the guy made it count when it mattered most, hitting .412 in the Fall Classic, playing an impeccable shortstop and hitting the biggest home run of his career. In the seventh inning on Monday, Lee should have never thrown a 2-0 fastball in that location in that situation but credit Renteria for putting the mistake over the wall. If he decides to retire this winter, his last at bat in his second year won his team a World Series and his last at bat of his career won his team a World Series. Amazing.

But the great storylines don’t start and stop with Renteria. Nine teams had to pass on Lincecum before the Giants had the opportunity to draft him in 2006. Twenty-four teams had to pass on Cain in the first round in 2002. Twenty-nine teams had to pass on Aubrey Huff this past offseason before the Giants took a one-year flier on him. The same goes for Juan Uribe, who somehow couldn’t land a multi-year deal despite turning in a solid 2009 campaign.

Andres Torres was a nobody before coming into his own this season. The Giants didn’t trust Buster Posey to handle the pitching staff, so he didn’t come up until midseason. Now they’re both World Series Champions.

Freddy Sanchez was a batting champ in Pittsburgh but he spent most of his first year and a half in San Francisco either on the DL or struggling at the dish. Yet how many big hits did he come up with this postseason? How many great defensive plays did he make? Don’t forget that it was his two-out hit that spurned the Giants’ come-from-behind win in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Braves. This was his first postseason appearance ever and now he’s a champion as well.

Cody Ross? Wow. The Marlins saved a measly $1 million by handing him over to the Giants via waivers and he wound up becoming one of the most vital pieces this postseason. If he doesn’t take Halladay deep twice in Game 1 of the NLCS, maybe the Giants never reach this point.

Improbable? Yes. Lucky? No.

This team was just that good this postseason. Their pitching was better. Their hitting was more clutch. Their manager was perfect. Their defense was nearly flawless.

The San Francisco Giants: 2010 World Series Champions.

Headline photo courtesy of AllPosters.com.

Here’s a six pack of observations following the Giants’ dominating 9-0 win over the Rangers in Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night. San Fran is now up 2-0 in the series.

1. America, meet Matt Cain.
Because the Giants play on the West Coast, there’s a good chance that the majority of the country hasn’t seen Matt Cain pitch. If you caught Game 2 of the World Series, then you realized what Giants fans have known for years: He can be every bit as good as ace Tim Lincecum. If baseball had a stat for hard-luck losers, Cain would be No. 1 on the list. He’s been a victim of horrendous run support for most of his career, but he’s stayed patient and is finally getting his due. Cain hasn’t allowed a run in three postseason starts this year and completely shut down the Rangers on Thursday night. He pitched 7.2 innings of shutout ball while allowing just four hits and striking out two. These weren’t the Mariners or Pirates he was facing; the Rangers led the league in batting average this season and finished fifth in runs scored. They’ve only been shutout six times this year (including Thursday night) and can beat you 1 through 8. But they couldn’t hit Cain tonight if they were notified what the pitch and location were going to be. He was brilliant.

2. What an embarrassing performance by the Rangers’ bullpen.
With his team only down 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth, Darren O’Day struck out Andres Torres and Freddy Sanchez to start the inning. But then rookie catcher Buster Posey singled to shallow center and O’Day was pulled for Derek Holland, who proceeded to walk Nate Schierholtz and Cody Ross on eight straight pitches, then walked Aubrey Huff to score Posey. Despite the first two walks, Rangers’ skipper Ron Washington failed to get another pitcher warmed up and by the time Mark Lowe came in, the Giants already had a 3-0 lead and the bases still loaded. Lowe then walked Uribe to score Schierholtz and gave up a single to Edgar Renteria (more on him next) to score Ross and Huff. Michael Kirkman, who was the fourth pitcher used in the inning, then relieved Lowe and promptly gave up a bases-clearing triple to Aaron Rowand and a double to Torres. By the time Sanchez came back around to strike out, the damage was done and the Giants had built a 9-0 lead. It was an inexcusable performance by the Rangers’ bullpen, which has looked horrendous two nights in a row now.

3. Edgar Renteria still has some postseason magic in him.
Renteria has certainly frustrated Giants fans over the last two years with his minimal range at short, his weak at-bats and his stints on the disabled list. But for at least one night, nobody is going to complain about how much money GM Brian Sabean foolishly gave the aging veteran two offseasons ago. Renteria hit an absolute bomb off Texas starter C.J. Wilson in the fifth to break a scoreless tie and then added a two-run single in the eighth, which essentially put the nail in the coffin. He’s also played tremendous defense thus far and has given the Giants’ professional at bats every time he walks to the plate (which is something they haven’t been getting out of more heralded hitters like Pat Burrell). Renteria won the World Series as a rookie back in 1997 and if he decides to retire at the end of the year, winning another championship would certainly be a sweet way to go out. He’s a class act and while his game has deteriorated over the years, he proved tonight that he’s clutch when it matters most.

4. The Rangers aren’t even close to being done.
No, this wasn’t the way the Rangers envisioned things going and yes, they’re in trouble. But this team won 90 games this year and went 51-30 at home. There’s no reason they can’t sweep the Giants in Texas and completely turn this series on its head. They certainly have their work cut out for them (especially after their two best pitchers just lost), but Ron Washington’s squad hasn’t thrown in the towel yet and the Giants can expect a fight in Games 3 and 4. That said, they have a lot to overcome because San Francisco is playing perfect baseball right now.

5. Javier Lopez is one hell of a weapon late in games.
When I first wrote the headline for No. 5, I put: “Javier Lopez is one hell of a secret weapon late in games.” But he’s not a secret; everyone knows he’s coming in to disable left-handed hitters and that’s exactly what he’s done throughout the postseason. How he’s gotten the best of Brian McCann, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and now Josh Hamilton is freaking unbelievable. Hamilton could have tied the game with one swing in the eighth inning, but Lopez came in and got the slugger to fly out to center to strand a runner at second. It’s almost a foregone conclusion now that when Lopez comes into the game, he’s going to retire whoever he faces. What a midseason pickup by GM Brian Sabean.

6. The Giants need Jonathan Sanchez to have short-term memory.
Looking ahead to Game 3 on Saturday, the Giants are in perfect position to keep the bottom of their foot firmly planted on the Rangers’ throats. But Game 3 starter Jonathan Sanchez is coming off his worst outing of the season while going just two innings against the Phillies in Game 6 of the NLCS. Sanchez has outstanding stuff, but he has a tendency to lose his cool early in games and put his team in bad position. Granted, that was more his M.O. before he threw his no-hitter against the Padres last year, but that Jonathan Sanchez reared his ugly head again last Saturday and the Giants can’t have that again. Not against the Rangers and certainly not against the Rangers in their home park. They can’t give back any of the momentum they created from these first two games and it’s up to Sanchez not to wake a sleeping giant.

Jose Guillen can’t play defense, can’t get on base and he can’t hit for average.

So naturally Giants’ GM Brian Sabean had to have him.

On Friday, the Giants acquired the 34-year-old former Royal, who is well known for having a poor clubhouse reputation. That’s something the close-nit Giants don’t need right now heading into a huge weekend series with the first place Padres (the team the Giants are trailing by 2.5 games in the NL West).

Clearly hypnotized by his 16 homers this season, Sabean felt the need to add the outfielder despite the fact that Guillen is more useless than a chair with only two legs. Plus, his acquisition means that Aaron Rowand, Travis Ishikawa (assuming Aubrey Huff moves back to first base) and Nate Schierholtz will receive less playing time than they already are, which is befuddling when you consider that Guillen isn’t a better option than any of them.

If I punch myself in the side of the head enough times and squint hard enough, I might see the need for Guillen as a pinch hitter. But there’s no way that the Giants actually believe this schmuck is a starter. Do you know how much ground there is to cover in right field at AT&T Park? Guillen would be an absolute train wreck and for what? A couple of home runs down the stretch? I thought that’s what Pat Burrell was for? Didn’t Sabean already acquire Pat Burrell already? I’m confused.

The worst part is, Sabean traded away two capable outfielders earlier this season in Fred Lewis and John Bower – two homegrown players that were better defensively than Guillen and who came with zero baggage. How does trading Lewis and Bowker and trading for Guillen make any sense? Tell me what the difference is between those players, or how Guillen makes the Giants better than Lewis and Bowker? And what happens to Schierholtz? The kid entered spring training as the favorite to start in right field and after a poor couple of weeks at the plate, he became Lewis’d, Bowker’d and Kevin Frandsen’d in the blink of an eye. If I were a Giants’ farm player, I’d want to be dealt immediately because Sabean will eventually block my position with a crusty old vet. It’s only a matter of time.

Sabean doesn’t have the slightest clue what it takes to build an offense. For every Burrell, Huff and Juan Uribe, there’s a Rowand, Edgar Renteria and Mark DeRosa (who clearly wasn’t healthy when Sabean decided to hand him a two-year deal this past offseason). For every Bengie Molina trade, there’s a Guillen, Ryan Garko and Freddy Sanchez deal right around the corner.

I’ve never see a man make so many stupid decisions and yet retain his job for 14 years. If Brian Sabean were the President of the United States, half the nation would be underwater right now.

When playing in Milwaukee, most professional baseball and basketball players stay in the historical Pfister Hotel…except for the Giants’ Pablo Sandoval and Edgar Renteria, who say it scares the beejesus out of them.

From the Sacramento Bee:

While the rest of the traveling party is staying at the historic – and reputedly haunted – Pfister Hotel, Edgar Renteria and Pablo Sandoval requested rooms down the street at the Intercontinental. Sandoval got spooked last season. Renteria found the experience more leery than eerie, too.

“I slept like a baby last night,” Renteria said.

Some have complained about hearing weird noises while staying at the Pfister and at least one player reportedly sleeps with a bat when his team travels to Milwaukee. Brendan Ryan of the Cardinals also said that he saw “a moving light that kind of passed through the room” on one occasion.

I for one don’t believe in ghosts, but if I were a professional ball player, I might do the same thing Sandoval and Renteria did and stay somewhere else. I wouldn’t want to go 0-for-4 with three strikeouts because I was up all night talking to dead great, great grandmother. C.R.E.E.P.Y.

Of course, staying at another hotel certainly didn’t help Renteria’s game. He came off the bench in the seventh inning of the Giants’ win over the Brewers on Monday to lay down a bunt and instead popped up two attempts. The first one went foul, while the second wound up in Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy’s mitt.

I read yesterday that one of Pete Rose’s bats was being auctioned off, the one he used for his last hit, number 4256. And it made me wonder if that will ever be topped. I can’t imagine it will be, but stranger things have happened. Of course, the Baseball Hall of Fame still fails to recognize what Rose did on the field because of what he did as a manager off the field. But that’s for another post. Here is a look at the Top 10 active leaders in base hits:

1. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (2824)—The classiest player by far in the big leagues today, and the epitome of someone who plays the game right and just gets it. I look forward to Jeter notching his 3000th hit, which will likely be next season.

2. Ivan Rodriguez, Washington Nationals (2781)—In his twentieth season this year, I-Rod is batting .331. No loss of bat speed with this guy, that’s for sure.

3. Omar Vizquel, Chicago White Sox (2724)—Amazingly, Vizquel is in his 22nd season and still looks like he’s 28 years old. I got to see him play in his prime in Cleveland, and he was/is the best defensive shortstop I’ve ever seen. But he has clearly racked up hits too.

4. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (2596)—Well, duh. The question is, though, will he eventually be the all-time home run king?

5. Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers (2530)—Yeah, he juiced, and so did A-Rod. But these two guys still have to be incredibly talented ball players to rack up this many hits.

6. Garret Anderson, Los Angeles Dodgers (2515)—Steady and classy as well, but it’s just hard to believe Garret Anderson is 38 years old. Didn’t he just break into the bigs?

7. Johnny Damon, Detroit Tigers (2482)—Scrappy, solid player, and he just keeps on grinding. But do any of you remember Damon’s days with the Royals? I sure don’t.

8. Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves (2444)—Another guy who defines playing the game the way it was meant to be played, and he just keeps on hitting well into his thirties.

9. Vladimir Guerrero, Texas Rangers (2326)—He’s hitting .339 with 53 RBI on June 11. Vlad is another ageless wonder.

10. Edgar Renteria, San Francisco Giants (2213)—It’s kind of amazing that Renteria is on this list, even though he’s never had a 200-hit season. But he’s been reliable and consistent all these years.

Source: Baseball Reference