Who is the Bay Area's Best GM?

I think I probably should expect a little sarchasm.

I can’t believe people voted for Brian Sabean The guy has made the playoffs three times in this decade.

Anyway, Doug Wilson is first and Billy Beane is next. After that, you can’t even say that Larry Riley really qualifies. It would have to be Brian Sabean with how poor the Raiders and 49ers have performed.

“Who is the smartest kid on the short bus? RT…”

Very true.

BTW, San Jose Stealth got moved to Washington, so I think you’re off the hook for lacrosse. And arena football is still canceled, so I think that’s pretty safe not to include as well (although, Darren Arbet – the coach/GM of the Sabrecats – should probably win since he won three championships in 10 years).

But really, if you’re analyzing the four major sports, Doug Wilson has to win this by a good bit. He’s the only GM that has consistently won in his tenure, he hasn’t become a joke (coughAlDaviscough), and not only has constructed a team that makes the playoffs every year, but a team that can be considered one of the top teams in the league during his tenure. Oh, and he also pulled off one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history. That should probably count for something.

by impulsiveness. There are so many haters ya know!

Rated-R up there got it right. Doug Wilson first. He probably has the best win pct. (but I’m to lazy to look it up). Next Billy Beane for his numerous ridiculous trades and winning several division titles. Next Brian Sabean (because both football GM’s are crazy and that basketball guy… he GM’s basketball). Sabean should be noted for trades like the A.J. Pierzynski one and signing Barry Zito (I didn’t really need to put that in but I wanted too).

even with our playoff failures, he’s put out a championship-caliber team for years now and he’s not afraid to make the big move (whether it’s a deadline trade for a player or trading up in the draft). This has been a tough off-season for him, but he’s treading waters not too many GMs trying to balance a shrinking economy but still spending to the cap limit.

I got a lot of respect for Billy Beane because the A’s owners have hand-cuffed that franchise financially forever. The moneyball theory may be taking some flack because the A’s haven’t been competitive recently, but if they had ANY financial backing then they could actually build a foundation instead of trading their best players every year.

Brian Sabean is more miss then hit – Giants are having a very good season, but that’s as much to do with our scouting then his signings or trading. He hasn’t been terrible, but I wouldn’t shed a tear if he wasn’t re-signed after the season.

doug wilson is the best.

although the san jose sabercats…pretty damn dominant.

sabean…giving up alderson for sanchez, didn’t mind who we got, but i care about who we gave up.

Oh, and he also pulled off one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history. That should probably count for something.

If that’s all he ever did, he’d be nr 1

and I say that with all due respect. Many of his signings in past seasons have been eyebrow raisers, not in the good sense (Dave Roberts? Alex Sanchez? Barry Zito for how long?). He practically did no managing while Bonds was on the team, because I don’t think signing aging vets to make a futile run at a championship for a few consecutive seasons counts. I love the Giants, but wouldn’t be sad if they were Sabean-free. That being said, I like the Sanchez trade for now. Apparently Aldersen has been on a downward trend recently. As has been noted above, pitching is to the Giants what goaltending is to the Sharks. Losing one pitcher out of the system won’t kill us for the next couple years, but getting some legit hitters (both power and average) will make us better and give us more chances to contend.

Can I ask what you’re taking and where I can get it for cheap?

Hands down… The only one to have a over .500 record for his teams going to the playoffs while he has been GM.

Moneyball is an incredible book, which is a great read for any sport fan. He’s a brilliant mind who has had to deal with the constraints of a poor market/ cheap owners and a League w/ no Cap. The A’s have yet to win a Championship under Beane (in the book he says how the MLB playoffs are a crap shoot) and the team is now in a rebuilding phase, but overall I can look back on his tenure and not cringe in disgust at the moves he’s made. (Though I’ve been incredibly disappointed at times. Bring back Scutaro & Swisher!)

Bonus points for having Brad Pitt on board to play his part in the Moneyball movie (if it is ever resurrected from the Hollywood scripts graveyard)

DW is a very, very close second. Like, 1a and 1b.

I don’t know how Sabean’s getting so many votes. All the Giants fans I know think he’s a dolt.

None of them are great..Wilson wins by default..Beane is so overrated its stupid, Sabean is nothing special, McCloughan is mediocre at best, do the Raiders have a GM? The Warriors have a puppet..

Nice choices, its no surprise that these teams aren’t very good other than the Sharks, only during the season..

This caused by horrible ownerships!!!

That is the understatement of the century..The bay area sports scene is a vast wasteland, due to horrible owners that are cheap and don’t have a clue about who to hire to run the
team. Its such a shame that we have some very wealthy people(Larry E) who desire a local team but these cheapskate owners(who can’t really afford to play with the big boys) just keep our teams in constant movement, with no clear plan or idea..Not one of these bay area owners is a billionaire and they can’t compete with the rich owners and instead of stepping aside because they can’t afford to play with the big boys, they just keep skimming along and losing..I must excuse Al Davis, he has spent tons of money on this team, twice as much as the 49ers, but not wisely, but he is the only owner, spending what is necessary..

They write books, they make movies of a guy who teams have won nothing..Other GM’s with less money have won rings, or gone much farther in the playoffs, that is why he is overrated..These other GM’s, no one even knows their names..I didn’t say he was stupid, just that he was vastly overrated to the point of stupidity..People falling all over
themselves to sing his praises..I am also not saying he is
a bad GM either, just that he doesn’t deserve half the press
that he gets..How he became a media darling when his
teams have won nothing just surprises..He has done well
with the money he has been given, but so have others..

If you just look at what the GM’s have done with the money they have available, then Wilson and Beane would stand out..Not one of them has a ring and that is the scoreboard to me..

We may not have the best postseason results, but he orchestrated two of the biggest steals in all of sports by acquiring Thornton for next to nothing, and same with Boyle.

As a Giants fan, it isn’t Brian Sabean.