The Giants said goodbye to J.T. Snow, and he'll be missed. Even though I'm a fan who appreciates a) athletes who act like grown-ups and b) long-time contributors who provide continuity with a team's history, I understand that Snow's time in San Francisco is up. His maturity and defense will make him an asset wherever he winds up, but the Giants need better production at the plate from their first baseman.
I'll never forget Snow's unbelievably heads-up running grab of batboy Darren Baker in Game 5 of the 2002 World Series. (The kid, who was really a little too young to be out there, was retrieving Kenny Lofton's bat and didn't realize that he was about to be flattened by David Bell, who was barrelling into home right behind Snow. It took your breath away, and it's still a great memory...even if it brings unhappy thoughts in its wake.)
Jon at SFist has a nice write-up, and like Jon I hope J.T. gets a chance to carve out a meaningful role on a contending team rather than playing Crash Davis to the young pups on some bottom-feeding team. OK, Sabes, let's see what Lance Niekro or Mike Sweeney can do.
