Ex-Giants Fall on Hard Times

There was a Jerome Williams sighting at Giants camp yesterday. Remember him? The guy with the puka shells who threw a couple complete games back in 2003. Well, he's back. At least he's trying. The former pitching phenom is looking for a job with anybody and is hoping the Giants will give him another shot. Williams has bounced around since being traded in 2005, seeing a little major league time with the Cubs and Nationals. Apparently he would be happy even pitching in A-ball.

Less modest is former Giants outfielder Todd Linden. Linden showed up at A's camp as a non-roster invitee this Spring and expected his .231 lifetime batting average to guarantee him a job on the opening day roster. To be fair, he did just about everything he could to make the team, hitting a Little League-esque .526 (15-26). But it appears the A's have decided to leave him off the roster going to Japan to open the season. Linden, who was upset about the way the Giants bounced him around during his time in San Francisco, is not too happy.

"This is disappointing," Linden said. "It doesn't make sense to me, and that's an understatement. It's a clear message that I'm not a part of their plans like they told me I was going to be. I don't know what else I could have done."

It appears Linden may end up in Japan anyway, as there is some interest from Japanese clubs. His frustration is understandable, but I don't think his expectations should have been so high to begin with.