Barry Zito and Will Clark were stepping into the elevator at AT&T Park this afternoon after sharing a stage for a Q&A at FanFest.
"I forgot to say something when they asked about Little League,'' Zito told Clark. "I wore Number 22 (Clark's number). And I had that closed stance like yours. The coach was trying to get me to open it up and I told him, 'Hey, Will Clark does it!' ''
Zito was 12 at the time.
Clark laughed. "Hey, thanks. Make me feel like a million years old.''
 The two men - different eras, different backgrounds and completely different personalities - seemed to have a great time together answering the fans' questions for nearly an hour on a stage on the third floor of AT&T.
 When someone asked how Zito came up with the name for his weekly radio show - "The Unicorn Hour'' -- he gave his customary thoughtful, soft-spoken, esoteric answer about the magical qualities of unicorns, as Clark looked at him as if Zito were speaking Greek.
 "See?'' Clark said, taking the microphone from Zito. "That's a guy who plays every fifth day. He has time to think about this stuff!''
 Some of the questions and answers:
• Clark said his favorite moment of the 1989 championship season was "my base hit off Mitch Williams that put us into the World Series. Candlestick was roaring that day.''
• Asked if it were true he could read lips, Clark laughed. "Back in '89 I did. I happened to read Greg Maddux's lips when he was talking to Don Zimmer. He said, 'Fastball in.' I thought, 'Oh, Jesus.' I went out there, dug my hole, looked for a fastball in on the first pitch and hit a grand slam. Fool that I was, I told my teammates, who told the media and now everyone's got their glove over their mouths.''
• Zito said one of the best developments in the off-season was the re-signing of Bengie Molina. "I was playing catch when I heard he had signed and I sent him a text message telling him congratulations. It was s surprise because when I was talking to him at the end of the season, he was bummed out because it looked like he wasn't coming back. He's all heart and soul. He's great with the pitching staff, and it gives Buster another year to get his feet under him.''
• Zito said he and Brian Wilson still worked out together fairly often in the off-season but that Wilson had moved into his own place. "I miss the Mohawk and tattoos around the house,'' Zito said.
• Asked what he thought about Mark McGwire, Clark said, "He was a teammate of mine on the Olympic team and with the Cardinals. Looking back, I wasn't oblivious to what was going on. It was pretty obvious what was going on. All those guys, they cheated themselves and they cheated the game. I don't have to live with it. They have to live with it.''
• Zito said his favorite player growing up was Tony Gwynn. Giants coach Tim Flannery, knowing this, would comment during the pitchers' batting practice that Zito looked just like a young Tony Gwynn in there. When Zito connected on a pitch, Flannery would joke, "See? That was Tony Gwynn at four years old.''
• Zito said the toughest hitter he faces is Ichiro Suzuki. Clark said the toughest pitcher for him was Rick Sutcliffe.

One final little note:
In the room where the players and other Giants folks hung out between sessions, Tim Lincecum saw managing general partner Bill Neukom walk in.
"Newk!'' Lincecum shouted across the room. "No tie?''
 Neukom had on a dress shirt and slacks but he was without his signature  bowtie. (And instead of dress shoes, he wore black-and-orange sneakers.)
"It's Saturday,'' Neukom said.

It is the nature of diehard fans to be impatient. This is a good thing. They push a team's management. Where's the long-ball hitter we need? Where's the rocket-armed reliever? Let's make a deal, and let's do it now.

But in the labyrinth of offices inside any major-league baseball organization, alongside the up-to-the-minute-what-can-we-do-now executives and analysts, are the futurists. They're the ones constructing the team we'll see next year and five years from now.

No team in recent years has planned for the future better than the Giants.

That's what Baseball America concluded in its just-published analysis of the last four draft classes.

Here's what Baseball America's Jim Callis reported yesterday:

"We grade every draft from 2005-08 in the new Prospect Handbook, and no team outdid San Francisco's 3.50 GPA. Vice president of player personnel Dick Tidrow ran those first three efforts, with scouting director John Barr coming aboard in 2008.

"The Giants' signature pick was stealing two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum after nine teams passed on him in 2006. San Francisco gets an A for Lincecum alone in 2006, though they also found fringe big league infielders Emmanuel Burriss (sandwich round), Ryan Rohlinger (sixth), Brian Bocock (ninth) and Matt Downs (36th).

"San Francisco was the only club to earn three As, also getting top grades in 2007 for Madison Bumgarner (first), with some help from righthander Tim Alderson (first), second baseman Nick Noonan (sandwich) and big league surprise Dan Runzler (fifth), and in 2008. That last group could be San Francisco's best hitting crop in years, led by Buster Posey (first), third baseman Conor Gillaspie (sandwich), outfielder Roger Kieschnick (third) and shortstop Brandon Crawford (fourth).''

As fans, we don't have to be patient. That's not our jobs. But it's good know it's somebody's job, and that the Giants happen to have some of the best people doing it.

I phoned Giants player personnel director Bobby Evans this week - he's back east with his family for the holidays -- to talk about the fall league and winter ball. I wanted to know what he learns about his players when he looks at their stats from these brief seasons in far-flung places.

"For most of the players, it's a development opportunity,'' Evans said. "These are not rec leagues. They're competitive, spirited, driven programs. You succeed or you come home. The pressure is high and the stakes are high.

"As hard as it is for young Latin players to come to the U.S. and succeed, that's what it's like for American players to go into competitive winter ball leagues.''

Nate Schierholtz, for example, hit .324 in Puerto Rico after a frustrating regular season that saw him sidelined for a stretch with a strained hip. Winter ball "was a strong development opportunity for Nate and shows how tough he is,'' Evans said.

Kevin Frandsen also did well in the Puerto Rican league, hitting .337. "He'll compete to be one of the utility guys on the big league club,'' Evans said. "He was healthy all year and showed what kind of player he's capable of being. Just like Nate, by doing well in Puerto Rico, it turns heads. Helps people see, 'Hey, I'm not slowing down. I'm going to do everything I can to compete.' ''

For Brett Pill, the young first-baseman who had a breakout 2009 season in the minors, the winter league in Venezuela was a confidence boost. He batted .329 with a .411 on-base percentage.

"When you're playing alongside major-league players you've only seen on SportsCenter, and you're doing well, it's an eye-opener. You're thinking, 'I can compete with these guys.' It's going to help him approach the next level - his first major-league spring training -- with a lot more confidence.''

Evans puts less stock in the performances in the Arizona fall league, where Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey played.

"You can't read too much into whether you were successful or unsuccessful because you get such limited at-bats,'' Evans said.

Crawford hit .312 and Posey .225.

"As much as he might have struggled offensively,'' Evans said of Posey, "he showed a respectable on-base percentage (.324). It was a long year for him between big-league camp, five months in the minor leagues in two different places followed by a September call-up and fall league. Not question there was strain on him.'

Evans said Crawford, whose impressive performance in Single A early on in 2009 seemed almost effortless, is expected to start the season in Double A "and see where the season takes him. What we've seen in him is a sense of passion. He's driven.''

No word yet on whether Pablo Sandoval has been successful in maintaining his weight-loss from his Operation Panda conditioning camp. He hit .395 in Venezuela, his home country. The Giants expect to see Sandoval back in San Francisco in a couple weeks.

John Bowker's winter-league season was cut short by a quadriceps strain. (He played in just three games.) He's been receiving treatment in San Francisco and is expected to be ready for spring training.

Have a great New Year. See you in 2010.

It sure looks weird to see the clubhouse in the off-season. Even filled as it was last night with fans in folding chairs, it was like walking into an abandoned building. There's a kind of ghostly loneliness about it without players slapping domino tiles on table tops and answering fan mail in front of their lockers and yanking down the bills of their caps as they rush out to take early BP. Is April really still three-and-a-half months away?

Giants general manager Brian Sabean is honing a skill not innate to a baseball man who cut his teeth at the New York Yankees.

Patience.

"The market right now is as slow or slower than last year in developing,'' he said during a break today from internal strategy meetings in preparation for next week's winter meetings in Indianapolis.

"Whether teams are still getting their budgets together or what, the free agent market has yet to develop. Players and agents are slow to do anything. It's a sign of the times.''

Sabean said the Giants last week offered a one-year deal to pitcher Brad Penny, and yesterday offered one year and an option to infielder Juan Uribe. Both offers were declined. "At this time I'm not sure there will be further discussion,'' Sabean said. (He said veteran catcher Bengie Molina probably has been offered a multi-year deal by another team, essentially guaranteeing he would not return to the Giants.)

Sabean's strategy in building the 2010 team boils down to three basic - but difficult -- questions:

"What we're doing right now - to get a bat, to figure out the catching situation, everything - is due diligence,'' Sabean said.

In other words, there is no magic formula. No shortcuts. No blockbuster, bold-headline quick fixes. Just hours and days and weeks of poring over scouting reports and statistics, working the phones and updating the huge erasable boards with lists of free agents and players likely the trading block, plus evaluating in every possible way the Giants' own prospects. (Who among them will blossom into big-impact major-leaguers, and when?)

"In a perfect world, you'd love to have (Madison) Bumgarner and (Buster) Posey burst on the scene,'' Sabean said. "But you don't want to rush them. So you keep at it, at the grindstone, and be ready when the best opportunities pop.''

There might be interesting "secondary free agents,'' Sabean said, "but maybe that doesn't make as much sense as giving our own kids a chance. We have to continue to identify what we really have internally and not count on the outside world.''

Sabean mentioned two "burning questions'' for the Giants:

"In the past, we've been more aggressive,'' Sabean said. "But we're willing to go at the pace of the marketplace and show more patience. Trades don't have to be made at the winter meetings. So people shouldn't read anything into it if nothing happens in Indianapolis. It's just not a very sexy market at this time.

"But we'll come home with more information. It's a fact-finding mission to figure out who matches up with us in terms of free-agent interest. We'll have a clearer picture of trade scenarios. We'll find who our partners might be and how we can do business.''

Chat with Giants' GM Sabean:

Brian Sabean will participate in a live Web chat from the Major League Baseball winter meetings in Indianapolis on Wednesday, December 9 at 1 p.m. PT. Fans are invited to chat with the GM about his goals for the club during the week's Winter Meetings. To participate in the chat, please register at: 

http://mlb.mlb.com/fan_forum/chat.jsp

Kathleen Woolf is the nutritionist from Arizona State University who is guiding the food and drink component of Operation Panda, Pablo Sandoval's off-season conditioning regimen.

She recently sent me an email with nutrition tips for athletes - and the rest us -- so none of us blow up like Macy's balloons during the next month.

Here is her advice:

Tis the season to......eat? Beginning at Thanksgiving and continuing through Super Bowl Sunday, celebrations and family gatherings are more abundant than at any other time of the year. Foods and beverages, rich in fats and sugars, are the center of many of these occasions. Also, many athletes do not maintain their usual training routines during the holidays. Follow these tips to help you navigate through the holiday season, without compromising your health or performance.

* BEGIN EVERY DAY WITH BREAKFAST!

Even if you are still full from the night before, start each day with breakfast. A healthy breakfast should include whole grains, fruit, dairy and protein. Try having oatmeal, a banana, and low fat milk. If you include a small amount of protein (yogurt, egg whites, or peanut butter), you may stay full until lunch.

* AVOID TOO MANY SWEETS!

Holiday desserts and treats are full of sugars and fats. To avoid over- indulging, eat a healthy snack before heading out to a party. Choose whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, and nuts as they supply the body with proteins, vitamins and minerals. Your intake of holiday sweets will be less and you can spend your time socializing rather than over indulging.

* STAY PROPERLY HYDRATED!

Soda, eggnog and alcoholic beverages are plentiful at this time of the year. However, focus instead on drinking water and eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day to keep your body well hydrated. To monitor your hydration status, check your urine color first thing in the morning. When well hydrated, urine is pale yellow without a strong odor. Dark yellow, infrequent urine suggests dehydration.

* CHOOSE WISELY!

During the holiday season, many meals will be eaten in restaurants. Make good choices to keep your health in check. When ordering, ask your server how foods are prepared. Choose steamed, baked, boiled, grilled or broiled selections. Be sure to order mayonnaise, butter, cream-based sauces, and salad dressings on the side. You can then monitor the amount that gets added to your food.

Pablo is heading back home to Venezuela, where he will play winter ball. His brother, Michael, will help keep him on track by advising their mother on what to cook and by making sure Pablo brings his own food to the ballpark every day.

"He will still perform cardio and weight lifting,'' Giants strength and conditioning coach Ben Potenziano said. "The shift has gone (from working out several hours a day) to playing baseball every day for 9 innings. I added cardio earlier in the day so he can recover and provide his body with food it needs to function prior to the game.

"His lifting has shifted to a full body workout 3 to 4 times

per week. He will continue to maintain strength that will carry him

through winter ball and then back to me in Arizona. I will turn up the

intensity when he gets back and become more sports specific.

"He will be fielding, throwing and hitting more at that point as well. His diet will not change. He will consult with Kathleen and me and we can make adjustments to his workload. He did well with his exact consultation and Pablo should be proud of himself.''

I'll try to contact Pablo in Venezuela to get an update on how he's doing.