Making memories in January

Someone's going to remember Justin Verlander fondly.

The 2009 Giants were the first team I loved watching. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain had a lot to do with that. So did Randy Johnson.

My dad and I went to the ballpark on a sunny Sunday afternoon to see Johnson pitch against the Diamondbacks. That was cool enough for an impressionable 14 year old. Then the Hall of Famer carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. I’m still reminiscing 16 years later.

By signing Justin Verlander, Buster Posey is trying to recreate that feeling for a new generation of Giants fans. I'm not sure it makes the Giants better. I'm not sure it matters.

You could argue Verlander will take away opportunities from younger arms. You could argue he'll offer invaluable mentorship to those same younger arms.

Johnson spent an unremarkable season with the Giants, winning his 300th game but finishing with an ERA near five. Verlander, who turns 42 next month, will probably have a similarly forgettable season.

But in the eyes of the next 14 year old who goes to Oracle Park with his dad and watches Verlander strike out Shohei Ohtani, it'll be plenty memorable enough. That's a win for Posey and the "memory-making business." It's fine.