A gift list

San Francisco Giants and Buster Posey — a consistent starting lineup

Now that Posey has taken over as president of baseball operations, maybe he can get the Giants back to having a (mostly) set lineup and away from the Farhan Zaidi platoon patrol.So far, Posey seems off to a good start. By all accounts, he’s the one that got the deal for third baseman Matt Chapman across the finish line late last season and now he’s adding a legit starting shortstop in Willy Adames.

So the left side of the infield is taken care of. As is Patrick Bailey at catcher — for the time being. They have to start Jung Hoo Lee in center because the team gave him a massive contract and Heliot Ramos has to start in the outfield somewhere to see if he can follow up his all-star season from a year ago. And unless you have a better answer, I don’t mind Mike Yastrzemski in right. I think he’s a good clubhouse guy.

The team is very close to having a set lineup which, at this point, is not only what fans want, it’s what the players want. No one — fans or players — likes to go to the ballpark and not know who is or who isn’t playing.

49ers — some contract urgency

Quarterback Brock Purdy has one more year left on his rookie contract after this season and is scheduled to finally go over the $1-million mark as he’s scheduled to make $1.1 million in 2025.

He is 27-13 since taking over the starting job, 4-2 in the playoffs, has been to two NFC championship games and a Super Bowl.

If the 49ers are smart, they’ll not only lock him up to an extension, but will do so expeditiously.

If you ask me, part of the 49ers’ woes this year started in the offseason and training camp, when they failed to get a new deal done with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and an extension for left tackle Trent Williams. They allowed both those things to fester, which helped no one.

The 49ers have developed a reputation of trying to wait out contracts. This should not be one of those times. Pay that man his money.

Warriors and Sharks — closers

The Bay Area’s NBA and NHL entrants, both have struggled closing out games this season — especially recently.

And in both cases, I believe it’s because of one thing: age. The Warriors are old and young at the same time, while the Sharks are just young.

Golden State has scuffled since getting off to a 12-3 start, going just 2-8 in the last 10 games. But the Warriors could easily have a half dozen more wins if the offense wasn’t so easily shut down in the final minutes of games.

As great as Steph Curry has been throughout his career, he is definitely slowing down and defenses are finding it easier to stay in front of him, which limits his ability to get off shots in the closing minutes.

Suddenly, the Warriors are asking guys who have never been asked before to suddenly be the ones to the save the day. Thus, Dennis Schroder was brought in to try to get the Warriors some extra offensive punch.

The Sharks, meanwhile, are a super young team that has struggled mightily over the last several seasons as they’ve gotten their finances in order. With teenagers and other key players in their early 20s, San Jose is simply in that stage of development where they need to learn to win and doing that only comes with losing some of these close games.

Sharks — time to develop

While San Jose still needs to learn to close out games, the Sharks can only do so if they’re given a chance to develop. I’ve watched more Sharks hockey this year than the past three years combined because for the first time in several seasons, the team has some young, exciting players that are showing signs of a promising future.

As previously stated, this team is super young. They got off to a horrible start but seem to have stabilized. While they still have the occasional dud of game, more and more they’re playing competent, competitive hockey games. Since Mike Grier took over as general manager, he has asked fans for patience.

Now that several pieces are place, the team just needs time to mature.

San Jose Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini — more help, ASAP

Like I said, I’ve been watching a lot more Sharks hockey this season and this 18-year-old rookie is a big reason why.

If you haven’t watched the Sharks this season, get on board because Celebrini is the real deal and it would behoove the front office to build around this kid as soon as possible.

There are already some good, young pieces in place and they added some young talent with their recent trade.

The Sharks have a core that could carry them back to relevance in the NHL, so they need to strike while the iron is hot.

Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski — a clue

Look, it’s good to be confident in yourself. It’s good to have big dreams, as he stated during the preseason of his goal to be an all-star.

But he’s not there yet, so he should tamp down some of the histrionics and get back to what he does best: everything but shooting.

He is a great rebounder for a guy his size. His defense is still a work in progress, but he’s a master at drawing charges. Do all the little things. Be that guy every team hates to play, but wants on their team.

And for goodness sakes, work on your shot.

John Fisher — a big, huge lump of coal

He destroyed the Oakland A’s by selling off good players, not putting anything back into the team or the Oakland Coliseum and then blaming the fans in his effort to move out of the Bay Area.

Now that the team is playing in Sacramento, Fisher approved the largest contract in A’s history with the signing of a declining Luis Severino. It only took the A’s 20 years to eclipse the $66 million deal Eric Chavez signed back in 2004, and Severino’s deal is only a million over it.

Fisher is everything winning owners are not. Being the owner of a professional sports team is not about making money. It’s about winning championships and Fisher isn’t anywhere near winning a World Series — or an MLS Cup with the San Jose Earthquakes, for that matter.

Nathan Mollat is in his 24th year covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.