Were Tejada and Rowand major problems in the clubhouse? Well, both Bochy and Sabean tried to take the highest possible road, commending both Tejada and Rowand for their efforts. When pressed on Rowand’s disappointing Giants career, Sabean said, “Not getting into that. It didn’t turn out. Nothing more to be said. He was given opportunities and it just didn’t turn out.”

But according to sources, Rowand’s complaining reached a critical level this season. “He’s doing everything possible to get out of here,” one player said earlier this week.

Then there was Tejada’s very public pouting over being asked to sacrifice bunt on Sunday.

Just a day earlier, I was discussing with another player whether there was any chance the Giants could open next spring training with Rowand still on the roster. The consensus: No way.

A year ago, Rowand remained mostly tolerant when he lost his starting job to Andres Torres. I think that’s because the players knew, to a man, that they had something special going on. Everyone pulled on the same rope for the good of the team.

It hasn’t been the same this season. Rowand entered spring training with nothing more than the promise that maybe, if he performed well and everything went right, he could be the everyday center fielder again. This time, Bruce Bochy wasn’t asking him to accept a reserve role midstream. The writing was on the wall: Rowand would be a marginal player from opening day.

This loomed as a problem, I thought. And it was.

Rowand wasn’t happy, and he didn’t just wear down the coaching staff. His constant complaints about his reserve role wore on teammates, too.

Tejada could make you wince with comments like, “people know what I can do in this game,” and “I’ll show everyone what I can do.” (Then again, Edgar Renteria said similar things at this time last year, and look what he was holding on Nov. 1.) Tejada had reached that station in his career when his skills no longer matched his MVP expectations, and he either couldn’t or refused to recognize that. As mentioned earlier, I didn’t know him very well. I only knew he had a reputation for being a positive guy and a good teammate. But I had seen this kind of thing play out with veterans many times before.

As for Rowand, I did get to know him pretty well over the last four years. He and I grew up a town apart in inland Southern California, attended rival high schools, and even had some common acquaintances. We could compare notes on the local muni golf courses we played as kids, or play the “whatever happened to…” game. Although none of that affected my coverage, he’s a good guy and he’s well liked for a reason. He and Tejada were the last guys you would expect to be any kind of problem in the clubhouse.

But by now, it’s obvious that jettisoning Rowand and Tejada had a lot to do with getting rid of negative vibes — almost as much as their declining production. Let’s face it: Tejada has a better infield arm, is more surehanded and probably offers nearly as much offensively as Orlando Cabrera, who is sticking around. That should tell you a lot right there.

JC: Thing you miss most about playing for Chicago?

Rowand: Wearing the road uniform. And you know why? Because it said ‘Chicago’ across the front. I got goose bumps every time I would put it on.

JC: Not so with San Francisco?

Rowand: [Pause] Let’s talk about the Bears again.