January 2004 Archives

Much was made of Giants' executives stating, not long after J.T. Snow was tagged out at home plate by Pudge-Rod, that the team payroll would shrink in 2004 down to the mid-$70 million range. According to Peter Magowan, interviewed on...
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According to wire reports, Ivan Rodriguez is very close to signing a 4-year, $40 million deal with the Detroit Tigers. If so, he'll go from first to worst, literally. He'll move to an even worse hitters' park than Pro Player...
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As we here at El Centro del Malo have suggested several times, the Giants' fortunes in 2004 teeter precariously on the fragile health of three players: Jason Schmidt (and his right elbow), Robb Nen (and his surgically reconstructed right shoulder)...
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ESPN's Bob Klapisch reports that Billy Beane almost called Brian Cashman to discuss a trade of Eric Chavez to the 3rd-baseman-less Yankees, then thought better of it. "There's no one this side of Mickey Mantle we'd consider trading Eric Chavez...
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Thanks to Steve Shelby, I saw this item on ESPN.com regarding the Giants' bullpen in 2004: Most pressure in 2004: Robb Nen. Giants don't have Tim Worrell as a safety net. ... Felix Rodriguez's career numbers: 10 saves, 20 blown...
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I realize I'm chiming in for the first time in weeks just to say something negative, but there's no question in my mind that Sidney Ponson was a bust for the Giants. Quite frankly, I think he'll be a bust...
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John Shea of the SF Chron has a piece in yesterday's paper that compares the free-agent spending of the Orioles and Angels. It's the first piece I've seen that gets beyond the breathlessness of big numbers and big names and...
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On the Giants' team roster on ESPN.com, Michael Tucker's number is listed as "24." Sorry, Mike. That one's taken. I assume the roster on the Giants' official site is more accurate. Tucker is assigned 20. Dustan Mohr has 22. Hammonds...
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From one of my all-time favorites, El Duque Hernandez, after he worked out in front of several scouts in Florida: "I just want to get back and get a job," the right-hander said. "If I was the owner of a...
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I saw a news blurb today that Marvin Benard has signed a minor league deal with the Chisox. I was surprised to see that Marvin is 34 years old already. He came up with the Giants in 1995, a 5'9"...
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This just in: two arbitration-eligible Giants have signed contracts. Not surprisingly, Pedro Feliz signed a one-year deal for $850,000, just $100K more than I estimated. More of a surprise is that Jim Brower signed a two-year deal worth $1.825 M...
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Elbo, the Fanch and I set out Saturday night after a scrumptious homecooked lasagna dinner for the Great American Music Hall on O'Farrell, where the 5th annual Gram Parsons tribute concert Sleepless Nights was about to rock. Before the concert,...
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Thanks to the Laz for the tip on this Slate article and for the headline. The piece is a quick look at sports uniform numbers through the years. Barry Bonds first wore 24 with the Pirates to honor Willie Mays;...
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You mean the Matt Gonzalez?...
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Here's an almost offhanded tidbit from an AP piece on the owner's meetings and, specifically, the latest word from Big Bad Bud. Baltimore's Peter Angelos and San Francisco's Peter Magowan were elected to the sport's eight-person executive council, replacing Atlanta's...
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from today's SF Chron: Bush's bored room: Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill isn't the first Republican to take note of President Bush's seemingly disengaged meeting manner. San Francisco Giants owner Peter Magowan has privately recounted a heated exchange at a...
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Thanks to a note from Steve Shelby of Giants News Diary, I've tweaked my 2004 potential Opening Day roster. With the signing of Tomko, it's unlikely the Giants will keep Correia. So he's off the speculative 25-man roster, and in...
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Now that Roger Clemens the Houston Astro will learn what it's like to have a bat in his hand as fastballs buzz by his schnozz, keep your eyes on all the matchups that pit him against anyone he's ever serenaded...
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Having missed Sunday's reports, I just now found out that $1 million of Tomko's 2004 salary will be paid in 2006, according to the Contra Costa Times. Spending $500K on a durable but mediocre veteran (who has a modest chance...
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The Giants have signed Brett Tomko for their starting rotation. The best thing we can say about him is that he's not always awful. Sometimes he's decent, like in 2002 when he pitched for San Diego. Or his rookie year...
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From SI columnist John Donovan (italics added to highlight ludicrousness): "I'm not asking you to feel sorry for Rose. He is, in fact, a character who calls for no sympathy, and that's no one's fault but his own. He's made...
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Yikes! Lat night I visited Esperar Al Boof, and I found the Tuesday headline made the exact same joke I did in my Tuesday posting. Not once, but twice. A reader chided me (humorously...I think) for stealing material, but as...
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A two-time MVP who hit 24 home runs in half a season last year just signed for $4 million plus incentives that could boost his pay to $6 mil, according to this story. That would be Juan Gonzalez, who will...
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As we've expected the past week or so, Pete Rose has finally admitted he bet on baseball games. It's all part of the publicity campaign for his new autobiography (that someone else wrote -- at least he hasn't complained that...
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The following is a reprint of my editor's note in today's SF Station Literary Arts newsletter. (I am the site's editor; the weekly newsletter goes out via e-mail to subscribers.) ************ On a chilly night just before the new year,...
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