When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

September 2006 Archives

09.01.2006
Somewhere, Jon Miller is Crying
That's from the latest take-down of Joe Morgan over at Fire Joe Morgan, a site dedicated to exposing the blathering foibles of baseball commentators. If you insist that Morgan is an insightful presence on ESPN's Sunday night broadcasts, please read...

Continue reading... "Somewhere, Jon Miller is Crying" »


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# posted by E.L.M.: 8:54AM
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09.05.2006
Falling Stars
What do Tom Cruise and Barry Bonds have in common? Not prescription drugs, that's for sure. Let Cruise in the Giant clubhouse, and within minutes he'd be jumping up and down on Barry's recliner, ranting about the evils of ibuprofen...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 9:30AM


09.05.2006
Four Under Four
ERA isn't the best gauge of a pitcher's performance. It's heavily dependent on the defensive skills of his teammates. Swift outfielders will prevent pop-ups from falling in; slow infielders will let soft ground balls squirm through holes. Still, it's a...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 11:16AM


09.08.2006
So That's Where He Learned His Slop-Hacking
From a profile of Eliezer Alfonzo in today's Chronicle: Instead, Eliezer was best buds with Tony Armas Jr., "my brother," whose father, Tony, was an outfielder with the A's and Red Sox, among others. "I asked him a lot of...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 8:16AM


09.08.2006
Letters to Theo
Dear Theo, I usually call on the cell phone, but I'm taking a few minutes to write because I want to thank you for all you've done for me this year. No, we didn't make any trades, though I still...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 1:50PM


09.10.2006
Quote of the Weekend
Coulda been a sweep...mmm, not really with the way Woody Williams pitched tonight. Those two runs were squeak-jobs, and Williams did strong work keeping other run-scoring opportunities off the board. Still, I was hopping mad when Felipe let Morris stay...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 10:22PM


09.11.2006
When I Was Younger So Much Younger Than Today
One quick question for today, then back to the wedding planning: Do we dare seat my mother-in-law next to her sister-in-law and risk a family meltdown? Sorry, wrong question. If Armando Benitez knees don't allow him to pitch much in...

Continue reading... "When I Was Younger So Much Younger Than Today" »


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# posted by E.L.M.: 11:46AM


09.12.2006
How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?
As suspected, the Giants have bumped Brad Hennessey back to the bullpen. Looks like the rotation down the stretch is Cain, Schmidt, Morris, Sanchez and Lowry. It's not surprising. As the fifth starter, his job was to give the Giants...

Continue reading... "How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?" »


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# posted by E.L.M.: 8:36AM


09.13.2006
It's a Nice Day to Start Again
Unless you're Francisco Liriano. The state of Minnesota is holding its breath. It doesn't look good. "The last two pitches I threw, I felt a pop and it really hurts," Liriano said. After this post, I'm sworn to radio silence...

Continue reading... "It's a Nice Day to Start Again" »


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# posted by E.L.M.: 9:43AM


09.18.2006
Two Weeks Left
Two blowouts and a rainout. It sounds like the punch line to a slightly dirty joke, but it's not quite what I wanted for my wedding present. Note to Peter Magowan: I'll settle for a George Foreman indoor grill --...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 10:31AM


09.19.2006
Change the Change
I won't gnash my teeth over last night's 20-8 debacle. Before the game, the Giants needed a small miracle to reach the playoffs. After the game, which only counts for one loss, they'll need a slightly larger miracle. Instead, I'll...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 12:10PM


09.20.2006
Mischugenah
Jason Schmidt takes the mound in a few minutes to try to stop the Coor-o-sel from spinning. The best news of the day is the call-up of Patrick Misch, a.k.a. Lowry Lite, a soft-tossing lefty who has been lights out...

Continue reading... "Mischugenah" »


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# posted by E.L.M.: 11:28AM


09.21.2006
For God's Sake, Just Shave It Off
Matt Morris's performance the past month, in the Giants' most crucial run of games all year, has been pathetic. Today was the topper: nine runs in four-plus innings with a little pork fat thrown on the campfire by Jamey Wright....

Continue reading... "For God's Sake, Just Shave It Off" »


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# posted by E.L.M.: 9:28PM


09.22.2006
Pacific Stanton Time
The first personnel move the Giants should make this winter is counterintuitive to the youth movement everyone is advocating: re-sign Mike Stanton. Hell, do it now before the season ends. Hold on, pal. The last thing we need is more...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 11:37AM


09.25.2006
Mindless Distraction
I'll ignore the sordid events of the weekend for the time being and divert our attention with a pleasant quiz: Of the first 25 "splash hits" -- home runs by a Giant that landed directly in McCovey Cove -- how...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 9:28AM


09.26.2006
Yoo-Hoo! Over Here! Hello!
The 2006 Giants are trying hard to make us think about the future. I don't blame them. If I weren't a clinically obsessed Giants fan, I'd regard this home-stretch flameout as a harbinger of dark days ahead, indeed, and I'd...

Continue reading... "Yoo-Hoo! Over Here! Hello!" »


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# posted by E.L.M.: 1:59PM


09.27.2006
I'm Down With Nothing Else To Do
A few sun-drenched lazy-day notes from the yard: * So THIS is what spring training feels like. I've never been to Arizona in March, but today's day game -- lots of rooks on the field, plenty of sunshine, a backpack...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 4:45PM


09.29.2006
The Third Imperative
At the start of every Giants season, the first imperative is to make the playoffs and win it all. If the first imperative cannot be achieved, the second imperative is to finish ahead of the Dodgers. This year, the Giants...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 8:01AM


09.29.2006
2007 Numbers
There's been much banter and some confusion about next year's Giant payroll. To get it out of the comments and into the clear light of day, here is my best whack at who's signed for next year and how much...

Continue reading... "2007 Numbers" »


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# posted by E.L.M.: 1:59PM