E.L.M.

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• Posted The Looming Inevitability of Free Agency to El Lefty Malo
  The Giants are highly unlikely to win another World Series this year. That's not me talking, that's statistics and probability. The grilled salmon and avocado tacos I had for lunch are also talking, but never you mind. Whatever the eventual...
• Posted In Defense Of Ryan Vogelsong, Giant Playoff Hero to El Lefty Malo
  Who woulda thunk that a quarter of the way into 2013, the Giants' biggest hugest ugliest problem would be pitching and defense? Other than the occasional hiccup against Clayton Kershaw, Cliff Lee, Ramon Ortiz -- you know, the real shut-down...
• Posted One Pill Makes You Larger, and Other Tuesday Notes to El Lefty Malo
  - When I think Toronto, I think Keith Richards and Paul McCartney being arrested for drug possession. That's because Richards was busted there for heroin, and I've always assumed McCartney was, too, except I looked it up and it was...
• Posted The Time Has Probably Come For Tim Lincecum to El Lefty Malo
  With each hanging change-up, with each two-out hit, with each leadoff walk, with each fastball at the belt, I get a little closer to saying it: Tim Lincecum needs to go to the bullpen. I'm not saying it yet. Well,...
• Posted SF 6, AZ 4: More Rotation Commotion to El Lefty Malo
  Ladies and germs, señoras y señores, here's your late-April Giants rotation report: Hooray for Madison Bumgarner! Otherwise... a terrible April for Ryan Vogelsong. A dismal month for Matt Cain, who needs to call pest control to get rid of all...
• Posted Tim Lincecum's Infinite Slack (And Barry Zito) to El Lefty Malo
  Ugly series in Cheeseland. The Giants are built for pitching, defense, and sacrifice flies, so when the opposition averages seven home runs a game, it's going to be tough going. The Giants hit tons of hard outs all series, but...
• Posted First Fortnight: A Giants Mini-Review to El Lefty Malo
  It's the night of a day off after a cold, weird, windy series in Chicago, and Jackie Robinson Day is winding down. The number 42 was last tinged with orange and french vanilla on the back of Kirk Reuter.I don't...
• Posted SF 7, CHC 6: Grind, Grind, Grind to El Lefty Malo
  Watching Vogelsong -- which means "grinding noise" in German -- force his way through six innings Thursday afternoon in Wrigley Field, Nova Scotia, I thought about the man's different faces. There's the nostril-flare gameday comin'-at-you face. There's the grumpy, mouth-twisted,...
• Posted A Bunch of Folks And A Flag-Raising to El Lefty Malo
  I was in the house Friday for the flag-raising ceremony and the ballgame. All that, and the best moment actually might have been the long standing ovation for Bengie Molina, now a St. Louis coach (no, not the conditioning coach)....
• Posted What We Talk About When We Talk About Taking Two of Three From The Dodgers to El Lefty Malo
  I didn't catch much of Wednesday's game, but from what I caught of it -- and what I caught of the post-game radio chit-chat -- when we talk about a solid opening series against a team the rest of America...
• Posted LA 4, SF 0: Meet The Kershaws to El Lefty Malo
  There's Clayton Kershaw the pitcher. Him, we know about. No surprise. Throws all four pitches with subtle or ridiculous movement, depending upon his whim and the flick of his wrist. Makes the non-Brett Pill Giants take half-hearted swings at the...
• Posted Good Morning, It's Opening Day to El Lefty Malo
  Before the game starts today, here are a few things you might like to know. - Under Bruce Bochy, the Giants have won 8 games and lost 10 in season-opening series. In 2010, they swept Houston and went on to...
• Posted The Buster Blockbuster, and Other Pre-Opening Day Notes to El Lefty Malo
  I go wander in the desert with my tribe for a week -- well, okay, there was also a heated swimming pool and a nearby Trader Joe's involved -- and shit happens. I'm writing this late Saturday night, and just...
• Posted The Noonan Question to El Lefty Malo
  Please let the season start please oh please oh please. We're mired in the dog days of spring. The most excitement we've had in weeks, other than watching Angel Pagan run around in a funny uniform, has come with glaringly...
• Posted A Month Without Panda to El Lefty Malo
  Heading into the Cactus League home stretch, the only San Francisco Giant injuries of note are Hector Sanchez -- with ominous pain in his shoulder -- Pablo Sandoval, who is having his right elbow examined, and Jose Mijares, also dealing...
• Posted ¡Mofongo! Or, What's Good For Puerto Rico Is Good For The Giants to El Lefty Malo
  Puerto Rico is in. The United States is out. Also, the United States are out. That's the result of Friday night's World Baseball Classic action, a tournament I've avoided commenting upon until now. And don't hold your breath the next few...
• Posted I Have Made Up My Mind About The Giants' Final Roster Spots to El Lefty Malo
  That's it. Case closed. Scott Proctor might throw 20 more spring-training innings without a ball leaving the infield. Brock Bond might hit four walk-off grand slams and rescue a puppy. Francisco Peguero might go 20-for-30 or 0-for-30. Doesn't matter. Don't...
• Posted And A Catcher Shall Lead Them to El Lefty Malo
  In 2012, Buster Posey was the Giants' best player on offense. He was also a catcher. And he clearly is both, again, as we speed toward Opening Day. It's not quite Barry Bonds and the Seven Dwarves, as team planning...
• Posted Giant Moves: A Quick Hot-Stove Review to El Lefty Malo
  Saturday was the first game of spring training, and with the first pitch came the true end of the off-season. Play ball! And though teams can still make trades (adieu, Conor Gillaspie) and offer contracts, the hot stove is shutting...
• Posted The Giants' Offense: Don't Try This At Home to El Lefty Malo
  Let's go back to the back of the napkin, my favorite place for doing what you might call "math," if you happen to be hanging by your ankles and sucking down nitrous oxide.In 2012, the Giants hit a well-advertised 103...
• Posted The February Rotation to El Lefty Malo
  In my previous post, I tried fighting off the February blues with an Andres Torres sighting. This morning I tried imagining Brandon Belt singing "Feel Like Makin' Love." That helped a bit more. But to beat the blues, you have...
• Posted The Start Of A Long Goodbye? to El Lefty Malo
  Let's peek back at another 2012 regular-season moment. Your browser does not support iframes. It happened during Tim Lincecum's second start, which was even worse than his first start, which was maddeningly similar to many of his subsequent starts. Timmy's...
• Posted The Cost Certainty of Sergio Romo to El Lefty Malo
  The Giants announced last night that they've avoided arbitration with Sergio Romo. He gets a guaranteed $9 M over two years, according to... Dan Plesac of the MLB Network. Suddenly he's a scoop-busting journalist? OK, let's go with that until...
• Posted China Basin Sea Turtles (or, Ramon Ramirez Redux) to El Lefty Malo
  For you Giants fans whose memories don't quite stretch back to 2011, this is Ramon Ramirez. And this is Ramon Ramirez: Your browser does not support iframes. With Ramon back with the Giants on a minor-league contract, everyone traded for...
• Posted Going Out On A Limb About Brian Wilson (Get It?) to El Lefty Malo
  Why must every Giants' World Series victory be followed by a dullsville off-season? In the spirit of 5-year-olds going on 12 everywhere, I want to declare myself officially, like, bored? You know? And as with all spoiled children everywhere, boredom...
• Posted Why On Earth Would You Not Want Justin Upton? to El Lefty Malo
  I wrote that headline, embedded this video and crafted the following paragraph in November, when the Justin Upton rumor factory cranked up its flywheels and spindles yet again. Sure, one home run does not a career make, especially one hit...
• Posted Lincecum On The Edge to El Lefty Malo
  The arbitration-avoidance contract figures are trickling in today: Sir Gregor of Blanco, $1.35 M, Hunter Pence $13.8 M -- which would have been an even $14 mil but the Giants docked him for his crucial role wasting so many sunflower...
• Posted If You Squint You Can See Scottsdale to El Lefty Malo
  I'm back from hibernation. Yawn. Stretch. Scratch. Scratch some more. Feels good. Niners! My metabolic rate slowed drastically over the holidays, making it nearly impossible for me to put fingers to keyboard in an extra-curricular way, but I'm back. Ain't...
• Posted Thinking The Unthinkable About Barry Zito to El Lefty Malo
  Let's just say, just for a brief giddy moment, that the Barry Zito of October 19 and October 24, with a combined pitching line of....13.1 IP / 12 H / 1 ER / 2 BB / 9 K / 0...
• Posted Say, Friend, That's A Lot Of Santiago Casilla to El Lefty Malo
  ... Or should we say, Jairo Garcia?!He would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids. Wait, no -- he did get away with it. Santiago Casilla has gone from frustrating Oakland prospect to butt of...