Paul

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• Posted Elbo: Keeping the home fries burning to El Lefty Malo
  While Lefty paddles his new bride around the land of Phar Lap and The Clean, he's left me the keys to the kingdom. Unless something drastic happens in the next week or so, I'm going to save my opinions of...
• Posted Elbo: Brush with disaster, 1988 division to El Lefty Malo
  The great Steve Goldman reports stumbling upon a 17-year-old news item suggesting that Giants GM Al Rosen nearly traded Will the Thrill plus two pitchers to the Yankees for Don Mattingly. Wow. It wouldn't have been Bagwell-for-Andersen, not quite. But...
• Posted Elbo: Off topic in Texas to El Lefty Malo
  Memo to Carlos Delgado: They're not going to like your politics down there in Arlington. Sorry, couldn't resist....
• Posted Elbo: Division and conquering to El Lefty Malo
  I'm happy to report that El Lefty safely avoided the tsunami tragedy in his travels, and that he'll be back and blogging soon. But in the meantime, I'd like to build on some thoughts left in the comments section, most...
• Posted Elbo: Optimist <a href="http://www.optimist.org/">Club</a> to El Lefty Malo
  Buster Olney says the Giants are fit for a championship run. (He also mistakes one of their young pitchers for longtime Kansas City Chiefs kicker Nick Lowery.) Olney says the NL West will be weak enough to be a toss-up...
• Posted Elbo: "Looked like some kind of family reunion" to El Lefty Malo
  The inexplicable non-tendering of Dustan Mohr now seems a preface to the Giants' signing of Moises Alou, which seems imminent tonight. The putative 2005 regulars, and their ages on Opening Day: 1B Snow 37 2B Durham 33 SS Vizquel 37*...
• Posted Elbo: Not any Mohr to El Lefty Malo
  The Giants have taken another giant step in this offseason's quest to get as old as possible by non-tendering Dustan Mohr. Though he remains free to re-sign with the team, Henry Schulman's story makes it fairly clear that both he...
• Posted Elbo: Scrap heap to El Lefty Malo
  The Giants have extended non-roster Spring Training invitations to 12 players. Most notable among them is washed-up lefthander Jeff Fassero, who could at best serve as a LOOGY and emergency starter, I suppose, if he somehow made the club. Also...
• Posted Elbo: What if he hits like <a href="http://www.patmethenygroup.com/">Pat Metheny</a>? to El Lefty Malo
  As El Lefty notes below, the last time he traveled during wintertime the Giants added A.J. Pierzynski as their new catcher. Now that El Lefty is gone again, MLB.com is reporting that the Giants have signed Mike Matheny to a...
• Posted Elbo: D.P. Pierzynski to El Lefty Malo
  Speaking of the Joe Nathan deal... It seemed, for a little while there, that our catcher had finally won over the fans. After a dreadful April (.517 OPS) and that nutty card-playing incident that Andrew Baggarly just had to expose,...
• Posted Elbo: D.P. Pierzynski to El Lefty Malo
  Speaking of the Joe Nathan deal... It seemed, for a little while there, that our catcher had finally won over the fans. After a dreadful April (.517 OPS) and that nutty card-playing incident that Andrew Baggarly just had to expose,...
• Posted Elbo: Tomko Downlow to El Lefty Malo
  As El Lefty noted a few days ago, Brett Tomko has largely succeeded in keeping the meatballs away from National League hitters this year. After leading the league by giving up 35 homers last year, he's cut that number to...
• Posted Elbo: Tomko Downlow to El Lefty Malo
  As El Lefty noted a few days ago, Brett Tomko has largely succeeded in keeping the meatballs away from National League hitters this year. After leading the league by giving up 35 homers last year, he's cut that number to...
• Posted Elbo: Barry's HR Tour to El Lefty Malo
  The New York Times' Lee Jenkins notes: Because Aaron hit so many of his home runs in Milwaukee, Bonds seems to believe it would be a fitting locale for his 700th. He was thrilled to have posted No. 699 in...
• Posted Elbo: Barry's HR Tour to El Lefty Malo
  The New York Times' Lee Jenkins notes: Because Aaron hit so many of his home runs in Milwaukee, Bonds seems to believe it would be a fitting locale for his 700th. He was thrilled to have posted No. 699 in...
• Posted Elbo: <a href="http://www.thejohnhiattarchives.com/chords/tiki_bar_is_open.htm">Thank god the Tiki Bar is open</a> to El Lefty Malo
  My thoughts on all these new deals are still pretty disjointed, but here they are. *I think the Dodgers have screwed up. If indeed they have Dave Ross and maybe Brent Mayne at catcher, they have definitely made a mistake....
• Posted Elbo: <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDCASS80311061432390920&sql=Alj90s31ba3dg">Happy, come home</a> to El Lefty Malo
  Oh, how nice it would've been to end Gagne's streak last night. How wonderful it would've been to get Schmidt a win even if he didn't have his best stuff. Sadly, we will have to regard this series, where we've...
• Posted Elbo: Connecting the dots to El Lefty Malo
  A few disjointed observations on tonight's game: *The Diamondbacks just lost Richie Sexson, probably for the season, due to a torn labrum. Did you hear how he got it? Check swing. Strong man, that Richie Sexson. *Pedro Feliz just lowered...
• Posted Elbo: Schmidt saves himself to El Lefty Malo
  I'm thrilled that Jason Schmidt threw a masterpiece tonight, really, I am. But don't you find it worrisome that someone who just had surgery to remove scar tissue from his elbow would be permitted to throw 144 pitches in a...
• Posted Elbo: Pierzynski catches hell to El Lefty Malo
  Boy, it sounds like A.J. Pierzynski would've gotten along great with Milton Bradley....
• Posted Elbo: Policing the lineups to El Lefty Malo
  *That was pretty sneaky of Felipe to put Edgardo Alfonzo (BA .200) in the two-hole last night. It wasn't sneaky at all for Alfonzo to go 1-for-6, though. *Jeffrey Hammonds batted sixth and walked three times. Behind him were D.P....
• Posted Elbo: A familiar hangover to El Lefty Malo
  Boy. Now that it's fashionable to suggest that Barry try to hit .400 this year, just like I did last month, maybe it's time to mention the familiar feeling I've been feeling this spring. I lived in Baltimore during the...
• Posted Elbo: Two quick hits to El Lefty Malo
  *Kirk Rueter's first strikeout victim of the season was Alex Cora. Thanks to everyone who participated in The Woody Pool. [[No one won the pool.]] *A.J. Pierzynski finally got his first extra-base hit in a Giants uniform, and he did...
• Posted Tenderloin de Elbo to El Lefty Malo
  We're at la Casa de Elbo, who's broasting a pork tenderloin as we watch the Yanks-Sox on primetime Fox. Tim McCarver is in post-season form, which is to say, unlistenable. Bill Mueller is 3 for 3 with a two-run homer....
• Posted Elbo: The Bonds-proof park to El Lefty Malo
  Kevin Towers reportedly joked that Petco Park (aka "The Litter Box," or maybe "The Doghouse") was built to be "Bonds-proof," with its distant right-center field fence. He may have been kidding, but a few moments ago it certainly appeared that...
• Posted Elbo: The last man to El Lefty Malo
  As my old friend Steve Goldman notes, "[t]he main function of the batting order is distributing playing time." Although we're all familiar with the traditional roles of a speedy leadoff hitter, a slugging cleanup guy, etc., the new school of...
• Posted Elbo: A night at the Bell to El Lefty Malo
  It's the morning after an evening well-spent in section 139. A few observations: *Leo Estrella: Bad introduction. You could hear Byrnes' helmet crack 380 feet away. Probably everyone in the park heard it. Thank goodness that wasn't worse. *The fans...
• Posted Elbo: Barry’s ’04 to El Lefty Malo
  Even before talk of steroids, supplements and hormones became the big story of the Giants’ spring training season, one thing seemed obvious about Barry Bonds’ 2004: it would be a little quieter, in terms of production, than the past few...
• Posted Elbo: Yanks after Durham? to El Lefty Malo
  Steve Goldman, one of the best baseball writers in America, says of the Yankees' motley crew of second basemen (Enrique Wilson, Miguel Cairo, et al): Postpone the inevitable trade for something better. That being said, if any of this collection...
• Posted Elbo: Once in the morning, and once at night... to El Lefty Malo
  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...