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When Brian Johnson launched a walk-off home run (opens in new tab) to pull the Giants into a tie with the Dodgers atop the National League West in September 1997, TV cameras panned to Candlestick Park’s left-field bleachers, where screaming fans were euphoric.
That was bad news for Paul Toboni, who left school early when his cousin Steve Cannata picked him up and drove him to the ballpark.
“I remember getting busted, because my teachers at Saint Brendan saw me on TV after the home run was hit,” Toboni said, “and they thought I was going to a doctor’s appointment.”
Nearly three decades later, a kid who was born a Giants fan is now a Giants foe. Toboni is president of baseball operations for the Washington Nationals, who host the Giants for a three-game set this weekend.
Toboni’s baseball career started on the diamonds of San Francisco, and he can recall details of games at McCoppin, Eureka Valley, and Moscone. He starred for coach Tim Roff’s teams at West Sunset Playground and said the face of the late umpire Benny Legere is “etched in my memory.”
Toboni became a multisport standout at Saint Ignatius, playing against Bellarmine’s Mark Canha and Serra’s Tony Renda, future big-leaguers who eventually joined Toboni on a Cal team headlined by East Bay native and three-time All-Star Marcus Semien.
Toboni eventually traded in his spikes for a scout’s notebook, but he does have one regret about the way his career unfolded.
“There’s always a little piece of regret in my mind that I didn’t push harder to play hoops in college,” Toboni, who was a 6-foot-2 guard in high school, said. “It’s a love of mine, just like baseball is.”
When Toboni’s career was sidetracked by injuries, his former Cal trainer, Brian Schulman, helped him secure an internship with the A’s front office. A few years later, he joined the Red Sox as an intern and began a 10-year climb that included stints as Boston’s amateur scouting director and assistant general manager.
Between the Johnson walk-off and his work in East Coast front offices, Toboni was a regular at Oracle Park. He estimates attending 50 to 60 Giants games a year, and his first job was conveniently located so he could catch even more. As a barback at MoMo’s, Toboni would finish his shifts in the fifth inning and walk across the street to see the rest unfold.
His favorite moment?
How about
J.T. Snow’s game-tying three-run homer (opens in new tab)off Mets closer Armando Benitez in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 2000 NLDS.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this place is absolutely rocking,’” Toboni said. “And they ended up actually losing that game.”
Toboni wasn’t rooting for the Giants to lose that night. This weekend, he will be.
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