I have no idea who most of these guys are, because the front office assembled this team on Craigslist when Brian Sabean was supposed to be looking for a new boxspring. And yet they're off to Philadelphia to face down the best team in baseball.
So many of my Giants teams have been hitting first, pitching as we can. Most of the heroes among Giants fans in the last 25 years have been those guys: Kevin Mitchell, Will Clark, Barry Bonds, Matt Williams. The good pitchers (and mostly, they were good, rarely great) aren't really remembered except as furniture for the sluggers. Don Robinson? Russ Ortiz? Rod Beck? And now we've got these guys: Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez. Wilson. Heck, Zito is the number five man.
And for a post-season win -- other than the Dodgers -- there's not a team the Giants fans would rather beat than the Braves. Division be damned, no one hates the Rockies, after all. Despite that, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that the Giants were going to do for Bobby Cox what they did, when they did it. Not a locker room footnote, but they stopped to give the Braves fans -- and Bobby Cox -- what they -- and he -- deserved. A moment of due respect for a good man and a brilliant career. And everyone loves these guys because they're just a ball club. None of the Barry Bonds prima donna nonsense.
And everyone loves these guys because, despite the dramatics, the Giants are good.
Are they good enough to beat the Phillies? Geeze, I doubt it. And if they do, it's going to be in Game 7 after they've given up an unlikely lead and claw it back from the edge. But it's going to be fun.
So many of my Giants teams have been hitting first, pitching as we can. Most of the heroes among Giants fans in the last 25 years have been those guys: Kevin Mitchell, Will Clark, Barry Bonds, Matt Williams. The good pitchers (and mostly, they were good, rarely great) aren't really remembered except as furniture for the sluggers. Don Robinson? Russ Ortiz? Rod Beck? And now we've got these guys: Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez. Wilson. Heck, Zito is the number five man.
Mrs. Earthling and I have struggled to keep up with the hitters and without names on their home jerseys, it's taken a while. But Burrell and Posey and Cody Ross. Who the hell is Cody Ross? Doesn't matter. He was the hero yesterday and everyone loves him. And he'll be remember in twenty years by those of us who still love Candy Maldonado for one weird moment in the post season (i.e., coming out of the dug out to, er, confront Ozzie Smith after Smith kicked Will Clark). Everyone loves these guys because they're loveable.
And for a post-season win -- other than the Dodgers -- there's not a team the Giants fans would rather beat than the Braves. Division be damned, no one hates the Rockies, after all. Despite that, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that the Giants were going to do for Bobby Cox what they did, when they did it. Not a locker room footnote, but they stopped to give the Braves fans -- and Bobby Cox -- what they -- and he -- deserved. A moment of due respect for a good man and a brilliant career. And everyone loves these guys because they're just a ball club. None of the Barry Bonds prima donna nonsense.
And everyone loves these guys because, despite the dramatics, the Giants are good.
Are they good enough to beat the Phillies? Geeze, I doubt it. And if they do, it's going to be in Game 7 after they've given up an unlikely lead and claw it back from the edge. But it's going to be fun.
<span>"And yet we're off to Philadelphia to face down the best team in baseball."</span>
ReplyDeleteNot even close. The Phillies would have finished third in the AL East.
The Phillies would have finished third in the AL East.
ReplyDeleteNot if they got to play multiple series against the Rays and Yankees during their run of .700 baseball down the stretch.
The Giants may steal a game behind Lincecum; the World Series will be a sweep. The fading AL East squads don't stand a chance.
This Braves fan greatly appreciated the Giants stopping to salute Bobby Cox last night. We got used to miracles back in the '90s and were hoping for one more to cap it all off for Bobby, but losing to a class act like the Giants made it a little easier to take.
ReplyDeleteThe problem for the Giants is that they're going to pair their best pitcher with the only pitcher in the NL better than him, and their hitters are much worse than the Phillies' hitters.
ReplyDeleteAs for figuring out whether the Phillies are better than the cream of the AL East, I suspect that the way we'll figure that it is the same way we figured it out last year -- have them play a best-of-seven series to settle it.
I'd say I "like" your post, Isaac. But I don't. I do, however, completely agree with your conclusions.
ReplyDeleteWould it be wiser for the Giants to use Sanchez or Bumgartner in Game 1 and shift Lincecum back?
ReplyDeleteI do have to say, there's nothing quite like having your law firm rent out the Marvel area at Universal Orlando for a Friday night all-attorney shindig and then forcing them to bring in a giant tv right at the entrance to the Dr Doom ride so that half the Firm could ignore the rest of the park and just watch that Game 2 comeback.
I wasn't able to watch last night, so I don't know if this point was made, but I have to think that some longtime Giants fans, and perhaps some longtime members of the organization, were thinking that beating the Braves was some measure of payback for 1993, when -- in the last season before wild cards and three divisions, with Atlanta still playing in the NL West -- the Giants finished 103-59, but had to stay home for the postseason because the Braves finished 104-58 and took the division crown on the last day of the regular season.
ReplyDeleteAlso, GO PHILLIES!
Adam, no doubt of it. The Dodgers took out the Giants that day, 12-5, IIRC, to put the end to that terrific season. Although some of the payback was visited during the 2002 NLDS, also against the Braves. When the Braves were getting stomped in what I think was game 3, 44K+ Giants fans were doing the tomahawk chop in pure, mocking glee.
ReplyDeleteThis is cute.
ReplyDeleteShift Lincecum to Game 2 and he's still facing Oswalt with the Giants offense behind him, plus you create the risk that he'll only pitch once in the series (I can't remember how many off days they have).
ReplyDeleteTwo off days. Oct 16-17, 19-20-21, 23-24.
ReplyDeleteI was never so fond of Tommy Lasorda as I was that last day of regular season 1993. Indeed, I had not previously known that it was possible for me to attain that level of fondness for him.
ReplyDeleteScene: Portland, OR, at dinner at a bar, watching the end of last night's game.
The boyfriend: Please don't let this spoil your entire memory of this vacation.
End scene.