The Rivalry is Back

Earlier this week, I wrote about my five keys to victory for the Giants going into this series. I seemed to have forgotten the sixth key: Using obscure baseball rules to exploit the mistakes of inexperienced acting-managers.

I'm not going to dissect what the rule about visiting the mound twice clearly says and if it was applied correctly. There's an endless pile of discussions in the blogosphere. It doesn't get us anywhere. Truth is, even the current crop of MLB executives that are now saying that the umpires were wrong might be wrong themselves. It's all interpretation. It's an endless discussion because there's no consensus on what the rules mean. We are trying to be objective, as fans, and our fanhood is clouding our judgement. I think Mattingly broke the rule, but I probably think that because I've been a Giant fan for 23 years.

None of this is the point. Even if applied correctly, Giants haters are saying Bochy is classless for using a technicality to win a game. I say that Leo Durocher, Alvin Dark, and even Tommy Lasorda are applauding the move and probably would've used the exact same weapon had they had it in their pockets. Because all of these men are part of the history of the rivalry. Giants-Dodgers is the most storied and best rivalry in baseball. It's the oldest, most even, has seen the most ugly incidents and most close pennant races. Yankees-Red Sox is not even close. The Yankees and Red Sox have had better teams for the past 15 years or so. This is constantly confused with being a better rivalry. The history is forgotten. The brilliance of Bochy's using that weapon on the wounded enemy soldier that was Mattingly last night extends beyond the outcome of the game. It brought the history back. It was as if he stood up and said, "This is not just a baseball game, this is Giants-Dodgers. Allow me to show you, Major League Baseball, what this game used to be about."

Bochy's stunt vexed the Dodgers and their fans so much there will sure to be more lusty booing and close pitches during the finale tonight. And an even better outcome: competition will improve. Last night, the Giants did whatever it took to win the game. Tonight and in future games, there will be two teams doing whatever it takes.

But we've already won the series. So there.