Mailbag!

I've been getting a TON of imaginary emails lately from a lot of you I Bleed Orange readers who I just made up, and 100% of you are demanding the same thing: to make some sense of the Giants moves (and non-moves) so far in the off-season. The real off-season, I mean. The one that is actually happening; not the imaginary one.

Thanks to everyone for your emails that didn't actually exist.

The Giants signed Aubrey Huff, which I like, but wasn't it for a bit too much (2 years/$22 mil)? I agree with ESPN's Keith Law that this is contract the biggest mistake a GM can make. I mean, what did this guy do besides put up the best offensive numbers for the World Series Champions?

-Walter,
Portland, OR

Dear Walter,

Yes, it would have been nice for the Giants to have locked down Huff for something more in the 2/18, but World Series. Critics may call this a mistake if they are so inclined. It's easy to come to that conclusion when you look at Huff's career arc, which has been consistently inconsistent. But this arc's ups and downs were forged in Baltimore and Tampa Bay (before they were good). Let's see how Huff responds to finally being a champion before we assume he's due for a downturn.


Can I boo Juan Uribe now? It will feel really good, plus casual fans already thought I was booing anyway.

- Riley
Perham, MN

Dear Riley,

I must admit I'm torn on this one. The difficulty is, how do we show him we appreciate what he's done yet at the same time voice our disapproval for his becoming a dirty Dodger? At the same time, are any of us really surprised that players don't care about the rivalries as much as the fans, and follow the money around? I'm probably going to have a hard time finding the energy to boo him, directly. I will boo the Dodger brand as I normally do and whatever boos trickle their way down to Juan, so be it.


I am hopping mad about the Miguel Tejada signing! Not only is he really old, but hits into double plays, and he's really old! $6.5 million? 1 year? We could have had 1/20 of Jayson Werth for that!

-Marty
Joplin, MO

Dear Marty,

Look, if we learned anything from last year, it's that players can be past their prime and still contribute. I'm not saying that the Giants are going to strike gold like they did last year with Huff and Burrell, but let's keep the signing in perspective: An aging double play machine is what we had at shortstop last year. This one is a lot better at getting on base, one of the most durable guys in baseball, and comes at the third of the cost. And it's only one year. And World Series. Quit complaining.


Pablo Sandoval is fat.

-Salvador
Siloam Springs, AK

Dear Salvador,

The Giants agree with your eloquent assessment that this is Panda's key issue. They've committed a lot of resources and press time to his diet and conditioning. Lose weight, and everything else will be cream cheese. I am in agreement too; I even wrote an entire blog entry about it last month. I'd like to add one more piece of evidence to this theory, and that is that weight is the key issue for anyone, including you, Salvador.

Think about it: You feel a little off, things aren't going right at work, school or personal life, you start to get a little lazy, watching too much TV, eating poorly, etc. What's the first thing you do to get back on track? Stop eating the junk food and start moving around a little more. And it usually works. Before you know it you're a star.

I'm betting the same thing can happen for Pablo.

The Unthinkable

You'll hear it from the Bay Bridge to the Pacific Ocean. From Mendocino to Monterey. Within seconds of hearing the news, I heard it twice on Facebook.

"BOO!"

"Ree-bay!"

Our World Series hero (one of them, at least), with the image of his postseason heroics still fresh in our minds, has fled the glorious land of black and orange for the seedy back-alley of Dodger blue. The sting is not at fierce as it would have been had a homegrown talent who spent his whole career in San Francisco defected to the other side, but given his superhuman feats in the postseason, and this, it stings a little.

That being said, Ned Coletti is paying Uribe $21 million over three years. The Giants would have been foolish if they had given him more or even had matched that offer. The home run in Game 6 in the NLCS and his vacuum-like defense in the World Series will stay with me forever. His .248/.310/.440 line in 2010 will not. Which is a worse line than when the Giants offered him two years at $18 million in 2009. I think it shows much more savvy move to slightly overpay for Aubrey Huff, who was consistent and the Giants leading hitter over the regular season, and let Uribe - with his sparkling post-season - loose, than it would have been to have done the reverse. Bravo, Sabean.

We still do have a shortstop deficiency to address. Just please please please please please don't pursue Derek Jeter.

The Panda in the Room

Before we talk about any off-season free-agent acquisitions, we need to talk about the giant Panda in the room.

The Giants have hinted that their priorities right now are keeping Huff and Uribe. If those two are retained, and I think they should be (The SS free agent class is pretty meh right now, and they need Huff's bat next year), the only thing standing in the way of the Giants having a solid infield defensively and a solid lineup appears to be 40 lbs. of flesh off of Pablo Sandoval's body.

Seriously. I can't remember another time in baseball when the future of the team so heavily depended on whether or not one guy could successfully go on a diet.

Of course, this is assuming that the weight gain was the key to his sophomore slump. There were other problems, of course, like his inability to square up on a ball, plate discipline, the off-field distractions in Venezuela, and general motivation.

But I'm betting that the Giants are banking on the theory that Pablo's weight was the initial nudge that caused his momentum into those other problems. The first thing I heard about Pablo after the World Series ended was that he was going straight to off-season conditioning in San Diego, so it looks like the Giants moving forward with this theory.

This seems to me a bit like putting Panda on NBC's The Biggest Loser. Everything is heading toward one dramatic moment where he steps on the scale sometime during spring training. And if he can't hit that magic number, he returns his chocolate sundae martini into his favorite food case, wipes a tear from his eye, and hops on a bus to Fresno. It's putting too much stock in one part of the problem.

We all love Pablo Sandoval, and based on his 2009, know that can be great. If the Giants turn out to be right about what can make him great again, we will have the infield of Huff, Sanchez, Uribe and the non-2010 Pablo to work with, with phenom Brandon Belt in line to inherit the 1B job and Brandon Crawford waiting in the wings at short. And this is an arrangement I'd be okay with.

Rookie of the Year ...and Beyond!

I know it's late in coming, but before we start delving into pressing off season issues like free-agency, Pablo Sandoval's nutritionist, and the new alternate road uniforms (and we will cover all of this), my first order of business is to offer congratulations to Buster Posey for snagging Rookie of the Year honors earlier this week.

This year, for some reason, the individual awards just didn't hold as much of my attention as they have in earlier years. In the past, I might have felt that Andres Torres was robbed of a Gold Glove after a performance in the field like the one he turned in this season, but this year I couldn't care less that he didn't win it. In November of 2008 and 2009, I was locked in to Tim Lincecum and the Cy Young Award race. 2010? Not on my radar at all. And although I didn't feel like Tim deserved it this year, they could have given the 2010 Cy Young to Jonathan Broxton and it wouldn't have mattered to me. So what is the reason for this season's indifference to the individual trophies?


Oh yeah. It must be that this trophy is a lot shinier.

Buster being the ROY, though, is a little different. I holds a little more significance, because after meeting and in some cases exceeding our very high expectations for him, Buster Posey has now stepped into a future in which the San Francisco Giants are his team. We all know that Buster will be an All-Star level or possibly elite catcher for the next ten or so years. But he is poised to become the leader of the Giants for those ten years. Rookie of the year, and World Series champion. Last guy to do that? Derek Jeter. He became the face of the franchise for a very successful decade.

I can see Buster in the Jeter mold - Calm, poised, and really hated by the people who hate him. Currently, Dodger fan friends down here claim to admire him. One friend, while discussing the World Series, even shook his head, smiled, and said, "Man, I wish the Dodgers had that guy." Three seasons from now, though, especially if the Giants continue to experience success, you can bet on Buster Posey being Public Enemy no. 1 in L.A. the same way that Jeter is hated in Boston. In fact I'm looking forward to hearing the boos grow increasingly louder in Chavez Ravine next season when his name is announced.

Cheers, Buster!

Withdrawl

It's been almost two weeks, and I still wish there was a baseball game on tonight. And why can't there be one? Everyone's still around. You're telling me they can't get together to play just one more game? Invite the Rangers. Heck, you can even invite Buck and McCarver. Throw in a Due Date commercial every fifteen seconds if that sweetens the deal. I don't care, as long as the Giants are there.

Disappointingly, the natural laws of the Major League Baseball season and off-season dictate that the season must end and the off season must begin. It's a necessary natural cycle, as there cannot be excitement and buildup for 2011 unless 2010 ends.

But for those who want the 2010 party to go on a little longer, there are a few measures you can take to relive the magic, and the torture:

Video and Audio Clips

The best place to go is the video archive on the Giants official website. Be sure to click on one of the "Must C" links because they not only play the clip as it is seen on FOX, but then replay it with the KNBR radio call. The best one is Dave Fleming's voice cracking during his call of Renteria's three-run homer in Game 5.

Speaking of the KNBR crew, their site is rife with podcasts, and if you want to open up the floodgates for some happy world series memories, listen to any of the Post-Game Wraps. These guys are the biggest Giants fans in the world and the wraps give them a chance to unobjectively and shamelessly gush about their team.

Also, you have to check out this tribute by San Francisco's own DJ Tom Thump. It brings us from the despair of 2002 to the glory of last weekend.

Make a Pilgrimage

Why not make a trek to the spot where all the magic happened and the home of the 2010 World Series Champions: AT&T Park? The area behind the outfield seats (where the Coke bottle, mitt, and cable car are) is open to the public, free of charge. You can also visit the nearby Giants dugout store for some gear, and don't forget to stop by City Hall where they still have the Giants banners up from the parade. I'm sure if you leave now you can still get random strangers to participate in a "Let's go Giants" chant.

Think about the Off Season

When - and only when you are absolutely sure - you have exhausted these measures, it might be time to start thinking about the moves to be made in the off season, and the Giants chances to repeat in 2011. But do so very carefully. The road from giddy fan to resentful pessimist is a steep one. If you must, don't dive right into free-agency or Panda's diet right away. You'll make yourself crazy. Ease into it by thinking about Buster Posey's Rookie of the Year chances, and how furious you'll be if Jayson Heyward wins it.

Pause... For Reflection

Since last night, I've watched the clip of the Brian Wilson's last strikeout of Nelson Cruz maybe 25 times. It was a gorgeous swinging strikeout on a cutter inside, which was nice to see after the called strike three at the knees to Ryan Howard to end the NLCS, and the close call at first base to end the NLDS in Atlanta. It was a no-doubter. And it also hit the perfect dramatic note of being thrown on a 3-2 pitch. It's my favorite moving image of all time.

But I did something strange the last couple of times I watched it. I paused the clip. But not after the strikeout. Not on Wilson's gesture to the sky or Posey running out to greet him or the whole team celebrating. I hit pause on the moment right before he throws the pitch.

It's the last moment for this franchise, in this city, as a team that has never won the World Series. The last moment where a Giants fan is a long-suffering fan. The last moment where we are like the Cubs and the Indians and not like the Red Sox and the White Sox. The last moment where we can't think about 2002 or 1989 or 1962 because we don't know whether or not it will all turn out okay. The last moment where Dodger fans could email the picture of the San Francisco Giants empty trophy case to each other and laugh.

Do I just enjoy lingering on painful memories? No! Get your mind out of the gutter, sicko.

But all of the realities that that last moment represents - right before being wiped away with Nelson Cruz' swing and miss - were a huge part of the identity of the San Francisco Giants. And their identity is changed now. Our identity is changed now.

What is this the start of? Will this turn into a dynasty, or will this be a one-time thing? Does this team stay intact with a strong core of players or are we the 1997 Marlins? Will we become like Yankee fans that everyone resents? Or will we be like Royals fans still waiting for that second title 25 years later?

We're headed somewhere, and no one knows how many championships, or years without one lay ahead. So savor this one, fans. Enjoy it. There will never be one like the first one.

Speechless

The Giants won the World Series. The Giants are world champions. The Giants won the World Series. The Giants are world champions. The Giants won the World Series. The Giants are world champions. The Giants won the World Series. The Giants are world champions.

Just say it over and over until you feel good.

But those are just words, and words will not do this feeling justice. More to come later.

...and what have you done with the real Giants?

When the real Freddy Sanchez returns to earth, and the mashed up combination of the DNA of Ted Williams and Mango from late '90's Saturday Night Live that has been playing in his place is returned to the aliens, he will ask what happened.

When the real Cody Ross returns to earth, and the mashed up combination of the DNA of Babe Ruth and Rob Corddry that has been playing in his place is returned to the aliens, he will ask what happened.

When the real Edgar Renteria is returned to earth, and the mashed up DNA of Ozzie Smith and the Draw Me Turtle that has been playing in his place is returned to the aliens, he will ask what happened.

Looks like we might have a good story for them.

Speaking of DNA, mine prevents me from declaring this World Series a done deal. We have a travel day, Arlington, Texas, and a Jonathan Sanchez road start to get through. But, there have been 50 teams in the history of Baseball to go up 2-0 in the Fall Classic. 41 of them have won the series. The team that is currently up 2-0 looks loose, groovy and is making all the right moves. The other team alternates between looking dejected and looking like they are unraveling. And their DNA is made of pop ups.

It feels good to be in the driver's seat.

Predicting the Unpredictable

As I did before the NLDS and the NLCS, I visited ESPN's website to check out what their resident experts had to say about the upcoming World Series and... Surprise! They unanimously predicted that the Texas Rangers would win the series.

The experts are going out on a limb here and reasoning that the Rangers have a better offense than the Giants. Hmm - I hadn't thought of it that way. That's some hard-hitting sports journalism. Surely, you might think, the Giants have had dominant starting pitching all season, so they have the edge there, right? Not so fast, my dear simple-minded fan. Here's another edgy insight for you: The Rangers 1-2-3 might be just as good. In fact, their number one starter is making history in the post season and might have a slight edge over Tim Lincecum. This is some real, Bob Costasy, Outside the Linesy type stuff.

I don't really disagree with this assessment of the two teams, but I am tired of hearing it. And it's not just because I'm a homer who doesn't like to hear anything bad the Giants. I know the Giants have their weaknesses. I will fully admit that, with a few exceptions, the Giants are sketchy defensively, show the patience of a kid on Christmas morning at the plate, and on the basepaths, most of them look like plumbers running to catch the van after they forgot to put on the parking brake. I would feel a lot more confident about their chances in the World Series if these things weren't true.

But the Braves series and the Phillies series didn't play out according to the conventional assessment of the teams, and I don't think this one will either. I think the national writers and experts are finally starting the realize that Bochy is a shrewd game manager, but could they - or anyone - have forseen him being able to stitch together a patchwork quilt of Affeldt, Bumgarner, Lopez, Lincecum, and Wilson for the win after Sanchez' meltdown? Two starters, two bullpen guys and your closer for seven innings of scoreless relief?

If one improbable thing can happen, then why can't they just keep happening? Here are my predictions for the World Series, which I maintain are just as probable as any other result:

- The Giants beat Cliff Lee in Game One. He's been dominant, but he's a strike thrower. He doesn't pitch out of the zone, but he should because the Giants are hacks and that's what they swing and miss at: garbage pitches out of the zone. Juan Uribe and Cody Ross, who both have good lifetime numbers on Lee, go deep.

- The Giants go 2-0 at AT & T, partly because of the advantage they have there but mostly because Matt Cain. Josh Hamilton's drives continue to die in triples alley, and in the late innings he is vexed by Javi Lopez. After two games, Hamilton is 1 for 8 with two strikeouts.

-In Texas, the homefield advantage is neutralized in the same way it was in Philly (The Giants hit four home runs in Citizens' Bank Park to the Phillies' four). They outhomer the Rangers in the three games there four to two, on their way to winning games four and five.

So, yes, I'm saying Giants in five. Improbable, but would you really be that surprised?

World Series!

My heart rate - which first quickened during Sanchez' meltdown in the first inning and skyrocketed during the eighth and ninth - has finally stabilized. I've come to terms with the fact that this Giants team that I adore - a team that will probably not score more than five runs in any game for the remainder of the postseason - will in fact play in the World Series and I am not dreaming. I've liked all of my friends' Giants related stati on Facebook.

In a few days, I'll start complaining about all of the sports experts' inevitable predictions that the Rangers will prevail, and trying to fight off bad memories from 1989 and 2002. Today, I'm allowing myself only to savor this moment, and reflect on the moments and images of this NLCS:

- Jonathan Sanchez last night, glove out, not even reaching for the ball that Chase Utley casually flipped to him after getting beaned, and letting it fall to the ground.

- Pablo Sandoval at second base, clapping and waving his arms and pointing to the sky after finally coming through with his bat by blasting a two run double in Game 4, being cheered on by the San Francisco fans who wanted so desperately to see the Pablo of 2009, and finally did.

- Tim Lincecum getting out of a jam in Game 5, and telling Jimmy Rollins who had just been stranded on third, "Stay there!" on his way back to the dugout.

- Cody Ross' grin, wherever it was found.

- Juan Uribe's half flip of the bat in Game 4, outdone only by Part II: Full Flip in Game 6.

- Everything said and done by Brian Wilson. My favorite person in the universe got even favoriter.

Four more wins. Just four more.

Repositioning Frowns so that the Top Side Faces Downward

Following a heartbreaker like last night's, fans of the team on the losing end hear a lot of sports cliches on radio, and read them in print and computer screens. These cliches are designed to make us feel better about our team's situation. Here is one of my (usually) least favorite:

"If someone had told you in April that the Giants would be up 3-2 following Game Six in the NLCS, you would have taken it."

Of course I would have taken it. But I've watched enough sports to know that that phrase is only said in the aftermath of something really heartbreaking happening. So I would have known that this future guy who is telling me this knows about the aforementioned heartbreak. "What happened Future Man! What horrible thing just happened to my Giants!!!"

But there are a lot of things to take from this particular cliche:

The Phillies are an awesome, awesome team. Their lineup is full of threats top to bottom. They have an amazing starting three pitchers. I knew this before the series started but after watching five games I know now that it wasn't just hype. Something I learned while watching the series is that Rollins and Werth are incredible defenders.

What's encouraging is not just that we are up 3-2 but in games the Phillies win, they are not blowing the Giants away. The fact that these Giants, with this lineup, are in the position that they are in right now, while playing their style of baseball is what is amazing.

The Giants drew the Phillies into their kind of fight. There's been one game for each team that was a decisive victory (Game Three for the Giants, Game Two for the Phillies), but besides that it has been tight games, with the team making the least amount of mistakes winning.

We have to not lose two in a row. And we won't, as long as we make the least amount of mistakes.

So what if we're going back to Philadelphia? The ballpark itself is not as much of advantage to the home team; We've hit more home runs in the two games there than they have. And the fans? I don't think fans affect the outcome of the game as much as we think they do. They can scream and yell all they want, but these guys are professionals. In all the outfield flies that have been hit by a home team in the history of baseball, how many of them have been accompanied by the fans screaming for the opposing defender to drop it? Probably all of them. What percentage of those are dropped because of the screaming? 0.01%? 0.001%? It's only annoying for us Giants fans watching Phillies fans freak out when something bad happens to the Giants, but we're not on the field.

Bruce Bochy is so even keeled he's almost dead. The players are calm and focused and they have no need to fear THE GREATEST TEAM OF ALL TIME THE PHILLIES. They played THE GREATEST TEAM OF ALL TIME THE PHILLIES five times already and they turned out to be a team that the Giants are capable of beating.

Full speed ahead, Giants. Steady as she goes.

Spoiler Alert!

Predictions for the homestand portion of the NLCS. These things will actually happen:

In Game Three, Aaron Rowand starts in center field and leads off, Edgar Renteria starts at short and bats second, and just to add more agony to the fan experience, Bochy puts Candy Maldonado in right.

Cole Hamels only lasts until the bottom of the fifth, when he storms off the mound, hurt that he's not getting any catcalls and whistles from the opposing fans like Tim Lincecum did.

In a first inning jam, Game Four Starter Madison Bumgarner strikes out Ryan Howard swinging with two runners in scoring position to end the inning. He then makes his first emotional display of the post season by clearing his throat and blinking.

Joe Buck and Time McCarver continue to ruffle critics by comparing Raul Ibanez' seventh inning throwing error to the dramatic twist of last week's "Human Target"

In the fourth inning of Game Five, Cody Ross hits one more home run to break slugger Jeffery Leonard's record for most in an NLCS. If that wasn't impressive enough, he also hits it with one flap down.

Sergio Romo shaves his beard in the dugout, hoping that Bruce Bochy will think he's Javier Lopez and bring him in to pitch the eighth.

In the post game press conference after Game Five, a confused Philadelphia reporter misinteprets the Giants' unofficial slogan and asks Bruce Bochy to explain why he supports torture.

Giants win two out of three in San Francisco and go back to Philly leading 3-2 in the series.

My Favorite Picture So Far This Week

Starting pitchers for Saturday's NLCS Game One?

Or the graduation day scene from a tearjerker about one high school teacher's passion for Geometry, and his commitment not to just teach it to the hoodlums who ditch school for the skate park, but to touch their lives as well?

Why the Giants Will Beat the Phillies

It's already been decided that the Phillies are not only going to beat the Giants in the NLCS, but absolutely steamroll them on the way to their third straight World Series. In fact, the Giants ought to be ashamed of themselves for having the gall to try to compete with the future Hall of Famers on this budding dynasty. John Kruk himself is offended at the Giants' display of hubris, but will soon reap the reward of poetic justice once the Giants slink back into their clubhouse after the eventual sweep.

We Giants fans are falling into two categories right now. Type one are those who feel that although our orange heroes are overmatched and will probably lose the series, it doesn't matter because we have far exceeded expectations. After the Braves series was over, I was firmly a type one. To borrow a term my buddy Kelly applied effectively to the sports world during the Golden State Warriors 2007 playoff run after they upset the Mavericks, I felt like we were gambling with house money. We already made it farther than I thought, so who cares what happens?

However, I now feel like I'm transforming into the second type, who sees not only why the Giants will show up and bring some fight to this series, but why they can actually win it. I could be getting overconfident, but since I'm a fan and not a player, it doesn't matter. So without further ado, here are the three reasons the Giants will eliminate the Phillies and advance to the World Series:

1. The Great Phillies Lineup Was Not-So-Great Against the Reds

A few analysts are bringing up the fact that the Giants and the Phillies both hit .212 in their respective NLDS. That alone reflects well enough on the Giants considering the superiority of Philadelphia's lineup. But I don't feel like anybody is talking about the fact the Phillies' opponent was a Reds team that got to the post season on the strength of their hitting and wasn't exactly blowing anybody away with their pitching. I expected the Phillies to explode, but they mustered just one home run and four extra base hits for the series to go along with that .212 average. Versus the Reds? In tiny ballparks? Even though the Giants bats will be quiet in this series, expect Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez to neutralize Philadelphia's offense and level the playing field.

2. Bochy is a More Tested Game Manager than Manuel

Bruce Bochy and Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel have similar formulas for victory: Get seven or eight innings out of your starters, hand it off to the reliable setup guy, hand it off to the reliable closer. In the Braves series, though, Bochy had to weather two meltdowns from the setup guy, and had to reorganize the lineup constantly to find the guy who could get the big hit while keeping reliable gloves in the field. Manuel might be able to email the lineup cards for the whole series to the umps on Friday night. Also, Phillies fans I've been chatting with have a lot of complaints about Manuel's decision-making. True, fans love to rip their managers and are not always objective. But the other side of that coin is that a lot of Bochy critics I know are starting to come around to him, which I see as a testament to his emerging shrewdness.

3. Karma

While the Phillies spent this week eating cheese steaks and getting thrown out of strip clubs, the Giants banded together to free the trapped miners in Chile. Okay, not the Giants per se. I understand some people from NASA also might have been involved. But my point stands that the Phillies not only won a World Series as recently as two years ago, they're probably already looking ahead to this year's fall classic in haste. The Giants, on the other hand, are humble and lovable and their fans are long-suffering. They would never feel entitled to victory. And for that, we should be entitled to victory (That's how karma works).

These games are going to be low-scoring, close, tense and sweaty, and are going to come down to one or two timely hits. This won't be easy. And that's exactly what the Giants are used to.

Prediction: Giants in Seven.

Victory! Giants Advance to NLCS

Eight victories away from the World Series.

Between now and when that road starts on Saturday, there will be plenty of time to dissect, hope, critique, obsess, and recommend. There will be time to look toward the future and try to put some kind of frame around it.

Right now, I'm looking toward the past. To March, to be exact. Looking at a team with strong starting pitching, question marks everywhere else, and leadership in which I had minimal trust to provide answers. Since then, a lot of young players grew up, a lot of older players played like they weren't done yet, and a lot of people made decisions which - either through luck or foresight - worked out.

I don't know what's going to happen next weekend, but then again, I didn't know what was going to happen last March. The Giants exceeded my expectations. Jonathan Sanchez grew from a thrower with good stuff - who either walked a dozen or struck out a dozen - to a mature pitcher who could settle in after a rocky start. Freddy Sanchez went from a washed-up, streaky hitter to a permanent fixture as the second batter in the lineup. Bruce Bochy went from a haggard former catcher who seemed to be guessing when he filled out the lineup card to a shrewd game manager who had a penchant for putting someone like Cody Ross in the lineup at just the right time.

We're one series away from the World Series. Unbelievable. And although the Phillies are definitely a much tougher foe than the Braves, I have to believe that some yet-to-be-identified Giants will grow, transition, and become something tomorrow that they aren't today.

If enough guys do that, then we'll have an interesting series on our hands.

You win some, you... this.

This one was like two games. In the first game, Cain pitched strong and left with a 4-1 lead. In the second game, Sergio Romo and Brian Wilson had just gotten back from summer vacation and had to dive right back into work before their first cup of coffee.

Actually, I don't know how to explain the first bullpen failure in a month. I won't blame Bochy, because he was following the same formula that worked over and over and over. And, despite their slogan, I don't think the Giants are really torturing us. Some of them look like they might be psychotic, but I think they're just big teddy bears at heart.

I think this was just one of those freak things. Of all the things that went wrong, the most normal of them was the Pablo Sandoval error. But they had chances after that; it was before the Posey double play and the Ankiel home run. How likely is that loss really, after the way the game went until the seventh? The Braves hit the jackpot on a slot machine and that's going to be my final word on it. Now we just have to steal one in Atlanta.

Nobody said this would be easy.

Lincecum Throws Complete Game Shutout, Strikes Out 14

With three days in between the last pitch of the division title clinching game on Sunday and the first pitch of Game One of the NLDS, everything was under the microscope. The 25-man roster, Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand, The strength of Braves pitching, the inconsistency of the Giants offense, Bruce Bochy's beard, Buster Posey's lack thereof, Bobby Cox's 401K, etc. Anything to fill in the 72 hours of unbaseball.

Of course, for good measure, baseball minds threw in Lincecum's so-called "up and down" season into the discussion ring. To be sure, he had a horrible August this year (7.28 ERA). But I can't call Lincecum's 2010 up and down, mostly due to the fact that August of 2010 was possibly the only down month of his entire life. It was a worry, but after September I think everyone was confident he had put it behind him. This didn't stop the announcers from using the phrase "roller-coaster season" during his warm ups last night.

This roller coaster season stuff is just part of the rap against Lincecum. Along with him being too skinny and everyone thinking his arm is going to fall off because of his quirky delivery. The rap is easy because it's obvious. We can point out the obvious, or things that happened in the past, but it has nothing to do with what will happen next. The great ones can turn in performances that can disprove what we thought would happen, and cause us to highlight paragraphs of analysis on our screens and hit the delete key, because we have to rethink what we thought. He's not too small. His arm is going to be fine. The roller coaster is smoother than we thought and it only has one dip.

I have to admit that before the game I was thinking about the 2009 All Star game. Lincecum got the start and wilted a little bit in the spotlight during that game. For me it was cause for concern that the Freak could freak out on a big stage. After Infante's leadoff double, I wondered if it was happening again. Then, in the second inning, when he started striking everyone out, I knew he was not only going to win the game, but possibly close the book on the rap against him.

Tim Lincecum has been a star for awhile, but I feel like we're watching the emergence of a superstar. He's getting to that point where when there is doubt, he can just throw it aside effortlessly. Listen to him during the post game press conference. It's boring:

Reporter: "How did you do this incredible thing?" Tim: " Well, things were obviously working."

Reporter: "Is this your best game ever?" Tim: "It's hard to rank them, I just try to give my team a chance to win."

He's not amazed at himself. It's just a matter of fact. And when the amazing becomes a matter of fact, that's when superstars are made.

A Post Season Poem

Getting to the playoffs is kind of like getting an early Christmas present. But only if the Giants win Game One. With that in mind, I present the following verse:

Twas the night before playoffs, and all through the night

Bruce Bochy was getting his roster just right

He whittled it down to a mere twenty-five

Would Rowand, Renteria or Zito survive?

Tim Lincecum dreamed of the pitches he'd master

And not starting like in his All-Star Game disaster

Buster Posey prepared for the national stage

Huff's also a first timer, but near twice his age

Freddy Sanchez, also in his playoff debut

Still ecstatic his days as a Pirate were through

But the man that the fans like to call Pat the Bat

Had the most playoff wisdom hid under his hat

Panda hoped to return to high levels of play

Would he succeed? Or swing at one low and away?

Juan Uribe could also frustrate with his hacking

Impatience would cause the home runs to be lacking

Jose Guillen would round out the game's starting lineup

Or perhaps Cody Ross; Bochy, please make your mind up!

Brian Wilson would be ready to close out the game

He led the whole bullpen, and called them by name:

"On Romo! On Runzler! On Ray and Ramirez!

On Mota! On Affeldt! Casilla and Lopez!"

No one knows what might happen, but there will be a fight

Happy Playoffs to all, and to all a good night!

Feel Good Post

In an effort to balance out my fret-a-thon that is currently taking place in anticipation of Braves-Giants Game One, I wanted to take a break from critiquing rosters and sizing up opponents to move back into the sunshine from Sunday that is still glowing warmly. First, I want to post my favorite picture from Sunday:

What unbridled joy does to people's faces. I can't tell if he just scored on an Aubrey Huff double, or got tazed in his behind. Or maybe he's actually a lemur. Either way, seeing it brings me back to that moment, even two days later. Chills.

* * *

And speaking of pictures I could look at all day...

On a more somber, yet honorable note, on Sunday the Giants quietly honored the memory of the late Rod Beck, former stud closer for the Giants from 1991-97. His career was highlighted by recording a franchise record 48 saves in '93 (including 24 in a row), getting out of a bases-loaded no-out jam against the Dodgers in the Brian Johnson walk-off game in '97 (pitcured above), and an awesome trucker's mustache.

Sadly, Beck passed away in 2007 after being out of baseball for three years. He was only 38.

The Giants brought Stacey Beck, Rod Beck's widow, and their two daughters as guests to the entire Padres series over the weekend. On Sunday, the Beck family not only saw Rod's former team win the division title, but saw current closer Brian Wilson tie Beck's record with his 48th save.

After the game, in a classy move, Wilson called Beck a legend and acknowledged that the saves record belongs to Rod Beck alone; that Wilson can only share a part of it.

Zito and the Playoffs

There's room for 11 pitchers on the post-season roster. That, coupled with the fact that the Giants have the ability to shuffle the roster again should they advance past their first series against the Atlanta Braves, gives all fans the possibility to play mad scientist and create a team perfectly suited to slay this particular beast.

When I go into the lab and look at the five man rotation, a few things stand out. Four actually. Four solid starters. Let's see, that leaves...

Barry Zito, I see you're a big elephant, so you might as well come into the room. Why don't you have a seat so we can pick you and your salary apart?

The current shakiest starter in the rotation is an easy target right now for fans who don't want to see him muttering to himself after giving up early runs. And although before the regular season stretch run I was pleading with the Giants to not mess with success and leave the rotation alone, I am starting to buckle. I think that in a shorter, best of five series we don't need - nor do we want - Zito out there. And when there's Lopez, Affeldt and Runzler to choose from we don't even need him in the bullpen as a lefty.

My "everyone has a couple of bad start now and then" disposition turned sour shortly after the wretched Padres game. I try not to be a fan who judges based only on recent performance, so I looked at Zito's last ten decisions, going back to the beginning of August: (2-8, 47.2 IP, 6.60 ERA, 24 BB, 53 H). That's the kind of skid that makes Tim Lincecum's August look like Tim Lincecum's September. Also mixed into this time period is Zito's relief appearance in the Cincinnati game they almost came back from: Pressure situation, and he gets the loss in that game. It's not a bump in the road - it's a long term slide and the playoffs is not the time to drag yourself out of the quicksand. You need to be fully out to start a playoff game.

I can't quite picture the Giants sitting Zito in real life yet, but he may have finally lost Bochy's trust in that Padres game. I give him about a 50-50 chance for survival, and for a highly paid veteran, that's not good. And it's not just Zito, it's the circumstances. Bumgarner's last start was also during a stretch where every game was a game that the Giants needed to win, and he responded to the pressure. He's good enough to be our Game Four Starter. If he hadn't, or if this were a best of seven series, it would increase Zito's odds to make the roster, but right now, they can afford to sit him. What they can't afford is for him to lay another egg.

We're In!

Finally. A celebration on the mound.

Since Game Three of the 2003 NLDS ended with a loss to the Florida Marlins, I have been looking forward to the day when the Giants could have a celebration on the mound. I've watched 18 bajillion mound celebrations since that gray afternoon in Miami seven years ago and no Giants have been a part of any of them.

I like watching catchers running out to hug pitchers. I like when grown men pour out of the dugout like kids on the last day of school. I like watching guys wearing awkwardly fitting Division Champs t-shirts they just got handed over their uniforms give high fives to geeked up fans. I like seeing someone like Bruce Bochy, who I actually thought was born without the facial muscles required for a human being to smile, smile from ear to ear.

I especially like seeing a guy like Freddy Sanchez - an All Star on last-place Pirates teams who never quite got fully embraced here in San Francisco because of his tendency to streak - streak his way into our hearts with a two out hit that started the scoring, and celebrate his first playoff appearance.

I also like seeing a guy like Aubrey Huff - who received a lot of MVP votes playing on bad Devil Rays and Orioles teams, and arrived in San Francisco to the sound of shrugging shoulders because we thought he was just another aging veteran who was past his prime - hit one into the gap to continue the scoring and celebrate his first playoff appearance.

In a way Huff and Sanchez symbolize the post-Bonds era Giants. Both guys picked up for their offense but nobody really expected much out of them. Aubrey because he was over the hill, Freddy because he wasn't going to repeat his good years. But both guys contributed big time this season, both came through in the most important game in seven years.

Tonight is a night of celebration, but I can't get too gushy yet. There is a huge orchard of post-season moments sprawling out in front of me and I need to save some of this up for that.

Now let's go get those Braves.

One More Win

The Giants seem to be operating on of those rare planes of awesome lately. They recognize how important it is to win right now and they are just doing it. They are willing themselves to win in a way that I haven't seen in maybe 17 years. I'm not including the late-period Bonds years, because there were stretches where Bonds carried the team on his back, and the other players just kind of managed their parts well. Now, they are operating as a team.

And my joy at watching this is only matched by my dread. My dread that it will all just unravel. Realistically, it's not likely to unravel, at least before they win their first NL West title in seven years, but that's the dread. They only have to win one measly game to get in the playoffs. One win. The only way they miss the playoffs is if the Padres sweep them in San Francisco to force the one game playoff, then win the playoff game (basically a four game sweep).

Not likely. These are the same Padres who have gotten shut out twice in the last two games and haven't scored more than three runs in one game since probably the 1984 NLCS (I'm just guessing). In fact, if I were an objective observer, I would look at these Giants, look at these Padres, look at the current playoff odds, and I would conclude that the Giants were probably going to sweep the Padres this weekend.

But it doesn't matter how likely things are. The tortured fan inside me knows better. The tortured fan knows it's not over.

I think the fear is that the Giants will want so much to take care of business Friday night in Game One so they can relax over the weekend, that they will start to expect it to happen. Then they won't be able to score, then a few Padres bloops will fall into the outfield, then a few more, they'll lose the game, the Padres will start to feel like they have a little life in them, the Giants will feel upset things didn't go as planned, then they'll get sloppy on Saturday and Sunday, the Padres will force a playoff, they'll be pumped up beyond belief while Giants will feel on the ropes, and by the time the playoff game comes the whole thing will have snowballed...

It's the same way nightmares are structured. One thing goes wrong, which leads to another, then another, soon everything is going wrong and you can't fix it. I know that nightmares aren't real life. I was expecting a nightmare scenario before the Colorado series and they ended up winning two out of three. Bochy seems to have these guys really focused on the moment. For Giants fans there's a lot to feel good about, and for Padres fans there's not. But you know who else didn't have a lot to feel good about? Angels fans in the seventh inning of Game Six. And 24 hours later they had a championship.

I hate to bring up the '02 Series but it's always a reminder of how nothing is sewn up until it's sewn up, the thread is put away, the cat's inside, the lights are off, and you're in bed.

I'm a Giants fan. My guard is always up.

4 Games to Go...

A lead off home run off the guy for whom we switched the rotation around to get an early start puts fans in kind of a grumpy mood. For this particular fan, it gets me flashing back to game six of the 2002 World Series and the last day of the 1993 season, then mumbling and blinking a lot.

Luckily, the Diamondbacks know how to strand runners. Really, they're just awesome at it. To the point of it being an art form.

And luckily, Pat the Bat, also.

Worried about Lincecum's hiccup to start the game? Or maybe Posey being 1 for his last 10? Or the Giants turning into a team who loses unless they hit a home run? Don't be bothered with such trivialities. Comes with the torture. Just take the win. We only need three more. Take it to go with a side of Padres loss. Oh, they're all out of that? Not a problem, wins are still delicious on their own.

12 Games to Go...

...until I'm either jumping for joy or sitting with my head in my hands. And from the looks of the jam-packed NL west standings, I'm sure I won't know until October 3rd has come and gone.

The bullpen is as solid as I remember it ever being. Every starter seems to have smoothed out his bumpy ride, but the offense's ride is as bumpy as ever. Only one or two bumps a game, actually, if they're lucky. So, as usual, the pitching is carrying things, and there's some buzz lately about whether the rotation should be left alone, or if someone should skip a start so that the best guy is on the mound for the crucial games, such as that last game of the season against San Diego, any of the games in Colorado, the would-be first game of the NLDS, or some weird three-way tie playoff game, if it were to rear its ugly head.

An intriguing question. As it stands now, here is how the rotation would fill out the rest of the season:

9/21 Cain @ Cubs

9/22 Sanchez @ Cubs

9/23 Bumgarner @ Cubs

9/24 Lincecum @ Colorado

9/25 Zito @ Colorado

9/26 Cain @ Colorado

9/27 Off

9/28 Sanchez vs. Arizona

9/29 Bumgarner vs. Arizona

9/30 Lincecum vs. Arizona

10/1 Zito vs. San Diego

10/2 Cain vs. San Diego

10/3 Sanchez vs. San Diego

With everyone kind of peaking, it's hard to make an argument that anything should be changed. In fact, the most compelling argument I've heard either way is that everyone has been solid. That if you mess with the rhythm, disaster may soon follow.

I think the motivation behind tweaking with the rotation is that everyone is secretly afraid of Bumgarner pitching the THIS IS IT game that decides our season. I'll admit that I'm afraid of it. I'm also afraid of one of the hot hitters going into a slump, all of the slumping hitters not finding their way out their slumps, Pablo Sandoval swinging at a pickoff throw to first, Jonathan Sanchez walking the entire opposing lineup in the first inning, Buster Posey collapsing from exhaustion into a pile of bones and peach fuzz, Tim Lincecum melting into a puddle of sweat, Andres Torres somehow having a second appendix which also bursts, and a thousand other things. But the fear of a young pitcher being shouldered with the most important game of the series is thicker, because we are all still traumatized from Salomon Torres' start on the final game of the 1993 season. (Note: This link is for readers who may not be Giants fans or aware of this game. Giants fans proceed with caution. You know what you are clicking on and may not want to relive it).

Fortunately for everyone, this isn't 1993. I'm not looking at college brochures and The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" is no longer playing on the radio 500 times a day, so I'm fairly certain. And the last game of the season might not be the most crucial one. For all we know the THIS IS IT game could be Lincecum's start vs. Arizona. Or the division could be clinched some night while the Giants aren't even on the field. Right now they are all crucial games, or at least they should all be treated as such. We can't leave Bumgarner in some waiting room thumbing through magazines until his "safe" start is available - and I wouldn't want to. He's a much more valuable starter than Torres was and we should be using him.

Other things nobody knows: Who's going to be the hottest pitcher or suddenly have a bad start. Before Sunday's beautiful start against the Brewers would anyone have picked Zito to start the THIS IS IT game? Now Zito suddenly has a ton of backers. Right now, the guy I have the most confidence in would probably be either Sanchez or Cain. But both of those guys are just a bad start away from everyone dreading their next start. The Giants need to trust their rotation, not just 3/5 of 4/5 of it. It's tricky to tweak your way into the playoffs. Winning games is usually much more effective.

Where Credit is Due

1-0? Hit batsman + stolen base on a strikeout + fielder's (bad) choice + double play = only run of the game? This is the kind of game the Padres win, and last night, the Giants out-Padre'd them.

I'm giving credit for this one to a guy who doesn't get a lot of credit, Bruce Bochy. We Giants fans enjoy bemoaning his lineup choices, and sometimes his choices deserve to be moaned. But managing the bullpen is one of his strengths, and he managed it perfectly last night.

It started at the end of the fifth: Not often that a pitcher gets pulled during a one-hit shutout after five, but this was the right call. The reason was Jonathan Sanchez' seven walks. Sanchez has two types of starts: Lots of walks and lots of strikeouts. Although he had a decent four K's, he was brewing a walk-heavy start and it was threatening to stink up the whole kitchen. Perfect time to pull him.

Casilla was a great choice to come in. San Diego was not hitting the ball hard at all, and couldn't have pitched a better 1.1 innings; the Padres couldn't catch up to his heat. After his appearance, Bochy wisely put in Ramirez, another hard-thrower, to finish the seventh.

You know the script to the rest of the game. Romo to start the eighth, Lopez to face the lefty Gonzalez, and one of those nifty five out saves from Brian Wilson.

Kudos, Bruce, for the Padresy win. That had to take some wind out of their sails. Now sink the ship.

Other thoughts on last night's game:

- Where are all these Giants fans in Petco Park coming from? Their presence is leading to some of the most satisfying sounding boo/cheer combos when the Giants do something good.

-Was that the notorious Phil Cuzzi who called Cabrera out at second on a phantom tag from Renteria? Thanks, Phil, while that doesn't make up for you calling Ishikawa out at home in that Mets game, it's a good start.

-Dear Rockies,

Please stop.