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There`s no way to consider this for granted. After every one-pitch out from a batter who should not have been in the big leagues, after every blown save from a pitcher who had no business being a closer, after every one to the outfield that couldn`t make a striker from second, we wondered when things were passing to get better.
Draft days were serious business - people freaked out and cursed the front office over the selections of amateur players that virtually no one had always seen play. If the Giants whiffed on those high picks, the spiral would continue.
So they drafted a skinny kid out of Washington.
They drafted a high-school pitcher when Beau Mills was available. Those horrible, horrible people. Didn't they love the Giants needed power?
A catcher in the 1st round? Maybe that will turn out, but what if he isn`t able to hit for power? Seems kind of risky.
While these players were on their travel to the majors, the Giants were losing. And it wasn`t a graceful form of losing. It was a blue void.
There`s no way to consider this for granted.
Think most how many big stories there are on this team. Matt Cain, who just turned 26, is the longest tenured Giant, and he has suffered horrific loss after horrific loss. Aubrey Huff was unwanted last winter; he`s in the playoffs for the 1st time, largely because of his own play. A rookie catcher - a rookie! - came up and managed the faculty to a legendary September while also being one of the team`s best hitters. Pat Burrell, as he`s fond of saying, could have been watching all this from home. Tim Lincecum`s career was obviously finished in August, at least if you listened to all the improper people.
The 8th and 9th innings were locked down by homegrown products with questionable draft pedigrees. The 7th and eighth innings were locked down by mercenaries and deadline acquisitions. Jonathan Sanchez went at least three seasons without knowing if he was leaving to endure the trade deadline and offseason. The small pieces acquired by Sabean helped a bunch - there wasn`t a blockbuster, but sometimes quantity over quality works just fine. Andres Torres just might be the most surprising four-win player in history. Sounds like a motion for the offseason. What an amazing find.
Freddy Sanchez, who has watched a lot of bad baseball in his career, finally gets to see the postseason. Without his two-out, run-scoring hit, the Giants are likely still killing us with a 0-0 game. Every Eckstein at-bat could have turned into a bloop double, which would have been followed by a grounder to second, which would have been followed up with a sacrifice fly or a wild pitch. That was the fear, at least.
Man, this team, this disparate collection of personalities, has been absolutely astonishing to watch.
And it`s light to be magnimous after a victory, but, man, the Padres. I despised the talking about who the Giants should or should not choose in the playoffs - it`s not wish the Giants were going to clinch, look up, and go, "The Pirates? How did they get here?" If a team wants to win the Earth Series, they will take to get three good teams. That`s kind of the point.
But, brother, I did not wish to see the Padres in the playoffs. Not because I detest the Padres, but because I hate how the Padres played the Giants. I hated how many good arms they had in their bullpen. I hated seeing David Eckstein foul off lots of 97-mph fastglobes to put a ball in play. I hated seeing Adrian Gonzalez play baseball because I couldn`t help but appreciate how danged good he was. I detest that a slappy goof like Luis Durango - who didn`t yet recognize that he was in a two-strike situation in the 9th inning - can make Giants fans twitch with a ten-pitch at-bat against Brian Wilson. The Padres were good. They shouldn`t hang their heads.
I`ll try to publish more when the spirit returns to my fingers. And I should probably get a shower - pacing and sweating for 3 hours will do that.
The Giants are in the playoffs. The Giants are leaving to the postseason. The Giants have won the National League West.
Magic.
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