wow. i'm still reeling from all of the excitement of last night's victory. i've just been in a daze. and even a little denial. i guess this is a little what red-sox fans felt like. i'd been waiting a long time to be able to say "the giants are major league baseball's world champions!" and to echo the sentiment of a sign i saw in the small crowd of giant faithful last night, "the torture is over".
and i guess it's hard for me to believe that this is the year. when i think back over the long list of greats to play for this team, mays, mc covey, cepeda, alou, marichial, clark, mitchell, thompson, williams, krukow, kent, nen, beck, schmidt, and bonds just as a sampling, i'm still dumbfounded that these are my guys. guys like freddy sanchez, aubrey huff and edgar rentereia. to be certain though, it was our pitching that won this thing. linncecum, cain, sanchez, bumgarner and the bullpen including brian wilson's magnificent beard which deserves its own spot in the rotation.
although i wasn't around in 62 for that special brand of torture, i can still clearly remember the unusually warm weather in 89 as i sat listening to will clark make the final out against the cubs to win the pennant and send the giants to the world series that year in a bay area exclusive. and of course it seemed as if God Himself intervened in that game 3 to give the a's a chance to reset their 1-2 starters. in 02 it seemed as if they were marching to destiny's tune again, only to have their hopes ripped out on that field in anaheim while the stupid rally monkey danced and mocked us.
and then, this year. what the heck? although i believed they would win the west, i honestly had no expectations they would go any further. and yet as each game passed, and we moved higher up the mountain together i began to believe that it was possible. not certain but possible. and what a wonderful door that opens up, the possible.
and now it is all over. and i think back now to all those games in the past. all the good times and the bad ones too. all of the conversations on barstools and buses and bart trains. all the speculation. the hopes. and the despair. i have been to the heights and the depths with this team. and though there is always a little sadness to me at the passing of the baseball season, this year there will be no bitter dregs to suck on all winter long. only a long lasting warm feeling in our bellies as we sit by the fire and count the days until spring is here again.
No comments:
Post a Comment