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gigantesymierda · 12 years

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Hope and Redemption in Detroit

Being a fan isn’t important. It’s not important as your family, friends, livelihood, faith or other such matters. A fanatic of a sports team cheers on their team with the same feeling as a kid on a slide. It’s just fun. Fun is important.

As fans get older, we realize that a game – especially baseball – can mirror the ebb and flow of life. We use sports metaphors in board meetings and with friends over beers. And if you really pay attention, you might find inspiration in the players themselves.

It’s easy to look past players as people. We put them on a field that functions like a stage. The overall disparity between the average fan’s salary and the average player’s salary is massive. Some players are so skilled that they make baseball look easy, possibly tricking us into thinking that WE could do what they are doing. (One of the writers in Ken Burns “Baseball” pointed this out).

If you avoid this façade and remember that players are just people, you’ll occasionally see a story that really does inspire. For Giants fans, there are a bunch of them in 2012.

Last night Jim Kozimor noted that while 2010 was the year of torture, this might be the year of redemption. I think he nailed it.

Start with Lincecum. What a stinker of a year he had, amplified by his previous dominance. But Timmy was never lacking for heart. Nobody wondered if he was working hard. You saw on his face how much his struggles weighed on him. So when he found a new role in the playoffs to access that freakish ability he’d lost, it felt great.

Then Pablo. Pablo was basically non-existent in the 2010 postseason. He was reaching, pressing and whiffing all the way to the bench. Two years later, as questions and concerns about his weight still haunted him, he managed to carry that weight and play great, both defensively and offensively. He played in an All Star game and is the 2012 World Series MVP.

Most significantly, Zito’s redemption is a story I hope fans share with their kids for years to come. You look at Zito’s arc, and you see a guy who found success early in his career. And when he finally has his big payday, everything goes to hell. He becomes a virtual pariah not just in the Bay Area, but all of sports. All the while, Zito wore it. He never complained and continued to work. The results were unimpressive. But slowly it paid off, and this year he snapped a three game losing street that started the Giants’ season by tossing a CGSO in Colorado of all places. He EARNED 15 wins. The Giants won 14 consecutive Zito starts to finish the year. Zito finally found redemption in the biggest way and he deserves every bit of it. He deserved the love, he deserved to start game one of the World Series. Bravo, Zito.

While all these stories of redemption fill me with inspiration, there is also the story of hope. When it was announced that Melky Cabrera would serve a 50 game suspension for violating league policy and using PEDs, it felt like a stomach punch. Collectively, the fans, players and organization felt betrayed and frustrated. But the players put those feelings aside and played harder. When the team went down 0-2 to the Reds in the NLDS, fans were full of despair. But the players grinded out three wins and showed us that winning “one game at a time” actually works. And when they were down 1-3 to the World Series-defending Cards, they reminded us again. Finally, when everybody told us that Verlander was unbeatable and the Tigers lineup too fierce, the Giants showed us that it doesn’t matter what people say. When a team is full of hope and confidence, they can do no wrong.

Yes, it feels good. It feels good that Buster Posey came off a catastrophic injury and returned as the (anticipated) NL MVP. Or that Scutaro was finally rewarded for years of under appreciation and recognized for his incredibly sharp skill set. Crawford and Belt’s ability to handle the toughest defensive plays felt great. The energy of Romo and Pence felt fantastic. The Giants are THE feel-good team of Major League Baseball.

Yeah, the TV ratings were low again. Yeah, ESPN seemed to care less about this than they would if it was the Sox, Yanks or Dodgers instead. And speaking of the Dodgers, things are about to get tough with their ballooning payroll. But who cares. We got another ring, another great set of stories, parade around the corner, a core group of young stars and a pretty bright future.

#sfgiants #mlb #worldseries #zito

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gigantesymierda · 12 years

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This is why we are fans

(Written shortly after November 1, 2010)

1987. All I remember was Ozzie Smith doing a backflip and feeling sad. I was eight years old.

1989. The earthquake shook the Bay and left Giants fans with a total feeling of inadequacy.

1993. The Atlanta Braves won 104 games and won the WEST. They did this in the last year that only two teams per league played in the postseason. The Giants stayed home with 103 wins.

It was around then that I took a break from baseball. I remember Matt Williams was on track to break a home run record when the strike hit in 1994 and baseball ceased. I stopped watching. I wish I hadn’t. I was a little frustrated, but mostly disinterested. I lived for a few years without television and spent time with friends who were not all that into baseball. I was totally out of the loop.

But then came the last year at the ‘Stick. And Pac Bell loomed on the horizon. And I began to remember baseball. I remembered when, instead of moving to Florida, the Giants stayed and signed Bonds. I remembered Williams and Thompson. Chili Davis and Jeffrey Leonard. Krukow and Garrelts and Uribe. Rod Beck’s dangling arm. Hum Baby. I slowly started to know once again my favorite team, to celebrate and lament the game with my family and friends. I was once again a proud Giants fan.

In a wild crescendo San Francisco found itself in the 2002 World Series. Kenny Lofton. Darren and Dusty Baker. Benito. J.T. Ortiz, Reuter, Nen. Kent and Bonds. The team was built to win. I remember watching games at our friend Stu’s house. And I remember driving to a concert while listening to Game 6. I remember watching some guy’s portable TV (this was before iPhones) as the lead slipped away. Every true Giants fan can tell you where they were for Game 6. I remember knowing that Game 7 was a guaranteed loss. I remember wishing awful things upon Scott Spezio.

With Oakland to the East and Los Angeles to the South, a lack of “hardware” sure felt like a heavy load to carry.

My good friend Terry is a diehard Sox fan from New Hampshire. In 2004, I watched him watch the Sox break the curse and wondered if I’d ever feel that.

Then I stopped wondering. I just assumed the Giants had a curse of their own. Armando Benitez. Edgardo Alfonzo. Dave Roberts. Matheny. The Zito signing was panicked. Edgar Renteria seemed washed up. Pedro Feliz couldn’t take a pitch – or hit a curveball. Tyler Walker. Matt Herges. It just didn’t feel like this team was going anywhere.

Then, out of nowhere, came a wiry, long haired freak. And Matt Cain, who we had heard so much about, finally got some run support and turned into a dependable workhorse. Brian Sabean started to find great personalities for the team, and I like to believe that’s where this team’s greatness began. The giant personality of the Panda ignited an already likeable bunch. We heard whispers of a kid named Buster. And another named Bumgarner. Some crazy guy with a Celtic tattoo and insane workout routine became our closer. We signed Jose Uribe’s nephew. The Giants traded for Freddy Sanchez, a former batting champ. And another Sanchez threw a no hitter!

The off-season preceding 2010 had many Giants fans up in arms. They wanted Jason Bay. They wanted a bat – any bat. Sabean couldn’t lock down LaRoche, so he settled for Aubrey Huff. Bengie and Uribe came back. Expectations were moderate, but everybody seemed to LIKE the team.

It’s a testament to Sabean and Boche that a team destined for a World Series ring wasn’t even nearly assembled to start the 2010 season. How did it happen?

It started off well enough. Andres Torres, a career journeyman who swung the heaviest lumber in the bigs, came alive. Huff iced everybody’s concerns early on and became a clubhouse leader. The pitching staff, with the exception of Todd Wellemeyer, kept the Giants in games, so only a little offense was needed to get a W. But DeRosa, a relatively exciting off-season acquisition, learned that his wrist injury never healed, and just like that he was out for the season. Pablo struggled mightily; this was only amplified by the fact that he was central to SF’s marketing efforts. They couldn’t stop hitting into double-plays. There were low moments. Personally, I felt the A’s sweep of the Giants was just demoralizing. Luckily Oakland suffered a sweep weeks later in SF, but then the Sox came into town and made the home town team look bad. Sure these were AL teams, but it seemed that the team just wasn’t good enough at that point.

Then Sabean began pulling the levers. He picked up Pat Burrell, recently abandoned by the Rays. He traded Bengie to the Rangers and asked Buster Posey to put down fingers for one of the most respected staffs in the league. An injury to Wellemeyer opened the door for Madison Bumgarner. Javier Lopez and Ramon Ramirez were signed, and at the time that just confused everybody. While he never amounted to anything (and is currently caught up in an HGH scandal), the volatile Jose Guillen joined the team. They accidentally picked Cody Ross off waivers from the Marlins. All the pieces were in place.

We know that during that time, Renteria delivered an inspirational speech to the team. The veteran, starting down retirement, emotionally pleaded to his team to carry him to the postseason. Soon after Huff pledged to wear a rally thong, seeing no less than 20 wins in his skimpy undergarment. Remember when Boche had Broxton thrown out of the game on a (technically misinterpreted) technicality? There was a fire under everybody’s ass. They charged ahead with sights set firmly on October, and the first battle slowly came into focus.

It was with the San Diego Padres. They had the Giants number all year. The Giants were 2-10 against the Fathers going into September. Ownage, as Krukow would say. San Diego had been in first since before the All Star break. The road to October baseball went through San Diego. So when they took 3 out of 4 early in the month, confidence rose.

After playing two weeks-worth of great baseball, the team woke up Monday morning of the last week of the season…. in first place. When they met San Diego at AT&T Park that weekend, they only needed to win one to win the West. And, as Kuiper tells us that this team is torture, so they waited until the Sunday game to clinch their division and welcome to SF the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves series went quickly. Of course I remember Conrad’s errors. But I also remember the Giants playing with that swagger, that confidence, that energy and speed to make every play count. I had the displeasure of attending the extra innings loss when Ankiel dropped a bomb on the Giants AND their fans. I told myself to not get my hopes up. But all of the sudden the Giants had defeated the Braves and sent Bobby Cox into retirement. It was time to face the defending NL Champs.

Just about every analyst outside the Bay Area wrote off the Giants. On paper, Philly had an unstoppable team. Pitching, hitting, experience and pinstripes. Fox, in their endless wisdom, invited Mitch Williams and Eric Karros to the NLCS as pre and post-game analysts. Mitch Williams, the long-time Philly. Eric Karros, the career HR leader for the rival Dodgers. Yeah. Thanks Fox. So it was no surprise that every night they told us why the Giants wouldn’t win. The Giants were outmatched. They had been lucky, but the Phils were better. They did everything but say the Giants should just forfeit.

But that’s why they play the games. The 2010 NLCS is why we love baseball. Well, most of us at least.

Game one of the NCLS was a marquee matchup: Roy Halladay v. Tim Lincecum. According to the likes of Karros and Williams, even though the Giants scored more runs that night, they didn’t win the game – the Phils lost it (thanks to Cody Ross, who managed to knock TWO out of the park that night). The subsequent win, lead by the juggernaut Cain, was also dismissed as a fluke. Game 4’s hero was Buster Posey, who delivered offensively and made “one of the toughest plays in the game” according to his skipper, tagging out Carlos Ruiz at split-second play at the plate. Then the Giants won a game on a sacrifice fly off Roy Oswalt – from the PEN – courtesy of Juan Uribe. A bench clearing scuffle and JUAN URIBE sealed the deal in Game Six, and the Giants took the National League Pennant. They were headed to the Series for the first time since 2002. Cody Ross earned himself an NLCS MVP award. The 2010 NLCS was a true baseball fan’s dream. It had everything. It was a David v. Goliath matchup, an East Coast/West Coast series that kept everybody on the edge of their seats.

The World Series, Game One. Another MARQUEE MATCHUP. Cliff Lee v. Tim Lincecum. Sure Lincecum was a two-time Cy-Young winner. Sure he had pitched through adversity and proven that he wasn’t a flash in the pan but a real freak of nature. Sure he had beaten Roy Halladay. But how in the world could Lincecum and the Giants POSSIBLY beat Lee?

Well, according to the critics, the Giants didn’t beat Cliff Lee – Cliff Lee just wasn’t himself that night, and so the Rangers lost. Sound familiar? It sure did to me. After going up 2-0 on the Rangers, analysts still told us the Giants had a lot more to accomplish. And when they did accomplish it, they couldn’t have sounded more surprised. People said it was magic. Madison Bumgarner’s Game 4 start was just an outrageous effort from a 21-year old rook. And look at what happened to Ian Kinsler! His shot to centerfield defied physics! They Giants were getting all the breaks.

The Giants fans saw the team for what it was – a hungry bunch who capitalized on opportunities, breaks, errors and weakness. They played tight games, and they made few mistakes. Everybody was a contributor. This was a TEAM.

Game 5 in Texas. Giants up 3-1 on the series. I stood watching the bottom of the ninth, the Giants clinging to a 3-1 lead. They had to seal it here. I started thinking about 2002. You can’t get this close and choke. There’s no coming back from that, regardless of the number of games remaining. I thought of all those heart wrenching saves Wilson put us through in the regular season. I wasn’t sure I would live through that inning. But Wilson gave San Francisco a great gift that evening. He didn’t torture us. He put down the Rangers in order and ended that game quickly. The Giants had won the World Series.

I reacted a bit like the players. I started to celebrate but had to look around to make sure this was happening. Then I didn’t know what to do. And I looked over at my friend Terry, the Sox fan. And I knew. All the years of cheering and screaming and torture were set free, disappearing invisibly into the ether. The sting from 2002 was gone. What did that leave? Pride. Memories. Just the good stuff.

I thought of my late grandfather, Sal Rangel. I thought of my late friend Stu Spafford who attended 26 consecutive opening days and missed this moment by about 15 months. I thought of my family, especially my Dad, who made me a Giants fan. I got a bit misty and started calling people.

This is why we are fans. Life isn’t always easy, and sometimes a distraction is indispensible. Because our heroic efforts aren’t always cheered on by thousands, and it feels good to live vicariously through the athletes who get that privilege. Because it’s worth it to suffer with a team if, when they finally make it to the top, it’s with a team like this.

This team of castoffs and misfits is nothing short of pure inspiration. How many of these guys could have given up a long time ago? Torres could have. Burrell could have. Ross could have tanked it for a new team. Huff could have listened to the critics in March. Lincecum could have listened to the critics in August. Renteria (the WS MVP) could have RETIRED. Posey and Bumgarner could have believed that rookies aren’t born as stars – BUT NONE OF THEM BELIEVED ANY OF THIS FOR A SECOND. They are a testament to a good work ethic, to positive thinking, to persistence and confidence.

As much as I’ve loved teams from the past, this team was special for all of these reasons. It would’ve been nice to win one with Krukow and Will Clark. As much as he was a polarizing figure, Bonds deserved one too. This title was for them, for all the teams that didn’t reach the top.

And it was for the fans. October of 2010 in the Bay Area will never be forgotten. It was a time when strangers high-fived and spoke excitedly about their favorite club. Orange and black slowly crept into everything, and when Halloween hit, I think they were the only two colors around. For Game 3 in Texas, my devoutly Catholic grandmother skipped her regular mass to watch the game! That’s what this meant to the fans. It was that big. So as a single fan in a sea of millions, I’d like to say what many have already said – THANK YOU to the San Francisco Giants. You made it all worthwhile.

Note: I want to say something about Zito. The Giants’ decision to leave their highest paid player off the post-season roster was the right one. But it must have been a massive shot to his ego. I can’t imagine what that feels like. But he handled it all professionally. Some fans think that, for getting paid $126 million, he should act professionally anyway. It’s expected. True as that may be, I’m still impressed. Stay classy, Barry Zito. Thanks for not being a jerk.

#sanfranciscogiants #sfgiants

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