Feverish
Monday, October 4, 2010 at 1:00PM 
After weeks of fretful torture, the Giants have won the NL West. I am so excited I can't see straight!
Growing up in San Francisco, we followed the Giants each season despite the years of not being a great team. During our yearly urban summer camp, we were bused out to Candlestick Park with a gaggle of other kids and left to roast in the bleacher seats. Yes, we all know Candlestick to be cold, but during a summer day game those bleachers were nothing if not hot. This was also a time when beer was still served in the stands in glass bottles, and the vendors tossed the bottlecaps to the ground for people to slip on. It was when chocolate malts were big, but still expensive, and the $10 Mom provided to go to the game didn't last beyond the fourth inning. We didn't care who was playing, we were just excited to be at a real baseball game.
Later on, I really started to appreciate the game. One of my boyfriends taught me how to keep a box score and I finally began to really understand the nuances of play. It's a fabulous, beautiful game.
I do think all players should wear the old-fashioned socks-and-knickers uniforms, like Barry Zito. The long pants are so boring; ballplayers should look timeless.
These days, our Giants are especially stylish. Sergio Romo looks like he stepped right out of the Bedford Avenue subway station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It's the combination of the thick beard and the slightly too-big hat cocked just so. He owns that look. Then there's Mr. Wilson. The tattoos, the beard, the overall scariness. Big Panda runs with the joy of little kid, and Buster Posey plays with sincere brilliance. A true ballplayer, he started at pitcher but was moved to catcher, and he can also hit. That's how every ballplayer should be: not just a bludgeon ball big hitter, but an all-around player that can go into almost every position.
And while we're on the subject, let me stop an praise the National League once again for the time-honored tradition of making pitchers hit. The American League's Designated Hitter allowance is just a simple crock of shit. There, I said it. Proof? Look at how Jonathan Sanchez knocked out that triple yesterday. Amazing.
Yes, the 2010 Giants have become my favorite Giants team. They're a team and they work together. They're scrappy, fun, and seem to have a certain purity about them. Maybe it's because they're young, or because they're scandal-free, or because they actually play with their hearts in the game - something we haven't seen much of around here in years past. They seem to make every hard case a true believer once again.
In any case, I'm thrilled about the playoffs and utterly, completely hopeful.
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GO GIANTS