International Giants Week

I don't know if you heard, but SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS 2010 WORLD CHAMPIONS

I still can't believe we got past the Padres!!

It's incredible how this championship changes our mindset as Giants fans, and maybe even as people.

For instance....

It's Monday night. The Giants are champions. I'm watching tv like everyone else when the news flashes across the screen that the Giants victory parade will be Wednesday at 11am and will follow the route taken by the Giants when they arrived in San Francisco in 1958. My first reaction is that I want to go.

My second reaction is....wait. Somebody planned this parade before the Giants won the world series. SOMEBODY PLANNED THIS FREAKIN PARADE BEFORE THE WORLD SERIES WAS OVER.

I'm going to kill this person. I'm serious. I'm not joking. Somebody better hold me back, because I'm going to find this person and I'm going to get myself sent to Pelican Bay. How dare this person do that? How dare they! I'm going to stab them with an icepick, I'm not even joking.

But then it hit me. We won. It doesn't matter. It will never matter again.

Ha. Whew. Anyone need an icepick?

The parade was fun, and HUGE. My favorite part was the sense I got that the Giants players were truly overwhelmed by how big it was. And it makes sense, in part because they managed to clinch all 3 series' on the road. Jerks. Their celebrations were limited to a visiting clubhouse. Now they were partying with 1 million people and the depth of their accomplishment sunk in.

My second favorite part was Aubrey Huff yanking the rally thong out of this pants a la Zoolander.

My third favorite part was the entire crowd at civic center singing Don't Stop Believing, although they should have used the Giants version: "I had faith...and I had hope....and thankfully the Padres choked!"

Anyway, Gavin declared Nov 3 to be "Giants Day" in the city.

Buster Posey said "let's savor this for a month, and then get back to work and do it again" and then pounded the podium and walked off to huge cheers.

So the "Various Numbers of Days of Magic" blog is officially following suit.

This week (through next Monday), we will celebrate "International Giants Week" with its official seal below:

After which we will dive into the Giants offseason, which should be fun and much less angstful than before.

So celebrate, San Francisco. We did it. We finally, finally, finally didn't blow it.

1 Magical Year: The Giants Are Champions Of The World

2010 San Francisco Giants: WORLD CHAMPIONS

Marmol!!!!

How do you start writing this email? What begins it?

1989? 1993? 1997? 2000? 2001? 2002? 2003? 2004?

1962?

ESPN did a great job of correctly pointing out that this was not the first championship in 56 years for "The Giants". This was San Francisco's first world series championship EVER. The curse is over. The Rally Monkey is dead. The most incredible team of weirdos and creative peronalities and has-beens and bearded relievers has shocked everyone, including their own fans, and won the World Series.

I don't know if this makes sense to non-Giants fans, but I truly did not believe I would ever see the Giants win a world series. And I'm pretty young. So last night, when Brian Wilson struck out Nelson Cruz, an entire paradigm in my life shifted. Sports stopped being a source of pain that I stupidly kept turning to for entertainment and started being an inspirational source of excitement that has brought me closer to a lot of people in my life who fell in love with this team the way I did.

But this email will not be gushy. This email will be celebratory.

Ahem.

Unbelievable.

The season started with Tim Lincecum winning and Brian Wilson closing, and it ended that way.

We started the season by beating Roy Oswalt, and ended it by beating Cliff Lee.

At the half-way mark, we were 41-40. We finished 51-30, and then went 11-4 in the playoffs, incluing a 6-2 mark on the road.

We beat Cliff Lee twice, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt twice, Cole Hamels, Derek Lowe twice, Tim Hudson, and CJ Wilson. And Joe Blanton. WE BEAT JOE BLANTON.

I cannot write this email any better than by relaying the text messages I got last night, which began around the 7th inning:

"Dude, I'm trying not to get ahead of myself but I'm about to lose my mind."

"Oh."

"My."

"GOD!!!!!!" (Renteria)

"F$%^ Yeah! Sit down, Bengie!"

"I can't take this."

"3 more outs OMG"

"You could always watch Monday Night Football. Hey if they win will you root for the Bills this year....to win a game?!"

"MARMOL! CONGRATULATIONS!!"

"I will never forget this moment."

"Too much. Congrats, dude. Much love."

"Scott Speizi-who?"

"The hippies just (CENSORED) George Bush. This is a great day."

"Walking home - Irving St is shut down mobbed with people celebrating...I got sprayed with beer."

"What should we buy your great uncle Frank for Hannukah?"

Wait, that last one wasn't supposed to be in there.

Brian Wilson, interviewed after the game, said that he thought Renteria should be the series MVP. When told that he WAS the series MVP, Wilson responded "look at that, I'm an oracle."

You're an oracle. You're a (weird) prophet. You finished the division clinching win, the NLDS clinching win, the NLCS clinching win, and the World Series clinching win. I love you, Brian Wilson.

I can't write any more because I"m too jumbled and I have to go back to work since I'm taking tomorrow off to go to the parade.

I'll finish with one last text, sent by me.

My friend Julia, who is only 13, is probably the biggest Giants fan I know. Last night she texted me and said "my mom might let me go to the parade."

And I replied:

"I'm going to the parade. You're going to the parade. The Giants are champions of the world."

A Brian Wilson Quote for The Game Tonight

"I don't know what you're talking about," Wilson said when asked (if he puts shoe polish on his beard). "It's dark because we play a lot of day games. It's tanned. It's focused."

56 Days of Magic: Wherein Andy Beats KNBR With a Large Stick

Giants 3, Rangers 1

I woke up this morning feeling good. Madison Bumgarner had made the Texas offense look silly. Buster Posey and Aubrey Huff had hit long-overdue homeruns. None of my dogs had peed on my baby.

And then I turn on the radio, and the subject matter of the morning show was "should we root for the Giants to lose Game 5 so they can clinch at home?"

Are you freaking kidding me?

Hold still, KNBR. Stand right there. Now don't move. Ok, now who has a large stick?

Yesterday's game was low on the torture-meter, as was game 1 and game 2. All of which serves to lower our defenses, lull us into a false sense of security, and then........BAM.

Computer simulations probably give us a 90% shot of winning the world sereis at the stage. But it was a 98% chance in the 7th inning of Game 6 of the 2002 World series. This is not over. Do I really have to explain that to anybody with a pulse? Come on. It's the Giants. You think we're going to just run away with this thing?

Sigh.

Yesterday started off badly. First it was Puff Daddy, then Lyle Lovett, then Dubya throwing out the first pitch and not giving me any room to make fun of him because, damnit, he has a good arm. Then the Giants got a runner on 2nd with nobody out and couldn't score him and then Bumgarner walked the first guy on 4 pitches, 2 of which were right down the middle.

Well, then something funny happened...Bumgarner became super duper really super hugely good at pitching. The Rangers got one guy to 2nd base the entire game and by the time it was over, Laura Bush was yawning and Barbara Bush was knitting. I don't know WHAT that little Ron Washington midget kid was doing, but somebody really needs to call CPS.

So now here we are. 1 win away. More than anything, i'm struck by how unreal it feels. The Giants winning the world series? Huh?

I told some friends that today could be the 3rd best day of my life:

1. Wedding

2. Birth of child

3. Today??

4. First time I ever watched olympic curling on television

But then I remembered that day Collin threw a complete game shutout, which pushes Rachel back to #3. So really this will only be the 4th best day in the last 27 years which isn't that big a deal

(Psssst. Here's the secret real list

1. Today??

2. Complete game shutout

3. Curling

4. Birth of Rachel

5. The Play. I was negative 10 days old but if you believe that life begins at coneception than I was 8 monts old plus change...The band is on the field! The band is on the field!

6. Wedding

Dont' tell Jamie!)

Giants. Look at me, please.

You've got a lot going on.

At least 5 people in the Northeast were watching you on television last night. You've got more sucky ex-presidents in attendance than have been together in the same room at the same time since the last time Bush and Clinton filmed a commercial after some natural disaster in Bangladesh. Cliff Lee is pitching. They're going to put champagne on ice in your clubhouse and everytime Renteria goes down there between innings to drink unicorn blood to hide the fact that he's 567 years old, he's going to see it.

Bieber might show up.

So many distractions.

Hey, stop looking at Bieber.

Look at me.

Giants. Pay attention.

I need to tell you something.

Are you listening? Ok, you're ready? Ok.

ONE MORE WIN.

55 Days of Magic: I officially submit my application for participation in the American League West

Giants 2, Rangers 0

The Rangers bullpen is BAD. Oops, left the bold key on. But man...all this talk about how good the Texas offense is, and it turns out that they're only that good because they've been facing American League pitching all year. Yesterday the Rangers brought in one guy who coudln't throw a strike, another guy who has a 5.4 era, a third guy who has pitched in 10 games all season. They curiously didn't bring in the closer with the 2 era and the 100mph fastball. Which makes sense. Because the guys who got hits that inning, you know, Aaron Rowand, Edgar Renteria....those guys KILL100mph fastballs.

I think McCovey Chronicles said it best.

"When I think about the 2010 Giants, I think about homeruns by Edgar Renteria and 7-run rallies born of vigilant plate discipline."

But like I said, we've been facing National League pitchers all year. For all we know, if you stuck Renteria on the Royals, he hits .387 and hits 30 bombs. As such, I am officially applying to have the Giants play in the AL West next year.

Team Name: Giants!

Current Division: NL West.

Reason for wanting to switch: We have trouble hitting. Would like to face the Royals, Blue Jays, and Rangers more often.

Which teams in your current league would support your move: Not to sound cocky, but probably all of them.

What are you wearing? Excuse me?!?!?

Is that a fake beard? Maybe....

Now, does all this talk mean I think the Giants are going to win the world series? No.

Do we have a chance? I guess.

All it means is that hte last two days were insanely fun. After scoring 30 runs in 10 games, we scored 20 runs in 2 games. Nolan Ryan looked like he was ready to jump on the field and whip some a$$, and then pitch himself.

And now we go back to Texas, but with one very, very wonderful safety valve. For the first time in these playoffs, the Giants leave home and hit the road knowing that no matter what, they're coming home. When they left SF to go to Atlanta, I feared we'd never see them alive again. Same with heading to Philly for Game 6. And then each time they'd show up again, and yell "surprise!" and we'd wipe away our tears and hug them and then hit them and yell "don't DO that again! I mean it!" And they'd laugh and run away and go play with matches. Or something.

Moving on.

What can I say aout Matt Cain? I love when Matt Cain pitches to Buster Posey. It's like all the weirdness on the team is blocked out and suddenly it's these two southern guys. What are their conversations on the mound like vs. Buster's conversations with Timmy or Wilson?

Buster: What do you want to throw?

Timmy: F$%*#%##% don't worry about it. I'll throw a #$#(*($ changeup, man.

Buster: What do you want to throw?

Wilson: The Machine will throw whatever feels most Ninja. I'll let you know, buddy.

Buster: What do you want to throw?

Cain: Probably a curveball. Hey, we playing bridge Tuesday? Chelsea loves bridge.

Buster: Maybe. Touched By An Angel is on.

Uribe: Say what????

Cain: When did you get here?

But I digress.

I received some great texts last night. One from a non-Giants fan who confessed he is completely on the bandwagon despite the fact that he normally never does that. One that said "hey...they should bring in Zito...even he can't blow this." One that went off on Justin Bieber.

Taking those last two one at a time...

-How much does it suck to be Guillermo Mota's mom? Who's your son? Oh, he's the pitcher for the Giants. They dont' trust him to pitch unless they have a 9-run lead. If they have a 6-run lead, they're worried he'll give up 7 runs. But as soon as they get a 9-run lead, my little Guillermo runs down to that bullpen and warms up right away!

-But then again, how much does it suck to be Zito's mom? Who's your son? Oh, you know the guy on the Giants who pitches only if the Giants have a 9-run lead? Well, if he ever gets hurt....

-If Fox ever, EVER shows me another picture of Justin Bieber wearing a Giants hat, Rangers jacket, and apparently no shirt, I'm going to probably throw up on myself.

Last, you have to check out the McCovey Chronicles "Choose Your Own Path To The World Series". It's like a choose your own adventure book, you know, like "Fight the dragon, turn to page 24. Run away, turn to page 38" and then you turn to page 24 and it says "YOu got eaten! you're dead! The End."

Sample:

Draft a hitter! turn to page 108

No! Draft another pitcher! We need more pitchers! turn to page 123

and

Draft the catcher about whom the oracle as foretold turn to page 210

Draft that 1st baseman that that guy on that blog really likes turn to page 165

Brian Wilson Quoteable of the day

"This Twitter crap, I've obviously got to stop because people are taking it too serious. My aspect of that is I write a bunch of stuff that's not true. It's made up. Obviously I'm not doing things like going toe-to-toe with a ninja. Find me a ninja, for one."

55 Days of Magic: (Hey! 55! Timmy!!!!) Special Late at night Tearjerker Edition

Giants 2, Rangers 0

"First they ignore you
then they laugh at you
then they fight you
then you win."
-Ghandi

Tomorrow I'll have more about the game.

Tonight, I am sitting at my computer and arriving at a very simple conclusion: When this is over, I'm going to cry.

Obviously if they lose, I'm going to sob. What was my metaphor about your woman leaving you at the alter? We're way past that. Losing now would be so unbearably cruel, I can't even begin to imagine the horror.

But if they win, I'm going to cry too. For the same reason that this corny MLB ad video gives me goosebumps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-r6O-XKU9o

It's not just because I grew up playing catch with my dad, or that I started a family through little league, playing catch with Collin. It's...ok....stay with me here, I'm about to get weird:

It's the picture of Timmy as a little kid...he has no idea! Like baby Jesus to Christians, or little Barack to Democrats (used to be that way, anyway...). He has no idea. No idea that one day he's going to stand at the front of something incredible. That millions of people will see him as a symbol for a team that in its own way is a symbol for something even bigger.

Because the Giants are underdogs, sure, but they're more than that. They are, when you think about it, kind of a symbol of hope. That if things seem really dark, even for a really long time like, say, hypothetically, for 56 years or forever, depending on how you see it, that one day there will be light. Or that maybe searing pain...

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2002_Angels
(oh god the picture!!!!!!!!!!!)

....is for a reason....that this team wouldn't have been THIS TEAM if the Giants had won in 2002. They'd be fun, but that's it.

No, I'm sorry, but I do not apologize for my goosebumps. We love Timmy not because he is a good pitcher, but because the combination of his spirit and his dominance are so rare. He doesn't take himself too seriously. He doesn't taunt people. He's sooooo West Coast. But more than that, he just seems like somebody who transcends what athletes are supposed to be like. It seems like he's having fun.

And he's leading the weirdest, most wonderful parade behind him, a crazy collection of panda hats, fake beards, baseball players nobody else wanted, and every weirdo who ever crawled out of Russian Hill, the Tenderloin, the Mission, or Twin Peaks. This parade is marching forward, pushing past baseball "experts", computer simulations, the media, the 2-time National League champions, until now, when it stands and faces the imposing brick wall of HISTORY.

History says no. History says teams like this don't win championships. History says people who are always heartbroken should stay heartbroken.

But as much as we love this team because they are so kid-like, we also love them because they are fearless. History doesn't scare them.

2 more wins.

2.

I think about Tim Lincecum starting high school at 4 foot 10 inches, and I get goosebumps. When I think about bringing this home, I don't think about any other Giants because even though Timmy is not exactly your standard "leader," he and he alone on this team has a certain aura about him...it says "give me the damn ball. I got this."

I can't wait to see him pitch one more time (oh shut up. we're not going to sweep and you know it). I want to think he dreamed this before he was even old enough to articulate what "this" is.

2 more wins.

This isn't going to be easy...history's not done screwing with us. But Baseball Gods, you better bring something more than just Cliff Lee and the "vaunted Ranger lineup." Because we have a bearded mental assassin, a Kung Fu Bench Panda, a bunch of rejects, and a scrawny kid with a magic arm.

You've got nothing but the status quo.

53 Days of Magic: Calm down. It was just Cliff Lee.

Giants 1, Rangers 0

First of all, I need to say that going to the World Series is FUN. I mean, if I had to choose between going to the World Series or playing Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo while eating tacos, I'd....well....how many tacos are we talking about here?

I really like tacos.

This city is going crazy, and I give props to the East Coast Media for actually running several stories that accurately gage just how baseball-crazy San Francisco is and how desperate we are for a title. Just one. One little title. And then maybe a 20 year dynasty. (Here's the pitch...Ross drives one! Deep! He grabs his walker! He's rounding the batter's box! He's heading for first!")

Before the game, I got upset because Fox Sports' computer simulator picked the Giants to lose in 6. What was upsetting, though, was that this prediction was based on two of the games ending with the Rangers scoring more than 10 runs. Please. When is the last time the Giants gave up more than 10 runs in one game? That's insane. And then I watched in shock as THE GREATEST PLAYOFF PITCHER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD vs. Big Time Timmy Jim descended into some sort of anarchy involving errors, hit batters, and dozens of base hits. And 18 runs. Weird.

THE GREATEST PLAYOFF PITCHER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD was pitching, they scored 7 runs....And we won.

And it wasn't close.

It's funny how I'm terrified we're going to blow every game we play and yet when I go to the games, I become some sort of trash-talking ego monster.

"Hey Clifford!" I yelled at one point. "The quicker you lose, the sooner you can go sell out and get paid by the Yankees!"

I called him Clifford because calling him THE GREATEST PLAYOFF PITCHER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD kinda makes the smack talk less impactful.

Well, he's no longer the THE GREATEST PLAYOFF PITCHER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. He's no longer even the best posteseson pitcher on the Texas Rangers. That would be Colby Lewis.

Here's the proof:

Texas Rangers 2010 Postseason Starting Pitching ERA Leaders

Colby Lewis 1.45

THE GREATEST PLAYOFF PITCHER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD: 2.51

Ah, Clifford. Like my wife, you are from Arkansas. Unlike my wife, your favorite day of the year is Nov 13 because it's the start of Deer Hunting season. (My wife's favorite is Nov 30, because it's my birthday). And now, instead of Bambi, this dude can haunt your dreams:

Freddy was incredible, hitting doubles to 4 different parts of the field, including right at Vlademir Guerrero, which was a proven Giants strategy all game. Vlad has as much business playing Right Field as I do playing Catcher at that level. ("hey! do you mind not throwing so hard?")

Of course, we couldn't just take a big lead and coast. We had to give up more runs. And there is defintiely a part of me (from my shins to my neck, I think) that thinks "oh crap. The Rangers could score 7 runs every game. We're not going to score 11 every game. That's a bad sign."

But here's the good news: Journey. I love Journey now. And the Fist Pump Cam. And the Carleton dance after the top of the 6th.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbY5S75uBVY&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVSXBbZpzkQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyVdbfyvwso

And the guys selling t-shirts on 3rd street that say "Timmy's Dropping Bombs" and have pictures of bombs with the letter "F" on them falling on Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Dallas. Good role modeling by Timmy? No. But at least he swears as an expression of happiness, and not because he's angry or trying to intimidate somebody.

And the "Fear the Beard" sign on BART, or the BART "special announcement" that said "who says don't mess with Texas? GO GIANTS!"

And the signs plastered inside storefronts that say "ITS TORTURE...but we love it."

This team might be the most likeable group of professional athletes ever assembled. Dont' believe that, then go rewatch that Fist Pump Cam video and see Sergio Romo. Don't believe that, go watch Brian Wilson on the Jim Rome Show.

We're 3 wins from Destiny. We just beat THE GREATEST PLAYOFF PITCHER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. We're lighting an entire region of the country on fire.

I'd say the chances of us blowing this thing has gotta be down to maybe 86%.

And now, the newest feature of 53 Days of Magic: The Brian Wilson Quotable!

“I’d like to be a crossword clue one day,” Wilson said. “I want to be in The New York Times’s Sunday edition. Right now, the clue ‘Giants great’ is always Mel Ott. I want my clue to be down, not across. The down ones are usually harder. And when I’m the clue, I’ll fill it in — just that one — and frame it. How sweet would that be?”