When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

08.16.2007
Smiling Faces, Many Races

The Giants performance this year is made more painful by the presence of so many teams in late-season pennant races. Every division is hotly contested, often by more than two teams. It’s like hockey: if you’re not in contention this year, you must really suck.

The largest gap between first and second place is the five games that separate the Yankees and Red Sox in the A.L. East, and that gap feels more like a sliver of daylight given the bathyspheric pressure surrounding every game at the Fens or in the Bronx.

Taking off my Giants hat and putting on my generic baseball cap, I declare this one of the best years in a long time. For my own sanity, I have to. I noticed the other day I’ve been mildly depressed all month. The relentless summer fog? Not sleeping well? Wait — it oddly coincides with the Giants going 4–12 in August. Maybe I should talk to my therapist. Is it the feelings of low self-worth, doc, or is it the Giants’ futility in scoring runners from third with less than two outs?

My outlook on life will turn sunnier if the Dodgers continue to make their embarrassing plunge in the standings. Ned Colletti traded the underrated Wilson Betemit for a fungible reliever, Scott Proctor; he bolstered his horribly sagging offense with — whoop! — Mark Sweeney. That’s all, folks. Credit Ned at least for not trading some of his best prospects for short-term help.

So with the Giants cemented in the cellar and the Dodgers in free-fall, what else can I root for?

* Yankees-Sox down to the wire. I used to root harder for the Sox, but they’ve basically become Evil Empire Lite. Now I just want something weird and dramatic to happen.

* Cubs in the playoffs. Whether they win the NL Central or nab the wild-card spot, I want to see more October ball at Wrigley.

* Phillies overtake Mets and Braves. Justin Verlander v. Ryan Howard in the World Series. Wouldn’t that be fun?

* Ichiro! in the playoffs.

Do you have a second– or third-favorite team you want to see in the playoffs? Discuss.



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[August 16, 2007 4:32 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Lars said

I'd like to see the Brewers in the playoffs. It has been a while for The Good Land. The Cubs and Cards have both had recents shots at the post-season.

My 2007 post-season preferences:

NL East: Philly - The Braves have had their shot over and over again, and I can't stand the Mets.
NL Central: Brewers - They are named after people who make beer. Enough said...
NL West: (Is not sending anyone to the post-season an option?) I guess if I had to choose, it would be the Madres. - Of the division contenders, I hate them the least.
AL West: Mariners - I think the reason I do not want to see the Angels in the playoffs does not need to be spoken.
AL Central: Indians - The "Haven't been there as recently as the other guys" rationale.
AL East: Sawx - They are my American League team.

[August 16, 2007 4:41 PM]  |  link  |  reply
someguynamedg said

I just moved 4 blocks from Petco Park in San Diego so I would love for the Pads to make it.

[August 16, 2007 4:46 PM]  |  link  |  reply
the gene hackman said

4 and 12?
how'd we ever win 4?

[August 16, 2007 4:47 PM]  |  link  |  reply
trilljester said

Lefty,
Interesting that you used bathyscopic in your writeup, as today is the anniversary of William Beebe and Otis Barton's record-breaking descent into the ocean in 1934 in Barton's Bathysphere.

Or maybe you did that on purpose?

I'm loving the Dodgers plunging in the standings and I'm also cheering for the Mariners as well.

[August 16, 2007 4:56 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Jefferson said

Cubs. After the Red Sox and White Sox broke their dry spells, it's time for the Chicago Cubs to follow suit. The sooner the Giants reach the top of the "longest wait for a World Series" list, the sooner we'll win!

[August 16, 2007 5:04 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM said

>today is the anniversary of William Beebe and Otis Barton's record-breaking descent...

I had no idea. D'oh -- did I write "bathyscopic"? I meant "bathyspheric." We'll just edit and pretend it never happened.

[August 16, 2007 6:00 PM]  |  link  |  reply
FelipeForever said

Like Lars, I'd like to see the Brew Crew make it. They're the only team that comes close to matching my own personal record of playoff futility: I became a Giants fan in '05, after having rooted for the Expos since about 1978. It's been since 1981 for me, and since 1982 for Brewers fans.

[August 16, 2007 7:03 PM]  |  link  |  reply
someguynamedg said

I would love to see the Cubs make it even though I'm sure that would lead to many tragic suicides by Cub fans after their teams post season failures.

[August 16, 2007 8:41 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Jimmy Leg said

I too would like to see the Brewers in the playoffs but I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe so I can listed to Uecker celebrate?

[August 16, 2007 9:21 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM said

I'd like to see Milwaukee in the playoffs because the networks would show lots of footage of the 1982 team, aka Harvey's Wallbangers. Find me a better team nickname, I dare you.

[August 17, 2007 9:56 AM]  |  link  |  reply
Dress Left said

Cubs v Tribe in the Series.

My Sox paid me off after 37 years of hell, and I want their fans to feel it too.

And SF in 2010.