A five game skid will do wonders for local bars and corner stores. Just today, before the Giants got healthy on the Nationals 4-2, I wandered into the convenience store and they were clear out of alcohol, not a single drop… not even an O’Douls or Vanilla or Nyquil!
The bandaged and bruised grocer explained, “Giants fans have raided. It’s crazy, I haven’t seen this much chaos since prohibition!” Yes, he’s old enough to remember the 1920s.
If you fell off the wagon or suffered a heart attack during the losing streak, you might want to keep the following facts in mind to avoid future pathofanaticism:
In a 162 game season the statistical probability of avoiding a respectable losing streak is extremely low, as low as say the Cubs winning the World Series or Gary Radnich staying on topic.
In 2008, the Giants lost 6 games in a row yet stayed competitive all year and managed their first winning season since 2004.
In 2003, the Giants dominated their division winning 100 games, but still found time to lose 6 games in a row.
In 2002, the Giants went to the World Series after posting a 95-66 record. One bad pitching change away from being world champions, yet they lost 4 games in a row—twice.
In 2000, the Giants won their division with a 97-65 mark. Yet somehow they managed to lose 8 games in a row. Many fans were flattened by the sky.
In 1962, the Giants went 103-62, lost to the Yankees in the World Series, and came within three feet of being world champions. Strangely enough, they lost 6 games in a row during the regular season.
In 1954, the NY Giants won the World Series after posting a 97-57 record. They dropped 6 in a row during the regular season.
And so on and so on…
More extreme?
In 2009, the Colorado Rockies fired manager Clint Hurdle on May 29th and replaced him with Jim Tracy. They won 2 games, then lost the next 4. At that point, they were 15.5 games behind.
Every one wrote them off. Then they won 17 of 18, played solid the rest of the way, and made the playoffs.
Actually, there were probably a handful of Rockies fans who still believed after being 15.5 down. They all turn nine this year.
Bottom line: baseball is very hard to predict and the sky seems to fall down every year.
Don’t confuse the last example with me advocating Bochy’s firing. I’m not. His overall progression in SF is good.
This may be a make or break year for him, however, so I hope he starts cracking the whip a little more.
Along these lines, I would like to petition Giants fans to start a fund dedicated to paying the fines Bochy should get for abusing umpires when the Giants are getting the short end. With no fear of a fine and the fans behind him, he’ll have no excuses.
In exchange for the fans paying the fine, they would be guaranteed at least one chest bump and one shoe spitting before the All Star break.
* pathofanaticism – mental or physical sickness caused by one’s favorite sports team losing.
Answer to Poll: 8, 2006 St. Louis Cardinals
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