Kuzul

***First of all, I’d like to apologize for my sabbatical from you, my fellow Giants fans. Apparently graduating from college isn’t as easy as it looks, and they usually save the best stuff for your last semester. Thanks for waiting.***

All the Giants had to do was to make the playoffs. 

Honestly, all I needed was for them to beat the Padres.

I’ve been saying it forever—in a playoff series, the Giants, no matter what their offense does, has the best rotation in baseball. 

I believed that, even knowing that the Phillies had their triumvirate of awesome, the Giants matched up very well with anyone the gods decided to throw at them.

They did, and we fans saw just what the Giants are capable of. 

It’s not conventional baseball. There’s good pitching, which can’t be denied. Yet that’s not all a team needs, and it’s not all a team can rely on to get to the World Series. But somehow, the Giants were just good enough in all other categories to make it. 

This team of misfits. Bochy’s “Dirty Dozen.” A Freak on the mound, a thong-wearing designated hitter at first base, a career minor leaguer playing Gold Glove center field. An overweight third baseman. A rookie catcher. Another designated hitter playing water buffalo in left field. And beards. So many beards. 

It wasn’t easy. It was stressful. It wasn’t conventional. It was torture. 

They made it on the most improbable of events.

A managing mistake by a Los Angeles non-manager which led to a burnt-out closer giving up a walk-off home run. A seven-run inning against a previously untouchable Colorado ace. A 10-game losing streak by a San Diego team that had been in first place for a majority of the year. A triple by the worst hitting pitcher in the league on the last day of the season. 

That’s what brought the playoffs back to San Francisco. 

And since the playoffs started, there has been more improbability.

A three-error game by an out-of-position utility man, and a multitude of injuries at key positions made the Braves series interesting. The fact that every game except one was decided by one run didn’t surprise anyone at this point.

Three home runs by waiver-wire pickup Cody Ross led the Giants past Roy Halladay AND Roy Oswalt. Another slew of errors by usually sure-handed fielders like Chase Utley and Ryan Howard put the Giants past the Phillies.

And apparently if you’re playing against the Giants, you can’t make a Willie Mays-style basket catch. The gods just won’t allow it. Just ask Shane Victorino. 

Now they’re playing in the World Series. 

I’m sorry, is that still happening? They haven’t pulled a last minute switcheroo on us have they? 

THE GIANTS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES!

They really are. And they’re facing a group of guys in the Rangers whose path to the World Series was just as improbable, defeating the two best records in the American League (the Yankees and the Rays). 

After facing the best pitcher in the National League in the last series (Halladay), and beating him once, they’re facing arguably the best pitcher in the American League (in playoffs history?) in Cliff Lee. 

After facing one of the best hitters in the National League in Ryan Howard, and holding him to ZERO RBIs and 12 strikeouts in 22 at bats, they’ll have to do the same against one of the best hitters in the American League in Josh Hamilton.

But if what we’ve seen so far is any indication, none of that matters to this Giants team.

All that matters is this: There will be good pitching. 

All that matters is this: There will have to be a little offense.

All that matters is this: There will be a hero, and his name will be praised.

Let’s go Giants. This is it. This is where we win.

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As a New York Yankees fan it is easy to get to know the players in the American League.

Due to geographical circumstances and interleague play, I have learned more about some of the teams in the National League, like the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Over the past few seasons, the San Francisco Giants have not come to the Bronx and have not factored in the postseason.

The Giants actually resided in New York City from 1930-57, in which the franchise won five World Championships and 17 pennants. Since making the move to San Francisco, the city still awaits for their Giants to bring a World Series title to the Bay.

Mainly known as the home to starting ace Tim Lincecum (“The Freak”), who has won the Cy Young Award the past two seasons, the Giants are another team residing in the NL West along with the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

The organization’s biggest star, Barry Bonds disgraced the team’s mainstay. It seemed that the last special baseball moment for the Giants was Bonds hitting for his home-run record. It is his record because MLB can’t count it as baseball history when it was unauthentic.

Other than a cheat and a freak, there wasn’t much reason to get to the Giants over the last five seasons, until now.

After watching a few Giants games I understand their team’s appeal. The Giants players are scrappy, good, fundamental baseball players who are darn fun to watch because they never seem to give up.

STRENGTHS:

The team’s biggest asset is pitching. Three aces: Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner, follow Lincecome.

The Giants starters finished the regular season with a 3.36 ERA, which was the lowest in baseball. The Giants rotation also tossed a total of 1461 innings, gave up the least hits with 1279, 546 earned runs, and struck out the most batters.

All stats led the majors for 2010. They tied for third place with the Dodgers and Marlins for the least home-runs allowed with 134 in total.

The Giants have the top closer in baseball, Brian Wilson. A guy I would want on my team. Not only can Wilson shutdown batters, but he radiates a superior, daunting presence from the mound, making batters wince. Wilson led the majors with 57 saves in 73 save opportunities.

The Giants only offensive strength comes from pure, home-run hitting power. It is the only way the Giants know how to win.

Strategy is finding a way to beat the other team by holding up the opponent’s hitters and capitalizing at the plate on the two, three or four mistakes the opponent’s pitchers inevitably make.

WEAKNESSES:

The Giants approach has no surprises.

Slow is an understatement, as the team is tied with the cubs for the slowest runners in baseball stealing just 55 bases on the season.

The batters hit into a lot of double plays and rely too much on home-runs with nothing else as an offensive back-up. It explains how the Giants wins/losses coincide with the starting pitcher’s performance.

It is not a safe way to make the playoffs, as small ball can get a team those extra wins when other aspects are slumping. In many ways the Giants are an upgraded or superior version of the Toronto Blue Jays, as Toronto’s pitching keeps improving so does the team’s record.

How do I think the Giants will do against the Texas Rangers?

The Giants pitchers need to set the tone and dominate the games from the start. Other than Cliff Lee, the Texas Rangers pitching doesn’t hold a candle to the Giants. Keeping the speedy Rangers completely off the base-pads is essential.

I see no reason why the Giants couldn’t win it in six, only because Lee will win both his starts almost without a doubt.

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It’s no secret San Francisco is basking in its NLCS glorious victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. You can’t walk down a street in San Francisco without seeing someone with some sort of Giants merchandise.

The Giants Dugout Stores have lines flowing for, what seem like, miles. A person could walk from AT&T Park to the Ferry Building and back and the line would not have moved. Giants fever is extremely contagious.

But for all the fever, we have to remember there is still a series to be played. Game 1 is tomorrow night and the American League Champion Texas Rangers await.

Game 1: Tim Lincecum vs. Cliff Lee

Game 2: Matt Cain vs. C.J. Wilson

Game 3: Jonathan Sanchez vs. Colby Lewis

Game 4: Madison Bumgarner vs. Tommy Hunter

Game 5*: Tim Lincecum vs. Cliff Lee

Game 6-7*: TBD

How much of the Giants’ former catcher Bengie Molina’s knowledge of the pitchers help the Rangers? Probably not that much. Molina can tell them all he wants, but they still have to hit the ball.

Will Buster Posey and Pat Burrell begin to hit? Will Cody Ross continue his MVP type play? There are many questions to be answered and let’s start at the beginning.

The Game 1 matchup is the most intriguing because of the success of both pitchers. Cliff Lee has never lost in the postseason or to the Giants. Tim Lincecum has been his normal dominant self in the postseason.

In Lee’s previous three starts against the Giants, he is 3-0 with a 1.12 ERA. Now this Giants team is a much different team from the one he saw last year. That team has inept offensively and had no pop in the lineup.

If the Giants take a similar approach to Lee, as they did to Roy Halladay, they will fare pretty well against the Rangers.

The designated hitter, or lack thereof in San Francisco, will take its toll on Texas. In Game 1, they are starting Vladamir Guerrero in right field.

As most of the National League can attest, the right field at AT&T Park is like playing centerfield. Many have to play well toward the right centerfield gap to prevent anything from entering Triples Alley. With Vlad’s limited range, this creates a significant advantage for the Giants.

Guerrero has been limited to only 61 at bats as the right fielder. In those 61 at bats, he had an average of .246 with a .767 OPS.

The Giants crowd will create all the home field advantage the team needs. The Texas Rangers have never won a game at AT&T Park, if they take Game 1 from Cliff Lee, they will carry that momentum to a 2-0 series lead heading to Arlington.

The Giants will struggle to contain the Rangers full lineup in Arlington. Guerrero will be back in his normal DH spot. Nelson Cruz will be able to get his arms extended against the Giants’ two lefties in the rotation.

The Rangers have a predominately right-handed lineup which most would think favor Texas against Sanchez and Bumgarner. The answer to that is yes and no.

The Rangers have hit only .266 as a team against lefties (.280 against right-handers). Their OPS is nearly 60 points lower against lefties. But Ian Kinsler, Guerrero, Cruz and Michael Young all hit above .320 against left-handed pitching this year.

Sanchez has to lower his walk total and Bumgarner needs to be weary of pitching to contact in their live ballpark.

Once going up 2-0 in the series, all the Giants have to do is win one game in Texas before bringing it home for Cain in Game 6. They would have to beat either Colby Lewis or Tommy Hunter because I do not see the Giants beating Cliff Lee twice.

The other three pitchers for the Rangers have been solid all postseason. They shut down a potent Yankees lineup and a dysfunctional Rays order.

The Giants offense will have the task of doing just enough to win. What has been shocking about the Giants’ run is the lack of power from the lineup. This is a lineup that has the ability to take a pitcher out the yard but have, overall, failed to do so.

Aubrey Huff, Buster Posey and Andres Torres have all gone homer-less. The Giants have six as a team in 10 games. There has not been a time during the season where all three of these guys have failed to hit one out. This should change in this series.

Despite having not hit a home run, Torres is starting to swing the bat better, and Freddy Sanchez has started to swing a hot bat. The table setters are getting it done in front of Huff and Posey. It’s up to them to get Torres and Sanchez in.

The bullpens have been very good as well.

This series will key on Brian Wilson and Javier Lopez. Lopez will be granted the singular task of shutting down Josh Hamilton. No one has yet to do it, but Lopez has already done it to Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

Hamilton is just next in this list.

Wilson has his own brand of torture. Let runners on base only to tightrope his way out of danger for the save. The Phillies were not hitting well going into the series with the Giants. The Rangers, on the other hand, lit up the Yankees rotation and may not leave potential runs stranded.

If the Giants can contain the opportunities of the Rangers, they will scratch and claw their way to four more one-run victories.

The stars will line up in the next week plus and the monkey sitting on the Giants’ back will be released. The Giants win this series 4-2.

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There have been many important days in Twins history. Oct. 25th, 1987 (first World Series victory), Oct. 27th, 1991 (second World Series), and June 5th, 2001 (drafting of Joe Mauer) spring to mind for many fans. But the absolute most important date had nothing to do with winning a world series or drafting a future hall of fame catcher. The day in question is July 3rd, 2000.

The franchise was at a crossroads. The Twins hadn’t had a winning season since 1992. In 1995 the hero of the franchise (Kirby Puckett) was forced into retirement after being struck in the jaw by an errant fastball, and subsequent glaucoma the following spring.

They had lost their only remaining true star, Chuck Knoblauch, after a trade to the Yankees following the 1997 season. The 1999 season saw the Twins finish in last place once again.

The Twins were sporting a $17 million dollar payroll, and the attendance barely topped one million for the season. Roughly 12,000 fans a game.

And on top of all this, Carl Pohlad was open to the idea of contraction. This would wipe the Twins franchise off the face of the earth, while putting about 150 million into Pohlad’s pocket.

This was all changed on July 3rd, 2000, when the previously stingy Twins extended Brad Radke’s contract. Radke signed for a then franchise record of four years and $36 million dollars. It was a vote of confidence for fans all over Twins territory, and signaled the change of culture which led to a decade of excellence.

If you look at where the Twins were to where they are today it is quite remarkable.

2000 Twins 69-93 – 1,000,760 fans – $17.5 Million dollar payroll – Played in Metrodome – Highest payed player at time was Radke making $3.5 Million dollars.

2010 Twins 94-68 – 3,223,640 fans – $97.5 Million dollar payroll – Played in newly opened Target Field – Highest payed player was Justin Morneau who made $15 Million.

This dramatic turn around has many reasons: The great drafts, home grown talent, good management, piranha’s, etc. But without the re-signing of Brad Radke a decade ago. Who knows what history may have been written for the Twins. Would there be that shiny new ballpark in downtown Minneapolis? Would there be six division title banners? Would there even be a Twins team? I can’t honestly answer that.

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It is quite ironic that two of the biggest topics in the news this week are the World Series and the upcoming election, which will determine our 106^th winner of the Fall Classic and our 112^th United States Congress.

There isn’t a whole lot that links the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers, who are making their first appearance in the World Series.

The two teams have played just 22 times with the Giants winning 15, including 11 in a row in San Francisco—dating back to the days of Candlestick Park. The Giants have also won seven in a row overall, even though they have not faced each other this season.

The Giants did trade catcher Benjie Molina in midseason to the Rangers to make room for rising star Buster Posey.  

So, it will be a World Series in which two clubs have about as much in common as the areas they represent, which makes this World Series one that could divide the national fan base between the two teams on political lines.

            The Giants represent San Francisco, perhaps the most liberal major city in the nation. It is home to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein. It is an area that Democrats have a firm grip on.

The Rangers represent Texas, one of the more conservative states in the union. Sen. John McCain defeated President Barack Obama by a 56 to 44 percent margin two years ago and Texas has gone Republican in every presidential election since 1980.

The Rangers were also once owned by President George W. Bush and their current president, baseball strikeout king Nolan Ryan, is a staunch Republican who has appeared in ads supporting the National Rifle Association.

One kind of gets the feeling that if the Giants win, the Obama administration would open their doors right away for San Francisco to make their visit to the White House. And if the Rangers win, one might wonder if the team would rather meet with President Bush on his ranch in Texas than go to the White House, as is traditional for the champion of all major sports teams in the country.

While some believe this World Series may not be the most interesting, it looks like a world championship title fight on political grounds.

In a week’s time we’ll know the results of both.

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Cheating, betting, and scandals have been a part of sports ever since the beginning, whether it’s to gain a competitive advantage over an opponent, rake in some extra cash, or a temptation that was just too hard to resist.

The only thing worse than all of those things, though, is lying about it. Sooner or later the truth will come out, and when it does, get ready.

These 10 sports figures lied to millions of fans, and are worthy of being named the top 10 liars in sports history.

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Almost seven months, 2,430 regular season games, an entire postseason completed and it all almost ended exactly where we were a year ago. Almost.

With this past weekend’s games resulting in the conclusion of both the ALCS and NLCS series, baseball fans worldwide were almost faced with a Yankees versus Phillies rematch for the World Series. It also would have marked the third straight season the Phils reached baseball’s most coveted destination. We almost watched as the Yankees competed for their 27th World Series title. Almost.

We almost ended the season following those ever so familiar faces of postseason heroes, who have made a living crushing the competition when the season mattered the most. The likes of Derek Jeter, Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Alex Rodriguez…the list goes on and on. Almost.

Instead this year baseball fans will be tuning in to a series so new, for once, they really do not know what to expect. Sure the ratings certainly won’t be as high. How could they be? The Yankees and Phillies are located in two of America’s largest sports markets with fanbases of unmeasurable quantities.

Sure it would have been exciting to see CC Sabathia take on a Phillies lineup chock-full of talent, again. Sure it would be exciting to see if Cole Hamels and the rest of the Phillies All-Star rotation could hold off the Yankees erasing last season’s shortcomings. Sure it would be exciting to see if A-Rod, Jeter, Posada and company could do it again.

However, what is more exciting is the unknown this year’s Series most certainly presents.

With the stage set and the world of baseball tuned in, we turn the focus not to the ever so recognizable faces of the New York and Philadelphia ball clubs, but to the faces of baseballs new generation.

With a sport already widely considered “boring” or “too slow” it surely does not help when the same faces pop up every fall. In a sports world where the call for youth and personality has never been stronger, isn’t it time baseball got with the program?

Look at hockey with the emergence of Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos in recent years. Basketball? Try Kevin Durant, Tyreke Evans and even LeBron James. Even football with the likes of Chris Johnson, DeSean Jackson and company has seen a shift to focusing on the players of the “new school.”

Finally we have not only a series featuring a Giants club who has not reached a World Series since 2002, where they infamously choked away a 5-0 lead in Game 6 eventually leading to a championship for the Angels, but a series featuring a Ranger’s club who has previously never won a single playoff series.

That, ladies and gentleman, is excitement.

Along with the change of teams and scenery comes that calling for the new “era” of baseball. Replace CC Sabathia and Cole Hamels with two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum and the Rangers young ace C.J. Wilson. Derek Jeter for Elvis Andrus, A-Rod for Pablo “Kung-Fu Panda” Sandoval, Posada for Buster Posey. What are you left with? A Series full of under-25 players starving for their first taste of postseason glory.

One thing is for sure, for the first time in a while, nothing is for sure. Baseball finally got the facelift that has been needed for years. A changing of the guard that not only shook up this season, but will have implications on many seasons to come.

Don’t let the ratings fool you, this World Series will be the best one played in recent memory. And to think we almost had a repeat season. Almost.

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Philadelphia enters Game 5 of the 2010 NLCS looking for a cure, and they’ll turn to the good doctor Roy Halladay to find it as the Phillies get set to square off against the San Francisco Giants.

This game could be the last for the Phillies, so it’s “do or die” time, and that means several things for dem Phightin’ Phils if they want to bring this series back to the City of Brotherly Love.

In their first go-around, the Giants hit Halladay better than expected, as the doctor failed to treat the gaping wound caused by eight hits, two homers and four earned runs.

As the series has progressed, the Phillies’ bats have ominously gone quiet; with men on, they have failed to capitalize by not running the bases enough, and even their impenetrable defense has broken down a few times in the worst possible way.

So now what?

Well, it’s simple. The Phillies must get back to what has worked for them all year long: hitting, stealing bases, consistent defense and solid pitching.

Which leads us to Halladay.

Halladay rarely makes the same mistake twice, and tonight’s game is a perfect opportunity for some redemption as he gets set for his rematch against The Freak, Tim Lincecum.

That redemption can also be the fuel and guiding light for a team seemingly awestruck by the Giants, who have methodically picked them apart, and when your ace leads the way, winning just gets a whole lot easier.

Tonight the Phillies look to erase last week and rewrite the ending to another stellar chapter in their history, rather than close the book on a story with no sequel.

And it all starts with the good doctor.

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After four game into the NCLS, we have ourselves quite a matchup, but with contrasting results.

The Phillies have looked consevative, out of sync, and at times, without that fight that has made them who they are.

The Giants, on the other hand, have looked cool, crisp, and methodical which are the very tratis that helped them win the West.

Last night’s game was a little indicative of the aforementioned.

While it’s hard to put a grade on a game that was really based around well hit and placed balls, there are some specifics that could’ve made a difference.

Let’s take a look.= at last night’s report card.

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It’s almost trite to ask what people initially think about when they ponder the New York Yankees and the postseason.

Some will say a team resting on the ink of a paycheck, while others will say an indelible mark on baseball’s identity.

But when you clear the air on a seemingly endless argument, you’re left with the only topic that is forward focus: The 2010 ALCS.

This matchup was almost written in the realm of possibilities a long time ago. Many fans began to realize the Rangers were not only running away with their division late in the summer but also that they were more legit than they have been in some 10 years.

The Yankees, on the other hand, were steeped in a divisional battle all year long with a Tampa Bay team that was considered one of only two teams that could actually beat the Rangers.

The Yankees were the second; the Rays failed.

And with that, we saw tonight why people believe the Yankees can, in fact, beat this high-powered Rangers team. They overcame last night’s drubbing and a collection of losses that, to some, were unexpected and rose above adversity with the injury to their power first baseman Mark Teixeira.

But in the dark lurks the Texas Ranger.

The Yankees are a well-oiled machine and a well-coached team. With that said, you have to believe that Girardi and company are now feeling the pressure of the torrent bats of Texas and their overpowering pitching staff.

Across the diamond, Texas manager Ron Washington is burning an indelible worry into the crawls of the Yankees coaching staff, as if to say: We aren’t going to go away; we’re just as good as you are!

But the Yankees have a stigma of their own: Just try and beat us!

And that, folks, is the new stage setting for Game 6!

All things considered, it doesn’t matter whether you are a Yankees fan or a Rangers fan because either side of the coin has to admit they couldn’t have asked for a better, more exhilarating series as we have on our hands right now.

The Yankees may be the perennial favorite, but the Rangers are that one history-making underdog that often gets underestimated.

The bottom line is: Is it another year of the inevitable for the Yankees, or has fate found a new friend in Texas?

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