Friday Baseball Post

I still don't know what to write.  All I can say is: I've read that damn Bill James essay for 25 years about how he never knew baseball could make you feel so good (it's wonderful, by the way), and, well, it's about time that it was our turn.

And as for sharing my emotions, that's about all I can do.  To tell the truth, with the elections, and catching back up on everything I've been behind on thanks to the pennant race in September and then the three playoff series, and now the Breeders Cup this weekend, I've hardly done any thinking about it.  Oh, it's been with me all week -- and I was able (thanks Dish Network!) to watch the parade and celebration on Comcast Sports Bay Area, which I also got to watch for all the victory celebrations.  But thinking about it?  No, not really.  I mean, I haven't even had the chance to read all of Steven Rubio's multipart biobaseballhistory (he mentioned the James essay too).

I will, now that it's over, say one thing which I couldn't let myself say while it was going on.  I saw someone -- may have been the great Christina Kahrl, but I'm not sure -- compare the 2010 Giants to the 1991 Braves.  Not saying that they would have a great run like the Braves did (although -- can you believe it -- the Giants now have matched the Bobby Cox Braves in World Championships.  Damn.  There's your revenge for 1993).

Oops, I got distracted.  Anyway, of course the 1991 Braves didn't go all the way.  But before I read that one, I had, I think sometime in the Phillies or maybe even the Braves series, come up with a better comp.  The 2010 Giants?  Dead ringers for the Miracle Mets.  Well, it's not a perfect comp, but I'd say it's not bad at all.

Obviously, we don't know whether any of the Giants homegrown staff will wind up with Tom Seaver (and Nolan Ryan) in the HOF.  But the Mets didn't know that would happen in 1969, either.  Let's see...the Giants are two years away from being terrible.  The Mets were much more of a Miracle team; they were one year away from being terrible, and two years from being absolutely horrible.  The Mets, you may not remember, actually had a great season; they won 100 games, and finished eight games clear of the Cubs.  The odd thing is that they had their great season at exactly the right moment.  The Cardinals had just won the old 10-team league twice in a row, and were beginning their decline.  The Pirates were about to be very good, but not quite yet.  And the Cubs...1969 was really supposed to be the Cubs' year, and for whatever reason it just didn't happen.

Anyway, the Miracle Mets just remind me a lot of the Giants.  A great homegrown pitching staff, and then a bunch of castoffs and misfits populating the lineup.

Granted, there's no Buster Posey equivalent on the '69 Mets.  But other than that...I think it's easy to see.

As far as October, the Mets had to beat a decent Braves team (as did the Giants), but then faced a great team in the World Series.  The Giants didn't have to do that, but they did have the extra hurdle to leap, and it was the two-time defending NL Champs.  Both teams won the WS in five games.

So that's what I have.  That, and thanks to the ownership group, to Brian Sabean, to Bruce Bochy, to all the players, even Zito and Rowand, to the broadcast team, to everyone.  World Champions.  I'm with Steven: I never thought it would happen.