SO MUCH TO SAY
There is so much I want to say right now about the San
Francisco Giants that I had to write this all down.
Travis Ishikawa is an amazing story. And first and foremost he gives all the
credit to our Lord. He said last night after the game.
“There was a point in
Fresno this year in Triple A when I was struggling.. going in to the game o for
4s with no chance of getting hits. I called a buddy from back home in Seattle
crying cuz I just didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I didn’t know if God was telling me this was
a big trial I was supposed to be going through, or if this is time to quit and
do something else. And he just continued to encourage me and gave me some
scriptures to kinda help uplift me. So I stuck with it.” Andin another
interview Ishikawa said, “I’m just so thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ let
me stay; gave me the perseverance to keep playing. And I just thank this organization. Best organization I ever played for giving me
this opportunity”
What an example in his trials he looked to the Lord and in
his triumphs he gave Him the praise.
Also as the son of a Chinese Father and White Mother myself
last night was not just a great night in San Francisco History and in Baseball
History, but also in Half Asian History.
I’m buying a used car today and I think I’ll name it Travis IshiCorolla
in his honor.
This team went through such a terrible time this
summer. The Giants went through a two
month stretch without winning a series against a team with a winning
record. And now they’ve gone 8 for 10
against the best the National league has to offer. There were times when I hated this team this
season. There was a time when I gave up
on their hopes for this year because I couldn’t talk myself into thinking that
they’d make it to the play offs. Or if
they did manage to stumble in actually win a series. There were numerous games when the Giants hit
so poorly they made mediocre opposing pitchers look like Clayton Kershaw. I remember hearing that Buster Posey said
something this summer about the Giants just needing to find a way to get into the
play offs, and once they were in they knew what to do. I guess Buster was right.
With the Championships in 2010 & 2012 and at least the National
League pennant this year people are asking if it’s too soon to call it a
dynasty. I say it doesn't matter what we
think now because it is already a forgone conclusion. Twenty years from now people are going to
look back at this decade and see the Giants dynasty. I can understand the argument that they aren't
on that level because they aren’t a totally dominant team. In these three years the most wins they’ve
had in the regular season was 94 (2012) which was the 3rd best
record in the NL that year. And last
year they weren’t even in contention finishing the season 16 games out of first
place. So it is fair to say that over
the last 5 years the Giants haven’t been far and away the best team in
Baseball. But in the end the October is
what matters. And when it comes to post season these guys are the best. Summer was a bummer but these are the boys of
Fall.
There are 4 things that the 2010, 2012, & 2014 teams have
in common as far as personnel: Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, a big chunk of
the bullpen, and Bruce Bochy. And that’s
been a formula for success. First Buster
is a, best of his generation, Catcher who makes an impact at the plate and
behind it. He’s the most valuable single
player on the Giants roster. With
pitching being even more of a priority in these best of 5 and best of 7 series than
in the regular season having one solid ace and a lights out bullpen with some combination
of Affeldt, Casilla, Lopez, & Romo can take you along way. And having a manager that can keep the whole
team pulling together, and outsmart the guy in the opposing dugout makes The
Giants awfully tough to beat. There have
been other huge contributors of course.
Without Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain 2010 & 2012 would probably never
have happened. Not to mention Cody Ross,
Brian Wilson, Aubrey Huff, & Marco Scutaro.
But without them this time Buster, MadBum, Bochy and the “Formidable Four”
are headed back to the World Series.
I think the Giants are about to do it again. World Series starts Tuesday in Kansas
City.
THE GIANTS HAVE WON THE PENNANT!!!
