Say it Isn’t So, The Giants Won the World Series

Oct 28, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco Giants fans celebrate winning the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants won the World Series and I can’t stand it. If I have to see one more “GIANTS WIN!” Facebook status I might call for something drastic, like signing Mark Zuckerberg to a 3 year free agent contract based on his previous success in the Bay Area. He’d be another former bay area resident the Dodgers could sign to compliment futility player Juan Uribe.

Forget the hated Giants. Forget the only regional rivalry LA teams have outside the city limits. Forget Nor Cal vs. SoCal, LA vs San Francisco. As a Bay Area resident for 6 years, trust me when their dislike for all things LA far and away surpasses dislike from LA natives—which usually manifests itself as indifference.

But 2 World Series titles in three years? I am no longer indifferent. I can’t stand it. It is infuriating how a team with so little offense, not only made the postseason, but now has won 2 championships.

In 2010 the Giants were a little like the 2004 Red Sox who were a self proclaimed bunch of Idiots—a bunch of

Oct 28, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval (48) holds up the MVP trophy for the 2012 World Series at Comerica Park. The Giants won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

guys strung together who more or less shouldn’t have been there. But the Giants didn’t have Hall of Famers Manny Ramirez and Big Papi on their team.

The 2010 Giants won with mid-season acquisition Cody Ross swinging for the fences, and the Smush Parker of baseball Aubrey Huff at first base, and World Series MVP Edgar Renteria, and of course Juan Uribe.

This year they had Angel Pagan completely remake his career after an awful year with the Mets, Pablo Sandoval finally emerge from a 3 year offensive coma, and Marco Scutaro who must be Joe Morgan re-incarnate at second base. Hunter Pence was a sought after bat acquired at midseason that struggled with the Giants, but his broken bat in Game 7 of the NLCS broke open that game.

The NL West is supposed to be the weakest division in baseball, that and the AL Central. But both teams in the Series won those divisions. In the last 15 seasons, by division the AL East has had 3 different teams in the World Series with a total of 9 appearances over those 15 seasons. The NL East has had 4 different teams 5 total times; AL Central 2 different teams 3 times; NL Central 2 different teams, 3 times; AL West 2 different teams 3 times; But the NL West‘s had 4 different teams with 5 appearances total—leaving the Dodgers as the only team out of the Series. The Dodgers haven’t played late October baseball since Kirk Gibson pinch hit in 1988.

It helps that the Dodgers ARE trying to win. But it only helps a little. They spent so much money midseason acquiring and keeping pieces. These pieces had bats in their hands—and the Dodgers still couldn’t score for anything. Players can have resurgent offensive seasons after slumping like Adam Dunn or Laroche in 2012, but it drives me off the wall that the Giants won two World Series with virtually no offense and the Dodgers couldn’t make the post season in 2012 with the deepest lineup in the NL.

The one constant on both Giants championship teams is Buster Posey. For all of the Mike Trout vs Miguel Cabrera debate in the AL, Posey is every bit the best player in either league. He is the obvious NL MVP and batting champ. He doesn’t take the mound, but because he is behind the plate he controls the game pitch by pitch, and is a consistent and productive bat. No player does more for their team every play, every game, for the whole season than the 25 year old choir boy, or rather catcher.

September 7, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Juan Uribe (5) reacts in the dugout against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at AT

The World Series titles and success is an obvious difference, but Juan Uribe to me exemplifies the differences between the two franchises at the moment. The Giants have helped players reinvigorate their careers. Juan Uribe won a World Series with the White Sox in 2005, but his play declined each of the next 3 seasons. He signed a minor league deal with the Giants in 2009, made the team, and the next year was instrumental in winning the Series.

For the Dodgers part, they signed Uribe to a sizeable free agent contract to replicate that success. It’s not going to happen. In 2012 in 66 games Uribe couldn’t even double his 9 RBI total from the 14 games he played in the 2010 postseason for the Giants. The Dodgers haven’t been giving player’s chances, they’ve been spending their chances.

We’re still spending in 2012 with no return yet on those payments. . . and the Giants won the World Series.