San Francisco Giants

As a Giants fan and writer, I just can't get over what Buster Olney said on Bill Simmons' MLB Playoff Podcast, which I listened to yesterday.

Basically, I came away with four things:

1.) The Tampa Bay Rays have the best GM in baseball (probably true).

2.) The Red Sox are hurting in terms of the money they owe to contracts next year (true, but unnecessary considering the Red Sox aren't in the playoffs).

Whoo! I’m not a fan of either of these teams, but just as a baseball fan I am pumped for this series. To look at the pitching that is going to be on display between these teams gives me the shivers.  What excitement. For instance, this season, the Giants were 1^st in ERA, 1^st in strikeouts, 1^st in saves, and 4^th in WHIP  . . . in the major leagues! How does that even happen?

Promotional campaigns come and go so when the San Francisco Giants' public-relations machine—spearheaded by A-list broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow—started hitting the party line "Giants Baseball, It's Torture" with tedious glee, I resisted it for as long as possible.

However, let's just say that the promos get it right every now and again.

And the 2010 San Francisco baseball season has been one of those times.

I apologize for this post coming out so late, but with a late New York Jets game last night and a busy day at work, I really didn’t have much time to write.

That being said, I thought Game 4 of the Atlanta Braves-San Francisco Giants NLDS was a pretty awesome game.

For that matter, I thought every game in this series was pretty amazing. Four games and each game decided by one run. I take that any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Torture. That is what the Giants like to do to their fans.

Although the Giants took the NLDS 3-1 against the Atlanta Braves, there was no absence of nail-biting, heart-stopping moments. Each game was decided by one run, and one of the four games went into extra innings.

Now with a few days to rest, the Giants will need to continue to dominate on the mound and have some good old luck if they are to win the National League pennant from the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Alright, the NLCS field is all set. It is going to be the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants. The uniforms have been washed, the shoes have been shined, let's throw on our Roy Halladay replica jerseys and get to the ballpark.

We're going to be playing some championship baseball in just . . . five days?!?!?!

Uh, okay.

(Psst: who's in charge of scheduling around here? Oh right; the networks.)

The San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves Monday night to advance to its first National League Championship Series since 2002. Outfielder Cody Ross had two RBI, including the game-winning single in the seventh inning.

The Giants have to be thrilled to have ousted Atlanta, having proved along the way that their excellent pitching staff is in top form this October. Now, however, Bruce Bochy's crew must turn to take on a much fiercer offense and more worthy opponent than the depleted Braves: Charlie Manuel's Philadelphia Phillies.

As the 2010 post-season delves further into October, the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies are the last two National League teams standing.

The National League Championship Series between these two clubs will begin on Saturday, October 16th - in Philadelphia.

The Phillies jumped all over Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds, sweeping Dusty Baker and company right out of the playoffs. While it may be tee time in Cincinnati, the Phillies are resting, laying in wait for the Giants.

If the Phillies win the upcoming National League Championship Series, they will be the first team since the St. Louis Cardinals from 1942-44 to win three straight National League pennants. 

But a very dangerous and hungry San Francisco Giants team will have a lot to say about the Phillies chase towards almost 70 years of history.

The Giants eliminated Bobby Cox and the Braves Monday night to advance to the NLCS for the first time since 2002, where they will face off against those Philadelphia Phillies. 

It's been too long, but the Giants have won their first NLDS since 2002, when they beat these very same Braves in five. The series was tight, emotional, ugly and brutal. Of course, the fourth and final game was a great reflection of the series in an almost poetic fashion.

All of the games were decided by one run, three of the four games were won in a comeback fashion. All of the games featured superb pitching, maybe with the exception of Sergio Romo. And all of the games featured questionable defense and officiating.