News Flash: the World Series actually happened!

I hate the National League and I hate the Giants. After following the headlines from Game 1 I didn’t pay any attention the rest of the way. And from what I can tell, I’m not alone. Now that the dust has settled on the World Series that no one outside of San Francisco even saw, I did a little reflecting on the team, the series, and the season, and it is quite amazing how it all worked out.

What you can’t miss is how this World Series foreshadowed the All Star Game, which I thought was no less annoying. There were so many issues leading up to the Game. San Fran fans crashed the vote the last week and Tony La Russa looked like he was winging it. Matt Cain was picked to start instead of a more deserving R.A. Dickey, MVP front-runner David Wright was snubbed in favor of Pablo Sandoval, Melky Cabrera started in place of the other MVP man Andrew McCutchen, and Buster Posey, probably the third-most deserving catcher was chosen to start. The American League looked like commanding favorites. Logically, the game should have been a blowout. And what happened: it WAS a blowout, but the other way around. All three SF sluggers got on base and scored in the first off Justin Verlander (including a bases-clearing triple for Sandoval), Matt Cain earned the win, and Melky Cabrera went away with the MVP. It seemed like a bad joke.

Three and a half months later, wuncha know it, the Giants found themselves in the World Series, taking advantage of that home field advantage that they actually earned. Really miraculously, considering they were down 2-0 to the Reds with three games left in Cincinnati, down 3-1 to the Cardinals, and then facing a rested Tigers team that destroyed the Yankees. Bruce Bochy elected not to invite Melky Cabrera, the Giants best hitter of the first half of the season, to join in the Series. From a fan’s viewpoint, Melky helped the Giants get there, did his time for the crime and deserved to play. The move seemed quite hypocritical since teammate Guillermo Mota who served his second PED suspension earlier this season was on the roster. Wouldn’t it appropriate to include your hitter that hit .350 for 100 games? To make matters worse, Game 1 looked like a huge mismatch; the virtually unhittable Justin Verlander facing the Giants marginalized #4 starter, Barry Zito.

But hey, these are the 2012 Giants. Who cares about odds and logic? Verlander got hammered around once again. Kung Fu Panda Sandoval knocked three out of the park in Game 1 and no one watched another game.

What the Giants were able to accomplish this year blows my mind. Their premier closer missed practically the whole season. Their best pitcher Tim Lincecum was one of the worst starting pitchers in the National League all season. Their top hitter was suspended the second half of the season. Their star catcher was coming off a significant injury. Their division rivals threw caution to the wind and beefed up their lineup. Then in the postseason the Giants fell into two monster series deficits. But all that didn’t really matter, did it? They whupped Justin Verlander twice. Buster Posey put up an MVP season, especially in the second half when they were down a man. Everybody else chipped in to keep the wins coming. The entire rotation (beside Timmy) was tough and consistent all year and the bullpen was steady, blowing the fewest leads in the NL. The new-look Dodgers could never keep up after the All Star break. And the Giants would not be defeated, going 5-0 in the playoffs when facing elimination, probably the most impressive number of all.

I hate it when things happen in sports that don’t make sense. The best team is supposed to win. Isn’t that the Yankees, or Tigers, or Rangers, or Nationals, or Reds? The 2012 San Francisco Giants were the most unlikely champs since, well, the 2011 Cardinals, who were the most unlikely champs since, well, the 2010 San Francisco Giants, who won it all with an improbable patchwork team of cast offs. Whatever they are doing in the Bay is working, defying all logic. If it happens again in 2013, maybe it will start making sense.