I haven't read the thread yet (sorry, been busy celebrating the BEST TEAM IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE!!!), but I have some thoughts.
It seems impossible that the Giants are here. It seems like they've played five different seasons just in 2014. They started off as the best team in baseball. They could do no wrong. They hit, they fielded, they pitched. It was remarkable and amazing and there looked to be no reason why it couldn't continue for months. There were almost no weak spots, there were no easy outs. Brandon Hicks was getting big hits, Brandon Crawford was killing pitchers, Brandon Belt was hitting home runs in literally every park they visited. They were as good a team as anyone could see. Then there were some mistakes. Romo had a rough outing against Colorodo and blew a save... then another, then another. Brandon Belt got hit by a pitch and broke his thumb. Cain struggled, then had season-ending surgery. Hicks stopped hitting anything, and the brief return of Marco Scutaro lasted only long enough to accidentally give Belt a concussion that lasted for six weeks. Pagan was ailing, then gone entirely. Morse, too. Lincecum threw his second no-hitter, then devolved into disaster. The once-unbeatable Giants, the best team in baseball, went into a months-long free fall. They were as bad a team as anybody could see. Dan Uggla made it onto the roster, played four games, made two errors and didn't get a single hit before asking for his release. But somehow, improbably, they pulled it together. They got Peavy and Panik. But more than anything else, they play with heart.
Here is what the Giants bring: each other. Immediately after the game, the Giants sideline reporter interviewed Jeremy Affeldt. She asked him his thoughts on the game, on his performance, on making those critical pitches that kept the game tied and let the Giants win in dramatic fashion just a few minutes later. And after a moment of stammering about how he can't even identify his thoughts, he said this: "That home run can't happen to a better individual, man. That ball right there, to be able to hit that after I know that he was kicking himself, to have that moment of redemption, he deserved that. ... That Ishikawa, man. That's a book. That's a movie." His first thoughts were about his happiness for another. Not that he got to go to the World Series again himself, but how happy he was that his teammate came through when it mattered most.
Crawford, too, said much the same thing: "I don't want to sound like a proud dad, but, we're all just so proud of what he's done." The same Crawford who prepared for Affelt's nail-biting relief appearance by stealing Belt's glove like the were just playing around in practice. Biggest defensive moment? Eh,
Belt, after describing how he "almost passed out about five times" during the game because of the intensity, said: "I'm just so happy for these guys, I'm just so happy for Ishikawa." It's almost as if he wasn't himself a critical member of this the team. He's not happy for "us," he's happy for "these guys." It just illustrates their mindset.
Ryan Vogelsong said a few days back that he was pitching to get Tim Hudson into the World Series, and tonight he appeared to get choked up describing how he felt watching Ishikawa batting, hoping that he, of all people, could have this heroic moment. Hunter Pence, of course, has consistently preached playing for their teammates, not for themselves. Tim Hudson said he couldn't be happier for Madison Bumgarner.
I love MadBum. He is incredible. He was spectacular in Game One and great tonight. But I personally think the true NLCS MVP was Travis Ishikawa. He had, what, eight RBI? Two of the biggest hits in the series? He made some great plays out there in left, despite today's miscue. As much as the Giants wouldn't have gotten to the World Series without Bumgarner, I don't think they make it without Ishikawa either. Incredible.
By the way, Barry Bonds gave Morse some pre-game hitting instruction. He happened to see Morse in the hallway, told him to keep his foot down because he can't generate power if his foot isn't down early. Afterward, Morse worked on it in the batting cage. He said he got his foot down early when he hit the home run. If the Giants win the World Series--and this looks like it will be a difficult and hard-fought series--Barry Bonds will earn himself a ring. He is, after all, a Giants special instructor.
Good night, everyone. Giants are National League Champions and I couldn't be happier.