Yes! Yes, yes, yes and yes some more! It was the culmination of a season of tortured wins, even more tortured losses and a team that learned how to bite, scratch, kick and claw their way into contention with the best pitching staff in the entire league.
And wow, what happens when they get into the post season? They start to roll. Who did they beat in this post season? The best pitchers the major leagues have to offer. Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, Cliff "Lights Out" Lee (TWICE!). There were unlikely heroes, castoffs from other teams, surprising stars and really just great stories all the way around. From Aubrey Huff's ten big league seasons without a post season appearance to Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner's rookie years ending in ultimate victory. To guys like Pat Burrell who helped carry the team into the post season. To the highest paid cheerleader in the history of baseball, Barry Zito earning $18 million this year and not even being on the roster. All the way around and all the way across, this team was special in a way that no other team has been special, there are no superstar regulars (yes, Lincecum is a superstar but he pitches every five days and yes, Buster Posey is going to be a superstar but, for now, he's a rookie who helped make all this happen). There are so many great stories everywhere you look at this team.
And then, crap like this has to happen (actually, it doesn't have to happen, people don't have to behave like morons when their team wins a World Championship, no, they really, really don't). I know I should focus on the positive and good side of the Giants finally overcoming an amazing 56 years without winning baseball's ultimate prize. I know I should but it is hard to get these kinds of images out of one's head.This is celebration? You celebrate by setting fire to your city and causing thousands of dollars worth of damage? You celebrate by busting some caps in somebody (at least two shootings last night amid the myriad other idiocies heard on the police/fire scanners).
That some idiots even registered the riots on Foursquare so they could "check in" is almost laughable but I'm hoping those check-ins are used against these morons in court. I don't get the conversion from celebration to conflagration.
I heard about a car full of people that were dragged out into the street and beaten for several minutes until the police came to rescue them. This is celebration? A violent and unprovoked assault? What in the hell is wrong with these fucking people? Actually I know what's wrong with them. They are in the throes of mob mentality, they are violent, dangerous sheep.It is easy to sit here at my desk and condemn their actions because I feel confident that I'd never partake in their madness and destruction. But the reality is that mob mentality is a powerful force, it sweeps aside mores and ethics and replaces them with wild eyed grins of destruction, one upsmanship, a spiralling idiocy that culminates in large fires, innocent people getting the shit kicked out of them for no reason and looting (I have not heard about any looting from last night as of yet but I would be surprised if there wasn't some).
Rather than keep beating a dead horse or a burning car, I'm going to try and get by the idiots ruining this win by rioting and focus on what, I think, really matters. The Giants have won the World Series, the Giants are now the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants.
And here's three takes on the Edgar Renteria's three run blast to seal with deal. Guess which one I like best?
Update: Just came across a bunch of riot pics posted to Flickr. Some of the comments on the gallery are saying that the rioting was less widespread than it might have appeared or sounded. And I hope that's true but it is irrefutable that there WAS rioting and ANY rioting is too much for me.
