Admiring perfection

I don’t care what anyone else has to say – the 2012 World Series was compelling.  I don’t think that a series has to be a see-saw affair to be worth watching.  The Giants were a likeable team with plenty of un-sung stars who came together as a team to deliver a championship to their fans. 

The fascinating thing about this Giants team wasn’t just what they did in the World Series, but what they had to overcome to get there.  As a baseball fan, I enjoyed the journey very much.  To top it off, no one really saw it coming.  A sweep on the surface of things may not seem very exciting – but when it comes in such an unexpected fashion – it can be very exciting. 

Make no mistake about it – this was a great World Series for a variety of reasons.  It was "perfect" in many ways.

The Tigers had the bigger names in Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder – but as all of us have seen first-hand – that doesn’t necessarily buy you a seat at the big boy’s table.  It’s a lesson that we learn over and over again.

I enjoyed this series because of the exposure it gave to names like Marco Scutaro and Ryan Vogelsong and how we got to learn about their stories; their struggles and what they had to do to get to where they are today.

I was very pleased that most of the baseball analysts and experts picked the Tigers and were proven wrong.  I even loved how Joe Buck and Tim McCaver discounted the Giants’ pitching – something that in and of itself was a head scratcher for sure.  It was nice to see them come back and acknowledge that mistake publicly.

I loved the fact that even though the Giants dominated – they looked beatable.  I mean, I bet you thought your favorite team could have given them a better challenge, right?  Let’s be real – when you look at the Giants on paper – they don’t astonish you and they certainly don’t scare you.  If that doesn’t give all of us hope for our own teams, nothing will.

I love the fact that Bruce Bochy is now being mentioned as a possible Hall of Famer.  I love that Sandy Alderson (formerly of the Padres) didn’t see the potential in a guy like Bochy.  Padre fans know what I’m talking about. 

And trust me, as an Angel fan who had to watch Mike Napoli come back to haunt his former team for the past two years – it’s kind of nice to see someone else feel the burn of losing someone that goes on to do great things. 

I love the idea that most people probably thought Hunter Pence had a better chance of winning a title with the Phillies than with the Giants.

It’s a beautiful thing to see a guy with a nick-name like Kung Fu Panda win the World Series MVP award.

Yes, there are many reasons to embrace this World Series as one for the ages.  It was a series that re-emphasized the importance of good pitching and good defense. 

I must admit, I get a little bit of pleasure in knowing that some Dodger fans are feeling the sting of seeing their rivals win titles in two of the last three years.

I can appreciate what the Giants did and the way they did it.  It may not have been the kind of edge-of-my-seat entertainment we have all come to enjoy, but it was grand never-the-less.  

Most of all, it makes me anxious for next year.  I can’t wait for the next story to unfold and I hope that next year it will be the Angels who rise to the occasion.  Oh boy… I can only hope.