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.
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