View from the Couch

BY BILL LEEMAN


Say, do you hear that big, rumbling, noisy roar out there?    Wondering what it is?   I'll tell you:  It's the fabulous sound of the Giants Bandwagon.   I'm on it, strapped in, holding on tight for the wild ride.   That crunching noise is the sound of the rest of the National League as the Giants roll over them.

Are we having fun yet?   This is WAY more than fun.  Could this be the Giants year?   Maybe.   You never can tell.   The way they are playing now, the way they are winning games, getting breaks and making breaks, and the way that everyone is taking turns stepping up, well, this is just the sort of thing that happens to a Team of Destiny.  

It's been a long time since we've had this much Giants fun.   That had to be the best July since, well, probably the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  

When we last talked about the Giants, they had been left for dead in the water.  A lifeless, worthless pile.   It was just before the All-Star break, we had just gotten rid of Bengie Molina, and had been swept at home by the Dodgers.   Oh, that was depressing.   I said they were through, and I meant it.

The late great sports writer for the Chronicle, Charles McCabe, once said about Giants fans, "The true Giants fan loves them when they're winning, and hates them when they're losing."   I have always subscribed to that theory.

And then:  They started playing 800. ball!!   Are you kidding me??  Winning four out of five, fifteen out of twenty, twenty out of twenty-five.  Unbelievable!  And currently, around 23 out of 30.  Man!  Count me in!   This isn't a streak, it's a TEAR!  

I don't know how many of you out there have noticed, but this doesn't happen every year.   We're not the frickin' Yankees, or the Braves, or even the Cards, for crying out loud.   We're the GIANTS.  Ups and downs.   Years of waiting between the thrills.   And the thrills are definitely here.   When you can't wait for the next game.   When you haven't finished digesting, reading about, talking about the previous game, before another one starts, and here we go again!

Where does a team of destiny come from?  How is it formed?  

Chemistry.  That may sound cliche-ish, but it is so true.  Key players make chemistry.   A one-for-all, all-for-one attitude.   Bruce Bochy, that sly dog.  Outfoxing Joe Torre (been languishing in the AL too long, Joe?) on more than one occasion.   Hungry players, like Andres Torres, a career minor-leaguer, blossoming in his thirties.   All heart.   Aubrey Huff, who rose from the purgatory of playing on losing teams for ten years.  Signed for his bat, he has never missed a ball in the outfield, and is a sterling first baseman.   Buster Posey, who is SO ready for prime-time play.  Not only hitting almost 400., but nailing would-be base stealers like ducks in a shooting gallery.  Pat Burrell, home town boy, so proud to wear the Giants uniform, and so key, with his playoff and World Series experience (not to mention his homer in the eighth for the win during the Dodger sweep).   These guys' excitement and determination rub off on everyone else, and funny things start to happen.  

Karma?  Could be.

Slumping Edgar Renteria coming off the bench to hit a bases loaded triple, driving in two for the win.  Jose Uribe with a pinch-hit slam.  Our reliever Denny Bautista, knocking down Dodger catcher Russell Martin twice after the umps issued a warning, and not being tossed.   Starter Clayton Kershaw and Joe Torre both getting the heave-ho for hitting Aaron Rowand in retaliation.  

Fair play?  Moot point.

Then, in a move that had Billy Martin written all over it, Bochy cited the "two visits to the mound" rule to get Dodger reliever Jonathan Broxton removed from the game.  We found out later that that wasn't exactly the way the rules were meant, but never mind, we won the game, so who cares?   What matters most is that Bruce Bochy took complete charge of the game.  

In a later game, and again reminiscent of Billy Martin, Bochy yelling that Casey Blake was standing too far back in the batter's box, and the ump actually taking Blake's bat, laying it down to show him where the line should be, making him look like some dazed little-leaguer.  After moving up those few inches in the box, he struck out three times.  

Coincidence?  You be the judge.

And what about Friday's game in Atlanta?   The Braves walking three in the eighth, then a two-hop grounder to Chipper Jones at third, and it went right under his glove to let in the tying run.  Shades of Bill Buckner.  Then professional hitter Pat Burrell (of course) knocked in the winning run on a sac fly.  

Providence?  You tell me.

A great example of a Team of Destiny was the pinch hit home run- non home run -home run against the Marlins by Aaron Rowand.  Was that a gift, or what?   When Rowand's soaring fly ball came down near the wall and close to the front row of seats, there was a bit of confusion over where it landed (it landed in the fan's glove).  Marlin left-fielder Emilio Bonifacio immediately pointed to the stands, indicating fan interference.  It just so happened my daughter was at the game, and of course she called me and asked, "What's happening, Dad, what's going on?"  So, I'm sitting there, watching the replays, umps trying to figure it out, and I'm telling her, "It doesn't look good, because it certainly looks like the fan leaned into the field of play..."   But what I really meant was there is NO WAY they'll give him a homer because that is EXACTLY what happened, he definitely snatched it right out of his glove.   So the umps went in to review.  And we're all waiting, the ball players all out there, waiting, standing five abreast across the mound, and I'm watching the replays over and over,  my daughter still on the phone,
and I am so sure they'll rule against it, and the umps come out and give him a homer!   Well, glory be!   I say, that fan needs to be kept in beers for the rest of the season.  

Fate?   Maybe.

Karma?   Providence?   The Stars?   Or Destiny?

Now, I wouldn't go and bet the house on them just yet, because, after all, it is early August, and there is a lot of baseball left (52 games, to be exact).   Not to mention the fact that several of those Eastern teams, in both leagues, are quite formidable.  But if you look at the standings as of today, there are only two teams in all of baseball with more wins than the Giants; the Yankees and Tampa Bay.

The true test of whether or not this is a Team of Destiny may show up in the second round of the playoffs, when we go up against the Phils.  They may have something to say about 'destiny.'   Until then, let's enjoy the ride.