SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS (again)!!!!!

Pictured:  The San Francisco Giants celebrate their second World Series championship in three years.

I know, I know.  If there was a time to update the blog, it's after my favorite baseball team wins the World Series.  However, don't take that as meaning I was any less excited about it.

I have to say... it's really, really awesome to see the Giants win another World Series title.  It's really cool to rack up another championship and now be able to say that I have seen my team win two of them.

This year's World Champion San Francisco Giants took a bit of different road than in 2010.  The 2010 version was in a dogfight in the regular season down to the very last day, when they finally beat the San Diego Padres to clinch the division (in one of my all-time favorite games).  That team played some tightly contested playoff games, but never came across an elimination game.

The 2012 version did it differently.  They clinched the West with a win over the Padres again, but it wasn't San Diego that was chasing them.  And it also came with several games to go in the regular season.  The playoffs, however, were not easy with the Giants successfully staving off six elimination games before sweeping the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

There were so many great moments and games for Giants fans, but I'll focus on a few games that I particularly enjoyed.   Game 5 of the Division Series in Cincinnati is one for the ages for me just because of how intense that bottom of the 9th inning was.  Everything was on the line and Sergio Romo was in to try and close it down.  The Reds, however, had scored one run already to trim what had earlier in the game been a 6-0 deficit to 6-4.  Plus, they had 2 runners on base, meaning a home run would end the Giants' season (I was very aware of this as I watched).

With one out, Romo faced Reds slugger Jay Bruce who just kept fouling off pitch after pitch after pitch.  Just the anticipation for each pitch was beyond intense.  And to have so many fouled off in a row was quite something.  Thankfully Romo got Bruce to fly out to left field and struck out Scott Rolen to end it.

I also really enjoyed Barry Zito erasing the painful ghosts of years past with the Giants by going 7 2/3 shutout innings in Game 5 in St. Louis with Giants trailing the Cardinals 3 games to 1.  I've been a Zito fan for a while; he seems like a good guy and to try his best so it was really awesome to see him pitch so well on such a big stage.  It was also nice to see him outpitch Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the World Series.

Of course Game 4 of the World Series was a joy to watch.  It's less stressful when your team is up 3 games to none, but it's still a game you'd like to see your team win.  In what was a very entertaining back-and-forth game, the Giants pulled it out in 10 innings.  One of my favorite things to see was the joy on Buster Posey's face after strike three was called (of course all the guys wearing orange and black seemed to be pretty happy, too).  That's what it's all about, right there.  All hail the World Champion San Francisco Giants!

Buster Posey's injury

Buster Posey, catcher for the World Champion San Francisco Giants (27-22), was injured in an ugly collision in the 12th inning of last night's game with the Florida Marlins (29-19). Scott Cousins of the Marlins was attempting to score on a sacrifice fly ahead of the throw from Giants right fielder Nate Schierholtz. Posey couldn't handle the throw on a hop, and Cousins ran over him. Posey suffered a broken fibula as well as strained ligaments in his left ankle. It is estimated he will be out six to eight weeks, and possibly longer.

Posey, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, would be a huge loss for the Giants on a number of different levels. He is a great hitter who is smart and hits for average and has a little pop in his bat. He is also a great catcher, doing a great job of calling pitches and knowing the tendencies of hitters. And as if that wasn't enough, he is a great clubhouse presence and a leader on the team at a young age.

Posey should be able to spend time with the team as he rehabilitates and still contribute in leadership roles, but he will be immensely missed on the field, especially as he was just starting to find his groove offensively and was in the midst of a double digit game hitting streak. Eli Whiteside will take over behind the plate in the interim. Whiteside is a solid catcher defensively and can hit occasionally, but his offensive skills are not that of Posey.

Hopefully the Giants can ride out this injury and stay in the race; I think they are capable of doing this for at least a little while. Despite the Marlins finishing off the three game sweep this afternoon at AT&T Park, the Giants still lead the National League West by 2 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks (25-24) and 2.5 games over the Colorado Rockies (24-24), who are playing right now (the Diamondbacks lead 3-1 in the top of the 6th inning in Denver).

A lot of people were proclaiming that the Rockies were going to run away with the division after they got off to such a hot start, but they have cooled off considerably since then and recently lost starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa for the season to an injury. The Diamondbacks have been playing very well lately, but I still think they lack the pitching depth to stay in the race all year. The Posey injury hurts the Giants' chances, no question about it, but I still think it could be a close race in the West. Hopefully he isn't out for too long. The Giants travel to Milwaukee to face the Brewers (27-23), who are riding a six game winning streak, for three games this weekend.

Thoughts on Ryan Braun's new deal

I am pleased to hear that Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum agree with me in that baseball shouldn't expand the playoffs. Good stuff there, worth a read. Expansion just serves to water down the regular season and a play-in round makes the early scheduling of the playoffs weird and if you ask me isn't exactly the true nature of the game because the division winners would be sitting for a long time in between games.

Anyway, I wanted to comment on leftfielder Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers (11-10) signing a five-year contract extension to keep him in Milwaukee through the 2020 season. Braun really is a superstar right now and it is very good for baseball that he will be staying in a smaller market like Milwaukee long-term. I was happy that Joe Mauer signed a long deal with the Twins last year, and I'm glad to see that team loyalty isn't dead. It's just not good when teams like the Yankees and Red Sox soak up all the best players as soon as they're eligible for free agency (or close to it via trade). Braun has always seemed to me like he has a good head on his shoulders and this is just further evidence of that.

Of course, on the other end of the spectrum is Braun's teammate, first baseman Prince Fielder who is in the last year of his contract and unlikely to re-sign with Milwaukee. Fielder is a great player, but he seems to be the type to try and exploit the free agent market and attempt to get a huge contract. Fielder's agent is Scott Boras, who is notorious for getting every last penny he can from the highest bidder for his clients. Boras is not good for baseball, just more of a money guy. Not that I think guys shouldn't get paid, but I think loyalty should play at least some role. Braun is still making more money than he can probably ever spend, but he is also showing loyalty and that he is content and happy in Milwaukee. I like that.

Giants one win away from glory

Pictured: Giants rookie pitcher Madison Bumgarner delivers a pitch during Game 4 of the World Series Sunday night in Texas. Bumgarner threw eight scoreless innings.

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers 4-0 last night in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series in Arlington, TX. The Giants now lead the Series 3 games to 1. Rookie pitcher Madison Bumgarner was the story and pitched eight shutout innings in his World Series debut. Bumgarner was in complete control throughout and seemed completely unfazed that he was pitching in the World Series. I, like just about everyone else, was impressed that he shut down such a potent offense in what is considered a hitter-friendly ballpark. It's nice to think that the Giants don't have to worry about him or any of their other starters becoming free agents anytime soon.

Aubrey Huff supplied the first of the offense with a towering two-run home run in the third inning off Rangers starter Tommy Hunter. Andres Torres had an RBI double in the seventh and Buster Posey added a solo home run in the eighth. Brian Wilson worked a scoreless ninth in relief of Bumgarner. Edgar Renteria had another solid night, playing good defense at short stop and going 3 for 4 at the plate. He's having quite a World Series and is further solidifying his reputation as a clutch player.

Game 5 of the World Series is tonight in Arlington at 5:57 p.m. MT on FOX. The Giants will start their ace, Tim Lincecum, and the Rangers will go with theirs in Cliff Lee. We'll see if we get that dynamic pitching matchup everyone thought we would get in Game 1. Both guys are very, very good.

I'm pretty excited because the Giants are only one win away from winning their first World Series since 1954 when they were the New York Giants. They moved to San Francisco in 1958. It would be cool to win it at home but the way I see it is you have to go for it starting tonight on the road. You don't want to give the Rangers anymore chances than you have to. I'll be watching tonight. You should be too.

My MLB awards

And now it's the moment you've all been waiting for, it's time for my Major League Baseball season awards. Let's start with the National League:

MVP: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds first baseman. Votto was in the top 3 in the National League in the 3 major offensive categories, hitting .324 with 37 home runs and 113 RBIs. The real clincher for me is that although Albert Pujols of the Cardinals had more home runs and RBIs (42 and 118), they weren't substantially more and Votto was able to lead his team to the playoffs.

Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies. Halladay was 21-10 for the Phils with a 2.44 ERA and was everything they would have expected him to be as their staff ace when they brought him in before the season. He really did anchor the Phillies staff and though his ERA wasn't the top in the league (2.30 from Florida's Josh Johnson) it was close enough where it can still be argued that he was the most formidable pitcher.

Rookie of the Year: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants catcher. Posey hit .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBIs for the Giants this year. The argument against him and for the Braves' Jason Heyward is that Heyward played the whole season for the Braves whereas Posey played about 4 months for the Giants. My counterargument is that Posey managed to hit as many home runs as Heyward and had only 5 fewer RBIs while having a significantly higher batting average. Plus Posey played catcher for one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and by all accounts has done a great job. People don't always give catchers the credit they deserve for helping teams win. I watched the Giants all year and there is no way they would be in the playoffs without him. I get that Heyward had a big year and contributed to the Braves (I do really enjoy watching him play as well) but Posey had more of an impact on the Giants and a better year overall.

Manager of the Year: Dusty Baker, Cincinnati Reds. The Reds hadn't been to the playoffs since the late 90s and Baker led them there behind a surprising pitching staff as well as a potent offense. Nobody, myself included, expected much from the Reds this year, but Baker kept them going even after everybody had written them off after a three game sweep at home in August against the Cardinals. He did a good job and has proven time and again that he knows how to manage and get the most out of his ballclub.

And now for my American League awards:

MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers first baseman. Cabrera hit .328 with 38 home runs and led the league with 126 RBIs this year. He finished in the top 3 in the other two offensive categories. The two runner ups in my book are Josh Hamilton of the Rangers who hit .359 and had a great year and Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays who hit an incredible 54 home runs and had 124 RBIs himself. But Cabrera was near the top in all categories and his steady contributions are what gives him my vote.

Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners. I know, I know he was only 13-12. But he was on a horrible team and still put up outstanding numbers in other categories. He led the American League in ERA by a long shot with a mark of 2.27 and had 232 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.06. He clearly was the best pitcher not just in the American League but in all of baseball this year and that's why he deserves this award. I know there is a lot of momentum going for CC Sabathia of the Yankees who had 21 wins but he is nowhere close to Hernandez's ERA and isn't in the top 5 in the AL in that category. My runner up in fact would be David Price of the Rays who was 19-6 and third in the league in ERA at 2.72 while leading the Rays to the AL East title.

Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers closer. Feliz had 40 saves in 43 chances while recording 71 strikeouts in 69.1 innings pitched and a WHIP of 0.88. He put up great numbers in a role that isn't always easy to fill and had some nasty stuff. He was a big reason the Rangers were able to win the American League West.

Manager of the Year: Ron Washington, Texas Rangers. He guided a team with little expectations to the playoffs and really got something out of a pitching staff that wasn't expected to do much.

Well, there you have it. Those are my picks. We'll see how the writers feel when the results come out next month following the playoffs.

Giants win the West!

At left: 3B Pablo Sandoval hugs CF Andres Torres (56) after the Giants defeated the Padres 3-0 to clinch the NL West.

The San Francisco Giants (92-70) topped the San Diego Padres (90-72) to win the National League West on Sunday afternoon. The offense was supplied by RBI hits by Freddy Sanchez and Aubrey Huff, both of which came on the heels of a triple from pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, as well as a home run by Buster Posey in the 8th inning. Jonathan Sanchez threw five strong, scoreless innings and the bullpen was able to close the door. Brian Wilson worked a 1-2-3 9th inning to record his franchise record tying 48th save of the year.

It was really awesome to watch the Giants clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2003. It's just an incredible feeling to watch your favorite team accomplish something that they have worked so hard for. It's a long season and to win the division on the final day is quite an accomplishment. That's another thing about baseball that I love: the regular season means so much. In no other sport do you see guys celebrating a playoff berth this way. Every year there are good teams (like the Padres this year) who don't make the playoffs which makes getting there all the more special. I like that the season has been watered down and that you have to be one of the top teams just to get to the playoffs, unlike in other sports where about half the teams make it, often with records hovering around the .500 mark.

With the win, the Padres were eliminated and the Atlanta Braves (91-71) won the Wild Card following their 8-7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies (97-65) earlier in the day. The Giants and Braves meet for Game 1 of their best-of-five series on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. MT on TBS. I'm really excited to have my guys in the playoffs. It should be a fun ride. Go Giants!

Giants face Cubs tonight, then big series against Rocks

My San Francisco Giants (85-67) lost to the Chicago Cubs (69-82) 2-0 last night and once again failed to score. It's been very frustrating to watch and I think that the offense is pressing. Once they get a few runs, then they have tended to pile on as evident on Sunday when Jose Guillen hit a first inning grand slam against the Brewers (70-81) and the Giants cruised to a 9-2 victory. But in Chicago it's been more of the tenseness, but fortunately the pitching has been good enough that we have split the first two games against the Cubs despite scoring only 1 run on a Buster Posey home run Tuesday. Tonight is the series finale and the Giants have to look at it as one they have to win as the Padres (85-66) have moved back in first place by a half-game. Rookie Madison Bumgarner pitches tonight for the Giants. First pitch is slated for just after 5 p.m. MT.

The big series this weekend is in Denver against the Rockies (82-69) who have fortunately lost the last two nights to the Diamondbacks (61-91). But if the Rockies sweep it could still have an adverse affect on the Giants. We should shoot for at least trying to win the series. Oh, and a Giants win tonight would guarantee them at the very least pulling into a tie in the Wild Card with the Atlanta Braves (86-67) who currently lead it by a half-game but are off tonight. So that would be some good news.

Giants move into first place

For the first time since May 6, and the first time in September since 2003, the San Francisco Giants (83-64) have moved into sole possession of first place in the National League West. It became official after the San Diego Padres (82-64) lost to the St. Louis Cardinals (75-70) and the Giants followed that up with a 10-2 beat down of the hated Dodgers (72-75).

It was a great feeling when the Giants recorded that third out in the 9th inning to know that they are now in first place and that they are now the ones being chased rather than doing the chasing. I know it's just a half-game lead and that every game matters, but it's still a different feeling to be in first. Here's to hoping that the Giants keep it up with 15 games to play on the year.

Last night Jonathan Sanchez was really good and simply dealing through 7 innings last night. He had a career high 12 strikeouts and looked like he was in complete control throughout. Aubrey Huff had a big three run home run that was immediately followed by a solo shot from Buster Posey and Jose Guillen had a monster two run home run of his own. The offense looked really good throughout. Huff has been such a bargain this year and been the Giants' best offensive player throughout, leading the team in avg. (.294), home runs (25), and RBIs (84). And of course Posey is an NL Rookie of the Year candidate. The offense was really hitting well last night and hopefully they keep it up.

The Giants start a 3 game series at home against the Milwaukee Brewers (67-78) tonight with the three games starting at 8:15, 7:05 and 2:05 p.m. MT Friday through Sunday. All three games are available via MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv. Madison Bumgarner goes against Randy Wolf tonight, Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito start the final two games of the series against the Giants. The Padres continue their series in St. Louis and the Rockies (80-66) who are 2.5 games out play the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Giants get big bounce back win

The San Francisco Giants (73-60) got a nice 5-2 bounce back win over the Colorado Rockies (69-62) at AT&T Park. A loss would have allowed the Rockies to tie the Giants in the loss column so this win allowed them to create a little distance in the standings. There's another big game tomorrow night at 7:15 p.m. MT on FSN Rocky Mountain with Tim Lincecum and Ubaldo Jimenez squaring off. A win would allow for a winning homestand leading into a big 10-game road trip. The Phillies (74-58) won tonight so they remain 1.5 games up on the Giants, but San Francisco did pick up a game on the Padres (76-55) who lost to the Diamondbacks (54-79) tonight. San Diego now leads the Giants by 4 games and has lost a season high six straight games.

Madison Bumgarner threw six strong innings tonight and even hit an RBI double in the 5th inning to give the Giants a 2-1 lead. In such a crucial game, it was very impressive for a kid just barely 21 to have such a good performance.

After Melvin Mora hit a tying home run in the top of the 8th off of Jeremy Affedlt it appeared the Rockies had the momentum. However, the Giants showed that resiliency that they have been showing all year. Andres Torres hit a home run in the bottom half of the 8th that just can't be talked about enough. It was a huge homer in so many ways because it gave the Giants the lead right back as well as stopping the Colorado momentum. Buster Posey's two-run double was big-time as well as it provided breathing room for closer Brian Wilson who had a shut down 9th inning to complete the win.