What are you going to do when the inevitable happens? Sure, the Giants could sweep the Diamondbacks, but they couldn’t even take two of three against the Dodgers — with the losses coming in games started by Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner. The Giants’ current plan is to move Matt Cain up a day to pitch Friday night in Arizona, followed by an Eric Surkamp start on Saturday.
The Giants might win both of those games, and even Sunday’s game on top of that. But the odds are not in the Giants’ favor. Chances are the D-Backs will clinch the NL West this weekend and celebrate in front of the Giants. Some Giants will sit in the dugout and watch, some will head to the clubhouse immediately after the last out, and some will already be in the clubhouse.
Will you watch?
If you feel like being the martyr type, go ahead. But Giants fans have sat through every eye-bleeding second of a such a long list of excruciating moments this season, it’s totally understandable — and probably healthier — to avoid watching the D-Backs jump around, hug each other and revel in the moment with 21,000 of their biggest fans.
One might say that after a World Series victory, Giants fans have no room to complain. But that World Series made everyone sit through a ton of crap a season later, because they believed everything would be okay. Because of that championship, Giants fans have focused more intently on the following moments this year than they normally would have:
— Aubrey Huff “busting it down the line” to first following a 4-3 grounder
— Replay after replay of Scott Cousins running into Buster Posey
— Almost every Aaron Rowand at-bat after April 17
— Eli Whiteside attempting to catch a baserunner stealing by hurling the ball into right-center
— Freddy Sanchez clutching his shoulder in shallow right-center
— 4-pitch walks from Dan Runzler and Jonathan Sanchez
— Bill Hall
— Miguel Tejada laying down a sacrifice bunt
— Darren Ford learning a pitcher’s pickoff move for the first time
— Giants hitters facing Johnny Cueto, Clayton Kershaw, Randy Wells, Cliff Lee…
— Jeff Keppinger moving to his left
— Jeff Keppinger moving to his right
— Jeff Keppinger backpedaling
— Jeff Keppinger running straight ahead
— Barry Zito facing Matt Kemp
— Any Giants pitcher facing Matt Kemp, when you think about it
— Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain or Madison Bumgarner contemplating another tough-luck loss or no-decision in the dugout after a great outing
— Any lineup featuring Orlando Cabrera
So don’t feel bad. You don’t earn extra life points just because you sat through Ryan Roberts performing whatever X-treme antics he probably has planned once the D-Backs clinch. When the D-Backs have their moment, just ignore the dogpile and focus on something other than baseball. Or, reminisce on all the good things you’ve gotten to watch over the last couple years. Because even though there was a sizable list of Giants-related occurrences to kvetch about in 2011, the amount of good memories formed over the past couple years is far longer.
