Yes, this really happened...

One week later…

It still seems like a dream at times (though, thanks to the MLB Network, and sfgiants.com, I can see the games and highlights as often as I want!)

My childhood baseball team, a team that was really bad during my formative years, playing in a cold, windy ballpark, a team that constantly teased us, be it 1971, when they won the West on the last day of the season, but had to use their ace pitcher, thus making the best-of-five LCS no contest for the eventual champion Pittsburgh Pirates;

Or, 1978, when I was 13, and they stayed in first place for most of the summer, only to fade down the stretch…Mom actually thought I was going to have my first ulcer…

Or, 1982, when I was 17, and, thanks to a Ron Pruitt bloop, they got to within a game of the lead going into the final weekend, only to have Rick Monday ruin things on a Fred Breining fork ball that didn’t dip…Joe Morgan then knocked the Dodgers out on the last day of the season…

Or, 1987, when, in game 6 of the LCS, with the Giants needing one win to advance to the World Series, Candy Maldonado lost a line drive in the lights, leading to the only run of the game, and then Jose Oquendo ruined Atlee Hammaker for all Giants fans…BTW, we would have KILLED the Twins in the Series…ah, well…

Or, 1989, when the earth moved, and the A’s rattled the Giants’ pitching staff in 4 quick games…

Or, 1993…sigh…Salomon Torres was the best (?) option on the final day of the season…

Or, 1997…attended my first playoff game (Thanks, Jim C.!), only to see Devon White ruin the season…until we were walking back to the car, and a group yelled out “AT LEAST WE BEAT THE DODGERS!”, to which we all answered “YEAH! AT LEAST WE BEAT THE DODGERS!”

Or, 2000…first year at Pac Bell, best record in the NL, only to have fellow Filipino Benny Agbayani take Aaron Fultz deep, and then we only get one hit off of Bobby Freakin’ Jones…

Or, 2002…yeah, that happened…

Or, 2003…when we were introduced to Mad Dog Russo on the west coast…

Earlier this year, my family and I moved from the Bay Area to Connecticut; I joked with a friend as the Giants stayed within range of the Padres that it would be my luck that the Giants would win the whole thing the year I’m not there to experience it first hand. Now, the internet, as I’ve told many a relative and friend, does make the move not as traumatic, as I can keep up with family and friends through the many myriads of social networks. The only thing the internet cannot duplicate is feeling, and, as I sat there with my wife, watching Brian Wilson nail it down, I was somewhat at peace with not being in my hometown to watch the Giants win it all. Of course, once Nelson Cruz swung and missed, I yelled my head off (much to the chagrin of my 4-year old), called the family, and Facebooked my feelings of the night.

Every day after winning the Series, I checked in at mlb.com to see highlights, and the MLB Network was awash with Giants replays, so the happy feelings continued. It was only today, 8 days after the fact, that I watched the home run, and watched the strikeout, and listening to Joe Buck rattle off the names of the Giants that never got the chance to win the series in San Francisco, that I began to tear up…then, remembering that my brother went to my grandparent’s, mother’s and aunt’s tombstones to celebrate with them, a profound sense of sadness came over me…

Sports do seem silly to some, and believe me, living right between Boston and New York has heightened my passion for my home town teams. Sports, for my family and I, brings us all together, be it watching Dwight Clark rising to snare “The Catch”, watching my sister go nuts after a double overtime Sharks win, following the “We Believe” Warriors of 06-07. This victory, however, trumps them all. My dad and grandpa taught me about baseball, and the Giants. I still remember grandpa telling me to finish my sandwich before the first pitch, so that I can watch everything on the field at Candlestick. Mike Krukow had it right at the victory parade, when he had us remember those who introduced us to the national pastime. This victory was a tribute to them, and for that, I will be forever grateful for the 2010 San Francisco Giants – World Series Champions.

P.S. – I know there is supposed to be a 5 to 10 year grace period after winning a World Series, but after Buster Posey’s little speech at the victory celebration “Let’s enjoy this today, tomorrow, for a week or even a month, but let’s get back to work and make another run at it.”, I AM PUMPED!!!!

(Now, if they can get a quality bat for Jonathan Sanchez…)

Observations after three weeks...

Some random thoughts on a sleepy Sunday, before mowing the lawn...

Oh, what fun that was...

*Friendly's Grilled Cheese Sandwich is the only restaurant grilled cheese my son will eat;
*DMV? Runs very smoothly...was very used to this type of chaos in Daly City...

*Connecticuters love running...and the wife and I have discussed training for the many 5K and 10K runs that are coming up...

*The Noah Webster branch of the West Hartford Library has the best section for kids I've ever seen; Zach can stay there all day, playing, reading, working on the computer - I would have done the same at his age...

*The regular section of the library is pretty cool, too...

*Nutmeggers (another nickname) LOVE their Dunkin Donuts coffee - both hot and iced...

*The weather here turns on a dime; one day 50, cloudy, next day 86, sunny, then the quick shower/thunderstorm - this will take some getting used to...

*Connecticuticans (most current nickname) have been over the top friendly for the most part (there was an incident near the very affluent town of Avon that reminded me that not everyone approves of darker-skinned people)...best example was going to see the New Britain Rock Cats, the local AA baseball team, on a night where they were packed; I didn't have a ticket, and was waiting for my turn at the ticket booth, when a lovely woman by the name of Donna asked me if I needed just one ticket for myself, and when I said yes, she gave me her extra ticket for free! Turns out she gets tickets to all the games from the Rock Cats pitching coach, but her daughter, who normally accompanies her, decided to go to a school dance instead, so I got the extra ticket. And, not only that, but her seats turned out to be right behind the players' wives and girlfriends; what was interesting about the ladies was that the three levels of blondes (platinum, sandy, golden), sat and talked together the whole night, while the three brunettes did the same.

*The highway system is very good - If a job interview this week goes well, I'll be constantly using the system to go into Massachusetts (about a 35 minute drive).

*I'm reminded every time I go to the grocery store of how spoiled I was in California, with the abundance of different fruits and veg available; the stores aren't limited, but the quality does leave a lot to be desired; but, with the summer months coming up, I'm hopeful for more selection and better quality.

*Connecticut microbrews? Very tasty!

*We're almost into lobster season, so looking very forward to my first true lobster roll...

GET IN MY BELLY!!!!!!!!!!!

*Lots of weekend/day trips planned to discover our new state(s);
- Springfield, Mass for the Basketball Hall of Fame...
- Six-Flags New England in Springfield that boasts one of the few Wiggles World shows, as well as Thomas the Train, meaning that Zach will not want to leave...
- Science/Kids museums in West Hartford and Hartford...
- Steam train/Thomas the Train in Thomaston...
- Of course, a trip down to the Jersey Shore (FIST PUMP!)
- And, a trip to NYC

I'm still in a little bit of a haze, but hopefully the job situation will stabilize, and a new pre-school for Zach will make things a bit more normal - though he will say at least once a day "I miss California..."

Till next week...or sooner...