October Can't Come Fast Enough (with Postscript)

Postscript Oct.1: It's finally over.  The last two SF Giants games summed up the season.  Matt Cain made his last start before retiring Saturday, pitching a 3 hit shutout for 5 innings, going into the 9th with the victory, but the closer lost it, aided by a throwing error by the usually spectacular Brandon Crawford.  Then Sunday the Giants couldn't really hit a pitcher who was more or less trying out for a starting job, but ended up winning on a walk-off home run in the 9th--by Pablo Sandoval.  It was the depressingly, maddeningly repeated futility of this season, with the wistful echo of winning days past. Sunday after the game, the team celebrated Cain's 33rd birthday, and probably knew they were celebrating the end of an era.  It's likely that Matt Cain won't be the only one who played in these two games who won't be back in a Giants uniform next year.  I didn't see attendance figures for Sunday, but Saturday's game was not a sell out.

San Francisco Giants fans used to look forward to October for the playoffs and winning the World Series.  Now we just can't wait for this horrific season to end, and look forward to October for Warriors basketball.

The only suspense left for the Giants is whether they lose 100 games and/or whether they get the top draft choice because they finish with the worst record in MLB.  Then comes the long winter of discontent, as priorities are set and new players are pursued.  Right now the rookies getting some playing time must be swinging for the fences every time, as the power hitter priority is at the top.

The season of futility is symbolized by the return of Pablo Sandoval, who had a good start and then went into an epic hitting slump.  Only injuries to others have kept him in the lineup.  But SF will always remember the players who contributed to three championships and provided plenty of joy and thrills at the ball park.  Some are unlikely to be back, along with players who've joined since.

Meanwhile in the NBA, the musical chairs of big stars clustering in a few teams to compete with the Warriors will climax with the reported move of D. Wade to Cleveland.  Until this move, it seems Cleveland was going to have its hands full just winning the relatively anemic East.  But unlike K.D. coming to Golden State, several of these moves are by players who are probably past their prime, and that includes Wade and the other Cavs acquisition, Isaiah Thomas.

But these moves, including those by the Thunder and Houston, will likely make for more competitive basketball this season than seemed likely when last season ended.

The injection of politics into sports, especially by the lunatic tweets and speeches by our racist demagogue in chief, puts a different spin on the season, especially as Steph Curry and the Warriors were two of his specific targets.  Fortunately Curry is a class act and coach Steve Kerr a highly articulate and thoughtful class act.  I like being a Warriors fan.

And props from a Warriors fan to LeBron for his now famous tweet and his forthright stand.