…..pick me up for your team! I’ll buy you some dinner and drinks after that, I don’t care if you never call back, cause its root, root, root for the nice guy and if he doesn’t win it’s my gain, because its one, two, three strikes your out in the dating game!
The Giants win the World Series. Fact. They defeated the Texas Rangers 4 games to 1. And while most thought this an unimaginable feat for our team of “Freaks”, true Giants fans kept the faith. While most people who watch baseball credit the offense and the homeruns (Renteria!) with wins, the overlooked aspect of the game lies not only in the rotation of the hitters, but in the depth and rotation of a team’s bullpen.
On any given Major League baseball team, there are 11 to 12 pitchers on their roster. On the Giants, we have 11. The pitchers are divided into 3 roles: the starting lineup (Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Bumgarner, Zito, who ended up being benched for the post season), the middle-relief or relievers (Affeldt, Casilla, Lopez, Mota, Rameriez, Romo), and the closers (Brian “Fear the Beard” Wilson). As with the hitters, pitchers can be substituted at any time by another pitcher, and if pitcher is replaced, he cannot then return to the game. Let’s break down the Giants pen with a different but familiar scenario shall we?
Let’s say you are on a group date. A bunch of your girl friends convinced you to come with the promise of good food, cocktails and a multitude of good-looking, well-versed guys and although the concept seems a little “middle school”, you accept. There you are, happily ensconced in a corner booth with your friends and a drink, when you turn to your right and are immediately engaged in a conversation with you friend’s friend Tim. Tim is a fast talker, with steady delivery and doesn’t seem the least bit nervous. He asks all the right questions with a precision to detail like no guy you have ever met. He refills your glass often and he refills it quickly. After several interesting conversation topics, you notice that you are now carrying the conversation, doing that thing where you talk about yourself too much, while Tim is slumped over in the booth, a glazed look in his eyes. He’s spent. You excuse yourself to the restroom.
When you return, Javier is waiting with an inviting smile and a wicked twinkle in his eye. Your sense of hope is renewed and you quickly sidle up to him and loop your arm through his. Javier manages to hold your attention for a while with his curveball questions and cutting remarks about society and the like. But you soon find yourself tired of conversation and scan the group for a more physical, direct option.
Enter Brian. His hand on the small of your back and his eyes locked on yours, fire dancing beneath the surface of his smirk, offer you just the right amount of danger and drama you are looking for. Although you know that several of the girls in your circle have been charmed by Brian in much the same way and you are acutely aware of their jealous stares as he leads you outside and hails a cab, this direct approach is exactly what need after all the teasing conversation.
That, ladies, is why the Giants pitching and bullpen rosters are so valuable.
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